Large Scale Grid Integration of Wind and Solar Power with Storage

The current energy grid in the United States is dominated by carbon intense energy generation methods that are based on production when and where it is required. However, solar and wind power have proved themselves as the most promising carbon free energy generation sources. Due to the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of energy production from solar and wind, large scale integration of these resources into the electric grid will require robust storage capacity. In this project, we model the energy grid of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) energy region with high concentrations of solar and wind power to analyze the impacts on storage, over-generation, base load and cost. Historical load data was taken from the MISO region, while solar and wind data was from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Solar and Wind Integration Data Sets, all for the year 2007. Our findings show that the necessary storage capacity is significantly reduced when there is over-generation of energy, either from solar and wind or base load. Despite this, due to the falling price of solar, wind and storage technologies, the most cost efficient means of shifting to a carbon neutral energy grid is through the over-generation of wind, solar and storage, without base load

A Sixth-Order Extension to the MATLAB Package bvp4c of J. Kierzenka and L. Shampine

A new two-point boundary value problem algorithm based upon the MATLAB bvp4c package of Kierzenka and Shampine is described. The algorithm, implemented in a new package bvp6c, uses the residual control framework of bvp4c (suitably modified for a more accurate finite difference approximation) to maintain a user specified accuracy. The new package is demonstrated to be as robust as the existing software, but more efficient for most problems, requiring fewer internal mesh points and evaluations to achieve the required accuracy

Humanizing the Humanities: A Historical, Cultural, and Philosophical Examination of the Disintegration of Humanities Higher Education

This essay is an examination of the multifaceted reasons humanities education in American colleges is losing standing and funding. Historical, cultural, and philosophical perspectives are used to analyze the grounds that have justified the decreasing levels of support for humanities education. Historically, there is no longer any external justification provided, as there was when Sputnik was launched and the Cold War was endured. Culturally, the high culture model of ascension through the accrual of cultural signifiers is no longer the dominant form of raising one’s status, as it was when the humanities could be justified as cultural initiation. Philosophically, market-based capitalism has become the dominant framework for the current vision of humanity under neoliberal ideology, and the humanities is being cut as being tangential to that purpose. The thesis is organized in an expanding framework, starting from a historical discussion to a cultural analysis to a philosophical examination. Many types of theorists and thinkers are used, including Marxists, post structuralists, feminists, critical race theorists, literary theorists, and educational philosophers. Reading and personal experience are the primary sources of research. This project concludes with a searching series of reflections on how humanities education has been compromised and what new perspectives can be incorporated in order to renew it. In summary, marketization must be disrupted with the use of text-based education that refuses commodification by way of a relational pedagogy

IN A NUTSHELL: NUTRITIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IMPACTING SMALL MAMMAL SEED SELECTION IN NORTHEASTERN FORESTS

Rodents often play vital roles in their ecosystems as seed predators and dispersers and can significantly influence the succession and assembly of plant communities. We conducted seed tray experiments to assess the nutritional and environmental factors that influence selection and foraging time of three common rodent granivores: the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), and the southern red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi) for three common seeds: American beech (Fagus grandifolia), red maple (Acer rubrum), and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). This work was conducted at Bartlett Experimental Forest located within White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. Using mixed-effects multinomial logistic models, we identified a strong preference in all three rodent species for American beech seeds, likely due to the combination of its high energetic value and low content of harmful secondary compounds when compared to the other seed types. When beech availability was low, the white footed mouse showed a secondary preference for hemlock, the red-backed vole for red maple, and the deer mouse equal preference for both. Red maple seeds individually contain more energy than eastern hemlock seeds but also contain significantly more harmful secondary compounds. An elongated cecum may allow voles to process these compounds faster and more completely than mice, allowing them to safely forage on the red maple seeds. The resulting divergence in secondary preferences may lessen competition when beech availability is low and facilitate coexistence. Beech was not only the primary seed selected, but its availability was also the primary factor influencing foraging time. For all three rodent species, time on tray increased as beech availability decreased. The impacts of environmental factors on selection and time on tray varied by species and were only significant when beech availability was low. Effects of precipitation and stem density on selection are consistent with predator avoidance behaviors, with larger seeds more likely to be chosen in the rain and under denser shrub cover. The effects of day of year appeared significant but may have been confounded by changing levels of naturally available seeds. Precipitation and luminosity also impacted foraging time. Animals spent less time on tray in the rain, consistent with thermoregulatory behaviors. Animals also spent less time on tray on more luminous nights, consistent with predator avoidance behaviors. Our results illustrate the complexity of rodent foraging behaviors and decisions, with selections being driven by many factors. The most important of these factors is seed quality, though this can be influenced by other factors such as seed availability and environmental changes. These findings contribute to our understanding of rodent foraging patterns and underscore the importance of identifying factors influencing these patterns

発光顕微分光法による量子ホール相転移の研究

Tohoku University遊佐剛課

発光顕微分光法による量子ホール相転移の研究

Tohoku University遊佐剛課

IN A NUTSHELL: NUTRITIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IMPACTING SMALL MAMMAL SEED SELECTION IN NORTHEASTERN FORESTS

Rodents often play vital roles in their ecosystems as seed predators and dispersers and can significantly influence the succession and assembly of plant communities. We conducted seed tray experiments to assess the nutritional and environmental factors that influence selection and foraging time of three common rodent granivores: the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), and the southern red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi) for three common seeds: American beech (Fagus grandifolia), red maple (Acer rubrum), and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). This work was conducted at Bartlett Experimental Forest located within White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. Using mixed-effects multinomial logistic models, we identified a strong preference in all three rodent species for American beech seeds, likely due to the combination of its high energetic value and low content of harmful secondary compounds when compared to the other seed types. When beech availability was low, the white footed mouse showed a secondary preference for hemlock, the red-backed vole for red maple, and the deer mouse equal preference for both. Red maple seeds individually contain more energy than eastern hemlock seeds but also contain significantly more harmful secondary compounds. An elongated cecum may allow voles to process these compounds faster and more completely than mice, allowing them to safely forage on the red maple seeds. The resulting divergence in secondary preferences may lessen competition when beech availability is low and facilitate coexistence. Beech was not only the primary seed selected, but its availability was also the primary factor influencing foraging time. For all three rodent species, time on tray increased as beech availability decreased. The impacts of environmental factors on selection and time on tray varied by species and were only significant when beech availability was low. Effects of precipitation and stem density on selection are consistent with predator avoidance behaviors, with larger seeds more likely to be chosen in the rain and under denser shrub cover. The effects of day of year appeared significant but may have been confounded by changing levels of naturally available seeds. Precipitation and luminosity also impacted foraging time. Animals spent less time on tray in the rain, consistent with thermoregulatory behaviors. Animals also spent less time on tray on more luminous nights, consistent with predator avoidance behaviors. Our results illustrate the complexity of rodent foraging behaviors and decisions, with selections being driven by many factors. The most important of these factors is seed quality, though this can be influenced by other factors such as seed availability and environmental changes. These findings contribute to our understanding of rodent foraging patterns and underscore the importance of identifying factors influencing these patterns