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Abstract The economic viability of new energy technologies is held as a central tenet to their future deployment; conventional wisdom posits economically rational decision-makers will readily invest in proven low-risk and affordable technologies. But what happens when this is not true. This paper examines the non-financial barriers facing economically viable Combined Heat and Power (CHP) projects. CHP is a mature and lower carbon technology that efficiently uses waste heat from thermal electricity generation; CHP can also provide flexibility services to help integrate variable renewable resources. CHP is low risk and many industrialized countries, particularly those in colder climates in Northern Europe and Russia, generate as much as 50% of their electricity and heat needs from CHP, but United States deployment remains low and investment hurdle rates high. While lower U.S. energy costs make some projects un-economic, many economically-viable CHP projects are stalled or killed by non-financial barriers. To better understand why financially viable CHP projects are not getting built, developers, owners and operators, regulators, and other stakeholders of this technology were interviewed and three major barriers emerged a) the business model of the electrical utility b) negative subjective impressions and c) challenges in allocating the risks and benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Visions about the establishment of a lunar base and development of the Moon for scientific, technical and commercial ends have been on the political agenda since the beginning of the Space Age. In the past few years a number of spacefaring nations, including the USA, European states through ESA, Japan, India, China and Russia have proposed missions directed at the robotic and human exploration and development of the Moon. This paper argues that an important factor in advancing these missions lies in a partnership between the pubic, governmental sector and the private sector. The paper analyzes the dynamics of this partnership as applied to the case of the US Vision for Space Exploration. The results of the analysis suggest that public–private partnerships directed at lunar development and commerce depend on how government reduces risks for the private sector. The risks identified and discussed herein include political and legal risks, technological risks, and financial and market risks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This is a comparative study of the development of art therapy in the UK, Russia and Latvia. The study is triggered by the belief that important learning can take place from fostering shared understanding and respecting differences across practices within a postmodern world that bears the danger of fragmentation and the loss of professional identity. Following a discussion of key postmodern ideas within art and arts therapies and historical references to the development of art therapy in the three countries studied, this paper provides an opportunity for empirically-based comparisons of practice. In particular, a questionnaire, originally developed by , was disseminated to all practicing art therapists in the UK, Russian and Latvian specialists using art and art therapy methods, Russian graduates and Latvian students of the first training program in art therapy (). Collected information relating to work environments, client groups and therapeutic trends were statistically analyzed in order to identify differences across countries. Mutual interactions and ‘cultural borrowing’ were also found and discussed primarily with regard to therapeutic trends. Despite methodological limitations, the study opens the way for future collaborations on the basis of informed understanding of art therapy practices across countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Several types of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel have been developed over the past 30years in China, Europe, India, Japan, Russia and the USA for application in ITER test blanket modules (TBMs) and future fusion DEMO and power reactors. The progress has been particularly important during the past few years with evaluation of mechanical properties of these steels before and after irradiation and in contact with different cooling media. This paper presents recent RAFM steel results obtained in ITER partner countries in relation to different TBM and DEMO options. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]