"Explaining the Impact of Jacques Delors: Conceptualizing and Assessing the Commission Presidency"

This paper analyzes the Presidency of the European Commission as a political leadership position. It does so on three levels. First, it considers the relational nature of leadership, arguing that every leadership position is shaped by its "relationship network"- the relationship of the leader with his constituents, co-actors, and subordinates. Second, it develops a typology of leadership styles, that Commission Presidents might exercise within the limits of the Commission Presidency's highly constraining relationship network. The three main types (neo-functionalist, federalist and intergovernmentalist) integrate integration theory literature with existing knowledge of the activities of Commission Presidents. Third, these ideas, and a personality-assessment-at-a-distance technique, are employed in a case-study of Jacques Delors. The study shows that Delor's leadership cannot be understood in simple Euro-federalist terms. It also shows the ability of the concepts and methods used to advance comparative study of the Commission Presidency

A shapley value approach to pricing climate risks

This paper prices the risk of climate change by calculating a lower bound for the price of a virtual insurance policy against climate risks associated with the business as usual (BAU) emissions path. In analogy with ordinary insurance pricing, this price depends on the current risk to which society is exposed on the BAU emissions path and on a second emissions path reflecting risks that society is willing to take. The difference in expected damages on these two paths is the price which a risk neutral insurer would charge for the risk swap excluding transaction costs and profits, and it is also a lower bound on society's willingness to pay for this swap. The price is computed by (1) identifying a probabilistic risk constraint that society accepts, (2) computing an optimal emissions path satisfying that constraint using an abatement cost function, (3) computing the extra expected damages from the business as usual path, above those of the risk constrained path, and (4) apportioning those excess damages over the emissions per ton in the various time periods. The calculations follow the 2010 US government social cost of carbon analysis, and are done with DICE2009

“Do one, teach one” : the new paradigm in general surgery residency training

Peer reviewedPreprin

Iron in Surface and Subsurface Waters, Grizzly Bar, Southeastern Alaska

Completion Report for Project A-019-ALAS to the Office of Water Resources Research, Department of the Interior, August 1972Atomic absorption spectrophotometric measurements for total iron were made on 69 samples of water from 8 different environments in an outwash fan built by meltwater streams from the retreating Norris Glacier on granodiorite bedrock. Norris Glacier ice contained no iron (3 samples), a subglacial stream contained 5.5 ppm Fe (1 sample), and a meltwater lake fronting Norris Glacier contained 0.7 ppm Fe (3 samples). Iron content of ground water from outwash ranged between 0.0 and 17.0 ppm (6 samples); surface streams fed by emergent ground water on the fan periphery contained 0.0 to 0.2 ppm Fe (13 samples). Taku Inlet waters contained 6.4 ppm Fe (3 samples). Subsurface water from an intertidal mud flat contained between 0.0 and 27.0, X 5.9, ppm Fe (31 samples). Surface and subsurface water from a bog and associated stream contained 1 ppm Fe (12 samples). Little exchangeable Fe was found. In situ measurements in water for Eh showed large positive values (+0.30 to +0.50 volts) and pH was slightly alkaline. The single most important source of iron was vermiculitized biotite. Iron was transported in water in the particulate state, except in outwash ground water where particulate Fe+3 was reduced to dissolved Fe+2. Iron deposits of Fe(OH)3 were found near the top of the outwash water table.The work upon which this report is based was supported in part by the funds (Proj. A·019-ALAS) provided by the United States Department of the Interior, Office of Water Resources Research, as authorized under the Water Resources Act of 1964, as amended

Tailoring Targeted Therapy to Individual Patients: Lessons to be Learnt from the Development of Mitomycin C

The modern era of targeted therapeutics offers the potential to tailor therapy to individual patients whose tumours express a specific target. Previous attempts to forecast tumour response to conventional chemotherapeutics based on similar principles have however been disappointing. Mitomycin C (MMC), for example, is a bioreductive drug that requires metabolic activation by cellular reductases for activity. The enzyme NAD(P)H:Quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) can reduce MMC to DNA damaging species but attempts to establish the relationship between tumour response to MMC and NQO1 expression have generated conflicting reports of good and poor correlations. Several other reductases are known to activate MMC. This, in conjunction with the fact that various physiological and biochemical factors influence therapeutic response, suggests that the mechanism of action of MMC is too complex to allow tumour response to be predicted on the basis of a single enzyme. Alternative approaches using more complex biological and pharmacological systems that reflect the spectrum of reductases present within the tumour have been developed and it remains to be seen whether or not the predictive value of these approaches is enhanced. With regards to targeted therapeutics, the experience with MMC suggests that prediction of tumour response based on analysis of a single target may be too simplistic. Multiple mechanisms of action and the influence of tumour microenvironment on cell biology and drug delivery are likely to influence the final outcome of therapy. The challenge for the future progression of this field is to develop assays that reflect the overall biological and pharmacological processes involved in drug activation whilst retaining the simplicity and robustness required for routine chemosensitivity testing in a clinical setting

A Microilluminator for the Study of the Infrared Spectra of Small Samples at Low Temperatures

An instrument is described which combines the functions of a reflecting microscope and a low temperature cell. It permits infrared absorption spectra to be obtained on single microcrystals at low temperatures, using polarized radiation

MPD thruster technology

The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: in house program elements; performance measurements; applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster performance scaling; MPD thruster technology; thermal efficiency scaling; anode fall voltage measurements; anode power deposition studies; MPD thruster plasma modeling; MPD thruster lifetime studies; and MPD thruster performance studies

MPD thruster technology

Inhouse magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster technology is discussed. The study focussed on steady state thrusters at powers of less than 1 MW. Performance measurement and diagnostics technologies were developed for high power thrusters. Also developed was a MPD computer code. The stated goals of the program are to establish: performance and life limitation; influence of applied fields; propellant effects; and scaling laws. The presentation is mostly through graphs and charts

The design and development of a constant-speed solar array drive

The design and development of a constant-speed solar array drive system for use in high power communications satellites is described. The relationship between continuity of motion in the solar array drive and spacecraft attitude disturbance is investigated. The selection of the system design based on the design requirements including spacecraft disturbance is discussed. The system comprises two main parts: the drive mechanism including small angle stepper motor and reduction gearing and the control electronics including ministepping drive circuits, such that a very small output step size is achieved. Factors contributing to discontinuities in motion are identified and discussed. Test methods for measurement of very small amplitudes of discontinuity at low rotational rates are described to assist in the testing of similar mechanisms