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Ovaj diplomski rad daje uvid u pametne mreže i politike pametnih mreža u svijetu I Hrvatskoj. Zatim opisuje hrvatski elektroenergetski sustav s naglaskom na energetsku mrežu Istarske županije i njen potencijal za integraciju pametnih mreža. U praktičnom dijelu rada su odabrana tri potencijalna projekta primjene pametnih mreža u Istarskoj županiji te je istražena njihova provedba i analiza troškova i korisnosti. Zatim su dane preporuke politike pametnih mreža za Istarsku županiju na temelju politike drugih zemalja i nekih zakona koji već postoje u Hrvatskoj. This master’s thesis gives a brief overview of smart grids and related policies and legislation in Croatia and the world. Then it presents the Croatian power system, with an emphasis on the Istrian power grid and its potential for smart grid integration. In the practical segment of the thesis, three potential smart grid projects in the Istrian County are chosen, and their implementation and subsequent cost-benefit analysis are explored. Smart grid policy recommendations for the Istrian County are then given based on other countries and different policies that already exist in Croatia.

Regional carbon management is essential for China to achieve the carbon reduction target. Studying the emission peak time and volume for Guangdong Province, which is the largest economic province with rapid carbon growth, is important for developing regions to formulate low-carbon policies. In this study, an end-use energy-based emission model integrating the guidelines for provincial CO2 emission peaking action plans and updated policies was developed to study the regional energy-related peaking time and emission scale. Taking Guangdong as a case, multiple scenarios were designed and analyzed considering factors of economic development, energy intensity, and structure. The results show that the energy-related CO2 cannot reach its peak by 2030 without control, even under low economic growth scenarios. Specifically, under high economic growth scenarios, the carbon peak can only be addressed by 2030 at around 0.65 Gt in the context of a strong transformation in energy structure as well as improvement in energy efficiency. Under medium and low economic scenarios, energy-related CO2 emissions will reach a plateau before 2030 between 0.61 and 0.64 Gt by implementing the medium and strengthening optimization of energy structure. Thus, effective measures are necessary for Guangdong’s peak target in both energy efficiency improvement and energy structure optimization. At last, this study puts forward policy recommendations for the low-carbon pathway of Guangdong Province, which can provide an experience for other regions in understanding their carbon emission trajectories and help policymakers enact appropriate actions.

To a great extent, Pakistan and Turkey rely on imported fossil fuels to meet their energy demands. Pakistan is moving in the right direction, placing focus on renewable energy resources in its current infrastructure in order to address the energy shortage. Several projects (e.g., wind power and solar PV (photovoltaic) technologies) are operational or under development, they are intended to reduce energy challenges in Pakistan. The new government in Pakistan aims to increase the share of renewable energy in total power generation to 30% by 2030. On the other hand, Turkey surpasses Pakistan in renewable energy resources, for example, there are 186 operational wind energy power plants across the country. In addition, Turkey utilizes solar energy—mainly for residential usage. Turkey’s Vision 2023 energy agenda aims to supply 30% of their power demands from modern renewable energy resources. Turkey has implemented solar PV, solar buildings, wind power plants, geothermal energy resources, and biomass technology for heating, cooling and electricity generation. At present, Turkey’s supply to meet energy demands in the country is 56% fossil fuel energy resources and 44% renewable energy, including hydropower. Accessible details reveal that geothermal energy resources have been continuously neglected in Pakistan by the Ministry of Energy (power division), this is in contrast to the Turkish case, in which utilization of geothermal energy resources for heating and cooling purposes is efficient. With all the facts and figures under consideration, in this paper, comparative analyses are performed which reveal that the production of electricity from geothermal energy technologies is lower than the massive potential in both countries. Recommendations are made for important policies to promote renewable energy technologies, which could effectively support energy decentralization by providing electricity to rural areas and the national grid.

วารสารวิจัยราชภัฏเชียงใหม่, 22, 2, 90-102

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has had wide-reaching and unprecedented impacts on the transport sector worldwide. At present, there is no globally agreed timeframe for when this pandemic will end. The current and near-future potential impacts must be addressed in a relatively comprehensive and seamless way. The present study proposed a PASS (P: Prepare–Protect–Provide; A: Avoid–Adjust; S: Shift–Share; S: Substitute–Stop) approach for policymaking that accounts for COVID-19 and future public health threats. The PASS approach was illustrated conceptually, and then policy measures were recommended by referring to the past and ongoing best practices. Policymaking challenges and research issues were discussed., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • •Impacts of COVID-19 on the transport sector are targeted. • •A PASS approach was proposed for policymaking for addressing pandemics. • •Policy measures are recommended based on the PASS approach.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has burdened several countries. Its high transmissibility and mortality rate have caused devastating impacts on human lives. This has led countries to implement control strategies, such as social distancing, travel bans, and community lockdowns, with varying levels of success. However, a disease outbreak can cause significant economic disruption from business closures and risk avoidance behaviors. This paper raises policy recommendations through a system dynamics modeling approach. The developed model captures relationships, feedbacks, and delays present in a disease transmission system. The dynamics of several policies are analyzed and assessed based on effectiveness in mitigating infection and the resulting economic strain.

Assessment of risk in the field of nanotechnology requires an integrated multidisciplinary approach due to the complex and cross-disciplinary framework for materials and activities at the nanoscale. The present paper summarizes the workshop "Governance of emerging nano-risk in the semiconductor industry" held on April 26, 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The event targeted representatives of stakeholder communities involved in the risk assessment and governance of the engineered nanomaterials. Nanoelectronics was selected as an impactful use case for risk assessment approaches and comparison to bottom-up nanofabrication. The workshop outlined key data gaps impeding successful assessment of risks associated with nanoparticle use in the industry, using the semiconductor industry as an example. The workshop outlined mitigation strategies informing future regulatory decisions and identified some directions for future efforts. ispartof: FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH vol:8 ispartof: location:Switzerland status: published

Die Erhöhung der Mehrwertsteuer (MwSt.) auf Fleisch und tierische Produkte wird seit einiger Zeit als mögliches Instrument diskutiert, um den Fleischkonsum auf ein umweltfreundliches Niveau zu senken und gleichzeitig den Tierwohlaspekte zu begünstigen. In diesem Zusammenhang muss jedoch kritisch hinterfragt werden, ob eine Anpassung der Mehrwertsteuer ein geeignetes, politisches Instrument darstellt, um einen geringeren Fleischkonsum, nachhaltigere Produktionsmechanismen und mehr Tierschutz als politisches Ziel zu fördern. In diesem Papier wird die Möglichkeit diskutiert, den Konsum von höherwertigen Produkten, wie z.B. ökologisch erzeugtem Fleisch, durch eine Erhöhung der Mengensteuer zu fördern und gleichzeitig einen marktbasierten, fiskalpolitischen Ansatz dabei zu verfolgen. Die Idee des Qualitätssprungs geht auf Alchian-Allen (1964) zurück und wurde von Barzel (1976) um das Argument der steuerlichen Effekte erweitert. Das Papier kann zeigen, dass eine Mengensteuer ein besseres Instrument zur Verfolgung der politischen Ziele beim Fleischkonsum darstellt als eine Erhöhung der Mehrwertsteuer. Implementierungsideen und politische Implikationen werden am Ende des Papiers diskutiert. The increase in value added tax (VAT) on meat and animal products has been under discussion for some time now as a possible instrument for reducing meat consumption to an environmentally friendly level while at the same time increasing animal welfare. In this context, it must be critically questioned whether a VAT adjustment is a suitable instrument to promote lower meat consumption, more sustainable production mechanisms and greater animal welfare as a political objective. This paper discusses the possibility to promote the consumption of higher quality products, like organic produced meat, by raising a unit tax while underlying a market-based, fiscal-political approach. The idea of the quality switch goes back to Alchian-Allen (1964) and has been expanded by the argument of taxation effects by Barzel (1976). The paper can show that a unit tax is a better instrument to pursue the policy objectives in meat consumption than an increase in VAT. Implication obstacles and opportunities are discussed at the end of the paper.

Transition to green economy sets new requirements and challenges for the types of jobs, skills and knowledge. The paper analyzes and evaluates the importance of categories of green professions by sectors in Bulgaria. The main applied methodical approach for analysis and evaluation of green professions is a system approach. Assessment and analysis of the importance of categories of green professions by sectors is made on the basis of structured interviews with municipal experts from regional government structures involved in the process of implementation of green jobs in the country. According to aggregated and analyzed information are proposed policy recommendations and general conclusions related to implementation of training programs for green employment, use of the best European and world practices for the application of new green professions, improvement of consulting services, changing legal frame work of green jobs, etc.

Many studies have revealed the positive relationship between economic growth, and implicitly competitiveness, and innovation. The aim of the current paper is to test the impact of several indicators of innovation on the most relevant competitiveness indexes. These indexes are developed by the World Economic Forum, the Institute for Management Development or under the coordination of the European Union and their purpose is to quantify competitiveness. The current research is looking to the national and regional level within the European Union. In order to test the connection between competitiveness and innovation econometrical analyzes were carried out. Overall, the results indicated that indicators of innovation related to „human resources‟, „intellectual assets‟, and „finance and support‟ have a positive impact on competitiveness. The differences and similarities between the impact of innovation on the national and regional competitiveness are pointed out. Knowing these particularities, the policy makers may formulate adequate national and regional policies to stimulate innovation. Several policy recommendations focused on the validated variables of innovation were formulated. The current paper brings an added value to the literature by revealing the positive connections developed between the most relevant indexes of competitiveness and indicators of innovation.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Public Policy and Management at Strathmore University. The agriculture sector in developing countries is increasingly becoming knowledge intensive due to weather and climate change. Climate change has been affecting the amount of rainfall that some areas have been receiving, both in quality and quantity. This therefore, affects the production of crops in areas where farmers rely on rain fed agriculture. Seasonal weather forecasts have a great potential for helping in improving food and nutrition security, human livelihoods and agricultural potential of areas where rainfall patterns have changed and extreme weather events are expected. The main objective of the study was to establish the influence of information seeking behavior on food production by small-scale farmers, Mbeere South sub-county, Kenya. This study employed descriptive research design. The population for this study involved 26,037 small-scale farmers and the sample size was 150 small-scale farmers. The main instruments for the study was the use of questionnaires that was administered to the respondents. The study used quantitative techniques in analyzing the data. Descriptive analysis was employed. Inferential statistics such as correlation and regression analysis were used. The organized data was interpreted because concurrence to objectives using assistance of a computer software to communicate the research findings. The research found that demographic factors have positive influence on food production by small-scale farmers in Mbeere South sub-county. It also found out that there was strong positive correlation between the factors influencing weather information seeking behavior, preferred sources of weather information, effects of information seeking behavior and crop production in Mbeere South sub- county. An increase in any one of them would result in an increase of the food production in the targeted area. The researcher recommended that policies should be put in place that would improve delivery and use of weather information to small-scale farmers, which would in turn help in improving the food production by the small-scale farmers.

Rural policy nowadays is at the heart of the policy discussion in many countries all over the world, in the effort to address and effectively support the specific needs and opportunities of rural places and their population in the new era. Along these lines, the focus of the present paper is twofold: on the one hand it attempts to shed light on the role of ICTs and their applications as enabling tools empowering rural development; while on the other hand it explores the barriers appearing towards the adoption and use of ICTs in rural regions. In such a context, it firstly places emphasis on the evolving new rural development paradigm. Then, the range and potential of ICTs applications is explored, that can serve the implementation of the new policy paradigm in rural regions. It follows a discussion on the steps that are needed in order to develop value-added ICTs applications in rural regions and the barriers appearing in the adoption and use of ICTs in these regions. Finally, are presented some issues of policy concern in respect to the adoption and use of ICTs in a rural development perspective. L’évolution de la ruralité occupe actuellement une place centrale au sein du débat politique. Il s’agit à la fois de répondre aux besoins spécifiques des populations rurales, et de saisir les opportunités économiques pour le développement local. Cet article revêt une double ambition : d’une part, apporter un éclairage sur le rôle que les TIC peuvent effectivement jouer en faveur du développement rural ; et d’autre part, comprendre quelles sont les principales difficultés d’adoption dans cet espace si singulier. La première partie met l’accent sur l’existence d’un nouveau référentiel politique de développement rural intégrant désormais les TIC en tant qu’outil essentiel de son élaboration. La deuxième partie met en discussion les facteurs décisifs permettant un développement numérique rural efficace. La troisième partie pointe les difficultés d’adoption généralisée des populations et des entreprises vis-à-vis de ces nouvelles technologies. Dans une dernière partie, nous présentons l’ensemble des critères qui nous paraissent décisifs à la réussite des politiques publiques engagées en matière de numérique dans les espaces ruraux.

The new energy policy of the European Union (EU) with the core objectives of competitiveness, reliability and sustainability, has driven Europe into a transition towards a low carbon & sustainable electricity supply systems. Under the new policy, the European energy systems are pursing two major objectives. First is to shift the focus from national to regional or (perhaps) a European level with the ultimate goal of introducing regional markets that facilitates cross-border power trades. Second, is to incorporate large renewable energy sources into the power systems to best exploit the energy resources. In this regards, special attention is oriented towards the development of the offshore gird in the North Sea region where offshore wind is abundant and has potential to become major energy source in the area. This thesis looks into transmission expansion planing in the North Sea region. It presents a market based approach to solve a long-term transmission expansion planning for a meshed VSC-HVDC offshore grid that connect regional markets. The main goal here is to determine the grid design that enables harnessing the offshore wind energy most efficiently, at the same time, creating capacity for conducting cross-border power exchange. Development of an offshore grid in the North Sea can encounter various technical, legal and economic barriers. Consequently advanced planning frameworks are required that enables accounting for these issues. The methodology proposed here provides a framework to investigate the impact of each of these factors on the development of offshore infrastructures. More precisely, the contributions of this thesis can be summarized as follows: • Static Transmission Expansion Planning framework (STEP) In Chapter 5, I have proposed a multiple time-period static transmission expansion planning framework that is applicable to VSC-HVDC meshed grids. I have shown that the analytical solution to the problem gives the pricing mechanism that expresses the relationship between the electricity price of different zones and the congestion charges associated with the interconnectors between them. It is an extension of the work of Schweppe et al. that has been proven for and applied to VSC-HVDC grids. The proposed formulation includes investment recovery through congestion revenues as an implicit strict equality constraint. It, therefore, computes the expansion plan, such that the investment capital will be fully paid off through congestion revenues by the end of the chosen lifetime of the infrastructure. The framework determines the topology, transmission capacities and the power flows through the offshore grid, and the resulting distribution of social welfare among the price zones. By combining both flow-constraints and investment recovery-constraints and working with historical market data, the framework can deliver useful results that demonstrate how onshore price zones could benefit from an optimal grid design. • Iterative clustering methods for computation feasibility The optimization framework proposed in Chapter 5 was intended to be driven by historical market-data in the form of hourly regional cost curves. The dimensionality of the search space and the computational intensity of the proposed optimization algorithm make the problem intractable. It was desirable to identify and work with only a subset from the total set of operating states. I developed an iterative algorithm that combines an unsupervised clustering technique with the proposed optimization tool to cope with the computational burden of the large-scale optimization problem. Automatic space transformation and clustering were performed to select a subset of representative hourly operating states. The number of samples in the subset was adjusted in order to match the congestion-induced revenues to that of the full data set. This ensured that essential information was not lost. The framework, thus, balances the need for reasonable computation times against the benefits of a model that allows multiple time-periods (as defined by zonal prices and wind power production combinations) and obtains realistic results. Several clustering algorithms (including K-means) and feature reduction techniques (such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA)) have been used in investment planning analysis. Their combination has also been explored in literature. However, this is the first time that an unsupervised PCA/clustering technique has been combined with an optimization tool to refine the clustering results. • StaticWind and Transmission Expansion Planning framework (SWTEP) Chapter 6 describes a novel co-optimization wind and transmission expansion framework applicable to VSC-HVDC meshed grids. This is an extension of the static framework presented in Chapter 5 that adds wind to the TEP formulation, while implementing support schemes, which inherently induce a deviation from perfect competition. This results in a fundamental contradiction between the structure of the competitive market and the nature of support policies. The novelty of the work presented in Chapter 6 is that it has limited the market distortion by excluding the support payments from the market clearing process. To do so, I have proposed a formulation that divides the initial investment of the offshore wind infrastructure into subsidized and unsubsidized parts. Thus, the objective of the optimization problem was to maximize sum of incremental social welfare of all regions at all times, minus the aggregated investment cost of offshore transmission infrastructure and the investment cost of building the offshore wind farms that has not been covered through the support payments. The proposed framework enables the impact of implementing two types of feed-in premium support schemes (i.e., generation-based and capacity-based) to be accounted for in the final development of the grid. The goal of this chapter was to investigate the performance of the two feed-in support policies to verify if investment recovery would be fulfilled under a certain support scheme design. In addition, an ‘optimal’ support level and offshore wind support tariff rate were determined. The analytical solution to the optimization problems confirms the complete recovery of the investment cost of transmission infrastructure. In addition, under the assumption that no offshore wind was curtailed, the revenues collected from market sales of offshore wind farms can pay off the unsubsidized part of the wind farm investment, regardless of the payment basis (generation-based or capacity-based). • Dynamic Transmission Expansion Planning framework (DTEP) In Chapter 7, I have proposed a market-based, multiple stage, multi-time period dynamic transmission expansion planning framework for a meshed offshore grid to connect upcoming offshore wind farms to multiple onshore markets. The main contribution of this framework is that it enables accounting for delays in the construction and implementation of offshore infrastructures, including wind farms and transmission systems. Delays can occur mainly due to legal barriers associated with differing permitting criteria in an international context, but also due to market maturity and supply chain issues. The timing of delays in grid, market and wind farm developments are set exogenously in the model. This is an extension of the work presented in Chapter 5 in which the whole offshore grid was assumed to be built in one instant. The final results include the optimal grid topology, transmission capacities, construction timing and the resulting remuneration and distribution of the social welfare increase and financial benefit among the various onshore price zones. The analytical solution to the optimization problem gives the pricing mechanism that is consistent with the AC onshore counterpart. The proposed market mechanism facilitates the integration of a multi-terminal VSC-HVDC offshore grid into the existing AC grid. In addition, the analytical solution confirms the investment recovery through congestion revenues, regardless of the number of investors that are involved. In the case of multiple investors, an independent financial entity is required that collects the transmission revenues from the grid operators and distributes them appropriately amongst the investors. Under this regulatory assumption, the investment recovery of every cable of every interconnector will be completely fulfilled within the desired economic lifetime.

The new energy policy of the European Union (EU) with the core objectives of competitiveness, reliability and sustainability, has driven Europe into a transition towards a low carbon & sustainable electricity supply systems. Under the new policy, the European energy systems are pursing two major objectives. First is to shift the focus from national to regional or (perhaps) a European level with the ultimate goal of introducing regional markets that facilitates cross-border power trades. Second, is to incorporate large renewable energy sources into the power systems to best exploit the energy resources. In this regards, special attention is oriented towards the development of the offshore gird in the North Sea region where offshore wind is abundant and has potential to become major energy source in the area. This thesis looks into transmission expansion planing in the North Sea region. It presents a market based approach to solve a long-term transmission expansion planning for a meshed VSC-HVDC offshore grid that connect regional markets. The main goal here is to determine the grid design that enables harnessing the offshore wind energy most efficiently, at the same time, creating capacity for conducting cross-border power exchange. Development of an offshore grid in the North Sea can encounter various technical, legal and economic barriers. Consequently advanced planning frameworks are required that enables accounting for these issues. The methodology proposed here provides a framework to investigate the impact of each of these factors on the development of offshore infrastructures. More precisely, the contributions of this thesis can be summarized as follows: • Static Transmission Expansion Planning framework (STEP) In Chapter 5, I have proposed a multiple time-period static transmission expansion planning framework that is applicable to VSC-HVDC meshed grids. I have shown that the analytical solution to the problem gives the pricing mechanism that expresses the relationship between the electricity price of different zones and the congestion charges associated with the interconnectors between them. It is an extension of the work of Schweppe et al. that has been proven for and applied to VSC-HVDC grids. The proposed formulation includes investment recovery through congestion revenues as an implicit strict equality constraint. It, therefore, computes the expansion plan, such that the investment capital will be fully paid off through congestion revenues by the end of the chosen lifetime of the infrastructure. The framework determines the topology, transmission capacities and the power flows through the offshore grid, and the resulting distribution of social welfare among the price zones. By combining both flow-constraints and investment recovery-constraints and working with historical market data, the framework can deliver useful results that demonstrate how onshore price zones could benefit from an optimal grid design. • Iterative clustering methods for computation feasibility The optimization framework proposed in Chapter 5 was intended to be driven by historical market-data in the form of hourly regional cost curves. The dimensionality of the search space and the computational intensity of the proposed optimization algorithm make the problem intractable. It was desirable to identify and work with only a subset from the total set of operating states. I developed an iterative algorithm that combines an unsupervised clustering technique with the proposed optimization tool to cope with the computational burden of the large-scale optimization problem. Automatic space transformation and clustering were performed to select a subset of representative hourly operating states. The number of samples in the subset was adjusted in order to match the congestion-induced revenues to that of the full data set. This ensured that essential information was not lost. The framework, thus, balances the need for reasonable computation times against the benefits of a model that allows multiple time-periods (as defined by zonal prices and wind power production combinations) and obtains realistic results. Several clustering algorithms (including K-means) and feature reduction techniques (such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA)) have been used in investment planning analysis. Their combination has also been explored in literature. However, this is the first time that an unsupervised PCA/clustering technique has been combined with an optimization tool to refine the clustering results. • StaticWind and Transmission Expansion Planning framework (SWTEP) Chapter 6 describes a novel co-optimization wind and transmission expansion framework applicable to VSC-HVDC meshed grids. This is an extension of the static framework presented in Chapter 5 that adds wind to the TEP formulation, while implementing support schemes, which inherently induce a deviation from perfect competition. This results in a fundamental contradiction between the structure of the competitive market and the nature of support policies. The novelty of the work presented in Chapter 6 is that it has limited the market distortion by excluding the support payments from the market clearing process. To do so, I have proposed a formulation that divides the initial investment of the offshore wind infrastructure into subsidized and unsubsidized parts. Thus, the objective of the optimization problem was to maximize sum of incremental social welfare of all regions at all times, minus the aggregated investment cost of offshore transmission infrastructure and the investment cost of building the offshore wind farms that has not been covered through the support payments. The proposed framework enables the impact of implementing two types of feed-in premium support schemes (i.e., generation-based and capacity-based) to be accounted for in the final development of the grid. The goal of this chapter was to investigate the performance of the two feed-in support policies to verify if investment recovery would be fulfilled under a certain support scheme design. In addition, an ‘optimal’ support level and offshore wind support tariff rate were determined. The analytical solution to the optimization problems confirms the complete recovery of the investment cost of transmission infrastructure. In addition, under the assumption that no offshore wind was curtailed, the revenues collected from market sales of offshore wind farms can pay off the unsubsidized part of the wind farm investment, regardless of the payment basis (generation-based or capacity-based). • Dynamic Transmission Expansion Planning framework (DTEP) In Chapter 7, I have proposed a market-based, multiple stage, multi-time period dynamic transmission expansion planning framework for a meshed offshore grid to connect upcoming offshore wind farms to multiple onshore markets. The main contribution of this framework is that it enables accounting for delays in the construction and implementation of offshore infrastructures, including wind farms and transmission systems. Delays can occur mainly due to legal barriers associated with differing permitting criteria in an international context, but also due to market maturity and supply chain issues. The timing of delays in grid, market and wind farm developments are set exogenously in the model. This is an extension of the work presented in Chapter 5 in which the whole offshore grid was assumed to be built in one instant. The final results include the optimal grid topology, transmission capacities, construction timing and the resulting remuneration and distribution of the social welfare increase and financial benefit among the various onshore price zones. The analytical solution to the optimization problem gives the pricing mechanism that is consistent with the AC onshore counterpart. The proposed market mechanism facilitates the integration of a multi-terminal VSC-HVDC offshore grid into the existing AC grid. In addition, the analytical solution confirms the investment recovery through congestion revenues, regardless of the number of investors that are involved. In the case of multiple investors, an independent financial entity is required that collects the transmission revenues from the grid operators and distributes them appropriately amongst the investors. Under this regulatory assumption, the investment recovery of every cable of every interconnector will be completely fulfilled within the desired economic lifetime.

Food imitating products are chemical consumer items used frequently in the household for cleaning and personal hygiene (e.g., bleach, soap, and shampoo), which resemble food products. Their containers replicate elements of food package design such as possessing a shape close in style to drinking product containers or bearing labels that depict colorful fruits. In marketing, these incongruent forms are designed to increase the appeal of functional products, leading to chemical consumer product embellishment. However, due to the resulting visual ambiguity, food imitating products may expose consumers to the risk of being poisoned from ingestion. Thus, from a public health perspective, food imitating products are considered dangerous chemical products that should not be sold, and may merit being recalled for the safety of consumers. To help policymakers address the hazardous presence of food imitating products, the purpose of this article is to identify the specific design features that generate most ambiguity for the consumer, and therefore increase the likelihood of confusion with foodstuffs. Among the visual elements of food packaging, the two most important features (shape and label) are manipulated in a series of three lab studies combining six Implicit Association Tests (IATs) and two explicit measures on products' drinkability and safety. IATs were administered to assess consumers' implicit association of liquid products with tastiness in a within-subject design in which the participants (N = 122) were presented with two kinds of food imitating products with a drink shape or drink label compared with drinks (experiential products with congruent form) and classic chemical products (hygiene products) (functional products with congruent form). Results show that chemical consumer products with incongruent drink shapes (but not drink labels) as an element of food package design are both implicitly associated with tastiness and explicitly judged as safe and drinkable. These results require confirmation in other studies involving different shapes and labels. Notwithstanding, due to the misleading effect of this ambiguity, public health authorities are thus well advised to focus their market surveillance on chemical products emulating a food or drink shape.

Welfare Quality® was the largest ever European research project on animal welfare. Here, we briefly describe some major achievements of Welfare Quality® and identify future research priorities, potential strategies and organisational structures to build on the outcomes. Achievements include: definition of principles and criteria of good welfare; development of standardised, primarily animal-based measures for each welfare criterion and their integration in an overall assessment model. Since Welfare Quality® could not answer all the questions we recommend: Continued development and refinement of the assessment systems and extension to new species. The development of automatic measures of welfare to reduce the duration of the assessment while still retaining its holistic nature. Exploration of potential implementation strategies across food chain actors. Establishment of an independent body to manage and update the assessment and information systems, support their implementation and inform and engage stakeholders.

The transformation to green sectors of the economy in Bulgaria leads after it the need of new type of professions, which would be capable to cope with the new conditions and requirements which different businesses are facing. The knowledge of creation of green jobs in Bulgaria is insufficient, which makes this paper state of art. Green jobs in Bulgaria are connected with transfer of business activities to green ones. The paper analyzes and evaluates the current conditions of creation of green jobs in Bulgaria. It is proposed analysis of the requirements in Bulgaria about the eligible criteria to apply for funding under the measurement of green jobs; based on research SWOT analysis of creation of green jobs. The results are systematized in findings, conclusions and policy recommendations, as changing conditions of applying to measurement, payment connected to employees, and etc. As well is proposed cooperation between other existing measurements for reaching sustainable employment in Bulgaria., Original scientific paper

Teollinen Internet (TI) on tämän hetken tärkeimpiä murroksia niin Suomessa kuin maailmanlaajuisesti. Myös Suomelle haetaan uutta kasvua ja kilpailukykyä Teollisen Internetin hyödyntämisen kautta. Valtioneuvoston kanslia (VNK) onkin nimennyt sen yhdeksi kärkiteemoistaan ja päättänyt toteuttaa selvitystyön teemalla "Suomalainen Teollinen Internet - haasteesta mahdollisuudeksi". Tämän raportin pääsisältö on joukko toimenpide-ehdotuksia, joilla edistetään Suomessa toimivien yritysten menestystä Teollisen Internetin aiheuttamassa murroksessa ja tehdään Suomesta houkutteleva sijoittumiskohde yritysten eri toiminnoille. Samanaikaisesti kun julkinen valta luo suotuisia puitteita, yritysten, erityisesti niiden hallitusten ja toimivan johdon, toivotaan osoittavan kasvuun tähtäävää johtajuutta ja aktiivista vuoropuhelua positiivisen investointi- ja kasvukierteen aikaansaamiseksi.

Teollinen Internet (TI) on tämän hetken tärkeimpiä murroksia niin Suomessa kuin maailmanlaajuisesti. Myös Suomelle haetaan uutta kasvua ja kilpailukykyä Teollisen Internetin hyödyntämisen kautta. Valtioneuvoston kanslia (VNK) onkin nimennyt sen yhdeksi kärkiteemoistaan ja päättänyt toteuttaa selvitystyön teemalla "Suomalainen Teollinen Internet - haasteesta mahdollisuudeksi". Tämän raportin pääsisältö on joukko toimenpide-ehdotuksia, joilla edistetään Suomessa toimivien yritysten menestystä Teollisen Internetin aiheuttamassa murroksessa ja tehdään Suomesta houkutteleva sijoittumiskohde yritysten eri toiminnoille. Samanaikaisesti kun julkinen valta luo suotuisia puitteita, yritysten, erityisesti niiden hallitusten ja toimivan johdon, toivotaan osoittavan kasvuun tähtäävää johtajuutta ja aktiivista vuoropuhelua positiivisen investointi- ja kasvukierteen aikaansaamiseksi.

The transformation to green sectors of the economy in Bulgaria leads after it the need of new type of professions, which would be capable to cope with the new conditions and requirements which different businesses are facing. The knowledge of creation of green jobs in Bulgaria is insufficient, which makes this paper state of art. Green jobs in Bulgaria are connected with transfer of business activities to green ones. The paper analyzes and evaluates the current conditions of creation of green jobs in Bulgaria. It is proposed analysis of the requirements in Bulgaria about the eligible criteria to apply for funding under the measurement of green jobs; based on research SWOT analysis of creation of green jobs. The results are systematized in findings, conclusions and policy recommendations, as changing conditions of applying to measurement, payment connected to employees, and etc. As well is proposed cooperation between other existing measurements for reaching sustainable employment in Bulgaria.

Power-to-gas is a promising option for storing interment renewables, nuclear baseload power, and distributed energy and it is a novel concept for the transition to increased renewable content of current fuels with an ultimate goal of transition to a sustainable low-carbon future energy system that interconnects power, transportation sectors and thermal energy demand all together. The aim of this paper is to introduce different Power-to-gas “pathways”, including Power to Hydrogen, Power to Natural Gas End-users, Power to Renewable Content in Petroleum Fuel, Power to Power, Seasonal Energy Storage to Electricity, Power to Zero Emission Transportation, Power to Seasonal Storage for Transportation, Power to Micro grid, Power to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) to Pipeline (“Methanation”), and Power to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) to Seasonal Storage. In order to compare the different pathways, the review of key technologies of Power-to-gas systems are studied and the qualitative efficiency and benefits of each pathway is investigated from the technical points of view. Moreover, different Power-to-gas pathways are discussed as an energy policy option that can be implemented to transition towards a lower carbon economy for Ontario’s energy systems.