The Constitutionality of California\u27s Cap-and-Trade Program and Recommendations for Design of Future State Programs

Global climate change has emerged as one of the greatest challenges of our time. While action has stalled on the national stage, states have started to take action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Confronted with the risk of severe impacts that could cost it tens of billions of dollars annually by the end of the century, California has taken the lead and developed the first comprehensive cap-and-trade program in the nation and seeks to achieve significant reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its economy. The success of California’s program will determine whether other states and the federal government follow California’s lead. If California’s cap-and-trade program is defeated by legal challenges or is excessively economically burdensome, it might spell the end of cap-and-trade programs in the United States. The most formidable legal challenge will be brought under the dormant Commerce Clause, which prohibits states from discriminating against, regulating, or unduly burdening interstate commerce. This Article analyzes California’s cap-and-trade program under the dormant Commerce Clause and suggests refinements that could be adopted by California or other states implementing cap-and-trade programs to improve the odds of prevailing against such a challenge. While California will almost certainly be forced to make regulatory concessions, especially in its regulation of the electricity sector, I conclude that state cap-and-trade programs can be structured in a way that, while not ideal, can survive dormant Commerce Clause scrutiny while providing meaningful regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and protection from emissions leakage

High-efficiency degenerate four wave-mixing in triply resonant nanobeam cavities

We demonstrate high-efficiency, degenerate four-wave mixing in triply resonant Kerr $\chi^(3)$ photonic crystal (PhC) nanobeam cavities. Using a combination of temporal coupled mode theory and nonlinear finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, we study the nonlinear dynamics of resonant four-wave mixing processes and demonstrate the possibility of observing high-efficiency limit cycles and steady-state conversion corresponding to $\approx 100$% depletion of the pump light at low powers, even including effects due to losses, self- and cross-phase modulation, and imperfect frequency matching. Assuming operation in the telecom range, we predict close to perfect quantum efficiencies at reasonably low $\sim$ 50 mW input powers in silicon micrometer-scale cavities

Effects of initial planting density on branch development in 4-year-old plantation grown Eucalyptus pilularis and Eucalyptus cloeziana trees

The effect of planting density on branch development was examined in 4-year-old Eucalyptus pilularis Sm. and Eucalyptus cloeziana F. Muell. plantations located near the coast of north-eastern NSW. Branch diameter, angle and status (live or dead) were measured along the entire stem of trees established at 1250, 1667 and 3333 stems per hectare (sph). Measurements of tree height and stem diameter at breast height over bark (DBH) were also recorded. Results showed that with an increase in initial planting density from 1250 to 1667 sph, branch size decreased, branch mortality on the lower stem increased, branch angle became more acute and DBH decreased in trees of both E. pilularis and E. cloeziana. A further increase in initial planting density from 1667 to 3333 sph did not significantly reduce branch size or branch angle but did result in increased branch mortality and decreased DBH in both species. These results suggest that increasing initial planting density from 1250 to 1667 sph will improve early branch control. However, there is no advantage in establishing trees at 3333 sph rather than 1667 sph to reduce branch size or increase branch mortality in either species. Clearwood production on the lower stem in all stocking treatments of both species was negligible at age 4

Maintaining factors of posttraumatic stress symptoms following childbirth: A population-based, two-year follow-up study

Background: Previous research has established a number of risk factors that are associated with the onset of PTSD following childbirth. However, little is known about factors that maintain PTSD symptoms. Methods: This study is part of the Akershus Birth Cohort. Questionnaire data from pregnancy week 17, 8 weeks postpartum and 2 years postpartum were used. 1473 women completed all these three questionnaires and were included in the analyses. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were measured with the Impact of Event Scale. Potential maintaining factors were personality, sleep, support and life events. The factors that were significantly correlated with post-traumatic stress symptoms were entered into regression analyses. Mediation analyses were run to test whether significant predictors would serve as mediator of post-traumatic stress symptoms at 8 weeks postpartum to post-traumatic stress symptoms at 2 years postpartum. Results: We found several low to moderate associations between maintaining factors and PTSD symptoms two years postpartum. Adjusting for the starting point – PTSD symptoms 8 weeks postpartum – only insomnia remained significantly associated. Further, insomnia mediated a small portion of the effect of PTSD symptoms 8 weeks postpartum to PTSD symptoms 2 years postpartum. Limitations: Limitations of the study include a relative homogeneous sample, modest effect sizes, low internal consistency of some of the measures and the challenge to distinguish insomnia from PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Treatment of postpartum PTSD might benefit from addressing insomnia if present. Alleviating insomnia may itself reduce daytime symptoms of PTSD and it may also increase the efficacy of primary PTSD treatments

The planning system and fast food outlets in London: lessons for health promotion practice

This article considers how health promotion can use planning as a tool to enhance healthy eating choices. It draws on research in relation to the availability and concentration of fast food outlets in a London borough. Current public health policy is confining planning to local settings within a narrow framework drawing on discourses from social psychology and libertarian economics. Policy is focusing on behaviour change, voluntary agreements and devolution of the public health function to local authorities. Such a framework presents barriers to effective equity-based health promotion. A social determinant-based health pro-motion strategy would be consistent with a national regulatory infrastructure supporting planning

Ferromanganese Crust and Phosphorites Pan-European Predictivity Cartography: MINDeSEA project results

[EN] MINDeSEA is a project framed in GeoERA whose general objective is to obtain a metallogenetic study of the main types of mineral resources existing in the bottom of the European seas: hydrothermal sulphides, ferromanganese crusts, phosphorites, marine placers and polymetallic nodules. One of the specific objectives of the project is to develop databases and harmonized cartography of the mineral deposits of the seabed, the latter providing predictivity maps, among others.This research is a contribution to the project MINDeSEA (grant agreement no 731166), and has been partially funded by the Spain’s Recovery and Resilience Plan included in the MINECRITICAL project “Strategic critical metals for the energy transition” (C17.I7).Peer reviewe

Highlights and Perspectives of the JLab Spin Physics Program

Nucleon spin structure has been an active and exciting subject of interest for the last three decades. Recent precision spin-structure data from Jefferson Lab have significantly advanced our knowledge of nucleon structure in the valence quark (high-x) region and improved our understanding of higher-twist effects, spin sum rules and quark-hadron duality. First, results of spin sum rules and polarizabilities in the low to intermediate Q^2 region are presented. Comparison with theoretical calculations are discussed. Surprising disagreements of Chiral Perturbation Theory calculations with experimental results on the generalized spin polarizability, \delta_{LT}, were found. Then, precision measurements of the spin asymmetry in the high-x region are presented. They provide crucial input for global fits to world data to extract polarized parton distribution functions. The up and down quark spin distributions in the nucleon were extracted. The results for \Delta d/d disagree with the leading-order pQCD prediction assuming hadron helicity conservation. Results of precision measurements of the g_2 structure function to study higher-twist effects are presented. The data indicate a significant higher-twist (twist-3 or higher) effect. The second moment of the spin structure functions and the twist-3 matrix element d_2 results were extracted. The high Q^2 result was compared with a Lattice QCD calculation. Results on the resonance spin-structure functions in the intermediate Q^2 range are presented, which, in combination with DIS data, enable a detailed study of quark-hadron duality in spin-structure functions. Finally, an experiment to study neutron transversity and transverse spin asymmetries is discussed. A future plan with the 12 GeV energy upgrade at JLab is briefly outlined.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Proceedings of Prague-Spin200

Progress in rational methods of cryoprotection in macromolecular crystallography

Measurements of the average thermal contractions (294→72 K) of 26 different cryosolutions are presented and discussed in conjunction with other recent advances in the rational design of protocols for cryogenic cooling in macromolecular crystallography

Chronic OVA allergen challenged Siglec-F deficient mice have increased mucus, remodeling, and epithelial Siglec-F ligands which are up-regulated by IL-4 and IL-13

Abstract Background In this study we examined the role of Siglec-F, a receptor highly expressed on eosinophils, in contributing to mucus expression, airway remodeling, and Siglec-F ligand expression utilizing Siglec-F deficient mice exposed to chronic allergen challenge. Methods Wild type (WT) and Siglec-F deficient mice were sensitized and challenged chronically with OVA for one month. Levels of airway inflammation (eosinophils), Siglec-F ligand expresion and remodeling (mucus, fibrosis, smooth muscle thickness, extracellular matrix protein deposition) were assessed in lung sections by image analysis and immunohistology. Airway hyperreactivity to methacholine was assessed in intubated and ventilated mice. Results Siglec-F deficient mice challenged with OVA for one month had significantly increased numbers of BAL and peribronchial eosinophils compared to WT mice which was associated with a significant increase in mucus expression as assessed by the number of periodic acid Schiff positive airway epithelial cells. In addition, OVA challenged Siglec-F deficient mice had significantly increased levels of peribronchial fibrosis (total lung collagen, area of peribronchial trichrome staining), as well as increased numbers of peribronchial TGF-β1+ cells, and increased levels of expression of the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin compared to OVA challenged WT mice. Lung sections immunostained with a Siglec-Fc to detect Siglec-F ligand expression demonstrated higher levels of expression of the Siglec-F ligand in the peribronchial region in OVA challenged Siglec-F deficient mice compared to WT mice. WT and Siglec-F deficient mice challenged intranasally with IL-4 or IL-13 had significantly increased levels of airway epithelial Siglec-F ligand expression, whereas this was not observed in WT or Siglec-F deficient mice challenged with TNF-α. There was a significant increase in the thickness of the peribronchial smooth muscle layer in OVA challenged Siglec-F deficient mice, but this was not associated with significant increased airway hyperreactivity compared to WT mice. Conclusions Overall, this study demonstrates an important role for Siglec-F in modulating levels of chronic eosinophilic airway inflammation, peribronchial fibrosis, thickness of the smooth muscle layer, mucus expression, fibronectin, and levels of peribronchial Siglec-F ligands suggesting that Siglec-F may normally function to limit levels of chronic eosinophilic inflammation and remodeling. In addition, IL-4 and IL-13 are important regulators of Siglec-F ligand expression by airway epithelium