On Interference Alignment and the Deterministic Capacity for Cellular Channels with Weak Symmetric Cross Links

In this paper, we study the uplink of a cellular system using the linear deterministic approximation model, where there are two users transmitting to a receiver, mutually interfering with a third transmitter communicating with a second receiver. We give an achievable coding scheme and prove its optimality, i.e. characterize the capacity region. This scheme is a form of interference alignment which exploits the channel gain difference of the two-user cell.Comment: Submitted to IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT) 2011, 5 page

Alterssicherung: gesunkene Zufriedenheit und Skepsis gegenüber privater Vorsorge

Bei der Gestaltung der Sozialpolitik spielen Expertenmeinungen die wichtigste Rolle. Langfristig angelegte Reformen wie die der Alterssicherung können aber nur dann erfolgreich sein, wenn sie von den Bürgern akzeptiert werden. Deshalb sollten die Wünsche der Bürger bei der Gestaltung der Sozialpolitik stärker als bisher berücksichtigt werden. Auf Grundlage der Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) werden in diesem Bericht Meinungen der Bevölkerung zur Alterssicherung analysiert. Dabei zeigt sich, dass die Zufriedenheit der jüngeren Generation im Laufe der letzten zehn Jahre deutlich gesunken ist. Allerdings wird der staatlich organisierten Alterssicherung immer noch ein hohes Vertrauen entgegengebracht, und staatliche Zuschüsse zu einer privaten Altersvorsorge erreichen ihr Ziel nur bedingt. Sie kommen vor allem denen zugute, die auch ohne staatliche Anreize zusätzliche Vorsorge betreiben. Ein nicht unerheblicher Teil der Bevölkerung fühlt sich dazu gar nicht in der Lage und kann deshalb nicht von den Zuschüssen profitieren

Alterssicherung: gesunkene Zufriedenheit und Skepsis gegenüber privater Vorsorge

Bei der Gestaltung der Sozialpolitik spielen Expertenmeinungen die wichtigste Rolle. Langfristig angelegte Reformen wie die der Alterssicherung können aber nur dann erfolgreich sein, wenn sie von den Bürgern akzeptiert werden. Deshalb sollten die Wünsche der Bürger bei der Gestaltung der Sozialpolitik stärker als bisher berücksichtigt werden. Auf Grundlage der Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) werden in diesem Bericht Meinungen der Bevölkerung zur Alterssicherung analysiert. Dabei zeigt sich, dass die Zufriedenheit der jüngeren Generation im Laufe der letzten zehn Jahre deutlich gesunken ist. Allerdings wird der staatlich organisierten Alterssicherung immer noch ein hohes Vertrauen entgegengebracht, und staatliche Zuschüsse zu einer privaten Altersvorsorge erreichen ihr Ziel nur bedingt. Sie kommen vor allem denen zugute, die auch ohne staatliche Anreize zusätzliche Vorsorge betreiben. Ein nicht unerheblicher Teil der Bevölkerung fühlt sich dazu gar nicht in der Lage und kann deshalb nicht von den Zuschüssen profitieren.

Spectroscopic and redox properties of amine-unctionalized K_2[Os-^(II)(bpy)(CN)_4] complexes

We report the first examples of amine-functionalized K_2[Os^(II)(bpy)(CN)_4] (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) complexes. The tetracyanoosmate complexes were prepared by UV irradiation (λ = 254 nm) of K_4[Os^(II)(CN)_6] and primary amine-functionalized bpy ligands in acidic aqueous media. The aqueous solution pH dependences of the spectroscopic and redox properties of 4,4'- and 5,5'-substituted complexes have been investigated. The pendant amine functional groups and coordinated cyanide ligands are basic sites that can be sequentially protonated, thereby allowing systematic tuning of electrochemical and optical spectroscopic properties

Development of consumption-based land use indicators

With this UFOPLAN project on land use indicators, the German Federal Environment Agency aimed at further developing indicators from a consumption perspective in support of Germany’s sustainability strategy, covering both area-based and impact-oriented land footprint indicators.The project also aimed at calculating selected land footprint indicators for Germany and the EU. These indicators should provide an improved understanding of the global teleconnections of consumption and land use relevant for policy making towards achieving sustainable land use. This synthesis report presents the key results from this project. First, we present a structured overview of existing approaches for estimating land footprintsand describe their technical and structural characteristicsas well as their strengths and weaknesses. This leads to the specification of a hybrid methodology as the preferred calculation approach. In the second part, we present the developed innovative hybrid land footprint method, consisting of a global land flow accounting and trade model capturing commodity flows in physical units to track embodied land along global supply chains. For non-food commodities the supply chains were complemented by an environmental input-output model. This method was used to calculate the cropland, grassland and forestland footprint of Germany and the EU. Finally, an overview of existing indicator systems for representing the environmental impacts of land use was provided and their complementary usage to extend area-based land footprints was discussed. A few of these complementary indicators were also quantified, most notably the deforestation footprint. The synthesis report closes with an overview of the thematic areas that need to be addressed in future research

A Policy Maker’s Guide to Designing Payments for Ecosystem Services

Over the past five years, there has been increasing interest around the globe in payment schemes for the provision of ecosystem services, such as water purification, carbon sequestration, flood control, etc. Written for an Asian Development Bank project in China, this report provides a user-friendly guide to designing payments for the provision of ecosystem services. Part I explains the different types of ecosystem services, different ways of assessing their value, and why they are traditionally under-protected by law and policy. This is followed by an analysis of when payments for services are a preferable approach to other policy instruments. Part II explains the design issues underlying payments for services. These include identification of the service as well as potential buyers and sellers, the level of service needed, payment timing, payment type, and risk allocation. Part II contains a detailed analysis of the different types of payment mechanisms, ranging from general subsidy and certification to mitigation and offset payments. Part III explores the challenges to designing a payment scheme. These include the ability to monitor service provision, secure property rights, perverse incentives, supporting institutions, and poverty alleviation

Extending land footprints towards characterizing sustainability of land use

The global trade of biomass-based products leads to an increasing regional decoupling of the area of production and consumption. Area-based land footprint calculations attribute the extents of land use required to prevailing national consumption patterns. Another report (Fischer et al., 2016) of the present study describes the methodology for the calculation of area-based footprints and presents results for Germany and the EU. Beyond area extents, additional information is needed to assess the sustainability of land use, requiring further analyses regarding environmental impacts and preservation of land quality and ecosystem services. This report discusses extensions of area-based land footprints with meaningful impact-oriented indicators for the assessment of the effects of different consumption patterns on the ecosystems and sustainability of land use. First, existing indicators for representing the environmental impacts of land use are introduced in the context of their linkages and complementarity to area-based land footprints. The report discusses the following key indicators, which were identified as particularly relevant during an export workshop: System indicators, which qualify the area-based footprints across globally very different potential land productivities,deforestation footprint, energy use in agriculture, and irrigation water use in agriculture classified by degree of water scarcity. We introduce the methods developed for the quantification of system indicators for cropland and grassland footprints and for the deforestation footprint, and present results for Germany and the EU

The Period Changes of the Cepheid RT Aurigae

Observations of the light curve for the 3.7-day Cepheid RT Aur both before and since 1980 indicate that the variable is undergoing an overall period increase, amounting to +0.082 +-0.012 s/yr, rather than a period decrease, as implied by all observations prior to 1980. Superposed on the star's O-C variations is a sinusoidal trend that cannot be attributed to random fluctuations in pulsation period. Rather, it appears to arise from light travel time effects in a binary system. The derived orbital period for the system is P = 26,429 +-89 days (72.36 +-0.24 years). The inferred orbital parameters from the O-C residuals differ from those indicated by existing radial velocity data. The latter imply the most reasonable results, namely a1 sin i = 9.09 (+-1.81) x 10^8 km and a minimum secondary mass of M2 = 1.15 +-0.25 Msun. Continued monitoring of the brightness and radial velocity changes in the Cepheid are necessary to confirm the long-term trend and to provide data for a proper spectroscopic solution to the orbit.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASP (November 2007

Age-of-Information in Clocked Networks

We derive key features of the Age-of-Information distribution in a system whose activities are strictly limited to periodic instances on a global time grid. In particular, one agent periodically generates updates while the other agent periodically uses the most recently received of those updates. Likewise, transmission of those updates over a network can only occur periodically. All periods may differ. We derive results for two different models: a basic one in which the mathematical problems can be handled directly and an extended model which, among others, can also account for stochastic transmission failure, making the results applicable to instances with wireless communication. For both models, a suitable approximation for the expected Age-of-Information and an upper bound for its largest occurring value are developed. For the extended model (which is the more relevant one from a practical standpoint) we also present numerical results for the distribution of the approximation error for numerous parameter choices