Semantic catalogs for life cycle assessment data

AbstractLife cycle assessment (LCA) is a highly interdisciplinary field that requires knowledge from different domains to be gathered and interpreted together. Although there are relatively few major data sources for LCA, the data themselves are presented with highly heterogeneous formats, interfaces, and distribution mechanisms. The lack of agreement among data providers for descriptions of processes and flows creates substantial barriers for information sharing and reuse of practitioners’ models.Nevertheless, the many data resources share a common logic. The use of Semantic Web technologies and text mining techniques can facilitate the interpretation of data from diverse sources. Numerous existing efforts have been made to articulate a knowledge model for LCA. In March of 2015 a joint workshop was held that brought together leading international domain experts with ontology engineers to develop a set of simple models called ontology design patterns (ODPs) for LCA information. In this paper we build on the outcomes of the workshop, as well as prior published works, to derive a minimal “consensus model” for LCA. We use the consensus model to derive a description of an LCA “catalog” that can be used to express the semantic content of a data resource. We generate catalogs of several prominent databases, and make those catalogs available to the public for independent use. Finally, we “link” those catalogs to existing knowledge models using JSON-LD, a linked data format that can expose the catalog contents to Semantic Web tools.We then show by example how the catalogs may be used to answer questions about the scope, coverage, and comparability of data, both within and across data sources, that are difficult to answer when the contents of the catalogs are provided independently and inconsistently. We discuss how the use of semantic catalogs can help address challenges that initiatives such as the “Global Network of Interoperable LCA Databases – Global LCA Data Access” are facing today

Montana Kaimin, March 5, 1981

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/studentnewspaper/8304/thumbnail.jp

Amphetamine, but not methylphenidate, increases ethanol intake in adolescent male, but not in female, rats

Introduction: There has been an increasing interest in analyzing the interactions between stimulants and ethanol during childhood and adolescence. Stimulants are used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in these developmental stages, during which ethanol initiation and escalation often occur. Methods: This study assessed the effects of repeated d-amphetamine (AMPH) or methylphenidate (MPH) treatment during adolescence [male and female Wistar rats, between postnatal day (PD) 28 to PD34, approximately] on the initiation of ethanol intake during a later section of adolescence (PD35 to PD40). Results: Amphetamine and MPH exerted reliable acute motor stimulant effects, but there was no indication of sensitized motor or anxiety responses. MPH did not affect dopamine (DA) levels, whereas AMPH significantly reduced insular levels of DA in both sexes and norepinephrine levels in females only. Repeated treatment with AMPH, but not with MPH, enhanced ethanol intake during late adolescence in male, but not in female, rats. Conclusion: A short treatment with AMPH during adolescence significantly altered DA levels in the insula, both in male and females, and significantly enhanced ethanol intake in males. The present results suggest that, in adolescent males, a very brief history of AMPH exposure can facilitate the initiation of ethanol intake.Fil: Ruiz, Paul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Calliari, Aldo. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Genovese, Patricia. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Scorza, Cecilia. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas "Clemente Estable"; UruguayFil: Pautassi, Ricardo Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Psicología; Argentin

Probing Cellular Dynamics with a Chemical Signal Generator

Observations of material and cellular systems in response to time-varying chemical stimuli can aid the analysis of dynamic processes. We describe a microfluidic “chemical signal generator,” a technique to apply continuously varying chemical concentration waveforms to arbitrary locations in a microfluidic channel through feedback control of the interface between parallel laminar (co-flowing) streams. As the flow rates of the streams are adjusted, the channel walls are exposed to a chemical environment that shifts between the individual streams. This approach can be used to probe the dynamic behavior of objects or substances adherent to the interior of the channel. To demonstrate the technique, we exposed live fibroblast cells to ionomycin, a membrane-permeable calcium ionophore, while assaying cytosolic calcium concentration. Through the manipulation of the laminar flow interface, we exposed the cells' endogenous calcium handling machinery to spatially-contained discrete and oscillatory intracellular disturbances, which were observed to elicit a regulatory response. The spatiotemporal precision of the generated signals opens avenues to previously unapproachable areas for potential investigation of cell signaling and material behavior

Primary Energy Demand - PET Bottles

<p>Life Cycle Assessment of beverages in single-use PET bottles using the NREL-maintained US LCI database for the core of the model (polymer production, energy and fuel cycle, combustion). The bar graph indicates the breakdown of energy usage associated with delivering beverages packaged in injection stretch blow molded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to consumers in California. The functional unit of this analysis is 1 kg of PET resin used in beverage bottles. The model also includes 0.14 kg of polypropylene (PP) resin, required by the product system for caps and labels. The product system delivers 27.9 L of beverage to California consumers, and results in 0.56 kg of secondary (post-recycled) PET resin that can be used to make new bottles or for other purposes. One kg of PET resin is sufficient to contain 27.9 L of beverages, assuming a typical beverage market mix of 60% bottled water, 16% carbonated soft drinks, and 24% juice / sports and other drinks. In California in 2009, 73% of PET bottles in the state's deposit program ("CA CRV") were recycled and 27% were disposed in landfills. The graph depicts this mix (ie. energy requirements reported for materials recovery and reclamation are associated with recovering 0.73 kg of PET bottles). The model excludes production of capital equipment such as factories, vehicles, and machinery; infrastructure such as power plants, fossil fuel extraction equipment, pipelines, roads, and electric grids; land use and water use; and direct human activity. The analysis omits polymer resin additives, inks, dyes, and adhesives; building and administrative overhead; production of the beverage itself; and retail / marketing. The data are from a report to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, presently under review. Publication in the literature is forthcoming.</p

Life cycle sustainability assessment-based tools

This chapter establishes a baseline of ideas of what Life Cycle Thinking means: going beyond the traditional focus, understanding and including the whole environmental, social, and economic implications of decision-making processes to identify potential conflicts, synergies, and trade-offs. The life cycle methodologies for sustainability assessment are described, providing an overview of the tools and criteria currently applied, available software and databases, and ongoing challenges. While Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a consolidated tool, based on the ISO standards, Life Cycle Costing (LCC), the tool aimed at the assessment of the economic domain using a life cycle perspective, has not been widely integrated into sustainability assessment until the last decade. Concerning the social dimension, Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) is still at an early stage of development, but it is a promising methodology to face the challenge of integrating the social aspects towards a holistic approach to sustainable development

Antelope – a web service for publishing life cycle models and results

<p>Preparing a life cycle assessment (LCA) requires collecting vast and varied information about industrial processes, known collectively as life cycle inventory (LCI) data. Inventory data for a given study may include a mix of proprietary information, literature results, and data sets drawn from reference databases as well as direct observations, statistical models, and estimates. Exchange and cooperative review of LCI models is challenging, because the use of private data often requires that intermediate results be concealed. Variations in modeling assumptions, scope and system boundary definitions across studies make conclusions difficult to generalize. Moreover, technical differences across software systems and the lack of a data format for publishing finished models also limit the ability of LCA practitioners to disseminate their results to a broad audience. As a consequence, it is often difficult to determine the provenance of LCA results, leading to low confidence in their interpretation.<br>To address the need of study authors to share their results, we have developed a web service that enables the publication of LCI models and impact assessment (LCIA) results while protecting the privacy of source data. Models are constructed out of “fragments,” acyclic directed graphs in which nodes correspond to unit processes and edges correspond to intermediate flows. Nodes are weighted according to their activity levels in a manner consistent with widespread LCA practice. Fragments can be arranged hierarchically by a study author to describe complex models. Using the service, processes and fragments can be inspected, and LCIA results for both processes and fragments can be retrieved for LCIA methods that are implemented by the service. Individual model components (processes, flows, flow properties, and LCIA methods) are referenced to source files formatted according to the ILCD standard. Processes originating from datasets marked as “private” report only aggregate LCIA results, while non-private processes can be inspected at the flow level.<br>The service permits remote users to retrieve modeling information and LCIA results from any web terminal. The work product is designed according to the REST architectural style, meaning that queries to the service are easily intelligible, stateless, and return self-documenting and human-readable results to a user. The results can also be processed by a specialized “front-end” tool and displayed interactively. The API specification and source code are available from the sponsor agency and will be released under an open source license.</p> <p> </p

Highest risk abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear

Derelict abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear have profound adverse effects. We assessed gear-specific relative risks from derelict gear to rank-order fishing methods based on: derelict gear production rates, gear quantity indicators of catch weight and fishing grounds area, and adverse consequences from derelict gear. The latter accounted for ghost fishing, transfer of microplastics and toxins into food webs, spread of invasive alien species and harmful microalgae, habitat degradation, obstruction of navigation and in-use fishing gear, and coastal socioeconomic impacts. Globally, mitigating highest risk derelict gear from gillnet, tuna purse seine with fish aggregating devices, and bottom trawl fisheries achieves maximum conservation gains. Locally, adopting controls following a sequential mitigation hierarchy and implementing effective monitoring, surveillance and enforcement systems are needed to curb derelict gear from these most problematic fisheries. Primary and synthesis research are priorities to improve future risk assessments, produce the first robust estimate of global derelict gear quantity, and assess the performance of initiatives to manage derelict gear. Findings from this first quantitative estimate of gear-specific relative risks from derelict gear guide the allocation of resources to achieve the largest improvements from mitigating adverse effects of derelict gear from the world’s 4.6 million fishing vessels.202