A method for allocation according to the economic behaviour in the EU-ETS for by-products used in cement industry

Purpose: The most efficient way to reduce the environmental impact of cement production is to replace Portland cement with alternative cementitious materials. These are most often industrial waste such as blast-furnace slags (GBFS) and coal combustion fly ashes (FA). However, a recent European directive no longer considers these products as waste but as by-products. Therefore, the impact of their production has to be considered. Within this new framework, this study develops an evaluation method of their environmental impacts. Method: This paper presents pre-existing methods and underlines their limits. Through our evaluation of these methods, it has become clear that the allocation procedure is necessary; however, results depend highly on the chosen allocation procedure. This study presents a new allocation method, based on the fact that both cement and the alternative materials, GBFS and FA, are produced by energy-intensive industries (cement iron and coal) which are all subjected to the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading System. In this carbon trading system, it is economically beneficial for industries to reduce their environmental impact, like for when, by example, by-products from one industry are used as alternative ‘green' material by another industry. Our allocation coefficient is calculated so that the economic gains and losses are the same for all of the industries involved in these exchanges and provides the overall environmental benefit of the exchanges. Results and discussion: The discussion shows that whilst this method has much in common with other allocation methods, it is more accurate as it allocates the environmental costs fairly over the industries involved and is more robust because of its constant value. One of its limits is that it cannot be used for life cycle inventories; however, we test the possibility of choosing a coefficient from one impact category and applying it to all the others. Conclusion: Lastly, the technical term of the equation this paper presents could be employed for consequential life cycle assessment, to calculate the most environmental uses by-products could be put t

Perceptions of small to medium ports in norther Europe on the impact of security initiatives

In the aftermath of the terror attacks on New York in September 2001 several iniativies are set up to protect global supply chains from larger disruptions by antagonistic threats such as terrorism or piracy. Many security initiatives such as the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) code, the Container Security Initiative (CSI) or the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) are targeting the maritime infrastructure and especially sea ports to prevent future disruptions to this vital part of the global economy. In logistics, the quality of the service is much more important than in goods dominated industries due to the absence of physical clues. Therefore, the effect of security on service quality is much discussed. One the one hand, studies found that security initiatives can increase transparency, decrease variability and improve customs clearance. On the other hand, negative effects such as financial burdens and increased administration are found as well. Moreover, much of the previous research into the effects of supply chain security on ports assumed quantitative and static measures while being mostly focused on larger ports. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the perspectives of small to medium ports in northern Europe about the impact of security initiatives on their service quality and thereby aims to enrich the understanding of how supply chain security impacts service quality. Hence, this study conducts three expert interviews to create understanding of the problem in the real world and then applies the gained insights into the composition of an online questionnaire which is answered by small to medium ports in northern Europe. The results show that the respondent ports today hold slightly positive perceptions on the impact of security initiatives on the service quality aspects of efficiency. Further, the ports display a relaxed attitude towards the impact on the service quality aspect of customer satisfaction with a light tendency to positive perceptions

Cyclical headwind putting pressure on arcelormittal's outlook

This equity research report provides an analytical and fundamental valuation of the Luxembourg listed steelmaker ArcelorMittal. After reviewing the Company’s historical financial and operational performance as well as conducting an in-depth industry analysis, we developed a forecast of ArcelorMittal’s income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement to obta in at stock target price as of 31.12.2020.The recommendation of this report is to sell the stock of ArcelorMittal due to calculated and derived negative total shareholder return of -3.9% within the next 12 months

Computing the convex hull of disks using only their chirotope

We show that the convex hull of a collection of n pairwise disjoint disks in the plane is computable in O(n log n) time using only the chirotope of the collection of disks. The method relies mainly on the development of an (elementary) theory of convexity in the universal covering space of the punctured plane

Detailed Assessment of Embodied Carbon of HVAC Systems for a New Office Building Based on BIM

The global shift towards embodied carbon reduction in the building sector has indicated the need for a detailed analysis of environmental impacts across the whole lifecycle of buildings. The environmental impact of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems has rarely been studied in detail. Most of the published studies are based on assumptions and rule of thumb techniques. In this study, the requirements and methods to perform a detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) for HVAC systems based on building information modelling (BIM) are assessed and framed for the first time. The approach of linking external product data information to objects using visual programming language (VPL) is tested, and its benefits over the existing workflows are presented. The detailed BIM model of a newly built office building in Switzerland is used as a case study. In addition, detailed project documentation is used to ensure the plausibility of the calculated impact. The LCA results show that the embodied impact of the HVAC systems is three times higher than the targets provided by the Swiss Energy Efficiency Path (SIA 2040). Furthermore, it is shown that the embodied impact of HVAC systems lies in the range of 15–36% of the total embodied impact of office buildings. Nevertheless, further research and similar case studies are needed to provide a robust picture of the embodied environmental impact of HVAC systems. The results could contribute to setting stricter targets in line with the vision of decarbonization of the building sector

Evaluation of BIM-based LCA results for building design

Digital tools based on Building Information Modelling (BIM) provide the potential to facilitate environmental performance assessments of buildings. Various tools that use a BIM model for automatic quantity take-off as basis for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) have been developed recently. This paper describes the first application of such a BIM-LCA tool to evaluate the embodied global warming potential (GWP) throughout the whole design process of a real building. 34 states of the BIM model are analysed weekly. The results show that the embodied GWP during the design phase is twice as high as for the final building. These changes can be mainly attributed to the designers\u27 approach of using placeholder materials that are refined later, besides other reasons. As such, the embodied GWP is highly overestimated and a BIM-based environmental assessment during the design process could be misleading and counterproductive. Finally, three alternatives to the established automatic quantity take-off are discussed for future developments

Le palmier et la palmeraie à Marrakech. Que reste-t-il de l’espace vert qui a fait de la ville une oasis ?

Marrakech, ville impériale marocaine, est l\u27une des plus grandes cités amazigho-arabe de l\u27occident musulman. Edifiée par Youssef Ibn Tachafine en 1062, elle s’est développée sur le modèle classique de la cité jardin (El Faïz, 1996 et 2000). Cette cité jardin s’insère également dans une oasis, la seule dans cette région au nord du Haut Atlas. L\u27origine et l\u27histoire de cette enveloppe végétale, la palmeraie, paysage artificiel, sont encore très mal connues. Pourtant, dans la plupart des représentations iconographiques et des descriptions d\u27écrivains et voyageurs qui concernent la ville de Marrakech, elle en est indissociable (Chevrillon, 2002 ; Tharaud, 1920). La ville de Marrakech, première destination touristique du Maroc, a su mettre en avant son cadre paysagé, associant le minéral et le végétal, dont l’élément identitaire le plus fort est la palmeraie.  Cette image, qui perdure depuis la période coloniale, est de plus en plus déconnectée de la réalité, la cité-jardin et l’oasis s\u27estompant au fur et à mesure de l’extension et la densification de la ville dès la période coloniale et depuis l\u27indépendance du pays. Délimitée et classée patrimoine historique par plusieurs dahirs dès 1929, la palmeraie  n’a pas cessé de reculer sous la pression de l’urbanisation et l’empiètement par les infrastructures touristiques (golfs, complexes) et les villas de luxe, particulièrement ces dernières décennies. La palette de végétaux utilisée dans ces lieux, révélant un changement qualitatif dans l\u27évolution des paysages végétaux de la ville, est aussi le reflet d\u27une classe sociale et d\u27une population dont les goûts et les choix remettent en cause "l\u27identité" de la ville ocre, basée historiquement sur un subtil équilibre entre le végétal et le minéral. La composition et l’origine de cet important héritage végétal reflète les différentes influences culturelles qui ont façonné l’identité actuelle de la ville. Le phénomène de gentrification s’accompagne d’un abandon des fonctions nourricières de la palmeraie au profit des fonctions récréatives et paysagères. C’est le palmier qui est protégé et non la palmeraie, qui est devenue un simple décor à haute valeur paysagère et ne renvoie plus à sa première fonction d\u27origine ; celle d\u27un système agricole urbain

Flexible lensless endoscope with a conformationally invariant multi-core fiber

The lensless endoscope represents the ultimate limit in miniaturization of imaging tools: an image can be transmitted through a (multi-mode or multi-core) fiber by numerical or physical inversion of the fiber's pre-measured transmission matrix. However, the transmission matrix changes completely with only minute conformational changes of the fiber, which has so far limited lensless endoscopes to fibers that must be kept static. In this letter we report for the first time a lensless endoscope which is exempt from the requirement of static fiber by designing and employing a custom-designed conformationally invariant fiber. We give experimental and theoretical validations and determine the parameter space over which the invariance is maintained

Le testicule foetal est-il en danger ?

On assiste depuis les dernières décennies à une augmentation des anomalies de la différenciation de l’appareil génital mâle (hypospadias, cryptorchidisme) et du cancer du testicule, ainsi qu’à une diminution quantitative et qualitative de la production de spermatozoïdes. Des études épidémiologiques ont mis en relation ces altérations avec des modifications de l’environnement, et notamment avec l’exposition croissante à des molécules agonistes des oestrogènes ou antagonistes des androgènes. Des données cliniques et expérimentales laissent penser que ces xéno-oestrogènes agiraient pendant la vie foetale et néonatale en induisant des anomalies du développement testiculaire, responsables des altérations observées chez l’adulte. Nous avons effectivement démontré que les oestrogènes endogènes inhibent physiologiquement le développement du testicule foetal.Estrogens are classically known to play a major role in female reproduction, but there is now compelling evidence that they may also be involved in the regulation of male reproductive function. In humans, a decrease in sperm count and an increase in the incidences of testicular cancer, cryptorchidism and hypospadia have been observed in many countries over the last 50 years. Male reproductive alterations were also observed in wildlife. Such male reproductive disorders have been attributed to the increase in concentration of xenobiotics, and of xenoestrogens in particular, in the environment and in food. Epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies have suggested that excessive exposure to estrogens during fetal/neonatal life can lead to reproductive disorders in adulthood. Using an in vitro model, we showed that estrogens directly affected the development of the fetal testis. Lastly, we clearly demonstrated that the fetal and neonatal testis is very sensitive to estrogens since the invalidation of estrogen receptor α leads to an increase of steroidogenesis and the invalidation of estrogen receptor β enhances the development of the germ cell lineage in the male

Expression and localization of aromatase during fetal mouse testis development

International audienceBackgroundBoth androgens and estrogens are necessary to ensure proper testis development and function. Studies on endocrine disruptors have highlighted the importance of maintaining the balance between androgens and estrogens during fetal development, when testis is highly sensitive to environmental disturbances. This balance is regulated mainly through an enzymatic cascade that converts irreversibly androgens into estrogens. The most important and regulated component of this cascade is its terminal enzyme: the cytochrome p450 19A1 (aromatase hereafter). This study was conducted to improve our knowledge about its expression during mouse testis development.FindingsBy RT-PCR and western blotting, we show that full-length aromatase is expressed as early as 12.5 day post-coitum (dpc) with maximal expression at 17.5 dpc. Two additional truncated transcripts were also detected by RT-PCR. Immunostaining of fetal testis sections and of gonocyte-enriched cell cultures revealed that aromatase is strongly expressed in fetal Leydig cells and at variable levels in gonocytes. Conversely, it was not detected in Sertoli cells.ConclusionsThis study shows for the first time that i) aromatase is expressed from the early stages of fetal testis development, ii) it is expressed in mouse gonocytes suggesting that fetal germ cells exert an endocrine function in this species and that the ratio between estrogens and androgens may be higher inside gonocytes than in the interstitial fluid. Furthermore, we emphasized a species-specific cell localization. Indeed, previous works found that in the rat aromatase is expressed both in Sertoli and Leydig cells. We propose to take into account this species difference as a new concept to better understand the changes in susceptibility to Endocrine Disruptors from one species to another