In recent decades the sustainability of economic growth has become a critical objective for most world economies. To achieve this objective it is necessary to stabilize or reduce Green House Gas ...emissions, which involves making a transition to a low or zero carbon production system. Within this framework, innovation has emerged as a key factor in achieving an efficient energy market and, at the same time, ensuring the sustainable development of any economy.
The main objective of this work is to empirically verify that efforts in innovation have a positive effect on reducing CO2 emissions. To this end, an econometric model has been estimated. The scope of this work includes the European Union (15), the United States and China between 1990 and 2013. The estimate is performed using a linear regression by ordinary least squares using as independent variables the expenditure on R&D and the energy consumption.
The results of the model support the hypothesis that spending on research and development contributes positively to the reduction of CO2 emissions for developed countries. Regarding the regions, the corrective effect in the European Unión (15) compared to the figures in the United States is highlighted.
With regard to energy consumption, the results show that this variable is linked to the growth of CO2 emissions so that increases in energy consumption translate into an increase in emissions. Again, European Union (15) is where the effect of this variable is the lowest, followed by the United States where energy consumption is more polluting. The results obtained for China are quite different, due to its economic and environmental performance.
The results obtained provide additional arguments for public policy makers to promote research and development expenditure, both public and private. Since the net effects of innovation translate into a reduction of emissions, this appears as a suitable tool in the fight against climate change. In addition, our study highlights the need to reinforce measures to achieve a decoupling between energy consumption and emissions.
In conclusion, this work shows that R&D spending can be recommended, not only as an engine of economic growth of any economy, but as a driver of sustainable development, where growth can be reconciled with lower CO2 emissions.
Quercus pyrenaica is a woody species of high landscape value, however, its forests show an advanced state of degradation in the Iberian Peninsula. Afforestation typically has low success, thus, it is ...necessary to improve the fitness of oaks plantlets to be transplanted, for instance, by inoculating beneficial microorganisms. In adding microorganisms to ecosystems, there must be balanced efficacy with potential effects on native microbial communities. We addressed changes in diversity, richness, composition and co‐occurrence networks of prokaryotic communities in the rhizosphere of inoculated and control trees outplanted to three different sites located in the Sierra Nevada National and Natural Park (Spain). After 18 months in wild conditions, we did not detect changes due to the inoculation in the richness, diversity and structure in none of the sites. However, we observed an increase in the complexity of the co‐occurrence networks in two experimental areas. Modularization of the networks changed as a result of the inoculation, although the sense of the change depended on the site. Although it was impossible to unravel the effect of bacterial inoculation, our results highlighted that inoculation alters the association of rhizosphere bacteria without entailing other changes, so networks should be analysed prior to inoculating the plantlets.
Here we present deep (16 Jy beam−1), very high (40 mas) angular resolution 1.14 mm, polarimetric, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations toward the massive protostar driving ...the HH 80-81 radio jet. The observations clearly resolve the disk oriented perpendicularly to the radio jet, with a radius of 0 171 (∼291 au at 1.7 kpc distance). The continuum brightness temperature, the intensity profile, and the polarization properties clearly indicate that the disk is optically thick for a radius of R 170 au. The linear polarization of the dust emission is detected almost all along the disk, and its properties suggest that dust polarization is produced mainly by self-scattering. However, the polarization pattern presents a clear differentiation between the inner (optically thick) part of the disk and the outer (optically thin) region of the disk, with a sharp transition that occurs at a radius of ∼0 1 (∼170 au). The polarization characteristics of the inner disk suggest that dust settling has not occurred yet with a maximum dust grain size between 50 and 500 m. The outer part of the disk has a clear azimuthal pattern but with a significantly higher polarization fraction compared to the inner disk. This pattern is broadly consistent with the self-scattering of a radiation field that is beamed radially outward, as expected in the optically thin outer region, although contribution from non-spherical grains aligned with respect to the radiative flux cannot be excluded.
Abstract
We present new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 0.98 mm observations of the continuum emission and several molecular lines toward the high-mass protostellar system GGD 27-MM1, ...driving the HH 80-81 radio jet. The detailed analysis of the continuum and the CH
3
CN molecular emission allows us to separate the contributions from the dust content of the disk (extending up to 190 au), the molecular content of the disk (extending from 140–360 au), and the content of the envelope, revealing the presence of several possible accretion streamers (also seen in other molecular tracers, such as CH
3
OH). We analyze the physical properties of the system, producing temperature and column density maps, and radial profiles for the disk and the envelope. We qualitatively reproduce the trajectories and line-of-sight velocities of the possible streamers using a theoretical model approach. An ad hoc model of a flared disk comprising a hot dust disk embedded in cold gas fits the H
2
S emission, which revealed the molecular disk as a crescent shape with a prominent central absorption. Another fit to the central absorption spectrum suggests that the absorption is probably caused by different external cold layers from the envelope or the accretion streamers. Finally, the analysis of the rotation pattern of the different molecular transitions in the molecular disk suggests that there is an inner zone devoid of molecular content.
The main goal of this study was to assess the effect of the inoculation of four autochthonous shrub species with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Rhizophagus intraradices on the rhizosphere ...bacterial community and to ascertain whether such an effect is dependent on the host plant species. Additionally, analysis of rhizosphere soil chemical and biochemical properties was performed to find relationships between them and the rhizosphere bacterial communities. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis and subsequent permutational multivariate analysis of variance revealed differences in bacterial community composition and structure between non-inoculated and inoculated rhizospheres. Moreover, an influence of the plant species was observed. Different bacterial groups were found to be indicator taxonomic groups of non-inoculated and inoculated rhizospheres, Gemmatimonadetes and Anaerolineaceae, respectively, being the most notable indicators. As shown by distance based redundancy analysis, the shifts in bacterial community composition and structure mediated by the inoculation with the AM fungus were mainly related to changes in plant nutrients and growth parameters, such as the shoot phosphorus content. Our findings suggest that the AM fungal inoculum was able to modify the rhizosphere bacterial community assemblage while improving the host plant performance.
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•An AMF improved plant performance in the revegetation of a semiarid ecosystem.•AMF and plant species altered the rhizosphere bacterial community structure.•AMF-mediated bacterial community shifts were related to plant performance.•Anaerolineaceae family was an indicator of AMF-inoculated rhizospheres.
Solar-driven advanced oxidation processes were studied in a pilot-scale photoreactor, as tertiary treatments of effluents from an urban wastewater treatment plant. Solar-H2O2, heterogeneous ...photocatalysis (with and/or without the addition of H2O2 and employing three different photocatalysts) and the photo-Fenton process were investigated. Chemical (sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, and diclofenac) and biological contaminants (faecal contamination indicators, their antibiotic resistant counterparts, 16S rRNA and antibiotic resistance genes), as well as the whole bacterial community, were characterized.
Heterogeneous photocatalysis using TiO2-P25 and assisted with H2O2 (P25/H2O2) was the most efficient process on the degradation of the chemical organic micropollutants, attaining levels below the limits of quantification in less than 4 h of treatment (corresponding to QUV < 40 kJ L−1). This performance was followed by the same process without H2O2, using TiO2-P25 or a composite material based on graphene oxide and TiO2.
Regarding the biological indicators, total faecal coliforms and enterococci and their antibiotic resistant (tetracycline and ciprofloxacin) counterparts were reduced to values close, or beneath, the detection limit (1 CFU 100 mL−1) for all treatments employing H2O2, even upon storage of the treated wastewater for 3-days. Moreover, P25/H2O2 and solar-H2O2 were the most efficient processes in the reduction of the abundance (gene copy number per volume of wastewater) of the analysed genes. However, this reduction was transient for 16S rRNA, intI1 and sul1 genes, since after 3-days storage of the treated wastewater their abundance increased to values close to pre-treatment levels. Similar behaviour was observed for the genes qnrS (using TiO2-P25), blaCTX-M and blaTEM (using TiO2-P25 and TiO2-P25/H2O2). Interestingly, higher proportions of sequence reads affiliated to the phylum Proteobacteria (Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria) were found after 3-days storage of treated wastewater than before its treatment. Members of the genera Pseudomonas, Rheinheimera and Methylotenera were among those with overgrowth.
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•Different solar-driven advanced oxidation processes were studied at pilot-scale.•P25/H2O2 showed a best compromise to remove both chemical & biological pollutants.•P25/H2O2 didn't prevent reactivation of antibiotic resistant genes in stored water.•Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria relative abundance increased in stored treated water.
This work describes the development of a paper-based platform for highly sensitive detection of diclofenac. The quantification of this anti-inflammatory drug is of importance in clinical (e.g. ...quality and therapeutic control) and environmental (e.g. emerging contaminant determination) areas. The easy-to-handle platform here described consists of a carbon-ink paper-based working electrode and two metallic wires, provided by a gold-plated standard connector, as reference and counter electrodes. The porous paper matrix enables the preconcentration of the sample, decoupling sample and detection solutions. Thus, relatively large sample volumes can be used, which significantly improves the sensitivity of the method. A wide dynamic range of four orders of magnitude, between 0.10 and 100 μM, was obtained for diclofenac determination. Due to the predominance of adsorption at the lowest concentrations, there were two linear concentration ranges: one comprised between 0.10 and 5.0 μM (with a slope of 0.85 μA μM−1) and the other between 5.0 and 100 μM (with a slope of 0.48 μA μM−1). A limit of detection of 70 nM was achieved with this simple device that provided accurate results with an RSD of ca. 5%. The platform was applied for diclofenac quantification in spiked tap water samples. The versatility of this design enabled the fabrication of a multiplexed platform containing eight electrochemical cells that work independently. The low cost, small size and simplicity of the device allow on-site analysis, which is very useful for environmental monitoring.
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•Ultrasensitive paper-based electrochemical determination of an emerging contaminant.•Low-cost, disposable and multiplex electroanalytical device for the drug diclofenac.•A 60-fold sensitivity increase by preconcentration on a paper-based platform.•An 800-fold lower limit of detection preconcentrating DCF on paper working electrodes.•The paper-based platform provide wide concentration range (0.1-100 µM) and high precision.
Recent high angular resolution ( 40 mas) ALMA observations at 1.14 mm resolve a compact (R 200 au), flattened dust structure perpendicular to the HH 80-81 jet emanating from the GGD 27-MM1 high-mass ...protostar, making it a robust candidate for a true accretion disk. The jet-disk system (HH 80-81/GGD 27-MM1) resembles those found in association with low- and intermediate-mass protostars. We present radiative transfer models that fit the 1.14 mm ALMA dust image of this disk, which allow us to obtain its physical parameters and predict its density and temperature structure. Our results indicate that this accretion disk is compact (Rdisk 170 au) and massive ( 5 M ), at about 20% of the stellar mass of 20 M . We estimate the total dynamical mass of the star-disk system from the molecular line emission, finding a range between 21 and 30 M , which is consistent with our model. We fit the density and temperature structures found by our model with power-law functions. These results suggest that accretion disks around massive stars are more massive and hotter than their low-mass siblings, but they still are quite stable. We also compare the temperature distribution in the GGD 27-MM1 disk with that found in low- and intermediate-mass stars and discuss possible implications for the water snow line. We have also carried out a study of the distance based on Gaia DR2 data and the population of young stellar objects in this region and from the extinction maps. We conclude that the source distance is within 1.2 and 1.4 kpc, closer than what was derived in previous studies (1.7 kpc).
We report the detection of the 1.3 mm continuum and the molecular emission of the disks of the young triple system SR24 by analyzing ALMA (The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimter Array) ...subarcsecond archival observations. We estimate the mass of the disks (0.025 M☉ and 4 × 10−5 M⊕ for SR24S and SR24N, respectively) and the dynamical mass of the protostars (1.5 M☉ and 1.1 M☉). A kinematic model of the SR24S disk to fit its C18O (2-1) emission allows us to develop an observational method to determine the tilt of a rotating and accreting disk. We derive the size, inclination, position angle, and sense of rotation of each disk, finding that they are strongly misaligned ( ) and possibly rotate in opposite directions as seen from Earth, in projection. We compare the ALMA observations with 12CO SMA archival observations, which are more sensitive to extended structures. We find three extended structures and estimate their masses: a molecular bridge joining the disks of the system, a molecular gas reservoir associated with SR24N, and a gas streamer associated with SR24S. Finally, we discuss the possible origin of the misaligned SR24 system, concluding that a closer inspection of the northern gas reservoir is needed to better understand it.
Abstract
We present archival Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array band 6 observations of the
13
CO (
J
= 2–1) and
12
CO (
J
= 2–1) molecular line emission of the protostellar system ...associated with HH 30. The
13
CO molecular line shows the accretion disk while the molecular outflow is traced by the emission of the
12
CO molecular line. We estimated a dynamical mass for the central object of 0.45 ± 0.14
M
⊙
, and a mass for the molecular outflow of (1.83 ± 0.19) × 10
−4
M
⊙
. The molecular outflow presents an internal cavity as well as multiple outflowing shell structures. We distinguish three different shells with constant expansion (∼4–6 km s
−1
) and possible rotation signatures (≤0.5 km s
−1
). We find that the shells can be explained by magnetocentrifugal disk winds with launching radii
R
launch
≲ 4 au and a small magnetic lever arm
λ
∼ 1.6–1.9. The multiple shell structure may be the result of episodic ejections of the material from the accretion disk associated with three different epochs with dynamical ages of 497 ± 15 yr, 310 ± 9 yr, and 262 ± 11 yr for the first, second, and third shells, respectively. The outermost shell was ejected 187 ± 17 yr before the middle shell, while the middle shell was launched 48 ± 14 yr before the innermost shell. Our estimations of the linear and angular momentum rates of the outflow as well as the accretion luminosity are consistent with the values expected if the outflow of HH 30 is produced by a wide-angle disk wind.
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