Explaining the differential distribution of Clean Development Mechanism projects across host countries

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol represents an opportunity to involve all developing countries in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also promoting sustainable development. To date, however, the majority of CDM projects have gone to emerging markets such as China, India, Brazil, and Mexico, while very few least developed countries have hosted projects. This paper investigates the differential distribution of CDM activities across countries. We develop a conceptual model for project profitability, which helps to identify potential country-level determinants of CDM activity. These potential determinants are employed as explanatory variables in regression analysis to explain the actual distribution of projects. Human capital and greenhouse gas emission levels influenced which countries have hosted projects and the amount of certified emission reductions (CER) created. Countries that offered growing markets for CDM co-products, such as electricity, were more likely to be CDM hosts, while economies with higher carbon intensity levels had greater CER production. These findings work against the least developed countries and help to explain their lack of CDM activity.     

An analysis of conformational changes on proteinprotein association: implications for predictive docking

Conformational changes on complex formation have been measuredfor 39 pairs of structures of complexed proteins and unboundequivalents, averaged over interface and non-interface regionsand for individual residues. We evaluate their significanceby comparison with the differences seen in 12 pairs of independentlysolved structures of identical proteins, and find that justover half have some substantial overall movement. Movementsinvolve main chains as well as side chains, and large changesin the interface are closely involved with complex formation,while those of exposed non-interface residues are caused byflexibility and disorder. Interface movements in enzymes aresimilar in extent to those of inhibitors. All eight of the complexes(six enzyme–inhibitor and two antibody–antigen) thathave structures of both components in an unbound form availableshow some significant interface movement. However, predictivedocking is successful even when some of the largest changesoccur. We note however that the situation may be different insystems other than the enzyme–inhibitors which dominatethis study. Thus the general model is induced fit but, becausethere is only limited conformational change in many systems,recognition can be treated as lock and key to a first approximation.     

Mechanization of Glass Manufacture

Mechanization of glass manufacture had just begun in 1898 but was accelerating. Notable advances were soon to be made in all branches of the industry, many of them in the United States, and have continued to the present day. M. J. Owens occupies a unique position as the inventor of the first successful fully automatic container machine in 1903; he was also involved in several other important developments. However, within 20 years, machines fed with gobs supplied by the Peiler forehearth and gob feeder, also American inventions, became successful competitors. From about 1930 to 1960, a wide variety of machines was used to make containers, but these have been superseded nearly everywhere by the individual section machine, another American invention. The Lubbers process for sheet glass cylinders was an early success in 1903. About 12 years later the direct drawing of flat sheet was developed almost simultaneously by Fourcault in Belgium and Colburn in the United States. The Pittsburgh process followed a few years later. Ford was the first to succeed in making continuously cast plate, but Pilkington in the United Kingdom soon exploited that process to make much wider cast plate. At that time Pilkington also developed the simultaneous grinding of both faces of the continuous ribbon. The invention and development of float glass by Pilkington in the 1950s has made all other flat glass processes obsolete for most purposes. Owens-Corning has played a major role in the glass-fiber industry since its beginnings in the 1930s. The most important advance in manufacture of optical glass was the small continuous tank with vigorous stirring developed by Corning Glass Works. Corning also made other notable advances, such as the ribbon machine for lamp bulbs and the lamination process used for Corelle ware.     

COMPLEX FORMATION AND LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION OF SILVER WITH CYCLIC AND OPEN-CHAIN OXATHIA ALKANES

The complex forming and extraction properties of various open-chain and two cyclic oxathia alkanes towards silver have been studied. The investigations confirm the direct proportionality between extraction constants and related complex stability constants.The extraction of silver by open-chain oxethie alkenee is greeter than by structurally analogoue thicacrown compounds. This fact and the determined stability constants show an absence of a macrocyclic effect during complex formation. The differences of extraction power between the various open-chain compounds can be interpreted on the basic o f the coordinative saturation and stereochemiatry of the silver ion, on the size o f the poesible chelate rings, and on the complexing capability o f the ether oxygen atoms.     

Investigation of a Novel Condensation Aerosol Generator: Solute and Solvent Effects

Part I of this article presents results of an experimental study on gas-phase nucleation for three model solutes and their solvent, propylene glycol (PG), with variables being solute concentration and the nature of the solute substance. A single manifestation of an aerosol generator, which forms condensation aerosols by cooling of hot vapor issuing from an electrically heated, pumped capillary, is described and used for all experiments. The effects of solute concentration and solute type were studied for deoxycorticosterone (DOC), benzil (BZ), and phenyl salicylate (PhS). Suppression of homogeneous nucleation and occurrence of heterogeneous condensation of the solvent was observed at different solute concentrations for BZ, PhS, and DOC. The nature and concentration of the solute dissolved in the solvent was shown to determine the final particle size distribution of the condensed aerosol. In the case of the least volatile solute, DOC, solute aerosol and total aerosol size distributions were identical at low solute concentrations. A transitional concentration region then existed in which a bimodal solute aerosol was formed, followed at high concentrations by increasing separation of the solvent-dominated aerosol size distribution and that of the solute. In Part II of this article, the effect of DOC dissolution in different solvents was studied at fixed solute concentration. The effects of six glycol solvents--i.e., PG, ethylene glycol (EG), dipropylene glycol (DPG), diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), and tetraethylene glycol (TetEG)--and three nonglycol solvents--i.e., dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), formamide (FORM), and oleyl alcohol (OA)--were studied, as these affected the resultant aerosol sizes. Suppression of total aerosol mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) was observed on dissolution of 0.5% w/w DOC in each solvent, although suppression occurred to different extents. It was shown that the boiling point or volatility of the solvent used to dissolve the less volatile DOC had an effect on the final particle size distribution of the condensed aerosol and whether the aerodynamic size distributions for the solute and the total aerosol were the same or different.