Understanding the adoption of solar power technologies in the UK domestic sector

The aim of this thesis was to provide new insights into the adoption of solar power technologies. Policy has identified solar technologies capable of providing domestic carbon reductions but limitations such as high capital costs and poor productivity are preventing widespread adoption. The research problem was that neither the attitudes of householders to the technology, nor their adoption decision processes had previously been investigated. If these could be understood, policy interventions might be more effective. This research presents previously unseen adoption curves for solar power systems, which by volume are less significant than conventional energy efficiency technologies, but the ‘S’ curve shows a rate of adoption similar to insulation and boiler systems. In addition, this research presents a comprehensive set of constructs that householders use as heuristics in their decision making process. These constructs were used in a survey of householders that showed both innovative and pragmatic tendencies in order to gain insight to their attitudes towards the systems. The results of this survey highlighted that adopters are mostly positive to solar power systems, especially the environmental aspects. However, on aesthetic, operational and financial issues, the responses indicated less positive attitudes by the ‘pragmatic’ majority. The survey confirmed the presence of a previously theorised ‘chasm’ that demonstrated significant differences between earlier and later adopters. This highlighted seven aspects of the technology that developers should consider, and also a difference in the decision making process followed by the two sets of adopters. Policy insights are discussed in relation to this

The socio-economic aspects of the Roman pottery industry in Britain in the early second century arising from a detailed study of a large assemblage from construction deposits found during the excavation of the south-west corner of the baths insula (including the piscina and macellum) at Viroconium

A study of 208.227 Kgs. of Early Second Century pottery from the Construction layers of the south-west corner of the Baths Insula (including the Piscina and Macellum) at Viroconium (Wroxeter), Shropshire. The study includes a catalogue, and drawings, of the pottery found, together with a discussion of the various fabrics and com¬pares the assemblage with a prior group of Military pottery. The pottery is used to provide a date for the construction of the Macellum, whilst reviewing the dating afforded by excavations in the vicinity. The work also includes a report on the submission to Atomic Ab¬sorption Spectrophotometry of 36 samples of Severn Valley wares

The Formation and Geographic Relocation of January Diurnal Precipitation Patterns in Louisiana and Southeastern Texas (Rainfall, Meteorology, Cyclogenesis, Synoptic Climatology).

The diurnal patterns of hourly precipitation events in Louisiana and southeastern Texas in January have varied over space and time. Distinct spatial patterns were observed so that southern Texas had morning maximums throughout the study period while a southwest to northeast band of morning precipitation shifted south and east from eastern Texas in the 1950\u27s into central Louisiana in the 1960\u27s and 1970\u27s. Southeastern Louisiana maintained an afternoon pattern throughout the period. The morning precipitation in southern Texas is the result of the diurnal variation in cyclogenesis, especially off the Texas-Gulf coast. A southwest to northeast band of mid-morning precipitation peaks is the result of the northeastward migration of weak disturbances which move to the northeast with the southwesterly flow aloft, well in advance of the Texas-West Gulf cyclone. The band of mid-morning precipitation and its associated transition zone to afternoon peaks shifted to the south and east in the 1960\u27s and 1970\u27s due to the more southerly displacement of the polar front. There is much evidence to support this more southerly position of the polar front, including colder temperatures across the study region, a much greater frequency of frontal overrunning rainfall events at Lake Charles in the 1960\u27s and 1970\u27s, and stronger winds and lower pressures aloft at Brownsville since 1958. The transition zone between morning and afternoon precipitation maximums shift to the Florida panhandle in February according to other researchers. This shift takes place because the mean position of the arctic high shifts eastward as does the axis of the arctic air outbreaks across the eastern United States. Storm tracks in the south and eastern parts of the United States are also displaced eastward in late winter and spring. This research is of interest to weather forecasters, not just in Texas and Louisiana, but also throughout much of the southern and eastern United States. Previous research of diurnal precipitation patterns has not focused on changes in diurnal patterns over time. This study indicates that diurnal patterns can shift markedly with climatic fluctuations

The effects of the stock and bond market on economic growth in South Africa (2003-2017)

Using quarterly data from 2003:Q3 to 2017:Q1, this study investigates the effect of the stock and bond markets on economic growth in South Africa. The variables used in the study pertain to South Africa and include the JSE All-Share Index, real effective exchange rate, bond market growth, investment expenditure, inflation rate, government expenditure and gross domestic product. The empirical study is guided by an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model approach which includes unit root tests for stationarity, bounds tests for cointegration and causality tests using the long run and short run error correction models. Diagnostic tests and stability tests are performed on the various econometric models. Tests include the Jarque-Bera test, Ramsey Reset Test, Whites test, CUSUM and CUSUM square test. The findings suggest that the stock market growth and bond market growth have displayed significantly different results with regards to their effects on economic growth. Stock market growth has had a positive impact on economic growth in the long run, whilst growth and development in the bond market does not have a statistically significant relationship with economic growth in the long run. The study provides a solid foundation for establishing the effects of the stock and bond market on economic growth

A Virtual Space with Real IoT Data.

Large quantities of live data about an environment can be easily and cheaply collected using a network of small sensors (IoT). However these sensors typically do not display any information directly, and it can be difficult to understand the data collected. Conversely VR environments used for training, require scenarios to be created, populated with rich data. By linking the VR system directly to the IoT data broker we import the live (or recorded) status of real hardware from an industrial environment into the virtual world allowing a remote viewer to monitor the operation of the system

Cause of Death and Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Anticoagulated Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation : Data From ROCKET AF

M. Kaste on työryhmän ROCKET AF Steering Comm jäsen.Background-Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher mortality. Identification of causes of death and contemporary risk factors for all-cause mortality may guide interventions. Methods and Results-In the Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (ROCKET AF) study, patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation were randomized to rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Cox proportional hazards regression with backward elimination identified factors at randomization that were independently associated with all-cause mortality in the 14 171 participants in the intention-to-treat population. The median age was 73 years, and the mean CHADS(2) score was 3.5. Over 1.9 years of median follow-up, 1214 (8.6%) patients died. Kaplan-Meier mortality rates were 4.2% at 1 year and 8.9% at 2 years. The majority of classified deaths (1081) were cardiovascular (72%), whereas only 6% were nonhemorrhagic stroke or systemic embolism. No significant difference in all-cause mortality was observed between the rivaroxaban and warfarin arms (P=0.15). Heart failure (hazard ratio 1.51, 95% CI 1.33-1.70, P= 75 years (hazard ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.51-1.90, P Conclusions-In a large population of patients anticoagulated for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, approximate to 7 in 10 deaths were cardiovascular, whereasPeer reviewe

Human Factor and Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Motivating End-Users Behavioural Change

Energy efficiency in buildings does not only rely on efficient technical solutions and design of the building features, but is also highly dependent on how occupants decide to set their comfort criteria, as well as on their energy-related and environmental lifestyles. In this perspective, raising user awareness among occupants by training them to adopt a more “green” and energy-friendly behaviour has become a crucial aspect for reaching energy efficiency goals in buildings. Motivating occupants to change their behaviour can become a challenging task, especially if they are expected to internalize and adopt the new behaviour on a long term. This means that information and feedback provided to the occupants must be stimulating, easy to understand, and easy to adopt in the daily routine. In this context, first methodological progresses are here presented within an European project, designed to raise user awareness, reduce energy consumptions and improve health and IEQ conditions in different typologies of demonstration case studies by providing combined feedback on energy, indoor environmental quality, and health. In particular, this paper presents one out of five MOBISTYLE demonstration testbeds – a residence hotel - located in central Turin (IT). In detail, this paper describes the setup of a tailored engagement campaign for hotel apartments and the reception area. Based on selected monitored variables, user-friendly feedback was defined to provide the users with real-time information on energy use and environmental quality, as well as guidance on how to save energy and optimize consumption profiles while creating an acceptably comfortable and healthy indoor environment