Measuring the transaction costs of historical shifts to informal drought management institutions in Italy

Published: 29 June 2020Coase shows how costly resources are (re)allocated via costly institutions, and that transaction costs must therefore be positive. However, Coase did not elaborate on transitions between institutions which incur positive transaction costs that are characterized by numerous institutional complementarities; that is, feedback loops that inform the need for, and pathways toward, institutional change. Economic investigations of complementary modes of (re)allocation are rarely undertaken, let alone studies of transitions between modes. However, modes of (re)allocation that achieve similar results at less cost are generally viewed as having production-raising value. This paper measures the costs of transitioning drought management institutions in Italy toward informal, participatory, and consensus-based approaches during several recent drought events. The chosen model is Drought Steering Committees, which offer a substitute for current formal (less flexible) planning approaches, and where lower transaction costs that are associated with the transition are inferred. Our results highlight the relevance of empirical assessments of ‘costly’ transitions based on a historical study of transaction costs, as well as supporting previous works that highlight the value of contextual analysis in economic studies, in order to identify the benefits of institutional investment.Adam Loch, Silvia Santato, C. Dionisio Pérez-Blanco and Jaroslav Mysia

Analysis of Bonding between Conjugated Organic Molecules and Noble Metal Surfaces Using Orbital Overlap Populations

The electronic structure of metal−organic interfaces is of paramount importance for the properties of organic electronic and single-molecule devices. Here, we use so-called orbital overlap populations derived from slab-type band-structure calculations to analyze the covalent contribution to the bonding between an adsorbate layer and a metal. Using two prototypical molecules, the strong acceptor 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ) on Ag(111) and the strong donor 1H,1′H-[4,4′]bipyridinylidene (HV0) on Au(111), we present overlap populations as particularly versatile tools for describing the metal−organic interaction. Going beyond traditional approaches, in which overlap populations are represented in an atomic orbital basis, we also explore the use of a molecular orbital basis to gain significant additional insight. On the basis of the derived quantities, it is possible to identify the parts of the molecules responsible for the bonding and to analyze which of the molecular orbitals and metal bands most strongly contribute to the interaction and where on the energy scale they interact in bonding or antibonding fashion

Synthesis of Novel Double-Layer Nanostructures of SiC–WOxby a Two Step Thermal Evaporation Process

A novel double-layer nanostructure of silicon carbide and tungsten oxide is synthesized by a two-step thermal evaporation process using NiO as the catalyst. First, SiC nanowires are grown on Si substrate and then high density W18O49nanorods are grown on these SiC nanowires to form a double-layer nanostructure. XRD and TEM analysis revealed that the synthesized nanostructures are well crystalline. The growth of W18O49nanorods on SiC nanowires is explained on the basis of vapor–solid (VS) mechanism. The reasonably better turn-on field (5.4 V/μm) measured from the field emission measurements suggest that the synthesized nanostructures could be used as potential field emitters

Eumelanin electrodes in buffered aqueous media at different pH values

Eumelanin, a quinone-based biomacromolecule, is the most common form of the biopigment melanin in the human body. Eumelanin has attracted great interest due to its physicochemical properties, such as metal-ion chelation, free radical scavenging, hydration-dependent (photo) electrical response and redox activity. Investigating the electron transfer properties of eumelanin is key to exploiting the electrochemical energy storage properties of the pigment. In this work, we investigated the redox behavior of chemically controlled eumelanin in NaCH3COO buffer solutions, at different pH values. For our study we used cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge and discharge. Eumelanin, in combination with aqueous electrolytes, provides an attractive case study for eco-designed storage devices based on abundant and environmentally benign materials and interfaces

New evidence for supra-subductionzone ophiolites in the Vardar Zone from the Vermion Massif (northern Greece): Implication for the tectono-magmatic evolution of the Vardar oceanic basin

The Vermion Massif (northern Greece) is located across the boundary between the Pelagonian and Vardar Zones and includes several tectonic units bearing ophiolitic rocks, which represent remnants of the oceanic lithosphere formed in the Neotethyan Vardar Ocean, between the Pelagonian and the Serbo-Macedonian continental realms. This massif consists of tectonic units belonging to the Pelagonian Domain, which are tectonically overlain by units associated with the Almopias sub-Zone (Vardar Zone). Ophiolitic rocks consist of mantle harzburgites and ophiolitic mélanges. The ophiolitic mélanges incorporate rocks exhibiting a wide range of composition, including various intrusive rocks and volcanic rocks ranging from basalts, basaltic andesites, andesites, dacites, to rhyolites. Incompatible elements and rare earth elements analyses indicate that a number of different rock-types formed in distinct tectonic settings can be identified. Mantle harzburgites have a very depleted nature and represent portions of the supra-subduction (SSZ) mantle developed in an intra-oceanic arc setting. The mélanges units include six rock types variably distributed in the Pelagonian and Almopias Units. They are: (1) calc-alkaline rocks with marked depletion in Nb, Ta Ti and enrichment in LREE, Th; (2) LREE-depleted N-MORB; (3) LREE-enriched E-MORB; (4) alkaline within-plate basalts showing marked enrichments in Th, Ta, Nb, LREE; (5) low-Ti island arc tholeiites featuring depletion in HFSE; and (6) very-low-Ti boninites characterized by strong depletion in HSFE and REE. Previous interpretations have referred the Vardar ophiolites to a MORB-type oceanic setting and to a MORB-type backarc setting; however, the widespread occurrence of SSZ ophiolites has never been documented in the Vardar Zone before and is particularly important as it testifies for the existence of an intra-oceanic arc basin in the Vardar oceanic domain. The results presented in this paper compared with literature data on other magmatic rocks within the Vardar Zone suggest that the opening and closure of the Vardar Ocean record several distinct accretion events in this basin, that is oceanic crust generation at mid-ocean ridge, alkaline seamounts in the oceanic domain and SSZ setting, as well as two accretion events in the western realm of the Serbo-Macedonian continent, that is volcanic arc and backarc settings. Based on the comparison between the modern west Pacific subduction system and the results from this study a new model for a multistage tectono-magmatic evolution of the Vardar Ocean is proposed