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A multi-area power system requires coordination to enhance reliability and reduce operating costs. Economic dispatch in such systems is crucial because of the uncertainties associated with variable loads and the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources. This paper presents a hierarchical consensus algorithm designed to determine the economic dispatch in a multi-area power system, accounting for the uncertainties in load and renewable generation. The proposed algorithm, which utilizes distributed agents, operates across three levels. Level 1 coordinates all areas, while levels 2 and 3 form a leader–follower consensus algorithm for overall economic dispatch. Breadth-first search is employed to identify the leader agent within each area. To address the uncertainties in loads and renewable generation, Monte Carlo simulations are performed. The efficacy of the proposed method is validated using the IEEE 39-bus and 118-bus systems, as well as a realistic 1968-bus power system in Taiwan. The traditional equal lambda method is employed to verify that the proposed approach is suitable for multi-area power systems using distributed computation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How infectious diseases shape individual minds and behaviors has been of interest to researchers. We conducted four studies to examine whether the threat perception of the COVID-19 pandemic was positively related to pro-environmentalism. Study 1 (N = 1,508) showed that individuals' threat perception of the pandemic was correlated with their pro-environmental behaviors. Study 2 (N = 241) clarified the causality by manipulating threat perception and found that individuals with high (vs. low) threat perception reported higher pro-environmental willingness. Study 3 (N = 406) revealed that awe for nature mediated this relationship. Study 4 (N = 405) replicated Study 3 more than two years after the outbreak and demonstrated the findings were robust regardless of decreases in infection fear. These findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic provides individuals with an opportunity to reconsider the way they treat nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of cosmetics is ubiquitous, signaling the importance of aesthetics for humans. Yet, little is known on drivers of cosmetic consumption. In a set of multiple surveys among over 5,000 women across seven countries in three continents (Study 1), we consistently show that heightened perceived pressure to change appearance is associated with higher cosmetic consumption. Further, perceived pressure (and subsequently cosmetic consumption) is influenced by implicit theories of human beauty, such that holding an entity beauty belief—that is, beauty beauty is fixed and unalterable—counterintuitively is associated with heightened perceived pressure to change appearance, which in turn is associated with higher cosmetic consumption. This pattern of results remains in Study 2 where an entity (vs. incremental) beauty belief was experimentally induced. Study 3 further shows that an entity (vs. incremental) beauty belief leads to higher intention to consume cosmetic products but only in a social, not a private, context. Our studies thus provide evidence that beauty-related consumption phenomena could be directly influenced by perception and indirectly influenced by deep-seated, almost philosophical, implicit theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have primarily focused on understanding why people believe conspiracy theories, especially during societal crises (e.g., the COVID‐19 pandemic). The investigation of how such conspiracy beliefs would influence people's mental well‐being has just begun recently. The present research aims to address this crucial question by testing the relationships between psychological distress and COVID‐19 conspiracy beliefs with a five‐wave longitudinal study. On the one hand, COVID‐19 conspiracy beliefs could be more appealing to people with heightened distress, as these theories apparently help people to make sense of the uncertainty and life‐threatening disease outbreak. On the other hand, conspiracy theories could be a source of existential threat and thus, would induce rather than reduce psychological distress. We tested these possibilities empirically by a series of cross‐lagged model analyses. Using the random intercept cross‐lagged panel model analysis, we only found a between‐person association but not a cross‐lagged within‐person relationship between the two. COVID‐19 conspiracy beliefs was predicted by being more politically conservative. These findings were further corroborated by the supplementary latent growth curve analyses. Overall, our findings suggest that conspiracy beliefs may not induce or reduce psychological distress in the context of COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In three studies, we examined the role of distrust and perceived threat in intentions to engage in normative and violent non‐normative collective action. A field‐based qualitative study of 35 pro‐democracy protestors during the 2019 Hong Kong Anti‐Extradition protests revealed that perceived threat to Hong Kong values alongside distrust of political institutions spurred collective action engagement and support for defensive violent collection action. In Study 2, a questionnaire (N = 639) testing pro‐democracy action intentions demonstrated direct paths on both normative and violent collective action intentions from distrust and threat. In Study 3 (N = 133), experimental trust and threat manipulations demonstrated a significant association between distrust and threat on violent collective action intentions and acceptance, and a significant interaction on acceptance of violent collective action. Our results reveal the importance of distrust and threat in attitudinal support for, and engagement in, collective action and their role in transitioning from non‐violent to violent collective action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]