Unemployment effects of climate policy

This paper models the unemployment effects of restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, embodying two of the most significant types of short-term economic imperfections that generate unemployment: sectoral rigidities in labor mobility and sectoral rigidities in wage adjustments. A labor policy is also analyzed that would reduce the direct negative economic effects of the emissions restrictions.The politics of limiting greenhouse gas emissions are often dominated by relatively short-term considerations. Yet the current economic modeling of emissions limitations does not embody economic features that are likely to be particularly important in the short term, in particular, the politically sensitive unemployment rate. Moreover, only a few of these studies also consider policies that would offset the negative direct economic effects of emissions restrictions. For plausible estimates of the parameters, the model shows that, with the labor market imperfections, if there were no offsetting policies, the reductions in GNP in the U.S. in the first 10 years after emissions restrictions were imposed would be as much as 4%. However, if there were two policies, instead of just one: a counteracting labor market policy, as well as the emissions restrictions, the negative direct economic effects could be completely eliminated.     

Does aging affect the period of the circadian pacemaker in vertebrates?

Dedicated to Prof. Jürgen Aschoff on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

Maternal sex chromosome mosaicism diagnosed by amniocentesis and percutaneous umbilical cord sampling

We present a remarkable chain of events in which percutaneous umbilical cord sampling was performed in an attempt to clarify a situation of possible fetal sex chromosome mosaicism in an amniotic fluid culture and led to the discovery that the mother herself had a 45,X/46,XX/ 47.XXX chromosome constitution. This may have simply represented the chance concurrence of pseudo-mosaicism in the amniotic fluid culture of a woman with an abnormal sex chromosome constitution, but it is also possible that the 45,X colony was maternal in origin. Although clearly a most unusual circumstance, the possibility should be kept in mind when termination of a pregnancy is being considered because of apparent mosaicism in a prenatal diagnostic study.     

First observation of different diffusion coefficients for two conformers in a neat liquid

 Self-diffusion coefficients were studied for the highly polar liquid N-methylformamide at pressures up to 200 MPa between the melting pressure curves and 420 K by the spin-echo method. N-Methylformamide exists as a mixture of two conformers in the neat liquid. These conformers have large differences at lower temperatures in their dynamic and structural properties. The self-diffusion coefficient of the cis-conformer being 17% lower than that of the trans-conformer at the same T and p. This is the first observation of such an effect. The experimental study is supported by Monte Carlo (MC) calculations which show that the first neighbors around a cis conformer are arranged differently than in an all trans liquid. The difference leads in the simulations to a much lower dielectric constant for the trans-cis mixture and might also explain the retardation of diffusion for the cis conformer. Received: 15 November 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 28 February 2000     

Upgrading of organic waste: production of the copolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate by Ralstonia eutrophus with organic waste as sole carbon source

Two types of fermented organic waste (trade and industry waste and fruit and vegetable waste) were successfully used as a sole carbon source to produce poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV) by Ralstonia eutrophus (formerly Alcaligenes eutrophus) via oxygen limitation.The production of PHBV could be optimized by optimizing the oxygen transfer through the fermentor. Thereby, a peak concentration of 1.1 g PHBV per liter cell suspension, 40 w% of cell dry weight, was obtained at an aeration rate of 0.24 mol O₂/h·kg biomass. The yield of PHBV on the fatty acid concentration in the organic waste was 0.16 g polymer/g volatile organic matter. The process obtained, compares well with the commercial production process of PHBV based on glucose.     

Reproductive behaviour and prenatal diagnosis following genetic termination of pregnancy in women of advanced maternal age

One hundred and fifty-one women of advanced maternal age who underwent genetic termination of pregnancy (TOP) were studied for their reproductive behaviour and the type of procedure for prenatal diagnosis in a subsequent pregnancy. A total of 59 women (39 per cent) had a further pregnancy. In all continuing pregnancies prenatal diagnosis was performed, of which 75 per cent consisted of chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Reproductive behaviour following a genetic termination was negatively correlated with maternal age and parity. Both reproductive behaviour and the choice to undergo a diagnostic procedure in the next pregnancy were independent of the type of diagnostic procedure in the previous affected pregnancy.