Improving PV Module Efficiency Through Cooling

The Solarbacks researched and designed a variety of cooling methods that could be used to improve the efficiency of photovoltaics. These cooling methods can be separated into two categories: active and passive methods. The active cooling method of hydraulic cooling and the passive cooling methods of heat sinks (fins), optical coatings, thermosyphons, phase change materials, and thermoelectric generators were all taken into consideration as potential cooling methods. Passive cooling methods were preferred because the use of electricity required for the cooling mechanism would reduce the net electricity and subsequent profit from the panels. Two variations of hydraulic cooling were researched: water spraying and the use of closed channels along the back of the panel. Both water spraying and closed channels along the back of the panel could effectively cool down photovoltaics, but the energy required to pump the necessary amount of water would exceed the additional power generated from cooling. Both variations would also require significant capital cost and would be difficult to scale up. Two passive methods – thermosyphons and phase change materials – were researched but not tested as a final design. Thermosyphons use heat from the panel to boil a working fluid, increased buoyancy moves the fluid upwards where excess heat is released into the environment, condensing the fluid back into a liquid. This starts the process over again. Thermosyphons have been proven to work effectively for concentrated photovoltaic systems; however, the layout of typical solar farms is not conducive for thermosyphons if they utilize a solar tracking system. Chosen phase change materials would have a melting point that is within the operating range of the heated solar panel, and would cool the panel through conductive heat transfer from the back of the panel to the phase change material. When put in thermal contact with the panel, the panel’s temperature would not exceed the melting temperature of the material until all of it had melted. This method was disregarded because once the material had melted, the panel would no longer be cooled. Additional passive methods were researched and tested. Ideal optical coatings reflect any solar irradiance that is not used by the panel to produce electricity, however, the coatings researched and tested produced minimal cooling. The coating Solarbacks tested was a thin sheet of mylar (saran wrap). The average cooling produced by the saran wrap was about 2.4oC. However, most of this cooling is thought to be a result of a thermosyphon effect because the saran wrap was elevated off the surface of the panel rather than being directly attached. This elevation likely induced forced convection with the outside air to cool the panel. Fins as a heat sink work by increasing the surface area that heat can be dissipated from. One of the biggest disadvantages to fins is that their efficacy is strongly dependent on ambient conditions. The fins tested by Solarbacks were 1” tall, spaced 1” from each other, and placed on a 1/8” aluminum sheet and attached to the photovoltaic panel using a thermal mastic. The approximate cost of materials per panel would be around $28 when materials are purchased in bulk for a 1/32” thickness extruded fin. Testing showed that fins could cool the panel 14oC during peak temperatures and increase power output by about 5.52Thermal electric generators (TEGs) use electrically dissimilar semiconductors to produce an electric current. When put in thermal contact with the back of the panel, the generator would use any excess heat to produce electricity. The heat TEGs use to produce electricity could help cool the panel to some degree, but their main contribution is the additional electricity they generate. This additional electricity would outweigh the losses due to heating and increase the profitability of each solar panel. If the back of a panel was covered with TEGs and a 20oC temperature difference was maintains for 5.5 hr. a day in New Mexico, the TEGs would produce an additional 0.778 kWh/day. The biggest disadvantage to using TEGs is the capital cost. Using typical TEG dimensions (40mm*40mm), 536 of them would need to be bought per panel with each TEG costing about$2.92. Larger TEGs could be produced to fit to back of each panel and could reduce this capital cost significantly. Overall, TEGs with fins provides the greatest amount of panel cooling and additional power production. There is an average of a 12.1°C temperature difference along a panel with this solution installed. Using manufacturer data, an estimated 135W can be produced from the TEGs at a 20°C temperature differential along the TEGs. However, when payout for this method is considered, it would take nearly 45 years. Purchasing additional panels that produce the same amount of power as the TEGs would have a payout period of less than 2 years. TEGs with fins at their current cost is not an economic alternative to purchasing more panels despite its cooling and power production capabilities

Constructing the Imaginative Bridge: Third-Generation Holocaust Narratives

Holocaust survivor and second-generation writers like Primo Levi, Elie Wiesel, and Art Speigelman struggle with Holocaust trauma throughout their writing. Their writing includes certain distinctive characteristics like the hesitancy to speak at all, the “deep sense of moral urgency” to share the truth, and the utter sorrow of acknowledging Holocaust suffering (Teichman and Leder 4). While some survivors wrote to preserve the truth about the Shoah, others believe that the “most appropriate response…is silence” (Teichman and Leder 1). Words fall short, inadequately describe the horrors survivors faced, and seem to almost distort the truth about the Holocaust itself. Survivor silence then translates to their children. The second generation learned not to ask questions, to keep silent themselves, but they still experience a kind of reenacted past that is “not just remembered, it is re-lived” (Katz 240). Although, when faced with their parents’ silence and their own reenacted memories the second generation often attempts to appropriate their parents’ trauma, a characteristic that haunts their writing

Kerouac’s Noble Savage: The Tragic Fate of the Primitive Man Trapped Within Modernity

My research seeks to expand on existing studies of Kerouac’s seminole novel On the Road. Many current Kerouac scholars tend to lump Sal and Dean into a dynamic duo of sorts, but this sort of analysis ignores the fact that Sal never fully integrates into the Hipster crowd that Dean associates with. Even amongst his own friends, Sal seems distinctly on the periphery. Sal’s alienation stems from Kerouac’s own persistent feelings of otherness in American society. Searching for a group to join, Sal attempts to appropriate social and ethnic out-groups’ cultures, a feature that many Kerouac scholars dismiss as simply racist. However, Kerouac creates hyperbolic depictions of race that rely on the performativity of race itself thereby creating racial foils that cannot hope to stand on their own; Kerouac seeks a form of social acceptance that moves beyond racial signifiers. For Sal, Dean serves as an example of how to move beyond those signifiers. Dean also exists as an outsider throughout the novel, but paradoxically one who can feel at home anywhere in America. Kerouac uses Dean’s outsiderness as a model Sal strives for. In order to move beyond racial modifiers, Kerouac portrays Dean as a noble savage, the model primitive man and the version of man in his earliest state of innocence and moral superiority. Sal therefore represents the modern man hoping to return to that idyllic primitive age. Unfortunately, Sal discovers at the end of the novel that modern man cannot regress and accepts his role as the modern man, abandoning Dean. On the Road subsequently tells only Sal’s story and silences Dean’s, leaving the primitive man trapped in the Western lens modern man builds around him. Ultimately, Sal uses Dean as the ultimate Other in order to define his own identity; he relies on the dichotomous relationship between him and the Other and constructs his identity based not on what he is but on what he is not

EVALUATING MICROLEARNING STRATEGIES IN THE CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT: A COMPARATIVE MIXED METHODS STUDY USING THE KIRKPATRICK MODEL

Corporate training and development, despite their significance as primary learning strategies for adults, have received limited research attention. This study addresses this gap by evaluating and comparing the effectiveness of video-based and digital job aid procedural-based microlearning in a corporate setting, utilizing most of the Kirkpatrick Model: learner satisfaction, knowledge retention, and behavior change. Employing a mixed methods approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of microlearning’s application and potential for improving business outcomes, the study incorporates pre- and post-tests, participant interviews, and self-reported questionnaires. Thirty participants completed the study, with equal representation (15 participants each) for both modalities, and interviews were conducted with 10 participants from each group. The results reveal that the type of microlearning treatment does not significantly impact knowledge retention, while the time elapsed since learning does influence retention. Additionally, the modality of the microlearning treatment may impact behavior change, although further investigations are necessary to examine the role of bias related to treatment preference and individual roles. Further findings indicate that participants favored a mixed modality microlearning approach for corporate training needs, involving initial training through videos and follow-up reference material through job aids. Furthermore, participants preferred knowledge evaluation methods such as quizzes or application-based assessments to apply and evaluate their understanding of the content. Future research should explore the impact of microlearning strategies on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a business context, as well as the relationship between application-based training and knowledge transfer. Additionally, investigating the influence of peers and supervisors on behavioral change, as well as the impact of content management on cognitive load, would be valuable. Ultimately, this research seeks to bridge the gap between educational theory and practical implementation for instructional or learning designers and training, development, and/or enablement leaders, empowering them to make informed decisions regarding business practices and learning modalities

Lung-Protective Ventilation Across the Lifespan: Implementation of an Intraoperative Protocol for Adults and Pediatrics

Traditional ventilation strategies have been shown to lead to the development of lung injury and postoperative pulmonary complications. Lung-protective ventilation (LPV) strategies for adults include low tidal volumes of 6-8 mL/kg based on ideal body weight, moderate levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), incremental recruitment maneuvers routinely and as needed, and low fraction of inspired oxygen. Recommendations for pediatrics are similar, with some suggesting a more liberal limit for tidal volumes of less than 10 mL/kg based on predicted body weight. However, adoption of LPV strategies is not universal. Completed objectives of this practice project included thoroughly reviewing literature relating to contemporary intraoperative LPV strategies, synthesis of findings into a list of recommendations, presentation of these recommendations to anesthesia providers at the host facility, programming new recruitment maneuver functions into facility ventilators, and providing a laminated infographic to encourage compliance. After the presentation, 20 staff members voluntarily completed an anonymous questionnaire. Results indicated the educational presentation increased provider knowledge of LPV, and most respondents expressed willingness to support implementation of the strategies. Additionally, a large majority of respondents reported confidence that implementing LPV strategies would improve patient outcomes

Effects of School Meal Consumption on School-Related Factors in Elementary School-Aged Children

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perception of student school meal preferences in an elementary school setting. This was a cross-sectional mixed-methods study that is part of a larger study to develop a nutrition education program for elementary school children. Focus groups and surveys were administered to faculty at a charter school in downtown Orlando to gain insight into the types of food offered at school and student response to these food items. All members of the faculty were invited to participate in the study, and seven teachers volunteered to take part in this study. Focus groups were recorded using tape recorders; they were then transcribed verbatim and coded independently by two research assistants. Results of this study showed that according to members of faculty, overall, the food served in school during breakfast and lunch is of poor quality. Portion sizes were acceptable according to participants, however, there is still too much food is being wasted. The students do not respond well to breakfast or lunch, which has adversely affected the academic performance of students as well as their classroom behavior due to hunger and low energy levels. It was also noted that older children expressed interest in learning about topics pertaining to nutrition. This study is the first stage of a larger initiative to develop nutrition education programs and to encourage conversation regarding school meal reform, especially as it pertains to those individuals of low socioeconomic status. The implications for this study could be beneficial for a wide-range of children who attend school on a daily basis

Haunting the Future: Imagining Other Futures in Contemporary Diasporic Black and Diasporic Jewish Literature

Haunting the Future: Imagining Other Futures in Contemporary Diasporic Black and Diasporic Jewish Literature examines how ghosts help those they haunt recognize other ways of understanding history, subjectivity, and living in the aftermath of violence. Most importantly, Haunting the Future, argues that ghosts reveal other, potential futures, and encourage the living to build better futures. This study unsettles the assumption that we must always exorcise our ghosts. What happens if we stop expecting exorcism and instead allow literary ghosts can teach us how to honor the past without letting it possess us and how to build more ethical futures? This question at the core of Haunting the Future pushes us to reconsider what ghosts do and represent in contemporary literature. While previous studies of haunting often consider it a symptom of traumatic repetition or a representation a past that will not rest in peace, Haunting the Future explores how haunting is actually often working in service of the future. Haunting, in other words, is more than simply the resurrection and repetition of past traumas, but functions as a way of engaging in ethical future building. Haunting in this sense, works directly against the concept that history repeats itself and that ghosts are simply repetitions of past trauma; haunting is wholly concerned with the future. This project is organized into two main sections. The first section, “Undoing Expectations and Rethinking the Ghost,” discusses the traditional interpretations of ghosts and the expectations that go along with these. The two works of literature analyzed in this first section each push against these expectations and open other avenues for understanding what ghosts are capable of. Rethinking ghosts makes critics more receptive to other ways that ghosts work upon those they haunt. The second section, “Creating Haunted Futures,” puts these retheorizations into action by analyzing how two works of literature and two memorial museums deploy haunting in service of the future. This section argues against the assumption that ghosts are representations of a troubled or troubling past. Rather, it argues that ghosts help illuminate the ways in which the future can be made better, especially for those who come from legacies of violence. At its most distilled, the core principle of Haunting the Future remains actually quite straightforward: listen to ghosts and they will show us how to achieve better, more ethical futures

Selfie-Objectification: Does Taking One’s Own Picture Increase Levels of State Self-Objectification among College Females?

The current experiment investigated the effects of taking a selfie on self-objectification. In the experiment, 107 women either took 5 selfies, unlimited selfies, had 5 photos taken of them, or had no photos taken. Participants completed an Objectified Body Consciousness Scale and 10 “I am” statements, which were coded for self-objectification. Women in the unlimited selfie condition made more appearance-based self-statements than those whose photos were not taken