Vulnerability of the National Electric Grid to Renewable Power Consumption

Business/Education/Speech and Hearing Science (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)Trends over the past 25 years suggest a decline in fossil fuel consumption per capita and an increase in per capita consumption of renewable energies. Consumption per capita of energy generated from fossil fuels, as a percentage of the total per capita consumption, declined from 92.3% to 89.3%, while per capita consumption of renewables increased from 7.7% to 12.0%. Should these trends persist, the utilities sector could be in danger of decreased profits, which could lead to cost cutting measures and ultimately a lessening of maintenance for the national electric grid in the distant future. A multiple linear regression model was created to forecast the future affect that a switch in energy consumption would have on the utilities sector in the United States and the price sensitivity in different sectors. The model utilizes annual renewable energy consumption per capita and sector-based electricity pricing to predict the annual consumption of fossil fuels per capita. Forecasts for fossil fuel consumption per capita could show how the current landscape of the utilities sector, which generates power largely from fossil fuels, will be troubled, should sector strategies not adapt. Based off of the predictive model, should current trends persist, the utilities sector will see decreasing profits. To counteract lower profits, electricity prices may increase to some customers, potentially causing consumers to search for alternate sources of electricity. Though not an immediate threat due to its small share of the energy market, renewable energy trends suggest that consumer’s source of energy will shift in the future, from fossil fuels to renewables. Additionally, changes in regulation throughout the industry could alter the energy landscape further. Without a change to the current structure of the utilities sector, and if facilitated by regulatory alterations, customers could increasingly leave the national electric grid in favor of lower cost alternatives.Academic Major: Financ

RELFUN guide : programming with relations and functions made easy

A practical description of relational/functional programming in RELFUN is given. The language constructs are introduced by a tutorial dialog. Builtins, primitives, and commands are explained. Examples are given on all aspects relevant to using the language

Quantum chaos in nanoelectromechanical systems

We present a theoretical study of the electron-phonon coupling in suspended nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and investigate the resulting quantum chaotic behavior. The phonons are associated with the vibrational modes of a suspended rectangular dielectric plate, with free or clamped boundary conditions, whereas the electrons are confined to a large quantum dot (QD) on the plate's surface. The deformation potential and piezoelectric interactions are considered. By performing standard energy-level statistics we demonstrate that the spectral fluctuations exhibit the same distributions as those of the Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble (GOE) or the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE), therefore evidencing the emergence of quantum chaos. That is verified for a large range of material and geometry parameters. In particular, the GUE statistics occurs only in the case of a circular QD. It represents an anomalous phenomenon, previously reported for just a small number of systems, since the problem is time-reversal invariant. The obtained results are explained through a detailed analysis of the Hamiltonian matrix structure.Comment: 14 pages, two column

Costs and cost-effectiveness of neonatal HIV early infant diagnosis (EID) versus standard of care EID in Mozambique and Tanzania

Introduction: Prompt and affordable access to early infant diagnosis (EID) for HIV is critical, especially for neonates acquiring HIV during gestation for whom mortality in the first months of life is high without treatment. Late diagnosis causes delays in access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. Point-of-care (PoC) testing at birth offers an opportunity for same-day treatment initiation at the earliest time possible. However, accurate cost data is needed for planning scale-up and assessing sustainability of EID programs. Methods: We estimated the health system cost of birth plus 4–6-week testing (very early infant diagnosis; VEID) compared to standard of care (SoC) HIV testing at 4-6 weeks only, both with immediate linkage to treatment. This cost and cost-effectiveness study was nested within the cluster-randomized LIFE study conducted at 28 primary health facilities and evaluated costs of using the Abbott mPIMATM in Mozambique and Cepheid GeneXpert® in Tanzania for HIV testing. We report empirical costs in the LIFE study and additionally simulate integrated and EID program costs scaled to routine demand for EID. Results: The estimated cost per test in the LIFE study was $39.12 (95$37.69, $39.99) for VEID versus$40.57 ($40.57,$42.84) for SoC in Mozambique and $36.23 ($34.99, $38.40) for VEID versus$43.88 ($41.12,$45.21) for SoC in Tanzania. Estimated cost per HIV-exposed infant tested and initiated on ART were $85.44 ($84.17, $87.64) for VEID versus$37.05 ($36.47,$38.51) for SoC in Mozambique and $68.34 ($67.15, $71.99) for VEID versus$37.38 ($35.31,$38.82) for SoC in Tanzania. Neonates tested at birth started ART at median 0.86 weeks of age compared to 4.71 weeks of age receiving SoC procedures (p<0.0001). Scaling costs to current routine demand for EID reduced the test cost by up to 28% in Mozambique and up to 14% in Tanzania. Utilization of PoC platforms varied across time and health facility, with many sites exhibiting potential to increase efficiency and reduce equipment costs by increasing utilization. Conclusion: Birth testing is more expensive but results in more frequent and significantly earlier ART initiation. When considering placement of limited PoC analyzers and scale-up of EID programs, alternative solutions that increase efficiency of PoC analyzers such as multiplexing for cost-sharing across programs or increasing access to PoC testing through hub-and-spoke service delivery should be explored

Draconian Yet Constitutional: The Republic of Ireland\u27s Offences against the State Act (1998)

On August 15, 1998, a terrorist bomb exploded in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The 500-pound bomb, which detonated in the main marketplace of the city, killed twenty-eight people and injured more than 200 others. Following the tragedy, Ireland\u27s Prime Minister Ahern pledged to bring those responsible to justice by making certain amendments to the Offences Against the State Act of 1939. This Note discusses whether the Prime Minister and the government of the Republic of Ireland succeeded in this task, and if their efforts conform to the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights

Draconian Yet Constitutional: The Republic of Ireland\u27s Offences against the State Act (1998)

On August 15, 1998, a terrorist bomb exploded in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The 500-pound bomb, which detonated in the main marketplace of the city, killed twenty-eight people and injured more than 200 others. Following the tragedy, Ireland\u27s Prime Minister Ahern pledged to bring those responsible to justice by making certain amendments to the Offences Against the State Act of 1939. This Note discusses whether the Prime Minister and the government of the Republic of Ireland succeeded in this task, and if their efforts conform to the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights

Short-term Athletic Foreign Tours and Student Learning Outcomes: A Program Evaluation

Many studies have shown that the same student learning outcomes observed in long-term study abroad can be met during short-term programs, if executed correctly. Intercollegiate athletic foreign travel tours (AFTs) are similar to short-term study abroad programs, but little research has been done on these programs. By analyzing qualitative and quantitative data from surveys of student-athletes who recently participated in AFTs, as well as interviews with relevant staff members, I was able to determine strengths of the program and identify areas for growth. The evaluation process shaped organizational change recommendations, along with an institutional policy that will allow the AFT program to better facilitate the student learning outcomes related to intercultural competency and the development of student-athletes through global experience

Anomalous quantum chaotic behavior in nanoelectromechanical structures

It is predicted that for sufficiently strong electron-phonon coupling an anomalous quantum chaotic behavior develops in certain types of suspended electro-mechanical nanostructures, here comprised by a thin cylindrical quantum dot (billiard) on a suspended rectangular dielectric plate. The deformation potential and piezoelectric interactions are considered. As a result of the electron-phonon coupling between the two systems the spectral statistics of the electro-mechanic eigenenergies exhibit an anomalous behavior. If the center of the quantum dot is located at one of the symmetry axes of the rectangular plate, the energy level distributions correspond to the Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble (GOE), otherwise they belong to the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE), even though the system is time-reversal invariant.Comment: 4 pages, pdf forma