Blinded by the sun: The role of prosumers as niche actors in incumbent firms’ adoption of solar power during sustainability transitions

While extant research discusses how niche innovations develop in protected market niches and trigger regime shifts along sustainability transition pathways, we know less about the direct role of different niche actors as competitors in affecting regime incumbents’ investments in niche innovations. This study addresses this gap and builds on Strategic Niche Management and the Multi-level Perspective to distinguish two different niche actors: prosumers on the demand-side applying a niche innovation in a disruptive way to regime incumbents’ business model, and new entrants on the supply-side applying the niche innovation symbiotically with the regime. We examine incumbent responses to these different niche actors in different competitive and policy environments. Studying the United States’ electricity industry's sustainability transition toward solar from 2010-2017, we find that as more niche actors enter, regime incumbents are more likely to invest in the niche innovation, but the effect is influenced by policy and competitiveness of the environment. In competitive environments, incumbents are more likely to respond to disruptive niche actors (prosumers), while in traditional monopoly-like markets they are more likely to respond to symbiotic niche actors. We also find that the prosumer effect is stronger when the time that policies in support of the niche innovation have existed is shorter, indicating a potential substituting relationship of niche actors and policy. Our work contributes to the extant literature by demonstrating that the interplay between different niche actors needs to be understood within the context of policy, and that considering policy without accounting for the competitive environment may omit an important aspect of how regime actors become active participants in sustainability transitions.     

An empirical investigation of the utilitarian,social benefits in LBS information disclosure—The moderating effect of the gender based social role theory

The prior studies on information disclosure in location-based services (LBS) suggested that the perceived benefits of information disclosure in LBS were manifested by three benefits, namely, locatability, personalization, and social benefits. The three benefits might affect information disclosure intention differently. As an extension, individual factors, such as gender, may affect the relationship. However, according to literature, little research has investigated on the combined influence of the three benefits on the information disclosure intention in LBS with the gender as a moderator. Based upon the self-determination and social role theories, this study intends to bridge the gap empirically. The hypotheses are largely supported by 215 respondents. Unexpectedly, the research findings show that for females, locatability and personalization are more important in predicting their information disclosure intention, whereas for males, the social benefit has more of an impact on information disclosure intention, which is opposite to the hypotheses and convention. Furthermore, the research findings indicate that the behaviors of males and females may conform to the roles distributed within a society of this information age rather than to the personalities of the individuals. Finally, the implications are presented.     

The Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies——A New Type of Science Academy

The Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies is committed to the outlined goals of the older science academies, but is also trying to look beyond them to find its own course.     

A theory of the internal ballistics of the “hoch-und-niederdruck kanone”

During the war the Germans developed guns with a constriction between chamber and bore, so that the pressure in the chamber was substantially higher than that in the bore. It is shown that a simple theory of such guns can be devised, which is adequate for analysis of firing trials and for testing the claims advanced for this idea. The claim of a high piezometric efficiency is not supported by this theoretical analysis.     

The Exotic Decays of Two New Nuclides Near the Proton Drip Line Observed

Two new nuclides near the proton drip line weresynthesized and their exotic decays studied byscientists with the Lanzhou Institute of Mod-ern Physics (LIMP), a CAS affiliate focusing on ba-sic research in heavy ion physics and its related inter-disciplinary sciences.The two new nuclides are 142Ho, a new protondrip-line nuclide and 149Yb, a new b-delayed protonprecursor in the heavy rare-earth region. And their ex-otic b-delayed proton decays have been observed(Fig.1). The synthesis of a …     

The Tragic Destiny of the Heroine in The Return of the Native

This essay is intended to explore some of the elements which bring about the tragic destiny of the heroine, Eustacia. She is a beautiful and romantic woman with violent passions. In her dark beauty, Hardy has painted one of his most memorable portraits. This essay attempts to deal with the topic question primarily from two aspects, the inner world of Eustacia herself and the external world around her. In Hardy＇ s work, human existence is usually depicted as a tragedy determined by powers beyond the individual＇ s command the external pressures of society and the internal compulsions of character.     

The Tragic Destiny of the Heroine in The Return of the Native

This essay is intended to explore some of the elements which bring about the tragic destiny of thc heroine,Eustacia.She is a beautiful and romantic woman with violent passions. In her dark beauty, Hardy has painted one of his most memorable portrairts This essay attempts to deal with the topic question primarily from two aspects, the inner world of Eustacia herself and the external world around her.In Hardy's work,human existence is usually depicted as a tragedy determined by powers beyond the individual's command--the external pressures of society and the internal compulsions of character.     

Efflux of gases through orifices—kinetic theory

The efflux of gases through orifices was treated heretofore on basis of adiabatic expansion, postulating the decrease of temperature, which is not observed in the facts of everyday experience. The consideration of molecular motion on the principles of the Kinetic Theory of Gases shows the possibility of the expansion of a gas flowing through an orifice without change of temperature, and permits the formation of simple quantitative relations which are in a satisfactory agreement with test data. For small difference in pressure the new expression for discharge becomes identical with Fliegner's formula. It is explained that reduction of temperature postulated by adiabatic formulæ should be understood to apply to the observer moving with stream, and that no change of temperature is registered by stationary observer. The possibility of extension of the adiabatic and of the new “kinetic” formulæ to the pressure ratios below critical is opened by the consideration of reduced number of impacts between molecules with reduction of the pressure ratio.     

The regional disparities of China＇ s total - factor energy efficiency and energy technology

基于全要素生产理论,利用数据包络分析（DEA）方法构建非参数前沿,在共同前沿方法框架下分析比较2000-2007年中国全要素能源效率的区域差异,并利用＂技术缺口比率（TGR）＂定量考察中国区域能源利用的技术差距。结果表明：样本期间内中国全要素能源效率整体水平偏低,在全国共同前沿下的均值仅为0.688,维持既定经济产出的节能空间达到31.2%;从区域角度来看,中国能源技术存在显著差异,其中东部地区接近全国最优水平,样本期内TGR始终维持在0.95以上,而中、西部地区距离全国潜在最优能源技术还分别存在18.6%和26.6%的改进潜力,三大区域之间的能源技术差距有进一步扩大的危险。     

The Research Topic＇s Fission： The New Trend in the Study of Science and Technology Management

科学技术管理学在20世纪80年代初以来的孕育发展历程中形成了内容丰富的研究主题体系,其众多的研究主题可以按照对象维、属性维、分域维进行切分和归类。20世纪90年代以后,在知识经济和创新时代的大背景下,科学技术管理学裂变出知识管理和创新管理两个重要的研究主题。在知识管理研究、创新管理研究基础上建立的知识管理学、创新管理学,已经发展成为仍同科学技术管理学保持着密切联系的多边缘综合性交叉学科。     

A theory of broadband matching of a frequency-dependent generator and load—part I: theory

The classical theory of matching an arbitrary load to a resistive generator to achieve a desired power gain is extended to matching an arbitrary load to a generator with arbitrary internal impedance. Given the load and generator impedances and the desired power gain, the necessary and sufficient conditions on the power gain is established such that there exists a lumped lossless 2-port which, when operated between two given impedances, realized the desired power gain. The constraints on the gain function are formulated in coefficient and integral form. Design procedures are outlined and illustrated by several nontrivial examples. A design chart is prepared to facilitate the engineer to carry out the details involved.The first part of the paper develops the matching theory. Part II gives design procedure and examples.