Experimentation and the evaluation of energy efficiency programs

The use of experiments— particularly randomized controlled trials (RCTs) where subjects are randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions—has rarely been applied to the process of improving the design of energy efficiency programs and, more fundamentally, to determining the net savings from energy efficiency programs. This paper discusses the use of experimentation in the energy efficiency program field with the hope of explaining how these experiments can be used, and identifying the barriers to their use will cause more experimentation to occur. First, a brief overview of experimental methods is presented. This discussion describes the advantages and disadvantages of conducting experiments in the context of the development and evaluation of energy efficiency programs. It then discusses barriers to the use of experimental methods (including cost and equity issues) and suggests some ways of overcoming these barriers. Finally, recommendations are made for implementing key social experiments, discussing the types of energy efficiency programs and issues that can make use of experimentation and variables that one might use for selecting treatments.     

Effect of pasture versus indoor feeding systems on quality characteristics,nutritional composition,and sensory and volatile properties of full-fat Cheddar cheese

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pasture-based versus indoor total mixed ration (TMR) feeding systems on the chemical composition, quality characteristics, and sensory properties of full-fat Cheddar cheeses. Fifty-four multiparous and primiparous Friesian cows were divided into 3 groups (n = 18) for an entire lactation. Group 1 was housed indoors and fed a TMR diet of grass silage, maize silage, and concentrates; group 2 was maintained outdoors on perennial ryegrass only pasture (GRS); and group 3 was maintained outdoors on perennial ryegrass/white clover pasture (CLV). Full-fat Cheddar cheeses were manufactured in triplicate at pilot scale from each feeding system in September 2015 and were examined over a 270-d ripening period at 8°C. Pasture-derived feeding systems were shown to produce Cheddar cheeses yellower in color than that of TMR, which was positively correlated with increased cheese β-carotene content. Feeding system had a significant effect on the fatty acid composition of the cheeses. The nutritional composition of Cheddar cheese was improved through pasture-based feeding systems, with significantly lower thrombogenicity index scores and a greater than 2-fold increase in the concentration of vaccenic acid and the bioactive conjugated linoleic acid C18:2 cis-9,trans-11, whereas TMR-derived cheeses had significantly higher palmitic acid content. Fatty acid profiling of cheeses coupled with multivariate analysis showed clear separation of Cheddar cheeses derived from pasture-based diets (GRS or CLV) from that of a TMR system. Such alterations in the fatty acid profile resulted in pasture-derived cheeses having reduced hardness scores at room temperature. Feeding system and ripening time had a significant effect on the volatile profile of the Cheddar cheeses. Pasture-derived Cheddar cheeses had significantly higher concentrations of the hydrocarbon toluene, whereas TMR-derived cheese had significantly higher concentration of 2,3-butanediol. Ripening period resulted in significant alterations to cheese volatile profiles, with increases in acid-, alcohol-, aldehyde-, ester-, and terpene-based volatile compounds. This study has demonstrated the benefits of pasture-derived feeding systems for production of Cheddar cheeses with enhanced nutritional and rheological quality compared with a TMR feeding system.     

Synthesis of High Refractive Index Silicone Materials Incorporating Aromatic Moieties with Adjacent Linkage Groups for Flexible Electronic Displays

The refractive index study of copoly(arylene-siloxane)s constructed with amide, ester, or ether linkage units was conducted to synthesize a step-growth polymer for application in flexible displays. The copoly(arylene-siloxane) based materials have potential use in optical applications due to their durability, flexibility, and possession of good optical clarity properties when compared to conventional silica-filled polydimethylsiloxane-based materials. Measurement of refractive index (RI) was used as the main mode of analysis due to its direct correlation to optical clarity and material flexibility. Synthesis and characterization, including RI compiled data, was performed for six series of step-growth polymers. Effects of different linkage units, namely amides, esters, and ethers, adjacent to at least one six-membered cyclic unit (aromatic or aliphatic) were evaluated. It was observed that the refractive index of these polymers was directly proportional to the aryl content; however, the influence on RI was not equal across all types of linkage units. The highest RI copolymer, poly(4,4-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate-co-carbinol-terminated polydimethylsiloxane) (MDI-SD1.0k), yielded refractive index 1.470 and molecular weight (M_n) 16,100 g/mol; however, the copolymer poly(toluene-2,4-diisocyanate-co-carbinol-terminated polydimethylsiloxane) (TDI-SD) had the highest RI (1.462) per phenyl content. The 4,4-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI), and hydrogenated methylenediphenyl-4,4-diisocyanate (HMDI) amide containing linkages best improved the refractive indices of the materials studied.     

Determination of the effect of dairy powders on adherence of Streptococcus sobrinus and Streptococcus salivarius to hydroxylapatite and growth of these bacteria

Dental caries is a highly prevalent disease caused by colonisation of tooth surfaces by cariogenic bacteria, such as Streptococcus sobrinus and Streptococcus salivarius. Reducing initial adherence of such bacteria to teeth may delay onset of caries. Many foods, such as milk, can inhibit microbial adherence. In this investigation, the effect of untreated (UT) and enzyme-treated (ET) dairy powders on adherence of S. sobrinus and S. salivarius to hydroxylapatite (HA), an analogue of tooth enamel, was examined. Untreated (UT) acid whey protein concentrate (AWPC) 80 inhibited streptococcal adherence to phosphate-buffered saline-coated HA (PBS-HA) and saliva-coated HA (S-HA) by >80% at ?31.25 μg mL⁻¹. UT sweet WPC80, buttermilk powder and cream powder also significantly reduced adherence (P < 0.05). Enzyme-treatment of all dairy powders reduced their anti-adhesion activity. However, ET sweet WPC80 significantly inhibited growth of these streptococci (P < 0.05) at ?0.6 mg mL⁻¹. Therefore, dairy powders may reduce progression of dental caries by their anti-adhesion and/or antibacterial activity.     

The impact of family and community violence on children’s depression trajectories: Examining the interactions of violence exposure, family social support, and gender.

This longitudinal study used multilevel modeling to examine the relationships between witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV), community and school violence exposure (CSVE), family social support, gender, and depression over 2 years within a sample of 100 school-aged children. We found significant between-child differences in both the initial levels of depression and the trajectories of depression; depression over time was positively associated with change in witnessing IPV and CSVE and negatively associated with change in support. Two significant 3-way interactions were found: Gender and initial support, as well as gender and initial witnessing IPV, both significantly moderated the effect of change in witnessing IPV on the children’s depression over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of the Water Poverty Index at Different Scales: A Cautionary Tale

Abstract

The Water Poverty Index is an integrated tool developed on the basis of extensive consultation with a range of scientists, practitioners and policymakers. It is primarily designed for use at the community level to enable more holistic water-resource assessments on a site-specific basis. It can however be applied at different scales to suit different needs. One of the motivations to design such a tool was an attempt to move away from the conventional, purely deterministic, approaches to water assessment, relying primarily on models and large-scale data. In today's world such an approach is inappropriate, ill representing the complexities of modern water-allocation decisions where economic, political and social issues all have a powerful role to play. This paper highlights some applications of the Water Poverty Index at different spatial scales and discusses the implications of applying indicators at these different scales.     

Effects of emulsifying salts reduction on imitation cheese manufacture and functional properties

Imitation cheese (48%, 50% and 52% moisture) was manufactured using a Farinograph. The standard emulsifying salts (ES) concentration was 1.4%, giving a casein:ES ratio of 19:12. The effect of ES reduction on cheese manufacture and functionality, assessed by texture profile analysis, heat-induced flowability and dynamic rheology, was studied. Microstructure was investigated by light and cryo-scanning electron microscopy. Reducing ES increased processing time and hardness and decreased flowability and fat globule diameter. In comparison to standard ES, a reduction of up to 20% produced cheeses in reasonable processing times with slightly altered functionality. On further ES reduction, processing times greatly increased giving much harder and less meltable cheeses. Reducing ES by 40% increased processing times ∼3-fold, halved fat globule diameter and flowability and doubled hardness, compared to standard cheeses. At ES reduction above 40% the product obtained, after prolonged processing time, bore little resemblance to cheese.     

Main, mediating, and moderating effects of social support on the well-being of survivors of intimate partner violence across 2 years.

Intimate partner violence is a serious and pervasive social problem with deleterious consequences for survivors’ well-being. The current study involved interviewing 160 survivors 6 times over 2 years to examine the role of social support in explaining or buffering these negative psychological consequences. The authors examined both between- and within-persons variability to explore women’s trajectories regarding their experiences of abuse, social support, depression, and quality of life (QOL). Findings revealed the complex role of social support on women’s well-being. Evidence was found for main, mediating, and moderating effects of social support on women’s well-being. First, social support was positively related to QOL and negatively related to depression. Social support also partially explained the effect of baseline level and subsequent change in physical abuse on QOL and depression over time, partially mediated the effects of change in psychological abuse, and moderated the impact of abuse on QOL. The buffering effects of social support were strongest at lower levels of abuse. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of ventilation rate per person and per floor area on perceived air quality,sick building syndrome symptoms,and decision‐making

Ventilation rates (VRs) in buildings must adequately control indoor levels of pollutants; however, VRs are constrained by the energy costs. Experiments in a simulated office assessed the effects of VR per occupant on perceived air quality (PAQ), Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms, and decision‐making performance. A parallel set of experiments assessed the effects of VR per unit floor area on the same outcomes. Sixteen blinded healthy young adult subjects participated in each study. Each exposure lasted four hours and each subject experienced two conditions in a within‐subject study design. The order of presentation of test conditions, day of testing, and gender were balanced. Temperature, relative humidity, VRs, and concentrations of pollutants were monitored. Online surveys assessed PAQ and SBS symptoms and a validated computer‐based tool measured decision‐making performance. Neither changing the VR per person nor changing the VR per floor area, had consistent statistically significant effects on PAQ or SBS symptoms. However, reductions in either occupant‐based VR or floor‐area‐based VR had a significant and independent negative impact on most decision‐making measures. These results indicate that the changes in VR employed in the study influence performance of healthy young adults even when PAQ and SBS symptoms are unaffected.