2,393 research outputs found
Assessing Alternative Policies for Reducing Household Waste in Taiwan
In the last few years, the three major cities in Taiwan have been experimenting with two different demand-side management approaches to reduce the waste generated by households and to promote the recycling of recyclables. Thus, there are three different kinds of approaches of waste management that are concurrently used in Taiwan: fee-per-bag, mandatory recycling with free waste collection services, and the zero price of trash collection. We performed a comparative analysis of these policy instruments to take advantage of this important social experiment. We first developed an economic model for the three different waste charging programs concurrently in use and then performed an empirical study based on the implications from the theoretical analysis. It is clearly seen that the traditional approach of zero pricing of trash collection is very ineffective in terms of waste reduction and recycling. Households have all changed their behavior significantly in those cities with two new approaches. However, of the two, the fee-per-bag program is clearly the most effective approach. The results have important policy implications.
Editorial: New immunotherapeutic and pharmacological targets and strategies in haematological malignancies
Ice nucleation and overseeding of ice in volcanic clouds
Water is the dominant component of volcanic gas emissions, and water phase transformations, including the formation of ice, can be significant in the dynamics of volcanic clouds. The effectiveness of volcanic ash particles as ice-forming nuclei (IN) is poorly understood and the sparse data that exist for volcanic ash IN have been interpreted in the context of meteorological, rather than volcanic clouds. In this study, single-particle freezing experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of ash particle composition and surface area on water drop freezing temperature. Measured freezing temperatures show only weak correlations with ash IN composition and surface area. Our measurements, together with a review of previous volcanic ash IN measurements, suggest that fine-ash particles (equivalent diameters between approximately 1 and 1000 ÎŒm) from the majority of volcanoes will exhibit an onset of freezing between âŒ250â260 K. In the context of explosive eruptions where super-micron particles are plentiful, this result implies that volcanic clouds are IN-rich relative to meteorological clouds, which typically are IN-limited, and therefore should exhibit distinct microphysics. We can expect that such âoverseededâ volcanic clouds will exhibit enhanced ice crystal concentrations and smaller average ice crystal size, relative to dynamically similar meteorological clouds, and that glaciation will tend to occur over a relatively narrow altitude range
Insulin therapy and dietary adjustments to normalize glycaemia and prevent nocturnal hypoglycaemia after evening exercise in type 1 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial
Introduction Evening-time exercise is a frequent cause of severe hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes, fear of which deters participation in regular exercise. Recommendations for normalizing glycemia around exercise consist of prandial adjustments to bolus insulin therapy and food composition, but this carries only short-lasting protection from hypoglycemia. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the impact of a combined basal-bolus insulin dose reduction and carbohydrate feeding strategy on glycemia and metabolic parameters following evening exercise in type 1 diabetes. Methods Ten male participants (glycated hemoglobin: 52.4±2.2â
mmol/mol), treated with multiple daily injections, completed two randomized study-days, whereby administration of total daily basal insulin dose was unchanged (100%), or reduced by 20% (80%). Participants attended the laboratory at âŒ08:00â
h for a fasted blood sample, before returning in the evening. On arrival (âŒ17:00â
h), participants consumed a carbohydrate meal and administered a 75% reduced rapid-acting insulin dose and 60â
min later performed 45â
min of treadmill running. At 60â
min postexercise, participants consumed a low glycemic index (LGI) meal and administered a 50% reduced rapid-acting insulin dose, before returning home. At âŒ23:00â
h, participants consumed a LGI bedtime snack and returned to the laboratory the following morning (âŒ08:00â
h) for a fasted blood sample. Venous blood samples were analyzed for glucose, glucoregulatory hormones, non-esterified fatty acids, ÎČ-hydroxybutyrate, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor α. Interstitial glucose was monitored for 24â
h pre-exercise and postexercise. Results Glycemia was similar until 6â
h postexercise, with no hypoglycemic episodes. Beyond 6â
h glucose levels fell during 100%, and nine participants experienced nocturnal hypoglycemia. Conversely, all participants during 80% were protected from nocturnal hypoglycemia, and remained protected for 24â
h postexercise. All metabolic parameters were similar. Conclusions Reducing basal insulin dose with reduced prandial bolus insulin and LGI carbohydrate feeding provides protection from hypoglycemia during and for 24â
h following evening exercise. This strategy is not associated with hyperglycemia, or adverse metabolic disturbances
Vegetation and the importance of insecticide-treated target siting for control of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes
Control of tsetse flies using insecticide-treated targets is often hampered by vegetation re-growth and encroachment which obscures a target and renders it less effective. Potentially this is of particular concern for the newly developed small targets (0.25 high Ă 0.5 m wide) which show promise for cost-efficient control of Palpalis group tsetse flies. Consequently the performance of a small target was investigated for Glossina fuscipes fuscipes in Kenya, when the target was obscured following the placement of vegetation to simulate various degrees of natural bush encroachment. Catches decreased significantly only when the target was obscured by more than 80%. Even if a small target is underneath a very low overhanging bush (0.5 m above ground), the numbers of G. f. fuscipes decreased by only about 30% compared to a target in the open. We show that the efficiency of the small targets, even in small (1 m diameter) clearings, is largely uncompromised by vegetation re-growth because G. f. fuscipes readily enter between and under vegetation. The essential characteristic is that there should be some openings between vegetation.
This implies that for this important vector of HAT, and possibly other Palpalis group flies, a smaller initial clearance zone around targets can be made and longer interval between site maintenance visits is possible both of which will result in cost savings for large scale operations. We also investigated and discuss other site features e.g. large solid objects and position in relation to the water's edge in terms of the efficacy of the small targets
The many positive impacts of participating in outreach activities on postgraduate students
Postgraduate students are excellent role models for school students, where their passion and energy play a vital role in engaging younger students and spreading enthusiasm and excitement about science. However, participating in outreach is not a one way activity for these postgraduate students. Through focus groups we show that the postgraduate students perceive that there are many benefits for themselves. These benefits are identified and discussed. This paper also contrasts the postgraduate with their undergraduate counterpart in terms of their contributions to engagement activities
Concurrent administration of Docetaxel and StealthÂź liposomal doxorubicin with radiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer : excellent tolerance using subcutaneous amifostine for cytoprotection
The substantial augmentation of the radiation sequelae during chemoâradiotherapy with novel drugs masks the real potential of such regimens. In this study we examined whether subcutaneous administration of amifostine can reduce the toxicity of a highly aggressive chemoâradiotherapy scheme with StealthÂź liposomal doxorubicin (CaelyxÂź) and Docetaxel (TaxotereÂź) in non-small cell lung cancer. Twenty-five patients with stage IIIb non-small cell lung cancer were recruited in a phase I/II dose escalation trial. The starting dose of TaxotereÂź was 20âmgâmâ2 week and of CaelyxÂź was 15âmgâmâ2 every two weeks, during conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (total dose of 64âGy). The dose of TaxotereÂź/CaelyxÂź was, thereafter, increased to 20/25 (five patients) and 30/25âmgâmâ2 (15 patients). Amifostine 500âmg was given subcutaneously before each radiotherapy fraction, while an i.v. amifostine dose of 1000âmg preceded the infusion of docetaxel. The âin-fieldâ radiation toxicity was low. Grade 3 esophagitis occurred in 9 out of 25 (36%) patients. Apart from a marked reduction of the lymphocyte counts, the regimen was deprived from any haematological toxicity higher than grade 1. No other systemic toxicity was noted. The CR and CR/PR rates in 15 patients treated at the highest dose level was 40% (6 out of 15) and 87% (13 out of 15) respectively. It is concluded that the subcutaneous administration of amifostine during high dose TaxotereÂź/CaelyxÂź chemoâradiotherapy is a simple and effective way to render this aggressive regimen perfectly well tolerated, by reducing the systemic and the âin-fieldâ toxicity to the levels expected from simple conventional radiotherapy. The impressive tolerance and the high CR rate obtained encourages the conduct of a relevant randomized trial to assess an eventual survival benefit in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
- âŠ