La huella de carbono de la Universitat de València: diagnóstico, análisis y evaluación

El presente trabajo es una contribución al análisis de la sostenibilidad ambiental de la Universitat de València. Para ello se calcula la huella de carbono en Hag a partir de una estimación de las emisiones de CO2 asociadas a los diferentes consumos realizados en el desarrollo de sus actividades (movilidad diaria, energía, agua, papel y edificación); asimismo se ha tenido en cuenta el impacto positivo de la producción fotovoltaica y de la central de cogeneración. Los resultados permiten cuantificar y contextualizar el tamaño de la huella de carbono de la Universitat así como conocer sus componentes y los aspectos en los que hay un mayor campo para plantear posibles reducciones de impactos.This paper is a contribution to the analysis of the environmental sustainability of the University of Valencia. To do so,the carbon footprint from an estimate of the emissions CO2 associated with different consumption made in the development of their activities (mobility daily, energy, water, paper and building)is calculated. Positive impacts were as well taken into account, as for example photovoltaic production and cogeneration. The results allow to quantify and contextualize the size of the carbon footprint of the University and to know the components and areas where there is greater scope for possible reductions in impacts pose

Determination of metallic nanoparticles in air filters by means single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) has been explored for the determination of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in air. Different extraction strategies (i.e., direct immersion, hard cap espresso, ultrasound-assisted and microwave-assisted extraction) and extracting solvents (i.e., citric acid, trisodium citrate, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, thiourea, disodium pyrophosphate and ammonium hydroxide) were investigated for platinum and gold NPs recovery from glass and microquartz fiber filters with a nominal size cut-off of 300 nm. Results show that metallic NPs are preserved and quantitatively extracted from the filter in 4 min inside an 800 W microwave oven by using 40 mL of a 2.0% w w−1 NH4OH solution. For the remaining extraction procedures, either incomplete recoveries or NPs degradation occur. As regards the influence of filter material, microquartz fiber affords better NPs capturing performance than glass fiber ones, enabling the quantification of NPs with diameters above 28 nm. This methodology has been successfully applied to determine PtNPs in filters from environmental monitoring stations and to gain insight into NPs transport through ICP-MS sample introduction system. Care should be taken during spICP-MS calibration since biased results might be obtained due to differences on NPs transport efficiency between standards and samples.The authors would like to thank the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2021/055) and the Vice-Presidency for Research and Knowledge Transfer of the University of Alicante for the financial support of this work (Projects GRE12-19 and VIGROB-050). D. Torregrosa thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades for the fellowship FPU17/02853

A Framework for Open Policy Analysis

The evidence-based policy movement promotes the use of empirical evidence to inform policy decision-making. While several social science disciplines are undergoing a “credibility revolution” focused on openness and replication, policy analysis has yet to systematically embrace transparency and reproducibility. We argue that policy analysis should adopt the open research practices increasingly espoused in related disciplines to advance the credibility of evidence-based policymaking. We first discuss the importance of evidence-based policy in an era of increasing disagreement about facts, analysis, and expertise. We present a novel framework for “open” policy analysis (OPA) and how to achieve it, focusing on examples of recent policy analyses that have incorporated open research practices such as transparent reporting, open data, and code sharing. We conclude with recommendations on how key stakeholders in evidence-based policy can make OPA the norm and thus safeguard trust in using empirical evidence to inform important public policy decisions

Food Chemistry: Food quality and new analytical approaches

Peer Reviewe

Prediction of alkaline earth elements in bone remains by near infrared spectroscopy

An innovative methodological approach has been developed for the prediction of the mineral element composition of bone remains. It is based on the use of Fourier Transform Near Infrared (FT-NIR) diffuse reflectance measurements. The method permits a fast, cheap and green analytical way, to understand postmortem degradation of bones caused by the environment conditions on different skeletal parts and to select the best preserved bone samples. Samples, from the Late Roman Necropolis of Virgen de la Misericordia street and En Gil street located in Valencia (Spain), were employed to test the proposed approach being determined calcium, magnesium and strontium in bone remains and sediments. Coefficients of determination obtained between predicted values and reference ones for Ca, Mg and Sr were 90.4, 97.3 and 97.4, with residual predictive deviation of 3.2, 5.3 and 2.3, respectively, and relative root mean square error of prediction between 10% and 37%. Results obtained evidenced that NIR spectra combined with statistical analysis can help to predict bone mineral profiles suitable to evaluate bone diagenesis

Evaluation of a Multicommuted Flow System for Photometric Environmental Measurements

A portable flow analysis instrument is described for in situ photometric measurements. This system is based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a photodiode detector, coupled to a multipumping flow system. The whole equipment presents dimensions of 25  cm × 22  cm × 10  cm, weighs circa 3 kg, and costs 650 €. System performance was evaluated for different chemistries without changing hardware configuration for determinations of (i) Fe3+ with SCN-, (ii) iodometric nitrite determination, (iii) phenol with sodium nitroprusside, and (iv) 1-naphthol-N-methylcarbamate (carbaryl) with p-aminophenol. The detection limits were estimated as 22, 60, 25, and 60 ng mL -1 for iron, nitrite, phenol, and carbaryl at the 99.7% confidence level with RSD of 2.3, 1.0, 1.8, and 0.8%, respectively. Reagent and waste volumes were lower than those obtained by flow systems with continuous reagent addition. Sampling rates of 100, 110, 65, and 72 determinations per hour were achieved for iron, nitrite, phenol, and carbaryl determination

Chemical characterisation of historic mortars to evaluate decay and construction phases

The chemical characterization of ancient mortars allowed the researchers to answer relevant questions about production technologies, raw materials supply, construction phases and state of decay. In this work one hundred and sixteen samples were collected from different structures during two archaeological excavations carried out in Sagunto’s city centre (Valencia, Spain). The studied area has been interested by several continuous phases of occupation since the Iberian Epoch (5th century BC) to the present times [1,2]. The samples were analysed employing X-ray fluorescence and Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine major and trace elements. The obtained data was statistically processed with Sagunto’s Castle mortar results [3], allowing us to identify the construction phases of most of the wall structures, confirming the particular effectiveness of Rare Earth Elements analysis to distinguish mortars from different periods. In conclusion, according to this data, the state of conservation of the different mortars has been evaluated. [1] Ripollés, Opulentissima Saguntum (2004) 165. [2] Monserrat, Arse 41 (2007) 231. [3] Gallello et al., Microchem. J. 132 (2017) 251

Biomarkers of exposure in urine of active smokers, non-smokers and vapers

The exposure to smoking related products has been evaluated through urine illness risk marker determination through the analysis of urine samples of smokers and vapers. Biomarkers and their metabolites such as N-acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L cysteine (CEMA), N-acetyl-S-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)-L-cysteine (DHBMA), N-acetyl-S-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-propen-1-yl)-L cysteine (MHBMA), N-acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl)-L-cysteine (3HPMA), 2R-N-acetyl-S-(4-hydroxybutan-2-yl)-L-cysteine (HMPMA), and N-acetyl-S-(3-carboxy-2-propyl)-L-cysteine (CMEMA) together with nicotine and cotinine were identifed and quantifed by LC-HRMS and LC-MS/MS, and data found normalized to the creatinine level. One hundred two urine samples were collected from smokers, non-smokers, and vapers, spanning an age range from 16 to 79 years. Results obtained showed that CEMA was only detected in urine samples from smokers and MHBMA was in the same order of magnitude in all the urine samples analyzed. HMPMA was found in the urine of vapers at the same order of concentration as in non smokers. 3HPMA in vapers was lower than in the urine of smokers, presenting an intermediate situation between smokers and non-smokers. On the other hand, DHBMA in vapers can reach similar values to those found for smokers, while CMEMA shows concentrations in the urine of vapers higher than in the case of non-smokers and traditional smokers, requiring new research to link this metabolite to the use of electronic cigarettes and possible alternative metabolomic routes. In general, this study seems to verify that traditional smoking practice constitutes a major source of carcinogenic chemicals compared with substitutive practices, although those practices are not free of potential harm.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Memoria

En port.: En cumplimiento de la Real Orden del Ministerio de la Gobernación, fecha 20 de Marzo de 1894, cuya memoria ha sido aprobada y acordado su impresión por dicha junta en la sesión celebrada en Iº de Mayo siguient