Energy Justice as Part of the Acceptance of Wind Energy: An Analysis of Limburg in The Netherlands

Policy documents in Limburg stress the importance of participation and distribution of benefits in wind energy projects, but it is not clear which modes of participation and distribution of benefits are most just, both in terms of perceived justice, and in terms of justice principles. Research shows that considering justice in renewable energy transitions increases the level of acceptance. This study aims to provide insight in what modes of participation and distribution are perceived as most just and likely to create local acceptance of wind parks. The most preferred modes are being compared to the indicators of the energy justice framework in order if they meet the criteria for a fair procedure and distribution of outcomes. Based on semi-structured interviews the analysis ofthe data demonstrated that different modes of participation in different phases of the process are being preferred and that a balance between modes of distribution of benefits is preferred. The results indicate that the most preferred modes of participation cannot necessarily address all indicators of procedural justice and that depending on the mode of distribution of benefits and the balance between those modes indicators of distributive justice can be addressed

Expanding phage display technology with luminescence

EMBO Conference on Viruses of Microbes III: Structure and Function - from Molecules to Communities (Programme and Abstract Book)[Excerpt] The -omics Era has contributed to the disclosure of genes coding for known and novel biologically active peptides. The interaction of those peptides with desired targets can be studied using phage display, mostly using phagemids as vectors. However, complex and time-consuming procedures are usually needed for purification and validation of desired phages. So, a vector that would present the capacity to easily confirm and detect a certain funct ion would be a step forward in display technology. [...]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Beyond a checklist for acceptance:understanding the dynamic process of community acceptance

Community acceptance is considered a prerequisite for successful energy transitions and the uptake of renewable energy technologies (RET). While policy and research often focus on acceptance as an outcome, the process of acceptance remains a black box, especially in uncontested RET implementation contexts. We study the dynamic process of community acceptance where (1) different actor groups can have (2) different roles and (3) different active and passive responses towards (4) different objects of acceptance within the RET project implementation. Results show that community acceptance occurs over time and goes beyond citizen or resident acceptance alone. By unpacking different dimensions of acceptance, we show that even in uncontested cases, acceptance is ambiguous and includes various responses toward various objects. Furthermore, we see that roles can influence and interact dynamically with responses and that preferences for roles are heterogeneous. To move beyond acceptance as a merely coincidental outcome, but a widely embraced and intentional process, this process should meet the participatory needs of different actors.</p

Rational design of bacteriophages as a platform for cancer therapy

The aim of this work is to engineer a bacteriophage-based platform to specifically target, invade and control cancer

A new look at bacteriophage phylogenomics

Bacteriophages or phages are viruses that only infect bacteria. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses classified these viruses in accordance with the morphology of their free virion particles and type and size of their genome. This system fails on the classification of several phages, which have their genome already sequenced. It also requires a morphological analysis by transmission electron microscopy, which is very expensive and time consuming [1]. In 2002 Rohwer and Edward proposed the only sequence-based system existing up to this moment. Thus, it is of utmost importance to develop new systems for bacteriophage classification that take into consideration the genomic and proteomic information already available [2]. The purpose of this study is to establish a new method for the classification of phage based on the genetic information available. The principal objective is to cluster the bacteriophages in different family and types. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out using all 670 available genomes sequences deposited in GenBank database. Sequences were aligned using the T-coffee program [3].A genetic marker for the construction of the phylogenetic tree was designed by creating a concatenate of different gene products that presented the highest similarity. In other words, the most conserved gene products were used to form a broader genetic marker. The method allows the use of a single, created genetic marker to classify unknown phages with existing phage types and families.A comparison to existing methods is discussed

Development of a phage-based biosensor to detect salmonella in food stuff

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bacteriophage endolysins as a response to emerging foodborne pathogens

Continuous reports on foodborne outbreaks and increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria call for the development of novel preservation techniques that assure the safety of food products. Bacteriophage endolysins are highly active antibacterial peptidoglycan hydrolases that have evolved over millions of years to become the ultimate weapon against bacteria, with potential to be used as a food preservative. We here give an overview of all distinct endolysins encountered so far, we discuss their inherent qualities and review their role in preventing and controlling foodborne pathogens, divulging their potential for future applications.This work was supported by a grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology in the scope of the Projects PTDC/AGR-ALI/100492/2008 and PTDC/AGR-ALI/121057/2010. Hugo Oliveira is paid by the FCT grant SFRH/BD/63734/2009

Revisiting phage therapy: new applications for old resources

The success of phage therapy is dependent on the development of strategies able to overcome the limitations of bacteriophages as therapeutic agents, the creation of an adequate regulatory framework, the implementation of safety protocols, and the acceptance by the general public. Many approaches have been proposed to circumvent phages intrinsic limitations but none have proved to be completely satisfactory. In this review we present the major hurdles of phage therapy and the solutions proposed to circumvent them. A thorough discussion on the advantages and drawbacks of these solutions is provided and special attention is given to genetic modification of phages as an achievable strategy to shape bacteriophages to exhibit desirable biological properties.The authors thank the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and the Project 'BioHealth - Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality, Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027' cofunded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, and FEDER. F.L.N. also acknowledges the FCT for grant SFRH/BD/86462/2012