Cost pass-through to higher ethanol blends at the pump: Evidence from Minnesota gas station data

We examine the pass-through of wholesale prices to retail prices in the market for E85, which contains 51%–83% ethanol, and in the much larger market for E10, which contains 10% ethanol. We use a panel dataset consisting of monthly observations from 2007 to March 2015 on wholesale and retail prices for 274 Minnesota gas stations that sell both E10 and E85. Consistent with prior research, the cumulative pass-through coefficient for E10 is 1.00 after one month. In contrast, the E85 market is sparse, and although pass-through increased over time, we estimate it to be only 0.53 statewide from 2012 to 2015. Pass-through is higher at stations with more local E85 competitors. In the Twin Cities, which has a high density of E85 stations, pass-through is nearly complete, but outside the Twin Cities slightly less than half the wholesale discount of E85, relative to E10, is passed on to the consumer.     

The potential implementation of green infrastructure assessment using high-resolution National Agriculture Imagery Program data for sustainable hazard mitigation

As green infrastructure gets its attention in hazard mitigation, it is necessary to improve general understanding on what makes green infrastructure important for hazard and resiliency research. To better understand how green infrastructure fits with more traditional notions of structural and nonstructural mitigation, this study examines the relationship between green infrastructure and ‘structural and nonstructural’ mitigation approaches for hazard mitigation. Also, this study discusses a new measurement of locational aspects and spatial patterns of green infrastructure by utilizing high-resolution data in urban areas, and its potential implementation in hazard mitigation. Compared to previous research using land-use land-cover datasets, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) utilizing National Agriculture Imagery Program dataset provides an ability to capture green infrastructure in greater detail. A visual comparison suggests that the NDVI data are able to capture and identify more types of ‘green’ land uses in Harris County. The total green infrastructure percentages for Harris County, Texas, based on 1-m high resolution were found to be 61.5% of the area, compared to the 51.5% based on the National Land Cover Database. This study provides support for utilizing high-resolution data to establish guidelines for green infrastructure’s spatial characteristics and sustainable hazard mitigation. The outcomes of this study will be helpful in the strategic planning and implementation of green infrastructure in urban areas with hazard issues.     

Non-renewable resource prices: Deterministic or stochastic trends?

In this paper, we examine temporal properties of 11 natural resource real price series from 1870 to 1990. Recent studies by Ahrens and Sharma [Trends in natural resource commodity prices: deterministic or stochastic? J. Environ. Econom. Manage. 33(1997)59–74], Berck and Roberts [Natural resource prices: will they ever turn up? J. Environ. Econom. Manage. 31(1996)65–78], and Slade [Grade selection under uncertainty: least cost last and other anomalies, J. Environ. Econom. Manage. 15(1988)189–205], among others, find that many non-renewable resource prices have a stochastic trend. We revisit this issue by employing a Lagrangian multiplier unit root test that allows for two endogenously determined structural breaks with and without a quadratic trend. Contrary to previous research, we find evidence against the unit root hypothesis for all price series. Our findings support characterizing natural resource prices as stationary around deterministic trends with structural breaks. We additionally show that both pre-testing for unit roots with breaks and allowing for breaks in the forecast model can improve forecast accuracy. Overall, the results in this paper are important in both a positive and normative sense; without an appropriate understanding of the dynamics of a time series, empirical verification of theories, forecasting, and proper inference are potentially fruitless.     

种族鱼群优化支持向量机序列理论监测尾矿坝

为监测预警尾矿坝的变形位移,提出基于结构风险最小化理论的支持向量机进行学习预测。通过采集有效数据,对时间序列数据进行归一化序列处理,然后采取种族鱼群选择向量机参数,对处理后的数据进行支持向量机回归预测。将该理论应用到某尾矿坝监测系统,得到了较为准确的预测结果,表明该理论充分利用了数据的统计特性,精度和泛化能力都得到了明显提高,可作为尾矿坝监测系统的有效指导。     

基于指标规范值的地表水水质的模糊综合评价

传统的模糊综合评价法用于地表水水质评价,当指标数较多时需要设计很多隶属函数,设计和计算工作量皆很大,实际使用不便。在设定指标参照值和规范变换式基础上,将指标按各级标准规范值相近程度进行适当分类,只需分类设计隶属函数即可,大幅减少了计算工作量,使模糊综合评价法应用于地表水水质评价变得简化。     

Costs and prices for renewable energy development in industrialized countries and applications to China

Developing renewable energy is now becoming a hot topic as it is important in dealing with climate change issue and energy supply issue. With the growing demand of energy, it has become urgent to develop the effective policies and measures that would enable people to maintain the living standards. Among all the measures, price is an essential one. In order to evaluate the costs and prices of the electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E) and their effects to the market, this paper firstly focus on the extra costs of the RES-E by breaking it into four parts, including investment, construction, connection and operation. Then, the policy choices made in some typical industrialized countries are examined to find answers to the problems RES-E can raise. Finally, the choices made in China are examined in comparison to industrialized countries so as to determine how the current situation could be improved.     

藻类的光谱吸收特征及其混合藻吸收系数的分离

利用定量滤膜技术测定了实验室培养的聚球藻(Synechococcus 7942)、铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)、斜生栅藻(Scenedesmusobliquus)、蛋白核小球藻(Chlorella pyrenoidosa)、直链硅藻的吸收光谱(Melosira granulate Var.angustissima),通过其标准化吸收谱,分析了同种藻不同生长时期的吸收谱特征,并比较分析了不同藻类的标准化吸收谱.结果表明,同一藻的标准化吸收光谱在不同生长时期基本恒定不变.色素组成及其比例的不同是引起藻类间吸收光谱变化的主要原因,同时也是大型浅水湖泊中浮游植物种群演替的原因之一.蓝藻光谱主要存在620nm左右的吸收峰,使得其在水体中较易获取生长所需的光能.直链硅藻在短波范围内稍强的吸收能力被非藻类颗粒物、黄质所弱化,而其在630nm的吸收峰较低,因而难以成为浅水湖泊中的优势种;绿藻在655nm处的吸收肩峰有利于其光能竞争.通过纯种藻的标准化吸收谱,较为成功地对混合藻的吸收谱进行了分离.     

Giving green to get green? Incentives and consumer adoption of hybrid vehicle technology

Federal, state, and local governments use a variety of incentives to induce consumer adoption of hybrid-electric vehicles. We study the relative efficacy of state sales tax waivers, income tax credits, and non-tax incentives and find that the type of tax incentive offered is as important as the generosity of the incentive. Conditional on value, sales tax waivers are associated with more than a ten-fold increase in hybrid sales relative to income tax credits. In addition, we examine how adoption varies with fuel prices. Rising gasoline prices are associated with greater hybrid vehicle sales, but this effect operates almost entirely through high fuel-economy vehicles. By comparing consumer response to sales tax waivers and estimated future fuel savings, we estimate an implicit discount rate of 14.6% on future fuel savings.     

基于指标规范变换的生态环境质量评价普适指数公式

为了建立科学合理、计算简便和实用性强的生态环境质量评价普适指数公式,在确定典型区域的生态环境评价指标体系及其分级标准的基础上,适当设定各项生态环境指标的参照值和指标值的(规范)变换式,使不同指标同级标准值的变换值差异较小,而变换值的对数值差异更小,从而可以认为用变换值表示的不同指标皆等效于某个指标。因此,用变换值表示的不同指标的某种类型的生态环境质量评价指数公式都可以用该等效指标的生态环境质量评价指数公式代替。在满足一定优化目标准则的条件下,用免疫进化粒子群混洗蛙跳算法对公式中的普适参数进行优化,分别得到优化后对23项生态环境指标皆适用的对数型幂函数、韦伯-费希纳定律、Γ型分布函数、污染危害S型函数和加权加和型幂函数5种形式的生态环质量评价普适指数公式,并对公式的可靠性进行了理论分析,对其实用效果进行了检验。     

长白山的台风灾区范围及植被恢复动态——基于遥感技术的研究

通过对1985年和1987年Thematic Mapper(TM)影像中提取出的归一化植被指数进行对比分析,提取了1986年长白山自然保护区内遭受台风袭击后的灾区范围,并通过比较1988年和2007年的TM影像,分析了风灾区的植被恢复过程。同时,结合该地区的地形、水文、土壤和公路数据对风灾区的植被恢复进行了驱动力分析。发现地形驱动因子与风灾区的恢复程度呈高度相关,随着高程、坡度和平地所占比例的减少,恢复程度逐渐变好;此外水文、土壤和人类活动都对风灾区的植被恢复产生一定影响,另外人工干预恢复对植被生长也起着积极的作用。研究结果可供风灾区内植被的进一步恢复和森林防火工作参考。