Assessing the critical material constraints on low carbon infrastructure transitions

We present an assessment method to analyze whether the disruption in supply of a group of materials endangers the transition to low-carbon infrastructure. We define criticality as the combination of the potential for supply disruption and the exposure of the system of interest to that disruption. Low-carbon energy depends on multiple technologies comprised of a multitude of materials of varying criticality. Our methodology allows us to assess the simultaneous potential for supply disruption of a range of materials. Generating a specific target level of low-carbon energy implies a dynamic roll-out of technology at a specific scale. Our approach is correspondingly dynamic, and monitors the change in criticality during the transition towards a low-carbon energy goal. It is thus not limited to the quantification of criticality of a particular material at a particular point in time. We apply our method to criticality in the proposed UK energy transition as a demonstration, with a focus on neodymium use in electric vehicles. Although we anticipate that the supply disruption of neodymium will decrease, our results show the criticality of low carbon energy generation increases, as a result of increasing exposure to neodymium-reliant technologies. We present a number of potential responses to reduce the criticality through a reduction in supply disruption potential of the exposure of the UK to that disruption

Salt Movement and Forage Crop Establishment in a Saline-Alkali Soil as Influenced by Ridges and Furrows, Sprinkler Irrigation, and Soil Amendments

An estimated two to four million acres of irrigable saline and alkali soils of the United States return very little income to land owners (17,19). Increased needs for forage crops, and the relatively high salt and alkali tolerance of some improved forage species, once established, suggests a way of increasing revenue from some of these lands without costly reclamation

College Bound Brotherhood: A Regional Movement to Increase College Opportunity and Success for Black Male Youth

The College Bound Brotherhood seeks to promote college knowledge, preparation, access and success for African-American male students in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2013, the Marcus Foster Education Institute (MFEI), the fiscal and initiative intermediary, has supported secondary and nonprofit partners to work together to advocate for and promote change at three levels—student, setting, and systems. MFEI has conducted this work with funding from the Kapor Center for Social Impact (Kapor Center) and the College Futures Foundation (CFF).Using a collective impact approach, the initiative seeks to change the "water" in which the "fish" swim—altering the context in which students interact and must navigate to promote a college going culture and providing a clean, fortified, and supportive environment that ensures postsecondary education for Black male youth. This report summarizes findings from a formative and summative evaluation of the initiative's progress to date. Document review, interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders—district, nonprofits, students and their families—along with outcome data provided by MFEI provide the information highlighted in this document

Coalition capacity assessment of Columbia coalitions for a healthier Columbia (a qualitative assessment) [abstract]

Obesity is one of the leading public health concerns in the United States in adults and children. This qualitative study focused on five coalitions involved in addressing this issue in Columbia, MO. The coalitions are Playgrounds Without Borders Community Steering Committee, Columbia Action Network, Healthy Environment Policy Initiative, Grow Healthy Columbia/Boone County Partnership, and Move More Eat Smart

Go Figure: Exploring Equity in Students’ Postsecondary Math Pathway Choices

This exploratory study examines the early implementation of policies within California community colleges and the California State University that allow students to play a primary role in placing themselves into math courses. The findings suggest that students often triangulate information to decide which courses to take and with which instructors. Counseling is more effective if a student has selected a major or area of interest given that math pathways are aligned with students’ fields of study. The elimination of placement testing removes the specific risks associated with tests, but first-generation students or students with lower math confidence may not make optimal choices using self-placement mechanisms, suggesting a need for better communication about options. Colleges’ efforts to expand structured, proactive supports as well as instructional strategies such as corequisites and support courses to ensure students’ math success are recognized and appreciated by students. Not surprisingly, students tend to prefer faculty who are known as supportive, and a safe and empowering classroom environment that builds students’ math confidence and mastery is critical

The Influence of the Golden Ratio on the Erythrocyte

Erythrocytes must maintain a biconcave discoid shape in order to efficiently operate and serve an important physiological role in an organism. The erythrocyte can be viewed as a toroidal dielectrophoretic (DEP) electromagnetic field (EMF)-driven cell that maintains its zeta potential via a dielectric constant (chloride anion) that resides between a negatively charged membrane surface and a positively charged Stern layer. There are ferromagnetic (iron) and ferroelectric (chloride anion) influences that may be crucial to the maintenance of this zeta potential. We hypothesize that within this uniquely shaped cell resides an interesting geometric mathematical measure, the Golden Ratio, that houses a DEP EMF may be driven/fueled by the zeta potential and may be critical for the efficient recycling of CO2 and the delivery of O2 to organisms

Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). User requirements

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

The influence of increased contact rate among raccoons on a nematode of public, and wildlife health concern, Baylisascar [abstract]

Abstract only availableNatural and anthropogenic fluctuations in resource availability can alter the behavioral ecology and population dynamics of wildlife. This may have unintended consequences to wildlife disease ecology, as theoretical models predict parasite transmission is highly dependent on contact rate and density of individuals within a population. We examined the influence of alterations in the behavioral ecology of hosts on the nematode Baylisascaris procyonis of raccoons, that can infect and cause disease and mortality in a variety of animals, including humans. Twelve populations of free-ranging raccoons were monitored for three years. After one year of baseline data collection, we experimentally altered the contact rate and resource availability of randomly selected populations via dispersed or clumped food distributions. Rates of contact were measured via remote cameras and host characteristics (age, sex) and infection of B. procyonis in individuals were assessed via live-capture and standard sugar flotation techniques. Prevalence of B. procyonis averaged 6.5% at three control sites (no food added; n=186 individuals), 14.3% at four sites had dispersed food additions (n=42), and 21% at five sites with clumped food additions that aggregated raccoons (n=81). The 95% confidence interval of prevalence at experimental sites did not overlap with values observed at control sites. Data collected prior to manipulation indicated that differences observed during the experiment were not due to naturally occurring differences at those sites; prevalence of B. procyonis averaged 2.3% at sites assigned to the control category, 5.4% at sites assigned to the dispersed food category, and 4.1% at sites assigned to the experimental category. These results support the hypothesis that increased rates of contact can increase transmission of parasites such as B. procyonis, and emphasize the potentially important role of anthropogenic activity in wildlife disease ecology when dealing with species that can take advantage of such resources and tolerate aggregations of conspecifics.NSF Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biolog

The influence of increased contact rate among raccoons on a directly transmitted nematode, Baylisascaris procyonis [abstract]

Abstract only availableHuman encroachment on wildlife habitat can result in anthropogenic food sources that aggregate raccoons. This may have unintended consequences to wildlife and human health, as theoretical models predict parasite transmission is highly dependent on the contact rate and density of individuals within a population. We examined the influence of contact rate on a directly transmitted nematode (Baylisascaris procyonis) of raccoons that can infect and cause disease and mortality in a wide range of accidental hosts, including humans. Twelve populations of free-ranging raccoons were monitored for three years. After one year of baseline data collection, we experimentally altered the contact rate and resource availability of randomly selected populations via dispersed or clumped food distributions. Prior to manipulation, prevalence of B. procyonis averaged 9% across all sites (range 0-35%). During the experiment, prevalence of B. procyonis averaged 4% at control sites (no food added), 18% at sites that had dispersed food additions (which did not increase contact), and 22% at sites with clumped food additions that aggregated raccoons. Data collected prior to the experiment indicated that sites that were assigned to the dispersed food treatment had a naturally-occurring higher prevalence (13%) than the sites assigned to the control (5%) and aggregation treatment (9%), indicating that the high values observed in the dispersed food sites during the experiment may be due to site-specific differences rather than the addition of dispersed food. These results support the hypothesis that increased rates of contact can increase transmission of directly transmitted parasites such as B. procyonis, and emphasize the potentially important role of anthropogenic activity in the ecology of diseases when dealing with wildlife species that can take advantage of such resources and tolerate large aggregations of conspecifics

Failure and impact behavior of facade panels made of glass fiber reinforced cement(GRC)

GRC is a cementitious composite material made up of a cement mortar matrix and chopped glass fibers. Due to its outstanding mechanical properties, GRC has been widely used to produce cladding panels and some civil engineering elements. Impact failure of cladding panels made of GRC may occur during production if some tool falls onto the panel, due to stone or other objects impacting at low velocities or caused by debris projected after a blast. Impact failure of a front panel of a building may have not only an important economic value but also human lives may be at risk if broken pieces of the panel fall from the building to the pavement. Therefore, knowing GRC impact strength is necessary to prevent economic costs and putting human lives at risk. One-stage light gas gun is an impact test machine capable of testing different materials subjected to impact loads. An experimental program was carried out, testing GRC samples of five different formulations, commonly used in building industry. Steel spheres were shot at different velocities on square GRC samples. The residual velocity of the projectiles was obtained both using a high speed camera with multiframe exposure and measuring the projectile’s penetration depth in molding clay blocks. Tests were performed on young and artificially aged GRC samples to compare GRC’s behavior when subjected to high strain rates. Numerical simulations using a hydrocode were made to analyze which parameters are most important during an impact event. GRC impact strength was obtained from test results. Also, GRC’s embrittlement, caused by GRC aging, has no influence on GRC impact behavior due to the small size of the projectile. Also, glass fibers used in GRC production only maintain GRC panels’ integrity but have no influence on GRC’s impact strength. Numerical models have reproduced accurately impact tests