This dissertation demonstrates a breadth and depth of knowledge about its subject that can only come from a truly experienced businessman. Drawing upon his life experience as well as scholarly sources, Dr. Amaya clearly and precisely sheds a fresh light of insight upon such subjects as renewable energy, market conditions and operations, and the effects of government policies on emerging economies. Dr. Amaya rigorously develops his argument that "the so- called energy problem has implications for the whole structure of modern society." Fully documented and persuasively argued, this dissertation has merit on several levels: as a primer on renewable energies, a record of existing government policies throughout the world, and a practical, feasible strategy for addressing 21st century energy ne...

Materials and Technologies for Energy Efficiency is a compilation of research papers whose main aim is to provide an opportunity to gather knowledge about the latest developments and advances in materials and processes involving energy. This volume consists of a series of works which were presented at The Energy & Materials Research Conference (EMR2015), held in Madrid, Spain in February 2015. This compilation of more than 50 papers has been written by researchers from all over the world. Papers focus on topics including biomass and biofuels; solar energy; fuel cells; energy storage, etc. The book is recommended for researchers from a broad range of academic disciplines related to energy and materials. We hope that this set of papers would be useful to stimulate further discussion...

Today, policy makers in both developed and developing countries are pursuing regionalization as a means to achieve easier market access, economies of scale, and welfare gains. South Asia Trade and Energy Security explains how regional economic cooperation in trade and energy security could help facilitate the economic transformation of the region, reducing poverty and expanding production. Currently, intra-regional trade in South Asia is constrained by tariff and non-tariff barriers. A fully-functional free trade area as envisaged in the South Asian Free Trade Area agreement has yet to be realized. This book explains the current patterns and limitations of energy trade between countries in South Asia, and how the growing demand for energy could be met by working closely with energy rich Ir...

Economic activity of humankind is considered in the book through the prism of fundamental physical concepts of Irreversible Thermodynamics. In the frame of such an approach the Economy appears as an immense global system, which performs work, necessary for functioning human societies, at the expense of dissipation of energy, both biological, provided with food, and technological, used for industrial and everyday needs. Money plays a fundamental role of virtual energy specific for economic processes, that makes possible mutual coupling of energy flows distinct in their nature. The author applies the concept of entropy of money and shows that it depends upon the degree of concentration of money. In turn entropy of money is shown to define attainable level of capability of money to perform wo...

George P. (for Phydias) Mitchell grew up poor in Galveston, the son of a one-time goatherd from the Greek Peloponnesus. He's a soft-spoken oilman who created a new community that will soon have a population of more than 100,000. He's a top geologist, with an enviable record as an oil finder. He's invested millions in a crusade to shepherd the earth's resources in order to achieve a sustainable future. He built a freewheeling wildcatting company into one of the nation's largest and most successful independent energy producers. And he's smart, intuitive, lucky and persistent. The updated How Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. Got Its Start and How It Grew is the story of Mitchell and his company told in narrative form and in a series of interviews of the people who nurtured the c...

Through use of a lecture-slide format, this book presents an astrophysics detective story that chronicles Jerome Drexler's literature search for astronomical clues and evidence to unveil the nature of dark matter. There are a number of mysteries in astrophysics and cosmology that have remained unsolved for decades. What is dark matter? How exactly are stars created? In 1998, it was determined from supernova studies that the expansion of the Universe was accelerating, thereby creating the mystery of dark energy. Astrophysicists have developed mutually exclusive, single-phenomenon theories for each of these three phenomena, but not a unified theory for all three of them. The author's original goal was to identify dark matter, a decades-old mystery. In the process, he developed a new...

This study is focused on the effects of photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (CT) in three differently twisted donor-acceptor (D-A) biphenyls. Taking into account a further pair of differently twisted D-A biaryls new universal insights into the photoinduced electronic and conformation dynamics of D-A biaryls are obtained. Furthermore, possible applications in fields of solar energy conversion and fluorescence sensing of microenvironments are demonstrated. Experimental means of stationary and time-resolved (ps to s) luminescence, transient absorption (sub-ps), polarization spectroscopy, high pressure and low temperature techniques are employed in conjunction with quantum chemical calculations. Twist angle and solvent dependent electron transfer (ET) interactions between the D and A...

Past studies have been done on the effects specific foods have on the adrenal glands and other hormones. This study is concerned with the combined effect that a well-rounded, healthy, nutrient-dense food program while eliminating the use of selected substances known to alter hormones, such as alcohol, caffeine, soy, hormone-laced meat, common allergy foods, would have on the adrenal glands and specific hormones. The investigator studied six individuals that had never been on hormone replacement therapy and were on a less than optimal diet. One post-menopausal woman, four menstruating women, and one male volunteered to be test subjects. A salivary assay baseline was taken of the hormones: cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), testosterone, progesterone, and estradiol before th...

The book describes a history of the vortex theory. Introduced at the dawn of science almost 2600 years ago, it had passed through five phases of accumulation of its strength by absorbing the discoveries made during the Greek civilization, the Copernicus Revolution, the age of electromagnetism, the atomic age, and the information age. During the first four phases (see Chapters 1 through 12 of this book), the development of the vortex theory followed the same misfortunate pattern. Each time, this theory managed to bring attention of a new generation of brilliant scientists, who were enchanted by a deep physical meaning of its basic concept. But, although they employed the latest advances in science, none of them was able to produce a mathematical tool making the vortex theory practically...

This book captures the status of current electrical energy markets including the principal forces affecting decisions on selecting an energy source. It represents a seminal work that lays out the electrical energy decision tree for selecting an energy source in a world that is on the verge of catastrophic global warming because of the choices that have been made in the name of cheap energy. The impetus for this book includes the dire need to mitigate continued anthropogenic causes of global warming by turning to carbon free energy sources.Nuclear energy represents such a carbon-free energy source and could be a partial solution to the existential threat facing future society---the threat of a warming planet and its consequential, catastrophic effects on future generations. The world is at ...

Fuelling the Future offers the latest research results in materials, processes and systems involved in energy generation, transmission-distribution and storage as they were presented by active researchers in the field at the Energy and Materials Research Conference (Spain, June 2012). In our current situation, where the world's energy system is likely to radically change in the next several decades, research into these technologies has become a critical aspect in the development of cleaner and more efficient energy. Readers will find a major collection of knowledge, approaches, methods and discussions on the latest advances and challenges in materials for energy generation. The topics covered in this single volume include energy from biomass- biofuels, solar energy, fuel cells, hydrogen...

This compilation based upon recent peer-reviewed journal publications encapsulates how the Flat Space Cosmology model (FSC) has become the primary competitor to the inflationary standard model of cosmology. New ideas concerning black holes, dark energy and dark matter are presented and shown to correlate extremely well with astronomical observations. Anyone who follows the fast-changing science of cosmology, has an interest in the latest developments, and would like to know how it is that our universe appears to follow equations one would ordinarily expect for a time-reversed black hole (!), may find this book to be fascinating. Cosmology is the study of how the universe has changed over the great span of time (roughly 14 billion years). Later centuries will look back upon the period fr...

Oil and God is an unabashed realpolitik analysis of U.S. oil geopolitics and Saudi Arabia’s symbiotic attachment to Wahhabism. Oil and God contends that oil hegemony is world hegemony. The U.S. has protected the al-Sauds since 1945. Some 35,000 U.S. soldiers are in regional air and naval bases to protect the oil fields and ruling sheikhs. In Washington’s hands, Saudi oil is a non-lethal WMD. Not even the 9/11 atrocities could make Washington punish Riyadh. Oil and God investigates why Iraq was destroyed, why Iran was allowed to dominate Baghdad, and why Shi’ite/Sunni wars continue to burn. Once oil is replaced by green energy, Washington will abandon Riyadh, Saudi cash will dwindle, and Wahhabi terror will diminish.REVIEWS Elie Elhadj provides a deeply researched analysis of how the...

This book is different from all other modern cosmology books in several ways. It introduces a cosmologic universe, which is orderly, logical, and systematic. It teaches and explains by illustrating how a variety of cosmic mysteries have been solved. It raises the status of dark matter in the universe by illuminating its roles as the principal source of energy, the principal source of matter in the form of hydrogen and helium, and the principal source of cosmic relationships with the principal cosmic phenomena of the universe. This book simplifies the universe as Nicolaus Copernicus' book simplified the solar system in 1543. With more and more cosmic mysteries being discovered and the slow progress in solving them, cosmologists and astrophysicists must re-train themselves to understand...

This dissertation analyses developments of international arbitration on investment disputes. Recent years, there has been an extraordinary increase in the number of investment arbitration for breach of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). These treaties include substantive and procedural rules to provide investment security and investment neutrality to foreign investor. In particular, most BITs have investor-state dispute settlement provision which allows investors to sue host states directly. Through analyzing the Turkish BIT experience, this study concludes that there are different approaches that utilized in various investor-state dispute settlement provisions. Thus, the wording of these provisions is important. Furthermore, the ICSID arbitration is mostly incorporated into BITs d...

The conceptual foundations for a deterministic quantum mechanics are presented with the Socratic method. The theory is attacked and weaknesses elucidated. These are compared against those of convention. Directions for future research are proposed.

Learn how a world-class inventor-scientist is currently tackling the greatest scientific mysteries of the universe -- and succeeding. With his new book, Drexler provides a viable baseline to jump-start debate on a standard model for postmodern cosmology. It is the first book to not only address these seven unsolved cosmic mysteries, shown in this book's subtitle, but also offer plausible explanations for each of them. The correlation of these seven cosmic phenomena by Drexler offers a revolutionary advance in cosmological research and potentially broad acceptance and use of the related concepts. This book was written for open-minded cosmologists, astronomers, astrophysicists, physicists, engineers, students, enthusiasts and those at NASA, NSF, DOE and ESO who want to understand postmod...

What can we do to preserve a future for the next generation to cherish? A potent answer is to exercise good stewardship in realizing more sustainable living and development. This volume brings together experts from around the world to disseminate the latest knowledge and research toward this end, i.e., engineering for more sustainable development and living. Let us learn from a living cell that utilizes inherited biological intelligence to organize its resources for current needs and future existence. We also have the responsibility to ensure universal access to electricity and increase the share of renewable energies. Cost effective hybrid renewable energy systems should also be considered and furthered. Advancing energy storage is a necessary striving for managing a future "toilet paper ...

Before the seismic events of Northridge (Los Angeles, 17 January 1994) and Hyogoken-Nanbu (Kobe, 17 January 1995), MRFs were supposed to be the most reliable seismic resistant systems due to the high number of dissipative zones that are able to develop. Before these earthquakes, especially in the United States, MRFs were realized, generally, by adopting fully welded connections, which, at the time, were retained to perform better compared to other joint typologies. In addition, the economic advantages deriving from the adoption of field fully welded connections strongly influenced choices of building owners and, as a result, led to the adoption of this joint typology in almost all pre-Northridge steel MRFs. After the Northridge earthquake, even though the loss of life was limited, the unex...

The diversity of stellar death is revealed in the energy, velocity and geometry of the explosion debris ("ejecta''). Using multi-wavelength observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows I show that GRBs, arising from the death of massive stars, are marked by relativistic, collimated ejecta ("jets'') with a wide range of opening angles. I further show that the jet opening angles are strongly correlated with the isotropic-equivalent kinetic energies, such that the true relativistic energy of GRBs is nearly standard, with a value of few times 10^51 erg. A geometry-independent analysis which relies on the simple non-relativistic dynamics of GRBs at late time confirms these inferences. Still, the energy in the highest velocity ejecta, which give rise to the prompt gamma-ray emission, ...

Recent talks have outlined the disadvantages of land based (agro-fuels) as feedstock for biofuels. This final dissertation for the MBA in Energy and Sustainable Development looks at these disadvantages and proposes an alternative scenario, i.e. the potential of aquatic alternatives. Aquatic Biofuels: New Options for Bioenergy looks at the potential of micro-algae and fish waste as feedstock for biofuel. Micro-algae come in different strains; strains differ in their composition some have more lipids/oils, others have more proteins and others yet have more carbohydrates. The chosen strain will determine what kind of biofuel can be produced or if the strain contains less lipids and more carbohydrates or proteins, the algae can produce bio-gas. Current technology in algae extraction is also c...

This is a reader’s guide to Mann’s classic novel that attempts to answer the most compelling question of the 20th century—how could millions of Jewish men, women and children have been murdered by the government of a country that prided itself as the civilized “land of music,” the land of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven? The noble purposes of this novel are to understand the nature and sources of Nazi evil and to help ban it from the ring in the future. As you will note, Mann’s explanation is relevant for events in Iraq in 2007. Mann gives a new answer to this question—the land of music produced not only the freedom-based music of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. It also produced twelve-tone row music, “serial” music composed without freedom but with strict controls. Founded on ...

Processive enzymes are a special class of enzymes which presumably remain attached to their polymeric substrates between multiple rounds of catalysis. Due to this property, the substrate slides along the enzyme and reduces the time for the random diffusional enzyme-substrate encounters thereby increasing the efficiency of these enzymes manifold. Although structural information from many processive enzymes is available, the atomistic details of particularly the substrate sliding process, which is an inherently dynamic process, remain largely unknown. We take first steps to understand the sliding process by investigating a prototypic processive enzyme: Streptococcus Pneumoniae Hyaluronate lyase, a bacterial enzyme that degrades the polysaccharide substrate hyaluronan. Here we have investiga...

This tenth in a series concludes this ground-breaking word-by-word analysis of Finnegans Wake, the literary monument which records James Joyce’s desperate search for spiritual connection. In the chapter covered by this volume, the main connecting links are reincarnation of ALP and reincarnation of the novel itself. For his last weave, Tikkun Master Joyce joins strands of Kabbalah and Hinduism to launch a fully realized ALP. She comes to roost but in a new home on the far shore. ALP realizes independence as she throws off fear of the church, of males, and of death. The pivotal event for this purpose is closure provided by the funeral for Father Michael, ALP’s sexmailer. The resulting freedom gives her independence as well as what she already had, her instinctive charitable nature. ...

Wireless Metering Networks (WMN), a special class of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), consisting of a large number of tiny inexpensive sensor nodes are a viable solution for many problems in the field of building automation, especially if the expected lifetime of the network permits to synchronize the network maintenance with the schedule for routine maintenance of the building. In order to meet the resulting energy constraints, the nodes have to operate according to an extremely low duty cycle schedule. The existence of an energy efficient MAC Layer protocol, the adoption of a robust time synchronization mechanism and the implementation of effective network discovery and maintenance strategies are key elements for the success of a WMN project. The main goal of this work was the developm...

There is only one earth and our world is undergoing dramatic changes brought on by the climate crisis and other human-induced ecological disruptions. The world's top scientists studying these threats and the forces behind them have been warning us for decades to end the use of fossil fuels or face catastrophic consequences. Countering the still small voices of science, our democratic system of government has been rigged largely by the fossil fuel industry and other special interests leaving America hoodwinked and held hostage to dirty fuels. Campaigning politicians claim to be working for us when in fact they are being paid and controlled by fierce special interests.As a lifetime environmental insider in the struggle against fossil fuel interests, I have written this book to better equip A...

From flat-panel televisions to thermonuclear fusion for energy production, plasmas currently have numerous and wide applications in sciences and industry. A diversity of plasma diagnostics is available to physicists and engineers to measure and control plasma parameters. Among them, the Langmuir probe is the most inexpensive and most popular instrument and method. The Langmuir probe is a small electrode which is submerged in plasma in order to measure the probe current-voltage characteristic. The same characteristic is processed further to derive the electron and ion concentration, the electron distribution function, and the plasma potential at the probe location. Langmuir probe diagnostics afford rapid measurements of the electron distribution function and plasma potential at a good time...

Spiritual healing modalities are powerful tools, which enhance holistic and allopathic methods in caring for special needs children. This research paper explores four methods of spiritual healing, which benefit disabled children on all levels of existence. The spiritual healing techniques of Touch Therapy, Sound Therapy, Channeling and Love Therapy address the unique mind-body-spirit requirements of the pediatric special needs community. Spiritual healing empowers parents and caretakers to take the responsibility of healing into their own homes and to enhance communication with their child via the Divine Spirit in ways not normally explored in traditional approaches. The scientific study of energy medicine further adds credibility to alternative models of healing and opens the minds of...

The Agulhas Retroflection transfers heat, salt and vorticity from the Indian Ocean to the South Atlantic. The transfer is accomplished by discrete meso-scale features and by the advection of a water column of mixed Atlantic and Indian Ocean origins. The objectives of this thesis are to measure the strength of the Agulhas-South Atlantic (ASA) exchange and to develop a generalized method for the measurement of mass and thermohaline fluxes. First, ASA mass and energy fluxes are estimated by using sea surface height (SSH) anomalies from satellite altimetry to monitor Agulhas eddies, a significant component of ASA transport. ~20 eddies are tracked from SSH during 1986 - 1989. Six eddies/year are observed entering the South Atlantic; when combined with information from hydrography this sugg...

Totally addicted to oil, Man in his industrial adventure has transformed nearly all the Earth’s ecosystems into “egosystems” designed to serve only his own needs and desires, at the expense of all other species. He persists despite the irreversible damage he is causing to the environment. He has already disrupted the Earth’s thermostats. Western society has reached the “Age of Excess,” which will last only as long as there is still fossil energy to fuel it. The Earth cannot keep up with Man’s demand for natural resources. Her hydrocarbon reserves are shrinking rapidly and by 2010, global production will begin to decrease, setting off a period of unprecedented planetary disorder and turmoil. Today the United States must import most of the oil it ...