This dissertation examines the resiliency, efficiency, and environmental impact of barge shipments within the upper Ohio River basin, contrasting findings relevant to this region with assumptions and findings of broader national studies and providing alternative assessment methods. The unique attributes of this region’s inland waterways infrastructure and usage patterns are dominated by the shipment of coal; mines and powerplants with heavy and inflexible dependence on barge shipments; and the constrictions of the waterway infrastructure. Acknowledging these attributes allows for a more accurate assessment in the future of risks due to infrastructure failure and opportunities for efficiency gains. Research goals were set in three major areas: assessing the impact of an extended loss of commercial river navigation due to catastrophic infrastructure failure; assessing current and potential new efficiency metrics for inland waterways freight movement, both in terms of vessel movements and the infrastructure itself; and quantifying and assessing air emissions from regional commercial river traffic. The first research goal was to assess the impact of an extended loss of commercial river navigation due to catastrophic infrastructure failure. The objectives of this research goal were to develop a failure scenario; to develop methodologies to identify at-risk commodity shipments, feasible alternate modes of transportation, supply chain options, and shipping costs; and to develop a methodology to assess the potential closure of facilities impacted by infrastructure failure. A hypothetical failure scenario was assessed for a year-long closure of the Monongahela River between Charleroi and Elizabeth in 2010. For this scenario, the potentially displaced volume of coal shipments from mines to powerplants for a hypothetical river shutdown in 2010 was estimated at 7.0 million tons. The resilience of the impacted facilities, the feasibility of their shipping alternatives, and their ability to re-organize into new markets were assessed, showing heavy predicted impacts for facilities within the hypothetical failure zone, minimal impacts on facilities located below the failure zone, and mixed impacts above the failure zone that depend on facility-specific shipping mode alternatives. Lost revenues were estimated for facilities that close due to an inability to adapt, as well as the replacement cost of towboats and barges trapped by a catastrophic and sudden failure. The aggregate costs to these facilities as a result of a year-long closure in 2010 were estimated at $0.56-1.7 billion. The second research goal was to assess commonly used and potential new efficiency metrics for the inland waterways. Objectives of this goal included the development of methodologies to identify, characterize, and differentiate between vessel and commodity trips; to assess efficiency metrics currently used by USACE and develop improved metrics; and to conduct stochastic time studies of commodity trips to quantify efficiency gains from infrastructure improvements. The vessel and commodity trip analyses provide a unique assessment of the inefficiencies created by the infrastructure bottlenecks within the region. Data from USACE’s Lock Performance Monitoring System and the Energy Information Administration’s Survey 923 were used to characterize and rank the vessel and commodity trips made in 2010 in terms of frequency, tonnage, and ton-miles. Such rankings can be used to prioritize optimization projects and to assess usage patterns. The analyses of various efficiency measures commonly used for the inland waterways were conducted in light of the particular constraints of operation within the upper Ohio River basin. These upriver locks differ in size, requiring vessel operators to optimize the type and configuration of barges used within the region, and causing the regional profile to differ from fleet and flotilla profiles generated at a national level or for other regions. Consideration of these differences allows for more accurate analysis of usage patterns, with implications for efficiency considerations of time and fuel consumption. Stochastic modeling of historical usage patterns allows for the comparison of time requirements with different flotilla configurations and with different infrastructure configurations. A scenario analysis on a typical regional shipment between a coal mine and powerplant was used to demonstrate the method. Results show that completion of a long delayed lock reconstruction project will reduce the time required, and thus the cost and fuel, to move commodities across the region. The savings for a 15-jumbo barge tow moving 200 miles across the study area was estimated to be 17% as a result of completion of the Lower Mon Project. The third research goal was to quantify and assess the regional impact of commercial river traffic on air quality. The specific objectives of this goal were to develop a methodology for calculating emission loadings; and to develop a methodology to assess the impact of vessel emissions on regional air monitors. An estimation of particulate emissions from the vessels’ diesel engines is presented, showing total releases of PM2.5 to be about 360 tons in 2010 across 600 river miles of the upper Ohio River basin, on the same order of magnitude as the major point source releases reported in Allegheny County, and about 25% of releases from a typical 1,700 MW regional powerplant. A screening analysis estimates PM2.5 concentrations attributable from towboats passing through the Liberty-Clairton non-attainment region, predicting that these emission levels would be orders of magnitude below the detection limits of the region’s air monitors, and would be dwarfed by the point source impacting those monitors.

Thèse (M.A.)--Université Laval, 2006. / Bibliogr.: f. 88-90. Publié aussi en version électronique dans la Collection Mémoires et thèses électroniques.

Stuttgart, Univ, Diss., 2007 (Nicht für den Austausch).

The phenomenon of job-lock in the United States may be caused by a major non-portable fringe benefit provided by employers: health insurance. Would-be entrepreneurs and other self-employed individuals may not be achieving their full potential due to being “locked” in their wage-employment. With data from the Survey of Consumer Finances in years 2004, 2007, and 2009, this study explores this effect, whether it exists, and whether it is lessened by worse health status. Amongst married households, there is evidence that husbands are 9.2% more likely to be entrepreneurs if their spouses have employer coverage, whereas wives are not. Somewhat surprisingly, this effect is not associated with health care demand. Amongst non-married individuals, employer coverage restricts transitions into self-employment by 3.6%. Both of these results provide evidence for job lock, and have loose implications on how universal healthcare may free individuals to pursue entrepreneurship.

Subsidies, taxes, premiums, and eligibility for health insurance can potentially cause "marriage lock," in which couples stay married for the sake of health insurance coverage, and marriage lock may change under the Affordable Care Act. In the first two chapters, marriage lock is examined in the context of two key health insurance decisions: divorce decisions upon qualification for Medicare at age 65, and marriage and divorce decisions associated with the introduction of the Massachusetts insurance mandate and health insurance exchange market reforms in 2006. In the first chapter, using the Health and Retirement Study data, I find evidence of a 7 percentage point increase in the number of divorces upon achieving Medicare eligibility at age 65 for people with spousal insurance coverage relative to those without it. In the second chapter, using the American Community Survey data, I find that the 2006 Massachusetts healthcare reform increased incentives for marriage in the health insurance exchange market relative to control states. Specifically, the Massachusetts reform appears to have reduced the divorce rate by 0.5 percentage point and increased marriage rate by 1.4 percentage points. In the third chapter, I use data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) to explore three decisions potentially affected by the implementation of Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). First, I find that individuals with MSAs incur 17 RMB more medical expenses per 1000 RMB increase in their MSAs balance, while I find no significant effect of after-tax income on medical expenses. Second, I study preference heterogeneity as revealed by three types of risky behaviors. I find undertaking risky investments is associated with 23% more medical expenditures, while always using a seatbelt and obeying traffic signals are associated with 16% and 22% higher medical expenditures, respectively. Finally, I find evidence suggesting that individuals become more risk adverse with MSAs than without, specifically by increasing their use of seatbelts and obeying traffic signals. These findings, using recent Chinese data, suggest that MSAs play an important role when consumers make health expenditure decisions, and that preferences involving risk and prevention also appear to be influenced by the MSA scheme.

This article analyzes two central points, which are the expropriation from a criticism on what the new Expropiation Law indicates; and from that law, the author will refer about the role of registration qualification and how it has developed in practice. Finally, the author concludes three important issues that they have been derived from the analysis of the law, and presents the conclusions through a critique to the issue of property in our country. / El presente artículo realiza un análisis sobre dos puntos centrales, que son la expropiación a partir de una crítica a lo que señala la nueva Ley de Expropiaciones; y a partir de dicha Ley el autor también se referirá sobre la función de calificación registral y cómo esta se ha desarrollado en la práctica. Finalmente, el autor concluye tres temas importantes derivados del análisis a dicha norma, y presenta las conclusiones haciendo una crítica al tema de la propiedad en nuestra en país.

At the center of this thesis are seven psalms, commonly known as the Penitential Psalms. The Penitential Psalms were often used in connection to corporeal expressions of the sacrament, and though sacramental practices changed, they retained this association, and even became a catalyst for literary change and experimentation. In this thesis, I will show how these psalms were connected to the sacrament of penance throughout the medieval period, and well into the religiously tumultuous sixteenth century. This thesis explores four texts that take up the Penitential Psalms, adapting, refashioning, and reappropriating them to be used in different ways. The Introduction outlines the history of the Penitential Psalms and their interconnectedness with sacramental theology and practice; it further establishes the cultural and theoretical context within which the four examined texts must be considered. These sacramental ties with the Penitential Psalms are not found only in theological writings, but they also infused lay practice and experience, as I will show in Chapter One, where I examine the staunchly Protestant Actes and Monuments by John Foxe. Additionally, I argue that Foxe's accounts of Marian martyrs point to Psalm 51 both as a text of protest and memorialization. Chapter Two then moves to Sir Thomas Wyatt's A Paraphrase of the Penitential Psalms; there I examine the presence of the male body within the work, placing the text within the setting of a visual history that illustrates David's illicit desire for Bathsheba. With this tradition in mind, I examine trajectories of ocularity within the narrative, tracing the redirection of sexual desire. Anne Lock's Meditation of a Pentient Sinner is the center of Chapter Three. Meditation, when considered in relation to the dedicatory epistle, reveals connections to the standardized penitential process, and I argue that Lock presents a modified form of repentance to her reader. The final chapter looks at The Sidney Psalter's Penitential Psalms, which reveal an incoherent view of the penitential body merging with the body of the dead war-hero, Philip. It is within this penitential affect that the penitent displays and partitions his or her own body slipping into an otherness predicated by sin.

Introdução: Sepse relacionada ao cateter é a principal causa de hospitalizações e a segunda causa de morte em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica em hemodiálise. O uso de medicações que possam diminuir a incidência de bacteremia relacionada ao cateter parece uma alternativa para diminuir o número de eventos. Objetivo: Comparação do uso de heparina contra minociclina e edetato dissódico (MEDTA) como selo de cateter de longa permanência em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica em hemodiálise, comparando desfecho de sobrevida de cateter em relação ao tempo livre de bacteremias, alterações de fluxo, necessidade de trombolítico e cultura positiva de material de descarte. Método: Ensaio clínico, randomizado, multicêntrico, aberto, controlado, comparativo entre heparina e MEDTA. Resultados: 28 pacientes foram incluídos no total do estudo (14 no grupo heparina e 14 no grupo MEDTA). Os grupos não apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas em relação à idade, sexo, níveis de albumina e hemoglobina, tempo de permanência de cateter, alterações de fluxo do cateter (fluxo < 250mL/min) e necessidade de uso de trombolítico. O grupo MEDTA apresentou significativamente menos episódios de bacteremia e menor número de culturais de material de descarte positivos (P< 0,05). Conclusões: O uso de MEDTA como selo parece diminuir a incidência de bacteremias em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica em hemdiálise emuso de acesso vascular por cateter, apresentando índices semelhantes de patência de cateter. / Introduction: Catheter-related sepsis is the leading cause of hospitalization and the second cause of death in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. The use of medications that can reduce the incidence of catheter-related bacteremia seems as an alternative to reduce the number of events. Objective: Comparison of heparin against minocycline and disodium edetate (MEDTA) as a tunneled catheter lock in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis, comparing outcome of catheter survival over time free survival time of bacteremia, flow alterations, need of thrombolytic therapy and positive culture of material from discard. Method: Clinical trial, randomized, multicenter, open, controlled comparative between heparin and MEDTA. Results: 28 patients were included in the overall study (14 in the heparin group and 14 in MEDTA group). The groups showed no statistically significant differences regarding age, sex, albumin and hemoglobin levels, length of catheter, catheter flow changes (flow <250mL/min) and required use of thrombolytic therapy. MEDTA group had significantly fewer episodes of bacteremia and fewer positive cultural of discarded material (P <0.05). Conclusions: The use of MEDTA as a catheter lock appears to decrease the incidence of bacteremia in patients with chronic renal failure in hemdiálise inuse vascular access catheter, showing similar rates of patency of the catheter.

La gestion de l'énergie électrique est au cœur des enjeux environnementaux. L'éclosion de semi-conducteurs à grand gap comme le carbure de silicium (SiC) permet la réalisation de composants aux performances supérieures à celles des composants en silicium pour l'électronique de puissance. Toutefois, le comportement de ces dispositifs lors de décharges électrostatiques (ESD) ou lors de radiations est mal connu et nécessite des études spécifiques. Dans ces travaux, plusieurs composants MESFET SiC ont ainsi été testés face aux ESD et l'étude des mécanismes de défaillance a montré soit la défaillance de l'oxyde de passivation, soit la sublimation du SiC suite au déclenchement d'une structure parasite. L'intégration d'une diode Zener sur le drain du MESFET a ainsi été testée et validée comme protection ESD. La simulation démontre que la protection est inefficace par rapport à la tenue aux radiations d'ions lourds. Assurer la robustesse de ces technologies n'apparaît pas plus simple que pour les composants en silicium. Des solutions sont toutefois envisageables pour aider les concepteurs à améliorer la robustesse aux ESD, bien que des études supplémentaires restent à mener. / Power management is nowadays crucial with the global warming and the electronic needs of the society. Wideband gap semi-conductors like Silicon Carbide (SiC) are emerging in power electronic landscape because of their better properties in comparison with Silicon. Nevertheless reliability and knowledge about internal physic during electrostatic discharge (ESD) or radiation event is still missing and need specific studies. In this work, several SiC MESFET have been tested and results show two mains failure mechanism. First the passivation oxide clamping, and secondly the SiC sublimation induced by a parasitic structure in the device. An ESD protection was tested and validated. Unfortunately, this solution isn't efficient for heavy ion protection. Indeed, no impact on the radiation robustness is noticed on the MESFET during a radiation event. SiC ESD reliability doesn't look better than for Silicon devices. ESD robustness improvements are proposed in this work even if integration of this MESFET is still required to validate the improvement.

Introdução: Sepse relacionada ao cateter é a principal causa de hospitalizações e a segunda causa de morte em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica em hemodiálise. O uso de medicações que possam diminuir a incidência de bacteremia relacionada ao cateter parece uma alternativa para diminuir o número de eventos. Objetivo: Comparação do uso de heparina contra minociclina e edetato dissódico (MEDTA) como selo de cateter de longa permanência em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica em hemodiálise, comparando desfecho de sobrevida de cateter em relação ao tempo livre de bacteremias, alterações de fluxo, necessidade de trombolítico e cultura positiva de material de descarte. Método: Ensaio clínico, randomizado, multicêntrico, aberto, controlado, comparativo entre heparina e MEDTA. Resultados: 28 pacientes foram incluídos no total do estudo (14 no grupo heparina e 14 no grupo MEDTA). Os grupos não apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas em relação à idade, sexo, níveis de albumina e hemoglobina, tempo de permanência de cateter, alterações de fluxo do cateter (fluxo < 250mL/min) e necessidade de uso de trombolítico. O grupo MEDTA apresentou significativamente menos episódios de bacteremia e menor número de culturais de material de descarte positivos (P< 0,05). Conclusões: O uso de MEDTA como selo parece diminuir a incidência de bacteremias em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica em hemdiálise emuso de acesso vascular por cateter, apresentando índices semelhantes de patência de cateter. / Introduction: Catheter-related sepsis is the leading cause of hospitalization and the second cause of death in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. The use of medications that can reduce the incidence of catheter-related bacteremia seems as an alternative to reduce the number of events. Objective: Comparison of heparin against minocycline and disodium edetate (MEDTA) as a tunneled catheter lock in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis, comparing outcome of catheter survival over time free survival time of bacteremia, flow alterations, need of thrombolytic therapy and positive culture of material from discard. Method: Clinical trial, randomized, multicenter, open, controlled comparative between heparin and MEDTA. Results: 28 patients were included in the overall study (14 in the heparin group and 14 in MEDTA group). The groups showed no statistically significant differences regarding age, sex, albumin and hemoglobin levels, length of catheter, catheter flow changes (flow <250mL/min) and required use of thrombolytic therapy. MEDTA group had significantly fewer episodes of bacteremia and fewer positive cultural of discarded material (P <0.05). Conclusions: The use of MEDTA as a catheter lock appears to decrease the incidence of bacteremia in patients with chronic renal failure in hemdiálise inuse vascular access catheter, showing similar rates of patency of the catheter.