Environmental evaluation of single-use and reusable cups

Goal, Scope and Background The objective of the study was to determine the environmental effects of the resuable cup used during a major event (which took place in Barcelona, Universal Forum of Cultures, 2004), compared with a single-use cup of the same composition (polypropylene) but with different physical characteristics such as mass, shape and capacity. Methods To perform the environmental evaluations and the comparison of both types of cups, the SimaPro software developed and marketed by PRé Consultants was used. The environmental evaluation of the reusable cup was compared with that of a single-use cup using the LCA methodology [6]. The functional unit used was: ‘Serving 1000 liters of draught beverages’. The objective of the study was to find the minimum number of cycles the reusable cup has to do so that its environmental impact is smaller than that of the single-use cup. Results and Conclusions Taking into account all the hypotheses put forward, the study drew the conclusion that the minimum number of uses of the reusable cup necessary for it to have a smaller environmental impact than the single-use cup is 10. The contribution of each process taking part in the entire life cycle of the cups was also studied in detail. In the case of the single-use cup, the most important contribution to all the impact categories is due to the production of polypropylene and the fabrication of the cup, except for the heavy metals category where it is due to the management of the waste coming from the cup’s use. In the case of the reusable cup being used 10 times, the contribution to the different impact categories of the waste generated by the cup’s use is negligible compared to the contribution of the fabrication and washing processes. In addition, the washing process is the one which contributes most to the ozone layer depletion, heavy metals and carcinogens categories. As the number of uses of the reusable cup increases, the contribution to all the environmental impact categories decreases. However, this reduction is not as significant for the ozone layer depletion, heavy metals and carcinogens categories. This is due to the washing process and the fact that the electrical consumption associated with it increases with the number of washings and, consequently, of uses. Recommendations and Perspectives From the environmental point of view, the reusable cup must be used at least 10 times to have less impact than the single-use cup. This is mainly due to the higher weight of the reusable cup and, therefore, the greater amount of raw material needed for its fabrication. If the LCA methodology had been introduced during the design of the reusable cup, its weight would have been lower. This modification would have resulted in a reduction of the environmental impact associated with the use of the reusable cup and, consequently, a smaller number of uses would have been necessary to attain the same level of impact as the single-use cup.     

中药"神曲"对脾虚小鼠肠道菌群的调整及肠保护作用研究

目的研究中药"神曲"对脾虚小鼠肠道菌群的调整及肠保护作用.方法1.昆明小白鼠,分成4组:A组(正常对照组),B组(脾虚自然恢复组),C组(神曲治疗组),D组(丽珠肠乐治疗组).2.检测结肠内容物和粪便标本的肠杆菌、肠球菌、双歧杆菌、类杆菌和乳酸杆菌数量.3.结肠组织光镜和电镜观察.结果脾虚小鼠给予神曲水煎剂治疗后,肠杆菌、肠球菌、双歧杆菌、类杆菌和乳酸杆菌数量逐渐恢复正常,肠壁肌层厚度增加,杯状细胞数量增多,肠黏膜微绒毛排列紊乱、线粒体肿胀显著改善,明显好于自然恢复组,与丽珠肠乐治疗组相比差异无显著性.结论中药神曲对脾虚小鼠具有肠道菌群调整及促进损伤肠组织恢复的作用.     

Isolation and properties of fecal proteins and fecal alkaline phosphatase from germfree and conventional rats.

Fecal proteins from germfree and conventional rats were isolated. The proteins from the two kinds of feces differed in molecular weight, judging from Sephadex gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The conventional feces contained a greater amount of high-molecular-weight and a lesser amount of low-molecular-weight proteins than did the germfree feces. The fecal proteins of both kinds contained carbohydrates. Both feces contained considerable enzyme activity. The germfree feces contained extremely high activity in alkaline phosphatase and leucine aminopeptidase. Both feces showed the same level of trehalase activity. The conventional feces contained higher levels of activity of protease and acid phosphatase than did the germfree feces. Lactase activity was observed only in the conventional feces. The fecal alkaline phosphatase resembled the intestinal enzyme in response to L-phenylalanine inhibition and urea denaturation. From these results it was inferred that the germfree feces contained some of the intestinal proteins and that the conventional feces contained bacterial proteins in addition to intestinal proteins.     

Isolation and properties of fecal proteins and fecal alkaline phosphatase from germfree and conventional rats

Fecal proteins from germfree and conventional rats were isolated. The proteins from the two kinds of feces differed in molecular weight, judging from Sephadex gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The conventional feces contained a greater amount of high-molecular-weight and a lesser amount of low-molecular-weight proteins than did the germfree feces. The fecal proteins of both kinds contained carbohydrates. Both feces contained considerable enzyme activity. The germfree feces contained extremely high activity in alkaline phosphatase and leucine aminopeptidase. Both feces showed the same level of trehalase activity. The conventional feces contained higher levels of activity of protease and acid phosphatase than did the germfree feces. Lactase activity was observed only in the conventional feces. The fecal alkaline phosphatase resembled the intestinal enzyme in response to L-phenylalanine inhibition and urea denaturation. From these results it was inferred that the germfree feces contained some of the intestinal proteins and that the conventional feces contained bacterial proteins in addition to intestinal proteins.     

Deformation of uncemented metal acetabular cups following impaction: experimental and finite element study

Predicting failure following the implantation of acetabular cups used in hip replacements is important in ensuring robust component designs. This study has developed 3D explicit dynamics finite element (FE) models to investigate the deformation of press-fit metal cups following insertion in the acetabular cavity. The cup deformation following insertion is clearly influenced by the forces encountered during insertion, the initial position of the cup in the cavity, the support provided by the underlying bone and the geometry of the cup itself. Experimentally validated explicit dynamics FE models were used to allow a physiologically relevant simulation of the impaction of cups, which is encountered in clinical practice, in comparison to previous studies that have used unrealistically high static forces to simulate a static press-fit insertion. Diametrical cup deformations were twice as large when the cup was tilted at 5° with respect to the cavity compared to when the poles of the cup and the cavity were aligned. The introduction of a non-uniform support to the cup increased deformations further by a factor of approximately 2.5. The greatest deformations established in the model were between 80 and 150 μm similar to typical cup–femoral head clearances. Increasing the thickness at the pole of the cup and reducing the cup diameter resulted in significantly smaller deformations being generated. These results suggest that small cup misalignments, which may not be noticeable in a clinical situation, may produce significant deformations after insertion especially when coupled with the non-uniform support found in the pelvis.     

A STUDY OF PHAGOCYTOSIS IN THE AMEBA CHAOS CHAOS

The process of phagocytosis was investigated by observing the interactions between the ameba Chaos chaos and its prey (Paramecium aurelia), by studying food cup formation in the living cell, and by studying the fine structure of the newly formed cup using electron microscopy of serial sections. The cytoplasm surrounding the food cup was found to contain structures not seen elsewhere in the ameba. The results are discussed in relation to the mechanisms which operate during food cup formation.     

猪源产细菌素芽孢杆菌的筛选及抑菌特性

【背景】抗生素作为生长促进剂在畜牧业中的滥用,出现了严重的耐药基因富集和扩散问题,发掘新兴的生长促进剂作为饲料添加剂市场潜力巨大,目前益生菌制剂的开发最具潜力。【目的】通过对散养健康育肥猪粪便中芽孢杆菌的分离筛选,获得对典型肠道病原菌具有显著抑菌活性的芽孢杆菌,确定其产生的细菌素特性,以此对芽孢杆菌作为猪养殖业生长促进剂的潜力进行评价。【方法】采用梯度稀释涂平板法分离可培养细菌,利用牛津杯法检测菌株的抑菌活性。通过微生物形态及16S r RNA基因序列分析,确认6株产细菌素菌株的分类地位,并对其抗生素耐药性、细菌素稳定性及生理生化特征进行比较分析。【结果】从116株纯培养物中筛选得到6株对指示病原细菌具有显著抑菌效应的产细菌素芽孢杆菌,其中2株为贝莱斯芽孢杆菌(Bacillus velezensis),3株为枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis),1株为地衣芽孢杆菌(Bacillus licheniformis)。菌株B.licheniformis DY7和B.subtilis FX4对致泻、产肠毒素、出血性Escherichia coli均有显著的抑制效果,对头孢噻肟和红霉素高度敏感,其细菌素在p H 3.0-9.0、50-100°C水浴处理后仍具有明显的抑菌活性。【结论】猪源产细菌素芽孢杆菌DY7和FX4具有高效的病原细菌抑菌能力,所产细菌素稳定性较好,具有作为动物生长促进剂的应用潜力。     

Optic cup morphogenesis requires pre-lens ectoderm but not lens differentiation

The formation of the vertebrate optic cup is a morphogenetic event initiated after the optic vesicle contacts the overlying surface/pre-lens ectoderm. Placodes form in both the optic neuroepithelium and lens ectoderm. Subsequently, both placodes invaginate to form the definitive optic cup and lens, respectively. We examined the role of the lens tissue in inducing and/or maintaining optic cup invagination in ovo. Lens tissue was surgically removed at various stages of development, from pre-lens ectoderm stages to invaginating lens placode. Removal of the pre-lens ectoderm resulted in persistent optic vesicles that initiated neural retinal differentiation but failed to invaginate. In striking contrast, ablation of the lens placode gave rise to optic vesicles that underwent invagination and formed the optic cup. The results suggest that: (1) the optic vesicle neuroepithelium requires a temporally specific association with pre-lens ectoderm in order to undergo optic cup morphogenesis; and (2) the optic cup can form in the absence of lens formation. If ectopic BMP is added, a neural retina does not develop and optic cup morphogenesis fails, although lens formation appears normal. FGF-induced neural retina differentiation in the absence of the pre-lens ectoderm is not sufficient to create an optic cup. We hypothesize the presence of a signal coming from the pre-lens ectoderm that induces the optic vesicle to form an optic cup.     

Antibiotic effect of amoxicillin on the feces composting process and reactivation of bacteria by intermittent feeding of feces

The aim of this work was to investigate the single exposure effect of amoxicillin on the feces composting process and the possibility of its bacterial reactivation by intermittent feeding of feces. The respiratory activity of the bacteria during the process after receiving exposure to several dosages of amoxicillin indicated a decrement of treatment performance, which was caused by the reduction of the initial viable bacterial count and activity brought about by the amoxicillin dosage. The amount of remaining feces was proportional to the initial concentration of amoxicillin, and even though no amoxicillin was detected, no automatic reactivation was observed, either. An intermittent feces feeding test was conducted to reactivate the bacteria. For the 10 and 100microg-amoxicillin/g dry systems, reactivation was observed, but for the 1000microg/g dry, no reactivation was seen. Finally, an intermittent feces feeding test was conducted with sterilized sawdust and the result indicated that the feces acted as a substrate rather than as a bacterial carrier.     

住院患者粪便标本中念珠菌检测分析

目的分析粪便中检出念珠菌孢子或假菌丝的临床意义。方法检测白求恩国际和平医院2008年4月住院患者送检的粪便标本,用科玛嘉显色培养基鉴定念珠菌菌种,并记录患者粪便常规及临床资料。结果其间共检测1011份粪便,有86份（8．51％）有真菌生长;其中念珠菌阳性76份（7．52％）。60岁以上老年人阳性者33份（占43．42％）。基础疾病以肿瘤,心、脑血管疾病三者为著（占31．58％）。有21例患者（27．63％）粪便性状有异常,以糊状便为主。结论粪便中检出芽生孢子和（或）假菌丝对诊断念珠菌性胃肠道感染有重要价值,尤其要关注抗生素应用患者。     

Effect of cup inclination on predicted contact stress-induced volumetric wear in total hip replacement

In order to increase the lifetime of the total hip endoprosthesis, it is necessary to understand mechanisms leading to its failure. In this work, we address volumetric wear of the artificial cup, in particular the effect of its inclination with respect to the vertical. Volumetric wear was calculated by using mathematical models for resultant hip force, contact stress and penetration of the prosthesis head into the cup. Relevance of the dependence of volumetric wear on inclination of the cup (its abduction angle ?_A) was assessed by the results of 95 hips with implanted endoprosthesis. Geometrical parameters obtained from standard antero-posterior radiographs were taken as input data. Volumetric wear decreases with increasing cup abduction angle ?_A. The correlation within the population of 95 hips was statistically significant (P = 0.006). Large cup abduction angle minimises predicted volumetric wear but may increase the risk for dislocation of the artificial head from the cup in the one-legged stance. Cup abduction angle and direction of the resultant hip force may compensate each other to achieve optimal position of the cup with respect to wear and dislocation in the one-legged stance for a particular patient.     

Cupping: from a biomechanical perspective

The effectiveness of the cupping technique, a treatment modality in Traditional Chinese Medicine, in stimulating acupuncture points for pain relief was examined in this paper from a biomechanical perspective. Parametric studies including the effects of vacuum pressure, loading rate, friction coefficient at the cup-skin interface, and size and shape of the cup were carried out using a model based on the finite-element method. The anatomical structures of skin, fat, and muscle were modelled. All the soft-tissue layers were assumed to be nonlinearly elastic and viscoelastic. The rim of the cup was also modelled to study the interaction between cup and skin; the cup rim was assumed to be rigid. The simulation results showed that the stresses in the soft tissue were increased for increasing applied vacuum pressures and that the effects of cupping were mostly limited to the region enclosed by the cup. The simulations also indicated that the magnitude of the applied vacuum may have had direct implications for the severity of bruising of the skin following cupping treatment. Most significantly, the simulation results contradicted the established practice of cup size selection according to the depth of the disorder. Experimental verification of the proposed multi-layered finite-element model is presented. The nature of the bruising inherent to the cupping treatment is also explained by the proposed model.     

Sampling techniques for thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in preflowering tomato

Sampling techniques for thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) were compared in preflowering tomato plants at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, GA, in 2000 and 2003, to determine the most effective method of determining abundance of thrips on tomato foliage early in the growing season. Three relative sampling techniques, including a standard insect aspirator, a 946-ml beat cup, and an insect vacuum device, were compared for accuracy to an absolute method and to themselves for precision and efficiency of sampling thrips. Thrips counts of all relative sampling methods were highly correlated (R > 0.92) to the absolute method. The aspirator method was the most accurate compared with the absolute sample according to regression analysis in 2000. In 2003, all sampling methods were considered accurate according to Dunnett's test, but thrips numbers were lower and sample variation was greater than in 2000. In 2000, the beat cup method had the lowest relative variation (RV) or best precision, at 1 and 8 d after transplant (DAT). Only the beat cup method had RV values <25 for all sampling dates. In 2003, the beat cup method had the lowest RV value at 15 and 21 DAT. The beat cup method also was the most efficient method for all sample dates in both years. Frankliniella fusca (Pergande) was the most abundant thrips species on the foliage of preflowering tomato in both years of study at this location. Overall, the best thrips sampling technique tested was the beat cup method in terms of precision and sampling efficiency.     

根田鼠气味识别的性二型

以新鲜尿和粪作气味源,在行为选择箱中观察根田鼠的行为识别模式,结果表明：雌鼠对陌生同性尿、粪气味源行为识别的差异不显,雄鼠对陌生同性尿、粪气味源的行为识别在多个指标上存在显差异;根田鼠对陌生异性尿、粪的行为响应模式无明显差异;除嗅舔时间外,雌、雄鼠对粪气味的行为识别在其他指标上不存在明显差异;比较雌、雄鼠对尿刺激的行为识别发现,雄鼠对尿刺激的访问频次和反标记显大于雌鼠,雌性嗅舔时间显大于雄性,其他方面二之间并无显差异。因此,雌、雄性根田鼠对粪气味的行为识别模式不存在性别差异;对尿气味的行为识别模式存在性别差异。     

Determination of Cup to Disc Ratio Using Unsupervised Machine Learning Techniques for Glaucoma Detection

The cup nerve head, optic cup, optic disc ratio and neural rim configuration are observed as important for detecting glaucoma at an early stage in clinical practice. The main clinical indicator of glaucoma optic cup to disc ratio is currently determined manually by limiting the mass screening was potential. This paper proposes the following methods for an automatic cup to disc ratio determination. In the first part of the work, fundus image of the optic disc region is considered. Clustering means K is used automatically to extract the optic disc whereas K-value is automatically selected by algorithm called hill climbing. The segmented contour of optic cup has been smoothened by two methods namely elliptical fitting and morphological fitting. Cup to disc ratio is calculated for 50 normal images and 50 fundus images of glaucoma patients. Throughout this paper, the same set of images has been used and for these images, the cup to disc ratio values are provided by ophthalmologist which is taken as the gold standard value. The error is calculated with reference to this gold standard value throughout the paper for cup to disc ratio comparison. The mean error of the K-means clustering method for elliptical and morphological fitting is 4.5% and 4.1%, respectively. Since the error is high, fuzzy C-mean clustering has been chosen and the mean error of the method for elliptical and morphological fitting is 3.83% and 3.52%. The error can further be minimized by considering the inter pixel relation. To achieve another algorithm is by Spatially Weighted fuzzy C-means Clustering (SWFCM) is used. The optic disc and optic cup have clustered and segmented by SWFCM Clustering. The SWFCM mean error clustering method for elliptical and morphological fitting is 3.06% and 1.67%, respectively. In this work fundus images were collected from Aravind eye Hospital, Pondicherry.     

Contact of dual mobility implants: effects of cup wear and inclination

Cup wear and inclination on the pelvic bone are significant factors, which change the contact of the articulating surfaces, thus, impacting the long-term performance of hip implants. This paper presents a finite element (FE) analysis of the contact of the dual mobility implants under the influence of cup wear and inclination. A 3D FE model of the implant was developed with the application of equivalent physiological loading and boundary conditions. Effects of cup inclination angle ranging from 45° to 60° and the wear depth ranging from 0 to 2.46 mm equivalent to up to 30 years of the implant's life on the contact pressure and von Mises stress were investigated. Simulation results show that the contact pressure and von Mises stress decrease significantly with a modest wear depth and remains quite in-sensitive to the cup inclination angle and wear depth up to 1.64 mm. With wear depth further up to 2.46 mm, the cup thickness (i.e. cup thinning on worn region) may be more predominant than increasing of contact area between the cup and the head. The wear on the inner surface of the cup is found to rule out the overall contact pressure and stress in the implant. Furthermore, individual and combined effects of both important parameters are analysed and discussed with respect to available clinical/laboratory studies.     

喀斯特山区粗裂地钱风兜亚种冬季芽胞杯的形态多样性特征及芽胞传播观察

芽胞杯是地钱属特有的无性繁殖器官,关于其冬季形态特征及繁殖传播的行为研究较少。现以贵州喀斯特山区常见的粗裂地钱风兜亚种（Marchantia paleacea subsp.diptera）为代表,在最冷的冬季1月份,对其芽胞杯、杯内芽胞产量及传播方式进行野外定点观察和采样分析。结果显示：（1）冬季芽胞杯形态多样。根据其颜色和杯内芽胞特点将其划分为4个生长时期：未成熟期（透明）、成熟期（绿色）、衰退期（紫色）和衰亡期（紫黑色）,反映了冬季芽胞杯生长发育的不同阶段。（2）各生长时期的芽胞杯数量不同,表现出有序的凋亡特征。在统计的708个芽胞杯中,4个时期芽胞杯数量分别为62、209、254和183个,且不同时期的芽胞杯内芽胞的平均产量明显不同,不同时期单杯芽胞的平均产量分别为42、131、87和0 个;（3）冬季芽胞杯及芽胞在配子体上的密度较高,每平方米分别达到10 139和754 889个;（4）除春夏季常见的被雨滴敲打传播外,通过重力作用传播是冬季芽胞的一种重要传播方式。冬季粗裂地钱风兜亚种配子体上的芽胞杯处在不同的生长时期,形成的芽胞仍十分丰富,这对该物种适应喀斯特山区最冷月严苛环境条件具有积极的意义。     

逆转录套式PCR检测粪便样本中的SARS冠状病毒

为了观察SARS冠状病毒在SARS患者粪便中的存在规律,建立了检测SARS冠状病毒RNA的逆转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)方法,并应用该方法检测了241份SARS患者粪便样本。部分PCR产物应用测序技术进行验证。RT-PCR的灵敏度为10^-10稀释度的病毒原液(原液为10^8TCID50／ml)。241份粪便样本的总体检出率为24．1％(58／241),其中发病后的前10d和20d的检出率均为50．0％。随着发病时间的延长,阳性检出率呈下降趋势。应用RT-PCR从粪便中检测SARS冠状病毒是可行的,在发病50d以后仍有17．0％左右的阳性检出率,提示SARS恢复期患者具有排毒的可能性,给后续的卫生防疫措施提供了一定的参考数据。     

A mechanical bottleneck explains the variation in cup growth during FcγR phagocytosis

Phagocytosis is the process by which cells internalize particulate material, and is of central importance to immunity, homeostasis and development. Here, we study the internalization of immunoglobulin G‐coated particles in cells transfected with Fcγ receptors (FcγRs) through the formation of an enveloping phagocytic cup. Using confocal microscopy, we precisely track the location of fluorescently tagged FcγRs during cup growth. Surprisingly, we found that phagocytic cups growing around identical spherical particles showed great variability even within a single cell and exhibited two eventual fates: a cup either stalled before forming a half‐cup or it proceeded until the particle was fully enveloped. We explain these observations in terms of a mechanical bottleneck using a simple mathematical model of the overall process of cup growth. The model predicts that reducing F‐actin concentration levels, and hence the deforming force, does not necessarily lead to stalled cups, a prediction we verify experimentally. Our analysis gives a coherent explanation for the importance of geometry in phagocytic uptake and provides a unifying framework for integrating the key processes, both biochemical and mechanical, occurring during cup growth.