Estimation of the systematic error of precipitation and humidity in the MM5 model

To comprehensively diagnose model capabilities in simulating atmospheric flow including the relevant microphysical processes, the main prognostic fields of the MM5 model are compared with ERA40 reanalysis data. This approach allows to identify and compare meaningful features of model parameterization schemes and to quantify model errors. Various combinations of schemes for cumulus convection, planetary boundary layer (PBL), microphysics and radiative transfer are used in order to identify those combinations which produce the closest resemblance between model state and reanalysis. The spatial structure of systematic errors, both horizontal and vertical will be described and geographical regions and synoptic situations will be identified, which are associated with pronounced systematic model deviations. The study focused on precipitation and humidity fields as well as on the main thermodynamic atmospheric variables on a coarse resolution grid (about 80 km) over the North Atlantic - Europe region. Our results identify advantages and shortcomings of the various parameterization schemes. They also indicate that, in general, the combination of best schemes does not result in optimal simulations of a particular variable

Untersuchungen zum Einsatz eines CAD-Systems für den Konstruktionsbereich der Zentralabteilung allgemeine Technologie der Kernforschungsanlage Jülich

There is an extensive range of CAD systems in the marketplace which have been developed by various institutions for different types of applications and for di fferent products, in some cases linked to specific hardware. Apart from such obvious features like prices, rates of sale and computer performance, other criteria such as documentation, ease of adaption and expansion, which are, as a rule, difficult to judge and quantify, play a decisive role. As an optimal CAD system does not exist in respect of every type of application the intended usage must be taken seriously into consideration when selecting a CAD system. On the basis of fundamental investigations of the suitability of CAD for the department for mechanical construction of ZAT at the KFA Jülich, the requirements and special needs of the construction process in the ZAT have been examined. In a short survey of the available CAD-systems a pre choice an the basis of some definitive musts has been made. The performance profile of the remaining systems has been thouroughly investigated and compared with the requirements of the ZAT. Thus the necessary decisions can be made an the basis of documented assessments. The study was completed in October 1982

Climate change induced socio-economic tipping points: review and stakeholder consultation for policy relevant research

Tipping points have become a key concept in research on climate change, indicating points of abrupt transition in biophysical systems as well as transformative changes in adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, the potential existence of tipping points in socio-economic systems has remained underexplored, whereas they might be highly policy relevant. This paper describes characteristics of climate change induced socio-economic tipping points (SETPs) to guide future research on SETPS to inform climate policy. We review existing literature to create a tipping point typology and to derive the following SETP definition: a climate change induced, abrupt change of a socio-economic system, into a new, fundamentally different state. Through stakeholder consultation, we identify 22 candidate SETP examples with policy relevance for Europe. Three of these are described in higher detail to identify their tipping point characteristics (stable states, mechanisms and abrupt change): the collapse of winter sports tourism, farmland abandonment and sea-level rise-induced migration. We find that stakeholder perceptions play an important role in describing SETPs. The role of climate drivers is difficult to isolate from other drivers because of complex interplays with socio-economic factors. In some cases, the rate of change rather than the magnitude of change causes a tipping point. The clearest SETPs are found on small system scales. On a national to continental scale, SETPs are less obvious because they are difficult to separate from their associated economic substitution effects and policy response. Some proposed adaptation measures are so transformative that their implementations can be considered an SETP in terms of 'response to climate change'. Future research can focus on identification and impact analysis of tipping points using stylized models, on the exceedance of stakeholder-defined critical thresholds in the RCP/SSP space and on the macro-economic impacts of new system states

Who bears the indirect costs of flood risk? An economy-wide assessment of different insurance systems in Europe under climate change

Anticipated increase in future river flood risk highlights the need for effective flood insurance, as it enables hedging against this risk. However, its design varies significantly across countries. This study contributes to the debate on designing flood insurance mechanisms from an economy-wide perspective, considering both socioeconomic and climate changes. We apply a multi-regional computable general equilibrium (CGE) model for 2050 and find that, under current insurance market systems, flood risk causes regional GDP losses of up to −0.5%, societal welfare losses of up to −1%, and private and public consumption losses of up to −0.5% and −2.4%, respectively. These estimates are all relative to a scenario without flood risk. Our results indicate that flood risk intensifies pressure on public budgets. We find that insurance market reforms, including a higher degree of risk-sharing, mandatory purchase requirements, and public reinsurance, can alleviate adverse welfare effects and the burden on public budgets

Not Just Efficiency: Insolvency Law in the EU and Its Political Dimension

Certain insolvency law rules, like creditors’ priorities and set-off rights, have a distributive impact on creditors. Distributional rules reflect the hierarchies of values and interests in each jurisdiction and, as a result, have high political relevance and pose an obstacle to reforming the EU Insolvency Regulation. This paper will show the difficulty of reform by addressing two alternative options to regulate cross-border insolvencies in the European Union. The first one is the ‘choice model’, under which companies can select the insolvency law they prefer. Although such a model would allow distressed firms to select the most efficient insolvency law, it would also displace Member States’ power to protect local constituencies. The choice model therefore produces negative externalities and raises legitimacy concerns. The opposite solution is full harmonisation of insolvency law at EU level, including distributional rules. Full harmonisation would have the advantage of internalising all externalities produced by cross-border insolvencies. However, the EU legislative process, which is still based on negotiations between states, is not apt to decide on distributive insolvency rules; additionally, if harmonisation includes such rules, it will indirectly modify national social security strategies and equilibria. This debate shows that the choice regarding power allocation over bankruptcies in the EU depends on the progress of European integration and is mainly a matter of political legitimacy, not only of efficiency

Avpr1a variant associated with preschoolers' lower altruistic behavior

10.1371/journal.pone.0025274PLoS ONE69

Nan-O-Style – experiments and arts

In this project, high school students (aged 16-17) tested various protocols of experiments in nanotechnology and evaluated them whether such experiments could also be performed by middle school students (aged 11-15) or even elementary school students (aged 6-10). Protocols pre-selected and provided by the instructing team consisting of Sciencetainment and the Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg were applied. Laboratory techniques such as thin-layer chromatography, measuring the contact angle by high-resolution 3D microscopy and analyzing and constructing surface layers represented some of the experiments performed. Moreover, students produced short video clips and images and designed photo-collages out of microscopic and electron microscopic pictures. Hence, the school students acquired a number of soft skills during this special science day

The Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) Contributes to Prosocial Fund Allocations in the Dictator Game and the Social Value Orientations Task

Background: Economic games observe social decision making in the laboratory that involves real money payoffs. Previously we have shown that allocation of funds in the Dictator Game (DG), a paradigm that illustrates costly altruistic behavior, is partially determined by promoter-region repeat region variants in the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor gene (AVPR1a). In the current investigation, the gene encoding the related oxytocin receptor (OXTR) was tested for association with the DG and a related paradigm, the Social Values Orientation (SVO) task. Methodology/Principal Findings: Association (101 male and 102 female students) using a robust-family based test between 15 single tagging SNPs (htSNPs) across the OXTR was demonstrated with both the DG and SVO. Three htSNPs across the gene region showed significant association with both of the two games. The most significant association was observed with rs1042778 (p = 0.001). Haplotype analysis also showed significant associations for both DG and SVO. Following permutation test adjustment, significance was observed for 2–5 locus haplotypes (p,0.05). A second sample of 98 female subjects was subsequently and independently recruited to play the dictator game and was genotyped for the three significant SNPs found in the first sample. The rs1042778 SNP was shown to be significant for the second sample as well (p = 0.004, Fisher’s exact test). Conclusions: The demonstration that genetic polymorphisms for the OXTR are associated with human prosocial decisio

Local Difference Measures between Complex Networks for Dynamical System Model Evaluation

Acknowledgments We thank Reik V. Donner for inspiring suggestions that initialized the work presented herein. Jan H. Feldhoff is credited for providing us with the STARS simulation data and for his contributions to fruitful discussions. Comments by the anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged as they led to substantial improvements of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD