Climate Justice and Democracy: A Normative Approach

This paper tackles a highly relevant issue, namely the relationship between climate justice and democracy. The driving motivation of the paper is to ask what principles of climate justice demand from democracies. The paper explores intrinsic and instrumental arguments and develops a sufficiency account: citizens are entitled to the emissions necessary not only to realize their basic needs but to participate as equals in political decision making

Design and Development of English Learning Facebook Application based on Platform as a Service (PaaS) by using Smart Gamification

Social networking sites like Facebook are not just an element of passing time but a platform for learning as well. The goal of this paper is to show the effectiveness of a Facebook application named 201C;Wishdom201D; to teach English language based on cloud platform. This application tries to introduce English language in an authentic and communicative manner to the students, where they have to assume different roles (i.e. avatar) to achieve a particular goal. For that purpose they communicate with the other avatar and participate in several quizzes. This study shows the performance of a group of students who played 201C;Wishdom201D; game and take a quiz as a part of their assessment. Their performance has been presented to show their success rate in learning English. The performance of the application is also measured based on Facebook Graph API. In addition, platform as a service (PaaS) of cloud computing from Heroku has been integrated to host the application and its compatibility is checked in this study

Cybersecurity Planning Insight: CSCD (Cyber Security and Cyber Defense) Control: Framework For Strategic Direction and Governance

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Information Systems and Technologies ManagementIn this recent time, the importance of cybersecurity and cyber defense is sky-high. Everyone uses different devices, IT infrastructures, and applications for various purposes at school, office, home, hospitals everywhere. With the enlightenment of technology, the nature of cyber-attack has been changed dramatically, and that is why the number of cyber-attacks have been increased. Enterprises face billions of Euros loss from such incidents; even the data loss and operational hazard may have a devastating impact not only on the service, security, privacy, brand image but also upon overall business. A constrictive and realistic CSCD (cyber security and cyber defense) strategy along with the proper implementation of it, can safeguard the enterprises and strongly from cyber attacks. In this paper, we prepare an improved CSCD control framework based on several hundreds of scientific papers and frameworks. Moreover, we identify different aspects and strategic elements by holistic CSCD control risk assessment and data analysis for preparing CSCD strategy and planning of different levels of organizations to maintain effective CSCD governance and cyber resilience

A Study of Electron- and Photon-induced Dissociative Electron Attachment to Molecules and within Anion-Molecule Clusters

Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) is a resonant process in which a molecule captures a low-energy electron, forming a transient negative ion (TNI). Subsequently, this unstable TNI fragments into a stable anion and one or more neutral fragments. DEA is crucial in various phenomena, ranging from atmospheric and radiation chemistry to processes occurring in plasmas, and is particularly significant in the context of radiation-induced damage to biological molecules. This study uses different experimental methods to better understand the fragmentation in molecular anions forming through dissociative photoexcitation and electron attachment. We have developed an experimental apparatus for dissociative photoexcitation studies. This apparatus generates, manipulates, and analyzes ion-molecule clusters and their fragmentation pattern. We also utilized an apparatus located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to image the three-dimensional momentum distribution of negative ions produced through DEA to molecular targets. In this dissertation, first, we describe the design of a reflectron time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer, which was implemented in our experimental apparatus - designed to investigate the dissociation dynamics of photoexcited ion-molecule clusters by mass-resolving and detecting fragment anions and neutrals. Then, our experimental work demonstrates previously untested aspects of dissociative photoexcitation in molecular anions with this apparatus. We investigate the DEA process in which multiple TNI states are accessed by absorbing varying numbers of photons. This multiphoton absorption method allowed us to investigate the excited states of molecular anions that may not be accessible through a single-photon absorption or with an electron beam. The significance of our approach is that it does not rely on tunable electron or laser sources to access different TNI states. Finally, we present DEA studies with an external electron beam to investigate the formation of TNIs and fragmentation patterns in different organic molecules using an anion fragment momentum imaging apparatus. We have investigated the TNI formation following low-energy electron attachment to acetic acid and its partially- and fully-deuterated isotopologues in the dissociation channels leading to H- and D- formation. Our results confirmed three previously known resonance positions and identified a fourth resonance that had not been reported earlier. We also examined the anion fragment yields from DEA to 1-M-5-Nitroimidazole (1M5NI) at different electron energy. This data can be used to simulate electron-induced radiation damage in biologically relevant media containing 1M5NI as a potential radiosensitizer. Advisor: Martin Centurio

Mathematical Modelling And Life-Cycle Energy And Financial Analysis Of Solar Kilns For Wood Drying

There is a general challenge to improve the designs of solar dryers for the direct drying of various materials through the uses of robust models in conjunction with methods incorporating an appropriately defined set of performance parameters for evaluating the performance of solar kilns. However, the use of prevailing methods is unlikely to provide a sustainable means of comparison between various solar-kiln designs, unless a whole life-cycle perspective is taken into consideration. In order to address this key issue, a novel methodology for life-cycle performance evaluation of solar dryers has been developed in this thesis. To examine the capability and usefulness of the solar kiln model and its simulation procedure for predicting the drying behaviors for different solar kiln designs, the model was numerically solved for two typical greenhouse-type wood-drying solar kilns (Oxford and Boral). The assessment of life cycle embodied energy and embodied carbon values for the construction and maintenance of the two solar kilns (Oxford and Boral) by developing a life cycle assessment (LCA) model in “SimaPro 7.1.8 version”. To analyse the total life-cycle energy use in solar kilns, an innovative performance evaluation methodology, which considers the total life-cycle (LC) energy effectiveness in present-value terms, together with a defined set of present value performance indicators (PVPIs), has been proposed here. In the last stage of the thesis, a life-cycle cash flow (LCCF) analysis has also been carried out to compare how closely the life-cycle net energy (LCNE) and the LCCF approaches are aligned for the present case and how they can lead to significantly different recommendations for some other scenarios. In summary, the LCNE approach, together with the defined PVPIs, has been suggested to be considered as a robust and reliable method for life-cycle performance evaluation of solar kilns

Ban smoking during Ramadan

REMEMBER once, as I was about to enter a mosque in Penang, I saw the imam smoking hurriedly before he walked in to lead the Zohor prayer. At a masjid in Kuala Lumpur, as I stood in a saf (prayer row) to perform the solat, a smoker stood beside me. I suspected that, like the imam in Penang, this man also had a few puffs before entering the masjid as I could detect the strong cigarette odour. I was irritated and distracted by the smell permeating from him. It was difficult to concentrate. I encounter this often at other masjid. Once, I saw a man in uniform on a motorbike having a puff before riding away. Another incident was when I was at a clinic and could smell smoke from the counter employee. Don’t get me started on public toilets because some smell strongly of smoke despite no smoking signs. I have seen fathers smoking in family cars, exposing family members to secondhand smoke. I have seen teens smoking secretly at school compounds or toilets

Feminism as Islamophobia: a review of misogyny charges against Islam

One important feature of Islamophobia is to caricature Islam as misogynistic and oppressive to women and thus to advance imperialist hegemony. This “gendered Islamophobia” stigmatizes the religion even though, compared to other world religions, its treatment of women is arguably preferable and more enlightened. Historically, one treasonous use of feminism has been to misappropriate it in order to serve colonial interests and support imperialist wars of occupation that repress subjugated people including women and children. This article argues that ignorance about, and prejudice against, Islam contribute to portraying it as a misogynistic creed. Wrong notions of Islam lead many feminists in Muslim societies to denigrate Islamic teachings and borrow Western ideas to advance women’s causes. Lampooning Islam and replicating Western feminist ideas in Muslim lands have served neither women nor feminism. Such feminist tendencies rather give a bad name to the women’s rights movement and fuel controversy, anger and resentment among Muslims

Bayesian Approaches to Emulation for a Complex Computer Crop Yield Simulator with Mixed Inputs

Agriculture is one area where the simulation of crop growth, nutrition, soil condition and pollution could be invaluable in any land management decisions. The Environmental Policy Integrated Climate Model (EPIC) is a simulation model to investigate the behaviour of crop yield in response to changes in inputs such as fertiliser levels, soil, steepness, and other environmental covariates. We build a model for crop yield around a non-linear Mitscherlich Baule growth model to make inferences about crop yield response to changes in continuous input and factor variables. A Bayesian hierarchical approach to the modelling was taken for mixed inputs, requiring Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations to obtain samples from the posterior distributions, to validate and illustrate the results, and to carry out model selection. The emulation of complex computer simulations has become an effective tool in exploring this high-dimensional simulated process's behaviour. Initially, we built a Bayes linear emulator to efficiently emulate crop yield as a function of the simulator's continuous inputs only. We explore emulator diagnostics and present the results from the emulation of a subset of the simulated EPIC data output. Computer models with quantitative inputs are used widely, but the challenge is incorporating the factors. We propose a framework for solving this issue considering the Bayes linear emulation approach. We explore a variety of correlation structures to represent the mixed inputs and combine this with the Bayes linear approach to construct an emulator. Finally, we developed a method to make an optimal decision for the farmers to gain maximum utility considering yield and pollutants, accounting for weather factors, land characteristics and fertiliser use

Feasibility Analysis of Embedding Optical Fiber Sensor Into Additively Manufactured Part

The research tried to examine the viability of the embedment of optical fiber sensors in Additively built components, packaging the sensors within the components, and characterizing the sensors for sensing a specified measurement. Optical fiber sensors are popular due to their small size, resilience against electromagnetic radiation, and reliability in potentially dangerous conditions. Embedding fibers inside a product allows for the monitoring of critical areas, allowing for preemptive action in the case of a breakdown. Coupons of Inconel 718 were made using laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF), with the fabrication settings tuned to determine whether such a development was possible. After the FBG sensors were inserted in the channel, thermal epoxy was injected to seal the package. After the sample specimen was created, they were put through some tests like fatigue and thermal tests to determine their properties. This was done so that designers in the future would have a road map to follow when creating such a component, and so that we could learn whether the design was viable in general

Estimation of RFID Tag Population Size by Gaussian Estimator

Radio Frequency IDenti cation (RFID) systems are prevalent in all sorts of daily life endeavors. In this thesis we propose a new method to estimate RFID tag population size. We have named our algorithm Gaussian Estimation of RFID Tags, namely, GERT. We present GERT under both {0,1} and {0,1,e} channel models, and in both cases the estimator we use is a well justi ed Gaussian random variable for large enough frame size based on Central Limit Theorem for triangular arrays. The most prominent feature of GERT is the quality with which it estimates a tag population size. We support all the required approximations with detailed analytical work and account for all the approximation errors when we consider the overall quality of the estimation. Our simulation results agree well with analytical ones. GERT, based on standardized frame slotted Aloha protocol, can estimate any tag population size with desired level of accuracy using fewer number of frame slots than previously proposed algorithms