Environmental performance of chocolate produced in ghana using life cycle assessment

Ghana is an important cocoa producer and exporter and this production is of high economic importance. Increasing interest in the sustainable productions of cocoa/chocolate necessitated the need to assess the environmental impacts associated with the production of different chocolate variants (extra dark (EDC), dark (DC), milk (MC) and flavoured milk (FMC) in Ghana, including the identification of environmental hotspots for improvement. The life cycle assessment tool was used following the CML_IA and CED impact assessment methods. EDC had the lowest scores for most of the impact categories while FMC was most impactful. For Global Warming Potential (GWP), EDC and FMC were estimated to be 1.61 kg CO2 eq. and 4.21 kg CO2 eq., respectively. CED ranged from 1.44 × 102 to 1.50 × 102 MJ-eq. Chocolate manufacturing phase was generally more impactful than cocoa cultivation due to high emissions from milk and sugar production. The impact scores for 100 g packaged chocolate bar were the lowest in comparison to 300 g chocolate pouches and 12.5 g packaged chocolate strips. GWP for 100 g and 12.5 g were 0.20 kg CO2 eq. and 0.39 kg CO2 eq., respectively. Comparing different destination points for the manufactured chocolate, impact scores for the international destination were similar to those recorded for local destinations. Improvement options are suggested for all phases to ensure more sustainable chocolate production and distribu-tion

Life cycle assessment of protected strawberry productions in central Italy

Agricultural activities in Europe cover half of the total area of the continent and are simultaneously a cause of environmental impact and victims of the same impact. Horticultural or fruit crops are considered highly intensive and often employ many crop inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and various materials. Strawberry falls into this group, and it has grown in acreage and production more than others globally. The aim of this study is to compare the environmental impact of two strawberry cultivation systems in central Italy, a mulched soil tunnel and a soilless tunnel system. The method used to assess the impact is LCA, widely applied in agriculture and supported by international standards. The data used are mainly primary, related to 2018, and representative of the cultivation systems of central Italy. For impact assessment, the method selected was the CML_IA baseline version. From the results obtained, the two systems show a similar impact per kg of strawberries produced (e.g., for global warming: 0.785 kg CO2 eq for soilless, 0.778 kg CO2 eq for mulched soil tunnel). Reduced differences can be observed for the use of crop inputs (greater for the tunnel) and the use of materials and technology (greater for soilless). The mitigation measures considered concern the replacement of the packaging (excluding plastic) and the growing medium of the soilless using perlite and compost from insect breeding

Effects of Silica Modification (Mg, Al, Ca, Ti, and Zr) on Supported Cobalt Catalysts for H₂-Dependent CO₂ Reduction to Metabolic Intermediates

Serpentinizing hydrothermal systems generate H2 as a reductant and harbor catalysts conducive to geochemical CO2 conversion into reduced carbon compounds that form the core of microbial autotrophic metabolism. This study characterizes mineral catalysts at hydrothermal vents by investigating the interactions between catalytically active cobalt sites and silica-based support materials on H2-dependent CO2 reduction. Heteroatom incorporated (Mg, Al, Ca, Ti, and Zr), ordered mesoporous silicas are applied as model support systems for the cobalt-based catalysts. It is demonstrated that all catalysts surveyed convert CO2 to methane, methanol, carbon monoxide, and low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons at 180 °C and 20 bar, but with different activity and selectivity depending on the support modification. The additional analysis of the condensed product phase reveals the formation of oxygenates such as formate and acetate, which are key intermediates in the ancient acetyl-coenzyme A pathway of carbon metabolism. The Ti-incorporated catalyst yielded the highest concentrations of formate (3.6 mM) and acetate (1.2 mM) in the liquid phase. Chemisorption experiments including H2 temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) in agreement with density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the adsorption energy of CO2 suggest metallic cobalt as the preferential adsorption site for CO2 compared to hardly reducible cobalt–metal oxide interface species. The ratios of the respective cobalt species vary depending on the interaction strength with the support materials. The findings reveal robust and biologically relevant catalytic activities of silica-based transition metal minerals in H2-rich CO2 fixation, in line with the idea that autotrophic metabolism emerged at hydrothermal vents

ANÁLISES FÍSICO-QUÍMICAS DO LEITE EM PÓ COMPARADO AO LEITE UHT INTEGRAL

No que concerne às alterações nas características físico-químicas, ressalta-se que o leite oferece condições excelentes para a multiplicação de microorganismos, em menor espaço de tempo, portanto, é um produto altamente perecível. Vários fatores influenciam a qualidade do leite: condições nutricionais do animal, temperatura, higiene na ordenha e no transporte, fraudes do produto (como adição de água), entre outros. O presente artigo tem como objetivo comparar o leite UHT com o leite em pó integral através das análises de acidez, relação entre os sólidos e o solvente no leite, densidade, pH e glicídios redutores em glicose. O trabalho mostrou algumas diferenças entre as amostras analisadas, mas ambos os leites tiveram resultados satisfatórios em relação aos parâmetros preconizados pela legislação

Fractional snow cover in the Colorado and Rio Grande basins, 1995-2002

A cloud-masked fractional snow-covered area (SCA) product gridded at 1 km was developed from the advanced very high resolution radiometer for the Colorado River and upper Rio Grande basins for 1995-2002. Cloud cover limited SCA retrievals on any given 1-km2 pixel to on average once per week. There were sufficient cloud-free scenes to map SCA over at least part of the basins up to 21 days per month, with 3 months having only two scenes sufficiently cloud free to process. In the upper Colorado and upper Grande, SCA peaked in February-March. Maxima were 1-2 months earlier in the lower Colorado. Averaged over a month, as much as 32% of the upper Colorado and 5.5% of the lower Colorado were snow covered. Snow cover persisted longest at higher elevations for both wet and dry years. Interannual variability in snow cover persistence reflected wet-dry year differences. Compared with an operational (binary) SCA product produced by the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center, the current products classify a lower fraction of pixels as having detectable snow and being cloud covered (5.5% for SCA and 6% for cloud), with greatest differences in January and June in complex, forested terrain. This satellite-derived subpixel determination of snow cover provides the potential for enhanced hydrologic forecast abilities in areas of complex, snow-dominated terrain. As an example, we merged the SCA product with interpolated ground-based snow water equivalent (SWE) to develop a SWE time series. This interpolated, masked SWE peaked in April, after SCA peaked and after some of the lower-elevation snow cover had melted. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union

Clinical Outcomes in Persons Coinfected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis C Virus: Impact of Hepatitis C Virus Treatment

Background: A hepatitis C (HCV) cure is associated with changes in lipids and inflammatory biomarkers, but its impact on clinical endpoints among treated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV coinfected persons is unclear. / Methods: People living with HIV from EuroSIDA with a known HCV status after January 2001 were classified into strata based on time-updated HCV RNA measurements and HCV treatment, as either HCV antibody–negative; spontaneously resolved HCV; chronic, untreated HCV; cured HCV (HCV RNA–negative); or HCV treatment failures (HCV RNA–positive). Poisson regression was used to compare incidence rates between HCV groups for end-stage liver disease (ESLD; including hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]), non–acquired immunodeficiency virus defining malignancy (NADM; excluding HCC), and cardiovascular disease (CVD). / Results: There were 16 618 persons included (median follow-up 8.3 years, interquartile range 3.1–13.7). There were 887 CVD, 902 NADM, and 436 ESLD events; crude incidence rates/1000 person-years follow-up were 6.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.0–6.9) for CVD, 6.5 (95% CI 6.1–6.9) for NADM, and 3.1 (95% CI 2.8–3.4) for ESLD. After adjustment, there were no differences in incidence rates of NADM or CVD across the 5 groups. HCV-negative individuals (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0.22, 95% CI 0.14–0.34) and those with spontaneous clearance (aIRR 0.61, 95% CI 0.36–1.02) had reduced rates of ESLD compared to cured individuals. Persons with chronic, untreated HCV infections (aIRR 1.47, 95% CI 1.02–2.13) or treatment failure (aIRR 1.80, 95% CI 1.22–2.66) had significantly raised rates of ESLD, compared to those who were cured. / Conclusions: Incidences of NADM or CVD were independent of HCV group, whereas those cured had substantially lower incidences of ESLD, underlining the importance of successful HCV treatment for reducing ESLD

Revised estimates of influenza-associated excess mortality, United States, 1995 through 2005

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Excess mortality due to seasonal influenza is thought to be substantial. However, influenza may often not be recognized as cause of death. Imputation methods are therefore required to assess the public health impact of influenza. The purpose of this study was to obtain estimates of monthly excess mortality due to influenza that are based on an epidemiologically meaningful model.</p> <p>Methods and Results</p> <p>U.S. monthly all-cause mortality, 1995 through 2005, was hierarchically modeled as Poisson variable with a mean that linearly depends both on seasonal covariates and on influenza-certified mortality. It also allowed for overdispersion to account for extra variation that is not captured by the Poisson error. The coefficient associated with influenza-certified mortality was interpreted as ratio of total influenza mortality to influenza-certified mortality. Separate models were fitted for four age categories (<18, 18–49, 50–64, 65+). Bayesian parameter estimation was performed using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. For the eleven year study period, a total of 260,814 (95% CI: 201,011–290,556) deaths was attributed to influenza, corresponding to an annual average of 23,710, or 0.91% of all deaths.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Annual estimates for influenza mortality were highly variable from year to year, but they were systematically lower than previously published estimates. The excellent fit of our model with the data suggest validity of our estimates.</p

Nonrandom Distribution of Vector Ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) Infected by Francisella tularensis

The island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, is the site of a sustained outbreak of tularemia due to Francisella tularensis tularensis. Dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis, appear to be critical in the perpetuation of the agent there. Tularemia has long been characterized as an agent of natural focality, stably persisting in characteristic sites of transmission, but this suggestion has never been rigorously tested. Accordingly, we sought to identify a natural focus of transmission of the agent of tularemia by mapping the distribution of PCR-positive ticks. From 2004 to 2007, questing D. variabilis were collected from 85 individual waypoints along a 1.5 km transect in a field site on Martha's Vineyard. The positions of PCR-positive ticks were then mapped using ArcGIS. Cluster analysis identified an area approximately 290 meters in diameter, 9 waypoints, that was significantly more likely to yield PCR-positive ticks (relative risk 3.3, P = 0.001) than the rest of the field site. Genotyping of F. tularensis using variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis on PCR-positive ticks yielded 13 different haplotypes, the vast majority of which was one dominant haplotype. Positive ticks collected in the cluster were 3.4 times (relative risk = 3.4, P<0.0001) more likely to have an uncommon haplotype than those collected elsewhere from the transect. We conclude that we have identified a microfocus where the agent of tularemia stably perpetuates and that this area is where genetic diversity is generated

The Association of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy with Metabolic Syndrome is Dependent on Body Mass Index in Hypertensive Overweight or Obese Patients

Overweight (Ow) and obesity (Ob) influence blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). It is unclear whether the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) independently affects echocardiographic parameters in hypertension.380 Ow/Ob essential hypertensive patients (age ≤ 65 years) presenting for referred BP control-related problems. MetS was defined according to NCEP III/ATP with AHA modifications and LVH as LVM/h(2.7) ≥ 49.2 g/m(2.7) in males and ≥ 46.7 g/m(2.7) in females. Treatment intensity score (TIS) was used to control for BP treatment as previously reported.Hypertensive patients with MetS had significantly higher BMI, systolic and mean BP, interventricular septum and relative wall thickness and lower ejection fraction than those without MetS. LVM/h(2.7) was significantly higher in MetS patients (59.14 ± 14.97 vs. 55.33 ± 14.69 g/m(2.7); p = 0.022). Hypertensive patients with MetS had a 2.3-fold higher risk to have LVH/h(2.7) after adjustment for age, SBP and TIS (OR 2.34; 95%CI 1.40-3.92; p = 0.001), but MetS lost its independent relationship with LVH when BMI was included in the model.In Ow/Ob hypertensive patients MetS maintains its role of risk factor for LVH independently of age, SBP, and TIS, resulting in a useful predictor of target organ damage in clinical practice. However, MetS loses its independent relationship when BMI is taken into account, suggesting that the effects on MetS on LV parameters are mainly driven by the degree of adiposity