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- Fowler, A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Environmental benefits of leaving offshore infrastructure in the ocean
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295. ; 16:10, s. 571-578
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The removal of thousands of structures associated with oil and gas development from the world's oceans is well underway, yet the environmental impacts of this decommissioning practice remain unknown. Similar impacts will be associated with the eventual removal of offshore wind turbines. We conducted a global survey of environmental experts to guide best decommissioning practices in the North Sea, a region with a substantial removal burden. In contrast to current regulations, 94.7% of experts (36 out of 38) agreed that a more flexible case-by-case approach to decommissioning could benefit the North Sea environment. Partial removal options were considered to deliver better environmental outcomes than complete removal for platforms, but both approaches were equally supported for wind turbines. Key considerations identified for decommissioning were biodiversity enhancement, provision of reef habitat, and protection from bottom trawling, all of which are negatively affected by complete removal. We provide recommendations to guide the revision of offshore decommissioning policy, including a temporary suspension of obligatory removal.
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- Yagoubov, P., et al.
(författare)
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Wideband 67-116 GHz receiver development for ALMA Band 2
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 634
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has been in operation since 2011, but it has not yet been populated with the full suite of its planned frequency bands. In particular, ALMA Band 2 (67-90 GHz) is the final band in the original ALMA band definition to be approved for production. Aims. We aim to produce a wideband, tuneable, sideband-separating receiver with 28 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth per polarisation operating in the sky frequency range of 67-116 GHz. Our design anticipates new ALMA requirements following the recommendations of the 2030 ALMA Development Roadmap. Methods. The cryogenic cartridge is designed to be compatible with the ALMA Band 2 cartridge slot, where the coldest components - the feedhorns, orthomode transducers, and cryogenic low noise amplifiers - operate at a temperature of 15 K. We use multiple simulation methods and tools to optimise our designs for both the passive optics and the active components. The cryogenic cartridge is interfaced with a room-temperature (warm) cartridge hosting the local oscillator and the downconverter module. This warm cartridge is largely based on GaAs semiconductor technology and is optimised to match the cryogenic receiver bandwidth with the required instantaneous local oscillator frequency tuning range. Results. Our collaboration has resulted in the design, fabrication, and testing of multiple technical solutions for each of the receiver components, producing a state-of-the-art receiver covering the full ALMA Band 2 and 3 atmospheric window. The receiver is suitable for deployment on ALMA in the coming years and it is capable of dual-polarisation, sideband-separating observations in intermediate frequency bands spanning 4-18 GHz for a total of 28 GHz on-sky bandwidth per polarisation channel. Conclusions. We conclude that the 67-116 GHz wideband implementation for ALMA Band 2 is now feasible and that this receiver provides a compelling instrumental upgrade for ALMA that will enhance observational capabilities and scientific reach.
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- Hamers, Timo, et al.
(författare)
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In vitro profiling of the endocrine-disrupting potency of brominated flame retardants
- 2006
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Ingår i: Toxicological Sciences. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1096-6080 .- 1096-0929. ; 92:1, s. 157-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Over the last few years, increasing evidence has become available that some brominated flame retardants (BFRs) may have endocrine-disrupting (ED) potencies. The goal of the current study was to perform a systematic in vitro screening of the ED potencies of BFRs (1) to elucidate possible modes of action of BFRs in man and wildlife and (2) to classify BFRs with similar profiles of ED potencies. A test set of 27 individual BFRs were selected, consisting of 19 polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners, tetrabromobisphenol-A, hexabromocyclododecane, 2,4,6-tribromophenol, ortho-hydroxylated brominated diphenyl ether 47, and tetrabromobisphenol-A–bis(2,3)dibromopropyl ether. All BFRs were tested for their potency to interact with the arylhydrocarbon receptor, androgen receptor (AR), progesterone receptor (PR), and estrogen receptor. In addition, all BFRs were tested for their potency to inhibit estradiol (sulfation by estradiol sulfotransferase (E2SULT), to interfere with thyroid hormone 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T3)–mediated cell proliferation, and to compete with T3-precursor thyroxine for binding to the plasma transport protein transthyretin (TTR). The results of the in vitro screening indicated that BFRs have ED potencies, some of which had not or only marginally been described before (AR antagonism, PR antagonism, E2SULT inhibition, and potentiation of T3-mediated effects). For some BFRs, the potency to induce AR antagonism, E2SULT inhibition, and TTR competition was higher than for natural ligands or clinical drugs used as positive controls. Based on their similarity in ED profiles, BFRs were classified into five different clusters. These findings support further investigation of the potential ED effects of these environmentally relevant BFRs in man and wildlife.
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- Jacob, Karl, et al.
(författare)
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Radiometric performance of the 530 to 625 GHz receiver unit of the submillimetre wave instrument on juice
- 2019
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Ingår i: ISSTT 2019 - 30th International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology, Proceedings Book. ; , s. 28-31
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The upcoming Submillimeter Wave Instrument on the JUICE spacecraft is a passive radiometer/spectrometer instrument with two heterodyne receivers which are independently tunable in the frequency bands 530 to 625 GHz and 1080 to 1275 GHz. It will study Jupiter’s atmosphere as well as the atmospheres and surface properties of the Galilean moons. This work presents the results of first radiometric tests with a prototype of the 600 GHz receiver. In this context, the baseline ripples caused by the internal calibration target have been characterized using two conical prototypes with a linear and an exponential absorber coating profile. A significant reduction of the baseline ripple amplitude has been measured with the target having the exponential cone profile. The spectroscopic baseline has been characterized for various frequency steps when applying frequency switching as an alternative calibration mode. At some operating frequencies a very flat switching baseline has been measured for frequency throws up to 90 MHz, while at other frequencies significant spectral distortions are measured even with a step size of 22.5 MHz. The first radiometric tests of the sideband gain ratio with a passive Fourier Transform Spectroscopy method demonstrate the general applicability in the 530 to 625 GHz band.
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