Extended‐spectrum β‐lactamases (ESBLs) are often mediated by bla‐ SHV, bla TEM and bla CTX‐M genes in Enterobacteriaceae and other Gram‐negative bacteria. Numerous molecular typing methods, including PCR‐based assays, have been developed for their identification. To reduce the number of PCR amplifications needed we have developed a multiplex PCR assay which detects and discriminates between bla‐ SHV, bla TEM and bla CTX‐M PCR amplicons of 747, 445 and 593 bp, respectively. This multiplex PCR assay allowed the identification of bla‐ SHV, bla TEM and bla CTX‐M genes in a series of clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae with previously characterised ESBL phenotype. The presence of bla SHV, bla TEM and bla CTX‐M genes was confirmed by partial DNA sequence analysis. Apparently, the universal well‐established CTX‐M primer pair used here to reveal plasmid‐encoded bla CTX‐M genes would also amplify the chromosomally located K‐1 enzyme gene in all Klebsiella oxytoca strains included in the study.
WEEE Recycling: Research, Development, and Policies covers policies, research, development, and challenges in recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The book introduces WEEE management and then covers the environmental, economic, and societal applications of e-waste recycling, focusing on the technical challenges to designing efficient and sustainable recycling processes-including physical separation, pyrometallurgical, and hydrometallurgical processes. The development of processes for recovering strategic and critical metals from urban mining is a priority for many countries, especially those having few available ores mining. Describes the two metallurgical processes-hydro- and pyro-metallurgy-and their application in recycling of metals Provides a life cycle analysis in the WEEE recycling of metals Outlines how to determine economic parameters in the recycling of waste metals Discusses the socio economic and environmental implication of metal recycling.
European renewable energy policy has gone through a remarkable development over the last few years. It has moved from being a predominantly national-level concern with a focus on environmental
issues to a top European policy agenda item where security of supply and competitiveness concerns figure with equal prominence. In 2007 and 2008 EU established a very forceful policy framework with ambitious targets and strategies binding to all its member states. This paper examines European renewable energy policy development with a specific focus on the choice of policy instruments to promote renewable sources of energy in power and heat production. The paper traces key policy developments over the last decade and analyzes the role and influence of different interest groups, member states and policy makers in the EU policy-making processes, and how different – and partly competing – policy agendas have played in over time. From these empirical observations we look ahead. Based on key factors and agendas behind current policy developments, what can be said about what directions European energy policy might take in the future? The outlook discusses four distinct policy dimensions that will shape the direction of European energy policy: the climate policy agenda overall; the relative influence of different interests in shaping policy, the balance between European-wide and member state governance, and the level at which further market orientation is pursued in the sector.
Today, more than ever, with the rise of new tiger economies in Latin America and Asia and ensuing global demand increases for materials, goods and services, there is a dilemma between promoting economic growth, serving the aspirations of people and improving environmental sustainability. Great hopes are attached to innovation in green technology to help resolve this dilemma. In parallel, a business literature has emerged suggesting that here await significant business opportunities. Leading business thinkers now argue that pursuing profits alongside common goods, through including social and environmental challenges in its core strategies, can provide a cascade of innovation and productivity gains for businesses (Hart, 2005; Porter and Kramer, 2011). This idea is certainly not new but has attracted renewed interest in recent years. Still, evidence supporting this claim is based on scattered 'good examples' and 'best practice', and there is relatively little systematic analysis on what is really at stake in this 'green race'. What appears clear is that while the private sector does find leverage in green technologies, there are also significant market barriers and uncertainties associated with them. Many new technological solutions that are success stories in reducing CO2 emissions today, such as wind power, biomass-based thermal power, district heating and public transport, have relied – and still rely – on subsidies and other forms of governance arrangements by different actors in the innovation system (IS).
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