Energy and carbon prices: a comparison of interactions in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme and the Western Climate Initiative market

We provide a comparative analysis of how short-run variations in carbon and energy prices relate to each other in the emerging greenhouse gas market in California (Western Climate Initiative [WCI], and the European Union Emission Trading Scheme [EU ETS]). We characterize the relationship between carbon, gas, coal, electricity and gasoline prices and an indicator for economic activity, and present a first analysis of carbon prices in the WCI. We also provide a comparative analysis of the structures of the two markets. We estimate a vector autoregressive model and the impulse--response functions. Our main findings show a positive impact from a carbon shock toward electricity, in both markets, but larger in the WCI electricity price, indicating more efficiency. We propose that the widening of carbon market sectors, namely fuels transport and electricity imports, may contribute to this result. To conclude, the research shows significant and coherent relations between variables in WCI, which demonstrate some degree of success for a first year in operation. Reversely, the EU ETS should complete its intended market reform, to allow for more impact of the carbon price. Finally, in both markets, there is no evidence of carbon pricing depleting economic activity.

Bond of NSM FRP strengthened concrete: round robin test initiative

Despite the extensive research that has been conducted on the debonding behaviour of FRP strengthening systems, no standard methodology has been yet established on its experimental characterization. In this context, to assess the performance and reliability of small scale testing on NSM (near surface mounted) FRP strengthening systems, an experimental program was carried out on a series of nine NSM FRP strengthening systems, in the framework of an international Round Robin Testing (RRT). Eleven laboratories and seven manufacturers and suppliers participated in this extensive international exercise, which regarded both NSM and EBR FRP strengthening systems. Test results obtained for the NSM systems by the participating laboratories are discussed and compared in this paper to investigate the feasibility of the adopted single/double pulling shear test method, to investigate the mechanism of bond between NSM FRP reinforcement and concrete, and to investigate the level of variability obtained between the participating laboratories testing the same material batches. It is concluded that the tested variants in the adopted single/double shear pulling test have a significant influence, stressing the importance of the level of detail of standardized test protocols for bond verification. On overall, given the variants included in this study, the obtained variation in bond stress-slip behaviour between the laboratories remained fairly limited.

Summary of the ATLAS experiment's sensitivity to supersymmetry after LHC Run 1-interpreted in the phenomenological MSSM

A summary of the constraints from the ATLAS experiment on R-parity-conserving supersymmetry is presented. Results from 22 separate ATLAS searches are considered, each based on analysis of up to 20.3 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at centre-of-mass energies of s√=7 and 8 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The results are interpreted in the context of the 19-parameter phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model, in which the lightest supersymmetric particle is a neutralino, taking into account constraints from previous precision electroweak and flavour measurements as well as from dark matter related measurements. The results are presented in terms of constraints on supersymmetric particle masses and are compared to limits from simplified models. The impact of ATLAS searches on parameters such as the dark matter relic density, the couplings of the observed Higgs boson, and the degree of electroweak fine-tuning is also shown. Spectra for surviving supersymmetry model points with low fine-tunings are presented.

ATLAS Run 1 searches for direct pair production of third-generation squarks at the Large Hadron Collider

This paper reviews and extends searches for the direct pair production of the scalar supersymmetric partners of the top and bottom quarks in proton--proton collisions collected by the ATLAS collaboration during the LHC Run 1. Most of the analyses use 20 fb−1 of collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV, although in some case an additional 4.7 fb−1 of collision data at s√=7 TeV are used. New analyses are introduced to improve the sensitivity to specific regions of the model parameter space. Since no evidence of third-generation squarks is found, exclusion limits are derived by combining several analyses and are presented in both a simplified model framework, assuming simple decay chains, as well as within the context of more elaborate phenomenological supersymmetric models.