India’s emerging fuel mix for 2050: actions and strategies to decarbonize the transport sector

Purpose This paper aims to review the role of government initiatives for developing clean fuels in India, decarbonize the transport sector and maximize the use of renewable sources of energy. India’s socio-economic prosperity is dependent on modern energy. The authors examine the role of biofuel in India’s emerging fuel mix. Design/methodology/approach A 20-year timeframe between 2000 and 2021 was set to learn about the subject and find the existing gaps. Of the 40 research papers, the authors found using keywords and delimiting criteria in the database, the authors have shortlisted 21 papers, which provided the theoretical framework for the study. Additionally, the authors used the government database to develop future projections using compound annual growth rate and trend analysis. Findings The study findings suggest that India should strictly implement the Biofuel Policy to promote indigenous production of biofuel to enhance affordability and accessibility. With blending options available with biofuels and biogas, the country can replace the right proportion of fossil fuel use by 2050. It will not only decrease India’s import dependence but also will create new job opportunities, specifically in tribal and remote locations and promote green energy mix. With emerging options like electric vehicle and hydrogen, the transport sector could be decarbonized to a greater extent. Social implications Indigenous cleaner fuel adoption and transport sector will generate additional employment and cut down fossil fuel import. Financial savings through reduced fossil fuel import will be directed toward social development. Originality/value The paper carries out critical analysis for the active use of modern green fuels in the present and coming days. Such unique analysis must help India to balance its energy basket.

Solid Acid Catalysts for the Hock Cleavage of Hydroperoxides

The oxidation of cumene and following cleavage of cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) with sulfuric acid (Hock rearrangement) is still, by far, the dominant synthetic route to produce phenol. In 2020, the global phenol market reached a value of 23.3 billion US$ with a projected compound annual growth rate of 3.4% for 2020–2025. From ecological and economical viewpoints, the key step of this process is the cleavage of CHP. One sought-after way to likewise reduce energy consumption and waste production of the process is to substitute sulfuric acid with heterogeneous catalysts. Different types of zeolites, silicon-based clays, heteropoly acids, and ion exchange resins have been investigated and tested in various studies. For every type of these solid acid catalysts, several materials were found that show high yield and selectivity to phenol. In this mini-review, first a brief introduction and overview on the Hock process is given. Next, the mechanism, kinetics, and safety aspects are summarized and discussed. Following, the different types of heterogeneous catalysts and their performance as catalyst in the Hock process are illustrated. Finally, the different approaches to substitute sulfuric acid in the synthetic route to produce phenol are briefly concluded and a short outlook is given.

Future ethical implications and potential health consequences of nanotechnology research in Jordan: A scientometric analysis

Purpose: To evaluate the implanted legislation and regulations in Jordan, in order to minimize nanotechnology research-related health concerns. Methods: In the first part, all nanotechnology published research in Scopus database and the Jordanian National Database for Researchers were mined. The growth in nanotechnology research was analyzed by calculating the relative growth rate (RGR), doubling time (DT), and compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Thereafter, the results were compared to global preferences. Furthermore, this research explored all possible factors that may influence decision-makers and health policies in Jordan. Results: Data analysis showed that the quantity of nanotechnology research in Jordan is exponentially increasing with RGR (1.96), DT (0.37), and CAGR (33 %) very close to the figures obtained worldwide. The trend line analysis (R2 = 0.9638) expected that more than 65 % of nanotechnology research will be produced within the next 5 years. Moreover, no legislation has been adapted in Jordan to regulate nanotechnology research and industry. Conclusions: Adopting nanotechnology without having any corresponding legislation constitutes a violation of the ethical codes of research, and ignorance of public safety. Moreover, the research suggests a set of steps to organize the crafting of nanotechnology and research in Jordan, and other similar contexts in developing countries.

Report on Webinar Series Cell and Gene Therapy: From Concept to Clinical Use

With the launch of the UK Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Focus Group in late 2020, a webinar series reviewing the current and emerging trends in cell and gene therapy was held virtually in May 2021. This webinar series was timely given the recent withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the global COVID-19 pandemic impacting all sectors of the pharmaceutical sciences research landscape globally and in the UK. Delegates from the academic, industry, regulatory and NHS sectors attended the session where challenges and opportunities in the development and clinical implementation of cell and gene therapies were discussed. Globally, the cell and gene therapy market has reached a value of 4.3 billion dollars in 2020, having increased at a compound annual growth rate of 25.5% since 2015. This webinar series captured all the major developments in this rapidly evolving area and highlighted emerging concepts warranting cross-sector efforts from across the community in the future.

Determining Research Priorities for Astronomy Using Machine Learning

We summarize the first exploratory investigation into whether Machine Learning techniques can augment science strategic planning. We find that an approach based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation using abstracts drawn from high-impact astronomy journals may provide a leading indicator of future interest in a research topic. We show two topic metrics that correlate well with the high-priority research areas identified by the 2010 National Academies’ Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. One metric is based on a sum of the fractional contribution to each topic by all scientific papers (“counts”) while the other is the Compound Annual Growth Rate of counts. These same metrics also show the same degree of correlation with the whitepapers submitted to the same Decadal Survey. Our results suggest that the Decadal Survey may under-emphasize fast growing research. A preliminary version of our work was presented by Thronson et al.

Australian Biotechnology: A 10-Year Study of Investor Performance

A recent study assessed the investor performance of the Australian drug development biotech (DDB) sector over a 15-year period from 2003 to 2018. The current study builds on that research and extends the analysis to 2020, using a 10-year period starting 2010, to exclude the impact of the global financial crisis in 2008/09. Based on a value-weighted portfolio of all 41 DDB firms, the overall sector delivered a negative annualized return of -4.1%. Individual firm performance was also assessed using the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in share price over the period as a measure of investor outcomes. On this basis 68% of firms produced negative CAGRs over the period, and of the 32% of firms that produced positive CAGRs, six firms produced CAGRs greater than 20% per annum and in three cases of recently-listed firms, the CAGR’s were greater than 50%. Overall however, the sector overall delivered very poor investor returns and despite a relatively large number of listed biotech firms, Australian biotechnology continues to be small and weak in terms of its contribution to global biotechnology industrialization. As such it lacks the critical mass to grow a robust bioeconomy based on drug development, which remains the standard-bearer of biotechnology industrialization.

Growth, Instability and Decomposition Analysis of Nutri Cereals in Tamil Nadu

Aim: The study was undertaken to know the growth rate, instability, and contribution of area and yield on the production of Nutri cereals. Place and Duration: The study was based on the secondary data for the period of 20 years (2001- 2020) for Tamil Nadu. Data has been collected from Agricultural statistics at a glance (2020), Season and Crop report (2020). Methodology: The growth rate of Nutri cereals can be estimated through compound annual growth rate, instability is measured using Coppock’s instability index and contribution of area and yield on production is studied using decomposition analysis. Results: Results revealed that Nutri cereals growth rate is found to be negative in first decade and positive in second decade Production of Nutri cereals in both the decades found positive in decline trend. The trend of productivity seems positive for both the decades at declining rate. Instability index is higher in terms of production than area and productivity. Area effect was most responsible for the production of Nutri cereals than yield and interaction effect. Conclusion: The area effect is more responsible for production of Nutri cereals. Area effect on production of Nutri cereals is high, hence government should intervene in this regard to improve the area of Nutri cereals cultivation.

Market Structure of Scooter Segment of Two Wheeler Industry in India

Transportation system of a country has a noteworthy role to play in the development of an economy and its sectors. Automobile sector occupies a prominent place in the fabric of Indian economy. Presently, India has already touched the threshold of a major take off in the next decade and beyond to becoming one of the largest automotive (vehicle and component makers) manufacturers in the world. The objective of study was to measure the market structure of scooter segment of two wheeler industry in India for eight financial years, i.e. from the year 2011-12 to the year 2018-19. Descriptive analysis was conducted to present a profile of the industry which included analysis of average, standard deviation, compound annual growth rate, frequency, percentage of data value for each of the variables. The results of the study revealed that overall, there is existence of oligopoly form of market structure in the scooter segment of two wheeler industry in India.

Analysis of Antibiotic Consumption by AWaRe Classification in Shandong Province, China, 2012–2019: A Panel Data Analysis

Introduction: This study aims to examine the changes in trends and patterns of clinical consumption of antibiotics in Shandong, China based on Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) Classification after 10-years national antibiotic stewardship.Methods: Antibiotic consumption data of all health care institutions for the period of 2012–2019 were obtained from the Drug Centralized Bidding Procurement System of Shandong. Shandong is a province that has the second-largest population in China. Five of the 16 cities in Shandong were high-income areas (HIAs) and the other 11 cities were grouped into upper-middle-income areas (UMIAs). The main outcome measures were the antibiotic consumption rates (DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day, DID) and the proportions of different groups of antibiotics.Results: The overall antibiotic consumption rate increased from 12.859–15.802 DID between 2012 and 2014, then continuously decreased to 9.771 DID in 2019. The consumption rate of access, watch, and reserve antibiotics have reduced since 2014 with a compound annual growth rate of −10.1, −9.0, and −8.1%, respectively. During 2012–2019, the access group proportion reduced from 50.0 to 44.9%, while the proportion of the watch group increased from 42 to 45.2%. The antibiotic consumption rate increased from 2012 to 2019 (from 7.38 to 9.12 DID) in the HIAs but sharply decreased in the UMIAs from 2014 to 2019 (from 17.94 to 10.05 DID). The watch antibiotics had the highest proportion of consumption in the HIAs (55.3% in 2019), while the access group had the highest proportion of consumption in the UMIA (49.5% in 2019).Conclusion: The antibiotic stewardship policies launched in the last 10 years have contributed to reducing the clinical antibiotic consumption in Shandong. These policies have different effects on areas with different economic levels. The pattern of antibiotic consumption is still inappropriate in China as the watch group of antibiotics was consumed the most.

Trends of Computed Tomography Scan Usage among Adults and Children in Yazd Province, Iran, before the Outbreak of COVID-19

Purpose: Excessive use of Computed Tomography (CT) has become a worrying issue due to the potential risks resulting from radiation exposure. This study was carried out to investigate trends in CT usage in Yazd Province, Iran. Materials and Methods: In the current study, patients were categorized according to their sex and age into two general groups, pediatrics (<18 years old) and adults (≥18 years old), each group falling into multiple subcategories. The performed CT scans were classified into six categories, based on the anatomical area of interest, including head/neck, chest, spine, abdomen-pelvis, extremities, and CT angiography (CTA). The data were collected from 2015 to 2018. Results: The mean number of CT scans increased by the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11%. Across the procedures, head/neck (with an average contribution of 52% to all CT scans) was the most frequently examined region, whereas CTA had the lowest percentage (2%). More than half of the scans are performed on people over the age of 90, and among those aged<18 years old the most CT scan rates are related to 13-18-year-olds. Conclusion: The number of CT examinations is clearly increasing in Yazd Province. Some of this increase may be warranted because of the improvements in the diagnostic power of CT. The estimated number of pediatric CT scans has risen more than past. Due to the risk of cancer, efforts should be made to reduce unnecessary CT scans.