139 research outputs found
Building a Social Mandate for Climate Action: Lessons from COVID-19
The COVID-19 imposed lockdown has led to a number of temporary environmental side effects (reduced global emissions, cleaner air, less noise), that the climate community has aspired to achieve over a number of decades. However, these benefits have been achieved at a massive cost to welfare and the economy. This commentary draws lessons from the COVID-19 crisis for climate change. It discusses whether there are more sustainable ways of achieving these benefits, as part of a more desirable, low carbon resilient future, in a more planned, inclusive and less disruptive way. In order to achieve this, we argue for a clearer social contract between citizens and the state. We discuss how COVID-19 has demonstrated that behaviours can change abruptly, that these changes come at a cost, that we need a âsocial mandateâ to ensure these changes remain in the long-term, and that science plays an important role in informing this process. We suggest that deliberative engagement mechanisms, such as citizensâ assemblies and juries, could be a powerful way to build a social mandate for climate action post-COVID-19. This would enable behaviour changes to become more accepted, embedded and bearable in the long-term and provide the basis for future climate action
Mapping Patent Classifications: Portfolio and Statistical Analysis, and the Comparison of Strengths and Weaknesses
The Cooperative Patent Classifications (CPC) jointly developed by the
European and US Patent Offices provide a new basis for mapping and portfolio
analysis. This update provides an occasion for rethinking the parameter
choices. The new maps are significantly different from previous ones, although
this may not always be obvious on visual inspection. Since these maps are
statistical constructs based on index terms, their quality--as different from
utility--can only be controlled discursively. We provide nested maps online and
a routine for portfolio overlays and further statistical analysis. We add a new
tool for "difference maps" which is illustrated by comparing the portfolios of
patents granted to Novartis and MSD in 2016.Comment: Scientometrics 112(3) (2017) 1573-1591;
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-017-2449-
Molecular Structural Differences between Type-2-Diabetic and Healthy Glycogen
Glycogen is a highly branched glucose polymer functioning as a glucose buffer in animals. Multiple-detector size exclusion chromatography and fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis were used to examine the structure of undegraded native liver glycogen (both whole and enzymatically debranched) as a function of molecular size, isolated from the livers of healthy and db/db mice (the latter a type 2 diabetic model). Both the fully branched and debranched levels of glycogen structure showed fundamental differences between glycogen from healthy and db/db mice. Healthy glycogen had a greater population of large particles, with more α particles (tightly linked assemblages of smaller ÎČ particles) than glycogen from db/db mice. These structural differences suggest a new understanding of type 2 diabetes
Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural food production to supply Indian diets: Implications for climate change mitigation
Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. The growing global population is putting pressure on agricultural production systems that aim to secure food production while minimising GHG emissions. In this study, the GHG emissions associated with the production of major food commodities in India are calculated using the Cool Farm Tool. GHG emissions, based on farm management for major crops (including cereals like wheat and rice, pulses, potatoes, fruits and vegetables) and livestock-based products (milk, eggs, chicken and mutton meat), are quantified and compared. Livestock and rice production were found to be the main sources of GHG emissions in Indian agriculture with a country average of 5.65Â kg CO2eq kg-1 rice, 45.54Â kg CO2eq kg-1 mutton meat and 2.4Â kg CO2eq kg-1 milk. Production of cereals (except rice), fruits and vegetables in India emits comparatively less GHGs with <1Â kg CO2eq kg-1 product. These findings suggest that a shift towards dietary patterns with greater consumption of animal source foods could greatly increase GHG emissions from Indian agriculture. A range of mitigation options are available that could reduce emissions from current levels and may be compatible with increased future food production and consumption demands in India
Eukaryotic systems broaden the scope of synthetic biology
Synthetic biology aims to engineer novel cellular functions by assembling well-characterized molecular parts (i.e., nucleic acids and proteins) into biological âdevicesâ that exhibit predictable behavior. Recently, efforts in eukaryotic synthetic biology have sprung from foundational work in bacteria. Designing synthetic circuits to operate reliably in the context of differentiating and morphologically complex cells presents unique challenges and opportunities for progress in the field. This review surveys recent advances in eukaryotic synthetic biology and describes how synthetic systems can be linked to natural cellular processes in order to manipulate cell behavior and to foster new discoveries in cell biology research
Lean Manufacturing in Public Services: Prospects for Value Creation
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the utilization
of lean manufacturing systems in public service operations for poten-
tial added value. A case study of lean manufacturing implementation
at a UK city council was carried out using in-depth interviews with
key personnel coupled with documents collection. The Organizational
Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) was administered among front-line
employees. Results show that lean manufacturing systems could create
signi cant added value to the business and employees. A strong relation-
ship was demonstrated between the lean manufacturing implementation
and the a ective commitment level of employees. This paper is one of a
few studies that demonstrate the applicability of manufacturing systems
in other settings and that they can generate significant added value for
the service department and its employees
- âŠ