The value of oral history in natural resource management : the Balcombe Estuary Reserve, Mount Martha, Victoria

This study investigates the benefits of using oral history as a tool for the sustainable management of estuaries. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted to generate oral history records for the Balcombe Estuary Reserve, a small estuary in a periurban zone on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. These interviews establish a more complete picture of changes in land use and ecological change to the estuary since European settlement of the area, and document community values. The interviews were followed with a survey to further explore management issues in the area. Use of oral history was found to be an effective approach to assist holistic estuarine management, especially when complemented by other sources of information.<br /

Gauging the Gravity of the Situation: The Use and Abuse of Expertise in Estimating the Economic Costs of Brexit

HM Treasury’s estimation of the economic consequences of Brexit – using standard macroeconomic models – during the EU referendum campaign represents a remarkable intervention in a highly politicized public debate. It raises a series of questions about the use of economic expertise. Through a detailed theoretical and empirical critique of the Treasury’s methodology – and a reassessment of the likely effects of Brexit in light of this – we cast doubt on the utility of their approach, highlighting methodological issues, unrealistic assumptions, and misrepresentations of established facts. In the process we seek to identify some of the wider implications for the use and potential abuse of economic expertise in highly charged political contexts, such as the EU referendum debate.L’évaluation des conséquences du Brexit effectuée par le Trésor britannique à l’aide de modèles macroéconomiques standards, lors de la campagne du référendum, constitue une intervention d’importance au sein d’un débat public hautement politisé. Elle soulève une série de questions quant à l’usage de l’expertise économique. Au moyen d’une critique théorique et empirique détaillée de la méthode utilisée par le Trésor britannique – et d’une réévaluation des effets probables du Brexit à la lumière de cette critique – nous remettons en cause la pertinence de l’intervention du Trésor, en soulignant ses problèmes méthodologiques, des hypothèses, pour certaines, irréalistes et une présentation erronée des faits. Nous cherchons ainsi à caractériser les implications de l’usage abusif de l’expertise économique dans un contexte fortement politisé, comme pouvait l’être le débat sur le Brexit.1 Introduction 2 Methods Gravity Problems with HM Treasury estimates Proposed methodology 3 Results New models (frequentist) Model selection (Bayesian) 4 Simulating Brexit Methodology and problems Sensitivity analysis 5 Conclusion References Appendix A: Data sources Appendix B: Descriptive statistics Appendix C: Full results of frequentist analysis Appendix D: Results from Bayesian analysis Appendix E: Traceplots for Bayesian analysis Appendix F: Further modeling issues Appendix G: List of models and result

Lightweight, liquid-cooled, direct-drive generator for highpower wind turbines: motivation, concept, and performance

Thesis: A liquid-cooled, direct-drive, permanent-magnet, synchronous generator with helical, double-layer, non-overlapping windings formed from a copper conductor with a coaxial internal coolant conduit offers an excellent combination of attributes to reliably provide economic wind power for the coming generation of wind turbines with power ratings between 5 and 20MW. A generator based on the liquid-cooled architecture proposed here will be reliable and cost effective. Its smaller size and mass will reduce build, transport, and installation costs. Summary: Converting wind energy into electricity and transmitting it to an electrical power grid to supply consumers is a relatively new and rapidly developing method of electricity generation. In the most recent decade, the increase in wind energy’s share of overall energy production has been remarkable. Thousands of land-based and offshore wind turbines have been commissioned around the globe, and thousands more are being planned. The technologies have evolved rapidly and are continuing to evolve, and wind turbine sizes and power ratings are continually increasing. Many of the newer wind turbine designs feature drivetrains based on Direct-Drive, Permanent-Magnet, Synchronous Generators (DD-PMSGs). Being low-speed high-torque machines, the diameters of air-cooled DD-PMSGs become very large to generate higher levels of power. The largest direct-drive wind turbine generator in operation today, rated just below 8MW, is 12m in diameter and approximately 220 tonne. To generate higher powers, traditional DD-PMSGs would need to become extraordinarily large. A 15MW air-cooled direct-drive generator would be of colossal size and tremendous mass and no longer economically viable. One alternative to increasing diameter is instead to increase torque density. In a permanent magnet machine, this is best done by increasing the linear current density of the stator windings. However, greater linear current density results in more Joule heating, and the additional heat cannot be removed practically using a traditional air-cooling approach. Direct liquid cooling is more effective, and when applied directly to the stator windings, higher linear current densities can be sustained leading to substantial increases in torque density. The higher torque density, in turn, makes possible significant reductions in DD-PMSG size. Over the past five years, a multidisciplinary team of researchers has applied a holistic approach to explore the application of liquid cooling to permanent-magnet wind turbine generator design. The approach has considered wind energy markets and the economics of wind power, system reliability, electromagnetic behaviors and design, thermal design and performance, mechanical architecture and behaviors, and the performance modeling of installed wind turbines. This dissertation is based on seven publications that chronicle the work. The primary outcomes are the proposal of a novel generator architecture, a multidisciplinary set of analyses to predict the behaviors, and experimentation to demonstrate some of the key principles and validate the analyses. The proposed generator concept is a direct-drive, surface-magnet, synchronous generator with fractional-slot, duplex-helical, double-layer, non-overlapping windings formed from a copper conductor with a coaxial internal coolant conduit to accommodate liquid coolant flow. The novel liquid-cooling architecture is referred to as LC DD-PMSG. The first of the seven publications summarized in this dissertation discusses the technological and economic benefits and limitations of DD-PMSGs as applied to wind energy. The second publication addresses the long-term reliability of the proposed LC DD-PMSG design. Publication 3 examines the machine’s electromagnetic design, and Publication 4 introduces an optimization tool developed to quickly define basic machine parameters. The static and harmonic behaviors of the stator and rotor wheel structures are the subject of Publication 5. And finally, Publications 6 and 7 examine steady-state and transient thermal behaviors. There have been a number of ancillary concrete outcomes associated with the work including the following. X Intellectual Property (IP) for direct liquid cooling of stator windings via an embedded coaxial coolant conduit, IP for a lightweight wheel structure for lowspeed, high-torque electrical machinery, and IP for numerous other details of the LC DD-PMSG design X Analytical demonstrations of the equivalent reliability of the LC DD-PMSG; validated electromagnetic, thermal, structural, and dynamic prediction models; and an analytical demonstration of the superior partial load efficiency and annual energy output of an LC DD-PMSG design X A set of LC DD-PMSG design guidelines and an analytical tool to establish optimal geometries quickly and early on X Proposed 8 MW LC DD-PMSG concepts for both inner and outer rotor configurations Furthermore, three technologies introduced could be relevant across a broader spectrum of applications. 1) The cost optimization methodology developed as part of this work could be further improved to produce a simple tool to establish base geometries for various electromagnetic machine types. 2) The layered sheet-steel element construction technology used for the LC DD-PMSG stator and rotor wheel structures has potential for a wide range of applications. And finally, 3) the direct liquid-cooling technology could be beneficial in higher speed electromotive applications such as vehicular electric drives

The Impact of Writing Intensive Professional Development on High School Teachersa Science Content Knowledge of Energy in Systems

The Communication in Science Inquiry Project CISIP investigated the impact of writing intensive inquiry based professional development on high school teachers science content knowledge of Energy in Systems In particular we investigated whether different forms of assessment provided different information about the depth of teacher knowledge We developed a two-tier Energy Test linked to both national and state science standards which was administered both before and after science teacher particip-ation in 23 hours of professional development on energy in biological and societal systems Our study found that we were successful in relaying content knowledge to the teachers When we analyzed misconceptions in distracter choices and written responses on the same test however we found we were successful in some areas but not in others The application of knowledge gained about energy in systems through writing scientific explanations was the least successful of al

Quaternary Biostratigraphy and Paleoecology of Fossil Mammals from the Loess Hills Region of Western Iowa

For over 115 years the Loess Hills region of western Iowa has furnished the fossils of Ice Age and recent mammals to both amateur and professional paleontologists. The oldest of these fossils (the Aftonian fauna ) predates the last glaciation and predominantly are the remains of large mammals. These sites are poorly understood but probably date from near the Irvingtonian/Rancholabrean boundary at about three quarters of a million years ago. The last glaciation (Wisconsinan) is represented by 3 micromammal-dominated faunas and scattered finds of individual specimens of large mammals. Taken together, these indicate rather open grassland, with scattered boreal forest groves which became more dense toward the end of the glaciation. Although cold by present-day standards, the climate must have been unlike any in North America today because the taxa are not now found living in association. The post-glacial (Holocene) began about 10,000 years ago and saw tremendous change in Iowa\u27s fauna from the preceding Wisconsinan. Although no faunas are reported from the Loess Hills in the first two and half millennia of the Holocene, this period contains the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna and the climatic warming which led to extirpation from the state of the more boreal micromammals. The rest of Holocene is represented by 20 sites, both paleontological and archeological, which document a smaller scale, but still distinctive, pattern of climate change. The foundations of this prehistoric record have been established but much work remains to be done to realize its potential as a predictive tool for future climatic change

Creating value with sustainable production based on real-time simulation

This chapter describes research into physics-based real-time simulation from a business perspective and provides guidance for further studies. Despite the increasing amount of research into simulator-driven design and production, little progress has been made towards understanding the complexities of its implementation, its effect on business models, and how it can best be applied to create value for the customer. There seems to be agreement in the literature that this type of digital transformation of industry is beneficial, but many of the business issues remain unclear. The following paragraphs seek to encourage a new way of looking at real-time simulation studies. The chapter concludes with an illustration of sustainable value creation using real-time simulation and digital twinning and a number of concrete suggestions for questions that should be answered in future research.Post-print / Final draf

Microcomputadoras para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje

Un aprendizaje es significativo cuando los contenidos: Son relacionados de modo no arbitrario y sustancial (no al pie de la letra) con lo que el alumno ya sabe. Por relación sustancial y no arbitraria se debe entender que las ideas se relacionan con algún aspecto existente específicamente relevante de la estructura cognoscitiva del alumno, como una imagen, un símbolo ya significativo, un concepto o una proposición. En las materias del área Sistemas, se presenta mayor dificultad para trabajar sobre dispositivos reales. Se suele trabajar con emuladores para poder simular situaciones o entornos necesarios para llevar a cabo las prácticas de los contenidos vistos. Si bien tienen una primera aproximación, no son entornos de trabajo conocidos, ni utilizados en la actualidad. El área de sistemas de la carrera Licenciatura en Informática, ha comenzado un proceso de innovación, intentando llevar nuevas herramientas a los alumnos, con tecnologías que se utilizan en el mercado laboral. Incorporar el uso de microcomputadoras Raspberry Pi. Con la intención de brindar a los alumnos, dándoles acceso a dispositivos físicos logrando una experiencia real. Luego de una primera etapa de acercamiento con dicha herramienta, desarrollar una etapa de investigación basada en este dispositivo.Eje: Innovación en Educación Informática.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic

Research on Instructional Strategies to Improve Geoscience Learning in Different Settings and with Different Technologies

Geoscience instruction today is carried out in a range of settings and with variously situated and richly contextualized teaching modalities. However, the pace and the excitement of technological and methodological advances in education tend to outstrip the more deliberate progress of relevant educational research and assessment. Further, geoscience education receives less attention and support on a national scale than do biology, chemistry, and physics education. As a result, many recent influential studies which demonstrated the effectiveness of active learning in undergraduate STEM, include little or no data from geoscience education. In order to close these gaps and render future instructional strategies as effective as possible, (a) there must be better coordination among researchers and educators in our own professional community and with those in other STEM disciplines; (b) higher standards of evidence must be applied to research in many cases; and (c) certain barriers at the instructional level to full and effective implementation of best practices must still be overcome. In this theme chapter, five grand challenges related to these issues are identified and described to spur more effective, accessible, inclusive, relevant, and practical geoscience teaching and learning

Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the McPherson Equus Beds (Sandahl Local Fauna), McPherson County, Kansas

121-178http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48401/2/ID247.pd

COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE OUTCOMES OF A SOUTHWEST PLACE-BASED APPROACH TO TEACHING INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE

The physical and cultural landscapes of the Southwest United States epitomize places, which are localities imbued with meaning by human experience. Sense of place comprises the meanings of and emotional attachments to places held by individuals or groups, and thus bridges cognition and affect. Place-based teaching deliberately engages and leverages the sense of place of students and instructor with experiential, cross-cultural, interdisciplinary content and methods that may better engage underrepresented students with rich culturally-rooted senses of place, such as American Indians and Mexican Americans in the Southwest. We propose that psychometric measurement of the cognitive and affective components of sense of place, place meaning and place attachment, can be used to test the effectiveness of place-based teaching. A Southwest-based undergraduate geoscience course, which presented basic concepts in the context of familiar regional places and the cultural knowledge of these places, was piloted for a diverse class of 31 students in fall 2005. Cognitive and affective outcomes were assessed with valid and reliable surveys of place attachment, place meaning, and geoscience content knowledge. The gains were analyzed with non-directional dependent samples t-tests. Student mean place attachment to Arizona increased significantly, t(26) = 2.94, p &lt; 0.01, from near-indifference to positive attachment, and the post-course mean place attachment was greater than that for students enrolled in conventional geoscience courses. Mean place meaning of Arizona increased significantly, t(26) = 7.17, p &lt; 0.01; students developed richer and more diverse understanding of the region. General geoscience content knowledge, measured using the Geoscience Content Inventory, increased significantly, t(26) = 4.19, p &lt; 0.01. The students began the place-based course with content knowledge equivalent to that of their peers nationwide, but their mean post-course score was above the national mean. We conclude that place-based teaching can be assessed both cognitively and affectively. The positive outcomes of this experimental course, and the cultural and personal relevance inherent in the method, suggest that place-based geoscience teaching is particularly appropriate for use in naturally and culturally diverse settings