Regionalização de Vazões Médias de Longo Período e de Volumes de Reservatórios de Regularização

No presente trabalho foi utilizada regionalização para estimativa de vazões médias de longo período e de volumes de reservatórios de regularização em bacias hidrográficas. Para a regionalização de vazões médias de longo período foram analisadas três metodologias: Eletrobrás (1985a), interpolação linear e Chaves et al. (2002). A obtenção das características físicas e climáticas utilizadas na regionalização foi feita através de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas (SIG). As características físicas, extraídas a partir de Modelo Digital de Elevação Hidrologicamente Consistente (MDEHC), foram: área de drenagem, comprimento do rio principal, declividade média da bacia, declividade entre a nascente e a foz do rio principal e densidade de drenagem. A precipitação média anual foi escolhida para representar as características climáticas da região de estudo. Na regionalização, pelo método de Eletrobrás (1985a), foi realizada seleção inicial de grupos de estações que apresentaram boas perspectivas de formarem sub-regiões homogêneas, pela análise de classes de resíduos da equação de regressão inicial e de curvas de frequência individuais de vazões adimensionalizadas. Os modelos de regressão analisados mais detalhadamente foram escolhidos a partir de diferentes parâmetros estatísticos. Pela metodologia Eletrobrás (1985a) foram obtidas as melhores estimativas. A variável explicativa mais expressiva nas equações de regressão foi a área de drenagem. Equações apresentando combinações da área com precipitação, declividade média da bacia e declividade entre a nascente e a foz também corresponderam aos melhores ajustes observados. Para a aplicação dos métodos de interpolação linear e Chaves et al. (2002), foram utilizados registros de estações próximas, localizadas em uma mesma bacia. Interpolação e Chaves et al. (2002) apresentaram erros mais significativos nas situações em que as diferenças entre áreas de drenagem, das seções transversais das estações fluviométricas e das seções para as quais estavam sendo feitas estimativas, eram relativamente grandes. Quanto à regionalização de curvas de regularização, foram definidas curvas adimensionais regionais médias, considerando vazões de regularização correspondentes a diferentes percentagens da vazão média. As curvas foram selecionadas por meio da análise de coeficiente de determinação e de erros percentuais. Grande parte dos modelos de curva de regularização obtidos apresentaram erros significativos para as menores regularizações da vazão média

The verticality of policy mixes for sustainability transitions: A case study of solar water heating in China

Climate change and sustainable development are the defining challenges of the modern era. The field of sustainability transitions seeks systematic solutions for fundamental transformations of socio-technical systems towards sustainability, and exploring the role of policy mixes has been a central research agenda within the field. In the extant literature, there exists a lack of both conceptual and empirical research on the vertical dimension of policy mixes for sustainability transitions. This study provides a multilevel and evolutionary interpretation of the vertical interactions of policy mixes in the process of industrial path development towards sustainability transitions. An exemplary case of solar water heating (SWH) technology in Shandong Province in China is presented, capturing both the bottom-up and top-down processes of interactions. On the one hand, urban-level policy initiatives can inform higher-level policymaking; on the other hand, national-level priorities can greatly configure policy strategies for lower-level governments. Moreover, as the industry matures, the interactions of multilevel policy mixes evolve from simpler, unidirectional patterns to more complex, bidirectional ones through a vertical policy-learning feedback mechanism. This study generates two important policy implications that extend beyond the Chinese context: first, dynamic vertical interactions between multilevel governments indicate the need to develop more nuanced perspectives on the design of policy mixes; second, policy makers need to hold a more dynamic view of policy mixes by recognizing their temporal and coevolutionary nature through the policy learning process

Artificial intelligence (AI): multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research and practice

As far back as the industrial revolution, great leaps in technical innovation succeeded in transforming numerous manual tasks and processes that had been in existence for decades where humans had reached the limits of physical capacity. Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers this same transformative potential for the augmentation and potential replacement of human tasks and activities within a wide range of industrial, intellectual and social applications. The pace of change for this new AI technological age is staggering, with new breakthroughs in algorithmic machine learning and autonomous decision making engendering new opportunities for continued innovation. The impact of AI is significant, with industries ranging from: finance, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics all set to be disrupted by the onset of AI technologies. The study brings together the collective insight from a number of leading expert contributors to highlight the significant opportunities, challenges and potential research agenda posed by the rapid emergence of AI within a number of domains: technological, business and management, science and technology, government and public sector. The research offers significant and timely insight to AI technology and its impact on the future of industry and society in general

Nexus between providers and users of green finance: Case study of commercial banks in Mauritius

International audienceIn an era of rising concerns of global warming, combatting climate change has been become a priority on the international agenda. In order to achieve the 2-degree goal, green finance has a vital role to play. Mauritius, being a developing country is no exception to join the league and to promote the provision of green finance. Green finance is a financing instrument binding the green industries to the financial institutions with the objective to protect the environment. However, there has been scant literature on the development of green finance in developing countries. The chapter attempts to map the nexus between the provider of green finance by the commercial banks and the users of green finance in Mauritius while investigating their different green finance solutions proposed. Two surveys were administered to 200 individual customers and 50 businesses under the user’s category and to 15 banks in Mauritius as providers of green finance. The results show that green finance is still at its infancy stage with a low level of awareness and adoption of it. Providers are also ineffective in promoting it and it raises concerns over whether such finance is a priority for them. Individuals and businesses are interested in Green Finance as it fosters sustainable development; Green Finance also increases banks’ profits, enhances stakeholder engagement, and diversifies their product portfolio. The major barriers revealed by the study are lack of communication between banks and customers, inadequate enforcement and insufficient qualified staffs. Recommendations have been leveled at banks, Central Bank, and NGOs. A marketing mix has been designed to enhance the awareness and adoption of Green Finance