Neighborhood Concerns and Mobilization Patterns of Homeowners and Neighborhood Associations

What issues and concerns of residential community associations (RCAs) compel them to mobilize and lobby local government? Do these patterns vary by RCA type? We argue that they do, and that neighborhood associations face different concerns than homeowners associations (HOAs). We also believe neighborhood associations are more likely to mobilize and interact with municipal government on behalf of the neighborhood. Using survey and interview data of neighborhood association and HOA presidents in Tallahassee, Florida, we find that neighborhood associations mobilize and interact with municipal government to a greater extent than HOAs. The issues and concerns that compel neighborhood associations to mobilize revolve around business/residential encroachment and crime. On the contrary, when HOAs do mobilize and interact with local government, the issues deal with the typical HOA concern of improving property values

That’s Not Fair: Tariff Structures for Electric Utilities with Rooftop Solar

Problem definition: Utility regulators are grappling to devise compensation schemes for customers who sell rooftop solar generation back to the grid, balancing environmental interests and the financial interests of utilities, solar system installers, and retail customers. This is difficult: Regulatory changes made in Nevada in 2015 to protect Nevada’s utility induced SolarCity, the market leader in solar systems, to suspend local operations. We show that the choice of utility tariff structure is crucial to achieving socially desirable objectives. Academic/practical relevance: It is important for regulators to understand how tariff structure interacts with social objectives. This has implications for consumers, regulators, and industry. Methodology: We use a sequential game to analyze the regulator’s social welfare maximization problem in a market with a regulated utility; an unregulated, price-setting, profit-maximizing solar system installer; and customers who endogenously determine whether to adopt solar or not, based on utility tariffs, solar prices, and their heterogeneous usage profiles and generation potentials. Results: We illustrate that the effectiveness of tariff structures is not governed simply by the number of free tariff parameters, but by the functions these parameters serve. In particular, an effective tariff must discriminate among customer usage tiers and between customers with and without rooftop solar to achieve socially desirable outcomes. We present a tariff structure with these two characteristics and show how it can be implemented as a simple buy-all, sell-all tariff while retaining its favorable properties. We illustrate our findings numerically using data from Nevada and New Mexico, two states grappling with this issue. Managerial implications: Many utilities in the United States operate tariff structures that are missing at least one of the two identified features. Regulators must overhaul these tariff structures to adequately safeguard all stakeholders

Coronary Sinus to Left Atrial Communication

Congenital coronary sinus anomalies are rare in clinical practice, partly due to the lack of symptoms. We present a case of coronary sinus anomaly causing a right-to-left intracardiac shunt in a 46 years/old African American female with a past medical history of obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and ischemic cardiomyopathy who presented with hypoxia. In the months prior to her presentation, she had suffered an inferior myocardial infarction with right ventricular involvement, as well as resulting severe tricuspid regurgitation. In conclusion, further investigations revealed a communication between the coronary sinus (CS) and left atrium (LA)

Cystein-Mutanten der Cu,Zn-Superoxiddismutase und ihre Anwendung in Proteinelektroden für die Detektion von freien Sauerstoffradikalen

Das Enzym Superoxiddismutase (SOD) bietet wegen seiner hohen Reaktionsrate und seiner extrem hohen Substratspezifi tät große Vorteile für eine Anwendung als Superoxidbiosensor. In dieser Arbeit wurden durch molekularbiologische Methoden Mutanten der humanen Cu,Zn-SOD gewonnen, welche ein oder zwei zusätzliche Cystein-Reste enthielten, die eine einfache Immobilisierung des Proteins durch Bindung des Cystein-Schwefels auf Goldelektroden ermöglichten. Sechs solcher Mutanten wurden entworfen, exprimiert, aufgereinigt und elektrochemisch charakterisiert. Alle Mutanten konnten durch einen einfachen Inkubationsschritt auf Goldelektroden gebunden werden und zeigten ein quasi-reversibles elektrochemisches Ansprechen. Für eine Mutante wurde die Anwendung als Superoxidsensor genauer untersucht und für beide Teilreaktionen der Dismutation ein Ansprechen des Sensors auf das Radikal gefunden. Bei Verwendung einer Teilreaktion konnte die Empfindlichkeit herkömmlicher Monoschichtsensoren um etwa eine Größenordnung übertroffen werden

An experimental platform for surface embedded SMAs in morphing applications

This article will address the modeling and control of surface embedded shape memory alloys (SMAs) for the camber modification of a hybrid morphing airfoil. An analytical model will be derived. The results of this models will be discussed and compared to the experiments. The advantages of this modeling approach will be highlighted and alternatives will be briefly revisited. This discussion will figure into the utility of these models in the sizing of a full scale prototype of a SMA actuated active trailing edge of an airfoil. Throughout this article the prototype specifications are detailed and the design choices will be discussed. Performance improvements stemming from the inherent nature of the SMAs will be analyzed. It will be shown in this article that through the use of forced convection the overall cycle time can be reduced

Image Analysis to Determine Intramuscular Fat in Muscle

The area of intramuscular fat in Holstein steer longissimus was determined using an image analyzing system. Slaughter weights of 500, 636 and 773 kg differed (p \u3c 0.05) for intramuscular fat area, marbling score, and ether extractable lipid . Repeated measurements of intramuscular fat area in a given section showed high accuracy . However, comparing two sections from the same sample, there was often a large difference in fat content between the sections. Fat content determined by the imaging system was correlated significantl y with marbling score (r = 0.49) and ether extractable lipid (r = 0.34). Sampling is critical, and in order to obtain a high correlation several samples would be required from each muscle