Towards sustainable consumption: Predicting the impact of social‐psychological factors on energy conservation intentions in Northern Cyprus

The incessant demand and consumption of energy services among individuals’ is increasing throughout the world. Individuals’ electricity consumption in Northern Cyprus has risen considerably. However, the demand for electrical energy services on the island is heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels has adverse effects on its environment. Therefore, sustainable energy consumption is required and individuals are targeted for energy conservation to reduce electricity consumption. Against this background, using the Structural Equation Modeling approach, this research incorporates social‐psychological factors; personal norms, positive and negative emotions into the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model to assess the relationships among the variables, explain their impact on consumers’ electricity conservation intentions and enhance the explanatory power of the model. Data was conveniently obtained from a quantitative sample of 400 electricity consumers. The results indicate that negative emotions have the strongest significant influence on intentions, but personal norms have the least effect on intentions to save electricity. Furthermore, the study revealed that our expanded TPB model can provide improved explanatory power more than the original TPB. Policy implications, limitations and future research are discussed.     

A nanocomposite of CoFe2O4-carbon microspheres for electrochemical energy storage applications

A carbon/CoFe₂O₄ composite was synthesized by precipitation method. The morphology of the composite was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The electrocapacitive behaviors of the composite has been studies by cycle voltammogram and galvanic charge/discharge. The size of the nanoparticles carbon composite of CoFe₂O₄ was uniform and 209 nm. Due to a high percent of carbon, electrochemical measurements showed electrical double layer mechanism. Specifically, the carbon/cobalt ferrite electrode exhibited high specific capacitance of 102.5 F g^?1 at a current density of 0.16 A g^?1, and high rate capability with 30% retention of capacitance even up to 20 A g^?1, and excellent cycling stability with 81.5% retention of the initial capacitance after 6000 charge/discharge cycles, supporting that the carbon cobalt ferrite composite electrode could be a potential candidate for supercapacitor application.     

Fe2O3@SCe多相芬顿催化剂的制备及其降解放热性能

为研究多相Fenton体系降解有机污水过程的放热规律,为污水处理的能源化利用提供技术支撑,本文以半焦（SCe）为载体,制备了Fe₂O₃@SCe新型复合材料,并对复合材料进行了BET、FTIR、XRD、SEM表征,研究了Fe₂O₃@SCe/H₂O₂多相Fenton体系处理邻苯二胺（OPD）模拟废水的降解性能和放热规律.结果表明,Fe₂O₃均匀负载于SCe颗粒表面,Fe₂O₃@SCe复合材料保留了改性SCe的多孔形态和强吸附性,在3.1~8.9的pH值范围内均表现出较高的催化活性;Fe₂O₃@SCe/H₂O₂多相Fenton体系在去离子水中自身分解和在邻苯二胺模拟废水的降解反应都释放了大量的热量,在[OPD]= 0.04mol/L;pH=7.8;T₀=30℃;[H₂O₂]=0.25mol/L;[Fe₂O₃@Sce]=533g/L;t=180min反应条件下的溶液温度升高数值为7.1℃,降解率为88.2%; H₂O₂的投加浓度是影响反应放热量的主要因素.     

中国环境保护相关电价政策效应与资金机制

本文从电价政策优化视角,分析了环保电价与可再生能源电价的目标、补贴率变化,首次核算了两类政策的资金总额,对比评估了两类政策的资金规模、微观作用机制、资金机制和决策机制.结果发现,环保电价长年稳定,为燃煤发电行业污染治理资金提供了稳定预期,实现了污染物的快速减排;可再生能源上网标杆电价多次下调,激励企业技术进步的同时,助长了企业投机行为.微观作用机制上,环保电价刺激了燃煤发电企业治污技术进步、企业私人成本下降,但社会承担了较高的污染治理成本;而可再生能源电价政策促进了发电社会成本的下降.可再生能源电价资金传导机制更为刚性,但存在附加征收率不高、资金缺口大等问题,政策设计未做到激励相容.2015年环保电价与可再生能源电价补贴资金总额分别为767.97亿元（不含税）和429.1亿元（供给侧）.环保电价资金总额超过可再生能源电价资金总额,强化了燃煤发电成本优势,制约了可再生能源发展,不利于电力结构的清洁化.     

中国城乡居民生活消费碳排放变化的比较研究

基于碳排放系数法估算了1997~2015年中国城镇、农村和整体（包含城镇和农村）居民生活消费引起的直接碳排放量,进一步采用Dagum基尼系数和Kernel密度函数估计方法对中国城镇和农村居民生活消费碳排放的地区差距及分布动态进行实证研究.同时,采用乘积式对数平均迪式指数模型（M-LMDI）分析了直接能源消费强度、居民人均消费水平和单位能源碳排放强度3大因素对居民消费碳排放变化的影响,并重点考察了各省份相关变量对生活消费碳排放影响的城乡差异.结果表明：（1）中国城镇和农村居民人均生活消费碳排放量在研究期内呈现逐年递增的趋势,在空间上均存在显著非均衡特征.（2）中国居民人均生活消费碳排放的地区总差异呈现波动下降的趋势,从1997年的0.379下降到2015年的0.244.1997~1999年城镇和农村居民生活消费碳排放的组间差距是城乡差距的主要来源,其贡献率超过50%.2000年后组内差距成为城乡差距的主要来源,其贡献率均大于40%并超过了组间差距.（3）城镇和农村居民人均生活消费碳排放均在增加,地区差异均在扩大.（4）对全国居民生活消费碳排放变动贡献最大的省区是内蒙古,累计贡献值达0.1005.贡献最小的省区是云南,累计贡献值为0.0125.（5）农村的能源消费强度和人均消费水平的贡献程度在研究期内均大于城镇,单位能源碳排放强度在两个地区的贡献水平表现出了波动性.     

“一带一路”重点地区全要素能源效率-测算、分解及影响因素分析

将“一带一路¹”国内重点地区作为研究对象,从“一带”和“一路”角度分析重点地区全要素能源效率.遵循测算、分解及影响因素分析的研究路径,考虑水体和大气污染两方面的三种非期望产出,采用超效率SBM模型测算重点地区2005-2015年的全要素能源效率,以Malmquist指数分解全要素能源效率变动,通过Tobit模型对10种影响因素进行回归分析.研究发现：2005-2015年,“一带一路”重点地区全要素能源效率未见进步.以经济带划分的全要素能源效率存在差异,“一路”地区全要素能源效率最高,“一带一路”重点地区总体次之,“一带”地区最低,分别稳定在0.96,0.82和0.76的水平;大部分重点地区的Malmquist指数大于1,显示生产效率进步,可能存在“回弹效应”;经济发展、产业结构、对外开放和能源价格可以促进重点地区全要素能源效率提高,研究开发、政府干预、生产要素比没有带来正面影响,工业污染显示显著负影响.最终.     

Assessing the performance of motorcyclists’ impact protectors in simulated ATD knee and shoulder impacts

Objective: Fractures are a common injury among motorcycle riders and can have serious health implications. Impact protection (IP) has been designed to help prevent fractures, yet there are conflicting opinions as to whether this IP does in fact help prevent fractures in real-world crashes. This work aimed to (1) use simulated dummy impacts to examine whether existing types of IP could reduce the force transferred to the underlying bone to below fracture tolerance levels and (2) investigate whether current European Standard (EN 1621-1) test procedures for impact protectors designed for motorcyclists are sufficient to ensure fracture protection.

Method: Twenty-three shoulder and 7 knee IP specimens were tested using a 23-kg impactor contacting axially along the clavicle and femur of an anthropomorphic test device (ATD) at an energy level corresponding to the fracture tolerance of these bones. Sixteen IP specimens were the same as those worn by motorcycle riders involved in crashes where injury outcome was known (knee: n?=?3; shoulder: n?=?13) and the IP had been previously tested to EN 1621-1. Other IP tested represented a wide range of IP available for purchase at a motorcycle accessory store. Double and triple layers of IP were also tested. Energy attenuated during the dummy impacts was compared to energy attenuated when tested to EN 1621-1.

Results: Of the 23 shoulder IP tested, the average percentage reduction of transferred force to the shoulder from the baseline test was 7.6?±?4.8%. The percentage reduction of transferred force to the knee from the baseline was 43.9?±?7.5%. The entire group of knee IP tested reduced the transferred force to the knee to below the 10-kN injury threshold for the femur. There was a positive but nonsignificant correlation between the ATD test and the EN 1621-1 impact test performance, suggesting that the European standard test method likely provides a good indication of IP performance. However, given the low correlation coefficient, the relationship between IP performance in the European standard test method and injury protection remains unclear.

Conclusion: Though the energy attenuation test method in the European standard may be an appropriate approach, distinct differences in injury protection performance observed between knee and shoulder IP indicate that there may be a need for different performance criteria for IP designated to protect different body regions.     

基于能量理论的煤与瓦斯突出机理探讨

为研究煤与瓦斯突出的力学机理和能量来源,根据理想气体状态方程,推导了采场围岩瓦斯突出过程中的瓦斯压力、瓦斯含量与对外做功的关系,基于弹塑性力学,阐明了岩体弹塑性状态转化前后应变能释放机理。研究结果表明:煤与瓦斯突出是瓦斯势能与煤岩体弹性能共同作用并转化为煤岩体动能的结果;瓦斯势能释放值与释放路径无关,而与瓦斯压力和瓦斯含量相关,与煤壁前方塑性区扩展规模相关;将其应用至1次特大型煤与瓦斯突出事故中,核算的突出煤量、瓦斯含量和煤体抛出速度基本吻合于实际结果;基于理论分析提出了煤与瓦斯突出的3项防治措施,一是通过钻孔卸压或瓦斯抽放减小瓦斯压力,二是增加极限平衡区距离或减小截深,三是避免高瓦斯巷道或工作面出现蝶形塑性破坏。     

Measurement of minimum ignition energies (MIEs) of dust clouds – History,present, future

Nearly 130 years ago Holtzwart and von Meyer (1891) demonstrated by experiments that explosible dust clouds could be ignited by inductive electric sparks. Then more than half a century passed before the publication of the important quantitative research of Boyle and Llewellyn (1950) and Line et al. (1959). They worked with capacitive electric sparks and found that the minimum capacitor energies ½CU² required for ignition of various dust clouds in air decreased substantially when a large series resistance, in the range 10⁴–10⁷ Ω, was introduced in the discharge circuit. When considering that the net energies of the sparks themselves were only of the order of 10% of the ½CU² discharged, the minimum net spark energies required for ignition with a large series resistance were only a few per cent of the net energies required without such a resistance.Line et al. observed that the essential effect of increasing the series resistance, and hence increasing the discharge time of the sparks, was to reduce the disturbance of the dust cloud by the blast wave from the spark. This phenomenon was explored further by Eckhoff (1970, 2017), and subsequently by some simple experiments by Eckhoff and Enstad (1976). Franke (1974, 1977) and Laar (1980) confirmed the additional finding of Line et al. (1959) that the minimum ½CU² for ignition is also substantially reduced by including a series inductance in the discharge circuit, rather than a series resistance. The basic reason is the same as with a large series resistance, viz. increased spark discharge time and hence decreased disturbance of the dust cloud by blast wave from the spark. For this reason inclusion of an appreciable series inductance in the spark discharge circuit is an essential element in current standard MIE test methods.In experiments with spark ignition of transient dust clouds produced by a blast of air in a closed vessel, it is necessary to synchronize the occurrence of the spark with the formation of the dust cloud. The precision required from this type of synchronization is typically of the order of 10 ms, which can be obtained even by mechanical arrangements, such as rapid change of spark gap length, or of the distance between two capacitor plates. The present paper reviews some methods that have been/are being used for achieving adequate synchronization of dust cloud appearance and spark discharge. Some current standard experimental methods for determining MIEs of dust clouds experimentally have also been reviewed. The same applies to some theories of electric-spark ignition of dust clouds.At the end of paper some suggestions for possible future modifications of current standard methods for measuring MIEs of explosible dust clouds are presented. With regard to justifying significant modifications of existing standard methods, the “bottom line” is, as quite often in many connections, that any modifications should be based on realistic cost/benefit evaluations.     

Gender response and safe carrying load limit for sugar industry workers

This study investigates the safe carrying load limit in relation to gender of workers in the sugar industry. A total of 632 workers (male and female) were interviewed following a physiological and psycho-physiological methodology. All of these workers were in the age groups of 21–30, 31–40 and ≥41 years. In this study, for the physiological methodology, both field and laboratory data were collected, which included heart rate, heart rate variability, energy expenditure and maximum rate of oxygen consumption. Information regarding hemoglobin content, weight, age, lean body weight, etc., was recorded to know the physical health of the workers. In the psycho-physiological evaluation, load-carrying limits were determined by the psychophysical rating of the load by workers from the selected age groups. By considering the physiological stresses and psycho-physiological evaluation, the safe carrying load limit was determined in head and back mode for male and female workers as per their age groups.