A review of methods to trace material flows into final products in dynamic material flow analysis: From industry shipments in physical units to monetary input–output tables,Part 1

Dynamic material flow analysis (dMFA) is widely used to model stock-flow dynamics. To appropriately represent material lifetimes, recycling potentials, and service provision, dMFA requires data about the allocation of economy-wide material consumption to different end-use products or sectors, that is, the different product stocks, in which material consumption accumulates. Previous estimates of this allocation only cover few years, countries, and product groups. Recently, several new methods for estimating end-use product allocation in dMFA were proposed, which so far lack systematic comparison. We review and systematize five methods for tracing material consumption into end-use products in inflow-driven dMFA and discuss their strengths and limitations. Widely used data on industry shipments in physical units have low spatio-temporal coverage, which limits their applicability across countries and years. Monetary input–output tables (MIOTs) are widely available and their economy-wide coverage makes them a valuable source to approximate material end-uses. We find four distinct MIOT-based methods: consumption-based, waste input–output MFA (WIO-MFA), Ghosh absorbing Markov chain, and partial Ghosh. We show that when applied to a given MIOT, the methods’ underlying input–output models yield the same results, with the exception of the partial Ghosh method, which involves simplifications. For practical applications, the MIOT system boundary must be aligned to those of dMFA, which involves the removal of service flows, sector (dis)aggregation, and re-defining specific intermediate outputs as final demand. Theoretically, WIO-MFA, applied to a modified MIOT, produces the most accurate results as it excludes massless and waste transactions. In part 2 of this work, we compare methods empirically and suggest improvements for aligning MIOT-dMFA system boundaries.     

Smartphone repairability indexes in practice: Linking repair scores to industrial design features

Policymaking mediates the relationships between manufacturers and consumers, thus defining the boundaries for the philosophies of production set forth by major companies. Research states that policymaking falls short in addressing the waste issues, natural resources consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other negative impacts posed by premature obsolescence; only recently have the “right-to-repair” guidelines demanded by environmental organizations and communities of citizens been included in policymaking. The introduction of the Index of Repairability in France as information at the point of sale aims to inform consumers and support their decision-making in purchasing more repairable products. In this paper, we consider the two Indexes of Repairability publicly available to consumers—in the French legislation and iFixit—and assess their application to smartphones from three manufacturers. The study establishes links between the scores and the industrial design features that promote or hinder repairability, service factors and information for self-repair, authorized repair, and independent repair. Data collection considers the available information for consumers and citizens by using netnography and secondary data from manufacturers, policymakers, and communities of users. Our findings suggest that higher scores that indicate easier repairability are not limited to product architectures that follow design for disassembly guidelines. Smartphones that are difficult to repair can still score high, and thus be perceived as easier to repair, if manufacturers provide high quality and affordable service. This paper discusses the results of the ongoing development of repairability scores for smartphones, thus suggesting paths for future research to improve methods and policies to support a longer lifetime of products.     

The protective effect of arbutin against potassium bromate-induced oxidative damage in the rat brain

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of arbutin (ARB) against brain injury induced in rats with potassium bromate (KBrO₃). The rats were divided into four groups as Group 1: Control (0.9% NaCl ml/kg/day p.), Group 2: KBrO₃ (100 mg/kg (gavage), Group 3: ARB (50 mg/kg/day p.), and Group 4: KBrO₃ + ARB (100 mg/kg (gavage) + 50 mg/kg/day p.). At the end of the fifth day of the study, the rats in all groups were killed, and their brain tissues were collected. In the collected brain tissues, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) levels were measured, and routine histopathological examinations were made. The MDA levels in the group that was exposed to KBrO₃ were significantly higher than those in the control group (p ˂ 0.001). In comparison to the KBrO₃ group, the MDA levels in the KBrO₃ + ARB group were significantly lower (p ˂ 0.001). It was observed that SOD and CAT enzyme activity levels were significantly lower in the KBrO₃ group compared to the control group (p ˂ 0.001), while these levels were significantly higher in the KBrO₃ + ARB group than in the KBrO₃ group (p ˂ 0.001). Additionally, the group that was subjected to KBrO₃ toxicity, as well as ARB administration, had much lower levels of histopathologic signs than the group that was subjected to KBrO₃ toxicity only. Consequently, it was found that KBrO₃ exposure led to injury in the brain tissues of the rats, and using ARB was effective in preventing this injury.     

The influence of nest predation on mating strategies under polygyny

The mating status of an advertising male is one important factorfor female assessment. In species where already-mated malestry to attract additional females at some distance from theirmate, mating status may be difficult to assess. Limitationsin the time available to breed and a decrease in reproductivesuccess over the breeding season could make the costs outweighthe benefits of a time-consuming mate assessment process, whichautomatically postpones the onset of breeding. Time and energyconstraints will then limit the behavioral options for femalesin search of breeding opportunities, and females would suffera cost when assessing male mating status. Female choice maythen be better understood by analyzing the behavioral optionsfor females; the success of a strategy in which costly assessmentsare avoided and females choose mates indiscriminately, disregardingmating status ("fast" strategy), could be compared to the successof a strategy in which females carefully try to assess matingstatus ("coy" strategy). Nest predation should be included insuch an analysis because it influences the amount of male assistancefemales of polygynous males receive, as nest predation for onlyone of a polygynous male's two females leads to more male assistancefor the other female. In this study, I compare the outcome ofa "fast" strategy with that of a "coy" strategy under differentrates of nest predation. Although high probabilities of becominga mate of a polygynous male associated with a fitness reductiondecrease the relative success of a "fast" strategy, simulationsshow that high rates of nest predation considerably lower thedifference in the outcome of the two strategies. Therefore,the cost of assessing mating status must be relatively smallto be economical.     

Effect of dimethylglycine and trimethylglycine (Betaine) on the response of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) smolts to experimental Vibrio anguillarum infection

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) were fed on a control diet or experimental diets containing betaine (15 mg g^-1) or dimethylglycine (DMG, I mg g^-1 or 5 mg g^-1). After 10 weeks of feeding, resistance to infection was assessed following inoculation with Vibrio anguillarum. Total blood and differential leucocyte counts were made, and plasma lysozyme and ceruloplasmin were assayed as non-specific humoral factors. The mortality during the bacterial exposure was of the same magnitude in all feeding groups. Betaine or DMG had no effect on the 'basal' levels of plasma total protein, lysozyme or ceruloplasmin, but 3 days postinjection the lysozyme and ceruloplasmin levels were higher in the control group compared with the experimental groups. In both DMG groups, the lymphocyte response took place 1-2 weeks earlier than in the control or betaine supplemented group indicating that DMG has an immunomodulating effect on salmon.     

An endogenous factor which interacts with synaptosomal membrane Na+, K+-ATPase activation by K+

In previous papers, the isolation of brain soluble fractions able to modify neuronal Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity has been described. One of those fractions-peak I-stimulates membrane Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase while another-peak II-inhibits this enzyme activity, and has other ouabain-like properties. In the present study, synaptosomal membrane Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase was analyzed under several experimental conditions, using ATP orp-nitrophenylphosphate (p-NPP) as substrate, in the absence and presence of cerebral cortex peak II. Peak II inhibited K⁺-p-NPPase activity in a concentration dependent manner. Double reciprocal plots indicated that peak II uncompetitively inhibits K⁺-p-NPPase activity regarding substrate, Mg²⁺ and K⁺ concentration. Peak II failed to block the known K⁺-p-NPPase stimulation caused by ATP plus Na⁺. At various K⁺ concentrations, percentage K⁺-p-NPPase inhibition by peak II was similar regardless of the ATP plus Na⁺ presence, indicating lack of correlation with enzyme phosphorylation. Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity was decreased by peak II depending on K⁺ concentration. It is postulated that the inhibitory factor(s) present in peak II interfere(s) with enzyme activation by K⁺.     

The 59-kDa polypeptide constituent of 8–10-nm cytoplasmic filaments in Neurospora crassa is a pyruvate decarboxylase

The fungus Neurospora crassa harbors large amounts of cytoplasmic filaments which are homopolymers of a 59-kDa polypeptide (P59Nc). We have used molecular cloning, sequencing and enzyme activity measurement strategies to demonstrate that these filaments are made of pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC, EC 4.1.1.1), which is the key enzyme in the glycolytic-fermentative pathway of ethanol production in fungi, and in certain plants and bacteria. Immunofluorescence analyses of 8–10-nm filaments, as well as quantitative Northern blot studies of P59Nc mRNA and measurements of PDC activity, showed that the presence and abundance of PDC filaments depends on the metabolic growth conditions of the cells. These findings may be of relevance to the biology of ethanol production by fungi, and may shed light on the nature and variable presence of filament bundles described in fungal cells.     

Flora Palinologica Italiana,Sezione Aeropalinologica — Specie esotiche — S 231:Sequoia sempervirens (Lamb.) Endl. (Taxodiaceae)

Riassunto La scheda morfopalinologica diSequoia sempervirens (Lamb.) Endl. continua lo studio sulle Pinohyta ornamentali più frequenti in Torino. È esaminato polline fresco ed acetolizzato proveniente da due stazioni e la provenienza non determina variazioni significative dei parametri morfometrici.

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Summary The morphopalynological card ofSequoia sempervirens (Lamb.) Endl. is a new contribution to the comprehensive study on pollen of ornamental Pinophyta in Turin. Fresh and acetolysed grains from two stations are examined, and for all parameters no significative differences were observed in relation to the collection site.

Parole chiave: Sequoia sempervirens(Lamb.) Endl., Flora Palinologica Italina, Sezione Aeropalinologica.     

Excretion of proline bySaccharomyces cerevisiae during fermentation of arginine-supplemented high gravity wheat mash

Summary The rate of ethanolic fermentation of high gravity wheat mashes bySaccharomyces cerevisiae was increased by nitrogen sources such as ammonium sulfate or arginine. This stimulation was mediated through increased proliferation of cells. Large quantities of proline, however, were excreted by the yeast into the medium when arginine was added as a nutrient supplement. The amount of proline excreted was proportional to the concentration of arginine supplied. Nitrogen sources such as ammonium sulfate or lysine enhanced the production of proline from arginine and its excretion into the medium. Results show that the stimulation of very high gravity fermentation by arginine is not merely through provision of a source of nitrogen but also because it serves as a precursor for the production of proline, a compound which may play a significant role in alleviating the effects of osmotic stress.