text:
A Multi-Response Optimization of Thrust Forces, Torques, and the Power of Tapping Operations by Cooling Air in Reinforced and Unreinforced Polyamide PA66
Evaluating the Collaborative Ecosystem for an Innovation-Driven Economy: A Systems Analysis and Case Study of Science Parks
10.3390/su10030888
Park, J.
Suh, K.
Sustainability 2018, 10(3), 888; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10030888
A Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Benefits of Drone-Based Delivery Services in Urban and Rural Areas
by Jiyoon Park 1, Solhee Kim 2 and Kyo Suh 3,*
College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea
Institute of Green Bio Science Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang 25354, Korea
Graduate School of International Agricultural Technology, and Institute of Green Bio Science Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang 25354, Korea
Received: 6 February 2018 / Accepted: 15 March 2018 / Published: 20 March 2018
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV, drones) used as delivery vehicles have received increasing attention due to their mobility and accessibility to remote areas. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental impacts of drone versus motorcycle delivery and to compare the expected environmental improvements due to drone delivery in urban and rural areas. In addition, the potential environmental contributions of electric motorcycles were assessed to determine the effects of introducing this new type of vehicle. Changes in the national electricity generation plan were also examined. The results showed that global warming potential (GWP) per 1 km delivery by drone was one-sixth that of motorcycle delivery, and the particulates produced by drone delivery were half that of motorcycle delivery. The actual environmental impact reduction in consideration of the delivery distance was 13 times higher in a rural area than in an urban area. Increasing the use of environmentally friendly electricity systems, such as solar and wind power, would further enhance the environmental effects of a drone delivery system.
UAV; life cycle assessment; delivery; logistics; environmental impact
Since it was first mentioned at the World Economic Forum in 2016, increased attention has focused on the fourth industrial revolution, which involves maximizing production capacity and efficiency by adding new technologies to existing industries [1,2]. One innovative technology is adding the use of drones (or unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs) [3,4]. The global drone market reached $552 million in 2014 and is expected to grow every year by 16.9% [5]. Unlike conventional drones that have been widely used for military purposes, the private sector will lead the drone market in the future [6]. Although drones were developed for military purposes and were mainly used as reconnaissance and assault weapons, their use has greatly expanded due to the advantage of collecting a wide range of information as they move rapidly through the sky [7,8,9]. For example, images taken by drones are used in sports broadcasts, documentaries, and media reports. They are even commonly used for humanitarian purposes, such as transporting vaccines in low- and middle-income countries and helping refugees migrate [10,11,12].
Drone use in logistics services has also become common, taking advantage of drones' sensing abilities using cameras and sensors and their accessibility to difficult terrains [13,14]. For example, Amazon, the largest online retailer in the US, introduced "Amazon Prime Air" in December 2013, which uses self-developed drones called "Octocopters" to deliver goods up to 55 pounds within 30 min to a customer within a radius of 16 km [15,16]. Amazon has already succeeded in testing the drones on several occasions and has acquired a patent for a UAV delivery system [17]. Another global logistics company, DHL, developed third-generation drones and has assessed the feasibility of use for the entire delivery system, including flight technology, accurate shipping and storage, flight performance, and autonomous flight [13]. Drone use for delivery has also been tested for food delivery services, where delivery speed is critical. For example, in San Francisco, delivering tacos by drones was piloted, and Domino's succeeded in developing a commercial delivery of pizza by drone in November 2016 [18,19,20].
To apply drone capabilities to actual logistics services, research has been conducted on how drones can be combined with existing truck delivery services. Murray and Chu [6] and Agatz, et al. [21] proposed a model to solve the travelling salesman problem in the context of drone delivery. Carlsson and Song [22] also claimed that using drones along with the current delivery system could improve the efficiency of travel distance by a square root of the ratio of the speeds of a truck and UAV. Based on these assumptions, scholars have conducted research on the economic efficiency of drone use. Choi and Schonfeld [23] calculated the necessary size of a drone fleet to minimize delivery costs and found that the cost varies depending on the working period, operating speed, demand density, and battery capacity. In addition, Welch [15] conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the Amazon Prime Air service, and it was predicted that Amazon would gain a competitive advantage over other companies through the introduction of drone delivery and that the benefits would be greater than the initial cost for system construction.
As the problems related to the drones such as safety and privacy issues were raised, countries established regulations for the commercial use of drones, and some studies have analyzed and compared the regulations of each country [24,25]. In February 2015, the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) established an approval process for companies trying to use the drones commercially. According to this law, operators must pass a written exam developed for a private pilot, which is administered by the Transportation Security Administration. Also, operators must observe the safety regulations restricting the flight area of drones to be away from private property, and at least six miles away from the airport [26]. Not only the government, but also the drone industry, has made efforts to set up regulations and follow them. Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, which represents the US drones industry, has released a Code of Conduct to protect privacy and liberty rights. Also, DJI Innovations, a drone manufacturer, recently applied a GPS system to prevent the drones from entering restricted areas or flying higher than their permitted height.
Other countries also have their own laws regarding the commercial use of drones. According to Jones, the commercial use of drones is prohibited or practically prohibited due to strict requirements in 16 countries, and 18 countries, including Korea, allow drones to be operated only within visual line of sight. On the other hand, 27 countries, including the United States and Japan, have made an exception to the visual line of sight restriction to allow the commercial use of drones if they have been approved in advance or the weight or altitude of the drones is within the permitted range. Finally, six countries have made the drones commercially viable if they meet the simple guidelines such as obtaining licenses. As the technological and social situations of drones are constantly changing, the laws regarding drones are also constantly being updated, usually toward permitting drone use [27].
In addition to studies on costs and regulations, studies on environmental impacts should also be conducted prior to the introduction of this new technology. Stolaroff [28] called for a life cycle assessment (LCA) of drone delivery to establish rules and regulations; however, to date, limited research has been done on the relative merit of drone delivery in terms of environmental impacts, although some studies have analyzed the energy use and CO2 emissions of drones. In particular, Goodchild and Toy [29] showed that the relative CO2 emissions of drones compared to trucks vary according to the drones' energy requirements, travel distances, and number of recipients. To increase the advantages of drone delivery in terms of CO2 emissions, energy requirements should be low, the delivery distance should be short, and the number of recipients should be small. Figliozzi [30] also calculated the life cycle CO2 emissions of drones and conventional diesel vans. While the CO2 emissions per unit distance were much lower for drones, the relative advantage of drones was lost when the customers were grouped because drones can only deliver to one place at a time. Lohn [31] identified the same weakness of drones and recommended additional drone centers to conserve energy.
Several studies have suggested that drones have the potential to conserve energy and to reduce CO2 emissions; however, because there is no infrastructure for drone delivery yet, few scholarly analyses have been conducted to determine the actual CO2 reduction when drones are used in cities. Other environmental impacts must be considered as well. Many companies are striving to reduce environmental pollution as part of their corporate social responsibility, and the Korean government has implemented a certification system and subsidies for green logistics companies [32]. Therefore, a comprehensive and specific analysis of the environmental impacts of drone delivery is needed in preparation for the application of drones in the logistics industry.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts of an existing motorcycle delivery system and a new drone delivery system to deliver food using the LCA. Regional variations of environmental improvement impacts after introducing drones were also evaluated based on the average delivery distance in urban and rural areas. In addition, other factors that could affect the results were examined, such as the introduction of electric motorcycles and changes in the way electricity is produced.
2.1. The Item to Be Shipped and the Shipping Method
Shipping distance and fuel efficiency were considered to evaluate the amount of pollutants and the environmental impacts of the delivery method. To focus on the delivery stage to compare a conventional and drone-based delivery system, information regarding some conditions that are unavailable for drones was excluded from the scope of this study, including the price and maintenance costs of drones, the current technology development stage, the delivery failure rate, and weather conditions.
Using drones for delivery facilitates access to areas that are inaccessible or difficult to reach by land, and delivery time is decreased by avoiding traffic congestion; however, a limited battery life and load capacity make drones unsuitable for long distances or large capacity freight. In addition, previous studies have shown that drones are inefficient compared to other modes of transportation when delivering to multiple destinations in the same area. Therefore, using drones for food delivery is more appropriate than parcel delivery because the weight and volume of the products are constant, the shipping distance is relatively short, and the recipients are much less likely to be absent. In addition, the advantage of drone delivery speed can be maximized for food delivery because a faster delivery speed prevents the food from becoming cool or spoiled. Thus, food delivery was selected as the delivery item for the current study.
Food delivery service is well developed in Korea and is expected to grow more due to structural changes of the population, such as the increase of single-person households, and the enhanced convenience of using delivery service according to technological development. Food delivery in Korea is mostly done by using a motorcycle to deliver to one house at a time, which is a suitable condition to change the delivery means to drones. Specific delivery distance was necessary in order to make an accurate comparison between drone and motorcycle delivery. Therefore, in this study, a specific food and brand was selected. The three most common delivery foods in Korea were chicken, pizza, and Chinese food [33]. In this study, pizza was selected because there was little volume difference between each menu and the packaging was light. Also, Domino's has already tested the use of drones to deliver pizza and has proven that it is feasible [19].
Unlike packages, which are typically delivered by truck, pizza is mainly delivered by motorcycle in Korea. Therefore, the environmental impacts of pizza delivery by motorcycle and by drone were compared in this study. To evaluate the environmental impact of drone delivery, the environmental impact of 1 kWh of electricity was evaluated. Then, shipping distance and electricity consumption per unit distance were multiplied to calculate the environmental impact value for a single drone delivery. The electricity consumption per unit distance was obtained by referring to the product information of a specific drone model. The selected model was MD4-1000 (Microdrones GmbH: Siegen, Germany) from Microdrones, which was successfully used in DHL's delivery test of drugs in 2014. MD4-1000 has an average flight time of 45 min and a flight speed of 12 m/s using a 22.2 V, 13,000 mAh battery (Microdrones). For the motorcycle test, the environmental impact of 1 L of gasoline was evaluated and then multiplied by the gasoline mileage and the shipping distance to calculate the environmental impact value for a single delivery. The gasoline mileage value used in this study was 63.5 km, which is the mileage of a Honda Super Cub, a motorcycle model for business purposes.
2.2. Target Area and Shipping Distance
Drone delivery was introduced to reduce shipping costs in countries with large land areas, a low population density, and high labor costs. They have been particularly suitable in rural areas where the population density and accessibility by land are lower than for cities. In addition, introducing drone delivery to rural areas could be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. To compare the environmental improvement effects of using drone delivery in urban and rural areas, Yangcheon-gu, which has the highest population density (26,463.6 per km2) in Seoul, and Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, which has a low population density (27.6 per km2), were selected.
Since the environmental impacts of delivery increase proportionally with the distance traveled, it is important to estimate the appropriate shipping distance in each region. The location of elementary schools in each region was used to determine the shipping distance because the location of elementary schools can easily be determined in both urban and rural areas and because they reflect the actual residential area of the local residents. According to Rules on the Structure and the Establishment of Urban Facilities, schools are constructed to maintain proper distance intervals considering the population density and estimated student enrollment. One elementary school serves two neighboring residential districts, and the commute distance should be within 1500 m. In other words, the number and location of elementary schools are determined based on the population size, density, and residential areas of the region. Furthermore, according to a study in Pyeongchang-gun by [34], town halls, which are the center of the living areas in rural regions, are typically within 5 km of convenient facilities, such as elementary schools, police stations, and public health clinics, suggesting that such facilities could represent the center of each administrative district. Therefore, for 30 elementary schools in Yangcheon-gu and 20 elementary schools in Pyeongchang-gun, the distance from each school to the nearest pizza restaurant was calculated, and the average was used to calculate the environmental impacts of the delivery method in each region (Figure 1).
For drone delivery, the straight-line distance between the elementary school and the pizza restaurant was used. For motorcycle delivery, the actual travel distance was estimated by multiplying the bypass coefficient of Seoul and Gangwon-do to the straight line distance [35]. Pizza restaurants that do not deliver were excluded. For Pyeongchang-gun, the stores located in a resort area were also excluded because they usually do not deliver outside the resort.
2.3. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
LCA quantifies all inputs and outputs to measure environmental impacts and compares the overall environmental impacts of particular products or services [36]. "Life cycle" is a concept that includes all the necessary steps to consume a product, including raw material production, manufacturing, distribution, use, disposal, and transportation. According to ISO 14040, an international standard for environmental management, LCA has four stages: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory analysis, life cycle impact assessment, and interpretation [37].
The first stage of LCA is to define the purpose and scope of the research. At this stage, the background of the research should be presented. The functional unit, scope of analysis, and allocation method are also determined. A functional unit is a quantitative representation of what is to be analyzed specifically. Especially when comparing various products or services that can replace each other, setting an appropriate functional unit is crucial. The quantity or level of the desired function is defined first, and the number of products or services needed to achieve the function are then calculated. In this study, the functional unit was set as a single delivery of pizza in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, and Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do. The system boundary determines the scope of the process to be evaluated. The system boundary of this study is the delivery of pizza from the area of production to consumption, and drones and motorcycles were selected as the transportation methods (Figure 2).
A list of inputs and outputs was created during the life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis step. The values of inputs and outputs were applied according to the functional unit determined in the goal and scope definition step. In this study, the LCI data on electricity from a national LCI database provided by the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI) were used for drones, and the gasoline LCI data from the same database were used for motorcycles. For gasoline usage, LCI data at the use stage were also included because many types of greenhouse gases and pollutants are emitted during the combustion process. The data related to gasoline combustion were obtained from the US LCI database provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) [38]. The sum of the environmental impacts from the production and combustion of gasoline was used as the environmental impact of motorcycle delivery.
The purpose of the third step, which is the impact assessment, is to evaluate the actual damage to the environment based on the result of the inventory analysis. The impact assessment step should include characterization, which distributes output materials to impact categories and converts them into a single unit. The normalization and weighting steps may then optionally be performed. Weighting is used to determine the relative importance of each impact category considering its social meaning. The environmental impact value of a product or service can be derived by summing the products of the weighting factors and the normalized value of each category. In this study, TOTAL (a tool for type III labeling and LCA), developed by KEITI, was used for the impact assessment. TOTAL is an LCA software developed by the Korean government. Since the "Enforcement Decree of the Environmental Technology and Industry Support Act" came into effect in 1995, the Korean government has encouraged the use of LCA. As there was no LCA software developed in Korea, software from Europe such as SimaPro and GaBi were used. However, they were not compatible due to different data formats and they were not easy for beginners to access. This led to the development of the government-led LCA software. After analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of various LCA software, and gathering the opinions from various experts, TOTAL was born in 2005. TOTAL provides a national database in the form of an Eco-Spold based on ISO TS 14048, and also provides public databases such as APME and IISI, so that it can be compatible with other LCA software [39]. The results from TOTAL were compared in terms of particulates and the 10 categories selected by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (Table 1).
At the interpretation stage, the main issues are summarized, the results are evaluated, and the conclusions are drawn. In this study, the results were compared to a third type of transportation, the electric motorcycle, since it is another environmentally friendly means of delivery. The environmental impact of 1 km of delivery distance by electric motorcycle and the environmental impacts of all three modes of transportation were compared. In addition, the US LCI database was used to compare the reduction effect of drones based on the national power generation schemes.
Finally, the environmental impact of the increased use of renewable energy was estimated.
3.1. Comparison of the Environmental Impacts of Motorcycle Delivery and Drone Delivery
The global warming potential (GWP) and the amount of particulates generated for 1 km of delivery with a drone and motorcycle were calculated using the TOTAL software (Figure 3). The GWP of 1 km traveled by drone was 4.41 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq. The GWP of 1 km traveled by motorcycle was 2.85 × 10−2 kg CO2-eq. In the energy production stage, electricity production generated more greenhouse gases than gasoline production; however, the GWP generated by burning gasoline was 24 times more than the production stage, leading to a significant difference in the total GWP. When particulates were compared, 9.65 × 10−7 kgPM2.5-eq. were generated for drone delivery, and 2.09 × 10−6 kg PM2.5-eq. were generated for motorcycle delivery. For the particulates, gasoline emissions were higher in both the production and combustion stages. Therefore, it is expected that greenhouse gases and particulates would be reduced if the existing motorcycle delivery method were converted to the drone delivery method.
The environmental impacts of the drone and motorcycle delivery methods were analyzed in the same way for eight other environmental impact categories, including eutrophication, acidification, and ozone layer destruction. Table 2 and Table 3 show the results of the characterization, normalization, and weighting by environmental impact category. The environmental impact difference between drones and motorcycles ranged from four to 518 times, but the environmental impact of motorcycle delivery was higher in nine of the ten categories. On the other hand, the marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential (MAETP) was about 5.22 times higher when using drones, with drones generating 2.25 × 10−3 kg 1,4DCB-eq. and motorcycles producing 4.31 × 10−4 kg 1,4DCB-eq. The weighted environmental impact value was 4.37E × 10−7 for drone delivery and 1.46 × 10−6 for motorcycle delivery. Therefore, if the delivery vehicle were changed from motorcycles to drones, the GWP and particulates, as well as the overall environmental impact, would decrease.
3.2. Comparison of GWP and the Effects of Particulate Reduction between Urban and Rural Areas
Based on the location of elementary schools in Yangcheon-gu and Pyeongchang-gun, the average straight distance for pizza delivery in Yangcheon-gu was 0.40 km, and the average distance of pizza delivery in Pyeongchang-gun was 4.42 km. Therefore, the travel distance of the drones considering the round trip was 0.80 km in Yangcheon-gu and 8.83 km in Pyeongchang-gun. The distance for motorcycle delivery was 0.97 km in Yanggcheon-gu and 12.68 km in Pyeongchang-gun, which was multiplied by the bypass coefficient of each region.
The GWP and particulates generated for one shipment were calculated using the shipping distance by region and pollutants per the 1 km delivery calculations. The GWP produced when delivering pizza in Yangcheon-gu was 3.51 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq. using drone delivery and 2.76 × 10−2 kg CO2-eq. using motorcycle delivery. These results indicate that the GWP declined by 2.41 × 10−2 kg CO2-eq. when the shipping method changed from motorcycle to drone delivery. In Pyeongchang-gun, it was 3.90 × 10−2 kg CO2-eq. for drone delivery and 0.362 kg CO2-eq. for motorcycle delivery, so the GWP reduction in Pyeongchang-gun was 0.323 kg CO2-eq. The particulates produced in Yangcheon-gu by drone and motorcycle were 7.69 × 10−7 kg PM2.5-eq. and 2.33 × 10−6 kg PM2.5-eq., respectively, and 8.52 × 10−6 kg PM2.5-eq. and 3.05 × 10−5 kg PM2.5-eq in Pyeongchang-gun, respectively. These results indicate that the particulate reduction was 1.56 × 10−6 kg PM2.5-eq. in Yangcheon-gu and 2.20 × 10−5 kg PM2.5-eq. in Pyeongchang-gun.
The analysis indicates that the GWP and particulate reduction by converting existing motorcycle delivery to drone delivery was 13.4 and 14.1 times higher in Pyeongchang-gun than in Yangcheon-gu, respectively. In other words, the environment improvement effects of introducing drones could be greater in Pyeongchang-gun, where the delivery distance is relatively longer than Yangcheon-gu. Because rural areas have a lower population density and their residential areas are more scattered than cities, the environmental improvement effect of drone usage in rural areas is higher than that of cities.
3.3. Comparison of the Reduction Effects between Urban and Rural Areas by Impact Category
After calculating and normalizing the environmental impacts of drone and motorcycle delivery methods for the ten categories presented in result 1, the reductions in urban and rural areas were compared by calculating the difference between Yangcheon-gu and Pyeongchang-gun. The environmental improvement effect of Pyeongchang-gun was relatively higher than that of Yangcheon-gu in all nine areas except MAETP, where the environment deteriorated when using drones (Figure 4). The difference in the reduction effect was the highest with ADP, where the value was 1.79 × 10−4 for Pyeongchang-gun and 1.36 × 10−5 in Yangcheon-gu, which is a difference of 13 times higher. To comprehensively evaluate the environmental impact categories, the weighted results of Yangcheon-gu and Pyeongchang-gun were compared. The total environmental improvement effects of all 10 categories were evaluated as 4.94 × 10−6 in Yangcheon-gu and 6.53 × 10−5 in Pyeongchang-gun (Figure 5). Therefore, the environmental improvement effect expected from the introduction of drone delivery in the rural area was 13 times higher than that in the urban area.
3.4. Interpretation
3.4.1. Environmental Impact of Delivery Using Electric Motorcycles
At this stage, the environmental impact of electric motorcycles, an alternative to gasoline motorcycles, was analyzed and compared considering the mobility, applicability, and efficiency of delivery. Interest in electric motorcycles as low-emission and eco-friendly urban vehicles has increased. The use of electric motorcycles is likely to increase, particularly in areas with small passenger cars and small logistics sectors [40], due to their low fuel cost, ease of commercialization and development, and low carbon emissions. In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government provides a subsidy of 2.5 million won for every electric motorcycle purchased for delivery purposes. Recently, the amount of the subsidy has gradually increased, and the target supply for 2017 increased by 2.7 times compared to 2016. Electric motorcycles have the advantage that they can be used even when the order quantity is large because they can carry more products compared to drones. Therefore, it would be possible to identify the effect of a more efficient alternative delivery vehicle if electric motorcycles were also evaluated to determine the environmental impact.
The environmental impact of electric motorcycles was calculated using the initial environmental impact data from drone and gasoline motorcycles. The electricity data from the national LCI database were used as the LCI, and the delivery distance reflecting the bypass coefficient was applied to the electric motorcycle in the same manner as for the gasoline motorcycle. To determine the power needed for 1 km of movement, the electric motorcycle "Valencia" of Green Mobility was selected. This model was selected from the six models approved by the Ministry of Environment because it has signed a business agreement with the Korea Franchise Industry Association. This model has a mileage of 60 km and uses a 72 V, 30,000 mAh battery.
The GWP and particulates produced when delivering within 1 km by electric motorcycle were 1.80 kg CO2-eq. and 3.90 kg CO2-eq., respectively. The results were compared with the GWP and particulates emissions of the drone and gasoline motorcycle presented in result 1 (Figure 6). Because most of the greenhouse gases are emitted during the combustion stage of gasoline, the GWP was from highest to lowest for the gasoline motorcycle, electric motorcycle, and drone; however, the electric motorcycle produced the most particulates, followed by the gasoline motorcycle and the drone. In other words, more particulates are generated during electricity production than during gasoline production and combustion. Nonetheless, the particulates are reduced with drone use compared to both types of motorcycles because they do not consume much electricity, but electric motorcycles generated more particulates than gasoline motorcycles because they consumed more electricity when traveling 1 km. Therefore, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, electric vehicles can be environmentally friendly, but in terms of particulates, the introduction of electric motorcycles could have a worse impact on the environment than using conventional gasoline motorcycles.
3.4.2. Comparison of the Drones' Reduction Effect According to the National Power Generation Scheme
Since the proportion of electricity production varies from country to country, the environmental impact of electricity production can also vary. Therefore, LCAs of electricity production in the United States and Korea were conducted, and the environmental impacts of drones considering power generation were compared after calculating the travel distance. As there are various ways among countries to generate electricity, such as coal-fired power generation, hydroelectric power generation, and nuclear power generation, each country sets an acceptable proportion for each method considering the internal and external conditions (Table 4). Thus, the environmental impact of drones using electricity may vary from country to country because the environmental impacts of each power generation method are different.
The environmental impact associated with US power generation was analyzed using the US LCI data provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The item used was "Electricity, at Grid, US, 2008", and GaBi was used as the LCA software. First, the GWP and particulates produced to generate 1 kWh of electricity were obtained, and the GWP and particulates for 1 km of delivery travel distance were calculated based on the travel distance of a drone per unit of electricity. The GWP was 1.92 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq., and the particulates were 7.77 × 10−7 kg PM2.5-eq. per 1 km when drones were powered by electricity produced in the US. These values were compared with the environmental impact data of electricity produced in Korea obtained previously (Figure 7).
Electricity production in Korea caused more pollution than electricity production in the US for both categories. The GWP amount was 2.3 times higher, and the particulates amount was 1.24 times higher in Korea. Therefore, when the use of the existing delivery vehicle is converted to the use of drones, the environmental improvement impact seems to be greater in the US than in Korea. In Germany, which has a higher proportion of renewable energy than other countries, it is expected that the reduction effect of changing the use of the delivery vehicle would be more remarkable due to a lower environmental impact of electricity generation.
3.4.3. Drones' GHG Reduction Effect by Expanding Renewable Energy
According to the electricity generation plan of Korea, the share of renewable energy will increase. To evaluate the environmental impact of this transition, an LCA was conducted for each renewable energy generation method, and the environmental impact of drone delivery was compared by calculating the travel distance.
The national LCI database of the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute was previously used in this study to estimate the environmental impacts of electricity generation in Korea; however, the internal and external conditions related to the power supply are constantly changing due to several factors, such as the rising demand for air conditioning, controversies over nuclear power generation, and changes in GHG reduction conditions. In particular, as it has become increasingly important to address climate change and to reduce greenhouse gases, many countries plan to expand the share of renewable energy in the long-term.
The Korean government also establishes a plan for renewable energy every five years in accordance with the Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth, and the Act on the Promotion of the Development, Use and Diffusion of New and Renewable Energy. According to the 2014 4th Basic Renewable Energy Plan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Korea is planning to gradually increase the ratio of renewable energy and to supply 13.4% of total energy as renewable energy by 2035. If the supply of renewable energy increases, the amount of greenhouse gases generated during the electricity generation process will be reduced, making the reduction effect of drone delivery even higher.
To compare the reduction effect of drones based on photovoltaic, wind, and solar power generation, which are proposed as core energy sources in the Basic Renewable Energy Plan, meta-analysis data on GWP generation were used for each method [41,42]. To generate 1 kWh of electricity, photovoltaic power produced 0.052 kg CO2-eq., wind power produced 0.015 kg CO2 eq., and solar power produced 0.023 kg CO2 eq. of greenhouse gases. The GWP of future electricity production was obtained according to the Basic Plan using 86.6% of the power generated in the conventional way and using the remaining 13.4% generated from each renewable energy. This was converted to the amount per 1 km of drone delivery (Figure 8). Compared to the 4.41 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq. of greenhouse gases for the current power generation system, photovoltaic power generation could reduce greenhouse gases to 3.88 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq., wind power could reduce them to 3.84 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq., and solar power could reduce them to 3.85 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq. Therefore, as the proportion of renewable energy increases, the reduction effect of drones will also increase.
In this study, the environmental impact of drones, a new means of delivery, was compared with the environmental impact of conventional delivery vehicles using the LCA. Based on the gasoline and electricity production data of the national LCI DB, the environmental impacts of a 1-km delivery distance using each type of vehicle were evaluated. In addition, the environmental improvement effects of using drones in urban and rural areas were compared based on the actual delivery distances in the residential areas of Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, and Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, based on the locations of elementary schools.
The LCA results showed that the GWP generated by 1 km of drone delivery distance (4.41 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq.) was one-sixth that of the GWP generated by 1 km of motorcycle delivery distance (2.85 × 10−2 kg CO2-eq.). The particulate emissions of drones (9.65 × 10−7 kg PM2.5-eq.) was estimated to be about half that of motorcycles (2.09 × 10−6 kg PM2.5-eq.). When the comprehensive environmental impact was evaluated after adding nine impact categories and normalizing and weighting the data, the environmental impact of drones was found to be one-twelfth that of the motorcycle.
The reduction of pollution by utilizing drones was more effective in rural areas than in cities. In Yangcheon-gu, the GWP reduction per delivery was 2.41 × 10−2 kg CO2-eq., and the particulate reduction was 1.56 × 10−6 kg PM2.5-eq. In Pyeongchang-gun, the GWP reduction was 0.323 kg CO2-eq., and the particulate reduction was 2.20 × 10−5 kg PM2.5-eq. The environmental improvement effect was higher in Pyeongchang-gun for both GWP and particulates. Pyeongchang-gun had a 13.2 times higher environmental impact reduction effect than Yangcheon-gu when the ten categories were considered together because it had a longer delivery distance.
In addition, in preparation for the emergence of new eco-friendly vehicles, electric motorcycles were added to the comparison to determine the environmental impact per distance. The GWP was higher for gasoline motorcycles because more greenhouse gases were generated in the combustion stage of gasoline than in the production stage, but electric motorcycles produced more particulates because particulates are mostly generated during electricity production. Therefore, the environmental impacts of various impact categories, as well as the GWP, should be analyzed and compared before introducing electric vehicles.
Another important consideration is that Korea's electricity production method generates 2.49 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq. more GWP and 1.88 × 10−7 kg PM2.5-eq. more particulates than US electricity production. As mentioned in the 4th Basic Renewable Energy Plan, if 13.4% of energy could be supplied as renewable energy such as solar and wind power by 2035, 10~14% of greenhouse gases could be reduced compared to current emissions. Therefore, if the environmental impact per unit of electricity could be reduced by the increased use of renewable energy, the environmental improvement effect of drone use would be higher.
In this study, the environmental impacts of each delivery vehicle type were calculated using the national LCI database and the US LCI database; however, the baseline year of the LCI data was 2000 for the national LCI database and 2008 for the US LCI database, so the changes in environmental impacts due to technological developments and changes in the electricity generation plan have not been adequately considered. Therefore, if the databases were upgraded in the future and the data on various electricity generation methods were added, the accuracy of the results would improve.
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NFR) grant funded by the Korea government (Ministry of Science and ICT) (No. NRF-2017R1E1A1A01078227).
Jiyoon Park designed, conducted the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. Solhee Kim planned specific analysis methods, conducted LCA using the US LCI data, and reviewed and reformatted the overall paper. And Kyo Suh developed the concept, supervised the project, and provided various materials and methods related to the research. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Evans, M. Future war in cities: Urbanization's challenge to strategic studies in the 21st century. Int. Rev. Red Cross 2016, 98, 37–51. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Zhou, K.; Liu, T.; Zhou, L. Industry 4.0: Towards future industrial opportunities and challenges. In Proceedings of the 2015 12th International Conference on Fuzzy Systems and Knowledge Discovery (FSKD), Zhangjiajie, China, 15–17 August 2015; pp. 2147–2152. [Google Scholar]
Smith, K.W. Drone technology: Benefits, risks, and legal considerations. Seattle J. Environ. L. 2015, 5, 290–302. [Google Scholar]
Xu, J.-F. An Innovative Technology of Distributed Control System Integration for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Acta Simul. Syst. Sin. 2003, 3. Available online: http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-XTFZ200303037.htm (accessed on 19 March 2018). [Google Scholar]
Commercial, U.A.V. Commercial Drone Market Analysis By Product (Fixed Wing, Rotary Blade, Nano, Hybrid), by Application (Agriculture, Energy, Government, Media & Entertainment) and Segment Forecasts to 2022; Grand View Research: San Francisco, CA, USA, 2016. [Google Scholar]
Murray, C.C.; Chu, A.G. The flying sidekick traveling salesman problem: Optimization of drone-assisted parcel delivery. Trans. Res. Emerg. Technol. 2015, 54, 86–109. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Nex, F.; Remondino, F. Uav for 3D mapping applications: A review. Appl. Geomat. 2014, 6, 1–15. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Lee, S.H.; Lee, S.; Song, H.; Lee, H.S. Wireless sensor network design for tactical military applications: Remote large-scale environments. In Proceedings of the MILCOM 2009 Military Communications Conference, Boston, MA, USA, 18–21 October 2009; pp. 1–7. [Google Scholar]
Springer, P.J. Military Robots and Drones: A Reference Handbook; ABC-CLIO: Santa Barbara, CA, USA, 2013. [Google Scholar]
Haidari, L.A.; Brown, S.T.; Ferguson, M.; Bancroft, E.; Spiker, M.; Wilcox, A.; Ambikapathi, R.; Sampath, V.; Connor, D.L.; Lee, B.Y. The economic and operational value of using drones to transport vaccines. Vaccine 2016, 34, 4062–4067. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Boccardo, P.; Chiabrando, F.; Dutto, F.; Tonolo, F.G.; Lingua, A. UAV deployment exercise for mapping purposes: Evaluation of emergency response applications. Sensors 2015, 15, 15717–15737. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Bravo, R.; Leiras, A. Literature review of the application of UAVs in humanitarian relief. In Proceedings of the XXXV Encontro Nacional de Engenharia de Producao, Fortaleza, Brazil, 13–16 October 2015; pp. 13–16. [Google Scholar]
Heutger, M. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Logistics. In A DHL Perspective on Implications and Use Cased for the Logistics Industry; DronesX Media LLC: Burbank, CA, USA, 2014. [Google Scholar]
Wilkinson, P.; Cole, D. The role of radio science in disaster management. URSI Radio Sci. Bull. 2010, 83, 45–51. [Google Scholar]
Welch, A. A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Amazon Prime Air. Bachelor's Thesis, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN, USA, 2015. [Google Scholar]
Pandit, V.; Poojari, A. A study on amazon prime air for feasibility and profitability: A graphical data analysis. IOSR J. Bus. Manag. 2014, 16, 6–11. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Mohammed, F.; Idries, A.; Mohamed, N.; Al-Jaroodi, J.; Jawhar, I. UAVs for smart cities: Opportunities and challenges. In Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), Orlando, FL, USA, 27–30 May 2014; pp. 267–273. [Google Scholar]
Bamburry, D. Drones: Designed for product delivery. Des. Manag. Rev. 2015, 26, 40–48. [Google Scholar]
Pepitone, J. Domino's Tests Drone Pizza Delivery. CNNMoney. 4 June 2013. Available online: http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/04/technology/innovation/dominos-pizza-drone/index.html (accessed on 19 March 2018).
Javaid, A.; Sun, W.; Alam, M. Uavnet simulation in uavsim: A performance evaluation and enhancement. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Testbeds and Research Infrastructures, Guangzhou, China, 5–7 May 2014; Springer: Berlin, Germany, 2014; pp. 107–115. [Google Scholar]
Agatz, N.; Bouman, P.; Schmidt, M. Optimization Approaches for the Traveling Salesman Problem with Drone; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2016. [Google Scholar]
Carlsson, J.G.; Song, S. Coordinated logistics with a truck and a drone. Manag. Sci. 2017. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Choi, Y.; Schonfeld, P.M. Optimization of multi-package drone deliveries considering battery capacity. In Proceedings of the 96th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, USA, 8–12 January 2017. [Google Scholar]
Clarke, R.; Moses, L.B. The regulation of civilian drones' impacts on public safety. Comput. Law Secur. Rev. 2014, 30, 263–285. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Clarke, R. The regulation of civilian drones' impacts on behavioural privacy. Comput. Law Secur. Rev. 2014, 30, 286–305. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Rao, B.; Gopi, A.G.; Maione, R. The societal impact of commercial drones. Technol. Soc. 2016, 45, 83–90. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Jones, T. International Commercial Drone Regulation and Drone Delivery Services; RR-1718/3-RC; RAND Corporation: Santa Monica, CA, USA, 2017. [Google Scholar]
Stolaroff, J. The Need for a Life Cycle Assessment of Drone-Based Commercial Package Delivery; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL): Livermore, CA, USA, 2014. [Google Scholar]
Goodchild, A.; Toy, J. Delivery by drone: An evaluation of unmanned aerial vehicle technology in reducing CO2 emissions in the delivery service industry. Transp. Res. Part D Transp. Environ. 2017. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figliozzi, M.A. Lifecycle modeling and assessment of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) CO2 e emissions. Transp. Res. Transp. Environ. 2017, 57, 251–261. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Lohn, A.J. What's the Buzz? The City-Scale Impacts of Drone Delivery; RAND Corporation: Santa Monica, CA, USA, 2017. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Kim, H. A Study on the main Status of Environment Logistics and Expansion Strategy in Korea. J. Korea Port Econ. Assoc. 2009, 25. Available online: http://ocean.kisti.re.kr/IS_mvpopo001P.do?method=multMain&poid=tkpea&kojic=OMGJBU&free= (accessed on 19 March 2018). [Google Scholar]
Kwon, J.; Kim, S.; Park, E.; Song, J. A study on the number of domestic food delivery services. Korean J. Appl. Stat. 2015, 28, 977–990. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Kim, S.; Kim, T.; Suh, K. Analysis of the implication of accessibility to community facilities for land price in rural areas using a hedonic land price model. J. Korean Soc. Rural Plan. 2016, 22, 93–100. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Kim, T.; Shin, Y.; Lee, J.; Suh, K. Calculation of regional circuity factors using road network distance in South Korea. J. Korea Plan. Assoc. 2013, 48, 319–329. [Google Scholar]
Wolf, M.-A.; Chomkhamsri, K.; Brandao, M.; Pant, R.; Ardente, F.; Pennington, D.W.; Manfredi, S.; de Camillis, C.; Goralczyk, M. ILCD Handbook—General Guide for Life Cycle Assessment-Detailed Guidance; Joint Research Centre: City of Brussels, Belgium, 2010. [Google Scholar]
ISO (International Organization for Standardization). ISO 14043: Environmental Management—Life Cycle Interpretation; International Organization for Standardization: Geneva, Switzerland, 1998. [Google Scholar]
NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). U.S. Life Cycle Inventory Database; National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Lakewood, CO, USA, 2012. [Google Scholar]
KEITI (Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute). Life Cycle Assessment Software (TOTAL) Manual for eco Labeling; Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI): Seoul, Korea, 2000. [Google Scholar]
Kil, B.-S.; Kim, G.-C. The analysis of a electric scooter's performance through motor and battery capacity changing. Trans. Korean Soc. Automot. Eng. 2011, 19, 7–13. [Google Scholar]
Burkhardt, J.J.; Heath, G.; Cohen, E. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of trough and tower concentrating solar power electricity generation. J. Ind. Ecol. 2012, 16. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Hsu, D.D.; O'Donoughue, P.; Fthenakis, V.; Heath, G.A.; Kim, H.C.; Sawyer, P.; Choi, J.K.; Turney, D.E. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of crystalline silicon photovoltaic electricity generation. J. Ind. Ecol. 2012, 16. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figure 1. Locations of elementary schools and pizza restaurants in Yangcheon-gu and Pyeongchang-gun. (a) Yangcheon-gu (Population: 460,467; Area: 17.4 km2); (b) Pyeongchang-gun (Population: 40,470; Area: 1464 km2).
Figure 2. System boundary of a food (pizza) delivery system for drone and motorcycle.
Figure 3. Global warming potential (GWP) and particulates matter (PM2.5) produced per 1 km delivery by drone and motorcycle. Energy options for drone and motorcycle are electricity and gasoline, respectively. (a) GWP; (b) PM2.5.
Figure 4. Reduction impact in Yangcheon-gu and Pyeongchang-gun by category.
Figure 5. Weighted reduction impact of drones in Yangcheon-gu and Pyeongchang-gun.
Figure 6. GWP and particulates of 1 km delivery by drone, motorcycle, and electric motorcycle. (a) GWP of 1 km delivery; (b) PM2.5 of 1 km delivery.
Figure 7. GWP and particulates of 1 km delivery distance by drone in South Korea and in the U.S. (a) GWP; (b) PM2.5.
Figure 8. GWP of 1 km drone delivery under renewable energy scenario.
Table 1. Life Cycle Impact Categories.
Impact Category
ADP Abiotic Depletion Potential 1/year
AP Acidification Potential kg SO2-eq
EP Eutrophication Potential kg PO43−-eq
FAETP Freshwater Aquatic Ecotoxicity Potential kg 1,4 DCB-eq.
GWP Global Warming Potential kg CO2-eq.
HTP Human Toxicity Potential kg 1,4 DCB-eq.
MAETP Marine Aquatic Ecotoxicity Potential kg 1,4 DCB-eq.
ODP Ozone Depletion Potential kg CFC11-eq.
POCP Photochemical Oxidants Creation Potential kg ethylene-eq.
TETP Terrestrial Ecotoxicity Potential kg 1,4 DCB-eq.
PM2.5 Particulates Matter kg PM2.5-eq.
Table 2. Environmental impacts of 1 km drone delivery with characterization, normalization, and weighting.
ADP 1/year 1.54 × 10−5 6.17 × 10−7 4.37 × 10−7
AP kg SO2-eq./kg 7.46 × 10−6 1.87 × 10−7
EP kg PO43−-eq./kg 1.39 × 10−6 1.06 × 10−7
FAETP kg 1,4 DCB eq./kg 3.14 × 10−7 2.10 × 10−7
GWP kg CO2-eq./kg 4.41 × 10−3 7.97 × 10−7
HTP kg 1,4 DCB eq./kg 9.86 × 10−7 6.66 × 10−10
MAETP kg 1,4 DCB eq./kg 2.25 × 10−3 2.90 × 10−8
ODP kg CFC 11-eq./kg 1.02E × 10−13 2.49 × 10−12
POCP kg ethylene eq./kg 3.05 × 10−6 2.97 × 10−7
TETP kg 1,4 DCB eq./kg 1.78 × 10−13 1.09 × 10−13
Table 3. Environmental impacts of 1 km motorcycle delivery with characterization, normalization, and weighting.
HTP kg 1,4 DCB eq./kg 5.98 × 10−6 4.04 × 10−9
ODP kg CFC 11-eq./kg 2.92 × 10−12 7.17 × 10−11
Table 4. Shares (%) of national electricity sources by country (2011).
Korea 40.3 5.0 20.5 31.1 0.7 2.5
US 43.3 0.9 24.2 19.0 7.4 5.2
Germany 45.1 1.1 13.9 17.9 2.9 19.1
France 3.1 0.6 4.8 79.4 8.0 4.0
Japan 27.0 14.7 35.9 9.8 8.0 4.7
China 78.9 0.2 2.0 1.8 14.7 2.4
Sustainability, EISSN 2071-1050, Published by MDPI AG


text:
Exxon's M&A machine faces Permian dilemma
Stock for black gold
15 September 2017 By Lauren Silva Laughlin Follow @TheRealLSL
Buying a West Texas driller is the quickest way for the $337 bln oil giant to catch up with peers on replacing reserves. Valuations have fallen a third or more while Exxon's remains steady. The trick for CEO Darren Woods is to find enough cost cuts to justify paying a premium.
Valuations of stocks with assets primarily in the Permian have fallen over the last year. Pioneer Natural Resources' enterprise value is just under nine times its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization compared with around 15 times last year, according to Thomson Reuters data. Parsley Energy's value has fallen by roughly a third.
Over the same period, Exxon Mobil's valuation has held steady at roughly nine times EBITDA while its direct competitors' multiples have fallen. Chevron, for example, trades at roughly seven times EBITDA.
Exxon production fell by 1 percent to 3.9 million barrels a day in the second quarter, the company said on July 28. On the same day, Chevron said its overall production rose by 250,000 barrels a day, equivalent to a 10 percent increase over the quarter, thanks in large part to a one-third jump in Permian output.
Last year Exxon replaced only 65 percent of its reserves, whereas Chevron and ConocoPhillips replaced 95 percent and 78 percent, respectively. Shell nearly doubled its reserves.
In January, Exxon paid $5.6 billion to acquire 250,000 acres of land from the Bass family of Fort Worth, Texas. On March 1, Exxon said that it plans to spend $22 billion in capital and exploration in 2017, including in short-term drilling projects in North Dakota and Texas.
Source: REUTERS/Jim Young
An Exxon sign is seen at a gas station in the Chicago suburb of Norridge, Illinois, U.S., October 27, 2016.
Exxon announcement on capex spending
Exxon looks longingly at Chevron's primed pump
Oil majors surge into mid-cycle sweet spot
Exxon stakes long-term growth on short-term fixes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ref. 20168 - A fantastic terrace with seaview and also over the mountains- east, south and west.
95 sqm livingarea plus 85 sqm terrace. Also 2 balconies on 22 sqm.
Small kitchen with a balcony for your breakfast.


nov 26, 2015taiwan professional grinding machine manufacturer, joen lih machinery co., ltd., hydraulic driven track mobile plant; beneficiation equipment.
beijing yhd railway equipment (yhd) specialises in railway maintenance machines, including grinding, rail cutting, drilling and tamping solutions.
grinding wheel stone manufacturers & grinding wheel stone suppliers directory - choose grinding wheel stone from 8196 grinding wheel stone super suppliers of china.
[118 pages report] check for discount on global gear grinding market by manufacturers, regions, type and application, forecast to 2021 report by global info research.
buy tool grinder machine from tool grinder machine manufacturer, 12414 tool grinder machine manufacturers & tool grinder machine suppliers from china.
used case ih cx300c excavator for sale.


text:
U.S. scientists edit out disease from human embryos
Coming soon — cut-and-paste children?
In the first successful test of a controversial technique, scientists in a new study were able to edit out heart disease-linked genes from fertilized embryos — with no adverse effects on the cells' other genes.
Scientists at the Oregon Health and Science University used CRISPR, a controversial, but easy to use, gene-editing tool to remove bad genes from DNA.
"It's the best way to treat the disease before the genetic mutation is actually transmitted to the embryo," Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov, the project's lead researcher, told Time Magazine.
Here's how it works: Researchers led by Dr. Mitalipov took healthy human eggs and fertilized them with the sperm of a man with a genetic heart disease. Based on prior research, 50% of the embryos in the study were expected to carry the bad gene.
Scientists then deployed CRISPR, which consists of short, repetitive DNA sequences that can target undesirable gene sequences — like the mutated DNA segments that cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
After CRISPR cut out those bad segments, the embryo itself repaired the cut. As a result, only 28% of the resulting embryos carried genes for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The possibilities of CRISPR are as endless as the ethical qualms. Though it's still in the testing phase, CRISPR has been likened to eugenics or playing God by allowing scientists to create "designer babies" or wipe out diseases through the kind of genetic engineering currently limited to plants and lower animals.
Last year, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said CRISPR was potentially a weapon of mass destruction because of how easily it could be perverted into a weapon to create killer insects, plagues, or viruses.
Then again, the gene-editing tool could be used to eliminate horrific, costly diseases like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, certain cancers and heart diseases, and perhaps even offer protection against Alzheimer's.
It will take a while for researchers to get to 100% effectiveness, at which point pregnancy trials may begin, pending government approval, which is by no means a sure thing.
There have been other successful attempts to edit human embryos carried out by scientists in China, but those experiments revealed errors in CRISPR's ability to seamlessly edit DNA.
Mitalipov's team may have finally found the fix.
"There is still work to do to improve the efficiency," Dr. Mitalipov told Time. "But I think that's possible to do."
Woman sues Pret A Manger for $5.5 million for deceptive packaging
Papayas cause salmonella outbreak — 1 dead, 47 ill: CDC


Jaymart's Rubber flooring systems comes in round studded rubber matting, square studded rubber tiles, ribbed rubber matting, slate rubber tiles, chequered, hammer, terrazzo and smooth Fine fluted multipurpose antislip rubber matting.
Amazon.com RubberCal "Fine Rib" Corrugated Rubber Runners 1/8" Thick x 4ft x 1ft Rubber Matting Kitchen & Dining.
Whether you are looking for rubber runner mats that will keep your floors antislip or clean, our Corrugated Fine Rib is an antislip mat, made to scrape shoes in indoor or outdoor entryways. . "Diamond Plate" Roll Rubber Matting.
Lowest price guaranteed on Fine Ribbed Rubber Matting from PARRS. Our best selling multipurpose antislip floor covering. Free Delivery UK.
17 Items Everything Pools, Foam & Rubber. Shop now online or instore for a great range of antifatigue mats, antivibration mats, and safety mats.
RubberCa's Corrugated Rubber "Fine Rib" Rubber Matting is 1/8" thick industrial matting that is available in a 36inch width and an assortment of lengths.
Everything Pools, Foam & Rubber. Shop now online or instore for a great range of rubber matting, tie downs, car mats, ute matting, and docking rubber.
Fine Ribbed Rubber Matting 5m x 1.2m x 3mm AntiSlip, Waterproof, Fluted MultiPurpose Flooring Amazon.co.uk Pet Supplies.


text:
Morris Barazani
Featured worksThumbnailsBack
Untitled (Derek Timmerman), 1970s
Untitled (Blue), c. 1963
Collage #16, 1964
b. 1924, Highland Park, Michigan
d. 2015, Steuben, Wisconsin
Morris Barazani was a Chicago-based abstract painter involved with the mid-century American Modernism movement. After serving in World War II, Barazani first studied at Stanford University, and then at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design. Called the "New Bauhaus," the school was founded by László Moholy-Nagy, whose Constructivist philosophy asserted a large influence on Morris Barazani's early career. After graduating from the Institute of Design in 1948, Barazani and his wife moved to Detroit, where he attended Cranbook Academy. The two also opened Circle Gallery, an independent art exhibition space.
In 1949, Barazani exhibited at the critical Momentum Exhibition in Chicago. He founded DePaul University's art department, and taught for many years at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 1969, Barazani was invited to serve as the director of the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois Chicago Circle Campus. In 2014, a year before he died, Barazani was given a retrospective at the Ukrainian Institute for Modern Art, Chicago.


text:
Dark Cloud Rising
Chapter 23:
By: Dyna Dee
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing nor it's characters. My stories are written for my own pleasure and not for any legal tender, darn it!
Warnings: AU fic, fantasy. Yaoi, though it doesn't happen for quite a while. If you must know, an eventual 2x1x2 pairing with a tiny bit of 2 plus 4 friends with some benefits action. Several of the GW characters have been changed to fit the story. You'll soon see what I mean.
"Get up!"
Duo jerked awake as the bed covers were abruptly pulled back. The icy cold of the room was a shock to his warm body. In front of him, the blond rider groaned and curled up tighter against his chest. Duo looked up to see the craggy, candle-lit face of one of the older riders. He wasn't sure who it was until Alec spoke his name.
"Damn you, Dermail. It's freezing."
"Then I suggest you get up quickly and get dressed. Dorothy has your breakfast ready," the older rider said.
"You heard the man. Get moving," Alec grumbled, giving the braided boy a shove with his shoulder.
Duo did as he was told and quickly climbed out of the bed. Though he'd kept his socks on, the deep cold emanating from the wooden floor went right through the woolen material and sent a frigid chill up his legs and then to the rest of his goose-pimpled body.
The two boys scrambled to get their clothing on as quickly as possible while older rider stood back and watched, chuckling with amusement as their clumsy fingers fumbled with their ties.
//Wu Fei?//
After a long pause, his dragon's voice, sounding tired and worn, answered. //I am here.//
//Rest for now and regain your strength. I'll see you when I am able.//
Dermail waited until the two had finished dressing and had their outwear in place before he turned to the door and led the boys out of the room.
With the window to his room shuttered, Duo couldn't tell if it was truly morning, and the dark and gloomy great room didn't answer that question either. Once again the interior of the room was lit by only a few torches that were set close to the blazing hearth. The majority of the room remained dark and foreboding. The crackling fire appealed to the shivering boys and its promise of warmth lured them closer.
As they drew near, Duo could see several black pots were suspended above the flames, held there by metal hooks that were set into the inside of the large, stone fireplace. Dorothy hovered over the largest pot, stirring its contents. She glanced up from her work as the boys approached. Without speaking a word, she bent to grab up one of many stacked, wooden bowls that sat on the hearth, and used the large wooden spoon she'd been stirring with to scoop up a large portion of porridge. Though his stomach was empty and cramped with hunger, Duo thought he'd rather starve than eat the unappetizing food that had always been his least favorite of breakfast offerings. Sensing that he could either eat or starve, he reluctantly accepted the offered bowl. Looking down into the cooked grain, he couldn't resist the urge to sigh.
"What? You don't like my porridge?" Dorothy asked, more than a little irritated as she brushed back a long strand of white hair that lay against her cheek with the back of the hand that held the spoon. She then filled a second bowl and handed it to Alec before giving the braided boy a pointed glare, waiting for an answer to her question.
"Not yours, I just don't care for porridge." Duo said in a rueful voice.
"I'd advise you to eat it anyway, otherwise you'll have to wait until the next meal. After losing your meal last night, you have to be hungry."
Duo shrugged then turned away.
"Wait!" Dorothy stopped him. He turned back and waited while she went to the next pot and drew out a ladle and poured what looked like hot ale into a wooden cup. She then handed it to him and returned to repeat both tasks for Alec. With filled cups and bowls, the two boys made their way to the tables, selecting a place nearest the fire.
Duo took a sip of the hot ale. It was bitter on his tongue but he appreciated the heat as the hot liquid warmed his throat and belly. With a great deal of hesitation he picked up the wooden spoon and looked down on the porridge. He filled the spoon with the thick mush and then closed his eyes as he shoved it into his mouth.
Alec chortled as his face scrunched up in distaste, but Duo chose to ignore him. Chasing the thick, starchy mouthful down with a sip of the ale, Duo paused to look around the empty room. "Where is everyone?"
"Asleep," Alec replied. "We're the first to get up. Dorothy makes breakfast and we go outdoors to chop the wood needed for the day's fire."
Duo looked with disbelief at the other boy. "You don't have training?"
"Chopping wood is considered training, building strength in my arms, chest and back. The rest of my training resumes in the warmer months," the blond answered. "With the winter dragon's breath upon us it's too cold out of doors for us to train on the backs of our dragons. Come the spring we'll begin to train again."
"The winds of winter are definitely here," Dorothy stated as she placed her own bowl and cup on the table and sat next to Alec.
The blond boy groaned and looked miserable. "What?" Duo asked.
Blue eyes rose to look into his own. "Despite the miserable cold, you and I still have to go out and chop wood. I hate winter," Alec added sullenly.
"Never fear," Dorothy said, catching the blond boy's eye. "I'll help you warm up again."
The expression on the girl's face and the tone in her voice told Duo she didn't mean to warm him up with a blanket or a hot drink of ale. Alex's lips twitched upwards in response to her statement just before the wooden spoon of porridge went into his mouth, suggesting to Duo that the two blonds had probably practiced kissing to pass their time. He dropped his eyes to stare at his unappealing breakfast. Changing the subject, he asked, "When can I see Wu Fei?"
Dermail came up behind Duo with his breakfast and sat next to the braided boy. "One of us will take you to see your dragon after your morning chores are completed, weather permitting. Colgan, my dragon, tells me the black dragon is resting comfortably after his long flight."
Duo nodded while a longing for the Halls of Dornan swept over him again, for his room and his dragon's lair attached to it, making Wu Fei accessible to him any time he could get away. He wondered what his friends thought of his disappearance. Did they think he'd come here willingly? Did Heero? The memory of their kiss still burned brightly in his mind, and he almost touched his lips with his fingers as he recalled the touch and warmth of Heero's lips on his own. He stopped himself from doing so, however, aware of the three riders seated at the table with him. Besides, he was a long way from Amulah, from the Halls, his friends and Heero. If these people who had taken him from his bed in the dark of night had their way, Wu Fei would be mated in the spring to one of the two blonds' dragons. If that happened, he'd have no choice but to stay here with his dragon, the both of them bonded to their mates and this place.
Suddenly, he found that he wasn't hungry anymore, and his heart felt heavy that he should have so little to say about his future. His eyes rose to scan the dark, dim-lit room. The wooden walls were so different from the white stone that made up the Halls of Dornan. He thought that surely he would perish in a gloomy place such as this.
"What's with the frown, boy?" Dorothy asked.
Duo looked back to his unappealing meal to avoid looking at the girl. "The darkness of this place makes me uncomfortable," he said, not wanting to admit he was desperately longing for both the familiar and his dragon.
"It might take a while," Alec said. "But you'll get used to living here. I also hated it when I was first brought here."
Duo's head snapped up and his eyes sought out the other boy's. "You were brought here against your will also?"
A brief nod of the head was the blond boy's answer. The older man, sitting next to Dorothy, expounded further with more than a hint of pride in his voice. "It was quite ingenious, you see," Dermail began. "We had two dragon eggs, seemingly healthy, but the dragonlings didn't accept any of the children from the area surrounding Muir and Cordith. Quinze took the eggs farther south, into Amulah border lands to the south-west, and passed himself off as a dragon rider of Amulah. He eventually selected Alec and later Dorothy as acceptable riders for our dragonlings. He brought them back here where we had the two children impressed upon the dragons. We closely supervised the care of each child and dragonling as they endured the dragon's bane and became bonded and one of us."
Dermail laughed at this point in the story. His humor was obviously not shared by the three sober-faced youths. "In their ignorance of how things are properly done in finding a rider for a dragonling or the bonding of dragon to its rider, their families and village were so busy celebrating the fact that they had spawned children worthy of becoming riders that they didn't notice their abduction until Quinze was in the air, carrying both dragon egg and soon-to-be rider of Cordith. Alec was the first to be brought here and impressed, Dorothy came several months later."
"I don't understand what you mean by impressing," Duo told the man.
"I can only assume that you were chosen by your dragon while he was still in his shell."
"Yes." Duo recalled that night clearly. It was the days following that were a bit of a blur as he suffered from the dragon's bane.
Dermail nodded. "We discovered that once we selected a rider, we could carefully open the top of the dragonling's egg and put the child's hand inside. Unless the dragonling was sickly and too weak to respond to the invasion, it instinctively latched onto the intruding arm, biting it. Thus the dragonling and rider were bonded."
"And the dragonlings didn't reject your choice of rider?" Duo asked, shocked that the decision for choosing a rider could be successfully taken away from a dragonling.
"We chose our riders carefully, looking for children with strong bodies and minds, who also displayed leadership abilities. Our reasoning proved true, that once the dragon and child survived the sickness and fever, their bond was too great to be severed by all things other than death."
"I was impressed upon Shadow nearly four years ago," Alec said, his face reflecting that the experience was not a good memory.
Dermail frowned at the boy. "Don't interrupt me," he warned the blond boy and delivered a sound slap to the back of Alec's head. The older boy ducked his head in an act of submissiveness. Seeming to be satisfied that he'd gotten his message across, the older man turned his attention back to Duo. "Your dragon's seed will give us a whole new generation of dragons, not to mention the offspring your royal blood will produce from Dorothy's body. Your children will secure our place in Amulah's hierarchy, giving us our rightful place in the palace that has long been denied us. We will rule both the people of the south as well as here in the north, and the dragon riders will be forced to join with us because our newly crowned king will be of Haldash blood, as will your offspring, your heirs."
"What if Wu Fei is chosen and accepts Alec's dragon's offer to be her mate?" Duo asked, trying to hide how appalled he was by the older man's words and his part in his plans for Amulah and his future.
Dermail shrugged. "It doesn't matter. You will eventually be required to mate with Dorothy. She is the only female in the north that is of true Amulah blood and the nearest in age to you that you'll encounter in Cordith. Unfortunately, our other female riders have mates and their wombs have proved fallow, which means that Dorothy is the only one left to provide you an heir."
Duo bit back the retort that he'd rather mate with a wolderbeast than the sharp-tongued girl, and the fact that he preferred one particular, dark haired boy back in the Halls of Dornan.
"Accept your life here," Dorothy said dispassionately and without her usual tone of snideness. "The sooner you accept the fact that you can't go back the easier it is to make your place here." The hint of sadness in the girl's face told him that she still missed her home.
As soon as they finished their breakfast, Alec took Duo to the back of the long room, to the only door that led to the outside of the building. Numerous animal-skinned outer clothing hung high on wooden stakes that had been set into the wall. Alec grabbed a fur-lined hat, coat and gloves and fitted them on the younger boy.
"You might manage to get warm while chopping wood, but never, ever take off your outer clothing. The winter dragon's breath can freeze a man's nose and ears in a short amount of time. I won't be so attracted to you if you have no ears or a rotting nose."
Duo stood silent and passive while Alec dressed him appropriately. His cloak was removed and replaced by a large fur jacket that was lined on the inside with sheepskin. A thick piece of cloth was wrapped around his nose and mouth, leaving only a narrow strip of skin showing between that cloth and the thick, furred hat that sat low over his forehead. Alec then dressed himself in the exact manner and motioned Duo to the door the moment he was finished. At the first crack of the opening door, a strong, cold wind whistled through, giving both boys a hint of what was in store for them outside.
Stepping out of the door, just behind Alec, Duo noted the large panel of animal hides, stitched together, was placed over the doorway, acting as a buffer to the northern wind. The door was quickly shut behind them, the latch pulled down, then Duo followed the older boy from out of the covering and into the open.
Stepping out from behind the protection of the animal skins, Duo blinked at the sight surrounding him as the icy wind buffeted against his body. It was indeed morning, just barely, with the night sky turning grey as the sun prepared to rise over the eastern mountains. The thin light allowed the fledgling to observe his surroundings. Not too far from where he stood was a small mountain of trees, stripped of their branches and set on their sides, stacked on top of each other. The eerie sound that filled the air came from the heavy winds whistling through the cracks in wall of logs. He decided that the trees had been purposely set to act as a buffer, taking the brunt of the northern winds and giving some protection to the wooden structure that the riders of Cordith lived in.
Turning in a slow circle, he determined that the lone structure sat on the very top of Cordith, which was a flattened surface. The log building was situated on the southern edge, overlooking the Plains of Grennal and towards the direction of Amulah. He recalled the window of the room that he now shared with Alec, how he had looked out to see the straight cliff and dizzying drop to the valley's floor. Assuming that the rest of the mountain was the same, there would be no easy escape from this mountain top, other than on the back of a dragon.
"This is our wood source," Alec said, drawing his attention back to the large pile. "The people in the northern villages cut and trim the trees and the dragons carry them here to Cordith. You and I, being the youngest, are responsible for cutting the wood for the daily fire. Tsuberov says chopping wood every day prepares us to wield any number of weapons. I've come to learn that when Tsuberov says something, he's almost always right. I've gotten to the point where I can chop wood for a long period of time, and you will too after a while."
Duo followed the other boy as he walked towards the stack of cut tree trunks. Several of them were on the ground, next to the larger mound. There were also three very large stumps, and embedded in two of them was the tip of an ax, the long wooden handle standing up, ready for use.
Blue-violet eyes watched as Alec worked the ax out of the ringed stump and walked over to one of the smaller logs on the ground. Duo observed that the circumference of the tree trunk to be five hands high.
Preparing to swing his ax, Alec paused to turn and look over his shoulder at Duo. He nodded his head towards the block with the remaining ax, indicating he should follow his example. Taking a deep breath, Duo moved forward, grabbed the handle and worried the blade out of the block. Once it was free, he went to the other end of the same log as Alex. Following the other boy's movements he began the backbreaking chore of chopping wood for that day's fire.
He didn't believe it was possible, but after an extended period of time spent swinging the ax over and over into the log in front of him, Duo became uncomfortably warm. He wanted to remove the leather strip from the front of his face, but Alec's earlier warning was still strong in his mind. He stopped working to rest his aching arms, which caught the blond's attention. Alec let him rest for only a few moments before he set him to chopping the sectioned rounds into smaller pieces. Inside the fur-lined gloves his hands were sore, his fingers numb, and the thought of doing this every day was almost more than he could bear. Yet following the blond boy's example, he kept working, not willing to look weak in front of Alec.
//You're in pain.// Wu Fei's voice came to Duo just as he was about to collapse onto the frozen ground. His shoulders, arms and back were cramped from the strain of working muscles that were not used to this type of labor. He fought back the overwhelming feeling of misery, not wanting his dragon to worry about something he could do nothing about.
//Are you all right?//
//The straw here is old. It smells of mildew and decay.//
//Are you hungry?//
//Yes.//
//I think you need to tell the other dragons. Maybe they'll show you where to hunt.//
//Come to me.//
Duo sighed, wanting more than ever to do as his dragon requested. //I will as soon as I'm permitted. They said you'll need to be chained while I'm with you to prevent us from flying back to Amulah.//
//The dragon tender is fitting it on me now. I don't want to be chained down.//
//I don't want that either, but the elders here assure me that it will only happen when we're together.//
There was a long pause before Wu Fei replied. //I will permit it in order for us to be together. It is not right that we are kept apart.//
//No, it's not right, but I'm learning that here on Cordith and Muir we have very little say about what happens to us.//
"That's enough for today," Alec's muffled voice called out, barely heard over the howling wind and cutting into Duo's conversation with his dragon. "Pick up as much wood as you can carry and we'll take it to the dwelling. There's a long wood box to the right of the outside door that will hold a day's worth of firewood."
//I'll try to get permission to see you after you've eaten,// Duo told his dragon as he bent over and began to stack the chopped wood in his arms. After carrying several armfuls to the appointed wood box, Alec motioned for him to move behind the hanging animal-skin covering the doorway. Duo went as directed then turned to the boy who had followed behind him.
Out of the freezing wind, Alec removed the material around his face and said, "That's enough for you today. Go inside and warm yourself by the fire. Shadow intends to take your dragon hunting soon."
"Are you coming inside?" Duo asked, pulling the strip of fabric away from his mouth. He really didn't want to be left alone with Dorothy for too long. The girl definitely made him feel ill at ease.
"No. There's more wood to chop and carry to the box." Having said that, the blond boy re-covered his face and disappeared back out of the sheltering cover, earning Duo's grudging admiration for his strength and endurance.
Resigned to returning to the indoors, Duo opened the heavy wooden door to the great room. Again, it was dark, but near the firelight at the opposite end of the room he could see there were now a number of riders sitting at the tables and conversing with each other. He removed his outerwear and fumbled in the dark to put them back on the wall and quickly replaced them with his own cloak.
As he approached the massive fireplace that took up a good portion of the southern wall, the conversations waned and every eye turned to follow the newcomer's movements. Ignoring them for the fire, Duo put his numb and aching hands out towards the bright flames to try and warm them.
"I thought you said the new rider was a boy," one of the men in the group behind him said in a boisterous voice.
"He is, Finn. What are ya, blind?"
"The kid's too pretty to be a boy." A smatter of laughter followed that comment.
"Maybe we should check what the fledgling has in his pants, just to make sure."
"You go ahead and do that, Finn," a female voice urged the other on.
From the corner of his eyes, Duo saw a man rise from the table to his left and just behind him. His body stiffened and he desperately searched around him for something to use to defend himself. To his left he spied the long, metal poker used for shifting the logs within the fire. He thought the tool was his best chance at protecting himself. He leapt forward and grabbed hold of it even though his pained arms protested against the sudden action. Spinning around to face the older rider, he took a defensive stance with the metal bar clasped in both hands, ready to defend himself.
"Stay back," Duo warned the man he could now fully see. At a glance he observed that the approaching man was tall, much taller than he was, and though it was hard to tell what lay beneath the man's thick clothing, Duo was sure the rider definitely outweighed him. The rider was dressed in animal skins and wore his hat so that the lower brim rested over his eyebrows, giving his narrowed eyes a more sinister look. His lips were thin and almost invisible under the brown, shaggy mustache and the slant of them bore a look of cruelty and set Duo's nerves on edge. The fledgling deduced that the man approaching wasn't one of the older riders that he'd met the night before, those men were absent from the room, a conclusion he'd come to after seeing and the empty chairs set in front of the hearth.
The menacing rider stopped a few feet away from the boy. With his hands on his hips and sneered. "You would dare to raise a weapon against your elder?" he asked, looking angry from the boy's show of defiance.
"You will not touch me," Duo said clearly.
"And you need to learn your place, young pup. A sound thrashing should teach you to respect your betters."
"My betters are back in Amulah," Duo shot back. "You brought me here against my will, did you think I'd be happy about it?"
"Happy or not, you are ours now, to do with as we please." A slow leering grin grew on the weathered and bearded face. "You won't be so cocky and proud once I've finished with you."
The threatening man took a step forward and Duo instinctively jumped into action. He swung the metal bar low and hit the man's calf, hoping to bring the rider down. But the man ignored the blow. Before Duo could jump away, the man named Finn dove at him and received another blow from the poker before both riders hit the cold, uneven wood floor. The air whooshed out of the Duo's lungs as he hit the floor with the heavier man partially resting on top of him. He was shocked to discover his hands were empty, that he no longer held his weapon.
With a grunt, the man lurched to his feet and pulled the slighter body with him. Duo continued to kick, hit and do as much damage as he could while the riders behind them cheered and jeered as the one-sided struggle continued.
Duo used every trick he'd learned while training in the Halls, but he was quick to see that he had much more to learn. With his limbs becoming entangled in his cloak and his arms heavy and aching from the morning's chore, any attempt to defend himself was proving pathetically ineffective. The burly man he was trying to fight off was undaunted and only becoming angrier with each blow that connected. Without a doubt Duo knew that he was in trouble. As the man's un-gloved hand moved to grab his hair, Duo turned his head in time to bite down on the soft flesh on the underside of the thick thumb. Something in the other man seemed to snap and with a vicious snarl he grabbed hold of the boy and flung him to the floor and in an instant had the fledgling pinned beneath him. The short battle was clearly over.
A large, meaty and tooth-marked hand grabbed hold of the hair at the top of his head and once again Duo was pulled to his feet. Bringing his hands up, the boy struggled to pull the pain-giving hand out of his hair while he was propelled to the far wall, opposite the side of the room where his room was located. Because of the perpetual dim light within the room, he hadn't noticed that there were wooden pegs imbedded half-way up the uneven wood walls.
"Hal, strap his hands," his captor barked out the order to someone behind them while keeping a secure and painful grip on his hair. A moment later, Duo felt his hands grabbed and forcefully pinned above his head and against the wall. A leather tie was then secured tightly around his cold wrists. He kicked and screamed, demanding to be released, but his desperate words and actions fell on deaf ears. When at last he was secured to the wall, the cruel hands released him.
"Strip him." The order coming from his attacker filled the boy with terror, which increased tenfold when his cloak was removed and the blunt edge of a knife settled against his neck and cut though his clothing.
//Wu Fei!// he cried out desperately to his only friend and ally.
//What is wrong?//
//They're going to hurt me,// he answered, panicked by what was happening.
The distant sound of a dragon's cry of distress sounded in the space between the two mountains. //I'm chained to the mountain.// Wu Fei reported, his reply filled with anguish at his inability to come to his rider's aid.
Duo whimpered from both the severe cold and fear as he felt the last of his clothing cut from him and exposed him to the full chill of winter. The front of his bare body lay against the wooden walls, which gave off no warmth or comfort.
"I'll finish my meal before teaching you some manners, boy," the man Finn said, chuckling darkly behind him. "The tightness of your cold, exposed skin will make the lash hurt all that much more."
Turning his head, Duo could see the two riders leaving him, returning to the group seated at the tables closest to the fire. His goose-pimpled body trembled from the cold and his rapid breaths formed clouds that disappeared a moment after escaping his mouth. He didn't think he could survive the bitting cold for very long. Finn's parting words added to his growing feeling of terror. The only thing that gave him the courage to not cry and beg for mercy was the thought that he would remember the name Finn and one day he would get his revenge.
Another frantic dragon cry sounded and Duo knew Wu Fei was suffering along with him. He couldn't help himself at the moment, but he could ease his dragon's mind. He forced himself to a more calm state before he attempted to reassure his dragon.
//It's okay, Wu Fei. Calm down.//
//Have they harmed you?// came the rapid, anxious response.
//Not yet, but I think I'll be getting a beating for attacking one of the older riders. I'll do my best to shield you from it.//
//No. If they harm you, I would feel it too, then I will know whether or not to injure or kill those who harm you.//
//I need you to stay calm, Wu Fei. I can take a beating but I couldn't bear it if they harmed you because of my rash actions.//
//They can not harm me.//
//Yes, they can,// Duo answered emphatically. //They could easily have one of their dragons damage your wings and then you wouldn't be able to fly.//
There was a moment of silence before a feeling of disbelief came to Duo from his dragon. Then a quiet, resolute voice said, //I would die for you.//
Duo swallowed down the urge to cry at the devotion of his beloved dragon. //I know, and I would do the same for you, but I would prefer you to live for me, and for the hope that one day we can fly back to our home lair.//
//I can not bear this,// the black dragon said in a mournful tone. //I need to help you.//
//Then tell me a story. Speak to me of the day we climbed the mountain and you jumped off the ledge and flew for the first time. You were incredible and so beautiful that it took my breath away.//
And so Wu Fei began the tale, recalling with the finest attention to detail that memorable day, of the sun, the cool spring air and white/gray clouds that dotted the bright blue sky. Dragons, Duo had learned, were wonderful and garrulous story tellers, and his dragon was no exception.
Even as his body trembled, reminding him of the dangerous cold, Duo's mind pictured the day Wu Fei spoke of, and he was climbing the rocky mountainside at the side of his black dragon and Howard.
A sudden sound behind him drew him out of his thoughts. It was the sound of a leather strap being snapped in readiness for his punishment. Twisting his hands, Duo gripped the straps holding him to the wall. He set his mind against crying out or begging for mercy. He would be brave, he told himself, but he would also shield Wu Fei from the pain. With that decision in mind, he closed his link with his dragon and prepared himself for what was about to happen.
Back to Chapter twenty-two
to Chapter twenty-four
Back to Dyna Dee's Fics
This page last updated:


PDCD5 is a protein expressed in tumor cells during apoptosis independent of the apoptosis-inducing stimuli. Prior to apoptosis induction, this protein is distributed in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. Once apoptosis is induced, the level of this protein increases and by relocation from the cytoplasm, it accumulates in the nucleus. Although its exact function is not defined, this protein is thought to play an early and universal role in apoptosis.


text:
Jerome Powell, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, listens during a hearing in Washington. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg)
Powell Heads for Senate Vetting Punctuated by Inflation Urgency
Matthew Boesler
(Bloomberg) -- Sign up for the New Economy Daily newsletter, follow us @economics and subscribe to our podcast.
Jerome Powell is set to be grilled on the Federal Reserve's sharpest shift toward monetary tightening in decades at a hearing Tuesday on his nomination for another four years at the central bank's helm.
While the 68-year-old Fed chair enjoys widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans -- and is expected to win easy confirmation -- members of the Senate Banking Committee are sure to press him on his views on everything from when to start raising interest rates to whether to adopt bank capital standards tied to climate risks. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Washington.
Fed Unites Left and Right in Warning It's Behind Inflation Curve
Omicron Absenteeism Poses Fresh Test to U.S. Economic Strength
Fed Hike in March Gains Credence With JPMorgan, Citi Leaning In
Goldman Now Expects Four Fed Hikes, Sees Faster Runoff in 2022
U.S. Jobless Rate Falls as Wages Jump, Adding Pressure on Fed
"It will be a lot of focus on the state of policy and where he thinks it's going," said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at RBC Capital Markets in New York. The off-year state elections held two months ago "really drove home for people that inflation matters," Porcelli said -- highlighting the sensitivity of lawmakers to living costs ahead of this November's midterm congressional elections.
Following are a number of key issues likely to come up during the Powell hearing:
Investors are betting the Fed will begin raising its benchmark federal funds rate in March, two years after cutting it to nearly zero at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. A Labor Department report Friday showing the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.9% in December -- closing in on the 3.5% pre-pandemic low -- bolstered those expectations, and saw some economists change their forecasts to incorporate a more aggressive tempo of stimulus withdrawal.
Among the shifts in calls, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now sees the Fed raising rates four times this year. William Dudley, a former president of the New York Fed, expects policy makers to move by that much or more.
"My best guess is that they may need to do at least four or five rate hikes this year," Dudley, a senior adviser to Bloomberg Economics, said Monday on Bloomberg Television. "It wouldn't surprise me at all if we get into an every meeting kind of cycle at some point."
The last time Powell appeared before Congress, in late November, he was pressed by Republicans and Democrats alike on the Fed's response to inflation. Consumer prices had risen 6.8% over the preceding 12 months, the most in nearly 40 years.
Amid widespread concerns in Washington about inflation, minutes of the Fed's Dec. 14-15 policy meeting, published Jan. 5, revealed that "several" officials also "viewed labor market conditions as already largely consistent with maximum employment" -- the final prerequisite for moving forward with rate hikes.
Omicron Wave
While a March rates liftoff is looking increasingly likely, Tuesday will probably still be too soon for Powell to give explicit guidance to that effect. That's especially true given the disruptions the omicron variant of Covid-19 is causing as it sweeps across the country, according to Aneta Markowska, the chief financial economist at Jefferies in New York.
Still, Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin told Dow Jones in a Jan. 7 interview that the central bank's March 15-16 meeting was "certainly" a conceivable time for them to raise rates.
The December meeting minutes indicated policy makers were concerned with the risk that it could prolong supply-chain strains that have contributed to fast-rising prices in recent months, something Powell is likely to be quizzed on.
The analysis is complicated because the impact of omicron could be different from that of the delta variant that preceded it, Markowska said. The new variant has led to more widespread labor-market disruptions due to faster transmission than was the case with delta. At the same time, it's coming during a seasonal slowdown in price pressures -- unlike delta, which hit just as the U.S. was ramping up imports ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Another potential area of questions is tied to policy makers' discussions on when and how to downsize the Fed's $8.8 trillion balance sheet. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly on Friday said that the central bank could opt to start the process after one or two rate increases.
That timeline would be quite different from the one it followed in the 2015-2018 tightening cycle, when Fed officials waited nearly two years after the first rate hike to begin reducing the balance sheet.
The urgency reflects growing worries "that maybe they actually have slipped behind the curve" on taming inflation, Porcelli said.
Trading Issues
Ethics issues with regard to financial trading by Fed officials are likely to be raised by at least one member of the banking panel -- Elizabeth Warren, a liberal Democrat from Massachusetts. In a letter to Powell dated Monday, she called for details on trading by Fed officials to be released within a week.
Warren wrote the letter after further details emerged on transactions of at least $1 million executed in February 2020 by Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida -- who is set to leave the central bank at month-end. Powell late last year unveiled a ban on top officials buying individual stocks and bonds, as well as limits on active trading, in a move praised by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
President Joe Biden, when announcing his backing of Powell for a second term in November, said the Republican former Carlyle Group partner had made clear to him that climate change poses risks to the financial system and underscored the importance of a proactive Fed role for financial regulation -- key items for progressive Democrats.
Senate Democrats and Republicans diverge significantly on those topics. The Fed chair in recent congressional testimonies has been decried by Warren, who in September told him he was a "dangerous man" to be running the central bank, citing the Fed's relaxation of some regulatory requirements for banks on his watch.
Powell could also be asked about the supervision of cryptocurrencies -- he has backed regulation of stablecoins -- and the potential introduction of a digital version of the dollar.
Biden has yet to announce his nomination for the Fed's vice chair of supervision, the central bank's point person when it comes to regulatory matters, though former Fed Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin is seen as a leading contender. More detailed questions would likely be raised at the hearing for that nominee.
The central bank has in recent years moved forward with initiatives aimed at promoting climate risk as a financial stability issue, which Democrats strongly support and Republicans see as a potential threat to credit access for oil and gas companies.
Powell in October backed a judgment that climate change was an "emerging threat" to financial stability, but hasn't embraced the idea of tying such risks to capital standards for lenders.
Follow The Latest News On The Global Economy On BloombergQuint


People live their lives gaining money and items along the way, and the best way to protect what one has earned is to ensure that the items pass to the right person upon someone's passing. Wills have been used for centuries to guarantee that the rightful heirs to estates collect what belongs to them upon the passing of a loved one. Many people though do not have them in place and risk losing assets and property when they pass to probate courts and other entities looking to collect money. A law firm that handles Living Wills And Trusts Las Vegas NV will help people protect their assets and property from creditors and anyone else looking to deplete person's estate upon death.
Having a living will or trust established can eliminate an individual's estate and finances from going through probate courts and give their surviving family members control of any property or monies. A trust helps to keep the financial aspects of a person's wealth in their control and can be transferred to a competent party in the event the person should become incapable of making sound decisions. An attorney who handles Living Wills And Trusts in Las Vegas NV can word a trust to help with tax savings, and in some cases allow the trust to be used as a power of attorney. Setting up a trust can be a little pricier than a basic will but the benefits of keeping assets out of the hands of a probate court do outway the cost.
For people who have possessions and property but do not own stocks, or investments a living will is the option of choice. A living will offer the same security of avoiding the probate courts taking control of a person's assets upon their passing, courts will also assign an attorney to estates for those who have no set instructions as to how an estate should be handled. Wills help to establish a person's last wishes as far as minor children and who is to inherit property and assets outright. Grant Morris Dodds will assist clients in which option is the best for protecting their futures and legacy. They can walk clients through all the details of wills and living trusts and assist in any changes that need to be made to existing documents. For more information click here, to see all the services offered by their firm.


gesund-abnehmen.me 9 out of 10 based on 348 ratings. 3,177 user reviews.
View and Download GMC Tech2 user manual online. Tech2 Scanner pdf manual download.
TEREX TA400 OPERATION MANUAL Pdf Download.
View and Download Terex TA400 operation manual online. TA400 Automobile pdf manual download.


text:
Olios lamarcki är en spindelart som först beskrevs av Pierre André Latreille 1806.  Olios lamarcki ingår i släktet Olios och familjen jättekrabbspindlar. Utöver nominatformen finns också underarten O. l. taprobanicus.

Källor

Jättekrabbspindlar
lamarcki

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia