Evaluative review of the development account project : "strengthening South-South cooperation to increase the affordability of sustainable energy options in Asia and the Pacific

Commissioned by: ESCAP Environment and Development Division (EDD)From January 2013 to June 2014, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) has been implementing a project titled &ldquo;Strengthening South-South Cooperation to Increase the Affordability of Sustainable Energy Options in Asia and the Pacific.&rdquo;&nbsp; According to the Terms of Reference, the main purpose of this evaluative review is formative with a view to organizational learning and informing future project design and implementation. However, the type of evaluation questions added a strong summative element to the evaluation. As such, the main audience is internal &ndash; ESCAP secretariat, both working-level and senior management, and member States of the UN. The evaluation is required for all Development Account projects. The evaluation is taking place at the end of the project and will look at the overall implementation process and management as well as the results of completed activities and delivered outputs.List of acronyms Executive Summary 1. Introduction 1.1. Background of the Evaluation 1.2. Purpose, Objectives and Outputs 1.3. Scope and Evaluation Questions 2. Methodology 2.1. Description of Methodology 2.2. Limitations 3. Findings 3.1. Results Framework 3.2. Performance Assessment 3.2.1. Relevance 3.2.2. Efficiency 3.2.3. Effectiveness 3.2.4. Sustainability 3.2.5. Partnership Approach 3.2.6. Gender 4. Conclusions 5. Recommendations ANNEX I: Management response ANNEX II: Terms of Reference ANNEX III: List of Documents Reviewed ANNEX IV: List of Interviewees ANNEX V: List of workshop participants ANNEX VI: Survey</p

Constructing Optimal Noise Channels for Enhanced Robustness in Quantum Machine Learning

With the rapid advancement of Quantum Machine Learning (QML), the critical need to enhance security measures against adversarial attacks and protect QML models becomes increasingly evident. In this work, we outline the connection between quantum noise channels and differential privacy (DP), by constructing a family of noise channels which are inherently $\epsilon$-DP: $(\alpha, \gamma)$-channels. Through this approach, we successfully replicate the $\epsilon$-DP bounds observed for depolarizing and random rotation channels, thereby affirming the broad generality of our framework. Additionally, we use a semi-definite program to construct an optimally robust channel. In a small-scale experimental evaluation, we demonstrate the benefits of using our optimal noise channel over depolarizing noise, particularly in enhancing adversarial accuracy. Moreover, we assess how the variables $\alpha$ and $\gamma$ affect the certifiable robustness and investigate how different encoding methods impact the classifier's robustness

Dynamics and distribution of bacterial and archaeal communities in oil-contaminated temperate coastal mudflat mesocosms

Mudflats are ecologically important habitats that are susceptible to oil pollution, but intervention is difficult in these fine-grained sediments, and so clean-up usually relies on natural attenuation. Therefore, we investigated the impact of crude oil on the bacterial, diatom and archaeal communities within the upper parts of the diatom-dominated sediment and the biofilm that detached from the surface at high tide. Biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons was rapid, with a 50 % decrease in concentration in the 0–2-mm section of sediment by 3 days, indicating the presence of a primed hydrocarbon-degrading community. The biggest oil-induced change was in the biofilm that detached from the sediment, with increased relative abundance of several types of diatom and of the obligately hydrocarbonoclastic Oleibacter sp., which constituted 5 % of the pyrosequences in the oiled floating biofilm on day 3 compared to 0.6 % in the non-oiled biofilm. Differences in bacterial community composition between oiled and non-oiled samples from the 0–2-mm section of sediment were only significant at days 12 to 28, and the 2–4-mm-sediment bacterial communities were not significantly affected by oil. However, specific members of the Chromatiales were detected (1 % of sequences in the 2–4-mm section) only in the oiled sediment, supporting other work that implicates them in anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation. Unlike the Bacteria, the archaeal communities were not significantly affected by oil. In fact, changes in community composition over time, perhaps caused by decreased nutrient concentration and changes in grazing pressure, overshadowed the effect of oil for both Bacteria and Archaea. Many obligate hydrocarbonoclastic and generalist oil-degrading bacteria were isolated, and there was little correspondence between the isolates and the main taxa detected by pyrosequencing of sediment-extracted DNA, except for Alcanivorax, Thalassolituus, Cycloclasticus and Roseobacter spp., which were detected by both methods

Digitalization and automatization of agricultural irrigation in Germany

Die Dürresommer der vergangenen Jahre (insbesondere 2018 und 2019) haben die Landwirte vor massive Wasserprobleme gestellt. Landwirtschaftliche Bewässerung nimmt in vielen Regionen in Deutschland stark an Relevanz zu. Hierbei kommt es zu Nutzungskonflikten zwischen Bewässerung und der Trinkwasserversorgung. Das Thema der wassersparenden Bewirtschaftung von landwirtschaftlichen Flächen wird aus der Sicht der Wirtschafts- und Nachhaltigkeitsdiskurse in Zukunft weiter an Bedeutung gewinnen. Die Bewässerung befindet sich in einer digitalen als auch technischen Transformation. Im Folgenden wird ein Überblick über die aktuellen Entwicklungen der Digitalisierung und Automatisierung von Bewässerungssystemen gegeben und daran anknüpfend wird auf aktuelle Forschungstätigkeiten eingegangen.Germany experienced historic droughts in the summers of 2018 and 2019. These events clearly indicate that irrigation will continue to become more relevant for the stability of the agricultural sector of multiple regions in Germany. Simultaneously, increased demand for irrigation water for agriculture correlates with increased intra-sectoral allocation conflict – especially with drinking-water suppliers and consumers. Water-use efficiency in the agricultural sector will become even more important given the economic and sustainability discourses that define our future. Irrigation is undergoing both a digital and a technical transformation. The following discussion provides an overview of the current developments in digitization and automation of irrigation systems for agriculture

Degradation of a benzene–toluene mixture by hydrocarbon-adapted bacterial communities

We examined the rate of degradation of a benzene–toluene mixture in aerobic microcosms prepared with samples of an aquifer that lies below a petrochemical plant (SIReN, UK). Five samples exposed to different concentrations of benzene (from 0.6 to 317 mg l−1) were used. Fast degradation (approx. 1–6 mg l−1 day−1) of both contaminants was observed in all groundwater samples and complete degradation was recorded by the seventh day except for one sample. We also identified the microbial community in each of the samples by culture-independent techniques. Two of the less impacted samples harbour the aerobic benzene degrader Pseudomonas fluorescens, while Acidovorax and Arthrobacter spp. were found in the most polluted sample and are consistent with the population observed in situ. Hydrogenophaga was found in the deepest sample while Rhodoferax spp. were recovered in an alkaline sample (pH 8.4) and may also be implicated in benzene degradation. Time series analysis shows that each of the samples has a different community but they remain stable over the degradation period. This study provides new information on a well not previously studied (no. 309s) and confirms that adapted communities have the ability to degrade hydrocarbon mixtures and could be used in further bioaugmentation approaches in contaminated sites

INNOVATIONS in earthquake risk reduction for resilience: RECENT advances and challenges

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR) highlights the importance of scientific research, supporting the ‘availability and application of science and technology to decision making’ in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Science and technology can play a crucial role in the world’s ability to reduce casualties, physical damage, and interruption to critical infrastructure due to natural hazards and their complex interactions. The SFDRR encourages better access to technological innovations combined with increased DRR investments in developing cost-effective approaches and tackling global challenges. To this aim, it is essential to link multi- and interdisciplinary research and technological innovations with policy and engineering/DRR practice. To share knowledge and promote discussion on recent advances, challenges, and future directions on ‘Innovations in Earthquake Risk Reduction for Resilience’, a group of experts from academia and industry met in London, UK, in July 2019. The workshop focused on both cutting-edge ‘soft’ (e.g., novel modelling methods/frameworks, early warning systems, disaster financing and parametric insurance) and ‘hard’ (e.g., novel structural systems/devices for new structures and retrofitting of existing structures, sensors) risk-reduction strategies for the enhancement of structural and infrastructural earthquake safety and resilience. The workshop highlighted emerging trends and lessons from recent earthquake events and pinpointed critical issues for future research and policy interventions. This paper summarises some of the key aspects identified and discussed during the workshop to inform other researchers worldwide and extend the conversation to a broader audience, with the ultimate aim of driving change in how seismic risk is quantified and mitigated