Evaluating the Energy Security Implications of a Carbon-Constrained U.S. Economy

Examines how factors linked to U.S. energy security would be affected in eight scenarios in which carbon emissions are limited to a certain level. Assesses the feasibility of and need for low-carbon technology

A Roadmap for a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Economy

Proposes a set of policies to address both energy security and climate change, including investing in better infrastructure, energy efficiency, and clean-energy jobs; reforming incentives to promote green technology; and forming a natural gas strategy

Cost risk benefit analysis to support chemoprophylaxis policy for travellers to malaria endemic countries

BACKGROUND: In a number of malaria endemic regions, tourists and travellers face a declining risk of travel associated malaria, in part due to successful malaria control. Many millions of visitors to these regions are recommended, via national and international policy, to use chemoprophylaxis which has a well recognized morbidity profile. To evaluate whether current malaria chemo-prophylactic policy for travellers is cost effective when adjusted for endemic transmission risk and duration of exposure. a framework, based on partial cost-benefit analysis was used. METHODS: Using a three component model combining a probability component, a cost component and a malaria risk component, the study estimated health costs avoided through use of chemoprophylaxis and costs of disease prevention (including adverse events and pre-travel advice for visits to five popular high and low malaria endemic regions) and malaria transmission risk using imported malaria cases and numbers of travellers to malarious countries. By calculating the minimal threshold malaria risk below which the economic costs of chemoprophylaxis are greater than the avoided health costs we were able to identify the point at which chemoprophylaxis would be economically rational. RESULTS: The threshold incidence at which malaria chemoprophylaxis policy becomes cost effective for UK travellers is an accumulated risk of 1.13% assuming a given set of cost parameters. The period a travellers need to remain exposed to achieve this accumulated risk varied from 30 to more than 365 days, depending on the regions intensity of malaria transmission. CONCLUSIONS: The cost-benefit analysis identified that chemoprophylaxis use was not a cost-effective policy for travellers to Thailand or the Amazon region of Brazil, but was cost-effective for travel to West Africa and for those staying longer than 45 days in India and Indonesia

Modeling the risk of malaria for travelers to areas with stable malaria transmission

BACKGROUND: Malaria is an important threat to travelers visiting endemic regions. The risk of acquiring malaria is complex and a number of factors including transmission intensity, duration of exposure, season of the year and use of chemoprophylaxis have to be taken into account estimating risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mathematical model was developed to estimate the risk of non-immune individual acquiring falciparum malaria when traveling to the Amazon region of Brazil. The risk of malaria infection to travelers was calculated as a function of duration of exposure and season of arrival. RESULTS: The results suggest significant variation of risk for non-immune travelers depending on arrival season, duration of the visit and transmission intensity. The calculated risk for visitors staying longer than 4 months during peak transmission was 0.5% per visit. CONCLUSIONS: Risk estimates based on mathematical modeling based on accurate data can be a valuable tool in assessing risk/benefits and cost/benefits when deciding on the value of interventions for travelers to malaria endemic regions

La discrimination sur le marché du travail italien. Une comparaison des différentes méthodes d'estimation

Rapport de rechercheNuméro de référence interne originel : a1.1 g 86

US climate policy in a post-Paris context

The USA's goal for the UN climate negotiations in Paris last December was to secure broad and meaningful participation from member countries and establish a long-term, durable framework for future actions to cope with a changing climate. Supporters of the Paris Climate Agreement tout its success for delivering on that goal, mobilizing emissions reduction efforts, and sending signals to catalyse additional finance and investment. However, the Agreement is also criticized for falling short of the action necessary to secure the 2 °C temperature rise limit and for lacking strong enforcement mechanisms. Going forward, the objective is to deliver on the commitments secured in Paris and find ways to enable even deeper emissions reductions and more robust adaptation measures that will be necessary to mitigate the climate risks

Precision synthesis of covalent and supramolecular polymers

Synthetic molecules called dendrons provide the ideal platform for studying the processes that drive self-assembly. The self-assembled and self-organized structures that result are supramolecular polymers. Additionally, studying these molecules and their polymers provides a method by which to examine how chirality is transferred and amplified. The dendrons can be considered models for natural systems. Covalent polymers are also important systems, but for separate reasons than their supramolecular counterparts. Precision synthesis of covalent polymers has long been of great interest in polymer chemistry. Recent advances in the field of copper-catalyzed living radical polymerization have suggested that, under certain conditions, these polymerizations may proceed by a different mechanism than has been previously theorized. A method was developed by which polymers can be synthesized very quickly with very good control of molecular weight and molecular weight distribution. The work presented here examines the scope and utility of this method: catalyst source, ligands, solvents, and initiators. Additionally, an in-depth structural investigation of the polymers formed with haloform initiators imparted some further evidence to support the proposed mechanism

Precision synthesis of covalent and supramolecular polymers

Synthetic molecules called dendrons provide the ideal platform for studying the processes that drive self-assembly. The self-assembled and self-organized structures that result are supramolecular polymers. Additionally, studying these molecules and their polymers provides a method by which to examine how chirality is transferred and amplified. The dendrons can be considered models for natural systems. Covalent polymers are also important systems, but for separate reasons than their supramolecular counterparts. Precision synthesis of covalent polymers has long been of great interest in polymer chemistry. Recent advances in the field of copper-catalyzed living radical polymerization have suggested that, under certain conditions, these polymerizations may proceed by a different mechanism than has been previously theorized. A method was developed by which polymers can be synthesized very quickly with very good control of molecular weight and molecular weight distribution. The work presented here examines the scope and utility of this method: catalyst source, ligands, solvents, and initiators. Additionally, an in-depth structural investigation of the polymers formed with haloform initiators imparted some further evidence to support the proposed mechanism