A case study investigation of academic library support for open educational resources in Scottish universities

The aim of the research was to investigate why and how Scottish university libraries support open educational resources and to assess their ability to provide support services for their development and use within higher education institutions. There has been little research on the role of academic libraries in supporting open educational resources in Scotland and previous research found that there is a lack of awareness of them in Scottish higher education institutions and few have open educational resources policies. The case study methodology therefore involved two Scottish academic libraries providing open educational resources services. The libraries’ motivation includes supporting teaching and learning and the development of educator digital skills and copyright knowledge. However, there are a number of barriers limiting the services the libraries are able to provide, particularly lack of human resources. The research confirmed the findings of previous research on the importance of institutional commitment, incentives for educator engagement, and understanding of copyright and licensing issues by educators and library staff

Prospects for computational steering of evolutionary computation

Currently, evolutionary computation (EC) typically takes place in batch mode: algorithms are run autonomously, with the user providing little or no intervention or guidance. Although it is rarely possible to specify in advance, on the basis of EC theory, the optimal evolutionary algorithm for a particular problem, it seems likely that experienced EC practitioners possess considerable tacit knowledge of how evolutionary algorithms work. In situations such as this, computational steering (ongoing, informed user intervention in the execution of an otherwise autonomous computational process) has been profitably exploited to improve performance and generate insights into computational processes. In this short paper, prospects for the computational steering of evolutionary computation are assessed, and a prototype example of computational steering applied to a coevolutionary algorithm is presented

EPA MANDATE WAIVERS CREATE NEW UNCERTAINTIES IN BIODIESEL MARKETS

Biodiesel, Biofuel Mandate, Waivers, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q11, Q16, Q42, Q48,

Cultural Tourism through the Lens of the Stereoscope: Underwood & Underwood’s Egypt, a 1905 Stereoview Boxed Set, Considered

Using the framework of the tourist gaze to investigate Underwood & Underwood’s Egypt, a 1905 stereoview boxed set with an accompanying book by James Henry Breasted, which is part of a larger collection of stereoview boxed sets by the same company, this paper will define the tourist gaze, provide a brief overview of Underwood & Underwood’s stereoview boxed sets, and examine how Egypt and its cultural heritage are perceived through an outsider’s orientation and set of values as well as the ramifications of this perception. This will be accomplished by focusing on Breasted’s textual depictions of the contemporary Egyptian at the beginning of the twentieth century in the set’s accompanying book, Egypt through the Stereoscope, and included on some of the back sides of the stereoviews in the Egypt set

Time Independent Universal Computing with Spin Chains: Quantum Plinko Machine

We present a scheme for universal quantum computing using XY Heisenberg spin chains. Information is encoded into packets propagating down these chains, and they interact with each other to perform universal quantum computation. A circuit using g gate blocks on m qubits can be encoded into chains of length $O(g^{3+\delta} m^{3+\delta})$ for all $\delta >0$ with vanishingly small error

Efficiently Controllable Graphs

We investigate graphs that can be disconnected into small components by removing a vanishingly small fraction of their vertices. We show that when a quantum network is described by such a graph, the network is efficiently controllable, in the sense that universal quantum computation can be performed using a control sequence polynomial in the size of the network while controlling a vanishingly small fraction of subsystems. We show that networks corresponding to finite-dimensional lattices are efficently controllable, and explore generalizations to percolation clusters and random graphs. We show that the classical computational complexity of estimating the ground state of Hamiltonians described by controllable graphs is polynomial in the number of subsystems/qubits

Implications of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard for State and National Ethanol Use

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Highly Transparent, Self-cleaning, and Antireflective Nanoparticle Coatings

Current solar panel technologies require a sheet of glass to serve as both mechanical support and to protect the cells from the environment. The reflection from the glass sheet can reflect up to 8% of the incident light, reducing the power output of the panel. Antireflective coatings can be used to allow more light to enter the panel to be converted into usable electricity. However, no solid thin film materials exhibit a low enough index of refraction to serve as antireflective coatings for common solar glass. The main goal of this research was to investigate the self-cleaning, antifogging, and antireflective behavior of low index of refraction silica nanoparticle films, with an ultimate goal to develop a method to deposit these films on glass substrates from aqueous solutions. The optical, wetting, and self-cleaning ability of these films was evaluated at a laboratory scale. It was determined that the film performance could be significantly improved by utilizing a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) adhesion layer during the deposition process. Using this method, the solar weighted transmittance of glass was improved to 97.4%, with peak transmittance of 99.5%, using a double sided coating. The short-circuit current and conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells was improved by a relative 4.4% over an equivalent cell packaged behind uncoated glass. This represents 50% recovery of the losses associated with packaging. Dual-layer antireflective coatings for both silicon and gallium arsenide solar cells using the silica nanoparticle coating were also created. An average increase of 28% in the short-circuit current and 32% relative improvement in device efficiency was achieved with silicon devices. The average conversion efficiency of the planar silicon cells was increased from 10.6% to 14% by addition of the coating. In summary, the experimental study of the optical properties and surface morphology of silica nanoparticle films deposited with a PVP adhesion layer demonstrated the potential of these films as optical coatings and functional self-cleaning and antifogging surfaces. The characterization of these silica nanoparticle films provided a fundamental understanding of the relationship between the optical and wetting properties of the nanoparticle coating and the morphology of the film

Impacts of Deer and Honeysuckle on the Endangered Trillium Reliquum and Its Associated Plant Community

The effects of herbivores and invasive plants on native plants are well known, but few studies have addressed their impacts on rare plants. Threatened or endangered plant species may be more susceptible to negative effects of biotic factors due to their already low distributions. My study quantifies the interactions between deer, an invasive plant, a rare herb and its associated plant community to assist in the conservation of native plants. Trillium reliquum is an endangered spring ephemeral herb that is native to three states in the southeast. It is threatened by the encroachment of Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herbivory. I selected five sites in Georgia to examine the impacts of deer and honeysuckle on T. reliquum across its Georgia range. Four treatment combinations were established within each population, including: 1) deer excluded, honeysuckle present 2) deer excluded, honeysuckle removed 3) deer accessible, honeysuckle present 4) deer accessible, honeysuckle removed. I measured deer and honeysuckle impacts on T. reliquum and plant community structure in 2005 and 2006. Trillium reliquum was found in both species rich and species poor habitats. Deer and honeysuckle did not negatively impact species richness. Levels of deer browse intensity varied across sites and honeysuckle was the most frequent vine at most sites. White-tailed deer decreased fruit production and increased dormancy in T. 2 reliquum. Honeysuckle was associated with small but stable trillium populations. Empirical data and matrix models demonstrated that removal of honeysuckle results in significant population increases. This suggests that honeysuckle suppresses T. reliquum emergence. Conservation efforts for T. reliquum should focus on long-term deer population management and the control of invaders. Also, the conservation of subadult and reproductive individuals is important to T. reliquum population growth