The Role of Energy Return for Energy Invested (EROEI) in Dissipative Autocatalytic Systems

The Energy Return on Energy Invested, EROEI, is known as an important parameter for evaluating the efficiency of energy-producing technologies. In this paper we examine the concept of EROEI from a general viewpoint, giving insights on a wider range of applications. In general, natural resources can be seen as energy stocks characterized by a “potential” that can be exploited by creating intermediate stocks. This transformation is typical of dissipative systems and for the first time we found that Lotka-Volterra model, usually confined to the study of biology of populations, can represent a powerful tool to estimate EROEI for some such systems, providing an understanding of the reason for the overexploitation phenomenon and, in some cases, the collapse of the exploiting system.

The Role of Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI) in Complex Adaptive Systems

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14248411 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (24) ◽

pp. 8411

Author(s):

Ilaria Perissi ◽

Alessandro Lavacchi ◽

Ugo Bardi

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

Complex Adaptive Systems ◽

Adaptive Systems ◽

Fossil Fuels ◽

Energy Transition ◽

Volterra Model ◽

Dissipative Systems ◽

Complex Adaptive ◽

The energy return on energy invested, EROI or EROEI, is the ratio of the energy produced by a system to the energy expended to build, maintain, and finally dismantle the system. It is an important parameter for evaluating the efficiency of energy-producing technologies. In this paper, we examine the concept of EROEI from the general viewpoint of dynamic dissipative systems, providing insights on a wider range of applications. In general, natural resources can be assimilated to energy stocks characterized by a potential that can be exploited by creating intermediate stocks. This transformation is typical of dissipative systems and for the first time, we report that the Lotka–Volterra model, usually confined to the study of the biology of populations, can represent a powerful tool to estimate the EROEI of dissipative systems and, in particular, those systems subjected to depletion. This assessment is important to evaluate the ongoing energy transition since it provides us with a model for the decline of the EROEI in the exploitation of fossil fuels.

Ivan Lepyokhin’s Expedition to the Middle Volga

Archaeology Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia ◽

10.17746/1563-0110.2019.47.3.111-118 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 111-118 ◽

Author(s):

A. K. Salmin

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

18Th Century ◽

Military History ◽

Team Working ◽

Russian State ◽

Middle Volga ◽

State Archives ◽

Academy Of Sciences ◽

the 18th-century expeditions from the Academy of Sciences aimed at colonizing new territories, especially eastern, exploring their landscapes, natural resources, and inhabitants. The article focuses on the team working in the Cheremshan basin. The description of findings is arranged in five sections, following Lepyokhin’s classification: landscape, population, clothing, occupations, and rituals. For the first time, a complete, updated, and verified list of settlements visited by the expedition members is provided. The role of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Director, Count Vladimir Orlov, in the organization of the expedition is described. The author disproves the opinion regarding the authorship of the anonymous article “Brief News About Simbirsk Vicegerency” published in the “Mesyatsoslov” journal in 1786. The persons to whom the article was attributed include Lepyokhin, Maslenitsky, and Ozeretskovsky, but the textological analysis of the article and of the manuscript at the Russian State Archives of Military History suggests that this is a collective digest of manuscripts by Milkovich and Maslenitsky.

The Sixth Law of Stupidity: A Biophysical Interpretation of Carlo Cipolla’s Stupidity Laws

Systems ◽

10.3390/systems9030057 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 57

Author(s):

Ilaria Perissi ◽

Ugo Bardi

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

Volterra Model ◽

Human Beings ◽

Predator Prey ◽

Model Based ◽

Biophysical Economics ◽

New Interpretation ◽

Gains And Losses ◽

Carlo Cipolla’s stupidity quadrant and his five laws of stupidity were proposed for the first time in 1976. Exposed in a humorous mood by the author, these concepts describe the interactions among human beings in terms of a semiquantitative model based on the gains and losses of the agents engaged in a process. Here, we propose a new interpretation of Cipolla’s ideas in a biophysical framework, using the well known “predator–prey”, or “Lotka–Volterra”, model. We find that there is indeed a correspondence between Cipolla’s approach, based on economics and biophysical economics. We propose a “sixth law of stupidity”, additional to the five proposed by Cipolla, stating that “humans are the stupidest species in the whole ecosystem” because of their tendency of overexploiting natural resources.

Industry of the Astrakhan region during the Great Patriotic War

OOO Zhurnal Voprosy Istorii ◽

10.31166/voprosyistorii202010statyi80 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 (10-4) ◽

pp. 76-84

Author(s):

Sergey Vinogradov ◽

Yuliya Eshchenko

Keyword(s):

World War Ii ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Economic Potential ◽

World War ◽

Soviet Leadership ◽

Great Patriotic War ◽

Archival Documents ◽

First Time ◽

New Look

Based on a large number of archival documents, some of which are being put into scientific circulation for the first time, and the latest works of Russian historians and specialists on World War II, the article gives a new look at the role of the economy of the Astrakhan district/region during the Great Patriotic War. The authors came to the conclusion that the Soviet leadership managed to effectively dispose of the natural resources and geopolitical position of this territory, thereby strengthening the country’s military and economic potential.

Psychological Resilience Provides No Independent Protection From Suicidal Risk

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000364 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 130-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Danica W. Y. Liu ◽

A. Kate Fairweather-Schmidt ◽

Richard Burns ◽

Rachel M. Roberts ◽

Kaarin J. Anstey

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Well Being ◽

Current Status ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Life Project ◽

Resilience Factors ◽

Abstract. Background: Little is known about the role of resilience in the likelihood of suicidal ideation (SI) over time. Aims: We examined the association between resilience and SI in a young-adult cohort over 4 years. Our objectives were to determine whether resilience was associated with SI at follow-up or, conversely, whether SI was associated with lowered resilience at follow-up. Method: Participants were selected from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project from Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia, aged 28–32 years at the first time point and 32–36 at the second. Multinomial, linear, and binary regression analyses explored the association between resilience and SI over two time points. Models were adjusted for suicidality risk factors. Results: While unadjusted analyses identified associations between resilience and SI, these effects were fully explained by the inclusion of other suicidality risk factors. Conclusion: Despite strong cross-sectional associations, resilience and SI appear to be unrelated in a longitudinal context, once risk/resilience factors are controlled for. As independent indicators of psychological well-being, suicidality and resilience are essential if current status is to be captured. However, the addition of other factors (e.g., support, mastery) makes this association tenuous. Consequently, resilience per se may not be protective of SI.

Transport and fluctuations in nonlinear-dissipative systems: role of interparticle collisions

Nonlinear Analysis Modelling and Control ◽

10.15388/na.1999.4.0.15249 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 31-86 ◽

Author(s):

R. Katilius ◽

A. Matulionis ◽

R. Raguotis ◽

I. Matulionienė

Keyword(s):

Electric Fields ◽

Carrier Density ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Dissipative Systems ◽

Doped Semiconductors ◽

Electron Diffusion ◽

Electron Collisions ◽

Electric Noise ◽

Diffusion Phenomena

The goal of the paper is to overview contemporary theoretical and experimental research of the microwave electric noise and fluctuations of hot carriers in semiconductors, revealing sensitivity of the noise spectra to non-linearity in the applied electric field strength and, especially, in the carrier density. During the last years, investigation of electronic noise and electron diffusion phenomena in doped semiconductors was in a rapid progress. By combining analytic and Monte Carlo methods as well as the available experimental results on noise, it became possible to obtain the electron diffusion coefficients in the range of electric fields where inter-electron collisions are important and Price’s relation is not necessarily valid. Correspondingly, a special attention to the role of inter-electron collisions and of the non-linearity in the carrier density while shaping electric noise and diffusion phenomena in the non-equilibrium states will be paid. The basic and up-to-date information will be presented on methods and advances in this contemporary field - the field in which methods of non-linear analytic and computational analysis are indispensable while seeking coherent understanding and interpretation of experimental results.

Gender and belief factors on attitude towards Social and Environmental Accounting (SEA)

Social and Management Research Journal ◽

10.24191/smrj.v6i2.5176 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 51

Author(s):

Salina Abdullah ◽

Ern Chen Loo

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Environmental Accounting ◽

Future Generations ◽

Business And Society ◽

Four Dimensions ◽

Sustain Ability ◽

The Relationship

Research on social and environmental accounting (SEA) has mainly concentrated on disclosure of SEA by corporate bodies, where investigations on ones attitude towards SEA are rarely discussed. SEA is a medium that develops relationships between business and society, community and nature. In addition, SEA involves a concept of sustain ability; where natural resources need to be sustained for the needs of future generations (Alhabshi et al., 2003). SEA also tries to recognise the role of accounting in sustainable development and the use of environmental resources. There are arguments that the young generations today are not fully aware of preserving these natural resources as well as handling social and environmental issues wisely. This perhaps link closely to their belief and cultural background. Hence, this paper examines the influence of gender and belief factors on the undergraduate students’ attitude towards SEA. Four dimensions of belief (fixed ability, quick learning, simple knowledge and certain knowledge) proposed by Schommer (2005) were adapted to analyse how belief factors have influence on their attitude towards SEA. An independent sample t-test was used to examine the relationship between gender and students’ attitude towards SEA. Spearmen’s correlation was employed to show the relationship between belief and attitude towards SEA. The results revealed that gender differences did not show influences on their attitude towards SEA. It was found that there is a significant relationship between belief and students’ attitude towards SEA. Students who believe on the importance of SEA tend to report positive attitude towards SEA. Perhaps findings of this study may provide some information on the SEA education and further be incorporated in the syllabus.

Synergetic Theory of Document in Evolution of Document Science

Herald of an Archivist ◽

10.28995/2073-0101-2018-4-1060-1068 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 1060-1068

Author(s):

Galina A. Dvoenosova ◽

Keyword(s):

Social Role ◽

Scientific Study ◽

Self Organization ◽

Universal Theory ◽

Social Self ◽

Social Goal ◽

The Social ◽

Synergetic Theory ◽

The article assesses synergetic theory of document as a new development in document science. In information society the social role of document grows, as information involves all members of society in the process of documentation. The transformation of document under the influence of modern information technologies increases its interest to representatives of different sciences. Interdisciplinary nature of document as an object of research leads to an ambiguous interpretation of its nature and social role. The article expresses and contends the author's views on this issue. In her opinion, social role of document is incidental to its being a main social tool regulating the life of civilized society. Thus, the study aims to create a scientific theory of document, explaining its nature and social role as a tool of social (goal-oriented) action and social self-organization. Substantiation of this idea is based on application of synergetics (i.e., universal theory of self-organization) to scientific study of document. In the synergetic paradigm, social and historical development is seen as the change of phases of chaos and order, and document is considered a main tool that regulates social relations. Unlike other theories of document, synergetic theory studies document not as a carrier and means of information transfer, but as a unique social phenomenon and universal social tool. For the first time, the study of document steps out of traditional frameworks of office, archive, and library. The document is placed on the scales with society as a global social system with its functional subsystems of politics, economy, culture, and personality. For the first time, the methods of social sciences and modern sociological theories are applied to scientific study of document. This methodology provided a basis for theoretical vindication of nature and social role of document as a tool of social (goal-oriented) action and social self-organization. The study frames a synergetic theory of document with methodological foundations and basic concepts, synergetic model of document, laws of development and effectiveness of document in the social continuum. At the present stage of development of science, it can be considered the highest form of theoretical knowledge of document and its scientific explanatory theory.

Physical Warmth Attenuates Ethnocentric Bias under Mortality Salience: An Embodied Terror Management Perspective

10.31234/osf.io/x6m8u ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Armand Chatard ◽

Margaux Renoux ◽

Jean Monéger ◽

Leila Selimbegovic

Keyword(s):

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Defensive Reaction ◽

Worldview Defense ◽

Management Perspective ◽

Physical Warmth ◽

Alternative Means ◽

Research indicates that individuals often deal with mortality salience by affirming beliefs in national or cultural superiority (worldview defense). Because worldview defense may be associated with negative consequences (discrimination), it is important to identify alternative means to deal with death-related thoughts. In line with an embodied terror management perspective, we evaluate for the first time the role of physical warmth in reducing defensive reaction to mortality salience. We predicted that, like social affiliation (social warmth), physical warmth could reduce worldview defense when mortality is salient. In this exploratory (preregistered) study, 202 French participants were primed with death-related thoughts, or an aversive control topic, in a heated room or a non-heated room. The main outcome was worldview defense (ethnocentric bias). We found no main effect of mortality salience on worldview defense. However, physical warmth reduced worldview defense when mortality was salient. Implications for an embodied terror management perspective are discussed.

Relationship between big five personality model and abusive supervision

10.34091/ajss.12.2.05 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Bibi Tahira ◽

Naveed Saif ◽

Muhammad Haroon ◽

Sadaqat Ali

Keyword(s):

Big Five ◽

Abusive Supervision ◽

State Universities ◽

Big Five Personality ◽

Big Five Model ◽

The Impact ◽

First Time ◽

Supervisor Behavior ◽

Moderating Role

The current study tries to understand the diverse nature of relationship between personality Big Five Model (PBFM) and student's perception of abusive supervision in higher education institutions of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Pakistan. Data was collected in dyads i.e. (supervisors were asked to rate their personality attributes while student were asked to rate the supervisor behavior) through adopted construct. For this purpose, data was collected from three government state universities and one Private Sector University. The focus was on MS/M.Phill and PhD student and their supervisors of the mentioned universities. After measuring normality and validity regression analysis was conducted to assess the impact of supervisor personality characteristics that leads to abusive supervision. Findings indicate interestingly that except agreeableness other four attributes of (PBFM) are play their role for abusive supervision. The results are novel in the nature as for the first time Neuroticism, openness to experience, extraversion and conscientiousness are held responsible for the abusive supervision. The study did not explore the demographic characteristics, and moderating role of organizational culture, justice and interpersonal deviances to understand the strength of relationship in more detail way. Keywords: Personality big five model, abusive supervision, HEIs