The Implications of Mandating Photovoltaics on all New Homes

AbstractThe transition to near zero energy and near zero carbon homes places the policy focus firmly on the widespread application of renewable energy technologies by the mainstream building industry. This systemic change from typical business practices for house design and construction to embrace the application of photovoltaic technology is likely to come with significant risk to policy outcomes. Using evidence drawn from a reasonably large near zero energy housing estate in Australia, the use of building energy regulations to facilitate the application of photovoltaics may not deliver the expected policy outcome. Lessons learnt from Australia point to issues related to regulatory design, industry training, and compliance assessment. Addressing these issues will be essential to achieve low carbon policy intentions

The Erasure of Rural West Texas Voices in Higher Education Institutions an Autoethnographic Study of Minoritized Students of West Texas in Their Journey to Obtain Success in Higher Education Institutions

I was once told there is a person in the world who has locked within his or her mind the framework for the cure for cancer or even the ability to create an energy model that will revolutionize how society consumes natural resources. Now imagine if I told you I have seen that person alive and well working as an oil well driller on a rig in Mentone, Texas. The first question most people would ask is, “Why is the person drilling in the middle of nowhere Texas instead of impacting the world by way of displaying his or her incredible innovative potential?” This scenario is the basis of my study. I want to bring to the forefront the stories of the rural minoritized students whose innovation has been discarded, overlooked, and erased because it has consistently been deemed irrelevant or unimportant by the collegiate world. In consideration of the alienation and isolation that these minoritized students face, I am proposing an autoethnographic study that merges cultural and social issues related to the divisive code-switching rhetoric minoritized students are forced to utilize in institutions of higher learning and the narratives about the architecture of the academic buildings they are forced to inhabit. I will analyze how higher education institutions negate these students’ ethnic diversity and innovative potential by coercing them into silence or submission, forcing them to assimilate, discouraging them through persuasive reasoning, or isolating them in the built environment. These students leave the safety of their small environments hoping to learn from or contribute to the collegiate world, only to discover that the universities they have aspired to join will overlook and devalue them until they leave or assimilate into the predetermined role the school has designed for them. My interviews with various high school students will document their experiences with the collegiate world and how their vision, direction, and contributions to higher education institutions were stifled, controlled, neglected, or silenced

Electricity Demand Profile of Australian Low Energy Houses

AbstractThe paper demonstrates the profiles of electricity consumption in the low energy housing sector using various time frames, and provides a solid basis for energy estimation by analysing actual 12 month electricity data from 60 comprehensively monitored low energy houses in Australia's leading sustainable green village (Lochiel Park), located in South Australia. The results highlight that although considerable electricity reduction is achieved in low energy houses, the outdoor ambient air temperature is still a highly influential factor that determines the total and peak demand in these houses. It also suggests that energy estimation should focus on residents’ basic life style and appliance usage behaviour. The results presented here can be used to refine end-use electricity demand modelling for low energy houses in South Australia, and can hence assist the design of electrical infrastructure requirements in new low energy housing developments

Current Advancements in Pancreatic Islet Cryopreservation Techniques

There have been significant advancements in the research of pancreatic islet transplantations over the past 50 years as a treatment for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM). This work has resulted in hundreds of clinical islet transplantation procedures internationally. One limitation of the procedure includes effective storage techniques during donor-recipient cross-matching following islet isolation from deceased donor. Cryopreservation, which is heavily used in embryology research, has been proposed as a prospective method for pancreatic islet banking to bridge the temporal intervals between donor-recipient matching. The cryopreservation methods currently involve the freezing of islets to subzero (−80/−196°C) temperatures for storage followed by a thawing and warming period, which can be increasingly harmful to islet viability and insulin secretion capabilities. Recent advances in islet cryopreservation technologies have improved outcomes for islet health and survivability during this process. The aim of this chapter is to characterize aspects of the islet cryopreservation method while reviewing current procedural improvements that have led to better outcomes to islet health

Introduction to Ethics: An Open Educational Resource, collected and edited by Noah Levin

Collected and edited by Noah Levin Table of Contents: UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY ETHICS: TECHNOLOGY, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, AND IMMIGRATION 1 The “Trolley Problem” and Self-Driving Cars: Your Car’s Moral Settings (Noah Levin) 2 What is Ethics and What Makes Something a Problem for Morality? (David Svolba) 3 Letter from the Birmingham City Jail (Martin Luther King, Jr) 4 A Defense of Affirmative Action (Noah Levin) 5 The Moral Issues of Immigration (B.M. Wooldridge) 6 The Ethics of our Digital Selves (Noah Levin) UNIT TWO: TORTURE, DEATH, AND THE “GREATER GOOD” 7 The Ethics of Torture (Martine Berenpas) 8 What Moral Obligations do we have (or not have) to Impoverished Peoples? (B.M. Wooldridge) 9 Euthanasia, or Mercy Killing (Nathan Nobis) 10 An Argument Against Capital Punishment (Noah Levin) 11 Common Arguments about Abortion (Nathan Nobis & Kristina Grob) 12 Better (Philosophical) Arguments about Abortion (Nathan Nobis & Kristina Grob) UNIT THREE: PERSONS, AUTONOMY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND RIGHTS 13 Animal Rights (Eduardo Salazar) 14 John Rawls and the “Veil of Ignorance” (Ben Davies) 15 Environmental Ethics: Climate Change (Jonathan Spelman) 16 Rape, Date Rape, and the “Affirmative Consent” Law in California (Noah Levin) 17 The Ethics of Pornography: Deliberating on a Modern Harm (Eduardo Salazar) 18 The Social Contract (Thomas Hobbes) UNIT FOUR: HAPPINESS 19 Is Pleasure all that Matters? Thoughts on the “Experience Machine” (Prabhpal Singh) 20 Utilitarianism (J.S. Mill) 21 Utilitarianism: Pros and Cons (B.M. Wooldridge) 22 Existentialism, Genetic Engineering, and the Meaning of Life: The Fifths (Noah Levin) 23 The Solitude of the Self (Elizabeth Cady Stanton) 24 Game Theory, the Nash Equilibrium, and the Prisoner’s Dilemma (Douglas E. Hill) UNIT FIVE: RELIGION, LAW, AND ABSOLUTE MORALITY 25 The Myth of Gyges and The Crito (Plato) 26 God, Morality, and Religion (Kristin Seemuth Whaley) 27 The Categorical Imperative (Immanuel Kant) 28 The Virtues (Aristotle) 29 Beyond Good and Evil (Friedrich Nietzsche) 30 Other Moral Theories: Subjectivism, Relativism, Emotivism, Intuitionism, etc. (Jan F. Jacko

Draft Function Allocation Framework and Preliminary Technical Basis for Advanced SMR Concepts of Operations

This report presents preliminary research results from the investigation in to the development of new models and guidance for concepts of operations (ConOps) in advanced small modular reactor (aSMR) designs. In support of this objective, three important research areas were included: operating principles of multi-modular plants, functional allocation models and strategies that would affect the development of new, non-traditional concept of operations, and the requiremetns for human performance, based upon work domain analysis and current regulatory requirements. As part of the approach for this report, we outline potential functions, including the theoretical and operational foundations for the development of a new functional allocation model and the identification of specific regulatory requirements that will influence the development of future concept of operations. The report also highlights changes in research strategy prompted by confirmationof the importance of applying the work domain analysis methodology to a reference aSMR design. It is described how this methodology will enrich the findings from this phase of the project in the subsequent phases and help in identification of metrics and focused studies for the determination of human performance criteria that can be used to support the design process

Centrifugal Pump Operation, Maintenance, and Reliability

Discussion GroupRepair Specs, use, in house repair specs Lube oil storage and usage Mechanical seals and bearings issues Pump monitoring how are we doing this and how do we want to do this Craft training precision maintenance Best practices for pump maintenance; Back pullout vs. pulling entire pump: Open bearing housings vs sealed wet sump Seal plan which was not expected wrong for the application Preventive/predictive technologies Off design operation Mean time between failure (MTBF), other KPIs how do we measure, and how do we use the metrics How to create pump reliability in an unreliable plant Seal-less versus sealed pump reliability, canned motor pumps versus mag drive pump reliability Mechanical Integrity Inspections of VS 6 pumps in hydrocarbon service Seals in light hydrocarbon service operations, risk, leak response, maintenance Pump predictive/preventive maintenance program elements philosophy, frequencies. Measures of effectiveness of preventive and predictive programs for pumps Roles of operations and maintenance/reliability in improvements and data collection Reliability experience with liquid versus non contacting gas seals applications Maintenance philosophy for pumps what constitutes best practices Spare parts OEM versus non-OEM Repairs OEM versus non-OEM service facilities Pump foundation, alignment and pipe strain influence of reliability Impact of corporate purchasing alliances on pump reliability a. Repair facilities alliances b. New equipment purchasing alliances Repair techniques and material improvements Portable and on-line monitoring impact on reliability Wireless monitoring impact on reliability and risk of failure Optimization of thrust bearings configuratio

The Ursinus Weekly, December 13, 1973

J. Board reactivates; Tries first case in three years • Service project going well as U.C. students aid area children • Special correspondent tells tale of wonder and awe • Mr. Xaras says art is necessary • Nine Ursinus students selected for Who’s Who • Editorial: A step in the right direction; What happened to Thanksgiving? • Letters to the editor: Is sex necessary?; Where is the mail?; Responsibility and the Ursinus woman; A disapproval; Respect for science; Basement telephone; Morning noises; Breaking the rule • B. Dale Davis, from bulletin, speaks at forum • The Stage: The second shepherd’s play • Faculty Portrait: Charles T. Sullivan, psychology teacher • The Zodiac: Fate or free will? The Zodiac vs. magic • Donald F. Zucker speaks to meeting of Socratic club • Sermon on the monstrosity • Final exam schedule • Four straight victorieshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1008/thumbnail.jp

Environmental Change and Sustainability of Indigenous Languages in Northern Alaska

Relatively few people under the age of 60 are fluent speakers of the various Indigenous languages of Alaska. Concurrently, climate change is severely impacting Alaska and its residents, where environments are changing far more rapidly than the majority of the planet. These factors complicate the land-language nexus and may have implications for the sustainability of Indigenous languages in Alaska and other parts of the Arctic. In this collaborative, community-centered project, we spoke with Iñupiaq and Yupik language speakers to learn how rapid environmental change affects heritage language discourse practices and how generational gaps in levels of heritage language fluency affect safety and efficacy of customary and traditional land use activities. The results show how local community choices and attitudes are reflecting and constructing dynamic ecologies of language, culture, and environment. Iñupiaq and Yupik languages provide important forms of socio-cultural resilience because they embed the past, yet are inherently dynamic. Community-driven social practices that promote increased local heritage language use can lead to new, creative language domains, new expressions of Indigenous culture, and new Indigenous stances toward a changing environment.  Relativement peu de personnes de moins de 60 ans parlent les diverses langues autochtones de l’Alaska couramment. En même temps, le changement climatique a de fortes incidences sur l’Alaska et ses habitants, où l’environnement change beaucoup plus vite que dans la majorité de la planète. Ces facteurs compliquent le lien entre la terre et la langue, sans compter qu’ils peuvent avoir des répercussions sur la durabilité des langues autochtones en Alaska et dans d’autres régions de l’Arctique. Dans le cadre de ce projet collaboratif axé sur la communauté, nous nous sommes entretenus avec des locuteurs parlant les langues des Iñupiaq et des Yupik afin d’apprendre comment les changements environnementaux rapides influencent les pratiques linguistiques patrimoniales et comment les écarts générationnels en ce qui a trait aux degrés de facilité verbale des langues du patrimoine influent sur la sécurité et l’efficacité des activités habituelles et traditionnelles liées à l’utilisation de la terre. Les résultats de l’étude illustrent comment les choix et les attitudes des gens de la région sont le reflet d’écologies dynamiques en matière de langue, de culture et d’environnement, et comment ils parviennent à former ces écologies. Les langues des Iñupiaq et des Yupik fournissent d’importantes formes de résilience socioculturelle parce qu’elles incorporent le passé tout en étant intrinsèquement dynamiques. Les pratiques sociales communautaires favorisant une utilisation accrue des langues du patrimoine local peuvent finir par engendrer de nouveaux domaines linguistiques créatifs, de nouvelles expressions de la culture autochtone et de nouvelles positions autochtones à l’égard de l’environnement changeant