Abstract The paper discusses how wind turbines are possibly attracting and killing bats and other wildlife. The paper relates that bats are a "keystone" species responsible for plant dispersion and pest control and serious environmental problems will result if bats die out. Since wind energy is of vital importance, the paper maintains that more research needs to be done to discover ways to avoid bat death on wind farms.
From the Paper "Energy is a "hot button" issue in politics and in the news. Finding new ways to produce energy domestically, and free of additional pollution sources like coal, is important to people and governments around the world. Wind power offers cleaner energy production than coal and many other methods, and is less controversial than nuclear power (Williams, 20). Wind power has already proven a successful source of alternative power in the European Union. As a result, new wind farms have been built in a number of United States locations, including New York state, California, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (Whittelsey 39). The new wind farms have been lauded as an answer to the call for cleaner energy. However, the one downside cited by environmental impact studies is that migrating bats and birds are regularly killed by the wind farm turbines(Whittelsey, 39). These animal deaths seem to happen at wind farms in all areas of the country."
Abstract This paper discusses the process of solar cell manufacturing and looks at each step of the process in detail. The paper describes the processing stages of chlorine-free polysilicon production and describes the purity requirements for the silicon used in solar cells. The paper also briefly looks at the changes in the solar cell manufacturing industry over the past few years.
From the Paper "The very last step of manufacturing a solar cell is adding the electrodes (electrical contacts) and interconnection strips. Electrical contacts connect each solar cell to another, creating a solar panel, and then to the receiver of the produced current. The contacts must be very thin (at least in the front) so as not to block sunlight to the cell. Metals such as silver, nickel, or copper are vacuum-evaporated through either a photo-resister, silkscreen, or they can be deposited on the exposed portion of cells that have been partially covered with wax. All three methods involve a system where the part of the cell on which a contact is not desired is protected, while the rest of the cell is exposed to the metal. And finally, the interconnection strips are soldered into place. Flux is applied to cell interconnection strips before soldering to act as a deoxidizer. It ensures better adhesion between the solder and solar cells. This provides positive contact for an electrical current and greatly lowers the probability of the current shorting out. After applying the solder and flux, the cell surfaces need to be cleaned with a chlorofluorocarbon compound."
Abstract The paper shows how the advice from Toshiba regarding its DVD recorder tends to be very general; the company notes the need to avoid power surges, but does not mention that a surge protector can itself add to the threat of damage in some cases. The paper contends that it would be more useful if the company would address the need for a surge protector, indicate which type and brand would be most effective, and explain how to match a protector to the electronics in the unit.
From the Paper "These warnings are found on a page headed "Important Safety Instructions," including avoiding water and heat and warning to unplug the apparatus during a lightning storm. In addition, the user is warned not to touch the unit or the connecting cables during a thunderstorm (Toshiba 3).
"One of the recommendations is to unplug the device when not using it for a long period of time, and this admonition is echoed by a government report that says to unplug any appliance of electronic device that does not need to stay on when leaving for a time, such as on vacation. One rason given is that these devices draw electricity even when not in use, making this an economic move, but safety and security are also noted and can "prevent damage in case of a storm or power surge" ("Give Your Appliances a Vacation Too" para. 5)."
Abstract This paper examines how the intense interaction between science and religion in the 17th century had an ultimately positive effect on human civilization over the succeeding centuries. The paper explains that these interactions produced played an instrumental role in generating the Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed the world, freed humanity from the bonds of religious dogma, and produced long-term benefits ranging from greatly expanded scientific learning to the dramatic emergence and development of democratic systems of government. The paper then points out that religion and science also clashed in the 17th century because they offered incompatible answers to humanity's existence, to the functioning of the universe, and to humanity's place in it. In the context of this discussion, the paper briefly examines the works of philosophers and scientists like Nicolas Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo and Tycho Brahe.
From the Paper "After lengthy observations and calculations, Kepler eventually discovered that although Copernicus had correctly concluded that the planets of the solar system all orbited around the sun, he had been mistaken in assuming that planetary orbits were circular instead of elliptical. The most positive contribution of Copernicus was his theory that the earth rotates each day on its axis, that it revolves on an annual basis around the sun, and that other planets also revolve around the sun. Yet as revolutionary as this theory was, it was not proven to be true until Galileo observed the heavens and made some startling discoveries that provided that proof."
Tags: modern, world, physics, revolution, Enlightenment, church
Abstract The paper describes nanotechnology and the growth of this field. The paper discusses how, although nanotechnology promises to revolutionize many products and medications in the future, many believe it needs to be researched more completely before releasing it to the public for consumption.
Outline:
Introduction
What it is
Conclusion
From the Paper "For many start up companies across the nation the word nanotechnology strikes a chord. While it is still a small market as compared to many other open markets in today's business world it is a new enough market that it holds promise for the future of start up company success(Challener, 2003).
"The most significant contribution that nanotechnology will make to the business world is the fact that it is very flexible by design and its use. It can be used in many areas of business including automotive technology, aerospace technology, drug delivery and the textile industry."
Abstract This paper compares the use of unmanned arial vehicles (UAV) versus the use of manned aircraft in military observation tactics. The paper asserts that while there are limitations in the use of the UAVs and MAVs, as technologies in this area mature the limitations that are seen in today's craft will be replaced with new applications and technologies making these crafts even more viable for use than in the present. The number one advantage of these aircrafts is the fact that lives will be saved in the tactical reconnaissance mission phases of warfare. Savings will also be seen in the cost associated with reconnaissance missions in terms of fuel, costs of the aircraft, and the other savings of support for these aircraft.
Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Review of the Literature
Findings of the Research
From the Paper "The application that is most important in use of the UAV is clearly the avoidance of human beings in flight during reconnaissance missions better handled by unmanned vehicles. The goals set out by the DAPO development program in terms of 'airborne communications node reconnaissance applications were stated by DAPO to be: (1) reachback to exploitations resources in the continental United States; and (2) direct dissemination to warfighter. (DAPO, 1998) DAPO states that the Information Workgroup Elements of the Global ISR Exchange includes the elements as follows:
(1) Information Consumers;
(2) Reconnaissance/Surveillance Product and Service Information Procedures;
(3) Value-added resellers;
(4) Information Brokers; and
(5) Exchange Regulators. (DAPO, 1998)
"Exchange regulators will be those responsible for establishment and enforcement of rules and regulations for operation and use of the global ISR information exchange."
Abstract The paper discusses the observations and discoveries of physicist and astronomer, Galilei Galileo. The paper also compares his observations to those of other famous atronomers such as Johannes Keplar, Ptolemy and Copernicus.
From the Paper "Interestingly, the sort of heresy that Galileo was convicted of was just the sort of observational assertion that Luther had already predicted the Catholic Church would have trouble with, based upon the fact that they held rationalistic interpretations of the Bible in greater esteem than empirical conclusions arrived at through careful examination. In other words, the Church, by hoarding all of the power to make reforms and philosophical claims about the world, had made itself vulnerable to catastrophic failure once competing worldviews were introduced. Essentially, so much had been built upon the rationalistic claims asserted by the Catholic Church for more than one thousand years, that empirical knowledge was likely to soon begin to contradict dogma. Of course, this did occur quite publicly when Galileo argued in favor of the Copernican, heliocentric model of the solar system. Yet, it would seem, the rationalistic way of perceiving the universe was far more flexible than Luther had initially suspected. Galileo, on the other hand, grasped the philosophical wiggle-room rationalism affords anyone who is willing to accept claims about the world based upon faith."
Abstract The paper presents a proposal for research of RFID security and relates how this technology might be improved upon. The paper further examines the latest developments in RFID technology including that of GEN 2. The paper states that identity management is a critical issue for RFID technology and until these issues are resolved, the need for better identity management will serve as a barrier for implementation of RFID technology. The paper concludes with recommendations for further research.
Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Literature review
Summary & Recommendations for Research
From the Paper "Noted as well in this report is the fact that percent of survey respondents held the number one priority to be national security. It was stated by 56 percent of those participating in the study, all of whom are government IT professionals that they had either "...seen or heard about someone violating their organization or agency's security protocols." (Security Products Magazine, 2008) Watson (2008) states in the work entitled: "Clear Vision: RFID Emerges as Powerful Security Tool" that while RFID security applications "...are easily categorized into tracking personnel and assets, companies are unlikely to find prepackaged RFID solutions from vendors. There is no off-the-shelf RFID..." and furthermore while RFID components have undergone standardization there is no guarantee of RFID component plug-and-play applications. (Watson, 2008; paraphrased) In fact, Ravi Pappu, co-founder and head of the advanced development group for Thing-Magic in Cambridge, Mass states that there is "some black magic that goes on to make an RFID system work."
Abstract This paper explains that a "dirty nuke", a radiological dispersion device (RDD), is a combination of conventional explosives and radioactive material designed to scatter dangerous and sub-lethal amounts of radioactive material over a general area. The author points out that the consensus among experts is that that terrorists are more likely to use a "dirty nuke" rather than a conventional nuclear bomb because materials for this device are more accessible and it does not require as high a degree of technological knowledge to create as does a conventional nuclear bomb. The paper relates that, while not as destructive, a "dirty nuke" can create terror and destruction on a large scale.
From the Paper "As experts point out, there is a great fear in the public perception of radiation and if a "dirty nuke" is detonated in a city the danger of contamination would mean that the inhabitants would firstly have to be immediately evacuated. This leads to another important reason why the terrorists would use this type of bomb; namely, that large-scale evacuations are extremely costly. However, the greatest damage would be the psychological rather than the radioactive fallout."
Abstract The paper discusses the background to the awarding of Nobel prizes and the manner in which the selection is made. The paper then turns to the specific award made to the winner of the Nobel prize in physics in 1962, Lev Davidovich and continues with a discussion of his life story. The paper discusses his many awards and achievements culminating in the establishment in 1965 of the The L.D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics in Russia.
Outline:
Introduction
Lev Davidovich Landau
The Landau Institute
From the Paper "Eventually, the names are weeded out through a selection process until a winner is selected. While this might seem like a long and arduous process, Alfred Nobel himself had insisted on this type of process (Dorozynski, 1965). He believed it was part of what made the prize important (Dorozynski, 1965). Despite this kind of selection criteria, however, over the many years that the prizes have been awarded some people have been omitted that others think should not have been. In addition, some of the people that have won awards have also been argued against by others in the same discipline."
Tags: economics, annual, ceremony, to, nominate, candidates
Abstract This paper looks at concerns associated with nuclear power and breaks them down into three perspectives: emotional, logical, and ethical. The paper first discusses the emotional perspective, noting that it is one that is very easy to understand. The paper then discusses the issue from a logical perspective and argues that, from this perspective, the emotional concerns about nuclear energy are unfounded for several reasons. The paper presents these reasons and then discusses the ethical perspective, explaining that this perspective is closely related to the logical perspective. The paper concludes that all human endeavors of large scale involve certain risks and just as we do not prohibit vehicular travel, we should not worry about using nuclear energy in principle. Rather, the focus of ethical concerns should be to ensure appropriate management and oversight of nuclear power generation and not on whether or not nuclear energy should be used.
From the Paper "When Albert Einstein introduced his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905, he revolutionized the future of man on Earth. One of the implications of Einstein's theory, represented by the infamous equation E = mc2 was the equivalence of mass and energy. This equivalence meant that very small amounts of energy represented tremendous amounts of energy, which could be released through nuclear fission (Rennie, 2003)."
Abstract This paper discusses the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. It discusses the impact of the bombings from the perspective of the human damage it caused among the Japanese population. The paper then examines the real necessity of a nuclear strike against the war time enemy, Japan, while taking into account the war conditions and the deterioration of the relations between the US and the USSR.
From the Paper "Finally, there is also the moral issue to be taken into account. There have been numerous discussions over the moral legitimacy of creating casualties and causing death in order to reach peace. More precisely, the use of nuclear technology does not offer the possibility to make clear distinction between combatant and non combatant forces; also, it cannot control its immediate, as well as long time effects. These arguments came especially following the attacks, when the medical consequences became visible. Indeed, there is no moral argument to justify the use of weapons against possible civilians. The nuclear bomb lacks any precision in targeting solely military targets without causing casualties. Although its use cannot be justified from a moral perspective, it can be seen as a means to put an end to a war that had taken millions of lives up to 1945. The impact the attacks had on Japan determined, or at least influenced, the Emperor's decision to surrender unconditionally. In this way, the death of approximately 200 thousand people can be pragmatically viewed as a price for the survival of possibly other millions of people that would have lost their lives should the war had continued."
Abstract This paper discusses the environmental problems associated with the main final byproduct of nuclear waste, which is known as depleted uranium (DU). The paper first describes the history of the use of depleted uranium. It then discusses the associated ethical concerns, as well as environmental observations after wartime use of depleted uranium munitions. The paper contains graphs and figures.
Table of Contents:
Introduction and Outline of the Main Issues
Depleted Uranium Ordinance
Ethical Concerns
Environmental Observations After Wartime Use of Depleted Uranium Munitions
Conclusion
From the Paper "The most disturbing implications of all concern the discrepancy with which nuclear waste is handled and regulated to ensure its relative safety in the U.S. compared to the complete disregard that is apparent on the part of U.S. authorities in charge of occupied Iraqi territory. As the leader of global philanthropy and human rights throughout the world, the U.S. has a moral obligation to minimize the unintended environmental and human impact of its weapons of war on noncombatants. It may very well be the case that the use of DU ammunition is a necessary evil of 21st Century conflicts. Nevertheless, the moral imperative that is part and parcel of its justified use in wartime is to minimize, rather than ignore its lasting effects after cessation of hostilities."
Abstract This paper examines how ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is one of the most widely used and most promising of the methods available for the detection and identification of explosives today. It looks at how two independent principles and the foundations of this technique are that ions can be created at ambient pressure from radioactive materials and how these gas phase ions can be characterized rapidly for mobility in weak electric fields. Several diagrams are included with the paper.
Outline:
Introduction
How it Works
Instrumentation
Sample Introduction
Ion Formation
From the Paper "The electric field is established via a voltage divider and a series of conducting rings stacked between the ion shutter and the detector. In the drift region, there is a drift gas at constant pressure, which may be between 1 Torr and atmospheric pressure depending on the configuration of the IMS instrument. The ions experience a number of collisions as they pass through the buffer gas. These collisions hinder the ions progress to the detector. Larger ions move slower through the drift tube due to greater collision cross sections causing more collisions. Smaller ions, on the other hand, move faster as their collision cross section is smaller and therefore they encounter fewer collisions. This explains how the separation via shape and size is possible."
Abstract The paper discusses how Carl Sagan revolutionized how the world looked at space and the search for intelligent life beyond our planet. The paper talks about Sagan's popular PBS television series "Cosmos" and his novel "Billions and Billions", specifically focusing on the chapters on abortion, religion and science.
From the Paper "Born in 1934, Sagan grew up in a working-class Jewish neighborhood of New York and attended urban public schools in New York and New Jersey. The University of Chicago provided him scholarship support when he entered in 1951, and he continued there for graduate work, receiving his doctorate in astronomy in 1960. After two years as a postdoctoral in biology at Berkeley and Stanford, he joined the Harvard College astronomy faculty as Assistant Professor until 1968 and then moved to Cornell University to become Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary studies."
