We draw on a unique dataset for energy use by manufacturing firms in 18 Sub-Saharan African countries to estimate the relationship between energy intensity of production and firms' characteristics. Our results show that lower levels of energy intensity are associated with export activity, foreign ownership, size and capital-labor ratio, while higher levels of energy intensity are associated with a higher share of fuels in total energy consumption. We do not find a statistically significant relationship between energy intensity and the age of capital equipment or ownership of a generator, while our results on quality management certification are inconclusive.

Since the 1990s, advocates of policy to prevent catastrophic climate change have been divided over the appropriate economic instruments to curb CO2 emissions-carbon taxes or schemes of emission trading. Barack Obama claimed that policies implemented during his presidency set in motion irreversible trends toward a clean-energy economy, with the years 2008-2015 given as evidence of decoupling between CO2 emissions and economic growth. This is despite California being the only state in the USA that has implemented a specific policy to curb emissions, a cap-and-trade scheme in place since 2013. To assess Obama's claims and the effectiveness of policies to reduce CO2 emissions, we analyze national and state-level data from the USA over the period 1990-2015. We find: (a) annual changes in emissions strongly correlated with the growth conditions of the economy; (b) no evidence for decoupling; and (c) a trajectory of CO2 emissions in California which does not at all support the claim that the cap-and-trade system implemented there has reduced CO2 emissions. / Series: SRE - Discussion Papers

Nesta tese de doutoramento nós tivemos como principal objetivo desenvolver novos métodos para proteção da informação e computação quântica. Começamos, de forma introdutória, ilustrando os conceitos básicos e fundamentais da teoria da informação e computação quântica, como os bits quânticos (qubits), o operador densidade, o emaranhamento e as operações lógicas quânticas. Na seqüência, apresentamos os formalismos utilizados para tratar sistemas abertos, ou seja, sujeitos a erros, além das principais técnicas existentes a fim de proteger a informação quântica, como os códigos de correção de erros, os subespaços livres de erros e o desacoplamento dinâmico. Finalmente, baseando-nos na técnica de desacoplamento dinâmico, introduzimos um esquema de proteção para operações lógicas quânticas e o emaranhamentos entre qubits utilizando campos de alta freqüência. Ilustramos em detalhes a proteção da operação lógica quântica de Hadamard e do emaranhamento entre dois qubits, além de apresentarmos as principais diferenças e vantagens de nosso método quando comparado às técnicas tradicionais de desacoplamento dinâmico. / The main objective of this thesis is the development of a new procedure for quantum information and computation protection. We begin by briefly illustrating the basic concepts of quantum information and computation theory, such as quantum bits (qubits), density matrix operator, entanglement, and quantum logical operations. Subsequently, we present the formalism utilized to treat quantum open systems, i.e., systems subjected to errors, and the main strategies to protect quantum information, such as quantum error correction codes, decoherence-free subspaces, and dynamical decoupling. Finally, based on the dynamical decoupling strategies, we introduce a procedure to protect quantum logical operations and entanglement utilizing high-frequency continuous fields. We illustrate, in details, the protection of a Hadamard quantum gate and of entanglement between two qubits, and present the differences and advantages of our procedure when compared with traditional techniques of dynamical decoupling.

As evidenced by the rapid increase of United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) signatories, the integration of environmental, social and governance indicators (ESG) in investment decisions has become a popular topic. However, despite its popularity, there is no consensus among practitioners on what this actually means and how it should be tackled. The obvious lack of standardization is reflected by divergent ESG rating procedures, incomparable company sustainability reports and the widely differing strategies by asset managers and asset owners. This is a substantial hurdle as it can cause misalignment of perspectives within the investment chain, which keeps ESG from being pushed up the agenda. There appear to be substantial struggles on the road to ESG integration and several questions arise; are the perspectives on ESG integration aligned between companies, asset managers and asset owners? Where do possible obstacles on the road to responsible investment reside, what are they and how can they be overcome? My main findings are four-fold. First, I find ESG reporting fatigue among companies due to the sheer number of ESG ratings and rankings. Companies should not let this overwhelm them and be clear that they only respond to a handful. Investors should only use it as a starting point and ensure that it does not become a substitute for a real conversation with their portfolio companies about ESG. This interest is necessary for top management to sign off on sustainability initiatives. Second, I find that asset owners are not as convinced of the business case of ESG as asset managers and companies are. This is often reflected in the way they select, monitor and review their asset managers. Third, the lack of in-depth ESG due diligence by asset owners likely lets asset managers get away with decoupling statements from actions. More specifically, it appears that ESG and finance are often still separated. Lastly, companies are more reactive than proactive when it comes to ESG efforts. The main driver for them to embark on their ESG journey is the consumer. We can therefore play a significant role in creating a more sustainable world, either as the beneficiary or the consumer.

Orientador: Oscar Ferreira de Lima / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-24T18:27:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Siqueira_EzequielCosta_M.pdf: 11787391 bytes, checksum: 424aa203ebfa572c02c0b2875dde771f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: O interesse em sistemas de multicamadas supercondutoras/ferromagnéticas deve-se a algumas questões importantes relacionadas com a supressão da temperatura crítica, à coexistência da supercondutividade e ferromagnetismo e às transições dimensionais da matéria de vórtices. Neste trabalho foram estudados filmes multicamadas preparados por magnetron sputtering, com fórmula geral Ni(x)[Nb(y)/Ni(x)]n, onde x e y são espessuras fixas (4 º A até 20 º A e 87 º A até 250 º A) e n é o número de bicamadas de Ni/Nb. Os filmes foram caracterizados por difração de raios X em baixo e alto ângulo e por medidas de momento magnético como função da temperatura (T) e campo (H), para orientações perpendicular e paralela às camadas. Os resultados das medidas de raios X em baixo ângulo indicaram uma boa estrutura de multicamadas tendo a espessura das bicamadas ficado dentro de 5% dos valores nominais. As medidas em alto ângulo revelaram a texturização das camadas de Ni e Nb nas direções (111) e (110), respectivamente. Este estudo foi concentrado nas transições dimensionais do acoplamento supercondutor e suas implicações sobre a matéria de vórtices. Medidas de magnetização feitas na amostra Ni(20 º A)[Nb(250 º A)/Ni(20 º A)]9 indicaram uma transição 3D-2D do sistema de vórtices, como revelado pelo comportamento do campo crítico H c2 ?? (T) paralelo às camadas. Consistentemente, foi identificada uma possível linha de desacoplamento dos vórtices associada com a transição das linhas de vórtices de Abrikosov em vórtices panquecas, para a orientação de H perpendicular às camadas. Um linha de irreversibilidade foi determinada e sugere diferentes regimes da matéria de vórtices, onde a função exercida pelas camadas ferromagnéticas de Ni pode ser relevante. Todas as amostras estudadas mostraram instabilidades no momento magnético medido, devido à forte interação entre as contribuições supercondutora, das camadas de Nb, e ferromagnética, das camadas de Ni. As amostras com espessuras de Ni menores mostraram um comportamento paramagnético evidenciandoeos efeitos de tamanho finito sobre o magnetismo das camadas de Ni. A temperatura crítica supercondutora nestas amostras (4 K < Tc< 6 K) foi reduzida em relação ao valor apresentado por uma amostra volumétrica de Nb ( Tc= 9,2 K). Em conclusão, todos os efeitos observados neste trabalho mostram uma relação muito próxima com os efeitos de tamanho finito das camadas de Ni e Nb, e com a competição entre supercondutividade e ferromagnetismo / Abstract: The interest in multilayered superconductor/ferromagnetic structures originates from some important questions related to the critical temperature suppression, the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism, and dimensional transitions of the vortex matter. In this work we have studied multilayered films prepared by magnetron sputtering, with general formula Ni(x)[Nb(y)/Ni(x)]n, where x and y are fixed thicknesses (4 º A to 20 º A and 87 º A to 250 º A), and n is the number of bi-layers of Ni/Nb. The films were characterized by high and low angle X-ray diffraction and by measurements of the magnetic moment as a function of temperature (T) and magnetic field (H), for perpendicular and parallel orientations with respect to the layers. The results of low angle diffraction indicate a good multilayer structure having bi-layer thicknesses within 5% of the nominal values. The high angle results indicate that Ni and Nb layers are textured in (111) and (110) directions. In this study we have concentrated on the dimensional transitions of the superconducting phase and their effects on the vortex matter. Magnetization measurements made in the Ni(20 º A)[Nb(250 º A)/Ni(20 º A) ]9 sample indicated a 3D-2D crossover of the vortex system, as revealed by the parallel upper critical field behavior. Consistently, it was identified a possible decoupling line associated with transition of Abrikosov vortex lines into vortex pancakes, for H perpendicular to the layers. An irreversibility line was determined and it suggests different regimes of the vortex matter, where the role played by the Ni ferromagnetic layers might be relevant. All the samples studied show magnetic moment instabilities, due to the strong interplay between the superconducting Nb layers and the magnetic Ni layers. The samples with more thinner Ni layers showed a paramagnetic behavior in the normal state, revealing a finite size effect on the magnetic properties of the Ni layers. The superconducting critical temperature in those samples (4 K < Tc < 6 K) was reduced in relation to its bulk value (Tc= 9,2 K). In conclusion, all the effects observed in this work have shown a close relation with finite size effects of the Ni and Nb layers, and with the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism / Mestrado / Supercondutividade / Mestre em Física

The primary objective of this dissertation is to investigate whether Canadian whole farm programs with both income-supporting and income-stabilizing attributes, which are considered as decoupled based on the WTO criterion, are actually decoupled from production. The dissertation began with the review of the existing theoretical and empirical literature on the impact of programs designed to be decoupled payments on acreage response including studies related to the wealth and insurance effects. The review revealed that previous studies lack a detailed theoretical model of how acreage decisions will be affected by stabilizing the farm profit (insurance effect) as well as the higher expected profit (wealth effect). Given the nature of Canadian whole farm programs which attempt to smooth income, to examine the whole farm programs, a model is needed to capture the insurance effect arising from these programs as well as the wealth effect.<p> To address this gap, the theoretical framework developed by Chavas and Holt (1990) was extended, in this dissertation, to incorporate the insurance effect into the farmers' acreage decisions under uncertainty. In particular, by developing theoretical restrictions, which consider the relationship between income stabilization compensated and uncompensated acreage decision functions, the insurance effect emphasized in the literature was explicitly derived within the theoretical model. The acreage allocated to each crop was derived as a function of expected crop profits, elements of the variance-covariance matrix of crop profits, expected total wealth (initial wealth plus market profit), and variance of total wealth. The government payments were incorporated into the model through truncation of the probability distribution of profits. Specifically, the whole-farm programs truncated the total (farm) profit distribution which affected the expected total wealth and variance of total wealth.<p> The theoretical model was then used to develop an empirical model. The econometric model was applied to acreage data in the Canadian Prairies from 1970 to 2006 in order to statistically test if the whole farm programs were really decoupled. The results revealed that coefficients of expected total wealth (wealth effect) and variance of total wealth (insurance effect) were statistically significant in the whole system, which implied the whole-farm programs were production and therefore trade distorting and were not actually decoupled, even if they satisfied the WTO criteria. The statistically significant coefficients for expected total wealth and variance of total wealth variables were then used to simulate the impact of recent whole-farm programsthe Western Grain Stabilization Act (WGSA), the Net Income Stabilization Account (NISA) and the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS)on crop choices.<p> The results suggested that the WGSA, NISA and CAIS programs have increased the acreage allocated to spring wheat and peas (through both wealth and insurance effects, although the insurance effect appears to dominate) while they have decreased the acreage for barley (through the wealth effect), canola and hay (through the insurance effect) in the prairie provinces. In general, the size of the wealth effect was quite small, while the insurance effect was always significant. Specifically, the acreage allocated to wheat increased by 7.79 percent on average across Prairies while canola acreage decreased by 8.86 percent under the CAIS. Thus, the empirical results revealed that for Canadian whole-farm programs the impact of the effects related to risk is important. Particularly, the results showed the inherent difficulty in divorcing the stabilization effect received by Canadian whole-farm programs from farmers' production decisions.

The primary objective of this dissertation is to investigate whether Canadian whole farm programs with both income-supporting and income-stabilizing attributes, which are considered as decoupled based on the WTO criterion, are actually decoupled from production. The dissertation began with the review of the existing theoretical and empirical literature on the impact of programs designed to be decoupled payments on acreage response including studies related to the wealth and insurance effects. The review revealed that previous studies lack a detailed theoretical model of how acreage decisions will be affected by stabilizing the farm profit (insurance effect) as well as the higher expected profit (wealth effect). Given the nature of Canadian whole farm programs which attempt to smooth income, to examine the whole farm programs, a model is needed to capture the insurance effect arising from these programs as well as the wealth effect.<p> To address this gap, the theoretical framework developed by Chavas and Holt (1990) was extended, in this dissertation, to incorporate the insurance effect into the farmers' acreage decisions under uncertainty. In particular, by developing theoretical restrictions, which consider the relationship between income stabilization compensated and uncompensated acreage decision functions, the insurance effect emphasized in the literature was explicitly derived within the theoretical model. The acreage allocated to each crop was derived as a function of expected crop profits, elements of the variance-covariance matrix of crop profits, expected total wealth (initial wealth plus market profit), and variance of total wealth. The government payments were incorporated into the model through truncation of the probability distribution of profits. Specifically, the whole-farm programs truncated the total (farm) profit distribution which affected the expected total wealth and variance of total wealth.<p> The theoretical model was then used to develop an empirical model. The econometric model was applied to acreage data in the Canadian Prairies from 1970 to 2006 in order to statistically test if the whole farm programs were really decoupled. The results revealed that coefficients of expected total wealth (wealth effect) and variance of total wealth (insurance effect) were statistically significant in the whole system, which implied the whole-farm programs were production and therefore trade distorting and were not actually decoupled, even if they satisfied the WTO criteria. The statistically significant coefficients for expected total wealth and variance of total wealth variables were then used to simulate the impact of recent whole-farm programsthe Western Grain Stabilization Act (WGSA), the Net Income Stabilization Account (NISA) and the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS)on crop choices.<p> The results suggested that the WGSA, NISA and CAIS programs have increased the acreage allocated to spring wheat and peas (through both wealth and insurance effects, although the insurance effect appears to dominate) while they have decreased the acreage for barley (through the wealth effect), canola and hay (through the insurance effect) in the prairie provinces. In general, the size of the wealth effect was quite small, while the insurance effect was always significant. Specifically, the acreage allocated to wheat increased by 7.79 percent on average across Prairies while canola acreage decreased by 8.86 percent under the CAIS. Thus, the empirical results revealed that for Canadian whole-farm programs the impact of the effects related to risk is important. Particularly, the results showed the inherent difficulty in divorcing the stabilization effect received by Canadian whole-farm programs from farmers' production decisions.

Nowadays firms must develop inventory policies that enable them to cope with the changing marketplace. Determining proper inventory locations can help decrease costs related to inventory holding and transportation. Moreover, this allows firms to respond in a timely manner to customers’ requirements. As a result profit margins can be enhanced as well as the competitiveness of a firm. However, the decision of where to locate inventory in a supply chain is difficult since many companies are managed independently. The present research is developed as a case study where product classification, customer and supplier segmentation schemes are reviewed in order to determine appropriate inventory locations along the supply chain. The thesis is written upon literature and empirical research, where most of the data was collected through personal interviews and observations at the supply chain management offices of a distributor for sealing material parts in Europe. Our conclusion shows that product classification has an important impact on inventory location decisions. Also, we conclude that products should be classified based on both physical characteristics and demand factors, as well as according to customers’ requirements. Another factor to be considered when deciding on inventory location is supply risks, due to issues related to raw material availability and capacity. Nonetheless, the selection of classification variables is challenging as it is hard to determine which factors are more relevant than others as this varies depending on each firms’ needs. In addition, we find that supply chain strategies are not realistic due to the constant changes in the business environment and the inability of a firm to manage whole supply chains. Furthermore, a high level of communication among supply chain partners is fundamental, especially when a centralized inventory policy and a postponement strategy are in place.

Miniaturization of electronic products due to the current trend in the electronics industry has led to the integration of components within the chip and package. Traditionally, individual decoupling capacitors placed on the surface of the board or the package have been used to decouple active switching circuits. However, with an increase in the clock rates and its harmonics with technology nodes, decoupling has to be provided in the GHz range. Discrete decoupling capacitors are no longer effective in this region because of the increased inductive effects of the current paths of the capacitors, which limits its effectiveness in the tens of MHz range. The use of embedded individual thick film capacitors within the package is a feasible solution for decoupling core logic above 100 MHz. They overcome the limitations of SMDs (Surface Mount Discretes), primarily in decoupling active circuits in the mid-frequency band. Inclusion of embedded planar capacitors in the board stack up have shown improvements in the overall impedance profile and have shown to exhibit better noise performance. The main contributor to the superior performance is the reduced inductive effects of the power-ground planes because of the thinner dielectrics of the embedded capacitor. The modeling, measurement and characterization of embedded decoupling capacitors in the design of PDNs (Power Distribution Networks) has been investigated in this thesis.

Managing environmental sustainability gradually reveals its importance along with the increasing and irreversible destructions to the ecosystem. With 27 member countries, the European Union (EU) has applied indicators and the Driving forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to manage sustainable progress. Though the sustainable indicators in the DPSIR framework systematically structure environmental problems in the EU policy lifecycle, the DPSIR framework remains subject to certain criticisms. Moreover, the policymaker still needs more information to detect future environmental risks and take measures in advance. To meet the needs above, this study plans to further explore the DPSIR framework. To begin with, the DPSIR framework was used to select 28 indicators, as well as to collect corresponding data for 27 member states between 2005 and 2006.The partial-least-squares (PLS) technology will be applied to determine the cause-and-effect relationships among constructs. Next, this study refers to Tapio¡¦s decoupling concepts and then develops the idea of societal response initiative. By integrating these categories of societal response initiative and decoupling, a 3x3 joint ¡§Societal Response Initiative- Decoupling Joint Analysis Table¡¨ is formed. This table can help understand the sustainable attitudes of economy and society towards environmental problems and further decide policy priority to effect risk preventions. The study finally designs a scenario of greenhouse gas emissions to demonstrate the new DPSIR indicator system with the aggregate EU-23 data between 2006 and 2007. This study has two main contributions: First, this study provides the DPSIR framework with an empirical foundation for its explanatory ability of causal links among constructs. Secondly, this article develops jointly sustainable preventive indicators in order to systematically seek the possible causes of environmental problems derived from the development of the economy and the society. By doing so, the decision-maker can detect future environmental problems and allocate resources most timely and effectively.