Renewable energy consumption and CO2 emissions nexus in the USA: the role of technical innovation.

Using the QARDL approach and data from January of 2010 to May of 2022, we explore how renewable energy consumption affects CO2 emissions in the USA. Long-term analysis reveals a negative link between these variables, while only lower quantile levels show short-term statistical significance. Integrating technical innovation (measured by patents) in our QARDL model shows substantial reduction in CO2 emissions, with varying effects over time. Interestingly, only renewable energy consumption, not technical innovation, significantly impacts CO2 emissions at lower quantile levels. These findings emphasize the crucial role of renewable energy in reducing both short-term and long-term CO2 emissions and offer policymakers valuable insights for shaping effective energy strategies to combat emissions and promote sustainability in the USA.

Impact of Emotional Support, Informational Support, and Norms of Reciprocity on Trust Toward the Medical Aesthetic Community: The Moderating Effect of Core Self-Evaluations.

BACKGROUND: The consumption of medical aesthetic services has become popular in recent years. Many people have purchased medical aesthetic services and treatments in pursuit of self-beauty. When members of online medical aesthetic communities actively participate in discussions and encourage and support one another, there is an increase in community commitment, trust toward each other, and trust toward the community, ultimately promoting social sharing in an environment of positive feedback. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore via the theory of social support-grounded in a deeper social capabilities framework developed by Khan following the Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's groundbreaking work-whether emotional support, informational support, and norms of reciprocity in online communities impact group members in terms of creating trust toward other members. This enhances trust toward the community and generates a sense of community commitment, ultimately impacting social buying intention and social sharing intention. METHODS: This study used IBM SPSS and AMOS to analyze data. Data were collected through online questionnaires in online medical aesthetic community forums, thereby producing samples that were both representative and accurate. To understand whether core self-evaluation (CSE) is a moderator in the relationship between social sharing intention and social buying intention, this study averaged the point of CSEs in the sample after statistical analysis, dividing the sample into 2 groups. RESULTS: The results showed that emotional support and norms of reciprocity positively impact trust toward members, and trust toward members positively impact trust toward the community. This generates trust transfer, which positively impacts social buying intention and social sharing intention. At the same time, CSE is a moderator variable between trust toward the community and social buying intention, but CSE is not a moderator variable between trust toward the community and social sharing intention. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that when members of online medical aesthetic communities actively participate in discussions and encourage and support one another, community commitment, trust toward each other, and trust toward the community increases, ultimately promoting social sharing and buying intentions.

Impulse purchases and trust: the mediating effect of stickiness and the mental budgeting account.

Impulse purchasing is a pervasive yet relatively little-discussed phenomenon. This study investigates the effect of impulse purchases on trust, as well as the mediating effect of stickiness and the mental budgeting account in the group buying context. Questionnaires were sent to group buying participants. The results show that impulse purchases have a positive effect on trust and that both stickiness and the mental budgeting account present a mediating effect.

Analysis of the electron transport properties in dye-sensitized solar cells using highly ordered TiO2 nanotubes and TiO2 nanoparticles.

This study uses TiO2 nanoparticles and highly ordered anatase TiO2 nanotubes (AOTnt) as thin film photoanodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). DSSCs are assembled by single-layer and double-layer films of photoanodes and their electron transfer performance is compared. TiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated by the sol-gel method, and AOTnts were grown on titanium foil. This study uses TiO2 nanoparticles or AOTnts to prepare single-layer photoanodes and TiO2 nanoparticles coated on an AOTnt film to fabricate double-layer photoanodes. These three different photoanodes are soaked in dye and assembled into DSSCs, and their open-loop voltage recession, electrochemical impedance, lifetime, life cycle, and effective diffusion coefficient are measured. Electron transfer efficiency of the photoanodes and light harvesting efficiency are further analyzed. The results show that the electron transfer efficiency, open-loop voltage recession, lifetime, life cycle, and effective diffusion coefficient of the DSSCs assembled using double-layer photoanodes (AOTnt-TiO2) are superior to those of single-layer photoanodes (TiO2 or AOTnt).

Synthesis and characterization of natural dye and counter electrode thin films with different carbon materials for dye-sensitized solar cells.

This study aims to deal with the film of the counter electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and the preparation, structure and characteristics of the extract of natural dye. This study adopts different commercial carbon materials such as black lead, carbon black and self-made TiO2-MWCNT compound nanoparticle as the film of the counter electrodes. Moreover, for the preparation of natural dyes, anthocyanins and chlorophyll dyes are extracted from mulberry and pomegranate respectively. Furthermore, the extracted anthocyanins and chlorophyll are blended into cocktail dye to complete the preparation of natural dye. Results show that the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the single-layer TiO2-MWCNT counter electrode film and the cocktail dye of the DSSCs is 0.462%.

Application of TiO2 nanoparticles coated multi-wall carbon nanotube to dye-sensitized solar cells.

This study uses the sol-gel method to prepare TiO2 nanoparticle, and further applies TiO2 nanoparticle coating on the surface of the multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT). As a result, TiO2-CNT composite nanoparticles are prepared to serve as photoelectrode material in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). First, after acid treatment of MWCNT is used to remove impurities. Then, the sol-gel method is employed to prepare TiO2-CNT composite nanopowder. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that after the TiO2 in TiO2-CNT composite nanopowder has been thermally treated at 450 degrees C, it can be completely changed to anatase phase. Furthermore, as shown from the SEM image, TiO2 has been successfully coated on CNT. The photoelectrode of DSSC is prepared using the electrophoretic deposition method (EPD) to mix the Degassa P25 TiO2 nanoparticles with TiO2-CNT powder for deposition on the indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass. After secondary EPD, a thin film of TiO2/CNTs with thickness 17 microm can be acquired. For the prepared TiO2-CNT composite nanoparticles, since MWCNT can increase the short-circuit current density of DSSC, the light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of DSSC can be effectively increased. Experimental results show that the photoelectric conversion efficiency of DSSC using CNT/TiO2 photoelectrode and N719 dye is increased by 41% from the original 3.45% to 4.87%.

Impact of signals and experience on trust and trusting behavior.

Trust is an essential factor that drives virtual interaction and transactions on the Internet. Researchers have investigated the trust development process, and identified several important factors that form the basis for trust. This research combines the signal perspective and trust theory to examine the impact of market signals and past experience on trust formation and trusting behavior. Three market signals, including brand image, Web-site investment, and privacy policies, are identified and empirically tested to determine their impact on consumer trust. Based on 322 active Web users, the quantitative results suggest that brand image, Web-site investment, privacy policies, and past experience all positively impact trust formation. Furthermore, trust shows a positive effect on Web-site stickiness. Both theoretical and practical implications of the results are also offered.

Fabrication of open-ended high aspect-ratio anodic TiO2 nanotube films for photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic applications.

A facile process is introduced to flake high aspect-ratio anodic TiO(2) nanotube (TiNT) arrays off Ti substrates and then chemically remove the bottom caps to obtain open-ended TiNT films that exhibit high activity to photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and efficient hydrogen production from photoelectrocatalytic water splitting.

Controlled synthesis of highly dispersed platinum nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous carbons.

A novel route has been developed to fabricate ordered carbon mesoporous materials with well-dispersed, highly stable Pt nanoparticles of ca. 2-3 nm on the pore walls using platinum acetylacetonate as the co-feeding carbon and Pt precursor.

Polarized ATR-FTIR spectroscopy of the membrane-embedded domains of the particulate methane monooxygenase.

The particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) is an integral membrane protein that catalyzes the conversion of methane to methanol. To gain some insight into the structure-reactivity pattern of this protein, we have applied attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to investigate the secondary structure of the pMMO. The results showed that ca. 60% of the amino acid residues were structured as alpha-helices. About 80% of the peptide residues were estimated to be protected from the amide (1)H/(2)H exchange during a 21 h exposure to (2)H(2)O. In addition, a significant portion of the protein was shown to be sequestered within the bilayer membrane, protected from trypsin proteolysis. The ATR-FTIR difference spectrum between the intact and the proteolyzed pMMO-enriched membranes revealed absorption peaks only in the spectral regions characteristic for unordered and beta-structures. These observations were corroborated by amino acid sequence analysis of the pMMO subunits using the program TransMembrane topology with a Hidden Markov Model: 15 putative transmembrane alpha-helices were predicted. Finally, an attempt was also made to model the three-dimensional folding of the protein subunits from the sequence using the Protein Fold Recognition Server based on the 3D Position Specific Scoring Matrix Method. The C-terminal solvent-exposed sequence (N255-M414) of the pMMO 45 kDa subunit was shown to match the beta-sheet structure of the multidomain cupredoxins. We conclude on the basis of this ATR-FTIR study that pMMO is an alpha-helical bundle with ca. 15 transmembrane alpha-helices embedded in the bilayer membrane, together with a water-exposed domain comprised mostly of beta-sheet structures similar to the cupredoxins.