Economic growth with coal, oil and renewable energy consumption in China: prospects for fuel substitution

We examine the relationship between Chinese aggregate production and consumption of three main energy commodities: coal, oil and renewable energy. Both autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and vector error correction modeling (VECM) show that Chinese growth is led by all three energy sources. Economic growth also causes coal, oil and renewables consumption, but with negative own-price effects for coal and oil and a strong possibility of fuel substitution through positive cross-price effects. The results further show coal consumption causing pollution, while renewable energy consumption reduces emissions. No significant causation on emissions is found for oil. Hence, making coal both absolutely and relatively expensive compared to oil and renewable energy encourages shifting from coal to oil and renewable energy, thereby improving economic and environmental sustainability.

Fifteen to twenty percent of HIV substitution mutations are associated with recombination

HIV undergoes high rates of mutation and recombination during reverse transcription, but it is not known whether these events occur independently or are linked mechanistically. Here we used a system of silent marker mutations in HIV and a single round of infection in primary T lymphocytes combined with a high-throughput sequencing and mathematical modeling approach to directly estimate the viral recombination and mutation rates. From >7 million nucleotides (nt) of sequences from HIV infection, we observed 4,801 recombination events and 859 substitution mutations (≈1.51 and 0.12 events per 1,000 nt, respectively). We used experimental controls to account for PCR-induced and transfection-induced recombination and sequencing error. We found that the single-cycle virus-induced mutation rate is 4.6 × 10(-5) mutations per nt after correction. By sorting of our data into recombined and nonrecombined sequences, we found a significantly higher mutation rate in recombined regions (P = 0.003 by Fisher's exact test). We used a permutation approach to eliminate a number of potential confounding factors and confirm that mutation occurs around the site of recombination and is not simply colocated in the genome. By comparing mutation rates in recombined and nonrecombined regions, we found that recombination-associated mutations account for 15 to 20% of all mutations occurring during reverse transcription.

Predicting the likely response of data-poor ecosystems to climate change using space-for-time substitution across domains

Predicting ecological response to climate change is often limited by a lack of relevant local data from which directly applicable mechanistic models can be developed. This limits predictions to qualitative assessments or simplistic rules of thumb in data-poor regions, making management of the relevant systems difficult. We demonstrate a method for developing quantitative predictions of ecological response in data-poor ecosystems based on a space-for-time substitution, using distant, well-studied systems across an inherent climatic gradient to predict ecological response. Changes in biophysical data across the spatial gradient are used to generate quantitative hypotheses of temporal ecological responses that are then tested in a target region. Transferability of predictions among distant locations, the novel outcome of this method, is demonstrated via simple quantitative relationships that identify direct and indirect impacts of climate change on physical, chemical and ecological variables using commonly available data sources. Based on a limited subset of data, these relationships were demonstrably plausible in similar yet distant (>2000 km) ecosystems. Quantitative forecasts of ecological change based on climate-ecosystem relationships from distant regions provides a basis for research planning and informed management decisions, especially in the many ecosystems for which there are few data. This application of gradient studies across domains - to investigate ecological response to climate change - allows for the quantification of effects on potentially numerous, interacting and complex ecosystem components and how they may vary, especially over long time periods (e.g. decades). These quantitative and integrated long-term predictions will be of significant value to natural resource practitioners attempting to manage data-poor ecosystems to prevent or limit the loss of ecological value. The method is likely to be applicable to many ecosystem types, providing a robust scientific basis for estimating likely impacts of future climate change in ecosystems where no such method currently exists.

The financial performance of socially responsible investments: insights from the intertemporal CAPM

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht This study formulates a two-factor empirical model under the intertemporal CAPM framework to evaluate the cross-sectional implications of socially responsible investments in the US equity market. Our results show that socially responsible investments have no asset pricing impact on the US market. We argue that this ‘no financial impact’ finding indicates that investors will not be disadvantaged financially by investing in socially responsible funds or corporations.

Electrophilic substitution of acetyltrimethylsilane with tellurium(IV) halides: A synthetic route to 3-methyl-5-(trimethylsilyl)-1,2-oxatellurol-1-ium halides

The reaction of tellurium tetrahalides, TeX4 (XCl. Br) with acetyltrimethylsilane in CCl4 at ambient temperature, unlike that of the aryltellurium trichlorides, ArTeCl3 that give the expected electrophilic substitution products, Ar(Me3SiCOCH2)TeCl2, (Ar = 1-C10H7, 2; 2,4,6-Me3C6H2, 3), afforded novel silylated heterocycles, 3-methyl-5-(trimethylsilyl)-1,2-oxatellurol-1-ium halides 1a and 1b. These Te(II) heterocyclic compounds undergo halide exchange with sodium iodide and also add dihalogens oxidatively to afford the corresponding iodide, 1c and the Te(IV) trihalides, 5a and 5b respectively. A large lowering of ν(CO) is indicative of strong Te⋯OC interactions among these heterocycles, and is also substantiated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction data for 3-methyl-5-(trimethylsilyl)-1,2-oxatellurol-1-ium chloride. The ¹²⁵Te chemical shifts for the new 10-Te-3 telluranes and 12-Te-5 pertelluranes that involve tellurium bound to two highly electronegative atoms (O, X) are among the highest (downfield) reported for organotellurium(II) and (IV) compounds.

Perceptive variation of carboxylate ligand and probing the influence of substitution pattern on the structure of mono- and di-butylstannoxane complexes

By reacting 2- and 3-aminobenzoic acids (HL1 and HL2, respectively), as well as 2-, 3- and 4-((E)-2-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]diazenyl)benzoic acids (HL3, HL4 and HL5, in this order) with a n-butyltin(IV) source [ n BuSn(O)OH or n Bu2SnO], the drum-type butylstannoxane complexes of general composition [ n Bu6Sn6O6(L n )6] [L n =L1 (1), L2 (2) and L3 (3)] and the ladder-type compounds [ n Bu8Sn4O2(L n )4] [L n =L3 (5), L4 (6) and L5 (7)] were obtained and fully characterized. By reacting 1 with 2-((E)-[4-(dimethylamino)benzylidene]amino)benzoic acid (HL6), a co-crystal (4) was achieved which comprises the metal complex aggregate found in 1 and the neutral HL6 molecule. The solution properties of the compounds were assessed from 1H and 13C NMR studies and, for the metal complexes, also from 119Sn NMR. The molecular structures of 1, 2, 4-7 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 1-3 and the complex moiety of 4 display hexameric Sn6O6 clusters with drum-like structures, but 5-7 reveal Sn4O2 cores with ladder-type structural motifs. Besides the observed relationship between the ligand N-functional group and obtained (drum- or ladder-type) assemblies, the relative position of the carboxylate group in the ligand itself influences its coplanarity.

Isotemporal substitution analysis for sedentary behavior and body mass index

This study examined the prospective associations of reallocating time spent in different types of sedentary behavior, physical activity, and sleep with body mass index (BMI) in children using isotemporal substitution analysis. Methods Chinese children in grades 1-3 were recruited to a cohort study in 2009 and were followed up over a 2-yr period. Reports were gathered from the parents on children's sedentary behavior, sleep duration, and sociodemographic variables. The reported sedentary behavior types were then grouped into three categories: screen time (e.g., watching TV), academic-related activities (e.g., doing homework), and other sedentary behaviors (e.g., sitting and talking). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and light-intensity physical activity were assessed by ActiGraph accelerometry (ActiGraph, Pensacola, FL). Isotemporal substitution models were performed to examine the effects of time allocation on BMI. Results A total of 672 children (359 boys, mean age at recruitment = 7.6 yr) who had provided valid accelerometer data for at least one assessment time point were included in the analysis. Controlling for covariates and total behavior time, isotemporal substitution models indicated that the displacement of 30 min·d -1 of other sedentary behaviors with equal amounts of screen time (B = 0.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.20) or academic-related activities (B = 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.21) was associated with higher BMI. Reallocating 30 min·d -1 of MVPA with each of the sedentary behavior variables resulted in increased BMI. Conclusions The substitution of screen time or academic-related activities with other sedentary behaviors or MVPA was associated with lower BMI in Chinese children.

More than substitution: an ongoing journey of the 1:1 iPad program

The drive for the incorporation of digital technologies in the primary mathematics classroom is becoming more prevalent in our schools and curriculum documents. It is vital these technologies enrich the learning experience to make this integration worthwhile, and not simply be employed as a substitution for already satisfactory pedagogical approaches. The SAMR Model (Puentedura, 2006) incorporates four levels of technology integration in the classroom, from the simplicity of “Substitution” through to the transformative level of “Redefinition” (p. 7). In this paper, teachers from Ringwood North Primary School share how the SAMR Model impacted their teaching practice to support, enhance, and personalise student learning in mathematics through the 1:1 iPad Program. Tasks created with user-friendly and easily accessible digital resources such as Padlet, Kahoot! and Explain Everything are shared. Educators should consider the application and suitability of these digital technologies in conjunction with an appropriate level of integration prior to employment as a tool for enhancing mathematical understanding.