New populations of Brachytrupes megacephalus (Lefevre, 1827) on mainland Malta and some notes on its adaptive capacity (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)

Until recent years, records of the indigenous gryllid species Brachytrupes megacephalus within the Maltese Islands were restricted to Għadira and Armier on Malta, and Ramla l-Ħamra on Gozo. Four newly recorded additional populations are discussed, taking into account the different characteristics of the habitat at the various sites, and associated adaptations of the species in relation to substrate within each site.peer-reviewe

Decoupling economic growth and environmental degradation : reviewing progress to date in the small island state of Malta

This paper considers the challenge of decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation; in contrast to several large-scale cross-country analyses that focus on limited indicators of environmental degradation, we analyze in some depth the experience of a single small-scale island state setting (Malta). We use available statistical data to derive decoupling factors, in order to consider the extent to which decoupling has been achieved in four sectors: (i) energy intensity, climate change, and air quality; (ii) water; (iii) waste; and (iv) land. Results indicate relative decoupling between economic growth and several indicators considered, and to a lesser extent, relative decoupling between population growth and the same indicators of environmental pressure. Absolute decoupling has been achieved in at least one instance but there has been no decoupling of land development from either economic or population growth. Land use and population thus appear to be notable sources of pressure. The results suggest that decoupling analyses that present environmental degradation in terms of single variables (e.g., carbon emissions) may misrepresent somewhat the state of the environment at local level. Furthermore, the study highlights the need for methodologies that factor in the "embedding" of small-scale settings within much larger trade networks, for a more accurate estimation of environmental impact, and points to some limitations of solely quantitative analyses of environment-ecology relationships.peer-reviewe

Frequency modulation demodulator threshold extension device

Threshold extension device for improving operating performance of frequency modulatioin demodulators by eliminating click-type noise impulse

Electronic device increases threshold sensitivity and removes noise from FM communications receiver

Threshold extension device connected between demodulator output and filter output minimizes clicking noise. Device consists of click-eliminating signal transfer channel with follow-and-hold circuit and detector for sensing click impulses. Final output consists of signal plus low level noise without high amplitude impulses

A Study of Techniques for Calculating Motion Drive Signals for Flight Simulators

Development and evaluation of experimental test plan for solutions of motion drive problem in formation flying task with flight simulator

National economic impacts of an EU environmental policy: an applied general equilibrium analysis

The objective of this paper is to quantify the economic effects of the introduction of a system of tradable permits in the European Union (EU). For this purpose we use linked applied general equilibrium models (AGE) for eleven EU member countries. This method enables us to measure the change in competitiveness for domestic industries, the impact on growth, employment and inflation in member countries, and the cost and benefits of a cooperative approach to adhere to a EU target of emissions of air pollutants. The results we will present are first results from the SOLVGE/GEM-E3 Projekt. GEM-E3 stands for General Equilibrium Modeling for Energy - Economy - Environment, a joint undertaking of NTUA-Athens (P. Capros, P. Georgakopoulos), CESKULeuven (S. Proost and D. Van Regemorter), Univ. Mannheim and ZEW (K. Conrad and T. Schmidt), GEMME-CEA (N. Ladoux), Univ. Strathclyde (P. MacGregor), CORE-UCL (Y. Smeers), With respect to a policy on greenhouse gases we will quantify the economic impact for the, EU by introducing a EU-wide tradable permit system, free of charge and based on the present energy intensity and energy mix. Under growth there will be a positive market price for permits with demand by countries where the cost of substitution are high and supply by those countries where the cost of substitution are low. We will measure economic performance and trade flows under a noncoordinated CO2 policy where each country limits the emission of CO2 by 10% and will compare the result with a cooperative outcome where the European Union as a decision maker aims at reducing CO2 by 10%. --

A framework for the analysis of mineral tax policy in sub-Saharan Africa

Given the dual role played by the Government as resource owner and tax collector in many sub - Saharan economies, it is important to separate"resource factor payments"from taxes through the use of different instruments. The instruments to be considered are: (1) a factor payment system that includes"ad rem"or"ad valorem"royalties. Production sharing, resource rent schemes, and fixed fees could also be used, but some form of unit payment is necessary and justified, because natural resources in the ground are inputs into the production process; (2) a cash flow and withholding tax system initially for the mineral sectors and eventually for other sectors of the economy. The cash flow tax would capture a share of the"economic rent"from each sector and be neutral across sectors; and (3) a depletion account to preserve the nations capital stock. Natural resources are part of an economy's capital stock, which will fall unless"replacement investment"is made as the resource is depleted.Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Health Economics&Finance

Double dividend of climate protection and the role of international policy coordination in the EU: an applied general equilibrium analysis with the GEM-E3 model

While there is some hope that the ongoing climate change negotiations will soon come up with concrete, time scheduled and binding emission reduction commitments, the question of how to achieve these targets is still unsolved. The objective of this paper is to analyse alternative settings of an environmental tax reform and its economic and environmental impacts on the EU. The methodological framework used is based on a multi-country and multi-sectoral computable general equilibrium model for eleven EU-member states. The emphasis of the analysis lies on the institutional setting of a carbon dioxide reduction policy and on the specification of the labour market. The institutional settings analysed are related to the degree of environmental policy coordination. As standard neo-classics neglegt the problem of unvoluntary unemployment, we relax this restriction in the second part of the analysis in order to test alternative (more rigid) labour market specifications. The major findings of the paper can be summarized as follows: 1) There is some potential for a double dividend in the EU. 2) Coordination beats not always unilateral actions. 3) Labour market rigidities play a crucial role to both, the double dividend and the coordination issue. --