460 research outputs found
How do variations in Urban Heat Islands in space and time influence household water use? The case of Phoenix, Arizona
No full textabstract: This paper explores how urbanization, through its role in the evolution of Urban Heat Island (UHI), affects residential water consumption. Using longitudinal data and drawing on a mesoscale atmospheric model, we examine how variations in surface temperature at the census tract level have affected water use in single family residences in Phoenix, Arizona. Results show that each Fahrenheit rise in nighttime temperature increases water consumption by 1.4%. This temperature effect is found to vary significantly with lot size and pool size. The study provides insights into the links between urban form and water use, through the dynamics of UHI.Corresponding Author:
Rimjhim M. Aggarwal
Arizona State University
[email protected]
Caste, religion and power: an Indian case study
No full textReviews the book "Caste, Religion and Power: An Indian Case Study," by Pratap C. Aggarwal.; Reviews the book "Caste, Religion and Power: An Indian Case Study," by Pratap C. Aggarwal
Data mining : the textbook / Charu C. Aggarwal.
No full textcomputer bookfair2016Includes bibliographical references and index.xxix, 734 pages
Decoding "Public authority" under the RTI act: a comment on Subhash Chandra Aggarwal v. Indian national congress
No full textThe June, 2013 order of the Central Information Commission ("CIC") in Subhash Chandra Aggarwal v. Indian National Congress which brought political parties within the scope of the Right to Information ("RTI") Act, has highlighted some issues regarding the drafting and interpretation of the RTI Act. The CIC held that the six national political parties which were respondents
in the case, have the ingredients that qualify them as "public authorities" within the meaning of section 2(h) of the RTI Act. In this comment the author argues that the reasoning for holding what constitutes substantial financing that makes a body a "public authority" is not clear and the interpretation of the definition of "public authority" is inconsisten
Impact of tariff reduction on exports: A quantitative assessment of Indian exports to US
No full textThis paper quantitatively assesses likely changes in market access opportunities for Indian exports owing to tariff reductions by the USA. The study identifies particular products for India at the ISIC 4-digit level of disaggregation, which could be considered tariff sensitive. Regression analysis of the relationship between MFN tariff rates and India's exports to the US was used to assess in quantitative terms the likely impact of tariff reduction that may be agreed in the Doha Round. This analysis suggests that tariff cuts are not expected to benefit India's exports to the US in a major way. With the full implementation of the Chairman's formula for tariff cuts, increase in India's exports to the US would amount to 1.2 or 0.6 depending on the value of the B coefficient in theChairman's formula. These findings are in all likelihood substantially due to the tariff diversion effect of NAFTA preferences in favour of suppliers in Mexico, which is a competing country in many traditional items. It is expected that reduction of MFN tariff would alleviate the trade diversion effect of the NAFTA.The study has also attempted to decompose changes in India's total exports due to tariff reductions in the US into the competitive and market effects. The analysis suggests that the increase in India's exports would be mainly due to the competitive effect. This leads the author to conclude that it is crucial for India to improve its competitiveness vis-a-vis its competitors in different markets.
Pathways to Social Transformation: Delhi and the Human Right to Housing
No full textabstract: The objective of this study was to better understand promising pathways to realizing human rights norms in the context of rapidly developing cities, and the role that the courts play in this process. Scholars have already started to ask these larger questions of social transformation; however, there continues to be a need for further research since the answers are vast and context-dependent. In order to contribute to these larger conversations, this project examined a key social right in Delhi \u2014 the right to housing. This study relied on interviews with key actors in Delhi's housing sector as well as a review of housing rights cases in the Delhi High Court in order to understand what mechanisms various actors utilize in the context of Delhi to realize the human right to housing on the ground. These two types of data were compared and contrasted to past research on human rights scholarship, law and social literature, and studies on urbanization. Two frameworks from these bodies of knowledge, the MAPs framework developed by Haglund and Aggarwal (2011) and the triangular framework created by Gauri and Brinks (2008), were utilized in particular to analyze interview and court data. Overall, this study found that the courts in India are advocates for housing rights, but that their advocacy is often limited, cautious, and influenced by a pattern of bias against populations without legal title to land. This study also found that communities and their allies are often more successful in realizing the right to housing when they combine litigation with other non-legal social change mechanisms. Consequently, it appears that the role of the courts in realizing ESR in Delhi is both complicated and limited, which means that pathways toward ESR realization are more promising when they incorporate non-legal mechanisms alongside court action
Does strict employment protection discourage job creation? Evidence from Croatia
No full textEmployment protection legislation in Croatia is among the most strict in Europe. Firing is difficult and costly, and flexible forms of employment are limited. Is this apparent rigidity reflected-as one would expect based on standard economic theory-in low labor market dynamics? Is job creation low and hiring limited? Is the job security of insiders achieved at the cost of outsiders not being able to enter thelabor market? The author attempts to answer these questions by examining job flows. If the employment protection legislation is binding, then job and worker turnover should be low. He shows that this is indeed the case. Hiring is limited and the average job tenure is very long in Croatia. Job destruction is low, however job creation is still lower. The result is accumulation of unemployment, in large part due to new labor market entrants not being able to find a job. The high degree of job protection also seems to strengthen the bargaining position of insiders and results in relatively high wages. So, wages in Croatia are higher than among its competitors, even after adjusting for productivity. These high labor costs are likely to contribute to limited job creation in existing firms, but also are likely to discourage the entry of-and thus job creation in-new firms. The author presents evidence that firm growth has been indeed limited in Croatia, contributing to the low employment level. The author examines other potential causes of high unemployment in Croatia (the unemployment benefit system, labor taxation, the wage structure, and skill and spatial mismatches). He argues that they do not play a substantial part in accounting for poor labor market outcomes in Croatia. The author concludes that the stringent employment protection legislation is the key labor market institution behind low job creation and high unemployment. Based on this he recommends specific measures aimed at liberalizing the labor market to foster job creation and employment.Labor Management and Relations,Labor Policies,Labor Markets,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Finance and Investment,Labor Markets,Labor Management and Relations,Labor Standards,Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies
Transported PDF Modeling of Jet-in-Hot-Coflow Flames
No full textA probability density function (PDF)-based combustion modeling approach for RANS simulation of a jet issuing into a hot and diluted coflow is performed. A tabulated chemistry-based model, i.e., flamelet-generated manifold (FGM), is adopted in the PDF method. The manifolds are constructed using igniting counterflow diffusion flamelets with different coflow compositions. To handle the inhomogeneity of the coflow and the entrainment of the ambient air, a second mixture fraction is defined to quantify the mixing of a representative coflow composition with the ambient air. The chemistry is then parameterized as a function of two mixture fractions and a reaction progress variable. To assess the modeling approach, Adelaide JHC flames, namely HM1, HM2, and HM3, having different oxygen concentrations in the hot coflow, 3%, 6%, and 9% O2, respectively, have been simulated for Reynolds number (Re) = 10,000. Profiles of mean mixture fraction and major species are accurately captured by the model along with the mean temperature. The mean temperature profiles are also captured nicely, while the sensitivity of progress variable (PV) on the predictions is highlighted.Accepted Author ManuscriptFluid Mechanic
Purposeful prototyping with children to generate design ideas
No full textPrototyping to generate ideas, as part of the design process offers various learning oppor-tunities to sharpen young novice designers’ design and making skills. This study situates itself within the landscape of Makerspaces and co-design with children as emerging oppor-tunities of learning and skill building for children. From experiences of co-design with children it is often observed that children engage with outcome and object-focused model making or plain crafting with no intent of iterative prototyping for ideation. This paper describes the case of design prototyping sessions conducted with children aged 8-11 years old as a classroom activity. The sessions were investigated and analysed to reveal enablers and limitations to purposeful prototyping with children. Defining and contextualising the design problem with the children, the variety of prototyping materials for flexible build-ing, interpretation and expression, and mid-prototyping discussions were all found sup-portive to children’s purposeful prototyping.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Design Conceptualization and Communicatio
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