Financial Implications of Coal-to-Gas Fuel Switching

Low natural gas prices and environmental regulations have led to a significant shift in the United States’ power infrastructure. Utilities continue to retire coal-fired power plants and build new natural gas generators. Because natural gas prices vary more than coal prices, some worry that this will lead to more volatile electricity prices. However, the coal-to-gas fuel switching not only generates environmental benefits. The ability of natural gas generators to respond more efficiently to variation in market conditions appears also to lower the volatility of wholesale power prices

The effect of tank types on the growth and survival of Octopus vulgaris paralarvae fed the crab Grapsusadscensionis zoeae

Dissertação de mest., Aquacultura e Pescas (Aquacultura), Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Univ. do Algarve, 201

Does Price Volatility Information Affect Consumer Choice?

Most electricity consumers in the United States purchase electricity through a fixed-rate plan. This leads to inefficiencies and overuse because there are no monetary incentives for consumers to limit usage during peak times when electricity generation is very expensive. The reliance on fixed-rate plans makes electricity generation inefficient and has negative environmental implications. Neither utilities nor policy makers have been able to figure out how to successfully introduce dynamic-rate pricing plans on a large scale. Our research suggests ways electric utilities can help consumers make more efficient choices

Lobbying in Good Times and in Bad

Money plays a big role in US politics. There are two primary ways of amassing political influence: donations to campaigns and political action committees (PACs) and lobbying. With no limits on lobbying expenditures, this activity has historically garnered the largest spending. In today’s markets, firms cannot be successful without considering their political environment. Because of this, competitive market behavior and political rent-seeking (like lobbying) have become strategic complements, and firms redistribute their spending across market and political activities based on which arena offers the best chance at increasing revenues

Superconducting flux qubits with pi-junctions = Supraleitende Flussqubits mit pi-Kontakten

In this thesis, we present a fabrication technology of Al/AlOx/Al Josephson junctions on Nb pads. The described technology gives the possibility of combining a variety of Nb-based superconducting circuits, like pi-junction phase-shifters with sub-micron Al/AlOx/Al junctions. Using this approach, we fabricated hybrid Nb/Al flux qubits with and without the SFS-junctions and studied dispersive magnetic field response of these qubits as well as their spectroscopy characteristics

СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЕ ОРГАНИЗАЦИОННО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО МЕХАНИЗМА ПОВЫШЕНИЯ ИНСТИТУЦИОННОГО ПОТЕНЦИАЛА ПРЕДПРИЯТИЙ, ХОЗЯЙСТВУЮЩИХ НА ОСУШАЕМЫХ ЗЕМЛЯХ

W artykule poddano analizie kwestię potencjału inwestycyjnego przedsiębiorstw gospodarujących na gruntach poddanych melioracji. Poza tym zaproponowano i wyjaśniono określenie «zintegrowany potencjał inwestycyjny» w odniesieniu do przedsiębiorstw działających w branżach pokrewnych. W artykule przedstawiono mechanizm organizacyjny stymulowania działalności inwestycyjnej przedsiębiorstw na gruntach osuszanych poprzez zmeliorowanie. Poza tym opisano kwestię poprawy organizacyjno-ekonomicznego mechanizmu kompleksowego inwestowania przedsiębiorstw gospodarujących na zmeliorowanych gruntach. Opracowany został model stymulowania inwestycji kompleksowych w eksploatację zmeliorowanych obszarów.The article deals with the concept of «investment potential of the enterprises on drained lands». The «integrated investment potential» for enterprises in adjoining spheres is offered. In the paper the organizational mechanism of stimulating the investment activity of enterprises on drained lands is proposed. The organizational and economic mechanism of complex investments’ implementation at enterprises on drained lands is improved. In the article the model of stimulating the complex investments in drained lands is developed.В статье рассмотрена сущность понятия «инвестиционный потенциал предприятий, хозяйствующих на осушаемых землях», предложено введение термина «интегрированный инвестиционный потенциал» для предприятий, работающих в смежных отраслях, а также предоставлено его толкование. В статье предложен организационный механизм стимулирования инвестиционной деятельности предприятий на осушаемых землях и усовершенствован организационно-экономический механизм комплексного инвестирования предприятий, хозяйствующих на осушаемых землях. Разработана модель стимулирования привлечения комплексных инвестиций в эксплуатацию осушаемых земель

Haldun Taner's short stories. Forerunner of postmodern literature in Turkey

Cette thèse, intitulée « L’œuvre nouvellistique de Haldun Taner. Précurseur de la littérature postmoderne en Turquie », étudie les récits courts de l’écrivain turc Haldun Taner (1915-1986) comme source d’inspiration des premiers postmodernistes turcs. H. Taner connu avant tout comme dramaturge, a créé une prose qui, délaissée en Turquie comme en Occident, présente un large champ inexploré éveillant notre intérêt scientifique. La problématique de notre recherche s’attache à déterminer le rôle des récits courts de H. Taner dans le paysage littéraire en Turquie, en soulignant leurs particularités. Notre méthodologie s’appuie sur les travaux des chercheurs occidentaux et turcs. Une place importante est laissée aux ouvrages théoriques des chercheurs russes, notamment de Mikhaïl Bakhtine. Sa théorie de la carnavalisation est largement appliquée à l’analyse des récits courts de H. Taner. Le corpus est constitué des récits cours de H. Taner de l’année 1945 à 1986. Notre étude confirme l’hypothèse de départ selon laquelle la prose carnavalesque de Haldun Taner a préparé le terrain au postmodernisme turc des années 1980-1990. L’originalité de la thèse consiste à avoir déterminé le rôle de la prose de H. Taner dans le développement de la littérature turque, en ayant utilisé des sources russophones peu accessibles aux chercheurs occidentaux, ainsi qu’à l’application de la théorie de la carnavalisation de M. Bakhtine à la littérature turque.This thesis, entitled "Haldun Taner's short stories. Forerunner of postmodern literature in Turkey ", studies the short stories of Turkish writer Haldun Taner (1915-1986) as a source of inspiration for early Turkish postmodernists. H. Taner, known above all as a playwright, created a prose, which, neglected in Turkey as in the West, presents a wide unexplored field arousing our scientific interest. The problematic of our research is to determine the role of H. Taner’s short stories in Turkey literary landscape, by emphasizing their specificities. Our methodology, based on the work of Western and Turkish researchers, leaves an important place to the theoretical works of Russian scientists, in particular Mikhail Bakhtin. His theory of carnavalisation is widely applied to the analysis of short stories by H. Taner. The corpus is made up of H. Taner's short stories from 1945 to 1986. Our study confirms the initial hypothesis that Haldun Taner's carnival prose paved the way for Turkish postmodernism in the 1980s and 1990s. The originality of the thesis consists in having determined the role of the prose of H. Taner in the development of Turkish literature, by having used Russian written sources not easily accessible to Western researchers, as well as in the application of Mikhail Bakhtin’s carnavalisation theory to Turkish literature