Mesures du champ magnétique en Afrique de l'Ouest (1983-1986) : comparaison avec le modèle IGRF 1985-1990 ; variations séculaires

Les auteurs présentent les rélevés de mesures des composantes magnétiques terrestres faites dans 8 pays de l'Afrique de l'Ouest entre 1983 et 1986. Ils proposent une méthode de réduction des mesures prenant en compte la variation séculaire. Les résultats sont comparés aux valeurs calculées à partir du modèle IGRF 1985-1990

Mesures du champ magnétique en Afrique de l'Ouest (1983-1986) : comparaison avec le modèle IGRF 1985-1990 : variations séculaires

Cet article présente les résultats de campagnes de mesure des composantes magnétiques terrestres faites dans 8 pays de l'Afrique de l'Ouest entre 1983 et 1986. Les auteurs proposent une méthode de réduction des mesures prenant en compte la variation seculaire. Les résultats sont comparés aux valeurs calculées à partir du modèle IGRF 1985-199

The effects of changes in consumption composition and growth in recycling on decoupling household consumption from its waste footprint

Worldwide, household consumption has significantly increased in the last decades while its composition has significantly changed. In France, economic growth (and therefore consumption growth) is a political objective. On the contrary, waste policies rather target reduction, in particular as to waste generation and waste disposal. Accordingly, decoupling household consumption growth from its waste footprint is a requirement to simultaneously achieve economic and waste policy targets. In this context, this study aims at assessing the effects of both changes in the composition of consumption and growth in recycling rates on the waste footprint of French households. Three models are combined. Firstly, the macro-econometric model “NEMESIS” is used to elaborate prospective economic scenarios by 2020. Three scenarios of economic trajectories for France are built, exclusively modifying the total volume of household consumption. In the meantime, three scenarios of consumption patterns are built, respectively assuming that i) composition remains constant from 2008 to 2020, ii) trends in consumption observed from 1980 to 2010 apply to the period 2008-2020, iii) some final consumption expenditures increase at arbitrarily chosen rates. Moreover, two models are specifically designed in order to calculate the waste footprint of French household consumption in these cases of economic scenarios by 2020. In the first place, an Input-Output model extended to waste is built in order to quantify waste from economic activities induced by household consumption. Quantities of waste to treatments are also differentiated in the model, so that scenarios of recycling can be implemented together with economic scenarios. Secondly a complementary coefficient-based model is built to compute waste generation and treatment (in ktonnes of waste) as a function of household consumption (in Meuros). The results highlight that if consumption trends observed over the last 30 years continue over the period 2008-2020, then they would favor “relative” decoupling between consumption and waste footprint in terms of dry recyclables, mixed wastes and organic wastes, and “absolute” decoupling in terms of mineral wastes. Three scenarios of recycling are additionally assessed in the framework of the economic scenarios, respectively considering the increase in recycling of source-sorted waste fractions, the increase in recovery at sorting centers and the increase in source-segregation. This assessment highlights that the increase in recycling rates would globally limit the effects of consumption growth on the demand for non-mineral waste disposal induced by French households over the period 2008-2020. However, changes in production structures would be additionally required in order to significantly decouple household consumption from its “waste disposal footprint” over the period 2008-2020. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

LCA of municipal solid waste incineration in France: from comprehensive site‐ specific data to Life Cycle Inventory modeling

In France, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), including non-hazardous waste from economic activities collected together with post-consumer waste, are primarily incinerated (approximately 30% in 2010; ADEME, 2012). Yet, current Life Cycle Inventory databases do not precisely account for the characteristics of waste incineration in the specific French context, in particular with respect to air emissions, use of reactants, energy recovery rates and treatment of bottom ashes. This study accordingly aims at collecting environmental and energy data specific to French incinerators for their further integration into a dedicated Life Cycle Inventory model. The results of data collection and analysis are focused at in this presentation. Data were collected considering 90 French incinerators, respectively operated by SITA, TIRU and VEOLIA, and representing approximately 73% of the total mass of MSW incinerated in France as of 2012. Firstly, French incineration installations were classified according to their abatement technologies. Wet systems (with liquid emissions) combined with electrostatic precipitators and semi dry/semi wet systems combined with a fabric filter are predominant in France regarding dedusting and acid gas treatment (they respectively represent 34 and 25% of the total amount of waste incinerated). At the same time, Selective Catalytic Reduction (high temperature) combined with reactants for Dediox (36%) and Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction combined with reactants for Dediox (32%) are predominant with respect to NOx and dioxin abatement. Secondly, data of process-specific emissions (NOx, particles, dioxins, etc.) have been collected, considering 90 incinerators and 3 years in a raw (2012 to 2014), for their further statistical treatment by category of abatement technology. The correlation between emission factors and abatement technologies is discussed. Considering each kind of emission factor, a distribution of values is accordingly associated either with a given technology of abatement or with the whole French incineration installations. In addition, building on the mass balance at the scale of one French incineration plant, transfer coefficients are calculated in order to further infer waste-specific emissions (e.g. metals) in the model for Life Cycle Inventory of waste incineration in France. Finally, additional data relative respectively to energy (recovery and consumption), to the use of reactants and to downstream treatment of bottom ashes were collected and further statistically treated, considering the 90 incinerators under study. In particular, MSW appear to be incinerated primarily (55%) in plants cogenerating heat and electricity. As a conclusion, the potential use of these data in a Life Cycle Inventory model dedicated to French incineration is more specifically discussed. Acknowledgements This study was partly funded by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) in the framework of the PCI project. The authors wish to thank Patrick Boisseau (TIRU), Jacques Giacomoni (VEOLIA), Lionel Kosior (SITA) and Cédrik Priault (VEOLIA) for their contributions to this work. Reference: ADEME, 2012. L’incinération des déchets ménagers et assimilés. Les avis de l’ADEME. Décembre 2012

The role of Media in reporting child abuse

This study looks at the short-term impact that the media coverage of children in need of protection had on the number of cases reported to child protection agencies. The number of reports (N = 11,646) made to these agencies in Canada was tallied each week during a 24-month period. During the same period, a content analysis of print media was conducted regarding child maltreatment and/or child protection services (CPS) to identify and count the number of articles published (N = 1,211) and single out media frenzy events. Results show a statistically significant relationship between media coverage and the number of cases reported to child protection agencies

Quand la DPJ fait la une! Une analyse du traitement médiatique de la maltraitance au Québec

Cet article porte sur la place qu’occupent la maltraitance et les situations impliquant les services de la protection de la jeunesse dans la presse écrite au Québec. Deux questions sont examinées : Quelle est l’ampleur de la couverture journalistique de la protection de la jeunesse? Comment la problématique de la maltraitance et les services de la protection de la jeunesse y sont-ils présentés? Pour ce faire, le contenu des principaux quotidiens a été analysé sur une période de 24 mois, par la constitution de deux corpus de données (N = 1211; N = 451), le premier afin de dénombrer le nombre d’articles et d’identifier les battages médiatiques, le second afin de décrire le contenu de ces nouvelles. Il ressort de cette étude que la maltraitance est un sujet qui retient, comme ailleurs, beaucoup l’attention des médias québécois. Cette couverture médiatique surreprésente les formes de maltraitance les moins fréquentes et, dans l’ensemble, porte un jugement neutre à l’égard des services de la protection de la jeunesse.This article examines the printed media’s coverage of child maltreatment and child protective services in the province of Quebec. Two questions are examined : What is the scope of this coverage? How are child maltreatment and child protective services presented? In order to do so, the content of the province’s main daily newspapers has been analysed for a period of 24 months. This has led to the constitution of two datasets (N = 1211; N = 451). The first one has allowed us to identify trends in the number of articles published over time as well as statistical relationships between the number of articles published and specific news events. The second dataset was used for a more in-depth content analysis of news stories. Findings reveal that child maltreatment is the object, in Quebec as elsewhere, of an important amount of media coverage. This coverage has been found to over represent the least frequent types of child maltreatment and, overall, to provide a rather neutral assessment of child protective services

Redbook: 1995

Advice compiled by Boston University School of Medicine students for incoming first year students and third or fourth year students preparing for clinical rotations