[en] These four linked articles examine aspects of the European gas industry and market trends induced by the recent liberalization of energy policies. The first article considers contract liability problems being experienced by a United Kingdom gas utility following the introduction of competition for final consumers. The difficulties inherent in writing long-term gas supply contracts in the newly liberalized markets of the USA and Canada are addressed in the second paper. Continental Europe, however, it is argued in the third item, still requires long-term import contracts to ensure security of supply because of the structure of its gas market. And finally, the United Kingdom's experience of contract changes is likely to be mirrored in the rest of Europe as weak market prices and reduced market shares affect more traditional utilities. (UK)

[en] 1 - Description of program or function: WHATIF-AQ is part of a family of programs for calculations of geochemistry in the near-field of radioactive waste with temperature gradients. The program calculates speciation and saturation indices for an aqueous solution at temperatures in the range 0 - 125 degrees C. The chemical equilibrium is determined by solving a set of nonlinear equations consisting of the equilibrium constant and mass balance constraints. 2 - Method of solution: The set of equations is solved using a generalized Newton-Raphson technique

[en] Highlights: • Miscanthus spp. plantation was established on metal-contaminated arable land. • All investigated plants produce similar yield, ca. 13–15 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. • New, seed-based hybrids, showed more water-conserving behavior than M. x giganteus. • Plants exhibiting more isohydric behavior had lower shoot Pb and Cd concentrations. -- Abstract: The increased bioeconomy targets for the biomass share of renewable energy production across Europe should be met using land unsuitable for food production. Miscanthus breeding programs targeted the production of plants with a diverse range of traits allowing a wider utilization of land resources for biofuel production without competing with arable crops. These traits include increasing tolerances to drought, chilling, and to metal(loid)s excess. Two novel Miscanthus hybrids, GNT41 and GNT34, were compared against Miscanthus x giganteus (Mxg) on metal-contaminated arable land in Poland. This study aimed at evaluating their yield, biomass quality and quantifying seasonal differences in photosynthetic and transpiration parameters. A secondary objective was to identify key physiological mechanisms underlying differences in metal accumulation between the investigated plants. The new hybrids produced a similar yield to Mxg (13–15 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), had shorter shoots, higher Leaf Area Index and stem number. Based on gas exchange measurements, GNT34 exhibited isohydric (water-conserving) behavior. The stomatal response to light of the new hybrids was at least twice as fast as that of Mxg, a trait that is often associated with increased seasonal water use efficiency. This contributed to the almost 40% reduction in shoot Pb and Cd concentrations for the new hybrids as compared to Mxg. This suggested that promoting stomatal regulation in conjunction with improved water conservation may be a target for improving plants for wider use on metals contaminated land.

[en] Diamond sensors are studied as an alternative to silicon sensors to withstand the high radiation doses that are expected in future upgrades of the pixel detectors for the SLHC. Diamond pixel sensors are intrinsically radiation hard and are considered as a possible solution for the innermost tracker layers close to the interaction point where current silicon sensors cannot cope with the harsh radiation environment.An effort to study possible candidates for the upgrades is undergoing using the Fermilab test-beam facility (FTBF), where diamonds and 3D silicon sensors have been studied. Using a CMS pixel-based telescope built and installed at the FTBF, we are studying charge collection efficiencies for un-irradiated and irradiated devices bump-bonded to the CMS PSI46 pixel readout chip. A description of the test-beam effort and preliminary results on diamond sensors will be presented

[en] We have measured the spin structure functions g₂^p and g₂^d and the virtual photon asymmetries A₂^p and A₂^d over the kinematic range 0.02 < x < 0.8 and 1.0 < Q² (le) 30(GeV/c)² by scattering 38.8 GeV longitudinally polarized electrons from transversely polarized NH₃ and ⁶LiD targets.The absolute value of A₂ is significantly smaller than the √R positivity limit over the measured range, while g₂ is consistent with the twist-2 Wandzura-Wilczek calculation. We obtain results for the twist-3 reduced matrix elements d₂^p, d₂^d and d₂ⁿ. The Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule integral (g₂(x)dx) is reported for the range 0.02 (le) x (le) 0.8

[en] The structure functions g1p and g1n have been measured over the range 0.014 < x < 0.9 and 1 < Q2 < 40 GeV2 using deep-inelastic scattering of 48 GeV longitudinally polarized electrons from polarized protons and deuterons. We find that the Q2 dependence of g1p (g1n) at fixed x is very similar to that of the spin-averaged structure function F1p (F1n). From a NLO QCD fit to all available data we find Gamma₁^p Gamma₁ⁿ=0.176 ± 0.003 ± 0.007$ at Q2=5 GeV2, in agreement with the Bjorken sum rule prediction of 0.182 ± 0.005

[en] New measurements are reported on the deuteron spin structure function g₁^d. These results were obtained from deep inelastic scattering of 48.3 GeV electrons on polarized deuterons in the kinematic range 0.01 < x < 0.9 and 1 < Q² < 40 (GeV/c)². These are the first high dose electron scattering data obtained using lithium deuteride (⁶Li²H) as the target material. Extrapolations of the data were performed to obtain moments of g₁^d, including Γ₁^d, and the net quark polarization Δ Σ

[en] The structure functions g₁^p and g₁ⁿ have been measured over the range 0.014 < x < 0.9 and 1 < Q² < 40 GeV² using deep-inelastic scattering of 48 GeV longitudinally polarized electrons from polarized protons and deuterons. We find that the Q² dependence of g₁^p (g₁ⁿ) at fixed x is very similar to that of the spin-averaged structure function F₁^p (F₁ⁿ). From a NLO QCD fit to all available data we find Γ₁^p - Γ₁ⁿ = 0.176 ± 0.003 ± 0.007 at Q² = 5 GeV², in agreement with the Bjorken sum rule prediction of 0.182 ± 0.005

[en] We have measured the transverse asymmetry from inclusive scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons from polarized ³He nuclei at quasi-elastic kinematics in Hall A at Jefferson Lab with high statistical and systematic precision. The neutron magnetic form factor was extracted based on Faddeev calculations with an experimental uncertainty of less than 2%

[en] We have measured the transverse asymmetry A_T' in the quasi-elastic ³/rvec He/(/rvec e/,e') process with high precision at Q²-values from 0.1 to 0.6 (GeV/c)². The neutron magnetic form factor G_Mⁿ was extracted at Q²-values of 0.1 and 0.2 (GeV/c)² using a non-relativistic Faddeev calculation which includes both final-state interactions (FSI) and meson-exchange currents (MEC). Theoretical uncertainties due to the FSI and MEC effects were constrained with a precision measurement of the spin-dependent asymmetry in the threshold region of ³/rvec He/(/rvec e/,e'). We also extracted the neutron magnetic form factor G_Mⁿ at Q²-values of 0.3 to 0.6 (GeV/c)² based on Plane Wave Impulse Approximation calculations