Optimal building-integrated photovoltaic applications

Photovoltaic (solar electric) modules are clean, safe and efficient devices that have long been considered a logical material for use in buildings. Recent technological advances have made PVs suitable for direct integration into building construction. PV module size, cost, appearance and reliability have advanced to the point where they can function within the architectural parameters of conventional building materials. A building essentially provides free land and structural support for a PV module, and the module in turn displaces standard building components. This report identifies the highest-value applications for PVs in buildings. These systems should be the first markets for BIPV products in the commercial buildings, and should remain an important high-end market for the foreseeable future

A study of the biological effect of continuous inhalation exposure of 1, 1, 1-trichloroethene (methyl chloroform) on animals

The effects of continuous exposure to 1,1,1-trichloroethane on hepatic morphology and function are evaluated and compared with those produced by methylene chloride (dichloromethane) to determine environmental concentrations of each compound that would produce a similar biological response, i.e., a comparable increase in liver triglycerides over control levels. Experimental findings on mice, rats, dogs, and monkeys indicate that the pathological alternations observed with 1,1,1-trichloroethane are similar to those observed with dichloromethane except for different time courses of the effects and different degrees of recovery. A ten fold greater atmospheric concentration of 1,1,1-trichloroethane is required to produce the minimal liver changes found at 100 ppm dichloromethane

Effect of immunized egg proteins on the performance and neonatal diarrhea incidence in newborn calves

Publication history: Accepted - 5 November 2020; Published online - 19 January 2021The aim of this study was to assess the effects of feeding immunized egg proteins (IEP) on the health and performance of newborn dairy calves. Sixty‐four Holstein calves, both male and female, were divided over two treatments. Calves either received IEP or a placebo (PCB) in their colostrum and calf milk replacer (CMR) for the first 14 days of their life. Until day 49, CMR was offered at 15% of birth weight (BW), at 10% on days 49–57 and at 5% on days 57–63. In addition, calves received starter concentrate, chopped straw and water from 3 days old until 70 days old at the end of study. Individual CMR and concentrate intake were measured daily whilst BW was recorded weekly. Visual faecal scoring and health observations were conducted daily. Faecal samples were collected weekly up to 4 weeks and during the first 4 days of scouring to screen for presence of Cryptosporidium parvum, rotavirus, coronavirus, E. coli and Salmonella. Results indicated that feeding IEP increased BW (p < .05) at 42 and 56 days old, and BW also tended (p = .06) to be higher after weaning at 63–70 days old compared to the PCB group. When analysed using a repeated measures model, compared to feeding PCB, feeding IEP increased total concentrate consumption (p = .001) by 3.6kg/calf. Over the entire study, daily water intake was higher (p = .002) for the IEP group when compared with the PCB group. In the IEP group, 12 calves were scored as scouring whereas there were 14 calves in the PCB group. There were no significant differences between treatments in faecal pathogen load of neither healthy nor scouring calves. In conclusion, supplementing IEP during the first 14 days of calf life improved the performance of newborn calves. Further work is warranted to understand the mode of action of IEP in calves

The research-teaching nexus: A case study of students' awareness, experiences and perceptions of research

This paper presents a case study of students' awareness, experiences and perceptions of research in a 'new' university in the UK. The findings are based on a questionnaire of almost 200 students and five small group interviews. Many of the students participating in this research perceived clear benefits to their learning from staff research, including being taught by enthusiastic staff, enhanced staff credibility, and the reflected glory of being taught by well-known researchers. However, they also perceived disadvantages, particularly with regard to staff availability, and did not believe that staff research should take priority over their needs as learners. They recognised that their awareness of the nature of research and the development of research skills increased most when they were actively involved in undertaking research projects. Several students also perceived benefits for future employment from their participation in research activities. The questionnaire has been used by several other universities around the world to benchmark their practices. © 2010 Taylor & Francis

High power testing of a fused quartz-based dielectricloaded accelerating structure

We report on the most recent results from a series of high power tests being carried out on rf-driven dielectric loaded accelerating (DLA) structures. The purpose of these tests is to determine the viability of the DLA as a traveling-wave accelerator and is a collaborative effort between Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). In this paper, we report on the recent high power tests of a fused quartz-based DLA structure that was carried out at incident powers of up to 12 MW at NRL and 37 MW at SLAC. We also report on test results of a TiN coated quartz structure, that exhibits good multipactor suppression

Combined effects of genotype and childhood adversity shape variability of DNA methylation across age

Lasting effects of adversity, such as exposure to childhood adversity (CA) on disease risk, may be embedded via epigenetic mechanisms but findings from human studies investigating the main effects of such exposure on epigenetic measures, including DNA methylation (DNAm), are inconsistent. Studies in perinatal tissues indicate that variability of DNAm at birth is best explained by the joint effects of genotype and prenatal environment. Here, we extend these analyses to postnatal stressors. We investigated the contribution of CA, cis genotype (G), and their additive (G+CA) and interactive (GxCA) effects to DNAm variability in blood or saliva from five independent cohorts with a total sample size of 1074 ranging in age from childhood to late adulthood. Of these, 541 were exposed to CA, which was assessed retrospectively using self-reports or verified through social services and registries. For the majority of sites (over 50%) in the adult cohorts, variability in DNAm was best explained by G+CA or GxCA but almost never by CA alone. Across ages and tissues, 1672 DNAm sites showed consistency of the best model in all five cohorts, with GxCA interactions explaining most variance. The consistent GxCA sites mapped to genes enriched in brain-specific transcripts and Gene Ontology terms related to development and synaptic function. Interaction of CA with genotypes showed the strongest contribution to DNAm variability, with stable effects across cohorts in functionally relevant genes. This underscores the importance of including genotype in studies investigating the impact of environmental factors on epigenetic marks.Peer reviewe

Development of a 20 MeV Dielectric-Loaded Test Accelerator

This paper presents a progress report on a joint project by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), in collaboration with the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), to develop a dielectric-loaded test accelerator in the magnicon facility at NRL. The accelerator will be powered by an experimental 11.424-GHz magnicon amplifier that presently produces 25 MW of output power in a {approx}250-ns pulse at up to 10 Hz. The accelerator will include a 5-MeV electron injector originally developed at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and can incorporate DLA structures up to 0.5 m in length. The DLA structures are being developed by ANL, and shorter test structures fabricated from a variety of dielectric materials have undergone testing at NRL at gradients up to {approx}8 MV/m. SLAC has developed components to distribute the power from the two magnicon output arms to the injector and to the DLA accelerating structure with separate control of the power ratio and relative phase. RWBruce Associates, Inc., working with NRL, has investigated means to join short ceramic sections into a continuous accelerator tube by a brazing process using an intense 83-GHz beam. The installation and testing of the first dielectric-loaded test accelerator, including injector, DLA test structure, and spectrometer, should take place within the next year