A Critical Literature Review of Defrost Technologies for Heat Pumps and Refrigeration Systems

This research study provides the first comprehensive and critical literature review of K–12 Filipina/o American curricula found in formal and informal educational settings. Thirty-three Filipina/o American curricula representing a diverse array of authors, audiences, content, and pedagogical approaches were reviewed. The authors of this study developed a “Critical Framework of Review” rooted in critical pedagogy in order to analyze the historical development of Filipina/o American curricula along with an analysis of major topics, concepts, guiding theoretical frameworks, pedagogical approaches, and outcomes. The review concludes with a discussion and summary of the overarching themes of Filipina/o curricular content, instruction, and impact gained from this study and recommendations for the application, development, distribution, and research of more Filipina/o American K–12 curriculum resources.

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Keeping Dairy Cows for Longer: A Critical Literature Review on Dairy Cow Longevity in High Milk-Producing Countries

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11030808 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 808

Author(s):

Gabriel M. Dallago ◽

Kevin M. Wade ◽

Roger I. Cue ◽

J T. McClure ◽

René Lacroix ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Dairy Cow ◽

Animal Health ◽

Current Status ◽

Dairy Farmers ◽

Age At First Calving ◽

Productive Life ◽

Use Of Resources ◽

Animal Remains ◽

Critical Literature

The ability of dairy farmers to keep their cows for longer could positively enhance the economic performance of the farms, reduce the environmental footprint of the milk industry, and overall help in justifying a sustainable use of animals for food production. However, there is little published on the current status of cow longevity and we hypothesized that a reason may be a lack of standardization and an over narrow focus of the longevity measure itself. The objectives of this critical literature review were: (1) to review metrics used to measure dairy cow longevity; (2) to describe the status of longevity in high milk-producing countries. Current metrics are limited to either the length of time the animal remains in the herd or if it is alive at a given time. To overcome such a limitation, dairy cow longevity should be defined as an animal having an early age at first calving and a long productive life spent in profitable milk production. Combining age at first calving, length of productive life, and margin over all costs would provide a more comprehensive evaluation of longevity by covering both early life conditions and the length of time the animal remains in the herd once it starts to contribute to the farm revenues, as well as the overall animal health and quality of life. This review confirms that dairy cow longevity has decreased in most high milk-producing countries over time and its relationship with milk yield is not straight forward. Increasing cow longevity by reducing involuntary culling would cut health costs, increase cow lifetime profitability, improve animal welfare, and could contribute towards a more sustainable dairy industry while optimizing dairy farmers’ efficiency in the overall use of resources available.

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Employing non-contact sensing techniques for improving efficiency and automation in numerical modelling of existing masonry structures: A critical literature review

Structures ◽

10.1016/j.istruc.2021.03.111 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 1777-1797

Author(s):

Nicko Kassotakis ◽

Vasilis Sarhosis

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Numerical Modelling ◽

Masonry Structures ◽

Contact Sensing ◽

Critical Literature

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How to Improve Effectiveness of Renewable Space Heating Programs by Better Understanding Homeowner—Installer Interactions

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14154625 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (15) ◽

pp. 4625

Author(s):

Alisa Freyre ◽

Stefano Cozza ◽

Matthias Rüetschi ◽

Meinrad Bürer ◽

Marlyne Sahakian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Financial Incentives ◽

Heating System ◽

Heat Pumps ◽

Single Family ◽

Heating Systems ◽

Current State ◽

Ex Post ◽

Improved Technology

In this paper, we perform a literature review on the current state of knowledge about homeowners in the context of the adoption of renewable heating systems. Despite a considerable number of studies about homeowners, homeowner–installer interactions, and ways to improve the effectiveness of renewable heating programs, based on homeowner knowledge, have not yet been studied in much detail. To address these knowledge gaps, we conduct a qualitative study on single-family house owners who installed heat pumps and took part in a renewable heating program in Geneva, Switzerland. We cover homeowner practices in choosing installers and heating system types, homeowners’ feedback about heat pump installation and use, as well as their experience in participation in the renewable heating program. Based on the literature review and the findings from the interviews, we provide the following recommendations on how to increase the effectiveness of renewable heating programs: (a) support for homeowners should not be limited to financial incentives; (b) partnership programs with installers could help to increase the quality of installation services and enable homeowners to choose qualified installers; and (c) assisting homeowners in pre-qualification and ex-post analysis, in learning how to operate their renewable heating systems and in solving problems during the post-installation period, can contribute to improved technology reputation, which can, in turn, increase technology uptake by other homeowners.

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