Economic benefit and social impact derived by a food loss prevention strategy in the vegetable sector: A spatial and temporal analysis at the regional level

Introduction: Reduction of food loss in the horticultural sector is critical to simultaneously support the transition toward a diet with higher consumption of vegetables and the achievement of policy goals aimed at halving the quantity of wastage by 2030. However, the lack of precise information and the presence of múltiple interconnected factors makes it difficult to assess the potential socioeconòmic benefits and therefore the decision-making process of food loss reduction strategies. Methods: A case study approach has been used to assess the econòmic loss and nutrional impact of food loss in the horticulture primary production. The selection of the main vegetable products was based on an historical series while econòmic and nutritional impact were estimated starting from national and European indicator. Results: The food loss correspond to 26% of the total production and 14% of the total agricultural production econòmic value. The social analysis confirm the possibility of redistributing food loss among the population even in the most critical months and areas. Discussion: The combination of social and econòmic indicator resulted essential to provide key information at the decision-making level to pave the way for the elaboration of short- and long-term food loss reduction strategies. Indeed, no single-bullet strategy can be applied to overcome the problem of food loss as many actor with different needs are involved

Supplemental LED Lighting Improves Fruit Growth and Yield of Tomato Grown under the Sub-Optimal Lighting Condition of a Building Integrated Rooftop Greenhouse (i-RTG)

The metabolism of a building can be connected to a rooftop greenhouse, exchanging energy, water and CO2 flows, therefore reducing emissions and recycling cultivation inputs. However, integrating a rooftop greenhouse onto a building requires the application of stringent safety codes (e.g., fire, seismic codes), to strengthen and secure the structure with safety elements such as thick steel pillars or fireproof covering materials. These elements can shade the vegetation or reduce solar radiation entering the rooftop greenhouse. Nevertheless, application of additional LED light can help to overcome this constraint. The present study evaluated supplemental LED light application in an integrated rooftop greenhouse (i-RTG) at the ICTA-UAB research institute, located in Barcelona (Spain), for tomato cultivation (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Siranzo). The experiment explored the effects of three LED lighting treatments and a control cultivated under natural light only (CK). Applied treatments, added to natural sunlight, were: red and blue (RB), red and blue + far-red (FR) for the whole day, and red and blue + far-red at the end-of-day (EOD), each for 16 h d(-1) (8 a.m.-12 a.m.) with an intensity of 170 mu mol m(-2) s(-1). The results indicate that LED light increased the overall yield by 17% compared with CK plants. In particular, CK tomatoes were 9.3% lighter and 7.2% fewer as compared with tomatoes grown under LED treatments. Fruit ripening was also affected, with an increase of 35% red proximal fruit in LED-treated plants. In conclusion, LED light seems to positively affect the development and growth of tomatoes in building integrated agriculture in the Mediterranean area

Advancing in the analysis of materials in electr(on)ic equipment

Despite there is a great effort to support strategies for a circular economy of electr(on)ics as maintenance, repair, remanufacture and reuse, recycling keeps being the final ultimate stage reached by them. As the supply of materials has become a key issue for the economic and technology development, more information about the content of materials in electr(on)ics is in order. This is especially for printed circuit boards contained in the majority of electr(on)ics which have a great variety of materials with a significant economic value. This paper discusses two methodologies to quantify the material composition of these parts. The first methodology quantifies the material content using two algorithms to identify the typologies of electr(on)ics components, and the average material composition of some typologies of electr(on)ic components given by original manufacturers. The second methodology uses the Database of SEmiconductors (DoSE) which contains the full material composition of about 250 different electr(on)ic components of printed circuit boards. A case study based on the analysis of two models of battery management systems contained in the batteries of electric vehicles is developed to compare the material composition results obtained from the two methodologies. Although the analysis is limited to some electr(on)ic components, mainly the integrated circuit and capacitors, the results of the composition of the battery management system are given for a list of materials including aluminum, copper, iron, gold, lead, nickel and tantalum. For two of the most economically relevant materials, copper and gold, the results obtained by the two methodologies differ 2% for copper and 4% for gold. To advance towards more automatized and systematic methodologies to estimate the material composition of the battery management systems, there are some further developments needed: to increase datasets for other electr(on)ic components as connectors, and better quantification of the number of layers and finishing of the circuit boards as they are made of significant quantities of copper and gold

Search for Higgs boson decays into a pair of light bosons in the bbμμ final state in pp collision at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for decays of the Higgs boson into a pair of new spin-zero particles, H→aa, where the a-bosons decay into a b-quark pair and a muon pair, is presented. The search uses 36.1fb−1of proton–proton collision data at √s=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are placed on the branching ratio (σH/σSM) ×B(H→aa →bbμμ), ranging from 1.2 ×10−4to 8.4 ×10−4in the a-boson mass range of 20–60GeV. Model-independent limits are set on the visible production cross-section times the branching ratio to the bbμμ final state for new physics, σvis(X) ×B(X→bbμμ), ranging from 0.1fb to 0.73fb for mμμ between 18 and 62GeV

Digitalization as an enabler of the Circular Economy of electronics

To facilitate the transition from a linear to a circular economy there is a need to develop digital tools that can provide comprehensive and useful data to enhance repair, remanufacturing, reuse, and recycling. This paper explains the typology of information key for such end, it discusses the current limitations and difficulties to implement methods in a digital platform, and a description of already existing digital solutions that will be further improved in the context of the DigiPrime project. A preliminary analysis of the availability and accessibility of information about electronics is required before the definition of a digital tool to support circular economy. First, the paper discusses the need of 'digitalized' end 'standardized' information of electronics to promote circular strategies. Then, diverse digitalization approaches by several teams of the Digiprime project are detailed. The paper concludes with a description of the next steps needed to align the diverse digitalization approaches and its potential contribution to improve the electronics sector

Alpha-1 antichymotrypsin gene signal peptide A/T polymorphism and primary intracerebral hemorrhage

Background/Aims: Alpha-1 antichymotrypsin (ACT), a serine proteinase inhibitor, has been implicated in vascular pathology. The TT genotype of the ACT signal peptide A/T polymorphism has been reported to confer susceptibility to primary intracerebral hemorrhage (PICH). We conducted a prospective study to test possible association of ACT signal peptide A/T polymorphism with PICH in a Greek cohort with enough power (80%) to detect a twofold increase in the odds ratio. Methods: We prospectively recruited 147 patients with PICH. ACT signal peptide A/T genotypes were determined in patients and 206 healthy, age- and sex-matched control subjects from the neurology outpatient clinic using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results: Our study did not show an association between ACT signal peptide A/T polymorphism and PICH. We also failed to find any influence on age at onset, the location and volume of PICH as well as on clinical severity at admission or 6-month outcome. Conclusion: Our data failed to confirm an association between ACT signal peptide A/T polymorphism and PICH. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that the TT genotype confers susceptibility at less than a twofold increase. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel