Do energy efficiency standards hurt consumers? Evidence from household appliance sales

We build novel welfare-based price indices for major household appliances that leverage changes in same-model prices and how consumers substitute between exiting, continuing and new models. We then evaluate how minimum energy efficiency requirements and changing criteria for Energy Star™ labels affected these indices in the U.S. between 2001 and 2011, a period of time when some appliances experienced standard changes while others did not. We find that prices declined while quality and consumer welfare increased, especially when standards become more stringent. We also find that much of the price index decline can be attributed to standards-induced innovation, or cannibalism, not to inter-manufacturer competition. Our results also add to a growing body of evidence that the Consumer Price Index exaggerates inflation due to inadequate account of quality and substitution to new goods.     

Disentangling the effects of policy and payment consequentiality and risk attitudes on stated preferences

Incentivizing respondents to truthfully reveal their preferences in stated preference surveys requires that they believe their survey responses can influence decisions related to the outcome in question (policy consequentiality) and that they will have to bear their share of the coercive cost if the outcome is implemented (payment consequentiality). We investigate the effects of these two aspects of perceived consequentiality on stated preferences in a field survey concerning renewable energy development in Poland. We find that beliefs in policy and payment consequentiality strengthen the respondents’ interest in having the project implemented. However, policy consequentiality decreases and payment consequentiality increases their sensitivity to the project cost, which, respectively, increases and decreases their willingness-to-pay for the project. We conclude that the two aspects of consequentiality should be addressed separately. Additionally, we inquire the theoretically speculated links between the respondents’ perceptions of policy and payment consequentiality and their risk attitudes, and we find no significant relationship.     

A behavioral rebound effect

Pro-environmental behaviors are an important avenue for mitigating environmental impacts. Technological improvements are also a vital tool for reducing environmental damage from consumption. However, their benefits are partially offset by the direct rebound effect, whereby a consumer rationally responds to an increase in resource use efficiency by consuming more. This paper investigates whether technological improvement might also reduce behaviorally motivated mitigation of environmental damage. A behavioral rebound effect operates through two channels. First, pro-environmental effort is reduced after a decrease in marginal environmental damage. Second, moral licensing reduces pro-environmental effort further when technological change is endogenous. I develop a novel real effort laboratory experiment to identify these behaviors. I find a positive behavioral rebound effect. I also find evidence consistent with moral licensing, which is strongest among subjects with a higher degree of pro-environmental attitudes and beliefs. Subjects’ baseline level of pro-environmental effort is driven by beliefs about social norms.     

Prospect theory and energy efficiency

Investments in energy efficiency entail uncertainty, and when faced with uncertainty consumers have been shown to behave according to prospect theory: preferences are reference-dependent and exhibit loss aversion, and probabilities are subjectively weighted. Using data from a choice experiment eliciting prospect theory parameters, I provide evidence that loss-averse people are less likely to invest in energy efficiency. Then, I consider policy design under prospect theory when there are also externalities from energy use. A higher degree of loss aversion implies a higher subsidy to energy efficiency. Numerical simulations suggest that the impact of prospect theory on policy may be substantial.     

投影角度受限制的超声波CT温度测量

本研究在投影角度受限制的情况下利用超声波CT完成三维温度测量。新CT再构成算法的主要特征如下：在考虑到投影数据之间的相关性的同时、在傅里叶变换基础之上利用外插手法来补全不完整的投影数据。我们运用计算机模拟计算以及建立实验系统对上述算地的可靠性进行检验。根据计算机模拟计算和实验的结果,我们认为本研究所提出的CT算法可以有效地处理受投影角度限制的投影数据。     

Waste minimisation in practice

One of the major hindrances to waste minimisation on a construction site is the difficulty in establishing a methodology and using this methodology to benchmark future construction projects. This paper introduces SMARTWaste, a software tool that has been used to audit, reduce and target waste arisings on a construction site. This tool tries to link the construction process and the waste hierarchy. That is reducing waste on a construction site rather than landfilling it. Three applications of the SMARTWaste software will be discussed using case studies from three different types of construction. An evaluation of these case studies shows that, by implementing a waste minimisation scheme on-site, you can improve material recovery for reuse. Also, by using the waste arisings as a benchmark you can reduce your waste arisings on future sites. Application of SMARTWaste or a similar waste minimisation tool on a wider basis could reduce waste arisings and could result in a built environment that consumed less natural resources and energy, and also produced less pollution and waste. Such a built environment would be environmentally and socially more responsive and responsible.     

单级活性污泥过程数学模型ASM2D参数的灵敏度分析

利用单级活性污泥模拟流程对ASM2D参数的灵敏度进行了研究,发现在67个化学计量系数及动力学常数中,有22个参数需在应用中进行校核．该项研究结果为ASM2D实际应用中减少需校核参数的个数提供了依据．     

土石坝振动台模型试验颗粒流数值模拟分析

目前一般采用振动台试验、离心振动台试验和有限元动力分析来获得土石坝在设计地震荷载作用下的形态和抗震性能。本文结合孔宪京等的土石坝振动台试验结果开展了颗粒流细观数值模拟研究,克服了传统连续介质力学的宏观连续性假设,形象而直观地表现出坝体在动力荷载作用下的破坏特征。数值模拟规律与振动台试验规律基本一致。同时还分析了坝体颗粒粘结强度和地震峰值加速度变化对坝体破坏特征的影响。数值结果表明,当颗粒间粘结强度较低时,表现为坝体表面颗粒的滑动破坏,粘结强度稍大时,会出现局部的小块颗粒团整体滑动破坏;随着峰值加速度的增大,坝顶沉降量在增大,坝体破坏特征不变。     

苏丹红Ⅰ、Ⅲ和Ⅳ对HepG-2细胞和SGC-7901细胞增殖的影响

以辽宁某地硼矿开采和加工厂的硼作业工人以及远离硼矿的背景地区的人群作为研究对象,分析了班后尿液硼浓度与日硼暴露剂量之间的关系.结果表明,班后尿硼浓度与日硼暴露剂量之间存在着显著的对数线性关系,考虑了不同人群类别的影响之后,回归方程的拟合度达到85.9%,由此确立了用班后尿硼浓度预测日硼暴露剂量的预测方程.用此预测方程对本研究2004年的受试者日硼暴露剂量进行预测,并与实测值进行了比较,结果表明平均相对偏差为13.4%,预测值与实测值之间没有显著性的差异.说明用班后尿硼浓度预测日硼暴露剂量是可行的.对2004年所有受试者的日硼暴露剂量预测结果分析表明,硼职业暴露组、社区对照组和背景对照组的日硼暴露剂量平均值分别为36.1、4.13和1.31mg/d.     

基于Monte Carlo的海洋平台圆柱落物落点分析及危险区快速评价*

为实现海洋平台落物风险快速精确评价，针对传统推荐性规范经验化、过于简化、平面化及未体现工程随机性等问题，以圆柱落物为研究对象开展先导研究，基于3D运动理论模型，提出1种采用Monte Carlo方法表征工程随机性以实现危险区快速精确评价的方法，自主开发形成海洋平台圆柱落物危险区快速评价工具（MREDP），着重分析落点分布规律和危险区等级划分。结果表明:落点分布整体呈现“倒工字圆弧型”、两端“一密一疏”、关于X轴对称特点；MREDP快速评价结果可信，评价周期大幅降低；MREDP快速评价危险区相对较大、存在多峰值点，DNVGL-RP-F107推荐危险区相对保守、存在单峰值点。