Determinants of workers’ attitude toward low-carbon technology adoption: empirical evidence from Chinese firms

As the main contribution of China’s carbon emissions, low-carbon production in industrial firms becomes an inevitable choice, and industrial firm employees’ attitudes on low-carbon new technology directly influence the results of low-carbon production. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model, structural equation modeling was used to analyze the main factors influencing firm staff to accept low-carbon new technology. The study reveals that the employee’s social impact, performance expectation, effort expectations and convenient conditions, and employee characteristics are all main factors affecting their acceptance attitudes on low-carbon new technology. And social influence has the largest effect on employees’ acceptance attitudes toward low-carbon new technology. Accordingly, relevant policy recommendations are put forward for the future research direction.     

长江经济带高技术产业投入产出效率分析

提高长江经济带高技术产业的投入产出效率,有利于协调该区域经济发展与生态环境保护之间的关系。运用三阶段DEA方法,从企业类型、环境因素等视角对长江经济带高技术产业投入产出效率进行实证分析。结果发现,政府RD支出的增长对企业技术效率的提高均有正向作用,但作用效应尚未达到显著状态;研发机构数量的增加能够显著提高内资及港澳台企业的技术效率,而外资企业与中国技术市场的互动效应尚不显著;行业内企业数量增加所引致的市场竞争有利于外资企业提高技术效率,却显著降低了内资及港澳台企业的技术效率;不同类型企业之间和地区之间的技术效率存在较大差距,外资企业的技术效率和纯技术效率最高,内资企业的规模效率最高。文章最后提出政策建议。     

Free market ideology and deregulation in Colorado’s oil fields: Evidence for triple movement activism?

Unconventional oil and gas extraction (UOGE) has spurred an unprecedented boom in onshore production in the US. Despite a surge in related research, a void exists regarding inquiries into policy outcomes and perceptions. To address this, support for federal regulatory exemptions for UOGE is examined using survey data collected in 2015 from two Northern Colorado communities. Current regulatory exemptions for UOGE can be understood as components of broader societal processes of neoliberalization. Free market ideology increases public support for federal regulatory exemptions for UOGE. Perceived negative impacts do not necessarily drive people to support increased federal regulation. Utilizing neo-Polanyian theory, interaction between free market ideology and perceived negative impacts is explored. Free market ideology appears to moderate people’s views of regulation: increasing the effect of perceived negative impacts while simultaneously increasing support for deregulation. To conclude, the ways in which free market ideology might normalize the impacts of UOGE activity are discussed.     

Vetoing the future: political constraints and renewable energy

Despite the increased importance of and attention to renewable energy, its share in the overall energy mix has varied significantly across countries and over time. There are many determinants of clean energy transitions; this study focuses on political constraints. Here it is argued that political systems that have fewer political constraints have fewer access points through which powerful status quo veto players can slow the progress of clean energy reforms. To test the theory, a hierarchical model is applied on a dataset of 125 countries over four decades. The results provide significant support for the theory. Furthermore, the effects for political constraints hold even when we distinguish between hydro and non-hydro renewable sources and control for regime type. This study builds on research that recognizes the importance of politics in understanding the challenges and opportunities of clean energy reform.     

Quantity and biochemical composition of sedimentary organic matter around offshore gas extraction platforms of the Adriatic Sea

Gas platforms can exert relevant effects on various ecosystem properties of the hosting area, modifying patterns of productivity and particle sedimentation. We hypothesised that the presence of gas platforms is associated with higher organic matter (OM) contents and we tested the null hypothesis by which benthic trophic conditions do not vary significantly among gas structures with different architectural characteristics. To test these hypotheses, we investigated sedimentary OM contents and biochemical composition at increasing distance from two distinct structures: one subsea well-site and one four-leg platform (FLP). We found that sediments surrounding the structures were characterised by similar OM contents, but different biochemical compositions, and that sedimentary OM compositional change with increasing distance from the structure is confirmed only at the FLP. These results suggest that: (i) benthic eutrophication is not consistent among different structures; (ii) OM biochemical composition changes are more evident than those in OM quantity; and (iii) the effect, wherever present, disappears at a very narrow distance from the platform. As biochemical composition of OM reflects food availability for benthic organisms, our results suggest that the enrichment of macrozoobenthic communities around these structures could be the consequence of increased nutritional quality of resources.     

Isotopic composition (C & N) of the suspended particles and N uptake by phytoplankton in a shallow tropical coastal lagoon

The spatial distribution of the C/N ratios and variations in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of suspended particulate matter were used to characterise their source in Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, Chilika, India. In addition, the significance of re-mineralised nutrients in the primary productivity of the shallow lagoon was also determined through quantification of the subsurface nitrogen uptake conditions at two relatively stable locations in the lagoon. The results indicated that the influence of terrestrial organic matter was the maximum in the northern sector and was relatively limited at the central and southern part of the lagoon. In situ ¹⁵N uptake experiments (daytime) under biogeochemically stable conditions revealed that the N uptake by phytoplankton ranged between 0.24 and 1.01?mM?m^?3?h^?1 during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. New production and regenerated production in the shallow lagoon was also estimated by calculating f-ratios (ratio of nitrate assimilation by phytoplankton to total nitrogenous nutrient assimilation, have been estimated), which varied from 0.52 in the post-monsoon to 0.38 in the pre-monsoon. Lowering of the f-ratio from post- to pre-monsoon indicated a dominance of mineralisation over the new production.     

Review of advances in the thin layer chromatography of pesticides: 2004–2006

Applications of thin layer chromatography and high performance thin layer chromatography for the separation, detection, and qualitative and quantitative determination of pesticides, other agrochemicals, and related compounds are reviewed for the period from July 1, 2004 to November 1, 2006. Analyses are covered for a variety of samples, such as food, crops, biological, environmental, pharmaceuticals, and formulations, and for residues of pesticides of various types, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, belonging to different chemical classes. In addition to references on residue analysis, studies such as pesticide-structure relationships, metabolism, degradation, and lipophilicity are covered, many of which make use of thin layer radiochromatography.     

Nickel induced alteration of hen body weight,egg production and egg quality after an experimental peroral administration

In this study the effects of nickel (NiCl₂) administered in drinking water (0.02; 0.2 and 2.0 mg NiCl₂/L for 28 days) on laying hen body weight, egg production and egg quality is reported. Growth parameters during the experiment were significantly decreased mainly in the group with the highest nickel concentration. In total egg production dose–dependent decrease in all experimental groups was found. Egg weight was mainly affected in the group with the highest nickel concentration. Specific egg weight was not altered. Albumen weight and albumen content was significantly decreased in groups with the highest nickel concentration in comparison with the control group.

Egg yolk analysis detected significantly decreased yolk weight in the group with the highest nickel experimental level. In yolk color a significant difference was detected between the group receiving 0.02 and 0.2 mg NiCl₂/mL. Eggshell compactness was increased in all experimental groups what could be induced by altered mineralization of eggshell. Results of this study clearly report a negative effect of nickel as an environmental pollutant on laying hen body weight, egg production as well as egg quality.     

Treatment of wastewater from red and tropical fruit wine production by zeolite anaerobic fluidized bed reactor

A study of the anaerobic treatment of wastewaters derived from red (RWWW) and tropical fruit wine (TFWWW) production was carried out in four laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactors with natural zeolite as bacterial support. These reactors operated at mesophilic temperature (35°C). Reactors R1 and R2 contained Chilean natural zeolite, while reactors R3 and R4 used Cuban natural zeolite as microorganism support. In addition, reactors R1 and R3 processed RWWW, while reactors R2 and R4 used TFWWW as substrate. The biomass concentration attached to zeolites in the four reactors studied was found to be in the range of 44–46 g volatile solids (VS)/L after 90 days of operation time. Both types of zeolites can be used indistinctly in the fluidized bed reactors achieving more than 80%–86% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals for organic loading rates (OLR) of up to at least 20 g COD/L d. pH values remained within the optimal range for anaerobic microorganisms for OLR values of up to 20 and 22 g COD/L d for RWWW and TFWWW, respectively. Toxicity and inhibition levels were observed at an OLR of 20 g COD/L d in reactors R1 and R3 while processing RWWW, whereas the aforementioned inhibitory phenomena were not observed at an OLR of 24 g COD/L d in R2 and R4, treating TFWWW as a consequence of the lower phenolic compound content present in this substrate. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) levels were always lower in reactors processing TFWWW (R2 and R4) and these values (< 400 mg/L, as acetic acid) were lower than the suggested limits for digester failure. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) was twice as high in reactors R2 and R4 than in R1 and R3 after 120 days of operation when all reactors operated at an OLR of 20 g COD/L d.     

利用CRT屏玻璃制备板状泡沫玻璃

以废旧阴极射线管(CRT屏)为主要原料,混合碳粉作为发泡剂,硼砂为助熔剂、稳泡剂,利用烧结法制备出的板状泡沫玻璃是一种高性能无机建筑保温材料。利用TG-DSC-MS研究分析了CRT屏玻璃的热性能与发泡剂协同作用的关系。配合料被预先压制成板块状,然后在发泡温度下进行烧成。研究了发泡剂碳粉的含量、发泡温度和发泡时间与其结构、性能的关系。研究分析表明,以废CRT屏玻璃为主要原料、碳粉为发泡剂,将混合料压制成块,烧制出板状泡沫玻璃。其较佳的发泡温度为850℃、碳粉的最佳用量范围为0.3%～0.5%,较好的发泡时间为30 min。烧制的板状泡沫玻璃的密度为0.292 g/cm3。在相同的制备条件下,随着发泡温度的升高,气泡孔径也呈现增大趋势,孔壁也逐渐变薄。随着发泡时间逐渐增加,气孔的直径迅速增大,并有形成连通孔。