“On-Bill Financing: A Bright Idea for Nebraska”

In over 29 states, a program called On-Bill Financing (OBF) is being utilized to improve the energy efficiency of homes and livelihoods of the people living in them. These programs have been implemented all over the country for many years, in states like Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, and Michigan. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), OBF has been wildly successful, reducing energy inefficiency, cutting energy bills, and improving the comfort of homes across the country with no upfront costs. But what exactly is this mysterious money-saving program, and why hasn’t Nebraska tapped into it yet? The Department of Energy explains that OBF is one of many weatherization programs enacted by state and local governments, as well as electric utilities and natural gas companies, to provide homeowners or commercial building owners the option to invest in clean energy upgrades to their existing home or building through their utility. These investments are then paid off with the savings that the party incurs through their utility bill. Participation in an OBF program consists of six easy steps: first, a customer signs up with their utility’s program. Next, the utility determines if the customer is eligible. Then, an energy auditor visits the home or commercial property and develops a cost-savings energy efficiency work plan with the customer. The customer then collects bids from participating contractors, and the winning contractor installs the necessary measures on the work plan. Finally, the utility pays the contractor, and the customer repays the utility over time as a line item on their energy bill. On-Bill Financing is an incredibly beneficial program for all parties involved, reducing energy expenses for customers, improving the values of their properties, creating jobs, and reducing pollution from inefficient energy systems. Residential programs have led to remarkable savings for low-income families and have been proven vital to economic growth in poorer communities. One example of this, a program in South Carolina led by the Rural Energy Savings Program led to a 34% reduction in energy usage for residential program participants and resulted in annual average savings of almost $300 per home (on top of paying off their On-Bill loans). Nebraska residents would benefit greatly from a state-administered OBF program for a multitude of reasons. First, with Nebraska’s population of poverty-stricken individuals creeping up to almost 11% as reported by the US Census, an OBF program would provide much needed financial support for families struggling to make ends meet. Second, an OBF option to utility upgrades would make commonsense renewable heating and cooling technologies accessible to Nebraskans that wouldn’t otherwise be able to make necessary upgrades. Third, an OBF program would create jobs for Nebraskans, which would further contribute to Nebraska’s declining unemployment rate (which is 2.9% as of June 2018). Finally, Nebraska’s participation in an OBF program would be instrumental in lowering carbon emissions created by inefficient energy systems in the state. In short, the benefits of an OBF program far outweigh any potential costs and would be a benefit to Nebraska’s residents and industry alike. So, what are we waiting for? The major hurdle to OBF implementation is that it is almost entirely run through rural electric cooperatives, and public power utilities face issues with customers often times having to pay upfront investments before tax incentives and/or rebates kick in. This is a major problem for Nebraska, as the state is the only one in the nation being run entirely on public power. The state has not completed the implementation process for this reason. However, at least 15 public power utilities in eight states already offer OBF programs to their customers, so implementation in Nebraska is not impossible in the future. An On-Bill Financing program in Nebraska would be challenging but rewarding. There are many resources for Nebraska utilities and their partners to utilize, one of these being the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, located in Washington, DC. EESI works alongside public utilities to establish residential energy efficiency repayment programs and has been a vital part of the establishment of OBF programs across the nation. In short, Nebraska could benefit immensely from consideration of a pilot OBF program. The benefits are far-reaching, from helping to create jobs for Nebraskans to saving our neighbors money on their energy bills. Investing in an On-Bill Financing program seems like nothing short of a bright idea

HIV No Longer a Death Sentence but Still a Life Sentence: The Constitutionality of HIV Criminalization Under the Eighth Amendment

When the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the 1980s in the United States, there was mass confusion and hysteria regarding HIV transmission and prevention, leading many states to enact HIV criminalization statutes to prosecute persons living with HIV who either exposed another person to HIV or put someone in danger of being exposed to HIV. Yet, almost forty years later, these statutes are still used to criminalize and control the behaviors of people living with HIV, and in some cases, impose lengthy prison sentences hinging on the possibility of exposure. These HIV criminalization statutes and subsequent criminal cases often do not consider the vast understanding society now has regarding HIV/AIDS or the fact that persons living with HIV can reduce their risk of exposing another to zero through consistent anti-retroviral therapy. This Note argues that HIV criminalization statutes are unconstitutional as applied to virally suppressed persons living with HIV under the Eighth Amendment by using Robinson v. California’s bar against “status crimes” as a guide

Tumor-associated EGFR over-expression specifically activates Stat3 and Smad7 resulting in desensitization of TGF-β signaling

Transforming Growth Factor-[beta] (TGF-[beta]) and Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) signaling pathways are both independently implicated as key regulators in tumor formation and progression. Here, we demonstrate that activation of the tumor-associated and over-expressed EGFR desensitizes TGF-[beta] signaling and its cytostatic regulation through specific Stat3 activation and Smad7 induction. In normal and tumor human cell lines, reduction of TGF-[beta]-mediated Smad2 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation and Smad3 target gene activation were observed where EGFR is over-expressed, but not in cells which expressed EGFR at normal levels. The EGFR downstream signaling molecules phosphatidyinositol-3 Kinase (PI3K) or mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK) are not responsible for the down-regulation of TGF-[beta] signaling since blockade of them by specific pharmacological inhibitors LY294002 and U0126 had little effects on the sensitivity of TGF-[beta] signaling. We identified Stat3 as a signaling molecule activated specifically and persistently by over-expressed EGFR, but not by normal levels. Importantly, Stat3 is responsible for the reduced TGF-[beta] sensitivity, since its knockdown by siRNA restored TGF-[beta] signaling sensitivity. Furthermore, over-expressed EGFR, through Stat3 activates Smad7 promoter activity, increasing its protein levels, which is a negative regulator of TGF-[beta] signaling. Consequently, cells were re-sensitized to TGF-[beta] when Smad7 expression was reduced using siRNA. Therefore we establish a novel EGFR-Stat3-Smad7-TGF-[beta] signaling molecular axis where tumor-associated over-expression of EGFR in epithelial cells results in hyperactivation of Stat3, which activates Smad7 expression, compromising the TGF-[beta]'s cytostatic regulation of epithelium and consequent tumor formation

Picturing the Catastrophic Space of Imagination: The Aesthetic of Algernon Charles Swinburne

In this study, I demonstrate how Swinburne develops an aesthetic that involves re-examining the contradictions and ambiguities arising in the tension between the celebration of the creative power of the imagination and the consideration of the material limitations that constrict the applications of the imagination’s power. He finds artistic integrity and productivity in the failure of the imagination to allow one to transcend the material world, because he determines that such failure allows one to discover many previously undetected possibilities for imaginative expression still inherent in the material world. Swinburne accomplishes this by privileging the fantasy component of art while recognizing fantasy as artifice, artifice in which failure is always already immanent. By emphasizing the artificiality, the fantastic quality, of art, he modifies conventional perceptions of art as well as conventional modes of conveying and interpreting “meaning” in art. In this way, Swinburne presages the explorations of the negative dialectic as well as the reconfigurations of material limitations that Theodor Adorno undertakes in the Aesthetic Theory. In my first three chapters, I establish how Swinburne’s creative reconsideration of the biography and works of William Blake allows him to explore the qualities of aesthetic particularity and individualized perspective made possible by the revaluation of artifice. Swinburne “misreads” or transforms Blake into an idealized artist who pioneers an aesthetic that depends on the very failures of actual, complete representation to occur within ideological conventions in order to modify radically, if not exceed, those conventions. In chapters four and five, I demonstrate how this aesthetic of failure is manifest in the process of serial identifications Swinburne uses in his depictions of the various “Ladies of Pain” in his Poems and Ballads, First Series. Swinburne applies this process of recasting failure as an aesthetically productive process of serial identifications to his explorations of Italian revolutionary politics and the carefully crafted images of Giuseppe Mazzini in Songs before Sunrise, as I demonstrate in chapter six. Finally, in chapter seven, I investigate Swinburne’s use of the polis as a trope exemplifying constructive struggle within failure through a comparison of his two major Greek tragedies, Atalanta in Calydon and Erechtheus

Ipseity Vol. 1: An Artful Exploration of Identity Formation in Emerging Adulthood

Ipseity is a multi-edition coffee-table style book that integrates digital and print design and incorporates handmade elements and processes such as die-cuts, letterpress printing, gold foiling, hand-sewn bindings, and embroidery. Its design is rooted in minimalism, yet the handmade aspects, eye-catching color palette, and bold illustrations make reading Ipseity a visual and tactile experience. The design utilizes typography and flat-color illustrations in a consistent layout, with a strong emphasis on the handmade elements and craftsmanship throughout the book. It is not only a publication to read and ponder, but it is an artful object with a physical presence to be visually appreciated and analyzed. Ipseity’s content examines young adults’ relationship with their own concepts of identity and the things that might influence who we are, such as; faith, relationships, sense of place, others’ perceptions of us, our families, goals, and experiences. It is the exploration of defining selfhood in the midst of beginning adulthood. This collective experience is expressed through the eyes of many of my peers, who were gracious enough to contribute personal reflections on their own experiences with defining their identity in the form of creative writings and poetry. At the end of the book, I have provided a way for viewers to contribute to the project and to invite conversation about personal identity among my audience. There is a QR code, a type of barcode that can be scanned with a smartphone camera, that links to a website where viewers can answer questions about what has influenced their own identity and the different ways in which they define themselves. Through the visual and tactile experience of viewing this book that explores identity, I hope to inspire self-reflection and contemplation in each person that views my work. I want the design of this book to speak louder than the words within it so that the viewer is not only able to connect to the content, but to the project as a whole as it engages and provokes their senses. Through the book’s relatable content and tangible, handmade elements, I hope to create a welcoming, interactive, and collaborative experience that encourages exploration of the things that make us who we are

Carbon Nanotube Characterization and Processing{Structure{Property Relationships of Solution Spun Fibers for Electronic Clothing

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have excellent mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity. These properties make them particularly interesting for high performance fiber applications such as lightweight cables and wires, soft biological implants, next generation ballistic protection, and wearable electronics. Initial efforts to develop strong and conductive CNT fibers were slow due to limited CNT production and lack of a suitable solvent due to the strong van der Waals forces between CNTs. However, significant progress in CNT fiber production came from the development of gram-quantity synthesis from the high pressure carbon monoxide (HiPCO) growth process and demonstration of CNT fiber spinning with superacid solvents. Since these developments in the early 2000’s, tensile strength and electrical conductivity of CNT fibers have increased on average ∼20% per year. Research conducted in this thesis has continued this trend and produced CNT fibers with a tensile strength of 4.2 GPa and an electrical conductivity of10.9 MS/m. These properties are now competitive with high strength fibers such as carbon fiber and aramid fibers as well as metal conductors where weight savings, flexibility, or thermal conductivity are important parameters are important parameters. To improve CNT fiber performance, this thesis studied the purification of CNTs for improved solubility in chlorosulfonic (CSA), and the effect of CNT characteristics on fiber performance. This work demonstrates that CNTs with fewer impurities produce fiber with higher electrical conductivity. However, more intense purification (furnace oxidation) decreases the aspect ratio (length of the CNT/diameter of the CNT) which decreases both tensile strength and conductivity. Therefore, purification conditions must be carefully considered to optimize fiber properties. Furthermore, it was found that lower CNT concentration in the spin dope increased tensile strength of CNT fibers. This enhancement in strength is believed to be the result of improved CNT bundle structure within the fiber. Additional improvements in strength and electrical conductivity were also achieved by decreasing the angle of the inlet cone of the spinneret. This result suggests that fiber properties could be further improved by increasing the path length of the spinneret to allow for additional stress relaxation of the solution before coagulation. Finally, this thesis demonstrates that CNT fibers can used as wearable, textile electrodes. CNT fibers were plyed into thread and sewn with a standard sewing machine into textiles to form soft electrodes. These electrodes were able to obtain high quality electrocardiograms (EKGs) on par with commercial wet electrodes. Furthermore, we show that CNT fiber can also be used as transmission lines to carry signal from the recording site to standard electronic components. These results demonstrate that CNT fiber is the ideal material for wearable electronics because it is conductive, soft, washable, and easy to integrate into clothing

A Historical Analysis of the Early Christian Church Fathers’ Opinions Regarding Abortion

Due to scarce material on the subject in the Bible and supposed discord among Early Christian Church Fathers, the debate on abortion is one that is often hotly contested in the United States. From the religious political aspect there is much debate over whether the Early Christian Church had a single mindset towards the notion on abortion or was deeply divided on the subject as we are today. A popular narrative, even among many in academia, is that the Church was not unified on the topic. Some even go so far as to ascribe to a pro-Choice stance on abortion because they believe the Early Church and Early Church Fathers were not in agreement. Drawing inspiration from a political and religious statement made by then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi this study analyzes the Church Fathers Tertullian, Irenaeus, and Augustine and subsequently their viewpoints on the topics of abortion, personhood, and ensoulment. Evidence was found to support the existence of a common doctrine on the topic of abortion—the life and soul of a human being begins at the moment of conception. This conclusion produces political implications for the abortion debate and also for political ethics as a whole in that it seems the Christian tradition has played a consistent role in sanctifying the sacredness of life and has greatly influenced our Western traditions