Renewable Resources in an Overlapping Generations Economy Without Capital

We incorporate a renewable resource into an overlapping generations model without capital and with quasi-linear preferences. Besides being an input for production the resource serves as a store of value. We characterize the dynamics, efficiency, and stability of the steady-state equilibria. The stability properties are sensitive to the type of resource growth. For constant growth there is only one steady-state equilibrium which is stable and efficient. In the general case of the concave growth function, there are usually at least two steady-state equilibria, one of which is stable and the other one unstable. The unstable steady state is efficient, but the stable one may or may not be. We study the robustness of our results by assuming a logarithmic utility function. We show that for the Cobb–Douglas production function the steady state is unique and stable regardless of whether the equilibrium is efficient or inefficient. Our analytical results are illustrated by numerical calculations.     

How effective are River Basin Management Plans in reaching the nutrient load reduction targets?

Riverine nutrient loads are among the major causes of eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. This study applied the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in three catchments flowing to the Baltic Sea, namely Vantaanjoki (Finland), Fyrisån (Sweden), and Słupia (Poland), to simulate the effectiveness of nutrient control measures included in the EU’s Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). Moreover, we identified similar, coastal, middle-sized catchments to which conclusions from this study could be applicable. The first modelling scenario based on extrapolation of the existing trends affected the modelled nutrient loads by less than 5%. In the second scenario, measures included in RBMPs showed variable effectiveness, ranging from negligible for Słupia to 28% total P load reduction in Vantaanjoki. Adding spatially targeted measures to RBMPs (third scenario) would considerably improve their effectiveness in all three catchments for both total N and P, suggesting a need to adopt targeting more widely in the Baltic Sea countries.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01393-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

An assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and material flows caused by the Finnish economy using the ENVIMAT model

An environmentally extended input-output (EE-IO) analysis - environmental impacts of material flows caused by the Finnish economy - was carried out in order to improve data on production and consumption in Finland. The study resulted in the ENVIMAT model, which can be used to analyze the relationship between material flows, environmental impacts and the economy. The model is based on monetary and physical input-output tables and an environmental life-cycle impact assessment. This article summarizes the main methodological aspects and findings regarding the material flows and climate impacts caused by the Finnish economy in 2002 and 2005. The Finnish model has relatively detailed input data with 150 industries and 918 products and the data on imports was assessed according to a mixed approach with the help of life-cycle inventory data. The results of the model showed that the Finnish economy uses imported material resources as much as domestic resources. Life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by imports were equivalent to 70-80% of domestic emissions. The GHG emissions embodied in imports (emissions abroad) and exports (emissions within Finland) were of the same magnitude. The analysis showed that the service sector accounted for 44% of GHG emissions caused by the domestic final use of products. Analysis of the results also showed that the indicator of total material requirement (TMR) should not be used for environmental impact comparisons of products and services. In the future, the aim is to use the ENVIMAT model for assessing temporal changes in the economy; for monitoring sustainable development; for planning climate change mitigation; and for identifying important factors in the economy and assessing their impacts.     

Corruption and forest concessions

We examine how corruption impacts a central government's application of concession policy instruments consisting of royalty rates, concession size, environmentally sensitive logging levels, and enforcement. Harvesters have incentives to illegally log by taking more volume than is allowed, high grading through removal of only the highest valued and best formed trees, and shirking environmentally sensitive logging requirements, all of which reduce public goods produced from native tropical forests. Corruption is introduced through logging inspectors who can be bribed by harvesters to avoid fines associated with illegal logging. Both the theory and a simulation are used to compare policy design under corruption and no corruption.     

Randomized trial comparing first-trimester transcervical chorionic villus sampling and second-trimester amniocentesis

A total of 800 patients were randomized at the 9th to 11th week of pregnancy either for transcervical chorionic villus sampling (CVS) on the day of trial entry or for amniocentesis (AC) at the 16th week. The indication for fetal karyotyping was maternal age in 94 per cent of the cases; the mean maternal age was 39.2 years. An adequate sample was obtained in 98.3 per cent of the cases in the CVS group and in all cases in the AC group. Retesting was indicated in 3.3 per cent of the CVS cases. An abnormal karyotype was found in 6.1 per cent of the CV samples and in 4.5 per cent of the amniotic fluid samples. There was one false-positive chromosome result in both groups. Twelve (3.1 per cent) miscarriages occurred by the 22nd week of pregnancy in the CVS group in pregnancies intended to continue. No difference was seen between the groups for total fetal loss rates. The number of surviving infants in the CVS group was 92.2 per cent and in the AC group 91.7 per cent (rate difference 0.5 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval − 3.3 to 4.3)). In our study, both the diagnostic accuracy and the risk of fetal loss were equal in the CVS and AC groups.     

Efficient water treatment achieved in recirculating aquaculture system using woodchip denitrification and slow sand filtration

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - For a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), a passive water treatment system was designed for efficient discharge nutrient removal and water reuse...     

Prediction of Duration Limited Exposure for Participants Wearing Chemical Protective Clothing in the Cold

The suitability of the IREQ (insulation required) index for predicting the thermal responses of 6 participants wearing chemical protective clothing was tested during exercise at -20 and -25 °C. IREQ was used to calculate duration limited exposure (DLE). Measured DLE correlated (r= .899, p < .001) with the predicted DLE. In exposures exceeding 40 min, however, the predicted DLE tended to be 10-20 min too short compared to the measured one. During short exposures the prediction was 5-20 min too long. The results show that IREQ overestimated the cold strain in participants wearing chemical protective clothing during cold exposures longer than 40 min. Nevertheless, predicted DLE never exceeded measured times and thus the prediction was always safe from the occupational point of view.     

Exposure to chlorinated acetic acids: Responses of peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase activity in pine needles

During long-term exposure of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings to trichloro- and monochloroacetic acids via root uptake or acid mist treatments, both substances were removed from the plant tissues by metabolic activity. None of the treated plants exhibited visible stress symptoms at the concentrations used. In addition, the exposure to both substances led to dramatic changes in the activity of xenobiotic detoxification enzymes (peroxidase and gluthatione S-transferase) in the needles of the plants.     

Natural Oil-Based Alkyd-Acrylic Copolymers: New Candidates for Barrier Materials

The feasibility of using alkyd-acrylic copolymers as a barrier material was studied. Copolymers of tall oil fatty acid or rapeseed oil-based alkyd resin and polyacrylates were synthesized and films of these copolymers were prepared. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that after copolymerization the proportion of double bonds in alkyd resin was diminished due to grafting reactions. The mechanical properties, such as strength and flexibility, of the copolymer films were tested, and the performance of the films as water, oil, and oxygen barrier was evaluated. An increased amount of alkyd resin made the films more brittle and increased their oxygen permeability, however, at the same time their hydrophobicity was increased.