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This volume features research and case studies across a variety of industries to showcase technological innovations and policy initiatives designed to promote renewable energy and sustainable economic development. The first section focuses on policies for the adoption of renewable energy technologies, the second section covers the evaluation of energy efficiency programs, and the final section provides evaluations of energy technology innovations. Environmental concerns, energy availability, and political pressure have prompted governments to look for alternative energy resources that can minimize the undesirable effects for current energy systems. For example, shifting away from conventional fuel resources and increasing the percentage of electricity generated from renewable resources, such as solar and wind power, is an opportunity to guarantee lower CO2 emissions and to create better economic opportunities for citizens in the long run. Including discussions of such of timely topics and issues as global warming, bio-fuels, and nuclear energy, the editors and contributors to this book provide a wealth of insights and recommendations for sustainable energy innovations.

Thesis (M.Ing. (Electrical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007. The pharmaceutical industry is spending more and more on Research and Development (R&D) every year. In addition, these R&D costs are increasing at a faster rate than sales. In order to resolve this dilemma a significant increase in R&D productivity is required. One of the main contributions to these R&D costs is the acquisition of data during clinical trials. The most important objective of a clinical trial is the collection of high quality data. No matter how well a clinical trial is conducted, if the data quality is poor, a meaningful analysis is not possible. The data acquisition method therefore plays a significant role in the overall outcome of a clinical trial. In this study a Mobile Clinical Data Acquisition System (MCDAS) was developed for the electronic collection of high-quality Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) data. The system consisted of a cellular phone based electronic Diary (eDiary) for capturing data, and a website for administering the collected data. The system was designed so that it could be implemented on any clinical trials, no matter what data was collected. The MCDAS was successfully implemented on two clinical trials. The study shows that electronically capturing clinical data improves the quality of data obtained, thereby reducing the time and costs associated with clinical trials. Masters