Factors Influencing Household Solar Adoption in Santiago, Chile

In Santiago, Chile, the market conditions are seemingly excellent for the household adoption of photovoltaic (PV) technology, yet the uptake is negligible. To explore this paradox, the authors conducted a Delphi study to solicit the knowledge of a panel of Chilean PV experts. These efforts yielded 26 factors—both motivations and barriers—impacting the diffusion of PV in Santiago. Of the 26, experts were in consensus on the relative importance of 21. The literature suggests that diffusion of PV technologies is influenced by complex technical, economic, and social factors. Similarly, the experts saw influence from financial, environmental, and energy supply (e.g., electrical reliability) factors. They saw emergent barriers to adoption as being financial, technical, institutional, and knowledge factors. They considered the most important factors influencing adoption to be financial motivations (e.g., subsidies) and financial barriers (e.g., high upfront costs); they considered the least important factors to be environmental motivations (e.g., environmental stewardship) and technical barriers (e.g., concerns with roof mounting). With this knowledge, the authors develop an adoption framework for household PV that describes the interaction among the identified motivations and barriers. This framework informs policy recommendations for Santiago, Chile, and contributes to the body of literature exploring the interconnected systems of factors that influence civil infrastructure in general and PV adoption in particular

Using the News to Enhance Critical Thinking and Engagement in Middle and High School Students

This article describes the author’s adaptation of Gallagher’s (2009) Article of the Week approach to teaching students literacy skills using current events. The use of this unique instructional routine within the context of a Catholic middle school language arts classroom has proven successful for supporting students in developing critical literacy and an understanding of moral leadership by examining world events from a Catholic worldview

The Occurrence of Maltreatment and Depression among Adjudicated Adolescent Sexual Offenders with High Functioning Autism or Asperger\u27s Disorder

The following study examined the presence and severity of abuse and/or neglect and the occurrence of depressive symptomatology among adolescents with High Functioning Autism (HFA) or Asperger\u27s Disorder (AD) compared to adolescents without HFA/AD who are adjudicated delinquent due to sexual offense and attend a State Residential Sexual Offender Program. The scores of 23 adolescent sexual offenders diagnosed with either HFA or AD were compared to 15 non-HFA/AD adolescent sexual offenders on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) as well as the Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition (BDI-II). An investigation of whether there is a relationship between the severity of abuse and depressive symptomatology among adolescent sexual offenders with HFA/AD was also conducted. Results of the present study reveal that in regard to the occurrence of maltreatment, there are no statistically significant differences between the two groups on any scale of the CTQ. In regard to the occurrence of depressive symptomatology, adolescent sexual offenders with HFA/AD experience statistically significantly more depressive symptomatology than non-HFA/AD adjudicated adolescent sexual offenders. Findings also reveal that adolescent adjudicated sexual offenders with HFA/AD who experience severe levels of emotional abuse and/or emotional neglect are more likely to also have high rates of depressive symptomatology. Overall, abuse and/or neglect as well as depressive symptomatology appear to be present among many adolescent sexual offenders with HFA/AD. These findings have a number of implications for treatment. Particularly, treatment programs housing adolescent sexual offenders with HFA/AD need to identify the occurrence of childhood maltreatment and depression, and create modified treatments to match the unique needs of this population

Risk Attitudes and Global Infrastructure Technology Choices

Past research shows that Hofstede’s cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance explains variance in nations’ technology choice for sanitation and electricity infrastructure construction. The uncertainty avoidance dimension describes the way that nations deal with ambiguity and uncertainty. This paper is part of a larger project that links that previous national scale research to the project level that is most relevant to the construction practice. As such, this paper reviews methods from the literature that measure individual risk attitudes, including issues of measurement and risk determinants. For example, this paper discusses paid real-stakes lotteries, general risk questions, and context specific risk questions. Respondent gender, age, and income are identified as determinants of risky behavior. The utility of these various measurement strategies is discussed with specific regard to future research intended to explain variance in the construction of distributed household renewable electricity infrastructure. Finally, a questionnaire design for future research is proposed

One-Participant 401(k) as a Tool for Farmers and Ranchers

According to USDA, only 40% of farm households participate in some type of retirement account. For self-employed farmers and ranchers without full-time employees, the opportunity to invest in a One-Participant 401(k) plan is a way to (1) save money for retirement, (2) reduce taxable income, and (3) provide the potential option to borrow from the plan. This series of articles will review these features. What is a One-Participant 401(k)? The One-Participant 401(k)is a qualified retirement plan designed specifically for business owners with no full-time employees other than the business owners and their spouses. Visit with your financial planner and tax advisor if you have part-time employees and are considering establishing a 401(k) for your business to make sure you comply with 401(k) funding rules