THE STRUGGLE FOR BROADBAND IN RURAL AMERICA

Broadband, Digital Divide, Economic Development, Infrastructure, Rural Development, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, L96, R11, R58,

Experimentally-validated models for the off-design simulation of a medium-size solar organic Rankine cycle unit

Organic Rankine Cycle is an efficient and reliable technology for the thermal-to-electricity conversion of low-grade heat sources but the variability in boundary conditions often forces these systems to operate at off-design conditions. The development of reliable models for the performance prediction of organic Rankine cycle power systems under off-design conditions is therefore crucial for system-level integration and control implementation. In this paper, a mathematical model for the evaluation of the expected performance of organic Rankine cycle power units in a large range of operating conditions based on experimental data collected in a medium-size solar organic Rankine cycle power plant is presented. Two different empirical approaches for the performance prediction of heat exchangers and machines, namely, constant-efficiency and correlated-based approaches, are proposed and compared. In addition, empirical correlations based on experimental data are proposed for the preliminary assessment of the energy demanded during the start-up phase and the corresponding duration. Results demonstrate that a good achievement in terms of accuracy of the model and reliability of the simulation performance can be obtained by using a constant-efficiency approach, with average errors lower than 5% and 2.5 K for the expected net power and outlet oil temperature respectively. The use of polynomial correlations leads to a more accurate estimation of the performance parameters used for evaporator and the turbine (in particular the evaporator heat effectiveness and the isentropic and electromechanical efficiency for the turbine), which strongly affect the main output variables of the model and, at the same time, are remarkably influenced by the operating conditions. A reduction in the average error in the prediction of the net power and outlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid to about 4% and 1.5 K respectively is therefore achieved by this approach. Average errors of 18.5% and 12.5% are achieved for the start-up time and the corresponding energy absorbed, respectively. Although the results obtained in terms of accuracy could be improved, these correlations can give an initial indication about the duration and energy required during this phase

Can cross-disciplinary conferences improve perceived productivity?

As the number of agritourism operations and support professionals grows around the world, and the diversity of research into the subject expands, international collaborations have become more prominent among both academics and practitioners. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a weakness in international collaboration: the reliance on in-person academic conferences as a primary opportunity for scientists to network and collaborate. A transdisciplinary, conference was hosted for the agritourism sector in 2022. In order to better understand how this emerging network might become more productive, or not, researchers surveyed attendees on their intended productivity. Results indicate that attendees were productive as a result of the conference and that there are differences across professional roles in the resulting productivity

Validation of a social cohesion theoretical framework: a multiple group SEM strategy

Social cohesion dates back to the end of the nineteenth century. Back then, society experienced epochal transformations, as are also happening nowadays. Whenever there are epochal changes, a social order (cohesion) matter arises. The paper provides a conceptual scheme of social cohesion identifying its constituent dimensions subdivided by three spheres (macro, meso, micro) and two perspectives (objective and subjective). The overarching aim is to test the validity of the operationalization of the social cohesion model provided. Firstly, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis introducing an approach implemented in Mplus named exploratory structural equation modeling that shows several useful characteristics. Afterward, through a structural equation modeling approach, we performed several confirmatory factor analyses adopting a multiple group SEM strategy in order to cross-validate the social cohesion model

A Multilevel Measurement Model of Social Cohesion

In spite of its currency both in academic research and political rhetoric, there are numerous attempts to define and conceptualize the social cohesion concept but there has been paid little attention to provide a rigorous and empirically tested definition. There are even fewer studies that address social cohesion in a framework of cross-cultural validation of the indicators testing the equivalence of the factorial structure across countries. Finally, as far as we know there is no study that attempt to provide an empirically tested multilevel definition of social cohesion specifying a Multilevel Structural Equation Model. This study aims to cover this gap. First, we provide a theoretical construct of social cohesion taking into account not only its multidimensionality but also its multilevel structure. In the second step, to test the validity of this theoretical construct, we perform a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis in order to verify if the conceptual structure suggested in first step holds. In addition, we test the cross-level structural equivalence and the measurement invariance of the model in order to verify if the same multilevel model of social cohesion holds across the 29 countries analysed. In the final step, we specify a second-order multilevel CFA model in order to identify the existence of a general factor that can be called “social cohesion” operating in society that accounts for the surface phenomena that we observe

Doing research in immigration removal centres: ethics, emotions and impact

Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) are deeply contested institutions that rarely open their doors to independent research. In this article we discuss some of the complications we faced in conducting the first national study of everyday life in them. As we will set out, research relationships were difficult to forge due to low levels of trust, and unfamiliarity with academic research. At the same time, many participants had unrealistic expectations about our capacity to assist while most exhibited high levels of distress. We were not immune from the emotional burden of the field sites. Such matters were compounded by the limited amount of published information about life in IRCs and a lack of ethical guidelines addressing such places. Drawing on related literature from prison sociology, we use our experiences in IRCs to set out a methodological account of understanding, ethics, and impact within these complex sites

Time and dosage effects of meprobamate on visual detection

Sixteen male subjects, 21 years and older, were run in a doubleblind own-control design under three dosages of meprobamate (400, 800 and 1600 mg) and matching placebo, to determine response curves on a visual detection task over a four and one-half hour period, from 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. To control for possible daily cycle effects two additional runs under placebo and 1600 mg meprobamate were conducted from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46406/1/213_2004_Article_BF00710913.pd

How to increase earthquake and home fire preparedness: the fix-it intervention

Published, evaluated community intervention studies concerning natural hazard preparedness are rare. Most lack a rigorous methodology, thereby hampering the development of evidence-based interventions. This paper describes the rationale and methodology of a cross-cultural, longitudinal intervention study on earthquake and home fire preparedness, termed fix-it. The aim is to evaluate whether and how the intervention brings about behaviour change in the targeted communities in two coastal cities with high seismic risk: Seattle, USA and Izmir, Turkey. Participants are adult residents of these cities. The intervention group attends a 6-h workshop, which focuses on securing items in the household. The control group does not attend the workshop. All participants complete baseline and post-intervention, as well as 3- and 12-month follow-up assessments. The primary outcome measure is an observational measure of nine preparedness items for earthquake and fire in participants’ homes. This is evaluated alongside participants’ self-reports concerning their preparedness levels. Secondary outcomes are changes in levels of self-efficacy, perceived outcome, trust, corruption, empowerment, anxiety and social cohesion. Results from the first of the studies, conducted in Seattle in September 2015, indicate that while the fix-it intervention is effective, in the longer term, multi-hazard preparedness is increased by the mere act of going into people’s homes to observe their preparedness levels along with assessing self-reported preparedness and sociopsychological orientation towards natural hazards. This protocol and study aim to augment the empirical literature on natural hazard preparedness, informing national and international policy on delivery of evidence-based community interventions to promote multi-hazard preparedness in households

Towards an EU measure of child deprivation

This paper proposes a new measure of child material and social deprivation (MSD) in the European Union (EU) which includes age appropriate child-specific information available from the thematic deprivation modules included in the 2009 and 2014 waves of the “EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions” (EU‑SILC). It summarises the main results of the in-depth analysis of these two datasets, identifies an optimal set of robust children MSD items and recommends a child‑specific MSD indicator for use by EU countries and the European Commission in their regular social monitoring. In doing this, the paper replicates and expands on the methodological framework outlined in Guio, Gordon and Marlier (2012), particularly by including additional advanced reliability tests