Clean, cheap, and just : sustainability values expressed in Austin’s residential solar rebate policies and by Austin residents

Residential solar panels have great promise to reduce dependence on energy from carbon-emitting sources. However, the high cost of solar panels puts the technology out of reach for many residents and compels utilities to provide subsidies for their purchase. This master’s thesis investigates the manifestation of economic, environmental, and social equity interests in Austin Energy’s residential solar rebate program through the perspective of the utility and of the residents of Austin, Texas. I situate the thesis in the context of climate change, local inequality, and the externalities of conventional energy choices. I then evaluate the expression of sustainability values embedded within solar technology policy and implementation through three areas of inquiry: an examination of residential solar incentives, including interviews with utility personnel at Austin Energy and CPS Energy in San Antonio; an analysis of survey data indicating resident perceptions of solar technology; and a comparison of the energy used by solar panel owners and non-owners. I found that, as hypothesized, economic interests dominate a more moderate showing of environmental values and a smattering of social issues in terms of policy design and residential perceptions. However, energy use data showed that solar panels do significantly reduce household energy consumption drawn from the grid, including during times of peak demand. Research findings indicate a need for a better connection of social interests with economic and environmental values when it comes to residential solar technology policy and adoption.Community and Regional PlanningSustainable Desig

The biomechanical role of the chondrocranium and sutures in a lizard cranium

The role of soft tissues in skull biomechanics remains poorly understood. Not least, the chondrocranium, the portion of the braincase which persists as cartilage with varying degrees of mineralization. It also remains commonplace to overlook the biomechanical role of sutures despite evidence that they alter strain distribution. Here, we examine the role of both the sutures and the chondrocranium in the South American tegu lizard Salvator merianae. We use multi-body dynamics analysis (MDA) to provide realistic loading conditions for anterior and posterior unilateral biting and a detailed finite element model to examine strain magnitude and distribution. We find that strains within the chondrocraniumare greatest during anterior biting and are primarily tensile; also that strain within the cranium is not greatly reduced by the presence of the chondrocraniumunless it is given the same material properties as bone. This result contradicts previous suggestions that the anterior portion (the nasal septum) acts as a supporting structure. Inclusion of sutures to the cranium model not only increases overall strain magnitudes but also leads to a more complex distribution of tension and compression rather than that of a beam under sagittal bending

Bond to Society, Collectivism, and Conformity: A Comparative Study of Japanese and American College Students.

An argument is developed that the purported collectivism in Japanese society generates stronger social bonds in Japan than in the more individualistic United States, which might then explain the lower level of deviance often found in Japan. We test this using survey data from samples of Japanese and American college students on measures of deviance and social bonds. Results indicate that Japanese students engage in significantly less deviance than Americans, and although variables from Hirschi\u27s (1969) social control theory behave similarly across cultures as predictors of deviance, the theory failed to account for the lower level of deviance among Japanese

Cumulative Sexual Victimization and Mental Health Outcomes Among Incarcerated Women

This research explores the relationship between three different types of self-reported sexual victimization and subsequent mental health problems in a sample of incarcerated women. Previous literature establishes a link between victimization histories and poor mental health outcomes. This study focuses on sexual victimization experienced as a child, as an adolescent and as an adult, both individually and cumulatively, in relation to entering prison with a mental health diagnosis as well as reporting current depressive symptoms while incarcerated. Each type of victimization is significantly related to both prior mental health diagnosis and current depression in prison. Furthermore, there is an additive effect on both mental health diagnosis and symptoms of depression

A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Disjunctive Between Aspirations and Expectations/Perceived Outcomes: Strain and Academic Deviance in the United States and Japan*

Using comparable self-reported survey data collected among college students in the United States (n = 502) and Japan (n = 441), this study examines a paradox of higher academic deviance among otherwise more conforming Japanese youth while revisiting the debate concerning the disjuncture between aspirations and expectations/perceived outcomes in Agnew’s general strain theory (GST). Confirming the paradox, our results indicate that Japanese students are significantly more deviant academically than Ameri- can students. However, contrary to the expectation of GST, but in support of past empir- ical studies, the higher academic deviance among the Japanese, as compared to Americans, is explained by their lower aspirations, irrespective of the levels of expecta- tions/perceived outcome