Comparative Assessment Framework Research Articles

Quantifying pesticide emissions for drift deposition in comparative risk and impact assessment

Estimating emissions of chemical pesticides used in agriculture is an essential component in evaluating the potential toxicity-related impacts on humans and ecosystems in various comparative risk and impact assessment frameworks, such as life cycle assessment, environmental footprinting, absolute environmental sustainability assessment, chemical substitution, and risk prioritization. Emissions related to drift deposition—usually derived from drift experiments—can reach non-target areas, and vary as a function of crop characteristics and application technique. We derive cumulative drift deposition fractions for a wide range of experimental drift functions for use in comparative and mass-balanced approaches. We clarify that cumulative drift deposition fractions require to integrate the underlying drift functions over the relevant deposition area and to correct for the ratio of deposition area to treated field area to arrive at overall mass deposited per unit mass of applied pesticide. Our results show that for most crops, drift deposition fractions from pesticide application are below 0.03 (i.e. 3% of applied mass), except for grapes and fruit trees, where drift fractions can reach 5% when using canon or air blast sprayers. Notably, aerial applications on soybeans can result in significantly higher drift deposition fractions, ranging from 20% to 60%. Additionally, varying the nozzle position can lead to a factor of five differences in pesticide deposition, and establishing buffer zones can effectively reduce drift deposition. To address remaining limitations in deriving cumulative drift deposition fractions, we discuss possible alternative modelling approaches. Our proposed approach can be implemented in different quantitative and comparative assessment frameworks that require emission estimates of agricultural pesticides, in support of reducing chemical pollution and related impacts on human health and the environment.

A Framework for Comparative Assessment of Indigenous Land Governance

Indigenous peoples are increasingly important players in the management and use of land and natural landscapes, bound in spiritual and traditional practices that endure and pre-date colonisation. This also extends to the aspirations that Indigenous traditional owners may have to generate income from land and to sustain business and employment opportunities that enable reinvestment in local communities. The paper draws from a study undertaken while the authors were at the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that involved 13 countries. It presents a framework to compare Indigenous land governance, to activate economic development opportunities across different legal and institutional contexts. The three-part typology allows us to assess the level of autonomy granted to Indigenous groups by law and identify key governance and regulatory instruments that they can employ to protect their cultural practices and activate commercial potential from land and waters. Varying autonomy levels can co-exist within a same country, since Indigenous groups may have different rights, aspirations, and capabilities. The typology allows us to conduct comparative analyses around progress and learnings that can support the self-determination of Indigenous peoples and promote regional well-being.

Generalized Linear Models to Identify the Impact of Road Geometric Design Features on Crash Frequency in Rural Roads

One of the first steps in improving the road network is to implement a traffic safety program and identify problematic road segments where local risk factors increase the likelihood of vehicular accidents. Numerous studies have attempted to identify both the geometric and traffic features of road segments that may lead to increased risk. The statistical models linking the number of accidents at road sites over a unit of time and the characteristics of these sites contribute to highlighting and quantifying the impact of the development of road infrastructure on the risk of accidents. The evaluation and selection of the best-fit model are usually carried out using an information criterion. The main purpose of this research is to propose a comparative assessment framework to support the evaluation task during the process of modeling crash frequency. Performance evaluation was conducted using additional approaches, specifically data splitting and rootograms. In this study, we focus on Korean rural road accident records. Six generalized linear models were applied, and their performance was compared to determine the best-fitting statistical model. According to each model assessment method used, the negative binomial hurdle model showed the best performance among all the investigated models.

METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR MODELLING INTEGRATION RISKS IN ECONOMIC EMERGENCE

The article discusses the methodological basis for modeling integration risks of the social and economic system, namely the association of enterprises and organizations in the value-added chain in the context of the emergent economy. The theoretical basis and practical aspects of the risk-taking of integration processes were presented, features of integration and methods of risk modeling in value chains in socio-economic systems were identified. Systematized taxonomic survey of emergent state of socio-economic system has been developed. The components of the integration of enterprises in the context of the formation of value chains are presented and the most efficient modeling methods in unstable environments have been identified. The algorithm of comparative estimation of emergent properties with dual poles of results of functioning of economic system and structural organization of system of modeling of indicators of emergencies taking into account influence of integration risks is presented. The methodological bases for the modeling of indicators under the influence of investment risks based on fuzzy logic according to system safety criterion are presented, A comparative assessment framework for modeling integration risks in value chains and a framework for modeling integration risks of economic potential and strategic resilience of the socio-economic system. It is noted that the method of comparative evaluation serves as an indicator of compliance of the conclusions of the model of dynamic chaos, which has a dual attractor and depends on the phase portrait. The taxonomy of the emergent state of the economic system serves to identify the integral values of innovative reflection and is to identify new properties that characterize the influence of the external environment on changes in the whole system with varying degrees of resonance. Peculiarities of modeling of integration factors at the bifurcation point when positive and negative emergent properties arise are highlighted. The vectors of the integration process, which depend on the adaptation potential of the new structural units (institutions), should be included in the formation of the model. The key factors and indicators influencing the sensitivity of economic potential and strategic elasticity of the system of value chains of enterprises are identified.

A Comparative Assessment Framework for Sustainable Production of Fuels and Chemicals Explicitly Accounting for Intermittency

The ubiquity of fossil fuels in the provision of mobility services and in the production of platform chemicals constitutes a substantial fraction of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions and resulting climate change. There is therefore substantial interest in the production of sustainable alternatives. Whilst much attention is directed to the individual elements in the value chain, there is a paucity of work focusing on the performance of the integrated system. To address this gap, we present a novel modelling framework for the design and scheduling of the production of platform chemicals and fuels from just air, water, and renewable energy throughout the year. Optimal routes are determined for solar ammonia and methanol. A combination of hydrogen storage for balancing seasonal intermittency and battery storage for balancing daily intermittency is determined as optimal. It is found that nitrogen-based fuels may offer advantages over carbon-based fuels. The cost of intermittency of renewable energy inputs is found to be as much as two thirds of total cost, again varying by location. This reinforces that future design of chemical plants needs to include a treatment of intermittency and opens questions on how to operate sustainable plants - for instance, operating seasonally, or more flexibly.

Integrating endocrine-related health effects into comparative human toxicity characterization

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals have the ability to interfere with and alter functions of the hormone system, leading to adverse effects on reproduction, growth and development. Despite growing concerns over their now ubiquitous presence in the environment, endocrine-related human health effects remain largely outside of comparative human toxicity characterization frameworks as applied for example in life cycle impact assessments. In this paper, we propose a new methodological framework to consistently integrate endocrine-related health effects into comparative human toxicity characterization. We present two quantitative and operational approaches for extrapolating towards a common point of departure from both in vivo and dosimetry-adjusted in vitro endocrine-related effect data and deriving effect factors as well as corresponding characterization factors for endocrine-active/endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Following the proposed approaches, we calculated effect factors for 323 chemicals, reflecting their endocrine potency, and related characterization factors for 157 chemicals, expressing their relative endocrine-related human toxicity potential. Developed effect and characterization factors are ready for use in the context of chemical prioritization and substitution as well as life cycle impact assessment and other comparative assessment frameworks. Endocrine-related effect factors were found comparable to existing effect factors for cancer and non-cancer effects, indicating that (1) the chemicals’ endocrine potency is not necessarily higher or lower than other effect potencies and (2) using dosimetry-adjusted effect data to derive effect factors does not consistently overestimate the effect of potential endocrine disruptors. Calculated characterization factors span over 8–11 orders of magnitude for different substances and emission compartments and are dominated by the range in endocrine potencies.

Collecting data on organizational structures of trauma centers: the CAFE web service.

BackgroundDuring the past several decades, the American College of Surgeons has led efforts to standardize trauma care through their trauma center verification process and Trauma Quality Improvement Program. Despite these endeavors, great variability remains among trauma centers functioning at the same level. Little research has been conducted on the correlation between trauma center organizational structure and patient outcomes. We are attempting to close this knowledge gap with the Comparative Assessment Framework for Environments of Trauma Care (CAFE) project.MethodsOur first action was to establish a shared terminology that we then used to build the Ontology of Organizational Structures of Trauma centers and Trauma systems (OOSTT). OOSTT underpins the web-based CAFE questionnaire that collects detailed information on the particular organizational attributes of trauma centers and trauma systems. This tool allows users to compare their organizations to an aggregate of other organizations of the same type, while collecting their data.ResultsIn collaboration with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, we tested the system by entering data from three trauma centers and four trauma systems. We also tested retrieval of answers to competency questions.DiscussionThe data we gather will be made available to public health and implementation science researchers using visualizations. In the next phase of our project, we plan to link the gathered data about trauma center attributes to clinical outcomes.

A comparative assessment framework for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals explicitly accounting for intermittency

Integrated design and scheduling for methanol and ammonia production from air, water and solar energy, analysing the impacts of intermittency.

Advancements in Life Cycle Human Exposure and Toxicity Characterization.

Background:The Life Cycle Initiative, hosted at the United Nations Environment Programme, selected human toxicity impacts from exposure to chemical substances as an impact category that requires global guidance to overcome current assessment challenges. The initiative leadership established the Human Toxicity Task Force to develop guidance on assessing human exposure and toxicity impacts. Based on input gathered at three workshops addressing the main current scientific challenges and questions, the task force built a roadmap for advancing human toxicity characterization, primarily for use in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA).Objectives:The present paper aims at reporting on the outcomes of the task force workshops along with interpretation of how these outcomes will impact the practice and reliability of toxicity characterization. The task force thereby focuses on two major issues that emerged from the workshops, namely considering near-field exposures and improving dose–response modeling.Discussion:The task force recommended approaches to improve the assessment of human exposure, including capturing missing exposure settings and human receptor pathways by coupling additional fate and exposure processes in consumer and occupational environments (near field) with existing processes in outdoor environments (far field). To quantify overall aggregate exposure, the task force suggested that environments be coupled using a consistent set of quantified chemical mass fractions transferred among environmental compartments. With respect to dose–response, the task force was concerned about the way LCIA currently characterizes human toxicity effects, and discussed several potential solutions. A specific concern is the use of a (linear) dose–response extrapolation to zero. Another concern addresses the challenge of identifying a metric for human toxicity impacts that is aligned with the spatiotemporal resolution of present LCIA methodology, yet is adequate to indicate health impact potential.Conclusions:Further research efforts are required based on our proposed set of recommendations for improving the characterization of human exposure and toxicity impacts in LCIA and other comparative assessment frameworks. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3871

Improving substance information in USEtox® , part 2: Data for estimating fate and ecosystem exposure factors.

The scientific consensus model USEtox® has been developed since 2003 under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme-Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Life Cycle Initiative as a harmonized approach for characterizing human and freshwater toxicity in life cycle assessment and other comparative assessment frameworks. Using physicochemical substance properties, USEtox quantifies potential human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity impacts by combining environmental fate, exposure, and toxicity effects information, considering multimedia fate and multipathway exposure processes. The main source to obtain substance properties for USEtox 1.01 and 2.0 is the Estimation Program Interface (EPI Suite™) from the US Environmental Protection Agency. However, since the development of the original USEtox substance databases, new chemical regulations have been enforced in Europe, such as the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the Plant Protection Products regulations. These regulations require that a chemical risk assessment for humans and the environment is performed before a chemical is placed on the European market. Consequently, additional physicochemical property data and new toxicological endpoints are now available for thousands of chemical substances. The aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which the new available data can be used as input for USEtox-especially for application in environmental footprint studies-and to discuss how this would influence the quantification of fate and exposure factors. Initial results show that the choice of data source and the parameters selected can greatly influence fate and exposure factors, leading to potentially different rankings and relative contributions of substances to overall human toxicity and ecotoxicity impacts. Moreover, it is crucial to discuss the relevance of the exposure factor for freshwater ecotoxicity impacts, particularly for persistent highly adsorbing and bioaccumulating substances. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3463-3470. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

ASSESSMENT OF ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES IN ELECTRICITY AND TRANSPORT SECTORS BASED ON CARBON INTENSITY AND COSTS

The aim of the paper is to address the EU policy for achieving low carbon economy by assessing energy technologies in electricity and road transport sector based on costs and impact on climate change and to indicate the most competitive electricity and transport technologies taking into account EU policy targets in GHG emission reduction, utilization of renewable and energy efficiency improvements. The main tasks of the paper are: to develop the multi-criteria framework for comparative assessment of energy technologies by applying MCDM methods for the electricity generation and transport technologies assessment. The interval TOPSIS method is employed in order to tackle the uncertain criteria. The assessment framework allows the comparison of electricity generation technologies and road transport technologies in terms of their GHG emission reduction and economic impacts and facilitates decision making process in energy sector seeking to implement EU energy policies. The main indicators selected for technologies assessment are: private costs and life cycle GHG emissions. The ranking of energy technologies based on private costs and GHG emissions allowed prioritizing these technologies taking into account the lowest GHG emission reduction costs.

Perspectives of the Operational Performance of Public Transportation Agencies with Data Envelopment Analysis Technique

This paper presents a framework for comparative assessment of the operational productivity and efficiency of transit agencies. Inputs from selected public transit agencies in Indiana, including annual operating expenses, number of employees, and total fuel consumption, and outputs, including the total ridership and total vehicle miles traveled during an 8-year period (2002–2009), were used to construct relative efficiency scores through data envelopment analysis. In addition, the changes in productivity during the analysis period were quantified by using the Malmquist productivity index. The Malmquist indexes were decomposed into two components, namely, the frontier shift effect and the catch-up effect, to account for industrywide productivity changes and individual agency-level changes, respectively. The methodology is expected to help transit managers not only to assess the performance of their transit systems compared with peer systems but also to identify potential areas for improvement. The approach can also be useful to state transportation agencies in their transit subsidy allocations.

Computer aided diagnostic support system for skin cancer: a review of techniques and algorithms.

Image-based computer aided diagnosis systems have significant potential for screening and early detection of malignant melanoma. We review the state of the art in these systems and examine current practices, problems, and prospects of image acquisition, pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction and selection, and classification of dermoscopic images. This paper reports statistics and results from the most important implementations reported to date. We compared the performance of several classifiers specifically developed for skin lesion diagnosis and discussed the corresponding findings. Whenever available, indication of various conditions that affect the technique's performance is reported. We suggest a framework for comparative assessment of skin cancer diagnostic models and review the results based on these models. The deficiencies in some of the existing studies are highlighted and suggestions for future research are provided.

Numerical assessment of metamodelling strategies in computationally intensive optimization

Metamodelling is an increasingly more popular approach for alleviating the computational burden associated with computationally intensive optimization/management problems in environmental and water resources systems. Some studies refer to the metamodelling approach as function approximation, surrogate modelling, response surface methodology or model emulation. A metamodel-enabled optimizer approximates the objective (or constraint) function in a way that eliminates the need to always evaluate this function via a computationally expensive simulation model. There is a sizeable body of literature developing and applying a variety of metamodelling strategies to various environmental and water resources related problems including environmental model calibration, water resources systems analysis and management, and water distribution network design and optimization. Overall, this literature generally implies metamodelling yields enhanced solution efficiency and (almost always) effectiveness of computationally intensive optimization problems. This paper initially develops a comparative assessment framework which presents a clear computational budget dependent definition for the success/failure of the metamodelling strategies, and then critically evaluates metamodelling strategies, through numerical experiments, against other common optimization strategies not involving metamodels. Three different metamodel-enabled optimizers involving radial basis functions, kriging, and neural networks are employed. A robust numerical assessment within different computational budget availability scenarios is conducted over four test functions commonly used in optimization as well as two real-world computationally intensive optimization problems in environmental and water resources systems. Numerical results show that metamodelling is not always an efficient and reliable approach to optimizing computationally intensive problems. For simpler response surfaces, metamodelling can be very efficient and effective. However, in some cases, and in particular for complex response surfaces when computational budget is not very limited, metamodelling can be misleading and a hindrance, and better solutions are achieved with optimizers not involving metamodels. Results also demonstrate that neural networks are not appropriate metamodelling tools for limited computational budgets while metamodels employing kriging and radial basis functions show comparable overall performance when the available computational budget is very limited.

Collective Enforcement of Consumer Law: A Framework for Comparative Assessment

Abstract: This article provides a comparative analysis of collective enforcement of consumer claims in Europe, the US, and Canada. It engages in a comparative institutional analysis and shows the relevance of the institutional framework for assessing the effectiveness of different strategies. Collective enforcement of consumer claims is attracting the attention of both policy makers and scholars. The Lisbon Council of 2007 has placed collective redress at the core of consumer strategy for the near future. The implementation of Directive 98/27 on injunctions, the new regulation on consumer protection 2004/2006, proves the existence of different legal cultures concerning consumer protection and the choice of enforcement mechanisms. A new series of law reforms concerning group actions is taking place in different Member States without the impetus of European legislation, in part as a response to scandals in fi nancial and product markets. These new reforms raise the issue of the effective combination of judicial and administrative enforcement at EU and Member State levels. The article clearly shows that this alternative does not correspond to public–private enforcement, given that judicial enforceability may also be sought by public agencies. It is necessary to rethink the factors upon which to define the combination of administrative and judicial enforcement. The ex ante–ex post division is overly simplistic and does not reflect the current division of labour between courts and agencies. The damages–injunctions combination needs to be tailored to new regulatory functions of remedies in consumer law. Furthermore, the success of a new strategy depends on providing the right incentives and accountability mechanisms to key institutional players. Consumer associations empowered with enforcement need to become more accountable towards members and the general public. Pecuniary and non–pecuniary incentives need to be provided for plaintiffs’ lawyers. These may not be only market driven, but also public policy oriented, thus affecting the selection of claims to be litigated. The piecemeal process should be rationalized with new policy choices to grant greater consumer protection in a strongly competitive environment. Résume: Cet article prévoie une analyse comparative sur l’exécution collective du droit de la consommation en Europe, à Canada et aux Etats–Unis. Il s’engage dans une analyse institutionnelle comparative and démontre l’importance du cadre institutionnel pour mesurer l’effectivité des stratégies différentes. L’exécution collective du droit de la consommation attire l’attention de la politique aussi bien que de la recherche scientifi que. En 2007 le Conseil de Lisbonne a accordé priorité au développement d’une action collective en faveur es consommateurs en Europe. La transposition de la directive 98/27 sur l’action en cessation, la réglementation 2004/2006 sur la coopération dans l’exécution transfrontalière du droit de la consommation prouve l’existence des différentes cultures juridiques en ce qui concerne la protection du consommateur et le choix des moyens de l’exécution. Une bonne partie des Etats Membres ont adopté des reformes en ce qui concerne l’action collective, souvent en réaction aux scandales dans les marchés financiers et les marchés des produits. Les nouvelles réformes législatives soulèvent la question sur une combinaison effective de l’exécution judicaire et administrative au niveau de la CE et des Etats Membres

An integrated framework for comparative assessment of electricity supply chains and strategies: the DECADES project

This paper presents the results obtained in constructing and implementing a general framework for performing a comprehensive comparative assessment of electricity supply chains and strategies within the inter–agency join project on DECADES (Databases and mEthodologies for Comparative Assessment of Different Energy Sources for electricity generation). The project was established in 1992 by nine international organisations. A short description of the DECADES project objectives, structure and main components is given. The technology inventory databases, which are a major part of the project, address all the levels of different energy chains, from fuel extraction through electricity generation to waste disposal. These databases support comparative assessment in the power section, by providing generic information as well as country or region specific information on existing technologies and on those expected to enter the market in the next two to three decades. The paper further touches on the types of assessment that can be carried out using the methodology and databases developed. It points out in this regard the possibilities and limitations of comparative assessments performed at the level of power plant, full electricity supply chain and country or region electricity generation system. Illustrative results are presented for comparisons performed at all these levels. Case studies, workshops and seminars are some of the main activities carried out until now for validation and dissemination of the DECADES Computer Tools. In those studies, where it was considered, nuclear power appears to be cost effective for reducing emissions of CO2, SO2, NOx and other greenhouse gases. Finally, the paper briefly introduces the activities envisaged for phase II of the DECADES project, which will focus on disseminating current computer tools, providing training in the use of the tools and supporting country studies and on the development of new analytical capabilities. The paper concludes with some findings and remarks pointing out the usefulness of the integrated framework for comparative assessment developed within the DECADES project in support of decision making.