Suchergebnisse

Environmental performances of products largely influence performances of systems. Moreover, systems have still an untapped energy-saving potential concerning environmental performances at system level rather than at the level of the individual products of which they are composed.The objective of this work is to propose an approach to deal with energy performance assessments at system level considering information/data from European product policies (Ecodesign, Energy Labels, Green Public Procurement and EU Ecolabel). The hypothesis here is that environmental product policies, that have been very useful in facilitating a homogeneous rating scheme in the EU market for individual products, can also be advantageously used in a method to assess the energy performance of systems.This research work proposes a simplified method for supporting the design of good performing heating systems using data from EU product policies, which is available during the design stage. Firstly, a system modelling with a top-down approach is used so that system aspects (geographical conditions, building characteristics, etc.) are regarded. Secondly, the system energy performance is calculated from a bottom-up approach so that, from the performance of the products and sub-systems composing the system. The method has 5 steps divided in two main phases: diagnostic of the initial system and improvement. The method is supported by an original calculation tool which determines the energy parameters (energy demand, energy losses, energy consumption and low-emission energy efficiency) at system level using performance figures from EU product policies. It helps assessing how good a heating system is by setting worst, benchmark and best possible systems. The method is flexible, and allows different product configurations to be assessed and can hence support the design activities of heating systems.The method is tested on a real case study, the re-design of existing heating systems of a dwelling in north Italy, including a solar hot water system and a space heating system. The case study demonstrates the potential of improvement of the heating systems based on the results produced by the method, by helping selecting products currently available in the market. In addition, based on the assessment, several improved design alternatives can be proposed combining different performances of the products which compose the heating systems.The dissertation also analyses the evolution of the different approaches of EU product policies (product, extended product and system). In particular, the package concept set in the energy labelling regulations of heating systems is studied in detail. The package label of Regulation 811/2013 is implemented on the same prior case study so that results can be compared with the ones of previous sections. It is shown that the package concept can also support decisions made in the building design phase especially in the choice of appropriate components based on estimation of system performances. In addition, the peer-reviewed paper analyses the link of building-related product policies with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and it is concluded that they should be somehow better aligned. ; La performance environnementale des produits influence largement la performance des systèmes. De plus, les systèmes présentent encore un potentiel d'économie d'énergie inexploité pour la performance environnementale globale, comparé aux produits individuels qui les composent.L'objectif de ce travail est de proposer une approche pour l'évaluation de performance énergétique de systèmes, en tenant compte d'information / de données livrées par les politiques européennes de produits (Directives Eco-conception et Étiquetage énergétique, Verdissement des marchés publics, Ecolabel Européen). L'hypothèse considérée ici est que les politiques environnementales des produits, qui ont été très utiles pour faciliter un système de notation homogène sur le marché européen des produits, peuvent également être avantageusement utilisées dans une démarche visant pour évaluer la performance énergétique des systèmes.Ce travail de recherche propose une méthode simplifiée pour soutenir la conception de systèmes de chauffage performants en utilisant les données des politiques environnentales de produits de l'Union Européenne, disponibles en phase de conception. Tout d'abord, une modélisation du système avec une approche "top-down" est utilisée pour prendre en compte les aspects système (conditions géographiques, caractéristiques du bâtiment, etc.). Deuxièmement, la performance énergétique du système est calculée à partir d'une approche "bottom-up", à partir de la performance des produits et des sous-systèmes composant le système. La méthode comporte 5 étapes divisées en deux phases principales: diagnostic du système initial et amélioration. La méthode est supportée par un outil de calcul original qui détermine les paramètres énergétiques (demande d'énergie, consommation d'énergie et rendement énergétique) au niveau du système en utilisant les données de performance telles que documentées par les politiques produits de l'Union Européenne. La méthode permet d'évaluer la performance d'un système de chauffage en définissant les systèmes les plus mauvais et les meilleurs possibles. La méthode est flexible et permet d'évaluer différentes configurations de produits et peut donc soutenir les activités de conception des systèmes de chauffage de bâtiment.La méthode est testée sur une étude de cas, la re-conception conception d'un système de chauffage existant d'une habitation dans le nord de l'Italie, incluant un système d'eau chaude sanitaire solaire et un système de chauffage des locaux. L'étude de cas démontre le potentiel d'amélioration du système de chauffage basé sur les résultats produits par la méthode, en aidant à sélectionner les produits actuellement disponibles sur le marché. En outre, sur la base de l'évaluation, plusieurs variantes de re-conception peuvent être proposées combinant différentes performances des produits qui composent les systèmes de chauffage. La thèse analyse également l'évolution des différentes approches adoptées par les politiques de produits de l'Union Européenne (approche produit, approche produit étendu et approche système). En particulier, le concept de "package" (ou produits combinés) défini dans les réglementations d'étiquetage énergétique des systèmes de chauffage est étudié en détail. L'étiquette du "package" du règlement 811/2013 est mise en œuvre dans la même étude de cas, de sorte que les résultats puissent être comparés à ceux des sections précédentes. Il est démontré que le concept de "package" peut également soutenir les décisions prises dans la phase de conception du système de chauffage, en particulier dans la sélection des composants appropriés en fonction de l'estimation de la performance du système. En outre, le chapitre 6, composé essentiellement d'un article publié dans un journal scientifique, analyse le lien entre les politiques publiques européennes relatives aux produits du bâtiment et celles liées à la performance énergétique des bâtiments: il est conclu qu'elles pourraient être mieux alignées.

Environmental performances of products largely influence performances of systems. Moreover, systems have still an untapped energy-saving potential concerning environmental performances at system level rather than at the level of the individual products of which they are composed.The objective of this work is to propose an approach to deal with energy performance assessments at system level considering information/data from European product policies (Ecodesign, Energy Labels, Green Public Procurement and EU Ecolabel). The hypothesis here is that environmental product policies, that have been very useful in facilitating a homogeneous rating scheme in the EU market for individual products, can also be advantageously used in a method to assess the energy performance of systems.This research work proposes a simplified method for supporting the design of good performing heating systems using data from EU product policies, which is available during the design stage. Firstly, a system modelling with a top-down approach is used so that system aspects (geographical conditions, building characteristics, etc.) are regarded. Secondly, the system energy performance is calculated from a bottom-up approach so that, from the performance of the products and sub-systems composing the system. The method has 5 steps divided in two main phases: diagnostic of the initial system and improvement. The method is supported by an original calculation tool which determines the energy parameters (energy demand, energy losses, energy consumption and low-emission energy efficiency) at system level using performance figures from EU product policies. It helps assessing how good a heating system is by setting worst, benchmark and best possible systems. The method is flexible, and allows different product configurations to be assessed and can hence support the design activities of heating systems.The method is tested on a real case study, the re-design of existing heating systems of a dwelling in north Italy, including a solar hot water system and ...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the theory, policy and practice of child labour in Latin America. Interventions to reduce child labour are more likely to be successful if they are locally‐driven, supported by legislation and based on theoretical understandings of childhood that reflect the realities and needs of the children, families and communities whose lives they aim to improve.Design/methodology/approachSociological and anthropological discourses on children's life worlds are reviewed to situate changes in our understanding of child labour. These theoretical developments are then discussed in the light of changing international legislation, such as ILO's convention 182. Recent statistics suggest a trend for declining child labour and we study the link between statistics, theoretical and legislative positions.FindingsThe ILO's 2006 child labour statistics and examples of policies in Latin America support the hypothesis that theoretical developments in the concept of childhood have influenced successful interventions aimed at its reduction. This theory‐policy‐practice partnership appears to have been a catalyst for the development of successful "government–private‐enterprise – civil society" programmes to reduce child labour.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough these multi‐sectorial strategies have been successful in Latin America, further research is needed to see whether similar policies and interventions can be repeated in other regions.Originality/valueThe paper is original in its linking of theory, policy and practice in the context of recent statistics and programmes at reducing child labour in Latin America.

16 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jgrc.20254/suppinfo ; Interannual chlorophyll variability and its driving mechanisms are evaluated in the eastern subtropical North Atlantic, where elevated surface chlorophyll concentrations regularly extend more than 1500 km into the central subtropical North Atlantic and modulate the areal extent of the North Atlantic's lowest chlorophyll waters. We first characterize the considerable interannual variability in the size of the high chlorophyll region using SeaWiFS satellite data. We then evaluate the relationship between satellite chlorophyll and sea surface height (SSH), which are anticorrelated in the study region, most likely as a result of the inverse relationship between SSH and nutricline depth. To put these results in a longer temporal context, we study a hindcast simulation of a global ocean model with biogeochemistry (GFDL's MOM4.1 with TOPAZ biogeochemistry), after evaluating the model's skill at simulating chlorophyll and SSH relative to observations. In the simulation, the variability seen during the satellite era appears to be imbedded in a much larger multidecadal modulation. The drivers of such variability are assessed by evaluating all the terms in the nutrient budget of the euphotic zone. Because diffusive processes are not a dominant control on nutrient supply, stratification is not a good indicator of nutrient supply. Rather, vertical advection of nutrients, strongly tied to Ekman pumping, is the leading driver of variability in the size of the high chlorophyll region and the productivity within the study area. © 2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved ; J.B.P. is grateful for funding from NSF's International Research Fellowship Program, NOAA, McGill University, and NSERC Discovery. M.V.P. and J.L.P. acknowledge funding from the Spanish government through projects MOC2 (ref. CTM2008-06438-C02-01) and TIC-MOC (ref. CTM2011-28867). M.V.P. would like to acknowledge Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas for funding through an I3P grant ; Peer Reviewed

Background Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure at home and fetal SHS exposure during pregnancy are a major cause of disease among children. The aim of this study is quantifying the burden of disease due to SHS exposure in children and in pregnancy in 2006–2017 for the 28 European Union (EU) countries. Methods Exposure to SHS was estimated using a multiple imputation procedure based on the Eurobarometer surveys, and SHS exposure burden was estimated with the comparative risk assessment method using meta-analytical relative risks. Data on deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were collected from National statistics and from the Global Burden of Disease Study. Results Exposure to SHS and its attributable burden stalled in 2006–2017; in pregnant women, SHS exposure was 19.8% in 2006, 19.1% in 2010, and 21.0% in 2017; in children it was 10.1% in 2006, 9.6% in 2010, and 12.1% in 2017. In 2017, 35,633 DALYs among children were attributable to SHS exposure in the EU, mainly due to low birth weight. Conclusions Comprehensive smoking bans up to 2010 contributed to reduce SHS exposure and its burden in children immediately after their implementation; however, SHS exposure still occurs, and in 2017, its burden in children was still relevant.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Latino America in the Umma/ the Umma in Latino America -- Part I Reconsidering History -- Chapter 1 "De los Prohibidos": Mu slims and Moriscos in Colonial Spanish America -- Chapter 2 African Rebellion and Refuge on the Edge of Empire -- Chapter 3 Ethnic and Religious Identification among Muslim East Indians in Suriname (1898–1954) -- Part II Contemporary Cartographies -- Chapter 4 Institutionalizing Islam in Argentina: Comparing Community and Identity Configurations -- Chapter 5 Conversion, Revivalism, and Tradition: The Religious Dynamics of Mu slim Communities in Brazil -- Chapter 6 Guests of Islam: Conversion and the Institutionalization of Islam in Mexico -- Chapter 7 Cubans Searching for a New Faith in a New Context -- Chapter 8 Muslims in Martinique -- Chapter 9 Forming Islamic Religious Identity among Trinidadians in the Age of Social Networks -- Part III Islam Latina/o -- Chapter 10 Discovering a Historical Consciousness: The Creation of a US Latina/o Muslim Identity -- Chapter 11 Mapping Mu slim Communities in "Hispanicized" South Florida -- Chapter 12 Double-Edged Marginality and Agency: Latina Conversion to Islam -- Conclusion -- Contributors -- Index

Altres ajuts: The sponsors of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report. The research was funded in part by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development, and demonstration under grant agreement 305299 (AgedBrainSYSBIO), the Belgian Science Policy Office Interuniversity Attraction Poles program, the Alzheimer Research Foundation (SAO-FRA), the Flemish government-initiated Flanders Impulse Program on Networks for Dementia Research (VIND), the Flemish government-initiated Methusalem Excellence Program, the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), the VIB Technology Fund, the University of Antwerp Research Fund, Belgium; European Regional Development Fund, the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente and RF-2010-2319722), and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Pistoia e Pescia grant (2014.0365). ; Premature termination codon (PTC) mutations in the ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family A, Member 7 gene (ABCA7) have recently been identified as intermediate-to-high penetrant risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). High variability, however, is observed in downstream ABCA7 mRNA and protein expression, disease penetrance, and onset age, indicative of unknown modifying factors. Here, we investigated the prevalence and disease penetrance of ABCA7 PTC mutations in a large early onset AD (EOAD)-control cohort, and examined the effect on transcript level with comprehensive third-generation long-read sequencing. We characterized the ABCA7 coding sequence with next-generation sequencing in 928 EOAD patients and 980 matched control individuals. With MetaSKAT rare variant association analysis, we observed a fivefold enrichment (p = 0.0004) of PTC mutations in EOAD patients (3%) versus controls (0.6%). Ten novel PTC mutations were only observed in patients, and PTC mutation carriers in general had an increased familial AD load. In addition, we observed nominal risk reducing trends for three common ...