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Policy Innovation in the Heat Transition: Assessing Policy Innovation in the Sustainable Heating Transition in the Dutch Built Environment
No full textThis master's thesis explores the role of policy innovation of policies, programs, and policy instruments within the domain of heat transition in the built environment in the Netherlands, focusing specifically on the role of municipalities in navigating this complex transition towards a natural gas-free future by 2050, as mandated by the National Climate Agreement (2019).IntroductionThe research starts by outlining the ambitious goal of the Dutch government to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by 2050, emphasizing the critical target of reducing natural gas usage in the built environment in the Netherlands. The introduction highlights the urgent need for innovative policy approaches to accelerate the heat transition, especially in light of geopolitical factors such as the crisis in Ukraine, which underscore the urgency of energy independence.TheoryStarting with a literature review regarding the different conceptual defnitions of (policy) innovation and the framework provided by Schaffrin et al. (2015), the study delves into the concept of policy innovation, exploring its significance in the context of the heat transition in the built environment. The research identifies the multifaceted nature of innovation, encompassing the novelty of policies, their adoption, and eventual impact. The theoretical foundation emphasizes the importance of analyzing policy output to gauge the extent of innovation within municipalities' strategies for the heat transition.MethodologyAn exploratory study design using qualitative research methods is outlined, focusing on a case study analysis of Transition Vision Heat (TVH) documents from ten of the most populous municipalities in the Netherlands. The research adapts and modifies Schaffrin et al.'s (2015) framework to assess policy output and innovation to fit the context of the heat transition in the built environment in the Netherlands, employing Atlas.ti software for document analysis. The methodology section discusses the selection criteria, data collection, and analysis processes, highlighting the study's systematic approach to evaluating policy documents.ResultsThe results section presents a detailed analysis of policy output across eight categories, revealing a spectrum of innovation levels among the analyzed municipalities. Amsterdam is noted for its high scores in integration, target groups, and alternative technologies, showcasing a proactive approach to the heat transition. Furthermore, TVHs were scored using the modified framework of Schaffrin et al (2015). This research identifies significant differences in policy integration, stakeholder involvement, and the specificity of alternative solutions across municipalities. Despite these differences, commonalities include a shared commitment to updating the TVH every five years and aiming for a gas-free environment by 2050.ConclusionThe thesis concludes that while Dutch municipalities exhibit a range of innovative strategies in their approach to the heat transition, there is room for improvement, particularly in setting concrete targets and detailed implementation procedures. The study advocates for municipalities to take a more directive role in leading the heat transition, emphasizing the need for tailored and innovative solutions that reflect local contexts. The research suggests that a comprehensive, collaborative, and context-specific approach is essential for successfully navigating the complexities of the heat transition toward a sustainable, natural gas-free built environment in the Netherlands. DiscussionThe discussion emphasizes the scientific added value of adapting Schaffrin et al.'s (2015) framework to the context of the heat transition in the built environment, underlining the importance of scope on alternate technology solutions and the target groups involved. Limitations such as the subjective nature of measuring policy innovation and the representativeness of the sample size are acknowledged. The section also suggests the need for future research to include broader samples and expert validation to enhance the framework's reliability. Furthermore, the role of local initiatives and the inclusion of residents' opinions and viewpoints in TVHs are emphasized as crucial for developing tailored, context-specific policy solutions. The involvement of residents (e.g., in the form of communities) can contribute to a more appropriate approach that contributes to the advancement of the heat transition in the built environment in the Netherlands.Complex Systems Engineering and Management (CoSEM
Towards safe use of general controls in cars: A real-world driving study assessing internal HMI task frequencies and influencing factors
No full textThe human-machine interfaces (HMIs) in passenger cars have become more complex over the years, with touch screens replacing physical buttons and more options becoming available. This can result in multiple layers of menus that have to be navigated to perform simple tasks and therefore increase distraction. In addition to this, there is no standardisation for passenger car HMIs. To face these problems, new standards will have to be created. However, knowledge regarding the prevalence of different internal HMI tasks is missing. This complicates efforts to create new standards since it is unclear which internal HMI tasks are most important to assess. It also complicates efforts to create an assessment methodology to rate the safety of different internal HMI interfaces, as tasks that are used more often could be seen as more important. This thesis fills the knowledge gap by identifying the most used internal HMI tasks and the factors that influence their frequencies based on real-world driving observations in a naturalistic setting. In particular, this study especially looks at the influence of car familiarity. Multiple data analysis methods, including Poisson regressions, ANOVA’s, paired t-tests and factor analysis are used to obtain the required knowledge. In general, people seem to perform around 12 tasks per hour in familiar cars versus 9 tasks per hour in unfamiliar cars, but significant differences between tasks exist. The results indicate that the most performed is using the indicator light. Other frequently performed tasks fall into the windshield, radio and media and climate control categories. The factors that influenced the task frequencies included car familiarity, gender, age and weather conditions. The type of car also seems to impact the task frequencies, but more research on this is needed.Transport, Infrastructure and Logistic
Continuous downstream processing
No full textThe main objectives of bioprocesses are to reliably deliver drugs in a relatively short time frame with high quality within a tight regulatory framework. Bioprocesses are highly complex, the level of automation is moderate, and there is constant pressure to improve efficiency and costs. In addition, climate change and resource scarcity mandate a reduction in the environmental footprint of bioprocesses and production facilities. In the biopharmaceutical industry, two extreme production scenarios are applied: a fully disposable factory with the characteristics of full flexibility and speed, or a fixed large-scale plant with high capacity. Forward-looking solutions and ideas will be discussed how to combine new processes and environmental friendliness for the benefit of the patient, security of supply and profitability. The concept will be extended to large scale production of proteins for food and non-pharma applications, e.g., in material science and a roadmap towards a future plant will be laid out.BT/Design and Engineering Educatio
Knowledge Updating Strategies for Cumulative Learning of Markov Logic Networks
No full textLearning new concepts is a difficult task for autonomous robots. These robots can adapt to changes in the situations. To adapt to a situation, they should be able to determine the usefulness of objects around them. The usefulness of objects is highly dependent on situational context, making pre-programming of adaptation behaviour to all possible situations difficult. Automatic learning of this information by the robot from its own observations during deployment is a more feasible approach. We encode the usefulness of objects in logical statements that symbolise regularities in observations of objects in a Markov Logic Network. This network forms the basis from which the usefulness of newly observed objects or situations can be inferred by a robot. Each logical statement in the network has an associated weight that indicates how strong the robot believes the statement is true. These weights can be adjusted over time based on new observations made by the robot, strengthening its beliefs or creating a new belief for an unknown object in a process called cumulative learning. We extend the Markov Logic Network framework with a cumulative learning algorithm called MLN-CLA. This algorithm contains several different knowledge updating strategies that handle conflicts. We demonstrate the ability of MLN-CLA to learn the usefulness of unknown objects over time. In addition, we demonstrate the abilities of MLN-CLA to incorporate new logical statements to better capture information about objects and situational contexts. Together, these two abilities enable robots to autonomously adapt to changing situations during deployment.Mechanical Engineering | Vehicle Engineering | Cognitive Robotic
Pioneering minimum liquid discharge desalination: A pilot study in Lampedusa Island
No full textMinimum Liquid Discharge (MLD) and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) schemes have been widely proposed in the recent scientific literature not only as a possible solution to brine disposal but also as a non-conventional sustainable source of raw materials. Nevertheless, very few works have pushed the idea towards a real demonstration activity, and this somehow limits the reliability that such schemes have with respect to the real implementation potential at the industrial scale. In this work, for the first time in the literature, an integrated treatment chain for the sustainable production of freshwater and minerals has been demonstrated at a pre-industrial scale, in the island of Lampedusa (Italy). The treatment chain included a Nanofiltration (NF) step to separate monovalent and bivalent ions, followed by a Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) unit, powered by waste heat from a Thermal Power plant, generating high-quality water (<30 μS/cm) and an ultra-concentrated brine. The latter was treated in Evaporation Ponds (EPs) to generate high purity NaCl (>99 %). On the other side, the NF retentate was treated to selectively recover magnesium and calcium hydroxides (Mg(OH)2 purity up to 98 %) in a novel Multiple Feed-Plug Flow Reactor (MF-PFR). The resulting brine fed an ElectroDialysis with Bipolar Membranes unit (EDBM), generating in-situ alkaline and acidic solutions: chemicals needed for internal usage in the plant. All units were successfully tested, reaching satisfactory performance indicators. Furthermore, the stability of each unit during the daily operational run was assessed and successfully achieved, demonstrating not only the technical feasibility of the proposed demo plant, but also the feasibility of MLD as a sustainable alternative for minerals recovery.BT/Environmental BiotechnologyEnergy and Industr
Role of arm reaching movement kinematics in friction perception at initial contact with smooth surfaces
No full textAbstract: When manipulating objects, humans begin adjusting their grip force to friction within 100 ms of contact. During motor adaptation, subjects become aware of the slipperiness of touched surfaces. Previously, we have demonstrated that humans cannot perceive frictional differences when surfaces are brought in contact with an immobilised finger, but can do so when there is submillimeter lateral displacement or subjects actively make the contact movement. Similarly, in, we investigated how humans perceive friction in the absence of intentional exploratory sliding or rubbing movements, to mimic object manipulation interactions. We used a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm in which subjects had to reach and touch one surface followed by another, and then indicate which felt more slippery. Subjects correctly identified the more slippery surface in 87 ± 8% of cases (mean ± SD; n = 12). Biomechanical analysis of finger pad skin displacement patterns revealed the presence of tiny (<1 mm) localised slips, known to be sufficient to perceive frictional differences. We tested whether these skin movements arise as a result of natural hand reaching kinematics. The task was repeated with the introduction of a hand support, eliminating the hand reaching movement and minimising fingertip movement deviations from a straight path. As a result, our subjects’ performance significantly declined (66 ± 12% correct, mean ± SD; n = 12), suggesting that unrestricted reaching movement kinematics and factors such as physiological tremor, play a crucial role in enhancing or enabling friction perception upon initial contact. (Figure presented.). Key points: More slippery objects require a stronger grip to prevent them from slipping out of hands. Grip force adjustments to friction driven by tactile sensory signals are largely automatic and do not necessitate cognitive involvement; nevertheless, some associated awareness of grip surface slipperiness under such sensory conditions is present and helps to select a safe and appropriate movement plan. When gripping an object, tactile receptors provide frictional information without intentional rubbing or sliding fingers over the surface. However, we have discovered that submillimeter range lateral displacement might be required to enhance or enable friction sensing. The present study provides evidence that such small lateral movements causing localised partial slips arise and are an inherent part of natural reaching movement kinematics.Human-Robot Interactio
Metaverse for advancing government: Prospects, challenges and a research agenda
No full textA number of government agencies have started deploying the Metaverse to connect better with their constituents. The Metaverse provides a rich interaction environment and has the potential to engage with, especially, the younger generation. However, the Metaverse's potential impact on the government sector has been given limited attention. This discussion paper aims to fill this void by reviewing the state of the art, analyzing possible roles of the Metaverse for governments and providing research directions. We found six facilitators and nine barriers and risks. The Metaverse offers much more than a virtual presence or copy of the physical world; significant transformations are needed in government to reap the benefits. Given the evolution of the Metaverse, government presence also needs to evolve, and different governments make different decisions about their Metaverse presence. We recommend more research into the nature, use, applications, transformations, and implications of the Metaverse on government functioning.Engineering, Systems and Service
Een groenere en meer circulaire industrie?: Revisie van de richtlijn industriële emissies: De finish is in zicht
No full textOp 12 maart 2024 heeft het Europees Parlement een tekst aangenomen tot revisie van de Richtlijn industriële emissies (RIE).[1] In dit korte blog signaleren wij belangrijke veranderingen ten opzichte van de huidige RIE ten aanzien van 1) het toepassingsgebied, 2) scherpere en effectievere vergunningverlening, 3) transitie naar een groenere industrie en 4) enkele varia. We sluiten af met enkele slotwoorden.Urban Development Managemen
A review on mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering of refractory high-entropy alloys: Challenges, microstructures, and mechanical behavior
No full textRefractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) are promising candidates for those applications requiring of strong materials at high temperatures with elevated thermal stability and excellent oxidation, irradiation, and corrosion resistance. Particularly, RHEAs synthesized using mechanical alloying (MA) followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS) has proven to be a successful path to produce stronger alloys than those produced by casting techniques. This superior behavior, at both room and high temperature, can be attributed to the microstructural features resultant from this powder metallurgy route, that include the presence of homogeneously distributed non-metallic particles, fine- and ultrafine-grained microstructures, and higher content of interstitial solutes. Nevertheless, the powder metallurgy fabrication relies over a complex balance of several operational variables, and the process is no exempt of certain challenges, such as contamination or the presence of pores in the bulk parts. This review aims to cover all the peculiarities of the MA + SPS route, the resultant microstructures, their mechanical properties, and the strengthening and deformation mechanisms behind their superior performance, as well as a brief description of their oxidation resistance.Team Maria Santofimia Navarr
Ode to Chaos: Neotropical Entanglements and Other Narrative Fictions from the Pluriverse
No full textDawn is close. A thick layer of mist lingers a few inches above the ground in a patch of dense tropical forest near Hopelchén, the place of the five sinkholes. The air is humid and fat with dew; it smells of cold ashes and smoke, rotting leaves, mushrooms, moss, mud. A thin ray of light starts to make its way through the lush foliage of a gigantic ya’axche, the sacred ceiba (or kapok) tree. Its solid bark has the texture of grey elephant skin. It marks the center of the cosmos, the axis of life and death. Next to it lean the remains of a lifeless tree. A shiny black centipede crawls down and disappears in the ground into the bowels of Xibalbá, the underworld. Rustling sounds of biped footsteps approach, then stop. Two fingers, a thumb and an index, are inserted into a small hole in the trunk; they wiggle around like blind pigeons and then pinch. A blob of syrupy substance starts oozing out, leaving a trail of golden stickiness along its downward path. A buzzing sound fills the air and intensifies rapidly around the hole: the angry protest of a six-legged, stingless sentinel. The jícara is full of honey. Footsteps recede into the background. Silence returns to the forest. The sun is out, bathing the treetops and the creatures that dawdle and play on them. Bright red bromelias, white orchids and cobalt blue morning glories growing in all sorts of height-defying postures soak in the sunrays while a few xunan-kaab, stingless honeybees also known as Melipona beecheii Bennett, dance on their pistils brimming with pollen and nectar. The buzz of their flightpaths pierces the atmosphere of the forest, crisscrossing it like invisible spiderwebs. Inside the hollow tree trunk, in the xjobón che, an intraworld of exquisite spatial patterns, fractal recesses, cavities and chambers filled with pungent fragrances and substances is being generated with the incessant batting of delicate wings and biochemical reactions. The hive, a sort of entelechy or superorganism, is the interior of an insect matriarchy, a “queendom,” that has perfected the reproductive technologies necessary for the continuation of its own gene pool and its expansion in future colonies. It produces legions and swarms of specialized courtesan subjects: consorts, soldiers, drones, builders, workers, foragers, harvesters, caretakers, nannies. They provide the energetic conditions that make possible the perpetual production of a territory, and the surplus nutrients upon which their existence rests. Kaab is the word that encapsulates this palynivore world; in its patterned arrangements and rich, waxy modulations the flows of energy and matter are articulated across time and space.Theory, Territories & Transition
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