Quartz crystal microbalances to measure wind velocity and air humidity

Instrument includes four temperature-sensing, Y-cut quartz crystals to determine wind direction, velocity, and temperature. Two additional AT-cut crystals are used to determine air humidity. Entire signal processing is provided by built-in electronics circuits

CAFE Increases: Missing the Elephant in the Living Room

In a Joint Center paper, Kleit and Lutter identify externalities of about $0.08 per mile for driving light duty vehicles. Rather than recognize the huge externalities from current driving, they focus on a tiny increment that would come from increasing CAFE standards. A first best policy would tax congestion, pollution emissions and gasoline, and increase safety. If that policy is not politically feasible, a second best policy would increase gasoline taxes$1.75 per gallon. Contrary to Kleit and Lutter, we find sound economic reasons for CAFE.

Safey in Transportation: The Role of Government

Stora samhällsförändringar och ökande komplexitet inom välfärdsområdet ställer allt högre krav på verksamhets- och kunskapsutveckling. Denna utveckling tillsammans med krav från staten om samverkan mellan forskning och samhälle (Högskoleverket 2003; Statskontoret 2011) medför ett ökande behov av att tydligare knyta samman forskning och praktik. Kapitlets syfte är dels att argumentera för behovet av att knyta samman forskning inom välfärdsområdet med utvecklingsarbete i kommunernas verksamheter och dels att diskutera hur den internationellt etablerade forskningstraditionen praktikforskning kan erbjuda ett förhållningssätt och ett verktyg i detta arbete. Texten utgör ett exempel på kommunstrategisk forskning med fokus på socialtjänstens område, men resonemanget torde vara relevant för stora delar av välfärdsområdet

Mitigating Strategies for CO2 Problems

Vast uncertainties surround our ability to predict the physical and social effects of increased carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere during the next century; fossil fuel combustion rates will change, predicting the effects of carbon &oxide on climate is difficult, and predicting the resulting social reactions to these changes is essentially impossible. Furthermore, time must elapse before there is convincing proof of the expected amount of climatic change, before people perceive the magnitude of the problem and accept its existence, before we can act to abate emissions, and before new capital can be put into place. In addition, it will be extraordinarily difficult to convince all nations to abate carbon dioxide, .especially since some will gain from climatic changes. Thus, we must focus on adaptation to future climatic change, as it is a more feasible social response than reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to prevent change. Unfortunately, the effects of carbon dioxide are likely to be insidious and difficult to connect to climate change. Myriad effects, both good and bad, are unlikely to be recognized as caused by carbon dioxide. Conscious adaptation involves explicit decisions or compulsion such as convincing people to change their behavior or punishing antisocial behavior through laws or fines. Unfortunately, such actions cannot be tailored to achieve precise objectives; they are blunt tools that should be used only for important goals and then sparingly. Unconscious adaptation takes place through behavioral changes induced by the market place or social institutions. These mechanisms can be swift and powerful, but are difficult to manipulate. Monitoring climatic change and informing important groups of the current state of knowledge on carbon dioxide induced climatic changes can help to speed adaptation, as can contingency planning and development of nonfossil fuel technologies. More important are plans that would set unconscious adaptation into motion, such as plans to disseminate information on the problem and on behavior which will help individuals or firms. Of greatest importance is having a society that can quickly perceive and adapt to the new regime. This means a strong economy with high scientific and engineering capabilities, a well educated population, and a more flexible, resilient capital stock. These social and economics characteristics are desirable from many points of view unrelated to carbon dioxide. Thus, carbon dioxide can serve as a catalyst in promoting policies that are justified for a host of reasons

Optical monitoring system

Instrument can measure optical transmission, reflectance, and scattering. This information can be used to identify changes in optical properties or deviations from required optical standards. Device consists of monochromatic source, photo detector, transfer mirror, and hemiellipsoid. System might be used to measure optical properties of thin film

Social Practice Theory and the Historical Production of Persons

Working collaboratively we and others have developed a historical, material theory of social practice that integrates the study of persons, local practice, and long term historically institutionalized struggles. We have drawn on the work of Vygotsky, Bakhtin, and Mead to develop this approach to “history in person.” Social Practice Theory, like Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) takes activity as a central focus. But, in contrast to CHAT, social practice theory emphasizes the historical production of persons in practice, and pays particular attention to differences among participants, and to the ongoing struggles that develop across activities around those differences. Through Holland’s ethnographic work on environmental groups in the Southeastern United States we show the integration of emotion, motivation and agency into cultural-historical activity theory by means of Vygotskian and Bakhtinian inspired ideas concerning “history in person.” Lave’s research focuses on tension, conflict and difference in participation in cultural activities in an old port wine merchant community in Porto, and looks to both local and trans-local institutional arrangements and practices for explanations

Learning in Social Networks: Rationale and Ideas for Its Implementation in Higher Education

The internet has fast become a prevalent medium for collaboration between people and social networks, in particular, have gained vast popularity and relevance over the past few years. Within this framework, our paper will analyse the role played by social networks in current teaching practices. Specifically, we focus on the principles guiding the design of study activities which use social networks and we relate concrete experiences that show how they contribute to improving teaching and learning within a university environment

Efficient bidding for hydro power plants in markets for energy and ancillary services

In order to preserve stability of electricity supply generators must provide ancillary services in addition to energy production. Hydroelectric resources have significant ancillary service capability because of their dynamic flexibility. This paper suggests a solution for optimal bidding for hydro units operating in simultaneous markets for energy and ancillary services by estimating water shadow price from operating parameters of the hydro unit, expectations on prices of energy and ancillary services, and water availability. The model implications are illustrated on a numerical example of a hydro unit operating in markets of New York Independent System Operator. Participation in ancillary services market increases or decreases water shadow price depending on water availability. As a result of participation in ancillary services markets, a unit with water availability given by a capacity factor of 0.6 increases the value of existing generating capacity by 25% and nearly doubles the value of incremental generating capacity