Carbon and energy taxation for CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> mitigation: a CGE model of the Malaysia

Malaysia has made a pledge to reduce voluntarily her carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO₂-e) gas emission’s intensity of gross domestic product by up to 40 % based on 2005 levels by 2020. The country is considering implementing economic instruments, among others, to assist the achievement of emission reduction targets while contributing towards the nation’s energy security and sustainable development goals. This paper develops a computable general equilibrium model with explicit energy-emission linkages to appraise the economy-wide and welfare impacts of carbon and energy tax policies to reduce CO₂ emissions in Malaysia. Results indicate that the negative macroeconomic impacts of carbon and energy taxes are small relative to the quantum of emission reduction. A Hicksian welfare criterion is utilized to determine the impact of revenue natural shifts in carbon and energy taxes. Revenue neutrality assumptions show that carbon taxation is the best choice when it can provide a double dividend if the generated revenue is used for the purpose of consumption subsidy on household purchases. The notion of the double dividend is confirmed when the change in the consumption structure will result in a welfare improvement, while CO₂ emission is decreased effectively. The study also found that carbon tax policy results in greater emission reductions relative to energy taxes, while the use of renewable energy will increase more substantially.     

Isolation of single circulating trophoblasts from maternal circulation for noninvasive fetal copy number variant profiling

Objective

To develop a multi-step workflow for the isolation of circulating extravillous trophoblasts (cEVTs) by describing the key steps enabling a semi-automated process, including a proprietary algorithm for fetal cell origin genetic confirmation and copy number variant (CNV) detection.

Methods

Determination of the limit of detection (LoD) for submicroscopic CNV was performed by serial experiments with genomic DNA and single cells from Coriell cell line biobank with known imbalances of different sizes. A pregnancy population of 372 women was prospectively enrolled and blindly analyzed to evaluate the current workflow.

Results

An LoD of 800 Kb was demonstrated with Coriell cell lines. This level of resolution was confirmed in the clinical cohort with the identification of a pathogenic CNV of 800 Kb, also detected by chromosomal microarray. The mean number of recovered cEVTs was 3.5 cells per sample with a significant reverse linear trend between gestational age and cEVT recovery rate and number of recovered cEVTs. In twin pregnanices, evaluation of zygosity, fetal sex and copy number profiling was performed in each individual cell.

Conclusion

Our semi-automated methodology for the isolation and single-cell analysis of cEVTS supports the feasibility of a cell-based noninvasive prenatal test for fetal genomic profiling.     

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impacts of glyphosate on the reproductive hormones

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Worldwide use of glyphosate is constantly increasing and its residues are detected in drinking water, agriculture, and food products. There are...     

New generation Amberlite XAD resin for the removal of metal ions: A review

The direct determination of toxic metal ions, in environmental samples, is difficult because of the latter's presence in trace concentration in association with complex matrices, thereby leading to insufficient sensitivity and selectivity of the methods used. The simultaneous removal of the matrix and preconcentration of the metal ions, through solid phase extraction, serves as the promising solution. The mechanism involved in solid phase extraction (SPE) depends on the nature of the sorbent and analyte. Thus, SPE is carried out by means of adsorption, ion exchange, chelation, ion pair formation, and so forth. As polymeric supports, the commercially availableAmberlite resins have been found very promising for designing chelating matrices due to its good physical and chemical properties such as porosity, high surface area, durability and purity. This review presents an overview of the various works done on the modification of Amberlite XAD resins with the objective of making it an efficient sorbent. The methods of modifications which are generally based on simple impregnation, sorption as chelates and chemical bonding have been discussed. The reported results, including the preconcentration limit, the detection limit, sorption capacity, preconcentration factors etc., have been reproduced.     

Genotoxic fungicide methyl thiophanate as an oxidative stressor inducing 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′ -deoxyguanosine adducts in DNA and mutagenesis

Dimethyl 4,4′ -(O-phenylene)bis(3-thioallophanate), commonly known as methyl thiophanate (MT), is a systemic fungicide and suspected carcinogen to humans. In this study, the oxidative potential of this category-III acute toxicant has been ascertained based on its capacity of inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promutagenic 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′ -deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) adducts in DNA. The discernible MT dose-dependent reduction in fluorescence intensity of a cationic dye rhodamine (Rh-123) in human lymphocytes and increased fluorescence intensity of 2′,7′-Dichlorodihydro fluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) treated cells signifies decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (Δ Ψ m) due to intracellular ROS generation. The ³²P-post-labeling assay demonstrated the MT-induced 8-oxodG adduct formation in calf thymus DNA. Thus, it is concluded that MT, as a potent oxidative stressor, produces ROS leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative DNA damage and mutagenesis.     

Mapping Human Dimensions of Climate Change Research in the Canadian Arctic

This study maps current understanding and research trends on the human dimensions of climate change (HDCC) in the eastern and central Canadian Arctic. Developing a systematic literature review methodology, 117 peer reviewed articles are identified and examined using quantitative and qualitative methods. The research highlights the rapid expansion of HDCC studies over the last decade. Early scholarship was dominated by work documenting Inuit observations of climate change, with research employing vulnerability concepts and terminology now common. Adaptation studies which seek to identify and evaluate opportunities to reduce vulnerability to climate change and take advantage of new opportunities remain in their infancy. Over the last 5 years there has been an increase social science-led research, with many studies employing key principles of community-based research. We currently have baseline understanding of climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability in the region, but key gaps are evident. Future research needs to target significant geographic disparities in understanding, consider risks and opportunities posed by climate change outside of the subsistence hunting sector, complement case study research with regional analyses, and focus on identifying and characterizing sustainable and feasible adaptation interventions.     

Use of recycled plastic in concrete: a review

Numerous waste materials are generated from manufacturing processes, service industries and municipal solid wastes. The increasing awareness about the environment has tremendously contributed to the concerns related with disposal of the generated wastes. Solid waste management is one of the major environmental concerns in the world. With the scarcity of space for landfilling and due to its ever increasing cost, waste utilization has become an attractive alternative to disposal. Research is being carried out on the utilization of waste products in concrete. Such waste products include discarded tires, plastic, glass, steel, burnt foundry sand, and coal combustion by-products (CCBs). Each of these waste products has provided a specific effect on the properties of fresh and hardened concrete. The use of waste products in concrete not only makes it economical, but also helps in reducing disposal problems. Reuse of bulky wastes is considered the best environmental alternative for solving the problem of disposal. One such waste is plastic, which could be used in various applications. However, efforts have also been made to explore its use in concrete/asphalt concrete. The development of new construction materials using recycled plastics is important to both the construction and the plastic recycling industries. This paper presents a detailed review about waste and recycled plastics, waste management options, and research published on the effect of recycled plastic on the fresh and hardened properties of concrete. The effect of recycled and waste plastic on bulk density, air content, workability, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, impact resistance, permeability, and abrasion resistance is discussed in this paper.     

Chloride and atrazine transport through saturated soil columns

A possible contamination of water resources by the application of pesticides is a problem confronting many irrigated areas in arid and semi-arid areas. The best management practices have to be adopted to minimize pesticide transport and leaching under irrigated conditions. Atrazine dissipation in loam and sandy loam soils has been tested in the laboratory using disturbed soil columns under saturated flooding conditions. All the experiments were performed in replicates. The chloride transport was also studied to test its behavior as an inert tracer in both the soils. Atrazine and chloride breakthrough curves were analyzed with the parameter optimization program CXTFIT to determine transport parameters including pore-water velocity (v), retardation coefficient (R), hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient (D), and pulse duration (t _o ). The pore-water velocity and pulse duration of the solute were estimated from the experimental conditions and kept constant during the optimization procedure. The results indicated that the R of chloride was not significantly different from 1, indicating that chloride is an inert tracer for the types of soil tested in this study. The average R of atrazine was 4.56 and 3.15 for sandy loam and loam soils, respectively. Results also showed that the hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient was much higher in the case of sandy loam soil compared to the loam soil for the two solutes, thus indicating non-equilibrium transport conditions. In the case of chloride, D increased from 0.4 for the loam soil to 16.2?cm²/min for the sandy loam soil. Similar results were observed in the case of atrazine in which D for the sandy loam soil was 60% higher than that for the loam soil. More atrazine leaching is expected under field conditions due to the presence of soil cracks and macropores.     

On a combined theory of pay level satisfaction

For decades, research on pay level satisfaction has focused on two theories and one approach: the direct link theory, the discrepancy theory, and the no‐difference‐scores approach. However, there are still unsolved puzzles facing pay level satisfaction research. We develop a combined theory to consider the impact of the interaction of reported pay and pay discrepancy. With this newly developed theory, we expect that (a) both reported pay and pay discrepancy have main effects on pay level satisfaction; (b) reported pay and pay discrepancy also interact with each other, in that the effect of pay discrepancy on pay level satisfaction decreases as pay level increases; (c) equitable payment is more related to pay level dissatisfaction when pay level is low; and (d) overpayment in general is related to pay level satisfaction, not dissatisfaction. An empirical study (N = 481) using four types of comparison standards was conducted, and the results supported our predictions. The findings of our study have important implications for both academic research and management practice.