Lighting accounts for nearly 20% of overall U.S. electricity consumption, 14% of U.S. residential electricity consumption, and 6% of total U.S. carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions. A transition to alternative energy-efficient technologies could reduce this energy consumption considerably. We studied three questions related to energy efficiency lighting choices and consequences, which are: • Question 1: How large is the system-wide effect of a residential lighting retrofit with more efficient lighting technologies? • Question 2: Based on stated preference (SP) data, which factors influence consumer choices for general service light bulbs? What is the effect of the new lighting efficiency label mandated by the Federal Trade Commission? • Question 3: What can we learn about market trends and consumer choices from consumer panel data (i.e. revealed preference (RP) data) for general service light bulbs between 2004 and 2009? How can we compare the findings from SP and RP data, and which findings are robust across the two? In Chapter 2, we focus on the issue of lighting heat replacement effects. The issue is as follows: lighting efficiency goals have been emphasized in various U.S. energy efficiency policies. However, incandescent bulbs release up to 95% of input energy as heat, and it has been argued that replacing them with more efficient alternatives has a side effect in the overall building energy consumption: it increases the heating service that needs to be provided by the heating systems and decreases the cooling service that needs to be provided by the cooling systems. We investigate the net energy consumption, CO2e emissions, and saving in energy bills for single family detached houses across the U.S. as one moves towards more efficient lighting systems. In some regions, these heating and cooling effects from more efficient lighting can undermine up to 40% of originally intended primary energy savings, erode anticipated carbon savings completely, and lead to 30% less household monetary savings than intended. However, this overall effect is at most one percent of total emissions or energy consumption by a house. The size of the effect depends on various regional factors such as climate, electricity fuel mix, differences in emission factors of main energy sources used for heating and cooling, and electricity prices. Other tested factors such as building orientation, insulation level, occupancy scenario, or day length do not significantly affect the results. Then, in Chapter 3, we focus on factors that drive consumer choices for light bulbs. We collected stated preference data from a choice-based conjoint field experiment with 183 participants. We estimate discrete choice models from the data and find that politically liberal consumers have a stronger preference for compact fluorescent lighting technology and for low energy consumption. Greater willingness-to-pay for lower energy consumption and longer life is observed in conditions where estimated operating cost information was provided. Providing estimated annual cost information to consumers reduces their implicit discount rate by a factor of five, lowering barriers to adoption of energy efficient alternatives with higher up-front costs; however, even with cost information provided, consumers continue to use implicit discount rates of around 100%, which is larger than that estimated for other energy technologies. Finally, we complemented the stated preference study with a revealed preference study. This is because stated preference data alone have limitations in explaining consumer choices, as purchases are affected by many other factors that are outside of the experimenter control. We investigate consumer preferences for lighting technology based on revealed preference data between 2004 and 2009. We assess the trends in lighting sales for different lighting technologies across the country, and by store type. We find that, across the period between 2004 and 2009, sales of all general service light bulbs are almost monotonically decreasing, while CFL sales peaked in 2007. Thanks to increasing adoption of CFLs during the period, newly purchased light bulbs contributed to lowering carbon emissions and electricity consumption, while not sacrificing total produced lumens as much. We study consumer preferences for real light bulbs by estimating choice models, from which we estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) for light bulb attributes (watt and type) and implicit discount rates (IDR) consumers adopt for their purchases. We find that the campaign for efficient bulbs in Wal-Mart in 2007 is potentially related to the peak in CFL adoption in 2007 in addition to the effects of the EISA or other factors/programs around the same period. Consumers are willing to pay, $1.84 more for a change from an incandescent bulb to a CFL and -$0.06 for 10W increase, the values which also include willingness-to-pays for corresponding changes in unobserved variables such as life and color. IDRs for four representative states range between around 230% and 330%, which is in a similar range we estimate from the choice experiment. Overall, even with energy efficiency labels, nationwide promotion of CFLs by retailers, or better availability of CFLs in the transforming residential lighting market, we see the barriers to energy efficient residential lighting are still persistent, which are reflected in high implicit discount rates observed from the models. While we can expect the EISA to be effective in lowering the barriers through regulation, it alone will not close energy efficiency gap in the residential lighting sector.

Humans are curious beings. We investigate and explore. We experiment and learn from them. But that process of learning is not very easy to study. Each person learns in different ways. The verbal part of learning is just one piece of the puzzle. The process of learning happens in many other ways, which makes is hard to study (especially in the past). The aim for this thesis is to examine whether experiment could be a tool to use in that research. It also aims to see if cultural transmission theory could be a theoretical base to study learning processes. The thesis describes experiments as a method, the relations between theoretical and practical memory and how culture is usually transmitted. It also studies two examples of experiments that were carried out in order to study learning. The thesis discusses the result of the experiments separately and in connection to cultural transmission theory. It discusses the possibilities of experiments as a method and its relation to the process of learning. It also discusses the relevance of modern novices. / Människan är en nyfiken varelse. Hon undersöker saker, prövar sig fram och lär sig av sina experiment. Något som bidrar till att vi dominerar planeten är att vi inte behåller kunskapen för oss själva, utan delar med oss. Detta inkluderar allt från sociala regler till redskapsrelaterade färdigheter och andra saker vi behöver för att klara oss. Inlärning är en process som sker på mer än det verbala planet, vilket gör det till ett svårstuderat ämne. Det blir ännu svårare i forntiden. Uppsatsen syftar till att undersöka om experiment skulle kunna vara ett verktyg för att studera den här inlärningsprocessen. Den syftar också till att se om kulturell transmissionsteori skulle kunna utgöra en teoretisk grund för dessa studier. Två experiment med fokus på inlärning används för att utvidga diskussionen. Uppsatsen utgår från följande frågeställningar: Hur kan experiment bidra till att förstå läroprocesser? Kan kulturell transmissionsteori vara en teoretisk grund för att förstå läroprocesser? Uppsatsen inleder med att redogöra för kulturell transmissionsteori. Teorin, som kretsar kring överföring av kulturell information till nästa generation, förklaras. Uppsatsen redogör för de grundläggande dragen, dess grundkomponenter samt vad som kan gå fel under överföringen. Den tar även upp den mer evolutionistiskt betonade inriktningen i teoribildningen kring hantverk, vilken brukar kallas för darwinism. Uppsatsen går sedan över till att fokusera på hur minnet fungerar, både på ett teoretiskt plan men även ett kroppsligt. Därefter beskrivs faktorer i inlärningssituationen som kan påverka resultatet, däribland hur undervisningen går till och vad situationen behöver för att fungera. Uppsatsen förklarar även experimentell arkeologi och hur detta kan appliceras i fallet inlärning. Även Chaîne Opératoire nämns. Därefter ges en övergripande beskrivning av de två exempel som uppsatsen använder sig av. Det ena exemplet innefattar mer än ett experimenttillfälle och med olika undervisningsmetoder. Dess nybörjarexperiment beskrivs sedan i detalj vad gäller utförande, resultat och de undervisningsmetoder hon använder sig av. Uppsatsen övergår sedan till att diskutera resultaten från experimentstudierna och vad man kan notera i det fysiska material som blev resultatet av experimenten. Det fysiska resultatet, alltså föremålen som experimenten resulterade i, sätts i relation till undervisningsmetod, know-how samt hur hög grad fel som uppstod. Resultatet pekar på att en aktivt engagerad lärare lyckas bäst med sin informationsöverföring. Därefter diskuteras hur pass relevant en modern novis egentligen är. Frågor om erfarenhet och djupare förståelse av fyndmaterialet lyfts samt frågan om exakta återgivningar. Därefter diskuterar uppsatsen Chaîne Opératoire, inlärning och kulturell transmission i relation till resultatet från experimenten. Chaîne Opératoire föreslås som ett möjligt sätt att strukturera och identifiera de olika stegen i den tillverkningsprocess som ett experiment går igenom. Begreppet diskuteras också som en teoretisk bas för att studera utvecklingen av know-how hos en elev, vilket bygger på att det finns material från en erfaren individ. Kulturell transmissionsteori diskuteras sedan som en ytterligare teoretisk grund i relation till inlärning och hur olika variationer mellan dess grundkomponenter skulle kunna användas i relation till studier av inlärning. Uppsatsen resonerar kring en kombination av experiment, Chaîne Opératoire och kulturell transmissionsteori som en möjlig teoretisk grund för ett ramverk som inkluderar kroppsliga som teoretiska aspekter samt som en möjlighet till att genom att utforska olika variationer av dessa eftersträva ett fysiskt resultat som är jämförbart med ett arkeologiskt material.

As information regarding origin, production method, and environmental certifications characterize a progressing seafood market, scare analysis has been made to understand market responses. This study focuses on consumer preference for wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp with several attributes. These include the Homegrown By Heroes label and Best Aquaculture Practices certification, as well as other existing attributes including the Marine Stewardship Council and each state’s local label. Also considered are hypothetical labels including Community Supported Fishery (CSF) and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This study surveys consumers in Kentucky and South Carolina while utilizing a choice experiment to elicit willingness-to-pay measures for these various product attributes. Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp are considered since these species have significant market potential. Like previous studies, a strong preference for fresh as well as local shrimp was found. Furthermore, preference for Homegrown By Heroes was found to be highly valued by consumers, as well as the NOAA label signifying a federally operated ecolabel. Consumers were also found to value BAP and MSC certifications, two third-party agencies currently existent in the seafood market. Marketing and policy recommendations are given based on consumer willingness to pay estimates for these various seafood attributes in both states.

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Overall losses in swash plate type axial piston machines are mainly defined by three tribological interfaces. These are swash plate/slipper, piston/cylinder and cylinder block/valve plate. Within a research project, funded by the German Research Foundation, a combined approach of experimental research and simulation is chosen to acquire further knowledge on the cylinder block/valve plate contact. The experimental investigations focus on the friction torque within the contact and the measurement of the cylinder block movement in all six degrees of freedom. Simultaneously a simulation model is created focusing on the main physical effects. By considering the results of the experimental investigations significant physical effects for the simulation model are assessed. Within this paper a first comparison between experimental results and the simulation is presented, showing that for a qualitative match the implemented effects (mainly the fluid film, solid body movement, solid body contact, surface deformation) are sufficient to model the general behaviour of theinvestigated pump.

Human alteration of the global nitrogen (N) cycle has had major impacts on naturally N-limited ecosystems worldwide. Peatlands, dominated by peat mosses, Sphagnum species, represent one such sensitive ecosystem. I have studied how this ecosystem is affected by increased N availability, using a small-scale N fertilization experiment in combination with a gradient study of three peatlands with varying N deposition. I found both in the experiment and in the gradient a similar pattern of Sphagnum decline accompanied by an increase of vascular plants associated with enhanced N supply. For one common Sphagnum species - both in the experiment and in the gradient study - I also found an identical, linear increase in soluble amino acid N (NAA) accumulation. As soluble amino acids function as N storage compounds among Sphagna, NAA is a suitable measure for Sphagnum N status, and indicates accumulation of excess N not used for growth. My results show that NAA can be used as a sensitive indicator to signal N pollution before the slow, and gradual, regime shift from Sphagnum to vascular plant dominance is visible. In an N-uptake experiment using Sphagnum specimens from the three peatlands varying in N deposition, I found a reduced N-uptake by both investigated Sphagnum species from a high N deposition site, in south-western Sweden. This potential of Sphagna to adjust to high N loads through N uptake regulation will, however, not prevent tissue N accumulation, and as a result a shift from Sphagnum to vascular plant dominance. In general I found similar patterns of N induced changes both in Sphagnum tissue chemistry and vegetation structure in the experiment and along the gradient study. Thus, I conclude that long-term, small-scale field experiments seem to offer reliable estimates of both the direction and strength of key vegetation responses in Sphagnum dominated peatlands. This is likely related to the key role of Sphagna as ecosystem engineers. In the experiment I found a marked time lag in vegetation response to N application treatments. The closed Sphagnum carpet did not collapse until after eight years of continuous treatments. Another result was that dwarf shrubs, e.g. cranberry Vaccinium oxycoccos, first increased, but later declined due to severe attacks by fungal diseases. One important conclusion is that long-term, manipulative field experiments are necessary for our ability to understand how ecosystems will respond to environmental change.

There is a recent emergence of open government initiatives for citizen participation in policy making in China. Open government initiatives seek to increase the level of participation, deliberation and transparency in government affairs, sometimes by use of Internet fora. In contemporary political science the introduction of these initiatives in authoritarian contexts has been described as a paradox of authoritarian deliberation. This thesis uses cybernetic theory, perspectives of information steering in all systems, to resolve the paradox and present a new view on authoritarianism and autocracy. A cybernetic definition of autocracy allows for an analysis of different types of autocracy in different models of governance. The theoretical tools developed are used to define and assess the potential for democratic autocracy, representative autocracy, deliberative autocracy and collaborative autocracy in online open government initiatives in China.   The argument of the thesis is that these initiatives must be understood within the environment in which they are introduced. In the case of the Chinese online environment, individuals often have limited possibilities of acting anonymously. To explore how online identity registration affects citizens, a lab-in-the-field experiment was set up. Chinese university students were invited to engage with a government sponsored online forum under conditions of both anonymity and identity registration. Previous research suggests that anonymity would lead users of online fora to be more active and produce more content. This hypothesis was partly proven false by the experiment. This study shows that users who have their identities registered, sometimes even produce more content. The study also shows that registered users tend to act against their own preferences and participate more in nationalistic debates. The concluding discussion is focused on the wider implications of these effects. If citizens are incentivized to channel their dissatisfaction as loyalty, rather than voice or exit, they might become complicit in sustaining authoritarianism. Interviews with experiment participants show that open government initiatives primarily enable deliberative and collaborative autocracy when introduced in the Chinese online environment. This has the potential of increasing the amount of dissatisfaction that citizens channel as loyalty via mechanisms of authoritarian collaboration.

This dissertation explores the impact of tax policy and institutions on decisions in the market for housing. The first essay is joint work with Andrew Hanson. In it, we estimate the sensitivity of mortgage interest deducted on federal tax returns to the availability of the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID). Our primary results show that for every one percentage point increase in the tax rate that applies to deductibility, the amount of mortgage interest deducted increases by $303–590. The second essay simulates changes to average home prices in twenty-seven cities that would result were the MID reformed. I use local variation in housing parameters to simulate home price changes for three different reforms: eliminating the MID, converting the MID to a fifteen percent credit, and capping the MID at fifteen percent. City price changes vary in response to a single policy by as much as 12.8 percentage points. Spatial variation within cities is also notable, with areas high in income experiencing steeper price declines and areas of lower income experiencing shallow declines. The third essay is joint work with Andrew Hanson, Zack Hawley, and Bo Liu. We design and implement an experimental test for differential response by Mortgage Loan Originators (MLOs) to requests for information about loans. Our e-mail correspondence experiment is designed to analyze differential treatment by client race and credit score. Our results show net discrimination of 1.8 percent by MLOs through non-response.

LHCb est l'une des quatre grandes expériences installées sur l'anneau du LHC. Le détecteur a pour but la mesure précise de la violation de CP et de canaux rares de désintégration dans le secteur des mésons B. Le calorimètre de l'expérience est un ensemble de quatre sous-systèmes : le détecteur de pied de gerbe, le ''preshower'' et les calorimètres électromagnétique (ECAL) et hadronique (HCAL). Il est essentiel pour la reconstruction des événements, pour le déclenchement de l'expérience et pour l'identification des électrons et des photons. Après une revue du détecteur LHCb, l'électronique des calorimètres est décrite dans la première partie de ce mémoire. Dans un premier temps l'électronique de lecture des voies des photomultiplicateurs des ECAL et HCAL est présentée en mettant l'accent sur ses performances, puis la carte de contrôle de l'ensemble du système calorimétrique de l'expérience est détaillée. Les chapitres trois et quatre concernent les programmes de test de cette électronique, les choix technologiques permettant de la rendre suffisamment tolérante aux radiations et les mesures quantifiant cette tolérance. La seconde partie de ce mémoire porte d'abord sur l'identification des photons avec les calorimètres de LHCb. La méthode est présentée avec ses performances. Enfin, l'étalonnage absolu en énergie des PRS et ECAL, basée sur les données enregistrées avec le détecteur en 2010, est décrite dans le dernier chapitre de cette même seconde partie.

Ce document résume et ordonne quelques dix années de recherche de son auteur dans le domaine des mesures de précision électrofaibles. Le lecteur y trouvera la description de mesures d'observables de quarks lourds produits au pôle du boson Z et étudiés par le détecteur ALEPH auprès du collisionneur électron-positron LEP jusqu'à des analyses phénoménologiques des données de physique des saveurs conduites au sein du groupe CKMfitter. Une large partie de ce document est consacrée aux travaux non encore publiés de conception, de tests, de production, d'installation et de mise en œuvre des dispositifs électroniques qui équipent le détecteur de pied de gerbes du calorimètre électromagnétique de l'expérience LHCb auprès du LHC.