Applied properties and life cycle assessment of flexible packaging lamination processes: a comparative study

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - Environmental pollution is a growing problem in developing countries, including China. The packaging-printing industry is considered as one of...     

Comparative life cycle assessment of margarine and butter consumed in the UK,Germany and France

Purpose  

The goal of the study was to compare the environmental impact of butter and margarine. Altogether, seven products were studied in three European markets: UK, Germany and France.     

The role of serotonin in a bdelloid life cycle

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter present throughout animal kingdom that controls a number of crucial functions in different taxa. In this study we document the role of serotonin in a bdelloid rotifer, Macrotrachela quadricornifera. Following life table experimental protocol, we recorded age-specific fecundity and survival rates of cohorts that received WAY 100135 maleate, a selective antagonist of the serotonin receptor 1A. The antagonist was provided from the age of 4 days (age at first reproduction) until death to one cohort group, and during 15 days to another group. Both groups were cultivated regularly, and their life history traits were recorded. Treated rotifers continued to produce eggs, but most eggs were never oviposited and eventually ruptured the mother’s body wall. The retained eggs, being parthenogenetic began embryogenesis and some could hatch inside the mother’s body cavity (pseudocoel). When WAY was suspended, most treated rotifers oviposited all their eggs. About 75% of these eggs developed, but development was 1–2 days longer than in controls. Most newborns reached sexual maturity, although their maturity was delayed as well. Eggs produced after WAY suspension hatched as much as the controls (~100%). WAY possibly did not affect egg production, but prevented regular oviposition. Nevertheless, viability was reduced and development took longer during WAY treatment. Results suggest that in bdelloid rotifers serotonin is involved in the control of egg laying and development, among other features, as it does in most animals, from nematodes to chordates.     

The role of cell contact in the life cycle of some dinoflagellate species

It is suggested, based on published and experimental data, thatinter- and intra-specific cell contact plays an important rolein the life cycle of some dinoflagellate species.     

The role of the G1 period in the life cycle of eukaryotic cells

The objective of this study was to test the concept that the G₁ period lacks any specific function in the life cycle of mammalian cells and hence could be drastically reduced without any effect on the generation time. HeLa cells were grown in medium containing an optimum dose (60 μM) of hydroxyurea at which the duration of S period was prolonged with little or no increase in generation time. At this concentration of hydroxyurea, we observed a maximum of 3 h (or 28.5%) reduction in the G₁ period. We also studied the effects of synchronization in S phase by single and double thymidine blocks on cell size and its relationship to the duration of G₁ in the subsequent cycle. By these treatments, we could reduce the G₁ period by not more than 2 to 3 h. The reduction in G₁ period was not directly proportional to the size (volume) of the G₁ cells. These results suggest that G₁ period has certain specific functions and cannot be eliminated by alterations in culture conditions.     

The role of cGMP signalling in regulating life cycle progression of Plasmodium

The 3'-5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG) is the main mediator of cGMP signalling in the malaria parasite. This article reviews the role of PKG in Plasmodium falciparum during gametogenesis and blood stage schizont rupture, as well as the role of the Plasmodium berghei orthologue in ookinete differentiation and motility, and liver stage schizont development. The current views on potential effector proteins downstream of PKG and the mechanisms that may regulate cyclic nucleotide levels are presented.     

An extended life cycle analysis of packaging systems for fruit and vegetable transport in Europe

Purpose

The year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables in Europe requires a complex logistics system. In this study, the most common European fruit and vegetable transport packaging systems, namely single-use wooden and cardboard boxes and re-useable plastic crates, are analyzed and compared considering environmental, economic, and social impacts.

Methods

The environmental, economic, and social potentials of the three transport packaging systems are examined and compared from a life cycle perspective using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Working Environment (LCWE) methodologies. Relevant parameters influencing the results are analyzed in different scenarios, and their impacts are quantified. The underlying environmental analysis is an ISO 14040 and 14044 comparative Life Cycle Assessment that was critically reviewed by an independent expert panel.

Results and discussion

The results show that wooden boxes and plastic crates perform very similarly in the Global Warming Potential, Acidification Potential, and Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential categories; while plastic crates have a lower impact in the Eutrophication Potential and Abiotic Resource Depletion Potential categories. Cardboard boxes show the highest impacts in all assessed categories. The analysis of the life cycle costs show that the re-usable system is the most cost effective over its entire life cycle. For the production of a single crate, the plastic crates require the most human labor. The share of female employment for the cardboard boxes is the lowest. All three systems require a relatively large share of low-qualified employees. The plastic crate system shows a much lower lethal accident rate. The higher rate for the wooden and cardboard boxes arises mainly from wood logging. In addition, the sustainability consequences due to the influence of packaging in preventing food losses are discussed, and future research combining aspects both from food LCAs and transport packing/packaging LCAs is recommended.

Conclusions

For all three systems, optimization potentials regarding their environmental life cycle performance were identified. Wooden boxes (single use) and plastic crates (re-usable) show preferable environmental performance. The calibration of the system parameters, such as end-of-life treatment, showed environmental optimization potentials in all transport packaging systems. The assessment of the economic and the social dimensions in parallel is important in order to avoid trade-offs between the three sustainability dimensions. Merging economic and social aspects into a Life Cycle Assessment is becoming more and more important, and their integration into one model ensures a consistent modeling approach for a manageable effort.     

The potential role of life cycle assessment in regulation of chemicals in the European union

Scope and Background  This paper presents the preliminary results from an ongoing feasibility study, investigating potential application of elements from the life cycle assessment (LCA) framework in European chemicals’ policy. Many policy areas affect manufacturing, marketing and use of chemicals. This article focuses on the general chemical legislation, especially issues related to regulatory risk assessment and subsequent decisions on risk reduction measures. Method  Current and upcoming chemical regulation has been reviewed and empirical knowledge has been gained from an ongoing case study and from dialogues with various stakeholders. Results and Discussion  LCAs are comparative and more holistic in view as compared to chemical risk assessments for regulatory purposes¹. LCAs may therefore potentially improve the basis for decisions between alternatives in cases where a risk assessment calls for risk reduction. In this process, LCA results might feed into a socio-economic analysis having similar objectives, but some methodological aspects related to system boundaries need to be sorted out. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) of toxic effects has traditionally been inspired by the more regulatory-orientated risk assessment approaches. However, the increasing need for regulatory priority setting and comparative/ cumulative assessments might in the future convey LCIA principles into the regulatory framework. The same underlying databases on inherent properties of chemicals are already applied in both types of assessment. Similarly, data on the use and exposure of chemicals are needed within both risk assessments and LCA, and the methodologies might therefore benefit from a joint ‘inventory’ database. Outlook  The final outcome of the feasibility study will be an implementation plan suggesting incorporation of core findings in future chemical regulation and related policy areas.     

Potential role of cellular ESCRT proteins in the STIV life cycle

We are examining the archaeal virus STIV (Sulfolobus turreted icosahedral virus) in order to elucidate the details of its replication cycle and its interactions with its cellular host, Sulfolobus solfataricus. Infection of Sulfolobus by STIV initiates an unusual cell lysis pathway. One component of this pathway is the formation of pyramid-like structures on the surface of infected cells. Multiple seven-sided pyramid-like structures are formed on infected cells late in the STIV replication cycle. These pyramid-like structures are formed at sites where the Sulfolobus S-layer has been disrupted and through which the cellular membrane protrudes. It is through the pyramid-like structures that virus-induced cell lysis occurs in the final stages of the STIV replication cycle. The pathway and process by which these unusual lysis structures are produced appears to be novel to archaeal viruses and are not related to the well-characterized lysis mechanisms utilized by bacterial viruses. We are interested in elucidating both the viral and cellular components involved with STIV lysis of its infected cell. In particular, we are examining the potential role that Sulfolobus ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport)-like proteins play during viral infection and lysis. We hypothesize that STIV takes advantage of the Sulfolobus ESCRT machinery for virus assembly, transport and cellular lysis.     

Mapping of main research lines concerning life cycle studies on packaging systems in Brazil and in the world

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - This article aims to conduct a systematic literature review on the life cycle assessment of packaging in the world and in Brazil. Packaging...     

The life cycle of the peroxisome

Peroxisomes are highly adaptable organelles that carry out oxidative reactions. Distinct cellular machineries act together to coordinate peroxisome formation, growth, division, inheritance, turnover, movement and function. Soluble and membrane-associated components of these machineries form complex networks of physical and functional interactions that provide supramolecular control of the precise dynamics of peroxisome biogenesis.     

The role of a pseudo-response regulator gene in life cycle adaptation and domestication of beet

Life cycle adaptation to latitudinal and seasonal variation in photoperiod and temperature is a major determinant of evolutionary success in flowering plants. Whereas the life cycle of the dicotyledonous model species Arabidopsis thaliana is controlled by two epistatic genes, FLOWERING LOCUS C and FRIGIDA, three unrelated loci (VERNALIZATION) determine the spring and winter habits of monocotyledonous plants such as temperate cereals. In the core eudicot species Beta vulgaris, whose lineage diverged from that leading to Arabidopsis shortly after the monocot-dicot split 140 million years ago, the bolting locus B is a master switch distinguishing annuals from biennials. Here, we isolated B and show that the pseudo-response regulator gene BOLTING TIME CONTROL 1 (BvBTC1), through regulation of the FLOWERING LOCUS T genes, is absolutely necessary for flowering and mediates the response to both long days and vernalization. Our results suggest that domestication of beets involved the selection of a rare partial loss-of-function BvBTC1 allele that imparts reduced sensitivity to photoperiod that is restored by vernalization, thus conferring bienniality, and illustrate how evolutionary plasticity at a key regulatory point can enable new life cycle strategies.     

Control of the flexible annual/biennial life cycle of the heather psyllid Strophingia ericae

Abstract. Strophingia ericae (Curtis) (Homoptera: Psylloidea) takes one or two years to complete its life cycle. In both cases eggs hatch over a prolonged period from midsummer, possibly extending into the following spring at high altitude, and instars overlap in time. Instar III is the predominant overwintering stage in the lowland, annual cycle, whereas in the upland, biennial cycle most first-year nymphs overwinter in instars I and II and most second-year nymphs in instar V. When moved to the laboratory, instars IV and V from a predominantly annual population showed accelerated development in response to elevated temperatures and to long days in both mid-winter and early spring. In the biennial life cycle, short autumn days retard instar V development but the response to photoperiod disappears by the end of winter. Exposure to LD 18 : 6 h retarded development of early instars in the annual population, resulting in an accumulation in instar III. The proportion of overwintering instars I and II rises with increase in altitude and moult to instar III becomes progressively delayed. Nymphs that reach instar III under long daylengths in the year following hatching are channelled towards the biennial cycle. Exposure of a predominantly biennial population to 15 °C and LD 18 : 6 h after midsummer, thus avoiding autumn conditions, promoted the rapid development of overwintered nymphs, switching the cycle from biennial to annual.     

Polyphenoloxidase activity in coffee leaves and its role in resistance against the coffee leaf miner and coffee leaf rust

In plants, PPO has been related to defense mechanism against pathogens and insects and this role was investigated in coffee trees regarding resistance against a leaf miner and coffee leaf rust disease. PPO activity was evaluated in different genotypes and in relation to methyl-jasmonate (Meja) treatment and mechanical damage. Evaluations were also performed using compatible and incompatible interactions of coffee with the fungus Hemileia vastatrix (causal agent of the leaf orange rust disease) and the insect Leucoptera coffeella (coffee leaf miner). The constitutive level of PPO activity observed for the 15 genotypes ranged from 3.8 to 88 units of activity/mg protein. However, no direct relationship was found with resistance of coffee to the fungus or insect. Chlorogenic acid (5-caffeoylquinic acid), the best substrate for coffee leaf PPO, was not related to resistance, suggesting that oxidation of other phenolics by PPO might play a role, as indicated by HPLC profiles. Mechanical damage, Meja treatment, H. vastatrix fungus inoculation and L. coffeella infestation caused different responses in PPO activity. These results suggest that coffee resistance may be related to the oxidative potential of the tissue regarding the phenolic composition rather than simply to a higher PPO activity.