Civil defense: Both red and dead

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism/1104/thumbnail.jp

Building Climate Equity: Creating a New Approach from the Ground Up

The report draws on 30 real-world examples from developing and developed countries that demonstrate how this "capabilities approach" can achieve ambitious low-carbon and adaptation goals while simultaneously enhancing access to decent livelihoods, healthy food, quality housing, physical safety and other capabilities for individuals, communities and nations.The report's emphasis on capabilities can also help advance discussions in the UN climate negotiations about the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

The hematopoietic bone marrow niche ecosystem

The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, also called the BM niche, is essential for the maintenance of fully functional blood cell formation (hematopoiesis) throughout life. Under physiologic conditions the niche protects hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from sustained or overstimulation. Acute or chronic stress deregulates hematopoiesis and some of these alterations occur indirectly via the niche. Effects on niche cells include skewing of its cellular composition, specific localization and molecular signals that differentially regulate the function of HSCs and their progeny. Importantly, while acute insults display only transient effects, repeated or chronic insults lead to sustained alterations of the niche, resulting in HSC deregulation. We here describe how changes in BM niche composition (ecosystem) and structure (remodeling) modulate activation of HSCs in situ . Current knowledge has revealed that upon chronic stimulation, BM remodeling is more extensive and otherwise quiescent HSCs may be lost due to diminished cellular maintenance processes, such as autophagy, ER stress response, and DNA repair. Features of aging in the BM ecology may be the consequence of intermittent stress responses, ultimately resulting in the degeneration of the supportive stem cell microenvironment. Both chronic stress and aging impair the functionality of HSCs and increase the overall susceptibility to development of diseases, including malignant transformation. To understand functional degeneration, an important prerequisite is to define distinguishing features of unperturbed niche homeostasis in different settings. A unique setting in this respect is xenotransplantation, in which human cells depend on niche factors produced by other species, some of which we will review. These insights should help to assess deviations from the steady state to actively protect and improve recovery of the niche ecosystem in situ to optimally sustain healthy hematopoiesis in experimental and clinical settings

Staying on Track from Paris: Advancing the Key Elements of the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015 provides essential building blocks for universal action to address climate change. Now, much work is needed to breathe life into the provisions and commitments of the Agreement in order to realize the globally agreed vision to limit temperature rise, build the ability to adapt to climate impacts, and align financial flows toward zerocarbon and climate-resilient development. The Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) must continue to cooperate effectively to unpack and clarify the key tasks and activities outlined in the Agreement in order to provide a well-defined pathway to implementation. This paper takes an in-depth look at the Paris Agreement, highlighting important outcomes and the tasks and activities that now need to be undertaken to elaborate and develop the critical rules and processes under the Agreement. Ensuring that these rules and processes are strong and effective will be essential to promoting ambitious climate action and accelerating it in the coming years

Mulheres e letras : práticas de cultura escrita na Revista Atenéia (Academia Literária Feminina do Rio Grande do Sul, 1949-1972)

A dissertação examina a revista Atenéia, produzida pela Academia Literária Feminina do Rio Grande do Sul (ALFRS) entre os anos de 1949 e 1972. Insere-se na perspectiva da História Cultural e da História da Cultura Escrita, em suas contribuições ao campo da História da Educação e, como aporte de reflexão teórica, inspira-se especialmente nos postulados de Roger Chartier. Para estabelecer o contexto de investigação, ocupa-se em historicizar a educação feminina e a produção de periódicos no Brasil, atendo-se, sobremaneira, à imprensa produzida por mulheres entre meados do século XIX e do século XX. A partir da análise da coleção completa da revista, composta por 55 números distribuídos em 48 edições, propõe-se a investigar as intervenções editoriais realizadas pelas acadêmicas com vistas à difusão da cultura literária entre a comunidade de leitura almejada. Investiga aspectos relacionados à materialidade, tanto na capa quanto nas páginas internas, considerando elementos como características do suporte, periodicidade, escolhas tipográficas, ocupação do espaço gráfico e utilização de fotografias e ilustrações. Tais escolhas evidenciam a intenção de produzir uma revista colecionável, que formasse um conjunto harmônico nos seus 23 anos de circulação e remetesse, em suas dimensões físicas, ao formato de um livro. A dissertação examina também a concepção textual do periódico, dividida entre textos literários e de caráter institucional. Com especial atenção a estes últimos, é possível afirmar que o propósito sinalizado no subtítulo do impresso – Órgão de Intercâmbio Cultural e de Defesa dos Interesses da Academia Literária Feminina do Rio Grande do Sul – pautou a atuação das acadêmicas enquanto editoras, por meio de seções que favorecessem a troca de correspondências entre intelectuais, o papel institucional da Academia e a difusão da cultura literária, graças a resenhas e divulgação de livros novos. As intervenções editoriais dão a ver um propósito de continuidade e estabilidade, apesar das mudanças perceptíveis nas mais de duas décadas de circulação. Com base nas evidências sugeridas pela publicação, pode-se inferir que as editoras atuaram em uma posição de mediação entre o “mundo do texto” e o “mundo do leitor”, no sentido de promover e ampliar a rede de sociabilidades da ALFRS perante uma comunidade interpretativa com a qual partilhavam interesses e habilidades literárias.This dissertation examines the journal Atenéia, produced by the Literary Academy of Rio Grande do Sul (ALFRS) between the years 1949 and 1972. It is inserted in the perspective of Cultural History and History of Written Culture, in its contributions to the field of the History of Education and, as a contribution of theoretical reflection, is inspired by Roger Chartier's postulates. In order to establish the context of investigation, it occupies itself in historicizing the feminine education and the production of periodicals in Brazil, attending, to a large extent, to the press produced by women between the middle of century XIX and of century XX. From the analysis of the complete collection of the magazine, composed of 55 issues distributed in 48 editions, it aims to investigate the editorial interventions made by the scholars with a view to the distribution of literary culture among the reading community sought. It investigates aspects related to materiality, both on the cover and on the internal pages, considering elements such as characteristics of the media, periodicity, typographic choices, occupancy of graphic space and use of photographs and illustrations. Such choices show the intention of producing a collectible magazine, which formed a harmonious set in its 23 years of circulation and referred in its physical dimensions to the format of a book. The dissertation also examines the textual conception of the periodical, divided between literary and institutional texts. With special attention to the latter, it is possible to affirm that the purpose indicated in the subtitle of the print - Organ of Cultural Interchange and Defense of the Interests of the Feminine Literary Academy of Rio Grande do Sul - guided the work of the academics as publishers, through sections that would favor the exchange of correspondences between intellectuals, the institutional role of the Academy and the promotion of literary culture, thanks to reviews and the dissemination of new books. The editorial interventions show a purpose of continuity and stability, despite the perceptible changes in the more than two decades of circulation. Based on the evidence suggested by the publication, it can be inferred that the publishers acted in a position of mediation between the "text world" and the "reader world", in order to promote and expand the ALFRS network of sociabilities in front of an interpretive community with which they shared literary interests and skills

Premises for eco-efficiency analysis on construction and demolition waste recycling

The construction industry is associated with significative impacts such a consumption of natural resources and waste generation. Eco-efficiency is an instrument for sustainable analysis which indicates the relation between environmental costs and impacts. While the most environmental method used is the lifecycle assessment (LCA), standardized by ISO 14040, the economic indicator should be selected according to the stakeholder. Total cost, Unit Cost, Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) are some of the economic indicators used in the economic analysis of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) recycling, however, the search for literature regarding the Eco-efficiency analysis shows a tendency to use the total cost regardless of its objective. In this sense, the objective of this paper is to propose the main premises to be considered in the selection of the economic indicator and in the normalization of the analysis of the CDW recycling Eco-efficiency index results. The search method adopted was comprised for three steps: Systematic review of literature; Analysis and comparison of Eco-efficiency indicators (including economic and environmental inputs); Discussion about the main assumptions in the CDW recycling Eco-efficiency analysis. 14 articles were identified in the Science Direct and Springer platforms. This paper provides information to propose premises to the Eco-efficiency analysis on CDW recycling. As a result, was defined a standard Eco-efficiency analysis according the objective: assessment of the cost to minimizing impacts, a simple comparison between scenarios or economic and environmental viability. The first two objectives refer to the input data variation and the scenarios evaluated, respectively. The third objective needs to compare the results with the current scenario, the final disposal and established market material that recycled aggregate can replace. Using the simplified flowchart proposed for each CDW recycling Eco-efficiency analysis objective will allow to standardize studies of this aspect, thus enabling more credible, replicable and comparable development

Avaliação técnica, ambiental e econômica do uso do jigue a ar na reciclagem do resíduo da construção e demolição (RCD) brasileiro

Os resíduos de construção e demolição (RCD) são gerados em grandes quantidades em todo o mundo. No Brasil, este resíduo supera a metade da geração do resíduo sólido urbano (RSU). Estudos acadêmicos evidenciam a possibilidade de reuso de agregados reciclados em substituição aos agregados naturais na produção de concretos. Há, entretanto, a necessidade da melhoria da qualidade dos agregados reciclados para ampliar sua aceitação pelo setor da Construção Civil. Assim, um novo paradigma surge na reciclagem do RCD: os métodos de beneficiamento. Alguns autores avaliam processos de beneficiamento adicionais aos processos unitários de reciclagem do RCD no Brasil. Entretanto, existe uma carência de estudos que considerem o beneficiamento de resíduos com características do gerado no Brasil através do uso do jigue a ar, equipamento de beneficiamento por diferenças de densidade. A legislação brasileira exige práticas que conciliem viabilidade econômica e redução dos impactos ambientais. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a viabilidade técnica, ambiental e econômica do uso do jigue a ar no beneficiamento gravimétrico dos agregados graúdos de RCD com características do gerado no Brasil. Para tal, se fez necessário: (i) Gerar e caracterizar RCD com características do gerado no Brasil; (ii) Avaliar a viabilidade técnica do beneficiamento com o uso do jigue a ar; (iii) Avaliar os impactos ambientais e a viabilidade econômica do conjunto de processos unitários utilizados atualmente para a reciclagem do RCD (Cenário Atual) e de um Cenário Proposto, onde é adicionado o uso do jigue a ar; (iv) Comparar a produção de agregados reciclados dos cenários de Reciclagem Atual e Proposto com os agregados graúdos naturais em um contexto de Intensidade de Impactos (relação impacto ambiental/custo). Os resultados confirmam a possibilidade de uso do jigue a ar na melhoria da qualidade de agregados graúdos reciclados, alcançando concentração de agregados de concreto na camada inferior do equipamento de 63%. Os parâmetros operacionais para estes resultados são: Taxa de expansão de 100%; Frequência de 100 rpm; e Tempo de Operação de 120 segundos. Os resultados demonstram que o jigue a ar não altera características dos agregados graúdos reciclados relevantes ao uso na construção civil. Os impactos ambientais da Reciclagem Proposta (com jigue a ar) são inferiores aos da Reciclagem Atual e da produção do agregado graúdo natural, no contexto de Porto Alegre-RS, para a maioria dos indicadores ambientais avaliados. Entretanto, o transporte de RCD é o principal responsável pelos impactos adversos dos indicadores Mudanças Climáticas, Depleção de Recursos Abióticos – combustíveis fósseis e Depleção da Camada de Ozônio, com contribuições que superam 90% dos indicadores. No Cenário Proposto, alguns dos indicadores ambientais são mais atrativos que os do Agregado Graúdo Natural, ainda que os locais de entrega do agregado produzido estejam a até 300 km de distância. Porém, os cenários de reciclagem avaliados (Atual e Proposto) somente atingem indicadores econômicos atrativos com soluções alternativas, como a redução de impostos, minimização/exclusão de custos de transporte ou concessão dos equipamentos da planta de reciclagem. Somente com a exclusão dos custos de transporte do RCD, são alcançados TIR e Payback adequados ao tipo de atividade. A análise de Intensidade de Impactos inicial, impacto ambiental/custos unitário, suavisa os resultados pouco atrativos dos demais indicadores econômicos. Logo, conclui-se mais adequado o uso da relação impacto ambiental/TIR ou Payback para o alcance de resultados fidedignos de Intensidade de Impactos da atividade.Construction and demolition waste (CDW) are generated in large quantities worldwide. In Brazil, this waste exceeds half the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW). Academic studies present the reuse of recycled aggregates to replace natural aggregates in concrete production. However, improving recycled aggregates quality is needed to enhance its acceptance by the Civil Construction sector. Thus, a new paradigm emerges in the recycling of CDW: the processing methods. Some authors have assessed additional processes to recycle CDW in Brazil. However, there is a lack of studies that consider Brazilian residues beneficiation through the use of air jigs, a sorting equipment that works through density differences. Brazilian law requires practices that conciliate economic viability and reduced environmental impacts. The objective of this study is to analyse the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of using air jig in the gravimetric processing of recycled coarse aggregates with characteristics of CDW generated in Brazil. For this, it was necessary to: (i) Generate and characterize a CDW with similar characteristic of those generated in Brazil; (ii) Evaluate the technical feasibility of air jig sorting process; (iii) Assess the environmental impacts and economic viability of the set of unit processes currently used for recycling the CDW (Current Scenario) and a Proposed Scenario, where the use of air jigs is added; (iv) Compare the production of recycled aggregates from the Current and Proposed Scenarios with natural coarse aggregates in a context of Impact Intensity (environmental impact / cost ratio). The results confirm the possibility of using air jig to improve the quality of recycled coarse aggregates, reaching concrete aggregates concentration of 63% in the lower layer of the equipment. The operational parameters for these results are: Expansion rate of 100%; Frequency of 100 rpm; and 120-second operating time. Results show that air jigs do not alter the characteristics of the recycled coarse aggregates relevant to use in civil construction. The environmental impacts of the Proposed Recycling (with air jigs) are lower than those from Current Recycling and from the production of natural coarse aggregate (NCA), in the city of Porto Alegre-RS context, for most of the evaluated environmental indicators. However, CDW transport is the main responsible for the adverse impacts of the indicators Climate Change, Depletion of Abiotic Resources - fossil fuels and Depletion of the Ozone Layer, with contributions that exceed 90% of the impacts. In the Proposed Scenario, some of the environmental indicators are more attractive than the NCA, even though the delivery places of produced aggregate are up to 300 km away. Still, the evaluated recycling scenarios (Current and Proposed) only reach attractive economic indicators with alternative solutions, such as tax reduction, minimization/exclusion of transportation costs or concession of equipment at the recycling plant. Only with the exclusion of transportation costs, Internal Rate Return (IRR) and Payback appropriate values are achieved. The initial Impact Intensity analysis, environmental impact/unit costs, smooths others economic indicators unattractive results. Therefore, the use of the environmental impact/IRR or Payback ratio is more appropriate to achieve reliable results of the activity Impact Intensity

"KlimaHaushalte" erproben CO2-arme Routinen im Alltag: Ergebnisse eines Feldversuchs

Private Haushalte können durch klimafreundlicheres Verhalten einen wirksamen Beitrag zum Klimaschutz leisten, wenn es gelingt Alltagsroutinen zu verändern. In einem Feldversuch wurden 78 Kölner Haushalte aus unterschiedlichen sozialen Schichten und mit unterschiedlichen kulturellen Hintergründen durch gezielte Interventionen zu einer Veränderung ihrer Alltagsroutinen in den Handlungsfeldern Ernährung, Mobilität und Wohnen/ Energie motiviert. Dabei wurden sie von geschulten KlimaberaterInnen betreut. In dem Beitrag stellen wir zentrale Ergebnisse des Feldversuchs vor und diskutieren Folgerungen für die Praxis der Verbraucherberatung