Integrated automatic modular measuring system

This paper describes a versatile automatic measuring system composed of discrete modules. The modules can operate in both stand‐alone and remote modes and are interconnected using an IEEE‐488 bus, allowing utilization of standard measurement apparatus and peripherals. The system design allows user optimization of the measurement procedure, which can thus be tailored to meet specific experimental requirements. The flexibility of this system is demonstrated by its application in spectroscopic ellipsometry

Indigenist and Decolonizing Memory Work Research Method

Indigenous researchers innovate and forge their own methodological paths within the realm of academic research. I developed an Indigenist and Decolonizing Memory Work method when I was unable to find a pre-existing approach for investigating phenomenon in-between Indigenous and Euro-western worldviews. This method is informed by the Euro-western methods of autoethnography, memory work, and collective biography. Furthermore, the Indigenous story work method along with other Indigenous research principles and practices are central features. In particular, I recognize and acknowledge that any Indigenous research project is situated from and within an Indigenist standpoint, in this case my own Labrador Inuit worldview.  However, there is consistency with other Indigenous principles and together these influence the research process. It also was imperative that the methodology account for the colonizing features of both academic research and the fact that Indigenous research participants have been influenced in varying degrees by dominant Euro-western discourses.  To account for this reality, a central feature of this method is the Decolonizing Critical Reflection (DCR) approach that replaces the typical interview and is intended to elicit decolonized data, or memories that research participants analyze themselves using Indigenizing and decolonizing theory and perspectives. The DCR approach is explained and described

Solar-Powered Cloud Computing Datacenters

In the developing world, reliable and affordable electricity isn’t always available, presenting challenges for the Western “bigger is better” datacenter model. A small-scale, cloud computing datacenter, however, could leverage recent technological breakthroughs to instead rely on solar energy

Green Cloud Computing in Developing Regions: Moving data and processing closer to the end user

The Internet has provided an unlimited potential with access to ebooks, multimedia content, news, new ideas, and information access in general. Yet, due to poor broadband infrastructure and available grid power to support the Internet and ICT growth, the developing regions have actually been left even further behind. The basic requirements in any developing region (beyond clean water and food) are a reliable electric power grid, network infrastructure, education, jobs, and a stable government and banking system. Nothing works without the electric and network infrastructure in place. The sad fact is diesel generators are used to power everything in place of a stable power grid. The other sad fact is most of these countries have tremendous amount of wind or solar energy that can be used in place of imported fossil fuels. The developing regions in most cases are connected to the Internet; the question is how best to interconnect inside the regions and countries and move the data closer to the end user? We need a developing world approach, not our western model of bigger is better, ie over sized, energy hungry Data centers. Many papers have been written on how Cloud Computing will help the developing world by just lower ICT costs, yet this is a flawed theory. As the data, systems, telecommunication bandwidth, and people required still remain in the western world and its control. Moving processing and data closer to the user in the developing region plays an import role on three fronts; 1. Keeps needed jobs and systems ICT people in region, 2. Sidesteps high telecommunication bandwidth costs and network latency issues in and out of the region and 3. Quality of service: in region computing can remove a major points of network failure and potential bandwidth bottlenecks. Energyefficient computing cannot be achieved without the integration between computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and environmental science. Designing data centers for the developing regions require a vertically integrated efforts to drive key energy-efficient technologies in computing (cloud computing), electronics (low power CPUs and systems), and building systems (spot rack cooling, higher ambient temperatures, and natural convention cooling). Collectively, these technologies address very significant near-term and long-term energy challenges and environmental issues. What is that approach for developing region ICT, in region Green Cloud Computing, which is cloud computing using low power CPUs servers, and renewal energy and most important, which is closer to the end user. This paper presents an approach for a low energy use data centers using cloud computing designed for developing regions, powered with renewable energy

Probing the energy levels of perovskite solar cells via Kelvin probe and UV ambient pressure photoemission spectroscopy

This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant codes EP/M506631/1, EP/ K015540/01, EP/K022237/1 and EP/M025330/1). IDWS and JTSI acknowledge Royal Society Wolfson research merit awards.The field of organo-lead halide perovskite solar cells has been rapidly growing since their discovery in 2009. State of the art devices are now achieving efficiencies comparable to much older technologies like silicon, while utilising simple manufacturing processes and starting materials. A key parameter to consider when optimising solar cell devices or when designing new materials is the position and effects of the energy levels in the materials. We present here a comprehensive study of the energy levels present in a common structure of perovskite solar cell using an advanced macroscopic Kelvin probe and UV air photoemission setup. By constructing a detailed map of the energy levels in the system we are able to predict the importance of each layer to the open circuit voltage of the solar cell, which we then back up through measurements of the surface photovoltage of the cell under white illumination. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of air photoemission and Kelvin probe contact potential difference measurements as a method of identifying the factors contributing to the open circuit voltage in a solar cell, as well as being an excellent way of probing the physics of new materials.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe