Abstract

We present the results from a choice experiment conducted across Denmark Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden focusing on electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology. The survey involved the entire Nordic region and had >4000 respondents choosing between two versions of electric vehicles (some including vehicle-to-grid capability) as well as their preferred gasoline vehicle. We analyzed the data using a mixed logit model and present the willingness to pay for driving range, acceleration, recharging time, fuel source, and vehicle-to-grid capability. In addition, due to the cross-national nature of our data, we also present willingness-to-pay comparisons between the five Nordic countries. We find that certain attributes, like driving range and recharging time, are substantially higher than previous estimates, whereas others, like acceleration are lower. In addition, we find that some attributes vary across the five countries (such as driving range), whereas other attributes remain constant. Finally, we find that vehicle-to-grid capability, divorced of onerous contracts, is significantly positive, but only for some countries, whereas in other countries it has no value, implying greater education and awareness of vehicle-to-grid is necessary if it is to accelerate electric vehicle adoption.

Abstract

After two-years of repeat interviewing around 170 early career science/social science researchers from China, France, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Spain, UK and US about their work life and scholarly communications in pandemic-times, the Harbingers project is now in possession of a mountain of data on what constitutes a very important academic topic. The purpose of the paper is to share the early highlights of the data, with a focus on the main and lasting impacts of the pandemic. The data presented comes from the national interviewers, who had conducted 3 rounds of interviews with their 20 or so early career researchers (ECRs) over two years and, thus, knew them well. They were asked to provide an ‘aerial view’ by identifying the most important impacts they had detected while things were still fresh in their minds. The main findings are that: 1) ECRs, the research workhorses, have generally proved to be resilient and perseverant and some have prospered; 2) the pandemic has fast-tracked researchers to a virtual and remote scholarly world, with all the advantages and disadvantages that comes with it. The data, however, is nuanced, with significant differences occurring between countries, especially China and France. The paper also updates a literature review on the topic previously published in this journal.

Abstract

After two-years of talking to around 170 early career science/social science researchers from China, France, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Spain, UK and US about their work life and scholarly communications during the pandemic, the Harbingers-2 project is in possession of a mountain of verbatim data. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the kinds of comments ECRs are raising, with a focus on those that provide a particular interesting and illuminating take on ECRs’ experiences under difficult times. Comments, for instance, that might challenge the established order of things or that presage big changes down the line. The selection of comments presented here were made by the national interviewers shortly after the completion of the last of three rounds of interviews (two interviews in the case of Russia). The understandings, appreciations and suggestions thus raised by the ECRs are insightful and constructive, which is what we might have expected from this cohort who are very much at the forefront of the research enterprise and veritable research workhorses. Sixteen broad scholarly topics are represented by quotes/comments, with the main focus of the comments on a subset of these: research performance and assessment, scholarly communication transformations, networking and collaboration, social media and access to information/libraries, which suggests, perhaps, where the action, concerns and interest mainly lie.

Abstract

Nicotine is the main ingredient of tobacco and it has been described as aversive, reinforce and procognitive. However there is not enough research about the overlapping of the dose-dependent effects as aversive stimulus and precognitive effects. For those reasons we evaluated the nicotine effects on the Conditioned Taste Aversion paradigm (CTA) to evaluated the dose-response curve of the aversive effects of nicotine and to compare such effects with the procognitive effects reported. 20 male Wistar rats in standard laboratory conditions were randomly assigned to 5 groups (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 y 1.6 mg/kg i.p.). The obtained results showed a dose-dependent decrease with a maximum effect at 1.6 mg/kg dose, however we founded effects from the 0.8 mg/kg dose, such dose overlapped with procognitive doses reported. These results allow us to propose that some effects could be due the periferical aversive effects instead of the central procognitive effects.

Abstract

Nicotine is the main ingredient of tobacco and it has been described as aversive, reinforce and procognitive. However there is not enough research about the overlapping of the dose-dependent effects as aversive stimulus and precognitive effects. For those reasons we evaluated the nicotine effects on the Conditioned Taste Aversion paradigm (CTA) to measure the dose-response curve of the aversive effects of nicotine and to compare such effects with the procognitive effects reported. 20 male Wistar rats in standard laboratory conditions were randomly assigned to 5 groups (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 y 1.6 mg/kg i.p.). The obtained results showed a dose-dependent decrease with a maximum effect at 1.6 mg/kg dose, however we founded effects from the 0.8 mg/kg dose, such dose overlapped with procognitive doses reported. These results allow us to propose that some effects could be due the periferical aversive effects instead of the central procognitive effects.