Sunlight Responsive Thermochromic Window System

Pleotint has embarked on a novel approach with our Sunlight Responsive Thermochromic, SRT™, windows. We are integrating dynamic sunlight control, high insulation values and low solar heat gain together in a high performance window. The Pleotint SRT window is dynamic because it reversibly changes light transmission based on thermochromics activated directly by the heating effect of sunlight. We can achieve a window package with low solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), a low U value and high insulation. At the same time our windows provide good daylighting. Our innovative window design offers architects and building designers the opportunity to choose their desired energy performance, excellent sound reduction, external pane can be self-cleaning, or a resistance to wind load, blasts, bullets or hurricanes. SRT windows would provide energy savings that are estimated at up to 30% over traditional window systems. Glass fabricators will be able to use existing equipment to make the SRT window while adding value and flexibility to the basic design. Glazing installers will have the ability to fit the windows with traditional methods without wires, power supplies and controllers. SRT windows can be retrofit into existing buildings

Change & Maintaining Change in School Cafeterias: Economic and Behavioral-Economic Approaches to Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Developing a daily habit of consuming fruits and vegetables (FV) in children is an important public-health goal. Eating habits acquired in childhood are predictive of adolescent and adult dietary patterns. Thus, healthy eating patterns developed early in life can protect the individual against a number of costly health deficits and may reduce the prevalence of obesity. At present, children in the United States (US) under-consume FV despite having access to them through the National School Lunch Program. Because access is an obstacle to developing healthy eating habits, particularly in low-income households, targeting children’s FV consumption in schools has the advantage of near-universal FV availability among more than 30 million US children. This chapter reviews economic and behavioral-economic approaches to increasing FV consumption in schools. Inclusion criteria include objective measurement of FV consumption (e.g., plate waste measures) and minimal demand characteristics. Simple but effective interventions include (a) increasing the variety of vegetables served, (b) serving sliced instead of whole fruits, (c) scheduling lunch after recess, and (d) giving children at least 25 minutes to eat. Improving the taste of FV and short-term incentivizing consumption of gradually increasing amounts can produce large increases in consumption of these foods. Low-cost game-based incentive program may increase the practicality of the latter strategy

The Sastras of Teacher Education in South Asia: Conclusion

This is the second volume of our South Asia Education Policy) Research and Practice book series. In our first volume (Kidwai, Iyengar, Witenstein, Byker, & Setty, 2017), we examined how stakeholders across South Asia implement and enact Participatory Action Research (PAR). Our first volume included the assertion that PAR empowers stakeholders- especially in the field of education-to take action through a participatory method of research (Byker, 2017). Yet, we also echoed Robin McTaggart\u27s (1991) caveat of the dilution of PAR vis-a-vis a disconnect between authentic participation in the community and its impact on practice. McTaggart (1991) explained that PAR means sharing in the way that research is conceptualized, practiced, and brought to bear out on the life-world. PAR is also about ownership-the responsible agency in the production of knowledge and improvement of practice (p. 171). We concluded our first volume with the statement that PAR is the construction of knowledge by the community in service to the community. Fittingly, the purposes for teacher education are supplanted in this constructivist notion of knowledge by the community in service to the community. At first glance, this second volume may seem to only share cursory connections with the first volume. However, we argue that teacher education- as an institution-is constructed in service to the larger community. Such service is embedded in teacher practice and often reflects highly participatory forms of agency. Indeed, educators are and can be responsible agents in producing knowledge to improve their practice (Britzman, 2012; Byker, 2013, 2014a, 2015, 2016; Koirala-Azad & Fuentes, 2010, McTaggart, 1991). Yet, the impact of teachers\u27 practice and agency-at both the macrolevel and microlevel-are challenging to clearly quantify. Naik (1975) termed this challenge the elusive triangle (p. 3) of providing equality within a high quality education system, which is accessible to a large quantity of learners. Probing the social context of teacher education also contributes to the elusiveness. The challenge requires dissecting how teacher practice is embedded in the economic, political, sociocultural, and sociohistorical milieu of a place (Byker, 2014b; Byker & Banerjee, 2016; Freire, 1970, 1994; Iyengar, Witenstein, & Byker, 2014; Kumar, 1991, 2005). Krishna Kumar (2005) wrote about how the contextual details of a place-including the historical legacies shape a school and a teacher\u27s everyday reality. He further explained that such context should sensitize teachers and shape their practice and assessment of children (Kumar, 2005, p. 14). Lave and Wenger (1991) explained how the contextual milieu encompasses learning as a social process, which becomes embedded within the culture, norms, and practices of a community. Framed as such, the volume provides a descriptive representation of the challenges, innovations, and outcomes of teacher education across the diverse contexts that comprise South Asia.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/books/1061/thumbnail.jp

Development of electrochemical photovoltaic cells. Second technical progress report, August 1, 1979-October 31, 1979

The development of stable, efficient, photoelectrochemical cells based on silicon and gallium arsenide in non-aqueous electrolyte systems is being investigated. Redox reactions of ferrocene, anthracene and anthraquinone have been studied on platinum and n-silicon electrodes. The latter have been further characterized by differential capacitance measurements. Cells and equipment have been designed and set up for long-term stability studies

Solar collector cover with temperature-controlled solar light transmittance

Our aim is the development of a solar collector cover with temperature-controlled solar light transmittance in order to protect plastic solar collectors against overheating and to prevent collector damage during stagnation. The temperature-dependent reduction of solar transmittance is based on an increase of backscattering of the incident solar radiation (thermotropism). The thermotropic materials consist of two components: 1) a thermotropic additive, namely submicron-sized core-shell particles containing a phase-change material, and 2) an appropriate transparent matrix polymer. Thermotropic samples based on three different matrix polymers (UV-curable cast resin, EVA and PVB) were prepared as sandwich laminates according to industrially relevant processes. Temperature-dependent measurements of the total solar transmittance reveal absolute differences of up to 28 % between OFF and ON state

Single and sequential applications of dicamba for the control of glyphosate-resistant common ragweed in glyphosate- and dicamba-resistant soybean

Confirmation of glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds in southwestern Ontario has led to a change in weed management practices, particularly in soybean. Registered soil applied herbicides have been identified that have activity on GR common ragweed, however, due to the long emergence period of common ragweed, additional postemergence options are required. The recent development of glyphosate- and dicamba-resistant soybean (Roundup Ready Xtend soybean) allows for the preplant and postemergence application of dicamba. Three field studies were conducted in Ontario, Canada in a field with confirmed GR common ragweed. GR common ragweed interference resulted in 75% yield loss in soybean compared to the weed-free check. At 4 weeks after application, dicamba tank-mixed with glyphosate, applied preplant only, postemergence only, or preplant followed by postemergence controlled GR common ragweed up to 94, 87 and 99%, respectively. The availability of dicamba for use in glyphosate- and dicamba-resistant soybean will provide an additional mode of action for weed management in soybean.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author