China Energy and Emissions Paths to 2030

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fridley, David; Zheng, Nina; Zhou, Nan; Ke, Jing; Hasanbeigi, Ali; Morrow, Bill; Price, Lynn

2011-01-14

After over two decades of staggering economic growth and soaring energy demand, China has started taking serious actions to reduce its economic energy and carbon intensity by setting short and medium-term intensity reduction targets, renewable generation targets and various supporting policies and programs. In better understanding how further policies and actions can be taken to shape China's future energy and emissions trajectory, it is important to first identify where the largest opportunities for efficiency gains and emission reduction lie from sectoral and end-use perspectives. Besides contextualizing China's progress towards reaching the highest possible efficiency levels through the adoption of the most advanced technologies from a bottom-up perspective, the actual economic costs and benefits of adopting efficiency measures are also assessed in this study. This study presents two modeling methodologies that evaluate both the technical and economic potential of raising China's efficiency levels to the technical maximum across sectors and the subsequent carbon and energy emission implications through 2030. The technical savings potential by efficiency measure and remaining gap for improvements are identified by comparing a reference scenario in which China continues the current pace of with a Max Tech scenario in which the highest technically feasible efficiencies and advanced technologies are adopted irrespective of costs. In addition, from an economic perspective, a cost analysis of selected measures in the key industries of cement and iron and steel help quantify the actual costs and benefits of achieving the highest efficiency levels through the development of cost of conserved energy curves for the sectors. The results of this study show that total annual energy savings potential of over one billion tonne of coal equivalent exists beyond the expected reference pathway under Max Tech pathway in 2030. CO2 emissions will also peak earlier

Implications of a consumer-based perspective for the estimation of GHG emissions. The illustrative case of Luxembourg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caro, Dario; Rugani, Benedetto; Pulselli, Federico Maria; Benetto, Enrico

2015-01-01

The Kyoto protocol has established an accounting system for national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to a geographic criterion (producer perspective), such as that proposed by the IPCC guidelines for national GHG inventories. However, the representativeness of this approach is still being debated, because the role of final consumers (consumer perspective) is not considered in the emission allocation system. This paper explores the usefulness of a hybrid analysis, including input–output (IO) and process inventory data, as a complementary tool for estimating and allocating national GHG emissions according to both consumer- and producer-based perspectives. We assess the historical GHG impact profile (from 1995 to 2009) of Luxembourg, which is taken as a case study. The country's net consumption over time is estimated to generate about 28,700 Gg CO 2 e/year on average. Compared to the conventional IPCC inventory, the IO-based framework typically shows much higher emission estimations. This relevant discrepancy is mainly due to the different points of view obtained from the hybrid model, in particular with regard to the contribution of imported goods and services. Detailing the GHG inventory by economic activity and considering a wider system boundary make the hybrid IO method advantageous as compared to the IPCC approach, but its effective implementation is still limited by the relatively complex modeling system, as well as the lack of coordination and scarce availability of datasets at the national level. - Highlights: • GHG emissions for Luxembourg are assessed using hybrid input–output (IO) modeling. • Consumer and producer perspectives are compared for the period 1995–2009. • IO-based GHG profiles are remarkably higher than traditional IPCC inventorying. • IO-based GHG accounting presents some advantages but is limited in implementation. • Key-aspects of IPCC and IO-based methods are extensively investigated and compared

Implications of a consumer-based perspective for the estimation of GHG emissions. The illustrative case of Luxembourg

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caro, Dario, E-mail: caro2@unisi.it [Ecodynamics Group/DEEPS, Department of Environment, Earth and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, Via A. Moro, 2, I-53100 Siena (Italy); Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Rugani, Benedetto [Public Research Centre Henri Tudor (CRPHT), Resource Centre for Environmental Technologies (CRTE), 6A, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg); Pulselli, Federico Maria [Ecodynamics Group/DEEPS, Department of Environment, Earth and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, Via A. Moro, 2, I-53100 Siena (Italy); Benetto, Enrico [Public Research Centre Henri Tudor (CRPHT), Resource Centre for Environmental Technologies (CRTE), 6A, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg)

2015-03-01

The Kyoto protocol has established an accounting system for national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to a geographic criterion (producer perspective), such as that proposed by the IPCC guidelines for national GHG inventories. However, the representativeness of this approach is still being debated, because the role of final consumers (consumer perspective) is not considered in the emission allocation system. This paper explores the usefulness of a hybrid analysis, including input–output (IO) and process inventory data, as a complementary tool for estimating and allocating national GHG emissions according to both consumer- and producer-based perspectives. We assess the historical GHG impact profile (from 1995 to 2009) of Luxembourg, which is taken as a case study. The country's net consumption over time is estimated to generate about 28,700 Gg CO{sub 2}e/year on average. Compared to the conventional IPCC inventory, the IO-based framework typically shows much higher emission estimations. This relevant discrepancy is mainly due to the different points of view obtained from the hybrid model, in particular with regard to the contribution of imported goods and services. Detailing the GHG inventory by economic activity and considering a wider system boundary make the hybrid IO method advantageous as compared to the IPCC approach, but its effective implementation is still limited by the relatively complex modeling system, as well as the lack of coordination and scarce availability of datasets at the national level. - Highlights: • GHG emissions for Luxembourg are assessed using hybrid input–output (IO) modeling. • Consumer and producer perspectives are compared for the period 1995–2009. • IO-based GHG profiles are remarkably higher than traditional IPCC inventorying. • IO-based GHG accounting presents some advantages but is limited in implementation. • Key-aspects of IPCC and IO-based methods are extensively investigated and compared.

Effects of aerosol emission pathways on future warming and human health

Science.gov (United States)

Partanen, Antti-Ilari; Matthews, Damon

2016-04-01

The peak global temperature is largely determined by cumulative emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases. However, anthropogenic emissions include also so-called short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs), which include aerosol particles and methane. Previous studies with simple models indicate that the timing of SLCF emission reductions has only a small effect on the rate of global warming and even less of an effect on global peak temperatures. However, these simple model analyses do not capture the spatial dynamics of aerosol-climate interactions, nor do they consider the additional effects of aerosol emissions on human health. There is therefore merit in assessing how the timing of aerosol emission reductions affects global temperature and premature mortality caused by elevated aerosol concentrations, using more comprehensive climate models. Here, we used an aerosol-climate model ECHAM-HAMMOZ to simulate the direct and indirect radiative forcing resulting from aerosol emissions. We simulated Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios, and we also designed idealized low and high aerosol emission pathways based on RCP4.5 scenario (LOW and HIGH, respectively). From these simulations, we calculated the Effective Radiative Forcing (ERF) from aerosol emissions between 1850 and 2100, as well as aerosol concentrations used to estimate the premature mortality caused by particulate pollution. We then use the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model to simulate the spatial and temporal pattern of climate response to these aerosol-forcing scenarios, in combination with prescribed emissions of both short and long-lived greenhouse gases according to the RCP4.5 scenario. In the RCP scenarios, global mean ERF declined during the 21st century from -1.3 W m-2 to -0.4 W m-2 (RCP8.5) and -0.2 W m-2 (RCP2.6). In the sensitivity scenarios, the forcing at the end of the 21st century was -1.6 W m-2 (HIGH) and practically zero (LOW). The difference in global mean temperature

Uncovering driving forces on greenhouse gas emissions in China’ aluminum industry from the perspective of life cycle analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhe; Geng, Yong; Adams, Michelle; Dong, Liang; Sun, Lina; Zhao, Jingjing; Dong, Huijuan; Wu, Jiao; Tian, Xu

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Energy-related GHG emission trajectories, features and driving forces of CAI are analyzed from the perspective of LCA. • CAI experienced a rapid growth of energy-related GHG emissions from 2004 to 2013. • Energy-scale effect is the main driving force for energy-related GHG emissions increase in CAI. • Construction and transportation-related activities account for more than 40% of the total embodied emissions. • Policy implications such as developing secondary aluminum industry, improving energy mix etc, are raised. - Abstract: With the rapid growth of aluminum production, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in China’s aluminum industry (CAI) is posing a significant challenge. In this study, the energy-related GHG emission trajectories, features and driving forces of CAI are analyzed from the perspective of life cycle analysis (LCA) from 2004 to 2013. Results indicate that CAI experienced a rapid growth of energy-related GHG emissions with an average annual growth of 28.5 million tons CO_2e from 2004 to 2013. Energy-scale effect is the main driving force for energy-related GHG emissions increase in CAI, while emission-factor effect of secondary aluminum production plays a marginal effect. Construction and transportation-related activities account for the bulk of the embodied emissions, accounting for more than 40% of the total embodied emissions from CAI. Policy implications for GHG mitigation within the CAI, such as developing secondary aluminum industry, improving energy mix and optimizing resource efficiency of production, are raised.

The evaluation of stack metal emissions from hazardous waste incinerators: assessing human exposure through noninhalation pathways.

OpenAIRE

Sedman, R M; Polisini, J M; Esparza, J R

1994-01-01

Potential public health effects associated with exposure to metal emissions from hazardous waste incinerators through noninhalation pathways were evaluated. Instead of relying on modeling the movement of toxicants through various environmental media, an approach based on estimating changes from baseline levels of exposure was employed. Changes in soil and water As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Cr, and Be concentrations that result from incinerator emissions were first determined. Estimates of changes in human...

China's transportation energy consumption and CO2 emissions from a global perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, Xiang; Chen, Wenying; Eom, Jiyong; Clarke, Leon E.; Kim, Son H.; Patel, Pralit L.; Yu, Sha; Kyle, G. Page

2015-01-01

Rapidly growing energy demand from China's transportation sector in the last two decades have raised concerns over national energy security, local air pollution, and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, and there is broad consensus that China's transportation sector will continue to grow in the coming decades. This paper explores the future development of China's transportation sector in terms of service demands, final energy consumption, and CO 2 emissions, and their interactions with global climate policy. This study develops a detailed China transportation energy model that is nested in an integrated assessment model—Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM)—to evaluate the long-term energy consumption and CO 2 emissions of China's transportation sector from a global perspective. The analysis suggests that, without major policy intervention, future transportation energy consumption and CO 2 emissions will continue to rapidly increase and the transportation sector will remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Although carbon price policies may significantly reduce the sector's energy consumption and CO 2 emissions, the associated changes in service demands and modal split will be modest, particularly in the passenger transport sector. The analysis also suggests that it is more difficult to decarbonize the transportation sector than other sectors of the economy, primarily owing to its heavy reliance on petroleum products. -- Highlights: •Transport sector in China are analyzed from a global perspective. •Passenger transport turnover reduction and modal shifts is less sensitive to carbon price. •Bio-fuel, electricity and H 2 will play an important role for carbon mitigation in transport sector. •The transport sector is more difficult to decarbonize than other sectors

Hydrogen Pathways: Updated Cost, Well-to-Wheels Energy Use, and Emissions for the Current Technology Status of Ten Hydrogen Production, Delivery, and Distribution Scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramsden, T.; Ruth, M.; Diakov, V.; Laffen, M.; Timbario, T. A.

2013-03-01

This report describes a life-cycle assessment conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of 10 hydrogen production, delivery, dispensing, and use pathways that were evaluated for cost, energy use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This evaluation updates and expands on a previous assessment of seven pathways conducted in 2009. This study summarizes key results, parameters, and sensitivities to those parameters for the 10 hydrogen pathways, reporting on the levelized cost of hydrogen in 2007 U.S. dollars as well as life-cycle well-to-wheels energy use and GHG emissions associated with the pathways.

Regional disparity analysis of Chinese freight transport CO2 emissions from 1990 to 2007

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Xiao; Dong, Liang; Dou, Yi

2016-01-01

Low-carbon urban development has been regarded as a promising is hot spot of global concern on fighting pathway for mitigatingto climate change, whileand transportation sector as a key role contributes takes a significant proportion to the total CO2 emission. Investigate Investigating the driving...... insights from an evolving perspective. Up to date, there are many emerging case studies on the analysis on urban transport CO2 emission in China; however it, but lacks in-depth decomposition and causal mechanism analysis, as well as comparative study. Under this circumstanceIn order to fill this gap...

Development of net energy ratio and emission factor for quad-generation pathways

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rudra, Souman; Rosendahl, Lasse; Kumar, Amit

2014-01-01

of this study was to evaluate the energy performance, reduce GHG and acid rain precursor emission, and use of biomass for different outputs based on demand. Finally, a sensitivity analysis and a comparative study ar conducted for expected technological improvements and factors that could increase the energy......, methanol and methane. Circulating fluidized bed gasifier and the gas technology institute (GTI) gasifier technologies are used for this quad-generation process. Two different biomass feedstocks are considered in this study. The net energy ratio for six different pathways having the range of between 1...

Technological shape and size: A disaggregated perspective on sectoral innovation systems in renewable electrification pathways

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ulrich Elmer; Gregersen, Cecilia; Lema, Rasmus

2018-01-01

important analytical implications because the disaggregated perspective allows us to identify trajectories that cut across conventionally defined core technologies. This is important for ongoing discussions of electrification pathways in developing countries. We conclude the paper by distilling......The sectoral innovation system perspective has been developed as an analytical framework to analyse and understand innovation dynamics within and across various sectors. Most of the research conducted on sectoral innovation systems has focused on an aggregate-level analysis of entire sectors....... This paper argues that a disaggregated (sub-sectoral) focus is more suited to policy-oriented work on the development and diffusion of renewable energy, particularly in countries with rapidly developing energy systems and open technology choices. It focuses on size, distinguishing between small-scale (mini...

Assessment of mitigation pathways of GHG emissions from the Korean waste sector through 2050

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongjoo Chung

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The waste sector may play a significant role in national mitigation policies with further greenhouse gas (GHG reduction opportunities mainly because of its linkage to other sectors. However, the waste sector has not drawn much attention from research community mainly because the amount of GHG emissions from the waste sector is notably smaller than other sectors. This study presents emissions estimation and mitigation potentials of the waste sector in Korea. Emission estimates and business-as-usual emissions through 2050 are estimated based on four different treatment methods, including landfill, incineration, wastewater, and biological treatment by considering country-specific emission parameters of wastes, where available. Different types of wastes for each treatment method are investigated to obtain accurate emission estimates. It is expected that GHG emissions in 2050 are about 12.0 Tg CO2eq, which is 17% less than those in 2010. Mitigation potentials and economic impacts of five different measures are also investigated, and it is revealed that the production of refuse drive fuel from combustible municipal solid wastes may render the greatest benefit with the most mitigation potential of 649 kt CO2eq. An interdependent nature among mitigation measures is further discussed and it is shown that, if implemented together, the accumulated mitigation potentials are far less than the simple sum of individual potentials. It is implied that an aggregate potential of individual measures needs to be examined when implementing several mitigation measures simultaneously. This study outlines how to investigate emissions estimation and mitigation pathways for the waste sector in a national level. Keywords: Greenhouse gas, Emissions estimation, Waste treatment, Mitigation potential, Marginal abatement cost

Sharing responsibility for carbon dioxide emissions: A perspective on border tax adjustments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Ning

2013-01-01

Concerns about the equity and efficiency of current allocation principles related to responsibility for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions have been presented in the recent literature. The objective of this paper is to design a calculation framework for shared responsibility from the perspective of border tax adjustments. The advantage of this framework is that it makes the shared responsibility principle and border carbon taxation complementary to each other; these are important policies for reducing global CO 2 emissions, but they are individually supported by developing and developed countries. As an illustration, the proposed framework is applied to data from China in 2007. The empirical results show that for the Chinese economy as a whole, changing from the production-based criterion to the shared responsibility approach would lead to an 11% decrease in its responsibility for CO 2 emissions. Moreover, the differences observed between the production-based criterion and the shared responsibility approach are considerable in several sectors; for example, changing from the production-based criterion to the shared principle would lead to a 60% decrease in the responsibility of the textile sector. - Highlights: • This paper designs a shared responsibility calculation framework for CO 2 emissions. • This paper suggests that the carbon tariff rate serve as a basis for calculating shared responsibility. • The proposed framework is applied to data from China in 2007. • Shared responsibility principle will significantly decrease China's responsibility for CO 2 emissions

Therapeutic implications of chemokine-mediated pathways in atherosclerosis: realistic perspectives and utopias.

Science.gov (United States)

Apostolakis, Stavros; Amanatidou, Virginia; Spandidos, Demetrios A

2010-09-01

Current perspectives on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis strongly support the involvement of inflammatory mediators in the establishment and progression of atherosclerostic lesions. Chemokine-mediated mechanisms are potent regulators of such processes by orchestrating the interactions of inflammatory cellular components of the peripheral blood with cellular components of the arterial wall. The increasing evidence supporting the role of chemokine pathways in atherosclerosis renders chemokine ligands and their receptors potential therapeutic targets. In the following review, we aim to highlight the special structural and functional features of chemokines and their receptors in respect to their roles in atherosclerosis, and examine to what extent available data can be applied in disease management practices.

Energy use and CO2 emissions of China's industrial sector from a global perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Sheng; Kyle, G. Page; Yu, Sha; Clarke, Leon E.; Eom, Jiyong; Luckow, Patrick; Chaturvedi, Vaibhav; Zhang, Xiliang; Edmonds, James A.

2013-01-01

The industrial sector has accounted for more than 50% of China's final energy consumption in the past 30 years. Understanding the future emissions and emissions mitigation opportunities depends on proper characterization of the present-day industrial energy use, as well as industrial demand drivers and technological opportunities in the future. Traditionally, however, integrated assessment research has handled the industrial sector of China in a highly aggregate form. In this study, we develop a technologically detailed, service-oriented representation of 11 industrial subsectors in China, and analyze a suite of scenarios of future industrial demand growth. We find that, due to anticipated saturation of China's per-capita demands of basic industrial goods, industrial energy demand and CO 2 emissions approach a plateau between 2030 and 2040, then decrease gradually. Still, without emissions mitigation policies, the industrial sector remains heavily reliant on coal, and therefore emissions-intensive. With carbon prices, we observe some degree of industrial sector electrification, deployment of CCS at large industrial point sources of CO 2 emissions at low carbon prices, an increase in the share of CHP systems at industrial facilities. These technological responses amount to reductions of industrial emissions (including indirect emission from electricity) are of 24% in 2050 and 66% in 2095. - Highlights: • Eleven industrial subsectors in China are detail analyzed from a global perspective. • Industrial energy use and CO 2 emissions will approach a plateau between 2030 and 2040. • Industrial CHP and CCS are truly encouraged by carbon tax. • Some degree of industrial sector electrification are observed by carbon tax

A human-scale perspective on global warming: Zero emission year and personal quotas

Science.gov (United States)

Rojas, Maisa; Mac Lean, Claudia

2017-01-01

This article builds on the premise that human consumption of goods, food and transport are the ultimate drivers of climate change. However, the nature of the climate change problem (well described as a tragedy of the commons) makes it difficult for individuals to recognise their personal duty to implement behavioural changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, this article aims to analyse the climate change issue from a human-scale perspective, in which each of us has a clearly defined personal quota of CO2 emissions that limits our activity and there is a finite time during which CO2 emissions must be eliminated to achieve the “well below 2°C” warming limit set by the Paris Agreement of 2015 (COP21). Thus, this work’s primary contribution is to connect an equal per capita fairness approach to a global carbon budget, linking personal levels with planetary levels. Here, we show that a personal quota of 5.0 tons of CO2 yr-1 p-1 is a representative value for both past and future emissions; for this level of a constant per-capita emissions and without considering any mitigation, the global accumulated emissions compatible with the “well below 2°C” and 2°C targets will be exhausted by 2030 and 2050, respectively. These are references years that provide an order of magnitude of the time that is left to reverse the global warming trend. More realistic scenarios that consider a smooth transition toward a zero-emission world show that the global accumulated emissions compatible with the “well below 2°C” and 2°C targets will be exhausted by 2040 and 2080, respectively. Implications of this paper include a return to personal responsibility following equity principles among individuals, and a definition of boundaries to the personal emissions of CO2. PMID:28628676

A human-scale perspective on global warming: Zero emission year and personal quotas.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Fuente, Alberto; Rojas, Maisa; Mac Lean, Claudia

2017-01-01

This article builds on the premise that human consumption of goods, food and transport are the ultimate drivers of climate change. However, the nature of the climate change problem (well described as a tragedy of the commons) makes it difficult for individuals to recognise their personal duty to implement behavioural changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, this article aims to analyse the climate change issue from a human-scale perspective, in which each of us has a clearly defined personal quota of CO2 emissions that limits our activity and there is a finite time during which CO2 emissions must be eliminated to achieve the "well below 2°C" warming limit set by the Paris Agreement of 2015 (COP21). Thus, this work's primary contribution is to connect an equal per capita fairness approach to a global carbon budget, linking personal levels with planetary levels. Here, we show that a personal quota of 5.0 tons of CO2 yr-1 p-1 is a representative value for both past and future emissions; for this level of a constant per-capita emissions and without considering any mitigation, the global accumulated emissions compatible with the "well below 2°C" and 2°C targets will be exhausted by 2030 and 2050, respectively. These are references years that provide an order of magnitude of the time that is left to reverse the global warming trend. More realistic scenarios that consider a smooth transition toward a zero-emission world show that the global accumulated emissions compatible with the "well below 2°C" and 2°C targets will be exhausted by 2040 and 2080, respectively. Implications of this paper include a return to personal responsibility following equity principles among individuals, and a definition of boundaries to the personal emissions of CO2.

Scenario analysis of China's emissions pathways in the 21st century for low carbon transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Tao; Watson, Jim

2010-01-01

China's growing demand for energy - and its dependence on coal - has seen its carbon emissions increase more than 50% since 2000. Within the debate about mitigating global climate change, there is mounting pressure for emerging economies like China to take more responsibility for reducing their carbon emissions within a post-2012 international climate change policy framework. For China, this leads to fundamental questions about how feasible it is for the country to shift away from its recent carbon intensive pattern of growth. This paper presents some general results of scenarios that have been developed to investigate how China might continue to develop within a cumulative carbon emissions budget. The results show how changes in the key sectors of the Chinese economy could enable China to follow four different low carbon development pathways, each of which complies with a cumulative emissions constraint. Each scenario reflects different priorities for governmental decision making, infrastructure investments and social preferences. Having compared the key features of each scenario, the paper concludes with some implications for Chinese government policy.

Priming by Hexanoic acid induce activation of mevalonic and linolenic pathways and promotes the emission of plant volatiles.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugenio eLlorens

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Hexanoic acid is a short natural monocarboxylic acid present in some fruits and plants. Previous studies reported that soil drench application of this acid induces effective resistance in tomato plants against Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae and in citrus against Alternaria alternata and Xanthomonas citri. In this work, we performed an in deep study of the metabolic changes produced in citrus by the application of hexanoic acid in response to the challenge pathogen Alternaria alternata, focusing on the response of the plant. Moreover, we used 13C labeled hexanoic to analyze its behavior inside the plants. Finally, we studied the volatile emission of the treated plants after the challenge inoculation. Drench application of 13C labeled hexanoic demonstrated that this molecule stays in the roots and is not mobilized to the leaves, suggesting long distance induction of resistance. Moreover, the study of the metabolic profile showed an alteration of more than two hundred molecules differentially induced by the application of the compound and the inoculation with the fungus. Bioinformatics analysis of data showed that most of these altered molecules could be related with the mevalonic and linolenic pathways suggesting the implication of these pathways in the induced resistance mediated by hexanoic acid. Finally, the application of this compound showed an enhancement of the emission of 17 volatile metabolites. Taken together, this study indicates that after the application of hexanoic acid this compound remains in the roots, provoking molecular changes that may trigger the defensive response in the rest of the plant mediated by changes in the mevalonic and linolenic pathways and enhancing the emission of volatile compounds, suggesting for the first time the implication of mevalonic pathway in response to hexanoic application.

The impact of aerosol emissions on the 1.5 °C pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Hienola, Anca; Partanen, Antti-Ilari; Pietikäinen, Joni-Pekka; O’Donnell, Declan; Korhonen, Hannele; Damon Matthews, H.; Laaksonen, Ari

2018-04-01

To assess the impact of anthropogenic aerosol emission reduction on limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 °C or 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, two climate modeling approaches have been used (MAGICC6, and a combination of ECHAM-HAMMOZ and the UVic ESCM), with two aerosol control pathways under two greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction scenarios. We found that aerosol emission reductions associated with CO2 co-emissions had a significant warming effect during the first half of the century and that the near-term warming is dependent on the pace of aerosol emission reduction. The modeling results show that these aerosol emission reductions account for about 0.5 °C warming relative to 2015, on top of the 1 °C above pre-industrial levels that were already reached in 2015. We found also that the decreases in aerosol emissions lead to different decreases in the magnitude of the aerosol radiative forcing in the two models. By 2100, the aerosol forcing is projected by ECHAM–UVic to diminish in magnitude by 0.96 W m‑2 and by MAGICC6 by 0.76 W m‑2 relative to 2000. Despite this discrepancy, the climate responses in terms of temperature are similar. Aggressive aerosol control due to air quality legislation affects the peak temperature, which is 0.2 °C–0.3 °C above the 1.5 °C limit even within the most ambitious CO2/GHG reduction scenario. At the end of the century, the temperature differences between aerosol reduction scenarios in the context of ambitious CO2 mitigation are negligible.

Mangroves act as a small methane source: an investigation on 5 pathways of methane emissions from mangroves

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, H.; Peng, C.; Guan, W.; Liao, B.; Hu, J.

2017-12-01

The methane (CH4) source strength of mangroves is not well understood, especially for integrating all CH4 pathways. This study measured CH4 fluxes by five pathways (sediments, pneumatophores, water surface, leaves, and stems) from four typical mangrove forests in Changning River of Hainan Island, China, including Kandelia candel , Sonneratia apetala, Laguncularia racemosa and Bruguiera gymnoihiza-Bruguiera sexangula. The CH4 fluxes (mean ± SE) from sediments were 4.82 ± 1.46 mg CH4 m-2 h-1 for those without pneumatophores and 1.36 ± 0.17 mg CH4 m-2 h-1 for those with pneumatophores. Among the three communities with pneumatophores, S. apetala community had significantly greater emission rate than the other two. Pneumatophores in S. apetala were found to significantly decrease CH4 emission from sediments (P duck farming. Leaves of mangroves except for K. candel were a weak CH4 sink while stems a weak source. As a whole the 72 ha of mangroves in the Changning river basin emitted about 8.10 Gg CH4 yr-1 with a weighted emission rate of about 1.29 mg CH4 m-2 h-1, therefore only a small methane source to the atmosphere compared to other reported ones. Keywords: Greenhouse Gases; Biogeochemistry; Tropical ecosystems; Methane budget

Lifecycle impacts of natural gas to hydrogen pathways on urban air quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Guihua; Ogden, Joan M.; Nicholas, Michael A.

2007-01-01

In this paper we examine the potential air quality impacts of hydrogen transportation fuel from a lifecycle analysis perspective, including impacts from fuel production, delivery, and vehicle use. We assume that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are introduced in a specific region, Sacramento County, California. We consider two levels of market penetration where 9% or 20% of the light duty fleet are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The following three natural gas to hydrogen supply pathways are assessed in detail and compared in terms of emissions and the resulting changes in ambient air quality: (1) onsite hydrogen production; (2) centralized hydrogen production with gaseous hydrogen pipeline delivery systems; and (3) centralized hydrogen production with liquid hydrogen truck delivery systems. All the pathways examined use steam methane reforming (SMR) of natural gas to produce hydrogen. The source contributions to incremental air pollution are estimated and compared among hydrogen pathways. All of the hydrogen pathways result in extremely low contributions to ambient air concentrations of NO x , CO, particulates, and SO x , typically less than 0.1% of the current ambient pollution for both levels of market penetration. Among the hydrogen supply options, it is found that the central SMR with pipeline delivery systems is the lowest pollution option available provided the plant is located to avoid transport of pollutants into the city via prevailing winds. The onsite hydrogen pathway is comparable to the central hydrogen pathway with pipeline systems in terms of the resulting air pollution. The pathway with liquid hydrogen trucks has a greater impact on air quality relative to the other pathways due to emissions associated with diesel trucks and electricity consumption to liquefy hydrogen. However, all three hydrogen pathways result in negligible air pollution in the region. (author)

Negative Emissions: Where Will the Carbon Come From?

Science.gov (United States)

Aines, R. D.; McCoy, S. T.

2017-12-01

The need for energy technologies that remove carbon dioxide from the air grows with each year of delay in acting to address climate change. The most commonly mentioned approach for achieving that, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), today is largely a modeler's concept, not a technology. Thus, in the near term how can we confidently discuss the scale of biomass for energy with a net reduction in CO2 concentrations in the absence of examples? As a first step toward achieving that research objective, this talk frames the likely ways in which net reductions in CO2 concentrations can be achieved from a lifecycle perspective, and the pathways through which biomass can be converted to fuels and materials while removing CO2 from the atmosphere. We will address questions such as: What pathways exist for converting biomass into transportation fuels, electricity, and materials? How can we capture and manage the carbon dioxide emissions from these kinds of activities? And, what are the tradeoffs between pathways? We have conducted preliminary analyses of some of the common biofuel production pathways, such as ethanol from corn with and without carbon capture. These pathways are still uniformly carbon positive, that is to say, they do not achieve the goal of reducing atmospheric CO2, even if they result in lower emissions than do petroleum-based fuels. More advanced pathways appear to have the capacity for minor atmospheric reductions, including those for drop-in replacement transportation fuels and some long-lived materials. Targets and options for improving these technologies to the point that they can, in fact, be carbon negative will be discussed, including pre-processing of the biomass near the production site to reduce transportation emissions, finding ways to manage small CO2 sources associated with processing, and uses of biochar. We will end with a summary of near-term RD&D needs to advance carbon-negative pathways and the associated technologies. This

Examination of a climate stabilization pathway via zero-emissions using Earth system models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nohara, Daisuke; Tsutsui, J; Watanabe, S; Tachiiri, K; Hajima, T; Okajima, H; Matsuno, T

2015-01-01

Long-term climate experiments up to the year 2300 have been conducted using two full-scale complex Earth system models (ESMs), CESM1(BGC) and MIROC-ESM, for a CO 2 emissions reduction pathway, termed Z650, where annual CO 2 emissions peak at 11 PgC in 2020, decline by 50% every 30 years, and reach zero in 2160. The results have been examined by focusing on the approximate linear relationship between the temperature increase and cumulative CO 2 emissions. Although the temperature increase is nearly proportional to the cumulative CO 2 emissions in both models, this relationship does not necessarily provide a robust basis for the restriction of CO 2 emissions because it is substantially modulated by non-CO 2 forcing. CO 2 -induced warming, estimated from the atmospheric CO 2 concentrations in the models, indicates an approximate compensation of nonlinear changes between fast-mode responses to concentration changes at less than 10 years and slow-mode response at more than 100 years due to the thermal inertia of the ocean. In this estimate, CESM1(BGC) closely approximates a linear trend of 1.7 °C per 1000 PgC, whereas MIROC-ESM shows a deviation toward higher temperatures after the emissions peak, from 1.8 °C to 2.4 °C per 1000 PgC over the range of 400–850 PgC cumulative emissions corresponding to years 2000–2050. The evolution of temperature under zero emissions, 2160–2300, shows a slight decrease of about 0.1 °C per century in CESM1(BGC), but remains almost constant in MIROC-ESM. The fast-mode response toward the equilibrium state decreases with a decrease in the airborne fraction owing to continued CO 2 uptake (carbon cycle inertia), whereas the slow-mode response results in more warming owing to continued heat uptake (thermal inertia). Several specific differences are noted between the two models regarding the degree of this compensation and in some key regional aspects associated with sustained warming and long-term climate risks. Overall, elevated

Current and Future United States Light-Duty Vehicle Pathways: Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elgowainy, Amgad [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States; Han, Jeongwoo [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States; Ward, Jacob [United States Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585, United States; Joseck, Fred [United States Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585, United States; Gohlke, David [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States; Lindauer, Alicia [United States Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585, United States; Ramsden, Todd [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States; Biddy, Mary [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States; Alexander, Mark [Electric Power Research Institute, Palo; Barnhart, Steven [FCA US LLC, Auburn Hills, Michigan 48326, United States; Sutherland, Ian [General Motors, Pontiac, Michigan 48340, United States; Verduzco, Laura [Chevron Corporation, Richmond, California 94802, United States; Wallington, Timothy J. [Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan 48121, United States

2018-01-30

This article presents a cradle-to-grave (C2G) assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and costs for current (2015) and future (2025-2030) light-duty vehicles. The analysis addressed both fuel cycle and vehicle manufacturing cycle for the following vehicle types: gasoline and diesel internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), flex fuel vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Gasoline ICEVs using current technology have C2G emissions of ~450 gCO2e/mi (grams of carbon dioxide equivalents per mile), while C2G emissions from HEVs, PHEVs, H2 FCEVs, and BEVs range from 300-350 gCO2e/mi. Future vehicle efficiency gains are expected to reduce emissions to ~350 gCO2/mi for ICEVs and ~250 gCO2e/mi for HEVs, PHEVs, FCEVs, and BEVs. Utilizing low-carbon fuel pathways yields GHG reductions more than double those achieved by vehicle efficiency gains alone. Levelized costs of driving (LCDs) are in the range $0.25-$1.00/mi depending on time frame and vehicle-fuel technology. In all cases, vehicle cost represents the major (60-90%) contribution to LCDs. Currently, HEV and PHEV petroleum-fueled vehicles provide the most attractive cost in terms of avoided carbon emissions, although they offer lower potential GHG reductions. The ranges of LCD and cost of avoided carbon are narrower for the future technology pathways, reflecting the expected economic competitiveness of these alternative vehicles and fuels.

Alternative pathways to the 1.5 °C target reduce the need for negative emission technologies

Science.gov (United States)

van Vuuren, Detlef P.; Stehfest, Elke; Gernaat, David E. H. J.; van den Berg, Maarten; Bijl, David L.; de Boer, Harmen Sytze; Daioglou, Vassilis; Doelman, Jonathan C.; Edelenbosch, Oreane Y.; Harmsen, Mathijs; Hof, Andries F.; van Sluisveld, Mariësse A. E.

2018-05-01

Mitigation scenarios that achieve the ambitious targets included in the Paris Agreement typically rely on greenhouse gas emission reductions combined with net carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from the atmosphere, mostly accomplished through large-scale application of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, and afforestation. However, CDR strategies face several difficulties such as reliance on underground CO2 storage and competition for land with food production and biodiversity protection. The question arises whether alternative deep mitigation pathways exist. Here, using an integrated assessment model, we explore the impact of alternative pathways that include lifestyle change, additional reduction of non-CO2 greenhouse gases and more rapid electrification of energy demand based on renewable energy. Although these alternatives also face specific difficulties, they are found to significantly reduce the need for CDR, but not fully eliminate it. The alternatives offer a means to diversify transition pathways to meet the Paris Agreement targets, while simultaneously benefiting other sustainability goals.

NF-κB-IKKβ pathway as a target for drug development: realities, challenges and perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Freitas, Rosana H C N; Fraga, Carlos A M

2018-02-19

Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) comprises a family of proteins that act as transcription factors promoting the expression of many genes. Activation of NF-κB biochemical cascades is associated with the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses and inflammation, among other physiological responses. However, genetic abnormalities and continuous stimulation of the NF-κB-IKKβ pathway are directly related to many types of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, as well as to the genesis and survival of tumor cells. Inhibition of the NF-κB-IKKβ cascade can be considered an attractive therapeutic method for the genesis of new prototypes to combat these chronic multifactorial diseases. This review describes some prototypes and drugs that act to inhibit the NF-κB-IKKβ pathway, highlighting the realities, challenges and perspectives for therapeutic use. Although only proteasome inhibitors, such as bortezomib and carfilzomib, are a reality as therapeutically useful drugs among the known modulators of possible targets in the NF-κB-IKKβ pathway, some other prototypes described as IKKβ inhibitors have entered clinical stages as drug candidates for the control of inflammatory diseases. It is important to note that some classical drugs available on the pharmaceutical market, such as acetylsalicylic acid, were also described more recently as NF-κB pathway modulators as IKKβ inhibitors. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Voluntary work and the relationship with unemployment, health, and well-being: a two-year follow-up study contrasting a materialistic and psychosocial pathway perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Griep, Yannick; Hyde, Martin; Vantilborgh, Tim; Bidee, Jemima; De Witte, Hans; Pepermans, Roland

2015-04-01

In the present study we contrast materialistic (i.e., income and economic inequality) and psychosocial (i.e., social circumstances) pathway perspectives on whether volunteering while being unemployed mitigates the well-documented negative effects of unemployment on health, health behaviors, and well-being. We test our hypotheses using data from the 2010 and 2012 waves of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Study of Health (SLOSH; n = 717). This is a nationally representative, longitudinal, cohort survey. We compared groups of individuals who were (a) unemployed and volunteering during both SLOSH waves (n = 58), (b) unemployed and not volunteering during both SLOSH waves (n = 194), (c) employed and volunteering during both SLOSH waves (n = 139), and (d) employed and not volunteering during both SLOSH waves (n = 326). Conducting a path analysis in Mplus, we examined the interaction effects between labor market status (i.e., employed or unemployed) and voluntary work (i.e., volunteering or not) when predicting changes in health, health behaviors, and psychological well-being. Our results indicate that volunteering during unemployment significantly decreased the likelihood to smoke, the amount of cigarettes smoked, the likelihood of consuming alcohol, and the likelihood of being diagnosed with hypertension. These results support a psychosocial pathway perspective. For all other indicators no such buffering interaction effect was obtained, thereby supporting a materialistic pathway perspective. Nevertheless, for some indicators, volunteering was found to be beneficial for both the unemployed and employed. Consequently, integrating both perspectives might offer a better explanation for the onset of ill-health and ill-being. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of 'Cash for Clunkers' on greenhouse gas emissions: a life cycle perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenski, Shoshannah M; Keoleian, Gregory A; Bolon, Kevin M

2010-01-01

One of the goals of the US Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act of 2009, more commonly known as 'Cash for Clunkers', was to improve the US vehicle fleet fuel efficiency. Previous studies of the program's environmental impact have focused mainly on the effect of improved fuel economy, and the resulting reductions in fuel use and emissions during the vehicle use phase. We propose and apply a method for analyzing the net effect of CARS on greenhouse gas emissions from a full vehicle life cycle perspective, including the impact of premature production and retirement of vehicles. We find that CARS had a one-time effect of preventing 4.4 million metric tons of CO 2 -equivalent emissions, about 0.4% of US annual light-duty vehicle emissions. Of these, 3.7 million metric tons are avoided during the period of the expected remaining life of the inefficient 'clunkers'. 1.5 million metric tons are avoided as consumers purchase vehicles that are more efficient than their next replacement vehicle would otherwise have been. An additional 0.8 million metric tons are emitted as a result of premature manufacturing and disposal of vehicles. These results are sensitive to the remaining lifetime of the 'clunkers' and to the fuel economy of new vehicles in the absence of CARS, suggesting important considerations for policymakers deliberating on the use of accelerated vehicle retirement programs as a part of the greenhouse gas emissions policy.

Current and Future United States Light-Duty Vehicle Pathways: Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Elgowainy, Amgad; Han, Jeongwoo; Ward, Jacob; Joseck, Fred; Gohlke, David; Lindauer, Alicia; Ramsden, Todd; Biddy, Mary; Alexander, Mark; Barnhart, Steven; Sutherland, Ian; Verduzco, Laura; Wallington, Timothy J

2018-02-20

This article presents a cradle-to-grave (C2G) assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and costs for current (2015) and future (2025-2030) light-duty vehicles. The analysis addressed both fuel cycle and vehicle manufacturing cycle for the following vehicle types: gasoline and diesel internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), flex fuel vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Gasoline ICEVs using current technology have C2G emissions of ∼450 gCO 2 e/mi (grams of carbon dioxide equivalents per mile), while C2G emissions from HEVs, PHEVs, H 2 FCEVs, and BEVs range from 300-350 gCO 2 e/mi. Future vehicle efficiency gains are expected to reduce emissions to ∼350 gCO 2 /mi for ICEVs and ∼250 gCO 2e /mi for HEVs, PHEVs, FCEVs, and BEVs. Utilizing low-carbon fuel pathways yields GHG reductions more than double those achieved by vehicle efficiency gains alone. Levelized costs of driving (LCDs) are in the range $0.25-$1.00/mi depending on time frame and vehicle-fuel technology. In all cases, vehicle cost represents the major (60-90%) contribution to LCDs. Currently, HEV and PHEV petroleum-fueled vehicles provide the most attractive cost in terms of avoided carbon emissions, although they offer lower potential GHG reductions. The ranges of LCD and cost of avoided carbon are narrower for the future technology pathways, reflecting the expected economic competitiveness of these alternative vehicles and fuels.

Current and Future United States Light-Duty Vehicle Pathways: Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elgowainy, Amgad [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States; Han, Jeongwoo [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States; Ward, Jacob [United States Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585, United States; Joseck, Fred [United States Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585, United States; Gohlke, David [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States; Lindauer, Alicia [United States Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585, United States; Ramsden, Todd [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States; Biddy, Mary [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States; Alexander, Mark [Electric Power Research Institute, Palo; Barnhart, Steven [FCA US LLC, Auburn Hills, Michigan 48326, United States; Sutherland, Ian [General Motors, Pontiac, Michigan 48340, United States; Verduzco, Laura [Chevron Corporation, Richmond, California 94802, United States; Wallington, Timothy J. [Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan 48121, United States

2018-01-30

This article presents a cradle-to-grave (C2G) assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and costs for current (2015) and future (2025–2030) light-duty vehicles. The analysis addressed both fuel cycle and vehicle manufacturing cycle for the following vehicle types: gasoline and diesel internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), flex fuel vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Gasoline ICEVs using current technology have C2G emissions of ~450 gCO2e/mi (grams of carbon dioxide equivalents per mile), while C2G emissions from HEVs, PHEVs, H2 FCEVs, and BEVs range from 300–350 gCO2e/mi. Future vehicle efficiency gains are expected to reduce emissions to ~350 gCO2/mi for ICEVs and ~250 gCO2e/mi for HEVs, PHEVs, FCEVs and BEVs. Utilizing low-carbon fuel pathways yields GHG reductions more than double those achieved by vehicle efficiency gains alone. Levelized costs of driving (LCDs) are in the range $0.25–$1.00/mi depending on timeframe and vehicle-fuel technology. In all cases, vehicle cost represents the major (60–90%) contribution to LCDs. Currently, HEV and PHEV petroleum-fueled vehicles provide the most attractive cost in terms of avoided carbon emissions, although they offer lower potential GHG reductions The ranges of LCD and cost of avoided carbon are narrower for the future technology pathways, reflecting the expected economic competitiveness of these alternative vehicles and fuels.

Multi-model comparison of CO2 emissions peaking in China: Lessons from CEMF01 study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleg Lugovoy

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The paper summarizes results of the China Energy Modeling Forum's (CEMF first study. Carbon emissions peaking scenarios, consistent with China's Paris commitment, have been simulated with seven national and industry-level energy models and compared. The CO2 emission trends in the considered scenarios peak from 2015 to 2030 at the level of 9–11 Gt. Sector-level analysis suggests that total emissions pathways before 2030 will be determined mainly by dynamics of emissions in the electric power industry and transportation sector. Both sectors will experience significant increase in demand, but have low-carbon alternative options for development. Based on a side-by-side comparison of modeling input and results, conclusions have been drawn regarding the sources of emissions projections differences, which include data, views on economic perspectives, or models' structure and theoretical framework. Some suggestions have been made regarding energy models' development priorities for further research. Keywords: Carbon emissions projections, Climate change, CO2 emissions peak, China's Paris commitment, Top-Down energy models, Bottom-Up energy models, Multi model comparative study, China Energy Modeling Forum (CEMF

Expression of MEP Pathway Genes and Non-volatile Sequestration Are Associated with Circadian Rhythm of Dominant Terpenoids Emission in Osmanthus fragrans Lour. Flowers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riru Zheng

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Osmanthus fragrans Lour. is one of the top 10 traditional ornamental flowers in China famous for its unique fragrance. Preliminary study proved that the terpenoids including ionone, linalool, and ocimene and their derivatives are the dominant aroma-active compounds that contribute greatly to the scent bouquet. Pollination observation implies the emission of aromatic terpenoids may follow a circadian rhythm. In this study, we investigated the variation of volatile terpenoids and its potential regulators. The results showed that both volatile and non-volatile terpenoids presented circadian oscillation with high emission or accumulation during the day and low emission or accumulation during the night. The volatile terpenoids always increased to reach their maximum values at 12:00 h, while free and glycosylated compounds continued increasing throughout the day. The depletion of non-volatile pool might provide the substrates for volatile emission at 0:00–6:00, suggesting the sequestration of non-volatile compounds acted like a buffer regulating emission of terpenoids. Further detection of MEP pathway genes demonstrated that their expressions increased significantly in parallel with the evident increase of both volatile and non-volatile terpenoids during the day, indicating that the gene expressions were also closely associated with terpenoid formation. Thus, the expression of MEP pathway genes and internal sequestration both played crucial roles in modulating circadian rhythm of terpenoid emission in O. fragrans.

Well-to-wheels analysis of hydrogen based fuel-cell vehicle pathways in Shanghai

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Zhijia; Zhang Xu

2006-01-01

Due to high energy efficiency and zero emissions, some believe fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) could revolutionize the automobile industry by replacing internal combustion engine technology, and first boom in China. However, hydrogen infrastructure is one of the major barriers. Because different H 2 pathways have very different energy and emissions effects, the well-to-wheels (WTW) analyses are necessary for adequately evaluating fuel/vehicle systems. The pathways used to supply H 2 for FCVs must be carefully examined by their WTW energy use, greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, total criteria pollutions emissions, and urban criteria pollutions emissions. Ten hydrogen pathways in Shanghai have been simulated. The results include well-to-wheels energy use, GHGs emissions, total criteria pollutions and urban criteria pollutions. A fuel-cycle model developed at Argonne National Laboratory-called the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model-was used to evaluate well-to-wheels energy and emissions impacts of hydrogen pathways in this study. Because the initial GREET model had no coal and naphtha-based hydrogen pathways, four hydrogen pathway computer programs were added to GREET in the research. To analyze uncertain impacts, commercial software, Crystal Ball(TM) was used to conduct Monte Carlo simulations. Hence, instead of point estimates, the results of this study were probability distributions. Through the research of H 2 pathways in Shanghai, the following conclusions were achieved:(1)All the pathways have significant reductions in WTW petroleum use, except two H 2 pathways from naphtha, which achieve about 20% reductions in WTW petroleum. (2)All the pathways have significant reductions in WTW urban criteria pollutions emissions, except two H 2 pathways from coal, which result in significant increases in WTW urban SO X emissions. (3)The NG-based H 2 pathways have the best WTW energy efficiencies, and the electrolysis H 2 pathways

Circadian Rhythms in Floral Scent Emission.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenske, Myles P; Imaizumi, Takato

2016-01-01

To successfully recruit pollinators, plants often release attractive floral scents at specific times of day to coincide with pollinator foraging. This timing of scent emission is thought to be evolutionarily beneficial to maximize resource efficiency while attracting only useful pollinators. Temporal regulation of scent emission is tied to the activity of the specific metabolic pathways responsible for scent production. Although floral volatile profiling in various plants indicated a contribution by the circadian clock, the mechanisms by which the circadian clock regulates timing of floral scent emission remained elusive. Recent studies using two species in the Solanaceae family provided initial insight into molecular clock regulation of scent emission timing. In Petunia hybrida, the floral volatile benzenoid/phenylpropanoid (FVBP) pathway is the major metabolic pathway that produces floral volatiles. Three MYB-type transcription factors, ODORANT 1 (ODO1), EMISSION OF BENZENOIDS I (EOBI), and EOBII, all of which show diurnal rhythms in mRNA expression, act as positive regulators for several enzyme genes in the FVBP pathway. Recently, in P. hybrida and Nicotiana attenuata, homologs of the Arabidopsis clock gene LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY) have been shown to have a similar role in the circadian clock in these plants, and to also determine the timing of scent emission. In addition, in P. hybrida, PhLHY directly represses ODO1 and several enzyme genes in the FVBP pathway during the morning as an important negative regulator of scent emission. These findings facilitate our understanding of the relationship between a molecular timekeeper and the timing of scent emission, which may influence reproductive success.

Circadian rhythms in floral scent emission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myles eFenske

2016-04-01

Full Text Available To successfully recruit pollinators, plants often release attractive floral scents at specific times of day to coincide with pollinator foraging. This timing of scent emission is thought to be evolutionarily beneficial to maximize resource efficiency while attracting only useful pollinators. Temporal regulation of scent emission is tied to the activity of the specific metabolic pathways responsible for scent production. Although floral volatile profiling in various plants indicated a contribution by the circadian clock, the mechanisms by which the circadian clock regulates timing of floral scent emission remained elusive. Recent studies using two species in the Solanaceae family provided initial insight into molecular clock regulation of scent emission timing. In Petunia hybrida, the benzenoid/phenylpropanoid (FVBP pathway is the major metabolic pathway that produces floral volatiles. Three MYB-type transcription factors, ODORANT1 (ODO1, EMISSION OF BENZENOIDS I (EOBI, and EOBII, all of which show diurnal rhythms in mRNA expression, act as positive regulators for several enzyme genes in the FVBP pathway. Recently, in P. hybrida and Nicotiana attenuata, homologs of the Arabidopsis clock gene LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY have been shown to have a similar role in the circadian clock in these plants, and to also determine the timing of scent emission. In addition, in P. hybrida, PhLHY directly represses ODO1 and several enzyme genes in the FVBP pathway during the morning as an important negative regulator of scent emission. These findings facilitate our understanding of the relationship between a molecular timekeeper and the timing of scent emission, which may influence reproductive success.

Decoupling urban transport from GHG emissions in Indian cities-A critical review and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jun

2011-01-01

How to sustain rapid economic and urban growth with minimised detriment to environment is a key challenge for sustainable development and climate change mitigation in developing countries, which face constraints of technical and financial resources scarcity as well as dearth of infrastructure governance capacity. This paper attempts to address this question by investigating the driving forces of transport demand and relevant policy measures that facilitate mitigating GHG emissions in the urban transport sector in Indian cities based on a critical review of the literature. Our overview of existing literature and international experiences suggests that it is critical to improve urban governance in transport infrastructure quality and develop efficient public transport, coupled with integrated land use/transport planning as well as economic instruments. This will allow Indian cities to embark on a sustainable growth pathway by decoupling transport services demand of GHG emissions in the longer term. Appropriate policy instruments need to be selected to reconcile the imperatives of economic and urban growth, aspiration to higher quality of life, improvements in social welfare, urban transport-related energy consumption and GHG emissions mitigation target in Indian cities. - Highlights: → Investigating the relevant policies that facilitate mitigating GHG emissions in urban transport in Indian cities. → Determining the factors of increase in energy demand and carbon emissions in transport. → Improving urban governance in transport infrastructure with integrated transport planning. → Designing and implementing the policy and economic instruments for low-carbon urban transport in India.

Greenhouse gas emissions from power generation and consumption in a nordic perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dotzauer, Erik

2010-01-01

During the last decade, there has been an intensive debate on-going in Sweden about how power generation and use affect global warming. More precisely, the discussion has considered how electricity shall be assessed from an environmental and climate perspective in different situations. This article gives a critical analysis on the main viewpoints. A number of environmental-impact assessment principles are outlined and critically examined. Concepts like average electricity and marginal electricity are discussed, and Electricity Disclosure as a basis for evaluation is addressed. The impact from Emission Trading and Tradable Green Certificates is also considered. Recommendations to concerned stakeholders are given. The clash points in the Swedish debate are highlighted and thus made available to a broader audience outside Scandinavia.

Polarisation of auroral emission lines in the Earth's upper atmosphere : first results and perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Lamy, H.; Barthelemy, M.; Simon Wedlund, C.; Lilensten, J.; Bommier, V.

2011-12-01

Polarisation of light is a key observable to provide information about asymmetry or anisotropy within a radiative source. Following the pioneering and controversial work of Duncan in 1959, the polarisation of auroral emission lines in the Earth's upper atmosphere has been overlooked for a long time, even though the red intense auroral line (6300Å) produced by collisional impacts with electrons precipitating along magnetic field lines is a good candidate to search for polarisation. This problem was investigated again by Lilensten et al (2006) and observations were obtained by Lilensten et al (2008) confirming that the red auroral emission line is polarised. More recent measurements obtained by Barthélemy et al (2011) are presented and discussed. The results are compared to predictions of the theoretical work of Bommier et al (2011) and are in good agreement. Following these encouraging results, a new dedicated spectropolarimeter is currently under construction between BIRA-IASB and IPAG to provide simultaneously the polarisation of the red line and of other interesting auroral emission lines such as N2+ 1NG (4278Å), other N2 bands, etc... Perspectives regarding the theoretical polarisation of some of these lines will be presented. The importance of these polarisation measurements in the framework of atmospheric modeling and geomagnetic activity will be discussed.

Assessment of pathways to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger car fleets: Case study in Ireland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alam, Md. Saniul; Hyde, Bernard; Duffy, Paul; McNabola, Aonghus

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Integration of models provides a robust estimation of tailpipe CO 2 emissions. • Taxation impact of vehicle fleet dieselisation was modelled. • A scenario development approach was proposed for policy analysis. • EV provided the largest cost saving option than that of the other fuel technologies. - Abstract: This study modelled the Passenger (PC) fleet and other categories of road transport in Ireland from 2015 to 2035 to assess the impact of current and potential greenhouse gas mitigation policies on CO 2 emissions. Scenarios included the shift of purchasing towards diesel PCs over gasoline PCs. Scrappage rates were also calculated and applied to the fleet to predict future sales of PCs. Seven future policy scenarios were examined using different penetrations of PC sales for different vehicle technologies under current and alternative bio-fuel obligations. Tank to Wheel (T2W) tailpipe and Well to Wheel (W2W) CO 2 emissions, and energy demand were modelled using COPERT 4v11.3 and a recently published W2W CO 2 emissions model. A percentage reduction of conventional diesel and petrol vehicles, in different scenarios compared to a baseline scenario in the W2W model was applied to estimate the likely changes in T2W emissions at the tailpipe up to 2035. The results revealed that the biofuel policy scenario was insufficient in achieving a significant reduction of CO 2 emissions. However, without a fixed reduction target for CO 2 from the road transport sector, the success of policy scenarios in the long run is difficult to compare. The current Electric vehicle (EV) policy in Ireland is required to be implemented to reduce CO 2 emissions by a significant level. Results also show that a similar achievement of CO 2 emission reduction could be possible by using alternative vehicle technologies with higher abatement cost. However, as EV based policies have not been successful so far, Ireland may need to search for alternative pathways.

-30 per cent EU-wide emission cut from the perspective of the Finnish economy; 30 prosentin vaehennystavoitteeseen siirtymisen energia- ja kansantaloudelliset vaikutukset

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Honkatukia, J.; Koljonen, T.; Lehtilae, A.

2013-03-15

The Eu is considering the adoption of a tighter emission target, to replace the agreed -20 per cent emission target already agreed on. In this study, we analyze the implications of the proposed -30 per cent EU-wide emission cut from the perspective of the Finnish economy. We use an energy system model to study the technological choices and direct energy and investment costs of the stricter target, and an applied general equilibrium model to analyse its economic implications at industry and macroeconomic levels. We find that the stricter target increases the economic costs roughly proportionally to the abatement effort and consist mostly of the welfare losses of taxation. (orig.)

CO2 emission trade from a fiscal perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klaassen, F.A.H.; Derksen, R.T.; Keijel, J.J.C.

2004-06-01

The report gives answers to questions as 'are CO2 emission permits assets or supplies?'; how to deal with forward contracts and options in CO2 emission permits 'fiscal-wise'; and 'which are the consequences of CO2 emissions trade for the rebate of pre-taxes?' Als attention is paid to trading system for NOx emission [nl

Diagnosis of accessory conduction pathway using ECG-gated emission CT analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misaki, Takuro; Mukai, Keiichi; Tsubota, Makoto; Iwa, Takashi; Nakajima, Ken-ichi; Hisada, Kin-ichi

1987-01-01

Pinpointing the location of accessory conduction pathway (ACP) is of great importance in the surgical treatment for Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. For this purpose, this study explored the usefulness of ECG-gated emission computed tomography (Gated-ECT) in 30 patients who preoperatively underwent Gated-ECT. The site of earliest contraction at level of atrioventicular valves, obtained on tomographic phase analysis, was compared with the site of earliest activation, obtained on epicardial mapping during surgery. The concordance rate of the two methods was 94 % (28/30). Among them, one patient was found to have the association of corrected transposition of great arteries on Gated-ECT. Gated-ECT was, however, of limited value in differentiating right posterior ACP from right postseptal ACP. The discordance between the sites of earliest contraction and activation, which was observed in the two others, was likely due to decreased wall motion resulting from myocardial disturbance. Gated-ECT may have a diagnostic potential for the location of ACP, especially in view of providing images that corresponded to the surgical anatomy. (Namekawa, K.)

The carbon emissions generated in all that we consume

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The aim of the study was to increase the understanding of the fundamental drivers of carbon emissions in the UK and to show how all carbon emissions can be attributed to the delivery of products and services to meet the needs of the end consumer. From this work, it is possible to identify the products and services which have the highest carbon emissions associated with their supply chains. The study was undertaken on behalf of the Carbon Trust by the Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey and Enviros Consulting. The analysis was based on an economic model developed at the University of Surrey, which analysed the UK's carbon emissions in terms of the total carbon embodied in consumer products and services. The results of the analysis can be cast in a variety of ways depending on the classifications used. The study starts with an analysis of the traditional production perspective and then reclassifies carbon emissions into consumption categories before combining those categories into high-level consumer needs categories. This analysis leads to the following general conclusions: From the traditional production perspective: The Electricity Production category has the highest emissions at almost 24 MtC (millions tonnes carbon per annum); The Other Land Transport category (comprising road freight, buses and coaches, taxis etc.) and the Refining Industries category have second and third highest emissions at 7.9 MtC and 7.1 MtC respectively; and The categories relating to the provision of final products and services to the consumer all have emissions of less than 2 MtC. This perspective shows total emissions of 88.1 MtC. It excludes aviation fuel emissions (11.0 MtC), domestic electricity (22.0 MtC), domestic fuel use (25.3 MtC), domestic private transport fuel use (18.3 MtC) and the UK carbon trade balance (11.7 MtC), totalling 88.3 MtC. The emissions can then be reallocated from this traditional production perspective to different consumption

Intricacies of hedgehog signaling pathways: A perspective in tumorigenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kar, Swayamsiddha; Deb, Moonmoon; Sengupta, Dipta; Shilpi, Arunima; Bhutia, Sujit Kumar; Patra, Samir Kumar

2012-01-01

The hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway is a crucial negotiator of developmental proceedings in the embryo governing a diverse array of processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue patterning. The overall activity of the pathway is significantly curtailed after embryogenesis as well as in adults, yet it retains many of its functional capacities. However, aberration in HH signaling mediates the initiation, proliferation and continued sustenance of malignancy in different tissues to varying degrees through different mechanisms. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of constitutively active aberrant HH signaling pathway in different types of human cancer and the underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms that drive tumorigenesis in that particular tissue. An insight into the various modes of anomalous HH signaling in different organs will provide a comprehensive knowledge of the pathway in these tissues and open a window for individually tailored, tissue-specific therapeutic interventions. The synergistic cross talking of HH pathway with many other regulatory molecules and developmentally inclined signaling pathways may offer many avenues for pharmacological advances. Understanding the molecular basis of abnormal HH signaling in cancer will provide an opportunity to inhibit the deregulated pathway in many aggressive and therapeutically challenging cancers where promising options are not available.

Intricacies of hedgehog signaling pathways: A perspective in tumorigenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kar, Swayamsiddha; Deb, Moonmoon; Sengupta, Dipta; Shilpi, Arunima; Bhutia, Sujit Kumar [Epigenetics and Cancer Research Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha 769008 (India); Patra, Samir Kumar, E-mail: samirp@nitrkl.ac.in [Epigenetics and Cancer Research Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha 769008 (India)

2012-10-01

The hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway is a crucial negotiator of developmental proceedings in the embryo governing a diverse array of processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue patterning. The overall activity of the pathway is significantly curtailed after embryogenesis as well as in adults, yet it retains many of its functional capacities. However, aberration in HH signaling mediates the initiation, proliferation and continued sustenance of malignancy in different tissues to varying degrees through different mechanisms. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of constitutively active aberrant HH signaling pathway in different types of human cancer and the underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms that drive tumorigenesis in that particular tissue. An insight into the various modes of anomalous HH signaling in different organs will provide a comprehensive knowledge of the pathway in these tissues and open a window for individually tailored, tissue-specific therapeutic interventions. The synergistic cross talking of HH pathway with many other regulatory molecules and developmentally inclined signaling pathways may offer many avenues for pharmacological advances. Understanding the molecular basis of abnormal HH signaling in cancer will provide an opportunity to inhibit the deregulated pathway in many aggressive and therapeutically challenging cancers where promising options are not available.

The Challenge of Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Activities implemented Jointly in Developing Countries: A Brazilian Perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

La Rovere, E.L.

1998-11-01

This paper addresses, from the Brazilian perspective, the main problems with Joint Implementation/Activities Implemented Jointly (JI/AIJ) between industrialized (Annex I) and developing (non-Annex I) countries, as defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Four possible GHG emissions abatement measures are presented for Brazil: forest protection, reforestation projects for carbon sequestration or charcoal manufacturing, use of ethanol produced from sugar cane as a car fuel, and electrical energy conservation through an increase in end-use efficiencies. These four case studies form the basis of a discussion regarding the validity of developing countries' concerns about JI/AIJ. Recommendations are offered for overcoming the present shortcomings of JI/AIJ in developing countries. The primary conclusion is that Annex I countries' funding of JI/AIJ projects in developing countries in return for GHG emissions credits is not the best means to implement the UNFCCC. However, JI/AIJ projects can be a productive means of preventing global climate change if combined with other measures, including GHG emissions reduction targets for all countries involved in JI/AIJ projects and limits on the percentage of industrialized countries' emissions reductions that can be met through projects in developing countries.

Early biotic stress detection in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by BVOC emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasal-Slavik, Tina; Eschweiler, Julia; Kleist, Einhard; Mumm, Roland; Goldbach, Heiner E; Schouten, Alexander; Wildt, Jürgen

2017-12-01

We investigated impacts of early and mild biotic stress on Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOC) emissions from tomato in order to test their potential for early (biotic) stress detection. Tomato plants were exposed to two common fungal pathogens, Botrytis cinerea and Oidium neolycopesici and the sap-sucking aphid Myzus persicae. Furthermore, plants were exposed to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in order to identify BVOC emissions related to activation of jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathway. These emissions where then used as a reference for identifying active JA signalling pathway in plants at early stages of biotic stress. After infection by the necrotrophic fungus B. cinerea, changes in BVOC emissions indicated that tomato plants had predominantly activated the jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathway. The plants were able to modify their defence pathways in order to overcome fungal infection. When tomato plants were infected with the biotrophic fungus O. neolycopersici, only minor changes in BVOC emissions were observed with additional emissions of the sesquiterpene α-copaene. α-copaene emissions allowed the identification of general biotic stress in the plants, without pinpointing the actual triggered defence pathway. BVOC emissions during M. persicae attack had changed before the occurrence of visual symptoms. Despite low infestation rates, plants emitted methyl salicylate indicating activation of the SA-mediated defence pathway. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emission pathways to achieve 2.0°C and 1.5°C climate targets

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Xuanming; Takahashi, Kiyoshi; Fujimori, Shinichiro; Hasegawa, Tomoko; Tanaka, Katsumasa; Kato, Etsushi; Shiogama, Hideo; Masui, Toshihiko; Emori, Seita

2017-06-01

We investigated the feasibilities of 2.0°C and 1.5°C climate targets by considering the abatement potentials of a full suite of greenhouse gases, pollutants, and aerosols. We revised the inter-temporal dynamic optimization model DICE-2013R by introducing three features as follows. First, we applied a new marginal abatement cost curve derived under moderate assumptions regarding future socioeconomic development—the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 2 (SSP2) scenario. Second, we addressed emission abatement for not only industrial CO2 but also land-use CO2, CH4, N2O, halogenated gases, CO, volatile organic compounds, SOx, NOx, black carbon and organic carbon. Third, we improved the treatment of the non-CO2 components in the climate module based on MAGICC 6.0. We obtained the following findings: (1) It is important to address the individual emissions in an analysis of low stabilization scenarios because abating land-use CO2, non-CO2 and aerosol emissions also contributes to maintaining a low level of radiative forcing and substantially affects the climate costs. (2) The 2.0°C target can be efficiently reached under the assumptions of the SSP2 scenario. (3) The 1.5°C target can be met with early deep cuts under the assumption of a temperature overshoot, and it will triple the carbon price and double the mitigation cost compared with the 2.0°C case.

Automated Vehicle Regulation: An Energy and Emissions Perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levine, Aaron

2016-05-18

This presentation provides a summary of the current automated vehicles polices in the United States and how they related to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The presentation then looks at future automated vehicle trends that will increase and reduce GHG emissions and what current policies utilized in other areas of law could be adapted for automated vehicle GHG emissions.

Economic Performance and Emission Reduction of Supply Chains in Different Power Structures: Perspective of Sustainable Investment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiutian Shi

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Environmental issues have increasingly received attention in both industry and academia. Many firms have started to make sustainable investments, such as adopting the pollution-abatement technologies, to reduce carbon emissions. To investigate the impacts of the sustainable investment on firms’ profit and emission reduction, we consider supply chains with uncertain demand in different power structures. Specifically, we examine the sustainable investment problem in three supply chain power structures, i.e., manufacturer Stackelberg (MS power structure, vertical Nash (VN power structure and retailer Stackelberg (RS power structure. We first derive the optimal decisions for both the retailer and manufacturer in each power structure. Then, by comparing the results in the three power structures, we find that the manufacturer gets benefits from making the sustainable investment, especially in unequal power structures. When the average market size is large (small enough, both of the supply chain members obtain more profits in the MS (RS power structure. From an environmental perspective, we find that the emission reduction is more significant in sequential games (i.e., MS and RS power structures than that in a simultaneous game (i.e., VN power structure. In addition, we conduct some numerical studies and discuss more managerial insights in the paper.

U.S. Government Supports Low Emission Economic Growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2015-11-01

Countries around the world face the challenge of maintaining long-term sustainable economic growth and development under the threat of climate change. By identifying and pursuing a sustainable development pathway now, they are better positioned to reach their economic growth goals while addressing climate change impacts and lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Low emission development strategies - development plans that promote sustainable social and economic development while reducing long-term GHG emissions - provide a pathway to preparing for a global low emission future. Partner country governments are working with the U.S. government through the Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) program to further their national development objectives.

Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Analysis of U.S. Light-Duty Vehicle-Fuel Pathways: A Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment of Current (2015) and Future (2025-2030) Technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elgowainy, Amgad; Han, Jeongwoo; Ward, Jacob; Joseck, Fred; Gohlke, David; Lindauer, Alicia; Ramsden, Todd; Biddy, Mary; Alexander, Marcus; Barnhart, Steven; Sutherland, Ian; Verduzco, Laura; Wallington, Timothy J.

2016-01-01

This study provides a comprehensive life-cycle analysis (LCA), or cradle-to-grave (C2G) analysis, of the cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a variety of vehicle-fuel pathways, as well as the levelized cost of driving (LCD) and cost of avoided GHG emissions. This study also estimates the technology readiness levels (TRLs) of key fuel and vehicle technologies along the pathways. The C2G analysis spans a full portfolio of midsize light-duty vehicles (LDVs), including conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). In evaluating the vehicle-fuel combinations, this study considers both low-volume and high-volume ''CURRENT TECHNOLOGY'' cases (nominally 2015) and a high-volume ''FUTURE TECHNOLOGY'' lower-carbon case (nominally 2025-2030). For the CURRENT TECHNOLOGY case, low-volume vehicle and fuel production pathways are examined to determine costs in the near term.

Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Analysis of U.S. Light Duty Vehicle-Fuel Pathways: A Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment of Current (2015) and Future (2025-2030) Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elgowainy, Amgad; Han, Jeongwoo; Ward, Jacob; Joseck, Fred; Gohlke, David; Lindauer, Alicia; Ramsden, Todd; Biddy, Mary; Alexander, Marcus; Barnhart, Steven; Sutherland, Ian; Verduzco, Laura; Wallington, Timothy

2016-06-01

This study provides a comprehensive lifecycle analysis (LCA), or cradle-to-grave (C2G) analysis, of the cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a variety of vehicle-fuel pathways, as well as the levelized cost of driving (LCD) and cost of avoided GHG emissions. This study also estimates the technology readiness levels (TRLs) of key fuel and vehicle technologies along the pathways. The C2G analysis spans a full portfolio of midsize light-duty vehicles (LDVs), including conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). In evaluating the vehicle-fuel combinations, this study considers both low-volume and high-volume “CURRENT TECHNOLOGY” cases (nominally 2015) and a high-volume “FUTURE TECHNOLOGY” lower-carbon case (nominally 2025–2030). For the CURRENT TECHNOLOGY case, low-volume vehicle and fuel production pathways are examined to determine costs in the near term.

Ten perspectives on Nordic energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tennbakk, Berit

2006-10-15

Summary: Perspective no. 1: Costly early learning from the EU ETS - Unforeseen price levels hit industries hard; Perspective no. 2: Market based support schemes - Do they work as intended? Perspective no. 3: New decade in the Nordic energy markets. Perspective no. 4: Reduced CO{sub 2} emissions and more renewables - Are we getting there or not? Perspective no. 5: Interpretation of financial requirements - An impediment to sound investments? Perspective no. 6: Who should invest in infrastructure - Public or private investors? Perspective no. 7: Re regulation is not the answer - Need for coordination calls for a visible hand? Perspective no. 8: Increased infrastructure investments - Due to EU ETS and support schemes for RES. Perspective no. 9: Energy, welfare and industry - Complex links make policy making difficult. Perspective no. 10 'Fuel' for an energy policy discussion - A Nordic energy policy agenda? (AG)

Evolution and perspectives in waste incineration emissions and flue gas cleaning systems in the last 20 years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giugliano, M.; Cernuschi, S.; Grosso, M.

2006-01-01

The evolution of the technology of waste combustion, energy recovery and flue gas treatment allows to redefine the role of the incineration plant as a basic component of integrated waste management systems. Starting with an overview of the evaluation of emission limits and of the new Best Available Techniques (BAT) approach, strongly recommended by the European Union, the paper reports an overview of the stack emission concentrations measured in recent plants in Italy compared to older ones, with special attention to the dioxin issue. Concerning this topic, it is demonstrated that BAT-equipped plants can act as actual dioxin destroyer rather than producers, even when all the fluxes released in the environment (gaseous, solid and liquid residues) are taken into account. The second part of the paper deals with the evolution of the flue gas control technologies of the last 20 years, pointing out the major trends and the future perspectives for further increases of the removal monitoring of conventional and trace pollutants are briefly described [it

Pathways for impact: scientists' different perspectives on agricultural innovation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Röling, N.G.

2009-01-01

This paper takes the viewpoint of a social scientist and looks at agricultural scientists' pathways for science impact. Awareness of these pathways is increasingly becoming part and parcel of the professionalism of the agricultural scientist, now that the pressure is on to mobilize smallholders and

European emissions trading - the business perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pocklington, D.

2002-01-01

Annex I parties to the Kyoto Protocol will commit to reducing the emissions of the basket of greenhouse gases by the equivalent of 135 MtC by the first commitment period of 2008-2012. Within the overall target, the EU has agreed to an average reduction of 8%, although this is subject to burden sharing within an EU ''bubble'', in which there are substantial differences in Member States' allocations. The instruments for reduction are emissions trading, industrial country joint implementation and clean development mechanism. By their nature, market instruments, such as emissions trading, are reliant upon the efficient operation of the market, which in turn depends upon the full involvement of the maximum number of participants to ensure liquidity. Although emissions trading has been generally welcomed by industry, when the proposals were published, many representative organisations expressed reservations concerning its format and details. The position papers of those organisations reviewed in this article demonstrate that within industry there is a high degree of unanimity on the majority of the critical issues within the current proposal, and agreement on the components that should be included in the final version. If the Commission's ambitious timetable is to be achieved, significant changes will need to be made to the proposal, for it is unlikely to achieve early adoption in its present form, and the longer the process takes, the more the national schemes will have the opportunity to develop and ultimately shape the EU scheme that is eventually agreed. In this respect, there certainly will be ''early mover advantage'' to those Member States that have or are currently establishing their own schemes, and have the requisite political weight to impose their views. (author)

Assessing carbon dioxide removal through global and regional ocean alkalinization under high and low emission pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Lenton, Andrew; Matear, Richard J.; Keller, David P.; Scott, Vivian; Vaughan, Naomi E.

2018-04-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels continue to rise, increasing the risk of severe impacts on the Earth system, and on the ecosystem services that it provides. Artificial ocean alkalinization (AOA) is capable of reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and surface warming and addressing ocean acidification. Here, we simulate global and regional responses to alkalinity (ALK) addition (0.25 PmolALK yr-1) over the period 2020-2100 using the CSIRO-Mk3L-COAL Earth System Model, under high (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5; RCP8.5) and low (RCP2.6) emissions. While regionally there are large changes in alkalinity associated with locations of AOA, globally we see only a very weak dependence on where and when AOA is applied. On a global scale, while we see that under RCP2.6 the carbon uptake associated with AOA is only ˜ 60 % of the total, under RCP8.5 the relative changes in temperature are larger, as are the changes in pH (140 %) and aragonite saturation state (170 %). The simulations reveal AOA is more effective under lower emissions, therefore the higher the emissions the more AOA is required to achieve the same reduction in global warming and ocean acidification. Finally, our simulated AOA for 2020-2100 in the RCP2.6 scenario is capable of offsetting warming and ameliorating ocean acidification increases at the global scale, but with highly variable regional responses.

The Emissions Scenarios Portal: Visualizing Low-Carbon Pathways for the 21st Century

Science.gov (United States)

Hennig, R. J.; Friedrich, J.; Ge, M.; Mountford, H.; Fransen, T.; Altamirano, J. C.; Thanawala, Z.; Arcipowska, A.

2017-12-01

The Emissions Scenarios Portal (ESP) is a newly developed exploration tool for 21st century low-carbon pathways and investigation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC's) that countries have put forward under the Paris Agreement. It is open to the public and aims to help achieve the goal of limiting global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by enhancing access to high-quality, up-to-date scenario information. It can guide users to set ambitious, realistic emission mitigation goals and understand what these goals imply for different sectors of the economy. Data will be integrated from a wide variety of economic and energy-system models with results from both national models as well as globally integrated assessment models (IAM's) and countries biennial update reports (BUR's). This information can support policy and investment decision making that will lead to a low carbon future. It is designed to help find answers to questions such as "Are the NDC's enough to put the world on a 2DC track?", "What do NDC's imply for different sectors of the economy under different assumptions?" or "What are good ways to increase ambition beyond NDC's?". The portal strives to achieve both inter-comparability across a wide range of different models and nationally reported scenarios, as well as flexibility to allow modelers to bring out the strengths and purpose of their model on the platform. Furthermore, it aims to enhance standardized and transparent reporting of emissions scenarios and relevant metadata, assumptions and results to improve understanding, accessibility and impact of the scenarios. On the data side, these rivaling objectives present interesting challenges for both the collection and communication of the data and in this presentation we will present some of our ideas for tackling these. This project will be part of Climate Watch, a new data platform developed jointly by the World Resources Institute and the NDC

Characterization of the atmospheric pathway at hazardous waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Droppo, J.G. Jr.; Buck, J.W.

1988-10-01

Evaluation of potential health effects for populations surrounding hazardous waste sites requires consideration of all potential contaminant transport pathways through groundwater, surface water, and the atmosphere. A comprehensive pathway model that includes emission, dispersion, and deposition computations has been developed as a component of the Remedial Action Priority System (RAPS). RAPS is designed to assess the relative potential risks associated with hazardous and radioactive mixed-waste disposal sites. The atmospheric component includes optional volatilization and suspension emission routines. Atmospheric transport, dispersion, and deposition are computed using relatively standard modeling techniques expanded to incorporate topographical influences. This sector-averaged Gaussian model accounts for local channeling, terrain heights, and terrain roughness effects. Long-term total deposition is computed for the terrain surrounding the hazardous waste site. An example is given of applications at a US Department of Energy site, where atmospheric emissions are potentially important. The multiple applications of RAPS have provided information on the relative importance of different constitutent transport pathways from a potential population risk basis. Our results show that the atmospheric pathway is often equally as important as other pathways such as groundwater and direct soil ingestion. 6 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs

Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Analysis of U.S. Light-Duty Vehicle-Fuel Pathways: A Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment of Current (2015) and Future (2025–2030) Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elgowainy, Amgad [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Han, Jeongwoo [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Ward, Jacob [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States); Joseck, Fred [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States); Gohlke, David [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States); Lindauer, Alicia [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States); Ramsden, Todd [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Biddy, Mary [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Alexander, Marcus [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); Barnhart, Steven [Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) US LLC, Auburn Hills, MI (United States); Sutherland, Ian [General Motors, Warren, MI (United States); Verduzco, Laura [Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, CA (United States); Wallington, Timothy J. [Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (United States)

2016-09-01

This study provides a comprehensive life-cycle analysis (LCA), or cradle-to-grave (C2G) analysis, of the cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a variety of vehicle-fuel pathways, as well as the levelized cost of driving (LCD) and cost of avoided GHG emissions. This study also estimates the technology readiness levels (TRLs) of key fuel and vehicle technologies along the pathways. The C2G analysis spans a full portfolio of midsize light-duty vehicles (LDVs), including conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). In evaluating the vehicle-fuel combinations, this study considers both low-volume and high-volume “CURRENT TECHNOLOGY” cases (nominally 2015) and a high-volume “FUTURE TECHNOLOGY” lower-carbon case (nominally 2025–2030). For the CURRENT TECHNOLOGY case, low-volume vehicle and fuel production pathways are examined to determine costs in the near term.

Care pathways for dementia: current perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samsi K

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Kritika Samsi, Jill ManthorpeSocial Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London, London, UKAbstract: Uncertainty appears to typify the experience of living with dementia. With an uncertain illness trajectory and unpredictable levels of deterioration and stability in symptoms, people with a diagnosis of dementia may live with uncertainty and anxiety and find it hard to make plans or decisions for their future. People with memory problems and caregivers seeking a diagnosis of dementia may also potentially find themselves navigating a labyrinth-like maze of services, practitioners, assessments, and memory tests, with limited understanding of test scores and little information about what support is available. In this context of uncertainty, the apparent clarity and certainty of a “dementia care pathway” may be attractive. However, the term “dementia care pathway” has multiple and overlapping meanings, which can potentially give rise to further confusion if these are ill-defined or a false consensus is presumed. This review distinguishes four meanings: 1 a mechanism for the management and containment of uncertainty and confusion, useful for the professional as well as the person with dementia; 2 a manual for sequencing care activities; 3 a guide to consumers, indicating eligibility for care activities, or a guide to self-management for dementia dyads, indicating the appropriateness of care activities; and 4 a manual for “walking with” the person. Examples of these approaches are presented from UK dementia services with illustrations of existing care pathways and associated time points, specifically focusing on: 1 early symptom identification and first service encounters, 2 assessment process, 3 diagnostic disclosure, 4 postdiagnostic support, and 5 appropriate interventions. We review the evidence around these themes, as well as discuss service pathways and referral routes used by some services in England and internationally. We

Psychological Perspectives on Pathways Linking Socioeconomic Status and Physical Health

Science.gov (United States)

Matthews, Karen A.; Gallo, Linda C.

2011-01-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is a reliable correlate of poor physical health. Rather than treat SES as a covariate, health psychology has increasingly focused on the psychobiological pathways that inform understanding why SES is related to physical health. This review assesses the status of research that has examined stress and its associated distress, and social and personal resources as pathways. It highlights work on biomarkers and biological pathways related to SES that can serve as intermediate outcomes in future studies. Recent emphasis on the accumulation of psychobiological risks across the life course is summarized and represents an important direction for future research. Studies that test pathways from SES to candidate psychosocial pathways to health outcomes are few in number but promising. Future research should test integrated models rather than taking piecemeal approaches to evidence. Much work remains to be done, but the questions are of great health significance. PMID:20636127

Air emissions perspective on energy efficiency: An empirical analysis of China’s coastal areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, Quande; Li, Xin; Li, Li; Zhen, Wei; Wei, Yi-Ming

2017-01-01

Highlights: • We investigate the static and dynamic energy efficiency in China’s coastal areas. • Both environmental pollutants and greenhouse gas are considered. • Global benchmark technology is incorporated into the related DEA models. • China’s coastal areas have great potential of air emissions reduction. • Technological progress is main driven factor to improve energy efficiency. - Abstract: Improving energy efficiency has been recognized as the most effective way to reduce the greenhouse effect and achieve sustainable development. From the perspective of air emissions, this paper adopts data envelopment analysis approach to evaluate the energy efficiency in China’s coastal areas over the period of 2000–2012. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are treated as undesirable outputs of energy consumptions. The proposed global Epsilon-based measure is used to estimate the static energy efficiency with an annual cross-section of data. The weights of the three undesirable outputs are determined according to their treatment costs. A global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index based on directional distance function is employed to dynamically evaluate the energy efficiency. The results indicate the following in China’s coastal areas: (1) the level of economic development is positively related to energy efficiency scores; (2) energy efficiency scores decrease when considering undesirable outputs except Beijing and Hainan; (3) the Circum-Bohai Sea Economic Region greatly improves energy efficiency and has great potential of air emission; (4) the annual growth rate of Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index change is overestimated; (5) energy efficiency improvement is mainly driven by technological improvement, and scale efficiency and management level are the main obstacles.

Source apportionment vs. emission inventories of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC in an urban area of the Middle East: local and global perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Salameh

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We applied the positive matrix factorization model to two large data sets collected during two intensive measurement campaigns (summer 2011 and winter 2012 at a sub-urban site in Beirut, Lebanon, in order to identify NMHC (non-methane hydrocarbons sources and quantify their contribution to ambient levels. Six factors were identified in winter and five factors in summer. PMF-resolved source profiles were consistent with source profiles established by near-field measurements. The major sources were traffic-related emissions (combustion and gasoline evaporation in winter and in summer accounting for 51 and 74 wt %, respectively, in agreement with the national emission inventory. The gasoline evaporation related to traffic source had a significant contribution regardless of the season (22 wt % in winter and 30 wt % in summer. The NMHC emissions from road transport are estimated from observations and PMF results, and compared to local and global emission inventories. The PMF analysis finds reasonable differences on emission rates, of 20–39 % higher than the national road transport inventory. However, global inventories (ACCMIP, EDGAR, MACCity underestimate the emissions up to a factor of 10 for the transportation sector. When combining emission inventory to our results, there is strong evidence that control measures in Lebanon should be targeted on mitigating the NMHC emissions from the traffic-related sources. From a global perspective, an assessment of VOC (volatile organic compounds anthropogenic emission inventories for the Middle East region as a whole seems necessary as these emissions could be much higher than expected at least from the road transport sector.

An evaluation of the implementation of maternal obesity pathways of care: a mixed methods study with data integration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola Heslehurst

Full Text Available Maternal obesity has multiple associated risks and requires substantial intervention. This research evaluated the implementation of maternal obesity care pathways from multiple stakeholder perspectives.A simultaneous mixed methods model with data integration was used. Three component studies were given equal priority. 1: Semi-structured qualitative interviews explored obese pregnant women's experiences of being on the pathways. 2: A quantitative and qualitative postal survey explored healthcare professionals' experiences of delivering the pathways. 3: A case note audit quantitatively assessed pathway compliance. Data were integrated using following a thread and convergence coding matrix methods to search for agreement and disagreement between studies.Study 1: Four themes were identified: women's overall (positive and negative views of the pathways; knowledge and understanding of the pathways; views on clinical and weight management advice and support; and views on the information leaflet. Key results included positive views of receiving additional clinical care, negative experiences of risk communication, and weight management support was considered a priority. Study 2: Healthcare professionals felt the pathways were worthwhile, facilitated good practice, and increased confidence. Training was consistently identified as being required. Healthcare professionals predominantly focussed on women's response to sensitive obesity communication. Study 3: There was good compliance with antenatal clinical interventions. However, there was poor compliance with public health and postnatal interventions. There were some strong areas of agreement between component studies which can inform future development of the pathways. However, disagreement between studies included a lack of shared priorities between healthcare professionals and women, different perspectives on communication issues, and different perspectives on women's prioritisation of weight

An Evaluation of the Implementation of Maternal Obesity Pathways of Care: A Mixed Methods Study with Data Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Heslehurst, Nicola; Dinsdale, Sarah; Sedgewick, Gillian; Simpson, Helen; Sen, Seema; Summerbell, Carolyn Dawn; Rankin, Judith

2015-01-01

Objectives Maternal obesity has multiple associated risks and requires substantial intervention. This research evaluated the implementation of maternal obesity care pathways from multiple stakeholder perspectives. Study Design A simultaneous mixed methods model with data integration was used. Three component studies were given equal priority. 1: Semi-structured qualitative interviews explored obese pregnant women’s experiences of being on the pathways. 2: A quantitative and qualitative postal survey explored healthcare professionals’ experiences of delivering the pathways. 3: A case note audit quantitatively assessed pathway compliance. Data were integrated using following a thread and convergence coding matrix methods to search for agreement and disagreement between studies. Results Study 1: Four themes were identified: women’s overall (positive and negative) views of the pathways; knowledge and understanding of the pathways; views on clinical and weight management advice and support; and views on the information leaflet. Key results included positive views of receiving additional clinical care, negative experiences of risk communication, and weight management support was considered a priority. Study 2: Healthcare professionals felt the pathways were worthwhile, facilitated good practice, and increased confidence. Training was consistently identified as being required. Healthcare professionals predominantly focussed on women’s response to sensitive obesity communication. Study 3: There was good compliance with antenatal clinical interventions. However, there was poor compliance with public health and postnatal interventions. There were some strong areas of agreement between component studies which can inform future development of the pathways. However, disagreement between studies included a lack of shared priorities between healthcare professionals and women, different perspectives on communication issues, and different perspectives on women�

U.S. Government Supports Low Emission Economic Growth (Fact Sheet)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watson, A.; Sandor, D.; Butheau, M.

2013-11-01

Countries around the world face the challenge of maintaining long-term sustainable economic growth and development under the threat of climate change. By identifying and pursuing a sustainable development pathway now, they are better positioned to reach their economic growth goals while addressing climate change impacts and lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Low emission development strategies - development plans that promote sustainable social and economic development while reducing long-term GHG emissions - provide a pathway to preparing for a global low emission future. Partner country governments are working with the U.S. government through the Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) program to further their national development objectives.

Positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandrasekhar, Preethi; Himabindu, Pucha

2000-01-01

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a non-invasive nuclear imaging technique used to study different molecular pathways and anatomical structures. PET has found extensive applications in various fields of medicine viz. cardiology, oncology, psychiatry/psychology, neuro science and pulmonology. This study paper basically deals with the physics, chemistry and biology behind the PET technique. It discusses the methodology for generation of the radiotracers responsible for emission of positrons and the annihilation and detection techniques. (author)

Stakeholder perspectives on carbon capture and storage in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Setiawan, Andri D.; Cuppen, Eefje

2013-01-01

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is being considered as an option to reduce CO 2 emissions worldwide. Yet recent cases show that CCS faces divergent public acceptance issues. This paper investigates stakeholder perspectives on CCS in Indonesia. Q methodology was adopted to analyse the diversity of stakeholder perspectives. Four perspectives were identified: (1) “CO 2 emissions reduction through clean energy sources rather than CCS”; (2) “CCS as one of the options in the transition to a sustainable energy system”; (3) “CCS as the only optimal solution to reduce CO 2 emissions”; (4) “CCS is only a tactic to keep burning coal forever”. Based on these results, we argue that stakeholder acceptance of CCS should be understood as a complex notion. This means that understanding whether or under what conditions stakeholders would be willing to support CCS, requires consideration of stakeholders' viewpoints about broader questions of CO 2 emission reduction and energy supply in Indonesia, rather than studying attitudes towards CCS in isolation. We discuss how the approach taken in this study can be used and followed up in policymaking on CCS in Indonesia. - Highlights: • We investigate stakeholder perspectives on CCS in Indonesia with Q methodology. • The study revealed four shared perspectives on CCS in Indonesia. • Of the four perspectives, two are contrasting perspectives: one pro and one con CCS. • The other two are nuanced perspectives and differ in their argumentation on CCS. • From these results we derive academic and policy implications

Climate Change Mitigation Pathways for Southeast Asia: CO2 Emissions Reduction Policies for the Energy and Transport Sectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lew Fulton

2017-07-01

Full Text Available As of June 2017, 150 countries have ratified the Paris Climate Agreement. This agreement calls for, among other things, strong reductions in CO2 emissions by 2030 and beyond. This paper reviews the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs plans of six Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN countries and compares their current and projected future CO2 levels across sectors, and their stated targets in the context of their economic and demographic situations. This comparison reveals wide variations in the types of targets, with the “ambition” level changing as the perspective changes from total CO2 to CO2/capita and per unit gross domestic product (GDP. We also review national plans as stated in NDCs and find that while there are many types of policies listed, few are quantified and no attempts are made to score individual or groups of policies for their likelihood in achieving stated targets. We conclude that more analysis is needed to better understand the possible impacts of current policies and plans on CO2 emissions, and whether current plans are adequate to hit targets. Considerations on better aligning targets are also provided.

Milk metabolome relates enteric methane emission to milk synthesis and energy metabolism pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Antunes-Fernandes, E C; van Gastelen, S; Dijkstra, J; Hettinga, K A; Vervoort, J

2016-08-01

Methane (CH4) emission of dairy cows contributes significantly to the carbon footprint of the dairy chain; therefore, a better understanding of CH4 formation is urgently needed. The present study explored the milk metabolome by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (milk volatile metabolites) and nuclear magnetic resonance (milk nonvolatile metabolites) to better understand the biological pathways involved in CH4 emission in dairy cattle. Data were used from a randomized block design experiment with 32 multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows and 4 diets. All diets had a roughage:concentrate ratio of 80:20 (dry matter basis) and the roughage was grass silage (GS), corn silage (CS), or a mixture of both (67% GS, 33% CS; 33% GS, 67% CS). Methane emission was measured in climate respiration chambers and expressed as CH4 yield (per unit of dry matter intake) and CH4 intensity (per unit of fat- and protein-corrected milk; FPCM). No volatile or nonvolatile metabolite was positively related to CH4 yield, and acetone (measured as a volatile and as a nonvolatile metabolite) was negatively related to CH4 yield. The volatile metabolites 1-heptanol-decanol, 3-nonanone, ethanol, and tetrahydrofuran were positively related to CH4 intensity. None of the volatile metabolites was negatively related to CH4 intensity. The nonvolatile metabolites acetoacetate, creatinine, ethanol, formate, methylmalonate, and N-acetylsugar A were positively related to CH4 intensity, and uridine diphosphate (UDP)-hexose B and citrate were negatively related to CH4 intensity. Several volatile and nonvolatile metabolites that were correlated with CH4 intensity also were correlated with FPCM and not significantly related to CH4 intensity anymore when FPCM was included as covariate. This suggests that changes in these milk metabolites may be related to changes in milk yield or metabolic processes involved in milk synthesis. The UDP-hexose B was correlated with FPCM, whereas citrate was not. Both metabolites were

Estimating changes in urban ozone concentrations due to life cycle emissions from hydrogen transportation systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guihua; Ogden, Joan M.; Chang, Daniel P. Y.

Hydrogen has been proposed as a low polluting alternative transportation fuel that could help improve urban air quality. This paper examines the potential impact of introducing a hydrogen-based transportation system on urban ambient ozone concentrations. This paper considers two scenarios, where significant numbers of new hydrogen vehicles are added to a constant number of gasoline vehicles. In our scenarios hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) are introduced in Sacramento, California at market penetrations of 9% and 20%. From a life cycle analysis (LCA) perspective, considering all the emissions involved in producing, transporting, and using hydrogen, this research compares three hypothetical natural gas to hydrogen pathways: (1) on-site hydrogen production; (2) central hydrogen production with pipeline delivery; and (3) central hydrogen production with liquid hydrogen truck delivery. Using a regression model, this research shows that the daily maximum temperature correlates well with atmospheric ozone formation. However, increases in initial VOC and NO x concentrations do not necessarily increase the peak ozone concentration, and may even cause it to decrease. It is found that ozone formation is generally limited by NO x in the summer and is mostly limited by VOC in the fall in Sacramento. Of the three hydrogen pathways, the truck delivery pathway contributes the most to ozone precursor emissions. Ozone precursor emissions from the truck pathway at 9% market penetration can cause additional 3-h average VOC (or NO x) concentrations up to approximately 0.05% (or 1%) of current pollution levels, and at 20% market penetration up to approximately 0.1% (or 2%) of current pollution levels. However, all of the hydrogen pathways would result in very small (either negative or positive) changes in ozone air quality. In some cases they will result in worse ozone air quality (mostly in July, August, and September), and in some cases they will result in better ozone air quality

Estimating changes in urban ozone concentrations due to life cycle emissions from hydrogen transportation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guihua Wang; Ogden, Joan M.; Chang, Daniel P.Y.

2007-01-01

Hydrogen has been proposed as a low polluting alternative transportation fuel that could help improve urban air quality. This paper examines the potential impact of introducing a hydrogen-based transportation system on urban ambient ozone concentrations. This paper considers two scenarios, where significant numbers of new hydrogen vehicles are added to a constant number of gasoline vehicles. In our scenarios hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) are introduced in Sacramento, California at market penetrations of 9% and 20%. From a life cycle analysis (LCA) perspective, considering all the emissions involved in producing, transporting, and using hydrogen, this research compares three hypothetical natural gas to hydrogen pathways: (1) on-site hydrogen production; (2) central hydrogen production with pipeline delivery; and (3) central hydrogen production with liquid hydrogen truck delivery. Using a regression model, this research shows that the daily maximum temperature correlates well with atmospheric ozone formation. However, increases in initial VOC and NO x concentrations do not necessarily increase the peak ozone concentration, and may even cause it to decrease. It is found that ozone formation is generally limited by NO x in the summer and is mostly limited by VOC in the fall in Sacramento. Of the three hydrogen pathways, the truck delivery pathway contributes the most to ozone precursor emissions. Ozone precursor emissions from the truck pathway at 9% market penetration can cause additional 3-h average VOC (or NO x ) concentrations up to approximately 0.05% (or 1%) of current pollution levels, and at 20% market penetration up to approximately 0.1% (or 2%) of current pollution levels. However, all of the hydrogen pathways would result in very small (either negative or positive) changes in ozone air quality. In some cases they will result in worse ozone air quality (mostly in July, August, and September), and in some cases they will result in better ozone air

Lifecycle assessment of microalgae to biofuel: Comparison of thermochemical processing pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennion, Edward P.; Ginosar, Daniel M.; Moses, John; Agblevor, Foster; Quinn, Jason C.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Well to pump environmental assessment of two thermochemical processing pathways. • NER of 1.23 and GHG emissions of −11.4 g CO 2-eq (MJ) −1 for HTL pathway. • HTL represents promising conversion pathway based on use of wet biomass. • NER of 2.27 and GHG emissions of 210 g CO 2-eq (MJ) −1 for pyrolysis pathway. • Pyrolysis pathway: drying microalgae feedstock dominates environmental impact. - Abstract: Microalgae is being investigated as a renewable transportation fuel feedstock based on various advantages that include high annual yields, utilization of poor quality land, does not compete with food, and can be integrated with various waste streams. This study focuses on directly assessing the environmental impact of two different thermochemical conversion technologies for the microalgae-to-biofuel process through life cycle assessment. A system boundary of “well to pump” (WTP) is defined and includes sub-process models of the growth, dewatering, thermochemical bio-oil recovery, bio-oil stabilization, conversion to renewable diesel, and transport to the pump. Models were validated with experimental and literature data and are representative of an industrial-scale microalgae-to-biofuel process. Two different thermochemical bio-oil conversion systems are modeled and compared on a systems level, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and pyrolysis. The environmental impact of the two pathways were quantified on the metrics of net energy ratio (NER), defined here as energy consumed over energy produced, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Results for WTP biofuel production through the HTL pathway were determined to be 1.23 for the NER and GHG emissions of −11.4 g CO 2-eq (MJ renewable diesel) −1 . Biofuel production through the pyrolysis pathway results in a NER of 2.27 and GHG emissions of 210 g CO 2-eq (MJ renewable diesel) −1 . The large environmental impact associated with the pyrolysis pathway is attributed to feedstock drying

Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Analysis of Multiple Vehicle Fuel Pathways in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tianduo Peng

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The Tsinghua University Life Cycle Analysis Model (TLCAM is applied to calculate the life cycle fossil energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG emissions for more than 20 vehicle fuel pathways in China. In addition to conventional gasoline and diesel, these include coal- and gas-based vehicle fuels, and electric vehicle (EV pathways. The results indicate the following. (1 China’s current dependence on coal and relative low-efficiency processes limits the potential for most alternative fuel pathways to decrease energy consumption and emissions; (2 Future low-carbon electricity pathways offer more obvious advantages, with coal-based pathways needing to adopt carbon dioxide capture and storage technology to compete; (3 A well-to-wheels analysis of the fossil energy consumption of vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG showed that they are comparable to conventional gasoline vehicles. However, importing rather than domestically producing LNG for vehicle use can decrease domestic GHG emissions by 35% and 31% compared with those of conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles, respectively; (4 The manufacturing and recovery of battery and vehicle in the EV analysis has significant impact on the overall ability of EVs to decrease fossil energy consumption and GHG emissions from ICEVs.

Source influence on emission pathways and ambient PM2.5 pollution over India (2015-2050)

Science.gov (United States)

Venkataraman, Chandra; Brauer, Michael; Tibrewal, Kushal; Sadavarte, Pankaj; Ma, Qiao; Cohen, Aaron; Chaliyakunnel, Sreelekha; Frostad, Joseph; Klimont, Zbigniew; Martin, Randall V.; Millet, Dylan B.; Philip, Sajeev; Walker, Katherine; Wang, Shuxiao

2018-06-01

India is currently experiencing degraded air quality, and future economic development will lead to challenges for air quality management. Scenarios of sectoral emissions of fine particulate matter and its precursors were developed and evaluated for 2015-2050, under specific pathways of diffusion of cleaner and more energy-efficient technologies. The impacts of individual source sectors on PM2.5 concentrations were assessed through systematic simulations of spatially and temporally resolved particulate matter concentrations, using the GEOS-Chem model, followed by population-weighted aggregation to national and state levels. We find that PM2.5 pollution is a pan-India problem, with a regional character, and is not limited to urban areas or megacities. Under present-day emissions, levels in most states exceeded the national PM2.5 annual standard (40 µg m-3). Sources related to human activities were responsible for the largest proportion of the present-day population exposure to PM2.5 in India. About 60 % of India's mean population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations come from anthropogenic source sectors, while the remainder are from other sources, windblown dust and extra-regional sources. Leading contributors are residential biomass combustion, power plant and industrial coal combustion and anthropogenic dust (including coal fly ash, fugitive road dust and waste burning). Transportation, brick production and distributed diesel were other contributors to PM2.5. Future evolution of emissions under regulations set at current levels and promulgated levels caused further deterioration of air quality in 2030 and 2050. Under an ambitious prospective policy scenario, promoting very large shifts away from traditional biomass technologies and coal-based electricity generation, significant reductions in PM2.5 levels are achievable in 2030 and 2050. Effective mitigation of future air pollution in India requires adoption of aggressive prospective regulation, currently not formulated

Emissions trading for climate policy - US and European perspectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernd Hansjuergens (ed.) [Martin Luther-Universitaet Halle-Wittenburg (Germany)

2005-07-01

The 1997 Kyoto Conference introduced emissions trading as a new policy instrument for climate protection. Bringing together scholars in the fields of economics, political science and law, this book provides a description, analysis and evaluation of different aspects of emissions trading as an instrument to control greenhouse gases. The authors analyse theoretical aspects of regulatory instruments for climate policy, provide an overview of US experience with market-based instruments, draw lessons from existing trading schemes for the control of greenhouse gases, and discuss options for emissions trading in climate policy. They also highlight the background of climate policy and instrument choice in the US and Europe and of the emerging new systems in Europe, particularly the new EU's directive for a CO{sub 2} emissions trading system. 8 figs., 15 tabs.

A review of chamber experiments for determining specific emission rates and investigating migration pathways of flame retardants

Science.gov (United States)

Rauert, Cassandra; Lazarov, Borislav; Harrad, Stuart; Covaci, Adrian; Stranger, Marianne

2014-01-01

The widespread use of flame retardants (FRs) in indoor products has led to their ubiquitous distribution within indoor microenvironments with many studies reporting concentrations in indoor air and dust. Little information is available however on emission of these compounds to air, particularly the measurement of specific emission rates (SERs), or the migration pathways leading to dust contamination. Such knowledge gaps hamper efforts to develop understanding of human exposure. This review summarizes published data on SERs of the following FRs released from treated products: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) and organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs), including a brief discussion of the methods used to derive these SERs. Also reviewed are published studies that utilize emission chambers for investigations/measurements of mass transfer of FRs to dust, discussing the chamber configurations and methods used for these experiments. A brief review of studies investigating correlations between concentrations detected in indoor air/dust and possible sources in the microenvironment is included along with efforts to model contamination of indoor environments. Critical analysis of the literature reveals that the major limitations with utilizing chambers to derive SERs for FRs arise due to the physicochemical properties of FRs. In particular, increased partitioning to chamber surfaces, airborne particles and dust, causes loss through “sink” effects and results in long times to reach steady state conditions inside the chamber. The limitations of chamber experiments are discussed as well as their potential for filling gaps in knowledge in this area.

Technology Opportunities to Reduce U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

National Lab Directors, . .

2001-04-05

The rise in greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial and agricultural activities has aroused international concern about the possible impacts of these emissions on climate. Greenhouse gases--mostly carbon dioxide, some methane, nitrous oxide and other trace gases--are emitted to the atmosphere, enhancing an effect in which heat reflected from the earth's surface is kept from escaping into space, as in a greenhouse. Thus, there is concern that the earth's surface temperature may rise enough to cause global climate change. Approximately 90% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic sources come from energy production and use, most of which are a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels. On a per capita basis, the United States is one of the world's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, comprising 4% of the world's population, yet emitting 23% of the world's greenhouse gases. Emissions in the United States are increasing at around 1.2% annually, and the Energy Information Administration forecasts that emissions levels will continue to increase at this rate in the years ahead if we proceed down the business-as-usual path. President Clinton has presented a two-part challenge for the United States: reduce greenhouse gas emissions and grow the economy. Meeting the challenge will mean that in doing tomorrow's work, we must use energy more efficiently and emit less carbon for the energy expended than we do today. To accomplish these goals, President Clinton proposed on June 26, 1997, that the United States ''invest more in the technologies of the future''. In this report to Secretary of Energy Pena, 47 technology pathways are described that have significant potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The present study was completed before the December 1997 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and is intended to provide a basis to evaluate technology

A review of the FT distillate pathway in GHGenius

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

Fischer-Tropsch (FT) distillates products are now used throughout the world as a commercial fuel. However, lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from FT distillates fuels are higher than diesel fuel produced from crude oil. This paper provided details of a lifecycle analysis of FT distillates pathways created for GHGenius, a model used to analyze emissions from a variety of combustion sources. The study examined values reported in tests conducted by major oil and gas operators and described the conversion technologies typically used at FT distillates production facilities. Summaries of reports on FT distillates emissions were also provided. Three primary factors were identified that contributed to different results reported for FT distillates emissions: (1) the efficiency of the conversion process; (2) the allocation procedure used in the conventional oil refinery for the emissions of individual products; and (3) the emissions associated with natural gas production. The GHGenius model was used to quantify the impact of the 3 main factors. An alternative system expansion methodology was used to compare crude oil diesel pathways with a high efficiency, low gas leak scenario in order to achieve high values reported by some oil and gas operators. 5 refs., 5 tabs., 5 figs

Energy and environmental impacts of alternative pathways for the Portuguese road transportation sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baptista, Patrícia C.; Silva, Carla M.; Farias, Tiago L.; Heywood, John B.

2012-01-01

This study presents a methodology to develop scenarios of evolution from 2010 to 2050, for energy consumption and emissions (CO 2 , HC, CO, NO x , PM) of the road transportation sector (light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles). The methodology is applied to Portugal and results are analyzed in a life-cycle perspective. A BAU trend and 5 additional scenarios are explored: Policy-based (Portuguese political targets considered); Liquid fuels-based (dependency on liquid fuels and no deployment of alternative refueling infrastructure); Diversified (introduction of a wide diversity of alternative vehicle technology/energy sources); Electricity vision (deployment of a wide spread electricity recharging infrastructure); Hydrogen pathway (a broad hydrogen refueling infrastructure is deployed). Total life-cycle energy consumption could decrease between 2 and 66% in 2050 relatively to 2010, while CO 2 emissions will decrease between 7 and 73% in 2050 relatively to 2010. In 2050 the BAU scenario remains 30% above the 1990 level for energy consumption and CO 2 emissions; the other considered scenarios lead to 4 to 29% reductions for energy consumption and 10 to 33% for CO 2 emissions in 2050 compared to the BAU. Therefore, alternative vehicle technologies are required in the long-term, but changes in taxation and alternative transportation modes policies are crucial for achieving short-term impacts. - Highlight: ► Assess future energy consumption and emissions scenarios for road transportation. ► LCA energy consumption could decrease 2 to 66% in 2050 relatively to 2010. ► Alternative vehicle technologies can help to lower the BAU scenario impacts. ► Different deployments of alternative technologies can lead to similar impacts.

An analysis of China's CO2 emission peaking target and pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian-Kun He

2014-12-01

Full Text Available China has set the goal for its CO2 emissions to peak around 2030, which is not only a strategic decision coordinating domestic sustainable development and global climate change mitigation but also an overarching target and a key point of action for China's resource conservation, environmental protection, shift in economic development patterns, and CO2 emission reduction to avoid climate change. The development stage where China maps out the CO2 emission peak target is earlier than that of the developed countries. It is a necessity that the non-fossil energy supplies be able to meet all the increased energy demand for achieving CO2 emission peaking. Given that China's potential GDP annual increasing rate will be more than 4%, and China's total energy demand will continue to increase by approximately 1.0%–1.5% annually around 2030, new and renewable energies will need to increase by 6%–8% annually to meet the desired CO2 emission peak. The share of new and renewable energies in China's total primary energy supply will be approximately 20% by 2030. At that time, the energy consumption elasticity will decrease to around 0.3, and the annual decrease in the rate of CO2 intensity will also be higher than 4% to ensure the sustained growth of GDP. To achieve the CO2 emission peaking target and substantially promote the low-carbon development transformation, China needs to actively promote an energy production and consumption revolution, the innovation of advanced energy technologies, the reform of the energy regulatory system and pricing mechanism, and especially the construction of a national carbon emission cap and trade system.

An analysis of Chinas CO2 emission peaking target and pathways

OpenAIRE

He, Jian-Kun

2017-01-01

China has set the goal for its CO2 emissions to peak around 2030, which is not only a strategic decision coordinating domestic sustainable development and global climate change mitigation but also an overarching target and a key point of action for Chinas resource conservation, environmental protection, shift in economic development patterns, and CO2 emission reduction to avoid climate change. The development stage where China maps out the CO2 emission peak target is earlier than that of the ...

Positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wienhard, K.; Heiss, W.D.

1984-01-01

The principles and selected clinical applications of positron emission tomography are described. In this technique a chemical compound is labeled with a positron emitting isotope and its biochemical pathway is traced by coincidence detection of the two annihilation photons. The application of the techniques of computed tomography allows to reconstruct the spatial distribution of the radioactivity within a subject. The 18 F-deoxyglucose method for quantitative measurement of local glucose metabolism is discussed in order to illustrate the possibilities of positron emission tomography to record physiological processes in vivo. (orig.) [de

SVR-based prediction of carbon emissions from energy consumption in Henan Province

Science.gov (United States)

Gou, Guohua

2018-02-01

This paper analyzes the advantage of support vector regression (SVR) in the prediction of carbon emission and establishes the SVR-based carbon emission prediction model. The model is established using the data of Henan’s carbon emissions and influence factors from the 1991 to 2016 to train and test and then predict the carbon emissions from 2017 to 2021. The results show that: from the perspective of carbon emission from energy consumption, it raised 224.876 million tons of carbon dioxide from 1991 to 2016, and the predicted increment from 2017 to 2021 is 30.5563million tons with an average annual growth rate at 3%. From the perspective of growth rate among the six factors related to carbon emissions it is proved that population urbanization rate per capital GDP and energy consumption per unit of GDP influences the growth rate of carbon emissions less than the proportion of secondary industry and coal consumption ratio of carbon. Finally some suggestions are proposed for the carbon emission reduction of Henan Province.

A study on the environmental aspects of hydrogen pathways in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Ji-Yong; Yu, Moo-Sang; Cha, Kyoung-Hoon; Lee, Soo-Yeon; Hur, Tak; Lim, Tae Won

2009-01-01

In this study, the environmental aspects of H 2 pathways are analyzed according to plausible H 2 production methods, production capacity, and distribution options in Korea, using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The target H 2 pathways analyzed are H 2 via naphtha steam reforming (Naphtha SR), H 2 via natural gas steam reforming (NG SR), H 2 via liquefied petroleum gas steam reforming (LPG SR), H 2 via water electrolysis with wind power (WE[Wind]), and H 2 via water electrolysis with Korea electricity mix (WE[KEM]). The results are then compared with those of conventional fuels (gasoline, diesel, and LPG) to identify which H 2 pathway has less environmental impact than the conventional fuels. Global warming (GW) impact, fossil fuel consumption (FFC) and regulated air emissions are studied to examine the environmental aspects of each fuel pathway. Given that H 2 technologies and infrastructures have yet to be fully commercialized, the environmental aspects of each pathway are analyzed in both their present status and a future scenario in 2015. LCA results show that WE[Wind] is superior regarding global warming potential (GWP), FFC and regulated air emissions. When gasoline is replaced with H 2 from WE[Wind], 99.8% and 99.9% of GWP and FFC can be reduced, respectively. Among the H 2 pathways based on fossil fuels, Naphtha SR[C] has the lowest values of GWP since the CO 2 capture equipment is attached to it. On the other hand, Naphtha SR[S] which is the station-type H 2 pathway does not have the CO 2 capture equipment. Naphtha SR[C] can reduce CO 2 emissions by 23.60 tons compared to gasoline over the entire life cycle of a vehicle. At present, Naphtha SR[C] appears to be environmentally efficient as H 2 conversion and infrastructure technologies have already been commercialized and are suitably developed in Korea. In 2015, however, among the H 2 pathways based on fossil fuels LPG SR[S] is expected to be the best pathway in terms of FFC and regulated air

External costs of atmospheric Pb emissions: valuation of neurotoxic impacts due to inhalation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pizzol, Massimo; Thomsen, Marianne; Frohn, Lise

2010-01-01

The Impact Pathway Approach (IPA) is an innovative methodology to establish links between emissions, related impacts and monetary estimates. Only few attempts have so far been presented regarding emissions of metals; in this study the external costs of airborne lead (Pb) emissions are assessed...... using the IPA. Exposure to Pb is known to provoke impacts especially on children's cognition. As cognitive abilities (measured as IQ, intelligence quotient) are known to have implications for lifetime income, a pathway can be established leading from figures for Pb emissions to the implied loss...

Regional aerosol emissions and temperature response: Local and remote climate impacts of regional aerosol forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Lewinschal, Anna; Ekman, Annica; Hansson, Hans-Christen

2017-04-01

Emissions of anthropogenic aerosols vary substantially over the globe and the short atmospheric residence time of aerosols leads to a highly uneven radiative forcing distribution, both spatially and temporally. Regional aerosol radiative forcing can, nevertheless, exert a large influence on the temperature field away from the forcing region through changes in heat transport or the atmospheric or ocean circulation. Moreover, the global temperature response distribution to aerosol forcing may vary depending on the geographical location of the forcing. In other words, the climate sensitivity in one region can vary depending on the location of the forcing. The surface temperature distribution response to changes in sulphate aerosol forcing caused by sulphur dioxide (SO2) emission perturbations in four different regions is investigated using the Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM). The four regions, Europe, North America, East and South Asia, are all regions with historically high aerosol emissions and are relevant from both an air-quality and climate policy perspective. All emission perturbations are defined relative to the year 2000 emissions provided for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5. The global mean temperature change per unit SO2 emission change is similar for all four regions for similar magnitudes of emissions changes. However, the global temperature change per unit SO2 emission in simulations where regional SO2 emission were removed is substantially higher than that obtained in simulations where regional SO2 emissions were increased. Thus, the climate sensitivity to regional SO2 emissions perturbations depends on the magnitude of the emission perturbation in NorESM. On regional scale, on the other hand, the emission perturbations in different geographical locations lead to different regional temperature responses, both locally and in remote regions. The results from the model simulations are used to construct regional temperature potential

Emission reduction trading - a power marketer`s perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stewart, M. [Powerex Inc., Vancouver, BC (Canada)

1999-10-01

The current situation , and the short-term and long-term outlook in emission reduction trading are reviewed from the point of view of a power marketer. The author`s view is that while the concept of emission reduction credit (ERC) is easy enough to understand, i.e. a series of measures to reduce carbon dioxide production and enhance carbon sequestration, there is no standard definition, although there are a number of models under consideration. What is being sought is clear ownership and title, a clear understanding of what qualifies as a credit, credit for early action, commodity specifications and the ability to hedge. The author predicts that in the short-tem, industry will experiment with different types of transactions to gain experience and seek partners who are willing to share risk and development cost. In the longer-term, emission reduction credits will be bought and sold as commodities and traded, swapped or exchanged as part of a portfolio in bilateral trade transactions, and used in hedging against future liabilities.

H/CNG pathway to hydrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bugyra, W.J.; Martin, D.R.

2004-01-01

'Full text:' The addition of hydrogen to natural gas to produce a 'premium' fuel offers an ideal bridge to the hydrogen and fuel cell era. This pathway provides many of the expected benefits of hydrogen and fuel cells, reduces cost and risk, and facilitates the transition to hydrogen incrementally through existing infrastructure, technologies and channels. The H/CNG pathway is evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively in the context of: barriers to introducing hydrogen infrastructure and how they can be addressed; potential benefits (emissions, energy security) and drawbacks (range, technical compatibility) of H/CNG blended fuels; economics; and, comparative analysis to the use of ethanol in gasoline. Leveraging the NGV industry eases the transition to fuel cells by taking advantage of existing infrastructure, technologies, skills, codes and standards, and provides for incremental change that may be more acceptable to consumers, regulators and incumbent technology providers. The greatest benefits can be achieved through a two-track pathway. One would utilize small amounts of hydrogen in existing NGVs and installed power systems - much as ethanol is added to gasoline. The second introduce products designed specifically to operate on higher levels of H/CNG, like buses, in concentrations where the greatest emission benefits can be achieved. (author)

Carbon emissions in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhu

2016-01-01

This study analyzes the spatial-temporal pattern and processes of China's energy-related carbon emissions. Based on extensive quantitative analysis, it outlines the character and trajectory of China's energy-related carbon emissions during the period 1995-2010, examining the distribution pattern of China's carbon emissions from regional and sectoral perspectives and revealing the driving factors of China's soaring emission increase. Further, the book investigates the supply chain carbon emissions (the carbon footprints) of China's industrial sectors. Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most serious challenges currently facing humankind. China is the world's largest developing country, top primary energy consumer and carbon emitter. Achieving both economic growth and environmental conservation is the country's twofold challenge. Understanding the status, features and driving forces of China's energy-related carbon emissions is a critical aspect of attaining global sustainability. This work, for the first time, presents both key findings on and a systematic evaluation of China's carbon emissions from energy consumption. The results have important implications for global carbon budgets and burden-sharing with regard to climate change mitigation. The book will be of great interest to readers around the world, as it addresses a topic of truly global significance.

Electric cars : The climate impact of electric cars, focusing on carbon dioxide equivalent emissions

OpenAIRE

Ly, Sandra; Sundin, Helena; Thell, Linda

2012-01-01

This bachelor thesis examines and models the emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents of the composition of automobiles in Sweden 2012. The report will be based on three scenarios of electricity valuation principles, which are a snapshot perspective, a retrospective perspective and a future perspective. The snapshot perspective includes high and low values for electricity on the margin, the retrospective perspective includes Nordic and European electricity mix and the future perspective includ...

Continuous emission monitoring systems for power plants. The state-of-the-art

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bamberger, J.A.

1988-01-01

Continuous monitoring of power plant emissions is performed to improve combustion and control equipment efficiency, and in response to various government agency requirements. This paper focuses upon recent developments in Continuous Emission Monitoring (CEM) and Systems (CEMS) for power plants. Topics presented include the perspective of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the states: Continuous Monitoring of Power Plant Emissions - An EPA Perspective; Pennsylvania's Proposed Continuous Emission Monitoring System Data Telemetry Requirements for Municipal, Hospital and Infectious Waste Incinerators; the importance of quality assurance; Continuous Emission Monitoring and Quality Assurance Requirements for New Power Plants; Highlights of Pennsylvania's Continuous Emission Monitoring System Quality Assurance Program; improved system specifications and data acquisition methods; Improved Specifications for Continuous Emission Monitoring; A Microcomputer-Based Data Acquisition System for CEMS; CEMS applications; Expanded Use of CEMS in Acid Rain Control Programs: Opinions of Users, Control Agencies and Vendors; and an innovative measurement technique to assess electrostatic precipitator performance; The Assessment of Pulverized Coal Fly Ash Collection in Electrostatic Precipitators Using an Instrumental Assessment Technique

Transition pathways for a UK low carbon electricity future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foxon, Timothy J.

2013-01-01

Achieving long-term targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, such as the UK's legally-binding target of reducing its emissions by 80% by 2050, will require a transition in systems for meeting and shaping energy service demands, involving radical substitution to low-carbon supply technologies and improvements in end-use energy efficiency. This paper describes the development and high-level analysis of a set of transition pathways to a UK low carbon electricity system, explaining key features of the core pathways developed and the distinctiveness and value of the approach. The pathways use an ‘action space’ concept to explore the dynamic interactions between choices made by actors, which are influenced by the competing governance ‘framings’ or ‘logics’ that different actors pursue. The paper sets out three core transition pathways – Market Rules, Central Co-ordination and Thousand Flowers, in which market, government and civil society logics respectively dominate. It summarises the key technological and institutional changes in these pathways, and the roles of actors in bringing these about. This leads to an identification of the key risks to the realisation of each of the pathways, and of the challenges for individuals, businesses, social movements and policy-makers in taking action to bring them about and sustain them. - Highlights: ► Development of a set of transition pathways to a UK low carbon electricity system. ► Action space to explore the dynamic interactions between choices made by actors. ► Three core pathways in which market, government and civil society logics dominate. ► Key technological and institutional changes, and the roles of actors in pathways. ► Challenges for different actors in realising pathways.

Assessing the contribution of beach-cast seagrass wrack to global GHGs emissions: experimental models, problems and perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Misson, Gloria; Incerti, Guido; Alberti, Giorgio; Delle Vedove, Gemini; Pirelli, Tiziana; Peressotti, Alessandro

2017-04-01

-East Italy, with focus on CO2 and CH4 emissions, as a function of temperature, salinity, water supply and physical properties of the wrack piles. After presenting preliminary results, we highlight problems and perspectives concerning the assessment of beach-cast wrack contribution to the global GHGs emissions.

The Glymphatic Pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Benveniste, Helene; Lee, Hedok; Volkow, Nora D

2017-01-01

The overall premise of this review is that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is transported within a dedicated peri-vascular network facilitating metabolic waste clearance from the central nervous system while we sleep. The anatomical profile of the network is complex and has been defined as a peri-arterial CSF influx pathway and peri-venous clearance routes, which are functionally coupled by interstitial bulk flow supported by astrocytic aquaporin 4 water channels. The role of the newly discovered system in the brain is equivalent to the lymphatic system present in other body organs and has been termed the "glymphatic pathway" or "(g)lymphatics" because of its dependence on glial cells. We will discuss and review the general anatomy and physiology of CSF from the perspective of the glymphatic pathway, a discovery which has greatly improved our understanding of key factors that control removal of metabolic waste products from the central nervous system in health and disease and identifies an additional purpose for sleep. A brief historical and factual description of CSF production and transport will precede the ensuing discussion of the glymphatic system along with a discussion of its clinical implications.

Life-cycle analysis on energy consumption and GHG emission intensities of alternative vehicle fuels in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ou, Xunmin; Yan, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Xiliang; Liu, Zhen

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We analyzed the life cycle energy intensity and GHG emissions of about 40 pathways of alternative vehicle fuels in China. ► Coal-based liquid fuel has higher life cycle energy intensities and first generation technology bio-fuel has relatively lower intensity. ► By 2020 electricity will have significantly lower GHG intensity and second generation technology bio-fuel will have near zero intensities. -- Abstract: Fossil energy consumption (FEC) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensities of major alternative vehicle fuels (AVFs) in China are calculated and compared with conventional fuels by means of full life-cycle analysis. Currently most of the AVFs have not relatively obvious GHG emission reduction when compared to the gasoline pathway: (1) coal-based AVF has higher intensities in terms of both the FEC and GHG emissions; (2) electricity from the average Chinese grid has the GHG emission intensity similar to that of gasoline pathway although relatively lower FEC intensity; and (3) first generation technology bio-fuel has relatively lower GHG emission intensity and substantially lower FEC intensity. It is forecasted that by 2020 when still comparing to the gasoline pathway: (1) coal-based AVF will still have FEC and GHG emission intensities that are 1.5–1.8 and 1.8–2.5 time those of gasoline pathway, and the application of carbon capture and storage technology can reduce the GHG emission intensity of coal-based AVF; (2) electricity will have significantly lower GHG intensity; and (3) second generation technology bio-fuel will have near zero FEC and GHG intensities.

Opportunity Analysis for Recovering Energy from Industrial Waste Heat and Emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Viswanathan, V. V. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Davies, R. W. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Holbery, J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2006-04-01

This report analyzes the opportunity to recover chemical emissions and thermal emissions from U.S. industry. It also analyzes the barriers and pathways to more effectively capitalize on these opportunities.

Comparison of life cycle greenhouse gases from natural gas pathways for medium and heavy-duty vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Fan; Jaramillo, Paulina; Azevedo, Inês M L

2015-06-16

The low-cost and abundant supply of shale gas in the United States has increased the interest in using natural gas for transportation. We compare the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from different natural gas pathways for medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs). For Class 8 tractor-trailers and refuse trucks, none of the natural gas pathways provide emissions reductions per unit of freight-distance moved compared to diesel trucks. When compared to the petroleum-based fuels currently used in these vehicles, CNG and centrally produced LNG increase emissions by 0-3% and 2-13%, respectively, for Class 8 trucks. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) powered with natural gas-produced electricity are the only fuel-technology combination that achieves emission reductions for Class 8 transit buses (31% reduction compared to the petroleum-fueled vehicles). For non-Class 8 trucks (pick-up trucks, parcel delivery trucks, and box trucks), BEVs reduce emissions significantly (31-40%) compared to their diesel or gasoline counterparts. CNG and propane achieve relatively smaller emissions reductions (0-6% and 19%, respectively, compared to the petroleum-based fuels), while other natural gas pathways increase emissions for non-Class 8 MHDVs. While using natural gas to fuel electric vehicles could achieve large emission reductions for medium-duty trucks, the results suggest there are no great opportunities to achieve large emission reductions for Class 8 trucks through natural gas pathways with current technologies. There are strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of using natural gas for MHDVs, ranging from increasing vehicle fuel efficiency, reducing life cycle methane leakage rate, to achieving the same payloads and cargo volumes as conventional diesel trucks.

Sources and pathways of selected organochlorine pesticides to the Arctic and the effect of pathway divergence on HCH trends in biota: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Y.F.; Macdonald, R.W.

2005-01-01

Historical global usage and emissions for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), toxaphene and endosulfan, are presented. Relationships between the air concentrations of these OCPs and their global emissions are also discussed. Differences between the pathways of α- and β-HCH to the Arctic Ocean are described in the context of environmental concentrating and diluting processes. These concentrating and diluting processes are shown to control the temporal and spatial loading of northern oceans and that the HCH burdens in marine biota from these oceans respond accordingly. The HCHs provide an elegant example of how hemispheric-scale solvent switching processes can alter the ocean into which an HCH congener partitions, how air-water partitioning controls the pathway for HCHs entering the Arctic, and how the various pathways impact spatial and temporal trends of HCH residues in arctic animals feeding out of marine and terrestrial foodwebs

Characteristics of On-road Diesel Vehicles: Black Carbon Emissions in Chinese Cities Based on Portable Emissions Measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Xuan; Wu, Ye; Jiang, Jingkun; Zhang, Shaojun; Liu, Huan; Song, Shaojie; Li, Zhenhua; Fan, Xiaoxiao; Fu, Lixin; Hao, Jiming

2015-11-17

Black carbon (BC) emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) are rarely continuously measured using portable emission measurement systems (PEMSs). In this study, we utilize a PEMS to obtain real-world BC emission profiles for 25 HDDVs in China. The average fuel-based BC emissions of HDDVs certified according to Euro II, III, IV, and V standards are 2224 ± 251, 612 ± 740, 453 ± 584, and 152 ± 3 mg kg(-1), respectively. Notably, HDDVs adopting mechanical pump engines had significantly higher BC emissions than those equipped with electronic injection engines. Applying the useful features of PEMSs, we can relate instantaneous BC emissions to driving conditions using an operating mode binning methodology, and the average emission rates for Euro II to Euro IV diesel trucks can be constructed. From a macroscopic perspective, we observe that average speed is a significant factor affecting BC emissions and is well correlated with distance-based emissions (R(2) = 0.71). Therefore, the average fuel-based and distance-based BC emissions on congested roads are 40 and 125% higher than those on freeways. These results should be taken into consideration in future emission inventory studies.

Energy pathway analysis - a hydrogen fuel cycle framework for system studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badin, J.S.; Tagore, S.

1997-01-01

An analytical framework has been developed that can be used to estimate a range of life-cycle costs and impacts that result from the incremental production, storage, transport, and use of different fuels or energy carriers, such as hydrogen, electricity, natural gas, and gasoline. This information is used in a comparative analysis of energy pathways. The pathways provide the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with an indication of near-, mid-, and long-term technologies that have the greatest potential for advancement and can meet the cost goals. The methodology and conceptual issues are discussed. Also presented are results for selected pathways from the E3 (Energy, Economics, Emissions) Pathway Analysis Model. This model will be expanded to consider networks of pathways and to be compatible with a linear programming optimization processor. Scenarios and sets of constraints (energy demands, sources, emissions) will be defined so the effects on energy transformation activities included in the solution and on the total optimized system cost can be investigated. This evaluation will be used as a guide to eliminate technically feasible pathways if they are not cost effective or do not meet the threshold requirements for the market acceptance. (Author)

Carbon emissions in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Zhu [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States). Sustainability Science Program

2016-07-01

This study analyzes the spatial-temporal pattern and processes of China's energy-related carbon emissions. Based on extensive quantitative analysis, it outlines the character and trajectory of China's energy-related carbon emissions during the period 1995-2010, examining the distribution pattern of China's carbon emissions from regional and sectoral perspectives and revealing the driving factors of China's soaring emission increase. Further, the book investigates the supply chain carbon emissions (the carbon footprints) of China's industrial sectors. Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most serious challenges currently facing humankind. China is the world's largest developing country, top primary energy consumer and carbon emitter. Achieving both economic growth and environmental conservation is the country's twofold challenge. Understanding the status, features and driving forces of China's energy-related carbon emissions is a critical aspect of attaining global sustainability. This work, for the first time, presents both key findings on and a systematic evaluation of China's carbon emissions from energy consumption. The results have important implications for global carbon budgets and burden-sharing with regard to climate change mitigation. The book will be of great interest to readers around the world, as it addresses a topic of truly global significance.

Source influence on emission pathways and ambient PM2.5 pollution over India (2015–2050

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Venkataraman

2018-06-01

Full Text Available India is currently experiencing degraded air quality, and future economic development will lead to challenges for air quality management. Scenarios of sectoral emissions of fine particulate matter and its precursors were developed and evaluated for 2015–2050, under specific pathways of diffusion of cleaner and more energy-efficient technologies. The impacts of individual source sectors on PM2.5 concentrations were assessed through systematic simulations of spatially and temporally resolved particulate matter concentrations, using the GEOS-Chem model, followed by population-weighted aggregation to national and state levels. We find that PM2.5 pollution is a pan-India problem, with a regional character, and is not limited to urban areas or megacities. Under present-day emissions, levels in most states exceeded the national PM2.5 annual standard (40 µg m−3. Sources related to human activities were responsible for the largest proportion of the present-day population exposure to PM2.5 in India. About 60 % of India's mean population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations come from anthropogenic source sectors, while the remainder are from other sources, windblown dust and extra-regional sources. Leading contributors are residential biomass combustion, power plant and industrial coal combustion and anthropogenic dust (including coal fly ash, fugitive road dust and waste burning. Transportation, brick production and distributed diesel were other contributors to PM2.5. Future evolution of emissions under regulations set at current levels and promulgated levels caused further deterioration of air quality in 2030 and 2050. Under an ambitious prospective policy scenario, promoting very large shifts away from traditional biomass technologies and coal-based electricity generation, significant reductions in PM2.5 levels are achievable in 2030 and 2050. Effective mitigation of future air pollution in India requires adoption of aggressive prospective

Do differences in future sulfate emission pathways matter for near-term climate? A case study for the Asian monsoon

Science.gov (United States)

Bartlett, Rachel E.; Bollasina, Massimo A.; Booth, Ben B. B.; Dunstone, Nick J.; Marenco, Franco; Messori, Gabriele; Bernie, Dan J.

2018-03-01

Anthropogenic aerosols could dominate over greenhouse gases in driving near-term hydroclimate change, especially in regions with high present-day aerosol loading such as Asia. Uncertainties in near-future aerosol emissions represent a potentially large, yet unexplored, source of ambiguity in climate projections for the coming decades. We investigated the near-term sensitivity of the Asian summer monsoon to aerosols by means of transient modelling experiments using HadGEM2-ES under two existing climate change mitigation scenarios selected to have similar greenhouse gas forcing, but to span a wide range of plausible global sulfur dioxide emissions. Increased sulfate aerosols, predominantly from East Asian sources, lead to large regional dimming through aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions. This results in surface cooling and anomalous anticyclonic flow over land, while abating the western Pacific subtropical high. The East Asian monsoon circulation weakens and precipitation stagnates over Indochina, resembling the observed southern-flood-northern-drought pattern over China. Large-scale circulation adjustments drive suppression of the South Asian monsoon and a westward extension of the Maritime Continent convective region. Remote impacts across the Northern Hemisphere are also generated, including a northwestward shift of West African monsoon rainfall induced by the westward displacement of the Indian Ocean Walker cell, and temperature anomalies in northern midlatitudes linked to propagation of Rossby waves from East Asia. These results indicate that aerosol emissions are a key source of uncertainty in near-term projection of regional and global climate; a careful examination of the uncertainties associated with aerosol pathways in future climate assessments must be highly prioritised.

Waste-to-wheel analysis of anaerobic-digestion-based renewable natural gas pathways with the GREET model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, J.; Mintz, M.; Wang, M.

2011-01-01

In 2009, manure management accounted for 2,356 Gg or 107 billion standard cubic ft of methane (CH 4 ) emissions in the United States, equivalent to 0.5% of U.S. natural gas (NG) consumption. Owing to the high global warming potential of methane, capturing and utilizing this methane source could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The extent of that reduction depends on several factors - most notably, how much of this manure-based methane can be captured, how much GHG is produced in the course of converting it to vehicular fuel, and how much GHG was produced by the fossil fuel it might displace. A life-cycle analysis was conducted to quantify these factors and, in so doing, assess the impact of converting methane from animal manure into renewable NG (RNG) and utilizing the gas in vehicles. Several manure-based RNG pathways were characterized in the GREET (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) model, and their fuel-cycle energy use and GHG emissions were compared to petroleum-based pathways as well as to conventional fossil NG pathways. Results show that despite increased total energy use, both fossil fuel use and GHG emissions decline for most RNG pathways as compared with fossil NG and petroleum. However, GHG emissions for RNG pathways are highly dependent on the specifics of the reference case, as well as on the process energy emissions and methane conversion factors assumed for the RNG pathways. The most critical factors are the share of flared controllable CH 4 and the quantity of CH 4 lost during NG extraction in the reference case, the magnitude of N 2 O lost in the anaerobic digestion (AD) process and in AD residue, and the amount of carbon sequestered in AD residue. In many cases, data for these parameters are limited and uncertain. Therefore, more research is needed to gain a better understanding of the range and magnitude of environmental benefits from converting animal manure to RNG via AD.

Waste-to-wheel analysis of anaerobic-digestion-based renewable natural gas pathways with the GREET model.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, J.; Mintz, M.; Wang, M. (Energy Systems)

2011-12-14

In 2009, manure management accounted for 2,356 Gg or 107 billion standard cubic ft of methane (CH{sub 4}) emissions in the United States, equivalent to 0.5% of U.S. natural gas (NG) consumption. Owing to the high global warming potential of methane, capturing and utilizing this methane source could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The extent of that reduction depends on several factors - most notably, how much of this manure-based methane can be captured, how much GHG is produced in the course of converting it to vehicular fuel, and how much GHG was produced by the fossil fuel it might displace. A life-cycle analysis was conducted to quantify these factors and, in so doing, assess the impact of converting methane from animal manure into renewable NG (RNG) and utilizing the gas in vehicles. Several manure-based RNG pathways were characterized in the GREET (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) model, and their fuel-cycle energy use and GHG emissions were compared to petroleum-based pathways as well as to conventional fossil NG pathways. Results show that despite increased total energy use, both fossil fuel use and GHG emissions decline for most RNG pathways as compared with fossil NG and petroleum. However, GHG emissions for RNG pathways are highly dependent on the specifics of the reference case, as well as on the process energy emissions and methane conversion factors assumed for the RNG pathways. The most critical factors are the share of flared controllable CH{sub 4} and the quantity of CH{sub 4} lost during NG extraction in the reference case, the magnitude of N{sub 2}O lost in the anaerobic digestion (AD) process and in AD residue, and the amount of carbon sequestered in AD residue. In many cases, data for these parameters are limited and uncertain. Therefore, more research is needed to gain a better understanding of the range and magnitude of environmental benefits from converting animal manure to RNG via AD.

Consumption, Not CO2 emissions: Reframing Perspectives on Climate Change and Sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harriss, Robert; Shui, Bin

2010-12-01

A stunning documentary film titled “Mardi Gras: Made in China” provides an insightful and engaging perspective on the globalization of desire for material consumption. Tracing the life cycle of Mardi Gras beads from a small factory in Fuzhou, China to the streets of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans the viewer grasps the near universal human desire to strive for an affluent lifestyle. David Redmon, an independent film maker, follows the beads' genealogy back to the industrial town of Fuzhou, China, to the factory that is the world's largest producer of Mardi Gras beads and related party trinkets. He explores how these frivolous and toxic products affect the people who make them and those who consume them. Redmon captures the daily reality of a Chinese manufacturing facility. It’s workforce of approximately 500 teenage girls, and a handful of boys, live like prisoners in a fenced-in compound. These young people, often working 16-hour days, are constantly exposed to styrene, a chemical known to cause cancer — all for about 10 cents an hour. In addition to indoor pollution, the decrepit coal-fired manufacturing facilities are symbolic of China’s fast rise to the world’s top producer of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.1 The process of industrialization and modernization in China is happening at an unprecedented rate and scale.

CO{sub 2}-emissions from future waste incineration - Sub-Project 5; CO{sub 2}-utslaepp fraan framtida avfallsfoerbraanning - Delprojekt 5 inom projektet Perspektiv paa framtida avfallsbehandling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bisaillon, Mattias; Detterfelt, Lia; Edner, Stig; Maartenssson, Paal

2013-09-01

The use of fossil fuels in Swedish district heating systems has fallen sharply. With continued pressure from society to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, it is likely that the use of these fuels will decrease further. The major remaining source of emissions of fossil carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) from district heating systems 2020 is waste incineration with energy recovery in the form of electricity and heat. The aim of this project was, from two perspectives (stack perspective and system perspective), to analyze future emissions of fossil CO{sub 2} from Swedish waste incineration in the Swedish district heating systems. By studying both perspectives at the same time, the results answer whether changes in emissions in one perspective give similar or opposite effects seen from the other perspective. The purpose was also to make cost estimates for emission reduction measures affecting waste, energy and material production system. These costs were related to the price of allowances in the EU ETS and to the Swedish carbon tax. The project was performed in 2012 as a part of the research project 'Perspectives on sustainable waste treatment'.

Carbon Dioxide Emission Pathways Avoiding Dangerous Ocean Impacts

OpenAIRE

Kvale, K.; Zickfeld, K.; Bruckner, T.; Meissner, K. J.; Tanaka, K.; Weaver, A. J.

2012-01-01

Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases could lead to undesirable effects on oceans in coming centuries. Drawing on recommendations published by the German Advisory Council on Global Change, levels of unacceptable global marine change (so-called guardrails) are defined in terms of global mean temperature, sea level rise, and ocean acidification. A global-mean climate model [the Aggregated Carbon Cycle, Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model (ACC2)] is coupled with an economic module [tak...

Wood ethanol and synthetic natural gas pathways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-11-30

This report provided details of updates to the wood ethanol pathway recently added to the GHGenius model, an analytical tool used to analyze emissions from conventional and alternative fuel combustion processes. The pathway contains data developed by the United States Department of Energy. A number of co-products were added to the wood and agricultural residue pathways, including furfural, xylitol, lignin, and glycerol. New chemical inputs included nitrogen gas, ammonia, enzymes and yeast. Biological ethanol pathways were reviewed, and separate inputs for wood, agricultural residues, corn ethanol, and wheat ethanol were added. The model was updated to reflect current research conducted on the gasification of wood and the upgrading of the gas to produce pipeline quality natural gas. New process developments in producing pipeline quality gas from coal were also added. The ability to model enzyme consumption was added to all ethanol pathways. 25 refs., 41 tabs., 8 figs.

Wood ethanol and synthetic natural gas pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

This report provided details of updates to the wood ethanol pathway recently added to the GHGenius model, an analytical tool used to analyze emissions from conventional and alternative fuel combustion processes. The pathway contains data developed by the United States Department of Energy. A number of co-products were added to the wood and agricultural residue pathways, including furfural, xylitol, lignin, and glycerol. New chemical inputs included nitrogen gas, ammonia, enzymes and yeast. Biological ethanol pathways were reviewed, and separate inputs for wood, agricultural residues, corn ethanol, and wheat ethanol were added. The model was updated to reflect current research conducted on the gasification of wood and the upgrading of the gas to produce pipeline quality natural gas. New process developments in producing pipeline quality gas from coal were also added. The ability to model enzyme consumption was added to all ethanol pathways. 25 refs., 41 tabs., 8 figs

The pathways for intelligible speech: multivariate and univariate perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, S; Kyong, J S; Rosen, S; Golestani, N; Warren, J E; McGettigan, C; Mourão-Miranda, J; Wise, R J S; Scott, S K

2014-09-01

An anterior pathway, concerned with extracting meaning from sound, has been identified in nonhuman primates. An analogous pathway has been suggested in humans, but controversy exists concerning the degree of lateralization and the precise location where responses to intelligible speech emerge. We have demonstrated that the left anterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) responds preferentially to intelligible speech (Scott SK, Blank CC, Rosen S, Wise RJS. 2000. Identification of a pathway for intelligible speech in the left temporal lobe. Brain. 123:2400-2406.). A functional magnetic resonance imaging study in Cerebral Cortex used equivalent stimuli and univariate and multivariate analyses to argue for the greater importance of bilateral posterior when compared with the left anterior STS in responding to intelligible speech (Okada K, Rong F, Venezia J, Matchin W, Hsieh IH, Saberi K, Serences JT,Hickok G. 2010. Hierarchical organization of human auditory cortex: evidence from acoustic invariance in the response to intelligible speech. 20: 2486-2495.). Here, we also replicate our original study, demonstrating that the left anterior STS exhibits the strongest univariate response and, in decoding using the bilateral temporal cortex, contains the most informative voxels showing an increased response to intelligible speech. In contrast, in classifications using local "searchlights" and a whole brain analysis, we find greater classification accuracy in posterior rather than anterior temporal regions. Thus, we show that the precise nature of the multivariate analysis used will emphasize different response profiles associated with complex sound to speech processing. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press.

Viability of Hydrogen Pathways that Enhance Energy Security: A Comparison of China and Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ren, Jingzheng; Andreasen, Kristian Peter; Sovacool, Benjamin

2014-01-01

When designed and built properly, hydrogen energy systems can enhance energy security through technological diversification and minimizing dependence on foreign imports of energy fuels. However, hydrogen can be produced from different feedstocks according to separate pathways, and these different...... pathways create particular consequences on a nation's overall energy security. The objective of this study is to investigate the superiorities and inferiorities of hydrogen pathways from the perspective of China and Denmark, and to determine which pathways best contribute to national energy security...

Carbon dioxide emissions from the flat bottom and shallow Nam Theun 2 Reservoir: drawdown area as a neglected pathway to the atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Deshmukh, Chandrashekhar; Guérin, Frédéric; Vongkhamsao, Axay; Pighini, Sylvie; Oudone, Phetdala; Sopraseuth, Saysoulinthone; Godon, Arnaud; Rode, Wanidaporn; Guédant, Pierre; Oliva, Priscia; Audry, Stéphane; Zouiten, Cyril; Galy-Lacaux, Corinne; Robain, Henri; Ribolzi, Olivier; Kansal, Arun; Chanudet, Vincent; Descloux, Stéphane; Serça, Dominique

2018-03-01

Freshwater reservoirs are a significant source of CO2 to the atmosphere. CO2 is known to be emitted at the reservoir surface by diffusion at the air-water interface and downstream of dams or powerhouses by degassing and along the river course. In this study, we quantified total CO2 emissions from the Nam Theun 2 Reservoir (Lao PDR) in the Mekong River watershed. The study started in May 2009, less than a year after flooding and just a few months after the maximum level was first reached and lasted until the end of 2013. We tested the hypothesis that soils from the drawdown area would be a significant contributor to the total CO2 emissions.Total inorganic carbon, dissolved and particulate organic carbon and CO2 concentrations were measured in 4 pristine rivers of the Nam Theun watershed, at 9 stations in the reservoir (vertical profiles) and at 16 stations downstream of the monomictic reservoir on a weekly to monthly basis. CO2 bubbling was estimated during five field campaigns between 2009 and 2011 and on a weekly monitoring, covering water depths ranging from 0.4 to 16 m and various types of flooded ecosystems in 2012 and 2013. Three field campaigns in 2010, 2011 and 2013 were dedicated to the soils description in 21 plots and the quantification of soil CO2 emissions from the drawdown area. On this basis, we calculated total CO2 emissions from the reservoir and carbon inputs from the tributaries. We confirm the importance of the flooded stock of organic matter as a source of carbon (C) fuelling emissions. We show that the drawdown area contributes, depending on the year, from 40 to 75 % of total annual gross emissions in this flat and shallow reservoir. Since the CO2 emissions from the drawdown zone are almost constant throughout the years, the large interannual variations result from the significant decrease in diffusive fluxes and downstream emissions between 2010 and 2013. This overlooked pathway in terms of gross emissions would require an in-depth evaluation

Carbon dioxide emissions from the flat bottom and shallow Nam Theun 2 Reservoir: drawdown area as a neglected pathway to the atmosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Deshmukh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Freshwater reservoirs are a significant source of CO2 to the atmosphere. CO2 is known to be emitted at the reservoir surface by diffusion at the air–water interface and downstream of dams or powerhouses by degassing and along the river course. In this study, we quantified total CO2 emissions from the Nam Theun 2 Reservoir (Lao PDR in the Mekong River watershed. The study started in May 2009, less than a year after flooding and just a few months after the maximum level was first reached and lasted until the end of 2013. We tested the hypothesis that soils from the drawdown area would be a significant contributor to the total CO2 emissions.Total inorganic carbon, dissolved and particulate organic carbon and CO2 concentrations were measured in 4 pristine rivers of the Nam Theun watershed, at 9 stations in the reservoir (vertical profiles and at 16 stations downstream of the monomictic reservoir on a weekly to monthly basis. CO2 bubbling was estimated during five field campaigns between 2009 and 2011 and on a weekly monitoring, covering water depths ranging from 0.4 to 16 m and various types of flooded ecosystems in 2012 and 2013. Three field campaigns in 2010, 2011 and 2013 were dedicated to the soils description in 21 plots and the quantification of soil CO2 emissions from the drawdown area. On this basis, we calculated total CO2 emissions from the reservoir and carbon inputs from the tributaries. We confirm the importance of the flooded stock of organic matter as a source of carbon (C fuelling emissions. We show that the drawdown area contributes, depending on the year, from 40 to 75 % of total annual gross emissions in this flat and shallow reservoir. Since the CO2 emissions from the drawdown zone are almost constant throughout the years, the large interannual variations result from the significant decrease in diffusive fluxes and downstream emissions between 2010 and 2013. This overlooked pathway in terms of gross emissions would require

Life cycle energy use and GHG emission assessment of coal-based SNG and power cogeneration technology in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Sheng; Gao, Lin; Jin, Hongguang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Life cycle energy use and GHG emissions are assessed for SNG and power cogeneration. • A model based on a Chinese domestic database is developed for evaluation. • Cogeneration shows lower GHG emissions than coal-power pathway. • Cogeneration has lower life cycle energy use than supercritical coal-power pathway. • Cogeneration is a good option to implement China’s clean coal technologies. - Abstract: Life cycle energy use and GHG emissions are assessed for coal-based synthetic natural gas (SNG) and power cogeneration/polygenereation (PG) technology and its competitive alternatives. Four main SNG applications are considered, including electricity generation, steam production, SNG vehicle and battery electric vehicle (BEV). Analyses show that if SNG is produced from a single product plant, the lower limits of its life cycle energy use and GHG emissions can be comparable to the average levels of coal-power and coal-BEV pathways, but are still higher than supercritical and ultra supercritical (USC) coal-power and coal-BEV pathways. If SNG is coproduced from a PG plant, when it is used for power generation, steam production, and driving BEV car, the life cycle energy uses for PG based pathways are typically lower than supercritical coal-power pathways, but are still 1.6–2.4% higher than USC coal-power pathways, and the average life cycle GHG emissions are lower than those of all coal-power pathways including USC units. If SNG is used to drive vehicle car, the life cycle energy use and GHG emissions of PG-SNGV-power pathway are both much higher than all combined coal-BEV and coal-power pathways, due to much higher energy consumption in a SNG driven car than in a BEV car. The coal-based SNG and power cogeneration technology shows comparable or better energy and environmental performances when compared to other coal-based alternatives, and is a good option to implement China’s clean coal technologies.

Emission reduction trading - a power marketer's perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stewart, M. (Powerex Inc., Vancouver, BC (Canada))

1999-01-01

The current situation , and the short-term and long-term outlook in emission reduction trading are reviewed from the point of view of a power marketer. The author's view is that while the concept of emission reduction credit (ERC) is easy enough to understand, i.e. a series of measures to reduce carbon dioxide production and enhance carbon sequestration, there is no standard definition, although there are a number of models under consideration. What is being sought is clear ownership and title, a clear understanding of what qualifies as a credit, credit for early action, commodity specifications and the ability to hedge. The author predicts that in the short-tem, industry will experiment with different types of transactions to gain experience and seek partners who are willing to share risk and development cost. In the longer-term, emission reduction credits will be bought and sold as commodities and traded, swapped or exchanged as part of a portfolio in bilateral trade transactions, and used in hedging against future liabilities.

Aquatic pathway 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

This third part of the investigation discusses the preliminary results of sub-investigations concerning problems of the release of radioactive substances into the environment via the water pathway. On the basis of papers on the emission into the draining ditch and the exchange processes there, investigations of a possible incorporation via different exposure pathways are reported. Special regard is paid to drinking water supply aquatic foodstuffs, the river sediment, the utilisation of the agricultural surfaces and the draining ditch including its pre-pollution. The dynamics of contamination processes is reported on with regard to the problem of accidents. The colloquium will give an outline of the progress made so far and admit participants' suggestions for further work on the sub-investigations. The following colloquia will report further findings, in particular effects on aquatic ecosystems. (orig.) [de

Housing in a sustainable consumption perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten

2015-01-01

In a global perspective, sustainability includes a social, an economic and an environmental perspective (United Nations 1987). In this chapter I focus on the environmental perspective from a North-Western point of view, and in this context sustainable consumption is mainly about reducing the use ......-third of all energy consumed (Danish Energy Authority 2010). Thus irrespective of whether one approaches the topic from above or from below, housing is important when dealing with sustainable consumption.......In a global perspective, sustainability includes a social, an economic and an environmental perspective (United Nations 1987). In this chapter I focus on the environmental perspective from a North-Western point of view, and in this context sustainable consumption is mainly about reducing the use...... of non-renewable resources as well as avoiding environmental pollution and waste. Resource consumption, emissions and waste related to housing can be assessed either from ‘above’ or from ‘below’. When counting from below, from the point of the individual consumer, three main consumption areas are usually...

Estimating environmental co-benefits of U.S. low-carbon pathways using an integrated assessment model with state-level resolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ou, Yang; Shi, Wenjing; Smith, Steven J.; Ledna, Catherine M.; West, J. Jason; Nolte, Christopher G.; Loughlin, Daniel H.

2018-04-01

There are many technological pathways that can lead to reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. However, these pathways can have substantially different impacts on other environmental endpoints, such as air quality and energy-related water demand. This study uses an integrated assessment model with state-level resolution of the U.S. energy system to compare environmental impacts of alternative low-carbon pathways. One set of pathways emphasizes nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage (NUC/CCS), while another set emphasizes renewable energy (RE). These are compared with pathways in which all technologies are available. Air pollutant emissions, mortality costs attributable to particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5), and energy-related water demands are evaluated for 50% and 80% CO₂ reduction targets in the U.S. in 2050. The RE low-carbon pathways require less water withdrawal and consumption than the NUC/CCS pathways because of the large cooling demands of nuclear power and CCS. However, the NUC/CCS low-carbon pathways produce greater health benefits, mainly because the NUC/CCS assumptions result in less primary PM2.5 emissions from residential wood combustion. Environmental co-benefits differ among states because of factors such as existing technology stock, resource availability, and environmental and energy policies. An important finding is that biomass in the building sector can offset some of the health co-benefits of the low-carbon pathways even though it plays only a minor role in reducing CO₂ emissions.

Livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions: impacts and options for policy makers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnett, Tara

2009-01-01

Research shows that livestock account for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global consumption of livestock products is growing rapidly. This paper reviews the life cycle analysis (LCA) approach to quantifying these emissions and argues that, given the dynamic complexity of our food system, it offers a limited understanding of livestock's GHG impacts. It is argued that LCA's conclusions need rather to be considered within a broader conceptual framework that incorporates three key additional perspectives. The first is an understanding of the indirect second order effects of livestock production on land use change and associated CO 2 emissions. The second compares the opportunity cost of using land and resources to rear animals with their use for other food or non-food purposes. The third perspective is need-the paper considers how far people need livestock products at all. These perspectives are used as lenses through which to explore both the impacts of livestock production and the mitigation approaches that are being proposed. The discussion is then broadened to consider whether it is possible to substantially reduce livestock emissions through technological measures alone, or whether reductions in livestock consumption will additionally be required. The paper argues for policy strategies that explicitly combine GHG mitigation with measures to improve food security and concludes with suggestions for further research.

Impacts of Lowered Urban Air Temperatures on Precursor Emission and Ozone Air Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Taha, Haider; Konopacki, Steven; Akbari, Hashem

1998-09-01

Meteorological, photochemical, building-energy, and power plant simulations were performed to assess the possible precursor emission and ozone air quality impacts of decreased air temperatures that could result from implementing the "cool communities" concept in California's South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB). Two pathways are considered. In the direct pathway, a reduction in cooling energy use translates into reduced demand for generation capacity and, thus, reduced precursor emissions from electric utility power plants. In the indirect pathway, reduced air temperatures can slow the atmospheric production of ozone as well as precursor emission from anthropogenic and biogenic sources. The simulations suggest small impacts on emissions following implementation of cool communities in the SoCAB. In summer, for example, there can be reductions of up to 3% in NO x emissions from in-basin power plants. The photochemical simulations suggest that the air quality impacts of these direct emission reductions are small. However, the indirect atmospheric effects of cool communities can be significant. For example, ozone peak concentrations can decrease by up to 11% in summer and population-weighted exceedance exposure to ozone above the California and National Ambient Air Quality Standards can decrease by up to 11 and 17%, respectively. The modeling suggests that if these strategies are combined with others, such as mobile-source emission control, the improvements in ozone air quality can be substantial.

China’s provincial CO2 emissions embodied in international and interprovincial trade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Ju’e; Zhang Zengkai; Meng Lei

2012-01-01

Trades create a mechanism of embodied CO 2 emissions transfer among regions, causing distortion on the total emissions. As the world’s second largest economy, China has a large scale of trade, which results in the serious problem of embodied CO 2 emissions transfer. This paper analyzes the characteristics of China’s CO 2 emissions embodied in international and interprovincial trade from the provincial perspective. The multi-regional Input–Output Model is used to clarify provincial CO 2 emissions from geographical and sectoral dimensions, including 30 provinces and 28 sectors. Two calculating principles (production accounting principle and consumption accounting principle, ) are applied. The results show that for international trade, the eastern area accounts for a large proportion in China’s embodied CO 2 emissions. The sectors as net exporters and importers of embodied CO 2 emissions belong to labor-intensive and energy-intensive industries, respectively. For interprovincial trade, the net transfer of embodied CO 2 emissions is from the eastern area to the central area, and energy-intensive industries are the main contributors. With the largest amount of direct CO 2 emissions, the eastern area plays an important role in CO 2 emissions reduction. The central and western areas need supportive policies to avoid the transfer of industries with high emissions. - Highlights: ► China’s embodied CO 2 emissions are analyzed from the provincial perspective. ► Eastern provinces have larger CO 2 emissions embodied in international trade. ► Embodied CO 2 emissions are mainly transferred from eastern area to central area. ► Coastal provinces play important roles in CO 2 emissions reduction. ► Inland provinces need supportive policies on emissions reduction.

Uncovering China’s greenhouse gas emission from regional and sectoral perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhu; Geng, Yong; Lindner, Soeren; Guan, Dabo

2012-01-01

Understanding China’s GHG (greenhouse gas) emission status is critical for achieving the national mitigation plan. While much attention has addressed China’s national level GHG emission, less is known about its regional and sectoral emission features. In this paper China’s regional and sectoral GHG emission patterns and their driving forces were explored by using upgraded energy consumption data. We constructed a detailed GHG inventory for each province in the year 2009 which covering 28 sectors and further expanded time-serious inventories during 1997–2009. We then conducted variation and index decomposition analysis to explore its sectoral/regional disparity and features. Results showed significant differences of sectoral emission intensity among different provinces, implying a huge disparity of technology level. Since less developed provinces still apply energy intensive technologies, they had contributed to most of national emission increment during 1997–2009 and made the whole country towards carbon intensive direction. Our research outcomes indicate that the inequity of technology level among regions has already become a main barrier for China’s CO 2 mitigation. Such a reality deserves more attention from both researchers and policy makers so that appropriate carbon reduction policies can be raised. -- Highlights: ► We present spacial and sectoral disparity and drivers on green house gas (GHG) emission in 30 Chinese provinces. ► We indicated a huge difference of technology level among regions. ► Different industrial structure and development stage further result in GHG intensive in China's poor regions. ► Inequity of technology level among regions has already become a main barrier for China's GHG mitigation.

Can we safely target the WNT pathway?

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, Michael

2015-01-01

WNT–β-catenin signalling is involved in a multitude of developmental processes and the maintenance of adult tissue homeostasis by regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, genetic stability and apoptosis, as well as by maintaining adult stem cells in a pluripotent state. Not surprisingly, aberrant regulation of this pathway is therefore associated with a variety of diseases, including cancer, fibrosis and neurodegeneration. Despite this knowledge, therapeutic agents specifically targeting the WNT pathway have only recently entered clinical trials and none has yet been approved. This Review examines the problems and potential solutions to this vexing situation and attempts to bring them into perspective. PMID:24981364

Using energy scenarios to explore alternative energy pathways in California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghanadan, Rebecca; Koomey, J.G.

2005-01-01

This paper develops and analyzes four energy scenarios for California that are both exploratory and quantitative. The business-as-usual scenario represents a pathway guided by outcomes and expectations emerging from California's energy crisis. Three alternative scenarios represent contexts where clean energy plays a greater role in California's energy system: Split Public is driven by local and individual activities; Golden State gives importance to integrated state planning; Patriotic Energy represents a national drive to increase energy independence. Future energy consumption, composition of electricity generation, energy diversity, and greenhouse gas emissions are analyzed for each scenario through 2035. Energy savings, renewable energy, and transportation activities are identified as promising opportunities for achieving alternative energy pathways in California. A combined approach that brings together individual and community activities with state and national policies leads to the largest energy savings, increases in energy diversity, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Critical challenges in California's energy pathway over the next decades identified by the scenario analysis include dominance of the transportation sector, dependence on fossil fuels, emissions of greenhouse gases, accounting for electricity imports, and diversity of the electricity sector. The paper concludes with a set of policy lessons revealed from the California energy scenarios

Climate Benefits of Material Recycling: Inventory of Average Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Denmark, Norway and Sweden

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hillman, Karl; Damgaard, Anders; Eriksson, Ola

The purpose of this project is to compare emissions of greenhouse gases from material recycling with those from virgin material production, both from a material supply perspective and from a recycling system perspective. The method for estimating emissions and climate benefits is based on a review......, followed by a selection, of the most relevant publications on life cycle assessment (LCA) of materials for use in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The proposed averages show that emissions from material recycling are lower in both perspectives, comparing either material supply or complete recycling systems....... The results can be used by companies and industry associations in Denmark, Norway and Sweden to communicate the current climate benefits of material recycling in general. They may also contribute to discussions on a societal level, as long as their average and historic nature is recognised....

Family Interdependence, Spiritual Perspective, Self-Transcendence, and Depression Among Korean College Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Suk-Sun; Hayward, R David; Gil, Minji

2017-07-17

The purpose of this study was to examine the mechanisms that might account for the effects of spirituality and self-transcendence on Korean college students' depression among 197 Korean fathers, mothers, and children. A structural equation analysis indicated that spiritual perspective related to lower depression through the mediating pathway of self-transcendence for individuals. Mothers' spiritual perspective and self-transcendence related to their children's depression through the mediating pathway of their own depression, but the same was not true for fathers. Findings help explicate the intergenerational transmission of depression and important predictors of depression related to spirituality.

Future emissions pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C

Science.gov (United States)

Millar, R.; Fuglestvedt, J. S.; Grubb, M.; Rogelj, J.; Skeie, R. B.; Friedlingstein, P.; Forster, P.; Frame, D. J.; Pierrehumbert, R.; Allen, M. R.

2016-12-01

The stated aim of the 2015 UNFCCC Paris Agreement is `holding the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit temperature increases to 1.5°C'. We show that emissions reductions proportional to those achieved in an ambitious mitigation scenario, RCP2.6, but beginning in 2017, give a median estimated peak warming of 1.5°C, with a likely (66% probability) range of uncertainty of 1.2-2.0°C. Such a scenario would be approximately consistent with the most ambitious interpretation of the 2030 emissions pledges, but requires reduction rates exceeding 0.3GtC/yr/yr after 2030. A steady reduction at less than half this rate would achieve the same temperature outcome if initiated in 2020. Limiting total CO2 emissions after 2015 to 200GtC would limit future warming to likely less than 0.6°C above present, consistent with 1.5°C above pre-industrial, based on the distribution of responses of the CMIP5 Earth System, but the CMIP5 simulations do not correspond to scenarios that aim to limit warming to such low levels. If future CO2 emissions are successfully adapted to the emerging climate response so as to limit warming in 2100 to 0.6°C above present, and non-CO2 emissions follow the ambitious RCP2.6 scenario, then we estimate that resulting CO2 emissions will unlikely be restricted to less than 250GtC given current uncertainties in climate system response, although still-poorly-modelled carbon cycle feedbacks, such as release from permafrost, may encroach on this budget. Even under a perfectly successful adaptive mitigation regime, emissions consistent with limiting warming to 0.6°C above present are unlikely to be greater than 500GtC.These estimates suggest the 1.5°C goal may not yet be geophysically insurmountable but will nevertheless require, at minimum, the full implementation of the most ambitious interpretation of the Paris pledges followed by accelerated and more fundamental changes in our

Energy perspectives 2035 - Volume 4, side-notes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

This comprehensive report published by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents a number of side-notes pertaining to the first three volumes of the Energy Perspectives series of reports. Various topics are discussed by the authors of the first three volumes of the perspectives in the meetings held by the Energy Perspectives Working Group. The sixteen side-notes presented here cover the following topics: General conditions, fossil resources, the influence of climate warming, CO 2 emissions trading (Joint Implementation JI and Clean Development Mechanism CDM), definition of potentials, air traffic, imported renewable electricity, hydro power, electricity cost calculation, sensitivity analysis of centralised power production facilities, heat-pumps and their power consumption, cold spells and heat-waves, risk and its perception, the 2000-Watt society and international and national energy perspectives

Climate change impacts on agriculture in 2050 under a range of plausible socioeconomic and emissions scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiebe, Keith; Islam, Shahnila; Mason-D’Croz, Daniel; Robertson, Richard; Robinson, Sherman; Lotze-Campen, Hermann; Biewald, Anne; Bodirsky, Benjamin; Müller, Christoph; Popp, Alexander; Sands, Ronald; Tabeau, Andrzej; Van Meijl, Hans; Van der Mensbrugghe, Dominique; Kavallari, Aikaterini; Willenbockel, Dirk

2015-01-01

Previous studies have combined climate, crop and economic models to examine the impact of climate change on agricultural production and food security, but results have varied widely due to differences in models, scenarios and input data. Recent work has examined (and narrowed) these differences through systematic model intercomparison using a high-emissions pathway to highlight the differences. This paper extends that analysis to explore a range of plausible socioeconomic scenarios and emission pathways. Results from multiple climate and economic models are combined to examine the global and regional impacts of climate change on agricultural yields, area, production, consumption, prices and trade for coarse grains, rice, wheat, oilseeds and sugar crops to 2050. We find that climate impacts on global average yields, area, production and consumption are similar across shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP 1, 2 and 3, as we implement them based on population, income and productivity drivers), except when changes in trade policies are included. Impacts on trade and prices are higher for SSP 3 than SSP 2, and higher for SSP 2 than for SSP 1. Climate impacts for all variables are similar across low to moderate emissions pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 6.0), but increase for a higher emissions pathway (RCP 8.5). It is important to note that these global averages may hide regional variations. Projected reductions in agricultural yields due to climate change by 2050 are larger for some crops than those estimated for the past half century, but smaller than projected increases to 2050 due to rising demand and intrinsic productivity growth. Results illustrate the sensitivity of climate change impacts to differences in socioeconomic and emissions pathways. Yield impacts increase at high emissions levels and vary with changes in population, income and technology, but are reduced in all cases by endogenous changes in prices and other variables. (paper)

Young Pioneers: Cohabitation and Family Life Pathways in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loft, Lisbeth Trille Gylling

2011-01-01

logistic regression and latent class clusteranalysis to examine the likelihood of ever forming a cohabiting union, to situate cohabitation inthe larger context of family life pathways, and to explore social circumstances as well aspersonal aspirations as determinants of the identified family life pathways......Using a life course perspective, I examine cohabitation in a cohort of Danish women and menborn in 1954, whom formed families as cohabitation became normative in the Danish context. Inaddition, this cohort was among the first cohorts to come of age in a well-established Danishwelfare state, which...

Using an Explicit Emission Tagging Method in Global Modeling of Source-Receptor Relationships for Black Carbon in the Arctic: Variations, Sources and Transport Pathways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Hailong; Rasch, Philip J.; Easter, Richard C.; Singh, Balwinder; Zhang, Rudong; Ma, Po-Lun; Qian, Yun; Ghan, Steven J.; Beagley, Nathaniel

2014-11-27

We introduce an explicit emission tagging technique in the Community Atmosphere Model to quantify source-region-resolved characteristics of black carbon (BC), focusing on the Arctic. Explicit tagging of BC source regions without perturbing the emissions makes it straightforward to establish source-receptor relationships and transport pathways, providing a physically consistent and computationally efficient approach to produce a detailed characterization of the destiny of regional BC emissions and the potential for mitigation actions. Our analysis shows that the contributions of major source regions to the global BC burden are not proportional to the respective emissions due to strong region-dependent removal rates and lifetimes, while the contributions to BC direct radiative forcing show a near-linear dependence on their respective contributions to the burden. Distant sources contribute to BC in remote regions mostly in the mid- and upper troposphere, having much less impact on lower-level concentrations (and deposition) than on burden. Arctic BC concentrations, deposition and source contributions all have strong seasonal variations. Eastern Asia contributes the most to the wintertime Arctic burden. Northern Europe emissions are more important to both surface concentration and deposition in winter than in summer. The largest contribution to Arctic BC in the summer is from Northern Asia. Although local emissions contribute less than 10% to the annual mean BC burden and deposition within the Arctic, the per-emission efficiency is much higher than for major non-Arctic sources. The interannual variability (1996-2005) due to meteorology is small in annual mean BC burden and radiative forcing but is significant in yearly seasonal means over the Arctic. When a slow aging treatment of BC is introduced, the increase of BC lifetime and burden is source-dependent. Global BC forcing-per-burden efficiency also increases primarily due to changes in BC vertical distributions. The

Allowable carbon emissions for medium-to-high mitigation scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tachiiri, Kaoru; Hargreaves, Julia C.; Annan, James D.; Kawamiya, Michio [Research Inst. for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, (Japan)], e-mail: tachiiri@jamstec.go.jp; Huntingford, Chris [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford (United Kingdom)

2013-11-15

Using an ensemble of simulations with an intermediate complexity climate model and in a probabilistic framework, we estimate future ranges of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions in order to follow three medium-high mitigation concentration pathways: RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and SCP4.5 to 2.6. Uncertainty is first estimated by allowing modelled equilibrium climate sensitivity, aerosol forcing and intrinsic physical and biogeochemical processes to vary within widely accepted ranges. Results are then constrained by comparison against contemporary measurements. For both constrained and unconstrained projections, our calculated allowable emissions are close to the standard (harmonised) emission scenarios associated with these pathways. For RCP4.5, which is the most moderate scenario considered in terms of required emission abatement, then after year 2100 very low net emissions are needed to maintain prescribed year 2100 CO{sub 2} concentrations. As expected, RCP2.6 and SCP4.5 to 2.6 require more strict emission reductions. The implication of this is that direct sequestration of carbon dioxide is likely to be required for RCP4.5 or higher mitigation scenarios, to offset any minimum emissions for society to function (the 'emissions floor'). Despite large uncertainties in the physical and biogeochemical processes, constraints from model-observational comparisons support a high degree of confidence in predicting the allowable emissions consistent with a particular concentration pathway. In contrast the uncertainty in the resulting temperature range remains large. For many parameter sets, and especially for RCP2.6, the land will turn into a carbon source within the twenty first century, but the ocean will remain as a carbon sink. For land carbon storage and our modelling framework, major reductions are seen in northern high latitudes and the Amazon basin even after atmospheric CO{sub 2} is stabilised, while for ocean carbon uptake, the tropical ocean regions will be a

The mitigation framework in the 2015 climate change agreement: from targets to pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, Thomas; Colombier, Michel; Ribera, Teresa; Sha, Fu; Ji, Zou

2014-01-01

integrate the long-term perspective in national policy making, international cooperation, and private sector anticipations. Under the new agreement, countries would put forward long-term low emissions pathways combined with a rolling, multi-year target framework. (authors)

Characterizing the role of built environment stocks in human development and emission growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lin, Chen; Liu, Gang; Müller, Daniel B.

2017-01-01

throughout their construction, operation, and end-of-life management phases. These stocks usually exist in societies for relatively long time, from years to over a century, therefore their dynamics have long term impacts on human development and emission growth. Several recent studies, including the Fifth...... Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), have discussed the lock-in effects of infrastructure stocks on emission pathways. However, there is still a lack of quantitative analysis and evidence to support this claim. Here, based on an empirical regression model and a new...... underline the role of built environment stocks in human development, future emission pathways, and relevant climate policy....

The metabolism of the human brain studied with positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greitz, T.; Ingvar, D.H.; Widen, L.

1985-01-01

This volume presents coverage of the use of positron emission tomography (PET) to study the human brain. The contributors assess new developments in high-resolution positron emission tomography, cyclotrons, radiochemistry, and tracer kinetic models, and explore the use of PET in brain energy metabolism, blood flow, and protein synthesis measurements, receptor analysis, and pH determinations, In addition, they discuss the relevance and applications of positron emission tomography from the perspectives of physiology, neurology, and psychiatry

Sensitivity analysis of GHG emissions from biofuels in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

This report identified key factors influencing the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of ethanol and biodiesel production pathways in Canada. The report was prepared for use by policy makers in order to facilitate decision making that positively impacts the lifecycle GHG performance of renewable fuels. Four ethanol production pathways were considered: (1) ethanol production from corn; (2) ethanol production from wheat in conventional starch ethanol facilities; (3) ethanol produced from wheat straw using lignocellulosic technology; and (4) ethanol from sugar cane imported into Canada. For the pathway analysis, ethanols were blended at low levels with sulphur gasoline or used as E85 with low levels of gasoline. All ethanol scenarios were modelled for light duty vehicles. Results of the study demonstrated that all 4 pathways showed significant reductions in GHG emissions when compared to low sulphur gasoline. Differences in vehicle operation emissions between gasoline and ethanol-blended gasoline were related to a combination of the difference in the carbon content per unit of energy and the energy efficiency improvement. The study examined land use changes and feedstock production as well as all other lifecycle processes for diesel, canola, soy, palm, tallow, tallow grease, and yellow grease. A variety of transportation distances were considered. It was concluded that the alternative uses of co-products such as combustion to provide thermal energy resulted in improved GHG results. 17 refs., 117 tabs., 13 figs

Emission projections of the transport Sector in China: 2015-2040

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, L.

2016-12-01

Driven by the significant growth freight and passenger transport demand, transport sector has become a sector that is largely responsible for increases in emissions of atmospheric pollutants (NOx, CO, HC, PM2.5) in China. Figuring out the emission trend in China's transport sector has great influence on formulating emission reduction measures in the future. In this work, both on-road and off-road transport emissions in China were estimated from 2015 to 2040 for CO, NOx, HC and PM2.5. The projection was conducted based on on the energy consumption structure forecast from IEA (International Energy Agency), the future national average annual distance traveled per vehicle and fuel consumption per distance derived from simulation results of the Fuel Economy and Environmental Impact (FEEI) model. The results show that the ownership of on-road vehicles in China increases rapidly during 2015 to 2030 and then the growth slows down. Finally, the total amount reaches up to 522 million in 2040 in which 84.5% turns out to be light-duty vehicles. Because current control legislations for the transport sector in China will continue to be strengthened in the future, the total emissions of China's transport sector were projected to peak around 2030, due to the improvement of vehicle emission standard and the retirement of old vehicles are the most effective measures. The off-road transport will become the main contributor to emissions from transport sector in China since 2030. This work provides a new perspective to understand emissions from both on-road and off-road transport in China, which can support the achievement of improving air quality promised by the Chinese government. This work provides a new perspective to understand the emission trends of on-road and off-road transport sector in China from 2015 to 2040, which can support the achievement of the air quality goal promised by the Chinese government. Driven by the significant growth freight and passenger transport demand

Constraints on biomass energy deployment in mitigation pathways: the case of water scarcity

Science.gov (United States)

Séférian, Roland; Rocher, Matthias; Guivarch, Céline; Colin, Jeanne

2018-05-01

To limit global warming to well below 2 ° most of the IPCC-WGIII future stringent mitigation pathways feature a massive global-scale deployment of negative emissions technologies (NETs) before the end of the century. The global-scale deployment of NETs like Biomass Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) can be hampered by climate constraints that are not taken into account by Integrated assessment models (IAMs) used to produce those pathways. Among the various climate constraints, water scarcity appears as a potential bottleneck for future land-based mitigation strategies and remains largely unexplored. Here, we assess climate constraints relative to water scarcity in response to the global deployment of BECCS. To this end, we confront results from an Earth system model (ESM) and an IAM under an array of 25 stringent mitigation pathways. These pathways are compatible with the Paris Agreement long-term temperature goal and with cumulative carbon emissions ranging from 230 Pg C and 300 Pg C from January 1st onwards. We show that all stylized mitigation pathways studied in this work limit warming below 2 °C or even 1.5 °C by 2100 but all exhibit a temperature overshoot exceeding 2 °C after 2050. According to the IAM, a subset of 17 emission pathways are feasible when evaluated in terms of socio-economic and technological constraints. The ESM however shows that water scarcity would limit the deployment of BECCS in all the mitigation pathways assessed in this work. Our findings suggest that the evolution of the water resources under climate change can exert a significant constraint on BECCS deployment before 2050. In 2100, the BECCS water needs could represent more than 30% of the total precipitation in several regions like Europe or Asia.

Projections of oceanic N2O emissions in the 21st century using the IPSL Earth system model

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Rey, J.; Bopp, L.; Gehlen, M.; Tagliabue, A.; Gruber, N.

2015-07-01

The ocean is a substantial source of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, but little is known about how this flux might change in the future. Here, we investigate the potential evolution of marine N2O emissions in the 21st century in response to anthropogenic climate change using the global ocean biogeochemical model NEMO-PISCES. Assuming nitrification as the dominant N2O formation pathway, we implemented two different parameterizations of N2O production which differ primarily under low-oxygen (O2) conditions. When forced with output from a climate model simulation run under the business-as-usual high-CO2 concentration scenario (RCP8.5), our simulations suggest a decrease of 4 to 12 % in N2O emissions from 2005 to 2100, i.e., a reduction from 4.03/3.71 to 3.54/3.56 TgN yr-1 depending on the parameterization. The emissions decrease strongly in the western basins of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, while they tend to increase above the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), i.e., in the eastern tropical Pacific and in the northern Indian Ocean. The reduction in N2O emissions is caused on the one hand by weakened nitrification as a consequence of reduced primary and export production, and on the other hand by stronger vertical stratification, which reduces the transport of N2O from the ocean interior to the ocean surface. The higher emissions over the OMZ are linked to an expansion of these zones under global warming, which leads to increased N2O production, associated primarily with denitrification. While there are many uncertainties in the relative contribution and changes in the N2O production pathways, the increasing storage seems unequivocal and determines largely the decrease in N2O emissions in the future. From the perspective of a global climate system, the averaged feedback strength associated with the projected decrease in oceanic N2O emissions amounts to around -0.009 W m-2 K-1, which is comparable to the potential increase from terrestrial N2O sources. However

PET measurements od dopaminergic pathways in the brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perlmutter, J.S. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States). School of Medicine. Dept. of Neurology and Neurological Surgery, Anatomy and Neurobiology; Moerlein, S.M. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States). School of Medicine. Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology

1999-06-01

Position emission tomography (PET) measurements of dopaminergic pathways have revealed several new insights into the role of dopamine in the pathophysiology and pharmacology of brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD), dystonia and schizophrenia. PET studies of regional blood flow of metabolism identifies sites of regional pathology. Drug-induced changes in flow or metabolism indicate the function of dopamine-mediated pathways. Measurements of radioligand binding 'in vivo' with PET reveals abnormalities associated with specific diseases and the actions of various drugs that effect the dopaminergic system. Finally, PET measurements of the uptake of analogues of levodopa provide clues to the function of dopamine pathways potentially important for diagnosis and treatment of disease like PD.

Clinical Pathways and the Patient Perspective in the Pursuit of Value-Based Oncology Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Ersek, Jennifer L; Nadler, Eric; Freeman-Daily, Janet; Mazharuddin, Samir; Kim, Edward S

2017-01-01

The art of practicing oncology has evolved substantially in the past 5 years. As more and more diagnostic tests, biomarker-directed therapies, and immunotherapies make their way to the oncology marketplace, oncologists will find it increasingly difficult to keep up with the many therapeutic options. Additionally, the cost of cancer care seems to be increasing. Clinical pathways are a systematic way to organize and display detailed, evidence-based treatment options and assist the practitioner with best practice. When selecting which treatment regimens to include on a clinical pathway, considerations must include the efficacy and safety, as well as costs, of the therapy. Pathway treatment regimens must be continually assessed and modified to ensure that the most up-to-date, high-quality options are incorporated. Value-based models, such as the ASCO Value Framework, can assist providers in presenting economic evaluations of clinical pathway treatment options to patients, thus allowing the patient to decide the overall value of each treatment regimen. Although oncologists and pathway developers can decide which treatment regimens to include on a clinical pathway based on the efficacy of the treatment, assessment of the value of that treatment regimen ultimately lies with the patient. Patient definitions of value will be an important component to enhancing current value-based oncology care models and incorporating new, high-quality, value-based therapeutics into oncology clinical pathways.

Circadian clock gene LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL directly regulates the timing of floral scent emission in Petunia.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenske, Myles P; Hewett Hazelton, Kristen D; Hempton, Andrew K; Shim, Jae Sung; Yamamoto, Breanne M; Riffell, Jeffrey A; Imaizumi, Takato

2015-08-04

Flowers present a complex display of signals to attract pollinators, including the emission of floral volatiles. Volatile emission is highly regulated, and many species restrict emissions to specific times of the day. This rhythmic emission of scent is regulated by the circadian clock; however, the mechanisms have remained unknown. In Petunia hybrida, volatile emissions are dominated by products of the floral volatile benzenoid/phenylpropanoid (FVBP) metabolic pathway. Here we demonstrate that the circadian clock gene P. hybrida LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY; PhLHY) regulates the daily expression patterns of the FVBP pathway genes and floral volatile production. PhLHY expression peaks in the morning, antiphasic to the expression of P. hybrida GIGANTEA (PhGI), the master scent regulator ODORANT1 (ODO1), and many other evening-expressed FVBP genes. Overexpression phenotypes of PhLHY in Arabidopsis caused an arrhythmic clock phenotype, which resembles those of LHY overexpressors. In Petunia, constitutive expression of PhLHY depressed the expression levels of PhGI, ODO1, evening-expressed FVBP pathway genes, and FVBP emission in flowers. Additionally, in the Petunia lines in which PhLHY expression was reduced, the timing of peak expression of PhGI, ODO1, and the FVBP pathway genes advanced to the morning. Moreover, PhLHY protein binds to cis-regulatory elements called evening elements that exist in promoters of ODO1 and other FVBP genes. Thus, our results imply that PhLHY directly sets the timing of floral volatile emission by restricting the expression of ODO1 and other FVBP genes to the evening in Petunia.

Comparative Toxicity of Gasoline and Diesel Engine Emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JeanClare Seagrave; Joe L. Mauderly; Barbara Zielinska; John Sagebiel; Kevin Whitney; Doughlas R. Lawson; Michael Gurevich

2000-06-19

Better information on the comparative toxicity of airborne emissions from different types of engines is needed to guide the development of heavy vehicle engine, fuel, lubricant, and exhaust after-treatment technologies, and to place the health hazards of current heavy vehicle emissions in their proper perspective. To help fill this information gap, samples of vehicle exhaust particles and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) were collected and analyzed. The biological activity of the combined particle-SVOC samples is being tested using standardized toxicity assays. This report provides an update on the design of experiments to test the relative toxicity of engine emissions from various sources.

Particulate matter emissions from biochar-amended soils as a potential tradeoff to the negative emission potential

Science.gov (United States)

Ravi, Sujith; Sharratt, Brenton S.; Li, Junran; Olshevski, Stuart; Meng, Zhongju; Zhang, Jianguo

2016-10-01

Novel carbon sequestration strategies such as large-scale land application of biochar may provide sustainable pathways to increase the terrestrial storage of carbon. Biochar has a long residence time in the soil and hence comprehensive studies are urgently needed to quantify the environmental impacts of large-scale biochar application. In particular, black carbon emissions from soils amended with biochar may counteract the negative emission potential due to the impacts on air quality, climate, and biogeochemical cycles. We investigated, using wind tunnel experiments, the particulate matter emission potential of a sand and two agriculturally important soils amended with different concentrations of biochar, in comparison to control soils. Our results indicate that biochar application considerably increases particulate emissions possibly by two mechanisms-the accelerated emission of fine biochar particles and the generation and emission of fine biochar particles resulting from abrasion of large biochar particles by sand grains. Our study highlights the importance of considering the background soil properties (e.g., texture) and geomorphological processes (e.g., aeolian transport) for biochar-based carbon sequestration programs.

Estimating environmental co-benefits of U.S. low-carbon pathways using the GCAM-USA integrated assessment model

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — There are many technological pathways that can lead to reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, these pathways can have substantially different impacts on...

The Swift BAT Perspective on Non-Thermal Emission in HIFLUGCS Galaxy Clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Wik, Daniel R.

2011-01-01

The search for diffuse non-thermal, inverse Compton (IC) emission from galaxy clusters at hard X-ray energies has been underway for many years, with most detections being either of low significance or controversial. Until recently, comprehensive surveys of hard X-ray emission from clusters were not possible; instead, individually proposed-for. long observations would be collated from the archive. With the advent of the Swift BAT all sky survey, any c1u,;ter's emission above 14 keV can be probed with nearly uniform sensitivity. which is comparable to that of RXTE, Beppo-SAX, and Suzaku with the 58-month version of the survey. In this work. we search for non-thermal excess emission above the exponentially decreasing, high energy thermal emission in the flux-limited HIFLUGCS sample. The BAT emission from many of the detected clusters is marginally extended; we are able to extract the total flux for these clusters using fiducial models for their spatial extent. To account for thermal emission at BAT energies, XMM-Newton EPIC spectra are extracted from coincident spatial regions so that both the thermal and non-thermal spectral components can be determined simultaneou,;ly in joint fits. We find marginally significant IC components in 6 clusters, though after closer inspection and consideration of systematic errors we are unable to claim a clear detection in any of them. The spectra of all clusters are also summed to enhance a cumulative non-thermal signal not quite detectable in individual clusters. After constructing a model based on single temperature

Shifting the balance of mitochondrial apoptosis: therapeutic perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fulda, Simone

2012-01-01

Signaling via the intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway of apoptosis represents one of the critical signal transduction cascades that control the regulation of cell death. This pathway is typically altered in human cancers, thereby providing a suitable target for therapeutic intervention. Members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins as well as cell survival signaling cascades such as the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway are involved in the regulation of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Therefore, further insights into the molecular mechanisms that form the basis for the control of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis will likely open new perspectives to bypass evasion of apoptosis and treatment resistance in human cancers.

Shifting the balance of mitochondrial apoptosis: therapeutic perspectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fulda, Simone, E-mail: simone.fulda@kgu.de [Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in Pediatrics, Goethe-University, Frankfurt (Germany)

2012-10-08

Signaling via the intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway of apoptosis represents one of the critical signal transduction cascades that control the regulation of cell death. This pathway is typically altered in human cancers, thereby providing a suitable target for therapeutic intervention. Members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins as well as cell survival signaling cascades such as the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway are involved in the regulation of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Therefore, further insights into the molecular mechanisms that form the basis for the control of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis will likely open new perspectives to bypass evasion of apoptosis and treatment resistance in human cancers.

Shifting the balance of mitochondrial apoptosis: therapeutic perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone eFulda

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Signaling via the intrinsic (mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis represents one of the critical signal transduction cascades that control the regulation of cell death. This pathway is typically altered in human cancers, thereby providing a suitable target for therapeutic intervention. Members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins as well as cell survival signaling cascades such as the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway are involved in the regulation of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Therefore, further insights into the molecular mechanisms that form the basis for the control of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis will likely open new perspectives to bypass evasion of apoptosis and treatment resistance in human cancers.

Greenhouse gas emission reduction policies in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halsnaes, K.

2001-01-01

The chapter begins with an introduction of the main arguments for why global cost-effectiveness in GHG emission reduction policies will suggest that an international collaboration about the policies is established such as initiated by the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. A general conceptual overview is given on the cost concepts that are relevant to apply to the evaluation of GHG emission reduction policies, and the methodological framework of GHG emission reduction cost studies for developing countries are introduced. The studies have in particular focussed on GHG emission reduction options in the energy sector, and a number of costing results are reported for this sector. Finally, the chapter considers potential local side-impacts on development, the local environment, and social policy objectives of GHG emission reduction projects seen from the perspective of developing countries. It is concluded that there is a potential for combining global cost-effectiveness principles for GHG emission reduction policies, and local policy objectives of developing countries. (LN)

Pathways to deep decarbonization - Interim 2014 Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

The interim 2014 report by the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP), coordinated and published by IDDRI and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), presents preliminary findings of the pathways developed by the DDPP Country Research Teams with the objective of achieving emission reductions consistent with limiting global warming to less than 2 deg. C. The DDPP is a knowledge network comprising 15 Country Research Teams and several Partner Organizations who develop and share methods, assumptions, and findings related to deep decarbonization. Each DDPP Country Research Team has developed an illustrative road-map for the transition to a low-carbon economy, with the intent of taking into account national socio-economic conditions, development aspirations, infrastructure stocks, resource endowments, and other relevant factors. The interim 2014 report focuses on technically feasible pathways to deep decarbonization

Creative Diversity: Promoting Interculturality in Australian Pathways to Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Suzanne

2018-01-01

The growth in international student enrollments in Australian pathways to higher education over the last decade is helping to broaden awareness of the presence of culturally diverse ontological perspectives. Nevertheless, tutors and students are still confronted with numerous difficulties that point to an inherent Western denial of cultural…

Abatement Costs vs. Compliance Costs in Multi-Period Emissions Trading - The Firms' Perspective

OpenAIRE

Bode, Sven

2003-01-01

Greenhouse gas emission trading has become more and more important in the context of climate change. Recently, a discussion on trading on entity (i.e. company) level has started. Emitters likely to be obliged to participate have argued for an initial allocation of the emission rights free of charge. I analyse the implication of such an allocation based on historical emissions and on benchmarks in multi-period emission trading. Different allocation rules for successive periods are applied, nam...

Investment Strategy of Emission-Reduction Technology in a Supply Chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gao Xiang Lou

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Greenhouse gas emissions have serious impacts on the natural environment. Therefore, the restrictions imposed on carbon emission force enterprises to take carbon emission into consideration when making production decisions. In this paper, in the context of allowing emission trading and investment of emission reduction technology, models were presented for a two-stage supply chain to analyze the optimal investment and pricing decisions. The results indicate that manufacturer’s endurance capacity of reduction difficulty is higher in the cooperation model than in the Stackelberg game model, and that perfect coordination of supply chains can be realized by a revenue sharing contract. From the perspective of a consumer, low-carbon products mean higher price, so that subsidies or tax exemptions should be provided to keep low prices. Meanwhile, the government can promote investment in emission-reduction technologies and achieve its emission reduction targets by controlling emission trading price, strengthening emission reduction publicity and providing technology investment subsidies.

Pathways to Carbon-Negative Liquid Biofuels

Science.gov (United States)

Woolf, D.; Lehmann, J.

2017-12-01

Many climate change mitigation scenarios assume that atmospheric carbon dioxide removal will be delivered at scale using bioenergy power generation with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). However, other pathways to negative emission technologies (NETs) in the energy sector are possible, but have received relatively little attention. Given that the costs, benefits and life-cycle emissions of technologies vary widely, more comprehensive analyses of the policy options for NETs are critical. This study provides a comparative assessment of the potential pathways to carbon-negative liquid biofuels. It is often assumed that that decarbonisation of the transport sector will include use of liquid biofuels, particularly for applications that are difficult to electrify such as aviation and maritime transport. However, given that biomass and land on which to grow it sustainably are limiting factors in the scaling up of both biofuels and NETs, these two strategies compete for shared factors of production. One way to circumvent this competition is carbon-negative biofuels. Because capture of exhaust CO2 in the transport sector is impractical, this will likely require carbon capture during biofuel production. Potential pathways include, for example, capture of CO2 from fermentation, or sequestration of biochar from biomass pyrolysis in soils, in combination with thermochemical or bio-catalytic conversion of syngas to alcohols or alkanes. Here we show that optimal pathway selection depends on specific resource constraints. As land availability becomes increasingly limiting if bioenergy is scaled up—particularly in consideration that abandoned degraded land is widely considered to be an important resource that does not compete with food fiber or habitat—then systems which enhance land productivity by increasing soil fertility using soil carbon sequestration become increasingly preferable compared to bioenergy systems that deplete or degrade the land resource on which they

Perspectives on greenhouse gas emission estimates based on Australian wastewater treatment plant operating data.

Science.gov (United States)

de Haas, D W; Pepperell, C; Foley, J

2014-01-01

Primary operating data were collected from forty-six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located across three states within Australia. The size range of plants was indicatively from 500 to 900,000 person equivalents. Direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions were calculated using a mass balance approach and default emission factors, based on Australia's National Greenhouse Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme and IPCC guidelines. A Monte Carlo-type combined uncertainty analysis was applied to the some of the key emission factors in order to study sensitivity. The results suggest that Scope 2 (indirect emissions due to electrical power purchased from the grid) dominate the emissions profile for most of the plants (indicatively half to three quarters of the average estimated total emissions). This is only offset for the relatively small number of plants (in this study) that have significant on-site power generation from biogas, or where the water utility purchases grid electricity generated from renewable sources. For plants with anaerobic digestion, inventory data issues around theoretical biogas generation, capture and measurement were sometimes encountered that can skew reportable emissions using the NGER methodology. Typically, nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emissions dominated the Scope 1 (direct) emissions. However, N(2)O still only accounted for approximately 10 to 37% of total emissions. This conservative estimate is based on the 'default' NGER steady-state emission factor, which amounts to 1% of nitrogen removed through biological nitrification-denitrification processing in the plant (or indicatively 0.7 to 0.8% of plant influent total nitrogen). Current research suggests that true N(2)O emissions may be much lower and certainly not steady-state. The results of this study help to place in context research work that is focused on direct emissions from WWTPs (including N(2)O, methane and carbon dioxide of non-biogenic origin). For example, whereas non-biogenic CO(2

Technologies and policies for "hard to scrub" emissions sources

Science.gov (United States)

Friedmann, J.

2016-12-01

The science of climate change yields harsh math regarding atmospheric accumulations of GHGs. The world is far from target trajectories for 2C or 1.5C, and the global carbon budget is severe. To achieve those targets requires two things. First, we must field technologies that reduce emissions from the "hard to scrub" parts of the US and global economies, such as heavy industry (cement and steel), aviation, ocean shipping, and household cooking and heating. Second, we will likely need negative emissions pathways for those sources that prove extremely difficult to remove or reduce - the climate equivalent of adding revenue to one's budget. Such pathways may well need to convert GHG emissions (especially CO2 and methane) into useful products with minimal infrastructure builds. Dramatic advances in advanced manufacturing, 3D printing, simulation, modeling, and data analytics have made possible solutions which were previously unthinkable or impossible. This include "bespoke reactors", which can simultaneously perform separations and conversions; low-cost modular chemical systems of any scale; biologically inspired or biologically mediated energy services; direct air carbon-capture systems; and electrochemical pathways for emissions reduction and conversion. However, these approaches are unlikely to be fielded without policy actions or reforms that support such systems in competitive global energy markets. Such policy measures do NOT require a carbon price. Rather, they could include individual or combined measures such as emission or performance standards, financial incentives (like tax credits or low-cost access to capital), border adjustable tariffs, creation of CO2 utilities, ands public good surcharges. Innovation in both technical and policy arenas are needed to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement signatories, and these innovations can be simultaneously configured to deliver substantive greenhouse gas mitigation.

Well-to-wheels analysis of fast pyrolysis pathways with the GREET model.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, J.; Elgowainy, A.; Palou-Rivera, I.; Dunn, J.B.; Wang, M.Q. (Energy Systems)

2011-12-01

The pyrolysis of biomass can help produce liquid transportation fuels with properties similar to those of petroleum gasoline and diesel fuel. Argonne National Laboratory conducted a life-cycle (i.e., well-to-wheels [WTW]) analysis of various pyrolysis pathways by expanding and employing the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. The WTW energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the pyrolysis pathways were compared with those from the baseline petroleum gasoline and diesel pathways. Various pyrolysis pathway scenarios with a wide variety of possible hydrogen sources, liquid fuel yields, and co-product application and treatment methods were considered. At one extreme, when hydrogen is produced from natural gas and when bio-char is used for process energy needs, the pyrolysis-based liquid fuel yield is high (32% of the dry mass of biomass input). The reductions in WTW fossil energy use and GHG emissions relative to those that occur when baseline petroleum fuels are used, however, is modest, at 50% and 51%, respectively, on a per unit of fuel energy basis. At the other extreme, when hydrogen is produced internally via reforming of pyrolysis oil and when bio-char is sequestered in soil applications, the pyrolysis-based liquid fuel yield is low (15% of the dry mass of biomass input), but the reductions in WTW fossil energy use and GHG emissions are large, at 79% and 96%, respectively, relative to those that occur when baseline petroleum fuels are used. The petroleum energy use in all scenarios was restricted to biomass collection and transportation activities, which resulted in a reduction in WTW petroleum energy use of 92-95% relative to that found when baseline petroleum fuels are used. Internal hydrogen production (i.e., via reforming of pyrolysis oil) significantly reduces fossil fuel use and GHG emissions because the hydrogen from fuel gas or pyrolysis oil (renewable sources) displaces that from fossil fuel

Efficiency and CO[sub 2] emission analysis of pathways by which methane can provide transportation services

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crane, P; Scott, D S [Victoria Univ., BC (Canada). Inst. for Integrated Energy Systems Victoria Univ., BC (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

1992-07-01

Methane is expected to have an increasingly important role as an energy source in the future. As a result, methane will become a major energy source for the transportation sector. Future energy systems will also be selected for efficiency and environmental gentility. Six candidate pathways by which the energy for service transportation can be provided, using methane as the sole energy source, are proposed and are compared with the use of gasoline from petroleum. These pathways involve methanol, methane and hydrogen used in spark ignition engines and solid polymer fuel cells. The energy conversion processes in each pathway are analysed based on the second law of thermodynamics. Two performance criteria are used: total exergy input to the pathway and total carbon dioxide produced along the pathway. All results are normalized to a unit of transportation service, in this case 1 km of city driving. A surprising result is that the methanol spark ignition engine pathway is the least efficient and produces the greatest amount of carbon dioxide, of the pathways examined. Hydrogen and fuel cell pathways are found to be optimal using the criteria of this paper. (author)

Strong geologic methane emissions from discontinuous terrestrial permafrost in the Mackenzie Delta, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohnert, Katrin; Serafimovich, Andrei; Metzger, Stefan; Hartmann, Jörg; Sachs, Torsten

2017-07-19

Arctic permafrost caps vast amounts of old, geologic methane (CH 4 ) in subsurface reservoirs. Thawing permafrost opens pathways for this CH 4 to migrate to the surface. However, the occurrence of geologic emissions and their contribution to the CH 4 budget in addition to recent, biogenic CH 4 is uncertain. Here we present a high-resolution (100 m × 100 m) regional (10,000 km²) CH 4 flux map of the Mackenzie Delta, Canada, based on airborne CH 4 flux data from July 2012 and 2013. We identify strong, likely geologic emissions solely where the permafrost is discontinuous. These peaks are 13 times larger than typical biogenic emissions. Whereas microbial CH 4 production largely depends on recent air and soil temperature, geologic CH 4 was produced over millions of years and can be released year-round provided open pathways exist. Therefore, even though they only occur on about 1% of the area, geologic hotspots contribute 17% to the annual CH 4 emission estimate of our study area. We suggest that this share may increase if ongoing permafrost thaw opens new pathways. We conclude that, due to permafrost thaw, hydrocarbon-rich areas, prevalent in the Arctic, may see increased emission of geologic CH 4 in the future, in addition to enhanced microbial CH 4 production.

New developments in emissions inventory activity along the northern border region of Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliver, W.R.; Dickson, R.J.; Creelman, L.W. [Radian International LLC, Sacramento, CA (United States)] [and others

1996-12-31

The development and evaluation of emissions data for sources located along the Mexico/US border have accelerated over the past few years. This paper examines several new activities in emissions inventory development for the northern border of Mexico. Reviewed in this paper are the following recent developments that will lead to improved inventories for Mexico: development of inventory educational materials; creation of inventory manuals; estimation of emissions for unique sources; emissions-related studies; and identification of key research needs for Mexico inventories. Some of these activities are building a greater capacity in Mexico to construct emissions estimates. These topics are reviewed from the perspective of improving Mexico emissions inventories and emissions estimation capabilities.

CO2 emissions from the transport of China's exported goods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, Otto; Goessling, Stefan; Simonsen, Morten; Walnum, Hans Jakob; Peeters, Paul; Neiberger, Cordula

2010-01-01

Emissions of greenhouse gases in many European countries are declining, and the European Union (EU) believes it is on track in achieving emission reductions as agreed upon in the Kyoto Agreement and the EU's more ambitious post-Kyoto climate policy. However, a number of recent publications indicate that emission reductions may also have been achieved because production has been shifted to other countries, and in particular China. If a consumption perspective is applied, emissions in industrialized countries are substantially higher, and may not have declined at all. Significantly, emissions from transports are omitted in consumption-based calculations. As all trade involves transport, mostly by cargo ship, but also by air, transports add considerably to overall emissions growth incurred in production shifts. Consequently, this article studies the role of transports in creating emissions of CO 2 , based on the example of exports from China. Results are discussed with regard to their implications for global emission reductions and post-Kyoto negotiations.

Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions from Different Stages of Liquid Manure Management Chains: Abatement Options and Emission Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohankumar Sajeev, Erangu Purath; Winiwarter, Wilfried; Amon, Barbara

2018-01-01

Farm livestock manure is an important source of ammonia and greenhouse gases. Concerns over the environmental impact of emissions from manure management have resulted in research efforts focusing on emission abatement. However, questions regarding the successful abatement of manure-related emissions remain. This study uses a meta-analytical approach comprising 89 peer-reviewed studies to quantify emission reduction potentials of abatement options for liquid manure management chains from cattle and pigs. Analyses of emission reductions highlight the importance of accounting for interactions between emissions. Only three out of the eight abatement options considered (frequent removal of manure, anaerobic digesters, and manure acidification) reduced ammonia (3-60%), nitrous oxide (21-55%), and methane (29-74%) emissions simultaneously, whereas in all other cases, tradeoffs were identified. The results demonstrate that a shift from single-stage emission abatement options towards a whole-chain perspective is vital in reducing overall emissions along the manure management chain. The study also identifies some key elements like proper clustering, reporting of influencing factors, and explicitly describing assumptions associated with abatement options that can reduce variability in emission reduction estimates. Prioritization of abatement options according to their functioning can help to determine low-risk emission reduction options, specifically options that alter manure characteristics (e.g., reduced protein diets, anaerobic digestion, or slurry acidification). These insights supported by comprehensive emission measurement studies can help improve the effectiveness of emission abatement and harmonize strategies aimed at reducing air pollution and climate change simultaneously. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Recent developments in positron emission tomography (PET) instrumentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Derenzo, S.E.; Budinger, T.F.

1986-04-01

This paper presents recent detector developments and perspectives for positron emission tomography (PET) instrumentation used for medical research, as well as the physical processes in positron annihilation, photon scattering and detection, tomograph design considerations, and the potentials for new advances in detectors. 117 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.

Recent developments in positron emission tomography (PET) instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derenzo, S.E.; Budinger, T.F.

1986-04-01

This paper presents recent detector developments and perspectives for positron emission tomography (PET) instrumentation used for medical research, as well as the physical processes in positron annihilation, photon scattering and detection, tomograph design considerations, and the potentials for new advances in detectors. 117 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs

Patient perspective: choosing or developing instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirwan, John R; Fries, James F; Hewlett, Sarah; Osborne, Richard H

2011-08-01

Previous Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) meetings recognized that patients view outcomes of intervention from a different perspective. This preconference position paper briefly sets out 2 patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument approaches, the PROMISE computer adaptive testing (CAT) system and development of a rheumatoid arthritis-specific questionnaire to measure fatigue; a tentative proposal for a PRO instrument development pathway is also made.

Pathways to deep decarbonization - 2015 report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribera, Teresa; Colombier, Michel; Waisman, Henri; Bataille, Chris; Pierfederici, Roberta; Sachs, Jeffrey; Schmidt-Traub, Guido; Williams, Jim; Segafredo, Laura; Hamburg Coplan, Jill; Pharabod, Ivan; Oury, Christian

2015-12-01

In September 2015, the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project published the Executive Summary of the Pathways to Deep Decarbonization: 2015 Synthesis Report. The full 2015 Synthesis Report was launched in Paris on December 3, 2015, at a technical workshop with the Mitigation Action Plans and Scenarios (MAPS) program. The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) is a collaborative initiative to understand and show how individual countries can transition to a low-carbon economy and how the world can meet the internationally agreed target of limiting the increase in global mean surface temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius (deg. C). Achieving the 2 deg. C limit will require that global net emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) approach zero by the second half of the century. In turn, this will require a profound transformation of energy systems by mid-century through steep declines in carbon intensity in all sectors of the economy, a transition we call 'deep decarbonization'

Past, Present, and Future Anthropogenic Emissions over Asia: a Regional Air Quality Modeling Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Jung-Hun; Jung, Bujeon; Choi, Ki-Chul; Seo, Ji-Hyun; Kim, Tae Hyung; Park, Rokjin J.; Youn, Daeok; Jeong, Jaein; Moon, Byung-Kwon; Yeh, Sang-Wook

2010-05-01

Climate change will also affect future regional air quality which has potential human health, ecosystem, and economic implications. To analyze the impacts of climate change on Asian air quality, the NIER (National Institute of Environmental Research, Korea) integrated modeling framework was developed based on global-to-regional climate and atmospheric chemistry models. In this study, we developed emission inventories for the modeling framework for 1980~2100 with an emphasis on Asia emissions. Two emission processing systems which have functions of emission projection, spatial/temporal allocation, and chemical speciation have been also developed in support of atmospheric chemistry models including GEOS-Chem and Models-3/CMAQ. Asia-based emission estimates, projection factors, temporal allocation parameters were combined to improve regional modeling capability of past, present and future air quality over Asia. The global CO emissions show a 23% decrease from the years 1980 to 2000. For the future CO (from year 2000 to 2100), the A2 scenario shows a 95% increase due to the B40 (Residential-Biofuel) sector of Western Africa, Eastern Africa and East Asia and the F51 (Transport Road-Fossil fuel) sector of Middle East, USA and South Asia. The B1 scenario, however, shows a 79% decrease of emissions due to B40 and F51 sectors of East Asia, South Asia and USA for the same period. In many cases, Asian emissions play important roles for global emission increase or decrease depending on the IPCC scenarios considered. The regional ozone forming potential will be changed due to different VOC/NOx emission ratio changes in the future. More similarities and differences of Asian emission characteristics, in comparison with its global counterpart, are investigated.

Positron Emission Tomography : background, possibilities and perspectives in neuroscience

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Paans, AMJ

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a method for determining biochemical and physiological processes in vivo in a quantitative way. This includes the measurement of the pharmacokinetics of labeled drugs and the measurement of the effects of drugs and/or therapy on metabolism. Also deviations of

Provincial Carbon Emissions Reduction Allocation Plan in China Based on Consumption Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuecheng Wang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available China is a country with substantial differences in economic development, energy consumption mix, resources, and technologies, as well as the development path at the provincial level. Therefore, China’s provinces have different potential and degrees of difficulty to carry out carbon emission reduction (CER requirements. In addition, interprovincial trade, with a large amount of embodied carbon emissions, has become the fastest growing driver of China’s total carbon emissions. A reasonable CER allocation plan is, therefore, crucial for realizing the commitment that China announced in the Paris Agreement. How to determine a fair way to allocate provincial CER duties has become a significant challenge for both policy-makers and researchers. In this paper, ecological network analysis (ENA, combined with a multi-regional input-output model (MRIO, is adopted to build an ecological network of embodied emissions across 30 provinces. Then, by using flow analysis and utility analysis based on the ENA model, the specific relationships among different provinces were determined, and the amount of responsibility that a certain province should take quantified, with respect to the embodied carbon emission (ECE flows from interprovincial trade. As a result, we suggest a new CER allocation plan, based on the detailed data of interprovincial relationships and ECE flows.

Greenhouse gas emissions from Thailand’s transport sector: Trends and mitigation options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pongthanaisawan, Jakapong; Sorapipatana, Chumnong

2013-01-01

Rapid growth of population and economy during the past two decades has resulted in continuing growth of transport’s oil demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The objectives of this study are to examine pattern and growth in energy demand as well as related GHG emissions from the transport sector and to analyze potential pathways of energy demand and GHG emissions reduction from this sector of the measures being set by the Thai Government. A set of econometric models has been developed to estimate the historical trend of energy demand and GHG emissions in the transport sector during 1989–2007 and to forecast future trends to 2030. Two mitigation option scenarios of fuel switching and energy efficiency options have been designed to analyze pathways of energy consumption and GHG emissions reduction potential in Thailand’s transport sector compared with the baseline business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, which assumed to do nothing influences the long-term trends of transport energy demand. It has been found that these two mitigation options can reduce the GHG emissions differently. The fuel-switching option could significantly reduce the amount of GHG emissions in a relatively short time frame, albeit it will be limited by its supply resources, whereas the energy efficiency option is more effective for GHG emissions mitigation in the long term. Therefore, both measures should be implemented simultaneously for both short and long term mitigation effects in order to more effectively achieve GHG emissions reduction target.

Agricultural opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Jane M.-F.; Franzluebbers, Alan J.; Weyers, Sharon Lachnicht; Reicosky, Donald C.

2007-01-01

Agriculture is a source for three primary greenhouse gases (GHGs): CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O. It can also be a sink for CO 2 through C sequestration into biomass products and soil organic matter. We summarized the literature on GHG emissions and C sequestration, providing a perspective on how agriculture can reduce its GHG burden and how it can help to mitigate GHG emissions through conservation measures. Impacts of agricultural practices and systems on GHG emission are reviewed and potential trade-offs among potential mitigation options are discussed. Conservation practices that help prevent soil erosion, may also sequester soil C and enhance CH 4 consumption. Managing N to match crop needs can reduce N 2 O emission and avoid adverse impacts on water quality. Manipulating animal diet and manure management can reduce CH 4 and N 2 O emission from animal agriculture. All segments of agriculture have management options that can reduce agriculture's environmental footprint. - Management options can be used to reduce agriculture's environmental impacts

Mathematical modeling of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from full-scale wastewater treatment plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Bing-Jie; Ye, Liu; Law, Yingyu; Byers, Craig; Yuan, Zhiguo

2013-07-16

Mathematical modeling of N2O emissions is of great importance toward understanding the whole environmental impact of wastewater treatment systems. However, information on modeling of N2O emissions from full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is still sparse. In this work, a mathematical model based on currently known or hypothesized metabolic pathways for N2O productions by heterotrophic denitrifiers and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is developed and calibrated to describe the N2O emissions from full-scale WWTPs. The model described well the dynamic ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, dissolved oxygen (DO) and N2O data collected from both an open oxidation ditch (OD) system with surface aerators and a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system with bubbling aeration. The obtained kinetic parameters for N2O production are found to be reasonable as the 95% confidence regions of the estimates are all small with mean values approximately at the center. The model is further validated with independent data sets collected from the same two WWTPs. This is the first time that mathematical modeling of N2O emissions is conducted successfully for full-scale WWTPs. While clearly showing that the NH2OH related pathways could well explain N2O production and emission in the two full-scale plants studied, the modeling results do not prove the dominance of the NH2OH pathways in these plants, nor rule out the possibility of AOB denitrification being a potentially dominating pathway in other WWTPs that are designed or operated differently.

CO2 emissions, energy consumption, income and foreign trade: A South African perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohler, Marcel

2013-01-01

The effect of trade liberalisation on environmental conditions has yielded significant debate in the energy economics literature. Although research on the relationship between energy consumption, emissions and economic growth is not new in South Africa, no study specifically addresses the role that South Africa's foreign trade plays in this context. A surprising fact given trade is one of the most important factors that can explain the environmental Kuznets curve. This study employs recent South African trade and energy data and modern econometric techniques to investigate this. The main finding of interest in this paper is the existence of a long run relationship between environmental quality, levels of per capita energy use and foreign trade in South Africa. As anticipated per capita energy use has a significant long run effect in raising the country's CO 2 emission levels, yet surprisingly higher levels of trade for the country act to reduce these emissions. Granger causality tests confirm the existence of a positive bidirectional relationship between per capita energy use and CO 2 emissions. Whilst the study also finds positive bidirectional causality between trade and income per capita and between trade and per capita energy use, it appears however that trade liberalisation in South Africa has not contributed to a long run growth in pollution-intensive activities nor higher emission levels. - Highlights: • A long run relationship between CO 2 emissions, levels of energy use and trade in SA. • Per capita energy has a significant long run effect in raising SA's CO 2 levels. • Trade reduces CO 2 emissions through stimulating technological innovations. • Positive bidirectional causality between per capita energy use and CO 2 emissions. • Bidirectional causality between trade and income and trade and energy use

Quantifying and managing Scope 3 (Travel) carbon emissions in a UK university

OpenAIRE

Chelliah, JR

2016-01-01

Purpose:\\ud The Higher Education Statistics Agency requires Higher Education Institutes to reporting their Scope 3 (Travel) carbon emissions effective from January 2015 to show leadership in carbon reporting perspectives. This research contribution is to new knowledge and management processes involves the designing and implementing a hybrid environmental management system(EMS) for Scope 3 (Travel) carbon emissions accountability, developing new quantification tools and reporting by adopting G...

The role of dung beetles in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cattle farming

Science.gov (United States)

Slade, Eleanor M.; Riutta, Terhi; Roslin, Tomas; Tuomisto, Hanna L.

2016-01-01

Agriculture is one of the largest anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs), with dairy and beef production accounting for nearly two-thirds of emissions. Several recent papers suggest that dung beetles may affect fluxes of GHGs from cattle farming. Here, we put these previous findings into context. Using Finland as an example, we assessed GHG emissions at three scales: the dung pat, pasture ecosystem, and whole lifecycle of milk or beef production. At the first two levels, dung beetles reduced GHG emissions by up to 7% and 12% respectively, mainly through large reductions in methane (CH4) emissions. However, at the lifecycle level, dung beetles accounted for only a 0.05-0.13% reduction of overall GHG emissions. This mismatch derives from the fact that in intensive production systems, only a limited fraction of all cow pats end up on pastures, offering limited scope for dung beetle mitigation of GHG fluxes. In contrast, we suggest that the effects of dung beetles may be accentuated in tropical countries, where more manure is left on pastures, and dung beetles remove and aerate dung faster, and that this is thus a key area for future research. These considerations give a new perspective on previous results perspective, and suggest that studies of biotic effects on GHG emissions from dung pats on a global scale are a priority for current research.

Methodology for inventorying greenhouse gas emissions from global cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, Christopher; Steinberger, Julia; Gasson, Barrie; Hansen, Yvonne; Hillman, Timothy; Havranek, Miroslav; Pataki, Diane; Phdungsilp, Aumnad; Ramaswami, Anu; Mendez, Gara Villalba

2010-01-01

This paper describes the methodology and data used to determine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to ten cities or city-regions: Los Angeles County, Denver City and County, Greater Toronto, New York City, Greater London, Geneva Canton, Greater Prague, Barcelona, Cape Town and Bangkok. Equations for determining emissions are developed for contributions from: electricity; heating and industrial fuels; ground transportation fuels; air and marine fuels; industrial processes; and waste. Gasoline consumption is estimated using three approaches: from local fuel sales; by scaling from regional fuel sales; and from counts of vehicle kilometres travelled. A simplified version of an intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) method for estimating the GHG emissions from landfill waste is applied. Three measures of overall emissions are suggested: (i) actual emissions within the boundary of the city; (ii) single process emissions (from a life-cycle perspective) associated with the city's metabolism; and (iii) life-cycle emissions associated with the city's metabolism. The results and analysis of the study will be published in a second paper.

Estimating European historical production, consumption and atmospheric emissions of decabromodiphenyl ether

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Earnshaw, Mark R., E-mail: m.earnshaw2@lancaster.ac.uk; Jones, Kevin C., E-mail: k.c.jones@lancaster.ac.uk; Sweetman, Andy J., E-mail: a.sweetman@lancaster.ac.uk

2013-03-01

A European scale production, consumption and environmental emissions inventory is produced for decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) for the period 1970–2020. A dynamic substance flow analysis model of DecaBDE is developed and emission of the main congener, BDE-209, to environmental compartments is estimated. From 1970 to 2010, it is estimated that a total of 185,000–250,000 tonnes of DecaBDE was consumed in Europe. Consumption peaked in the late 1990s at approximately 9000 tonnes/year and has declined by ∼ 30% in 2010. Predicted BDE-209 atmospheric emissions peak in 2004 at 10 tonnes/year. The waste management phase of the BDE-209 life cycle is responsible for the majority of atmospheric emissions via volatilisation and particle bound emissions from landfills, whilst leakage from Sewerage systems is the major source of emissions to the hydrosphere. Use of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment works as an agricultural fertiliser is the most important pathway of BDE-209 to soil. Although DecaBDE consumption has declined in recent years, the stock in use for 2010 remains considerable (60,000 tonnes) and is likely to act as a source of atmospheric emissions for several decades. Uncertainties exist in these estimations and more field or experimental data is needed to clarify the significance of certain emission pathways, in particular, emissions from landfill sites. - Highlights: ► Total DecaBDE consumption in Europe for the period 1970–2010 is estimated to be between 185,000 and 250,000 tonnes. ► European atmospheric emissions of BDE-209 is predicted to peak in 2004 at 10 tonnes/year. ► The waste management phase is responsible for the majority of BDE-209 environmental emissions. ► The volume of BDE-209 present in the anthroposphere is declining and is predicted to fall to negligible levels by 2030.

Estimating European historical production, consumption and atmospheric emissions of decabromodiphenyl ether

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Earnshaw, Mark R.; Jones, Kevin C.; Sweetman, Andy J.

2013-01-01

A European scale production, consumption and environmental emissions inventory is produced for decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) for the period 1970–2020. A dynamic substance flow analysis model of DecaBDE is developed and emission of the main congener, BDE-209, to environmental compartments is estimated. From 1970 to 2010, it is estimated that a total of 185,000–250,000 tonnes of DecaBDE was consumed in Europe. Consumption peaked in the late 1990s at approximately 9000 tonnes/year and has declined by ∼ 30% in 2010. Predicted BDE-209 atmospheric emissions peak in 2004 at 10 tonnes/year. The waste management phase of the BDE-209 life cycle is responsible for the majority of atmospheric emissions via volatilisation and particle bound emissions from landfills, whilst leakage from Sewerage systems is the major source of emissions to the hydrosphere. Use of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment works as an agricultural fertiliser is the most important pathway of BDE-209 to soil. Although DecaBDE consumption has declined in recent years, the stock in use for 2010 remains considerable (60,000 tonnes) and is likely to act as a source of atmospheric emissions for several decades. Uncertainties exist in these estimations and more field or experimental data is needed to clarify the significance of certain emission pathways, in particular, emissions from landfill sites. - Highlights: ► Total DecaBDE consumption in Europe for the period 1970–2010 is estimated to be between 185,000 and 250,000 tonnes. ► European atmospheric emissions of BDE-209 is predicted to peak in 2004 at 10 tonnes/year. ► The waste management phase is responsible for the majority of BDE-209 environmental emissions. ► The volume of BDE-209 present in the anthroposphere is declining and is predicted to fall to negligible levels by 2030

Genes encoding enzymes of the lignin biosynthesis pathway in Eucalyptus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Harakava

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Eucalyptus ESTs libraries were screened for genes involved in lignin biosynthesis. This search was performed under the perspective of recent revisions on the monolignols biosynthetic pathway. Eucalyptus orthologues of all genes of the phenylpropanoid pathway leading to lignin biosynthesis reported in other plant species were identified. A library made with mRNAs extracted from wood was enriched for genes involved in lignin biosynthesis and allowed to infer the isoforms of each gene family that play a major role in wood lignin formation. Analysis of the wood library suggests that, besides the enzymes of the phenylpropanoids pathway, chitinases, laccases, and dirigent proteins are also important for lignification. Colocalization of several enzymes on the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, as predicted by amino acid sequence analysis, supports the existence of metabolic channeling in the phenylpropanoid pathway. This study establishes a framework for future investigations on gene expression level, protein expression and enzymatic assays, sequence polymorphisms, and genetic engineering.

Aquatic pathway 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

This first part of the study discusses problems of exposure due to the emission of radioactive substances into the environment via the water pathway. Discussion is started with a paper on the fundamentals of calculation and another paper on the results of preliminary radiological model calculations. The colloquium will assess the present state of knowledge, helps to find an agreement between divergent opinions and determine open questions and possible solutions. Ten main problems have been raised, most of which pertain to site conditions. They are trated as sub-investigations by individual participants or working groups. The findings will be discussed in further colloquia. (orig.) [de

Stabilization of emission of CO2: A computable general equilibrium assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glomsroed, S.; Vennemo, H.; Johnsen, T.

1992-01-01

A multisector computable general equilibrium model is used to study economic development perspectives in Norway if CO 2 emissions were stabilized. The effects discussed include impacts on main macroeconomic indicators and economic growth, sectoral allocation of production, and effects on the market for energy. The impact of other pollutants than CO 2 on emissions is assessed along with the related impact on noneconomic welfare. The results indicate that CO 2 emissions might be stabilized in Norway without dramatically reducing economic growth. Sectoral allocation effects are much larger. A substantial reduction in emissions to air other than CO 2 is found, yielding considerable gains in noneconomic welfare. 25 refs., 6 tabs., 2 figs

Mastering the market of CO2 emission quotas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-05-01

On January 1, 2005, a system of trade of carbon dioxide emission quotas, also called 'market of tradable emission permits', will be implemented in the European Union. This system is one of the 3 flexibility mechanisms foreseen by the Kyoto protocol in order to reduce the global economic cost of the fight against climatic change. The aim of this seminar is to clarify the process of transfer of the European directive into French law. It comprises 8 presentations dealing with: the objectives of tradable emission quotas (greenhouse effect, Kyoto commitments, short and long term stakes); presentation of the European directive about the trade system of greenhouse gas emissions; transposition of the directive into French law (fields of application, sectors and facilities concerned, possible exemptions, first national plan of quotas allocation); voluntary emission abatement commitments by industrial companies member of the AERES; quotas recording and management, control of trades; companies strategy (investment for CO 2 abatement or purchase of quotas, impact on industries and competitiveness); experience feedback of emission quotas trading in foreign countries (international CO 2 market development); CO 2 emission quotas linked with cogeneration (emissions from cogeneration facilities, possible allocation, impact for cogeneration companies, approaches in other European countries in this domain); perspectives and conclusions. (J.S.)

The coal question that emissions trading has not answered

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pearse, Rebecca

2016-01-01

Can emissions trading assist with the task of placing a limit on coal production and consumption in Australia? This paper outlines a critical political economy perspective on coal and a flagship ‘market mechanism’ for emissions reduction. The prospects for an effective emissions trading scheme in coal-dominated economies are considered in light of its theoretical justifications as well as recent attempts to price carbon in Australia. Emissions trading is a weak instrument that does not address real-world failures of coal governance. At their theoretical best, carbon prices produce marginal changes to the cost structure of production. In practice, the Australian case demonstrates emissions trading is an attempt to displace the emissions reduction task away from coal, through compensation arrangements and offsetting. In light of the urgent need to rapidly reduce global emissions, direct regulation and democratisation of coal production and consumption should be flagship climate policy. - Highlights: • Emissions trading schemes (ETS) are weak instruments for placing a limit on coal. • Pre-existing failures of coal governance cannot be addressed by emissions trading. • Considerable transfers of public wealth to coal companies occurred as part of the Australian ETS. • Carbon offset arrangements spatially displace responsibility for reducing emissions away from coal.

Environmental impact assessment for energy pathways: an integrated methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sommereux-Blanc, Isabelle

2010-01-01

This document presents the synthesis of my research work contributing to the development of an integrated methodology of environmental impact assessment for energy pathways. In the context of world globalization, environmental impact assessments issues are highly linked with the following questioning: Which environmental impacts? for which demand? at which location? at which temporal scale? My work is built upon the definition of a conceptual framework able to handle these issues and upon its progressive implementation. The integration of the spatial and temporal issues within the methodology are key elements. Fundamental cornerstones of this framework are presented along the DPSIR concept (Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, Responses). They cover a comprehensive analysis of the limits and the relevance of life cycle analysis and the development of a geo-spatialized environmental performance approach for an electrical production pathway. Perspectives linked with the development of this integrated methodology are detailed for energy pathways. (author)

Estimating environmental co-benefits of U.S. low-carbon pathways using an integrated assessment model with state-level resolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Yang; Shi, Wenjing; Smith, Steven J; Ledna, Catherine M; West, J Jason; Nolte, Christopher G; Loughlin, Daniel H

2018-04-15

There are many technological pathways that can lead to reduced carbon dioxide emissions. However, these pathways can have substantially different impacts on other environmental endpoints, such as air quality and energy-related water demand. This study uses an integrated assessment model with state-level resolution of the energy system to compare environmental impacts of alternative low-carbon pathways for the United States. One set of pathways emphasizes nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage, while another set emphasizes renewable energy, including wind, solar, geothermal power, and bioenergy. These are compared with pathways in which all technologies are available. Air pollutant emissions, mortality costs attributable to particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter, and energy-related water demands are evaluated for 50% and 80% carbon dioxide reduction targets in 2050. The renewable low-carbon pathways require less water withdrawal and consumption than the nuclear and carbon capture pathways. However, the renewable low-carbon pathways modeled in this study produce higher particulate matter-related mortality costs due to greater use of biomass in residential heating. Environmental co-benefits differ among states because of factors such as existing technology stock, resource availability, and environmental and energy policies.

Pathways as a tool for the governance of sustainable management of soilsubsidence

Science.gov (United States)

Ellen, G. J.; Hommes, S.

2017-12-01

Subsidence is a physical, societal, economic and institutional challenge for the Netherlands. For urban areas because subsidence threatens the nearby future the liveability and touristic attractiveness of the historic cities. For the rural areas because it affects the - intensive - agricultural landuse which is an important pilar of the Dutch economy. Policy and decision-making concerning subsidence is suffering from `non-decision making'. Subsidence has been described and mapped based on (geological and geotechnical) scientific research, but the subject has only been marginally addressing in the national, regional and local policy arena's. To actually make it possible for subsidence to be discussed in the policy arena a method was designed which was used in two cases : the Dutch city of Gouda and a more rural area in the province of Flevoland in the middle of the Netherlands. The method used was based on three building blocks. First of all future perspectives - scenario planning methodology was used to create future perspectives on coping with land subsidence. For example for Gouda we created 4 future perspectives for 2060 distinguishing between allocation of responsibilities (public or private) and the strategic decision to cope with land subsidence (halt or continue to sink). The second building block was the use of pathways, were each pathway consisted of a cluster of land subsidence strategies covering the many dimensions of land subsidence, ranging from houses and their foundations for the city of Gouda towards different types of agricultural land use for the rural area in the province of Flevoland. The last building block was a governance design approach were for every pathway a governance arrangements were designed together with stakeholders. The method was evaluated and proved to be very useful. First, a better understanding of the unsustainability of subsidence was obtained. In addition, the different perspectives and strategies stimulated discussions

The Implications of Deep Mitigation Pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Calvin, K. V.

2016-12-01

The 21st Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC agreement called for limiting climate change to "well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C." A climate target of 1.5°C places a stringent constraint on allowable emissions over the twenty-first century. Roegli et al. (2015) set that constraint at 200-415 GtCO2 between 2011 and 2100 for a likely chance of staying below 1.5°C in 2100. Limiting emissions to these levels requires that global emissions peak and decline over the coming decades, with net negative global emissions by mid-century. This level of decarbonization requires dramatic shifts in the energy and agricultural sectors, and comes at significant economic costs. This talk explores the effect of mitigating climate change to 1.5°C on the economy, energy system, and terrestrial system. We quantify the required deployment of various low carbon technologies, as well as the amount of existing capital that is abandoned in an effort to limit emissions. We show the shifts required in the terrestrial system, including its contribution to carbon sequestration through afforestation and bioenergy. Additionally, we show the implications of deep mitigation pathways on energy, food, and carbon prices. We contrast these results with a reference, no climate policy, world and a 2°C.

Tourism-Related CO2 Emission and Its Decoupling Effects in China: A Spatiotemporal Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zi Tang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The rapid development of the tourism industry has been accompanied by an increase in CO2 emissions and has a certain degree of impact on climate change. This study adopted the bottom-up approach to estimate the spatiotemporal change of CO2 emissions of the tourism industry in China and its 31 provinces over the period 2000–2015. In addition, the decoupling index was applied to analyze the decoupling effects between tourism-related CO2 emissions and tourism economy from 2000 to 2015. The results showed that the total CO2 emissions of the tourism industry rose from 37.95 Mt in 2000 to 100.98 Mt in 2015 with an average annual growth rate of 7.1%. The highest CO2 emissions from the tourism industry occurred in eastern coastal China, whereas the least CO2 emissions were in the west of China. Additionally, the decoupling of CO2 emissions from economic growth in China’s tourism industry had mainly gone through the alternations of negative decoupling and weak decoupling. The decoupling states in most of the Chinese provinces were desirable during the study period. This study may serve as a scientific reference regarding decision-making in the sustainable development of the tourism industry in China.

Information Pathways for the Competence Foresight Mechanism in Talent Management Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Siikaniemi, Lena

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the research and literature through the development of the theme of competence foresight. In addition, the aim is to construct information pathways for the foresight mechanism, for the use of practitioners, to enable them to manage talent and competences with an anticipatory perspective.…

Evaluating officially reported polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions in the Athabasca oil sands region with a multimedia fate model

Science.gov (United States)

Parajulee, Abha; Wania, Frank

2014-01-01

Emissions of organic substances with potential toxicity to humans and the environment are a major concern surrounding the rapid industrial development in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR). Although concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in some environmental samples have been reported, a comprehensive picture of organic contaminant sources, pathways, and sinks within the AOSR has yet to be elucidated. We sought to use a dynamic multimedia environmental fate model to reconcile the emissions and residue levels reported for three representative PAHs in the AOSR. Data describing emissions to air compiled from two official sources result in simulated concentrations in air, soil, water, and foliage that tend to fall close to or below the minimum measured concentrations of phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo(a)pyrene in the environment. Accounting for evaporative emissions (e.g., from tailings pond disposal) provides a more realistic representation of PAH distribution in the AOSR. Such indirect emissions to air were found to be a greater contributor of PAHs to the AOSR atmosphere relative to reported direct emissions to air. The indirect pathway transporting uncontrolled releases of PAHs to aquatic systems via the atmosphere may be as significant a contributor of PAHs to aquatic systems as other supply pathways. Emission density estimates for the three PAHs that account for tailings pond disposal are much closer to estimated global averages than estimates based on the available emissions datasets, which fall close to the global minima. Our results highlight the need for improved accounting of PAH emissions from oil sands operations, especially in light of continued expansion of these operations. PMID:24596429

Emission Data For Climate-Chemistry Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, S. J.

2012-12-01

Data on anthropogenic and natural emissions of reactive species are a critical input for studies of atmospheric chemistry and climate. The availability and characteristics of anthropogenic emissions data that can be used for such studies are reviewed and pathways for future work discuss Global and regional datasets for historical and future emissions are available, but their characteristics and applicability for specific studies differ. For the first time, a coordinated set of historical emissions (Lamarque et al 2010) and the future projections (van Vuurren et al. 2011) have been developed for use in the CMIP5 and ACCMIP long-term simulation comparison projects. These data have decadal resolution and were designed for long-term, global simulations. These data, however, lack finer-scale spatial and temporal detail that might be needed for some studies. Robust and timely updates of emissions data is generally lacking, although recent updates will be presented. While historical emission data is often treated as known, emissions are uncertain, even though this uncertainty is rarely quantified. Uncertainty varies by species and location. Inverse modeling is starting to indicate where emission data may be uncertain, which opens the way to improving these data overall. Further interaction between the chemistry modeling and inventory development communities are needed. Future projections are intrinsically uncertain, and while institutions and processes are in place to develop and review long-term century-scale scenarios, a need has remained for a wider range in shorter-term (e.g., several decade) projections. Emissions and scenario development communities have been working to fill this need. Communication across disciplines of the assumptions embedded in emissions projections remains a challenge. Atmospheric chemistry models are a central tool needed for studying chemistry-climate interactions. Simpler models, however, are also needed in order to examine interactions

Readout of scintillator light with avalanche photodiodes for positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Ruru; Fremout, A.; Tavernier, S.; Bruyndonckx, P.; Clement, D.; Loude, J.-F.; Morel, C.

1999-01-01

The noise properties and other relevant characteristics of avalanche photodiodes have been investigated with the perspective of replacing photomultiplier tubes in positron emission tomography. It is clearly demonstrated that they are a valid alternative to photomultiplier tubes in this application

Disproportionality in Power Plants’ Carbon Emissions: A Cross-National Study

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgenson, Andrew; Longhofer, Wesley; Grant, Don

2016-01-01

Past research on the disproportionality of pollution suggests a small subset of a sector’s facilities often produces the lion’s share of toxic emissions. Here we extend this idea to the world’s electricity sectors by calculating national-level disproportionality Gini coefficients for plant-level carbon emissions in 161 nations based on data from 19,941 fossil-fuel burning power plants. We also evaluate if disproportionalities in plant-level emissions are associated with increased national carbon emissions from fossil-fuel based electricity production, while accounting for other well-established human drivers of greenhouse gas emissions. Results suggest that one potential pathway to decreasing nations’ greenhouse gas emissions could involve reducing disproportionality among fossil-fuel power plants by targeting those plants in the upper end of the distribution that burn fuels more inefficiently to produce electricity. PMID:27363677

Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from an algae fractionation process for producing renewable diesel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pegallapati, Ambica K.; Frank, Edward D.

2016-09-01

In one approach to algal biofuel production, lipids are extracted and converted to renewable diesel and non-lipid remnants are converted to biogas, which is used for renewable heat and power to support the process. Since biofuel economics benefit from increased fuel yield, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory analyzed an alternative pathway that extracts lipids and also makes ethanol from carbohydrates in the biomass. In this paper, we examine the environmental sustainability of this "fractionation pathway" through life-cycle analysis (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. When the feedstock productivity was 30 (18) g/m(2)/d, this pathway emitted 31 (36) gCO(2)e/MJ of total fuel, which is less than the emissions associated with conventional low sulfur petroleum diesel (96 gCO(2)e/MJ). The fractionation pathway performed well in this model despite the diversion of carbon to the ethanol fuel.

Enhanced marine sulphur emissions offset global warming and impact rainfall.

Science.gov (United States)

Grandey, B S; Wang, C

2015-08-21

Artificial fertilisation of the ocean has been proposed as a possible geoengineering method for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The associated increase in marine primary productivity may lead to an increase in emissions of dimethyl sulphide (DMS), the primary source of sulphate aerosol over remote ocean regions, potentially causing direct and cloud-related indirect aerosol effects on climate. This pathway from ocean fertilisation to aerosol induced cooling of the climate may provide a basis for solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering. In this study, we investigate the transient climate impacts of two emissions scenarios: an RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5) control; and an idealised scenario, based on RCP4.5, in which DMS emissions are substantially enhanced over ocean areas. We use mini-ensembles of a coupled atmosphere-ocean configuration of CESM1(CAM5) (Community Earth System Model version 1, with the Community Atmosphere Model version 5). We find that the cooling effect associated with enhanced DMS emissions beneficially offsets greenhouse gas induced warming across most of the world. However, the rainfall response may adversely affect water resources, potentially impacting human livelihoods. These results demonstrate that changes in marine phytoplankton activity may lead to a mixture of positive and negative impacts on the climate.

Greenhouse gas emissions from first generation ethanol derived from wheat and sugar beet in Germany – Analysis and comparison of advanced by-product utilization pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weinberg, Jana; Kaltschmitt, Martin

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Ethanol production from sugar beet and wheat is investigated. ► Instead of feed production from residues by-products are used for energy production. ► Ethanol from sugar beet with biogas co-production shows lowest GHG emissions. ► For wheat pathways bran and gluten separation generates lowest GHG emissions. ► An allocation method is recommended involving co-produced fertilizer. -- Abstract: In state of the art ethanol production, by-products like vinasse from sugar beet or distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGSs) from wheat grains are usually used as animal feed. The drying process consumes a significant amount of energy that could be reduced by producing other valuable materials or energy carriers from these by-products. Besides resulting higher overall conversion rates and improved process efficiencies, by-products, which can be extracted or are automatically created during the various conversion steps, should be used to reduce environmental impacts as well. In this analysis, advanced pathways for the recovery and use of by-products from bio-chemical ethanol production like gluten separation from wheat starch, biogas production from stillage or vinasse and combustion of bran for electricity generation are analyzed with regard to their contribution to the greenhouse effect. Therefore, different methodological approaches are applied and compared. The analysis shows among others that ethanol from sugar beet generates less greenhouse gases (GHGs) compared to the ethanol production from wheat. The biogas production from residues and especially the use of bran for heat and electricity generation shows significant GHG reduction compared to the state of the art application. However, the methodological approach for the treatment of by-products highly influences the results. For the reproducibility of the results an energy equivalent allocation method involving the specific application of the respective co-product is recommended.

Exergy-based assessment for waste gas emissions from Chinese transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Xi; Chen, G.Q.; Chen, B.; Jiang, M.M.

2009-01-01

As an effective measure for environmental impact associated with the waste emissions, exergy is used to unify the assessment of the waste gases of CO, NO x , and SO 2 emitted from fossil fuel consumption by the transportation system in China. An index of emission exergy intensity defined as the ratio of the total chemical exergy of the emissions and the total converted turnover of the transportation is proposed to quantify the environmental impact per unit of traffic service. Time series analyses are presented for the emission exergy and emission exergy intensity of the whole Chinese transportation as well as for its four sectors of highways, railways, waterways and civil aviation from 1978 to 2004. For the increasing emission exergy with CO taking the largest share, the highways sector was the major contributor, while the railways sector initially standing as the second main contributor developed into the least after 1995. The temporal and structural variations of the emissions are illustrated against the transition of the transportation system in a socio-economic perspective, with emphasis on policy-making implications.

Complementary Roles of the Classical and Lectin Complement Pathways in the Defense against Aspergillus fumigatus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosbjerg, Anne; Genster, Ninette; Pilely, Katrine

2016-01-01

Aspergillus fumigatus infections are associated with a high mortality rate for immunocompromised patients. The complement system is considered to be important in protection against this fungus, yet the course of activation is unclear. The aim of this study was to unravel the role of the classical......, lectin, and alternative pathways under both immunocompetent and immunocompromised conditions to provide a relevant dual-perspective on the response against A. fumigatus. Conidia (spores) from a clinical isolate of A. fumigatus were combined with various human serum types (including serum deficient...... complement on A. fumigatus, but required classical and/or lectin pathway for initiation. In normal human serum, this initiation came primarily from the classical pathway. However, with a dysfunctional classical pathway (C1q-deficient serum), lectin pathway activated complement and mediated opsonophagocytosis...

Impacts of Four SO2 Oxidation Pathways on Wintertime Sulfate Concentrations

Science.gov (United States)

Sarwar, G.; Fahey, K.; Zhang, Y.; Kang, D.; Mathur, R.; Xing, J.; Wei, C.; Cheng, Y.

2017-12-01

Air quality models tend to under-estimate winter-time sulfate concentrations compared to observed data. Such under-estimations are particularly acute in China where very high concentrations of sulfate have been measured. Sulfate is produced by oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in gas-phase by hydroxyl radical and in aqueous-phase by hydrogen peroxide, ozone, etc. and most air quality models employ such typical reactions. Several additional SO2 oxidation pathways have recently been proposed. Heterogeneous reaction on dust has been suggested to be an important sink for SO2. Oxidation of SO2 on fine particles in presence of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ammonia (NH3) at high relative humidity has been implicated for sulfate formation in Chinese haze and London fog. Reactive nitrogen chemistry in aerosol water has also been suggested to produce winter-time sulfate in China. Specifically, high aerosol water can trap SO2 which can be subsequently oxidized by NO2 to form sulfate. Aqueous-phase (in-cloud) oxidation of SO2 by NO2 can also produce sulfate. Here, we use the hemispheric Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system to examine the potential impacts of these SO2 oxidation pathways on sulfate formation. We use anthropogenic emissions from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research and biogenic emissions from Global Emissions InitiAtive. We performed simulations without and with these SO2 oxidation pathways for October-December of 2014 using meteorological fields obtained from the Weather Research and Forecasting model. The standard CMAQ model contains one gas-phase chemical reaction and five aqueous-phase chemical reactions for SO2 oxidation. We implement four additional SO2 oxidation pathways into the CMAQ model. Our preliminary results suggest that the dust chemistry enhances mean sulfate over parts of China and Middle-East, the in-cloud SO2 oxidation by NO2 enhances sulfate over parts of western Europe, oxidation of SO2 by NO2 and NH3 on

Carbon dioxide emission drivers for a typical metropolis using input–output structural decomposition analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yafei; Zhao, Hongyan; Li, Liying; Liu, Zhu; Liang, Sai

2013-01-01

As the capital of China, Beijing is regarded as a major metropolis in the world. Study of the variation in temporal CO 2 emissions generated by the driving forces in Beijing can provide guidance for policy decisions on CO 2 emissions mitigation in global metropolises. Based on input–output structural decomposition analysis (IO-SDA), we analysed the driving forces for the increment in CO 2 emissions in Beijing from both production and final demand perspectives during 1997–2010. According to our results, the CO 2 emission growth in Beijing is driven mainly by production structure change and population growth, partly offset by CO 2 emission intensity reduction as well as the decline in per capita final demand volume during the study period. Final demand structure change has a limited effect on the change in the CO 2 emissions in Beijing. From the final demand perspective, urban trades, urban residential consumption, government consumption and fixed capital formation are mainly responsible for the booming emissions. This study showed how the “top-down” IO-SDA methodology was implemented on a city scale. Policy implications from this study would be helpful for addressing CO 2 emissions mitigation in global capital cities and metropolises. - Highlights: • Changes in production structure and population are drivers of CO 2 increment. • Changes in CO 2 intensity and per capita GDP are forces to offset CO 2 increment. • Final demand structure change has limited effect on Beijing's CO 2 emission change. • Beijing's key final demand categories and economic sectors are identified. • Policy implications of Beijing's results are analyzed

Rational synthetic pathway refactoring of natural products biosynthesis in actinobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Gao-Yi; Liu, Tiangang

2017-01-01

Natural products (NPs) and their derivatives are widely used as frontline treatments for many diseases. Actinobacteria spp. are used to produce most of NP antibiotics and have also been intensively investigated for NP production, derivatization, and discovery. However, due to the complicated transcriptional and metabolic regulation of NP biosynthesis in Actinobacteria, especially in the cases of genome mining and heterologous expression, it is often difficult to rationally and systematically engineer synthetic pathways to maximize biosynthetic efficiency. With the emergence of new tools and methods in metabolic engineering, the synthetic pathways of many chemicals, such as fatty acids and biofuels, in model organisms (e.g. Escherichia coli ), have been refactored to realize precise and flexible control of production. These studies also offer a promising approach for synthetic pathway refactoring in Actinobacteria. In this review, the great potential of Actinobacteria as a microbial cell factory for biosynthesis of NPs is discussed. To this end, recent progress in metabolic engineering of NP synthetic pathways in Actinobacteria are summarized and strategies and perspectives to rationally and systematically refactor synthetic pathways in Actinobacteria are highlighted. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New perspectives in vacuum high voltage insulation. I. The transition to field emission

CERN Document Server

Diamond, W T

1998-01-01

Vacuum high-voltage insulation has been investigated for many years. Typically, electrical breakdown occurs between two broad-area electrodes at electric fields 100-1000 times lower than the breakdown field (about 5000 MV/m) between a well-prepared point cathode and a broad-area anode. Explanations of the large differences remain unsatisfactory, usually evoking field emission from small projections on the cathode that are subject to higher peak fields. The field emission then produces secondary effects that lead to breakdown. This article provides a significant resolution to this long standing problem. Field emission is not present at all fields, but typically starts after some process occurs at the cathode surface. Three effects have been identified that produce the transition to field emission: work function changes; mechanical changes produced by the strong electrical forces on the electrode surfaces; and gas desorption from the anode with sufficient density to support an avalanche discharge. Material adso...

Greenhouse gas (N2O emission from Portuguese estuaries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Célia Gonçalves

2014-07-01

Tagus, Minho and Lima estuaries are source of N2O to the atmosphere. Particularly, in Lima estuary anthropogenic N input seems to play an important role on N2O emission. However, in a global perspective N2O attained emissions represent a reduced fraction (2O yr-1, Barnes and Upstill-Goddard, 2011. Values are comparable with those registered in some Portuguese estuaries and other European less eutrophic estuaries. However, it is known that higher N2O emissions in estuaries may occur during winter and spring (Sun et al., 2014. Thus, these systems may represent on an annual basis a larger source of N2O, which can only be clarified in future studies. Only a full comprehension of the global estuarine nitrogen cycle will provide an efficient basis of scientific knowledge for sustainably management of such ecosystems and ultimately reduce N2O emissions.

Transferability and Commercialization of Patent Rights: Economic and Practical Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haim V. Levy

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The transformation of innovation into commercial value depends primarily on appropriate protection of the intellectual property, usually by patents, and efficient pathway(s of its transferability as well as the transfer of the protected knowledge. The key features of patents, from an economic perspective, are that they encompass new knowledge and confer monopoly rights to the owner. The exclusiveness of patent rights is generally conceived as a necessary mechanism to ensure further innovation, stimulate advanced research and facilitate efficient market transactions with patent rights. The patent holder can transfer the technology embodied by way of granting to others a license to use the patented invention in return for a share of the revenues, usually royalties. Patent rights transferability has been proven to be efficient and profitable to the industry as well as beneficial to the welfare of society. The economic and practical perspectives of the transferability and commercialization of patent rights are discussed.

Global zero-carbon energy pathways using viable mixes of nuclear and renewables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Sanghyun; Bradshaw, Corey J.A.; Brook, Barry W.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A proper mix of nuclear power and renewables achieves sustainable energy future. • A high nuclear share provides cost and land effectiveness compared to nuclear-free. • Only-renewable mix will increase negative economic and environmental impacts. • A deployment of advanced reactor technologies is essential to overcome limitations. - Abstract: What are the most viable global pathways for a major expansion of zero-carbon emissions electricity sources given the diversity of regional technical, socio-political and economic constraints? We modelled a range of zero-emissions energy scenarios across nations that were designed to meet projected final energy demand in 2060, and optimised to derive the best globally aggregated results in terms of minimising costs and land use (a surrogate for environmental impacts). We found that a delayed energy transition to a zero-emissions pathway will decrease investment costs (−$3,431 billion), but increase cumulative CO 2 emissions (additional 696 Gt). A renewable-only scenario would convert >7.4% of the global land area to energy production, whereas a maximum nuclear scenario would affect <0.4% of land area, including mining, spent-fuel storage, and buffer zones. Moreover, a nuclear-free pathway would involve up to a 50% greater cumulative capital investment compared to a high nuclear penetration scenario ($73.7 trillion). However, for some nations with a high current share of renewables and a low projected future energy demand (e.g., Norway), pursuit of a higher nuclear share is suboptimal. In terms of the time frame for replacement of fossil fuels, achieving a global nuclear share of about 50% by 2060 would be a technically and economically plausible target if progressing at a pace of the average historical growth of nuclear power penetration in France from 1970 to 1986 (0.28 MWh person −1 year -1 ). For effective climate-change mitigation, a high penetration of nuclear in association with a nationally

Proceedings of impact of aircraft emissions upon the atmosphere. V. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-31

The study of the effect of aircraft on atmosphere is a new challenge that the scientific community has to face. This conference`s topics are various aspects of this challenge. The seven sessions of Volume 1 are: Present status and perspectives; Emission and traffic; Physics and chemistry of the aircraft wake; Natural and anthropogenic emissions - specific instrumentation; Global scale - chemistry; Global scale - climate. The 51 papers of Vol. 1. were indexed and abstracted individually for the Energy Database. (R.P.)

Proceedings of impact of aircraft emissions upon the atmosphere. V. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-31

The study of the effect of aircraft on atmosphere is a new challenge that the scientific community has to face. This conference`s topics are various aspects of this challenge. The seven sessions of Volume 1 are: Present status and perspectives; Emission and traffic; Physics and chemistry of the aircraft wake; Natural and anthropogenic emissions - specific instrumentation; Global scale - chemistry; Global scale - climate. The 51 papers of Vol. 1. were indexed and abstracted individually for the Energy Database. (R.P.)

Greenhouse Gas Emission Accounting and Management of Low-Carbon Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Song

2012-01-01

Full Text Available As the major source of greenhouse gas (GHG emission, cities have been under tremendous pressure of energy conservation and emission reduction for decades. Community is the main unit of urban housing, public facilities, transportation, and other properties of city's land use. The construction of low-carbon community is an important pathway to realize carbon emission mitigation in the context of rapid urbanization. Therefore, an efficient carbon accounting framework should be proposed for CO2 emissions mitigation at a subcity level. Based on life-cycle analysis (LCA, a three-tier accounting framework for the carbon emissions of the community is put forward, including emissions from direct fossil fuel combustion, purchased energy (electricity, heat, and water, and supply chain emissions embodied in the consumption of goods. By compiling a detailed CO2 emission inventory, the magnitude of carbon emissions and the mitigation potential in a typical high-quality community in Beijing are quantified within the accounting framework proposed. Results show that emissions from supply chain emissions embodied in the consumption of goods cannot be ignored. Specific suggestions are also provided for the urban decision makers to achieve the optimal resource allocation and further promotion of low-carbon communities.

Pathways to Healing: Person-centered Responses to Complementary Services

Science.gov (United States)

Bertrand, Sharon W.; Fermon, Barbara; Coleman, Julie Foley

2014-01-01

Objectives: This research study assessed perceived changes in quality-of-life measures related to participation in complementary services consisting of a variety of nontraditional therapies and/or programs at Pathways: A Health Crisis Resource Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Design: Survey data were used to assess perceived changes participants ascribed to their experience with complementary services at Pathways. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using participant demographics together with participant ratings of items from the “Self-Assessment of Change” (SAC) measure developed at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Qualitative data analysis was conducted on written responses to an additional survey question: “To what extent has your participation at Pathways influenced your healing process?” Setting/Location: Pathways offers a variety of services, including one-to-one sessions using nontraditional healing therapies, support groups, educational classes, and practice groups such as yoga and meditation for those facing serious health challenges. These services are offered free of charge through community financial support using volunteer practitioners. Participants: People (126) diagnosed with serious health challenges who used Pathways services from 2007 through 2009. Interventions: Participation in self-selected Pathways services. Measures: Responses to items on the SAC measure plus written responses to the question, “To what extent has your participation at Pathways influenced your healing process?” Results: Quantitative findings: Participants reported experiencing significant changes across all components of the SAC measure. Qualitative findings: Responses to the open-ended survey question identified perspectives on the culture of Pathways and a shift in participants' perceptions of well-being based on their experience of Pathways services. Conclusions: Participation in services provided by the Pathways organization improved perceptions of

Urease inhibitor for reducing ammonia emissions from an open-lot beef cattle feedyard in the Texas High Plains

Science.gov (United States)

Reduction of ammonia (NH3) emissions from animal feeding operations is important from the perspective of environmental policy and its impact on agriculture. In laboratory studies, urease inhibitors have been effective in reducing NH3 emissions from beef cattle manure, however there has been little t...

Low-Carbon Natural Gas for Transportation: Well-to-Wheels Emissions and Potential Market Assessment in California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Penev, Michael [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Melaina, Marc [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bush, Brian [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Muratori, Matteo [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Warner, Ethan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Chen, Yuche [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-12-01

This report improves on the understanding of the long-term technology potential of low-carbon natural gas (LCNG) supply pathways by exploring transportation market adoption potential through 2035 in California. Techno-economic assessments of each pathway are developed to compare the capacity, cost, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of select LCNG production pathways. The study analyzes the use of fuel from these pathways in light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle applications. Economic and life-cycle GHG emissions analysis suggest that landfill gas resources are an attractive and relatively abundant resource in terms of cost and GHG reduction potential, followed by waste water treatment plants and biomass with gasification and methanation. Total LCNG production potential is on the order of total natural gas demand anticipated in a success scenario for future natural gas vehicle adoption by 2035 across light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle markets (110 trillion Btu/year).

Nonequilibrium statistical physics a modern perspective

CERN Document Server

Livi, Roberto

2017-01-01

Statistical mechanics has been proven to be successful at describing physical systems at thermodynamic equilibrium. Since most natural phenomena occur in nonequilibrium conditions, the present challenge is to find suitable physical approaches for such conditions: this book provides a pedagogical pathway that explores various perspectives. The use of clear language, and explanatory figures and diagrams to describe models, simulations and experimental findings makes the book a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, and also for lecturers organizing teaching at varying levels of experience in the field. Written in three parts, it covers basic and traditional concepts of nonequilibrium physics, modern aspects concerning nonequilibrium phase transitions, and application-orientated topics from a modern perspective. A broad range of topics is covered, including Langevin equations, Levy processes, directed percolation, kinetic roughening and pattern formation.

Preserving breastfeeding for the rehospitalized infant: a clinical pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Spatz, Diane L; Goldschmidt, Karen A

2006-01-01

The benefits of feeding newborns with human milk are well established. Unfortunately some hospital practices do not support successful breastfeeding; practices such as early hospital discharge after birth, lack of appropriate follow-up primary care providers, and lack of access to breastfeeding support services can contribute to breastfeeding failure, as well as morbidity and mortality in the infant. Infants experiencing breastfeeding difficulties are sometimes admitted to the hospital with diagnoses such as hyperbilirubinemia/jaundice, dehydration/hypernatremia, rule out sepsis, and weight loss/failure to thrive. This article describes a clinical pathway developed with the express purpose of maintaining and enhancing lactation in mother-infant dyads experiencing breastfeeding difficulties. The goal of the pathway is to maintain lactation and breastfeeding while returning the infant to a state of health. A key focus of the pathway is milk transfer, a concept that is missing from much of the research on lactation difficulties. The pathway considers breastfeeding from both a maternal and an infant perspective, with a goal of preserving breastfeeding. It uses technology to support the breastfeeding process and could be useful for all practitioners working with mother-infant dyads experiencing breastfeeding difficulties.

CO2 emissions in Croatia in 2050: what is the pathway to a low-carbon future?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bozicevic Vrhovcak, M.; Rogulj, I.

2015-01-01

The article deals with carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector in the Republic of Croatia by 2050. Based on the projections of energy supply and demand of all consumption sectors and corresponding CO2 emissions, an interactive platform was developed that clearly connects consequences of certain decisions and choices and the total greenhouse gas emissions. The developed tool allows for simple comparisons of different development options in terms of CO2 emissions and is an important tool for understanding the complexity of the transition to a low carbon society. Input data were collected and the platform was developed under the IPA project South East Europe Sustainable Energy Policy, which is being implemented from 2011 to 2016. (author).

Pathways in Learning to Teach Elementary Science: Navigating Contexts, Roles, Affordances and Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Deborah C.; Jang, Shinho

2011-01-01

This case study of a fifth-year elementary intern's pathway in learning to teach science focused on her science methods course, placement science teaching, and reflections as a first-year teacher. We studied the sociocultural contexts within which the intern learned, their affordances and constraints, and participants' perspectives on their roles…

New Hydrocarbon Degradation Pathways in the Microbial Metagenome from Brazilian Petroleum Reservoirs

Science.gov (United States)

Sierra-García, Isabel Natalia; Correa Alvarez, Javier; Pantaroto de Vasconcellos, Suzan; Pereira de Souza, Anete; dos Santos Neto, Eugenio Vaz; de Oliveira, Valéria Maia

2014-01-01

Current knowledge of the microbial diversity and metabolic pathways involved in hydrocarbon degradation in petroleum reservoirs is still limited, mostly due to the difficulty in recovering the complex community from such an extreme environment. Metagenomics is a valuable tool to investigate the genetic and functional diversity of previously uncultured microorganisms in natural environments. Using a function-driven metagenomic approach, we investigated the metabolic abilities of microbial communities in oil reservoirs. Here, we describe novel functional metabolic pathways involved in the biodegradation of aromatic compounds in a metagenomic library obtained from an oil reservoir. Although many of the deduced proteins shared homology with known enzymes of different well-described aerobic and anaerobic catabolic pathways, the metagenomic fragments did not contain the complete clusters known to be involved in hydrocarbon degradation. Instead, the metagenomic fragments comprised genes belonging to different pathways, showing novel gene arrangements. These results reinforce the potential of the metagenomic approach for the identification and elucidation of new genes and pathways in poorly studied environments and contribute to a broader perspective on the hydrocarbon degradation processes in petroleum reservoirs. PMID:24587220

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the SWCX Emission

Science.gov (United States)

Snowden, Steven

2011-01-01

In the last twenty years solar wind change exchange (SWCX) X-ray emission has gone from a significant and irritating background component of unknown origin for astrophysical observations to a field of study in its own right. On one hand, it provides an uncertain offset to observations of extended astrophysical objects and the diffuse X-ray background, and severely compromises the interpretation of many results. On the other hand, SWCX emission has the potential to shed light on physical phenomena in the near-Earth environment and the solar system. In addition, charge exchange emission may prove significant in many other areas of astrophysical diffuse X-ray emission such as supernova remnants. I will present an historical background from the perspective of studying the diffuse X-ray background, cover a variety of SWCX observations and implications, and discuss the realm of possible research and practical applications based on SWCX emission

The role of power plant atmospheric emissions in the deposition of nitrogen to the Chesapeake Bay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, P.E.

1994-01-01

The Maryland Power Plant Research Program (PPRP) has sponsored research on several aspects of atmospheric nitrogen emissions, source attribution, deposition estimation and impact assessment since the mid-eighties. The results of these studies will be presented and discussed in the context of power plant emissions control impact on nitrogen loadings to the Chesapeake Bay and watershed. Information needs with respect to power plant contribution and emission control policy will be identified and discussed from the perspective of PPRP

Ultrafast Charge Generation Pathways in Photovoltaic Blends Based on Novel Star-Shaped Conjugated Molecules

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kozlov, Oleg V.; Luponosov, Yuriy N.; Ponomarenko, Sergei A.; Kausch-Busies, Nina; Paraschuk, Dmitry Yu; Olivier, Yoann; Beljonne, David; Cornil, Jerome; Pshenichnikov, Maxim S.

2015-01-01

The quest for new materials is one of the main factors propelling recent advances in organic photovoltaics. Star-shaped small molecules (SSMs) have been proven promising candidates as perspective donor material due to the increase in numbers of excitation pathways caused by the degeneracy of the

Genetic perspective on the role of the autophagy-lysosome pathway in Parkinson disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Gan-Or, Ziv; Dion, Patrick A; Rouleau, Guy A

2015-01-01

Parkinson disease (PD), once considered as a prototype of a sporadic disease, is now known to be considerably affected by various genetic factors, which interact with environmental factors and the normal process of aging, leading to PD. Large studies determined that the hereditary component of PD is at least 27%, and in some populations, single genetic factors are responsible for more than 33% of PD patients. Interestingly, many of these genetic factors, such as LRRK2, GBA, SMPD1, SNCA, PARK2, PINK1, PARK7, SCARB2, and others, are involved in the autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP). Some of these genes encode lysosomal enzymes, whereas others correspond to proteins that are involved in transport to the lysosome, mitophagy, or other autophagic-related functions. Is it possible that all these factors converge into a single pathway that causes PD? In this review, we will discuss these genetic findings and the role of the ALP in the pathogenesis of PD and will try to answer this question. We will suggest a novel hypothesis for the pathogenic mechanism of PD that involves the lysosome and the different autophagy pathways.

Identification of key nitrous oxide production pathways in aerobic partial nitrifying granules.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishii, Satoshi; Song, Yanjun; Rathnayake, Lashitha; Tumendelger, Azzaya; Satoh, Hisashi; Toyoda, Sakae; Yoshida, Naohiro; Okabe, Satoshi

2014-10-01

The identification of the key nitrous oxide (N2O) production pathways is important to establish a strategy to mitigate N2O emission. In this study, we combined real-time gas-monitoring analysis, (15)N stable isotope analysis, denitrification functional gene transcriptome analysis and microscale N2O concentration measurements to identify the main N2O producers in a partial nitrification (PN) aerobic granule reactor, which was fed with ammonium and acetate. Our results suggest that heterotrophic denitrification was the main contributor to N2O production in our PN aerobic granule reactor. The heterotrophic denitrifiers were probably related to Rhodocyclales bacteria, although different types of bacteria were active in the initial and latter stages of the PN reaction cycles, most likely in response to the presence of acetate. Hydroxylamine oxidation and nitrifier denitrification occurred, but their contribution to N2O emission was relatively small (20-30%) compared with heterotrophic denitrification. Our approach can be useful to quantitatively examine the relative contributions of the three pathways (hydroxylamine oxidation, nitrifier denitrification and heterotrophic denitrification) to N2O emission in mixed microbial populations. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Diagnosis of accessory conduction pathway using ECG-gated emission CT analysis. Studies in patients with WPW syndrome who underwent surgery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Misaki, Takuro; Mukai, Keiichi; Tsubota, Makoto; Iwa, Takashi; Nakajima, Ken-ichi; Hisada, Kin-ichi

1987-09-01

Pinpointing the location of accessory conduction pathway (ACP) is of great importance in the surgical treatment for Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. For this purpose, this study explored the usefulness of ECG-gated emission computed tomography (Gated-ECT) in 30 patients who preoperatively underwent Gated-ECT. The site of earliest contraction at level of atrioventicular valves, obtained on tomographic phase analysis, was compared with the site of earliest activation, obtained on epicardial mapping during surgery. The concordance rate of the two methods was 94 % (28/30). Among them, one patient was found to have the association of corrected transposition of great arteries on Gated-ECT. Gated-ECT was, however, of limited value in differentiating right posterior ACP from right postseptal ACP. The discordance between the sites of earliest contraction and activation, which was observed in the two others, was likely due to decreased wall motion resulting from myocardial disturbance. Gated-ECT may have a diagnostic potential for the location of ACP, especially in view of providing images that corresponded to the surgical anatomy. (Namekawa, K.).

Background information on a multimedia nitrogen emission reduction strategy; Hintergrundpapier zu einer multimedialen Stickstoffemissionsminderungsstrategie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geupel; Jering; Frey (and others)

2009-04-15

The background information report on a multimedia nitrogen reduction strategy covers the following chapters: 1. Introduction: the nitrogen cascade and the anthropogenic influence, environmental impact of increased nitrogen emissions and effects on human health. 2. Sources and balancing of anthropogenic nitrogen emissions in Germany. 3. Environmental quality targets, activity goals of environmental measures and instruments of an integrated nitrogen reduction strategy. 4. Conclusions and perspectives. The attachments include emission sources, nitrogen release and nitrogen transport in Germany; catalogue of measures and instruments according the criteria efficiency and cost-efficacy.

Significance of Future Biogenic and Fire Emissions on Regional Aerosol Burden

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, A.; Tai, A. P. K.; Val Martin, M.

2017-12-01

Land-use and land cover changes have been found to substantially affect atmospheric aerosols and climate worldwide1,2, but the complex mechanisms and pathways involved in the interactions between terrestrial processes and aerosols are not well understood. Here we use a global coupled aerosol chemistry-climate-land model (CESM with CAM5 using Modal Aerosol Module 3 and CLM4.5 in Satellite Phenology mode) to investigate how aerosols respond to future climate and land-use changes, and in turn, affects cloud cover and other hydrometeorological variables in the long term. Time-sliced simulations are conducted for a base year (2000) as a base case; then three future projected scenarios for year 2050 driven by land-use and climate projections following the Representative Concentration Pathways RCP8.53 are conducted. The first scenario considers future projected biogenic emissions, allowing us to investigate the effect of increased plant activity and enhanced biogenic emissions due to future land-use and climate on aerosol burden. The second scenario considers future biomass burning emissions, allowing us to investigate the effect of increased biomass burning emissions due to future land-use and climate on aerosol burden. The third scenario combines the projected changes in the two emissions. We find that both biogenic and biomass burning emissions contribute significantly to local aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations. The contribution from biogenic emissions to local aerosol burden is smaller in magnitude (10% to 20%), but the effects are ubiquitous in many places globally. Meanwhile, the contribution from biomass burning emissions can be much higher in magnitude (63%)4, but concentrated in heavily burned regions and occurs only during burning season. Effects of both emissions are not additive since a larger flux of emissions causes greater deposition. The resulting further impacts of land-use change on regional hydrometeorology are also explored

What will it take? Pathways, time and funding: Australian medical students' perspective on clinician-scientist training.

Science.gov (United States)

Eley, Diann S; Jensen, Charmaine; Thomas, Ranjeny; Benham, Helen

2017-12-08

Clinician-scientists are in decline worldwide. They represent a unique niche in medicine by bridging the gap between scientific discovery and patient care. A national, integrated approach to training clinician-scientists, typically programs that comprise a comprehensive MD-PhD pathway, are customary. Such a pathway is lacking in Australia. The objective was to gather perceptions from Australian medical students on factors they perceive would influence their decision to pursue clinician-scientist training. A cross-sectional mixed methods design used quantitative and qualitative questions in an online self-report survey with medical students from a four-year MD program. Quantitative measures comprised scaled response questions regarding prior experience and current involvement in research, and short- and long-term opinions about factors that influence their decisions to undertake a research higher degree (RHD) during medical school. Qualitative questions gathered broader perceptions of what a career pathway as a clinician-scientist would include and what factors are most conducive to a medical student's commitment to MD-PhD training. Respondents (N = 418; 51% female) indicated Time, Funding and Pathway as the major themes arising from the qualitative data, highlighting negative perceptions rather than possible benefits to RHD training. The lack of an evident Pathway was inter-related to Time and Funding. Themes were supported by the quantitative data. Sixty percent of students have previous research experience of varying forms, and 90% report a current interest, mainly to improve their career prospects. The data emphasise the need for an MD-PhD pathway in Australia. A model that provides an early, integrated, and exclusive approach to research training pathways across all stages of medical education is suggested as the best way to rejuvenate the clinician-scientist. A national pathway that addresses factors influencing career decision making throughout the

Pathway analysis for alternate low-level waste disposal methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, R.R.; Kozak, M.W.; McCord, J.T.; Olague, N.E.

1992-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a complete set of environmental pathways for disposal options and conditions that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) may analyze for a low-level radioactive waste (LLW) license application. The regulations pertaining In the past, shallow-land burial has been used for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste. However, with the advent of the State Compact system of LLW disposal, many alternative technologies may be used. The alternative LLW disposal facilities include below- ground vault, tumulus, above-ground vault, shaft, and mine disposal This paper will form the foundation of an update of the previously developed Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)/NRC LLW performance assessment methodology. Based on the pathway assessment for alternative disposal methods, a determination will be made about whether the current methodology can satisfactorily analyze the pathways and phenomena likely to be important for the full range of potential disposal options. We have attempted to be conservative in keeping pathways in the lists that may usually be of marginal importance. In this way we can build confidence that we have spanned the range of cases likely to be encountered at a real site. Results of the pathway assessment indicate that disposal methods can be categorized in groupings based on their depth of disposal. For the deep disposal options of shaft and mine disposal, the key pathways are identical. The shallow disposal options, such as tumulus, shallow-land, and below-ground vault disposal also may be grouped together from a pathway analysis perspective. Above-ground vault disposal cannot be grouped with any of the other disposal options. The pathway analysis shows a definite trend concerning depth of disposal. The above-ground option has the largest number of significant pathways. As the waste becomes more isolated, the number of significant pathways is reduced. Similar to shallow-land burial, it was found that for all

Cryptic Methane Emissions from Upland Forest Ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Megonigal, Patrick [Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (United States); Pitz, Scott [Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States); Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (United States)

2016-04-19

This exploratory research on Cryptic Methane Emissions from Upland Forest Ecosystems was motivated by evidence that upland ecosystems emit 36% as much methane to the atmosphere as global wetlands, yet we knew almost nothing about this source. The long-term objective was to refine Earth system models by quantifying methane emissions from upland forests, and elucidate the biogeochemical processes that govern upland methane emissions. The immediate objectives of the grant were to: (i) test the emerging paradigm that upland trees unexpectedly transpire methane, (ii) test the basic biogeochemical assumptions of an existing global model of upland methane emissions, and (iii) develop the suite of biogeochemical approaches that will be needed to advance research on upland methane emissions. We instrumented a temperate forest system in order to explore the processes that govern upland methane emissions. We demonstrated that methane is emitted from the stems of dominant tree species in temperate upland forests. Tree emissions occurred throughout the growing season, while soils adjacent to the trees consumed methane simultaneously, challenging the concept that forests are uniform sinks of methane. High frequency measurements revealed diurnal cycling in the rate of methane emissions, pointing to soils as the methane source and transpiration as the most likely pathway for methane transport. We propose the forests are smaller methane sinks than previously estimated due to stem emissions. Stem emissions may be particularly important in upland tropical forests characterized by high rainfall and transpiration, resolving differences between models and measurements. The methods we used can be effectively implemented in order to determine if the phenomenon is widespread.

Deforestation and agriculture in the tropics: carbon emissions and options for mitigation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carter, Sarah

2018-01-01

Agriculture is the largest driver of deforestation globally, and this conversion of land from forests to agriculture, results in emissions which are contributing to climate change. This thesis focuses on exploring agriculture-driven deforestation at the country level, from the perspective of

Mtr Extracellular Electron Transfer Pathways in Fe(III)-reducing or Fe(II)-oxidizing Bacteria: A Genomic Perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, Liang; Rosso, Kevin M.; Zachara, John M.; Fredrickson, Jim K.

2012-12-01

Originally discovered in the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (MR-1), the Mtr (i.e., metal-reducing) pathway exists in all characterized strains of metal-reducing Shewanella. The protein components identified to date for the Mtr pathway of MR-1 include four multi-heme c-type cytochromes (c-Cyts), CymA, MtrA, MtrC and OmcA, and a porin-like, outer membrane protein MtrB. They are strategically positioned along the width of the MR-1 cell envelope to mediate electron transfer from the quinone/quinol pool in the inner-membrane to the Fe(III)-containing minerals external to the bacterial cells. A survey of microbial genomes revealed homologues of the Mtr pathway in other dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacteria, including Aeromonas hydrophila, Ferrimonas balearica and Rhodoferax ferrireducens, and in the Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria Dechloromonas aromatica RCB, Gallionella capsiferriformans ES-2 and Sideroxydans lithotrophicus ES-1. The widespread distribution of Mtr pathways in Fe(III)-reducing or Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria emphasizes the importance of this type of extracellular electron transfer pathway in microbial redox transformation of Fe. Their distribution in these two different functional groups of bacteria also emphasizes the bi-directional nature of electron transfer reactions carried out by the Mtr pathways. The characteristics of the Mtr pathways may be shared by other pathways used by microorganisms for exchanging electrons with their extracellular environments.

Multi-pathway exposure modelling of chemicals in cosmetics with application to shampoo

Science.gov (United States)

We present a novel multi-pathway, mass balance based, fate and exposure model compatible with life cycle and high-throughput screening assessments of chemicals in cosmetic products. The exposures through product use as well as post-use emissions and environmental media were quant...

Multigenerational Perspectives on Family Formation Behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loft, Lisbeth Trille Gylling

2014-01-01

The transformed opportunity structure individuals have experienced over the course of the 20th century has not only changed family life, but also led to increased educational requirements, higher expectations of social mobility in the labor market, and overall perceived prospects of a healthier...... life. Moreover, presence of generational transmission of family formation behavior such as cohabitation, age at first marriage and childbearing has been widely documented. Thus, it has become more appropriate to approach family life events in a non-linear manner by emphasizing the existence of various...... family formation pathways, and to study these pathways from a generational point of view. Drawing on a life course perspective and by means of rich multigenerational longitudinal data combined with data from the Danish central population registers, this study examines multigenerational transmission...

A framework for the exergy analysis of future transport pathways: Application for the United Kingdom transport system 2010–2050

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byers, Edward A.; Gasparatos, Alexandros; Serrenho, André C.

2015-01-01

Exergy analysis has been used to quantify the historical resource use efficiency and environmental impact of transport systems. However, few exergy studies have explored future transport pathways. This study aims to, (a) develop a conceptual framework for the exergy analysis of multiple future transport and electricity pathways, (b) apply this framework to quantify future resource consumption and service delivery patterns, (c) discuss the policy-relevant results that exergy studies of future transport systems can offer. Multiple transport and electricity pathways developed by the UK Government are used to explore changes in energy use, useful work delivery and greenhouse gas emissions. In passenger transport, ambitious electrification results in a 20% increase of useful work delivery, whilst reducing GHG emissions and energy consumption by 65%. For freight, international shipping and aviation, smaller exergy efficiency improvements make useful work delivery and greenhouse gas emissions highly dependent on transport demand. Passenger transport electrification brings a step-change in useful work delivery, which if accompanied by low-carbon electricity, significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The efficiency of low-carbon electricity systems is significant for useful work delivery, but not dominant across the scenarios explored. High penetration of renewables and electrified transport is the most resource-efficient combination in this context. - Highlights: • Develop an exergy analysis framework of future transport pathways and apply it to UK. • Electrification of personal transport brings step change in useful work delivery. • Efficiency of electricity supply becomes significant once transport is electrified. • High electrification increases useful work (+20%) and reduces emissions (−65%). • High penetration of renewables and electrified transport is most resource efficient

Exploring the future role of Asia utilizing a Scenario Matrix Architecture and Shared Socio-economic Pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eom, Jiyong; Calvin, Kate; Clarke, Leon; Edmonds, Jae; Kim, Sonny; Kopp, Robert; Kyle, Page; Luckow, Patrick; Moss, Richard; Patel, Pralit; Wise, Marshall

2012-01-01

We explore the implications that alternative pathways for human population and economic development have for the role of Asia in reference no-climate-policy scenarios and scenarios in which climate forcing is limited. We consider three different pathways of socioeconomic development, which we refer to as Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) and four different levels of limitation on climate forcing, which we refer to as Shared Climate Policy Assumptions (SPAs). SSPs are differentiated by population and economic growth assumptions, while SPAs are differentiated on the level of radiative forcing in the year 2100. Regardless of the scenarios we examined Asia plays a central role in shaping the world's future with nearly half of the world's people and more than half of the world's economic activity and energy consumption. The future of Asia and the world are dramatically different across the various combinations of SSPs and SPAs. High population worlds place significant stress on Asian resources and ecosystems. In high population SSPs the poorest members of the population face high energy and food prices and the more stringent the level of emissions mitigation, the more stress poor populations experience, though the more stringent the emissions mitigation, the larger the area of unmanaged ecosystems that are preserved. - Highlights: ► We explore the implications of alternative population and economic pathways for the role of Asia. ► High population world places significant stress on Asian resources and ecosystems. ► In high population world, the poorest members of the population face high energy and food prices. ► The greater level of emissions mitigation, the more stress poor people experience. ► The greater the emissions mitigation, the larger the area of unmanaged ecosystems preserved.

Comparative analysis of greenhouse gas emissions between scenarios - Contribution of the Experts Group - National Debate on Energy Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salomon, Thierry

2013-01-01

Within the frame of the French national debate on energy transition, this document briefly presents and comments calculations of greenhouse gas emissions according to 11 scenarios associated with 4 pathways: electrification and de-carbonation (NegaTEP), steady demand and diversification (Ancre DIV), efficiency and diversification (Ademe), and energy saving and phasing out nuclear (Negawatt). These pathways and scenarios are analysed in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and with respect to the objective of a factor-4 reduction by 2050. Emission data for 1990 and 2011 are recalled, as well as France commitments. The author outlines that only four scenarios reach this factor-4 objective as far as CO 2 combustion is concerned, that a factor 2 seems to be possible for some specific sectors (agriculture and wastes). He notices significant decreases in industrial processes since 1990, that only 2 scenarios and 2 pathways reach the factor-4 as far as all greenhouse gases are concerned. When taking energy demand into account, no scenario is able to reach the factor-4 without any strong policy of energy saving. Two conditions are therefore identified to reach this factor: a significant decrease of energy demand, and an action on all emission sources

Greenhouse gas balances and mitigation costs of 70 modern Germany-focused and 4 traditional biomass pathways including land-use change effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterner, Michael; Fritsche, Uwe

2011-01-01

With Germany as the point of energy end-use, 70 current and future modern pathways plus 4 traditional biomass pathways for heat, power and transport have been compiled and examined in one single greenhouse gas (GHG) balancing assessment. This is needed to broaden the narrow focus on biofuels for transport and identify the role of bioenergy in GHG mitigation. Sensitivity analysis for land-use changes and fossil reference systems are included. Co-firing of woody biomass and fermentation of waste biomass are the most cost-efficient and effective biomass applications for GHG emission reduction in modern pathways. Replacing traditional biomass with modern biomass applications offers an underestimated economic potential of GHG emission reduction. The range of maximum CO 2 equivalent GHG reduction potential of bioenergy is identified in a range of 2.5–16 Gt a −1 in 2050 (5–33% of today’s global GHG emissions), and has an economic bioenergy potential of 150 EJ a −1 .

Global impacts of U.S. bioenergy production and policy: A general equilibrium perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Samuel Garner

The conversion of biomass to energy represents a promising pathway forward in efforts to reduce fossil fuel use in the transportation and electricity sectors. In addition to potential benefits, such as greenhouse gas reductions and increased energy security, bioenergy production also presents a unique set of challenges. These challenges include tradeoffs between food and fuel production, distortions in energy markets, and terrestrial emissions associated with changing land-use patterns. Each of these challenges arises from market-mediated responses to bioenergy production, and are therefore largely economic in nature. This dissertation directly addresses these opportunities and challenges by evaluating the economic impacts of U.S. bioenergy production and policy, focusing on both existing and future biomass-to-energy pathways. The analysis approaches the issue from a global, economy-wide perspective, reflecting two important facts. First, that large-scale bioenergy production connects multiple sectors of the economy due to the use of agricultural land resources for biomass production, and competition with fossil fuels in energy markets. Second, markets for both agricultural and energy commodities are highly integrated globally, causing domestic policies to have international effects. The reader can think of this work as being comprised of three parts. Part I provides context through an extensive review of the literature on the market-mediated effects of conventional biofuel production (Chapter 2) and develops a general equilibrium modeling framework for assessing the extent to which these phenomenon present a challenge for future bioenergy pathways (Chapter 3). Part II (Chapter 4) explores the economic impacts of the lignocellulosic biofuel production targets set in the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard on global agricultural and energy commodity markets. Part III (Chapter 5) extends the analysis to consider potential inefficiencies associated with policy

Energy in the Netherlands. Optimized pathways to CO2 reduction in the Dutch context

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-09-15

This document reports the findings of research undertaken by the Energy Forum NL (EFNL) which consists of companies active in different parts of the energy sector. The group strives for a more long-term, stable energy policy and investment climate in the Netherlands, one that will help realize overall climate ambitions. This report is part of the group's contribution to the energy debate in the Netherlands; it lays out a fact-based, objective analysis of the potential energy mix if one assumes a continued focus on carbon abatement. In this report, the Energy Forum NL provides pathways that show how the Netherlands can best contribute to the EU target of 80% CO2e emission reduction by 2050 compared to 1990. They particularly focus on the goal for the next 20 years: reducing CO2e emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990. The Forum selected 40% as a midway target for 80% in 2050; this falls within the EU ambition of 40%-44% in 2030.1 The period beyond 2030, which is much more uncertain, is modeled in less detail. However, the Forum took care to not let the choice of any pathway during 2010-2030 lock a pathway after 2030 in or out. A 'least cost' approach, which works across sectors, is used to reduce emissions. In a 'least cost' approach, all emission reduction measures are ranked on costs and implemented progressively (starting from the cheapest) until the targeted abatement level is reached. In addition, a few developing technologies are implemented even if they are more expensive than alternatives. This choice prevents technology lock-in, ensures a more versatile, resilient energy system and provides a reasonable starting position for the period post-2030. The report assumes a pan-European approach for the power sector, which is the key sector in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS); in this case, Dutch abatement options 'compete' with those in other EU countries. For the other sectors it uses a national approach. Non-cost factors

Biofuels, vehicle emissions, and urban air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallington, Timothy J; Anderson, James E; Kurtz, Eric M; Tennison, Paul J

2016-07-18

Increased biofuel content in automotive fuels impacts vehicle tailpipe emissions via two mechanisms: fuel chemistry and engine calibration. Fuel chemistry effects are generally well recognized, while engine calibration effects are not. It is important that investigations of the impact of biofuels on vehicle emissions consider the impact of engine calibration effects and are conducted using vehicles designed to operate using such fuels. We report the results of emission measurements from a Ford F-350 fueled with either fossil diesel or a biodiesel surrogate (butyl nonanoate) and demonstrate the critical influence of engine calibration on NOx emissions. Using the production calibration the emissions of NOx were higher with the biodiesel fuel. Using an adjusted calibration (maintaining equivalent exhaust oxygen concentration to that of the fossil diesel at the same conditions by adjusting injected fuel quantities) the emissions of NOx were unchanged, or lower, with biodiesel fuel. For ethanol, a review of the literature data addressing the impact of ethanol blend levels (E0-E85) on emissions from gasoline light-duty vehicles in the U.S. is presented. The available data suggest that emissions of NOx, non-methane hydrocarbons, particulate matter (PM), and mobile source air toxics (compounds known, or suspected, to cause serious health impacts) from modern gasoline and diesel vehicles are not adversely affected by increased biofuel content over the range for which the vehicles are designed to operate. Future increases in biofuel content when accomplished in concert with changes in engine design and calibration for new vehicles should not result in problematic increases in emissions impacting urban air quality and may in fact facilitate future required emissions reductions. A systems perspective (fuel and vehicle) is needed to fully understand, and optimize, the benefits of biofuels when blended into gasoline and diesel.

Pathway Distiller - multisource biological pathway consolidation.

Science.gov (United States)

Doderer, Mark S; Anguiano, Zachry; Suresh, Uthra; Dashnamoorthy, Ravi; Bishop, Alexander J R; Chen, Yidong

2012-01-01

One method to understand and evaluate an experiment that produces a large set of genes, such as a gene expression microarray analysis, is to identify overrepresentation or enrichment for biological pathways. Because pathways are able to functionally describe the set of genes, much effort has been made to collect curated biological pathways into publicly accessible databases. When combining disparate databases, highly related or redundant pathways exist, making their consolidation into pathway concepts essential. This will facilitate unbiased, comprehensive yet streamlined analysis of experiments that result in large gene sets. After gene set enrichment finds representative pathways for large gene sets, pathways are consolidated into representative pathway concepts. Three complementary, but different methods of pathway consolidation are explored. Enrichment Consolidation combines the set of the pathways enriched for the signature gene list through iterative combining of enriched pathways with other pathways with similar signature gene sets; Weighted Consolidation utilizes a Protein-Protein Interaction network based gene-weighting approach that finds clusters of both enriched and non-enriched pathways limited to the experiments' resultant gene list; and finally the de novo Consolidation method uses several measurements of pathway similarity, that finds static pathway clusters independent of any given experiment. We demonstrate that the three consolidation methods provide unified yet different functional insights of a resultant gene set derived from a genome-wide profiling experiment. Results from the methods are presented, demonstrating their applications in biological studies and comparing with a pathway web-based framework that also combines several pathway databases. Additionally a web-based consolidation framework that encompasses all three methods discussed in this paper, Pathway Distiller (http://cbbiweb.uthscsa.edu/PathwayDistiller), is established to allow

The improvement of CO2 emission reduction policies based on system dynamics method in traditional industrial region with large CO2 emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Fujia; Dong, Suocheng; Li, Zehong; Li, Yu; Li, Shantong; Wan, Yongkun

2012-01-01

Some traditional industrial regions are characterized by high industrial proportion and large CO 2 emission. They are facing dual pressures of maintaining economic growth and largely reducing CO 2 emission. From the perspective of study of typological region, taking the typical traditional industrial region—Liaoning Province of China as a case, this study establishes a system dynamics model named EECP and dynamically simulates CO 2 emission trends under different conditions. Simulation results indicate, compared to the condition without CO 2 emission reduction policies, CO 2 emission intensity under the condition of implementing CO 2 emission reduction policies of “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” is decreased by 11% from 2009 to 2030, but the economic cost is high, making the policies implementation faces resistance. Then some improved policies are offered and proved by EECP model that they can reduce CO 2 emission intensity after 2021 and decrease the negative influence to GDP, realizing the improvement objects of reducing CO 2 emission and simultaneously keeping a higher economy growth speed. The improved policies can provide reference for making and improving CO 2 emission reduction policies in other traditional industrial regions with large CO 2 emission. Simultaneously, EECP model can provide decision-makers with reference and help for similar study of energy policy. - Highlights: ► We build EECP model for CO 2 emission reduction study in traditional industry region. ► By the model, we simulate CO 2 emission trend and improve emission reduction policy. ► By improvement, both CO 2 emission intensity and economic cost can be largely reduced. ► Besides CO 2 emission is reduced effectively, higher GDP increment speed is kept. ► EECP model can be widely used for making and improving regional energy policies.

Reducing the Green House Gas Emissions from the Transportation Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oyewande Akinnikawe

2010-02-01

Full Text Available In the United States, two thirds of the carbon monoxide and about one third of carbon dioxide emissions come from the transportation sector. Ways to reduce these emissions in the future include replacing gasoline and diesel by biofuels, or by blend of biofuels with conventional gasoline and diesel, or by compressed natural gas (CNG, or by replacing internal combustion engines by electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells or battery-powered electric vehicles recharged from the electric grid. This presentation will review these technologies the fuel production pathways, when they are likely to be available, and by what fraction transportation sector green house gas emissions could be reduced by each. A well-to-wheels (WTW analysis is performed on each vehicle/ fuel technology using the GREET model and the total energy use, the CO 2 emissions, NO x emissions, SO x emissions for the life cycle of the vehicle technologies are calculated. Prospects for reducing foreign oil dependence as well as mitigating green house gases emission from the transportation sector will be considered in the analysis.

A pedagogical walkthrough of computational modeling and simulation of Wnt signaling pathway using static causal models in MATLAB

OpenAIRE

Sinha, Shriprakash

2016-01-01

Simulation study in systems biology involving computational experiments dealing with Wnt signaling pathways abound in literature but often lack a pedagogical perspective that might ease the understanding of beginner students and researchers in transition, who intend to work on the modeling of the pathway. This paucity might happen due to restrictive business policies which enforce an unwanted embargo on the sharing of important scientific knowledge. A tutorial introduction to computational mo...

Multi-pathway exposure modelling of chemicals in cosmetics with application to shampoo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ernstoff, Alexi S.; Fantke, Peter; Csiszar, Susan A.

2016-01-01

We present a novel multi-pathway, mass balance based, fate and exposure model compatible with life cycle and high-throughput screening assessments of chemicals in cosmetic products. The exposures through product use as well as post-use emissions and environmental media were quantified based...

Quantitative patterns between plant volatile emissions induced by biotic stresses and the degree of damage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ülo eNiinemets

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Plants have to cope with a plethora of biotic stresses such as herbivory and pathogen attacks throughout their life cycle. The biotic stresses typically trigger rapid emissions of volatile products of lipoxygenase pathway (LOX products, various C6 aldehydes, alcohols and derivatives, also called green leaf volatiles associated with oxidative burst. Further a variety of defense pathways is activated, leading to induction of synthesis and emission of a complex blend of volatiles, often including methyl salicylate, indole, mono-, homo- and sesquiterpenes. The airborne volatiles are involved in systemic responses leading to elicitation of emissions from non-damaged plant parts. For several abiotic stresses, it has been demonstrated that volatile emissions are quantitatively related to the stress dose. The biotic impacts under natural conditions vary in severity from mild to severe, but it is unclear whether volatile emissions also scale with the severity of biotic stresses in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, biotic impacts are typically recurrent, but it is poorly understood how direct stress-triggered and systemic emission responses are silenced during periods intervening sequential stress events. Here we review the information on induced emissions elicited in response to biotic attacks, and argue that biotic stress severity vs. emission rate relationships should follow principally the same dose-response relationships as previously demonstrated for several abiotic stresses. Analysis of several case studies investigating the elicitation of emissions in response to chewing herbivores, aphids, rust fungi, powdery mildew and Botrytis, suggests that induced emissions do respond to stress severity in dose-dependent manner. Bi-phasic emission kinetics of several induced volatiles have been demonstrated in these experiments, suggesting that next to immediate stress-triggered emissions, biotic stress elicited emissions typically have a secondary

Compression ignition of low-octane gasoline: Life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Han; Liu, Feiqi; Liu, Zongwei; Zhao, Fuquan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A process-based, well-to-wheel conceptualized life cycle assessment model is established. • The impacts of using low-octane gasoline on compression ignition engines are examined. • Life cycle energy consumption and GHG emissions reductions are 24.6% and 21.6%. • Significant technical and market barriers are still to be overcome. - Abstract: The use of low-octane gasoline on Gasoline Compression Ignition (GCI) engines is considered as a competitive alternative to the conventional vehicle propulsion technologies. In this study, a process-based, well-to-wheel conceptualized life cycle assessment model is established to estimate the life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the conventional gasoline-Spark Ignition (SI) and low-octane gasoline-GCI pathways. It is found that compared with the conventional pathway, the low-octane gasoline-GCI pathway leads to a 24.6% reduction in energy consumption and a 22.8% reduction in GHG emissions. The removal of the isomerization and catalytic reforming units in the refinery and the higher energy efficiency in the vehicle use phase are the substantial drivers behind the reductions. The results indicate that by promoting the use of low-octane gasoline coupled with the deployment of GCI vehicles, considerable reductions of energy consumption and GHG emissions in the transport sector can be achieved. However, significant technical and market barriers are still to be overcome. The inherent problems of NO_x and PM exhaust emissions associated with GCI engines need to be further addressed with advanced combustion techniques. Besides, the yield of low-octane gasoline needs to be improved through adjusting the refinery configurations.

Representative concentration pathways and mitigation scenarios for nitrous oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davidson, Eric A

2012-01-01

The challenges of mitigating nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions are substantially different from those for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), because nitrogen (N) is essential for food production, and over 80% of anthropogenic N 2 O emissions are from the agricultural sector. Here I use a model of emission factors of N 2 O to demonstrate the magnitude of improvements in agriculture and industrial sectors and changes in dietary habits that would be necessary to match the four representative concentration pathways (RCPs) now being considered in the fifth assessment report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Stabilizing atmospheric N 2 O by 2050, consistent with the most aggressive of the RCP mitigation scenarios, would require about 50% reductions in emission factors in all sectors and about a 50% reduction in mean per capita meat consumption in the developed world. Technologies exist to achieve such improved efficiencies, but overcoming social, economic, and political impediments for their adoption and for changes in dietary habits will present large challenges. (letter)

pathways to deep decarbonization - 2014 report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sachs, Jeffrey; Guerin, Emmanuel; Mas, Carl; Schmidt-Traub, Guido; Tubiana, Laurence; Waisman, Henri; Colombier, Michel; Bulger, Claire; Sulakshana, Elana; Zhang, Kathy; Barthelemy, Pierre; Spinazze, Lena; Pharabod, Ivan

2014-09-01

The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) is a collaborative initiative to understand and show how individual countries can transition to a low-carbon economy and how the world can meet the internationally agreed target of limiting the increase in global mean surface temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius (deg. C). Achieving the 2 deg. C limit will require that global net emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) approach zero by the second half of the century. This will require a profound transformation of energy systems by mid-century through steep declines in carbon intensity in all sectors of the economy, a transition we call 'deep decarbonization.' Successfully transition to a low-carbon economy will require unprecedented global cooperation, including a global cooperative effort to accelerate the development and diffusion of some key low carbon technologies. As underscored throughout this report, the results of the DDPP analyses remain preliminary and incomplete. The DDPP proceeds in two phases. This 2014 report describes the DDPP's approach to deep decarbonization at the country level and presents preliminary findings on technically feasible pathways to deep decarbonization, utilizing technology assumptions and timelines provided by the DDPP Secretariat. At this stage we have not yet considered the economic and social costs and benefits of deep decarbonization, which will be the topic for the next report. The DDPP is issuing this 2014 report to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in support of the Climate Leaders' Summit at the United Nations on September 23, 2014. This 2014 report by the Deep Decarbonization Pathway Project (DDPP) summarizes preliminary findings of the technical pathways developed by the DDPP Country Research Partners with the objective of achieving emission reductions consistent with limiting global warming to less than 2 deg. C., without, at this stage, consideration of economic and social costs and benefits. The DDPP is a knowledge

A probabilistic production costing analysis of SO2 emissions reduction strategies for Ohio: emissions, costs and employment tradeoffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heslin, J.S.; Hobbs, B.F.

1991-01-01

A new approach for state- and utility-level analysis of the cost and regional economic impacts of strategies for reducing utility SO 2 emissions is summarized and applied to Ohio. The methodology is based upon probabilistic production costing and economic input-output analysis. It is an improvement over previous approaches because it: (1) accurately models random outages of generating units, 'must-run' constraints on unit output, and the distribution of power demands; and (2) runs quickly on a microcomputer and yet considers the entire range of potential control strategies from a systems perspective. The input-output analysis considers not only the economic effects of utility fuel use and capital investment, but also those of increased electric rates. Two distinct strategies are found to be most attractive for Ohio. The first, more flexible one, consists of emissions dispatching (ED) alone to meet short run emissions reduction targets. A 75 percent reduction can then be achieved by the turn of the century by combining ED and fuel switching (FS) with flue gas desulfurization, limestone injection multistage burners, and physical coal cleaning at selected plants. The second is a scrubber-based strategy which includes ED. By the year 2000, energy conservation becomes a cost effective component of these strategies. In order to minimize compliance costs, acid rain legislation which facilitates emission trading and places regional tonnage limits on emissions is desirable

Greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth: A panel cointegration analysis from Canadian industrial sector perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamit-Haggar, Mahamat

2012-01-01

This paper investigates the long-run and the causal relationship between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth for Canadian industrial sectors over the period 1990–2007. The empirical findings suggest that in the long-run equilibrium, energy consumption has a positive and statistically significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions whereas a non-linear relationship is found between greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth, consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve. The short-run dynamics conveys that there is a unidirectional Granger causality running from energy consumption to greenhouse gas emissions; from economic growth to greenhouse gas emissions and a weak unidirectional causality running from greenhouse gas emissions to energy consumption; from economic growth to energy consumption. In the long-run however, there seems to be a weak one way causality flowing from energy consumption and economic growth to greenhouse gas emissions. - Highlights: ► A long-run and a causal relationship between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth is investigated. ► Energy consumption has a positive impact on greenhouse gas emissions in the long run. ► Unidirectional causality runs from energy consumption and economic growth to greenhouse gas emissions. ► A weak unidirectional causality runs from greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth to energy consumption.

Programming of stress pathways: A transgenerational perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Constantinof, Andrea; Moisiadis, Vasilis G; Matthews, Stephen G

2016-06-01

The embryo and fetus are highly responsive to the gestational environment. Glucocorticoids (GC) represent an important class of developmental cues and are crucial for normal brain development. Levels of GC in the fetal circulation are tightly regulated. They are maintained at low levels during pregnancy, and increase rapidly at the end of gestation. This surge in GC is critical for maturation of the organs, specifically the lungs, brain and kidney. There are extensive changes in brain epigenetic profiles that accompany the GC surge, suggesting that GC may drive regulation of gene transcription through altered epigenetic pathways. The epigenetic profiles produced by the GC surge can be prematurely induced as a result of maternal or fetal stress, as well as through exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids (sGC). This is highly clinically relevant as 10% of pregnant women are at risk for preterm labour and receive treatment with sGC to promote lung development in the fetus. Fetal overexposure to GC (including sGC) has been shown to cause lasting changes in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leading to altered stress responses, and mood and anxiety disorders in humans and animals. In animal models, GC exposure is associated with transcriptomic and epigenomic changes that influence behaviour, HPA function and growth. Importantly, programming by GC results in sex-specific effects that can be inherited over multiple generations via paternal and maternal transmission. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2050 pathway to an active renewable energy scenario for Jiangsu province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Lixuan; Lund, Henrik; Mathiesen, Brian Vad; Möller, Bernd

2013-01-01

In 2009, Jiangsu province of China supplied 99.6 percent of its total energy consumption with fossil fuels, of which 82 percent was imported from other provinces and countries. With rising energy demand, frequent energy shortages, and increasing pollution, it is essential for Jiangsu to put more emphasis on improving its energy efficiency and utilizing its renewable resources in the future. This paper presents the integrated energy pathway for Jiangsu during its social and economic transformation until 2050. EnergyPLAN is the chosen energy system analysis tool, since it accounts for all sectors of the energy system that needs to be considered when integrating large-scale renewable energy. A current policy scenario (CPS) based on current energy policies and an ambitious policy scenario (APS) based on large-scale integration of renewable energy and ambitious measures of energy efficiency improvement are proposed. The two energy pathways are modeled and compared in terms of technology combination, non-fossil fuel shares of primary energy supply, socioeconomic costs, and CO 2 emissions. The insights from these pathways can provide valuable input for Jiangsu's future energy policies. - Highlights: ► An integrated energy pathway is designed for Jiangsu province by 2050. ► A current policy scenario and an ambitious policy scenario are modeled and assessed. ► The ambitious policy scenario can help stabilize CO 2 emissions and achieve better economy. ► The next 5–10 years would be a key period for Jiangsu's energy system transition. ► Several policy suggestions have been proposed.

Growth in emission transfers via international trade from 1990 to 2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Glen P; Minx, Jan C; Weber, Christopher L; Edenhofer, Ottmar

2011-05-24

Despite the emergence of regional climate policies, growth in global CO(2) emissions has remained strong. From 1990 to 2008 CO(2) emissions in developed countries (defined as countries with emission-reduction commitments in the Kyoto Protocol, Annex B) have stabilized, but emissions in developing countries (non-Annex B) have doubled. Some studies suggest that the stabilization of emissions in developed countries was partially because of growing imports from developing countries. To quantify the growth in emission transfers via international trade, we developed a trade-linked global database for CO(2) emissions covering 113 countries and 57 economic sectors from 1990 to 2008. We find that the emissions from the production of traded goods and services have increased from 4.3 Gt CO(2) in 1990 (20% of global emissions) to 7.8 Gt CO(2) in 2008 (26%). Most developed countries have increased their consumption-based emissions faster than their territorial emissions, and non-energy-intensive manufacturing had a key role in the emission transfers. The net emission transfers via international trade from developing to developed countries increased from 0.4 Gt CO(2) in 1990 to 1.6 Gt CO(2) in 2008, which exceeds the Kyoto Protocol emission reductions. Our results indicate that international trade is a significant factor in explaining the change in emissions in many countries, from both a production and consumption perspective. We suggest that countries monitor emission transfers via international trade, in addition to territorial emissions, to ensure progress toward stabilization of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of a postoperative clinical care pathway in head and neck surgery with microvascular reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Dautremont, Jonathan F; Rudmik, Luke R; Yeung, Justin; Asante, Tiffany; Nakoneshny, Steve C; Hoy, Monica; Lui, Amanda; Chandarana, Shamir P; Matthews, Thomas W; Schrag, Christiaan; Dort, Joseph C

2013-12-19

The objective of this study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a postoperative clinical care pathway for patients undergoing major head and neck oncologic surgery with microvascular reconstruction. This is a comparative trial of a prospective treatment group managed on a postoperative clinical care pathway and a historical group managed prior to pathway implementation. Effectiveness outcomes evaluated were total hospital days, return to OR, readmission to ICU and rate of pulmonary complications. Costing perspective was from the government payer. 118 patients were included in the study. All outcomes demonstrated that the postoperative pathway group was both more effective and less costly, and is therefore a dominant clinical intervention. The overall mean pre- and post-pathway costs are $22,733 and $16,564 per patient, respectively. The incremental cost reduction associated with the postoperative pathway was $6,169 per patient. Implementing the postoperative clinical care pathway in patients undergoing head and neck oncologic surgery with reconstruction resulted in improved clinical outcomes and reduced costs.

Energy Landscape and Pathways for Transitions between Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen Base Pairing in DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Debayan; Wales, David J

2018-01-04

The recent discovery that Hoogsteen (HG) base pairs are widespread in DNA across diverse sequences and positional contexts could have important implications for understanding DNA replication and DNA-protein recognition. While evidence is emerging that the Hoogsteen conformation could be a thermodynamically accessible conformation of the DNA duplex and provide a means to expand its functionality, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying the Watson-Crick (WC) to HG transition. In this Perspective, we describe pathways and kinetics for this transition at an atomic level of detail, using the energy landscape perspective. We show that competition between the duplex conformations results in a double funnel landscape, which explains some recent experimental observations. The interconversion pathways feature a number of intermediates, with a variable number of WC and HG base pairs. The relatively slow kinetics, with possible deviations from two-state behavior, suggest that this conformational switch is likely to be a challenging target for both simulation and experiment.

The first president's pathway into ESTSS: memories and ideas for future issue. Patients as partners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erica M. Van der Schrieck-De Loos

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article addresses Wolter De Loos’ pathway into ESTSS that ended on 6th January 2004. His footsteps are still printed in the field of psychotraumatology as he showed the field how a physician was trying to integrate his working field with that of psychiatry, with a great passion for his patients. Erica M. Van der Schrieck-De Loos outlines the perspectives of her father as funding president of the ESTSS by using his Opening Address of the Fourth ESTSS Conference in 1995. This address emphasized that the mixture of righteousness and offence in warfare is ubiquitious and everlasting. The perspective of the first president's pathway has been integrated with the current vision of the author to show that the patient can be a partner of the healthcare team. A suggestion for ESTSS main objective number (8, contained within the ESTSS mission statement, is to involve patients as partners of the traumatic stress care team into accelerating traumatic stress care across Europe and beyond.

Interaction of Adverse Disease Related Pathways in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowin, Ethan J; Maron, Martin S; Chan, Raymond H; Hausvater, Anais; Wang, Wendy; Rastegar, Hassan; Maron, Barry J

2017-12-15

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) has been characterized as a generally progressive genetic heart disease, creating an ominous perspective for patients and managing cardiologists. We explored the HC disease burden and interaction of adverse clinical pathways to clarify patient expectations over long time periods in the contemporary therapeutic era. We studied 1,000 consecutive HC patients (52 ± 17 years) at Tufts Medical Center, followed 9.3 ± 8 years from diagnosis, employing a novel disease pathway model: 46% experienced a benign course free of adverse pathways, but 42% of patients progressed along 1 major pathway, most commonly refractory heart failure to New York Heart Association class III or IV requiring surgical myectomy (or alcohol ablation) or heart transplant; repetitive or permanent atrial fibrillation; and least commonly arrhythmic sudden death events. Eleven percent experienced 2 of these therapeutic end points at different times in their clinical course, most frequently the combination of advanced heart failure and atrial fibrillation, whereas only 1% incurred all 3 pathways. Freedom of progression from 1 to 2 disease pathways, or from 2 to 3 was 80% and 93% at 5 years, respectively. Annual HC-related mortality did not differ according to the number of pathways: 1 (0.8%), 2 (0.8%), or 3 (2.4%) (p = 0.56), and 93% of patients were in New York Heart Association classes I or II at follow-up. In conclusion, it is uncommon for HC patients to experience multiple adverse (but treatable) disease pathways, underscoring the principle that HC is not a uniformly progressive disease. These observations provide a measure of clarity and/or reassurance to patients regarding the true long-term disease burden of HC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

EU emissions trading. The need for cap adjustment in response to external shocks and unexpected developments?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diekmann, Jochen [DIW, Berlin (Germany)

2012-11-15

In this paper the advantages and disadvantages of the various adaptation options will be discussed from an economic perspective. Firstly, the criteria for identifying a need for potentially legitimate adaptation should be investigated. Furthermore, the issue of appropriate timely intervention points prior to or within the trading period will be discussed. In what periods and scenarios are adjustments to the cap worthwhile from an economic perspective? To what extent could minimum prices or price ranges make sense? What role could a strategic reserve play? By addressing these issues, it will be fundamentally discussed as to how the emissions trading scheme could be further developed and strengthened by greater flexibility. After a brief characterisation of emissions trading in theory and practice in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 will identify potential external shocks and unexpected developments which may impair the functioning of an emissions trading scheme. The current problems of cap setting for the third trading period of the EU ETS will be described in Chapter 4. Against this background, cap adjustments will be discussed in Chapter 5, minimum and maximum prices in Chapter 6 and strategic reserves in emissions trading in Chapter 7. The conclusions are summarised in Chapter 8.

Life-Cycle Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis for Bio-Liquid Jet Fuel from Open Pond-Based Micro-Algae under China Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiliang Zhang

2013-09-01

Full Text Available A life-cycle analysis (LCA of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions and energy use was performed to study bio-jet fuel (BJF production from micro-algae grown in open ponds under Chinese conditions using the Tsinghua University LCA Model (TLCAM. Attention was paid to energy recovery through biogas production and cogeneration of heat and power (CHP from the residual biomass after oil extraction, including fugitive methane (CH4 emissions during the production of biogas and nitrous oxide (N2O emissions during the use of digestate (solid residue from anaerobic digestion as agricultural fertilizer. Analyses were performed based on examination of process parameters, mass balance conditions, material requirement, energy consumptions and the realities of energy supply and transport in China (i.e., electricity generation and heat supply primarily based on coal, multiple transport modes. Our LCA result of the BJF pathway showed that, compared with the traditional petrochemical pathway, this new pathway will increase the overall fossil energy use and carbon emission by 39% and 70%, respectively, while decrease petroleum consumption by about 84%, based on the same units of energy service. Moreover, the energy conservation and emission reduction benefit of this new pathway may be accomplished by two sets of approaches: wider adoption of low-carbon process fuels and optimization of algae cultivation and harvest, and oil extraction processes.

US Interest Groups Prefer Emission Trading: A New Perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

1999-01-01

If there is to be environmental regulation, what kind of regulation would the main interest groups then prefer? This political distortion must be taken into account when designing future environmental regulation such as CO2 regulation. The three main interest groups in the US (private business......, it is suggested that a grandfathered permit market is a more effective policy than a tax in relation to organized interests such as industry, electric utilities and environmental organizations. In perspective, the grandfathered permit market may be mixed with the use of taxes. In the case of CO2 regulation......, for example, taxes may be applied to badly organized polluters, such as households and the transport sector, because their lobbying power is weak. Udgivelsesdato: OCT...

Positron emission tomography in movement disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, W.R.W.

1985-01-01

Positron emission tomography provides a method for the quantitation of regional function within the living human brain. Studies of cerebral metabolism and blood flow in patients with Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and focal dystonia have revealed functional abnormalities within substructures of the basal ganglia. Recent developments permit assessment of both pre-synaptic and post-synaptic function ion dopaminergic pathways. These techniques are now being applied to studies of movement disorders in human subjects

Positron emission tomography in movement disorders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, W R.W.

1985-02-01

Positron emission tomography provides a method for the quantitation of regional function within the living human brain. Studies of cerebral metabolism and blood flow in patients with Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and focal dystonia have revealed functional abnormalities within substructures of the basal ganglia. Recent developments permit assessment of both pre-synaptic and post-synaptic function in dopaminergic pathways. These techniques are now being applied to studies of movement disorders in human subjects.

Status of thermal power generation in India-Perspectives on capacity, generation and carbon dioxide emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Subhodip

2010-01-01

India's reliance on fossil-fuel based electricity generation has aggravated the problem of high carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from combustion of fossil fuels, primarily coal, in the country's energy sector. The objective of this paper is to analyze thermal power generation in India for a four-year period and determine the net generation from thermal power stations and the total and specific CO 2 emissions. The installed generating capacity, net generation and CO 2 emissions figures for the plants have been compared and large generators, large emitters, fuel types and also plant vintage have been identified. Specific emissions and dates of commissioning of plants have been taken into account for assessing whether specific plants need to be modernized. The focus is to find out areas and stations which are contributing more to the total emissions from all thermal power generating stations in the country and identify the overall trends that are emerging.

Inhaled diesel emissions alter atherosclerotic plaque composition in ApoE-/- mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campen, Matthew J.; Lund, Amie K.; Knuckles, Travis L.; Conklin, Daniel J.; Bishop, Barbara; Young, David; Seilkop, Steven; Seagrave, JeanClare; Reed, Matthew D.; McDonald, Jacob D.

2010-01-01

Recent epidemiological studies suggest that traffic-related air pollution may have detrimental effects on cardiovascular health. Previous studies reveal that gasoline emissions can induce several enzyme pathways involved in the formation and development of atherosclerotic plaques. As a direct comparison, the present study examined the impact of diesel engine emissions on these pathways, and further examined the effects on vascular lesion pathology. Apolipoprotein E-null mice were simultaneously placed on a high-fat chow diet and exposed to four concentrations, plus a high concentration exposure with particulates (PM) removed by filtration, of diesel emissions for 6 h/day for 50 days. Aortas were subsequently assayed for alterations in matrix metalloproteinase-9, endothelin-1, and several other biomarkers. Diesel induced dose-related alterations in gene markers of vascular remodeling and aortic lipid peroxidation; filtration of PM did not significantly alter these vascular responses, indicating that the gaseous portion of the exhaust was a principal driver. Immunohistochemical analysis of aortic leaflet sections revealed no net increase in lesion area, but a significant decrease in lipid-rich regions and increasing trends in macrophage accumulation and collagen content, suggesting that plaques were advanced to a more fragile, potentially more vulnerable state by diesel exhaust exposure. Combined with previous studies, these results indicate that whole emissions from mobile sources may have a significant role in promoting chronic vascular disease.

Development of an instrument to analyze organizational characteristics in multidisciplinary care pathways : the case of colorectal cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pluimers, Dorine; van Vliet, Ellen J.; Niezink, Anne G.H.; van Mourik, Martijn S.; Eddes, Eric H.; Wouters, Michel W.; Tollenaar, Rob A.E.M.; van Harten, Wim H.

2015-01-01

Background: To analyze the organization of multidisciplinary care pathways such as colorectal cancer care, an instrument was developed based on a recently published framework that was earlier used in analyzing (monodisciplinary) specialist cataract care from a lean perspective. Methods: The

Development of an instrument to analyze organizational characteristics in multidisciplinary care pathways; the case of colorectal cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pluimers, Dorine; van Vliet, Ellen J.; Niezink, Anne G.H.; van Mourik, Martijn S.; Eddes, Eric H.; Wouters, Michel W.; Tollenaar, Rob A.E.M.; van Harten, Willem H.

2015-01-01

Background To analyze the organization of multidisciplinary care pathways such as colorectal cancer care, an instrument was developed based on a recently published framework that was earlier used in analyzing (monodisciplinary) specialist cataract care from a lean perspective. Methods The instrument

The multi-level perspective analysis: Indonesia geothermal energy transition study

Science.gov (United States)

Wisaksono, A.; Murphy, J.; Sharp, J. H.; Younger, P. L.

2018-01-01

The study adopts a multi-level perspective in technology transition to analyse how the transition process in the development of geothermal energy in Indonesia is able to compete against the incumbent fossil-fuelled energy sources. Three levels of multi-level perspective are socio-technical landscape (ST-landscape), socio-technical regime (ST-regime) and niche innovations in Indonesia geothermal development. The identification, mapping and analysis of the dynamic relationship between each level are the important pillars of the multi-level perspective framework. The analysis considers the set of rules, actors and controversies that may arise in the technological transition process. The identified geothermal resource risks are the basis of the emerging geothermal technological innovations in Indonesian geothermal. The analysis of this study reveals the transition pathway, which yields a forecast for the Indonesian geothermal technology transition in the form of scenarios and probable impacts.

Isotopic evidence for nitrous oxide production pathways in a partial nitritation-anammox reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Eliza; Joss, Adriano; Emmenegger, Lukas; Kipf, Marco; Wolf, Benjamin; Mohn, Joachim; Wunderlin, Pascal

2015-10-15

Nitrous oxide (N2O) production pathways in a single stage, continuously fed partial nitritation-anammox reactor were investigated using online isotopic analysis of offgas N2O with quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS). N2O emissions increased when reactor operating conditions were not optimal, for example, high dissolved oxygen concentration. SP measurements indicated that the increase in N2O was due to enhanced nitrifier denitrification, generally related to nitrite build-up in the reactor. The results of this study confirm that process control via online N2O monitoring is an ideal method to detect imbalances in reactor operation and regulate aeration, to ensure optimal reactor conditions and minimise N2O emissions. Under normal operating conditions, the N2O isotopic site preference (SP) was much higher than expected - up to 40‰ - which could not be explained within the current understanding of N2O production pathways. Various targeted experiments were conducted to investigate the characteristics of N2O formation in the reactor. The high SP measurements during both normal operating and experimental conditions could potentially be explained by a number of hypotheses: i) unexpectedly strong heterotrophic N2O reduction, ii) unknown inorganic or anammox-associated N2O production pathway, iii) previous underestimation of SP fractionation during N2O production from NH2OH, or strong variations in SP from this pathway depending on reactor conditions. The second hypothesis - an unknown or incompletely characterised production pathway - was most consistent with results, however the other possibilities cannot be discounted. Further experiments are needed to distinguish between these hypotheses and fully resolve N2O production pathways in PN-anammox systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physics Education Research in Perspective: An Historical and Conceptual Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Meltzer, David E.

2011-04-01

I will discuss the evolution of physics education research (PER) within an historical perspective that begins in the 1860s, focuses on developments in the post-World War II period, and extends towards diverse future pathways. PER has incorporated a broad array of themes that resonate with past developments in science education; however, it also provides unique perspectives that offer promise of potential breakthroughs in areas previously underexplored. Nonetheless, there is a long road from promise to realization, and I will try to identify key aspects of past accomplishments as well as of present and future challenges. Supported in part by NSF PHY-0108787 and DUE-0817282.

France: energetic perspectives for 2050

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acket, C.; Bacher, P.

2011-01-01

The author reports the study of four simple scenarios to examine the French perspectives regarding energy consumption, sources and production. First, he comments the differences which appear between published data predicting the world energy production in 2050. He outlines the need of important energy savings and of reduction of the share of fossil energies and of CO 2 emissions. Then he discusses the French perspectives according to four scenarios which are characterized by their average growth rate for electricity with an objective of reduction of the share of fossil energies (division by 4). He discusses energy saving opportunities in different sectors (housing and office buildings, mobility and transports, food and industry), and also how to make evolve the share of the different energy sources for these sectors. He discusses various possibilities for the development of renewable energies, and the future of nuclear energy. He comes back to the four scenarios and qualifies them: underlying, moderate consumption, carrying on nuclear energy production, going out of nuclear

U.S. climate mitigation pathways post-2012: Transition scenarios in ADAGE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, Martin T.; Fawcett, Allen A.; Clapp, Christa S.

2009-01-01

The transition from the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission levels currently allowed under the Kyoto Protocol climate agreement to more ambitious, and internationally comprehensive, GHG reduction goals will have important implications for the global economic system. Given the major role that the United States plays in the global economy, and also as a major GHG emitter, this paper examines a range of climate policy pathways for the country in the context of international actions. The ADAGE model is used to examine policy impacts for climate scenarios, focusing on key factors such as emissions, technology deployment, macroeconomic indicators and international trade. In general, the simulations indicate that reductions in GHG emissions can be accomplished with limited economic adjustments, although impacts depend on the future availability of new low-carbon technologies.

Emissions trading in the Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zapfel, P.

2002-01-01

In the article 'Emissions trading in the Netherlands. The optimal route towards an international scheme?' (issue 1, 2002) Mulder asks the question to what extent a Dutch national CO2 trading scheme is a worthwhile effort toward an international trading scheme (i.e. is it a first step toward a European-wide emissions trading scheme) when presenting the proposal of the Dutch Commission on CO2 trade and related economic analysis. His conclusion, underlined by modeling results, is that a national scheme along the lines proposed by the Dutch Commission is an expensive policy instrument due to the high transaction costs. The first-best option according to Mulder is to impose CO2-emissions trading with an absolute ceiling on an international level. In the meantime, he states, improving the design of the energy tax system may be an efficient alternative. In this comment I would like to address two issues. First, does the approach proposed by the Dutch Commission make sense from a European perspective towards an EU-wide cap and trade allowance scheme as proposed by the European Commission in October 2001? and Second, what might this Dutch model and philosophy, scaled up to the EU level, look like?

The emissions gap report. Are the Copenhagen accord pledges sufficient to limit global warming to 2 deg. C or 1.5 deg. C?. A preliminary assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-11-15

This report addresses many of the key issues raised by the Copenhagen Accord. For example, the emission pathways consistent with temperature limits and the expected emissions in 2020 based on current pledges. Furthermore, it examines whether there is a gap between emission levels consistent with temperature limits and expected emissions, and furthermore, the increases in temperature consistent with such a gap in emissions. Outside the scope of the report are issues related to the comparability and equity of pledges. Chapter 2 focuses on the likelihood of various emission pathways staying within temperature limits. For these pathways we identify the period in which emissions peak, the level of emissions in 2020, and the corresponding emission reduction rates after 2020. Results include emission pathways from integrated assessment models (IAM) and carbon cycle and climate models. Also discussed are current views about the feasibility of emission reductions and negative emissions, as well as factors determining long-term temperature, including cumulative emissions. Chapter 3 reviews estimates of global emission levels in 2020 based on country emission pledges. Among the factors influencing these estimates are whether pledges are independent of, or conditional on, other countries' actions, financing or technological support. For industrialized countries, key factors include: the accounting procedures for emissions or uptake of carbon from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF); the potential for international climate finance, as agreed in the Copenhagen Accord to enable further emission reductions; the carry-over of emission reduction units from the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (2008-2012); and the potential double counting of offsets with emission reductions from non-Annex I countries' actions. Emission estimates are also influenced by the uncertainty of base year emissions and by assumptions needed for filling in sectoral or other

Relevance of emissions timing in biofuel greenhouse gases and climate impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwietzke, Stefan; Griffin, W Michael; Matthews, H Scott

2011-10-01

Employing life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a key performance metric in energy and environmental policy may underestimate actual climate change impacts. Emissions released early in the life cycle cause greater cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) over the next decades than later emissions. Some indicate that ignoring emissions timing in traditional biofuel GHG accounting overestimates the effectiveness of policies supporting corn ethanol by 10-90% due to early land use change (LUC) induced GHGs. We use an IPCC climate model to (1) estimate absolute CRF from U.S. corn ethanol and (2) quantify an emissions timing factor (ETF), which is masked in the traditional GHG accounting. In contrast to earlier analyses, ETF is only 2% (5%) over 100 (50) years of impacts. Emissions uncertainty itself (LUC, fuel production period) is 1-2 orders of magnitude higher, which dwarfs the timing effect. From a GHG accounting perspective, emissions timing adds little to our understanding of the climate impacts of biofuels. However, policy makers should recognize that ETF could significantly decrease corn ethanol's probability of meeting the 20% GHG reduction target in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. The added uncertainty of potentially employing more complex emissions metrics is yet to be quantified.

Tracing Primary PM2.5 emissions via Chinese supply chains

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Jing; Liu, Junfeng; Xu, Yuan; Tao, Shu

2015-05-01

In this study, we examine a supply-chain approach to more effectively mitigate primary PM2.5 emissions in China from the perspectives of production, consumption and their linkages using structural path analysis. We identify the pattern of all supply chain paths using principal component analysis. To address the severe haze problems in China, it is important to understand how final demand purchase initiates production processes and ultimately leads to primary PM2.5 emission. We found that consumers’ demands on power and transportation mainly induce direct emissions, quite different from the demands on construction, industry and service products which largely drive emissions in upstream activities. We also found that nearly 80% of the economic sectors in China follow a similar pattern in generating primary PM2.5 emissions in electricity, cement and the ferrous metal industries; but only the construction sector increases the release of PM2.5 due to the production of non-metallic mineral products. These findings indicate that further reduction of end-of-pipe emissions in the power and transportation sectors will facilitate cleaner production in almost all the economic sectors. However, for urbanization induced emissions, China should mitigate PM2.5 emissions through the supply chain of construction, either severely reducing its life-cycle intensity or carefully planning to avoid extensive, unnecessary building activity.

Tracing Primary PM2.5 emissions via Chinese supply chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Jing; Liu, Junfeng; Tao, Shu; Xu, Yuan

2015-01-01

In this study, we examine a supply-chain approach to more effectively mitigate primary PM 2.5 emissions in China from the perspectives of production, consumption and their linkages using structural path analysis. We identify the pattern of all supply chain paths using principal component analysis. To address the severe haze problems in China, it is important to understand how final demand purchase initiates production processes and ultimately leads to primary PM 2.5 emission. We found that consumers’ demands on power and transportation mainly induce direct emissions, quite different from the demands on construction, industry and service products which largely drive emissions in upstream activities. We also found that nearly 80% of the economic sectors in China follow a similar pattern in generating primary PM 2.5 emissions in electricity, cement and the ferrous metal industries; but only the construction sector increases the release of PM 2.5 due to the production of non-metallic mineral products. These findings indicate that further reduction of end-of-pipe emissions in the power and transportation sectors will facilitate cleaner production in almost all the economic sectors. However, for urbanization induced emissions, China should mitigate PM 2.5 emissions through the supply chain of construction, either severely reducing its life-cycle intensity or carefully planning to avoid extensive, unnecessary building activity. (letter)

Forecasting civil conflict along the shared socioeconomic pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegre, Håvard; Buhaug, Halvard; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim; Calvin, Katherine V.

2016-01-01

Climate change and armed civil conflict are both linked to socioeconomic development, although conditions that facilitate peace may not necessarily facilitate mitigation and adaptation to climate change. While economic growth lowers the risk of conflict, it is generally associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions and costs of climate mitigation policies. Here, this study investigates the links between growth, climate change, and conflict by simulating future civil conflict using new scenario data for five alternative socioeconomic pathways with different mitigation and adaptation assumptions, known as the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). We develop a statistical model of the historical effect of key socioeconomic variables on country-specific conflict incidence, 1960–2013. We then forecast the annual incidence of conflict, 2014–2100, along the five SSPs. We find that SSPs with high investments in broad societal development are associated with the largest reduction in conflict risk. This is most pronounced for the least developed countries—poverty alleviation and human capital investments in poor countries are much more effective instruments to attain global peace and stability than further improvements to wealthier economies. Moreover, the SSP that describes a sustainability pathway, which poses the lowest climate change challenges, is as conducive to global peace as the conventional development pathway.

Agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions: trade-offs or synergies between mitigation and food security?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valin, H; Havlík, P; Mosnier, A; Obersteiner, M; Herrero, M; Schmid, E

2013-01-01

In this letter, we investigate the effects of crop yield and livestock feed efficiency scenarios on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture and land use change in developing countries. We analyze mitigation associated with different productivity pathways using the global partial equilibrium model GLOBIOM. Our results confirm that yield increase could mitigate some agriculture-related emissions growth over the next decades. Closing yield gaps by 50% for crops and 25% for livestock by 2050 would decrease agriculture and land use change emissions by 8% overall, and by 12% per calorie produced. However, the outcome is sensitive to the technological path and which factor benefits from productivity gains: sustainable land intensification would increase GHG savings by one-third when compared with a fertilizer intensive pathway. Reaching higher yield through total factor productivity gains would be more efficient on the food supply side but halve emissions savings due to a strong rebound effect on the demand side. Improvement in the crop or livestock sector would have different implications: crop yield increase would bring the largest food provision benefits, whereas livestock productivity gains would allow the greatest reductions in GHG emission. Combining productivity increases in the two sectors appears to be the most efficient way to exploit mitigation and food security co-benefits. (letter)

Surface renewal as a significant mechanism for dust emission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Zhang

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Wind tunnel experiments of dust emissions from different soil surfaces are carried out to better understand dust emission mechanisms. The effects of surface renewal on aerodynamic entrainment and saltation bombardment are analyzed in detail. It is found that flow conditions, surface particle motions (saltation and creep, soil dust content and ground obstacles all strongly affect dust emission, causing its rate to vary over orders of magnitude. Aerodynamic entrainment is highly effective, if dust supply is unlimited, as in the first 2–3 min of our wind tunnel runs. While aerodynamic entrainment is suppressed by dust supply limits, surface renewal through the motion of surface particles appears to be an effective pathway to remove the supply limit. Surface renewal is also found to be important to the efficiency of saltation bombardment. We demonstrate that surface renewal is a significant mechanism affecting dust emission and recommend that this mechanism be included in future dust models.

Zero emission targets as long-term global goals for climate protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogelj, Joeri; Riahi, Keywan; Schaeffer, Michiel; Hare, William; Meinshausen, Malte; Knutti, Reto; Alcamo, Joseph

2015-01-01

Recently, assessments have robustly linked stabilization of global-mean temperature rise to the necessity of limiting the total amount of emitted carbon-dioxide (CO 2 ). Halting global warming thus requires virtually zero annual CO 2 emissions at some point. Policymakers have now incorporated this concept in the negotiating text for a new global climate agreement, but confusion remains about concepts like carbon neutrality, climate neutrality, full decarbonization, and net zero carbon or net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Here we clarify these concepts, discuss their appropriateness to serve as a long-term global benchmark for achieving temperature targets, and provide a detailed quantification. We find that with current pledges and for a likely (>66%) chance of staying below 2 °C, the scenario literature suggests net zero CO 2 emissions between 2060 and 2070, with net negative CO 2 emissions thereafter. Because of residual non-CO 2 emissions, net zero is always reached later for total GHG emissions than for CO 2 . Net zero emissions targets are a useful focal point for policy, linking a global temperature target and socio-economic pathways to a necessary long-term limit on cumulative CO 2 emissions. (letter)

Deep greenhouse gas emission reductions in Europe: Exploring different options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deetman, Sebastiaan; Hof, Andries F.; Pfluger, Benjamin; Vuuren, Detlef P. van; Girod, Bastien; Ruijven, Bas J. van

2013-01-01

Most modelling studies that explore emission mitigation scenarios only look into least-cost emission pathways, induced by a carbon tax. This means that European policies targeting specific – sometimes relatively costly – technologies, such as electric cars and advanced insulation measures, are usually not evaluated as part of cost-optimal scenarios. This study explores an emission mitigation scenario for Europe up to 2050, taking as a starting point specific emission reduction options instead of a carbon tax. The purpose is to identify the potential of each of these policies and identify trade-offs between sectoral policies in achieving emission reduction targets. The reduction options evaluated in this paper together lead to a reduction of 65% of 1990 CO 2 -equivalent emissions by 2050. More bottom-up modelling exercises, like the one presented here, provide a promising starting point to evaluate policy options that are currently considered by policy makers. - Highlights: ► We model the effects of 15 climate change mitigation measures in Europe. ► We assess the greenhouse gas emission reduction potential in different sectors. ► The measures could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% below 1990 levels in 2050. ► The approach allows to explore arguably more relevant climate policy scenarios

Control technology for radioactive emissions to the atmosphere at US Department of Energy facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, E.B.

1984-10-01

The purpose of this report is to provide information to the US Environmental Protection agency (EPA) on existing technology for the control of radionuclide emissions into the air from US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, and to provide EPA with information on possible additional control technologies that could be used to further reduce these emissions. Included in this report are generic discussions of emission control technologies for particulates, iodine, rare gases, and tritium. Also included are specific discussions of existing emission control technologies at 25 DOE facilities. Potential additional emission control technologies are discussed for 14 of these facilities. The facilities discussed were selected by EPA on the basis of preliminary radiation pathway analyses. 170 references, 131 figures, 104 tables.

Control technology for radioactive emissions to the atmosphere at US Department of Energy facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, E.B.

1984-10-01

The purpose of this report is to provide information to the US Environmental Protection agency (EPA) on existing technology for the control of radionuclide emissions into the air from US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, and to provide EPA with information on possible additional control technologies that could be used to further reduce these emissions. Included in this report are generic discussions of emission control technologies for particulates, iodine, rare gases, and tritium. Also included are specific discussions of existing emission control technologies at 25 DOE facilities. Potential additional emission control technologies are discussed for 14 of these facilities. The facilities discussed were selected by EPA on the basis of preliminary radiation pathway analyses. 170 references, 131 figures, 104 tables

Cancer Localization in the Prostate with F-18 Fluorocholine Position Emission Tomography

Science.gov (United States)

2008-01-01

in the incorporation of choline into hospholipids via the Kennedy pathway. The importance of his metabolic pathway for cell viability is underscored...these compounds in vitro.21 In vitro experiments sug- est that the rate of FCH phosphorylation by yeast CK, as well s the rate of FCH uptake by PC-3...choline positron emission tomography in bladder cancer: report of four cases. Int J Urol 13:829- 831, 2006 7. Picchio M, Treiber U, Beer AJ, et al: Value

Methane emissions from oceans, coasts, and freshwater habitats: New perspectives and feedbacks on climate

Science.gov (United States)

Hamdan, Leila J.; Wickland, Kimberly P.

2016-01-01

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and atmospheric concentrations have risen 2.5 times since the beginning of the Industrial age. While much of this increase is attributed to anthropogenic sources, natural sources, which contribute between 35% and 50% of global methane emissions, are thought to have a role in the atmospheric methane increase, in part due to human influences. Methane emissions from many natural sources are sensitive to climate, and positive feedbacks from climate change and cultural eutrophication may promote increased emissions to the atmosphere. These natural sources include aquatic environments such as wetlands, freshwater lakes, streams and rivers, and estuarine, coastal, and marine systems. Furthermore, there are significant marine sediment stores of methane in the form of clathrates that are vulnerable to mobilization and release to the atmosphere from climate feedbacks, and subsurface thermogenic gas which in exceptional cases may be released following accidents and disasters (North Sea blowout and Deepwater Horizon Spill respectively). Understanding of natural sources, key processes, and controls on emission is continually evolving as new measurement and modeling capabilities develop, and different sources and processes are revealed. This special issue of Limnology and Oceanography gathers together diverse studies on methane production, consumption, and emissions from freshwater, estuarine, and marine systems, and provides a broad view of the current science on methane dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. Here, we provide a general overview of aquatic methane sources, their contribution to the global methane budget, and key uncertainties. We then briefly summarize the contributions to and highlights of this special issue.

Suffering in silence: why a developmental psychopathology perspective on selective mutism is needed.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohan, Sharon L; Price, Joseph M; Stein, Murray B

2006-08-01

A developmental psychopathology perspective is offered in an effort to organize the existing literature regarding the etiology of selective mutism (SM), a relatively rare disorder in which a child consistently fails to speak in 1 or more social settings (e.g., school) despite speaking normally in other settings (e.g., home). Following a brief description of the history, prevalence, and course of the disorder, multiple pathways to the development of SM are discussed, with a focus on the various genetic, temperamental, psychological, and social/environmental systems that may be important in conceptualizing this unusual childhood disorder. The authors propose that SM develops due to a series of complex interactions among the various systems reviewed (e.g., a strong genetic loading for anxiety interacts with an existing communication disorder, resulting in heightened sensitivity to verbal interactions and mutism in some settings). Suggestions are provided for future longitudinal, twin/adoption, molecular genetic, and neuroimaging studies that would be particularly helpful in testing the pathways perspective on SM.

Efficiency of the emission trading. A contribution to the climate protection law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frenz, Walter

2014-01-01

The contribution discusses the following topics: Inclusion of additional sectors into the emission trading: road traffic and sea traffic, the stepwise realization and difficulties; the failed inclusion of air traffic, rigid penalties in case of violation of the fee delivery, thread for the complete mechanism, over-compliance in Germany and international perspectives.

Identification of Alternative Vapor Intrusion Pathways Using Controlled Pressure Testing, Soil Gas Monitoring, and Screening Model Calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Yuanming; Holton, Chase; Luo, Hong; Dahlen, Paul; Gorder, Kyle; Dettenmaier, Erik; Johnson, Paul C

2015-11-17

Vapor intrusion (VI) pathway assessment and data interpretation have been guided by an historical conceptual model in which vapors originating from contaminated soil or groundwater diffuse upward through soil and are swept into a building by soil gas flow induced by building underpressurization. Recent studies reveal that alternative VI pathways involving neighborhood sewers, land drains, and other major underground piping can also be significant VI contributors, even to buildings beyond the delineated footprint of soil and groundwater contamination. This work illustrates how controlled-pressure-method testing (CPM), soil gas sampling, and screening-level emissions calculations can be used to identify significant alternative VI pathways that might go undetected by conventional sampling under natural conditions at some sites. The combined utility of these tools is shown through data collected at a long-term study house, where a significant alternative VI pathway was discovered and altered so that it could be manipulated to be on or off. Data collected during periods of natural and CPM conditions show that the alternative pathway was significant, but its presence was not identifiable under natural conditions; it was identified under CPM conditions when measured emission rates were 2 orders of magnitude greater than screening-model estimates and subfoundation vertical soil gas profiles changed and were no longer consistent with the conventional VI conceptual model.

The effect of the pathway to a two degrees warmer world on the regional temperature change of Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cathrine Fox Maule

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to investigate if the pathway to reach a 2 degree warmer world influences the regional climate in Europe at the time of 2 degrees of global warming above the pre-industrial level. We have investigated this using climate change data from ensembles of both Global Climate Models and Regional Climate Models. We compare the change of regional temperature in Europe to the global temperature change for different emission scenarios, following the IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP, to see if the pathway has any influence. We find that there is a small but significant difference in the regional temperature change, but the effect is small compared to internal variability on the timescales involved in reaching +2 degrees for the investigated emission scenarios. From an adaptation point of view, reaching +2 degrees as slowly as possible will obviously allow for a longer time period to implement adaptation measures to mitigate the effect of climate change.

Pathways to adolescent childbearing among Kaqchikel women in Guatemala.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemon, Emily; Hennink, Monique; Can Saquic, Nely Amparo

2017-10-01

One-in-five children in Guatemala is born to a mother aged 15-19 years, which poses social, economic and health risks to both mother and child. In Guatemala, adolescent childbearing is directly associated with education, ethnicity and poverty, which increases vulnerability among Indigenous young women living in poverty. This study examines the context and experiences of adolescent childbearing from the perspectives of young mothers in the Kaqchikel Indigenous ethnic group of Sololá, Guatemala. Data were collected in 19 qualitative in-depth interviews with women who had given birth to one or more children when aged 15 to 19 years. Grounded theory and narrative analysis were used to develop a conceptual framework of the process and influences on childbearing. Four distinct pathways were identified, which were influenced by gender expectations, limited communication about sex and stigma around sex. The study identifies key sociocultural influences that lead to adolescent childbearing and reveals variability within these. Identifying distinct pathways to early childbearing and their influences enables a clearer understanding of potential opportunities to interrupt these pathways with culturally relevant policies and programmes, in particular those that promote gender equality and intergenerational communication about sex.

Observed and modeled pathways of the Iceland Scotland Overflow Water in the eastern North Atlantic

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Sijia; Lozier, Susan; Zenk, Walter; Bower, Amy; Johns, William

2017-12-01

The spreading of Iceland Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) in the eastern North Atlantic has largely been studied in an Eulerian frame using numerical models or with observations limited to a few locations. No study to date has provided a comprehensive description of the ISOW spreading pathways from both Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives. In this paper, we use a combination of previously unreported current meter data, hydrographic data, RAFOS float data, and a high resolution (1/12°) numerical ocean model to study the spreading pathways of ISOW from both of these perspectives. We identify three ISOW transport cores in the central Iceland Basin (∼59°N), with the major core along the eastern boundary of the Reykjanes Ridge (RR) and the other two in the basin interior. Based on trajectories of observed and/or numerical floats seeded along 59°N, we also describe the ISOW spreading pathways and quantify their relative importance. Within 10 years, 7-11% of ISOW from 59°N escapes into the Irminger Sea via gaps in the RR north of the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ); the water that moves through these gaps principally originates from the shallower ISOW layer along the RR eastern boundary. 10-13% travels further southward until the CGFZ, where it crosses westward into the western subpolar gyre. 18-21% of ISOW spreads southward along the eastern flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge into the Western European Basin (WEB). Most of the remaining water stays in the Iceland Basin over the 10-year period. A model-based investigation provides a first look at the temporal variability of these ISOW pathways. We find that the fraction of southward water exported into the WEB is anti-correlated with the export through the CGFZ, a result assumed to reflect these pathways' interactions with the North Atlantic Current in magnitude and/or position shift.

OVOC Emissions and Atmospheric Transformations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yokelson, R. J.; Christian, T. J.; Bertschi, I. T.; Ward, D. E.; Field, R. J.; Hobbs, P. V.; Goode, J.; Mason, S.; Susott, R.; Babbitt, R.; Hao, W. M.

2002-12-01

We quantified the main emissions from a few vegetation samples and many biomass fires using ground-based, open-path FTIR and airborne, closed-cell FTIR. The two instruments have been rigorously compared to each other and to PTR-MS and canister sampling. OVOC are major emissions from plants. OVOC account for about 70 percent of NMOC from savanna fires (the largest type of biomass burning) and 70-80 percent of NMOC from production and use of domestic biofuels (the second largest type of biomass burning). A table of average biofuel emissions is presented. Data from laboratory and free-burning fires, obtained from Alaska to South Africa, is used to develop equations that predict OVOC emissions from a wide variety of global fires. The impact of OVOC on smoke plume chemistry and the post-emission transformations of OVOC were investigated with two models. Addition of HCHO alone to the simple chemistry used in some global models dramatically reduces NOx lifetime and speeds up O3 formation rates in plumes. A detailed model verifies these effects and shows that OVOC profoundly affect formation of HOx, peroxide, and nitrogen reservoir species. The modeled photochemical transformations of OVOC are diverse, but some key pathways are unknown. We observed rapid production of both O3 and additional OVOC and OH of 1.7E7 in smoke plumes in Alaska and Africa; all reasonably consistent with model predictions. In addition, we found that cloud processing caused large post-emission changes in smoke trace gases including removal of nearly all methanol, a decrease in acetic acid, and a large increase in HCHO. These observations suggest that OVOC could react in cloud droplets and lead to production of modified aerosol. In addition, transport of OVOC by deep convection may be associated with large effects not explained by solubility alone.

A Study on the Model of Traffic Flow and Vehicle Exhaust Emission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han Xue

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The increase of traffic flow in cities causes traffic congestion and accidents as well as air pollution. Traffic problems have attracted the interest of many researchers from the perspective of theory and engineering. In order to provide a simple and practical method for measuring the exhaust emission and assessing the effect of pollution control, a model is based on the relationship between traffic flow and vehicle exhaust emission under a certain level of road capacity constraints. In the proposed model, the hydrocarbons (HC, carbon monoxide (CO, and nitrogen oxides (NOx are considered as the indexes of total exhaust emission, and the speed is used as an intermediate variable. To verify the rationality and practicality of the model, a case study for Beijing, China, is provided in which the effects of taxi fare regulation and the specific vehicle emission reduction policy are analyzed.

A Study on Life Cycle CO2 Emissions of Low-Carbon Building in South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su-Hyun Cho

2016-06-01

Full Text Available There have been much interest and many efforts to control global warming and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG emissions throughout the world. Recently, the Republic of Korea has also increased its GHG reduction goal and searched for an implementation plan. In buildings, for example, there have been technology developments and deployment policies to reduce GHG emissions from a life cycle perspective, covering construction materials, building construction, use of buildings and waste disposal. In particular, Korea’s Green Standard for Energy and Environmental Design is a certification of environmentally-friendly buildings for their energy saving and reduction of environmental pollution throughout their lives. In fact, the demand and adoption of the certification are rising every year. In construction materials and buildings, as a result, an environmentally-friendly aspect has become crucial. The importance of construction material and building development technologies that can reduce environmental load by diminishing GHG emissions in buildings has emerged. Moreover, there has been a rising necessity to verify the GHG reduction effects of buildings. To assess the reduction of carbon emissions in the buildings built with low-carbon construction technologies and materials, therefore, this study estimated life cycle carbon emissions in reference buildings in which general construction materials are used and in low-carbon buildings. For this, the carbon emissions and their reduction from construction materials (especially concrete between conventional products and low-carbon materials were estimated, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA. After estimating carbon emissions from a building life cycle perspective, their reduction in low-carbon buildings compared to the reference buildings was reviewed. The results found that compared to conventional buildings, low-carbon buildings revealed a 25% decrease in carbon emissions in terms of the reduction of Life Cycle

Making a market for SO2 emissions trading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solomon, B.D.; Rose, K.

1992-01-01

Under the innovative, market-based approach to acid rain control included in the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 (CAAA), sulfur dioxide emission allowances allocated to existing electric utility sources of these emissions can be used by utilities, banked for future use, or sold or traded to other users. Most power plants that burn fossil fuels will need to obtain an adequate supply of allowances from the market of EPA-sponsored auctions to cover their future emissions. This article addresses the respective roles of regulators and the private sector in facilitating a market for SO 2 emission allowances. In previous work, the authors have argued that state public utility commissions should seize the opportunity to encourage utilities to facilitate the allowance market. Yet it is the nature of new markets that many potential participants (including regulators) are risk-averse and wait for others to make the first move. Taken to the extreme, such behavior is a prescription for failure. The authors stated purpose is both to offer a perspective on how to make a market for what was previously considered an externality, as well as to stimulate debate among the various players and elicit better ideas. In fact, much more may be at stake. The success or failure of the emissions trading program could well set a benchmark for future environmental protection efforts in the US and globally

Oxytocin Pathway Genes: Evolutionary Ancient System Impacting on Human Affiliation, Sociality, and Psychopathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Ruth; Monakhov, Mikhail; Pratt, Maayan; Ebstein, Richard P

2016-02-01

Oxytocin (OT), a nonapeptide signaling molecule originating from an ancestral peptide, appears in different variants across all vertebrate and several invertebrate species. Throughout animal evolution, neuropeptidergic signaling has been adapted by organisms for regulating response to rapidly changing environments. The family of OT-like molecules affects both peripheral tissues implicated in reproduction, homeostasis, and energy balance, as well as neuromodulation of social behavior, stress regulation, and associative learning in species ranging from nematodes to humans. After describing the OT-signaling pathway, we review research on the three genes most extensively studied in humans: the OT receptor (OXTR), the structural gene for OT (OXT/neurophysin-I), and CD38. Consistent with the notion that sociality should be studied from the perspective of social life at the species level, we address human social functions in relation to OT-pathway genes, including parenting, empathy, and using social relationships to manage stress. We then describe associations between OT-pathway genes with psychopathologies involving social dysfunctions such as autism, depression, or schizophrenia. Human research particularly underscored the involvement of two OXTR single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs53576, rs2254298) with fewer studies focusing on other OXTR (rs7632287, rs1042778, rs2268494, rs2268490), OXT (rs2740210, rs4813627, rs4813625), and CD38 (rs3796863, rs6449197) single nucleotide polymorphisms. Overall, studies provide evidence for the involvement of OT-pathway genes in human social functions but also suggest that factors such as gender, culture, and early environment often confound attempts to replicate first findings. We conclude by discussing epigenetics, conceptual implications within an evolutionary perspective, and future directions, especially the need to refine phenotypes, carefully characterize early environments, and integrate observations of social behavior across

Automobiles and global warming: Alternative fuels and other options for carbon dioxide emissions reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagar, A.D.

1995-01-01

Automobiles are a source of considerable pollution at the global level, including a significant fraction of the total greenhouse gas emissions. Alternative fuels have received some attention as potential options to curtail the carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles. This article discusses the feasibility and desirability (from a technical as well as a broader environmental perspective) of the large-scale production and use of alternative fuels as a strategy to mitigate automotive carbon dioxide emissions. Other options such as improving vehicle efficiency and switching to more efficient modes of passenger transportation are also discussed. These latter options offer an effective and immediate way to tackle the greenhouse and other pollutant emission from automobiles, especially as the limitations of currently available alternative fuels and the technological and other constraints for potential future alternatives are revealed

[Support to spiritual needs in hospital care. Integration perspective in modern hospitals].

Science.gov (United States)

Proserpio, Tullio; Piccinelli, Claudia; Arice, Carmine; Petrini, Massimo; Mozzanica, Mario; Veneroni, Laura; Clerici, Carlo Alfredo

2014-01-01

Within the course of medical care in the most advanced health care settings, an increasing attention is being paid to the so-called care humanization. According to this perspective, we try to integrate the usual care pathways with aspects related to the spiritual and religious dimension of all people and their families, as well as the employees themselves. It is clearly important to establish this kind of practices on the basis of scientific evidences. That is the reason why it's a necessity to improve the knowledge about the importance that spiritual assistance can offer within the current health service. The aim of this work is to show the relevance of the integration of spiritual perspectives in the hospital setting according to a multidisciplinary point of view. In this work many data that emerge from the international scientific literature, as well as the definition that is given to the concept of "spirituality" are analyzed; about this definition in fact there is not unanimous consent even today. It is also analyzed the legal situation in force within the European territory according to the different laws and social realities. Finally, the possible organizational practices related to spiritual support are described and the opportunity to specific accreditation pathways and careful training of chaplains able to integrate traditional religious practices with modern spiritual perspectives is discussed.

Emissions trading in the real world : Ontario Power Generation's domestic and international trading activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jantzi, B.

2001-01-01

In this presentation, the author discussed Ontario Power Generation's voluntary commitment to stabilize carbon dioxide equivalent emissions at 1990 levels. To do so, Ontario Power Generation is implementing a series of green energy initiatives, a corporate tree planting program, internal energy efficiency, and an emission reduction trading (ERT). The emphasis was placed on emission trading, where Ontario Power Generation is a leader in the field of greenhouse gas, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide trading in Canada. The approach to trading adopted was explained, with the specifics provided for each of the different categories of emissions. Some examples further illustrated the process. The outlook for the future was outlined, with plans for the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide and enhanced oil recovery, low nitrogen oxide gasoline additive. The benefits of emission trading were discussed from the perspective of Ontario Power Generation and the environment, such as allowing real reductions in emissions in a cost effective manner, enhanced risk management, investments in emissions reductions. The author argued that emission reduction is the way of the future, representing the only way in which the greenhouse gas emissions reductions required to minimize global climate change will be accomplished

Dissecting Future Aerosol Emissions. Warming Tendencies and Mitigation Opportunities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Streets, D.G. [Decision and Information Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL, 60439 (United States)

2007-04-15

Future global emissions of aerosols will play an important role in governing the nature and magnitude of future anthropogenic climate change. We present in this paper a number of future scenarios of emissions of black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) by world region, which we combine with sulfate (SO4) assessed in terms of the emissions of its precursor, SO2. We find that aerosol emissions from the household and industrial sectors are likely to decline along almost all future pathways. Transportation emissions, however, are subject to complex interacting forces that can lead to either increases or decreases. Biomass burning declines in many scenarios, but the Amazon rainforests remain vulnerable if unsustainable economic growth persists. East Asia is the key region for primary aerosols, and trends in China will have a major bearing on the direction and magnitude of releases of BC (expected reductions in the range of 640-1290 Gg), OC (reductions of 520-1900 Gg), and SO2 (ranging from an increase of 21 Tg to a reduction of 30 Tg). Analysis of joint BC, OC, and SO2 emission changes identifies a number of key world regions and economic sectors that could be effectively targeted for aerosol reductions.

Well-to-wake analysis of ethanol-to-jet and sugar-to-jet pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jeongwoo; Tao, Ling; Wang, Michael

2017-01-01

To reduce the environmental impacts of the aviation sector as air traffic grows steadily, the aviation industry has paid increasing attention to bio-based alternative jet fuels (AJFs), which may provide lower life-cycle petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than petroleum jet fuel. This study presents well-to-wake (WTWa) results for four emerging AJFs: ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) from corn and corn stover, and sugar-to-jet (STJ) from corn stover via both biological and catalytic conversion. For the ETJ pathways, two plant designs were examined: integrated (processing corn or corn stover as feedstock) and distributed (processing ethanol as feedstock). Also, three H 2 options for STJ via catalytic conversion are investigated: external H 2 from natural gas (NG) steam methane reforming (SMR), in situ H 2 , and H 2 from biomass gasification. Results demonstrate that the feedstock is a key factor in the WTWa GHG emissions of ETJ: corn- and corn stover-based ETJ are estimated to produce WTWa GHG emissions that are 16 and 73%, respectively, less than those of petroleum jet. As for the STJ pathways, this study shows that STJ via biological conversion could generate WTWa GHG emissions 59% below those of petroleum jet. STJ via catalytic conversion could reduce the WTWa GHG emissions by 28% with H 2 from NG SMR or 71% with H 2 from biomass gasification than those of petroleum jet. This study also examines the impacts of co-product handling methods, and shows that the WTWa GHG emissions of corn stover-based ETJ, when estimated with a displacement method, are lower by 11 g CO 2 e/MJ than those estimated with an energy allocation method. Corn- and corn stover-based ETJ as well as corn stover-based STJ show potentials to reduce WTWa GHG emissions compared to petroleum jet. Particularly, WTWa GHG emissions of STJ via catalytic conversion depend highly on the hydrogen source. On the other hand, ETJ offers unique opportunities to exploit extensive existing corn ethanol

PathwayAccess: CellDesigner plugins for pathway databases.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Hemert, John L; Dickerson, Julie A

2010-09-15

CellDesigner provides a user-friendly interface for graphical biochemical pathway description. Many pathway databases are not directly exportable to CellDesigner models. PathwayAccess is an extensible suite of CellDesigner plugins, which connect CellDesigner directly to pathway databases using respective Java application programming interfaces. The process is streamlined for creating new PathwayAccess plugins for specific pathway databases. Three PathwayAccess plugins, MetNetAccess, BioCycAccess and ReactomeAccess, directly connect CellDesigner to the pathway databases MetNetDB, BioCyc and Reactome. PathwayAccess plugins enable CellDesigner users to expose pathway data to analytical CellDesigner functions, curate their pathway databases and visually integrate pathway data from different databases using standard Systems Biology Markup Language and Systems Biology Graphical Notation. Implemented in Java, PathwayAccess plugins run with CellDesigner version 4.0.1 and were tested on Ubuntu Linux, Windows XP and 7, and MacOSX. Source code, binaries, documentation and video walkthroughs are freely available at http://vrac.iastate.edu/~jlv.

Femtosecond envelope of the high-harmonic emission from ablation plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haessler, S; Gobert, O; Hergott, J-F; Lepetit, F; Perdrix, M; Carré, B; Salières, P; Bom, L B Elouga; Ozaki, T

2012-01-01

We characterize the temporal profile of the high-order harmonic emission from ablation plasma plumes using cross-correlations with the infrared (IR) laser beam provided by two-photon harmonic+IR ionization of rare gas atoms. We study both non-resonant plasmas (lead, gold and chrome) and resonant plasmas (indium and tin), i.e. plasmas presenting in the singly charged ions a strong radiative transition coinciding with a harmonic order. The cross-correlation traces are found to be very similar for all harmonic orders and all plasma targets. The recovered harmonic pulse durations are very similar to the driving laser, with a tendency towards being shorter, demonstrating that the emission is a directly laser-driven process even in the case of resonant harmonics. This provides a valuable input for theories describing resonant-harmonic emission and opens the perspective of a very high flux tabletop XUV source for applications. (paper)

Beyond emission targets: how to strengthen the ambition of NDCs? Results of the MILES project informing the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-09-01

The Paris Agreement creates a process based on cycles to promote the revision by Parties of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This process is primarily aimed at supporting an increase of national emission reduction targets in successive NDC submissions to progressively align them with the goal to limit global average temperature increase to 'well below 2 deg. C'. The UNFCCC 2018 Facilitative Dialogue (FD) is the first milestone of this process, in which Parties will collectively take stock of climate action and identify options to update their NDCs by 2020. This report contributes to the preparation of the 2018 FD by presenting insights from the Modelling and Informing Low Emission Strategies (MILES) project (see box 1, page 4). This research builds on analyses of climate action from a simultaneously national and global perspective, articulating the 2030 time frame of the NDCs with mid-century strategies, and capturing the link between low-emission pathways and national socio-economic circumstances, policy priorities and development objectives. The country-specific analyses supporting these insights do not aim at assessing the ambition of individual countries' commitments. Rather, they illustrate potentially common issues across different countries in how they define and implement their own commitments and, therefore, what useful and universally applicable messages can be derived from these analyses as a whole. Key messages: - A credible transition towards the Paris long-term goal requires deeper emission reductions before 2030. - Countries should identify the sectoral transformations required to implement the emission targets. - A smooth transition towards 2 deg. C requires an acceleration of investment shifts in the energy sector before 2030. - The diffusion of key emerging low-carbon technologies should strongly accelerate. This requires an early scale-up of international collaboration on innovation and targeted policy incentives

Meeting the Radiative Forcing Targets of the Representative Concentration Pathways with Agricultural Climate Impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Kyle, P.; Müller, C.; Calvin, K. V.; Thomson, A. M.

2013-12-01

The Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) have formed the basis for much of the current scientific understanding of future climate change impacts and mitigation. However, the emissions scenarios underlying the RCPs were produced by integrated assessment models that did not include impacts of future climate change on the modeled evolution of the agricultural and energy systems. Given the prominent role of bioenergy in greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, and given the importance of land-use-related emissions in determining future atmospheric CO2 concentrations, it is possible that agricultural climate impacts may cause significant changes to the means and costs of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. This study builds on several international modeling exercises aimed at improving understanding of climate change impacts--CMIP-5 and ISI-MIP--that have generated global gridded climate impacts on yields of major agricultural crops in each of the four RCPs. We use the climate outcomes from the HadGEM2-ES climate model, and the agricultural yield outcomes from the LPJmL crop growth model to inform inputs to the GCAM integrated assessment model, allowing analysis of how agricultural climate impacts may affect the long-term global and regional strategies for achieving the greenhouse gas concentration pathways of the RCPs. Our results indicate that for this combination of models and emissions scenarios, strongly negative climate impacts on several major commodity classes--prominently cereals and oil seeds, and particularly in the high-radiative-forcing RCPs--lead to a long-term increase in cropland and therefore land-use-related CO2 emissions. All else equal, this increases the emissions mitigation burden on the rest of the system, and therefore increases total net costs of emissions mitigation. However, the future climate change impacts on C4 bioenergy crops tend to be positive, limiting the shock of agricultural climate impacts on the modeled energy supply and

Biosynthesis and emission of insect-induced methyl salicylate and methyl benzoate from rice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Nan [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); Guan, Ju [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); Ferrer, Jean-Luc [Universite Joseph Fourier, France; Engle, Nancy L [ORNL; Chern, Mawsheng [University of California, Davis; Ronald, Pamela [University of California, Davis; Tschaplinski, Timothy J [ORNL; Chen, Feng [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)

2010-01-01

Two benzenoid esters, methyl salicylate (MeSA) and methyl benzoate (MeBA), were detected from insect-damaged rice plants. By correlating metabolite production with gene expression analysis, five candidate genes encoding putative carboxyl methyltransferases were identified. Enzymatic assays with Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant proteins demonstrated that only one of the five candidates, OsBSMT1, has salicylic acid (SA) methyltransferase (SAMT) and benzoic acid (BA) methyltransferase (BAMT) activities for producing MeSA and MeBA, respectively. Whereas OsBSMT1 is phylogenetically relatively distant from dicot SAMTs, the three-dimensional structure of OsBSMT1, which was determined using homology-based structural modeling, is highly similar to those of characterized SAMTs. Analyses of OsBSMT1 expression in wild-type rice plants under various stress conditions indicate that the jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway plays a critical role in regulating the production and emission of MeSA in rice. Further analysis using transgenic rice plants overexpressing NH1, a key component of the SA signaling pathway in rice, suggests that the SA signaling pathway also plays an important role in governing OsBSMT1 expression and emission of its products, probably through a crosstalk with the JA signaling pathway. The role of the volatile products of OsBSMT1, MeSA and MeBA, in rice defense against insect herbivory is discussed.

Biosynthesis and emission of insect-induced methyl salicylate and methyl benzoate from rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Nan; Guan, Ju; Ferrer, Jean-Luc; Engle, Nancy; Chern, Mawsheng; Ronald, Pamela; Tschaplinski, Timothy J; Chen, Feng

2010-04-01

Two benzenoid esters, methyl salicylate (MeSA) and methyl benzoate (MeBA), were detected from insect-damaged rice plants. By correlating metabolite production with gene expression analysis, five candidate genes encoding putative carboxyl methyltransferases were identified. Enzymatic assays with Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant proteins demonstrated that only one of the five candidates, OsBSMT1, has salicylic acid (SA) methyltransferase (SAMT) and benzoic acid (BA) methyltransferase (BAMT) activities for producing MeSA and MeBA, respectively. Whereas OsBSMT1 is phylogenetically relatively distant from dicot SAMTs, the three-dimensional structure of OsBSMT1, which was determined using homology-based structural modeling, is highly similar to those of characterized SAMTs. Analyses of OsBSMT1 expression in wild-type rice plants under various stress conditions indicate that the jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway plays a critical role in regulating the production and emission of MeSA in rice. Further analysis using transgenic rice plants overexpressing NH1, a key component of the SA signaling pathway in rice, suggests that the SA signaling pathway also plays an important role in governing OsBSMT1 expression and emission of its products, probably through a crosstalk with the JA signaling pathway. The role of the volatile products of OsBSMT1, MeSA and MeBA, in rice defense against insect herbivory is discussed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A multivariate causality test of carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Ching-Chih

2010-01-01

This paper uses multivariate co-integration Granger causality tests to investigate the correlations between carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in China. Some researchers have argued that the adoption of a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption as a long term policy goal will result in a closed-form relationship, to the detriment of the economy. Therefore, a perspective that can make allowances for the fact that the exclusive pursuit of economic growth will increase energy consumption and CO 2 emissions is required; to the extent that such growth will have adverse effects with regard to global climate change. (author)

The urban perspectives of acid rain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonn, B.E.

1993-01-01

This report documents discussions held during a workshop an Urban Perspective of Acid Rain. The workshop was sponsored by the Office of the Director, National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP). NAPAP anticipates giving increased emphasis to the benefits in urban areas of emissions reductions. The goal of this informal, exploratory workshop was to serve as a first step towards identifying pollutant monitoring, and research and assessment needs to help answer, from an urban perspective, the two key questions posed to NAPAP by Congress: (1) what are the costs, benefits, and effectiveness of the acid rain control program, and (2) what reductions in deposition, rates are needed in order to prevent adverse effects? The workshop addressed research activities needed to respond to these questions. The discussions focused. sequentially, on data needs, data and model availability, and data and modeling gaps. The discussions concentrated on four areas of effects: human health, materials, urban forests, and visibility

Modelling lifestyle effects on energy demand and related emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, C.

2000-01-01

An approach to analyse and quantify the impact of lifestyle factors on current and future energy demand is developed. Thereby not only directly environmentally relevant consumer activities such as car use or heating have been analysed, but also expenditure patterns which induce environmental damage through the production of the consumed goods. The use of household survey data from the national statistical offices offers the possibility to cover this wide range of activities. For the available social-economic household characteristics a variety of different behavioural patterns have been observed. For evaluating the energy and emission consequences of the consumed goods enhanced input-output models are used. The additions implemented - a mixed monetary-energetic approach for inter-industry flows and a separate treatment of transport -related emissions - improve the reliability of the obtained results. The developed approach has been used for analysing current emissions profiles and distributions in West Germany, France and the Netherlands as well as scenarios for future energy demand and related emissions. It therefore provides a comprehensive methodology to analyse environmental effects in a consumer and citizen perspective and thus contributes to an increase transparency of complex economic and ecological interconnections. (author)

Peaking China’s CO2 Emissions: Trends to 2030 and Mitigation Potential

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Liu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available China has submitted its nationally determined contribution to peak its energy-related emissions around 2030. To understand how China might develop its economy while controlling CO2 emissions, this study surveys a number of recent modeling scenarios that project the country’s economic growth, energy mix, and associated emissions until 2050. Our analysis suggests that China’s CO2 emissions will continue to grow until 2040 or 2050 and will approximately double their 2010 level without additional policy intervention. The alternative scenario, however, suggests that peaking CO2 emissions around 2030 requires the emission growth rate to be reduced by 2% below the reference level. This step would result in a plateau in China’s emissions from 2020 to 2030. This paper also proposed a deep de-carbonization pathway for China that is consistent with China’s goal of peaking emissions by around 2030, which can best be achieved through a combination of improvements in energy and carbon intensities. Our analysis also indicated that the potential for energy intensity decline will be limited over time. Thus, the peaking will be largely dependent on the share of non-fossil fuel energy in primary energy consumption.

Well-to-Wheels analysis of landfill gas-based pathways and their addition to the GREET model.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mintz, M.; Han, J.; Wang, M.; Saricks, C.; Energy Systems

2010-06-30

Today, approximately 300 million standard cubic ft/day (mmscfd) of natural gas and 1600 MW of electricity are produced from the decomposition of organic waste at 519 U.S. landfills (EPA 2010a). Since landfill gas (LFG) is a renewable resource, this energy is considered renewable. When used as a vehicle fuel, compressed natural gas (CNG) produced from LFG consumes up to 185,000 Btu of fossil fuel and generates from 1.5 to 18.4 kg of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO{sub 2}e) emissions per million Btu of fuel on a 'well-to-wheel' (WTW) basis. This compares with approximately 1.1 million Btu and 78.2 kg of CO{sub 2}e per million Btu for CNG from fossil natural gas and 1.2 million Btu and 97.5 kg of CO{sub 2}e per million Btu for petroleum gasoline. Because of the additional energy required for liquefaction, LFG-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) requires more fossil fuel (222,000-227,000 Btu/million Btu WTW) and generates more GHG emissions (approximately 22 kg CO{sub 2}e /MM Btu WTW) if grid electricity is used for the liquefaction process. However, if some of the LFG is used to generate electricity for gas cleanup and liquefaction (or compression, in the case of CNG), vehicle fuel produced from LFG can have no fossil fuel input and only minimal GHG emissions (1.5-7.7 kg CO{sub 2}e /MM Btu) on a WTW basis. Thus, LFG-based natural gas can be one of the lowest GHG-emitting fuels for light- or heavy-duty vehicles. This report discusses the size and scope of biomethane resources from landfills and the pathways by which those resources can be turned into and utilized as vehicle fuel. It includes characterizations of the LFG stream and the processes used to convert low-Btu LFG into high-Btu renewable natural gas (RNG); documents the conversion efficiencies and losses of those processes, the choice of processes modeled in GREET, and other assumptions used to construct GREET pathways; and presents GREET results by pathway stage. GREET estimates of well-to-pump (WTP

[Measurement model of carbon emission from forest fire: a review].

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Hai-Qing; Wei, Shu-Jing; Jin, Sen; Sun, Long

2012-05-01

Forest fire is the main disturbance factor for forest ecosystem, and an important pathway of the decrease of vegetation- and soil carbon storage. Large amount of carbonaceous gases in forest fire can release into atmosphere, giving remarkable impacts on the atmospheric carbon balance and global climate change. To scientifically and effectively measure the carbonaceous gases emission from forest fire is of importance in understanding the significance of forest fire in the carbon balance and climate change. This paper reviewed the research progress in the measurement model of carbon emission from forest fire, which covered three critical issues, i. e., measurement methods of forest fire-induced total carbon emission and carbonaceous gases emission, affecting factors and measurement parameters of measurement model, and cause analysis of the uncertainty in the measurement of the carbon emissions. Three path selections to improve the quantitative measurement of the carbon emissions were proposed, i. e., using high resolution remote sensing data and improving algorithm and estimation accuracy of burned area in combining with effective fuel measurement model to improve the accuracy of the estimated fuel load, using high resolution remote sensing images combined with indoor controlled environment experiments, field measurements, and field ground surveys to determine the combustion efficiency, and combining indoor controlled environment experiments with field air sampling to determine the emission factors and emission ratio.

Intergenomic comparisons highlight modularity of the denitrification pathway and underpin the importance of community structure for N2O emissions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel R H Graf

Full Text Available Nitrous oxide (N2O is a potent greenhouse gas and the predominant ozone depleting substance. The only enzyme known to reduce N2O is the nitrous oxide reductase, encoded by the nosZ gene, which is present among bacteria and archaea capable of either complete denitrification or only N2O reduction to di-nitrogen gas. To determine whether the occurrence of nosZ, being a proxy for the trait N2O reduction, differed among taxonomic groups, preferred habitats or organisms having either NirK or NirS nitrite reductases encoded by the nirK and nirS genes, respectively, 652 microbial genomes across 18 phyla were compared. Furthermore, the association of different co-occurrence patterns with enzymes reducing nitric oxide to N2O encoded by nor genes was examined. We observed that co-occurrence patterns of denitrification genes were not randomly distributed across taxa, as specific patterns were found to be more dominant or absent than expected within different taxonomic groups. The nosZ gene had a significantly higher frequency of co-occurrence with nirS than with nirK and the presence or absence of a nor gene largely explained this pattern, as nirS almost always co-occurred with nor. This suggests that nirS type denitrifiers are more likely to be capable of complete denitrification and thus contribute less to N2O emissions than nirK type denitrifiers under favorable environmental conditions. Comparative phylogenetic analysis indicated a greater degree of shared evolutionary history between nosZ and nirS. However 30% of the organisms with nosZ did not possess either nir gene, with several of these also lacking nor, suggesting a potentially important role in N2O reduction. Co-occurrence patterns were also non-randomly distributed amongst preferred habitat categories, with several habitats showing significant differences in the frequencies of nirS and nirK type denitrifiers. These results demonstrate that the denitrification pathway is highly modular, thus

Possible pathways for dealing with Japan's post-Fukushima challenge and achieving CO2 emission reduction targets in 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Xuanming; Zhou, Weisheng; Sun, Faming; Nakagami, Ken'Ichi

2014-01-01

Considering the unclear nuclear future of Japan after Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident since Mar. 11, 2011, this study assesses a series of energy consumption scenarios including the reference scenario, nuclear limited scenarios and current nuclear use level scenario for Japan in 2030 by the G-CEEP (Glocal Century Energy Environment Planning) model. The simulation result for each scenario is firstly presented in terms of primary energy consumption, electricity generation, CO 2 emission, marginal abatement cost and GDP (gross domestic product) loss. According to the results, energy saving contributes the biggest share in total CO 2 emission reduction, regardless of different nuclear use levels and different CO 2 emission reduction levels. A certain amount of coal generation can be retained in the nuclear limited scenarios due to the applying of CCS (carbon capture and storage). The discussion indicates that Japan needs to improve energy use efficiency, increase renewable energy and introduce CCS in order to reduce the dependence on nuclear power and to achieve CO 2 emission reduction target in 2030. In addition, it is ambitious for Japan to achieve the zero nuclear scenario with 30% CO 2 emission reduction which will cause a marginal abatement cost of 383 USD/tC and up to −2.54% GDP loss from the reference scenario. Dealing with the nuclear power issue, Japan is faced with a challenge as well as an opportunity. - Highlights: • Nuclear use limited and carbon emission reduction scenarios for Japan in 2030. • Contributions of different abatement options to carbon emissions. • CCS for reducing dependence on nuclear power

Pathways through Secondary School in a Comprehensive System: Does Parental Education and School Attended Affect Students' Choice?

Science.gov (United States)

Chesters, Jenny

2015-01-01

As the Australian labour market restructured during the 1980s and 1990s, Year 12 retention rates more than doubled between 1983 and 1993 secondary schools diversified to include vocational education and training programs as alternative pathways through school. From a human capital perspective, the completion of vocational qualifications in school…

Numerical model to quantify biogenic volatile organic compound emissions: The Pearl River Delta region as a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xuemei; Situ, Shuping; Chen, Weihua; Zheng, Junyu; Guenther, Alex; Fan, Qi; Chang, Ming

2016-08-01

This article compiles the actual knowledge of the biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions estimated using model methods in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, one of the most developed regions in China. The developed history of BVOC emission models is presented briefly and three typical emission models are introduced and compared. The results from local studies related to BVOC emissions have been summarized. Based on this analysis, it is recommended that local researchers conduct BVOC emission studies systematically, from the assessment of model inputs, to compiling regional emission inventories to quantifying the uncertainties and evaluating the model results. Beyond that, more basic researches should be conducted in the future to close the gaps in knowledge on BVOC emission mechanisms, to develop the emission models and to refine the inventory results. This paper can provide a perspective on these aspects in the broad field of research associated with BVOC emissions in the PRD region. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series

Science.gov (United States)

Gütschow, Johannes; Jeffery, M. Louise; Gieseke, Robert; Gebel, Ronja; Stevens, David; Krapp, Mario; Rocha, Marcia

2016-11-01

To assess the history of greenhouse gas emissions and individual countries' contributions to emissions and climate change, detailed historical data are needed. We combine several published datasets to create a comprehensive set of emissions pathways for each country and Kyoto gas, covering the years 1850 to 2014 with yearly values, for all UNFCCC member states and most non-UNFCCC territories. The sectoral resolution is that of the main IPCC 1996 categories. Additional time series of CO2 are available for energy and industry subsectors. Country-resolved data are combined from different sources and supplemented using year-to-year growth rates from regionally resolved sources and numerical extrapolations to complete the dataset. Regional deforestation emissions are downscaled to country level using estimates of the deforested area obtained from potential vegetation and simulations of agricultural land. In this paper, we discuss the data sources and methods used and present the resulting dataset, including its limitations and uncertainties. The dataset is available from doi:10.5880/PIK.2016.003 and can be viewed on the website accompanying this paper (de/primap-live/primap-hist/" target="_blank">http://www.pik-potsdam.de/primap-live/primap-hist/).

A ten year perspective on power balances and CO2 emissions in Northern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tennbakk, Berit; Torgersen, Lasse

2003-10-01

The electric power balance and electricity trade will change a lot in Northern Europe over the next decade. Independent of the price of emission quotas, the balance will worsen, especially for Sweden and Germany, but the absolute numbers are strongly dependent on the demand growth. New production capacity will be built primarily in the Netherlands and Norway. Finland will also have a growing need of imported power until the new nuclear power plant is running, around 2012. Denmark will remain a net exporter. If the construction of new generating capacity is slowed down by economic or administrative reasons, the raising prices will lead to higher production in the Nordic coal fired plants. The CO 2 emissions will increase and the Nordic countries will become net importers of emission quotas, even at a quota price of 20 Euros per ton CO 2 , since new natural gas plants in Norway and Netherlands will outperform existing coal plants in Poland and Germany at high quota prices

Electricity generation in a sustainable development perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkat Raj, V.; Saradhi, I.V.

2003-01-01

The increasing impact of energy technologies on the environment and possible effects on future generations has been a cause of concern in recent years. This has resulted in an awareness regarding the need for viewing the role of electricity production by different methods, using different fuels/sources, in a sustainable development perspective, which calls for the needs of the present generation to be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This papers deals with some of the relevant issues in this regard. The world and the Indian energy scenarios are presented, followed by the data on the consequent carbon-dioxide emissions. The green house effect and the possible means of carbon sequestration are explained briefly. The important role nuclear energy can play in a sustainable development perspective is discussed, considering the various aspects such as resources, safety, radiological protection, cost externalities and environment impact. (author)

COMPILATION OF REGIONAL TO GLOBAL INVENTORIES OF ANTHROPOGENIC EMISSIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BENKOVITZ, C.M.

2002-01-01

The mathematical modeling of the transport and transformation of trace species in the atmosphere is one of the scientific tools currently used to assess atmospheric chemistry, air quality, and climatic conditions. From the scientific but also from the management perspectives accurate inventories of emissions of the trace species at the appropriate spatial, temporal, and species resolution are required. There are two general methodologies used to estimate regional to global emissions: bottom-up and top-down (also known as inverse modeling). Bottom-up methodologies to estimate industrial emissions are based on activity data, emission factors (amount of emissions per unit activity), and for some inventories additional parameters (such as sulfur content of fuels). Generally these emissions estimates must be given finer sectoral, spatial (usually gridded), temporal, and for some inventories species resolution. Temporal and spatial resolution are obtained via the use of surrogate information, such as population, land use, traffic counts, etc. which already exists in or can directly be converted to gridded form. Speciation factors have been and are being developed to speciate inventories of NO(sub x), particulate matter, and hydrocarbons. Top-down (inverse modeling) methodologies directly invert air quality measurements in terms of poorly known but critical parameters to constrain the emissions needed to explain these measurements; values of these parameters are usually computed using atmospheric transport models. Currently there are several strong limitations of inverse modeling, but the continued evolution of top-down estimates will be facilitated by the development of denser monitoring networks and by the massive amounts of data from satellite observations

The role of reduced aerosol precursor emissions in driving near-term warming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gillett, Nathan P; Von Salzen, Knut

2013-01-01

The representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios all assume stringent emissions controls on aerosols and their precursors, and hence include progressive decreases in aerosol and aerosol precursor emissions through the 21st century. Recent studies have suggested that the resultant decrease in aerosols could drive rapid near-term warming, which could dominate the effects of greenhouse gas (GHG) increases in the coming decades. In CanESM2 simulations, we find that under the RCP 2.6 scenario, which includes the fastest decrease in aerosol and aerosol precursor emissions, the contribution of aerosol reductions to warming between 2000 and 2040 is around 30%. Moreover, the rate of warming in the RCP 2.6 simulations declines gradually from its present-day value as GHG emissions decrease. Thus, while aerosol emission reductions contribute to gradual warming through the 21st century, we find no evidence that aerosol emission reductions drive particularly rapid near-term warming in this scenario. In the near-term, as in the long-term, GHG increases are the dominant driver of warming. (letter)

A functionalist perspective on social anxiety and avoidant personality disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Lafreniere, Peter

2009-01-01

A developmental-evolutionary perspective is used to synthesize basic research from the neurosciences, ethology, genetics, and developmental psychology into a unified framework for understanding the nature and origins of social anxiety and avoidant personality disorder. Evidence is presented that social anxiety disorder (social phobia) and avoidant personality disorder may be alternate conceptualizations of the same disorder because they have virtually the same symptoms and genetic basis, and respond to the same pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions. A functionalist perspective on social anxiety is formulated to (a) explain the origins of normative states of anxiety, (b) outline developmental pathways in the transition from normative anxiety to social anxiety and avoidant personality disorders, and (c) account for the processes leading to gender-differentiated patterns of anxiety-related disorders after puberty.

Hydrogen fuel : well-to-pump pathways for 2050

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molburg, J. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Mintz, M.; Folga, S.; Gillette, J.

2002-07-01

The authors discussed the topic of hydrogen fuels, and began the presentation by stating that the carbon intensity of world primary energy has been falling and hydrogen intensity has been rising. The declines in carbon can be explained by efficiency gains and fuel switches. There are several alternatives to gasoline fuel for vehicles, such as hydrogen, compressed natural gas, compressed natural gas/hydrogen. Emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere represent a growing concern. The authors discussed four hydrogen pathways that have been modeled. They indicated that both natural gas pathways required additional natural gas transmission and storage. To better illustrate the hydrogen pathway, a conceptual representation of hydrogen pipeline loop supporting local hydrogen delivery was displayed. Some hydrogen distribution assumptions for centralized hydrogen production were examined. A cost modeling procedure was described, with the following topics: defining paths, determining tank-in fuel requirement, size pathway components, estimating component costs, and calculating pathway costs. The results indicated that the natural gas-based pathways were sensitive to feedstock cost, while coal and nuclear were not. Some of the conclusions that were arrived at were: (1) on a well-to-pump basis, with current technologies, the unit cost of hydrogen is expected to be 2 to 3 time that of gasoline, (2) the mpge of hydrogen-fueled vehicles must be more than double gasoline, and (3) hydrogen transport and production are the largest components of all pathways. For the future, the focus has to be on transition, including total and unit costs through study time frame, penetration of hydrogen blends, and niche markets. One must compare apples to apples, i e cost of infrastructure components over time, and learning curves. Pathways and scenarios must be re-examined, to include issues such as truck, rail marine market penetration; and hydrogen carrier pathways. Disruptive

Advancing the experiment to reality: Perspectives on Shanghai pilot carbon emissions trading scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Libo; Qian, Haoqi; Li, Jin

2014-01-01

Shanghai, as the most advanced mega city in China, has launched a pilot carbon emission trading scheme (SH-ETS) that is designed to achieve a compromise between the domestic context in Shanghai, and a need for national policy appeal. This paper gives an overview of the latest progress of the SH-ETS and sheds some light on the features of key design components, such as the threshold for inclusion, sector coverage, cap setting, allowance allocation and the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system. Based on a concern that manipulative principles and economic dynamics may lead to uncertainties and ultimately influence the emission reduction effect of the scheme, this paper conducts an evaluation of potential uncertainties, such as those caused by changes in patterns of economic growth, strategic trading activities related to the bankable allowances, carbon leakage risks and insufficient MRV capabilities. To advance the experiment to reality, this paper suggests some changes are made to the pilot, which include adjusting the allowance allocation principles to facilitate change in the domestic energy structure, improving the disclosure of emission data to guarantee information symmetry, gauging the carbon leakage risks to strengthen compliance, and introducing risk management for non-regulated players and derivatives products

CO2 emissions and reduction potential in China's chemical industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Bing; Zhou, Wenji; Hu, Shanying; Li, Qiang; Griffy-Brown, Charla; Jin, Yong

2010-01-01

GHG (Increasing greenhouse gas) emissions in China imposes enormous pressure on China's government and society. The increasing GHG trend is primarily driven by the fast expansion of high energy-intensive sectors including the chemical industry. This study investigates energy consumption and CO 2 emissions in the processes of chemical production in China through calculating the amounts of CO 2 emissions and estimating the reduction potential in the near future. The research is based on a two-level perspective which treats the entire industry as Level one and six key sub-sectors as Level two, including coal-based ammonia, calcium carbide, caustic soda, coal-based methanol, sodium carbonate, and yellow phosphorus. These two levels are used in order to address the complexity caused by the fact that there are more than 40 thousand chemical products in this industry and the performance levels of the technologies employed are extremely uneven. Three scenarios with different technological improvements are defined to estimate the emissions of the six sub-sectors and analyze the implied reduction potential in the near future. The results highlight the pivotal role that regulation and policy administration could play in controlling the CO 2 emissions by promoting average technology performances in this industry.

Development of net energy ratio for quad-generation pathways

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rudra, Souman; Rosendahl, Lasse; Kumar, Amit

2012-01-01

The conversion of biomass to four different outputs via gasification and catalytic methanation is a renewable technology that could reduce the use of fossil fuels and GHG emissions. This study investigates the energy aspects of producing electricity, heat, methanol and methane. The Gas Technology...... Institute (GTI) gasifier and Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technologies are used for this quad generation process. Three different biomass feedstocks are considered in this study. The net energy ratio for six different pathways having the range of between 1.3–9.3. The lowest limit corresponds to the straw......-based power, heat, methanol and methane production pathway using GTI technology. Since more efficient alternatives exist for the generation of heat and electricity from biomass, it is argued that syngas is best used for methanol production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the energy performance...

Stakeholder perspectives on the use of positron emission tomography in phase III oncology trials in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojas-Anaya, Hector; Skogen, Karoline; Miles, Kenneth Alan

2012-06-01

To identify factors that influence the use of PET in phase III oncology trials in the UK by evaluating stakeholder perspectives. A wide range of UK PET research stakeholders with a potential interest in the use of PET in phase III trials were identified and invited to participate. These UK PET research stakeholders were consulted using a semistructured questionnaire on their personal experience with and involvement in PET research, the role of PET in phase III oncology clinical trials and on the promotion of UK PET research and unmet clinical needs in oncology. Responses were analysed quantitatively and by qualitative content analysis of free-text responses. A total of 118 responses were received from a wide range of stakeholders representing several professional groups and working environments. Of these respondents, 49 (42%) were using PET in their research. There was the general perception that using PET in clinical research is beneficial in oncology. The two major barriers identified were poor availability of PET and perceived difficulties in funding of excess treatment costs (75% of respondents). Other factors included limited coverage of PET in training, uncertainty about developing imaging protocols or the status of tracers other than 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, and low awareness of the role of PET in patient selection for therapeutic trials. Patient concerns about radiation were not perceived as a research barrier. Interventions that improve the availability and funding pathways for PET research scans and that increase researcher awareness could help promote the use of PET for phase III oncology trials in the UK.

Evaluation of additional biogeochemical impacts on mitigation pathways in an energy sytem integrated assessment model.

Science.gov (United States)

Dessens, O.

2017-12-01

Within the last IPCC AR5 a large and systematic sensitivity study around available technologies and timing of policies applied in IAMs to achieve the 2°C target has been conducted. However the simple climate representations included in IAMs are generally tuned to the results of ensemble means. This may result in hiding within the ensemble mean results possible challenging mitigation pathways for the economy or the technology future scenarios. This work provides new insights on the sensitivity of the socio-economic response to different climate factors under a 2°C climate change target in order to help guide future efforts to reduce uncertainty in the climate mitigation decisions. The main objective is to understand and bring new insights on how future global warming will affect the natural biochemical feedbacks on the climate system and what could be the consequences of these feedbacks on the anthropogenic emission pathways with a specific focus on the energy-economy system. It specifically focuses on three issues of the climate representation affecting the energy system transformation and GHG emissions pathways: 1- Impacts of the climate sensitivity (or TCR); 2- Impacts of warming on the radiative forcing (cloudiness,...); 3- Impacts of warming on the carbon cycle (carbon cycle feedback). We use the integrated assessment model TIAM-UCL to examine the mitigation pathways compatible with the 2C target depending on assumptions regarding the 3 issues of the climate representation introduced above. The following key conclusions drawn from this study are that mitigation to 2°C is still possible under strong climate sensitivity (TCR), strong carbon cycle amplification or positive radiative forcing feedback. However, this level of climate mitigation will require a significant transformation in the way we produce and consume energy. Carbon capture and sequestration on electricity generation, industry and biomass is part of the technology pool needed to achieve this

The effects of emission control strategies on light-absorbing carbon emissions from a modern heavy-duty diesel engine.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Michael A; Olson, Michael R; Liu, Z Gerald; Schauer, James J

2015-06-01

Control of atmospheric black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) has been proposed as an important pathway to climate change mitigation, but sources of BC and BrC are still not well understood. In order to better identify the role of modern heavy-duty diesel engines on the production of BC and BrC, emissions from a heavy-duty diesel engine operating with different emission control strategies were examined using a source dilution sampling system. The effect of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and diesel particulate filter (DPF) on light-absorbing carbon (LAC) was evaluated at three steady-state engine operation modes: idle, 50% speed and load, and 100% speed and load. LAC was measured with four different engine configurations: engine out, DOC out, DPF out, and engine out with an altered combustion calibration. BC and BrC emission rates were measured with the Aethalometer (AE-31). EC and BC emission rates normalized to the mass of CO₂emitted increased with increasing engine speed and load. Emission rates normalized to brake-specific work did not exhibit similar trends with speed and load, but rather the highest emission rate was measured at idle. EC and OC emissions were reduced by 99% when the DOC and DPF architecture was applied. The application of a DPF was equally effective at removing 99% of the BC fraction of PM, proving to be an important control strategy for both LAC and PM. BC emissions were unexpectedly increased across the DOC, seemingly due to a change aerosol optical properties. Removal of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) flow due to simulated EGR cooler failure caused a large increase in OC and BrC emission rates at idle, but had limited influence during high load operation. LAC emissions proved to be sensitive to the same control strategies effective at controlling the total mass of diesel PM. In the context of black carbon emissions, very small emission rates of brown carbon were measured over a range of control technologies and engine operating

Supporting transitions in medical career pathways: the role of simulation-based education.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleland, Jennifer; Patey, Rona; Thomas, Ian; Walker, Kenneth; O'Connor, Paul; Russ, Stephanie

2016-01-01

Transitions, or periods of change, in medical career pathways can be challenging episodes, requiring the transitioning clinician to take on new roles and responsibilities, adapt to new cultural dynamics, change behaviour patterns, and successfully manage uncertainty. These intensive learning periods present risks to patient safety. Simulation-based education (SBE) is a pedagogic approach that allows clinicians to practise their technical and non-technical skills in a safe environment to increase preparedness for practice. In this commentary, we present the potential uses, strengths, and limitations of SBE for supporting transitions across medical career pathways, discussing educational utility, outcome and process evaluation, and cost and value, and introduce a new perspective on considering the gains from SBE. We provide case-study examples of the application of SBE to illustrate these points and stimulate discussion.

Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions in China 2012: Inventory and Supply Chain Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Yaowen; Zhao, Xueli; Meng, Jing

2018-01-01

Reliable inventory information is critical in informing emission mitigation efforts. Using the latest officially released emission data, which is production based, we take a consumption perspective to estimate the non-CO2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for China in 2012. The non-CO2 GHG emissions, which cover CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6, amounted to 2003.0 Mt. CO2-eq (including 1871.9 Mt. CO2-eq from economic activities), much larger than the total CO2 emissions in some developed countries. Urban consumption (30.1%), capital formation (28.2%), and exports (20.6%) derived approximately four fifths of the total embodied emissions in final demand. Furthermore, the results from structural path analysis help identify critical embodied emission paths and key economic sectors in supply chains for mitigating non-CO2 GHG emissions in Chinese economic systems. The top 20 paths were responsible for half of the national total embodied emissions. Several industrial sectors such as Construction, Production and Supply of Electricity and Steam, Manufacture of Food and Tobacco and Manufacture of Chemicals, and Chemical Products played as the important transmission channels. Examining both production- and consumption-based non-CO2 GHG emissions will enrich our understanding of the influences of industrial positions, final consumption demands, and trades on national non-CO2 GHG emissions by considering the comprehensive abatement potentials in the supply chains.

Revisiting verbs of emission: an update on some relevant theoretical accounts of lexical specification and argument structure of emission verbs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natasa Milivojevic

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the question of what semantic properties lexicalized in verbs determine their syntactic behavior in intransitive motion events and in resultative constructions in English and Serbian. Special attention is devoted to English and Serbian verbs of emission (specifically verbs of sound emission and partly also verbs of light, smell and substance emission regarding their potential to surface as main verbs in these constructions and to combine with directional phrases within specific morphosyntactic templates (unaccusatives and unergatives. The presented research promotes a theoretical view according to which the established syntactic patterns can be applied across the whole class of verbs of emission to express a full er range of atypical verb meanings in motion events. Theoretical conclusions of the research are also relevant for a wider theoretical description of motion events and resultatives in a cross - linguistic perspective. The paper puts forth additional implica tions regarding the projectionalist approach to semantic verb classes against the theoretical framework of Beth Levin (1993. Finally, the paper considers the relevant points of structurally realized similarities via relevant constructional templates in En glish and in Serbian, as well as some important points of morphosyntactic divergence between the two languages. The conclusions presented aim at a more comprehensive contrastive language typology based on language “framing” parameters.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from aquaculture: a review.

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Hu, Zhen; Lee, Jae Woo; Chandran, Kartik; Kim, Sungpyo; Khanal, Samir Kumar

2012-06-19

Nitrous oxide (N(2)O) is an important greenhouse gas (GHG) which has a global warming potential 310 times that of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) over a hundred year lifespan. N(2)O is generated during microbial nitrification and denitrification, which are common in aquaculture systems. To date, few studies have been conducted to quantify N(2)O emission from aquaculture. Additionally, very little is known with respect to the microbial pathways through which N(2)O is formed in aquaculture systems. This review suggests that aquaculture can be an important anthropogenic source of N(2)O emission. The global N(2)O-N emission from aquaculture in 2009 is estimated to be 9.30 × 10(10) g, and will increase to 3.83 × 10(11)g which could account for 5.72% of anthropogenic N(2)O-N emission by 2030 if the aquaculture industry continues to increase at the present annual growth rate (about 7.10%). The possible mechanisms and various factors affecting N(2)O production are summarized, and two possible methods to minimize N(2)O emission, namely aquaponic and biofloc technology aquaculture, are also discussed. The paper concludes with future research directions.

Factors influencing CO2 emissions in China's power industry: Co-integration analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xiaoli; Ma, Qian; Yang, Rui

2013-01-01

More than 40% of China's total CO 2 emissions originate from the power industry. The realization of energy saving and emission reduction within China's power industry is therefore crucial in order to achieve CO 2 emissions reduction in this country. This paper applies the autoregressive-distributed lag (ARDL) co-integration model to study the major factors which have influenced CO 2 emissions within China's power industry from 1980 to 2010. Results have shown that CO 2 emissions from China's power industry have been increasing rapidly. From 1980 to 2010, the average annual growth rate was 8.5%, and the average growth rate since 2002 has amounted to 10.5%. Secondly, the equipment utilization hour (as an indicator of the power demand) has the greatest influence on CO 2 emissions within China's power industry. In addition, the impact of the industrial added value of the power sector on CO 2 emissions is also positive from a short-term perspective. Thirdly, the Granger causality results imply that one of the important motivators behind China's technological progress, within the power industry, originates from the pressures created by a desire for CO 2 emissions reduction. Finally, this paper provides policy recommendations for energy saving and emission reduction for China's power industry. - Highlights: ► We study the major factors influencing China's power industry CO 2 emissions. ► The average annual growth rate of CO 2 emission from power industry is calculated. ► Installed capacity has the greatest influence on power industry CO 2 emission. ► The Granger causality between CO 2 emission and its effecting factors is analyzed

Status and perspectives of municipal solid waste incineration in China: A comparison with developed regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Jia-Wei; Zhang, Sukun; Hai, Jing; Lei, Ming

2017-11-01

With the rapid expansion of municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration, the applicability, technical status, and future improvement of MSW incineration attract much attention in China. This paper aims to be a sensible response, with the aid of a comparison between China and some representative developed regions including the EU, the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan area. A large number of up-to-date data and information are collected to quantitatively and impartially support the comparison, which covers a wider range of key points including spatial distribution, temporal evolution, technologies, emissions, and perspectives. Analysis results show that MSW incineration is not an outdated choice; however, policy making should prevent the potentially insufficient utilization of MSW incinerators. The structure of MSW incineration technologies is changing in China. The ratio of plants using fluidized bed is decreasing due to various realistic reasons. Decision-makers would select suitable combustion technologies by comprehensive assessments, rather than just by costs. Air pollution control systems are improved with the implementation of China's new emission standard. However, MSW incineration in China is currently blamed for substandard emissions. The reasons include the particular elemental compositions of Chinese MSW, the lack of operating experience, deficient fund for compliance with the emission standard, and the lack of reliable supervisory measures. Some perspectives and suggestions from both technical and managerial aspects are given for the compliance with the emission standard. This paper can provide strategic enlightenments for MSW management in China and other developing countries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of carbon tax on carbon emission abatement and GDP: a case study

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiao; Leung, Yee; Xu, Yuan; Yung, Linda Chor Wing

2017-10-01

Carbon tax has been advocated as an effective economic instrument for the abatement of CO2 emission by various countries, including China, the world's biggest carbon emission country. However, carbon emission abatement cannot be done while ignoring the impact on economic growth. A delicate balance needs to be achieved between the two to find an appropriate pathway for sustainable development. This paper applies a multi-objective optimization approach to analyze the impact of levying carbon tax on the energy-intensive sectors of Guangdong province in China under the constraint of emission reduction target. This approach allows us to evaluate carbon emission minimization while maximizing GDP. For policy analysis, we construct five scenarios for evaluation and optimal choice. The results of the analysis show that a lower initial carbon tax rate is not necessarily better, and that a carbon tax is an effective means to reduce CO2 emissions while maintaining a certain level of GDP growth.

Methyl jasmonate-induced emission of biogenic volatiles is biphasic in cucumber: a high-resolution analysis of dose dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yifan; Ye, Jiayan; Li, Shuai; Niinemets, Ülo

2017-07-20

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is a key airborne elicitor activating jasmonate-dependent signaling pathways, including induction of stress-related volatile emissions, but how the magnitude and timing of these emissions scale with MeJA dose is not known. Treatments with exogenous MeJA concentrations ranging from mild (0.2 mM) to lethal (50 mM) were used to investigate quantitative relationships among MeJA dose and the kinetics and magnitude of volatile release in Cucumis sativus by combining high-resolution measurements with a proton-transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS) and GC-MS. The results highlighted biphasic kinetics of elicitation of volatiles. The early phase, peaking in 0.1-1 h after the MeJA treatment, was characterized by emissions of lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway volatiles and methanol. In the subsequent phase, starting in 6-12 h and reaching a maximum in 15-25 h after the treatment, secondary emissions of LOX compounds as well as emissions of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were elicited. For both phases, the maximum emission rates and total integrated emissions increased with applied MeJA concentration. Furthermore, the rates of induction and decay, and the duration of emission bursts were positively, and the timing of emission maxima were negatively associated with MeJA dose for LOX compounds and terpenoids, except for the duration of the first LOX burst. These results demonstrate major effects of MeJA dose on the kinetics and magnitude of volatile response, underscoring the importance of biotic stress severity in deciphering the downstream events of biological impacts. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Effects of IPCC SRES* emissions scenarios on river runoff: a global perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. W. Arnell

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes an assessment of the implications of future climate change for river runoff across the entire world, using six climate models which have been driven by the SRES emissions scenarios. Streamflow is simulated at a spatial resolution of 0.5°x0.5° using a macro-scale hydrological model, and summed to produce total runoff for almost 1200 catchments. The effects of climate change have been compared with the effects of natural multi-decadal climatic variability, as determined from a long unforced climate simulation using HadCM3. By the 2020s, change in runoff due to climate change in approximately a third of the catchments is less than that due to natural variability but, by the 2080s, this falls to between 10 and 30%. The climate models produce broadly similar changes in runoff, with increases in high latitudes, east Africa and south and east Asia, and decreases in southern and eastern Europe, western Russia, north Africa and the Middle East, central and southern Africa, much of North America, most of South America, and south and east Asia. The pattern of change in runoff is largely determined by simulated change in precipitation, offset by a general increase in evaporation. There is little difference in the pattern of change between different emissions scenarios (for a given model, and only by the 2080s is there evidence that the magnitudes of change in runoff vary, with emissions scenario A1FI producing the greatest change and B1 the smallest. The inter-annual variability in runoff increases in most catchments due to climate change — even though the inter-annual variability in precipitation is not changed — and the frequency of flow below the current 10-year return period minimum annual runoff increases by a factor of three in Europe and southern Africa and of two across North America. Across most of the world climate change does not alter the timing of flows through the year but, in the marginal zone between cool and

Tracing the link between plant volatile organic compound emissions and CO2 fluxes and by stable isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Christiane; Wegener, Frederik; Jardine, Kolby

2015-04-01

The vegetation exerts a large influence on the atmosphere through the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the emission and uptake of the greenhouse gas CO2. Despite the enormous importance, processes controlling plant carbon allocation into primary and secondary metabolism, such as photosynthetic carbon uptake, respiratory CO2 emission and VOC synthesis, remains unclear. Moreover, vegetation-atmosphere CO2 exchange is associated with a large isotopic imprint due to photosynthetic carbon isotope discrimination and 13C-fractionation during respiratory CO2 release1. The latter has been proposed to be related to carbon partitioning in the metabolic branching points of the respiratory pathways and secondary metabolism, which are linked via a number of interfaces including the central metabolite pyruvate. Notably, it is a known substrate in a large array of secondary pathways leading to the biosynthesis of many volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as volatile isoprenoids, oxygenated VOCs, aromatics, fatty acid oxidation products, which can be emitted by plants. Here we investigate the linkage between VOC emissions, CO2 fluxes and associated isotope effects based on simultaneous real-time measurements of stable carbon isotope composition of branch respired CO2 (CRDS) and VOC fluxes (PTR-MS). We utilized positionally specific 13C-labeled pyruvate branch feeding experiments in the mediterranean shrub (Halimium halimifolium) to trace the partitioning of C1, C2, and C3 carbon atoms of pyruvate into VOCs versus CO2 emissions in the light and in the dark. In the light, we found high emission rates of a large array of VOC including volatile isoprenoids, oxygenated VOCs, green leaf volatiles, aromatics, sulfides, and nitrogen containing VOCs. These observations suggest that in the light, H. halimifolium dedicates a high carbon flux through secondary biosynthetic pathways including the pyruvate dehydrogenase bypass, mevalonic acid, MEP/DOXP, shikimic acid, and

Diversity in action: exchange of perspectives and reflections on taxonomies of individual differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Uher, Jana; Trofimova, Irina; Sulis, William; Netter, Petra; Pessoa, Luiz; Posner, Michael I; Rothbart, Mary K; Rusalov, Vladimir; Peterson, Isaac T; Schmidt, Louis A

2018-04-19

Throughout the last 2500 years, the classification of individual differences in healthy people and their extreme expressions in mental disorders has remained one of the most difficult challenges in science that affects our ability to explore individuals' functioning, underlying psychobiological processes and pathways of development. To facilitate analyses of the principles required for studying individual differences, this theme issue brought together prominent scholars from diverse backgrounds of which many bring unique combinations of cross-disciplinary experiences and perspectives that help establish connections and promote exchange across disciplines. This final paper presents brief commentaries of some of our authors and further scholars exchanging perspectives and reflecting on the contributions of this theme issue.This article is part of the theme issue 'Diverse perspectives on diversity: multi-disciplinary approaches to taxonomies of individual differences'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Volatile organic compounds - an oil industry perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, P.A.

1996-01-01

This article is written on behalf of UK Petroleum Industry Association. It outlines action already taken or planned to control and reduce VOC emissions and puts this into context with recent work undertaken by the European Commission, with the Auto and Oil Industries, to define further cost effective measures required to meet Air quality targets by 2010. The paper also gives an Oil Industry perspective on the risks associated with low-level exposure to benzene and measures to reduce the public's exposure to this substance. (author) 1 fig., 6 refs

Scientific perspectives on greenhouse problem. Part 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jastrow, R.; Nierenberg, W.; Seitz, F.

1992-01-01

The spectre of major climate change caused by the greenhouse effect has generated intensive research, heated scientific debate and a concerted international effort to draft agreements for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This report of Scientific Perspectives on the greenhouse problem explains the technical issues in the debate in language readily understandable to the non-specialist. The inherent complexities of attempts to simulate the earth's climate are explained, particularly with regard to the effects of clouds and the circulation of the oceans, which together represent the largest factors of uncertainty in current global warming forecasts. Results of the search for the 'greenhouse signal' in existing climate records aredescribed in chapter 3 (part two). Chapter 5 (part two) develops a projection of 21st-century warming based on relatively firm evidence of the earth's actual response to known increases in greenhouse gas emissions during the last 100 years

A techno-economic analysis of EU renewable electricity policy pathways in 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Río, Pablo del; Resch, Gustav; Ortner, Andre; Liebmann, Lukas; Busch, Sebastian; Panzer, Christian

2017-01-01

The aim of this paper is to assess several pathways of a harmonised European policy framework for supporting renewable electricity (RES-E) in a 2030 horizon according to different criteria. The pathways combine two main dimensions: degrees of harmonisation and instruments and design elements. A quantitative model-based analysis with the Green-X model is provided. The results of the simulations show that there are small differences between the evaluated cases regarding effectiveness. All the policy pathways score similarly with respect to RES-E deployment, i.e., with different degrees of harmonisation and whether using a feed-in tariff, a feed-in premium, a quota system with banding or a quota without banding scheme. In contrast, the policy costs clearly differ across the pathways, but the differences can mostly be attributed to the instruments rather than to the degrees of harmonisation. This is also the case with other criteria (static and dynamic efficiency and the socioeconomic and environmental benefits in terms of CO2 emissions and fossil fuels avoided). Both the degree of harmonisation and the choice of instrument influence the distribution of support costs across countries. Finally, our findings suggest that keeping strengthened national support leads to similar results to other policy pathways. - Highlights: • Pathways of a harmonised European policy framework for renewable electricity in 2030. • Two main dimensions: degrees of harmonisation and instruments. • A quantitative model-based analysis based on the Green-X model. • Small differences between the pathways regarding the effectiveness criterion. • Important differences between pathways regarding other assessment criteria.

Regional Disparities in Emissions of Rural Household Energy Consumption: A Case Study of Northwest China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenheng Wu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to present the emissions status of multiple rural areas from the perspective of a field survey and make up for the defects of the traditional emission cognition of single type of area. The basic data in the lower reaches of the Weihe River of Northwest China were collected through household questionnaire surveys, and emissions from rural household energy consumption were calculated in the paper. In addition, the grey relational analysis method was used to identify influential factors of emission disparities. The results show that the total emissions of the plain, loess tableland, and Qinling piedmont areas are 1863.20, 1850.43, and 2556.68 kg, respectively. Regional disparities in emissions of rural household energy consumption vary greatly. CO2 emissions are highest in the Qinling piedmont area, followed by the loess tableland area. For other emissions, there is no fixed order of the three areas, which suggests that disparities in emissions are connected with the dominant type of energy consumption. Diversification of energy use might not necessarily produce higher emissions, but the traditional biomass energy pattern does generate more emissions. The regional supply capacity of household energy is the original influence factor of disparities in emissions, and factors that influence these disparities are directly related to differences among farmers, followed by the age structure, educational background, income level, occupation, and so on.

Ebullitive methane emissions from oxygenated wetland streams

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Crawford, John T.; Stanley, Emily H.; Spawn, Seth A.; Finlay, Jacques C.; Striegl, Robert G.

2014-01-01

Stream and river carbon dioxide emissions are an important component of the global carbon cycle. Methane emissions from streams could also contribute to regional or global greenhouse gas cycling, but there are relatively few data regarding stream and river methane emissions. Furthermore, the available data do not typically include the ebullitive (bubble-mediated) pathway, instead focusing on emission of dissolved methane by diffusion or convection. Here, we show the importance of ebullitive methane emissions from small streams in the regional greenhouse gas balance of a lake and wetland-dominated landscape in temperate North America and identify the origin of the methane emitted from these well-oxygenated streams. Stream methane flux densities from this landscape tended to exceed those of nearby wetland diffusive fluxes as well as average global wetland ebullitive fluxes. Total stream ebullitive methane flux at the regional scale (103 Mg C yr−1; over 6400 km2) was of the same magnitude as diffusive methane flux previously documented at the same scale. Organic-rich stream sediments had the highest rates of bubble release and higher enrichment of methane in bubbles, but glacial sand sediments also exhibited high bubble emissions relative to other studied environments. Our results from a database of groundwater chemistry support the hypothesis that methane in bubbles is produced in anoxic near-stream sediment porewaters, and not in deeper, oxygenated groundwaters. Methane interacts with other key elemental cycles such as nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, which has implications for ecosystem changes such as drought and increased nutrient loading. Our results support the contention that streams, particularly those draining wetland landscapes of the northern hemisphere, are an important component of the global methane cycle.

Probabilistic health risk assessment of carcinogenic emissions from a MSW gasification plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Lonati, Giovanni; Zanoni, Francesca

2012-09-01

Health risk assessment due to the atmospheric emissions of carcinogenic pollutants (PCDD/Fs and Cd) from a waste gasification plant is performed by means of a probabilistic approach based on probability density functions for the description of the input data of the model parameters involved in the assessment. These functions incorporate both the epistemic and stochastic uncertainty of the input data (namely, the emission rate of the pollutants) and of all the parameters used for individual exposure assessment through the pathways of inhalation, soil ingestion and dermal contact, and diet. The uncertainty is propagated throughout the evaluation by Monte Carlo technique, resulting in the probability distribution of the individual risk. The median risk levels nearby the plant are in the 10(-8)-10(-10) range, ten-fold lower than the deterministic estimate based on precautionary values for the input data; however, the very upper percentiles (>95th) of the risk distribution can exceed the conventional 10(-6) reference value. The estimated risk is almost entirely determined by the Cd exposure through the diet; the pathways arising from PCDD/Fs exposure are without any practical significance, suggesting that the emission control should focus on Cd in order to reduce the carcinogenic risk. Risk variance decomposition shows the prevailing influence on the estimated risk of the Cd concentration at the emission stack: thus, for a more accurate risk assessment the efforts should focus primarily on the definition of its probability density function. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PAH emissions from coal combustion and waste incineration.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Wei Ting; Liu, Mei Chen; Hung, Pao Chen; Chang, Shu Hao; Chang, Moo Been

2016-11-15

The characteristics of PAHs that are emitted by a municipal waste incinerator (MWI) and coal-fired power plant are examined via intensive sampling. Results of flue gas sampling reveal the potential for PAH formation within the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system of a coal-fired power plant. In the large-scale MWI, the removal efficiency of PAHs achieved with the pilot-scaled catalytic filter (CF) exceeds that achieved by activated carbon injection with a bag filter (ACI+BF) owing to the effective destruction of gas-phase contaminants by a catalyst. A significantly lower PAH concentration (1640ng/g) was measured in fly ash from a CF module than from an ACI+BF system (5650ng/g). Replacing the ACI+BF system with CF technology would significantly reduce the discharge factor (including emission and fly ash) of PAHs from 251.6 to 77.8mg/ton-waste. The emission factors of PAHs that are obtained using ACI+BF and the CF system in the MWI are 8.05 and 7.13mg/ton, respectively. However, the emission factor of MWI is significantly higher than that of coal-fired power plant (1.56mg/ton). From the perspective of total environmental management to reduce PAH emissions, replacing the original ACI+BF process with a CF system is expected to reduce environmental impact thereof. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Shedding light on the role of lipid flippases in the secretory pathway

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lopez Marques, Rosa Laura

that these pumps serve important functions in vesicular traffic, their activities being required to support vesicle formation in the secretory and endocytic pathways. We are now aiming at determining the mechanism by which these ATPases function in vesicle biogenesis. For this purpose, we are using novel...... biophysical approaches based on giant vesicles and several advanced bioimaging methods. The limitations and future perspectives of these techniques for the characterization of lipid translocases will be discussed in the light of our recent results....

Preclosure probabilistic assessment of the Canadian concept for used fuel disposal focussing on key radionuclides and exposure pathways for routine emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, S.B.

1996-01-01

The Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program was initiated in 1978 to develop a concept for safe disposal of nuclear fuel waste (intact used nuclear fuel or high-level waste from any future reprocessing of used fuel) from CANDU reactors. The concept includes the immobilization of nuclear fuel waste and emplacement of the waste in an engineered vault, deep underground in a stable rock formation within the Canadian Shield. In 1994, AECL submitted an environmental and safety assessment of the disposal concept in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement or EIS for regulatory, scientific and public reviews. Ontario Hydro's contribution to the EIS included the preclosure assessment consisting of the safety and environmental implications of the construction, operation and decommissioning (closure) of a conceptual used-fuel disposal centre (UFDC), plus transportation of used fuel from storage at reactor sites to the UFDC. In the EIS, the environmental impact from routine emissions from the UFDC during the operation phase was calculated in a deterministic mode using single-valued constants representing the geometric mean or the average value of the input parameters in the preclosure model PREAC (Preclosure Radiological Environmental Assessment Code). A qualitative estimate of the range of uncertainty associated with the preclosure model dose predictions was about an order of magnitude based on a review of the expected range of input parameter values. This paper examines the time-behaviour of the preclosure system and provides a quantitative estimate of the uncertainty, as determined through the use of probabilistic techniques, associated with the potential radiological impact from the same chronic UFDC radionuclide emissions during the preclosure phase. The individual dose to a member of the critical group assumed to be living near the UFDC has been assessed for selected key radionuclides and exposure pathways identified in the EIS. The purpose of this post

Co-controlling CO2 and NOx emission in China's cement industry: An optimal development pathway study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang-Zhao Feng

2018-03-01

Full Text Available It is of important practical significance to reduce NOx emission and CO2 emission in China's cement industry. This paper firstly identifies key factors that influence China's future cement demand, and then uses the Gompertz model to project China's future cement demand and production. Furthermore, the multi-pollutant abatement planning model (MAP was developed based on the TIMES model to analyze the co-benefits of CO2 and NOx control in China's cement industry. During modeling analysis, three scenarios such as basic as usual scenario (BAU, moderately low carbon scenario (MLC, and radically low carbon scenario (RLC, were built according to different policy constraints and emission control goals. Moreover, the benefits of co-controlling NOx and CO2 emission in China's cement industry have been estimated. Finally, this paper proposes a cost-efficient, green, and low carbon development roadmap for the Chinese cement sector, and puts forwards countermeasures as follows: first, different ministries should enhance communication and coordination about how to promote the co-control of NOx and CO2 in cement industry. Second, co-control technology list should be issued timely for cement industry, and the R&D investment on new technologies and demonstration projects should be increased. Third, the phase-out of old cement capacity needs to be continued at policy level. Fourth, it is important to scientifically evaluate the relevant environmental impact and adverse motivation of ammonia production by NOx removal requirement in cement industry. Keywords: Cement industry, CO2 abatement, NOx reduction, Co-benefit analysis

Framing Climate Goals in Terms of Cumulative CO2-Forcing-Equivalent Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, S.; Millar, R. J.; Leach, N.; Allen, M. R.

2018-03-01

The relationship between cumulative CO2 emissions and CO2-induced warming is determined by the Transient Climate Response to Emissions (TCRE), but total anthropogenic warming also depends on non-CO2 forcing, complicating the interpretation of emissions budgets based on CO2 alone. An alternative is to frame emissions budgets in terms of CO2-forcing-equivalent (CO2-fe) emissions—the CO2 emissions that would yield a given total anthropogenic radiative forcing pathway. Unlike conventional "CO2-equivalent" emissions, these are directly related to warming by the TCRE and need to fall to zero to stabilize warming: hence, CO2-fe emissions generalize the concept of a cumulative carbon budget to multigas scenarios. Cumulative CO2-fe emissions from 1870 to 2015 inclusive are found to be 2,900 ± 600 GtCO2-fe, increasing at a rate of 67 ± 9.5 GtCO2-fe/yr. A TCRE range of 0.8-2.5°C per 1,000 GtC implies a total budget for 0.6°C of additional warming above the present decade of 880-2,750 GtCO2-fe, with 1,290 GtCO2-fe implied by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 median response, corresponding to 19 years' CO2-fe emissions at the current rate.

Crosstalk between Inflammation and ROCK/MLCK Signaling Pathways in Gastrointestinal Disorders with Intestinal Hyperpermeability

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Lijun Du

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The barrier function of the intestine is essential for maintaining the normal homeostasis of the gut and mucosal immune system. Abnormalities in intestinal barrier function expressed by increased intestinal permeability have long been observed in various gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn’s disease (CD, ulcerative colitis (UC, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS. Imbalance of metabolizing junction proteins and mucosal inflammation contributes to intestinal hyperpermeability. Emerging studies exploring in vitro and in vivo model system demonstrate that Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase- (ROCK- and myosin light chain kinase- (MLCK- mediated pathways are involved in the regulation of intestinal permeability. With this perspective, we aim to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the role of inflammation and ROCK-/MLCK-mediated pathways leading to intestinal hyperpermeability in gastrointestinal disorders. In the near future, it may be possible to specifically target these specific pathways to develop novel therapies for gastrointestinal disorders associated with increased gut permeability.

Care Pathways in Persistent Orofacial Pain: Qualitative Evidence from the DEEP Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Breckons, M; Bissett, S M; Exley, C; Araujo-Soares, V; Durham, J

2017-01-01

Persistent orofacial pain is relatively common and known to have an adverse effect on quality of life. Previous studies suggest that the current care pathway may be problematic, but it is not well understood which health services patients access and what their experience is. The aim of this study was to explore care pathways and their impact from the perspective of patients. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a maximum variation sample of patients recruited from primary (community based) and secondary (specialist hospital based) care in the United Kingdom. Questions focused on the stages in their pathway and the impact of the care that they had received. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, and analysis followed principles of the constant comparative method. NVivo 10 was used to help organize and analyze data. Twenty-two patients were interviewed at baseline, and 18 took part in a second interview at 12 mo. Three main themes emerged from the data: the "fluidity of the care pathway," in which patients described moving among health care providers in attempts to have their pain diagnosed and managed, occurring alongside a "failure to progress," where despite multiple appointments, patients described frustration at delays in obtaining a diagnosis and effective treatment for their pain. Throughout their care pathways, patients described the "effects of unmanaged pain," where the longer the pain went unmanaged, the greater its potential to negatively affect their lives. Findings of this study suggest that the current care pathway is inefficient and fails to meet patient needs. Future work needs to focus on working with stakeholder groups to redesign patient-centered care pathways. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Data from qualitative interviews conducted with patients with persistent orofacial pain suggest significant problems with the existing care pathway, consisting of delays to diagnosis, treatment, and referral. Patients describing

Trends in global CO2 emissions. 2013 Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olivier, J.G.J.; Peters, J.A.H.W. [PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Den Haag (Netherlands); Janssens-Maenhout, G. [Institute for Environment and Sustainability IES, European Commission' s Joint Research Centre JRC, Ispra (Italy); Muntean, M. [Institute for Environment and Sustainability IES, Joint Research Centre JRC, Ispra (Italy)

2013-10-15

This report discusses the results of a trend assessment of global CO2 emissions up to 2012 and updates last year's assessment. This assessment focuses on the changes in annual CO2 emissions from 2011 to 2012, and includes not only fossil-fuel combustion on which the BP reports are based, but also incorporates other relevant CO2 emissions sources including flaring of waste gas during gas and oil production, cement clinker production and other limestone uses, feedstock and other non-energy uses of fuels, and several other small sources. The report clarifies the CO2 emission sources covered, and describes the methodology and data sources. More details are provided in Annex 1 over the 2010-2012 period, including a discussion of the degree of uncertainty in national and global CO2 emission estimates. Chapter 2 presents a summary of recent CO2 emission trends, per main country or region, including a comparison between emissions per capita and per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and of the underlying trend in fossil-fuel production and use, non-fossil energy and other CO2 sources. Specific attention is given to developments in shale gas and oil production and oil sands production and their impact on CO2 emissions. To provide a broader context of global emissions trends, international greenhouse gas mitigation targets and agreements are also presented, including different perspectives of emission accounting per country. In particular, annual trends with respect to the Kyoto Protocol target and Cancun agreements and cumulative global CO2 emissions of the last decade are compared with scientific literature that analyses global emissions in relation to the target of 2{sup 0}C maximum global warming in the 21st century, which was adopted in the UN climate negotiations. In addition, we briefly discuss the rapid development and implementation of various emission trading schemes, because of their increasing importance as a cross-cutting policy instrument for mitigating

Efferent inhibition of otoacoustic emissions in preterm neonates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Mota Mamede Carvallo

2015-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Abnormalities in auditory function of newborns may occur not only because of preterm birth, but also from the use of medications and from diseases related to prematurity. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the inhibitory effect from stimulation of the olivocochlear efferent system on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in preterm neonates, comparing these data with those from full-term neonates. METHODS: This was a prospective, cross-sectional, contemporary cohort study with 125 neonates, pooled into two groups: full-term (72 full-term neonates, 36 females and 36 males, born at 37-41 weeks of gestational age; and preterm (53 neonates, 28 males and 25 females, born at ≤36 weeks of gestational age, evaluated at the corrected gestational age of 37-41 weeks. Otoacoustic emissions were recorded using linear and nonlinear click-evoked stimuli, with and without contralateral stimulation. RESULTS: The inhibitory effect of the efferent pathway in otoacoustic emissions was different (p = 0.012 between groups, and a mean reduction of 1.48 dB SPL in full-term births and of 1.02 dB SPL in preterm births was observed for the non-linear click-evoked stimulus. CONCLUSION: The results suggest a reduced inhibitory effect of the olivocochlear efferent system on otoacoustic emissions in preterm neonates.

Pricing landfill externalities: Emissions and disamenity costs in Cape Town, South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nahman, Anton

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The paper estimates landfill externalities associated with emissions, disamenities and transport. → Transport externalities vary from 24.22 to 31.42 Rands per tonne. → Costs of emissions (estimated using benefits transfer) vary from 0.07 to 28.91 Rands per tonne. → Disamenities (estimated using hedonic pricing) vary from 0.00 to 57.46 Rands per tonne. → Overall, external costs for urban landfills exceed those of a regional landfill. - Abstract: The external (environmental and social) costs of landfilling (e.g. emissions to air, soil and water; and 'disamenities' such as odours and pests) are difficult to quantify in monetary terms, and are therefore not generally reflected in waste disposal charges or taken into account in decision making regarding waste management options. This results in a bias against alternatives such as recycling, which may be more expensive than landfilling from a purely financial perspective, but preferable from an environmental and social perspective. There is therefore a need to quantify external costs in monetary terms, so that different disposal options can be compared on the basis of their overall costs to society (financial plus external costs). This study attempts to estimate the external costs of landfilling in the City of Cape Town for different scenarios, using the benefits transfer method (for emissions) and the hedonic pricing method (for disamenities). Both methods (in particular the process of transferring and adjusting estimates from one study site to another) are described in detail, allowing the procedures to be replicated elsewhere. The results show that external costs are currently R111 (in South African Rands, or approximately US$16) per tonne of waste, although these could decline under a scenario in which energy is recovered, or in which the existing urban landfills are replaced with a new regional landfill.

Aqueous-phase mechanism for secondary organic aerosol formation from isoprene: application to the southeast United States and co-benefit of SO2 emission controls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. A. Marais

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Isoprene emitted by vegetation is an important precursor of secondary organic aerosol (SOA, but the mechanism and yields are uncertain. Aerosol is prevailingly aqueous under the humid conditions typical of isoprene-emitting regions. Here we develop an aqueous-phase mechanism for isoprene SOA formation coupled to a detailed gas-phase isoprene oxidation scheme. The mechanism is based on aerosol reactive uptake coefficients (γ for water-soluble isoprene oxidation products, including sensitivity to aerosol acidity and nucleophile concentrations. We apply this mechanism to simulation of aircraft (SEAC4RS and ground-based (SOAS observations over the southeast US in summer 2013 using the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx  ≡  NO + NO2 over the southeast US are such that the peroxy radicals produced from isoprene oxidation (ISOPO2 react significantly with both NO (high-NOx pathway and HO2 (low-NOx pathway, leading to different suites of isoprene SOA precursors. We find a mean SOA mass yield of 3.3 % from isoprene oxidation, consistent with the observed relationship of total fine organic aerosol (OA and formaldehyde (a product of isoprene oxidation. Isoprene SOA production is mainly contributed by two immediate gas-phase precursors, isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX, 58 % of isoprene SOA from the low-NOx pathway and glyoxal (28 % from both low- and high-NOx pathways. This speciation is consistent with observations of IEPOX SOA from SOAS and SEAC4RS. Observations show a strong relationship between IEPOX SOA and sulfate aerosol that we explain as due to the effect of sulfate on aerosol acidity and volume. Isoprene SOA concentrations increase as NOx emissions decrease (favoring the low-NOx pathway for isoprene oxidation, but decrease more strongly as SO2 emissions decrease (due to the effect of sulfate on aerosol acidity and volume. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA projects 2013–2025 decreases in

Fuel choices for fuel-cell vehicles : well-to-wheel energy and emission impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, M.

2002-01-01

Because of their high energy efficiencies and low emissions, fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) are undergoing extensive research and development. While hydrogen will likely be the ultimate fuel to power fuel-cell vehicles, because of current infrastructure constraints, hydrogen-carrying fuels are being investigated as transitional fuel-cell fuels. A complete well-to-wheels (WTW) evaluation of fuel-cell vehicle energy and emission effects that examines (1) energy feedstock recovery and transportation; (2) fuel production, transportation, and distribution; and (3) vehicle operation must be conducted to assist decision makers in selecting the fuel-cell fuels that achieve the greatest energy and emission benefits. A fuel-cycle model developed at Argonne National Laboratory--called the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model--was used to evaluate well-to-wheels energy and emission impacts of various fuel-cell fuels. The results show that different fuel-cell fuels can have significantly different energy and greenhouse gas emission effects. Therefore, if fuel-cell vehicles are to achieve the envisioned energy and emission reduction benefits, pathways for producing the fuels that power them must be carefully examined.

Review of maritime transportation air emission pollution and policy analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haifeng; Liu, Dahai; Dai, Guilin

2009-09-01

The study of air emission in maritime transportation is new, and the recognition of its importance has been rising in the recent decade. The emissions of CO2, SO2, NO2 and particulate matters from maritime transportation have contributed to climate change and environmental degradation. Scientifically, analysts still have controversies regarding how to calculate the emissions and how to choose the baseline and methodologies. Three methods are generally used, namely the ‘bottom up’ approach, the ‘top down’ approach and the STEEM, which produce very different results, leading to various papers with great uncertainties. This, in turn, results in great difficulties to policy makers who attempt to regulate the emissions. A recent technique, the STEEM, is intended to combine the former two methods to reduce their drawbacks. However, the regulations based on its results may increase the costs of shipping companies and cause the competitiveness of the port states and coastal states. Quite a few papers have focused on this area and provided another fresh perspective for the air emission to be incorporated in maritime transportation regulations; these facts deserve more attention. This paper is to review the literature on the debates over air emission calculation, with particular attention given to the STEEM and the refined estimation methods. It also reviews related literature on the economic analysis of maritime transportation emission regulations, and provides an insight into such analysis. At the end of this paper, based on a review and analysis of previous literature, we conclude with the policy indications in the future and work that should be done. As the related regulations in maritime transportation emissions are still at their beginning stage in China, this paper provides specific suggestions on how China should regulate emissions in the maritime transportation sector.

Emissive sensors and devices incorporating these sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Swager, Timothy M; Zhang, Shi-Wei

2013-02-05

The present invention generally relates to luminescent and/or optically absorbing compositions and/or precursors to those compositions, including solid films incorporating these compositions/precursors, exhibiting increased luminescent lifetimes, quantum yields, enhanced stabilities and/or amplified emissions. The present invention also relates to sensors and methods for sensing analytes through luminescent and/or optically absorbing properties of these compositions and/or precursors. Examples of analytes detectable by the invention include electrophiles, alkylating agents, thionyl halides, and phosphate ester groups including phosphoryl halides, cyanides and thioates such as those found in certain chemical warfare agents. The present invention additionally relates to devices and methods for amplifying emissions, such as those produced using the above-described compositions and/or precursors, by incorporating the composition and/or precursor within a polymer having an energy migration pathway. In some cases, the compositions and/or precursors thereof include a compound capable of undergoing a cyclization reaction.

Plasmon point spread functions: How do we model plasmon-mediated emission processes?

Science.gov (United States)

Willets, Katherine A.

2014-02-01

A major challenge with studying plasmon-mediated emission events is the small size of plasmonic nanoparticles relative to the wavelength of light. Objects smaller than roughly half the wavelength of light will appear as diffraction-limited spots in far-field optical images, presenting a significant experimental challenge for studying plasmonic processes on the nanoscale. Super-resolution imaging has recently been applied to plasmonic nanosystems and allows plasmon-mediated emission to be resolved on the order of ˜5 nm. In super-resolution imaging, a diffraction-limited spot is fit to some model function in order to calculate the position of the emission centroid, which represents the location of the emitter. However, the accuracy of the centroid position strongly depends on how well the fitting function describes the data. This Perspective discusses the commonly used two-dimensional Gaussian fitting function applied to super-resolution imaging of plasmon-mediated emission, then introduces an alternative model based on dipole point spread functions. The two fitting models are compared and contrasted for super-resolution imaging of nanoparticle scattering/luminescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and surface-enhanced fluorescence.

Optimal fleet conversion policy from a life cycle perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyung Chul Kim; Ross, M.H.; Keoleian, G.A.

2004-01-01

Vehicles typically deteriorate with accumulating mileage and emit more tailpipe air pollutants per mile. Although incentive programs for scrapping old, high-emitting vehicles have been implemented to reduce urban air pollutants and greenhouse gases, these policies may create additional sales of new vehicles as well. From a life cycle perspective, the emissions from both the additional vehicle production and scrapping need to be addressed when evaluating the benefits of scrapping older vehicles. This study explores an optimal fleet conversion policy based on mid-sized internal combustion engine vehicles in the US, defined as one that minimizes total life cycle emissions from the entire fleet of new and used vehicles. To describe vehicles' lifetime emission profiles as functions of accumulated mileage, a series of life cycle inventories characterizing environmental performance for vehicle production, use, and retirement was developed for each model year between 1981 and 2020. A simulation program is developed to investigate ideal and practical fleet conversion policies separately for three regulated pollutants (CO, NMHC, and NO x ) and for CO 2 . According to the simulation results, accelerated scrapping policies are generally recommended to reduce regulated emissions, but they may increase greenhouse gases. Multi- objective analysis based on economic valuation methods was used to investigate trade-offs among emissions of different pollutants for optimal fleet conversion policies. (author)

A Cancun stake: to revitalize climate cooperation while improving transparency about national greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-12-01

After having recalled the instruments which are available for the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) to ensure an as much as transparent as possible information transmission between states about greenhouse gas emissions, this article questions the way the Copenhagen agreement can be implemented while considering the discussions which took place. It draws lessons from other previous examples of international cooperation: WTO agreements, the Clean Development Mechanism. Three propositions are made in the perspective of the Cancun conference: to create a reliable world inventory of emissions, to organize cooperation with countries wishing to define statistics for their emission monitoring, and to reinforce transparency and control of measures (with the MRV criteria) which are subsidized by the international community

CO2 price dynamics. The implications of EU emissions trading for the price of electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sijm, J.P.M.; Bakker, S.J.A.; Harmsen, H.W.; Lise, W.; Chen, Y.

2005-09-01

The present study analyses the relationship between EU emissions trading and power prices, notably the implications of free allocation of emissions allowances for the price of electricity in countries of North-western Europe. To study this impact, it uses a variety of analytical approaches, including interviews with stakeholders, empirical and statistical analyses, theoretical explorations, and analyses by means of the COMPETES model. The study shows that a significant part of the costs of freely allocated allowances is passed through to power price and discusses its implications in terms of higher electricity prices for consumers and windfall profits for producers. It concludes that free allocation of emission allowances is a highly questionable policy option for a variety of reasons and suggests that auctioning might offer a better perspective

The human dimensions of climate change: A micro-level assessment of views from the ecological modernization, political economy and human ecology perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Adua, Lazarus; York, Richard; Schuelke-Leech, Beth-Anne

2016-03-01

Understanding the manifold human and physical dimensions of climate change has become an area of great interest to researchers in recent decades. Using a U.S. nationally-representative data set and drawing on the ecological modernization, political economy, and human ecology perspectives, this study examines the impacts of energy efficiency technologies, affluence, household demographics, and biophysical characteristics on residential CO2 emissions. Overall, the study provides mixed support for the ecological modernization perspective. While several findings are consistent with the theory's expectation that modern societies can harness technology to mitigate human impacts on the environment, others directly contradict it. Also, the theory's prediction of an inverted U-shaped relationship between affluence and environmental impacts is contradicted. The evidence is somewhat more supportive of the political economy and human ecology perspectives, with affluence, some indicators of technology, household demographics, and biophysical characteristics emerging as important drivers of residential CO2 emissions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Speciated OVOC and VOC emission inventories and their implications for reactivity-based ozone control strategy in the Pearl River Delta region, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Jiamin; Zheng, Junyu; Li, Rongrong; Huang, Xiaobo; Zhong, Zhuangmin; Zhong, Liuju; Lin, Hui

2015-10-15

The increasing ground-ozone (O3) levels, accompanied by decreasing SO2, NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations benefited from air pollution control measures implemented in recent years, initiated a serious challenge to control Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, China. Speciated VOC emission inventory is fundamental for estimating Ozone Formation Potentials (OFPs) to identify key reactive VOC species and sources in order to formulate efficient O3 control strategies. With the use of the latest bulk VOC emission inventory and local source profiles, this study developed the PRD regional speciated Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compound (OVOC) and VOC emission inventories to identify the key emission-based and OFP-based VOC sources and species. Results showed that: (1) Methyl alcohol, acetone and ethyl acetate were the major constituents in the OVOC emissions from industrial solvents, household solvents, architectural paints and biogenic sources; (2) from the emission-based perspective, aromatics, alkanes, OVOCs and alkenes made up 39.2%, 28.2%, 15.9% and 10.9% of anthropogenic VOCs; (3) from the OFP-based perspective, aromatics and alkenes become predominant with contributions of 59.4% and 25.8% respectively; (4) ethene, m/p-xylene, toluene, 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene and other 24 high OFP-contributing species were the key reactive species that contributed to 52% of anthropogenic emissions and up to 80% of OFPs; and (5) industrial solvents, industrial process, gasoline vehicles and motorcycles were major emission sources of these key reactive species. Policy implications for O3 control strategy were discussed. The OFP cap was proposed to regulate VOC control policies in the PRD region due to its flexibility in reducing the overall OFP of VOC emission sources in practice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Achieving high-efficiency emission depletion nanoscopy by employing cross relaxation in upconversion nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Qiuqiang; Liu, Haichun; Wang, Baoju; Wu, Qiusheng; Pu, Rui; Zhou, Chao; Huang, Bingru; Peng, Xingyun; Ågren, Hans; He, Sailing

2017-10-20

Stimulated emission depletion microscopy provides a powerful sub-diffraction imaging modality for life science studies. Conventionally, stimulated emission depletion requires a relatively high light intensity to obtain an adequate depletion efficiency through only light-matter interaction. Here we show efficient emission depletion for a class of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles with the assistance of interionic cross relaxation, which significantly lowers the laser intensity requirements of optical depletion. We demonstrate two-color super-resolution imaging using upconversion nanoparticles (resolution ~ 66 nm) with a single pair of excitation/depletion beams. In addition, we show super-resolution imaging of immunostained cytoskeleton structures of fixed cells (resolution ~ 82 nm) using upconversion nanoparticles. These achievements provide a new perspective for the development of photoswitchable luminescent probes and will broaden the applications of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles for sub-diffraction microscopic imaging.

Environmental systems analysis of biogas systems-Part I: Fuel-cycle emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boerjesson, Pal; Berglund, Maria

2006-01-01

Fuel-cycle emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), carbon oxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), hydrocarbons (HC), methane (CH 4 ), and particles are analysed from a life-cycle perspective for different biogas systems based on six different raw materials. The gas is produced in large- or farm-scale biogas plants, and is used in boilers for heat production, in turbines for co-generation of heat and electricity, or as a transportation fuel in light- and heavy-duty vehicles. The analyses refer mainly to Swedish conditions. The levels of fuel-cycle emissions vary greatly among the biogas systems studied, and are significantly affected by the properties of the raw material digested, the energy efficiency of the biogas production, and the status of the end-use technology. For example, fuel-cycle emission may vary by a factor of 3-4, and for certain gases by up to a factor of 11, between two biogas systems that provide an equivalent energy service. Extensive handling of raw materials, e.g. ley cropping or collection of waste-products such as municipal organic waste, is often a significant source of emissions. Emission from the production phase of the biogas exceeds the end-use emissions for several biogas systems and for specific emissions. Uncontrolled losses of methane, e.g. leakages from stored digestates or from biogas upgrading, increase the fuel-cycle emissions of methane considerably. Thus, it is necessary to clearly specify the biogas production system and end-use technology being studied in order to be able to produce reliable and accurate data on fuel-cycle emission

Microalgal biomass production pathways: evaluation of life cycle environmental impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaimes, George G; Khanna, Vikas

2013-06-20

Microalgae are touted as an attractive alternative to traditional forms of biomass for biofuel production, due to high productivity, ability to be cultivated on marginal lands, and potential to utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial flue gas. This work examines the fossil energy return on investment (EROIfossil), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and direct Water Demands (WD) of producing dried algal biomass through the cultivation of microalgae in Open Raceway Ponds (ORP) for 21 geographic locations in the contiguous United States (U.S.). For each location, comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) is performed for multiple microalgal biomass production pathways, consisting of a combination of cultivation and harvesting options. Results indicate that the EROIfossil for microalgae biomass vary from 0.38 to 1.08 with life cycle GHG emissions of -46.2 to 48.9 (g CO2 eq/MJ-biomass) and direct WDs of 20.8 to 38.8 (Liters/MJ-biomass) over the range of scenarios analyzed. Further anaylsis reveals that the EROIfossil for production pathways is relatively location invariant, and that algae's life cycle energy balance and GHG impacts are highly dependent on cultivation and harvesting parameters. Contrarily, algae's direct water demands were found to be highly sensitive to geographic location, and thus may be a constraining factor in sustainable algal-derived biofuel production. Additionally, scenarios with promising EROIfossil and GHG emissions profiles are plagued with high technological uncertainty. Given the high variability in microalgae's energy and environmental performance, careful evaluation of the algae-to-fuel supply chain is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of emerging algal biofuel systems. Alternative production scenarios and technologies may have the potential to reduce the critical demands of biomass production, and should be considered to make algae a viable and more efficient biofuel alternative.

External costs of atmospheric Pb emissions: valuation of neurotoxic impacts due to inhalation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frohn Lise

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Impact Pathway Approach (IPA is an innovative methodology to establish links between emissions, related impacts and monetary estimates. Only few attempts have so far been presented regarding emissions of metals; in this study the external costs of airborne lead (Pb emissions are assessed using the IPA. Exposure to Pb is known to provoke impacts especially on children's cognition. As cognitive abilities (measured as IQ, intelligence quotient are known to have implications for lifetime income, a pathway can be established leading from figures for Pb emissions to the implied loss in earnings, and on this basis damage costs per unit of Pb emission can be assessed. Methods Different types of models are here linked. It is relatively straightforward to establish the relationship between Pb emissions and consequent increase in air-Pb concentration, by means of a Gaussian plume dispersion model (OML. The exposed population can then be modelled by linking the OML-output to population data nested in geo-referenced grid cells. Less straightforward is to establish the relationship between exposure to air-Pb concentrations and the resulting blood-Pb concentration. Here an Age-Dependent Biokinetic Model (ADBM for Pb is applied. On basis of previous research which established links between increases in blood-Pb concentrations during childhood and resulting IQ-loss we arrive at our results. Results External costs of Pb airborne emissions, even at low doses, in our site are in the range of 41-83 €/kg emitted Pb, depending on the considered meteorological year. This estimate applies only to the initial effects of air-Pb, as our study does not address the effects due to the Pb environmental-accumulation and to the subsequent Pb re-exposure. These are likely to be between one and two orders of magnitude higher. Conclusions Biokinetic modelling is a novel tool not previously included when applying the IPA to explore impacts of Pb emissions

A Techno-Economic Analysis of Emission Controls on Hydrocarbon Biofuel Production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatt, Arpit; Zhang, Yimin; Davis, Ryan; Eberle, Annika; Heath, Garvin

2016-06-23

Biofuels have the potential to reduce our dependency on petroleum-derived transportation fuels and decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although the overall GHG emissions from biofuels are expected to be lower when compared to those of petroleum fuels, the process of converting biomass feedstocks into biofuels emits various air pollutants, which may be subject to federal air quality regulation or emission limits. While prior research has evaluated the technical and economic feasibility of biofuel technologies, gaps still exist in understanding the regulatory issues associated with the biorefineries and their economic implications on biofuel production costs (referred to as minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) in this study). The aim of our research is to evaluate the economic impact of implementing emission reduction technologies at biorefineries and estimate the cost effectiveness of two primary control technologies that may be required for air permitting purposes. We analyze a lignocellulosic sugars-to-hydrocarbon biofuel production pathway developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and implement air emission controls in Aspen Plus to evaluate how they affect the MFSP. Results from this analysis can help inform decisions about biorefinery siting and sizing, as well as mitigate the risks associated with air permitting.

Implications of alternative assumptions regarding future air pollution control in scenarios similar to the Representative Concentration Pathways

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chuwah, C.; van Noije, T.; van Vuuren, D.P.; Hazeleger, W.; Strunk, A.; Deetman, S.; Beltran, A.M.; van Vliet, J.

2013-01-01

The uncertain, future development of emissions of short-lived trace gases and aerosols forms a key factor for future air quality and climate forcing. The Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) only explore part of this range as they all assume that worldwide ambitious air pollution control

Benchmarking pathway interaction network for colorectal cancer to identify dysregulated pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Q. Wang

Full Text Available Different pathways act synergistically to participate in many biological processes. Thus, the purpose of our study was to extract dysregulated pathways to investigate the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC based on the functional dependency among pathways. Protein-protein interaction (PPI information and pathway data were retrieved from STRING and Reactome databases, respectively. After genes were aligned to the pathways, each pathway activity was calculated using the principal component analysis (PCA method, and the seed pathway was discovered. Subsequently, we constructed the pathway interaction network (PIN, where each node represented a biological pathway based on gene expression profile, PPI data, as well as pathways. Dysregulated pathways were then selected from the PIN according to classification performance and seed pathway. A PIN including 11,960 interactions was constructed to identify dysregulated pathways. Interestingly, the interaction of mRNA splicing and mRNA splicing-major pathway had the highest score of 719.8167. Maximum change of the activity score between CRC and normal samples appeared in the pathway of DNA replication, which was selected as the seed pathway. Starting with this seed pathway, a pathway set containing 30 dysregulated pathways was obtained with an area under the curve score of 0.8598. The pathway of mRNA splicing, mRNA splicing-major pathway, and RNA polymerase I had the maximum genes of 107. Moreover, we found that these 30 pathways had crosstalks with each other. The results suggest that these dysregulated pathways might be used as biomarkers to diagnose CRC.

Activity report 2015 Commission Perspectives du Reseau

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ricour, Olivia

2016-01-01

This document contains the activity report for 2015 of the Commission Perspectives du Reseau which has been set up by RTE to be the main body for organising a dialogue with all the actors of the energy sector and civil society about challenges and stakes of the electric power system on the medium and on the long term. It describes how this body aims at sharing knowledge and expertise of all stakeholders (publications, European platform for data transparency), at being a place for debating and enriching the understanding of tomorrow's important stakes for the power system (discussion of the issue of greenhouse gas emissions with an analysis of the impact of the CO 2 price signal on emissions by the European electricity system and results of the e-Highway 2050 European project). The road-map of the Commission works for 2016 is provided, as well as a list of members

Electron Acceleration in Supernovae and Millimeter Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keiichi Maeda

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Supernovae launch a strong shock wave by the interaction of the expanding ejecta and surrounding circumstellar matter (CSM. At the shock, electrons are accelerated to relativistic speed, creating observed synchrotron emissions in radio wavelengths. In this paper, I suggest that SNe (i.e., < 1 year since the explosion provide a unique site to study the electron acceleration mechanism. I argue that the eciency of the acceleration at the young SN shock is much lower than conventionally assumed, and that the electrons emitting in the cm wavelengths are not fully in the Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA regime. Thus radio emissions from young SNe record information on the yet-unresolved 'injection' mechanism. I also present perspectives of millimeter (mm observations of SNe - this will provide opportunities to uniquely determine the shock physics and the acceleration efficiency, to test the non-linear DSA mechanism and provide a characteristic electron energy scale with which the DSA start dominating the electron acceleration.

Comparing projections of industrial energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions in long-term energy models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Edelenbosch, O. Y.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/412493373; Kermeli, K.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/411260553; Crijns-Graus, W.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/308005015; Worrell, E.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/106856715; Bibas, R.; Fais, B.; Fujimori, S.; Kyle, P.; Sano, F.; van Vuuren, Detlef|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/11522016X

2017-01-01

The industry sector is a major energy consumer and GHG emitter. Effective climate change mitigation strategies will require a significant reduction of industrial emissions. To better understand the variations in the projected industrial pathways for both baseline and mitigation scenarios, we compare

Transformative Reduction of Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Opportunities for Change in Technologies and Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vimmerstedt, Laura [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Brown, Austin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Newes, Emily [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Markel, Tony [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Schroeder, Alex [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Yimin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Chipman, Peter [U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. (United States); Johnson, Shawn [U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. (United States)

2015-04-30

The transportation sector is changing, influenced by concurrent, ongoing, dynamic trends that could dramatically affect the future energy landscape, including effects on the potential for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Battery cost reductions and improved performance coupled with a growing number of electric vehicle model offerings are enabling greater battery electric vehicle market penetration, and advances in fuel cell technology and decreases in hydrogen production costs are leading to initial fuel cell vehicle offerings. Radically more efficient vehicles based on both conventional and new drivetrain technologies reduce greenhouse gas emissions per vehicle-mile. Net impacts also depend on the energy sources used for propulsion, and these are changing with increased use of renewable energy and unconventional fossil fuel resources. Connected and automated vehicles are emerging for personal and freight transportation systems and could increase use of low- or non-emitting technologies and systems; however, the net effects of automation on greenhouse gas emissions are uncertain. The longstanding trend of an annual increase in transportation demand has reversed for personal vehicle miles traveled in recent years, demonstrating the possibility of lower-travel future scenarios. Finally, advanced biofuel pathways have continued to develop, highlighting low-carbon and in some cases carbon-negative fuel pathways. We discuss the potential for transformative reductions in petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions through these emerging transportation-sector technologies and trends and present a Clean Transportation Sector Initiative scenario for such reductions, which are summarized in Table ES-1.

Sweden's Future Climate in the short- and medium-term perspective. Basis for development of climate adaptation tools; Sveriges framtida klimat paa kort och medellaang sikt. Underlag foer utveckling av verktyg foer klimatanpassning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlsen, Henrik; Parmhed, Oskar

2008-12-15

This report studies two questions - how the actual amount of greenhouse gas emissions has changed over time in comparison with previous assumptions and what will happen to Sweden's climate from short and medium term perspectives given the future development of the climate in general. The content of this report shall be used as the basis for continued work in the development of climate adaptation tools that can be used primarily in Sweden. The first section of this report presents the development of actual greenhouse gas emissions in recent years. Eight years have passed since IPCC published its emissions scenarios (SRES) and for this reason a comparison between the emissions levels from the report and the experimental data from observations made in recent years is well due. Measurements show that current levels of emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels exceed the average of the SRES families as a whole. Among other implications, this means that emission levels are significantly higher than the levels assumed in the climate scenarios of the Swedish Commission on Climate and Vulnerability (Klimat- och saarbarhetsutredningen). There is little support from the experimental data to indicate that this rate of increase will subside. In addition, studies are indicating that the increased emissions are not solely attributable to a rise in population levels and increased wealth (GNP/capita). Another aspect is that the carbon intensity, measured as the amount of carbon dioxide per unit production price, has been declining since 2000. This is entirely contrary to the assumptions made in all of the emissions scenarios in SRES that carbon dioxide efficiency would continue to increase. The report therefore concludes that work with climate adaptation in Sweden must take into consideration to a greater extent than is currently done today the consequences of emissions levels that are in line with or exceed the highest SRES levels. The second section of this report takes

Quantifying nitrous oxide production pathways in wastewater treatment systems using isotope technology - A critical review.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Haoran; Ye, Liu; Erler, Dirk; Ni, Bing-Jie; Yuan, Zhiguo

2017-10-01

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is an important greenhouse gas and an ozone-depleting substance which can be emitted from wastewater treatment systems (WWTS) causing significant environmental impacts. Understanding the N 2 O production pathways and their contribution to total emissions is the key to effective mitigation. Isotope technology is a promising method that has been applied to WWTS for quantifying the N 2 O production pathways. Within the scope of WWTS, this article reviews the current status of different isotope approaches, including both natural abundance and labelled isotope approaches, to N 2 O production pathways quantification. It identifies the limitations and potential problems with these approaches, as well as improvement opportunities. We conclude that, while the capabilities of isotope technology have been largely recognized, the quantification of N 2 O production pathways with isotope technology in WWTS require further improvement, particularly in relation to its accuracy and reliability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emissions of heavy metals and lindane into German river basins; Schwermetalleintraege in die Oberflaechengewaesser Deutschlands. Quantifizierung der Schwermetalleintraege aus Deutschland zur Umsetzung der Beschluesse der Internationalen Nordseeschutzkonferenz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuchs, S.; Scherer, U.; Hillenbrand, T.; Marscheider-Weidemann, F.; Behrendt, H.; Opitz, D.

2002-12-01

According to international agreements, encouraging all partners to diminish the emission of priority pollutants into North- and Baltic Sea significantly within a time period of 1985 to 2000, the aim of this project was to quantify the changes in the emission situation for both heavy metals and lindane within the mentioned period To reach this aim the total emissions of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) and the pesticide lindane ({gamma}-HCH) into German river systems were quantified for the periods of 1983-1985, 1993-1995 and 1999/2000. For the quantification of the emissions via point sources a nation-wide survey on heavy metal data of municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial direct discharges was carried out. The input via diffuse pathways was calculated using an adapted version of the model MONERIS. This model accounts for the significant transport processes, and it includes a geographical information system (GIS) that provides digital maps as well as extensive statistical information. For a comparison of the calculated heavy metal emission with the measured heavy metal load at monitoring stations the losses of heavy metals due to retention processes within the river systems have to be considered. Therefore heavy metal retention was calculated according to the retention function given by Vink/Behrendt (2002). For the large river basins a good correspondence could be found between estimated and measured heavy metal loads in rivers. The total emission into the German river basins decreased for each metal during the period of 1985 to 2000. The reduction varies between 36 and 85% mainly caused by the decline of emissions via point sources. Today's emissions of heavy metals into river basins of Germany are dominated by the input via diffuse pathways. The most important diffuse pathways are paved urban areas (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn), erosion (Pb, Cr) and groundwater (As, Ni). Since the application of the pesticide lindane is illegal today a

Combustion efficiency: Greenhouse gas emission reductions from the power generation sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kane, R.; South, D.W.; Fish, A.L. [Argonne National Laboratory, Upton, IL (United States)

1993-12-31

Concern for the possibility of an enhanced greenhouse effect and global climate change (GCC) has often been associated with energy use in general, and fossil fuel combustion in particular, because of associated emissions of CO{sub 2} and other greenhouse gases (GHG). Therefore, energy policies play a significant role in determining greenhouse gas emissions. The generation of electricity and power from more efficient fossil energy technologies provides an opportunity to significantly lower GHG emissions, together with other pollutants. The U.S. government oversees a broad-based program to facilitate the development, demonstration, and deployment of these technologies. Advanced fossil technologies offer other benefits as well, in that they permit continued use of widely available fuels such as coal. An international perspective is critical for assessing the role of these fuels, since countries differ in terms of their ability to maximize these benefits. Often, new technologies are considered the domain of industrialized countries. Yet more efficient technologies may have their greatest potential - to concurrently permit the utilization of indigenous fuels and to lower global GHG emissions in developing countries, especially those in the Asia-Pacific region.

N2O production pathways in the subtropical acid forest soils in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jinbo; Cai Zucong; Zhu Tongbin

2011-01-01

To date, N 2 O production pathways are poorly understood in the humid subtropical and tropical forest soils. A 15 N-tracing experiment was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions to investigate the processes responsible for N 2 O production in four subtropical acid forest soils (pH 2 O emission in the subtropical acid forest soils, being responsible for 56.1%, 53.5%, 54.4%, and 55.2% of N 2 O production, in the GC, GS, GB, and TC soils, respectively, under aerobic conditions (40%-52%WFPS). The heterotrophic nitrification (recalcitrant organic N oxidation) accounted for 27.3%-41.8% of N 2 O production, while the contribution of autotrophic nitrification was little in the studied subtropical acid forest soils. The ratios of N 2 O-N emission from total nitrification (heterotrophic+autotrophic nitrification) were higher than those in most previous references. The soil with the lowest pH and highest organic-C content (GB) had the highest ratio (1.63%), suggesting that soil pH-organic matter interactions may exist and affect N 2 O product ratios from nitrification. The ratio of N 2 O-N emission from heterotrophic nitrification varied from 0.02% to 25.4% due to soil pH and organic matter. Results are valuable in the accurate modeling of N2O production in the subtropical acid forest soils and global budget. - Highlights: → We studied N 2 O production pathways in subtropical acid forest soil under aerobic conditions. → Denitrification was the main source of N 2 O production in subtropical acid forest soils. → Heterotrophic nitrification accounted for 27.3%-41.8% of N 2 O production. → While, contribution of autotrophic nitrification to N 2 O production was little. → Ratios of N 2 O-N emission from nitrification were higher than those in most previous references.

Directional Canopy Emissivity Estimation Based on Spectral Invariants

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, M.; Cao, B.; Ren, H.; Yongming, D.; Peng, J.; Fan, W.

2017-12-01

Land surface emissivity is a crucial parameter for estimating land surface temperature from remote sensing data and also plays an important role in the physical process of surface energy and water balance from local to global scales. To our knowledge, the emissivity varies with surface type and cover. As for the vegetation, its canopy emissivity is dependent on vegetation types, viewing zenith angle and structure that changes in different growing stages. Lots of previous studies have focused on the emissivity model, but few of them are analytic and suited to different canopy structures. In this paper, a new physical analytic model is proposed to estimate the directional emissivity of homogenous vegetation canopy based on spectral invariants. The initial model counts the directional absorption in six parts: the direct absorption of the canopy and the soil, the absorption of the canopy and soil after a single scattering and after multiple scattering within the canopy-soil system. In order to analytically estimate the emissivity, the pathways of photons absorbed in the canopy-soil system are traced using the re-collision probability in Fig.1. After sensitive analysis on the above six absorptions, the initial complicated model was further simplified as a fixed mathematic expression to estimate the directional emissivity for vegetation canopy. The model was compared with the 4SAIL model, FRA97 model, FRA02 model and DART model in Fig.2, and the results showed that the FRA02 model is significantly underestimated while the FRA97 model is a little underestimated, on basis of the new model. On the contrary, the emissivity difference between the new model with the 4SAIL model and DART model was found to be less than 0.002. In general, since the new model has the advantages of mathematic expression with accurate results and clear physical meaning, the model is promising to be extended to simulate the directional emissivity for the discrete canopy in further study.

Energy climate study. Energy assessment, Greenhouse gas emission assessment, Analysis of vulnerability to climate change, Courses of mitigation and adaptation actions. Full report + Appendices + Restitution of the Energy-Climate Study, September 17, 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

After a brief presentation of Le Mans region, a presentation of the study (context, scope, methodology), and a recall of challenges related to energy and to climate, this study reports a situational analysis and a discussion of development perspectives for energy production on the concerned territory, an assessment of energy consumptions and of greenhouse gas emissions by the different sectors, and a study of territory vulnerability to climate change (methodology, territory characteristics, climate scenarios, vulnerability assessment). It discusses lessons learned from energy and greenhouse gas emission assessments (social-economic stakes, territory strengths and weaknesses, perspectives for action). It discusses the implementation of these issues within a territorial planning document, and the perspective of elaboration of a territorial climate energy plan. An appendix reports an assessment of the potential of development of the different renewable energies (hydroelectric, solar photovoltaic and thermal, wind, wood, methanization, and other processes like waste valorisation, geothermal, and heat networks). Another appendix reports the precise assessment of greenhouse gas emissions on the territory. The next appendix proposes detailed descriptions of scenarios for the implementation of the issue of greenhouse gas emissions within the territorial planning document. The last appendix contains Power Point presentations of the study

Housing and sustainable development: perspectives offered by thermal solar energy. Particle emissions: prospective investigation of primary particle emissions in France by 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brignon, J.M.; Cauret, L.; Sambat, S.

2004-09-01

This publication proposes two investigation reports. A first study proposes a prospective analysis of the housing 'stock' in France and the evolution of global energy consumptions and CO 2 emissions by the housing sector, a prospective study of space heating and hot water needs by defining reference scenarios as well as a target scenario for heating consumption (based on the factor 4 of reduction of emissions by 2050), and an assessment of the contribution of the thermal solar energy applied to winter comfort under the form of direct solar floors and passive solar contributions, and applied to hot water by 2050. The contribution of the thermal solar energy is studied within its regulatory context. An analysis of urban forms is also performed to assess the potential of integration of renewable energy solutions in the existing housing stock, and thus to assess the morphological limits of an attempt of generalized solarization of roofs. The second study proposes a detailed identification and assessment of the various sources of primary particles (combustion, industrial processes, mineral extraction and processing, road transport, waste processing and elimination, agriculture, natural sources, forest fires), providing more precise results and methodological complements for some sources. It also proposes a prospective assessment of emissions and identifies the main factors of particle concentrations in urban environment

Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinases in Phytohormone Signaling Pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wuwu Xu

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs/CDPKs are Ca2+-sensors that decode Ca2+ signals into specific physiological responses. Research has reported that CDPKs constitute a large multigene family in various plant species, and play diverse roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Although numerous CDPKs have been exhaustively studied, and many of them have been found to be involved in plant hormone biosynthesis and response mechanisms, a comprehensive overview of the manner in which CDPKs participate in phytohormone signaling pathways, regulating nearly all aspects of plant growth, has not yet been undertaken. In this article, we reviewed the structure of CDPKs and the mechanism of their subcellular localization. Some CDPKs were elucidated to influence the intracellular localization of their substrates. Since little work has been done on the interaction between CDPKs and cytokinin signaling pathways, or on newly defined phytohormones such as brassinosteroids, strigolactones and salicylic acid, this paper mainly focused on discussing the integral associations between CDPKs and five plant hormones: auxins, gibberellins, ethylene, jasmonates, and abscisic acid. A perspective on future work is provided at the end.

Canadian cardiac surgeons' perspectives on biomedical innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Snyman, Gretchen; Tucker, Joseph E L; Cimini, Massimo; Narine, Kishan; Fedak, Paul W M

2012-01-01

Barriers to successful innovation can be identified and potentially addressed by exploring the perspectives of key stakeholders in the innovation process. Cardiac surgeons in Canada were surveyed for personal perspectives on biomedical innovation. Quantitative data was obtained by questionnaire and qualitative data via interviews with selected survey participants. Surgeons were asked to self-identify into 1 of 3 categories: "innovator," "early adopter," or "late adopter," and data were compared between groups. Most surgeons viewed innovation favourably and this effect was consistent irrespective of perceived level of innovativeness. Key barriers to the innovation pathway were identified: (1) support from colleagues and institutions; (2) Canada's health system; (3) sufficient investment capital; and (4) the culture of innovation within the local environment. Knowledge of the innovation process was perceived differently based on self-reported innovativeness. The majority of surgeons did not perceive themselves as having the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively translate innovative ideas to clinical practice. In general, responses indicate support for implementation of leadership and training programs focusing on the innovation process in an effort to prepare surgeons and enhance their ability to successfully innovate and translate new therapies. The perspectives of cardiac surgeons provide an intriguing portal into the challenges and opportunities for healthcare innovation in Canada. Copyright © 2012 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

USEtox fate and ecotoxicity factors for comparative assessment of toxic emissions in Life Cycle Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andrew D, Henderson; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Van de Meent, Dik

2011-01-01

orders of magnitude. However, for an emission to air or soil, differences in chemical properties may decrease the CF by up to 10 orders of magnitude, as a result of intermedia transfer and degradation. This result brings new clarity to the relative contributions of fate and freshwater ecotoxicity...... with characteristic properties, this work provides understanding of the basis for calculations of CFs in USEtox. In addition, it offers insight into the chemical properties and critical mechanisms covering the continuum from chemical emission to freshwater ecosystem toxicity. For an emission directly to water......The USEtox model was developed in a scientific consensus process involving comparison of and harmonization between existing environmental multimedia fate models. For freshwater ecosystem toxicity, it covers the entire impact pathway, i.e., transforming a chemical emission into potential impacts...

A new proposal for greenhouse gas emissions responsibility allocation: best available technologies approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Berzosa, Álvaro; Barandica, Jesús M; Fernández-Sánchez, Gonzalo

2014-01-01

In recent years, several methodologies have been developed for the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, determining who is responsible for these emissions is also quite challenging. The most common approach is to assign emissions to the producer (based on the Kyoto Protocol), but proposals also exist for its allocation to the consumer (based on an ecological footprint perspective) and for a hybrid approach called shared responsibility. In this study, the existing proposals and standards regarding the allocation of GHG emissions responsibilities are analyzed, focusing on their main advantages and problems. A new model of shared responsibility that overcomes some of the existing problems is also proposed. This model is based on applying the best available technologies (BATs). This new approach allocates the responsibility between the producers and the final consumers based on the real capacity of each agent to reduce emissions. The proposed approach is demonstrated using a simple case study of a 4-step life cycle of ammonia nitrate (AN) fertilizer production. The proposed model has the characteristics that the standards and publications for assignment of GHG emissions responsibilities demand. This study presents a new way to assign responsibilities that pushes all the actors in the production chain, including consumers, to reduce pollution. © 2013 SETAC.

Pathway cross-talk network analysis identifies critical pathways in neonatal sepsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Yu-Xiu; Liu, Quan-Hong; Chen, Deng-Hong; Meng, Ying

2017-06-01

Despite advances in neonatal care, sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates worldwide. Pathway cross-talk analysis might contribute to the inference of the driving forces in bacterial sepsis and facilitate a better understanding of underlying pathogenesis of neonatal sepsis. This study aimed to explore the critical pathways associated with the progression of neonatal sepsis by the pathway cross-talk analysis. By integrating neonatal transcriptome data with known pathway data and protein-protein interaction data, we systematically uncovered the disease pathway cross-talks and constructed a disease pathway cross-talk network for neonatal sepsis. Then, attract method was employed to explore the dysregulated pathways associated with neonatal sepsis. To determine the critical pathways in neonatal sepsis, rank product (RP) algorithm, centrality analysis and impact factor (IF) were introduced sequentially, which synthetically considered the differential expression of genes and pathways, pathways cross-talks and pathway parameters in the network. The dysregulated pathways with the highest IF values as well as RPpathways in neonatal sepsis. By integrating three kinds of data, only 6919 common genes were included to perform the pathway cross-talk analysis. By statistic analysis, a total of 1249 significant pathway cross-talks were selected to construct the pathway cross-talk network. Moreover, 47 dys-regulated pathways were identified via attract method, 20 pathways were identified under RPpathways with the highest IF were also screened from the pathway cross-talk network. Among them, we selected 8 common pathways, i.e. critical pathways. In this study, we systematically tracked 8 critical pathways involved in neonatal sepsis by integrating attract method and pathway cross-talk network. These pathways might be responsible for the host response in infection, and of great value for advancing diagnosis and therapy of neonatal sepsis. Copyright © 2017

Aquatic microphylla Azolla: a perspective paradigm for sustainable agriculture, environment and global climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Kollah, Bharati; Patra, Ashok Kumar; Mohanty, Santosh Ranjan

2016-03-01

This review addresses the perspectives of Azolla as a multifaceted aquatic resource to ensure ecosystem sustainability. Nitrogen fixing potential of cyanobacterial symbiont varies between 30 and 60 kg N ha(-1) which designates Azolla as an important biological N source for agriculture and animal industry. Azolla exhibits high bioremediation potential for Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn. Azolla mitigates greenhouse gas emission from agriculture. In flooded rice ecosystem, Azolla dual cropping decreased CH4 emission by 40 % than did urea alone and also stimulated CH4 oxidation. This review highlighted integrated approach using Azolla that offers enormous public health, environmental, and cost benefits.

National CO2 emissions trading in European perspective; Nationale CO2-emissiehandel in Europees perspectief

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-06-01

This report is the reaction of the Social and economic council (SER) in the Netherlands to the request of the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning en Environment (VROM) to formulate an advice on the final report of the Committee CO2 Trade (a.k.a the Vogtlander Committee). This Committee has drafted a proposal for a CO2 emission trade system in the Netherlands. The SER has also taken into account the proposal of the European Committee on a guideline for CO2 emission trade in the European Union (EU)

Hydroxylamine diffusion can enhance N₂O emissions in nitrifying biofilms: a modeling study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabba, Fabrizio; Picioreanu, Cristian; Pérez, Julio; Nerenberg, Robert

2015-02-03

Wastewater treatment plants can be significant sources of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. However, little is known about N2O emissions from biofilm processes. We adapted an existing suspended-growth mathematical model to explore N2O emissions from nitrifying biofilms. The model included N2O formation by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) via the hydroxylamine and the nitrifier denitrification pathways. Our model suggested that N2O emissions from nitrifying biofilms could be significantly greater than from suspended growth systems under similar conditions. The main cause was the formation and diffusion of hydroxylamine, an AOB nitrification intermediate, from the aerobic to the anoxic regions of the biofilm. In the anoxic regions, hydroxylamine oxidation by AOB provided reducing equivalents used solely for nitrite reduction to N2O, since there was no competition with oxygen. For a continuous system, very high and very low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations resulted in lower emissions, while intermediate values led to higher emissions. Higher bulk ammonia concentrations and greater biofilm thicknesses increased emissions. The model effectively predicted N2O emissions from an actual pilot-scale granular sludge reactor for sidestream nitritation, but significantly underestimated the emissions when the NH2OH diffusion coefficient was assumed to be minimal. This numerical study suggests an unexpected and important role of hydroxylamine in N2O emission in biofilms.