Diverging business strategies towards climate change : a USA-Europe comparison for four sectors of industry

The research project has investigated what strategies specific sectors of industry develop to limit greenhouse gas emissions. In an USA-Europe co-operation, researchers have analysed emerging climate strategies in the oil industry, the automobile industry, the chemical industry and the bank and insurance sector. These sectors are the most important players in the climate policy debate. Special attention has been paid to the questions whether strategies of EU based corporations differ systematically from USA based corporations. Results show rather sectorial specific developments. In most sectors, i.e. oil, automobile and banks, European corporations generally tend to have more advanced policies than their USA counterparts, but this does not apply to chemical companies. Corporate strategies appear to be highly determined by a combination of market situation in the home country and of access to alternative technologies. Objective of the study was to provide information of relevance to the COP (Sixth Session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties) 2000 conference, November 2000 in The Hague

Site dependent thermoluminescence of long persistent phosphorescence of BaAl2O4: Ce 3+, Opt

Abstract A very long persistent phosphor BaAl 2 O 4 : Ce 3þ was prepared and studied. The Ce 3þ 5d-4f emissions from two Ba 2þ sites in the BaAl 2 O 4 were observed at 450 and 402 nm. The lowest 4f-5d excitation peaks were recorded at 357 and 335 nm, respectively. The persistence times of the long afterglow emissions from Ce 3þ at the two sites were found to be longer than 10 h. Site-selective thermoluminescence spectra of the sample were measured. Two sets of thermoluminescence peaks were detected at )43, )26 and 27°C, and )53, )36 and 30°C (heating rate 13.3°C/min) corresponding to the two sites at 450 nm (site-1) and 402 nm (site-2), respectively. Dy 3þ , Ce 3þ co-doped samples were also prepared, which introduce new defect-related traps at 18, 50, and 82°C (heating rate 10°C/min). These defect-related traps due to Dy 3þ co-doping also contribute to the Ce 3þ afterglow at the two sites.

Charge dependent azimuthal correlations in Pb--Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76 TeV

Separation of charges along the extreme magnetic field created in non-central relativistic heavy--ion collisions is predicted to be a signature of local parity violation in strong interactions. We report on results for charge dependent two particle azimuthal correlations with respect to the reaction plane for Pb--Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76$ TeV recorded in 2010 with ALICE at the LHC. The results are compared with measurements at RHIC energies and against currently available model predictions for LHC. Systematic studies of possible background effects including comparison with conventional (parity-even) correlations simulated with Monte Carlo event generators of heavy--ion collisions are also presented.Comment: Published in the proceedings of "Quark Matter 2011", Annecy-Franc

A theory on reports of constructive (real) and illusory posttraumatic growth

It has been suggested that self-reported posttraumatic growth could sometimes be considered as a way for people to protect themselves from the distress of trauma. In this case, reports of posttraumatic growth could be illusory. We suggest a theory on self-reported constructive (real) posttraumatic growth and illusory posttraumatic growth by using Rogers’s (1959) theory and the work by Vaillant (1995). Through this theoretical framework we attempt to explain when reports of posttraumatic growth are likely to be constructive and real and when such reports are likely to represent aspects of illusions. We will also consider the implications for research practice

Feasibility and predictors of change of narrative exposure therapy for displaced populations:a repeated measures design

Background: Displaced victims of interpersonal violence, such as refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of sexual exploitation, are growing in numbers and are often suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At the same time, these victims are known to benefit less from trauma-focused therapy (TFT) and to be less compliant to treatment. The objective of this paper is to describe the rationale and research protocol of an ongoing trial that aims to evaluate different variables that might influence the feasibility of TFT for the study population. Specifically, perceived daily stress, emotion regulation, and mood are investigated as predictors of change in PTSD symptoms during a trauma-focused therapy (narrative exposure therapy (NET)). The feasibility of administering measures tapping these constructs repeatedly during treatment will also be evaluated. Methods/design: Using an observational treatment design, 80 displaced victims of interpersonal violence will be measured before, during, and after partaking in NET. Several questionnaires tapping PTSD plus the aforementioned possible predictors of PTSD change will be administered: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5, Perceived Stress Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-18 (pre-test, post-test, and follow-up),subscale impulsivity of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-18, Perceived Stress Scale short version, Primary Care Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and a single Mood item (each session). Multilevel modelling will be used to examine the relation between the possible predictors and treatment outcome. Discussion: The present study is the first to examine the interplay of facilitating and interfering factors possibly impacting treatment feasibility and effectiveness in displaced victims of interpersonal violence with PTSD receiving NET, using repeated measures. The current study can help to improve future treatment based on individual characteristics. Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register: NTR7353, retrospectively registered. Date of registration: July 11, 2018