Forest rotation lengths under carbon sequestration payments

Carbon dioxide emissions resulting from direct human activities, primarily fossil fuel use and land clearing, have altered the global carbon cycle. Carbon is absorbed (sequestered) by plant matter during photosynthesis, so that approximately 50% of the dry weight of a forest’s biomass is carbon. This paper examines how payments to foresters for the carbon sequestered in their trees would affect harvesting decisions. It uses a theoretical multi-crop model adapted from the original Faustmann formula to consider different scenarios of the degree of carbon liability incurred at the time of harvest, and their impact on the length of the optimal crop rotation. These results are then contrasted with the equivalent output from a numerical model based on a simulated New South Wales Pinus radiata plantation. The finding of the paper provides an insight into which carbon sequestration payment policy would be the best at aligning public and private incentives.carbon sequestration

The Role of Auctions in Allocating Public Resources

This paper provides an economic framework within which to consider the effectiveness and limitations of auction markets. The paper looks at the use of auctions as a policy instrument and the effects of auction design on consumer interests, the efficient allocation of resources, and industry competitiveness.Australia; Research; Ascending-bid auction; Auctions; Bidders; Conservation funds; Descending-bid auction; Dutch auction; English auction; Environmental Management; First-price sealed-bid auction; Infrastructure; Markets; Oral auction; Outcry auction; Pollutant emission permits; Power supply contracts; Public resources; Radio- spectrum; Second-price sealed-bid auction Spectrum licences; Vickrey auction; Water rights;

Responsiveness of Demand for Irrigation Water: A Focus on the Southern Murray-Darling Basin

The Productivity Commission staff working paper, 'Responsiveness of Demand for Irrigation Water: A Focus on the Southern Murray-Darling Basin', was released August 2004. This paper explores the determinants of the elasticity of demand for irrigation water. It focuses on three main irrigated industries - rice, dairy and horticulture - to gain a greater understanding of the value that farmers place on water as an input. This paper provides detail relating to farm decision behaviour and biophysical production realities faced by irrigators in the southern Murray-Darling Basin. The views expressed in this paper are those of the staff involved and do not necessarily reflect those of the Productivity Commission.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Greenhouse gas emissions and the productivity growth of electricity generators

This paper analyses electricity generation in four Australian states and the Northern Territory in the late 1990s It finds that productivity growth estimates for electricity generators can change significantly when allowance is made for greenhouse gas emissions. Using an innovative analytical technique for incorporating environmental impacts in productivity estimates, it shows that productivity growth is overestimated when emission intensity is rising and underestimated when emission intensity is falling. This is because emissions are undesirable and so if they fall (grow) per unit of output then this will tend to increase (decrease) estimated productivity.greenhouse gas emissions - productivity growth - electricity - abatement

Wheat beta-expansin (EXPB11) genes: Identification of the expressed gene on chromosome 3BS carrying a pollen allergen domain

Background Expansins form a large multi-gene family found in wheat and other cereal genomes that are involved in the expansion of cell walls as a tissue grows. The expansin family can be divided up into two main groups, namely, alpha-expansin (EXPA) and beta-expansin proteins (EXPB), with the EXPB group being of particular interest as group 1-pollen allergens. Results In this study, three beta-expansin genes were identified and characterized from a newly sequenced region of the Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring chromosome 3B physical map at the Sr2 locus (FPC contig ctg11). The analysis of a 357 kb sub-sequence of FPC contig ctg11 identified one beta-expansin genes to be TaEXPB11, originally identified as a cDNA from the wheat cv Wyuna. Through the analysis of intron sequences of the three wheat cv. Chinese Spring genes, we propose that two of these beta-expansin genes are duplications of the TaEXPB11 gene. Comparative sequence analysis with two other wheat cultivars (cv. Westonia and cv. Hope) and a Triticum aestivum var. spelta line validated the identification of the Chinese Spring variant of TaEXPB11. The expression in maternal and grain tissues was confirmed by examining EST databases and carrying out RT-PCR experiments. Detailed examination of the position of TaEXPB11 relative to the locus encoding Sr2 disease resistance ruled out the possibility of this gene directly contributing to the resistance phenotype. Conclusions Through 3-D structural protein comparisons with Zea mays EXPB1, we proposed that variations within the coding sequence of TaEXPB11 in wheats may produce a functional change within features such as domain 1 related to possible involvement in cell wall structure and domain 2 defining the pollen allergen domain and binding to IgE protein. The variation established in this gene suggests it is a clearly identifiable member of a gene family and reflects the dynamic features of the wheat genome as it adapted to a range of different environments and uses

11CO2 positron emission imaging reveals the in-situ gas concentration profile as function of time and position in opaque gas-solid contacting systems

The in situ analysis of industrial processes, mostly conducted in opaque equipment is difficult. Whereas previously the positron emission technique was successfully applied to study the flow and mixing in gas-solid and liquid-solid systems using radio-active tracer particles, research on imaging a radio- active tracer gas is scarce. The present paper demonstrates the use of a fully three-dimensional (3D) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in imaging the adsorption of 11CO2 tracer gas, while validating the measurement by conventional exit gas analysis. It will be demonstrated that PET can be used to measure the kinetics of high-pressure CO2 adsorption in situ, including the essential breakthrough and mass transfer zone characteristics. Such high-pressure operation is characteristic of pre-combustion CO2 capturing processes. It is expected that this work will foster further studies of gas-solid systems of adsorption, gas-solid catalysis, gas-solid hydrodynamics, and processes where the gas-solid interaction is of primary importance

Black hole thermodynamics with conical defects

Recently we have shown [1] how to formulate a thermodynamic first law for a single (charged) accelerated black hole in AdS space by fixing the conical deficit angles present in the spacetime. Here we show how to generalise this result, formulating thermodynamics for black holes with varying conical deficits. We derive a new potential for the varying tension defects: the thermodynamic length, both for accelerating and static black holes. We discuss possible physical processes in which the tension of a string ending on a black hole might vary, and also map out the thermodynamic phase space of accelerating black holes and explore their critical phenomena

Where’s WALY? : A proof of concept study of the ‘wellbeing adjusted life year’ using secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data

Background The Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) is a measure that combines life extension and health improvement in a single score, reflecting preferences around different types of health gain. It can therefore be used to inform decision-making around allocation of health care resources to mutually exclusive options that would produce qualitatively different health benefits. A number of quality-of-life instruments can be used to calculate QALYs. The EQ-5D is one of the most commonly used, and is the preferred option for submissions to NICE (https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg9/). However, it has limitations that might make it unsuitable for use in areas such as public and mental health where interventions may aim to improve well-being. One alternative to the QALY is a Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year. In this study we explore the need for a Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year measure by examining the extent to which a measure of wellbeing (the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) maps onto the EQ-5D-3L. Methods Secondary analyses were conducted on data from the Coventry Household Survey in which 7469 participants completed the EQ-5D-3L, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, and a measure of self-rated health. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlations, linear regression, and receiver operating characteristic curves. Results Approximately 75 % of participants scored the maximum on the EQ-5D-3L. Those with maximum EQ-5D-3L scores reported a wide range of levels of mental wellbeing. Both the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and the EQ-5D-3L were able to detect differences between those with higher and lower levels of self-reported health. Linear regression indicated that scores on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and the EQ-5D-3L were weakly, positively correlated (with R2 being 0.104 for the index and 0.141 for the visual analogue scale). Conclusion The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale maps onto the EQ-5D-3L to only a limited extent. Levels of mental wellbeing varied greatly amongst participants who had the maximum score on the EQ-5D-3L. To evaluate the relative effectiveness of interventions that impact on mental wellbeing, a new measure – a Wellbeing Adjusted Life Year – is needed

Exposure–response relationship of AMG 386 in combination with weekly paclitaxel in recurrent ovarian cancer and its implication for dose selection

To characterize exposure-response relationships of AMG 386 in a phase 2 study in advanced ovarian cancer for the facilitation of dose selection in future studies.A population pharmacokinetic model of AMG 386 (N = 141) was developed and applied in an exposure-response analysis using data from patients (N = 160) with recurrent ovarian cancer who received paclitaxel plus AMG 386 (3 or 10 mg/kg once weekly) or placebo. Reduction in the risk of progression or death with increasing exposure (steady-state area under the concentration-versus-time curve [AUC(ss)]) was assessed using Cox regression analyses. Confounding factors were tested in multivariate analysis. Alternative AMG 386 doses were explored with Monte Carlo simulations using population pharmacokinetic and parametric survival models.There was a trend toward increased PFS with increased AUC(ss) (hazard ratio [HR] for each one-unit increment in AUC(ss), 0.97; P = 0.097), suggesting that the maximum effect on prolonging PFS was not achieved at the highest dose tested (10 mg/kg). Among patients with AUC(ss) ≥ 9.6 mg h/mL, PFS was 8.1 months versus 5.7 months for AUC(ss) < 9.6 mg h/mL and 4.6 months for placebo. No relationship between AUC(ss) and grade ≥ 3 adverse events was observed. Simulations predicted that AMG 386 15 mg/kg once weekly would result in an AUC(ss) ≥ 9.6 mg h/mL in > 90% of patients with median PFS of 8.2 months versus 5.0 months for placebo (HR [15 mg/kg vs. placebo], 0.56).Increased exposure to AMG 386 was associated with improved clinical outcomes in recurrent ovarian cancer, supporting the evaluation of a higher dose in future studies