Inertia in the North American Electricity Industry: Can the Kyoto Protocol Objectives Be Realistically Met?

If they are to be attained, the objectives set in the Kyoto Protocol will impose fundamental changes on the structure of North America's economy. This text highlights the extent of the Kyoto challenge by clearly describing the historical inertia in terms of total market shares for different production technologies of the North American electricity industry. It also compares two potential scenarios of the industry changes needed to attain the Kyoto objectives. The results obtained suggest that it will be virtually impossible to reach the Kyoto objectives within the electricity industry.Kyoto Protocol, Electricity Industry, Technological Change

Inertia in the North American Electricity Industry: Can the Kyoto Protocol Objectives be Realistically Met?

If they are to be attained, the objectives set in the Kyoto Protocol will impose fundamental changes on the structure of North America's economy. This text highlights the extent of the Kyoto challenge by clearly describing the historical inertia in terms of total market shares for different production technologies of the North American electricity industry. It also compares two potential scenarios of the industry changes needed to attain the Kyoto objectives. The results obtained suggest that it will be virtually impossible to reach the Kyoto objectives within the electricity industry.Kyoto Protocol, Electricity Industry, Technological Change

Clostridium difficile infection.

Infection of the colon with the Gram-positive bacterium Clostridium difficile is potentially life threatening, especially in elderly people and in patients who have dysbiosis of the gut microbiota following antimicrobial drug exposure. C. difficile is the leading cause of health-care-associated infective diarrhoea. The life cycle of C. difficile is influenced by antimicrobial agents, the host immune system, and the host microbiota and its associated metabolites. The primary mediators of inflammation in C. difficile infection (CDI) are large clostridial toxins, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB), and, in some bacterial strains, the binary toxin CDT. The toxins trigger a complex cascade of host cellular responses to cause diarrhoea, inflammation and tissue necrosis - the major symptoms of CDI. The factors responsible for the epidemic of some C. difficile strains are poorly understood. Recurrent infections are common and can be debilitating. Toxin detection for diagnosis is important for accurate epidemiological study, and for optimal management and prevention strategies. Infections are commonly treated with specific antimicrobial agents, but faecal microbiota transplants have shown promise for recurrent infections. Future biotherapies for C. difficile infections are likely to involve defined combinations of key gut microbiota