1,686 research outputs found
INASUD project findings on integrated assessment of climate policies
International audienceThis communication summarizes the main findings of INASUD, an Europeanwide research project on integrated assessment of climate policies. The projectaimed at improving the framing of climate policy analysis through the parallel use of various existing integrated assessment models. It provides a comprehensive examination of the link between uncertainty regarding damages and inertia in economic systems. Results show that the Kyoto targets and timing are consistent with the precautionary principle but offers little insurance for longer-term climate protection. Flexibility mechanisms offer potentials for cooperation with developing countries, and are necessary to tap the environmental and economic benefits of joint carbon and sulfur emissions abatement
MEMS Accelerometers
Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices are widely used for inertia, pressure, and ultrasound sensing applications. Research on integrated MEMS technology has undergone extensive development driven by the requirements of a compact footprint, low cost, and increased functionality. Accelerometers are among the most widely used sensors implemented in MEMS technology. MEMS accelerometers are showing a growing presence in almost all industries ranging from automotive to medical. A traditional MEMS accelerometer employs a proof mass suspended to springs, which displaces in response to an external acceleration. A single proof mass can be used for one- or multi-axis sensing. A variety of transduction mechanisms have been used to detect the displacement. They include capacitive, piezoelectric, thermal, tunneling, and optical mechanisms. Capacitive accelerometers are widely used due to their DC measurement interface, thermal stability, reliability, and low cost. However, they are sensitive to electromagnetic field interferences and have poor performance for high-end applications (e.g., precise attitude control for the satellite). Over the past three decades, steady progress has been made in the area of optical accelerometers for high-performance and high-sensitivity applications but several challenges are still to be tackled by researchers and engineers to fully realize opto-mechanical accelerometers, such as chip-scale integration, scaling, low bandwidth, etc
Using maps of city analogues to display climate change scenarios and their uncertainty
Communication : http://minh.haduong.com/files/Kopf.ea-2008-UsingMapsOfCityAnalogues-Presentation.pd
Using a system dynamics framework to assess disease risks of pig value chains in Vietnam
In Vietnam, there are more than 4 million households producing pigs and pork. This
accounts for 57% of quantity of meat consumed. One of the most critical constraints
to pig production is the presence of animal disease. Pig disease outbreaks are a regular
occurrence in various parts of the country, with the industry affected by diseases
such as foot and mouth disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, classical
swine fever, porcine high fever disease, and swine influenza. In addition, food
safety issues related to pig diseases and pork-borne diseases have also increasingly become
more important concerns for consumers. Recent studies have shown significant
changes in consumption behaviour in response to disease outbreaks. For instance, at
least half of urban consumers stop consuming pork in times of pig disease epidemics
and/or shift consumption to other meat substitutes such as poultry or fish. Disease
risks thus have both public health and livelihoods impacts that are important to understand
for appropriate policy and practice response.
A proposed methodology for investigating disease risks uses a system dynamics analysis
framework. System dynamics models are particularly relevant in the study of livestock
systems, as they capture the diverse actors and feedbacks present in value chains
and their interface with disease risk and behaviour. A system dynamics model is developed
that will describe different scenarios of disease risks and the consequences of
different interventions to mitigate these risks.
Data from a sample of 1000 farmers and value chain actors including all actors in the
pig value chain in Vietnam was collected with support from an ACIAR-funded project
on Reducing Disease Risks and Improving Food Safety in Smallholder Pig Value
Chains in Vietnam. We propose to test the hypotheses that disease risk is affected by
type of production system, feeding system and types of feed uses, access to inputs
and services, and selected socio-demographic variables associated with farmers and
location
Market-based approaches to food safety and animal health interventions: Lessons from smallholder pig value chains in Vietnam
Food safety and animal health issues are increasingly important constraints to smallholder pig
production in Viet Nam. Recent studies have highlighted the significant prevalence of animal
disease and foodâborne pathogens inherent within the Vietnamese pig sector. These in turn have
important negative livelihoods effects on smallholder pig producers and other value chain actors,
as well as important public health impacts. An important research gap is in identifying exâante
appropriate marketâbased policy responses that take into account the tradeoffs between
improved animal health and food safety outcomes and their associated costs for different value
chain actors as a means of developing chainâlevel solutions for their control. In this paper, we
constructed a system dynamics model of the pig value chain that combines a detailed model of
herd production and marketing with modules on shortâ and longâterm investment in pig capacity,
and decisions by value chain actors to adopt different innovations. The model further highlights
the feedbacks between different actors in the chain to identify both the potential entry points for
upgrading food safety and animal health as well as potential areas of tension within the chain that
may undermine uptake. Model results demonstrate that interventions at nodal levels (e.g. only at
farm or slaughterhouse level) are less costâeffective and sustainable than those that jointly
enhance incentives for control across the value chain, as weak links downstream undermine the
ability of producers to sustain good health practices
Barriers to the adoption of renewable and energy-efficient technologies in the Vietnamese power sector
This paper examines the major barriers to the deployment of geothermal, small hydro and advanced coal power generation technologies in Vietnam. It ranks their severity by applying the analytical hierarchy process to data from a survey of 37 domestic experts and stakeholders. Key barriers to a wider penetration of small hydro generation technologies are insufficient capital, a lack of domestic suppliers and unsatisfactory government policies. Barriers to geothermal power are related to information and awareness problems, a lack of R&D and industrial capability, a weak policy framework and the remoteness of geothermal sites. For advanced coal power technologies, the barriers are weak industrial capability, high cost and a lack of technical knowledge. The experts consulted in this study view changes in government actions as the key to overcoming the abovementioned barriers. They recommend investing more in R&D activities, improving R&D capacity through joint-venture schemes and reforming investment policy/legislation for the electric power industry as the most appropriate solutions.analytical hierarchy process; renewables; energy efficient technologies.
Reducing emissions of the fast growing Vietnamese coal sector: the chances offered by biomass co-firing
Vietnamâs Power Development Plan 7A authorized many new coal power plants projects, implying an increase of greenhouse gases emissions from 90 MtCO2eq/year today to 360 MtCO2eq/year in 2030. How could co-firing technology âthat is the partial substitution of coal by biomassâ contributes to mitigate that problem? In this study, we assess the costs and potentials of co-firing rice residues in present and planned coal power plants in Vietnam using a spatially explicit optimization model: BeWhere, adapted as recursive annual dynamic. We found that, the cost of CO2 emissions is the key parameter determining at what level the technology is used. A cost of CO2 emissions of 8 $/tCO2 mobilizes the maximum technical potential of the rice straw and husk domestic resource, with an annual emission reduction of 28 MtCO2eq/year by 2030. At this level, biomass co-firing contributes to an 8% emission reduction in the coal power sector with the abatement cost of 137 Million USD
GDP-Mannose Pyrophosphorylase: A Biologically Validated Target for Drug Development Against Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniases are neglected tropical diseases that threaten about 350 million people in 98 countries around the world. In order to find new antileishmanial drugs, an original approach consists in reducing the pathogenic effect of the parasite by impairing the glycoconjugate biosynthesis, necessary for parasite recognition and internalization by the macrophage. Some proteins appear to be critical in this way, and one of them, the GDP-Mannose Pyrophosphorylase (GDP-MP), is an attractive target for the design of specific inhibitors as it is essential for Leishmania survival and it presents significant differences with the host counterpart. Two GDP-MP inhibitors, compounds A and B, have been identified in two distinct studies by high throughput screening and by a rational approach based on molecular modeling, respectively. Compound B was found to be the most promising as it exhibited specific competitive inhibition of leishmanial GDP-MP and antileishmanial activities at the micromolar range with interesting selectivity indexes, as opposed to compound A. Therefore, compound B can be used as a pharmacological tool for the development of new specific antileishmanial drugs
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