Environmental Protection, Energy Policy and Poverty Reduction – Synergies of an Integrated Approach

This paper describes the mechanisms that link poverty reduction with climate and energy policy. First, there is a brief analysis of the relationship between ongoing climate change, energy use and poverty. This analysis is followed by an overview of different policy options that have the potential to fight poverty while simultaneously limiting global warming and environmental degradation. Mitigating climate change, transforming the energy systems in developing countries and financing adaptation to climate change are pointed out as central policy fields governments and developing agencies should focus on. Furthermore, one can argue that new technologies to increase energy efficiency and the dissemination of renewable energy systems have an especially strong impact on poverty. Access to clean and cost-efficient energy has a direct effect on the income generation potentials of the poor. Finally, this paper identifies appropriate financing mechanisms to implement the aforementioned strategies.

Atomic discreteness and the nature of structural equilibrium in conductance histograms of electromigrated Cu-nanocontacts

We investigate the histograms of conductance values obtained during controlled electromigration thinning of Cu thin films. We focus on the question whether the most frequently observed conductance values, apparent as peaks in conductance histograms, can be attributed to the atomic structure of the wire. To this end we calculate the Fourier transform of the conductance histograms. We find all the frequencies matching the highly symmetric crystallographic directions of fcc-Cu. In addition, there are other frequencies explainable by oxidation and possibly formation of hcp-Cu. With these structures we can explain all peaks occurring in the Fourier transform within the relevant range. The results remain the same if only a third of the samples are included. By comparing our results to the ones available in the literature on work-hardened nanowires we find indications that even at low temperatures of the environment, metallic nanocontacts could show enhanced electromigration at low current densities due to defects enhancing electron scattering

“Gesund leben in der Schwangerschaft” (GeliS) – Einfluss einer Lebensstilintervention innerhalb der Schwangerenvorsorge auf das Bewegungs- und Stillverhalten sowie die mütterliche Gewichtsentwicklung

The effect of a lifestyle intervention in the antenatal routine care setting on physical activity and breastfeeding behaviour and maternal weight development was investigated in the cluster-randomised 'healthy living in pregnancy (GeliS)' trial. Women in the intervention group received comprehensive lifestyle counselling. The intervention did not impact on gestational weight gain but improved the antenatal physical activity behaviour. Maternal postpartum weight development and breastfeeding behaviour were influenced by the intervention, but the clinical relevance of these findings needs further research.Der Effekt einer Lebensstilintervention, die parallel zur Schwangerenvorsorge durchgeführt wurde, auf das Bewegungs- und Stillverhalten, sowie die mütterliche Gewichtsentwicklung wird in der cluster-randomisierten „Gesund leben in der Schwangerschaft-Studie“ (GeliS) untersucht. Frauen in der Interventionsgruppe erhielten ein umfassendes Lebensstilprogramm. Die Intervention hatte keinen Einfluss auf die Gewichtszunahme in der Schwangerschaft, aber verbesserte das Bewegungsverhalten. Auch wurden die mütterliche Gewichtsentwicklung nach der Geburt sowie das Stillverhalten beeinflusst, wobei die klinische Relevanz dieser Ergebnisse weiter erforscht werden muss

Layered Architecture Consistency for MANETs: Introducing New Team Members

In this paper we extend our results concerning the layered architecture for modeling workflows in Mobile Ad-Hoc networks (MANETs) using algebraic higher order nets. MANETs are networks of mobile devices that communicate with each other via wireless links without relying on an underlying infrastructure. Workflows in \manets can be adequately modeled using a layered architecture, where the overall workflow, the team members' activities and the mobility issues are separated into three different layers, namely the workflow layer, the mobility layer and the team layer. In fromer papers a formal notion of layer consistency was suggested, that we now extend to allow changes of the interfaces of the gluing of the workflow and the mobility layer

Estimating affinities of calcium ions to proteins

Ca2+-ions have a range of affinities to different proteins, depending on the various functions of these proteins. This makes the determination of Ca2+-protein affinities an interesting subject for functional studies. We have investigated the performance of two methods – Fold-X and AutoDock vina – in the prediction of Ca2+-protein affinities. Both methods, although based on different energy functions, showed virtually the same correlation with experimental affinities. Guided by insight from experiment, we further derived a simple linear model based on the solvent accessible surface of Ca2+ that had practically the same performance in terms of absolute errors as the more complex docking methods

How God interacts within an evolutionary world view: Systematic Theology, Natural Sciences and Religious Education in dialogue

Jahrhundertelang schien es, als wären das religiöse und naturwissenschaftliche Weltbild nicht miteinander zu vereinbaren. Seit Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts sind die Fronten zwischen Theologie und Naturwissenschaften deutlich aufgebrochen. Der inzwischen sehr lebendig geführte interdisziplinäre Dialog basiert auf der Einsicht, dass die Wirklichkeit viel zu komplex ist, als dass es nur einen möglichen Zugang zu ihr geben könnte. In der Theologie hat sich darum schon seit längerer Zeit die Erkenntnis durchgesetzt, dass die Evolutionstheorie keine Bedrohung des christlichen Schöpfungsglaubens darstellt, auch wenn das biblische Weltbild nicht mit Hilfe evolutiver Kategorien formuliert wurde. Allerdings wurde bislang nur in einzelnen Ansätzen weitergedacht, welche Konsequenzen sich daraus für die Gotteslehre ergeben. So führt die gegenwärtige katholische wie evangelische systematische Theologie einen intensiven Diskurs um die Art und Weise, wie im Kontext eines evolutiven Weltbildes angemessen von Gott zu denken und zu sprechen ist und inwiefern sich eine solche Gottesrede von Beschreibungen des Wirkens Gottes in der traditionellen Theologie unterscheiden muss. Diese Problematik ist zugleich von religionspädagogischer Relevanz, denn ein verändertes Gottesverständnis auf dem Hintergrund des evolutiven Weltverständnisses kann weder in der religionspädagogischen Theoriebildung noch in der inhaltlichen und didaktischen Konzeption eines zeitgemäßen Religionsunterrichts ignoriert werden. Der gewählte Forschungsansatz entfaltet das Wirken Gottes von der Schöpfung her und bedenkt die Fragestellung zugleich aus systematisch-theologischer und aus religionspädagogischer Perspektive. Dabei sollen Religionspädagogik und Systematik in einen Dialog treten, der zu einem beidseitigen Erkenntnisgewinn beiträgt.For centuries, a religious and scientific world view seemed to be contradicting. Since the middle oft the 20th century the two disciplines have gradually approached. Meanwhile, the very vivid interdisciplinary dialogue considers reality as too complex to be explained by only one of the two sciences. In theology, theories of evolution are not regarded as a threat to the Christian belief in creation although the biblical world view is not based on evolutionary ideas. However, only little research has been conducted on the consequences for the doctrine of God. Thus, current catholic and protestant systematic theology is intensively involved in the debate of how to appropriately think and speak about God within an evolutionary context. A changed understanding of God on the basis of an evolutionary world view has to be taken into consideration not only by systematic theology but also by both religious educational theory and a modern concept of religious education in practice. The chosen research approach unfolds God’s action from the point of view of creation and considers the question from both the perspective of systematic theology and religious education