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Die Metropolregion Santiago (MRS) verzeichnete in den letzten Jahren ein großes Bevölkerungswachstum und einen Anstieg des Lebensstandards. Als Folge davon hat sich das Aufkommen von Siedlungsabfällen fast innerhalb von 10 Jahren verdoppelt. Die Daten für den aktuellen Zustand des Abfallmanagements wurden durch Feldforschungen, Fragebögen, Feldbesuche und durch eine systematische Auswertung von bereits vorliegender Literatur erhoben. Das integrative Nachhaltigkeitskonzept der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft diente als konzeptioneller Rahmen für die Studie. Zur Bewertung des aktuellen Zustands des Abfallmanagements wurden Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren identifiziert, deren aktuelle Werte bestimmt und Zielwerte festgelegt. Die Nachhaltigkeitsanalyse zeigt, dass die größten Defizite darin liegen, dass nahezu die gesamte Abfallmenge ohne jegliche Vorbehandlung deponiert wird. Damit verbunden sind lang andauernde Emissionen von Treibhausgasen. Um herauszufinden, wie der informelle Sektor im Abfallmanagement zur Nachhaltigkeit beiträgt, wurden veröffentlichten Erfahrungen mit informellen Müllsammlern in Lateinamerika analysiert. Dabei wurden die entsprechenden Akteure sowie etablierte Allianzen zwischen diesen Akteuren identifiziert. Schlüsselfaktoren für ein nachhaltiges Abfallmanagement unter Einbeziehung des informellen Sektors sind die Legalisierung der Schattenwirtschaft und feste Verträge mit Partnerunternehmen. Relevante Akteure für die Gestaltung der Arbeitsbedingungen des informellen Sektors sind Vertreter privater und öffentlicher Unternehmen, einzelne gesellschaftliche Gruppen sowie Vertreter von Nichtregierungsorganisationen. Schließlich wurden drei explorative Szenarien für das Bezugsjahr 2030 entwickelt: Business as Usual (BAU), Collective Responsibility (CR) und Market Individualism (MI). Das BAU-Szenario enthält eine getrennte Sammlung von Bioabfall und von Wertstoffen; hervorgerufen durch einen verstärkten Organisationsgrad der informellen Müllsammler und den Ausbau von Bring-Systemen. Die Errichtung mechanischer Sortierungsanlagen trägt zur Verwertung der Materialien und zum Recycling bei. Das entstehende Deponiegas und Biogas wird als erneuerbare Energiequelle genutzt. Das CR-Szenario enthält eine getrennte Sammlung von Bioabfall und Wertstoffen. Dies wird erreicht durch eine verstärkte Zusammenarbeit mit den jetzt organisierten Müllsammlern und durch den Ausbau von Bring-Systemen. Mechanische Sortierungsanlagen tragen zur Verwertung von Materialien und zum Recycling bei. Durch Abtrennung einer heizwertreichen Fraktion in mechanisch biologischen Anlagen werden Sekundärbrennstoffe produziert. Darüber hinaus werden, das entstehende Deponiegas sowie das in Vergärungsanlagen erzeugte Biogas energetisch genutzt. Im MI-Szenario sind Wiederverwertungsstrategien von untergeordneter Bedeutung. Es gibt kein Interesse an einer Zusammenarbeit mit den informellen Müllsammlern und keine Anreize für einen verstärkten Organisationsgrad in diesem Bereich. Deshalb bleibt die Branche weitgehend informell. Technologische Entwicklungen in diesem Szenario enthalten die mechanische Sortierung von gemischtem Abfall und die energetische Verwertung von Deponiegas. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass das Pro-Kopf-Aufkommen an Siedlungsabfällen im Jahr 2030 in allen Szenarien deutlich höher als im Jahr 2007 ist und der festgelegte Zielwert von 1,6 kg/Kopf/Tag nicht erreicht wurde. Den höchsten Wert (2,0 kg/Kopf/Tag) weist das MI-Szenario auf, der niedrigste Wert (1,8 kg/Kopf/Tag) wurde im CR-Szenario gefunden. Eine Vorbehandlung der gesammelten gemischten Siedlungsabfälle findet nur im CR-Szenario statt, der entsprechende Wert beträgt 18 %, der Zielwert wird damit nicht erreicht. Die höchsten Treibhausgasemissionen treten im MI-Szenario (295 kg CO2-eq/Kopf/Jahr) auf, den niedrigsten Wert (155 kg CO2-eq/Kopf/Jahr) findet man im CR-Szenario. All diese Werte sind, verglichen mit dem festgelegten Zielwert von 71 kg/Kopf/Jahr, deutlich zu hoch. Der Zielwert für die Wiederverwertungsquote wurde im CR-Szenario erreicht (43 %), den niedrigsten Wert zeigt das MI-Szenario (20 %). Die Zielwerte für das Einkommen der Müllsammler wurden im CR-Szenario erreicht (128 %). Im MI-Szenario beträgt dieser Wert lediglich 51 %. Die Kosten für das Abfallmanagement im Verhältnis zum Bruttoinlandsprodukt sinken in den drei Szenarien. Aus den Ergebnissen lässt sich ableiten, dass ein Einbeziehen von mehreren Faktoren erforderlich ist, um die Nachhaltigkeit des Abfallmanagementsystems in den drei Szenarien zu steigern und dass es von wesentlicher Bedeutung ist, schon vorhandene und gut funktionierende Subsysteme, wie das der informellen Müllsammler, zu nutzen und zu stärken. Ebenso ist die Umsetzung robuster Behandlungstechnologien, die einen Beitrag zur Reduktion negativer Umweltauswirkungen leisten, zu forcieren. Diese Technologien sollten preiswert sein, um ihren Einsatz auch unter wirtschaftlich vertretbaren Gesichtspunkten zu ermöglichen. The Metropolitan Region of Santiago (MRS) has experienced a large growth in population in recent years and a rise in the standard of living. Therefore, its municipal solid waste (MSW) has almost doubled in 10 years. Data about the current situation of MSW management in MRS were collected during field research, interviews, field visits and by a systematic evaluation of existing documentary literature. The Integrative Sustainability Concept of the Helmholtz Association provided a conceptual framework for the study. The sustainability analysis showed that the largest deficits are in the current amount of MSW deposited at sanitary landfills without any pre-treatment, and the emission values of greenhouse gases associated with waste treatment and final disposal. To find out if and how the informal waste sector contributes to sustainability, experiences of organization of informal primary collectors in Latin America were analyzed. The key factors which have an influence on their working conditions were identified. These factors include the existence of a legal framework for the informal waste sector; the existence of alliances with production companies guaranteeing a reliable industrial market for secondary raw materials and expansion of activities beyond collection of recyclables. Key stakeholders included people from the public and the private sector, from the civil society and from NGOs. Three explorative scenarios were developed for the year 2030: Business as Usual (BAU), Collective Responsibility (CR), and Market Individualism (MI). Waste generation, waste composition and different practices of waste collection, recovery and treatment were taken into account for the scenarios formulation. The BAU scenario incorporated separate collection of biowaste, recyclable materials with some participation of organized primary collectors and an expansion of drop-off systems. The mechanical sorting of mixed waste was introduced. The utilization of landfill gas as an energy source was promoted and the production of biogas in anaerobic digestion plants was implemented. The CR scenario incorporated separate collection of biowaste, commitment to work together with the primary waste collectors and an expansion of drop-off systems. The mechanical and mechanical biological treatment of mixed waste was introduced. The utilization of landfill gas as an energy source is promoted and the production of biogas in anaerobic digestion plants was implemented. In the MI separate collection of biowaste and recyclable materials was irrelevant. An organization of the informal primary collectors did not take place. Mechanical sorting of mixed waste was introduced. Utilization of landfill gas as an energy source was promoted. The results showed that the generation flux of MSW is at least 50% larger in all scenarios in 2030 compared to the year 2007, exceeding the limit value proposed. The highest value (2.0 kg/(person•day) is obtained in the MI scenario, and the lowest (1.8 kg/(person•day)) in the CR scenario. Pre-treatment of mixed MSW collected is only achieved in the CR scenario with a value of 18%, however, the target value is not achieved. The highest greenhouse gas emission value is obtained in the MI scenario with 295 kg CO2eq/(person•year), the lowest value of 155 kg CO2-eq/(person•year) is obtained in the CR scenario; a value that is still very high in comparison with the suggested target. The largest recycling rate is obtained in the CR scenario (43%), which is better than the target value proposed, the lowest recycling rate is obtained in the MI scenario (20%). The income of primary collectors in comparison with the income of one individual household is improved significantly in the CR scenario (128%), in the MI scenario, earnings of primary collectors decreased to 51%. The share of GDP spent on MSW management is lower in 2030, compared to the year 2007, in all scenarios the largest value of 0.17% is obtained in the CR scenario, and the lowest value of 0.14% is obtained in the MI scenario. The results of the evaluation of the scenarios showed that the largest sustainability deficits are the amount of mixed MSW which undergoes pre-treatment, the greenhouse gas emissions associated to MSW treatment and disposal, as well as the share of GDP spent on MSW management. The results obtained suggested that an integration of several factors is required to increase sustainability. It is essential to strengthen and take advantage of the subsystems which are working within the waste management system, as in the case of the informal sector. In addition to the implementation of flexible treatment technologies which help to decrease negative environmental impacts. Moreover, the costs of these technologies should be affordable, allowing a better financial management.

The goal of this study is to determine the difference in CO2 emissions between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, more specifically during lockdown periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the beginning of the pandemic, most countries were forced into lockdowns, and a countless number of people had to continue their daily work from home in isolation. Previously, people would go to an office or to school and leave their houses empty for eight hours, without having lights or any electronics on. Because of this, there should be a direct correlation between electricity usage before and during lockdowns, as a private residence should have higher electricity consumption during 2020-2021, when they are at home. Using machine learning, we will investigate to see if COVID-19 affected CO2 emissions as a result of more electricity usage in private residences. A model will be made to predict what the CO2 emissions would be for 2019-2020, based on electricity usage data from 2020-2021. Then, the real CO2 emissions from 2019-2020 will be compared with the model’s predicted values, and the difference will indicate if COVID-19 caused an inconsistency between actual and predicted CO2 emissions. Factors that were taken into account when making a model were independent variables relating to outdoor conditions, the number of people living in the house, and the temperature that the thermostat is set at, making the response variable CO2 emissions.

This research examines energy poverty in the Daniel McIntyre and St. Matthews (DMSM) neighbourhoods in the city of Winnipeg. Energy poverty, defined as households spending more than 6% of their income on energy expenditures, affects as many as 50% of households in DMSM. Energy poverty can be alleviated through energy retrofits for dwellings such as weather stripping; increasing insulation in exterior walls, the attic and basement; and installing a high-efficiency furnace. The recommendations include: establishing consistent housing and energy efficiency policies; increasing the flexibility of utility on-bill financing; levying the necessary capital for energy retrofits through municipal financing mechanisms; increasing the knowledge and capacity of local residents; increasing the knowledge and capacity of local contractors for sustainable design and construction; creating a provincial strategy to increase the energy efficiency of social housing; developing low-income energy efficiency programs for rental properties; and increasing access to renewable energy sources.

Amyloid fibril related diseases include dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinsons disease and pose an increasingly large burden to global healthcare, due to the presence of an ageing population. Despite many healthcare advances, amyloid fibril diseases remain largely untreatable, with only symptom managements available rather than any disease-modifying treatments. With hundreds of potential drug candidates failing clinical trials, this suggests that something is lacking in current approaches. One such gap is the thermodynamics of amyloid fibrils and how clinical agents modify the stability of fibrils, either positively or negatively. Thus far there has been a focus on the kinetic stability of amyloid fibrils due to the development and availability of kinetic assays. Specifically, the use of Thioflavin-T (ThT) fluorescence monitored growth curves to quantify the kinetics of amyloid growth in a robust, high-throughput manner. The equivalent thermodynamic assays are largely underdeveloped and as such remain underutilised. This thesis aims to fill this gap by developing a thermodynamic assay which can be used to quantify the Gibbs Free Energy (ΔG), enthalpy (ΔH), entropy (ΔS) and heat capacity (ΔCp) of amyloid fibril elongation. The development of this assay is detailed in Chapter 3, with the accompanying fitting script developed in Chapter 4. The assay was developed to be highly accessible in order to promote its uptake and use, with a low resource burden and a high throughput. The application of this assay to amyloid fibril systems is then detailed in chapter 5. Finally, development of a drug screening platform for use in identifying molecules which could modify the thermodynamic stability of amyloid fibrils is investigated in chapter 6. Through this thesis the development of an assay to quantify the thermodynamic stability of amyloid fibrils is described, with the stability of lysozyme, α-synuclein, insulin, tau, silk and amyloid-β fibrils investigated.

Detecting alcohol use among pregnant women is an important step toward preventing alcohol-related birth defects. A biomarker that could detect alcohol use during pregnancy would aid in earlier identification and intervention for affected infants. The existing potential biomarkers for identifying alcohol use during pregnancy can detect varying degrees of alcohol exposure, or use. However, further research is needed to evaluate these biomarkers.

Successful cap and trade programs for SO2 and NOx in the US allocate allowances to large emitters based on a historic base line for a period of up to thirty years. National Allocation Plans in Europe allocate CO2 allowances in an iterative approach first for a three then for a five-year period. The potential updating of the base line creates perverse incentives for operation and investment. Some allowances are also reserved for new entrants further distorting the scheme. We use analytic models and numeric simulations for the UK power sector to illustrate and quantify how these effects contribute to an inflation of the allowance price while reducing utilisation and investment in efficient technologies. The inflated allowance prices are likely to increase the European allowance budget and emissions, e.g. through the Linking Directive. As a result opportunity costs of emitting CO2 are reduced relative to an efficient cap and trade program.

This paper provides an overview of the economics of biofuels. It starts by describing the remarkable growth of the biofuel industry over the last decade, with emphasis on developments in the United States, Brazil and the European Union, and it identifies the driving role played by some critical policies. After a brief discussion of the motivations that are commonly argued in favor of biofuels and biofuel policies, the paper presents an assessment of the impacts of biofuels from the economics perspective. In particular, the paper explains the basic analytics of biofuel mandates, reviews several existing studies that have estimated the economic impacts of biofuels, presents some insights from a specific model, and outlines an appraisal of biofuel policies and the environmental impacts of biofuels. The paper concludes with an examination of several open issues and the future prospects of biofuels. Bio-based and Applied Economics, Vol 1 No 3 (2012): Towards a Sustainable Bio-economy: economic issues and policy challenges

Through the period 1450–1850, Scottish record sources portray a protracted crisis regarding energy resources generally and the supply of fuel to urban centers specifically, despite the fact that, unlike many European states, Scotland was a relatively energy-rich environment. This article considers the various factors that hindered intensification of industrial activity and retarded national economic growth. Eventually the pressure of social and cultural factors encouraged abandonment of the use of an abundant and relatively cheap resource—peat—and promoted the use of a scarcer and more expensive alternative—coal.

Pour répondre aux exigences du gouvernement fédéral quant aux temps d’attente pour les chirurgies de remplacement du genou et de la hanche, les établissements canadiens ont adopté des stratégies de gestion des listes d’attentes avec des niveaux de succès variables. Notre question de recherche visait à comprendre Quels facteurs ont permis de maintenir dans le temps un temps d’attente répondant aux exigences du gouvernement fédéral pendant au moins 6-12 mois? Nous avons développé un modèle possédant quatre facteurs, inspiré du modèle de Parsons (1977), afin d’analyser les facteurs comprenant la gouvernance, la culture, les ressources, et les outils. Trois études de cas ont été menées. En somme, le 1er cas a été capable d’obtenir les exigences pendant six mois mais incapable de les maintenir, le 2e cas a été capable de maintenir les exigences > 18 mois et le 3e cas a été incapable d’atteindre les objectifs. Des documents furent recueillis et des entrevues furent réalisées auprès des personnes impliquées dans la stratégie. Les résultats indiquent que l’hôpital qui a été en mesure de maintenir le temps d’attente possède certaines caractéristiques: réalisation exclusive de chirurgie de remplacement de la hanche et du genou, présence d’un personnel motivé, non distrait par d’autres préoccupations et un esprit d’équipe fort. Les deux autres cas ont eu à faire face à une culture médicale moins homogène et moins axés sur l’atteinte des cibles; des ressources dispersées et une politique intra-établissement imprécise. Le modèle d’hôpital factory est intéressant dans le cadre d’une chirurgie surspécialisée. Toutefois, les patients sont sélectionnés pour des chirurgies simples et dont le risque de complication est faible. Il ne peut donc pas être retenu comme le modèle durable par excellence. In response to federal government requirements regarding wait times for elective hip and knee surgery, hospitals have adopted wait list management strategies, with variable success. This research examined organizational and systemic factors that made it possible to keep wait times within federally established limits of 6-12 months. We used a model based on Parsons’ model. Four dimensions were used to analyze the following factors: governance, culture, resources, and tools. Three cases studies were done: Case 1 was able to meet the requirements for six months but unable to sustain this level; Case 2 was able to maintain compliance with requirements for > 18 months; and Case 3 was never able to meet the requirements. Documents were collected and interviews conducted with people involved in the strategies. In all, eight interviews were conducted at each site and all documents related to each strategy were collected. The results indicated that the one hospital that was able to maintain compliance with the wait time requirements had specific characteristics: an exclusive mandate to do only hip and knee replacement surgery; motivated staff who were not distracted by other concerns; and a strong team spirit. The two other cases had to contend with a medical culture that was less homogeneous and they were less focused on meeting targets and had resources that were dispersed as well as unclear inter-organizational policies. In the end, the hospital factory model is appealing in the context of superspecialized surgery. However, because patients are selected for simple surgeries, with little risk of complications, it cannot be promoted as a sustainable model of excellence.