Developing low-carbon transport policies in Peru with capacity-building for their implementation: Draft Transport NAMA

Transport has been identified as one of the biggest sectors that contribute to climate change (23%) due to its energy demand and polluting emissions and therefore one of the sectors that needs to take action to mitigate its impact. A few countries in Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Colombia) have started their transport NAMA development and are at different stages in the process. Peru has started this process more recently and this report aims at facilitating the NAMA development and a strategy for its implementation. A key issue in the Peruvian case is the need to set a wave of change in the way transport is usually perceived and addressed in Peru. Thus this report considers both the requirements and changes needed in order to implement a successful and appropriate transport NAMA. What is a NAMA? A NAMA (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions) is a concept that originated under the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Bali 2007, as a mechanism to engage “Nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing country Parties in the context of sustainable development, supported and enabled by technology, financing and capacity-building, in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner;”. With two years of application; NAMAs have managed to attract transport sector decision-makers due to their alignment with national priorities and potential large financial and technical support to implement them. Overall Vision of a Transport NAMA in Peru The overarching aim for the transport NAMA in Peru is the achievement of the minimum optimum mobility required to stimulate economic growth and thus improve the quality of life. This report suggests that three areas of priority should be tackled in order to achieve the overarching aim – Urban Mobility, Energy Efficiency and the role of land use and planning – in the development and implementation of carbon emissions targets. In order to reduce emissions by any significant amount, it is necessary to devise measures for each of these priorities. For Urban Mobility, the measure to be adopted is the development of an integrated mobility system; for Energy Efficiency, the measure is the development of a programme to increase the energy efficiency of vehicles; for Land use and planning, the measure is to develop demonstrator Green Zones to show how low carbon living might work in reality. Each measure amounts to a set of interventions and each intervention has a set of Actions. The Actions are measurable, reportable and verifiable. In the draft NAMA, there are 16 Interventions and 51 Actions explained in Chapter 4 and some suggestions for indicators of successful outcomes (See chapter 4 intervention time frame tables). The dominance of the capital city of Lima and Callao in relation to the rest of the country means that significant effort needs to be made in the capital in order to influence the success of the policy at the national level. Many of the actions will therefore apply to and be developed in Lima and Callao. Most can be repeated elsewhere in the country as appropriate. A major finding is that to achieve the aim, it is crucially important to ensure coherent, consistent and comprehensive governance over the transport system, without which environmental and operational actions will fail. Therefore a major Mobility Reform must be put in place – some initial steps have already been taken but the path is longer than the political cycle; therefore in the case of Lima and Callao this reform could be facilitated by the creation of a Unified Technical Authority (UTA). This will incorporate all government bodies involved in transport in the capital city; to oversee the overall transport system in the city in order to have a low carbon means to provide the urban mobility required by the community. The UTA can then develop actions to optimise mobility for the population and improve the energy performance of the transport system by implementing the interventions. Some of the Actions suggested in the draft transport NAMA are substantive – designed to achieve the NAMA objectives. Other Actions are facilitative – intended to set up the governance and contextual situations required for successful implementation of the substantive actions. The report presents the arguments to support the choice of these outcomes, objectives, measures, interventions and actions and a suggested initial timescale for implementation. The 16 Interventions are (Please see Table 28 in appendix IV for summary of all actions): 1. Creation of a Unified Technical Authority 2. Mobility Reform for Lima and Callao 3. Creation of a Multi-institutional Transport NAMA Committee 4. Revision of draft Transport NAMA 5. Development of Travel Plans for commercial activity and employees 6. Development of an energy-efficient Mobility Plan 7. Support for education and training 8. Development, design and implementation of new infrastructure to encourage low energy mobility 9. Seek international finance for the implementation of the transport NAMA 10. Implement a vehicle labelling system and a compulsory system to achieve energy efficiency in light duty vehicles 11. Ensure that fuel quality is improved 12. Adopt mechanisms to achieve the declared emissions target 13. Design and Planning 14. Governance and Delivery 15. Carbon accounting and sustainability 16. Tendering and Feasibility Key Concepts Institutional Structure The overarching aim for the future of the world s citizens is the improvement in the quality of life – and Peru is no exception in this respect. This aim is so overarching that it extends beyond the limitations of political ideas and preferences: it is hard to imagine a political party not wishing to improve the quality of life of the population. It therefore extends beyond the political cycles of elections and terms of office, but requires commitment from all parties so that the initial actions are started immediately and there is a continuity of purpose – even if the methods and priorities change as one political philosophy is exchanged for another. The nature and scale of the problem (long term) transcends political differences, therefore it is necessary to have the right institutional structures in place in order to ensure that the technico-political discussions can take place in a meaningful way. A decision to implement a transport NAMA will require actions which will only return results beyond the current political cycle and this requires bold political action Technical Leadership Politicians have a duty to bring the societal consensus to the heart of government decision-making but sometimes this will conflict with the practical, technological and methodological requirements of the implementation of their decisions. However important and beneficial the political desire might be, the occasion does arise when it is simply not possible to put it into practice. Therefore there is a need to ensure that there is a body of technical wisdom at the disposal of the politicians. This wisdom includes the knowledge of what is possible, what happened before and an understanding of how to improve the predictions of what could happen in the future. This wisdom needs to be independent of political influence because its role is to provide advice that is independent of political wishes and, in effect, to provide the knowledgeable intelligence that enables politicians to be able to act in a responsible way with society s resources. It should be the norm that a politician turns to the technical leadership for objective advice of the highest order so that all decisions are made on the basis of the best evidence, advice and support. This requires technical leadership that is independent of the political process and therefore free from the changes that often occur as a result of the political cycle. Therefore continuity and leadership is also required at the technical level. Analytical Tools Three main tools have been selected to support the draft NAMA process; (1) the Outcome-based Strategy (OBS) which is a tool that formalises and facilitates the decision-making process; (2) the RED (Reduce, Exchange and Decarbonise) strategy which aims to drive and guide priorities increasing carbon reduction and improving quality of life; and (3) Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) which is an alternative method to cost-benefit analysis (CBA) enabling more effective assessments of strategic actions. Final remarks Further work is required in order to transform this draft transport NAMA into a NAMA proposal and this entails firstly the adoption and, if necessary, adjustment of the suggested interventions, followed by assessment of financial and incremental costs, development of appropriate metrics of success (including measurement, calculation, reporting and verification) and achievement of suitable GHG projections. Peru is currently recognised as a very promising emerging economy attracting international investment and the transport system plays a vital role in this economic development (transporting goods and people). Initial steps have already been taken to improve Mobility in the Metropolitan city (Lima and Callao), however more work needs to be done to ensure Peru s growth reaches its maximum potential. The large technical and financial support available and the potential social cobenefits that can be achieved, make a Transport NAMA the ideal tool to facilitate this goal

Effects of thickness stretching in functionally graded plates and shells

1The present work evaluates the effect of thickness stretching in plate/shell structures made by materials which are functionally graded (FGM) in the thickness directions. That is done by removing or retaining the transverse normal strain in the kinematics assumptions of various refined plate/shell theories. Variable plate/shell models are implemented according to Carrera's Unified Formulation. Plate/shell theories with constant transverse displacement are compared with the corresponding linear to fourth order of expansion in the thickness direction ones. Single-layered and multilayered FGM structures have been analyzed. A large numerical investigation, encompassing various plate/shell geometries as well as various grading rates for FGMs, has been conducted. It is mainly concluded that a refinements of classical theories that include additional in-plane variables could results meaningless unless transverse normal strain effects are taken into account

From Macroscopic to Microscopic: Experimental and Computational Methods to Investigate Bio-tribology

Tribology is an important factor (among other factors) during biological interactions of devices and tissues. The paper discusses how new computational and experimental methods can be used to understand and improve the design and development of medical devices at macro and micro scales to sustain life beyond 50 years. We have used pre-clinical experiments and computational methods to understand interactions between orthopaedic implants at the macro scale. The computational model has been validated with experiments. Now this computational model can predict damage in implants for different patients. One such application was successfully tried and tested in collaboration with University National Autonomous Mexico. This methodology can be used in future to design patient specific, affordable (using 3D printing) and robust implants which will be useful for developing countries like Vietnam, India and Mexico. Improvement of catheter designs is important to reduce damage to the internal tissues while being used for cardiovascular problems. We are developing new experimental techniques (in micro scale) that can be used to understand the interaction of cells with the catheter material. These will help reduce the hospital costs incurred during longer stay of the patients admitted for cardiovascular related problems

α-Galactosylceramide and peptide-based nano-vaccine synergistically induced a strong tumor suppressive effect in melanoma

α-Galactosylceramide (GalCer) is a glycolipid widely known as an activator of Natural killer T (NKT) cells, constituting a promising adjuvant against cancer, including melanoma. However, limited clinical outcomes have been obtained so far. This study evaluated the synergy between GalCer and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and MHC class II melanoma-associated peptide antigens and the Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) ligands CpG and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA), which we intended to maximize following their co-delivery by a nanoparticle (NP). This is expected to improve GalCer capture by dendritic cells (DCs) and subsequent presentation to NKT cells, and simultaneously induce an anti-tumor specific T-cell mediated immunity. The combination of GalCer with melanoma peptides and TLR ligands successfully restrained tumor growth. The tumor volume in these animals was 5-fold lower than the ones presented by mice immunized with NPs not containing GalCer. However, tumor growth was controlled at similar levels by GalCer entrapped or in its soluble form, when mixed with antigens and TLR ligands. Those two groups showed an improved infiltration of T lymphocytes into the tumor, but only GalCer-loaded nano-vaccine induced a prominent and enhanced infiltration of NKT and NK cells. In addition, splenocytes of these animals secreted levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 at least 1.5-fold and 2-fold higher, respectively, than those treated with the mixture of antigens and adjuvants in solution. Overall, the combined delivery of the NKT agonist with TLR ligands and melanoma antigens via this multivalent nano-vaccine displayed a synergistic anti-tumor immune-mediated efficacy in B16F10 melanoma mouse model. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Combination of α-galactosylceramide (GalCer), a Natural Killer T (NKT) cell agonist, with melanoma-associated antigens presented by MHC class I (Melan-A:26) and MHC class II (gp100:44) molecules, and Toll-like Receptor (TLR) ligands (MPLA and CpG), within nanoparticle matrix induced a prominent anti-tumor immune response able to restrict melanoma growth. An enhanced infiltration of NKT and NK cells into tumor site was only achieved when the combination GalCer, antigens and TLR ligands were co-delivered by nanovaccine

Acoustic signals in the sand fly Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) intermedia (Diptera: Psychodidae)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acoustic signals are part of the courtship of many insects and they often act as species-specific signals that are important in the reproductive isolation of closely related species. Here we report the courtship songs of the sand fly <it>Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) intermedia</it>, one of the main vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Recordings were performed using insects from three localities from Eastern Brazil: Posse and Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro State and Corte de Pedra in Bahia State. The three areas have remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic forest, they are endemic for cutaneous leishmaniasis and <it>L. intermedia </it>is the predominant sand fly species. We observed that during courtship <it>L. intermedia </it>males from all populations produced pulse songs consisting of short trains. No significant differences in song parameters were observed between the males of the three localities.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>L. intermedia </it>males produce acoustic signals as reported for some other sand flies such as the sibling species of the <it>Lutzomyia longipalpis </it>complex. The lack of differences between the males from the three localities is consistent with previous molecular studies of the <it>period </it>gene carried out in the same populations, reinforcing the idea that <it>L. intermedia </it>is not a species complex in the studied areas and that the three populations are likely to have similar vectorial capacities.</p

A Confidence Interval for the Wallace Coefficient of Concordance and Its Application to Microbial Typing Methods

Very diverse research fields frequently deal with the analysis of multiple clustering results, which should imply an objective detection of overlaps and divergences between the formed groupings. The congruence between these multiple results can be quantified by clustering comparison measures such as the Wallace coefficient (W). Since the measured congruence is dependent on the particular sample taken from the population, there is variability in the estimated values relatively to those of the true population. In the present work we propose the use of a confidence interval (CI) to account for this variability when W is used. The CI analytical formula is derived assuming a Gaussian sampling distribution and recurring to the algebraic relationship between W and the Simpson's index of diversity. This relationship also allows the estimation of the expected Wallace value under the assumption of independence of classifications. We evaluated the CI performance using simulated and published microbial typing data sets. The simulations showed that the CI has the desired 95% coverage when the W is greater than 0.5. This behaviour is robust to changes in cluster number, cluster size distributions and sample size. The analysis of the published data sets demonstrated the usefulness of the new CI by objectively validating some of the previous interpretations, while showing that other conclusions lacked statistical support

Altered Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Cardiac Proteins Prompts Contractile Dysfunction in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Altered Serine/Threonine phosphorylation of the cardiac proteome is an established hallmark of heart failure (HF). However, the contribution of tyrosine phosphorylation to the pathogenesis of these diseases remains unclear. The cardiac proteome was explored by global mapping to discover and quantify site-specific tyrosine phosphorylation in two cardiac hypertrophic models; cardiac overexpression of ErbB2 (TgErbB2) and cardiac expression of a-Myosin heavy chain R403Q (R403Q-aMyHCTg) compared to control hearts. Phosphoproteomic changes found in R403Q-aMyHC Tg mice indicated EGFR1, Focal Adhesion, VEGF, ErbB signaling, and Chemokine signaling pathways activity were likely to be activated. On the other hand, TgErbB2 mice findings displayed significant overrepresentation of Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) KEGG Pathways. In silico kinase-substrate enrichment analysis (KSEA) highlighted a marked downregulation of canonical MAPK Pathway Activity downstream of k-Ras in TgErbB2 mice and activation of EGFR, PP2 inhibition of c-Src, and Hepatocyte growth factor stimulation. In vivo ErbB2 inhibition by AG-825 decreased cardiac fibrosis, cardiomyocyte disarray, and rescued contractile function on TgErbB2 mice. These results suggest that altered tyrosine phosphorylation may play a regulatory role in cardiac hypertrophic models, suggesting that tyrosine kinase inhibitors could be used therapeutically in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Relaxor ferroelectricity and colossal magnetocapacitive coupling in ferromagnetic CdCr2S4

Multiferroic materials, which reveal magnetic and electric order, are in the focus of recent solid state research. Especially the simultaneous occurrence of ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism, combined with an intimate coupling of magnetization and polarization via magneto-capacitive effects, could pave the way for a new generation of electronic devices. Here we present measurements on a simple cubic spinel with unusual properties: It shows ferromagnetic order and simultaneously relaxor ferroelectricity, i.e. a ferroelectric cluster state, reached by a smeared-out phase transition, both with sizable ordering temperatures and moments. Close to the ferromagnetic ordering temperature the magneto-capacitive coupling, characterized by a variation of the dielectric constant in an external magnetic field, reaches colossal values of nearly 500%. We attribute the relaxor properties to geometric frustration, which is well known for magnetic moments, but here is found to impede long-range order of the structural degrees of freedom.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Small but crucial : the novel small heat shock protein Hsp21 mediates stress adaptation and virulence in Candida albicans

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Topology by Design in Magnetic nano-Materials: Artificial Spin Ice

Artificial Spin Ices are two dimensional arrays of magnetic, interacting nano-structures whose geometry can be chosen at will, and whose elementary degrees of freedom can be characterized directly. They were introduced at first to study frustration in a controllable setting, to mimic the behavior of spin ice rare earth pyrochlores, but at more useful temperature and field ranges and with direct characterization, and to provide practical implementation to celebrated, exactly solvable models of statistical mechanics previously devised to gain an understanding of degenerate ensembles with residual entropy. With the evolution of nano--fabrication and of experimental protocols it is now possible to characterize the material in real-time, real-space, and to realize virtually any geometry, for direct control over the collective dynamics. This has recently opened a path toward the deliberate design of novel, exotic states, not found in natural materials, and often characterized by topological properties. Without any pretense of exhaustiveness, we will provide an introduction to the material, the early works, and then, by reporting on more recent results, we will proceed to describe the new direction, which includes the design of desired topological states and their implications to kinetics.Comment: 29 pages, 13 figures, 116 references, Book Chapte