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South Africa’s energy sector finds itself in a gridlock situation. The sector is controlled by the state-owned utility Eskom holding the monopoly on the generation and transmission of electricity, which is almost exclusively produced from domestically extracted coal. At the same time, the constitutional mandate enables municipalities to distribute and sell electricity generated by Eskom to local c
Scholars of world politics have recently devoted growing attention to the inner workings of international organizations. While this research strand has considerably enhanced our knowledge on the impact of international bureaucracies on global policy-making, their interplay with transnational actors has not been analyzed in much detail. Against this backdrop, the present article addresses the quest
The past two decades have witnessed widespread scholarly interest in the role of cities in climate policy-making. This research has considerably improved our understanding of the local level in the global response to climate change. The present article synthesizes the literature on local climate policies with respect to the 1.5 °C target. While most studies have focused on pioneering cities and ne
Much of the literature in the field of international relations is currently concerned with the changing patterns of authority in world politics. This is particularly evident in the policy domain of climate change, where a number of authors have observed a relocation of authority in global climate governance. These scholars claim that multilateral treaty making has lost much of its spark, and they
Climate change is generally expected to have a positive effect on weathering rates, due to the strong temperature dependence of the weathering process. Important feedback mechanisms such as changes in soil moisture, tree growth and organic matter decomposition can affect the response of weathering rates to climate change. In this study, the dynamic forest ecosystem model ForSAFE, with mechanistic
Several scholars concerned with global policy-making have recently pointed to a reconfiguration of authority in the area of climate politics. They have shown that various new carbon governance arrangements have emerged, which operate simultaneously at different governmental levels. However, despite the numerous descriptions and mapping exercises of these governance arrangements, we have little sys
The past few years have witnessed the emergence of a plethora of transnational climate governance experiments. They have been developed by a broad range of actors, such as cities, non-profit organizations, and private corporations. Several scholars have lately devoted particular attention to voluntary global business initiatives in the policy domain of climate change. Their studies have provided c
Dramatic declines of some arthropod populations have recently received a lot of attention. Identified declines have mainly been attributed to changes in agriculture, climate, pathogen prevalence and light pollution, as well as cross-regional effects of, e.g., drifting pesticides. However, the overall picture is complex and debated, and there is a need for systematically collected long-term data, n
The relationship between science and policy in international environmental regimes has attracted much scholarly attention in the past decades. One of the most recognized approaches to the science–policy interaction in international environmental politics is the ‘knowledge-based’ epistemic communities approach. This approach contends that knowledge generated by scientists or other ‘knowledge-based’
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a prominent example of the mix of public and private authority in global climate policy-making. While national governments hold the supreme authority in the CDM, the oversight and daily supervision of the project-based mechanism have been delegated via an intergovernmental body to private corporations that evaluate the environmental performance of individua
Background The prognosis for kidney survival is poor in patients presenting with circulating anti–glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antibodies and severe kidney injury. It is unknown if treatment with an endopeptidase that cleaves circulating and kidney bound IgG can alter the prognosis. Methods An investigator-driven phase 2a one-arm study (EudraCT 2016–004082–39) was performed in 17 hospitals i
The aerobic CO dehydrogenase from Oligotropha carboxidovorans is an environmentally crucial bacterial enzyme for maintenance of subtoxic concentration of CO in the lower atmosphere, as it allows for the oxidation of CO to CO2 which takes place at its Mo−Cu heterobimetallic active site. Despite extensive experimental and theoretical efforts, significant uncertainties still concern the reaction mech
A number of intersecting crises are currently ongoing at multiple scales, including increasing inequality, environmental degradation, and climate destabilization, as well as new surges of populism and mounting public health threats. These emergencies question our economic model of past decades and provoke a rethinking of the general approach to economic policy from a multi-scalar perspective. In t
Background In vivo studies of airway pathology in obstructive lung disease are limited by poor quality of specimens obtained with forceps. Obtainment of cryobiopsies has increased diagnostic yield in cancer and interstitial lung disease but has not been used in patients with asthma. In a recent pilot study, we found mucosal cryobiopsies to be larger and more intact than conventional forceps biopsi
A better physical understanding of mesoscale and microscale mechanisms behind deformation and failure of paperboard material is important to optimize industrial packaging converting processes and decrease waste. In this study, these mechanisms were investigated using synchrotron X-ray tomography during in situ continuous uniaxial tensile loading. High spatial and temporal data resolution enabled q
Background: The demographic shift is fast becoming a global challenge. Populations ageing rapidly is widely seen as one of the most powerful transformative forces affecting society over the next four decades.Due to the demographic challenge in most countries it is important to consider making working life sustainable. It is obvious that the main factor that distinguishes senior workers from other
The exceptional preservation of feathers in the fossil record has led to a better understanding of both phylogeny and evolution. Here we address factors that may have contributed to the preservation of feathers in ancient organisms using experimental taphonomy. We show that the atmospheres of the Mesozoic, known to be elevated in both CO2 and with temperatures above present levels, may have contri
AIMS: Lumbar disc prolapse is a frequent indication for surgery. The few available long-term follow-up studies focus mainly on repeated surgery for recurrent disease. The aim of this study was to analyze all reasons for additional surgery for patients operated on for a primary lumbar disc prolapse. METHODS: We retrieved data from the Swedish spine register about 3,291 patients who underwent primar
Protein A is the most commonly used ligand in IgG purification due to its specific binding to the Fc receptor of most immunoglobulins, making it commercially important. Molecular imprinting is a method based on the selective recognition of various molecules. Molecular imprinted polymers are materials that are easy to prepare, durable, cheap and have molecular recognition capability. Cryogels are p
