From GHGs Abatement Potential To Viable CDM Projects - The Cases of Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam

This study evaluates the CDM potential in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam by focusing not only on the absolute GHG abatement value of these countries. Rather, the potential of CDM inflows into the three countries will be identified through assessing the comparative CDM endowment on the basis of an holistic analysis of each country, thereby highlight the relative positions of Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam in the global CDM market. The three main factors determining the competitiveness of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in the global CDM market will be examined, namely "Potential supply size - countries' facts", "Country business climate" and "Country CDM institutions and CDM project experience". The study shows the overall competitiveness level of each studied country as well as discusses which activities a country shall take to maximise the opportunities to convert theoretical mitigation options into real CDM investments. In Vietnam, for instance, the highest challenge now is to make CDM ideas economically feasible. This study shows that it is questionable that a boom of CDM investment inflows into Vietnam or - in more quantitative word - a dozen of CDM projects will be registered before 2012. In Cambodia, the probability to get a couple of CDM projects running in the first commitment period is not high although the country is quite ahead in establishing their CDM institutions in comparison with other LDCs. One of the solutions to get through the narrow window is to gain attention from multilateral carbon funds, like the Community Development Carbon Fund (CDCF) and Bio Carbon Fund (BioCF). In the case of Lao PDR, this study demonstrates that the entry into the CDM is likely to be extremely high competitive for them given their poor CDM endowment and the "lag behind" activities of the government in constituting its own CDM structure. Thus, Laos needs to make a greater effort to develop its capacity to provide a basic sufficient framework to make the country as of one CDM-LDC destination in the international donors' eyes.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Analyse belangrijkste problemen en uitdagingen van de Wadden. Een strategie voor investeren in meer robuuste Wadden. Hoofdrapport.

Richting geven aan investeren in de Wadden Het kabinet trekt €500 miljoen uit voor additionele investeringen in de Wadden. Hierbij heeft het kabinet behoefte aan een analyse van de belangrijkste problemen en uitdagingen voor dit gebied. Dit rapport voorziet daarin. De centrale vraagstelling van deze analyse luidt: Wat zijn de belangrijkste problemen en uitdagingen van de Wadden, tegen de achtergrond van het geven van een investeringsimpuls aan het gebied? In dit rapport zijn drie elementen geïdentificeerd die richtinggevend zijn voor het stellen van prioriteiten voor de strategie van de Wadden: 1) Waddengerelateerdheid; dat wil zeggen de mate waarin een activiteit of bedreiging is verbonden met de wezenlijke waarden van de Wadden en/of plaatsvindt in één van de onderscheiden deelregio’s (waarbij qua prioriteit van deelgebieden geldt: Waddenzee, Waddeneilanden, Waddenkustgemeenten, Waddenzeeregio). 2) Duurzaamheid; dat wil zeggen de mate waarin een activiteit nu problematisch is qua impact op de Waddennatuur en de mate waarin er voor activiteiten duurzame ontwikkelingsopties zijn. 3) Investeerbaarheid; dat wil zeggen de mate waarin een investering voldoende gefocust, mogelijk of nodig is. In één zin samengevat draait het om: effectief investeren in Waddengerelateerde duurzaamheid. Een beknopte en een uitgebreide samenvatting van dit hoofdrapport is gepubliceerd als EC 153: Samenvattend eindrapport

Impact of fasting on F-18-fluorocholine gastrointestinal uptake and detection of lymph node metastases in patients with prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: (18)F-fluorocholine PET/CT is used to detect lymph node metastases in prostate cancer patients. Physiological (18)F-fluorocholine in the gastrointestinal tract, especially in the intestines, may interfere with the detection of malignant lymph nodes. Fasting is frequently proposed in literature; however, scientific support is lacking. This study aims to determine the impact of fasting on (18)F-fluorocholine uptake in the gastrointestinal tract. METHODS: Eighty patients were studied, 40 fasted for at least 6 h prior to (18)F-fluorocholine administration while the other 40 did not fast. (18)F-fluorocholine uptake pattern and intensity were evaluated in the intestine near the abdominal aorta and four regions near the iliac arteries. (18)F-fluorocholine intensity was also measured in the liver, pancreas, stomach and spleen. FINDINGS: No statistically significant differences were found in (18)F-fluorocholine uptake in the gastrointestinal tract between the fasting and non-fasting group. CONCLUSIONS: Fasting for 6 h has no effect on (18)F-fluorocholine uptake in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, no effects on the detection of malignant lymph nodes are expected, and fasting is not recommended in our opinion