Tag: economics
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Forest Biofuels Unsustainable, Could Boost Greenhouse Gases
An analysis by researchers in Europe and the U.S. indicate that large-scale biofuel production from forest biomass is unsustainable and will increase greenhouse gas emissions. The findings appear online in the journal Global Change Biology/Bioenergy. The report, an invited analysis by the journal, was led by the Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany, Oregon State…
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Helicopter Medevacs Save Trauma Patient Lives But Are Costly
A study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore shows helicopter transport increases the survival rate of trauma victims brought to hospitals compared to ground transport, but the costs are high and better guidelines are needed to determine when to use this resource. The findings are published in this week’s issue of the…
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Simulation Software Helps Optimize Utility Transport Grids
Software developed by Fraunhofer Institute mathematicians and engineers can simulate the workings of utility grids and thus help managers of these facilities plan and operate their critical networks. Researchers from Fraunhofer’s Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing in Augustin, Germany will exhibit the software at the Hannover Messe technology trade show in Germany, 23-27 April.…
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Study Urges Deep Cut in Forage Fish Catch
A task force of 13 environmental and marine researchers from North America, Australia, Europe, and South Africa recommends reducing the global catch of herring, anchovy, and other forage fish to maintain the ocean ecosystem and sustain supplies of larger commercial species. A report from the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force, based at Stony Brook University…
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Challenge Seeks Risk Assessment Tool for Microloan Denials
A new challenge from InnoCentive calls for a tool to gauge the financial risk of people and organizations that were denied a microloan for their business. The challenge has a prize of $40,000 and a deadline of 30 May 2012. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts is a company the conducts open-innovation, crowd-sourcing competitions for corporate and…
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Grant to Fund Electric Power Market Optimization Research
Iowa State University in Ames says three of its engineering faculty will receive $1.7 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to study new ways of scheduling and pricing electric power. ISU is the lead institution in a $3 million project involving Sandia National Laboratories, University of California at Davis, power grid systems company Alstom…
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Tracking Antibiotic Use Reaps Big Hospital Cost Savings
Analysis of a program to monitor unnecessary use of antibiotics shows the program saved one big-city hospital millions of dollars without compromising patient care. That’s the conclusion of a study done by researchers at University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore, where, the study was conducted, as well as colleagues from hospitals in Wilmington,…
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Genetic Testing Users, Costs Expected to Increase
A working paper released today by UnitedHealthcare, a health care insurance and services company in Minneapolis, says few patients currently use genetic testing, but a large majority of physicians believes their patients could benefit from these tests. The report also estimates some $5 billion is now spent annually on genetic testing, with those costs expected…
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Pharmacist/Tech Initiative Found to Cut Medication Errors
An initiative led by pharmacists, using information technology was found to reduce more prescription errors by general practitioners than simple automated feedback among patients at risk for these errors. The findings by a team led by University of Nottingham medical professor Tony Avery, himself a practicing G.P. , appear online in the journal The Lancet…
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Energy Dept Seeks $20M Battery/Storage Research Hub
The Department of Energy (DoE) says it will open competition for a new research center to speed development of advanced battery and energy storage technologies. The new energy innovation hub, as these programs are called, will have up to $20 million in funding in the current (2012) fiscal year. Energy innovation hubs bring together researchers…