Double dividend effectiveness of energy tax policies and the elasticity of substitution: A CGE appraisal

There is a considerable body of literature that has studied whether or not an adequately designed tax swap, whereby an ecotax is levied and some other tax is reduced while keeping government income constant, may achieve a so-called double dividend, that is, an increase in environmental quality and an increase in overall efficiency. Arguments in favor and against are abundant. Our position is that the issue should be empirically studied starting from an actual, non-optimal tax system structure and by way of checking the responsiveness of equilibria to revenue neutral tax regimes under alternate scenarios regarding technological substitution. With the use of a CGE model, we find that the most critical elasticity for achieving a double dividend is the substitution elasticity between labor and capital whereas the elasticity that would generate the highest reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is the substitution elasticity among energy goods.     

Thin-layer drying behaviour of sludge of olive oil extraction

Drying characteristics of sludge were examined for average moisture content from 2 to approximately 0.7–0.08 kg water/kg dry matter using hot air of the range of 20–40–80 °C and simulating the interval that can be provided by an air solar heater and by air velocities of 1 m/s at a laboratory scale dryer. Different mathematical models were used for the simulation of the sludge drying curves, such as Lewis, Page, Modified Page, Henderson and Pabis, Wang and Singh, Logarithmic, Two term, Two Term exponential, Modified Henderson and Pabis, Midilli, Approximation of diffusion, Verma et al. and Simplified Fick’s diffusion models. The performance of these models was investigated by comparing four statistical parameters: the square of the coefficient of determination (r²), reduced chi-square (χ²), root mean square error (RMSE) and sum of residuals between the observed and predicted moisture ratio. The Midilli model represented the drying characteristics better than the others. The effective diffusivity coefficient of moisture transfer varied from 2.224 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 6.993 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s over the temperature range. The temperature dependence of the effective diffusivity coefficient was expressed by Arrhenius type relationship. The activation energy for the moisture diffusion was found to be 15.77 kJ/mol.     

The homogeneity ranges of the L12-type intermetallic compounds Ni3Ga and Ni3Ge

The homogeneity ranges of the L1₂-ordered compounds Ni₃Ga and Ni₃Ge and the boundaries of the neighboring phases have been examined by electron probe microanalysis using heterophase alloys in the temperature ranges 1073 to 1373 K (Ni-Ga) and 1073 to 1346 K (Ni-Ge). The composition ranges of the L1₂-ordered phases have been found to be narrower than those reported in the literature, on the Ga-rich side for Ni₃Ga and on the Ge-deficient side for Ni₃Ge.     

A voltage-control algorithm for a DC link of an active power filter

Synthesis of the PI-control law of voltage for the dc link of an active power filter that carries out preliminary charging of the capacitor bank with a desired quality of transient processes, as well as stabilization of the controlled variable at a given level with zero static error, is performed in this paper.     

Modification of vascular responses in xenotransplantation: inflammation and apoptosis

We report a case of progressive dementia and prolonged gait disturbance correlated with influenza A/H3N2 infection in 91-year-old female patient, admitted because of in ability to take care of herself due to aging and cerebral infarction. At admission, conversation and comprehension were not significantly impaired, and she was able to walk by herself. Flu symptoms such as high grade fever, chills, arthralgia, and cough appeared after a short stay at home. Influenza A/ H3N2 was confirmed serologically. Delirium occurred on the sixth day after influenza onset, persisted for three weeks, followed by recovery. Dementia symptoms such as memory defects and disorientation continued and did not improve. Due to this febrile episode, she was unable to walk unassisted. The results of computed tomography performed before and after the influenza episode were unremarkable for additional cellebro-vascular events during the observed period. Influenza infection may be an important risk factor for reducing the quality of life in the elderly. In geriatric cases, influenza should not be treated as a mere transient illness, but rather one which has important consequences for the elderly population, including the possibility of life threatening complications.     

A 0.18 μm CMOS linear-in-dB AGC post-amplifier for optical communications

This paper presents a fully integrated 10GBase-LX4 Ethernet receiver front-end automatic gain control amplifier realized in a 0.18 μm CMOS process. Based on a very compact and reliable inductorless design, the proposed differential post-amplifier, comprises three main digitally programmable gain stages, a DC offset cancellation network and an automatic gain feedback control loop. Experimental results demonstrate a −3 dB cut-off frequency above 2.3 GHz over a −3 to 33 dB linear-in-dB controlled gain range with a sensitivity of 2.0 mV_p-p with a BER of 10⁻¹² at 2.5 Gb/s. For the aforementioned standard, 3.125 Gb/s, an input dynamic range above 50 dB is achieved, from 2.5 mV_p-p to 800 mV_p-p, indicating a BER of 10⁻¹². The chip core area is 0.3 × 0.3 mm² and it consumes 58 mW with a single supply voltage of 1.8 V.     

Low-Voltage Differentiator for VHF Filtering

In this paper a G _m -C resonator circuit is proposed which is based on a new current-mode differentiating concept, compatible with low voltage and very high frequency operation.A prototype 4th-order 200 MHz band pass filter has been fabricated using a 0.8 m CMOS process and shows a side-band rejection lower than –80 dB. This response confirms the feasibility of the proposed resonator in very-high frequency applications such as IF band pass sections of RF front-end circuits. The filter consumes less than 5.5 mW from a 2.7 V supply and the measured dynamic range is 57 dB at IM3 of 0.5%, where the active area is 0.12 mm².     

Curcumin associated magnetite nanoparticles inhibit in vitro melanoma cell growth

Curcumin is a natural product possessing therapeutic properties but the low water solubility of this compound limits its use. We have successfully incorporated curcumin into a bilayer of dodecanoic acid attached to magnetite nanoparticles in an effort to maximize solubility and delivery efficiency. Curcumin/magnetite nanoparticles were characterized using diffused reflectance infra-red fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Moreover curcumin associated magnetite nanoparticles inhibited in vitro melanoma cell growth. An inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 66.0 +/- 3.0 microM (48 +/- 2.2 microg-iron/mL) was observed for the curcumin/magnetite nanoparticles. Fluorescent microscopy revealed that curcumin associated magnetite nanoparticles were internalized by the melanoma cells and remained in the cytoplasm. The curcumin/magnetic nanoparticles synthesized in this study possess magnetic and water solubility properties making this a novel curcumin formulation with therapeutic potential.