A comparison of employment growth and stability before and after the Fort Worth tornado

This study examined the time series pattern of employment growth and stability in Fort Worth, Texas taking into account the March 28, 2000 tornado. The tornado is treated econometrically as an intervention and both the mean and conditional variance of employment growth were estimated. Overall, this regional labor market experienced a decline in the employment growth rate following the tornado. Among the sectors that exhibited differences in employment dynamics between the pre- and post-tornado periods, the mining sector experienced a significant increase in employment growth following the tornado while the service andwholesale, retail trade sectors experienced significant declines in employment growth in the post-tornado period. The manufacturing, service, and wholesale, retail trade sectors were characterized by greater stability (i.e., a lower level of employment growth volatility) in the post-tornado period than in the pre-tornado period. Interestingly, in several sectors, no differences in the time series dynamics of employment growth were detected between the pre- and post-tornado periods. These sectors included construction, finance, insurance, real estate, government, and transportation and public utilities.     

考虑期权采购的应急物资多种供应方式协调优化模型

突发事件的不确定性为灾后应急物资供应带来巨大挑战，而灾前政府难以控制相关应急物资的储备量及成本。实物储备、期权采购和市场化采购3种应急物资供应方式在灾前灾后应急物资保障具备各自的优势和弊端。仅靠单种物资供应方式难以权衡当前应急物资保障对经济性和时效性的要求，因此，需要将3种物资供应方式进行协调优化。对比3种供应方式在成本与效率方面的差异，利用期权采购弥补其他方式在成本和时效方面的不足，将3种物资采购方式协调整合。以政府和供应商双方签订期权契约为前提建立多种采购方式协调优化模型，通过优化算法求解模型。最后通过算例分析验证得出结论。研究结果表明:存在基于期权采购的多种采购方式并存的应急物资保障机制，可使应急物资供应的成本和效率得以权衡。     

Do lower electricity storage costs reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

In the electricity sector, innovation in large-scale storage is anticipated to reduce costs and improve performance. The effect on greenhouse gas emissions of lower storage costs depends on the interactions between storage and the entire grid. The literature has disagreed on the role of storage in reducing emissions. In this paper we present a stylized model, which suggests that the effect of storage costs on emissions depends on the supply responsiveness of both fossil and renewable generators. Under common conditions in the United States, lower storage costs are more likely to reduce emissions when wind investment responds to equilibrium electricity prices and when solar investment does not. Simulations of a computational model of grid investment and operation confirm these intuitions. Moreover, because of its effect on coal and natural gas–fired supply responsiveness, introducing a carbon dioxide emissions price may increase the likelihood that lower storage costs reduce emissions.     

Whether power holders construe their power as responsibility or opportunity influences their tendency to take advice from others

Empirical evidence suggests that power elicits a generic tendency to disregard advice. We examined different responses power holders may show in their tendency to take advice depending on the construal of power. We report a field study and an experiment among managers and other powerful professionals (Studies 1 and 2) and an experiment in which participants were assigned to a powerful role (Study 3). Across studies, we found a higher tendency to take advice among those who construed their power as a responsibility rather than as an opportunity. This effect of the construal of power on advice taking was mediated by a heightened perceived value of advice, not by decreased confidence in own judgments or sense of power. Accordingly, the increase in advice taking when power was construed as a responsibility was observed regardless of whether the advice came from subordinates (Study 1), expert advisors (Study 2), or a less powerful teammate (Study 3). This highlights the relevance of considering how power holders construe their power in order to understand their tendency to take advice from others. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The European Conformity Assessment Procedures and the Quality Assurance Instruments for Personal Protective Equipment in the Internal Market

Conformity assessment procedures prescribed by European legislation are presented and their concrete implementation is illustrated by the example of personal protective equipment (PPE). The different categories of PPE defined by Council Directive 89/686/EEC are explained with reference to the applicable conformity assessment elements. Quality assurance of production is presented as the central element of the conformity assessment procedure for complex PPE. Special emphasis is put on the necessity of having a regular exchange of views and information among notified bodies in Europe. Ways in which third countries can eventually carry out conformity assessment on the basis of a contract with the European Community Commission are explained.     

Contribution of cooperative sector recycling to greenhouse gas emissions reduction: A case study of Ribeirão Pires,Brazil

Solid waste, including municipal waste and its management, is a major challenge for most cities and among the key contributors to climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced through recovery and recycling of resources from the municipal solid waste stream. In São Paulo, Brazil, recycling cooperatives play a crucial role in providing recycling services including collection, separation, cleaning, stocking, and sale of recyclable resources. The present research attempts to measure the greenhouse gas emission reductions achieved by the recycling cooperative Cooperpires, as well as highlight its socioeconomic benefits. Methods include participant observation, structured interviews, questionnaire application, and greenhouse gas accounting of recycling using a Clean Development Mechanism methodology. The results show that recycling cooperatives can achieve important energy savings and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and suggest there is an opportunity for Cooperpires and other similar recycling groups to participate in the carbon credit market. Based on these findings, the authors created a simple greenhouse gas accounting calculator for recyclers to estimate their emissions reductions.     

震害下电-气关联生命线网络韧性研究

随着各类生命线网络间关联日益紧密,对关联生命线网络进行韧性研究刻不容缓。以地震灾害为背景,构建了城市电-气关联生命线网络韧性评估框架,并基于电力潮流分析和天然气稳态仿真分析,建立了考虑电力网络和燃气网络功能特性的性能评价指标。同时,以关联的IEEE30节点网络和20节点燃气网络为案例,结合评估框架分析网络韧性在不同恢复预算和恢复资源下的变化规律,为资源优化配置提供依据,为建设“韧性城市”提供支撑。     

火源功率对竖井负压控烟效果影响的实验研究

基于竖井的烟囱效应原理,利用小尺寸实验台开展了一系列实验,通过改变油盘的尺寸,对竖井内的烟气温度、压力、速度以及通风口处的压力、气流速度进行测量,研究了火源功率对房间利用竖井进行负压控烟效果的影响。实验结果表明:一方面随着火源功率的增大,室内温度升高,热烟气形成的热压增大,使烟气向外膨胀;另一方面,竖井底部的烟气温度升高,竖井底部的负压值增大,烟囱效应增强,排烟速度增大,新鲜空气补入的速度增大,逐渐抑制住烟气从通风口向外溢出,达到了负压控烟的效果。     

Disentangling technological innovations: a micro-econometric analysis of their determinants

On the basis of a unique firm-level dataset from the German manufacturing sector, this paper empirically examines the determinants of environmental and non-environmental product and process innovations. The micro-econometric analysis with multivariate probit models points to an extremely high relevance of R&D activities for all technological innovation types, as well as to the relevance of a few market pull factors. The estimation results additionally reveal the importance of organisational measures for environmental product and process innovations. In this regard, not only certified environmental management systems, but also specific process- and product-related environmental organisational measures and even general organisational measures, such as the certification of a quality management system according to ISO 9001, play a crucial role. The estimation results therefore suggest the encouragement of firm-internal R&D activities and organisational measures by (environmental) policy in order to stimulate environmental technological innovations, which are able to both limit the environmental burden and contribute to the technological modernisation of the economy.