Conceptual framework to integrate food waste research and food systems research

It is estimated that a quarter to one-third of food intended for humans does not fulfil its original purpose. Yet, and despite its universally acknowledged importance for sustainability, mechanisms behind food waste generation are often studied unconnectedly from other challenges surrounding food systems. Here, we examine how concepts, assumptions and frameworks adopted in the food waste literature and the food systems literature overlap, contradict and complement one another. We discuss the current evidence on why and how food waste occurs and discuss modifications required for a conceptual framework to improve the integration between the two groups of studies. The resulting framework makes an explicit distinction between context-specific direct causes and context-independent indirect drivers of food waste, with practice theory interlinking them by portraying human behaviour and associated agency that translate the latter into the former. Central to our conceptualisation is an enhanced recognition that the ultimate cause of food waste is almost always natural decay, which cannot be prevented but can be managed through a systems approach with clear definitions of temporal boundaries

Digital mental health service engagement changes during Covid-19 in children and young people across the UK:Presenting concerns, service activity, and access by gender, ethnicity, and deprivation

The adoption of digital health technologies accelerated during Covid-19, with concerns over the equity of access due to digital exclusion. The aim of this study was to assess whether service access and presenting concerns differed before and during the pandemic. Sociodemographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, and deprivation level) were examined to identify disparities in service use. To do this we utilised routinely collected service data from a text-based online mental health service for children and young people. A total of 61221 service users consented to sharing their data which represented half of the service population. We used interrupted time-series models to assess whether there was a change in the level and rate of service use during the Covid-19 pandemic (April 2020-April 2021) compared to pre-pandemic trends (June 2019-March 2020) and whether this varied by sociodemographic characteristics. The majority of users identified as female (74%) and White (80%), with an age range between 13 and 20 years of age. There was evidence of a sudden increase (13%) in service access at the start of the pandemic (RR 1.13 95% CI 1.02, 1.25), followed by a reduced rate (from 25% to 21%) of engagement during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic trends (RR 0.97 95% CI 0.95,0.98). There was a sudden increase in almost all presenting issues apart from physical complaints. There was evidence of a step increase in the number of contacts for Black/African/Caribbean/Black British (38% increase; 95% CI: 1%-90%) and White ethnic groups (14% increase; 95% CI: 2%-27%), sudden increase in service use at the start of the pandemic for the most (58% increase; 95% CI: 1%-247%) and least (47% increase; 95% CI: 6%-204%) deprived areas. During the pandemic, contact rates decreased, and referral sources changed at the start. Findings on access and service activity align with other studies observing reduced service utilization. The lack of differences in deprivation levels and ethnicity at lockdown suggests exploring equity of access to the anonymous service. The study provides unique insights into changes in digital mental health use during Covid-19 in the UK

Data for publication "Wind Tunnel Testing of a Passive Gust Load Alleviation Spoiler"

Data underlying the publication "Wind Tunnel Testing of a Passive Gust Load Alleviation Spoiler" in AIAA Journa

Sensitivity of boron adsorption on clays to changes in seawater chemistry

The adsorption of boron on detrital particles like clay or metal oxides is thought to be a major mechanism driving changes in the boron isotopic composition of seawater on geologic timescales. However, the sensitivity of adsorption parameters to long-term changes in the seawater concentration of major ions (Mg2+, Ca2+, SO42-) and dissolved inorganic carbon (HCO3-, CO32-) is not known. We conducted multiple sets of adsorption experiments that consist of suspending pretreated clay minerals (either kaolinite, smectite or illite) in artificial seawater with a modified chemical composition. Specifically, we investigate adsorption in seawater with a major ion composition resembling that of the Cretaceous (100 Ma) and the Eocene (50 Ma), as well as modern seawater with either reduced or elevated concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon. We finally combine the results with modeled values for the mineral assemblage of detrital sediment to constrain boron adsorption fluxes in the past. The dataset consists of two sheets that store (1) the results of our adsorption experiments and (2) the modeled sediment properties. Experiments were performed on KGa-1b kaolinite, SWy-3 smectite and IMt-2 illite obtained from the Clay Mineral Society. For each of these clays, a consistent particle size fraction of 2 – 0.2 μm was extracted by repeated centrifugation and decantation. As a result, clay samples used in the experiments have a high mineralogical purity of 95% (in the case of kaolinite and illite) and 50% (in the case of smectite). Pretreated clays were submerged in one of four different boron-containing artificial seawater solutions. These seawater solutions were prepared by mixing trace element-grade salts with ultrapure water according to the recipe of Millero (2013). Specifically, the amounts of added MgCl2, CaCl2, Na2SO4 and NaHCO3 were varied to produce four different seawater stock solutions that have (i) a major ion concentration similar to Eocene seawater; (ii) a major ion concentration similar to Cretaceous seawater; (iii) a DIC concentration half as high as in modern seawater; (iv) a DIC concentration twice as high as in modern seawater. Clay and seawater were allowed to interact for 48h through continuous agitation, after which solution samples were extracted

Incorporating Eruption Source Parameter and Meteorological Variability in the Generation of Probabilistic Volcanic Ash Hazard Forecasts

Explosive volcanic eruptions can produce large masses of tephra that are transported over long distances, with potential impacts on the ground and to aircraft. Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) provide advice to aviation following an eruption, using atmospheric dispersion models, initialised with eruption source parameters (ESPs) and driven by forecast meteorological data. In this paper, we develop a framework for producing probabilistic forecasts incorporating uncertainty in these inputs. Meteorological uncertainty is typically provided as an ensemble of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) data and ESPs include eruption plume height and mass eruption rate (MER); these are linked by atmospheric processes, and their relationship can be modelled by Bayesian regression to quantify their uncertainties. These uncertainties can be propagated through the model to compute probabilistic quantities of ash concentration. The linearity of the advection-diffusion-sedimentation (ADS) equation solved by dispersion models allows us to run a single simulation for each of the NWP ensemble members, and then rescale the results to any combination of MER (or height) emission profile. This gives a computational speed-up compared to conventional approaches of computing every combination of ESPs and NWP. We demonstrate our method in the operational setting of the London VAAC, using the UK Met Office's NAME dispersion model, although it can be applied to any eruption scenario using any dispersion model that solves the ADS equation. The major source of uncertainty for this case study arises from the MER (due to limited variation in NWP data), although both sources of uncertainty are significant

European Obspack compilation of atmospheric carbon dioxide data from ICOS stations for the period 1972-2025; obspack_co2_466_GV_ICOSFT2025.1_20250120

This data package contains high accuracy CO2 dry air mole fractions from 39 ICOS European observatories at in total 95 observation levels, collected by the ICOS Atmosphere Thematic Centre (ATC) and provided by the station contributors. The package includes the 2025.1 FastTrack update of the Globalview EU data product and is intended for use in carbon cycle inverse modeling, model evaluation, and satellite validation studies. Please report errors and send comments regarding this product to the ObsPack originators. Please read carefully the ObsPack Fair Use statement and cite appropriately. Please review the release notes for the associated Obspack product at www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/obspack/release_notes.html. Metadata for this product are available at https://commons.datacite.org/doi.org/10.18160/0HYS-FF7X . Please visit http://www.gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/obspack/ for more information on Obspack

Structural Requirements of Synthetic Anionophores for Inorganic Phosphate and Phosphate Esters

The transmembrane transport of anions is a promising application of synthetic anion receptors. Numerous anionophores have been developed for chloride over the past decades. Despite the biological relevance of phosphate and phosphate esters, very few reports on their transport by synthetic systems exist. Here we report a systematic study on the transport of diphenyl phosphate, phenyl phosphate, and inorganic phosphate by five different anionophores. The transport of these phosphates into liposomes was monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy, 31P NMR spectroscopy, and an ion selective electrode. The results of these experiments showed that diphenyl phosphate is readily transported by most chloride ionophores. The transport of phenyl phosphate is more challenging but can be enhanced by better shielding of the phosphate group. Inorganic phosphate is the most challenging to transport and this was achieved using a macrocyclic anionophore with eight preorganised H-bond donors. These results pave the way for the development of anionophores for inorganic phosphate as well as phosphate esters

Cardiometabolic protein expression levels and pathways associated with kidney function decline in older European adults with advanced kidney disease

BackgroundCardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease progression pathophysiology are similar. We investigated associations of cardiometabolic protein expression and pathways with kidney function decline in older adults with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) referred for nephrology assessment.MethodsTwo plasma proteomic panels analysed at baseline (Olink® cardiometabolic T96 and cardiovascular II T96, Uppsala, Sweden) and longitudinal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) data from European adults aged &gt;65 years with a single eGFR of &lt;20 mL/min/1.73m2 (The EQUAL Study) were used to explore mechanisms of CKD progression. Protein-slope associations were estimated using generalised linear mixed-effects models and with a false discovery rate P &lt;0.05 tested in a discovery sub-cohort were taken to validation to verify the effect size of the association. Proteins were further modularised into biological pathways using pathway enrichment analysis.ResultsA discovery sub-cohort of 238 complete-case participants from Germany, United Kingdom and Poland (median age 76 years, 41% female sex, median baseline eGFR 17.8 mL/min/1.73m2) were included and 246 participants from Sweden formed the validation sub-cohort (median age 75 years, 28% female, median baseline eGFR 17.5 mL/min/1.73m2). Of the 175 analysed proteins, higher expression levels of Receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase S (-15.4% change in eGFR per year per doubling of protein expression; 95%CI -23.5%, -7.6%), Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 6 (-7.9%; 95%CI -12.3%, -3.5%) and Ficolin 2 (-7.4%; 95%CI -12.0%, -2.8%) showed a validated association with eGFR decline. ConclusionsHigher expression levels of proteins and biological pathways involving fibrogenesis and the complement cascade were found to be associated with kidney function loss. However, study limitations and unavailability of concurrent kidney cellular proteomic signatures necessitate further study. Key learning pointsWhat was knownPathophysiological mechanisms that drive ischaemic heart disease, atherosclerosis and heart failure share traditional risk factors as well as common biological pathways such as inflammation, oxidative stress and thrombosis that are responsible for CKD progression.This study addsIn advanced CKD, higher expression levels of proteins that are involved in extracellular matrix organisation, fibrogenesis and complement cascade pathways were associated with kidney function loss in older European adults.Potential impactThese dysregulated pathways may be the final common pathway leading to kidney damage and key molecules operating in these pathways may be interrogated to identify biomarkers for impending fibrosis or therapeutic targets to ameliorate fibrosis. <br/

Walking the Talk? Assessing EU-Latin America FTA Trade Committees as Drivers of Sustainability Action

The Climate Crisis fixes our attention on a hurdle at the heart of the European Union’s (EU) trade policy agenda. While striving for deeper trade liberalization commitments with its trading partners, the European Commission recognized the need for ‘proactive’ cooperation and ‘mainstreaming’ sustainability in its 2022 Trade and Sustainable Development review. To achieve these strategic objectives, the EU must ensure effective and lasting cooperation with its trade partners, and Latin American States in particular owing to the latter’s pivotal role within the global value chains that shape the global green transition. Adopting an institutionalist perspective, the present article examines the powers and limits of trade committees in EU-Latin America free trade agreements as drivers for sustainability action. Designed as the main channels for engagement between free trade agreement parties, trade committees are treaty bodies typically exercising broadly-defined powers. This article makes three contributions to the analysis of trade committees. First, it examines the circumstances under which EU-Latin America trade committees generate regulatory cooperation and the types of sustainability action they are empowered to take. Second, the specific role of EU-Latin America trade committees in shaping the scope and interpretation of treaty obligations and monitoring treaty implementation, is explored. Finally, the article considers the likely place of trade committees within ‘next generation’ EU-Latin America free trade agreements and the EU’s broader ‘trade and sustainable development’ policy shift