26,417 research outputs found
Vacuum insulated panels for sustainable buildings: a review of research and applications
New research has identified vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) as highly efficient insulators for use in building construction.
They are reported to be several times more effective than conventional materials of a similar thickness in terms of thermal
conductivity. Because of their smaller space requirement, VIPs maximize the internal usage area of buildings and so reduce
the cost of construction. There are however some obstacles that have hindered the application of VIPs, notably their high
cost, susceptibility to perforation and the long-term water and gas effects that worsen their performance. This paper reviews
the contemporary research on VIP as a state-of-the-art material for building insulation. The main components and physical
principles of VIP performance are discussed. Finally, the review of VIPs available on the market and their performance is
provided
Bridging Physics and Biology Teaching through Modeling
As the frontiers of biology become increasingly interdisciplinary, the
physics education community has engaged in ongoing efforts to make physics
classes more relevant to life sciences majors. These efforts are complicated by
the many apparent differences between these fields, including the types of
systems that each studies, the behavior of those systems, the kinds of
measurements that each makes, and the role of mathematics in each field.
Nonetheless, physics and biology are both sciences that rely on observations
and measurements to construct models of the natural world. In the present
theoretical article, we propose that efforts to bridge the teaching of these
two disciplines must emphasize shared scientific practices, particularly
scientific modeling. We define modeling using language common to both
disciplines and highlight how an understanding of the modeling process can help
reconcile apparent differences between the teaching of physics and biology. We
elaborate how models can be used for explanatory, predictive, and functional
purposes and present common models from each discipline demonstrating key
modeling principles. By framing interdisciplinary teaching in the context of
modeling, we aim to bridge physics and biology teaching and to equip students
with modeling competencies applicable across any scientific discipline.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 3 table
In search of âlostâ knowledge and outsourced expertise in flood risk management
This paper examines the parallel discourses of âlostâ local flood expertise and the growing use of commercial consultancies to outsource aspects of flood risk work. We critically examine the various claims and counter-claims about lost, local and external expertise in flood management, focusing on the aftermath of the 2007 floods in East Yorkshire, England. Drawing on interviews with consultants, drainage engineers and others, we caution against claims that privilege âlocalâ floods knowledge as âgoodâ and expert knowledge as somehow suspect. This paper urges carefulness in interpreting claims about local knowledge, arguing that it is important always to think instead of hybrid knowledge formations. We conclude by arguing that experiments in the co-production of flood risk knowledge need to be seen as part of a spectrum of ways for producing shared knowledge
Note: "Lock-in accelerometry" to follow sink dynamics in shaken granular matter
Understanding the penetration dynamics of intruders in granular beds is
relevant not only for fundamental Physics, but also for geophysical processes
and construction on sediments or granular soils in areas potentially affected
by earthquakes. While the penetration of intruders in two dimensional (2D)
laboratory granular beds can be followed using video recording, it is useless
in three dimensional (3D) beds of non-transparent materials such as common
sand. Here we propose a method to quantify the sink dynamics of an intruder
into laterally shaken granular beds based on the temporal correlations between
the signals from a reference accelerometer fixed to the shaken granular bed,
and a probe accelerometer deployed inside the intruder. Due to its analogy with
the working principle of a lock in amplifier, we call this technique Lock in
accelerometry (LIA). During Earthquakes, some soils can lose their ability to
sustain shear and deform, causing subsidence and sometimes substantial building
damage due to deformation or tumblin
Why EU asylum standards exceed the lowest common denominator: the role of regulatory expertise in EU decision-making
While scholars traditionally expected EU policy-making in the area of asylum to produce lowest common denominator standards, recent studies on the first phase of the Common European Asylum System have observed higher asylum standards in some instances. This article aims at explaining this divergence. Drawing on concepts of regulatory expertise and âmisfitâ, it argues that the observed variation in policy output can be explained by the dominance of a few (Northern) member states which were highly successful in inserting their positions in the core EU directives. Government effectiveness and exposure to the phenomenon entailing regulatory expertise provide a powerful explanation for member states being effective policy-shapers. Characterized by low levels of government effectiveness and exposure in the asylum area, Southern European countries were, on the contrary, rather passive during the negotiations and barely left any mark on the EU directives
New England Regional Health Equity Profile & Call to Action
Good health is a foundation that allows people to participate in the most important aspects of life. The purpose of the New England Regional Health Equity Profile and Call to Action is to identify where differences in good health exist among racial, ethnic, and disability populations in New England as well as foster policy, programmatic, and individual action to combat health disparities and achieve health equity for racial, ethnic, disability and underserved populations in New England. The report was written by the members of the New England Regional Health Equity Council (RHEC), one of ten regional health equity councils formed by the Office of Minority Health at the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of the New England RHEC is to achieve health equity for all through collective action in the New England region. The New England RHECâs vision is to achieve health equity through cross-sector interaction and collaboration of activities and resources to optimize health for all where they live, learn, work, and play.
The New England Regional Health Equity Profile and Call to Action uses a âsocial determinants of healthâ approach. A social determinants of health approach focuses on understanding how the intersection of the social and physical environments; individual behaviors; and access to education, income, healthy foods and health care, impacts a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes. The report examines the following topics: Socio-Economic Status, Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, Risky Behaviors, Cultural Competency in Health Care, Health Care Access, Health Outcomes, and the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity & Disability. It also includes a description of State Health Equity Activities and a Regional Call to Action
Exposure to Secondhand Smoke and Arrhythmogenic Cardiac Alternans in a Mouse Model.
BackgroundEpidemiological evidence suggests that a majority of deaths attributed to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure are cardiovascular related. However, to our knowledge, the impact of SHS on cardiac electrophysiology, [Formula: see text] handling, and arrhythmia risk has not been studied.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an environmentally relevant concentration of SHS on cardiac electrophysiology and indicators of arrhythmia.MethodsMale C57BL/6 mice were exposed to SHS [total suspended particles (THS): [Formula: see text], nicotine: [Formula: see text], carbon monoxide: [Formula: see text], or filtered air (FA) for 4, 8, or 12 wk ([Formula: see text]]. Hearts were excised and Langendorff perfused for dual optical mapping with voltage- and [Formula: see text]-sensitive dyes.ResultsAt slow pacing rates, SHS exposure did not alter baseline electrophysiological parameters. With increasing pacing frequency, action potential duration (APD), and intracellular [Formula: see text] alternans magnitude progressively increased in all groups. At 4 and 8 wk, there were no statistical differences in APD or [Formula: see text] alternans magnitude between SHS and FA groups. At 12 wk, both APD and [Formula: see text] alternans magnitude were significantly increased in the SHS compared to FA group ([Formula: see text]). SHS exposure did not impact the time constant of [Formula: see text] transient decay ([Formula: see text]) at any exposure time point. At 12 wk exposure, the recovery of [Formula: see text] transient amplitude with premature stimuli was slightly (but nonsignificantly) delayed in SHS compared to FA hearts, suggesting that [Formula: see text] release via ryanodine receptors may be impaired.ConclusionsIn male mice, chronic exposure to SHS at levels relevant to social situations in humans increased their susceptibility to cardiac alternans, a known precursor to ventricular arrhythmia. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3664
Framing the eurozone crisis: a case of limited ambition
The eurozone crisis provided a new opportunity for obtaining supranational fiscal integration within the European single currency area. This study applies a framing analysis to the crisis discourse that emerged from within the European Unionâs intergovernmental forums involved in fiscal policy coordination. As well as linking policy frames to two different integration scenarios for the Economic and Monetary Union, the broader influence of macroeconomic ideology is also emphasised. It is found that the response to the intensification of the crisis in Europe was to employ framing devices supporting intergovernmental fiscal discipline. While there were emergent supranational discourses over the longer term, these were reflective of a limited reform ambition. A key constraining factor here were the sovereignty concerns and issues of moral hazard circulating amongst member states, which together have ensured that a supranational fiscal policy is unlikely to be obtained in Europe
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