A hybrid energy system, based on renewable energy sources and with hydrogen storage, can become an alternative for stand-alone electricity and heat supply. The objective of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of a completely renewable supply of power and heat for an isolated household, and...

MGR-GT is a conceptual design for a direct Brayton-cycle power plant based on a Modular Gas-Cooled Reactor core. The plant is intended for electricity production, although it can accommodate such other uses as desalination without sacrifice of electrical efficiency. The conceptual design is...

The Chiyoda basin is located in the Saga Prefecture of the Kyushu Island, Japan, and lies next to the tidal compartment of the Chikugo River, into which excess water in the basin is drained away. This basin has a total area of approximately 1100ha and is a typical flat and low-lying agricultural...

The finance literature suggests that the Veblen effect (i.e. luxury consumption behavior) could be translated into consumers' behavior with other goods and assets. This study is the first to examine the role that the Veblen effect plays in housing market dynamics, with a focus on spatial and...

The unique regulatory environment of REITs casts doubt on the traditional theoretical process by which REIT managers base their convertible debt issuance decisions on issuer condition and prospects. Anecdotal evidence shows that REITs may have catered to demand by investors, including a demand...

The financial economics literature suggests that the possibility of rare events occurring affects asset pricing dynamics. At the same time, the recent finance literature found that investors often pay only limited attention to relevant information in making their investment decisions and they...

Foreign real estate investment funds have recently been added to the practical investment opportunity sets of ordinary Japanese investors. This paper analyzes the additional diversification benefits of U.S. REITs and Australian listed property trusts (LPTs) for Japanese investors who already...

A considerable number of U.S. borrowers still choose adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) over fixed rate mortgages (FRMs) even when interest rates are historically very low. This study examines the psychological reasons for the popularity of ARMs by testing the Prospect theory’s reflection...

This article addresses the combined problem of imperfect agency and asymmetric information in the regulation of hospitals by modeling the physician as a utility maximizer with both the utility of patients and profit of the hospital as arguments in his or her utility function. The article...