This paper presents technological trials aimed at producing Ag-W, Ag-WC, Ag-W-C and Ag-WC-C composite contact materials and characterizing their properties. These materials were obtained using two ...methods, i.e. press-sinter-repress (PSR) at the refractory phase content of less than 30% by weight as well as press-sinter-infiltration (PSI) at the refractory phase content of ≥50% by weight). The results of research into both the physical and electrical properties of the outcome composites were shown. They include the analysis of the influence of the refractory phase content (W or WC) on arc erosion and contact resistance changes for the following current range: 6 kAmax in the case of composites with a low refractory phase content, 10 kAmax in the case of composites with the refractory phase content of ≥50% by weight.
Analysis of the effects of jasmonic acid (JA) (at 1.5 mM and 2.5 mM) and acibenzolar-S-methyl (BTH) (at 0.5 mM and 1.5 mM), applied separately or together, on the development of fire blight in cv. ...Gala apple trees showed that almost all variants of elicitor treatment reduced fire blight symptoms compared to control. Disease severity in control plants was much higher in the nitrogen-fertilized than in the nitrogen-deficient plants, and the efficacy of the elicitors in disease control was also higher in the N-fertilized plants. The expression of selected PR apple genes (PR-1a, PR-2, PR-3) was induced more significantly by BTH than by JA. This study has disclosed the existence of mutual relations between JA and BTH in the induction of PR gene expression. These relations depended on nitrogen fertilization but, generally, JA was antagonistic to BTH more often than BTH to JA. However, this was not reflected in the severity of disease symptoms. Analysis of the costs of induced defence showed no effect of the application of the elicitors on shoot growth, fruit yield, or seed weight in apple trees in either fertilization variant.
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The European Union currently aims to achieve fossil fuels independence and to become the first climate-neutral continent by endorsing the Green Deal policy agenda. In this work, we focus on the role ...of secure and defensive forms of national identity in shaping citizens’ readiness to support versus oppose public policies aimed at climate neutrality and support for sources of energy perceived as traditional and non-traditional. Namely, we distinguish between national narcissism, which is a belief that one’s national group is exceptional and deserves external recognition underlain by unsatisfied psychological needs, and secure national identification, which reflects feelings of strong bonds and solidarity with one’s ingroup members, and sense of satisfaction in group membership. We hypothesize that in contrast to secure national identification, national narcissism, due to its motivational underpinnings, is related negatively to support for climate-change mitigating solutions. In Study 1 (
N
= 1134), we show that while secure national identity is positively related to support for developing renewable sources of energy and the Green Deal policy agenda, national narcissism is positively related to support for fossil fuel energy (and vice versa). In Study 2 (
N
= 1016), we found that allocating funds for reinforcing the green image of a country goes hand in hand with the support for policies aimed at mitigating climate change among those high in national narcissism. We put these findings in perspective by discussing the role of national narratives around the traditional sources of energy in shaping support for climate change mitigating policies.
Daniel Wojcik, E-mail: dwojcik@uoregon.edu The creative activities of Ionel Talpazan (1955–2015) exemplify the features often attributed to self-taught ‘outsider’ artists who relentlessly pursue a ...uniquely personal vision, creating art that is outside the conventional art-world paradigms (Wojcik, 2016). Talpazan explained that his works are a combination of art and science; his dream was to share his UFO theories with NASA in order to explore flying saucer technologies. Jung and various art therapists theorise that creating such patterns may offer particular therapeutic value as a visual focusing mechanism that imposes structure on the chaos of the world, provides a sense of psychic wholeness and induces tranquil, flow-like states of consciousness.
The Yellow‐legged Gull Larus cachinnans was first recorded in Poland in the 1980s. We analysed the probable factors responsible for its successful colonization of new areas. We also expected that ...such a large species should affect populations of other colonial waterbirds. We studied the breeding and feeding ecology in the largest inland colony of the Yellow‐legged Gull in Poland, located in a sedimentation basin near Tarnów (southeastern Poland). The first breeding pair was recorded in 1992 and the population reached 177 pairs in 2001. The population growth rate in this colony, of about 58% per year, fits an exponential model. Nine localities with breeding pairs have been found recently in southern Poland and we now estimate the total population size to be 200–250 pairs. The large clutch size, and high hatching and breeding success in the Tarnów colony suggest that food was plentiful. Food items were frequently found at the nests. Fish, mainly Carp Cyprinus carpio, were the predominant food items delivered to chicks; however, there was more refuse brought to nests during the incubation stage. Immigration probably caused the growth of the colony studied, although our calculations have shown that natal productivity alone is sufficient to maintain this population. The study showed that the growing population of Yellow‐legged Gull might cause considerable reduction in the population sizes of some of the native waterbird species.
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This article investigates employment patterns, remuneration, and power relations in the U.S. financial sector between 1978 and 2008. It demonstrates that investment banking has played a central part ...in the securities industry, which has been by far the most expansive segment of the U.S. financial sector and a significant contributor to growing income inequality. The power of investment banking has risen over the past 30 years under the conditions of the growing demand for investment services, technological changes, deregulation, and globalization. Investment banks were at the heart of the shadow banking system, inventing many of the products used by it and often disguising its operation, thus contributing decisively to the outbreak of the global financial crisis of 2007–9. With leading U.S. investment banks converted into bank holding companies and the threat of reregulation, the future of investment banking is uncertain. One area of uncertainty is the banks' relationship with sovereign wealth funds, which involves both opportunities and challenges. The article identifies the economic geography of investment banking as one of the keys to understanding the dynamics of the contemporary world economy and promotes a mesolevel approach to geographies of finance.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, INZLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, ZRSKP
The current load balance in the grid is managed mainly through peaking fossil-fuelled power plants that respond passively to the load changes. Intermittency, which comes from renewable energy ...sources, imposes additional requirements for even more flexible and faster responses from conventional power plants. A major challenge is to keep conventional generation running closest to the design condition with higher load factors and to avoid switching off periods if possible. Thermal energy storage (TES) integration into the power plant process cycle is considered as a possible solution for this issue. In this article, a technical feasibility study of TES integration into a 375-MW subcritical oil-fired conventional power plant is presented. Retrofitting is considered in order to avoid major changes in the power plant process cycle. The concept is tested based on the complete power plant model implemented in the ProTRAX software environment. Steam and water parameters are assessed for different TES integration scenarios as a function of the plant load level. The best candidate points for heat extraction in the TES charging and discharging processes are evaluated. The results demonstrate that the integration of TES with power plant cycle is feasible and provide a provisional guidance for the design of the TES system that will result in the minimal influence on the power plant cycle.
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The intense concentration involved in the creative process, the complete focus of attention and engagement in artistic activity, may induce a flow-like loss of self, providing a sense of tranquillity ...and easing inner turmoil. Rather than necessarily associating Gill's life and art with outsider otherness and psychopathology, her artistic achievements alternatively may be interpreted as an expression of her inner strength and creative resourcefulness, a spirited endeavour to mitigate her experiences of childhood abandonment, the loss of loved ones and other life crises. In her own Upton Park neighbourhood, Gill developed a reputation as a medium and held séances in her home, created astrological charts, cast horoscopes, used the Ouija broad, and offered prophecies to her neighbours. Link: https://english.uoregon.edu/profile/dwojcik Carole Tansella, Section Editor This Section of Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences appears in each issue of the Journal and is dedicated to all forms of creative production born of an intimate and individual urge, often secretive, unbound from the conventional art system rules. Through short descriptions of the Outsider art work of prominent artists and new protagonists often hosted in community mental health services, this section intends to investigate the latest developments of the contemporary art scene, where the distances between...
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