An Examination of Manufactured Housing as a Community- and Asset-Building Strategy

An increasing share of lower-income families, the same population targeted by community-development organizations, are opting to live in housing that was built off-site in a factory to meet the performance standards of the national HUD manufactured-housing code. However, most community-development practitioners are just beginning to come to terms with the implications of manufactured housing for their work.This paper explores advantages and disadvantages of manufactured housing for those entities whose mission is community development and asset building. Several challenges are presented for practitioners: First, working to educate consumers while also creating financing processes that ensure manufactured home buyers obtain credit on the best terms for which they can qualify. Second, using the increased scrutiny under the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 to advocate for states to enforce more rigorous installation standards and increased accountability. Third, working to overcome land-use controls which prevent manufactured homes from being placed in communities in need of affordable housing, as well as areas with more potential for appreciation. Fourth, working with designers and planners to develop innovative designs and housing developments, while maintaining manufactured housing's affordability advantages.Finally, equal effort must be devoted to address the difficult conditions of many lower-income people -- owners and renters alike -- living in older, and often deteriorating, mobile homes. While a few of these families and individuals could be relocated to new and better quality homes with the help of subsidies, resource limitations suggest the need to create cost-effective methods to eliminate health and safety problems by upgrading or rehabilitating this extremely affordable element of the nation's housing inventory.As a companion to this paper, an exhaustive literature review has been compiled

Status of grid scale energy storage and strategies for accelerating cost effective deployment

Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-96).The development of emerging grid scale energy storage technologies offers great potential to improve the architecture and operation of the electrical grid. This is especially important in the face of increased reliance on clean, dependable electricity and with the influx of renewable generation and smart grid technology. However, at the present, grid scale energy storage is still in an early, developing stage. This document brings together a broad overview of the sector, including rough revenue estimates for each individually possible application for energy storage, a high level overview including rough cost estimates of each technology and supplier, a more focused look at the actual or possible implementations in the market with rough estimates of the systems' economics in each implementation. Following this is a discussion of notable dynamics and potentially effective strategies, based on current industry conditions and existing academic management frameworks. The investigation was accomplished by leveraging prior research in existing literature, and extending it with first hand discussions with industry leaders and market analysis. It was found that the economics of wholesale load shifting are unattractive for any of the emerging energy storage technologies, but that all of the other higher value implementations considered could be reasonably expected to at least break even financially given proper circumstances and the use of an energy storage technology which suits the implementation well. It was found that lithium ion and zinc-bromine flow batteries are well positioned for near term economically beneficial deployment on the grid.(cont.) Many other technologies exist and are being developed to address these same markets, but are unlikely to be cost effective in the near term. It was also found that government regulation has played and will continue to play a major role in the deployment of energy storage on the grid.by John Kluza.S.M.in Engineering and Managemen

International Research Infrastructure Landscape 2019 : A European Perspective

The report is the final product of the RISCAPE project, funded by the European Commission H2020 programme

Beyond the paywall

In dieser Dissertation untersuche ich die Forschungswege von sechs Wissenschaftlern, die in verschiedenen Disziplinen und Institutionen in den Vereinigten Staaten und in der Tschechischen Republik arbeiten. Um dies zu tun, verwende ich sogenannte „multi-sited“ ethnographisch-methodische Strategien (d.h. Strategien, die Anthropologen verwenden, um Kulturen an zwei oder mehr geografischen Standorten zu vergleichen), mit dem Ziel, informationsbezogene Verhaltensweisen dieser Wissenschaftler im global vernetzten akademischen Umfeld zu untersuchen, englisch abgekürzt „GNAE“, ein Begriff, der sich speziell auf die komplexe Bricolage von Netzwerkinfrastrukturen, Online-Informationsressourcen und Tools bezieht, die Wissenschaftler heutzutage nutzen, d.h. die weltweite akademische e-IS, oder akademische Infrastruktur (Edwards et al. 2013). Die zentrale Forschungsfrage (RQ1), die in dieser Dissertation beantwortet wird, ist: Gibt es, gemäß der multi-sited ethnographischen Analyse der beteiligten Wissenschaftler in dieser Studie—Personen, die Forschung in verschiedenen Disziplinen und Institutionen sowie an unterschiedlichen Standorten betreiben—Hinweise darauf, dass ein signifikanter Anteil der nicht-institutionellen/informellen informationsbezogenen Forschung über Mechanismen im GNAE, die nicht von Bibliotheken unterstützt werden, betrieben wird, sowie (RQ2): Was für Muster sind vorhanden und wie beziehen sie sich auf informationswissenschaftliche und andere sozialwissenschaftliche Theorien? Und drittens (RQ3): Haben die Resultate praxisnahe Bedeutungen für die Entwicklung von Dienstleistungen in wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken? Ethnographische Strategien sind bisher noch nicht in der Informationswissenschaft (IS) eingesetzt worden, um Fragen dieser Art zu untersuchen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass eine informelle Informationsexploration nur bei zwei Wissenschaftlern, die mit offenen Daten und Tools einer verteilten Computing-Infrastruktur arbeiten, zu finden ist.In this dissertation I examine the pathways of information exploration and discovery of six scientists working in different research disciplines affiliated with several academic institutions in the United States and in the Czech Republic. To do so, I utilize multi-sited ethnographic methodological strategies (i.e., strategies developed by anthropologists to compare cultures across two or more geographic locations) to examine the information-related behaviors of these scholars within the global networked academic environment (GNAE), a term which specifically refers to the complex bricolage of network infrastructures, online information resources, and tools scholars use to perform their research today (i.e., the worldwide academic e-IS, or academic infrastructure [Edwards et al. 2013]). The central research question (RQ1) to be answered in this dissertation: According to the multi-sited ethnographic analysis of scientists participating in this study—individuals conducting research in various disciplines at different institutions in several geographical locations—is there evidence indicating a significant allotment of non-institutional/informal information-related exploration and discovery occurring beyond official library-supported mechanisms in the GNAE?, and—part two (RQ2) of the central research question—What (if any) patterns are exhibited and how do these patterns relate to information science (IS) and other social science theories? Both RQ1 and RQ2 are exploratory. I additionally ask (RQ3): What might all this mean in the applied sense? by showing examples of services piloted during the research process in response to my observations in the field. Multi-sited ethnographic strategies have not yet been employed in IS, as of the date of publication of this thesis, to examine such questions. Results indicate informal information exploration occurring only with two scientists who use of open data and tools on a distributed computing infrastructure

Potential Solar Consumers\u27 Understanding of Energy Policy Development in Hawaiâi

Hawaiâi has implemented renewable energy goals that assume continued investments by solar consumers who seem unaware of their role in the policy\u27s success. Without the renewable resource generation that will come from these investments, the state will be unable to achieve its energy mandate. Using Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith\u27s advocacy coalition framework and Ajzen\u27s theory of planned behavior as the foundation, the purpose of this study was to better understand the perspectives of potential solar consumers on the Island of Oâahu regarding the state\u27s renewable portfolio standards, their level of knowledge regarding consumer impact on this policy, and their perceptions of the roles of the public utilities commission and electric utility company in the implementation of projects associated with achieving the state\u27s energy goals. Data were collected through interviews with 17 participants who represented a small portion of consumers who had begun the solar program application process but had not received approval to install panels at their residences. These data were inductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis. Key findings indicate that consumers lack sufficient education about the state\u27s energy goals, and that their participation in the policy process is essential for the continued growth of customer-sited solar installations. Implications for positive social change stemming from this study include recommendations for policymakers and solar program developers to engage in more inclusive educational outreach with consumers regarding the state\u27s required renewable energy goals

Elucidating the Relationship between Chinese Medicine and Systems Biology: A Multi-Sited Ethnography

Ever since Chinese medicine encountered modern science in the late nineteenth century, the relationship between the two traditions has been extremely one-sided. At best, scientists perceived Chinese medicine as an archive of primitive knowledge from which potentially useful drugs could be extracted. Chinese medicine practitioners themselves, meanwhile, began a long struggle throughout the twentieth century to modernise their medicine with the help of Western theories and technology. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the involvement of systems biologists in Chinese medicine research created a new encounter, however, that, at least in the rhetoric of its actors, promised a very different kind of relationship: a match of two systems brought together by a shared interest in understanding life, health, illness and medicine as intrinsically complex and not amenable to the reductionist approaches of mainstream science. This research empirically investigates the nature of this relationship and how it emerged. It aims to contribute to the contemporary history of Chinese medicine by exploring the relationship between Chinese medicine and systems biology. This thesis argues that a heterogeneous network evolved, which is composed of human and nonhuman actors and their interactions created globally distributed research projects on Chinese medicine and systems biology. For the purpose of this research, a multi-sited ethnography was conducted over a period of eleven months and a literature survey was employed to trace the start and the development of this heterogeneous network. Ethnographic data reveals in four chapters on the rhetoric and perceptions of the actors, their involvement in Chinese medicine research, their laboratory practice, and the networks and political ties, which developed into a heterogeneous network of Chinese medicine and systems biology research. This research concludes that in the 2000s, a heterogeneous network emerged through the shared ideologies of systems thinking and holism. The shared ideologies set the groundwork for systems biologists to engage with Chinese medicine on its own terms, and created scientific practices, co-operation and funding opportunities between Europe and China

Onward Migration and Multi-Sited Transnationalism

This open access book brings novel perspectives to the scholarship on transnational migration. The book stresses the complexity of migration trajectories and proposes multi-sited field studies to capture this complexity. Its constituent chapters offer examples of onward migration spanning all major world regions. The contents exemplify a range of interdisciplinary approaches, including both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The result is an impressive remapping and reconceptualisation of global migration and mobility, of interest to students and policy-makers alike

INTERNATIONAL ENERGY RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES: MAPPING THE GLOBAL LANDSCAPE OF ENERGY RIS (RISCAPE): Based on Finland Futures Research Centre’s contribution to the Horizon 2020 project European Research Infrastructures in the International Landscape (RISCAPE)

This e-book is an expanded version of the Energy Domain Report originally written for the project European Research Infrastructures in the International Landscape (RISCAPE), funded by the European Union. The domain report is also available in a shorter version, as well as a single chapter in the consolidated common project report. The full project report by Asmi et al. (2019) is available at https://riscape.eu/riscape-report/ The book is structured into three main parts. First, a preface introduces the report and highlights the field of Research Infrastructures (RIs) in connection with Futures Research. RIs are facilities that provide resources and services for research communities to conduct research and foster innovation. Due to our long history of researching energy futures, Finland Futures Research Centre led the mapping process of energy RIs The second part of this e-book presents an expanded version of the RISCAPE Energy Domain Report with its mapping of international Energy Research Infrastructures. The final list of mapped international energy RIs contains 37 organizations. The third and last part of this e-book consists of a postface and discussion on methodological considerations that can be useful for conducting similar mapping analyses in the future

Community Wind 101: A Primer for Policymakers

Provides an overview of a model for wind power development based on local ownership. Reviews innovative examples, economic benefits for the community, benefits for clean energy development, obstacles, and state and federal policy options to address them

Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) of Undergraduate Nursing Students - A Generational Perspective

A change in the generational demographics of college students is occurring throughout the United States. By 2012, the number of Millennial students, those born from 1982 to 2003, will jump from 44 percent to 75 percent of the total college enrollment. It has been suggested that their methods of learning are different from those of previous generations. The purpose of this study was to identify and compare individual productivity and learning style preferences of undergraduate nursing students that fall into the Generation X and Millennial age cohort. Using the Dunn & Dunn Learning Style Model and the Productivity Environmental Preferences Survey(PEPS), the study examined the conditions under which an adult learner is most likely to achieve the highest level of productivity and learning. Seventy-three undergraduate nursing students in their junior year of college were surveyed on twenty different stimuli subscales. Overall results did not demonstrate strong learning style preferences in either group and demonstrated more similarities than differences. Four areas of slightly stronger preferences were noted: Generation X preference for learning from authority figures verses peer learning and the need for frequent snacking for increased productivity and learning. Millennia} students demonstrated a greater preference for wanting a more structured learning environment and having afternoon and evenings as the time of their highest level of energy for learning more difficult content. Using at-test and 2-tailed significance analysis showed a statistical significant difference between the generational cohorts in the subscales referring to Authority oriented learner , Time of day and Afternoon . Understanding the academic productivity and preferred learning style preferences of these two groups is important for both curriculum planning and policies to help increase student retention