The Influence of Rebate Programs on the Demand for Water Heaters: The Case of New South Wales

In the past decade the Australian Federal government and state governments have established a wide range of programs to cut greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors. This paper examines the role of hot water system rebate programs in shifting the existing stock of electric water heaters toward more climate friendly versions using two unique data sets from New South Wales homeowners. The first data set is based on a survey of households who recently purchased a water heater and exploits a natural experiment created by the rebate program to quantify its effects. The other data set is based on a set of stated preference questions asked of households who own an older water heater and will in the reasonably near future face a replacement decision. We find that recent rebate programs significantly increased the share of solar/heat pump systems. For households without access to natural gas, this increased share comes directly from inefficient electric water heaters. For households with access to natural gas, older existing electric water heaters would likely have been replaced with gas water heaters in the absence of the rebate programs. The rebate program appears to be much less effective when water heaters are replaced on an emergency basis. Data from discrete choice experiments was analysed using several flexible choice models. A newly proposed model that combines a latent class approach with a random coefficients approach clearly dominates the other models in terms of statistical fit. Predictions based on this model estimate are reasonably consistent with actual purchase data. Results from it point to considerable heterogeneity with respect to household preferences toward different types of water heaters and with respect to the discount rates they hold.Climate change mitigation, Energy conservation programs, Natural experiments, Discrete choice experiments, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Exceptional Points of Degeneracy Induced by Linear Time-Periodic Variation

We present a general theory of exceptional points of degeneracy (EPD) in periodically time-variant systems. We show that even a single resonator with a time-periodic component is able to develop EPDs, contrary to parity-time- (PT) symmetric systems that require two coupled resonators. An EPD is a special point in a system parameter space at which two or more eigenmodes coalesce in both their eigenvalues and eigenvectors into a single degenerate eigenmode. We demonstrate the conditions for EPDs to exist when they are directly induced by time-periodic variation of a system without loss and gain elements. We also show that a single resonator system with zero time-average loss-gain exhibits EPDs with purely real resonance frequencies, yet the resonator energy grows algebraically in time since energy is injected into the system from the time-variation mechanism. Although the introduced concept and formalism are general for any time-periodic system, here, we focus on the occurrence of EPDs in a single LC resonator with time-periodic modulation. These findings have significant importance in various electromagnetic and photonic systems and pave the way for many applications, such as sensors, amplifiers, and modulators. We show a potential application of this time-varying EPD as a highly sensitive sensor

Urban Landscape Fragmentation as an Indicator of Urban Expansion Using Sentinel-2 Imageries

Rapid urbanization in some cities has led to the emergence of numerous subsidiary settlements around their primary cities. Due to this rapid urbanization and growth, there is a great demand for urban land, mostly for commercial, industrial, and residential uses. Urban green spaces and vegetation are at risk due to a large amount of urban land, as seen by a decline in connectivity and increased fragmentation, especially due to land conversion. However, the identification of the spatial and momentary variability in the clustering and fragmentation of vegetation patterns in urban settings has not made full use of local indicators of spatial distribution measurements, such as Baqubah, a city in Iraq. Since it is essential to measure the degree of fragmentation and evaluate urban expansion trajectories consistently, this study proposes a new approach to assessing the anticipated direction of urban extension, using the fragmentation indicator of built-up patterns in urban areas. Sentinel-2 data was used to map the fragmented urban centres and their future extent in the city at a single time point. The proposed method employs indices to capture the initial distribution of spatial patterns of vegetation cover and built-up areas. The main extracted land cover classes, landscape fragmentation performance, and surface density analysis were accomplished in ArcGIS. The results indicate that the entire built-up area in Baqubah has a high degree of fragmentation at 75%, and about 23% of the open space within the urban extent of the city. Two predicted trajectories of urban expansion were also revealed: one may follow the external road direction, while the other is multi-directional, commencing from the edges of the built-up area. The study concludes that the new method is useful for comprehending and assessing urban landscape fragmentation, as well as anticipating its path. This integrated approach to remote sensing and GIS can sufficiently and effectively determine priority urban regions for successful planning and management. In addition, our study's findings highlight the potential of the suggested strategy as a useful spatially explicit method for determining the spatial clustering and fragmentation of urban landscape patterns. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-09-04 Full Text: PD

Effect the Temperature on Structure and Optical Properties for ZnS nanostructure Thin Film

ZnS nanocrystalline thin films by different temperature of reaction were prepared by chemical bath deposition using thiourea and zinc acetate as S2– and Zn2+ source. The optical absorption studies in the wavelength range 200–1100 nm show that band gap energy of samples 3.75 and 4.0 eV for different temperature reaction condition. The refractive index was estimated within the visible wavelength at 623 nm, it was 2.04 for sample 1 and its value will increase for sample 2 to be 2.55. The room temperature photoluminescence spectra of the films showed two peaks for all samples. We assigned the first peak due to band gap transitions while the latter was due to zinc vacancy in the films. Structural analysis using atomic force microscopy shows that the grain size for films were 73.2 and 87.34 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that both of them formed in the reaction bath have cubic zinc blende structure .The structural estimation shows variation in grain size 7nm and 20nm with different temperature reaction

Ecosystem services bundles:challenges and opportunities for implementation and further research

Background : the concept of ‘ecosystem services bundles’, i.e. ecosystem services that repeatedly appear together across space and/or time, has been developed and refined as part of an integrated approach to assess interactions between ecosystem services. Nevertheless, published evidence of actual use of bundles in decision-making is lacking. In the light of this gap, a review of what bundle approaches have shown and what they can bring to decision-making is timely. Method : we conducted two separate systematic reviews. The first one addressed emerging issues within what we identify as the diverse utilisation and definition of the concept of ‘bundle’ in the literature. The second one focused on papers dealing with bundles as sets of consistently associated services. Review Synthesis : the review first highlights that the confusion surrounding the term ‘bundle’ in ecosystem services literature threatens to weaken the potential for analysis of bundles to inform decision-making. Then, thanks to the review of peer-reviewed papers that detect bundles as sets of consistently associated services, we analyse the diversity of methodological choices and we detail the interactions observed between different ecosystem services across the literature. We also show that landscape features, socio-economic conditions and institutional factors are all potential drivers for the occurrence of specific bundles in a landscape. Discussion : overall, it appears that the analysis of bundles provides an opportunity to enhance policy effectiveness. Nevertheless, the methodological challenges linked to the identification and interpretation of bundles call for careful and reflective study designs. We anticipate that this review will lead to a better understanding by scientists and practitioners of the potential for bundle studies to inform decision-making

Drug-related pityriasis rubra pilaris with acantholysis

Introduction. Acantholysis is rarely reported histological feature of Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP), recently recognized as having diagnostic specificity for differentiating PRP from psoriasis. Case report. Adult male patient one week after the introduction of simvastatin had experienced pruritic erythemo-squamous eruption on head and upper trunk that in a month progressed to erythrodermia, with islands of sparing. Histological picture combined pemphigus-like acantholysis with alternating hyper- and parakeratosis, follicular plugs and dermal inflammation, and confirmed the clinical diagnosis of classic adult type 1 PRP. Acitretin therapy resulted in a resolution of skin disease. Patch test with simvastatin was negative, scratch test was positive, and it was estimated that potential risk of oral challenge with simvastatin outweighed actual need for it. Drug triggering PRP episode is the most likely explanation for temporal relation between the start of simvastatin treatment and skin eruption. Conclusion. In management of rare inflammatory skin disease, such as PRP, we have to carefully observe and evaluate not only diagnostic features but possible external influences on its course also

Potent spinal parenchymal AAV9-mediated gene delivery by subpial injection in adult rats and pigs.

Effective in vivo use of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based vectors to achieve gene-specific silencing or upregulation in the central nervous system has been limited by the inability to provide more than limited deep parenchymal expression in adult animals using delivery routes with the most clinical relevance (intravenous or intrathecal). Here, we demonstrate that the spinal pia membrane represents the primary barrier limiting effective AAV9 penetration into the spinal parenchyma after intrathecal AAV9 delivery. We develop a novel subpial AAV9 delivery technique and AAV9-dextran formulation. We use these in adult rats and pigs to show (i) potent spinal parenchymal transgene expression in white and gray matter including neurons, glial and endothelial cells after single bolus subpial AAV9 delivery; (ii) delivery to almost all apparent descending motor axons throughout the length of the spinal cord after cervical or thoracic subpial AAV9 injection; (iii) potent retrograde transgene expression in brain motor centers (motor cortex and brain stem); and (iv) the relative safety of this approach by defining normal neurological function for up to 6 months after AAV9 delivery. Thus, subpial delivery of AAV9 enables gene-based therapies with a wide range of potential experimental and clinical utilizations in adult animals and human patients

INFLUENCE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS ON HONEY BEE VISITS (Apis mellifera carnica) DURING SUNFLOWER (Helianthus annuus L.) BLOOMING PERIOD

The objective of the investigation was to determine influence of weather conditions on activity of honey bees during blooming time of six sunflower hybrids. The investigation was carried out in 2002 growing season at Kneževi Vinogradi located in Baranja county, north-eastern edge of Croatia. Honey bees communities were moved to the field trial site inside Langstroth-Rooth\u27s bee-hives. Honey bees visiting sunflower head inflorescence was measured at 100, 200, and 300 meters by counting honey bees four times a day (9.00 am, 11.00 am, 1.00 pm, and 5.00 pm). The influence of weather conditions was analysed by Spearman correlation coefficient. Results of the investigation show significant differences regarding honey-bee visit to the head inflorescences in six hybrids, as well as significant influence of air temperature, humidity, precipitation, minimum and maximum air temperature, as well as wind strength