212 research outputs found

    Contraction of global carbon emissions: how acceptable are alternative emission entitlement schemes

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    The allocation of emissions entitlements across countries is the single most controversial issue in international climate policy. Extreme positions within the policy debate range from entitlement based on current emission patterns (CEP) to equal-per-capita (EPC) allocations.Convergence (COV) from an initial CEP allocation towards EPC emission rights represents a reconciliation of the two. This paper maintains that the acceptability of alternative entitlement schemes depends on their implications for economic welfare and uses a dynamic multi-region general equilibrium model for a comparative economic assessment of the above allocation rules. We find welfare implications for the varius regions to be strongly influenced by changes in the terms of trade. Especially, regions may experience considerable welfare losses even under entitlement schemes which impose no binding emission constraint on them. Among the arrangements examined, COV cum emissions trading stands out for offering the developing countries substantial incentives for paticipation in the international greenhouse gas abatement effort without imposing excessive burdens on the industrialized countries. --climate policy,economic welfare,international equity,emissions trading,computable general equilibrium modeling

    C & C - contraction and convergence of carbon emissions: the economic implications of permit trading

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    In the context of climate protection policy it has been suggested that global CO2 emissions should be reduced significantly (contraction) and that per capita emissions should gradually be equalized across countries (convergence). This paper uses a dynamic multi-region computable general equilibrium model of the world economy to assess the economics of ?Contraction and Convergence? (C&C). In comparing a regime of tradable and non-tradable emission rights for implementing C&C we find that the former allows to reduce long-term costs of abatement in terms of Hicksian equivalent variation in lifetime income by more than 50% percent in comparison with the latter. Under a tradable permit regime some developing countries improve their economic welfare even beyond non-abatement baseline levels. A decomposition of the general equilibrium effects associated with C&C shows that changes in the terms of trade constitute a key determinant of the overall welfare effects. --climate protection,international equity,emissions trading,economic welfare,computable general equilibrium modeling

    Environmental taxation and structural change in an open economy: a CGE analysis with imperfect competition and free entry

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    The economic effects of environmental taxes depend on the market structure. Under imperfect competition with free entry and exit, environmental taxes have an impact on economies of scale by changing the number and size of firms. Whether economies of scale rise or fall in a particular industry depends on induced changes in the price elasticity of demand. Because export demand is more price elastic than domestic demand, the overall price elasticity rises (falls) as the industry gains (loses) in comparative advantage. We use a computable general equilibrium model for Germany to examine the effects of a unilaterally introduced carbon tax under both perfect and imperfect competition. Our key finding is that induced structural change in favor of the less energy intensive, more labor intensive industries is more pronounced under imperfect competition than under perfect competition. At the macroeconomic level, the total costs of environmental regulation under imperfect competition can be higher or lower than those under perfect competition depending on whether aggregate gains or losses in economies of scale across imperfectly competitive sectors prevail. --environmental taxation,imperfect competition,structural change

    C&C - Contraction and Convergence of Carbon Emissions: The Economic Implications of Permit Trading

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    In the context of climate protection policy it has been suggested that global CO2 emissions should be reduced significantly (contraction) and that per capita emissions should gradually be equalized across countries (convergence). This paper uses a dynamic multi-region computable general equilibrium model of the world economy to assess the economics of "Contraction and Convergence" (C&C). In comparing a regime of tradable and non-tradable emission rights for implementing C&C we find that the former allows to reduce long-term costs of abatement in terms of Hicksian equivalent variation in lifetime income by more than 50% percent in comparison with the latter. Under a tradable permit regime some developing countries improve their economic welfare even beyond non-abatement baseline levels. A decomposition of the general equilibrium effects associated with C&C shows that changes in the terms of trade constitute a key determinant of the overall welfare effects

    Environmental Taxation and Structural Change in an Open Economy : A CGE Analysis with Imperfect Competition and Free Entry

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    The economic effects of environmental taxes depend on the market structure. Under imperfect competition with free entry and exit, environmental taxes have an impact on economies of scale by changing the number and size of firms. Whether economies of scale rise or fall in a particular industry depends on induced changes in the price elasticity of demand. Because export demand is more price elastic than domestic demand, the overall price elasticity rises (falls) as the industry gains (loses) in comparative advantage. We use a computable general equilibrium model for Germany to examine the effects of a unilaterally introduced carbon tax under both perfect and imperfect competition. Our key finding is that induced structural change in favor of the less energy intensive, more labor intensive industries is more pronounced under imperfect competition than under perfect competition. At the macroeconomic level, the total costs of environmental regulation under imperfect competition can be higher or lower than those under perfect competition depending on whether aggregate gains or losses in economies of scale across imperfectly competitive sectors prevail

    A PICTURE IS WORTH MORE THAN A THOUSAND PURCHASES: DESIGNING AN IMAGE-BASED FASHION CURATION SYSTEM

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    Online retailing has been experiencing explosive growth for years and is dramatically reshaping the way people shop. Given the lack of personal interactions fashion retailers have to establish compelling service and information offerings to sustain this growth trajectory. A recent manifestation of this is the emergence of shopping curation as a service. For this purpose, experts manually craft individual outfits based on customer information from questionnaires. For the retailers as well as for the customers, this process entails severe weaknesses, particularly with regard to immediateness, scalability, and perceived financial risks. To overcome these limitations, we present an artificial fashion curation system for individual outfit recommendations that leverages deep learning techniques and unstructured data from social media and fashion blogs. Here, we lay out the artifact design and provide a comprehensive evaluation strategy to assess the system\u27s utility

    Class A scavenger receptor 1 (MSR1) restricts hepatitis C virus replication by mediating toll-like receptor 3 recognition of viral RNAs produced in neighboring cells

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    Persistent infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) may result in life-threatening liver disease, including cirrhosis and cancer, and impose an important burden on human health. Understanding how the virus is capable of achieving persistence in the majority of those infected is thus an important goal. Although HCV has evolved multiple mechanisms to disrupt and block cellular signaling pathways involved in the induction of interferon (IFN) responses, IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) expression is typically prominent in the HCV-infected liver. Here, we show that Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) expressed within uninfected hepatocytes is capable of sensing infection in adjacent cells, initiating a local antiviral response that partially restricts HCV replication. We demonstrate that this is dependent upon the expression of class A scavenger receptor type 1 (MSR1). MSR1 binds extracellular dsRNA, mediating its endocytosis and transport toward the endosome where it is engaged by TLR3, thereby triggering IFN responses in both infected and uninfected cells. RNAi-mediated knockdown of MSR1 expression blocks TLR3 sensing of HCV in infected hepatocyte cultures, leading to increased cellular permissiveness to virus infection. Exogenous expression of Myc-MSR1 restores TLR3 signaling in MSR1-depleted cells with subsequent induction of an antiviral state. A series of conserved basic residues within the carboxy-terminus of the collagen superfamily domain of MSR1 are required for binding and transport of dsRNA, and likely facilitate acidification-dependent release of dsRNA at the site of TLR3 expression in the endosome. Our findings reveal MSR1 to be a critical component of a TLR3-mediated pattern recognition receptor response that exerts an antiviral state in both infected and uninfected hepatocytes, thereby limiting the impact of HCV proteins that disrupt IFN signaling in infected cells and restricting the spread of HCV within the liver

    Sexual attraction modulates interpersonal distance and approach-avoidance movements towards virtual agents in males

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    How does sexual attraction alter social interaction behavior? We examined the influence of sexual orientation on locomotor approach-avoidance behavior and interpersonal distance. We immersed androphilic and gynophilic male subjects into a virtual environment and presented various male and female virtual persons. In the first experiment, subjects took a step forward (approach) or backward (avoidance) in response to the sex of the virtual person. We measured reaction time, peak velocity, and step size, and obtained ratings of sexual attractiveness in every trial. In the second experiment, subjects had to approach the virtual person as if they were to engage in a social interaction. Here, we analyzed interpersonal distance and peak velocity of the approaches. Our results suggest that sexual attraction facilitates the approach response and reduces the preferred interpersonal distance. We discuss our findings in terms of proxemics, current findings in sex research, and the applicability of our novel task in other fields of psychological research

    Sexual attraction modulates interpersonal distance and approach-avoidance movements towards virtual agents in males

    Get PDF
    How does sexual attraction alter social interaction behavior? We examined the influence of sexual orientation on locomotor approach-avoidance behavior and interpersonal distance. We immersed androphilic and gynophilic male subjects into a virtual environment and presented various male and female virtual persons. In the first experiment, subjects took a step forward (approach) or backward (avoidance) in response to the sex of the virtual person. We measured reaction time, peak velocity, and step size, and obtained ratings of sexual attractiveness in every trial. In the second experiment, subjects had to approach the virtual person as if they were to engage in a social interaction. Here, we analyzed interpersonal distance and peak velocity of the approaches. Our results suggest that sexual attraction facilitates the approach response and reduces the preferred interpersonal distance. We discuss our findings in terms of proxemics, current findings in sex research, and the applicability of our novel task in other fields of psychological research

    Molecular basis of telaprevir resistance due to V36 and T54 mutations in the NS3-4A protease of the hepatitis C virus

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    Structural analysis of the inhibitor Telaprevir (VX-950) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease NS3-4A shows that mutations at V36 and/or T54 result in impaired interaction with VX-950, explaining the development of viral breakthrough variants
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