Legitimacy Building in Public Disclosures on Strategic Energy Investments

Renewable energy investments play a key role in energy transition. While studies have suggested that social acceptance may form a barrier for renewable energy investments, the ways in which companies perceive and attempt to gain the acceptance have received little attention. This study aims to fill the gap by exploring how large electric utilities justify their strategic investments in their press releases and how do the justifications differ between renewable and non-renewable energy investments. The study bases on legitimacy theory and aims at contributing to the research on legitimation in institutional change. As its research method, the study employs an inductive mixed method content analysis. The study has two parts: a qualitative content analysis that explores and identifies the themes and legitimation strategies of the press releases and a quantitative computer-aided analysis that compares renewable and non-renewable energy investments. The sample of the study consists of 396 press releases representing the strategic energy investments of 34 electric utilities from the list of the world’s 250 largest and financially most successful energy companies. The data is collected from the period of 2010–2014. The study reveals that most important justifications for strategic energy investments are fit with the strategy and environmental and social benefits. Justifications address especially the expectations of market. Investments into non-renewable energy are justified more and they use more arguments addressing the proprieties and performance of power plants whereas renewable energy investments are legitimized by references to past actions and commonly accepted morals and norms. The findings support the notion that validity-addressing and propriety-addressing legitimation strategies are used differently in stable and unstable institutional settings.

Anxiety and depression in parents of a Brazilian non-clinical sample of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) students

Higher prevalence rates of anxiety and depression have been reported in parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The interaction between the burden of ADHD in offspring, a higher prevalence rate of this highly inherited disorder in parents, and comorbidities may explain this finding. Our objective was to investigate levels of ADHD, anxious and depressive symptomatology, and their relationship in parents of ADHD children from a non-clinical sample using a dimensional approach. The sample included 396 students enrolled in all eight grades of a public school who were screened for ADHD using the SNAP IV rating scale. Positive cases were confirmed through a semi-structured interview. Parents of all 26 ADHD students and 31 paired controls were enrolled. A sample of 36 parents of ADHD children (21 mothers, 15 fathers) and 30 parents of control children (18 mothers, 12 fathers) completed the Adult Self Report Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory in order to investigate anxious and depressive symptomatology. Probands' mothers presented a higher level of ADHD symptomatology (with only inattention being a significant cluster). Again, mothers of ADHD children presented higher depressive and anxiety levels; however, these did not correlate with their own ADHD symptomatology. Only trait-anxiety levels were higher in ADHD mothers. Our findings suggest that: 1) anxious and depressive symptoms might be more prevalent in mothers of ADHD students; 2) anxious and depressive symptomatology might be independent of impairment associated with ADHD symptoms; 3) anxious and depressive symptoms are independent of the presence of ADHD.

Promoter region sequence differences in the A and G gamma globin genes of Brazilian sickle cell anemia patients

Fetal hemoglobin (HbF), encoded by the HBG2 and HBG1 genes, is the best-known genetic modulator of sickle cell anemia, varying dramatically in concentration in the blood of these patients. This variation is partially associated with polymorphisms located in the promoter region of the HBG2 and HBG1 genes. In order to explore known and unknown polymorphisms in these genes, the sequences of their promoter regions were screened in sickle cell anemia patients and correlated with both their HbF levels and their βS-globin haplotypes. Additionally, the sequences were compared with genes from 2 healthy groups, a reference one (N = 104) and an Afro-descendant one (N = 98), to identify polymorphisms linked to the ethnic background.The reference group was composed by healthy individuals from the general population. Four polymorphisms were identified in the promoter region of HBG2 and 8 in the promoter region of HBG1 among the studied groups. Four novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) located at positions -324, -317, -309 and -307 were identified in the reference group. A deletion located between -396 and -391 in the HBG2 promoter region and the SNP -271 C→T in the HBG1 promoter region were associated with the Central African Republic βS-globin haplotype. In contrast, the -369 C→G and 309 A→G SNPs in the HBG2 promoter region were correlated to the Benin haplotype. The polymorphisms -396_-391 del HBG2, -369 SNP HBG2 and -271 SNP HBG1 correlated with HbF levels. Hence, we suggest an important role of HBG2 and HBG1 gene polymorphisms on the HbF synthesis.

Parboiled rice: chemical composition and the occurrence of mycotoxins

The objective of this work was to evaluate the incidence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB B1), deoxynivalenol (DON), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEA) in parboiled rice with respect to its chemical composition. Eight lots from five different brands of parboiled rice were collected in four samplings, at different seasons, until the amount of 32 lots. It was observed that: DON was present in 22% of the samples (from 180 to 400 ppb); ZEA in 19% (from 317 to 396 ppb); OTA in 12.5% (from 13 and 26 ppb); and AFB B1 in 9% (from 11 to 74 ppb). The results of the chemical composition were not different from those previously mentioned in the literature concerning parboiled rice. The ash and phenol levels in the contaminated parboiled rice samples suggested that those compounds had a relation to the occurrence of OTA, DON and ZEA mycotoxins.

Analysis of applicability of Peleg model to the cooking-infusion of mackerel (Scomber japonicus) slices

Mass transfer kinetics in osmotic dehydration is usually modeled by Fick's law, empirical models and probabilistic models. The aim of this study was to determine the applicability of Peleg model to investigate the mass transfer during osmotic dehydration of mackerel (Scomber japonicus) slices at different temperatures. Osmotic dehydration was performed on mackerel slices by cooking-infusion in solutions with glycerol and salt (a w = 0.64) at different temperatures: 50, 70, and 90 ºC. Peleg rate constant (K1) (h(g/gdm)-1) varied with temperature variation from 0.761 to 0.396 for water loss, from 5.260 to 2.947 for salt gain, and from 0.854 to 0.566 for glycerol intake. In all cases, it followed the Arrhenius relationship (R²>0.86). The Ea (kJ / mol) values obtained were 16.14; 14.21, and 10.12 for water, salt, and glycerol, respectively. The statistical parameters that qualify the goodness of fit (R²>0.91 and RMSE<0.086) indicate promising applicability of Peleg model.

Ivalojoen vesistöalueen tulvariskien hallintasuunnitelma vuosille 2016–2021

Ivalon seutu on tunnetusti tulvaherkkää aluetta. Ivalon kevättulvat alkavat yleensä huhtikuun loppupuolella lumen sulamisen seurauksena ja virtaamat Ivalojoella ovat suurimmillaan touko-kesäkuussa. Vuosikymmenten saatossa Ivalon alueella on sattunut useita vahinkoja aiheuttaneita tulvia. Tulvavahinkojen estämiseksi keskustan ja lähiseudun tulvariskialueille on rakennettu tulvapenkereet. Ivalon taajama nimettiin merkittäväksi tulvariskialueeksi tulvariskien alustavassa arvioinnissa vuonna 2011 ja tulvalain mukaisesti Suomen kaikille merkittäville tulvariskialueille on laadittava koko vesistöalueen kattavat tulvariskien hallintasuunnitelmat vuoden 2015 loppuun mennessä. Maa- ja metsätalousministeriö asetti Ivalojoen tulvaryhmän 20.12.2011 käsittelemään tulvariskien hallintasuunnitelmaa varten laadittavia selvityksiä, asettamaan tulvariskien hallinnan tavoitteet Ivalojoen vesistöalueelle sekä hyväksymään ehdotuksen Ivalojoen tulvariskien hallintasuunnitelmaksi. Ivalojoen tulvaryhmä on asettanut Ivalon tulvariskialueen asuinrakennusten suojaamisen tavoitteeksi kerran 100 vuodessa toistuvan tulvan tason. Terveyskeskuksen, päiväkotien ja muiden erityiskohteiden suojaamiseksi taso asetettiin kerran 250 vuodessa toistuvan tulvan varalle. Lisäksi on asetettu tavoitteita mm. sähkön ja lämmön jakelulle, liikenneyhteyksien toiminnalle sekä ympäristölle. Tulvariskien hallinnan tavoitteiden täyttämiseksi Ivalojoen tulvariskien hallintasuunnitelmassa on esitetty laaja ja monipuolinen valikoima tulvariskien hallinnan toimenpiteitä. Suunnitelmassa esitetään rakenteellisina tulvasuojelun toimenpiteinä Ivalon nykyisten tulvapenkereiden korottamista, uusien tulvapenkereiden rakentamista Ivalon lähialueille sekä Ivalon tulvalle alttiiden pääteiden ja katujen korottamista. Tulvatilanteessa yksityisten kiinteistöjen suojaaminen on kiinteistöjen omistajien vastuulla, joten Ivalojoen tulvaryhmä pitää tärkeänä toimenpiteenä omatoimista varautumista ja tilapäisten tulvasuojelurakenteiden käyttöä. Suunnitelmassa on esitetty lisäksi useita ei-rakenteellisia toimenpiteitä, joita tehostamalla parannetaan tulviin varautumista alueella. Toimenpiteiden toteuttaminen on pääosin Lapin ELY-keskuksen, Inarin kunnan ja Lapin pelastuslaitoksen vastuulla. Suunnitelma ei velvoita ketään vastuutahoja toimenpiteiden toteuttamiseen, mutta suunnitelma on otettava huomioon mm. kuntien ja valtion viranomaisten toiminnassa. Toimenpiteiden toteutumista seuraa Lapin ELY-keskus.

Le Petit journal. Supplément du dimanche

1898/06/19 (Numéro 396).

L'Écho de Paris

1885/04/11 (Numéro 396).

Biblia sacra cum glossa ordinaria, pars VI.

Avec prologues. Isaias (2), Jeremias (93), Jeremiae Lament. et Oratio (178v, 207v).