268 research outputs found
Broken chocolate:biomarkers as a method for delivering cocoa supply chain visibility
Purpose: This paper examines the potential of âbiomarkersâ to provide immutable identification for food products (chocolate), providing traceability and visibility in the supply chain from retail product back to farm. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses qualitative data collection, including fieldwork at cocoa farms and chocolate manufacturers in Ecuador and the Netherlands and semi-structured interviews with industry professionals to identify challenges and create a supply chain map from cocoa plant to retailer, validated by area experts. A library of biomarkers is created using DNA collected from fieldwork and the International Cocoa Quarantine Centre, holders of cocoa varieties from known locations around the world. Matching sample biomarkers with those in the library enables identification of origins of cocoa used in a product, even when it comes from multiple different sources and has been processed. Findings: Supply chain mapping and interviews identify areas of the cocoa supply chain that lack the visibility required for management to guarantee sustainability and quality. A decoupling point, where smaller farms/tradersâ goods are combined to create larger economic units, obscures product origins and limits visibility. These factors underpin a potential boundary condition to institutional theory in the industryâs fatalism to environmental and human abuses in the face of rising institutional pressures. Biomarkers reliably identify product origin, including specific farms and (fermentation) processing locations, providing visibility and facilitating control and trust when purchasing cocoa. Research limitations/implications: The biomarker âmeta-barcodingâ of cocoa beans used in chocolate manufacturing accurately identifies the farm, production facility or cooperative, where a cocoa product came from. A controlled data set of biomarkers of registered locations is required for audit to link chocolate products to origin. Practical implications: Where biomarkers can be produced from organic products, they offer a method for closing visibility gaps, enabling responsible sourcing. Labels (QR codes, barcodes, etc.) can be swapped and products tampered with, but biological markers reduce reliance on physical tags, diminishing the potential for fraud. Biomarkers identify product composition, pinpointing specific farm(s) of origin for cocoa in chocolate, allowing targeted audits of suppliers and identifying if cocoa of unknown origin is present. Labour and environmental abuses exist in many supply chains and enabling upstream visibility may help firms address these challenges. Social implications: By describing a method for firms in cocoa supply chains to scientifically track their cocoa back to the farm level, the research shows that organizations can conduct social audits for child labour and environmental abuses at specific farms proven to be in their supply chains. This provides a method for delivering supply chain visibility (SCV) for firms serious about tackling such problems. Originality/value: This paper provides one of the very first examples of biomarkers for agricultural SCV. An in-depth study of stakeholders from the cocoa and chocolate industry elucidates problematic areas in cocoa supply chains. Biomarkers provide a unique biological product identifier. Biomarkers can support efforts to address environmental and social sustainability issues such as child labour, modern slavery and deforestation by providing visibility into previously hidden areas of the supply chain
An insight into polarization states of solid-state organic lasers
The polarization states of lasers are crucial issues both for practical
applications and fundamental research. In general, they depend in a combined
manner on the properties of the gain material and on the structure of the
electromagnetic modes. In this paper, we address this issue in the case of
solid-state organic lasers, a technology which enables to vary independently
gain and mode properties. Different kinds of resonators are investigated:
in-plane micro-resonators with Fabry-Perot, square, pentagon, stadium, disk,
and kite shapes, and external vertical resonators. The degree of polarization P
is measured in each case. It is shown that although TE modes prevail generally
(P>0), kite-shaped micro-laser generates negative values for P, i.e. a flip of
the dominant polarization which becomes mostly TM polarized. We at last
investigated two degrees of freedom that are available to tailor the
polarization of organic lasers, in addition to the pump polarization and the
resonator geometry: upon using resonant energy transfer (RET) or upon pumping
the laser dye to an higher excited state. We then demonstrate that
significantly lower P factors can be obtained.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure
Didemnin B: Comparative study and conformational approach in solution
A comparative study of isodideimnine-1 and didemnin B is presented using spcctroecopic methods, partial degradation and partial synthesis. This leads to the conclusion of the presence of a single depsipeptide, namely didemnin B, with (3S,4R,5S) isostatine instead of the previous statine residue. An attempt to determine the whole conformation in solution of didemnin B by using 2D-NMR is also described
On the statistical interpretation of optical rogue waves
Numerical simulations are used to discuss various aspects of "optical rogue
wave" statistics observed in noise-driven fiber supercontinuum generation
associated with highly incoherent spectra. In particular, we consider how long
wavelength spectral filtering influences the characteristics of the statistical
distribution of peak power, and we contrast the statistics of the spectrally
filtered SC with the statistics of both the peak power of the most red-shifted
soliton in the SC and the maximum peak power across the full temporal field
with no spectral selection. For the latter case, we show that the unfiltered
statistical distribution can still exhibit a long-tail, but the extreme-events
in this case correspond to collisions between solitons of different
frequencies. These results confirm the importance of collision dynamics in
supercontinuum generation. We also show that the collision-induced events
satisfy an extended hydrodynamic definition of "rogue wave" characteristics.Comment: Paper accepted for publication in the European Physical Journal ST,
Special Topics. Discussion and Debate: Rogue Waves - towards a unifying
concept? To appear 201
MEDICIĂN DEL DESARROLLO LOCAL DEL MUNICIPIO PILOTO âEL SALVADORâ DE LA PROVINCIA GUANTĂNAMO
En el presente artĂculo constituyĂł como objetivo: aplicar un Ăndice sintĂ©tico de desarrollo local asociado a variables econĂłmicas, sociales y ambientales, como punto de partida para la toma de decisiones por el gobierno del municipio en la fundamentaciĂłn de las acciones estratĂ©gicas y su direccionalidad. La investigaciĂłn desarrollada se basĂł en el mĂ©todo marxista del materialismo dialĂ©ctico e histĂłrico, de lo general a lo particular, para el anĂĄlisis y tratamiento teĂłrico de la temĂĄtica y de series histĂłricas de hechos y datos. De forma particular, se utilizĂł el mĂ©todo de criterios de expertos. Mediante la investigaciĂłn, se determinĂł el nivel de desarrollo del municipio El Salvador, cuyos resultados permiten accionar en las problemĂĄticas de un territorio en especĂfico. Por otra parte, como consecuencia de este trabajo se obtuvo que la aplicaciĂłn de diagnĂłsticos estratĂ©gicos municipales constituyen puntos de obligatoria referencia que manifiestan las posibilidades de los territorios, donde puedan existir fuentes de sinergias en la estructuraciĂłn de un sistema coherente de polĂticas de desarrollo local. Los resultados mostraron que el municipio GuantĂĄnamo refleja el mĂĄs alto nivel de desarrollo; los de Baracoa, El Salvador y Manuel TĂĄmes revelan un nivel medio, lo que hace ineludible prever objetivos, estrategias y polĂticas de desarrollo; para atenuar las desproporciones socioeconĂłmicas que aĂșn persisten, a pesar de la voluntad polĂtica y los esfuerzos realizados para reducir las mismas. El Salvador mostrĂł avances significativos en el perĂodo evaluado desde el 2007 hasta el 2011
Power dependence of supercontinuum noise in uniform and tapered PCFs
An error was made in the calculation of the relative intensity noise (RIN) because of an incorrectly specified value of the photodetector DC transimpedance gain
Estimating seabed pressure from demersal trawls, seines, and dredges based on gear design and dimensions
This study assesses the seabed pressure of towed fishing gears and models the physical impact (area and depth of seabed penetration) from trip-based information of vessel size, gear type, and catch. Traditionally fishing pressures are calculated top-down by making use of large-scale statistics such as logbook data. Here, we take a different approach starting from the gear itself (design and dimensions) to estimate the physical interactions with the seabed at the level of the individual fishing operation. We defined 14 distinct towed gear groups in European waters (eight otter trawl groups, three beam trawl groups, two demersal seine groups, and one dredge group), for which we established gear âfootprintsâ. The footprint of a gear is defined as the relative contribution from individual larger gear components, such as trawl doors, sweeps, and groundgear, to the total area and severity of the gear's impact. An industry-based survey covering 13 countries provided the basis for estimating the relative impact-area contributions from individual gear components, whereas sediment penetration was estimated based on a literature review. For each gear group, a vessel sizeâgear size relationship was estimated to enable the prediction of gear footprint area and sediment penetration from vessel size. Application of these relationships with average vessel sizes and towing speeds provided hourly swept-area estimates by mĂ©tier. Scottish seining has the largest overall gear footprint of âŒ1.6 km2 hâ1 of which 0.08 km2 has an impact at the subsurface level (sediment penetration â„ 2 cm). Beam trawling for flatfish ranks low when comparing overall footprint size/hour but ranks substantially higher when comparing only impact at the subsurface level (0.19 km2hâ1). These results have substantial implications for the definition, estimation, and monitoring of fishing pressure indicators, which are discussed in the context of an ecosystem approach to fisheries managemen
Marine epibiosis. II. Reduced fouling on Polysyncraton lacazei (Didemnidae, Tunicata) and proposal of an antifouling potential index
Polysyncraton lacazei is a colonial tunicate (family didemnidae) living in the NW-mediterranean rocky sublitoral. A thorough scanning of numerous colonies revealed that in spite of an apparently heavy local fouling pressure only one fouling species â a kamptozoan â is encountered with some regularity on Polysyncraton. We try to define the epibiotic situation of sessile marine organisms as composed of four epibiotic parameters: longevity or exposure time (A), epibiont load (E), colonizer pool (CP) and fouling-period (FP). Subsequently, these factors are combined to propose an âAntifouling Potentialâ index: AFP=(1âE/CP)ĂA/(FP+A). This index is intended to permit evaluating the relative antifouling defense potency to be expected in a given organism in a given epibiotic situation and to compare different cases of epibiosis and fouling
Septic AKI in ICU patients. diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment type, dosing, and timing: a comprehensive review of recent and future developments
Evidence is accumulating showing that septic acute kidney injury (AKI) is different from non-septic AKI. Specifically, a large body of research points to apoptotic processes underlying septic AKI. Unravelling the complex and intertwined apoptotic and immuno-inflammatory pathways at the cellular level will undoubtedly create new and exciting perspectives for the future development (e.g., caspase inhibition) or refinement (specific vasopressor use) of therapeutic strategies. Shock complicating sepsis may cause more AKI but also will render treatment of this condition in an hemodynamically unstable patient more difficult. Expert opinion, along with the aggregated results of two recent large randomized trials, favors continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) as preferential treatment for septic AKI (hemodynamically unstable). It is suggested that this approach might decrease the need for subsequent chronic dialysis. Large-scale introduction of citrate as an anticoagulant most likely will change CRRT management in intensive care units (ICU), because it not only significantly increases filter lifespan but also better preserves filter porosity. A possible role of citrate in reducing mortality and morbidity, mainly in surgical ICU patients, remains to be proven. Also, citrate administration in the predilution mode appears to be safe and exempt of relevant side effects, yet still requires rigorous monitoring. Current consensus exists about using a CRRT dose of 25 ml/kg/h in non-septic AKI. However, because patients should not be undertreated, this implies that doses as high as 30 to 35 ml/kg/h must be prescribed to account for eventual treatment interruptions. Awaiting results from large, ongoing trials, 35 ml/kg/h should remain the standard dose in septic AKI, particularly when shock is present. To date, exact timing of CRRT is not well defined. A widely accepted composite definition of timing is needed before an appropriate study challenging this major issue can be launched
- âŠ