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HFC refrigerants as R134a, R404A, R407C and R410A are commonly used in heating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HACR) systems since Kyoto protocol. However, they are phased-out due to their high global warming potential (GWP). There are various options to replace high GWP refrigerants, among all hydrofluorolefin (HFO) fluids, such as R1234yf, represents an excellent alternative. With GWP <1, R1234yf is a promising substitute for R134a. This paper presents the most relevant researches concerning the application of R1234yf in the last decade. This review paper regroups experimental and theoretical studies which assess the performance of pure R1234yf as working fluid of the compression systems such as mobile and residential air conditioning, air and water heat pump, domestic refrigerator and freezer. Studies depict that R1234yf can be recommended for small-scale systems instead of R134a, but an optimization process is necessary to achieve the optimum operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The partisan divide over climate change issues in the U.S. has been increasing over time, particularly after the signing of the Kyoto protocol in 1997. This divide has posed a substantial hurdle to implementing a unified climate policy in the U.S. In this paper, I employ the Shapley value decomposition approach to measure the partisan gap in state-level per capita energy-related CO 2 emissions. Despite a decrease in overall carbon emissions and stable per capita carbon inequality between states (measured by the Gini index), the inequality between the so called 'red' and 'blue' states widened over the period between 1997 and 2021. This is true regardless of whether each state is treated as a unit of analysis or assigned a weight equal to its population. Throughout the period, the divide by political party color was more pronounced than that by many other dimensions, such as income, climatic condition, and geographic location. These results also hold true when Mean Log Deviation is used as the measure of inequality. Driven primarily by disparity in transportation sector and coal use for electricity generation, the partisan gap was worse in 2021 than in 2020. While the partisan gap intensified, the carbon distribution changed from being top-concentrated to bottom-concentrated between 1997 and 2019, only to be reversed in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and subsequent economic recovery in 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the societal goal of becoming a sustainable decarbonized society by 2050, it is essential to design visions and policies that take into account the perspectives of future generations overcoming intergenerational conflicts. In this paper, we present an innovative framework to envision a decarbonized society in 2050 and design policies by introducing "imaginary future generations," together with systems thinking, and analyze the effectiveness of these methods. We organized a series of workshops in which Kyoto City officials participated in the application of the framework. We demonstrate that by applying the framework, the policy measures proposed by the participants shifted from individual measures to proposals of new mechanisms and systems that do not yet exist, even if they present high hurdles for the current generation. Causal loop diagrams based on system thinking proved to be effective for increasing liveliness, reducing divergence, and improving the development of discussion themes. A questionnaire survey revealed that the workshop produced shifts in the participants' perceptions. We conclude that the proposed framework effectively generated "futurability" in the participants and could help facilitate policy design that aims to achieve a decarbonized society by overcoming the shortsightedness of the present society. • A new framework for policy design towards a decarbonized society is presented. • Imaginary future generations with systems thinking were adopted in deliberations. • The framework resulted in producing policy measures overcoming shortsightedness. • A causal loop diagram as systems thinking was effective for the policy discussion. • Questionnaire surveys showed a shift in participants' perception after treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Construction and operation of plants that produce energy from renewable energy sources is the subject for discussion in all the countries that have accepted the sustainable development concept and Kyoto protocol as their own development direction. Enlargement of the renewable energy production is clearly an imperative, but only economically viable construction and operation can result in long-term sustainability, which is initially the goal when deciding upon such investments. In line with this goal, this paper presents the estimation of the economic viability of constructing and operating biogas electricity plant on the farm Vizelj in Serbia. The timeframe for this estimation is from 2011 until 2020. This paper also presents all parameters which are necessary for performing this estimation, respectively, analysis of revenues and expenditures, projection of economic and financial flow, ratio analysis, dynamic and static analysis, and analysis of sensitivity of the project, i.e. impact of the changes in prices and raw material on the overall performance of the project. The observed investment is predicted to be financed from the EBRD''s credit line for renewable energy in Western Balkans, while the total investment is estimated at Euro 958,000.00. After the performed economic assessment, the conclusion is that the observed investment in biogas electricity plant is very acceptable and it can serve as a role model for similar investments in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ovalbumin peptides are food protein-derived fragments comprised of amino acid residues. The bioactive properties of the peptides are determined by the inherent amino acid composition and sequence of the peptide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the proteomics characteristics in Tibetan chicken egg ovalbumin peptides, compared to ordinary eggs, using isobaric tags for the relative and absolute quantification labelling technique (iTRAQ). The results showed that 165 proteins were identified and 56 proteins were significantly changed including 34 significantly upregulated and 22 significantly downregulated proteins. The more abundant proteins of the Tibetan ovalbumin peptides included vitellogenin-2, vitellogenin-1, vitellogenin, apolipoprotein A-I, and serum albumin, which were upregulated. A Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that these proteins mostly participated in biological processes and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that they may be associated with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathway, which is related to lipid metabolism. The Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) analysis showed that these proteins significantly interacted. • The Tibetan egg ovalbumin peptide identification by proteome analysis was not reported before. • The difference of ovalbumin peptides of Tibetan egg and the ordinory in protein expression patterns and the difference of biochemical function on proteomic level are reported in this paper. • This study will help demonstrate molecular-level protein differences in ovalbumin peptides and may help reveal ovalbumin special effect on protein function of Tibetan egg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To date, developed countries can only tap mitigation opportunities in developing countries by investing in projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Yet CDM investments have so far failed to reach all of the high-potential sectors identified in IPCC reports. This raises doubts about whether the CDM will be able to generate an adequate supply of credits from the limited areas where it has proved successful. Our paper examines the current trajectory of potential mitigation entering the CDM pipeline and projects it forward under the assumption that the diffusion of the CDM will follow a path similar to other kinds of innovations. Projections are then compared to pre-CDM predictions of the mechanism''s potential market size used to assess Kyoto''s cost, in order to discern whether limits on the types of project entering the pipeline will also limit the eventual supply of certified emission reductions (CERs). The main finding of the paper is that the mechanism is on track to deliver an average annual flow of roughly 700 million CERs by the close of 2012 and nearly to 1100 million tons by 2020. Parameter tests suggest that currently identified CDM investments will exceed early model predictions of the potential market for CDM projects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A description is given of Gobioecetes biwaensis n. g., n. sp. (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) on the gills of a freshwater gobiid fish, Rhinogobius sp. BW Takahashi & Okazaki, 2002 from Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture and Rhinogobius sp. from Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. This monogenean is most similar to Parancyrocephaloides rhinogobius Ling, 1973, proposed here as Gobioecetes rhinogobius n. comb., collected from the gills of Rhinogobius giurinus (Rutter, 1897) in Hupei Province, China, but can be differentiated from it in that ventral hamuli of G . biwaensis are larger than those of G . rhinogobius and in that in G . biwaensis , ventral hamuli are larger than dorsal ones, but in G . rhinogobius , ventral and dorsal hamuli are almost equal in size. The new genus is characterized by the absence of a bar supporting dorsal hamuli. Parancyrocephaloides daicoci Yamaguti, 1938, the type species of the genus, is redescribed based on newly collected specimens from a marine dactylopterid, Dactyloptena peterseni (Nyström, 1887) and the type specimens, revealing that it has a pair of vestigial bars supporting dorsal hamuli. The generic diagnoses of Gobioecetes n. g. and Parancyrocephaloides are given and systematic position of these genera in Dactylogyridae is discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has two main aims: to offer an overview of Spain׳s strategy for fulfilling its Kyoto commitments and to analyze the main drivers that have influenced the recent trend in its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with special emphasis on the Spanish power sector. First, the use of the Kyoto Flexibility Mechanisms in Spain and the role of the different subsectors of the country׳s economy in fulfilling the aforesaid commitment are explored, focusing on the sectors affected by the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Then, based on the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model and on the analysis of trends in Spain׳s primary and final energy intensity ratios, the main drivers in GHG emission trends are identified, with a distinction being drawn between “strategic” and “non-strategic” drivers. The results show that the trend in the level of the economy is the main “non-strategic” driver, while increased penetration of renewable energies in the Spanish power mix and improvements in final energy efficiency are the main “new-strategic” drivers which explain the downward trend observed in GHG emissions from 2006 onwards. However, changes in legislation introduced in 2012 are negatively affecting the new renewable installed power generation capacity: they seem to mean a step backward in the future Spanish strategy to reduce or limit GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the parametric distribution of log-growth rates of CO 2 and CO 2 per capita emissions for 207 countries and territories taking data from 1994 to 2010. We define the log-growth rates for different duration periods, from one year apart to fifteen years apart. The considered probability distributions have been the following: the normal (N), the asymmetric double Laplace normal (adLN), the exponential tails normal (ETN) and a mixture of two normal (2N) or three normal (3N) distributions. The main result is that the best one is different depending on the period considered, in such a way that there is not a systematically dominant distribution. Thus, the behavior may change from one year to the next one, and possibly this is influenced by policy measures such as the Kyoto protocol or the Clean Development Mechanism. Moreover, a policy measure that can be derived from this paper is that some countries can still reduce their emissions of CO 2 compared with others, as seen by the non-uniformity of the preferred probability distribution for each period. We also model a stochastic differential equation whose associated Fokker–Planck equation has as a solution the observed time-dependent probability density function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To evaluate the probable storage volume of CO2 in Japan, the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) and the Engineering Advancement Association of Japan (ENAA) collected and organized a wide range of geological information on Japanese sedimentary basins, and estimated a CO2 storage capacity during a period between 2006 and 2009 . In an attempt to optimize the investigation efforts and to share the information, the vast amount of geological data collected were then reorganized into a database system where the investigation results could be readily accessed and browsed. This paper represents the outline of the database system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Drought-sensitive bryophytes are especially vulnerable to edge effects caused by forest fragmentation. Because of increased forest fragmentation, these bryophyte species are declining and are in need of conservation. Considering that a field survey including all bryophyte species is very time consuming, methods that make identification less difficult should be tested for their usefulness in conservation. This paper describes an alternative survey method that utilizes the correlation between bryophyte life-forms and microclimates for evaluating drought-sensitive bryophytes. This survey method was examined using epiphytic bryophyte flora on tree trunks in 27 fragmented forests of Kyoto city, in the western part of Japan. The usefulness of life-forms for this evaluation was discussed based on the correlation of life-forms with species richness and microclimates. The results indicated that, while life-from richness was considered to reflect the heterogeneity of moisture availability and light intensity in bryophyte habitats, a certain life-form category (for example, fans and dendroids) seemed to correlate with drought sensitivity of bryophytes. Considering this correlation, an alternative survey method was proposed that utilizes the richness of hygrophilous life-forms. This survey method seems to be more cost-effective than a traditional all-species survey, and provides an important step toward the conservation of drought-sensitive species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents an alternative framework to the approach currently embodied in the Kyoto Protocol for managing global climate change post-2012. The framework has two key provisions. The first is that each person in the world would be ‘allowed’ an equal amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is labeled the equity-first provision. The second provision focuses on incorporating risk concepts into the setting of GHG emission reductions. It is proposed that the global climate be managed as to avoid three categories of risks: (I) Substantial regional economic, political, and/or biological impacts; (II) Severe global economic, political, and/or biological impacts; and (III) Extinction of humans. Acceptable risk thresholds are suggested to be one-in-a-million, one-in-one-hundred-million, and one-in-ten-billion, respectively. This equity-first, risk-based framework overcomes many criticisms of the current Kyoto Protocol: it explicitly involves all countries on earth; it avoids several administrative issues that are anticipated to plague a global carbon emissions trading market; and it avoids several contentious issues associated with pegging carbon emission reductions to 1990 levels. Because the framework is risk-based and emissions are tied to population and not historic emission levels, the basic framework would not have to be frequently renegotiated, as will be needed for the Kyoto-style approach to take the world past that agreement''s 2012 endpoint. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The mitigation of greenhouse gas concentration has become a first-order issue for decision making in environmental sustainability. Countries can meet their mitigation commitments and environmental objectives through multiple instruments. A key role is played by cooperative mechanisms, such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), under the Kyoto Protocol, and a similar mechanism established by the Paris Agreement (Art. 6), whose implementation rules are still under negotiation. However, another form of cooperation was already established under the different framework of the Official Development Assistance (ODA), potentially sharing abatement purposes. This paper aims to compare the mitigation actions implemented either as CDM or ODA projects. We conduct a multi-criteria econometric analysis, based on an originally created, harmonised dataset that merges renewable energy CDM projects and comparable ODA projects to investigate the role of the institutional framework in influencing the effectiveness of reducing emissions worldwide. Results show that the Kyoto Protocol had a positive impact in terms of cost-effectiveness for renewable energy projects and that it stimulated policy actions for environmental sustainability. Accordingly, in view of the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, it is extremely important both to look to the past to draw lessons from Kyoto's successes and failures and to apply multi-criteria decision-making approaches for the design of environmental policies. c• We create an original harmonised dataset that merges CDM and comparable ODA projects. • We move from qualitative considerations to a quantitative econometric analysis of CDM-ODA. • CDM renewable projects are more advantageous in terms of cost effectiveness compared to ODA. • The different institutional frameworks play a crucial role on the performance of the two cooperative instruments. • For the implementation of Art.6 of the Paris Agreement, it is important to learn from Kyoto's successes and failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Early Triassic experienced one of the most extensive episodes of oceanic oxygen depletion in the Phanerozoic, which was considered to be reflected in the deposition of black organic-rich claystone and general absence of radiolarian chert in pelagic deep-water areas of Panthalassa. However, while studies of peri-continental sections demonstrate that oceanic anoxia repeatedly occurred throughout the Early Triassic, black claystone deposition was thought to be restricted to earliest Triassic times. In this paper, the lithostratigraphy, conodont biostratigraphy and chemical composition are investigated at two Olenekian–Anisian sections in Japan, deposited in pelagic deep-water areas of Panthalassa. Sedimentation rates and major element compositions support published findings that the absence of chert is a consequence of increased clastic input and not radiolarian extinction due to oceanic anoxia. Biostratigraphic correlation with previously described sections reveals that the deposition of extensive black claystone occurred in the Induan, early Spathian (early late Olenekian) and across the Olenekian–Anisian boundary. The three black claystone lithofacies are associated with sedimentary and geochemical evidence of anoxia in the water column and bottom waters. Organic-rich deposition is generally coeval with episodes of expanded anoxic seafloor as indicated by uranium isotopes, although they are decoupled in Smithian (early Olenekian) times. Black claystone of end-Olenekian to early Anisian age represents the first finding of a laterally extensive deposit associated with oceanic anoxia during this time interval. Results imply that the deposition of black organic-rich claystone in pelagic deep Panthalassa reflects global trends in the spatial extent of bottom water anoxia during the Early Triassic, probably controlled mainly by nutrient input to the oceans. Unlabelled Image • Newly described sections of Lower Triassic pelagic Panthalassic deep-sea claystone. • Upper Olenekian to lower Anisian deep-sea claystone records increased clastic inputs. • Three episodes of organic-rich deposition in the Early Triassic pelagic Panthalassa • The organic-rich deposition mostly coincided with global oceanic anoxia. • First discovery of laterally extensive anoxic deposits of end-Early Triassic age [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pozzolanic cements recycled track ballast have been studied by exposure to aggressive environments. • The larger sized pores were conducive to mobility, as well as breakage processes due to thermal changes. • The longer exposure time to a medium favors the ionic penetration of the ions under consideration. • The mobility of lead ions is quicker in the saline environment. • The specimens prepared with 10% ballast assisted the retention of the ions under study. Since the ratification of the Kyoto protocol by the EU in 2002, Members States have committed themselves both to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and to environmental sustainability, inter allia by using cements with alternative additions that incorporate industrial waste. In this paper, ionic mobility through a pozzolanic cement is studied. The cement contains substitutions of 10% and 20% rejected ballast waste and is prepared for railway infrastructure (slab or ballast less track) that is exposed to extreme climatic conditions (high thermal amplitudes and saline environments). Studied with CT-Scanning, ionic mobility can be observed along the cement pores. The cement with 10% substitutions of ballast waste was considered ideal to minimize ionic penetration and cement deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding economical and sustainable pathways for the deployment of renewables is critical for the success of decarbonizing energy systems. Because of the variable nature of renewable energy, however, the integration of renewables becomes increasingly costly and difficult as the renewable penetration becomes higher. The recent rise of electric vehicles (EVs) provides us with an opportunity to increase self-consumption of solar photovoltaic (PV) at households with substantially lower additional costs. In this paper, an environmental techno-economic assessment of residential PV systems is conducted with battery or EVs allowing charging and discharging (Vehicle to Home: V2H) in Kyoto, Japan, and Shenzhen, China, incorporating the cost projections of these technologies towards 2030. It is found that "PV + EV" (V2H) becomes highly cost-effective towards 2030 in Kyoto in comparison with "PV only", "PV + battery", and "EV charge". In the region of lower electricity costs such as Shenzhen, switching to EVs from gasoline vehicles is the most cost-effective option during 2020s. Finally, it is found that "PV + EV" has the highest CO 2 emission reduction potential across all the technology combinations considered, owing to EV charging of carbon-free electricity from PV. To facilitate a rapid household decarbonization, policy makers should reinforce policies to enhance the penetration of combined technologies of "PV + EV" (V2H) towards 2030. • PV + EV becomes highly cost-effective towards 2030 in Kyoto. • Switching to EV is the most cost-effective option in Shenzhen during 2020s. • PV + EV has the highest decarbonization potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1997 at Kyoto, Japan, world leaders agreed to reduce the carbon emission by innovating existing and implementing new technologies. During a conference meeting in Paris 2015, there was an eye opener to the way we see Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Up to date, new technologies have been developed to capture carbon dioxide and store them in underground formations such as aquifers or depleted gas or oil reservoirs. CO2 can also be re-injected into the reservoir for enhanced oil or gas recovery, but also possess a high wellbore density which requires much detail attention on long term wellbore integrity. It implies a new risk management challenge for drilling engineers: ensuring long-term well integrity, as the well system is susceptible to corrosion and leakage, especially on the cement side. As cement serves a physical barrier allowing seal fluid flow into unintended zones from the wellbore. The sealing effectiveness of cement reliant on insitu environment conditions and cement chemical compositions, inducing the time dependent stress geometry in the vicinity of the wellbores. Extensive experimental studies on oil well cement degradation behavior in the presence of CO2 or CO2-brine (saturated formation water) had been conducted by many researchers for many years. Having an upright understanding of CO2 on the cement integrity lifecycle is essential to expand the applications of CO2 sequestration or CO2 EOR activities. As new cementing products are continuously released on the market, their applicability requires intensive testing with respect to well integrity to avoid any potential CO2 leakage pathways. The testing cement recipes are based on a precise and repeatable mimicking of downhole conditions. A comprehensive literature review has shown that different testing methods are used worldwide with different results on the behavior of oil well cement in the presence of CO2 environment. Our study is trying to close the gap of unknown testing conditions and will provide a detailed documentation of the experimental setups worlwide. This paper presented a critical review of selected testing facilities, experimental methodologies and apparatus for different cement samplings as subjected to CO2 in recent years. Additionally, the long-term cement performance and its impact on well integrity was discussed. • The experimental studies of CO2 on cement integrity lifecycle are reviewed in this study. • Experimental testing facilities for different cement samplings as subjected to CO2 are surveyed. • Experimental methodologies and apparatus for cement integrity analysis under CO2 reservoir conditions are reviewed. • The long-term cement performance and its impact on well integrity under the impact of CO2 was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]