The economics of investing in green buildings

Thesis (S.M. in System Design and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-147).This thesis discusses economics of green buildings. The need to reduce greenhouse gases emissions became clear. Buildings account for a large part of the greenhouse gases emissions, changing the atmosphere's composition. Climate changes will be unevenly distributed between regions; in early stages they might be beneficial for few but will eventually end up being costly for all. Several worldwide rating systems were established with a common objective to determine metrics for measuring a building's performance and minimizing environmental footprint. In this research we selected LEED-NC version 2.2 by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for our analysis. V-2.2 consists of a set of credits distributed in categories. We identified credit's requirements and analyzed their impact on cost and environment. We supported our analysis by looking into cost and benefit studies performed by different organizations, and summarized our findings in providing heuristics on green buildings. Finally, a major take away from this research project is that there are numerous factors affecting difficulty of achieving, cost, and benefits of LEED credits. In addition to that, the correlation between credits and the large number of combinations to qualify for LEED certification levels, make it unreasonable to generalize about the incremental cost for any certification level.by Charbel Maroun Rizk.S.M.in System Design and Managemen

End-Fire Silicon Optical Phased Array with Half-Wavelength Spacing

We demonstrate a one-dimensional optical phased array on an integrated silicon platform for operation at 1.55 microns. Light is emitted end-fire from the chip edge where the waveguides are terminated. The innovative design and high confinement afforded by the silicon waveguides enables lambda/2 spacing (775-nm pitch) at the output. Steering is achieved by inducing a phase shift between the waveguides via integrated thermo-optic heaters. The device forms a beam with a FWHM angular width of 17 degrees, and we demonstrate beam steering over a 64 degrees range

Syriac Theology: Past and Present

This volume takes us back to the roots of Christianity and exemplifies the significance of Syriac Theology for our time. Bringing together articles by scholars from diverse disciplines, this volume aims at a deeper understanding of the legacy, importance, and challenges of Syriac Theology. The articles in the first part of the volume focus on the biblical, exegetical, and christological tradition of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The articles in the second part of the volume explore the dialogical intertextuality between Syriac Christianity, Rabbinic Judaism, and the Quran

Ondskans Problem : En granskning av Richard Swinburnes teodicé i ljuset av Eleonore Stumps tankegångar

Ondskans problem är ett gammalt (religions)filosofiskt problem som, i grova drag, frågar om existensen av en allsmäktig, allvetande och allgod Gud är förenlig med ondskan i världen, samt varför en sådan Gud tillåter ondska. Filosofer (som svarar jakande på frågan om) har utvecklat ett svar på frågan varför Gud tillåter ondska. Syftet med denna uppsats är följaktligen att redogöra för Richard Swinburnes svar på frågan varför Gud tillåter ondska, samt granska svaret i ljuset av Eleonore Stumps tankegångar

Bön och upplåtenhet : En religionsfenomenologisk undersökning

Religious phenomena, such as prayer, have more or less always interested and engaged people, but most likely for different purposes. Since the early 20th century, starting notably with Edmund Husserl and especially Martin Heidegger, phenomenologists have taken an interest in understanding and expounding the meaning of religious phenomena. The attention of such a discourse have not ceased but is rather current, and also of importance seeing that religious themes, such as prayer, still occupy a great extent of human life and practice. Phenomenology of religion is not a science of religion: the former approaches religion in terms of its meaningfulness, whereas the latter as an object of inquiry and in the same manner as an economist approaches economical indicators in order to understand and explain how the whole economy functions. In other words, phenomenology of religion expounds religion, as it were, from within, while science of religion does it from without or externally. When approaching prayer phenomenologically, it shows itself to be a process or structure through which the one praying empty himself in order to be able to receive the valuable presence of the other. The value that is received from the other will also be reflected by the one praying and in that sense effect his surroundings and fellow humans

Effects of inoculation on alfalfa silage quality and its feeding on the performance of dairy cattle

Five studies were conducted to determine the effect of inoculating (Pioneer Sila-Bac 11H50RTM) on the silage quality and the feeding value of high DM (55.3 %) alfalfa silage. The inoculant contained multi strains of Lactobacillus plantarum developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred Inc. In the first study, the effects of inoculation on ensiling characteristics of alfalfa were determined in a completely randomized design using 30 mini-silos. In the 2nd study, 9 containers were used in a completely randomized design to determine the effect of inoculation on the aerobic stability of alfalfa silage. In the 3d study, 2 ruminally fistulated cows were used in a randomized complete block design to determine the effects of inoculation on ruminal degradation of alfalfa silage. In the 4th study, 4 ruminally fistulated cows were used in a switch back experiment to determine the effects of feeding inoculated alfalfa on total tract nutrient utilization. In the last study, 27 Holstein cows in early lactation were used in a randomized complete block design to determine the effects of feeding inoculated alfalfa on intake, milk yield, and milk composition

Det Etiska Ledarskapet : På jakt efter en definition

Intresset för en etisk dimension i ledarskapet har ökat kraftigt under senare tid och anledningarna till detta ökade intresse är många. En anledning är det faktum att ledarskapet påverkar intressenter såsom kunder, samarbetspartner och inte minst medarbetare: Ett etiskt ledarskap har följaktligen goda effekter på intressenter samt på den långsiktiga lönsamheten, medan ett oetiskt ledarskap missgynnar såväl intressenter som den långsiktiga lönsamheten. Det har dessutom funnits olika åsikter om hur etik och företagande ska förhålla sig till varandra. Media har även, gång på gång, avslöjat många organisationers och ledares oetiska aktiviteter. Detta ovannämnda väcker flera intressanta frågeställningar, varav en handlar om att söka efter en definition beträffande det etiska ledarskapet. Denna frågeställning har legat till grund för vår uppsats. Syftet med vår uppsats är således att undersöka hur chefer, i dagens svenska näringsliv, definierar en etisk ledare. Vi har svarat på uppsatsens syfte genom en kvalitativ undersökning. Resultatet av undersökningen medförde data, som analyserades, och som i sin tur genererade ett svar på vår frågeställning. En etisk ledare är således, enligt vår undersökning, någon som bland annat har en god självkännedom och är autentisk i sitt ledarskap. En sådan ledare besitter dessutom positiva moraliska värden såsom altruism, humanism, empati och ärlighet, med vilka ledaren bildar en relation till sina medarbetare. En sådan relation kommer därmed präglas av, bland annat, ömsesidig respekt, öppenhet och lojalitet

Simulering av Oorts moln och nära planeter

Abstract To examine the influence of different surroundings on cometary orbits we used computer simulations. They showed that there are at least two different sources for the comets that make up the Oort cloud. They also showed that the galactic tide and star passages can send comets of the Oort cloud into the solar system. Comets inside the solar system were also simulated, to determine whether or not Jupiter could catch them, and also to examine which way to preferably avert a comet on a collision course towards Earth