Is Fiscal Policy Coordination in EMU Desirable?

It is widely argued that Europe's unified monetary policy calls for the international coordination at the fiscal level. We survey the issues involved with such coordination of fiscal policy as a demand management tool and we use a simple model to investigate the circumstances under which coordination may be desirable. It turns out that coordination is beneficial when the correlation of the shocks hitting the various economies is low. However, given the potentially adverse reaction by the ECB (as a result of free-riding and/or a conflict on the orientation of the policy mix), fiscal coordination is likely to be counterproductive when demand or supply shocks are highly symmetric across countries and the governments are unable to acquire a strategic leadership position vis-à-vis the ECB.EMU, fiscal coordination, shocks, demand management

On the Measurement of Polarisation:A questionnaire study

Starting from the axiomatisation of polarisation contained in Esteban and Ray (1994)and Chakravarty and Majumdar (2001) we investigate whether people's perceptionsof income polarisation is consistent with the key axioms. This is carried out using aquestionnaire-experimental approach that combines both paper questionnaires and onlineinteractive techniques. The responses suggest that important axioms which serveto differentiate polarisation from inequality - e.g. increased bipolarisation - as well asother distinctive features of polarisation, i.e. the non-monotonous behaviour attributedto polarisation, are not widely accepted.polarisation, income distribution, inequality

Time and Energy Managed Operations (TEMO): Cessna Citation II Flight Trials

From 9-26 October 2015 the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) in cooperation with Delft University of Technology (DUT) has executed Clean Sky flight trials with the Cessna Citation II research aircraft. The trials consisted of several descents and approaches at the Eelde airport near Groningen, demonstrating the TEMO (Time and Energy Managed Operations) concept developed in the Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative research programme as part of the Systems for Green Operations (SGO) Integrated Technology Demonstrator. A TEMO descent aims to achieve an energy-managed idle-thrust continuous descent operation (CDO) while satisfying ATC time constraints, to maintain runway throughput. An optimal descent plan is calculated with an advanced on-board real-time aircraft trajectory optimisation algorithm considering forecasted weather and aircraft performance. The optimised descent plan was executed using the speed-on-elevator mode of an experimental Fly-By-Wire (FBW) system connected to the pitch servo motor of the Cessna Citation II aircraft. Several TEMO conceptual variants have been flown. It has been demonstrated that the TEMO concept enables arrival with timing errors below 10 seconds. The project was realised with the support of CONCORDE partners Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and PildoLabs from Barcelona, and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Flight testing Time and Energy Managed Operations (TEMO)

The expected growth in air traffic combined with an increased public concern for the environment, have forced legislators to rethink the current air traffic system design. The current air traffic system operates at its capacity limits and is expected to lead to increased delays if traffic levels grow even further. Both in the United States and Europe, research projects have been initiated to develop the future Air Transportation System (ATS) to address capacity, and environmental, safety and economic issues. To address the environmental issues during descent and approach, a novel Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) concept, named Time and Energy Managed Operations (TEMO), has been developed co-sponsored by the Clean Sky Joint Undertaking. It uses energy principles to reduce fuel burn, gaseous emissions and noise nuisance whilst maintaining runway capacity. Different from other CDO concepts, TEMO optimizes the descent by using energy management to achieve a continuous engine-idle descent, while satisfying time constraints on both the Initial Approach Fix (IAF) and the runway threshold. As such, TEMO uses timemetering at two control points to facilitate flow management and arrival spacing. TEMO is in line with SESAR step 2 capabilities, since it proposes 4D trajectory management and is aimed at providing significant environmental benefits in the arrival phase without negatively affecting throughput, even in high density and peak-hour operations. In particular, TEMO addresses SESAR operational improvement (OI) TS-103: Controlled Time of Arrival (CTA) through use of datalink [1]. TEMO has been validated starting from initial performance batch studies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3, up to Human-in-the-Loop studies in realistic environments using a moving base flight simulator at TRL 5 ([2]-[6]). In this paper the definition, preparation, performance and analysis of a flight test experiment is described with the objective to demonstrate the ability of the TEMO algorithm to provide accurate and safe aircraft guidance toward the Initial Approach Fix (IAF), and further down to the Stabilization Point (1000 ft AGL), to demonstrate the ability of the TEMO algorithm to meet absolute time requirements at IAF and/or runway threshold and to evaluate the performance of the system under test (e.g. fuel usage).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Spectrophotometric study of the Boron-Curcumin system

With mechanism and structure in mind, the aim of this research project was to investigate the role played by the various reagents used in the curcumin spectrophotometric method. The reagents were used in varied concentrations and at times some eliminated entirely, in the hope that a greater understanding be gained in the overall mechanism followed by the reaction. One of the major objectives was to try to determine the structure of the colored substance formed in the reaction. A step towards this goal was gained by obtaining molar ratios of the entities suspected to be an intricate part of the colored substance. Most of the studies made were studies of absorption using the visible range of the spectrum (550 millimicrons) where the colored substance was found to absorb at its maximum. A photoelectric colorimeter could have been used instead or a spectrophotometer, however the resolution and precision would not have been as great. A potentiometric titration study was also carried out so as to gain greater insight into the preliminary reaction occurring between boric acid and oxalic acid prior to the addition of curcumin in the final color forming step of the method

Spectrophotometric study of the Boron- Curcumin system

In the present research project an attempt has been made to determine the mechanism of the reaction followed in the curcumin spectrophotometric method for boron determination using a modification of Naf\u27tel\u27s method

A psychological study of Waiting for Godot using Jungian and Laingian representations

This study is a psychological analysis of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” employing representational models. Jungian and Laingian representations and are used to explore possibilities and movement in the drama through an examination of themes, symbols, and images. Careful attention is given to maintaining the structural/thematic integrity of the art by allowing the play’s shape to determine the form of the representatives. Models of the psyche are proposed within Jungian and Laingian frameworks that treat the characters in the play as fragments of a whole personality. The psychic splits are considered as results of the conflict between personal, transcendent experience and society’s failure to provide viable means for the expression of this experience. The psychic goals of wholeness and transcendence are traced through themes and movement/changes in the play. Broadly speaking, the Jungian approach addresses an impasse in the individuation process referred to as the encounter with the unconscious shadow. Although a reconciliation of this encounter is never fully realized, the play evidences a gradual coalescence of characters and images that suggest a forthcoming resolution to the growing despair in the play. The Laingian approach is less optimistic and depicts the split functions of the personality as gradually deteriorating and disintegrating. The difference in the approaches revolves around the manner in which the respective theories handle duality and conflict. The different conclusions also underscore the central tenet of the representational approach; what is discovered in literature depends on the way of looking at it

Dopant-controlled single-electron pumping through a metallic island

We investigate a hybrid metallic island / single dopant electron pump based on fully-depleted silicon on insulator technology. Electron transfer between the central metallic island and the leads is controlled by resonant tunneling through single phosphorus dopants in the barriers. Top gates above the barriers are used control the resonance conditions. Applying radio frequency signals to the gates, non-adiabatic quantized electron pumping is achieved. A simple deterministic model is presented and confirmed by comparing measurements with simulations