Climate change negotiations and first-mover advantages: the case of the wind turbine industry

Individual EU member countries, such as Denmark and Germany, may have a rational economic interest in creating comparative advantages for renewable energy sources in order to capitalise on their first-mover advantages in these industries. We demonstrate that different means of implementing the Kyoto Agreement affect the potential to market new renewable technologies, e.g. wind turbines, to other countries subsequent to their ratification of the Kyoto target levels. This article shows that a transnationally grandfathered Tradable Permit System (TPS) renders the shadow price of emissions reductions lower in the high-cost reduction countries. Export opportunities to these countries will consequently be reduced under a transnational TPS, e.g. from the EU to the US. This could also serve to explain EU opposition to a fully flexible TPS in The Hague in 2001. Instead, the latest EU proposal delivered in Johannesburg pushed for setting a target of 15% of all energy to come from sources of renewable energy, e.g. wind turbines, solar panels, biomass and waves, by 2015. Such initiative would further EU industrial interests globally. Future research should, however, attempt to provide more empirical evidence concerning this proposition and its importance compared to other concerns.     

Alniditan, a new 5-hydroxytryptamine1D agonist and migraine-abortive agent: ligand-binding properties of human 5-hydroxytryptamine1D alpha, human 5-hydroxytryptamine1D beta, and calf 5-hydroxytryptamine1D receptors investigated with [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine and [3H]alniditan

Alniditan is a new migraine-abortive agent. It is a benzopyran derivative and therefore structurally unrelated to sumatriptan and other indole-derivatives and to ergoline derivatives. The action of sumatriptan is thought to be mediated by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)1D-type receptors. We investigated the receptor-binding profile in vitro of alniditan compared with sumatriptan and dihydroergotamine for 28 neurotransmitter receptor subtypes, several receptors for peptides and lipid-derived factors, ion channel-binding sites, and monoamine transporters. Alniditan revealed nanomolar affinity for calf substantia nigra 5-HT1D and for cloned h5-HT1D alpha, h5-HT1D beta and h5-HT1A receptors (Ki = 0.8, 0.4, 1.1, and 3.8 nM, respectively). Alniditan was more potent than sumatriptan at 5-HT1D-type and 5-HT1A receptors. Alniditan showed moderate-to-low or no affinity for other investigated receptors; sumatriptan showed additional binding to 5-HT1F receptors. Dihydroergotamine had a much broader profile with high affinity for several 5-HT, adrenergic and dopaminergic receptors. In signal transduction assays using cells expressing recombinant h5-HT1D alpha, h5-HT1D beta, or h5-HT1A receptors, alniditan (like 5-HT) was a full agonist for inhibition of stimulated adenylyl cyclase (IC50 = 1.1, 1.3, and 74 nM, respectively, for alniditan). Therefore, in functional assays, the potency of alniditan was much higher at 5-HT1D receptors than at 5-HT1A receptors. We further compared the properties of [3H]alniditan, as a new radioligand for 5-HT1D-type receptors, with those of [3H]5-HT in membrane preparations of calf substantia nigra, C6 glioma cells expressing h5-HT1D alpha, and L929 cells expressing h5-HT1D beta receptors. [3H]Alniditan revealed very rapid association and dissociation binding kinetics and showed slightly higher affinity (Kd = 1-2 nM) than [3H]5-HT. We investigated 25 compounds for inhibition of [3H]alniditan and [3H]5-HT binding in the three membrane preparations; Ki values of the radioligands were largely similar, although some subtle differences appeared. Most compounds did not differentiate between 5-HT1D alpha and 5-HT1D beta receptors, except methysergide, ritanserin, ocaperidone, risperidone, and ketanserin, which showed 10-60-fold higher affinity for the 5-HT1D alpha receptor. The Ki values of the compounds obtained with 5-HT1D receptors in calf substantia nigra indicated that these receptors are of the 5-HT1D beta-type. We demonstrated that alniditan is a potent agonist at h5-HT1D alpha and h5-HT1D beta receptors; its properties probably underlie its cranial vasoconstrictive and antimigraine properties.     

Vorgänge bei der Bildung primärer Desoxydationsprodukte in Stählen

Desoxydation unlegierter Stahlschmelzen mit Titan; Versuchsdurchführung. Auswertung der Ergebnisse für die verschiedenen Eisenschmelzen mit Vergleichen zur Aluminiumdesoxydation. Deutung der Versuchsergebnisse. Einschlußuntersuchung mittels Rückstandsuntersuchung. Desoxydation nichtrostender Chrom-Nickel-Stähle mit Aluminium. Folgerungen.     

Shear test for thermoplastic polymers

A shear test is proposed as a complement to the tensile test in order to characterize the short time mechanical behavior of thermoplastic polymers. The proposed test geometry makes the test easy to perform and to evaluate and gives relevant information about anisotropy, plastic deformation, crack initiation, and propagation properties. Three different materials have been tested and the results are discussed.