ETCLIP - The Challenge of the European Carbon Market: Emission Trading, Carbon Leakage and Instruments to Stabilise the CO2 Price. Price Volatility in Carbon Markets: Why it Matters and How it Can be Managed

The environmental effectiveness of an emission trading system depends on the one hand on the stringency of the cap and on the other hand on the scheme's ability to provide stable regulatory conditions and incentives for investment in emission saving technologies. However, in case of highly volatile CO2 prices no clear investment signal is provided and hence firms' decision making and planning is rendered difficult. Analyses of price developments in the European Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) indicate that in Phase 1 (2005-2007) fluctuations were mainly caused by incomplete information at the beginning, adjustments after the emergence of verified emission data and regulatory mechanisms. At the beginning of Phase 2 (2008-2012) in contrast a decline in carbon prices was observed as firms sold surplus allowances resulting from lower emissions due to economic recession. For Phase 3 of the EU ETS (2013-2020) hence the introduction of price stabilisation measures has been suggested by several member countries during the discussions on the EU energy and climate package. Various instruments can be integrated in a cap-and-trade scheme in order to reduce price volatility such as provisions for banking and borrowing, the approval of offsets for compliance purposes and hybrid systems, i.e., combinations of price and quantity mechanisms. Given the long-term nature of climate policy, the related uncertainties regarding technological change and political frameworks, and given a rising speculation in carbon markets, such price stabilisation approaches should be considered for the future design of emission trading schemes

Alpha decay rate enhancement in metals: An unlikely scenario

It has been recently suggested that one might drastically shorten the alpha lifetime of nuclear waste products, if these are embedded in metals at low temperatures. Using quantum mechanical tunneling arguments, we show that such an effect is likely to be very small, if present at all.Comment: RevTeX4. 5 pages, 1 figure. Accepted by Nucl. Phys.

Deutschland: Entwicklung des Arbeitsmarktes im Jahr 2005

Nach mehreren Jahren wirtschaftlicher Stagnation mehren sich in Deutschland die Zeichen für eine anhaltende konjunkturelle Erholung. Das Tempo der Aufwärtsbewegung wird allerdings sehr unterschiedlich eingeschätzt. Das IAB geht für das Jahr 2005 in seiner mittleren Projektionsvariante von einem realen Wirtschaftswachstum von knapp 1 3/4 Prozent aus. Die durchschnittlich geleistete Jahresarbeitszeit wird 2005 abnehmen (-0,3 %). Dies ergibt sich aus dem stark negativen Arbeitstageeffekt (-0,9 %) bei längerer täglicher Arbeitszeit (+0,6 %). Die Erwerbstätigkeit wird um + 0,3 Prozent oder 120.000 Personen im Jahresdurchschnitt steigen. Die Zahl der Selbständigen und Mithelfenden, der geringfügig Beschäftigten und der 'normalen' Teilzeitbeschäftigten nimmt weiter zu, die der Vollzeitbeschäftigten dagegen schrumpft erneut. Die Arbeitslosenzahl wird für das Jahr 2005 auf durchschnittlich 4,37 Mio Personen geschätzt (-15.000), allerdings ohne Berücksichtigung der neuen Rechtslage durch das SBG II. Wegen der Zusammenlegung von Arbeitslosenhilfe und Sozialhilfe werden aber ab Jahresanfang beträchtlich mehr Arbeitslosmeldungen eingehen als sonst. Abmeldungen sowie Vermittlungen in soziale Zusatzjobs und die Aktivierung von Arbeitslosen würden den Bestand jedoch allmählich wieder senken. Aufs ganze Jahr gesehen dürfte sich deshalb die Arbeitslosenzahl um rd. 50.000 erhöhen

Aktuelle Projektion: Der Arbeitsmarkt in den Jahren 2005 und 2006

Die konjunkturelle Aufwärtsentwicklung in Deutschland wird sich im Jahr 2006 voraussichtlich fortsetzen. In der mittleren Variante seiner Arbeitsmarktprojektion legt das IAB für 2006 ein preisbereinigtes Wirtschaftswachstum von 1 1/4 % zugrunde. Die durchschnittliche Jahresarbeitszeit der Erwerbstätigen wird etwas kürzer (-0,5 %). Arbeitszeitverkürzende und arbeitszeitverlängernde Einflüsse gleichen sich nahezu aus. Die Erwerbstätigkeit nimmt in der Summe zwar zu (+0,2 % bzw. 60.000 Personen). Die einzelnen Beschäftigungsformen entwickeln sich aber weiterhin sehr unterschiedlich. So steigt die Zahl der Selbständigen und mithelfenden Familienangehörigen sowie der geringfügig Beschäftigten weiter, während die sozialversicherungspflichtige Beschäftigung sinkt, wenn auch schwächer als 2005. Die Zahl der registrierten Arbeitslosen wird 2006 mit 4,82 Mio. Personen nur wenig unter der des Vorjahres liegen. Bessere Konjunktur und arbeitsmarktpolitische Maßnahmen könnten einen stärkeren Rückgang herbeiführen

Arbeitsmarkt 2005: Zwischenbilanz und Perspektiven. Aktuelle Projektion

Die Konjunktur folgt in Deutschland nach wie vor einem leichten Aufwärtstrend, auch wenn die Erwartungen deutlich nach unten revidiert wurden. In seiner mittleren Projektionsvariante legt das IAB deshalb für 2005 ein preisbereinigtes Wirtschaftswachstum von 3/4 Prozent zu Grunde. Die durchschnittliche Jahresarbeitszeit je Beschäftigten verringert sich leicht (-0,9 %), vor allem weil Arbeitszeit senkende Effekte Vereinbarungen über längere Arbeitszeiten in den Betrieben überkompensieren. Die Erwerbstätigkeit nimmt zwar weiter zu (+0,4 %). Allerdings sinkt das Arbeitsvolumen (-0,5 %), weil die Teilzeitbeschäftigung weiter wächst. Dagegen sinkt die sozialversicherungspflichtige Vollzeitbeschäftigung erneut - was zu beträchtlichen Einnahmenverlusten bei den Sozialversicherungsträgern führt. Die Zahl der registrierten Arbeitslosen wird auf 4,75 Mio. im Jahresdurchschnitt 2005 geschätzt. Der Anstieg um 0,37 Mio. Personen gegenüber 2004 ist weitgehend (0,2 bis 0,3 Mio.) auf die Hartz-IV-Reform zurückzuführen. Entlastende Wirkungen auf die Arbeitslosenzahl sind im zweiten Halbjahr 2005 zu erwarten, wenn mehr soziale Arbeitsgelegenheiten geschaffen werden und sich die Arbeitsgemeinschaften bei der Betreuung und Vermittlung Arbeitsloser besser eingespielt haben

Differences in cortical response to acupressure and electroacupuncture stimuli

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>FMRI studies focus on sub-cortical effects of acupuncture stimuli. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in primary somatosensory (S1) activity over the course of different types of acupuncture stimulation. We used whole head magnetoencephalography (MEG) to map S1 brain response during 15 minutes of electroacupuncture (EA) and acupressure (AP). We further assessed how brain response changed during the course of stimulation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Evoked brain response to EA differed from AP in its temporal dynamics by showing clear contralateral M20/M30 peaks while the latter demonstrated temporal dispersion. Both EA and AP demonstrated significantly decreased response amplitudes following five minutes of stimulation. However, the latency of these decreases were earlier in EA (~30 ms post-stimulus) than AP (> 100 ms). Time-frequency responses demonstrated early onset, event related synchronization (ERS), within the gamma band at ~70-130 ms and the theta band at ~50-200 ms post-stimulus. A prolonged event related desynchronization (ERD) of alpha and beta power occurred at ~100-300 ms post-stimulus. There was decreased beta ERD at ~100-300 ms over the course of EA, but not AP.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both EA and AP demonstrated conditioning of SI response. In conjunction with their subcortical effects on endogenous pain regulation, these therapies show potential for affecting S1 processing and possibly altering maladaptive neuroplasticity. Thus, further investigation in neuropathic populations is needed.</p

Retrograde dye perfusion of the proximal aorta - A postmortem technical study

Introduction: Multiple cardiovascular conditions can lead to unexpected fatality, which is defined as sudden cardiac death. One of these potentially underlying conditions is aortic regurgitation, which can be caused by discrete changes of the geometry of the proximal aorta. To analyze aortic valve competency and furthermore to elucidate underlying pathological alterations of the coronary arteries and the vasa vasorum a perfusion method to simulate a diastolic state was designed. Material and methods: A postmortem approach with retrograde perfusion of the ascending aorta with methylene blue was applied to three bodies. The procedure comprised cannulation of the brachiocephalic trunk, clamping of the aortic arch between brachiocephalic trunk and left carotid artery, infusion of 250 ml of methylene blue, and optical clearing of the superficial tissue layers after perfusion. Organs were examined directly following perfusion and after optical clearing. Results: Assessment and visualization of aortic valve competency and the vasa vasorum were possible in all three instances. Visualization of the coronary perfusion was impaired by postmortem thrombus formation. Optical clearing did not provide additional information. Discussion: The method presented here is a time- and cost-efficient way of visualizing aortic valve competency and the vasa vasorum. The visualization of the vasa vasorum highlights the potential of this method in basic research on diseases of the great arteries and coronaries. However, for a time-efficient functional analysis of the coronaries, other methods must be applied

Flip Graphs of Degree-Bounded (Pseudo-)Triangulations

We study flip graphs of triangulations whose maximum vertex degree is bounded by a constant $k$. In particular, we consider triangulations of sets of $n$ points in convex position in the plane and prove that their flip graph is connected if and only if $k > 6$; the diameter of the flip graph is $O(n^2)$. We also show that, for general point sets, flip graphs of pointed pseudo-triangulations can be disconnected for $k \leq 9$, and flip graphs of triangulations can be disconnected for any $k$. Additionally, we consider a relaxed version of the original problem. We allow the violation of the degree bound $k$ by a small constant. Any two triangulations with maximum degree at most $k$ of a convex point set are connected in the flip graph by a path of length $O(n \log n)$, where every intermediate triangulation has maximum degree at most $k+4$.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, acknowledgments update

Highly Efficient and Scalable Separation of Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes via Weak Field Centrifugation

The identification of scalable processes that transfer random mixtures of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) into fractions featuring a high content of semiconducting species is crucial for future application of SWCNTs in high-performance electronics. Herein we demonstrate a highly efficient and simple separation method that relies on selective interactions between tailor-made amphiphilic polymers and semiconducting SWCNTs in the presence of low viscosity separation media. High purity individualized semiconducting SWCNTs or even self-organized semiconducting sheets are separated from an as-produced SWCNT dispersion via a single weak field centrifugation run. Absorption and Raman spectroscopy are applied to verify the high purity of the obtained SWCNTs. Furthermore SWCNT - network field-effect transistors were fabricated, which exhibit high ON/OFF ratios (10$^{5}$) and field-effect mobilities (17 cm$^{2}$/Vs). In addition to demonstrating the feasibility of high purity separation by a novel low complexity process, our method can be readily transferred to large scale production

Differences in cortical response to acupressure and electroacupuncture stimuli

Background FMRI studies focus on sub-cortical effects of acupuncture stimuli. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in primary somatosensory (S1) activity over the course of different types of acupuncture stimulation. We used whole head magnetoencephalography (MEG) to map S1 brain response during 15 minutes of electroacupuncture (EA) and acupressure (AP). We further assessed how brain response changed during the course of stimulation. Results Evoked brain response to EA differed from AP in its temporal dynamics by showing clear contralateral M20/M30 peaks while the latter demonstrated temporal dispersion. Both EA and AP demonstrated significantly decreased response amplitudes following five minutes of stimulation. However, the latency of these decreases were earlier in EA (~30 ms post-stimulus) than AP (> 100 ms). Time-frequency responses demonstrated early onset, event related synchronization (ERS), within the gamma band at ~70-130 ms and the theta band at ~50-200 ms post-stimulus. A prolonged event related desynchronization (ERD) of alpha and beta power occurred at ~100-300 ms post-stimulus. There was decreased beta ERD at ~100-300 ms over the course of EA, but not AP. Conclusion Both EA and AP demonstrated conditioning of SI response. In conjunction with their subcortical effects on endogenous pain regulation, these therapies show potential for affecting S1 processing and possibly altering maladaptive neuroplasticity. Thus, further investigation in neuropathic populations is needed