The goal of this work is to evaluate and to give evidence to innovative and sustainable technologies applied in the construction industry to carry out self-sufficient energy and to use the surplus energy for the produ...The goal of this work is to evaluate and to give evidence to innovative and sustainable technologies applied in the construction industry to carry out self-sufficient energy and to use the surplus energy for the production of hydrogen vector. An architectural integration design along with high technological systems is performed. The intermittency of renewable energy sources along with climatic conditions dependency imposes to store the energy produced, since it is clean and having a big calorific value: the hydrogen vector is currently the better energy carrier. The energy to obtain hydrogen by dissociation of water is supplied by a photovoltaic (PV) system. Through the computations of the annual energy balance between building’s demand and supply energy, it is shown that the extra energy produced by the solar generation system is used also for the hydrogen sustainable mobility. The renewable systems, model’s design and case study are tackled for the bigger one of the Dodecanese islands in the South Aegean Sea: Rhodes (Rodos). The Zero energy building’s integrative design-based approach, applied to the Hotel Buildings type industry is targeted to have new hotels buildings, in the Mediterranean typical warm climate, with zero energy consumption. The designers, authors of this work, have studied a real case or pilot project of an hotel, in the resort formula, suitable to the Greek landscape, showcasing technologies and innovations supporting environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, use of renewable energy, electricity storage by fuel cells that are tools particularly applicable to hotel facility [1]. The feasibility of this case study or pilot project is aligned jointly to the target of Zero Emission and Energy Efficiency EU Policy, as imposed by EU Directives. The strategic position of Rhodes in a geographical point full of sun and wind renewable energy power, enables to ensure the clean energy production, the current interesting development of the hydrogen as energy vector in the buildings [2] and also to satisfy the demand of tourists’ accommodation by having at the same time zero energy costs. Moreover, the presence in the island of the best example worldwide of ancient and sustainable built environment (UNESCO World Heritage site), represents also the best motivation to give witness there of a zero impact environmental urban development through the adoption of these achieved scientific results for a major success of Zero Energy Buildings.展开更多
The global gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by 40% during 1960-2000;poverty and inequity have also increased over the same time [1]. Many social scientists and economists have indicted the existing monetary-...The global gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by 40% during 1960-2000;poverty and inequity have also increased over the same time [1]. Many social scientists and economists have indicted the existing monetary-based corporate social structures with their insignificant contribution to the problem solving and social development processes. Waste is one of the major problems in every city around the globe. This study explores policy instruments in existing profit maximizing business systems and proposes an alternative business approach for the zero waste management systems. The paper proposes a conceptualized social business model for waste management systems based on a case study of two different organizations working in waste management systems in low and high consuming cities. “Waste Concern”, on one hand, is a social business enterprise, promoting waste recycling activities through the community-based decentralized composting technology using public-private community partnerships model in a low consuming city i.e. Dhaka. “Finding Workable Solutions”, on the other hand, is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates and empowers disabled peoples in high consuming city, i. e. Adelaide by collecting and transforming sellable household waste. This paper argues that waste management social business would be an opportunity for the corporate world to implement the strategy of extended producer responsibility in more successful way. Under this business model, producers can contribute more significantly in the social development process, promote value creation, ensure product stewardship and equity within the society. In addition, the conceptualized waste management social business model will endorse closed-loop resource flow in the society and will maximize resource utilization through recycling, reusing and re-gifting in the circular society.展开更多
The soil conservation movement in Brazil has been a major driving force in the continuing search for agricultural farming systems that are more sustainable than what we have today,particularly in tropical and subtropi...The soil conservation movement in Brazil has been a major driving force in the continuing search for agricultural farming systems that are more sustainable than what we have today,particularly in tropical and subtropical areas.The development and adoption of Zero Tillage Conservation Agriculture(ZT/CA)was the key to the success of this movement,generating agricultural,environmental,and societal benefits.Adoption of the ZT/CA philosophy and technologies is currently practiced on more than 50%of the annual crop area.This is due to the work and innovations of pioneering farmers,agronomists,researchers,and consultants that were and are involved in these efforts.This extensive adoption of ZT/CA occurred after many unsuccessful efforts to mitigate against the devastating effects of soil erosion that were threatening the entire agricultural industry in Brazil.Technicians and farmers realized that erosion control required continual cover of the soil to guard against the torrential rain storms common to these regions.This triggered the efforts of soil conservation pioneers at different points in time and regions of Brazil.In southern Brazil,Herbert Bartz,watched his topsoil eroding away in torrents of runoff.This set him thinking and searching for alternatives,resulting in his adoption of ZT/CA farming in 1972.Ten years later in Brazil’s centre-western savannah(Cerrado biome),farmers,researchers,crop consultants and agro-industry initiated efforts to expand cultivation into the very difficult production region of the Cerrados.This was successfully achieved through the pioneering work of agronomist John Landers,bringing experience from the ZT/CA farmer association networks in the south.These were the turning points in the sustainable development of annual crop farming in Brazil.Today,society recognizes the role of these pioneers as key to achieving social,economic and environmental sustainability.ZT/CA reversed the historically accelerating degradation of soil organic matter and soil structure by abandoning conventional tillage,thus improving soil physical and chemical characteristics.This was achieved by promoting cover cropping and permanent soil cover with crop residues,crop rotations,and complementary,environmentally suitable soil management technologies.展开更多
Background: Leprosy control achieved dramatic success in the 1980s–1990s with the implementation of short course multidrug therapy,which reduced the global prevalence of leprosy to less than 1 in 10000 population.How...Background: Leprosy control achieved dramatic success in the 1980s–1990s with the implementation of short course multidrug therapy,which reduced the global prevalence of leprosy to less than 1 in 10000 population.However,a period of relative stagnation in leprosy control followed this achievement,and only limited further declines in the global number of new cases reported have been achieved over the past decade.Main text In 2016,major stakeholders called for the development of an innovative and comprehensive leprosy strategy aimed at reducing the incidence of leprosy,lowering the burden of disability and discrimination,and interrupting transmission.This led to the establishment of the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy(GPZL)in 2018,with partners aligned around a shared Action Framework committed to achieving the WHO targets by 2030 through national leprosy program capacity-building,resource mobilisation and an enabling research agenda.GPZL convened over 140 experts from more than 20 countries to develop a research agenda to achieve zero leprosy.The result is a detailed research agenda focusing on diagnostics,mapping,digital technology and innovation,disability,epidemiological modelling and investment case,implementation research,stigma,post exposure prophylaxis and transmission,and vaccines.This research agenda is aligned with the research priorities identified by other stakeholders.Conclusions: Developing and achieving consensus on the research agenda for zero leprosy is a significant step forward for the leprosy community.In a next step,research programmes must be developed,with individual components of the research agenda requiring distinct expertise,varying in resource needs,and operating over different timescales.Moving toward zero leprosy now requires partner alignment and new investments at all stages of the research process,from discovery to implementation.展开更多
Beyond energy efficiency,there are now urgent challenges around the supply of resources,materials,food and water.After debating energy-efficiency for the last decade,the focus has shifted to include resource and mater...Beyond energy efficiency,there are now urgent challenges around the supply of resources,materials,food and water.After debating energy-efficiency for the last decade,the focus has shifted to include resource and material-efficiency.In this context,urban farming has emerged as a valid urban design strategy in Europe,where food is produced and consumed locally within city boundaries,turning disused sites into productive urban landscapes and community gardens.Agricultural activities allow for effective composting of organic waste,returning nutrients to the soil and improving biodiversity in the urban environment.Urban farming will help to feed the 9 billion by 2050(predicted population growth,UN-Habitat forecast 2009).This paper reports on best practice of urban design principles in regard to materials flow,material recovery,adaptive re-use of building elements and components(‘design for disassembly’;prefabrication of modular building components),and other relevant strategies to implement zero waste by avoiding waste creation,reducing harmful consumption and changing behaviour.The paper touches on two important issues in regard to the rapid depletion of the world’s natural resources:the construction sector and the education of architects and designers.The construction sector:Prefabricated multi-story timber buildings for inner-city living can set new benchmarks for minimizing construction wastage and for sustainable on-site assembly.Today,the construction and demolition(C&D)sector is one of the main producers of waste;it does not engage enough with waste minimization,waste avoidance and recycling.Education and research:It’s still unclear how best to introduce a holistic understanding of these challenges and to better teach practical and affordable solutions to architects,urban designers,industrial designers,and so on.One of the findings of this paper is that embedding‘zero-waste’requires strong industry leadership,new policies and effective education curricula,as well as raising awareness(education)and refocusing research agendas to bring about attitudinal change and the reduction of wasteful consumption.展开更多
Let K be a basic field of characteristic 0, and fi,i=1,…,r, be polynomials in K(x1,…Xn)Consider the system of algebraic equations which defines an algebraic variety V consisting of zeros of the system in an arbitrar...Let K be a basic field of characteristic 0, and fi,i=1,…,r, be polynomials in K(x1,…Xn)Consider the system of algebraic equations which defines an algebraic variety V consisting of zeros of the system in an arbitrary extension field of K. The study of the structure of V or that of the set展开更多
Consider the problem of computing zeroes of a continuous, mapping f: R^n→R^n. As a model of subsequent complexity discussions, this paper proposes a made-easy simplicial algorithm for one zero of the mapping, and pre...Consider the problem of computing zeroes of a continuous, mapping f: R^n→R^n. As a model of subsequent complexity discussions, this paper proposes a made-easy simplicial algorithm for one zero of the mapping, and presents results on feasibility arid on conver gence.展开更多
文摘The goal of this work is to evaluate and to give evidence to innovative and sustainable technologies applied in the construction industry to carry out self-sufficient energy and to use the surplus energy for the production of hydrogen vector. An architectural integration design along with high technological systems is performed. The intermittency of renewable energy sources along with climatic conditions dependency imposes to store the energy produced, since it is clean and having a big calorific value: the hydrogen vector is currently the better energy carrier. The energy to obtain hydrogen by dissociation of water is supplied by a photovoltaic (PV) system. Through the computations of the annual energy balance between building’s demand and supply energy, it is shown that the extra energy produced by the solar generation system is used also for the hydrogen sustainable mobility. The renewable systems, model’s design and case study are tackled for the bigger one of the Dodecanese islands in the South Aegean Sea: Rhodes (Rodos). The Zero energy building’s integrative design-based approach, applied to the Hotel Buildings type industry is targeted to have new hotels buildings, in the Mediterranean typical warm climate, with zero energy consumption. The designers, authors of this work, have studied a real case or pilot project of an hotel, in the resort formula, suitable to the Greek landscape, showcasing technologies and innovations supporting environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, use of renewable energy, electricity storage by fuel cells that are tools particularly applicable to hotel facility [1]. The feasibility of this case study or pilot project is aligned jointly to the target of Zero Emission and Energy Efficiency EU Policy, as imposed by EU Directives. The strategic position of Rhodes in a geographical point full of sun and wind renewable energy power, enables to ensure the clean energy production, the current interesting development of the hydrogen as energy vector in the buildings [2] and also to satisfy the demand of tourists’ accommodation by having at the same time zero energy costs. Moreover, the presence in the island of the best example worldwide of ancient and sustainable built environment (UNESCO World Heritage site), represents also the best motivation to give witness there of a zero impact environmental urban development through the adoption of these achieved scientific results for a major success of Zero Energy Buildings.
文摘The global gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by 40% during 1960-2000;poverty and inequity have also increased over the same time [1]. Many social scientists and economists have indicted the existing monetary-based corporate social structures with their insignificant contribution to the problem solving and social development processes. Waste is one of the major problems in every city around the globe. This study explores policy instruments in existing profit maximizing business systems and proposes an alternative business approach for the zero waste management systems. The paper proposes a conceptualized social business model for waste management systems based on a case study of two different organizations working in waste management systems in low and high consuming cities. “Waste Concern”, on one hand, is a social business enterprise, promoting waste recycling activities through the community-based decentralized composting technology using public-private community partnerships model in a low consuming city i.e. Dhaka. “Finding Workable Solutions”, on the other hand, is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates and empowers disabled peoples in high consuming city, i. e. Adelaide by collecting and transforming sellable household waste. This paper argues that waste management social business would be an opportunity for the corporate world to implement the strategy of extended producer responsibility in more successful way. Under this business model, producers can contribute more significantly in the social development process, promote value creation, ensure product stewardship and equity within the society. In addition, the conceptualized waste management social business model will endorse closed-loop resource flow in the society and will maximize resource utilization through recycling, reusing and re-gifting in the circular society.
文摘The soil conservation movement in Brazil has been a major driving force in the continuing search for agricultural farming systems that are more sustainable than what we have today,particularly in tropical and subtropical areas.The development and adoption of Zero Tillage Conservation Agriculture(ZT/CA)was the key to the success of this movement,generating agricultural,environmental,and societal benefits.Adoption of the ZT/CA philosophy and technologies is currently practiced on more than 50%of the annual crop area.This is due to the work and innovations of pioneering farmers,agronomists,researchers,and consultants that were and are involved in these efforts.This extensive adoption of ZT/CA occurred after many unsuccessful efforts to mitigate against the devastating effects of soil erosion that were threatening the entire agricultural industry in Brazil.Technicians and farmers realized that erosion control required continual cover of the soil to guard against the torrential rain storms common to these regions.This triggered the efforts of soil conservation pioneers at different points in time and regions of Brazil.In southern Brazil,Herbert Bartz,watched his topsoil eroding away in torrents of runoff.This set him thinking and searching for alternatives,resulting in his adoption of ZT/CA farming in 1972.Ten years later in Brazil’s centre-western savannah(Cerrado biome),farmers,researchers,crop consultants and agro-industry initiated efforts to expand cultivation into the very difficult production region of the Cerrados.This was successfully achieved through the pioneering work of agronomist John Landers,bringing experience from the ZT/CA farmer association networks in the south.These were the turning points in the sustainable development of annual crop farming in Brazil.Today,society recognizes the role of these pioneers as key to achieving social,economic and environmental sustainability.ZT/CA reversed the historically accelerating degradation of soil organic matter and soil structure by abandoning conventional tillage,thus improving soil physical and chemical characteristics.This was achieved by promoting cover cropping and permanent soil cover with crop residues,crop rotations,and complementary,environmentally suitable soil management technologies.
文摘Background: Leprosy control achieved dramatic success in the 1980s–1990s with the implementation of short course multidrug therapy,which reduced the global prevalence of leprosy to less than 1 in 10000 population.However,a period of relative stagnation in leprosy control followed this achievement,and only limited further declines in the global number of new cases reported have been achieved over the past decade.Main text In 2016,major stakeholders called for the development of an innovative and comprehensive leprosy strategy aimed at reducing the incidence of leprosy,lowering the burden of disability and discrimination,and interrupting transmission.This led to the establishment of the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy(GPZL)in 2018,with partners aligned around a shared Action Framework committed to achieving the WHO targets by 2030 through national leprosy program capacity-building,resource mobilisation and an enabling research agenda.GPZL convened over 140 experts from more than 20 countries to develop a research agenda to achieve zero leprosy.The result is a detailed research agenda focusing on diagnostics,mapping,digital technology and innovation,disability,epidemiological modelling and investment case,implementation research,stigma,post exposure prophylaxis and transmission,and vaccines.This research agenda is aligned with the research priorities identified by other stakeholders.Conclusions: Developing and achieving consensus on the research agenda for zero leprosy is a significant step forward for the leprosy community.In a next step,research programmes must be developed,with individual components of the research agenda requiring distinct expertise,varying in resource needs,and operating over different timescales.Moving toward zero leprosy now requires partner alignment and new investments at all stages of the research process,from discovery to implementation.
文摘Beyond energy efficiency,there are now urgent challenges around the supply of resources,materials,food and water.After debating energy-efficiency for the last decade,the focus has shifted to include resource and material-efficiency.In this context,urban farming has emerged as a valid urban design strategy in Europe,where food is produced and consumed locally within city boundaries,turning disused sites into productive urban landscapes and community gardens.Agricultural activities allow for effective composting of organic waste,returning nutrients to the soil and improving biodiversity in the urban environment.Urban farming will help to feed the 9 billion by 2050(predicted population growth,UN-Habitat forecast 2009).This paper reports on best practice of urban design principles in regard to materials flow,material recovery,adaptive re-use of building elements and components(‘design for disassembly’;prefabrication of modular building components),and other relevant strategies to implement zero waste by avoiding waste creation,reducing harmful consumption and changing behaviour.The paper touches on two important issues in regard to the rapid depletion of the world’s natural resources:the construction sector and the education of architects and designers.The construction sector:Prefabricated multi-story timber buildings for inner-city living can set new benchmarks for minimizing construction wastage and for sustainable on-site assembly.Today,the construction and demolition(C&D)sector is one of the main producers of waste;it does not engage enough with waste minimization,waste avoidance and recycling.Education and research:It’s still unclear how best to introduce a holistic understanding of these challenges and to better teach practical and affordable solutions to architects,urban designers,industrial designers,and so on.One of the findings of this paper is that embedding‘zero-waste’requires strong industry leadership,new policies and effective education curricula,as well as raising awareness(education)and refocusing research agendas to bring about attitudinal change and the reduction of wasteful consumption.
文摘Let K be a basic field of characteristic 0, and fi,i=1,…,r, be polynomials in K(x1,…Xn)Consider the system of algebraic equations which defines an algebraic variety V consisting of zeros of the system in an arbitrary extension field of K. The study of the structure of V or that of the set
基金Project supported in part by the Foundation of the Advanced Research Centre, Zhongshan University
文摘Consider the problem of computing zeroes of a continuous, mapping f: R^n→R^n. As a model of subsequent complexity discussions, this paper proposes a made-easy simplicial algorithm for one zero of the mapping, and presents results on feasibility arid on conver gence.
