Developing economies in the current climate regime : new prospects for resilience and sustainability ? The case of CDM projects in Asia

23 p.This paper offers a review of the current position of developing countries in the climate regime and international negotiations based primarily on the analysis of implementation of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The paper will place emphasis on changes in national policies to accommodate CDM projects, focussing on the scope and rationale for bottom-up policies and measures as part of development strategies favouring more resilience and sustainability. Two issues are addressed more specifically: firstly regional specificity among developing areas and notably the pre-eminence of projects located in Asia, and secondly the relevance of CDM projects for both sustained growth and effective mitigation strategies. Regarding the latter, we consider that CDM project multiplication does question the relevance of national policies and the diversity of actors/stakeholders to foster upgraded domestic well targeted development strategies. Our research considers differences between developing countries and regions regarding selection and implementation of climate mitigation projects- with reference to their GHG emissions and national energy profiles (calculation from Enerdata source and IEA). It refers to selected cases of projects in East Asia - focus on China and Asean countries - showing particular sector selection patterns (differing between semi industrial economies and less developed countries) and diversification of stakeholders for development (role of regional actors within Asia). The analysis is based on international data base of CDM projects (United Nations) and secondary data from IGES (Japan) and Enerdata. The conclusion will examine prospects for CDM in a post 2012 climate régime for developing economies and the future relevance of CDM projects in the framework of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions.A partir d'une analyse de la mise en oeuvre du Mécanisme de Développement Propre, ce papier vise à préciser les modalités d'intégration des pays en développement dans le régime climatique, et en particulier à mettre en évidence une différenciation entre les pays, entre les grandes régions. Ceci permet de s'interroger sur deux aspects peu évoqués jusqu'à présent : d'une part la possible dimension régionale dans les politiques climatiques nationales et internationales et d'autre part la pertinence des projets MDP face au défi d'une bonne articulation entre les efforts des politiques climatiques et la soutenabilité des stratégies de développement. Ces aspects sont analysés plus particulièrement dans le cas de pays d'Asie du sud-est (économies semi-industrialisées et pays moins développés de l'ASEAN). Finalement, on s'interroge sur les enjeux de la transition du régime climatique dans une perspective post-2012

Provider diversity in the NHS: impact on quality and innovation

The overall objective of the research project has been to assess the impact of provider diversity on quality and innovation in the NHS. The specific research aims were to identify the differences in performance between non-profit Third Sector organisations, for-profit private enterprises, and incumbent public sector institutions within the NHS as providers of health care services, as well as the factors that affect the entry and growth of new private and Third Sector providers. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods based on case studies of four Local Health Economies (LHEs). Qualitative methods included documentary analysis and interviews with key informants and managers of both commissioning and provider organisations. To provide a focus to the study, two tracer conditions were followed: orthopaedic surgery and home health care for frail older people. In the case of hospital inpatient care, data on patient characteristics were also collected from the HES database. The analysis of this data provided preliminary estimates of the effects of provider type on quality, controlling for client characteristics and case mix. In addition, a survey of patient experience in diverse provider organisations was analysed to compare the different dimensions of quality of provision of acute services between incumbent NHS organisations and new independent sector treatment centres. The research has shown that, in respect of inpatient hospital services, diverse providers supply health services of at least as good quality as traditional NHS providers, and that there is ample opportunity to expand their scale and scope as providers of services commissioned by the NHS. The research used patient experience survey data to investigate whether hospital ownership affects the quality of services reported by NHS patients in areas other than clinical quality. The raw survey data appear to show that private hospitals provide higher quality services than the public hospitals. However, further empirical analysis leads to a more nuanced understanding of the performance differences. Firstly, the analysis shows that each sector offers greater quality in certain specialties. Secondly, the analysis shows that differences in the quality of patients’ reported experience are mainly attributable to patient characteristics, the selection of patients into each type of hospital, and the characteristics of individual hospitals, rather than to hospital ownership as such. Controlling for such differences, NHS patients are on average likely to experience a similar quality of care in a public or privately-run hospital. Nevertheless, for specific groups of patients and for specific types of treatments, especially the more straightforward ones, the private sector provides an improved patient experience compared to the public sector. Elsewhere, the NHS continues to provide a high quality service and outperforms the private sector in a range of services and for a range of clients

Quelle intégration des pays en développement dans le régime climatique ? Le mécanisme de développement propre en Asie

A partir d'une analyse de la mise en œuvre du Mécanisme de Développement Propre, ce papier vise à préciser les modalités d'intégration des pays en développement dans le régime climatique, et en particulier à mettre en évidence une différenciation entre les pays, entre les grandes régions (première partie). Ceci permet de s'interroger sur deux aspects peu évoqués jusqu'à présent : d'une part la possible dimension régionale dans les politiques climatiques nationales et internationales (deuxième partie) et d'autre part la pertinence des projets MDP face au défi d'une bonne articulation entre les efforts des politiques climatiques et la soutenabilité des stratégies de développement. Ces aspects sont analysés plus particulièrement dans le cas de pays d'Asie orientale. (troisième partie). Finalement, on s'interroge sur les enjeux de la transition du régime climatique dans une perspective post-2012.pays en développement ; pays émergent ; régime climatique ; politique climatique ; politique d'atténuation ; mécanisme de développement propre

The public image of the social worker.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Assessment of targeted non-intentionally added substances in cosmetics in contact with plastic packagings. Analytical and toxicological aspects

International audienceContainer-content interactions are common in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, these studies are more complicated in the cosmetic industry, and it is necessary to ensure consumer safety. The objective of this work was to develop a strategy for the toxicological evaluation of leachables for cosmetic packagings. Eleven common plastic packagings were selected to evaluate interactions with 5 simulants (acidic, alkaline and neutral water, 30% and 96% ethanol) chosen to mimic cosmetics behavior. A GC-MS method was developed to screen for 12 non-intentionally added substances of particular concern: 10 phthalates, bisphenol A and distearyl thiodipropionate (European Pharmacopoeia plastic additive 17). Results were analyzed using a toxicological procedure established for this study. Some phthalates and bisphenol A were detected in several samples, but only one contaminant, diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), was found to be above the set concentration threshold. Using toxicological data, this concentration was found to be safe for users. 96% ethanol appeared to be the strongest simulant in term of extraction, with a maximum concentration of 491 μg/L for DiBP in a 100% styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer packaging. In water simulants, less contaminants were extracted, with concentrations under 20 μg/L

Strengthening health system governance using health facility service charters: a mixed methods assessment of community experiences and perceptions in a district in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Enhancing accountability in health systems is increasingly emphasised as crucial for improving the nature and quality of health service delivery worldwide and particularly in developing countries. Accountability mechanisms include, among others, health facilities committees, suggestion boxes, facility and patient charters. However, there is a dearth of information regarding the nature of and factors that influence the performance of accountability mechanisms, especially in developing countries. We examine community members' experiences of one such accountability mechanism, the health facility charter in Kericho District, Kenya. METHODS: A household survey was conducted in 2011 among 1,024 respondents (36% male, 64% female) aged 17 years and above stratified by health facility catchment area, situated in a division in Kericho District. In addition, sixteen focus group discussions were conducted with health facility users in the four health facility catchment areas. Quantitative data were analysed through frequency distributions and cross-tabulations. Qualitative data were transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: The majority (65%) of household survey respondents had seen their local facility service charter, 84% of whom had read the information on the charter. Of these, 83% found the charter to be useful or very useful. According to the respondents, the charters provided useful information about the services offered and their costs, gave users a voice to curb potential overcharging and helped users plan their medical expenses before receiving the service. However, community members cited several challenges with using the charters: non-adherence to charter provisions by health workers; illegibility and language issues; lack of expenditure records; lack of time to read and understand them, often due to pressures around queuing; and socio-cultural limitations. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggest that improving the compliance of health facilities in districts across Kenya with regard to the implementation of the facility service charter is critical for accountability and community satisfaction with service delivery. To improve the compliance of health facilities, attention needs to be focused on mechanisms that help enforce official guidelines, address capacity gaps, and enhance public awareness of the charters and their use

1S-3S cw spectroscopy of hydrogen/deuterium atom

We study the 1S-3S two-photon transition of hydrogen in a thermal atomic beam, using a homemade cw laser source at 205 nm. The experimental method is described, leading in 2017 to the measurement of the 1S-3S transition frequency in hydrogen atom with a relative uncertainty of $9 \times 10^{-13}$. This result contributes to the "proton puzzle" resolution but is in disagreement with the ones of some others experiments. We have recently improved our setup with the aim of carrying out the same measurement in deuterium. With the improved detection system, we have observed a broadened fluorescence signal, superimposed on the narrow signal studied so far, and due to the stray accumulation of atoms in the vacuum chamber. The possible resulting systematic effect is discussed

Assessing standards in science

Internationally there is recognition that critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving and communication) are critical for citizenship in the 21st century and assessment of “quality” and “standards” is increasingly on the agenda (e.g. AHELO, QAA, Tuning project). In 2011, the Australian government legislated for a Quality and Standards framework (by formation of TEQSA – the Tertiary Education Quality & Standards Agency) which will regulate tertiary education against an agreed set of standards developed by the Higher Education Standards panel. Prior to this in 2010, the Organisation of Economic Co‐Operation and Development (OECD) launched a new initiative, the Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO), to measure learning outcomes of graduates across OECD’s thirty‐one member countries. Also at the same time the Australian Government through the Australian Learning and Teaching Council funded a project to define the threshold learning outcomes in science as part of the development of the Learning and Teaching Academic Standards project. The threshold learning outcomes for science describe a series of minimum standards expected of a science graduate. Although ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) has been engaged by the OECD to develop approaches to assess both generic and discipline-specific learning outcomes in Economics and Engineering for the AHELO project (http://www.acer.edu.au/research/he/assessment-of-higher-education-learning-outcomes-ahelo/) and similarly in the US the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA, http://www.collegiatelearningassessment.org/index.html) will be used to assess the critical thinking skills of graduates and benchmark across institutions across disciplines