The role of consumption in material reduction opportunities: the impact of product lifetime in supplying the UK steel demand

Most of the products purchased in the UK are manufactured in other countries. As a result, worldwide greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions released to manufacture all products purchased in the UK are significantly higher than the UK territorial emissions. More than one half of global industrial emissions result from the use of steel, cement, paper, plastics, and aluminium. In this paper, the UK consumption of products that embody these five materials is estimated. For steel, which is the most widely used among these five materials, consumption and accumulation patterns are examined across four product categories. The impact of steel product lifetime extension is examined for the UK as one option for material demand reduction at the consumption stage of the supply chain. Different levels of steel product lifetimes are simulated for the UK in 2050 and their impacts are examined in terms of UK steel production, implicit steel imports, and global carbon dioxide emissions. Steel product lifetime extension promotes a reduction in the need for steel imports, by reducing the demand for new steel, which leads to lower carbon dioxide emissions required to supply the UK steel demand. The results demonstrate the criticality of a focus on the consumption stage, since any interventions made towards demand reduction of end-use goods leads to material reduction across the supply chain

Rearing substrate impacts growth and macronutrient composition of Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae produced at an industrial scale

Organic waste is a rapidly increasing problem due to the growth of the agricultural production needed to meet global food demands. Development of sustainable waste management solutions is essential. Black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) (BSF), larvae are voracious consumers of a wide range of organic materials ranging from fruits and vegetables to animal remains, and manure. Thanks to this ability and considering the larval high protein and lipid content, BSF larvae are a useful additive in animal feeds and biodiesel production. Unfortunately, the feasibility of using the black soldier fly as a tool for waste valorization and feed production has primarily been investigated at the benchtop scale. Thus, mobilization of current practices to an industrial scale is challenging because scaling up from small laboratory studies to large industrial studies is not necessarily linear. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the ability of the BSF to recycle organic waste at an industrial scale. To accomplish this goal, three organic waste streams were used (e.g., apples, bananas, and spent grain from a brewery) to test six diet treatments (1) apple, (2) banana, (3) spent grain, (4) apple and banana, (5) apple and spent grain, and (6) banana and spent grain. Working at scale of 10,000 BSF larvae life history traits, waste valorization, protein and lipid profiles were measured for each diet treatment. Differences were recorded across all variables, except substrate conversion, for larvae fed on fruit and spent grain (alone or with fruit). Growth rate significantly differed across treatments; larvae reared on spent grain grew twice as fast as those fed apples alone, but those reared on the apple and spent grain mixture produced twice as much insect biomass. However, it should be noted that larvae resulting from the apple diet contained 50% more fat than larvae fed the fruit and spent grain mixtures. Commonly-available organic wastes were successfully used at an industrial scale to produce BSF larvae that have the potential to substitute other sources of protein and lipids in different industrial applications. Industrialization efforts are encouraged to assess these impacts when integrating diverse ingredients into larval diets as a means to more precisely predict output, such as larval development time and final larval biomass

Odorant binding proteins fromHermetia illucens: potential sensing elements for detecting volatile aldehydes involved in early stages of organic decomposition

Organic decomposition processes, involving the breakdown of complex molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, release small chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), smelly even at very low concentrations, but not all readily detectable by vertebrates. Many of these compounds are instead detected by insects, mostly by saprophytic species, for which long-range orientation towards organic decomposition matter is crucial. In the present work the detection of aldehydes, as an important measure of lipid oxidation, has been possible exploiting the molecular machinery underlying odour recognition inHermetia illucens(Diptera: Stratiomyidae). This voracious scavenger insect is of interest due to its outstanding capacity in bioconversion of organic waste, colonizing very diverse environments due to the ability of sensing a wide range of chemical compounds that influence the choice of substrates for ovideposition. A variety of soluble odorant binding proteins (OBPs) that may function as carriers of hydrophobic molecules from the air-water interface in the antenna of the insect to the receptors were identified, characterised and expressed. An OBP-based nanobiosensor prototype was realized using selected OBPs as sensing layers for the development of an array of quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs) for vapour phase detection of selected compounds at room temperature. QCMs coated with four recombinantH. illucensOBPs (HillOBPs) were exposed to a wide range of VOCs indicative of organic decomposition, showing a high sensitivity for the detection of three chemical compounds belonging to the class of aldehydes and one short-chain fatty acid. The possibility of using biomolecules capable of binding small ligands as reversible gas sensors has been confirmed, greatly expanding the state-of the-art in gas sensing technology

Dedicated versus mainstreaming approaches in local climate plans in Europe

Cities are gaining prominence committing to respond to the threat of climate change, e.g., by developing local climate plans or strategies. However, little is known regarding the approaches and processes of plan development and implementation, or the success and effectiveness of proposed measures. Mainstreaming is regarded as one approach associated with (implementation) success, but the extent of integration of local climate policies and plans in ongoing sectoral and/or development planning is unclear. This paper analyses 885 cities across the 28 European countries to create a first reference baseline on the degree of climate mainstreaming in local climate plans. This will help to compare the benefits of mainstreaming versus dedicated climate plans, looking at policy effectiveness and ultimately delivery of much needed climate change efforts at the city level. All core cities of the European Urban Audit sample were analyzed, and their local climate plans classified as dedicated or mainstreamed in other local policy initiatives. It was found that the degree of mainstreaming is low for mitigation (9% of reviewed cities; 12% of the identified plans) and somewhat higher for adaptation (10% of cities; 29% of plans). In particular horizontal mainstreaming is a major effort for local authorities; an effort that does not necessarily pay off in terms of success of action implementation. This study concludes that climate change issues in local municipalities are best tackled by either, developing a dedicated local climate plan in parallel to a mainstreamed plan or by subsequently developing first the dedicated and later a mainstreaming plan (joint or subsequent “dual track approach”). Cities that currently provide dedicated local climate plans (66% of cities for mitigation; 26% of cities for adaptation) may follow-up with a mainstreaming approach. This promises effective implementation of tangible climate actions as well as subsequent diffusion of climate issues into other local sector policies. The development of only broad sustainability or resilience strategies is seen as critical.We thank the many council representatives that supported the datacollection. Special thanks to Birgit Georgi who helped in setting up this large net work of researchers across the EU-28. We also thank the EU COST Action TU 0902 (ledbyRichardDawson) that established the core research network and the positive engagement and interaction of th emembers of this group. OH is Fellow of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and was funded by the UK EPSRC LC Transforms: Low Carbon Transitions of Fleet Operations in Metropolitan Sites Project (grant number EP/N010612/1). EKL was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Czechia, within the National Sustainability Program I (NPU I) (grant number LO1415). DG ac-knowledges support by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), Italy ("Departments of Excellence" grant L. 232/2016). HO was supported by the Ministry of Education and Research, Estonia (grantnumberIUT34-17). MO acknowledges funding from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Spain (grant number IJCI-2016-28835). SS acknowledges that CENSE's research is partially funded by the Science Foundation, Portugal (grant number UID/AMB/04085/2019). The paper reflects only the views of the authors. The European Union, the European Environment Agency or other supporting bodies are not liable for any use that may be made of the information that is provided in this manuscript

An assessment of attitudes towards plastics and bioplastics in Europe

Over the last 50 years, conventional fossil-based plastics have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Apart from their low production costs, this is due to a number of their unique properties, including durability, strength, lightness, electrical and thermal insulation, resistance to chemicals and corrosion. The production of plastics has increased from 1.5 million metric tons in 1950 to 359 million metric tons in 2018. Of this total, 61.8 million metric tons were produced in Europe. There are various problems associated with plastic use and disposal that pose a serious threat to both the physical environment and human health. Since public behaviour plays a key role when it comes to the use of plastic, this paper reports on a study that focused on an assessment of attitudes towards plastics and bioplastics in Europe. The results showed that packaging is the most frequent modality of plastic used among participants. In addition, majority of participants are aware that plastic waste can affect environment and human health and therefore segregate and properly dispose plastics. Also, even though most respondents were aware of the environmental problems related to plastic use and showed a positive inclination towards using bioplastic materials, their limited availability and lack of relevant information about bioplastics pose a problem for wider use. Departing from the assumption that the public attitude is a determining factor in the consumption of plastics as a whole and bioplastics in particular, this paper also sheds some light on the current situation, identifying some trends and information gaps which should be addressed in order to encourage a more rational use of plastics in Europe

Assessing the levels of awareness among european citizens about the direct and indirect impacts of plastics on human health

There is an urgent need to assess European citizens' perspective regarding their plastic consumption and to evaluate their awareness of the direct and indirect effect of plastics on human health in order to influence current behavior trends. In this study, the evaluation has been cross-related with scientific facts, with the final aim of detecting the most recommendable paths in increasing human awareness, reducing plastic consumption, and consequently impacting human health. A statistical analysis of quantitative data, gathered from 1000 European citizens via an online survey in the period from May to June 2020, showed that a general awareness about the direct impact of plastic consumption and contamination (waste) on human health is high in Europe. However, only a few participants (from a higher educational group) were aware of the indirect negative effects that oil extraction and industrial production of plastic can have on human health. This finding calls for improved availability of this information to general public. Despite the participants' positive attitude toward active plastic reduction (61%), plastic consumption on a daily basis is still very high (86%). The most common current actions toward plastic reduction are plastic bag usage, reusage, or replacement with sustainable alternatives (e.g., textile bags) and selecting products with less plastic packaging. The participants showed important criticism toward the information available to the general public about plastics and health. This awareness is important since significant relation has been found between the available information and the participants' decisions on the actions they might undertake to reduce plastic consumption. The study clearly showed the willingness of the participants to take action, but they also requested to be strongly supported with joint efforts from government, policies, and marketing, defining it as the most successful way toward implementing these changes

Preclinical Models of Cancer Therapy-Associated Cardiovascular Toxicity:A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Although cardiovascular toxicity from traditional chemotherapies has been well recognized for decades, the recent explosion of effective novel targeted cancer therapies with cardiovascular sequelae has driven the emergence of cardio-oncology as a new clinical and research field. Cardiovascular toxicity associated with cancer therapy can manifest as a broad range of potentially life-threatening complications, including heart failure, arrhythmia, myocarditis, and vascular events. Beyond toxicology, the intersection of cancer and heart disease has blossomed to include discovery of genetic and environmental risk factors that predispose to both. There is a pressing need to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular toxicity to improve outcomes in patients with cancer. Preclinical cardiovascular models, ranging from cellular assays to large animals, serve as the foundation for mechanistic studies, with the ultimate goal of identifying biologically sound biomarkers and cardioprotective therapies that allow the optimal use of cancer treatments while minimizing toxicities. Given that novel cancer therapies target specific pathways integral to normal cardiovascular homeostasis, a better mechanistic understanding of toxicity may provide insights into fundamental pathways that lead to cardiovascular disease when dysregulated. The goal of this scientific statement is to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of preclinical models of cancer therapy-associated cardiovascular toxicity, to highlight overlapping mechanisms driving cancer and cardiovascular disease, and to discuss opportunities to leverage cardio-oncology models to address important mechanistic questions relevant to all patients with cardiovascular disease, including those with and without cancer.</p

Observation of a New Excited Ds+ Meson in B0 →d-D+K+π-Decays

Using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb−1 collected with the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, the B0 → D−DþKþπ− decay is studied. A new excited Dþ s meson is observed decaying into the DþKþπ− final state with large statistical significance. The pole mass and width, and the spin parity of the new state are measured with an amplitude analysis to be mR ¼ 2591 6 7 MeV, ΓR ¼ 89 16 12 MeV, and JP ¼ 0−, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. Fit fractions for all components in the amplitude analysis are also reported. The new resonance, denoted as Ds0ð2590Þþ, is a strong candidate to be the Dsð21 S0Þþ state, the radial excitation of the pseudoscalar ground-state Dþ s meson

Fostering students’ participation in the implementation of the sustainable development goals at higher education institutions

Students are central actors at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Whereas much can be achieved by the active participation of students in sustainability affairs, it is unclear what is the current level of students’ knowledge and engagement regarding the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the world, as well as which initiatives are being undertaken by HEIs on this matter. In order to address this research gap, this study investigated the current status of students’ knowledge and participation in initiatives aimed at the implementation of the UN SDGs. A comprehensive research methodology was carried out by means of a bibliometric analysis, case studies, and a survey involving a sample of 602 students from 53 countries. For the bibliometric analysis, data were analysed with the support of the VOSviewer software, while quantitative data analysis was performed with the support of IBM SPSS Statistics. The study shows that the participation of students in SDGs activities is associated with the commitment level of the HEIs to the implementation of the SDGs. In addition, the fact that students have taken a course or have a discipline related to the SDGs, plays a significant role in the SDGs implementation process. Moreover, the findings reveal that graduate students are more familiar with the SDGs than their undergraduate peers. The analysed HEIs case studies also demonstrate the commitment to sustainable development (SD) through different initiatives being pursued at different levels and scopes. Based on the results, the study provides recommendations on a set of specific measures that may be implemented to increase HEIs students’ interest and engagement in SD