Renewable energies and the policy mix: An analysis of renewable energy support strategies from a policy diffusion perspective

Renewable energy technologies (RET) have come to the fore in recent decades as a sensible and rational alternative to ensure that energy requirements are met within the context of growing energy demand and resource conservation worldwide. The question of energy provision sits at the complex juncture between economics, politics and international relations. As such, the topic cannot be understood simply in economic terms; its study needs to incorporate insights from politics and policy making for a more comprehensive perspective. This paper focuses on providing a more holistic picture of the varying impacts of policy decisions on the introduction of renewable energy technologies across different countries. In order to identify patterns and trends in the adoption of policy measures, this study makes use of the concept of Policy Mix, as proposed by Rogge and Reichardt (2013) and several concepts from innovation theory and policy diffusion. The first section of this paper presents the three main components of the study: the IEA-IRENA Joint Database for Renewable Energy Technologies, as its main source of information; and the concepts of Policy Mix and Policy Innovation used to analyse renewable energy (RE) support policies. The second section discusses the relevance of policy as a driver for the widespread adoption of RE and outlines the link between the policies analysed and the frame provided by the policy mix. Section three is then dedicated to analysing the countries in terms of policy diffusion, building upon the concept of policy mix. Innovator countries are initially taken as reference case studies in order to analyse the different channels through which policy spreads. The fourth section assesses the ad-vantages and limitations of applying the policy frame and is followed by the last section, which outlines further paths of research. By the end of the study it is expected that by integrating the concepts of policy mix and innovation diffusion into the analysis of renewable energies, it will be possible to achieve a better understanding of the effect policy structure and the reasons for policy implementation have on the efficacy of support mechanisms

Algebraic Anosov actions of Nilpotent Lie groups

In this paper we classify algebraic Anosov actions of nilpotent Lie groups on closed manifolds, extending the previous results by P. Tomter. We show that they are all nil-suspensions over either suspensions of Anosov actions of Z^k on nilmanifolds, or (modified) Weyl chamber actions. We check the validity of the generalized Verjovsky conjecture in this algebraic context. We also point out an intimate relation between algebraic Anosov actions and Cartan subalgebras in general real Lie groups.Comment: 40 page

GRB 021004: A Possible Shell Nebula around a Wolf-Rayet Star Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitor

The rapid localization of GRB 021004 by the HETE-2 satellite allowed nearly continuous monitoring of its early optical afterglow decay, as well as high-quality optical spectra that determined a redshift of z3=2.328 for its host galaxy, an active starburst galaxy with strong Lyman-alpha emission and several absorption lines. Spectral observations show multiple absorbers at z3A=2.323, z3B= 2.317, and z3C= 2.293 blueshifted by 450, 990, and 3,155 km/s respectively relative to the host galaxy Lyman-alpha emission. We argue that these correspond to a fragmented shell nebula that has been radiatively accelerated by the gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow at a distance greater than 0.3 pc from a Wolf-Rayet star progenitor. The chemical abundance ratios indicate that the nebula is overabundant in carbon and silicon. The high level of carbon and silicon is consistent with a swept-up shell nebula gradually enriched by a WCL progenitor wind over the lifetime of the nebula prior to the GRB onset. The detection of statistically significant fluctuations and color changes about the jet-like optical decay further supports this interpretation since fluctuations must be present at some level due to inhomogeneities in a clumpy stellar wind medium or if the progenitor has undergone massive ejection prior to the GRB onset. This evidence suggests that the mass-loss process in a Wolf-Rayet star might lead naturally to an iron-core collapse with sufficient angular momentum that could serve as a suitable GRB progenitor.Comment: Replaced with version accepted by ApJ; 40 pages, 9 figure

EVALUATING THE PERCEPTIONS OF PRESCHOOL TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS ON MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN THE SCHOOL SETTING

Mental health can impact a child’s success in many aspects, including in the school setting. School settings are very often the only place that provide an opportunity for families to be able to receive mental health services for their children. It is imperative that schools meet the mental health needs of the children who attend their schools. This research project examines data and information gathered from educators and school administrators to help us understand their experiences, successes, and/or displeasure about the services that are offered or not offered within the agency they work for. The literature review discusses the definition of school based mental health services, statistics pertaining to access and the need for school based mental health, barriers to accessing mental health services in the school setting, and stigma relating to accessing mental health services. A constructivist approach was utilized in the creation of this project. This study was conducted using face to face interviews with 11 participants to develop a qualitative analysis. Four major themes emerged from this study: 1) Respondent overall understanding of mental health; 2) Early signs of mental health; 3) Training opportunities provided within the study site; and 4) Barriers to mental health access. An action plan was developed that includes the following: Identifying services that are already put in place and services the site may still be lacking to appropriately serve the needs of population being served and bringing awareness through discussion and communication

LSTM based voice conversion for laryngectomees

This paper describes a voice conversion system designed withthe aim of improving the intelligibility and pleasantness of oe-sophageal voices. Two different systems have been built, oneto transform the spectral magnitude and another one for thefundamental frequency, both based on DNNs. Ahocoder hasbeen used to extract the spectral information (mel cepstral co-efficients) and a specific pitch extractor has been developed tocalculate the fundamental frequency of the oesophageal voices.The cepstral coefficients are converted by means of an LSTMnetwork. The conversion of the intonation curve is implementedthrough two different LSTM networks, one dedicated to thevoiced unvoiced detection and another one for the predictionof F0 from the converted cepstral coefficients. The experi-ments described here involve conversion from one oesophagealspeaker to a specific healthy voice. The intelligibility of thesignals has been measured with a Kaldi based ASR system. Apreference test has been implemented to evaluate the subjectivepreference of the obtained converted voices comparing themwith the original oesophageal voice. The results show that spec-tral conversion improves ASR while restoring the intonation ispreferred by human listenersThis work has been partially funded by the Spanish Ministryof Economy and Competitiveness with FEDER support (RE-STORE project, TEC2015-67163-C2-1-R), the Basque Govern-ment (BerbaOla project, KK-2018/00014) and from the Euro-pean Unions H2020 research and innovation programme un-der the Marie Curie European Training Network ENRICH(675324)

Characteristics And Clinical Outcomes Of People Living With Hiv/aids Participating In A Home-Delivered Meal Program In New Haven, Ct.

ABSTRACT Background: Food insecurity is an issue of great concern among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Food insecurity can lead to anxiety, and depression which is in turn associated with poor medication adherence. Food insecurity is a threat to the nutritional status of PLWHA. PLWHA already have a higher energy demand due to the presence of the virus. The lack of food intake can further compromise the immune system and encourage wasting. Because Food insecurity is such a concern among PLWHA, Caring Cuisine which is a program run by Aids Project New Haven in CT, delivers meals for clients who are homebound or unable to access food on their own. In this study we wanted to determine if Caring Cuisine clients had better clinical outcomes than non-participants after adjusting for confounding factors. Methods: This was a five year retrospective study looking at clinical outcomes (Viral load and CD4) and intake form data (risk behavior, mental health, medication adherence, co-morbidities, HIV disease progression symptoms). It was designed as a matched case-control study where two controls (case-management clients of APNH, n=68) were matched to each case (n=34). Controls were matched to cases based on gender, HIV diagnosis date, age, and race. Results: No difference was found in viral load suppression between Caring Cuisine and controls at t1. We found that there was a statistically different change in CD4 counts between females (n=48) and males (n=54) in the population (p=0.002). Males in Caring Cuisine had a much greater drop in CD4 counts between t0 and t1 than controls (p=0.071) Conclusion: Further research needs to be done to determine how home-delivery meal programs affect clinical outcomes of PLWHA

Supernova Remnants in the Magellanic Clouds III: An X-ray Atlas of LMC Supernova Remnants

We have used archival ROSAT data to present X-ray images of thirty-one supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We have classified these remnants according to their X-ray morphologies, into the categories of Shell-Type, Diffuse Face, Centrally Brightened, Point-Source Dominated, and Irregular. We suggest possible causes of the X-ray emission for each category, and for individual features of some of the SNRs.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures (9 figure files). To appear in the Supplement Series of the Astrophysical Journal, August 1999 Vol. 123 #

Innovative Hearing Protection Device for Student Pilots

Exposure to excessive noise levels is a significant concern in aviation. Aircraft engines and ground operations contribute to noise levels that often exceed occupational safety limits, posing a risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). While hearing protection devices (HPDs) are commonly recommended to mitigate these risks, student pilots (SP) face a unique challenge: the necessity of clear verbal communication with instructors often preventing them from using conventional ear protection. By evaluating potential solutions such as active noise reduction (ANR) technology and alternative communication systems, this research aims to improve hearing conservation strategies in aviation training environments. We have been monitoring decibels on the ramp and the frequencies students can hear. We have found that the frequencies heard by students have been unaffected, whereas in the past, higher frequencies have been heard less. This project intends to modify existing earplug devices to enhance their functionality. The customization is designed to selectively attenuate aircraft and ramp noise while preserving speech intelligibility between the SP and CFI. The customized device achieves this by filtering out high-intensity ramp noise while allowing speech frequencies to remain audible. In conclusion, the flight line is an environment where appropriate ear protection is a necessity to prevent any long-term hearing damage. By taking measures to reduce the frequency at which students are exposed to noise, instances of noise-induced hearing loss in flight students and other personnel can be prevented