This commentary addresses the functional properties of perceived self-efficacy in the context of a set of studies contending that belief in one’s capabilities has debilitating or null effects. It ...encompasses four theoretical orientations. These include social cognitive theory rooted in an agentic perspective, control theory grounded in a cybernetic model, and trait self-efficacy theory and Big Five theory based on a decontextualized trait model. Critical analyses of the studies in question document their failure to fulfill key theoretical, methodological, analytical, and construct assessment requirements. The article extends beyond critical analyses of the published studies. It specifies the theoretical, methodological, and analytical requirements essential to the advancement of knowledge on the role that perceived self-efficacy plays in human self-development, adaption, and change at both the individual and collective levels.
The inherent hypoxic environment in tumors severely resists the efficacy of photodynamic therapy. To address this problem, herein, the strategy of using oxygen self-sufficient liposomes (denoted as ...CaO
2
/
B1
/NH
4
HCO
3
lipo), which contained aza-BODIPY dye (
B1
) and CaO
2
nanoparticles in the hydrophobic layer and NH
4
HCO
3
in the hydrophilic cavity, was presented to overcome hypoxia-associated photodynamic resistance. Under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, NIR-absorbable
B1
was activated to induce hyperthermia and further triggered the decomposition of NH
4
HCO
3
. Subsequently, with the aid of NH
4
HCO
3
and CaO
2
nanoparticles, oxygen was rapidly and self-sufficiently generated, during which clean by-products were produced. Furthermore, the increased amount of oxygen promoted the singlet oxygen production in the presence of
B1
, which served as a photosensitizer because of the heavy atom effect. The oxygen self-sufficient system improved the anticancer efficiency and alleviated the hypoxic environment
in vivo
, which demonstrated a valuable attempt to regulate intratumoral hypoxia and overcome the limitation of current photodynamic therapy systems. To our knowledge, this highlights the first example of using NIR light to activate CaO
2
nanoparticle-containing liposomes for the modulation of the hypoxic environment in tumors.
We have presented oxygen self-sufficient near infrared-activatable liposomes to overcome hypoxia-associated photodynamic resistance.
Experimental estimates from Moving to Opportunity (MTO) show no significant impacts of moves to lower-poverty neighborhoods on adult economic self-sufficiency four to seven years after random ...assignment. The authors disagree with Clampet-Lundquist and Massey's claim that MTO was a weak intervention and therefore uninformative about neighborhood effects. MTO produced large changes in neighborhood environments that improved adult mental health and many outcomes for young females. Clampet-Lundquist and Massey's claim that MTO experimental estimates are plagued by selection bias is erroneous. Their new nonexperimental estimates are uninformative because they add back the selection problems that MTO's experimental design was intended to overcome. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
In light of the Paris Agreement's objectives and the related European and Swiss goals of decarbonising the built environment, the importance, relevance, and potential benefits of integrating ...Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) within building renovation processes are acknowledged. Functioning both as envelope material and on-site electricity generator, BIPV can simultaneously reduce the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. Motivated by the current barriers and misconceptions that withhold a widespread integration of BIPV, particularly regarding financial implications and solar exposure levels that are believed to be unfavourable, this paper aims at bringing new knowledge and a rigorous and adaptable method to inform decision-making and promote the use of BIPV in urban renewal processes. Focusing on the architectural design, we here present a methodology to select active (BIPV) surfaces during the retrofitting process based on a trade-off between the self-consumption (SC) and self-sufficiency (SS) of a building. The approach consists in iteratively identifying surfaces that achieve a varying annual irradiation value (threshold). It also includes the evaluation of the effect of electricity storage systems. The methodology and the results of its application are presented through the comparison of two case studies in Neuchâtel (Switzerland). The outcomes of this new approach for addressing building renovation projects in the urban context can help architects, designers and engineers to better size the installation and the repartition of active surfaces in the renovated thermal envelope. Results show that it is important to take into account a larger range of irradiation levels to choose the active surfaces, especially in high-rise buildings with a greater proportion of façade than roof. In such cases, the irradiation threshold can vary between 600 and 800 kWh/m2·year depending on the strategy adopted in terms of Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) system improvement or storage system implementation. Such findings demonstrate the need for context-specific methods towards a proper evaluation and better valorisation of BIPV potential.
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•Most Latin America’s dairy farms lack a clear path for energy and waste management.•Resource efficient integrated solutions for energy and waste have been proposed.•Biogas potential ...from dairy farms was analysed to evaluate energy self-sufficiency.•Solutions allow energy self-sufficiency on medium and large-sized dairy farms.•Solutions allow annual GHG emission reductions of 32.8 to 50 Mton (of CO2 eq.)
The transition towards sustainable economies with improved resource efficiency is today’s challenge for all productive sectors. The dairy sector in Latin America is growing without considering a clear path for sustainable energy and waste management solutions. This study proposes integrated solutions through a waste-to-energy approach. The solutions consider biogas production (via cow manure) as the main energy conversion pathway; technology solutions include biodigesters, power generators, and combined heat and power systems that supply not only the energy services demanded by dairy farms (for cooking gas, electricity, refrigeration and hot water) but also provide organic fertilizers. Biogas’ potential was estimated to verify whether it can cover the energy demands of the farms, while the levelized costs of producing biogas and electricity were the indicators for the techno-economic evaluation of the solutions. Greenhouse gas emission reductions were estimated by following IPCC guidelines. Specifically, the proposed solutions lead to energy self-sufficiency in most dairy farms with relevant biogas and electricity costs in the range of 1.7–3.7 and 6–12 USD cents/kWh, respectively. In addition, implementing the proposed solutions in Latin American dairy farms would allow annual greenhouse gas emission reductions of 32.8 Mton CO2 eq. with an additional 17 Mton if widespread use of the supplied organic fertilizers is achieved.
China produces 28% of global rice supply and is currently self-sufficient despite a massive rural-to-urban demographic transition that drives intense competition for land and water resources. At ...issue is whether it will remain self-sufficient, which depends on the potential to raise yields on existing rice land. Here we report a detailed spatial analysis of rice production potential in China and evaluate scenarios to 2030. We find that China is likely to remain self-sufficient in rice assuming current yield and consumption trajectories and no reduction in production area. A focus on increasing yields of double-rice systems on general, and in three single-rice provinces where yield gaps are relatively large, would provide greatest return on investments in research and development to remain self-sufficient. Discrepancies between results from our detailed bottom-up yield-gap analysis and those derived following a top-down methodology show that the two approaches would result in very different research and development priorities.
The long-sought self-sufficiency goal of contemporary social welfare systems has been mostly elusive, even in developed countries. This paper presents a revised version of the Self-Sufficiency ...Framework as a pragmatic strategy for welfare reform, investigating how the current neoliberal approach centered on promoting employment (workfare) could be made more socially just and freedom-oriented. Thus, the framework proposed here accepts the central goal of promoting employment (self-sufficiency) at the core of current welfare systems, but complements that goal with a strong and non-stigmatizing welfare support package and with labor market reforms aimed at combating exploitative forms of employment. Furthermore, the proposed model emphasizes the need for financial inclusion, notably in the banking system and the mortgage industry.
•Sub-hourly resolution increases the reliability of modeled energy system designs.•Costs are underestimated by 1.7 % with averaging, rising to 24 % with the value of lost load.•Data averaging ...undersized the inverter and battery by up to 50 % and 5.5 %, respectively.•Time series sampling either underestimates or overestimates the system costs.•Highly dynamically operated components are less biased in low-resolution samples.
Future energy systems incorporating high shares of intermittent renewable energy sources are often designed using optimization-based, bottom-up energy system models. However, such models are generally limited to single years and hourly resolutions. This study quantifies the precision loss between hourly and sub-hourly-resolved data for the design and operation of a self-sufficient residential multi-energy system with respect to total costs, system design, and reliability using both averaging and sampling data methods. In this case study, the total annual cost is underestimated by 1.7 % with the average hourly data relative to the fully-resolved minute resolution data, mainly due to the sizing of the photovoltaic inverter and battery. This is a result of the sub-hourly peaks in the supply and demand data that are evened out, significantly impacting the sub-electrical system. The results show up to 89 kWh of the annual lost load of the total electrical and thermal load, and a penalty cost of up to €894 (+24 %) based on the value of the lost load. Another method, which employs regular sampling of the original time series, shows unpredictable behavior with respect to the tendency of either over- or underestimating system costs and components’ capacities depending on the selected samples. Both the sampling and averaging methods highlight that while hourly resolution may suffice for total system cost approximations, it falls short of sizing dynamically-operated components and meeting stringent reliability requirements. Future research may aim to enhance the temporal resolution of global intermittent renewable energy sources and reduce the computational expenses associated with minute-level resolutions.
Grain self‐sufficiency (GSS) is gaining increased attention throughout the world, and this holds particularly true for China. This study, therefore, investigated spatial and temporal patterns of GSS ...at the county level in China from 1980s to the 2010s; then explored future GSS changes in the 2035s according to China's 2016 dietary nutrition guidelines, under the circumstances of maximum, average and minimum grain yield increase rate; and finally discussed the ability of a county to purchase grain to meet its demands. The results indicate that the number of counties with self‐insufficiency for total grain and ration decreased, and the amount of counties with high‐level self‐sufficiency for total grain and ration increased. However, the change in the number of counties with feed grain self‐insufficiency and high‐level self‐sufficiency is opposite to that of ration and total grain. Eastern China was characterised by high GSS of total grain, ration and feed grain. As for different kinds of grain, high level of GSS distributed in main grain producing areas, such as rice in south China, wheat in western China and Huang Huai Hai Plain, maize in north and northwest China and soybean in northeast China. Qinghai‐Tibet plateau has undergone poor food security in the last 30 years. In the 2035s, China's total GSS level and ration self‐sufficiency level will be improved under the maximum and average grain yield increase rate, whilst for feed grain, the self‐sufficiency level will be improved only under the maximum grain yield increase rate. The Qinghai‐Tibet plateau has always been a fragile area of food security. This study plays the vital function in understanding China's food security and contributes to the optimisation of agricultural production as well as the utilisation of both internal and external markets.
The grain self‐sufficiency of total grain, ration and feed grain was high in eastern China, but low in western China from 1980s to 2010s. County level grain self‐sufficiency in 2035s will vary at different degrees. The ability of a county to purchase grain from imports to meet its own needs was explored.
As the share of distributed renewable power generation increases, high electricity prices and low feed-in tariff rates encourage the generation of electricity for personal use. In the building ...sector, this has led to growing interest in energy self-sufficient buildings that feature battery and hydrogen storage capacities. In this study, we compare potential technology pathways for residential energy storage in terms of their economic performance by means of a temporal optimization model of the fully self-sufficient energy system of a single-family building, taking into account its residential occupancy patterns and thermal equipment. We show for the first time how heat integration with reversible solid oxide cells (rSOCs) and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) in high-efficiency, single-family buildings could, by 2030, enable the self-sufficient supply of electricity and heat at a yearly premium of 52% against electricity supplied by the grid. Compared to lithium-ion battery systems, the total annualized cost of a self-sufficient energy supply can be reduced by 80% through the thermal integration of LOHC reactors and rSOC systems.
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•Hybrid hydrogen storage enables energy self-sufficient residential buildings.•Different technology supply and storage configurations are comparatively assessed.•RSOC and LOHC show high potential in self-sufficient building energy systems.•Heat integration between rSOC and LOHC systems reduces hydrogen storage needs.•Levelized cost of electricity for self-sufficient supply can reach 0.42 €/kWh by 2030.
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