Food production significantly contributes to consumption of resources and presents remarkable environmental impacts to be evaluated through a life cycle approach. The present paper aims to present ...and discuss the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performed on 13 tomato based products (tomato purée, chopped tomatoes and peeled tomatoes in tomato juice) produced in Italy by a Group representing one of largest agri-food industry European companies. The environmental hotspots of the whole supply chains of the investigated products have been identified and technical and managerial solutions have been defined. Agricultural phase and packaging production resulted to be the life-cycle stages with the highest impact in all the considered categories. The identified improvement options related to packaging subsystem are the reduction of weight and the switch to different packaging materials. Other improvement options can be adopted in the cultivation phase, such as use of organic fertilizers or inorganic fertilizers with lower nitrogen and phosphorus content, crop rotation and use of efficient irrigation systems.
The application of LCA methodology to tomato product systems has highlighted some methodological issues that will be taken into account during the CPC 2132 and CPC 2139 Product Category Rules (PCR) development in the framework of the International EPD® System.
•A life cycle approach for evaluating the sustainability of 13 tomato based products.•Identification of environmental hotspots from cradle to grave.•Definition of technical and managerial solutions.•LCA results as a guide for the consumer through a Type III environmental declaration.•Identification of improvement options for packaging and cultivation.
Purpose
Environmental impact evaluation in the food sector is a key topic, due to both stricter legislations and higher consumer awareness towards sustainable choices. The case of chocolate is a ...remarkable example, owing to the increasing demand and the complex production process from cocoa beans to final bars. The present study aims at assessing the environmental impacts related to three chocolate types (dark, milk and white) through life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology.
Methods
Consistent with food Product Category Rules (PCRs) and previous LCA literature, the study follows a cradle to grave approach. Among different raw material productions, it focuses above all on cocoa farming assuming three possible producer countries (i.e. Ghana, Ecuador and Indonesia), so that the influence of specific weather conditions and soil properties is underlined. Since the manufacturing step is supposed in the North Italian factory, different transport distances are also taken into account. Moreover, the work focuses on the possible use of several packaging materials and following disposal issues. In view of the open discussion about the most suitable functional unit in food sector, mass and energy amount approaches are compared.
Results and discussion
Along chocolate supply chain, different phases are evaluated according to LCA methodology. Among analyzed producer countries: Indonesia monoculture case results to be the most impacting situation, due to an intensive use of agrochemicals; pesticides give a wide contribution in Ecuador, whereas Ghana is penalized by the highest water consumption. The transport of beans to manufacturing plant influences mostly the GWP, owing to long travelled distances. Considering the whole production process, cocoa derivatives and milk powder are the main contributors to every impact category. From packaging point of view, the best solution is the use of a single polypropylene layer. A sensitivity analysis is performed to check the validity of different allocation procedures: both mass and energy content allocations lead to similar results.
Conclusions
Through LCA methodology, the life cycle of dark, milk and white chocolate is compared. The study assesses different potential environmental impacts, assuming mass and energy content as possible functional units and references for allocation procedures. For all combinations of functional units and allocation rules, dark chocolate globally presents the best environmental performance, whereas the other two types have similar environmental impacts.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has become a pandemic, but its reported characteristics and outcomes vary greatly amongst studies. We determined pooled estimates for clinical characteristics and ...outcomes in COVID‐19 patients including subgroups by disease severity (based on World Health Organization Interim Guidance Report or Infectious Disease Society of America/American Thoracic Society criteria) and by country/region. We searched Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, Chinese Medical Journal, and preprint databases from 1 January 2020 to 6 April 2020. Studies of laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 patients with relevant data were included. Two reviewers independently performed study selection and data extraction. From 6007 articles, 212 studies from 11 countries/regions involving 281 461 individuals were analyzed. Overall, mean age was 46.7 years, 51.8% were male, 22.9% had severe disease, and mortality was 5.6%. Underlying immunosuppression, diabetes, and malignancy were most strongly associated with severe COVID‐19 (coefficient = 53.9, 23.4, 23.4, respectively, all P < .0007), while older age, male gender, diabetes, and hypertension were also associated with higher mortality (coefficient = 0.05 per year, 5.1, 8.2, 6.99, respectively; P = .006‐.0002). Gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain) and respiratory symptoms (shortness of breath, chest pain) were associated with severe COVID‐19, while pneumonia and end‐organ failure were associated with mortality. COVID‐19 is associated with a severe disease course in about 23% and mortality in about 6% of infected persons. Individuals with comorbidities and clinical features associated with severity should be monitored closely, and preventive efforts should especially target those with diabetes, malignancy, and immunosuppression.
Highlights
1.
In this systematic review and meta‐analysis of 212 studies involving 281,461 individuals with COVID‐19 from 11 countries/regions, the overall mortality was 5.6%, and 22.9% had severe disease. Immunosuppression, diabetes, malignancy and abdominal pain were strongly associated with severe disease.
2.
Close to one‐quarter of individuals with COVID‐19 develop a severe disease course, and individuals with clinical features associated with severity should be monitored closely.
Research data is increasingly viewed as an important scholarly output. While a growing body of studies have investigated researcher practices and perceptions related to data sharing, information ...about data-related practices throughout the research process (including data collection and analysis) remains largely anecdotal. Building on our previous study of data practices in neuroimaging research, we conducted a survey of data management practices in the field of psychology. Our survey included questions about the type(s) of data collected, the tools used for data analysis, practices related to data organization, maintaining documentation, backup procedures, and long-term archiving of research materials. Our results demonstrate the complexity of managing and sharing data in psychology. Data is collected in multifarious forms from human participants, analyzed using a range of software tools, and archived in formats that may become obsolete. As individuals, our participants demonstrated relatively good data management practices, however they also indicated that there was little standardization within their research group. Participants generally indicated that they were willing to change their current practices in light of new technologies, opportunities, or requirements.
Neuroimaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) involve complex data collection and analysis protocols, which necessitate the establishment of good research data management (RDM). ...Despite efforts within the field to address issues related to rigor and reproducibility, information about the RDM-related practices and perceptions of neuroimaging researchers remains largely anecdotal. To inform such efforts, we conducted an online survey of active MRI researchers that covered a range of RDM-related topics. Survey questions addressed the type(s) of data collected, tools used for data storage, organization, and analysis, and the degree to which practices are defined and standardized within a research group. Our results demonstrate that neuroimaging data is acquired in multifarious forms, transformed and analyzed using a wide variety of software tools, and that RDM practices and perceptions vary considerably both within and between research groups, with trainees reporting less consistency than faculty. Ratings of the maturity of RDM practices from ad-hoc to refined were relatively high during the data collection and analysis phases of a project and significantly lower during the data sharing phase. Perceptions of emerging practices including open access publishing and preregistration were largely positive, but demonstrated little adoption into current practice.
Summary
Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare inflammatory neutrophilic dermatosis manifesting as painful ulcers with violaceous, undermined borders on the lower extremities. It may occur in the context of ...classic syndromes like PAPA (pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum and acne) and SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis), as well as in a recently described entity named PASH (pyoderma gangrenosum, acne and suppurative hidradenitis). Pyoderma gangrenosum has recently been included within the spectrum of autoinflammatory diseases, which are characterized by recurrent episodes of sterile inflammation, without circulating autoantibodies and autoreactive T cells. In PAPA syndrome, different mutations involving the PSTPIP1 gene, via an increased binding affinity to pyrin, induce the assembly of inflammasomes. These are molecular platforms involved in the activation of caspase 1, a protease that cleaves inactive prointerleukin (pro‐IL)‐1β to its active isoform IL‐1β. The overproduction of IL‐1β triggers the release of a number of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which are responsible for the recruitment and activation of neutrophils, leading to neutrophil‐mediated inflammation. In SAPHO syndrome, the activation of the PSTPIP2 inflammasome has been suggested to play a role in inducing the dysfunction of the innate immune system. Patients with PASH have recently been reported to present alterations of genes involved in well‐known autoinflammatory diseases, such as PSTPIP1, MEFV, NOD2 and NLRP3. Pyoderma gangrenosum and its syndromic forms can be regarded as a single clinicopathological spectrum in the context of autoinflammation.
What's already known about this topic?
Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare neutrophilic dermatosis usually manifesting as painful ulcers with violaceous, raised and undermined borders on the legs.
It presents alone or in the context of syndromic forms like PAPA (pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum and acne), PASH (pyoderma gangrenosum, acne and suppurative hidradenitis) and SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis).
What does this study add?
Pyoderma gangrenosum and its syndromes have a peculiar immunological profile suggesting autoinflammation.
Interleukin (IL)‐1β is crucial in the pathophysiology of autoinflammatory/neutrophilic dermatoses, and its cross‐talk with IL‐17 may contribute to neutrophil recruitment and activation.
IL‐1 blockade represents the most selective treatment for pyoderma and its syndromes, but, in the future, IL‐17 antagonists could also be considered.
Linked Comment: Schreml. Br J Dermatol 2016; 175:858.
Social distancing during a pandemic might be influenced by different attitudes: people may decide to reduce the risk and protect themselves from viral contagion, or they can opt to maintain their ...habits and be more exposed to the infection. To better understand the underlying motivating attitudes, we asked participants to indicate in an online platform the interpersonal distance from different social targets with professional/social behaviors considered more or less exposed to the virus. We selected five different social targets: a cohabitant, a friend working in a hospital, a friend landed from an international flight, a friend who is back from a cycling ride, or a stranger. In order to measure the realistic and the symbolic perceived threat, we administered the Brief 10-item COVID-19 threat scale. Moreover, in order to measure the risk attitude in different domains, the participants were also asked to fill in the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking DOSPERT scale. Results reveal a general preference for an increased distance from a stranger and the friends who are considered to be more exposed to the virus: the friend working in a hospital or landed from an international flight. Moreover, the interpersonal distance from friends is influenced by the perception of Realistic Threat measured through the Integrated Covid Threat Scale and the Health/Safety Risk Perception/Assumption as measured by the DOSPERT scale. Our results show the flexible and context-dependent nature of our representation of other people: as the social categories are not unchangeable fixed entities, the bodily (e.g., spatial) attitudes towards them are an object of continuous attunement.
This study reports on the effects of surface modification by laser texturing on tribological performances of nitriding steel for high-performance engine applications. In particular, a comparison of ...tribological properties on untextured and textured 30NiCrMo12 nitriding steel was made among hydrodynamic, mixed and boundary lubrication regimes.
Ordered arrays of circular dimples were created on nitriding steel surfaces by Laser Surface Texturing. Friction experiments were performed using a pin-on-disc apparatus at sliding speeds ranging from 1 to 12
cm
s
−1 and nominal contact pressures ranging from 1 to 10
MPa. Static counterpart was a custom pin of 100Cr6 steel. Two different configurations were studied: “single drop” lubrication and “dry contact”. Long sliding condition tests and Stribeck curves were obtained. Finally, Secondary Electron Microscopy imaging and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy investigations were carried out to study morphology and chemistry at surfaces, before and after tribological tests.
Maximum effects of Laser Surface Texturing on friction coefficient and wear have been observed in “single drop” configuration at high normal applied load and for long sliding time.
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