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This paper presents a new model for screening and comparing various production chains on a level that supports policy decision making. Two examples are presented, a centralized and a decentralized energy supply network in the Netherlands, of which we screen and compare the network with respect to key performance indicators like costs, energy efficiency, CO 2 emissions, employment and capital outlay, in order to demonstrate the potential of the automated tool.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on depreciation and how it can be applied effectively in radio engineering projects. Depreciation provision is a component of operational costs, not an allocation of surplus. It cannot be taken away from profits, because until it has been provided, no profits can be said to exist. This interpretation of depreciation is in line with that of the accountant who aims at returning the original capital outlay to the investor on withdrawal of the installation from operation or service. Depreciation is not calculated by endeavoring to determine a value of the installation at the end of each year and then deducting this amount from that determined at the end of the previous year, it can be calculated in several formalized ways, so that the procedure is one of allocation rather than valuation. The rate at which deterioration takes place would vary with different installations and plant and can best be assessed in the light of experience. On account of this difference in the rate of deterioration, there have arisen different methods of computing depreciation such as straight line depreciation, fixed percentage depreciation, sinking fund depreciation, annuity method, and sum-of-the-year's digits method.

Publisher Summary This chapter considers the properties and merits of the manual mode and its chemical and mechanical implementation. Manual methods have all the options and capabilities of automatic methods plus others that are not yet automated, such as multiple sample processing. Besides being flexible, manual methods are cheap, especially with regard to capital outlay. Any sequencing strategy can be realized in either an automatic or manual mode. A comparison of the merits of each mode suggests the continued application of manual methods to (1) limited sequencing projects with small budgets; (2) large numbers of smaller-sized peptides (to about 20 residues); (3) cases requiring special handling; (4) the characterization of NH 2 -terminal regions for identification; and (5) screening prior to attempts at complete, automatic degradation. Successful sequencing depends more on fundamental understanding of Edman chemistry than on hardware. The factors considered in this chapter are relevant to all approaches, but are most specifically related to liquid-partition with direct identification of the derivatized products.

Solar crop driers have been built and tested in different Caribbean territories using crop materials such as bananas, sorrel, grass, legumes, root crops, nutmegs, ginger etc. Two main types of construction were used depending on the desired life span and capital outlay. The cheaper driers were built in wood and plastic while the more expensive ones used sheet metal and glass. A 2.2 m2 wood-and-plastic drier costs $34 US/m2 while a 22 m2, metal-and-glass drier costs $227 US/m2. A simple wire basket, wood-and-plastic drier can be built, operated and maintained by the farmer himself using local wood and imported wire and clear plastic sheet. For a life-span of more than three months under tropical conditions, the clear plastic should be UV stabilised. A high-moisture crop such as sorrel can be dried from a moisture content of 90% (wet basis) to about 11% in about 4 days. Further drying to 7 or 8% moisture (wet basis) can be achieved in a metal-and-glass, rock bed drier in about 5 hours.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a representative number of aerial systems commonly in use with communications systems. Each system represents an economic attraction and, although alternative systems exist, particularly where higher gain and, consequently, greater directivity are desired, it is felt that only systems demanding a capital outlay commensurate with the capital cost of low power station installations are warranted. Aerial insulators are generally called upon to withstand a very wide range of temperatures and climatic conditions. They are usually expected to last for a very considerable period and to require only moderate attention, as occasioned by regular inspections and cleaning. Aerials at medium frequencies are probably most extensively employed for navigational purposes, and the most general type to be found is the T aerial, in which the vertical portion of the system comprises the radiator proper, the horizontal portion principally comprising the top capacity loading to the system. The vertical radiator should extend as high as practicable to be as efficient as possible. In practice, the radiator comprises a small portion only of the wavelength in use, with the result that the top capacity loading plays an important part in the system, to secure as high a current in the radiator by increasing the electrical length of the system.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the future development of power transmission. Circuits cannot be designed for one particular load but only for a range of load increasing with time. Technical considerations usually limit the circuit loading to little more than the “optimum” continuous load, while the thermal limits of lines are almost never approached. Early reinforcement with a higher voltage means that underloading, with higher unit costs, must initially be accepted. In practice it appears that, to be useful, a sizeable fraction of the new network must be built in a short time. The greater the voltage step the greater will be the difference in capital outlay. The more rapid the expected load growth, the greater will be the size of the step which can be justified and the sooner it will pay to take that step. High-voltage direct-current transmission can make more effective use of transmission circuits, especially underground cables. Since direct-current circuit-breakers and transformers are not feasible, power networks of the usual type cannot be constructed. Only specific direct-current links between conventional AC networks can be considered.