SEASCRAPER: Reclaiming the Plastic Vortex Through Oceanic Stewardship and Inhabitation

Decades of humans carelessly tampering with the delicate ocean ecosystems are pushing wildlife to their breaking points, with an entire ecosystem collapse inching closer every day. My thesis will explore the known extent of plastic debris currently in the North Pacific Ocean; the successes and shortcomings of a variety of existing aquatic architectural precedents; finally, culminating in a theoretical prototype design for a semi-autonomous, ocean-based recycling facility. How can an ocean-based architecture be used to develop a successful intervention to the millions of tons of plastic debris that are dumped into the oceans each year? This research will investigate the requirements of planning and building a self-sustaining, water-based recycling structure, but also offer a deeper understanding of how to overcome the challenges of building in such a harsh environment. Using a range of interdisciplinary books, scientific journals and articles, websites and documents, an exploration will be conducted to achieve a full understanding of the requirements of the design. The design of the vessel itself is informed by factoring both the environmental issues of extended exposure in a harsh environment and the performance requirements of its primary objective. Since this vessel will be isolated from most human communities it must also be capable of functioning autonomously for extended periods of time. The results of the design explorations will be represented through a series of written texts, architectural drawings, and diagrams. The key impacts of my research will be not only to provide a possible solution to the growing waste plastic problem, but also to provide a prototype for the development of future ocean-based arcologies

Utilization of renewable energy sources in microgrids

Využití solární energie je jednou z nejoblíbenějších technologií výroby energie mezi několika typy obnovitelných zdrojů energie. Dva obnovitelné zdroje energie, které jsou v současných mikrosítích využívány, jsou v této práci teoreticky diskutovány. Dále je názorně předveden dopad obnovitelných zdrojů energie na mikrosítě a struktura mikrosítí. Součástí této práce je rovněž komplexní simulační analýza distribuční soustavy středního (22 kV) a nízkého napětí (400 V) provedená pomocí softwaru eVlivy před a po připojení PVPPs do distribuční soustavy Středočeského kraje. Analýza zatížení soustavy a napěťový profil v každém uzlu distribuční soustavy středního a nízkého napětí jsou zobrazeny graficky.Solar Power utilization is the one of the most popular power production technology among the several types of renewable energy sources. There are two types of renewable energy sources like solar energy and wind energy utilization in Microgrid structure has been described theoretically. Impact of renewable energy sources on Microgrid and structure of Microgrid has been presented in detail. This master thesis presents a comprehensive simulation analysis of medium voltage distribution line 22kV and low voltage line (400 V) with the help simulation software eVlivy before and after connection of PVPPs into the distribution system in Central Bohemian Region. The load flow analysis and voltage profile at each node of medium and low voltage distribution system has been characterized graphically

Oceanus.

v. 34, no. 1 (1991

A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to the Maritime Security Risk of Piracy and Lessons Learned From Agent-Based Modeling

This dissertation takes a cross-disciplinary approach to understanding pirate activity. Maritime piracy presents a dynamic ever-evolving problem. In today’s globalized world, contemporary maritime piracy presents a transnational threat. It is a complex socio-economic and political problem which the modern world considers to be criminal activity. Like all complex problems it must be deconstructed to fully comprehend it. All criminal activity, maritime piracy included, has certain elements of supply and demand. For the activity to occur there must be a certain level, or supply, of targets. At the same time, we can posit that there must be a lack of other opportunities for the pirates, who calculate that the risk of engaging in piracy is worthwhile. This risk calculation is a function of the potential rewards minus the sum of the risks. An increase in pirate attacks creates a demand for better maritime security. An increase in maritime security causes an increase in risk to pirates. Improved pirate capabilities may decrease this risk. The result is a constantly evolving complex problem. This study proposes a parsimonious agent-based model, focused on the socio-economic and political variables that encourage piracy, with utility across many specific regional domains. By simplifying the details of certain aspects of the model, the focus is placed on the issues at the heart of the problem. This allows for new insights into the dynamic relationship between these factors

Discussion meeting on Gossamer spacecraft (ultralightweight spacecraft)

Concepts, technology, and application of ultralightweight structures in space are examined. Gossamer spacecraft represented a generic class of space vehicles or structures characterized by a low mass per unit area (approximately 50g/m2). Gossamer concepts include the solar sail, the space tether, and various two and three dimensional large lightweight structures that were deployed or assembled in space. The Gossamer Spacecraft had a high potential for use as a transportation device (solar sail), as a science instrument (reflecting or occulting antenna), or as a large structural component for an enclosure, manned platform, or other human habitats. Inflatable structures were one possible building element for large ultralightweight structures in space

Old Faith New: Risking It All For The Kingdom of God

The opportunity existed to develop a curriculum on a theology of risk for Key West United Methodist Church. This will enable us to begin to risk substantially for the Kingdom of God. This NPO was developed over the three years of the DMIN program; each milestone provided clarity to get to this final NPO. I began searching for tools used by United Methodists in previous times of liminality and discovered the need for a theology of risk. A hero who risked for God’s kingdom emerged in this search, Robert Strawbridge. Strawbridge was a layperson who exceeded his authority to reach others with the life-changing message of grace. As Americans exit Christendom, there will be a need for others to bear the mantle of Strawbridge; laity who are willing to risk, to exceed their authority, and who are ready to, by all means available, share the grace of God. I serve as the senior pastor of Key West United Methodist Church, the oldest continual worshipping congregation on the island. It has a mixture of locals, seasonal residents, and guests. Together, we represent what Key West calls our “One Human Family.” The project is a curriculum on a theology of risk. It was explicitly created for this one congregation. This six-toeight-week study will help congregants discover how God risks and how God is calling the congregation to risk together and individually for the Kingdom of God

A preliminary report on newly discovered fluvial vessels from Kostolac, Serbia

This paper will present the results of a preliminary study of a group of four fluvial vessels recently discovered in the vicinity of Roman Viminacium in modern-day Serbia, dated between the Late Iron Age and Late Medieval Period. The remains of four vessels were discovered in March 2020 during regular mining activity at the Drmno open-air coal mine near the town of Kostolac in Serbia, at four kilometers distance from the contemporary course of the Danube. Archaeologists from the Belgrade Institute of Archaeology working as resident researchers at the nearby Viminacium Archaeological Park were immediately alerted and surveyed the scene, subsequently joined by members of the Centre Camille Jullian research laboratory for further studies and analyses of the remains. Four different vessels were identified among the wooden remains well preserved under six meters of clay-like sediment: two dugouts, a single plank belonging to a flat-bottomed vessel, and a well preserved flat-bottomed planked barge. The discovery, taking place just two days before the introduction of the state of emergency in Serbia due to the 2020 sanitary crisis, was followed by hasty rescue excavation, documentation, and extraction of the shipwrecks and their transportation to the nearby Archaeological Park for further conservation. While focusing on the architectural characteristics and nautical capabilities of the discovered vessels, this paper will also present preliminary conclusions on the context of their discovery in relation to the archaeological topography of the region, as well as with the naval construction and navigation practices within the Middle Danube zone of transport geography

Maritime Poetics: From Coast to Hinterland

In the past fifty years, port cities around the world have experienced considerable changes to their morphologies and their identities. The increasing intensification of global networks and logistics, and the resulting pressure on human societies and earthly environments have been characteristic of the rise of a "planetary age". This volume engages with contemporary artistic practices and critical poetics that trace an alternate construction of the imaginaries and aspirations of our present societies at the crossroads of sea and land - taking into account complex pasts and interconnected histories, transnational flux, as well as material and immaterial borders