The influence of thermal storage on microgeneration flexibility

In a future power system, the ability to manipulate generation and load will be a critical factor in providing a secure and stable supply of electrical energy to consumers. Using a simulation-based approach, this study assesses the ability of thermal storage to help deliver flexibility in the operation of domestic micro-generation technologies without sacrificing householder comfort and convenience. A typical UK detached dwelling is modelled along with its heating system, which features a retro-fitted air source heat pump (ASHP). The model is used to determine the maximum possible temporal shift for different capacities and configurations of thermal storage, taking into account the influence of climate, building fabric, control settings and occupancy. The limits of time shifting are dictated by the living space temperature and the hot water temperature delivered to the occupants. The storage mechanisms examined are: the basic thermal inertia of the building fabric; increasing the space heating set point temperatures to increase fabric storage and inserting a dedicated thermal buffer between the ASHP and the heat distribution system. The simulation results indicate that back-shifting of the ASHP start/stop times of between one and two hours are possible without causing serious discomfort or inconvenience to the occupants

The influence of thermal storage on microgeneration flexibility

In a future power system, the ability to manipulate generation and load will be a critical factor in providing a secure and stable supply of electrical energy to consumers. Using a simulation-based approach, this study assesses the ability of thermal storage to help deliver flexibility in the operation of domestic micro-generation technologies without sacrificing householder comfort and convenience. A typical UK detached dwelling is modelled along with its heating system, which features a retro-fitted air source heat pump (ASHP). The model is used to determine the maximum possible temporal shift for different capacities and configurations of thermal storage, taking into account the influence of climate, building fabric, control settings and occupancy. The limits of time shifting are dictated by the living space temperature and the hot water temperature delivered to the occupants. The storage mechanisms examined are: the basic thermal inertia of the building fabric; increasing the space heating set point temperatures to increase fabric storage and inserting a dedicated thermal buffer between the ASHP and the heat distribution system. The simulation results indicate that back-shifting of the ASHP start/stop times of between one and two hours are possible without causing serious discomfort or inconvenience to the occupants

#NoFilter: How Discovery Filter Teams Breach Privilege Rights and Why They Require Stricter Regulation

This note examines the Supreme Court’s substantial need to weigh in on how filter teams should be used given current circuit splits and identifies several best practices to remedy the issues they currently present. Part I discusses the principal issues for which filter teams are scrutinized. Namely, numerous district courts hold that filter teams provide the government with the unfair advantage of determining which materials from their opposing counsel are privileged. This often leads to an overly broad inclusion of privileged documents, which can violate defendants’ Sixth Amendment rights to a fair and complete trial. Some courts even go so far as to question the constitutionality of filter teams. This extreme opposition emphasizes the level of scrutiny to which filter teams are subject. Part II identifies several regulations that can successfully minimize the unfair nature of filter teams by requiring additional steps either before or after filter teams have access to privileged documents. For example, parties could agree upon document review protocols at the outset of discovery. The Supreme Court could also initially require the defending party to provide the filter team with privilege logs that describe the nature and privilege status of each seized digital document to prevent accidental privilege disclosure. Lastly, the Supreme Court could allow defendants to review filter teams’ decisions before documents are given to the prosecution. Finally, Part III of this note proposes additional layers of privilege insulation for the Supreme Court to consider if it declines to implement the proposals in Part II. These proposals go beyond suggesting regulations for existing filter teams and argue that alternative measures exist to deal with the same issues. For example, courts could protect defendants from privilege leaks with the assignment of a Special Master rather than using a filter team at all. They could also utilize the DOJ’s newly appointed, specialized filter teams called Special Matters Units. Finally, the Supreme Court could consider a new combination of features from Special Masters and Special Matters Units that maximize each of their best characteristics. Accordingly, while there are several options available to the Supreme Court to better regulate filter teams, there are other options of efficient privilege review available even if the court strikes them down

Teachers Perception of the Influence of Trauma Informed Classroom Practices on Elementary School Students: A Case Study

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the lived experiences and perceptions of elementary school teachers as they seek to bring trauma-informed classroom practices to their students. Around the world, there has been an increase in the need for trauma-informed classroom practices based on the lives and struggles of those who are walking through our public school doors. Teachers implementing trauma-informed classroom strategies do so to attempt to create environments for students to share their life experiences while simultaneously teaching them coping strategies for a better future. Educators and students become part of an environment in which care, support and community-building are prioritized over academic achievement. In trauma-informed classrooms, we commonly see teachers who have taken extensive time to get to know the lived experiences of the students they teach, paying close attention to their actions and the environment they have created, watching the impact that it has on each individual child. Such an environment creates a sense of belonging and prioritizes social and emotional learning. Teachers have used trauma-informed classroom practices in their classrooms to address the adverse childhood experiences that students entering school have faced. As the movement spreads, more school leaders are bringing trauma-informed practices outside of the classroom to develop school-wide trauma-informed environments (Kostanski & Hassed, 2008). According to Broderick, “the prevalence of childhood affective disorders (approximately 20%) may contribute to deteriorating class climates and increasing teacher stress” (Broderick & Metz, 2009). In both educational psychology and neuroscience, there is a demand for those who work with children to evaluate the systems that exist to meet the social and emotional challenges that children face. Trauma-informed classroom practices help students learn to cope with the difficulties that exist in their lives and, as a result, engage in more positive productive experiences within the school setting. Traumatic experiences alter the brain and impact children in multiple ways beyond a lack of academic success. Students can struggle socially and can possess behavioral needs that schools are unable to address. As a result of anxiety and stress, many students exhibit behavioral issues perpetuated by anger or depression (Howard, 2014). Howard writes that “When you adopt a trauma-informed perspective you approach that student’s behavior with openness and curiosity because the ultimate aim of most school-based trauma-informed instruction programs is to increase awareness of the influence of trauma on students’ thoughts, emotions and behaviors and, by implementing key techniques and strategies, enhance the likelihood of treating trauma in the classroom” (Shapiro, 2009). Many factors impact student success, including violence, domestic abuse and poverty. Nearly half of children in the United States, or almost 35 million, have experienced “at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma,” according to a survey by the National Survey of Children’s Health (National Survey of Children’s Health, 2018). Because teachers are the adults who see students for the longest periods of time throughout the day, they play a critical role in recognizing the symptoms of trauma and treating it at the classroom level

Teachers Perception of the Influence of Trauma Informed Classroom Practices on Elementary School Students: A Case Study

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the lived experiences and perceptions of elementary school teachers as they seek to bring trauma-informed classroom practices to their students. Around the world, there has been an increase in the need for trauma-informed classroom practices based on the lives and struggles of those who are walking through our public school doors. Teachers implementing trauma-informed classroom strategies do so to attempt to create environments for students to share their life experiences while simultaneously teaching them coping strategies for a better future. Educators and students become part of an environment in which care, support and community-building are prioritized over academic achievement. In trauma-informed classrooms, we commonly see teachers who have taken extensive time to get to know the lived experiences of the students they teach, paying close attention to their actions and the environment they have created, watching the impact that it has on each individual child. Such an environment creates a sense of belonging and prioritizes social and emotional learning. Teachers have used trauma-informed classroom practices in their classrooms to address the adverse childhood experiences that students entering school have faced. As the movement spreads, more school leaders are bringing trauma-informed practices outside of the classroom to develop school-wide trauma-informed environments (Kostanski & Hassed, 2008). According to Broderick, “the prevalence of childhood affective disorders (approximately 20%) may contribute to deteriorating class climates and increasing teacher stress” (Broderick & Metz, 2009). In both educational psychology and neuroscience, there is a demand for those who work with children to evaluate the systems that exist to meet the social and emotional challenges that children face. Trauma-informed classroom practices help students learn to cope with the difficulties that exist in their lives and, as a result, engage in more positive productive experiences within the school setting. Traumatic experiences alter the brain and impact children in multiple ways beyond a lack of academic success. Students can struggle socially and can possess behavioral needs that schools are unable to address. As a result of anxiety and stress, many students exhibit behavioral issues perpetuated by anger or depression (Howard, 2014). Howard writes that “When you adopt a trauma-informed perspective you approach that student’s behavior with openness and curiosity because the ultimate aim of most school-based trauma-informed instruction programs is to increase awareness of the influence of trauma on students’ thoughts, emotions and behaviors and, by implementing key techniques and strategies, enhance the likelihood of treating trauma in the classroom” (Shapiro, 2009). Many factors impact student success, including violence, domestic abuse and poverty. Nearly half of children in the United States, or almost 35 million, have experienced “at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma,” according to a survey by the National Survey of Children’s Health (National Survey of Children’s Health, 2018). Because teachers are the adults who see students for the longest periods of time throughout the day, they play a critical role in recognizing the symptoms of trauma and treating it at the classroom level

Negotiating Identity Among Second-Generation Indian Americans: A Collaborative Ethnography

This thesis focuses on college-aged second-generation Americans whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from India. The purpose of the study is to examine the ethnic and cultural identities of second-generation Indian Americans in the Atlanta area. This exploratory study is meant to interrogate cognitive boundaries to suggest that identity is not a fixed state but a fluid process that is continually shaped both by the individual and by society. I have amassed data through both video-recorded ethnographic interviews and self-video ethnography yielding visual ethnographic material that supplements the written thesis. During the research period, I posted regularly at www.kellyshonorsthesis.wordpress.com, providing updates on my progress with the research project. Through creating a visual project that is public from the very beginning, I have aimed to achieve transparency as a researcher and to increase visibility for the field of anthropology. In addition, I demonstrate that research collaboration using self-video ethnography can be an effective ethnographic method to give voice to research participants and to reveal nuances not otherwise accessible

Assessing the expression of serum lactate dehydrogenase and peripheral leukocyte ratios in canine oral malignant melanoma

SIMPLE SUMMARY: This study aimed to assess the expression of novel blood biomarkers in dogs with oral malignant melanoma, an aggressive and common oral cancer in dogs. The results of this pilot study suggest that the concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase, which can be easily measured with blood samples, are significantly higher in dogs with oral malignant melanoma. These blood biomarkers have been shown to be of prognostic value in human melanoma patients, meaning that they can act to predict the potential behaviour of the tumour. Therefore, research into our canine patients should be viewed as being potentially very valuable, as the discovery of easily measurable prognostic biomarkers could significantly further not only our understanding of the underlying physiology of melanoma itself, but also change the way veterinary surgeons investigate and treat the disease in the future. This study lays the foundations for further, more extensive investigation, into the topic. ABSTRACT: Measurement of blood biomarkers such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and peripheral leukocyte ratios have been shown to be of prognostic value in human melanoma patients. Previous veterinary studies have demonstrated that changes in these values are detectable in multiple canine cancer patients. However, to the authors’ knowledge, no studies have yet demonstrated an increase in LDH in canine oral malignant melanoma patients, nor has the effect of metastasis on LDH levels been explored. This retrospective pilot study included 18 dogs, of which 10 were healthy controls, 5 OMM patients with metastasis and 3 without metastasis. Serum LDH was measured and pre-treatment peripheral leucocyte ratios were calculated. LDH was measurable within all patient groups and a statistically significant difference in LDH levels was detected between patients with OMM and healthy controls (p < 0.05); however, no significant difference was detected between patients with or without metastatic disease. This study suggests that serum LDH levels are significantly increased in dogs with OMM compared to healthy controls, paving the way for further research to investigate the prognostic value of this biomarker

Geometric control of particle manipulation in a two-dimensional fluid

Manipulation of particles suspended in fluids is crucial for many applications, such as precision machining, chemical processes, bio-engineering, and self-feeding of microorganisms. In this paper, we study the problem of particle manipulation by cyclic fluid boundary excitations from a geometric-control viewpoint. We focus on the simplified problem of manipulating a single particle by generating controlled cyclic motion of a circular rigid body in a two-dimensional perfect fluid. We show that the drift in the particle location after one cyclic motion of the body can be interpreted as the geometric phase of a connection induced by the system's hydrodynamics. We then formulate the problem as a control system, and derive a geometric criterion for its nonlinear controllability. Moreover, by exploiting the geometric structure of the system, we explicitly construct a feedback-based gait that results in attraction of the particle towards the rigid body. We argue that our gait is robust and model-independent, and demonstrate it in both perfect fluid and Stokes fluid

Editors’ Pick—Book Review: Global Sustainability and the Responsibilities of Universities

Weber, L.E., & Duderstadt, J. J. (Eds.). 2012. Global sustainability and the responsibilities of universities. Paris, France: Economica Ltd. 283 pp. ISBN 978-2-7178-6113-