Monetary disunion: The domestic politics of Euroland

Regional disparities within the European Union have always been perceived as an impediment to monetary integration. This is why discussions on a joint currency, from their very beginning, were linked to compensatory payments in the form of regional policy payments. Structural assistance to poor regions and member states increased sharply at the end of the 1980s. Today, however, fiscal support has to be shared with the new member states in the East. Moreover, due to the financial crisis, the cheap credit that poor EMU member countries enjoyed as a result of interest rate convergence is no longer available. We predict that in the future, some sort of financial aid will have to be provided by rich member countries to poor ones, if only to prevent a further increase in economic disparities and related political instability. We also expect long-lasting distributional conflict between payer and recipient countries far beyond current rescue packages, together with disagreement on the extent of aid required and the political control to be conceded by receiving countries to giving countries. We illustrate the dimension of the distributional conflict by comparing income gaps and relative population size between the center and the periphery of Europe on the one hand and on the other, between rich and poor regions in two European nation-states characterized by large regional disparities, Germany and Italy. While income gaps and population structures are similar in the two countries to those between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean periphery, regional redistribution is much more extensive in the two nation-states. We conclude that this presages a difficult future for the domestic politics of Euroland.Regionale Disparitäten in der Europäischen Union galten immer als Hindernis für den währungspolitischen Integrationsprozess. Aus diesem Grund waren die Verhandlungen über eine zukünftige Währungsunion von Anfang an mit Forderungen nach Ausgleichszahlungen in Form von regionalpolitischen Hilfsprogrammen verknüpft. Strukturhilfen an arme Regionen und Mitgliedsstaaten wurden Ende der 1980er-Jahre erhöht. Heute müssen die entsprechenden Mittel allerdings mit den neuen Mitgliedsstaaten im Osten geteilt werden. Zudem können die ärmeren EWU-Mitglieder seit der Finanzkrise keine günstigen Kredite mehr aufnehmen. Wir gehen davon aus, dass es auch in Zukunft finanzielle Transfers von den reichen zu den armen Mitgliedsstaaten wird geben müssen, selbst wenn sie nur dazu dienen, stärkere wirtschaftliche Disparitäten und damit einhergehende politische Instabilität zu verhindern. Zudem können über die gegenwärtigen Rettungsmaßnahmen hinaus lang anhaltende zwischenstaatliche Verteilungskonflikte zwischen Geber- und Empfängerländern erwartet werden, in welchen es vor allem um den Umfang der Finanzhilfen und die im Gegenzug verlangte Abgabe politischer Kontrolle durch die Empfänger von Transfers gehen wird. Um die Dimension des Verteilungskonflikts zu veranschaulichen, vergleicht der Aufsatz Einkommenslücken und relative Bevölkerungsgrößen zwischen Peripherie und Zentrum der EU mit denen zwischen armen und reichen Regionen zweier Nationalstaaten mit starken regionalen Disparitäten, Italien und Deutschland. Während Einkommenslücken und Bevölkerungsstruktur in den beiden Nationalstaaten denen innerhalb der EWU ähneln, ist die regionale Umverteilung in den Nationalstaaten weitaus höher. Wir schließen daraus, dass die Innenpolitik der Eurozone konfliktreich sein wird

Compositional optimization of hard-magnetic phases with machine-learning models

Machine Learning (ML) plays an increasingly important role in the discovery and design of new materials. In this paper, we demonstrate the potential of ML for materials research using hard-magnetic phases as an illustrative case. We build kernel-based ML models to predict optimal chemical compositions for new permanent magnets, which are key components in many green-energy technologies. The magnetic-property data used for training and testing the ML models are obtained from a combinatorial high-throughput screening based on density-functional theory calculations. Our straightforward choice of describing the different configurations enables the subsequent use of the ML models for compositional optimization and thereby the prediction of promising substitutes of state-of-the-art magnetic materials like Nd$_2$Fe$_{14}$B with similar intrinsic hard-magnetic properties but a lower amount of critical rare-earth elements.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Interplay of charge-transfer and Mott-Hubbard physics approached by an efficient combination of self-interaction correction and dynamical mean-field theory

Late transition-metal oxides with small charge-transfer energy $\Delta$ raise issues for state-of-the-art correlated electronic structure schemes such as the combination of density functional theory (DFT) with dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). The accentuated role of the oxygen valence orbitals in these compounds asks for an enhanced description of ligand-based correlations. Utilizing the rocksalt-like NiO as an example, we present an advancement of charge self-consistent DFT+DMFT by including self-interaction correction (SIC) applied to oxygen. This introduces explicit onsite O correlations as well as an improved treatment of intersite $p-d$ correlations. Due to the efficient SIC incorporation in a pseudopotential form, the DFT+sicDMFT framework is an advanced but still versatile method to address the interplay of charge-transfer and Mott-Hubbard physics. We revisit the spectral features of stoichiometric NiO and reveal the qualitative sufficiency of local DMFT self-energies in describing spectral peak structures usually associated with explicit nonlocal processes. For Li$_x$Ni$_{1-x}$O, prominent in-gap states are verified by the present theoretical study.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Erneuerbare Energien - Energiewirtschaftsgesetz: Wie sollte ein zukunftsfähiges Energieversorgungssystem aussehen?

Wie könnte ein zukunftsfähiges Energieversorgungssystem aussehen und welche Bedeutung hat dabei das Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz? Prof. Dr. Rainer Frank Elsässer, E.ON AG, vermisst u.a. die europäische Perspektive. Für Bernhard Hillebrand, EEFA, Münster, und Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ströbele, Universität Münster, ist der Ausbau regenerativer Energiequellen allenfalls eine langfristige Option. Stephan Kohler, dena, Berlin, plädiert für eine "Innovationsoffensive". Prof. Dr. Uwe Leprich, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft, Saarbrücken, betont die Notwendigkeit einer stärkeren Dezentralisierung des Energieversorgungssystems

Coherence function control of Quantum Dot Superluminescent Light Emitting Diodes by frequency selective optical feedback.

Low coherent light interferometry requires broad bandwidth light sources to achieve high axial resolution. Here, Superluminescent Light Emitting Diodes (SLDs) utilizing Quantum Dot (QD) gain materials are promising devices as they unify large spectral bandwidths with sufficient power at desired emission wavelengths. However, frequently a dip occurs in the optical spectrum that translates into high side lobes in the coherence function thereby reducing axial resolution and image quality. We apply the experimental technique of frequency selective feedback to shape the optical spectrum of the QD-SLD, hence optimizing the coherence properties. For well-selected feedback parameters, a strong reduction of the parasitic side lobes by a factor of 3.5 was achieved accompanied by a power increase of 40% and an improvement of 10% in the coherence length. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with simulations that even indicate potential for further optimizations

High-Throughput Screening of Rare-Earth-Lean Intermetallic 1-13-X Compounds for Good Hard-Magnetic Properties

By computational high-throughput screening, the spontaneous magnetization Ms, uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant K₁, anisotropy field Ha, and maximum energy product (BH)max are estimated for ferromagnetic intermetallic phases with a tetragonal 1-13-X structure related to the LaCo₉Si₄ structure type. For SmFe₁₃N, a (BH)max as high as that of Nd₂Fe₁₄B and a comparable K₁ are predicted. Further promising candidates of composition SmFe₁₂AN with A = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ti, V, Al, Si, or P are identified which potentially reach (BH)max values higher than 400 kJ/m³ combined with significant K₁ values, while containing almost 50% less rare-earth atoms than Nd₂Fe₁₄B

Performance of a Small Array of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes sited in Australia

As TeV gamma-ray astronomy progresses into the era of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), there is a desire for the capacity to instantaneously follow up on transient phenomena and continuously monitor gamma-ray flux at energies above $10^{12}$ eV. To this end, a worldwide network of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) is required to provide triggers for CTA observations and complementary continuous monitoring. An IACT array sited in Australia would contribute significant coverage of the Southern Hemisphere sky. Here, we investigate the suitability of a small IACT array and how different design factors influence its performance. Monte Carlo simulations were produced based on the Small-Sized Telescope (SST) and Medium-Sized Telescope (MST) designs from CTA. Angular resolution improved with larger baseline distances up to 277m between telescopes, and energy thresholds were lower at 1000m altitude than at 0m. The $\sim$300 GeV energy threshold of MSTs proved more suitable for observing transients than the $\sim$1.2 TeV threshold of SSTs. An array of four MSTs at 1000m was estimated to give a 5.7$\sigma$ detection of an RS Ophiuchi-like nova eruption from a 4-hour observation. We conclude that an array of four MST-class IACTs at an Australian site would ideally complement the capabilities of CTA.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in PAS

Structural determinants of specificity and regulation of activity in the allosteric loop network of human KLK8/neuropsin

Human KLK8/neuropsin, a kallikrein-related serine peptidase, is mostly expressed in skin and the hippocampus regions of the brain, where it regulates memory formation by synaptic remodeling. Substrate profiles of recombinant KLK8 were analyzed with positional scanning using fluorogenic tetrapeptides and the proteomic PICS approach, which revealed the prime side specificity. Enzyme kinetics with optimized substrates showed stimulation by Ca2+ and inhibition by Zn2+, which are physiological regulators. Crystal structures of KLK8 with a ligand-free active site and with the inhibitor leupeptin explain the subsite specificity and display Ca2+ bound to the 75-loop. The variants D70K and H99A confirmed the antagonistic role of the cation binding sites. Molecular docking and dynamics calculations provided insights in substrate binding and the dual regulation of activity by Ca2+ and Zn2+, which are important in neuron and skin physiology. Both cations participate in the allosteric surface loop network present in related serine proteases. A comparison of the positional scanning data with substrates from brain suggests an adaptive recognition by KLK8, based on the tertiary structures of its targets. These combined findings provide a comprehensive picture of the molecular mechanisms underlying the enzyme activity of KLK8.(VLID)276376