This work takes a closer look at ceria catalyst synthesis through micelle self-assembly. We compare surfactants, precursors, solvent systems, and doping. The surfactants are the building blocks upon which the ceria can crystallize. The samples are calcinated to test their thermal stability. Characterization is performed using pXRD as well as physisorption. The samples that exhibited a higher thermal stability were characterized to have a high surface area as well as low fluctuations in crystallite size, pore volume, and pore size. Ceria synthesized with cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate and CTAB in a water:ethanol mixture using sodium hydroxide showed to be the most effective at providing a thermally stable product. Doping the catalyst with titanium increased the thermal stability significantly. Select samples were run in a variety of fuel to oxygen ratios to determine the best conditions in which we could perform partial methane oxidation to recuperate hydrogen gas. Most of the experiments show oxygen depletion with minor changes in other gas levels indicating that there is no oxidation occurring. Curiously the oxygen levels do decrease. There is a possibility that there is a reaction occurring initially at room temperature and being exacerbated with further temperature increase.

This thesis is submitted as a PhD by Publication. Part A provides an overview of the thesis and summarises its context, research questions, methodological approach and key findings. Part B is a collection of nine, first-named academic papers. The thesis addresses two highly complex and controversial questions within energy policy, namely the nature and magnitude of ‘rebound effects’ from energy efficiency improvements and the extent and rate of depletion of global oil resources. Both of these questions are critically important to the development of a sustainable energy system and both are the subject of long-standing and highly polarised disputes. The thesis adapts, develops and applies a common methodology for reviewing the evidence on these questions, supplements this with original primary research and syntheses the results in a way that improves understanding and provides new insights. The thesis includes four papers examining different aspects of rebound effects and four examining different aspects of global oil depletion. Given the complexity of the chosen topics, the papers cover a wide range of questions, issues and approaches. Collectively the papers: clarify relevant definitional and conceptual issues; evaluate competing methodological and analytical techniques; appraise the methodological quality of empirical studies; identify levels of uncertainty and potential sources of bias; develop simple mathematical models; conduct statistical analyses of primary data; compare and evaluate the results of modelling studies; and synthesise results from multiple research areas to provide novel insights into poorly understood phenomena. A ninth paper evaluates the strengths and limitations of systematic review techniques when applied to complex, policy-relevant questions such as these. The thesis draws two main conclusions. First, rebound effects are frequently large and can substantially reduce the energy and carbon savings achieved from improved energy efficiency. Second, there is a significant risk that the global production of conventional oil will enter sustained decline before 2020. These conclusions run counter to conventional wisdom and have significant implications for public policy. The thesis also shows how the methodology of systematic reviews can be adapted and modified to make a valuable contribution to energy and climate policy research.

Self-control is required when an agent encounters some opposition to acting on her better judgments. One such opposition is diminished motivation, that is, a lack of desire to act on a better judgment. Thomas Connor compares two views of successful self-control, actional (i.e. the view that self-control is produced by a motivated action) and non-actional (i.e. the view that self-control consists of having unmotivated thoughts), and argues that non-actional views are better at explaining successful self-control in cases of diminished motivation. I reject Connor’s suggestion that successful self-control is likely to be non-actional by presenting two arguments: (1) non-actional views do not possess an advantage in explaining successful self-control because of a failure to provide an account of how self-controlling thoughts arise when self-control is required, and (2) actional views can account for successful self-control in the case of diminished motivation, namely, by prescribing minimally taxing strategies of self-control.

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Background: Symbioses throughout the animal kingdom are known to extend physiological and ecological capabilities to hosts. Insect-microbe associations are extremely common and are often related to novel niche exploitation, fitness advantages, and even speciation events. These phenomena include expansions in host diet, detoxification of insecticides and toxins, and increased defense against pathogens. However, dissecting the contributions of individual groups of symbionts at the molecular level is often underexplored due to methodological and analytical limitations. Termites are one of the best studied systems for physiological collaborations between host and symbiota; however, most work in lower termites (those with bacterial and protist symbionts) focuses on the eukaryotic members of this symbiotic consortium. Here we present a metatranscriptomic analysis which provides novel insights into bacterial contributions to the holobiont of the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, in the presence and absence of a fungal pathogen. Results: Using a customized ribodepletion strategy, a metatranscriptome assembly was obtained representing the host termite as well as bacterial and protist symbiota. Sequence data provide new insights into biosynthesis, catabolism, and transport of major organic molecules and ions by the gut consortium, and corroborate previous findings suggesting that bacteria play direct roles in nitrogen fixation, amino acid biosynthesis, and lignocellulose digestion. With regard to fungal pathogen challenge, a total of 563 differentially expressed candidate host and symbiont contigs were identified (162 up-and 401 downregulated; a/FDR = 0.05) including an upregulated bacterial amidohydrolase. Conclusions: This study presents the most complete bacterial metatranscriptome from a lower termite and provides a framework on which to build a more complete model of termite-symbiont interactions including, but not limited to, digestion and pathogen defense.

Owing to the diverse geological processes of genesis, metals occur in earth’s crust in a variety of minerals that form ore deposits across the globe. These deposits significantly differ in terms of their physical and chemical characteristics, and conditions of hosting. Productivity growth in any given metal industry is therefore governed by not only the advancements in technology, but also this unique variation in its natural input in course of cumulative extraction and depletion. Detailed analysis of the changes in process input intensities and sector productivity corresponding to a representative spectrum of geological transitions in copper ores reveals that the continuous and incremental technological developments had successfully offset the detrimental effects of depletion on sector productivity, often aided by the geological characteristics that changed to the miners’ advantage. However, the transition of ores below a threshold level of purity and then into the next prevalent chemical composition, was found to cause a steep rise in input intensities that would lead to a fall in productivity despite the introduction of a widely acclaimed innovative process of copper extraction. The study shows that the impacts of depletion are neither linear, nor uniform, and not always detrimental to productivity. It shows the usefulness of productivity studies in estimating the impacts depletion that may not proceed in strictly sequential manner in the short and medium term, as well as evaluating the benefits of technological change. Though the study is primarily based on copper industry, the findings hold relevance for other metal industries too.

AIM: To contrast the effects of various modifications of body fluid volumes on thirst as reported by healthy volunteers. METHODS: Ten male volunteers aged between 19 and 37 years (mean 22 years) underwent four experiments each, which comprised infusion of 400-800 mL of acetated Ringer’s solution and intake of 600 mL of tap water. Half of the experiments were preceded by volume depletion (median 1.7 L) with furosemide. A visual analogue scale (0-100 mm) was used to assess perceived thirst during each experiment. RESULTS: Volume depletion (P < 0.001) and tap water (P < 0.03) both affected thirst by 13 mm per L of fluid, whereas spontaneous diuresis and infusion of Ringer’s acetate did not significantly change the thirst rating (multiple regressions). More detailed analyses showed that the volume depletion increased the median (25th-75th percentiles) thirst rating from 28 mm (21-43) to 59 mm (46-72, P < 0.001) while no change occurred in those who were only slightly thirsty (< 30 mm) before the volume depletion began. Ringer’s solution alleviated thirst in those who were very thirsty, but tended to increase thirst in the volunteers who were not thirsty before the infusion. Similarly, hydration with tap water decreased thirst (by 24 mm, P < 0.04) in those who were thirsty (> 60 mm) while the others reported no change. CONCLUSION: The change in thirst rating during volume depletion, administration of Ringer’s acetate, and ingestion of tap water were all dependent on the thirst rating obtained when the manipulation of the body fluid volume was initiated.

Prior research provides evidence that people can improve their self-control performance through practice (e.g., Muraven, Baumeister, & Tice, 1999). Building on the Strength Model of self-control (Baumeister, Heatherton, & Tice, 1994; Muraven & Baumeister, 2000), this work assumes that self-control practice operates by increasing the capacity or endurance of a domain-general self-control resource. However, recent developments that highlight the role of motivation in self-control performance (e.g., Clarkson, Hirt, Jia, & Alexander, 2010; Job, Dweck, & Walton, 2010) suggest that changes in values, expectations, and beliefs may be driving the improvements over time. In the current study, I adapted a paradigm from the self-control training literature (Muraven, 2010a) in order to examine the possible role of motivational mechanisms in self-control performance improvement. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three practice conditions: a self-control task (avoiding sweets) or two control tasks. Self-control performance and potential motivational mechanisms were assessed both before and after the two-week practice period. Consistent with earlier research, self-control practice was associated with improved performance on an initial self-control performance task; however, there was no evidence of improvement in a post-depletion self-control task. Although self-control practice was not strongly associated with changes across potential motivational mechanisms, some exploratory analyses suggested that self-control instrumentality (beliefs that successful self-control is a means to central, self-relevant outcomes) may be an important predictor of self-control performance. I discuss implications for motivational models of self-control.