Barriers to Predictive Analytics Use for Policy Decision-Making Effectiveness in Turbulent Times: A Case Study of Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Predictive analytics are data-driven software tools that draw on confirmed relationships between variables to predict future outcomes. Hence they may provide government with new analytical capabilities for enhancing policy decision-making effectiveness in turbulent environments. However, predictive analytics system use research is still lacking. Therefore, this study adapts the existing model of strategic decision-making effectiveness to examine government use of predictive analytics in turbulent times and to identify barriers to using information effectively in enhancing policy decision making effectiveness. We use a case study research to address two research questions in the context of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. Our study found varying levels of proactive use of SPEEDI predictive analytics system during the escalating nuclear reactor meltdowns between Japan’s central government agencies and between the central and the state government levels. Using the model, we argue that procedural rationality and political behavior can be used to explain some observed variations

Indonesia’s Digital Infrastructures for Nuclear Energy Policy Transparency

In increasingly digitized and interconnected nations digital infrastructures (DIs) as a strategic asset present not only great promise but also great perils. There is a lack of DI research attention in the e-government field. This paper examines DIs for nuclear energy policy transparency towards public safety and environmental safety at Indonesia’s government agency, BATAN, responsible for nuclear policy compliance, experimental nuclear reactors operation, and radiation risk management. Using website and content analysis we identified salient dimensions of extant DIs including sensors embedded in various environment monitoring systems and real-time radiation dose-related data and radiation warning systems. Despite the public opinion polls BATAN conducts annually on citizens’ acceptance of using commercial nuclear power plants for electricity, however, other salient dimensions found in the literature such as website and social media for active forms of citizen engagement and policy transparency on the potential radiation hazards are still lacking at the agency level

Capability Challenges in Transforming Government through Open and Big Data: Tales of Two Cities

Hyper-connected and digitized governments are increasingly advancing a vision of data-driven government as producers and consumers of big data in the big data ecosystem. Despite the growing interests in the potential power of big data, we found paucity of empirical research on big data use in government. This paper explores organizational capability challenges in transforming government through big data use. Using systematic literature review approach we developed initial framework for examining impacts of socio-political, strategic change, analytical, and technical capability challenges in enhancing public policy and service through big data. We then applied the framework to conduct case study research on two large-size city governments’ big data use. The findings indicate the framework’s usefulness, shedding new insights into the unique government context. Consequently, the framework was revised by adding big data public policy, political leadership structure, and organizational culture to further explain impacts of organizational capability challenges in transforming government

Conception, construction et analyse d'un système de réfrigération à éjecteur

Dans le contexte d'un intérêt grandissant pour le domaine d'efficacité énergétique, les systèmes de réfrigération à compression très répandus offrent des bonnes possibilités d'améliorations. Le présent travail porte sur une étude expérimentale de la possibilité d'augmenter l'efficacité énergétique dans un système de réfrigération où un électeur sert de valve de détente. Un banc d'essai a été conçu et fabriqué qui permet le fonctionnement soit en mode conventionnel soit en mode avec électeur. Le réfrigérant utilisé est le R134a, avec une puissance frigorifique nominale de 5 kW et une consigne de 5ÀC à l'évaporateur et de 40ÀC au condenseur. L'électeur diphasique est muni d'un double col dans la tuyère, dont le premier col est à section variable selon la position d'un pointeau. Les mesures prises ont montré une amélioration de jusqu'à 11 % dans le coefficient de performance, ou COP, en mode électeur par rapport à celui en mode conventionnel. En mode électeur, le rapport de pression fourni par l'électeur était de 1.070 pour un ensemble d'essais complété. En mode électeur, la puissance frigorifique totale était la somme de la puissance thermique de l'évaporateur, dont le titre à l'entrée était très faible, et de la puissance thermique des éléments électriques, qui servaient de surchauffeur. Il a été constaté que la puissance frigorifique à l'évaporateur était au maximum lorsque les deux cols de la tuyère étaient d'aire égale. Un bilan d'énergie et une analyse d'erreur ont confirmé la validité des résultats. Finalement, des suggestions ont été apportées afin de palier aux difficultés vécues avec l'efficacité du séparateur dans le montage. Le besoin important de contrôler le niveau de surchauffe du réfrigérant retournant au compresseur doit faire partie du travail futur. Une avenue prometteuse serait de rajouter un deuxième évaporateur après le séparateur, ou de combiner la fonctionnalité d'un séparateur avec le deuxième évaporateur dans une seule unité. Cette voie fournirait une solution au problème du manque de surchauffe à la sortie du séparateur et laissera plus de marge de manceuvre dans le système de contrôle

Increasing Policy Success through the Use of Social Media Cross-Channels for Citizen Political Engagement

In the ubiquitous digitization era, governments increasingly adopt multi-social media channels for the purpose of facilitating citizen engagement towards enhanced government transparency, external political efficacy and policy success. However, little is known about the use of social media cross-channel information-sharing mechanisms for promoting citizen political engagement. We draw on theories of citizen interaction and citizen-centric e-governance to examine the central research question: How can citizens’ become politically engaged through the use of social media cross communication channels? Specifically, we examine and explain YouTube-enabled government-to-citizens interactions and YouTube-Twitter cross-channel information-sharing behaviors among citizens in response to Jakarta, Indonesia’s use of YouTube to inform citizens of the government transparency initiative. We applied social network analysis to examine the structure of and information flows within Twitter social networks formed through the use of cross-channel information-sharing mechanism by YouTube users to tweet the promotion of the YouTube-enabled government transparency videos to their Twitter followers

Amélioration énergétique du procédé de captage de CO2 en postcombustion au moyen des éjecteurs

Le but principal de ce projet doctoral est de déterminer le potentiel d'amélioration de l'efficacité énergétique du système de captage de carbone dans les stations thermiques de production d'électricité, par l'intégration optimale des éjecteurs monophasiques. Il s'agit du système de captage postcombustion du dioxyde de carbone (CO2) par absorption/désorption utilisant la monoéthanolamine (MEA). Les éjecteurs intégrés utilisent des rejets thermiques de 100 °C qu'on retrouve dans les stations thermiques de production d'électricité. La revalorisation de ces rejets permet la substitution partielle de vapeur de turbine à coût élevé, qui serait autrement prise de la centrale thermique. Le deuxième objectif de la thèse est d'évaluer expérimentalement la performance d'un éjecteur à vapeur où le fluide secondaire de l'éjecteur est un mélange de vapeur d'eau et d'un gaz non-condensable, dans le cas présent, le CO2. Deux tuyères d'éjecteur à vapeur, d'un diamètre de 4.60 mm et 4.23 mm, ont été évaluées sur une plage de niveaux de CO2 dans le fluide secondaire, jusqu'à environ 40% en masse. La pression primaire était maintenue à 450 kPa avec une surchauffe à 10 °C et la pression secondaire était de 70 kPa. On a constaté que la pression critique ne changeait pas à mesure que la fraction massique de CO2 dans le fluide secondaire augmentait. Cependant, le rapport d'entraînement a augmenté de façon linéaire sur la plage expérimentale. Une amélioration de 23% du rapport d'entraînement par rapport à la vapeur pure a été observée lorsque le fluide secondaire contient 42% de CO2 par masse. Ce comportement contraste nettement avec le comportement observé expérimentalement d'un éjecteur à vapeur pure, où une augmentation du rapport d'entraînement se produit au détriment d'une diminution de la pression critique. Trois articles détaillés ont été publiés sur divers scénarios d'intégration d'un éjecteur à vapeur dans un procédé de captage d'absorption/désorption. Le solvant de référence était de 20% en masse de monoéthanolamine (MEA). Trois configurations principales ont été étudiées, selon le choix du fluide utilisé pour produire la vapeur secondaire : éjecteur sur condensat, éjecteur sur pauvre ou éjecteur sur riche. La première publication de revue scientifique a porté sur le procédé de désorption et a présenté une méthode de raccourci basée sur les propriétés du mélange CO2-MEA-H2O à l'équilibre. Les simulations ont révélé des réductions dans la quantité requise d'énergie de haute qualité, de 10 à 25%. Un simulateur de procédé commercial, Aspen Plus, a été utilisé pour les deux autres publications. Dans la deuxième publication de revue scientifique, le module cinétique rate-based a été utilisé, au lieu du module d'équilibre, pour la modélisation de l'absorbeur et du désorbeur, permettant des évaluations énergétiques plus près des valeurs qu'on retrouve dans la littérature courante. Une étude a été réalisée pour comparer un scénario de préchauffage de la vapeur primaire par des rejets thermiques externes avec un scénario d'intégration de la chaleur interne. Cette deuxième publication a montré des économies d'énergie de haute qualité, de 10 à 14%, les scénarios avantageux ayant été «éjecteur sur condensat» et «éjecteur sur pauvre».Abstract : The main goal of the doctoral project is to determine to what extent the optimal integration of single-phase ejectors might reduce the large amount of energy required to capture carbon dioxide from electric power generation facilities. More specifically, the objective is to determine if ejectors can be advantageously integrated into a post-combustion absorption/desorption carbon dioxide (CO2) capture process using monoethanolamine (MEA). The integrated ejectors will use waste heat of 100 °C from the electric power plant. The upgraded waste heat can partially replace valuable turbine steam that would otherwise be taken from the power plant. The second objective of the thesis is to experimentally evaluate the performance of a steam ejector where the ejector secondary fluid is a mixture of steam and a non-condensable gas, in this case CO2. Two steam ejector nozzles, of 4.60 mm and 4.23 mm diameter, were evaluated over a range of secondary fluid CO2 levels, up to 42% by mass. The primary pressure was maintained at 450 kPa with 10 °C superheat and the secondary pressure was 70 kPa. It was found that the critical exit pressure did not change as the mass fraction of CO2 in the secondary fluid increased. The entrainment ratio, however, increased approximately linearly over the experimental range. An improvement of 23% in the entrainment ratio, as compared with pure steam, was found when the secondary fluid contains 42% CO2 by mass. This behaviour is in sharp contrast to the experimentally observed behaviour of a pure steam ejector, where an increase in entrainment ratio comes at the expense of a decrease in the ejector exit critical pressure. Three published papers investigated various scenarios for the integration of a steam injector into an absorption/desorption post-combustion capture process. The reference solvent was 20% weight monoethanolamine (MEA). Three principal configurations were studied, according to the choice for the liquid flow used to produce the ejector secondary steam: ejector on condensate, ejector on lean or ejector on rich. The first journal publication focused on the desorption process and presented a shortcut method based on CO2-MEA-H2O equilibrium vapour liquid data. The simulations revealed reductions in the required amount of valuable energy from 10 to 25%. A commercial process simulator, Aspen Plus, was used for two other publications. In the second journal publication, the kinetic rate-based module was employed to model the absorber and desorber, providing energy evaluations closer to values in the open literature. A study was included comparing preheating the primary steam with waste heat or by heat integration. The rate-based simulation found valuable energy savings of 10 to 14%, with the "ejector on condensate" and "ejector on lean" again being the advantageous scenarios

Lowering the Energy Cost of Carbon Dioxide Capture using Ejectors for Waste Heat Upgrading

AbstractThe largest technical challenge to full-scale post-combustion carbon capture in power plants is the enormous energy consumption for solvent regeneration. If legislative requirements impose CO2 capture, chemical absorption/desorption using amine solvent solutions is the most mature commercial technology available. The use of ejectors to upgrade external waste heat has recently been shown to significantly reduce the amount of valuable turbine steam required to regenerate the solvent. Using the Aspen Plus chemical process simulator, this study considers three different liquid sources for producing the ejector secondary steam in a waste heat supplied flash tank. In each case the goal is to minimize the sum of the heat duty of the ejector primary steam generator and the stripping tower reboiler. A base case 20 wt% MEA absorption/desorption CO2 capture process was modeled, with flue gas data from a 400 MW net power coal-fired electric plant. Using stripping column condensate or lean solution to create the ejector secondary steam were found to be viable options for reducing valuable turbine steam consumption, with respective reductions of 14% and 23% shown for the completed simulations. With ejectors, lower temperature waste heat can be used to partially replace valuable turbine steam normally required in the reboiler for solvent regeneration in CO2 capture

Community Investment in the Digital Divide Pays Dividends for Years to Come

As the COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented trials experienced by almost every population in the way of public health, food systems, businesses and families, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have helped to mitigate many challenges. The hope of the many academic research efforts taken during this time will help those in civic authority understand these impacts as civic leaders make decisions about the areas of society and the community that need emergency funds and how to allocate future expenditures to best serve the populations within the community. At-risk populations that have limited or no access to the Internet / ICT or who lack the skills to effectively use it can fall into a state of social isolation which prior research has shown can have costly health implications such as an increase in cardiac disease, diabetes and liver disease which is due to lack of exercise and depression brought on by the isolation. An investment in ICT now will strengthen communities and families. This research in progress paper investigates the barriers to getting ICT to at-risk populations and the present and future costs to society for failing to do so. Finally, several implications will be extracted, particularly those that will become part of a Strategic Framework that can be implemented in every city across the United States to pinpoint at-risk populations and define the best remedies per demographic to bridge the digital divide so that every population is connected to their caregiver network and the latest health information

Supporting Early-Career Academics in the UK Computer Science Community

The early career of a computer science academic in the United Kingdom (UK) — as with most other disciplines — is challenging in terms of balancing research aspirations, learning and teaching responsibilities, wider academic service commitments, as well as their own professional development. In terms of learning and teaching development, this commonly involves working towards Fellow- ship of the Higher Education Academy (now known as Advance HE), either by direct application or via successful completion of an accredited institutional taught postgraduate course. Typically, if a course is required (often as part of their academic probation), the focus will be general higher education learning and teaching pedagogy rather than specifically focused on computer science and cognate areas. The formal institutional course requirements are normally supplemented by mentoring from within their department from experienced academic colleagues. Thus, the quality of development for an early-career academic will be enhanced in part by the strength of the community of practice operating within the department and the communities of practice that exist at a national and international level, often through professional bodies, learned societies and sub-disciplinary groupings. This paper presents the work-in-progress to address some of these structural, cultural and community challenges at both the institutional and national level in the UK, based on empirical themes collected from a workshop held at UKICER’20. We identify a number of specific actions and recommendations to supplement the current formal institutional requirements with enhanced national-level academic practice support and professional development, alongside local and regional professional mentoring

Writing for Publication in Art Therapy: Reflections on an ATOL Workshop

“Do you feel there is something you would like to say? Do you have an idea but are unsure how to write about it? Clinical work stimulates ideas, which may or may not be shared with others, and the thought of going public may feel scary. Few of us are born writers but all it takes is a bit of know-how and some practice. This workshop is designed to help you focus your thinking, approach the task of writing with confidence, and to explain the process of publishing. It will be held at a private address and places will be limited to 6 participants on a first come basis.” – ATOL Workshop publicity statement