基于实物期权的煤层气利用项目投资评价研究

实物期权法是对项目决策中的灵活性价值进行定量评估的一种方法，是对传统经济评价方法净现值法的修正补充。采用实物期权理论和方法，分析煤层气利用项目可研建设阶段和生产运营阶段的期权特征，确定出煤层气利用项目总价值为现金流量净现值与项目灵活性价值之和。采用二叉树期权定价方法，构建基于实物期权的煤层气利用项目投资评价方法和模型。并结合煤层气脱氧制液化天然气项目实例，在确定评价参数的基础上，分别用净现值法、基于实物期权的延迟期权方法、扩张期权方法及复合期权方法，计算煤层气项目投资价值，同时对评价方法主要影响参数进行敏感性分析。结果表明：实物期权法评价出的煤层气利用项目价值明显高于传统经济评价方法计算出的项目价值，而且组合期权能有效增加项目的价值；标的资产价值和期权执行价格对煤层气利用项目期权价值的影响最大。      

The paradox of technology innovativeness and risk perceptions – A profile of Asian smartphone users

Risk perceptions and technology innovativeness are the two primary factors related to the adoption of mobile technologies. The current study examines the role of technology innovativeness and risk perceptions on smartphone use and dependence in an Asian context. A total of 9086 participants were recruited through online surveys from ten Asian countries. Ordinary least squares regression analyses revealed the effects of technology innovativeness, information security, privacy concern, and their interactions on smartphone use and dependence. Moreover, based on users’ smartphone usage patterns and perceptions, this paper identified four homogeneous groups using cluster analysis. Results shows that Asian smartphone users can be segmented into four groups: innovators, conservatives, moderators, and laggards. The four clusters show significant differences in demographic features. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on these findings.     

‘Land for infrastructure’ in Ho Chi Minh City: land-based financing of transportation improvement

This paper explores how land-based financing mechanisms are currently used in Ho Chi Minh City as a public-private funding strategy. The Land-for-Infrastructure (LFI) mechanism appears as a solution to produce infrastructures. We found that the implementation of the LFI mechanism remains difficult, but eventually can lead to success. By ‘trial-error-transcend,’ the City managed to build two essential roads while the developers received attractive investment opportunities in urban development. This mechanism cannot, however, be seen as a panacea for the local authorities due to constraints to replicate it and potential undesired ‘side effects.’     

Increasing inequalities in what we do online: A longitudinal cross sectional analysis of Internet activities among the Dutch population (2010 to 2013) over gender,age, education,and income

We investigate types of Internet activities among a representative sample of the Dutch population from 2010 to 2013. We examined usage patterns of seven types of Internet activities (i.e., information, news, personal development, commercial transaction, social interaction, leisure, and gaming) and related these patterns with gender, age, education, and income. Activities related to news, personal development, commercial transaction, and social interaction increased in popularity. For most capital enhancing activities, men, younger people, higher educated people, and people with higher than average incomes were prominent. These observations, however, are subject to change. The Internet seems to provide increasingly more capital-enhancing opportunities for those with higher education and income, which would accordingly reinforce their already strong positions in society.     

Determinants of social gratifications obtained by older adults moderated by public supports for Internet access in Spain

As the standard of living constantly improves, and as life expectancy increases in developed countries, the number of adults who want to have a gratifying life increases as well. Furthermore, although the Internet offers a world of potentially rewarding experiences, there is much heterogeneity among older people with respect to those who are able to benefit from its use. To reduce this gap, public access and digital literacy programs have been implemented. The aim of the study was to find out the extent to which these programs moderate the effects of age and socioeconomic status on social access to and use of the Internet in a sample of older users in Spain. Through quota sampling of retired users over 54 years of age in Spain (N = 560), who were regular users of public supports for Internet access, a structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis was conducted. The data showed a staggered association of access indicators (physical access, digital skills and social e-activities) on the social gratifications obtained, as well as the moderating role of institutional supports. This study provides empirical evidence of the ability of public supports to moderate the effect of socioeconomics inequalities on access and social exploitation of the Internet by older people. The findings point to the need to strengthen digital literacy actions, especially in supports that are more sensitive to the effect of age and socio-economic status.     

Rainbow over the Internet: How Internet use curtails homophobia in China

China, despite its rapid economic modernization and the lack of powerful conservative institutions, is not known for embracing diverse sexual orientation. The present study investigates whether and how Internet use, a increasingly important part of contemporary people's daily life, leads to changes in people's attitudes toward homosexuality in China, and relevant policy implications. Analyzing the Chinese General Social Survey data from 2010 to 2015, this paper develops an ordered probit model to quantify the influence of Internet use on homosexuality tolerance, adopts a substitution variable method to conduct the robustness check, and utilizes instrument variables to address the potential endogeneity in the regressions. The results show that Internet use has a significant positive impact on Chinese people's homosexuality tolerance. Further studies have found that the influence of Internet use on homosexuality tolerance is also heterogeneous to different populations. Besides, compared with traditional media, the Internet has a more significant impact on homosexuality tolerance. This paper provides some explanations for the rise in China's homosexuality tolerance from 2010 to 2015, and additional impetus for the international community to push for a liberal Internet policy in China.     

Towards zero carbon design in offices: Integrating smart facades,ventilation, and surface heating and cooling

This paper discusses an overall strategy for reducing energy demand in non-domestic buildings, mainly focusing on office developments. It considers four areas: reducing internal heat loads; addressing passive design through the building construction; using efficient and responsive HVAC systems and focusing on chilled (heated) surface systems; integrating renewable energy supply systems into the building design. The impact on energy use and carbon dioxide emissions will be discussed. The paper will draw from a range of design projects carried out in Europe, where this integrated approach has been applied, and then explore the benefits in relation to applications in the Middle East and China. Energy modeling results, to inform the design process will be presented, using energy simulation for three case study locations, in Zurich, the Chongqing and Abu Dhabi.     

Multiobjective PSO based adaption of neural network topology for pixel classification in satellite imagery

The proposed work involves the multiobjective PSO based adaption of optimal neural network topology for the classification of multispectral satellite images. It is per pixel supervised classification using spectral bands (original feature space). This paper also presents a thorough experimental analysis to investigate the behavior of neural network classifier for given problem. Based on 1050 number of experiments, we conclude that following two critical issues needs to be addressed: (1) selection of most discriminative spectral bands and (2) determination of optimal number of nodes in hidden layer. We propose new methodology based on multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) technique to determine discriminative spectral bands and the number of hidden layer node simultaneously. The accuracy with neural network structure thus obtained is compared with that of traditional classifiers like MLC and Euclidean classifier. The performance of proposed classifier is evaluated quantitatively using Xie-Beni and β indexes. The result shows the superiority of the proposed method to the conventional one.     

A household dishwasher heated by a heat pump system using an energy storage unit with water as the heat source

Electricity usage by a household dishwasher can be reduced by using a heat pump system to heat the dishwasher cabinet, dishware and washing water. The evaporator obtains the energy from an energy storage unit which consists of a container filled with water which freezes to ice. The majority of the heat transfer from the energy storage to the evaporator occurs when ice is created in the energy storage unit. A transient simulation model of a dishwasher with a heat pump system was developed and compared to an experimental setup with good agreement. A simulation study of the compressor cylinder volume and the compressor operating time was performed. The results showed a 24% reduction in total electricity use compared to a dishwasher cycle using a traditional electric element.