Market Discounts for Sinks: A Concept for Restricting Forest Contributions in Accounting for Emission Reductions?

Forests are capable of the best and the worst when greenhouse gases are at stake. Their controversial contribution for helping developed countries to reach their emission reduction targets is largely responsible for the November 2000 failure of the Kyoto Protocol being enforced in the near future. Regarding the unit price of emission credits for fossil fuels, future transactions for carbon offsets associated with land use change and forestry projects may well reveal market discounts due to risks and uncertainties related to their evaluation and management. The author proposes to apply these market discounts for assessing "at intergovernmental level" the the 'contributive' value of forestry activities eligible for meeting countries' emission reduction targets. This proposal is preceded by an outline of the position of the forestry projects within the Kyoto treaty, as well as by an outlook on the establishment of a market for carbon offsets. Indications are given for correcting emission reductions and removal assessments by adjustments that are required when assuming that the true contributive value of one CO2-e ton to be retained may vary (1) according to the uncertainty degree associated to evaluations and (2) that this degree is closely related to project features and origins. Fixing consensual rules for consideration and quantification of uncertainties associated with carbon uptakes and removal evaluations, including market appraisals as a last resort, has the potential of moving international negotiations from divergences in the eligibility of activities towards verification and penalty, in short to policing the Protocol. The chances for the treaty to be effective and successful would then be enhanced

A critical switch in the enzymatic properties of the Cid1 protein deciphered from its product-bound crystal structure

The addition of uridine nucleotide by the poly(U) polymerase (PUP) enzymes has a demonstrated impact on various classes of RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs), histone-encoding RNAs and messenger RNAs. Cid1 protein is a member of the PUP family. We solved the crystal structure of Cid1 in complex with non-hydrolyzable UMPNPP and a short dinucleotide compound ApU. These structures revealed new residues involved in substrate/product stabilization. In particular, one of the three catalytic aspartate residues explains the RNA dependence of its PUP activity. Moreover, other residues such as residue N165 or the β-trapdoor are shown to be critical for Cid1 activity. We finally suggest that the length and sequence of Cid1 substrate RNA influence the balance between Cid1's processive and distributive activities. We propose that particular processes regulated by PUPs require the enzymes to switch between the two types of activity as shown for the miRNA biogenesis where PUPs can either promote DICER cleavage via short U-tail or trigger miRNA degradation by adding longer poly(U) tail. The enzymatic properties of these enzymes may be critical for determining their particular function in viv

Modérateurs de l'efficacité d'une approche de médiation auprès de jeunes suivis pour troubles de comportement en vertu de la Loi sur la protection de la jeunesse

Jusqu'ici, aucune étude ne s'est intéressée à l'influence de caractéristiques individuelles sur l'efficacité d'une approche de médiation offerte à des adolescents en trouble de comportement. Or, l'étude des modérateurs de l'efficacité d'une intervention permet de répondre à une question fondamentale : pour qui l'intervention est-elle la plus efficace? Ce mémoire doctoral s'inscrit dans ce domaine de recherche et dans la continuité des travaux de Drapeau, Lessard et Turcotte qui, en 2013, ont évalué l'efficacité d'une approche novatrice de médiation proposée à des jeunes en troubles de comportement sérieux par trois centres jeunesse du Québec. Dans le présent travail, les modérateurs de l'efficacité de l'approche étaient propres aux jeunes (âge, sexe et présence de troubles de comportement intériorisés), à leurs parents (statut conjugal et niveau socioéconomique) et à la dynamique familiale. Des analyses de régression multiple ont été effectuées par une approche innovante appelée « méthode exhaustive », qui s'appuie sur le critère statistique du R2 ajusté. L'efficacité de l'approche était opérationnalisée par l'ampleur du changement temporel des scores des problèmes extériorisés et délinquants des jeunes, entre le début du suivi et six mois plus tard. Les résultats indiquent que l'approche profiterait davantage aux jeunes plus âgés et de sexe masculin. De manière marginale, le niveau socioéconomique des parents et la dynamique familiale contribueraient à prédire l'évolution des difficultés extériorisées des adolescents

Analysis of hepatitis C virus RNA dimerization and core–RNA interactions

The core protein of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been shown previously to act as a potent nucleic acid chaperone in vitro, promoting the dimerization of the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of the HCV genomic RNA, a process probably mediated by a small, highly conserved palindromic RNA motif, named DLS (dimer linkage sequence) [G. Cristofari, R. Ivanyi-Nagy, C. Gabus, S. Boulant, J. P. Lavergne, F. Penin and J. L. Darlix (2004) Nucleic Acids Res., 32, 2623–2631]. To investigate in depth HCV RNA dimerization, we generated a series of point mutations in the DLS region. We find that both the plus-strand 3′-UTR and the complementary minus-strand RNA can dimerize in the presence of core protein, while mutations in the DLS (among them a single point mutation that abolished RNA replication in a HCV subgenomic replicon system) completely abrogate dimerization. Structural probing of plus- and minus-strand RNAs, in their monomeric and dimeric forms, indicate that the DLS is the major if not the sole determinant of UTR RNA dimerization. Furthermore, the N-terminal basic amino acid clusters of core protein were found to be sufficient to induce dimerization, suggesting that they retain full RNA chaperone activity. These findings may have important consequences for understanding the HCV replicative cycle and the genetic variability of the virus

The crystal structure of the Split End protein SHARP adds a new layer of complexity to proteins containing RNA recognition motifs

The Split Ends (SPEN) protein was originally discovered in Drosophila in the late 1990s. Since then, homologous proteins have been identified in eukaryotic species ranging from plants to humans. Every family member contains three predicted RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) in the N-terminal region of the protein. We have determined the crystal structure of the region of the human SPEN homolog that contains these RRMs—the SMRT/HDAC1 Associated Repressor Protein (SHARP), at 2.0 Å resolution. SHARP is a co-regulator of the nuclear receptors. We demonstrate that two of the three RRMs, namely RRM3 and RRM4, interact via a highly conserved interface. Furthermore, we show that the RRM3-RRM4 block is the main platform mediating the stable association with the H12-H13 substructure found in the steroid receptor RNA activator (SRA), a long, non-coding RNA previously shown to play a crucial role in nuclear receptor transcriptional regulation. We determine that SHARP association with SRA relies on both single- and double-stranded RNA sequences. The crystal structure of the SHARP-RRM fragment, together with the associated RNA-binding studies, extend the repertoire of nucleic acid binding properties of RRM domains suggesting a new hypothesis for a better understanding of SPEN protein function

Performance and microbial community composition dynamics of aerobic granular sludge from sequencing batch bubble column reactors operated at 20°C, 30°C, and 35°C

Two bubble column sequencing batch reactors fed with an artificial wastewater were operated at 20°C, 30°C, and 35°C. In a first stage, stable granules were obtained at 20°C, whereas fluffy structures were observed at 30°C. Molecular analysis revealed high abundance of the operational taxonomic unit 208 (OTU 208) affiliating with filamentous bacteria Leptothrix spp. at 30°C, an OTU much less abundant at 20°C. The granular sludge obtained at 20°C was used for the second stage during which one reactor was maintained at 20°C and the second operated at 30°C and 35°C after prior gradual increase of temperature. Aerobic granular sludge with similar physical properties developed in both reactors but it had different nutrient elimination performances and microbial communities. At 20°C, acetate was consumed during anaerobic feeding, and biological phosphorous removal was observed when Rhodocyclaceae-affiliating OTU 214 was present. At 30°C and 35°C, acetate was mainly consumed during aeration and phosphorous removal was insignificant. OTU 214 was almost absent but the Gammaproteobacteria-affiliating OTU 239 was more abundant than at 20°C. Aerobic granular sludge at all temperatures contained abundantly the OTUs 224 and 289 affiliating with Sphingomonadaceae indicating that this bacterial family played an important role in maintaining stable granular structure

Compte rendu de l'excursion de la Société Géologique Suisse du 1 au 3 octobre 1979: coupe Préalpes-Helvétique-Pennique en Suisse occidentale

The purpose of the 1979 excursion of the Swiss Geological Society was to show the recent interpretations in several key areas on the cross section through the Alps of Western Switzerland. Several new results are published here for the first time in a preliminary way: for the Prealps, new data on the composition of the submediane zone (north-penninic mélange) in the Meiel area. -Description of the Middle Jurassic paleokarst of the Gummfluh (briançonnais paleogeographic domaine, nappe of the Préalpes médianes rigides). -Progress report on the study of deformation, metamorphism and K-Ar ages along the Gummfluh thrust. Consequences for the cinematics of the préalpine nappes

Environmentally Concerned Logistics Operations in Fuzzy Environment: A Literature Survey

Growing environmental awareness coupled with stricter governmental regulations has fueled the need for integrating sustainability into supply chain and logistics activities. Accordingly, recent studies in the literature have emphasized the significance of environmentally concerned logistics operations (ECLO). Research in the broad area of ECLO encompasses a wide range of topics including sustainable supply chain, green supply chain, closed-loop supply chain, low-carbon logistics, and waste management. In this paper, a comprehensive content analysis and area review is presented. Over 800 papers published between 1994 and 2017 in peer-reviewed journals, proceedings, and book chapters are utilized. These papers are analyzed in consecutive stages after being reviewed under a structural dimension process that addresses the fields of environmentally concerned logistics operations. Following the state-of-the-art review, a detailed analysis of ECLO research with a special emphasis on fuzzy applications is provided. The findings clearly indicate that the fuzzy multi-criteria decision making technique is a frequently used hybrid method, whereas fuzzy sets theory and other fuzzy hybrid techniques identify a gap in the related literature. This paper provides further critical analysis and other research suggestions in order to clarify these gaps and offer additional research perspectives. This information may provide extensive data that will enable future researchers to fill these gaps within this field.https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics101000

The Prion Protein Has RNA Binding and Chaperoning Properties Characteristic of Nucleocapsid Protein NCp7 of HIV-1

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