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Copyright of Urban History Review / Revue d'Histoire Urbaine is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This investigation analyzes an Eastern inspired educational experiment: Auroville, in India, near Pondicherry. This education does not propose a homogeneous and teleologically oriented progression, but rather an open exploration of several universes, in order to introduce students to an uncertain world. The idea would be to devise an alternative, ecological, spiritual model, which would take shape in an academic archipelago, where each school would take the form of small aurovillages, on the model of the utopian society of Auroville, with the creation of a solar kitchen, a medicine by sound, and a culture garden, in order to focus on political ecology. This thought experiment is also accompanied by critical considerations to show the intrinsic limits of such a model, which could nevertheless inspire some boldness in rethinking contemporary education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of people on Earth and human activities are currently taking on frightening proportions with far-reaching consequences for our planet, its biodiversity and ultimately the human race itself. Ten thousand years ago, humans represented 1% of the total biomass of all land vertebrates. The rest was made up by wild animals. Currently, humans, livestock and pets make up 99% of terrestrial vertebrate biomass, while wild animals represent only 1%. It took millennia for the human population to reach the 1 billion mark and that only by 1890. By 1960, however, the world population had grown to 3 billion. Today there are 8 billion people living on our planet. According to Population Matters, the world population will be approximately 10,4 billion by the end of this century, despite the gradual decline in the growth rate in some countries. There is only a 23% chance that the total population growth rate will tail off before 2100. The population of the 47 least developed countries is likely to triple between 2017 and 2100 to around 3 billion. There are currently 62 million people in South Africa. About 67,9% of our population (in 2021) live in urban areas. The South African population grew by 0,87% in 2023. The fertility rate is 2,30 (2023). It is estimated that by 2050 75,5 million people will be living in South Africa, with 8 out of every 10 people living in urban areas, which would significantly increase the pressure on infrastructure. The Global Footprint Network states that humans currently use the resources of 1,75 Earths. If the situation does not improve, by 2050 we would need the equivalent of three Earths to survive. More than 4 billion people will have little or no water by 2050, and South Africa even now has been classified as a “water-stressed” country. Medical science is continually contributing to more babies surviving their entry into the world and to our living increasingly longer. Life expectancy has risen from 46 years in 1950 to 73,2 years in 2023. By 2050 it will be 77 years. What can be done? Empowerment of women is important. Population growth can be curbed to a reasonable extent by giving more girls access to education. This certainly does not mean that girls or women alone should be held responsible for the current population growth, but much more will have to be done about sex education, women’s rights will have to be actively promoted and there will have to be better provision and use of contraceptives. Obviously, these issues should be approached and handled with due caution. In this regard, countries such as Thailand and South Korea have, in the recent past, proved that good education may result in lower birth rates. In Africa, women with no education have an average of 5,4 children; women who completed high school an average of 2,7 children and women with tertiary education an average of 2.2. In Nigeria, every year of school attendance by girls cuts the birth rate by a tenth. In addition, intensified efforts to reform economies and societies should be considered. For the sake of the survival of the human species and the sustainability of the Earth, ecological and economic justice and the empowerment of women have to be encouraged. The Millennium Project – a global participatory think tank that was founded in 1996 under the auspices of the American Council for the United Nations University, but which became independent in 2009 and has since grown into a global network of institutions and individuals – aims to improve humankind’s prospects for a better future. It recommends, among other things, the following: • Support a policy aimed at improving the survival of children, responsible family planning and educational opportunities for (especially) girls. • Improve methods that will ensure skills and employment opportunities for young people, as well as care and services for the elderly. • Implement the UN’s urban agenda. • Create enough smart cities where citizens with urban intelligence can help in ecosmart ways with the necessary improvements in the city. • Increase training in resilience, and improve disaster prediction and management. • Provide guidance for people about urban ecology. • Intensify research and development in saltwater agriculture (halophytes or salt plants) on coastlines to produce food for humans and animals, biofuel and pulp for the paper industry, and to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2 ). This will ease the pressure on freshwater agriculture. • Improve agricultural and irrigation management. • Invest in precision agriculture and aquaculture. • Reduce food losses from the “farm to the mouth” (one third or 1,3 billion tons of agricultural production is wasted in this way every year). • Establish seaweed to restore wild fish populations along coastlines. The World Bank estimates that 90% of marine life is completely depleted. • Expand the production of insects for animal feed and human diets (insects have a low environmental impact, and 2 billion people already supplement their diet with insects today). • Encourage vegetarianism. Although there are more ways to address these important global challenges, responsible family planning remains one of the most important. This is an extremely sensitive issue for many people (especially in Africa), but if it is not promoted in a humane, informed and responsible way, the sustainability of life on our planet will increasingly come under tremendous pressure in various respects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Knihovna is the property of Library Institute of the Czech National Library and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revue Française de Géotechnique is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Copyright of Perspektive Mediation is the property of Verlag Oesterreich GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pediatrie pro Praxi is the property of SOLEN sro and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Summary Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs) represent a promising alternative for the storage and transport of the green energy carrier hydrogen. Compared to conventional methods, such as compression and liquefaction, the LOHC technology offers advantages in terms of safety and loss‐free storage at comparable volumetric energy density. Due to reversible chemical bonding of the hydrogen in the LOHC fluid, the latter can be regarded as a liquid returnable bottle. The storage and release take place in each case via a chemical reaction. In this article, various application scenarios of the LOHC technology and related current projects are presented. In summary, it can be stated that the supply of buildings with electricity and heat can be realised by combining LOHC dehydrogenation and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The climate‐neutral supply of industrial parks can be improved by integrating a seasonal LOHC storage system into an existing heating network. The coupling with a combined heat and power plant enables the use of all heat flows and a high storage efficiency. In addition, the LOHC technology can contribute to the realisation of safe, cheap and emission‐free rail transport on non‐electrified lines. In contrast to the use of gaseous hydrogen as fuel, the existing infrastructure for diesel can be further used for refuelling trains with the liquid LOHC storage medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local authorities in France have recently been granted competence to pursue action in the domain of renewable energy. They move into an interdependent group of actors regarding the administrative power and financing opportunities. In this article, we discuss the strategies and projects implemented by a diverse set of local authority groupings in France and highlight the different ways in which they have appropriated the issues and challenges of renewable energy. These intermunicipal entities (Établissement public de coopération intercommunale, EPCI) have different sociocultural and geographic configurations, and our study shows that their local public action is driven by different motivations. Renewable energy is a vector for development that can be utilized in various ways, sometimes to legitimate public energy policy in the territory, and in other instances to bring in revenue. The politics of territorial energy strategy are often narrowly bounded by the scope of the intermunicipal structure. This restricted focus makes it difficult to develop strategies spanning several territories, and in the long term could lead neighbouring territories to compete to attract investment. Some of the intermunicipal entities seek to widen their fields of action thanks to the consultation with other types of actors. The challenge is then to relate with different energy stakeholders in an multiscalar framework to govern their energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archaeologia Historica is the property of Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Archaeologia Historica is the property of Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Před zavedením výbušnin v Evropě existovaly dva základní způsoby těžby: pomocí ohně a nástrojů, z nichž nejběžnější byly kladivo a dláto. Používání dřeva, a tedy i ohně, lze vysledovat až do protohistorických dob. Volba mezi oběma metodami závisela na tvrdosti těžené horniny a také na zdroji použité energie – buď energie lidské, nebo tepelné energie dřeva. Významná je otázka dostupnosti paliva. Přístup autorů je založen na experimentální archeologii a zahrnuje testy, prováděné v různých středověkých dolech, které umožňují měření energie. Množství tepelné energie se odvozuje z hmotnosti spáleného dřeva, lidská energie se měří pomocí akcelerometru na zápěstí experimentátora. Tato metoda pomáhá pochopit, jak se lidé rozhodovali s ohledem na technické a ekonomické podmínky v různých geologických, chronologických a sociálních prostředích.

Hrnčíři při výrobě keramiky interagovali s řadou materiálů, které dokázali přetvořit v pevnou hmotu a výrobek s funkčními, formálními a stylistickými vlastnostmi. V různých fázích výrobního procesu (získávání surovin, příprava keramických hmot, tváření, sušení, výpal) zapojovali nebo využívali různé toky energií – zejména mechanickou (lidské tělo), kinetickou, vodní, sluneční a tepelnou. Užitné vlastnosti nádob často úzce souvisely s kvalitou materiálů (keramických hmot) a schopností vyrovnávat se s tepelnou energií nebo odolávat mechanickému namáhání. Příspěvek prozkoumává proměny energetických a materiálových toků v hrnčířské výrobě v delším časovém horizontu od 13. až do konce 19. století pomocí přístupu chaîne opératoire. Sledována je i celková bilance energetické náročnosti hrnčířské výroby a jsou diskutovány otázky týkající se efektivity, intenzity a investic ve výrobě.

The 1970s energy crises was a decisive point in US culture and in the development of neo-liberal geographies. After the post-war period of rapid economic growth, Western economies sputtered and stalled. Cutting across political, economic, and cultural spheres, the discourse of energy crisis brought narrative coherence to what was, in fact, a heterogenous historical moment. In doing so, energy crisis discourse facilitated dramatic social and economic restructuring, as well as shifts in the distributions of lived spaces and times. More broadly, energy crisis discourse played a significant role in configuring the emerging processes of neo-liberalization and bringing about a set of historical outcomes, herein elucidated in three figures: the suburb, energy, and the entrepreneur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bauen ist heute verbunden mit einem enorm hohen Energieverbrauch, Rohstoffeinsatz und Reststoffanfall. Die Herstellung und der Transport von Baustoffen zum Einsatzort benötigen gewaltige Mengen an Energie und die Prozesse sind nach wie vor mit einer erheblichen Emission von CO2 und weiterer klima‐ und umweltschädlicher Stoffe und Substanzen verbunden. Die Bündnisregion (ca. 80‐km‐Radius um Weimar) verfügt über erhebliche Rohstoffressourcen für die Baustoffindustrie und liegt dadurch im Fokus des überregionalen Bausektors, was der nachhaltigen Nutzung der Landschaftspotenziale entgegensteht. Bauen wird nur dann nachhaltig sein können, wenn über wegweisende Innovationen der Roh‐ bzw. Baustoffeinsatz drastisch reduziert, Herstellungs‐ und Verarbeitungsprozesse deutlich effizienter gestaltet und Stoffkreisläufe konsequent geschlossen werden. Das im Rahmen von WIR! (Wandel durch Innovation in der Region) durch das BMBF finanzierte Bündnis RENAT.BAU betrachtet deshalb das Bauen konsistent über gesamte Stoffströme und vollständige Lebenszyklen und Wertschöpfungsketten hinweg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermunicipalities and the energy transition? À clever mix of innovation and institutional recycling at work in the production of renewable energies. Local authorities in France have recently been granted competence to pursue action in the domain of renewable energy. They move into an interdependent group of actors regarding the administrative power and financing opportunities. In this article, we discuss the strategies and projects implemented by a diverse set of local authority groupings in France and highlight the different ways in which they have appropriated the issues and challenges of renewable energy. These intermunicipal entities (Établissement public de coopération intercommunale, EPCI) have different sociocultural and geographic configurations, and our study shows that their local public action is driven by different motivations. Renewable energy is a vector for development that can be utilized in various ways, sometimes to legitimate public energy policy in the territory, and in other instances to bring in revenue. The politics of territorial energy strategy are often narrowly bounded by the scope of the intermunicipal structure. This restricted focus makes it difficult to develop strategies spanning several territories, and in the long term could lead neighbouring territories to compete to attract investment. Some of the intermunicipal entities seek to widen their fields of action thanks to the consultation with other types of actors. The challenge is then to relate with different energy stakeholders in an multiscalar framework to govern their energy transition. © 2023 Lavoisier, Paris. Tous droits réservés [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Homogenization-based data-driven optimization method for designing graded cellular structures is developed. • The mapping relationships among the equivalent conductivity matrices, the relative densities, and the design variables are established based on the homogenization theory. • The cellular structure is composed of a series of basic microstructures generated from corresponding microstructure prototypes. • Both 2D and 3D examples of heat conduction problems are conducted for verifying the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method. In this work, experimental tests were conducted on a domestic refrigerator to evaluate three faults with three levels: deterioration of the speed of the fan coupled to the condenser; degree of external fouling on the condenser; and area restriction on the rear cover of the refrigerator. The above, to analyze the effect of the type of fault on the performance of the refrigerator. Through a thermal analysis, it was observed that components such as the compressor and condenser presented a more noticeable variation in the thermal behavior of the refrigerant in the different faults. In fact, the fault corresponding to the fan speed was the one that caused the most inadequate performance in the refrigerator, compared to the refrigerator operating under normal conditions. The high level of this fault was reflected in an increase of 14.73 °C in the temperature of the refrigerant at the condenser inlet, it even caused an increase in the discharge pressure of 2.1 bar. Finally, this fault increased by 48% in energy consumption as well, which represented a 26% decrease in the coefficient of performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dedicated mechanical subcooling (DMS) system is employed to reduce the energy consumption. • DMS results into higher exergetic efficiency and COP. • Coefficient of structural bond (CSB) analysis of the system is conducted to optimized system components. • Advanced exergy analysis of the DMS system is presented to quantify the potential of performance of the system. The dedicated mechanical subcooled (DMS) refrigeration system is examined in the current study, based on the configuration of energy and exergy. The performance of a simple vapor compression refrigeration system (VCRS) and dedicated mechanical subcooled system are evaluated while maintaining the same cooling capacity (i.e. 100 kW). The results of comparative study showed an improvement of 8.2% in the coefficient of performance (COP) of the DMS system. Additionally, it has been discovered that the exergetic efficacy of the VCRS and DMS systems is 32.8% and 35.2%, respectively. The above results proved that, the suggested system perform better with more efficient cooling technology, which proves it to be a better option for design engineers in water chilling application in the foreseeable future. The coefficient of structural bond (CSB) and advanced exergy analysis (AEA) methodologies along with environmental benefits of the DMS system are also looked into in light. The value of CSB for conderser-1 is observed to be highest (2.08), with total irreversibility rate of 22.7%. However, in case of compressor-1 the highest irreversibility rate of 34.8% is observed but its CSB value is only 1.09. Therefore, by enhancing the performance of system components, it is possible to avoid 42.9% of the overall irreversibility rate of the dedicated mechanical subcooled system using enhanced exergy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of VertigO is the property of La Revue Electronique en Sciences de l'Environnement VertigO and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

For the assembly of safety relevant tightening joints mainly continuous rotating tools are used. The operating principle of controlled impulse tightening tools can be an useful extension. In practice, the use of pulsating tools turns out to be difficult due to missing or complicated procedures and guidelines for traceable calibration. Further the evaluation of the maximum torque of a pulse results in large fluctuations regarding the switch‐off accuracy of these tools. In this context, the energetic approach for tightening joints creates the potential for a tool‐independent assessment of the assembly quality. Based on analyzes of ongoing energetic conversions from the entry of the tool powertrain to the tightening preload, the target parameter, the quantity of energy can be consulted for a process evaluation. First requirement is a comprehensive theoretical understanding of the processes while the pulsating energy input. This has to be verified through practical investigations in the next step. The first aim is to take account of the entire progress of an impulse curve in evaluation. As well the comparability of different tool types should be enabled with this approach. Furthermore, the use of controlled impulse tightening tools should become simpler with the "strategies" of performance limitation and oversizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of BHM Berg- und Hüttenmännische Monatshefte is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Human society and natural ecosystems face increasingly serious problems as a result of climate change. Abandoning fossil fuels and at the same time ensuring energy security are big challenges in the current geopolitical context. Nuclear power is seen by many as an option for mitigating global warming and transitioning to a low-carbon society, although the subject is controversial. According to the National Integrated Plan for Energy and Climate Change, Romania considers nuclear energy a viable option for the production of electricity, going through a series of steps to achieve this goal. This research aimed to examine the public perception regarding the influence of the energy sector on the climate and the opportunity for the development of nuclear energy in Romania. As a research tool I used a questionnaire composed of eleven questions divided into five sections. The results of this study show a moderate level of acceptance of nuclear energy among the population, based on a fairly good knowledge of the links between the energy sector and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the effect of various materials on the performance of vortex tube. Beforehand, the recent progresses in the improvements on the performance of vortex tube (VT) and its efficiency, a literature survey has been discussed. The present work reports vortex tube performance augmentation considering four different materials vortex tubes and their orifice. The thermophysical properties of the material was considered to analyse the performance of vortex tubes for various materials. It was found that the aluminium vortex tube and its orifice achieved the highest performance among all the rest of the materials. The highest cold and hot temperature separation magnitude for Al VT and Al Vortex generator is 24 °C and 50 °C at an inlet pressure of 5 bar. The vortex tube of various materials had exact dimensions and specifications for an "apple to apple" comparison. Results show that the specific heat, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity were the significant properties that affect the thermal performance of the VT. Furthermore, exergy analysis was done for the Al vortex tube and its orifice to predict the quality of available energy. It shows that high exergy destruction is found in hot regions for a high cold mass fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of a fuzzy control implemented in a domestic refrigerator in which the thermal load (food) is included as an input variable and a novel aspect of the control. The fuzzy control regulates the speed of the fan attached to the evaporator and the airflow to the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator according to a set of rules that incorporate the amount of thermal load and the temperature conditions of the compartments. The fuzzy control was evaluated in an empty refrigerator (without food) and with three thermal load conditions. Thus, resulting in a fuzzy control capable of maintaining thermal conditions similar to those obtained with the factory ON/OFF refrigerator controller. In addition, the total energy consumption is reduced by 1.7% when the refrigerator is empty and by a maximum of 9.53% in the presence of a low thermal load. Finally, the coefficient of performance shows increases in all the cases studied with the implementation of the fuzzy control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initial building physics investigations in the planning phase of the CUBE During the planning and development of the CUBE, its aspects of building physics were analyzed. Various mathematical and experimental studies were done in advance as well as simulations of the energy demand according to DIN V 18599. The passive house standard aimed for in the planning process could not be realized. Measurements of the airborne sound insulation of the TWIST component structure in a sound test rig showed no sound decoupling of the 4 cm thick weather shell. Furthermore, room acoustic simulation calculations showed that the hard surfaces of the exposed concrete walls and the exposed concrete ceilings as well as the floor and the glass facade would lead to unfavorable acoustics with long reverberation times. For the development of a moisture protection concept, various theoretical examinations and investigations were carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]