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1 – 7 of 7Serhat Yüksel and Gözde Gülseven Ubay
No carbon gas is released into the atmosphere in electricity production with wind energy. Therefore, this type of energy is significantly environmentally friendly. On the other…
Abstract
No carbon gas is released into the atmosphere in electricity production with wind energy. Therefore, this type of energy is significantly environmentally friendly. On the other hand, thanks to wind energy investments, a country can produce its own energy. This reduces the country’s foreign dependency on energy. Due to these positive aspects, increasing wind energy investments is very important for both the social and economic development of the country. The aim of this study is to define the most appropriate government support to improve wind energy investments. In this context, four different criteria are defined in this regard by making a detailed literature review. In the analysis process, fuzzy AHP methodology is considered. Within this framework, the comparative evaluations of three different experts are obtained. The findings indicate that providing loans with low-interest rate is the most appropriate government support for the wind energy investors. Additionally, it is also defined that tax deduction is another important issue for this purpose. However, it is also identified that appropriate location supply and purchase guarantee of the product produced have lower importance in comparison with the others. It is strongly recommended that governments should provide loans to the wind energy investors. This strategy can minimize the problem of high initial cost so that it can be much easier to attract the attention of the investors.
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Guoqing Tang and Caesar R. Jackson
In this chapter, we present our ongoing efforts in developing and sustaining interdisciplinary STEM undergraduate programs at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) – a…
Abstract
In this chapter, we present our ongoing efforts in developing and sustaining interdisciplinary STEM undergraduate programs at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) – a state-supported HBCU and National Science Foundation (NSF) Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Institutional Implementation Project grantee. Through three rounds of NSF HBCU-UP implementation grants, a concerted effort has been made in developing interdisciplinary STEM undergraduate research programs in geophysical and environmental science (in round 1), geospatial, computational, and information science (in round 2), and mathematical and computational biology (in round 3) on NCA&T campus. We first present a brief history and background information about the interdisciplinary STEM undergraduate research programs developed and sustained at NCA&T, giving rationales on how these programs had been conceived, and summarizing what have been achieved. Next we give a detailed description on the development of undergraduate research infrastructure including building research facilities through multiple and leveraged funding sources, and engaging a core of committed faculty mentors and research collaborators. We then present, as case studies, some sample interdisciplinary research projects in which STEM undergraduate students were engaged and project outcomes. Successes associated to our endeavor in developing undergraduate research programs as well as challenges and opportunities on implementing and sustaining these efforts are discussed. Finally, we discuss the impact of well-structured undergraduate research training on student success in terms of academic performance, graduation rate and continuing graduate study, and summarize many of the learnings we have gained from implementation and delivery of undergraduate research experiences at HBCUs.
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Klaas van Zyl, Dominika Kalinowska, Jean-Loup Madre and Bob Leore
Dafna Merom and Robert Korycinski
The mid-1990s marked a paradigm shift in the way physical activity is promoted, and walking is now considered the most suitable type of physical activity for widespread promotion…
Abstract
The mid-1990s marked a paradigm shift in the way physical activity is promoted, and walking is now considered the most suitable type of physical activity for widespread promotion. Accurate measurement underpins public health practice, hence the aims of this chapter are to: (1) provide a typology for the measurement of walking; (2) review methods to assess walking; (3) present challenges in defining walking measures; (4) identify issues in selecting instruments for the evaluation of walking and (5) discuss current efforts to overcome measurement challenges and methodological limitations. The taxonomy of walking indicates that secondary purpose walking is a more complex set of behaviours than primary purpose walks. It has many purposes and no specific domain or intensity, may lack regularity, and therefore poses greater measurement challenges. Objective measurement methods, such as accelerometers, pedometers, smartphones and other electronic devices, have shown good approximation for walking energy expenditure, but are indirect methods of walking assessment. Global Positioning System technology, the ‘Smartmat’ and radio-frequency identification tags are potential objective methods that can distinguish walkers, but also require complex analysis, are costly, and still need their measurement properties corroborated. Subjective direct methods, such as questionnaires, diaries and direct observation, provide the richest information on walking, especially short-term diaries, such as trip records and time use records, and are particularly useful for assessing secondary purpose walking. A unifying measure for health research, surveillance and health promotion would strongly advance the understanding of the impact of walking on health.
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Daniel Sperling, Shinya Hanaoka, Akira Okada, Makoto Okazaki, Wolfgang Shade and Masaharu Yagishita