Electrochemical synthesis of ammonia from wet nitrogen via a dual-chamber reactor using La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ-Ce0.8Gd0.18Ca0.02O2−δ composite cathode

A La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ-Ce0.8Gd0.18Ca0.02O2−δ composite cathode was used to investigate the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia from wet nitrogen. Wet nitrogen was flown through a dual chamber reactor under atmospheric pressure leading to the successful synthesis of ammonia. Ammonia was synthesised at a rate of 1.5 × 10−10 mol s−1 cm−2 at 400 °C when applying a dc voltage of 1.4 V, which is the highest reported to date. This rate is twice that of the observed ammonia formation rate (7 × 10−11 mol s−1 cm−2) when Co-free cathode, La0.6Sr0.4FeO3−δ-Ce0.8Gd0.18Ca0.02O2−δ was used as the cathode catalyst. A higher catalytic activity for ammonia synthesis may be obtained when using a catalyst with high oxygen vacancies, with the introduction of oxygen vacancies at the cathode being a good strategy to improve the catalytic activity of ammonia synthesis

Knowledge and social capacity building for sustainable urban transformation

No abstract available

Gender and psychiatric drugs: A qualitative study to find the views of prescription-fillers

Objetivos: Conocer la opinión de los prescriptores en relación con los factores que influyen en la prescripción diferencial y sus propuestas para disminuir la prescripción de psicofármacos, así como analizar los discursos con el objeto de mostrar los posibles sesgos de género implícitos. Diseño: Metodología cualitativa. Entrevistas semiestructuradas realizadas durante los años 2002 y 2003. Emplazamiento: Centros de salud urbanos y rurales. Participantes: Profesionales de medicina familiar y comunitaria y psiquiatría que trabajan en los servicios públicos de salud de Andalucía, Comunidad de Madrid y País Vasco. Criterios de segmentación: comunidad de residencia, edad, sexo, especialidad médica y ubicación del centro. Métodos: Muestra estructural. Entrevistas realizadas por el equipo investigador. Estrategia de análisis en dos procesos diferenciados: análisis de contenido con categorías consensuadas y análisis del discurso desde la perspectiva de género. Resultados: En los prescriptores se observa una asociación entre el consumo de psicofármacos y el sexo, la edad, el nivel socioeconómico y las expectativas sociales. En los discursos encontramos perfiles emergentes de consumidores que no aparecen en la bibliografía epidemiológica. El análisis del discurso pone de manifiesto sesgos de género implícitos en las creencias de algunos prescriptores. Conclusiones: Para minimizar la crecienteoferta y demanda de psicofármacos, los prescriptores consideran necesario mejorar la formación en diagnosis y psicoterapia, rebajar la presión asistencial, mejorar la coordinación entre servicios y favorecer tratamientos alternativos. Para minimizar los sesgos de género en el diagnóstico y la prescripción de psicofármacos consideramos necesaria la formación en cuestiones relacionadas con la influencia de los factores culturales y generalizadas en el proceso de construcción de las identidades.Objectives: To find the views of those filling out prescriptions on the factors that affect differential prescription of psychiatric medication, and on reducing the prescription; and to analyse their discourse for possible implicit gender bias. Design: Qualitative methodology. Semistructured interviews conducted in 2002- 2003. Setting: Urban and rural health centres. Participants: Family and community medicine and psychiatry professionals working in the public health services of Andalusia, the Community of Madrid, and the Basque Country. Segmentation criteria: community of residence, age, sex, medical speciality, and location of centre. Methods: Structural sample. Interviews conducted by the research team. Strategy of analysis in two distinct processes: contents analysis with agreed categories and gender analysis of the discourse. Results: The prescribers found that taking psychiatric medication was associated with sex, age, social and economic category, and social expectations. In the discourses we found consumer profiles emerging that were not found in the epidemiological literature. Discourse analysis showed implicit gender bias in the beliefs of some prescribers. Conclusions: To minimise the growing offer and demand for psychiatric medication, prescribers thought training in diagnosis and psychotherapy should be improved, case-loads should be reduced, co-ordination between services improved and alternative treatments favoured.To minimise gender bias in the diagnosis and prescription of psychiatric medication, we think training is needed on the influence of cultural and gender factors on the process of construction of identities

Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions: A Handbook for Practitioners

The Handbook aims to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive NBS impact assessment framework, and a robust set of indicators and methodologies to assess impacts of nature-based solutions across 12 societal challenge areas: Climate Resilience; Water Management; Natural and Climate Hazards; Green Space Management; Biodiversity; Air Quality; Place Regeneration; Knowledge and Social Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Transformation; Participatory Planning and Governance; Social Justice and Social Cohesion; Health and Well-being; New Economic Opportunities and Green Jobs. Indicators have been developed collaboratively by representatives of 17 individual EU-funded NBS projects and collaborating institutions such as the EEA and JRC, as part of the European Taskforce for NBS Impact Assessment, with the four-fold objective of: serving as a reference for relevant EU policies and activities; orient urban practitioners in developing robust impact evaluation frameworks for nature-based solutions at different scales; expand upon the pioneering work of the EKLIPSE framework by providing a comprehensive set of indicators and methodologies; and build the European evidence base regarding NBS impacts. They reflect the state of the art in current scientific research on impacts of nature-based solutions and valid and standardized methods of assessment, as well as the state of play in urban implementation of evaluation frameworks