Seasonal changes in the human constant electrical field in various age groups]

Seasonal changes of the constant electric field of healthy people of various age groups were studied. The constant electric field was shown to be characterized by a fine structure of distribution of electric potential differences (EPD) along the skin in relation to a referent point located on the neck in the intersection region of trapeziform and clavicular-nipple muscles. The constant electric field of the people of all ages undergoes seasonal changes involving displacement of all EPD values to the positive region during autumn-winter period as compared to the spring-summer one. It is suggested that such EPD change is conditioned by a change of the organism metabolic activity. The discovered differences in EPD displacement values of various age groups can serve as physiological characteristics of transitional processes in the growing organisms.     

Developmental changes in P-face and E-face particle densities of Xenopus cardiac muscle plasma membrane

P- and E-face particle densities (PPD and EPD) were measured in electron micrographs of freeze-fractured cardiac sarcolemma from eight developmental stages of Xenopus laevis (stages 33/34 (33 post-otic somite embryos) to 66 (fully metamorphosed juvenile toad], using stereo-imaged replicas. We found striking progressive increases in PPD and EPD, most rapid between stages 33/34 and 37/38; that PPD was significantly greater than EPD at all stages; that both PPD and EPD of stereo-imaged replicas were about X2 greater than corresponding values not stereo-imaged; and that sarcolemmal PPD of late anuran embryonic and post-metamorphosis hearts were significantly greater than our previously determined PPD values for chick late embryo and adult mammalian sarcolemma. We suggest that PPD and EPD depend on how membrane particles segregate during freeze-fracture and on the relative contributions of membrane-spanning and non-membrane-spanning integral membrane protein complexes to each fracture face.     

An institutional analysis of EPD programs and a global PCR registry

Purpose

A Product Category Rules (PCR) document specifies the quantification method and communication format of environmental impacts of a product category. To ensure neutrality and credibility of quantitative environmental information, the development of PCR documents is defined in ISO 14025. Hence, the rules are preconditions for comparative considerations and modular application of information entities and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). However, with the growing number of EPD programs, the producers, purchasers, and consumers feel increasingly alienated in relation to the validity and legitimacy of the environmental information presented by EPDs. This results in a need for enhanced transparency of PCR development and EPD program compatibility. This article offers navigational assistance in this respect.

Methods

To identify harmonization potential, we compare PCR development regarding two aspects: quantitatively by mapping existing PCR and EPD documents, and qualitatively by comparing existing institutional structures with normative guidance. Information was gathered through an internet search and through direct correspondence with program operators.

Results and discussion

We identified 27 programs, 556 PCR documents, and 3614 EPD declarations (May 2013). There were significant differences in activity level between programs and sectors. Furthermore, the institutional structures differ widely from each other and from normative guidance on PCR development.

Conclusions

This first global PCR register guides practitioners in the search for PCR documents. The analysis of program institutional structures for PCR development and EPD verification indicates the involvement of different stakeholders on Type III environmental declarations. Regarding PCR compatibility and newly released guidance documents from the European Commission and the PCR Guidance Development Initiative, we recommend that operators (1) settle on a common (sector) categorization system, (2) implement a Stakeholder Identification Worksheet, (3) consider the mandatory involvement of consumer and environmental interests in the PCR review panel, (4) require PCR reviewers to declare potential conflicts of interest, and (5) consider installing mandatory third party verification of declarations for any external use.     

Comparison of two versions of an EPD,using generic and specific data for the foreground system,and some methodological implications

Purpose

Differences in the practice of inclusion and the definition of specific and generic data when performing an LCA for an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) may lead to incomparable EPDs. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the importance of precise definitions regarding data quality in EPDs.

Method

The authors define relevant terminology before describing methodological differences between two versions of EPDs for an office chair. The analyses performed for one EPD use generic data for the foreground system, while the other uses specific data. Results for some impact categories as well as inventory findings are shown, and the reasons for differences are investigated and discussed.

Results

Relevant dilemmas are examined with regard to the choice of generic or specific data. These include practical hindrances and the promotion of environmental improvement. Some preliminary methodological and organisational implications are described, followed by an outline of further research.

Conclusions

This paper shows the substantial variations arising from using two datasets with different degrees of specificity, and concludes that they increase in relation to the distinctiveness of the process or material. This highlights the importance of EPD programmes in establishing precise, unambiguous definitions and vocabulary with regard to specific as against generic data, when combined with foreground and background processes. It is essential to take this into consideration so as to avoid misunderstandings or false agreement when discussing data quality. It is also necessary in order to avoid comparisons of products based on very different assumptions.

     

High efficiency DNA delivery into swine oocytes and embryos by electronic pulse delivery （EPD）

The production of transgenic swine for xenotransplantation has been proposed as an optimal option to overcome the chronic shortage of human organ donors.Generation of genetically engineered swine has been elusive due to the difficulties in gene transfer.In order to achieve effective gene delivery,a key step for the genetic modification,we applied electronic pulse delivery (EPD) technology to introduce H2K^b-DC DNA construct into swine eggs.Using the developed EPD Protocols^TM,we have achieved good viability of the EPD treated oocytes,satisfactory embryonic development of the EPD treated embryos,and stable DNA transfer into the swine embryos with high efficiency.Thus,application of the EPD technology promises to effectively facilitate the generation of large trangenic mammals.     

Association of PIT1, GH and GHRH polymorphisms with performance and carcass traits in Landrace pigs

The study of candidate genes, based on physiological effects, is an important tool to identify genes to be used in marker-assisted selection programs. In this study, a group of halothane gene-free, non-castrated, male Landrace pigs was used to study the association between polymorphisms in the PIT1 (n = 218), GH (n = 213) and GHRH (n = 206) genes and fat thickness, average daily gain, and the EPD (expected progeny difference) for fat thickness, average daily gain, and litter size. These genes are potential candidate markers because of their important physiological effects. The pigs were genotyped by PCR-RFLP, and the statistical model used to analyze the association between genotypes and the traits measured included genotypes as a fixed effect and age and weight as covariates. PIT1 polymorphisms were associated with fat thickness (P = 0.0019), EPD for average daily gain (P = 0.0001) and EPD for fat thickness (P = 0.0001), whereas GH polymorphisms were associated with fat thickness (P = 0.0326) and average daily gain (P = 0.0127), and GHRH polymorphisms were associated with the average daily gain (P = 0.0001) and EPD for fat thickness (P = 0.0004). These results confirmed the potential usefulness of these genes in marker-assisted selection programs for pig breeding.     

The European Pollen Database: past efforts and current activities

Pollen stratigraphies are the most spatially extensive data available for the reconstruction of past land-cover change. Detailed knowledge of past land-cover is becoming increasingly important to evaluate the present trends in, and drivers of, vegetation composition. The European Pollen Database (EPD) was established in the late 1980s and developed in the early 1990s to provide a structure for archiving, exchanging, and analysing Quaternary pollen data from Europe. It provides a forum for scientists to meet and engage in collaborative investigations or data analysis. In May 2007 several EPD support groups were developed to assist in the task of maintaining and updating the database. The mapping and data accuracy work group (MADCAP) aims to produce an atlas of past plant distributions as detected by pollen analyses in Europe, in order to meet the growing need for this data from palaeoecologists and the wider scientific community. Due to data handling problems in the past, a significant number of EPD datasets have errors. The initial task of the work group, therefore, was a systematic review of pollen sequences, in order to identify and correct errors. The EPD currently (January 2009) archives 1,032 pollen sequences, of which 668 have age-depth models that allow chronological comparison. Many errors have been identified and corrected, or flagged for users, most notably errors in the pollen count data. The application of spatial analyses to pollen data is related to the number of data points that are available for analysis. We therefore take this opportunity to encourage the submission of pollen analytical results to the EPD or other relevant pollen databases. Only in this way will the scientific community be able to gain a better understanding of past vegetation dynamics.     

Highly Efficient Materials Assembly Via Electrophoretic Deposition for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Devices

Featuring pronounced controllability, versatility, and scalability, electrophoretic deposition (EPD) has been proposed as an efficient method for film assembly and electrode/solid electrolyte fabrication in various energy storage/conversion devices including rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. High‐quality electrodes and solid electrolytes have been prepared through EPD and exhibit advantageous performances in comparison with those realized with traditional methods. Recent advances in the application of EPD materials in electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices are summarized. In particular, the parameters that influence the efficiency of an EPD process from colloidal preparation to deposition are evaluated with the aim to provide insightful guidance for realizing high‐performance electrochemical energy conversion materials and devices.     

Towards mapping the late Quaternary vegetation change of Europe

The number of well-dated pollen diagrams in Europe has increased considerably over the last 30 years and many of them have been submitted to the European Pollen Database (EPD). This allows for the construction of increasingly precise maps of Holocene vegetation change across the continent. Chronological information in the EPD has been expressed in uncalibrated radiocarbon years, and most chronologies to date are based on this time scale. Here we present new chronologies for most of the datasets stored in the EPD based on calibrated radiocarbon years. Age information associated with pollen diagrams is often derived from the pollen stratigraphy itself or from other sedimentological information. We reviewed these chronological tie points and assigned uncertainties to them. The steps taken to generate the new chronologies are described and the rationale for a new classification system for age uncertainties is introduced. The resulting chronologies are fit for most continental-scale questions. They may not provide the best age model for particular sites, but may be viewed as general purpose chronologies. Taxonomic particularities of the data stored in the EPD are explained. An example is given of how the database can be queried to select samples with appropriate age control as well as the suitable taxonomic level to answer a specific research question.     

Elaboration of nanostructured biointerfaces with tunable degree of coverage by protein nanotubes using electrophoretic deposition

This study shows that electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is a fast and efficient technique for producing protein nanotube-based biointerfaces. Well-shaped collagen-based nanotubes of controlled dimensions are synthesized by a template method combined with the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique. Separation of nanotubes from the template material and collection of nanotubes on ITO glass carried out by EPD leads to a fairly homogeneous distribution of protein nanotubes at the support surface. Biointerfaces with different and tunable densities of protein nanotubes are obtained by changing either the applied voltage, solution concentration of nanotubes, or deposition time. Moreover, it is proved that the collected nanotubes are template-free and keep their biofunctional outermost layer after EPD. A preliminary study of the behavior of preosteoblasts cells with the elaborated biointerfaces indicates a specific interaction of cells with the nanotubes through filopodia. This contribution paves the way to the easy preparation of a large variety of useful nanostructured collagen and other protein-based interfaces for controlling cell-surface interactions in diverse biomaterials applications.     

Caffeine inhibition of postreplication repair of UV-damaged DNA in mouse epidermal cells

The effect of caffeine (0.25–1.5 mM) on UV-irradiated (5 and 10 J/m²) primary cultures of mouse epidermal cells (EPD) and an in vitro transformed cell line (PDV) was studied at the cellular and molecular levels. A synergistic reduction in cell survival induced by caffeine with UV-irradiation was found in the PDV cells at 10 J/m² but not at 5 J/m². When conversion of low molecular weight newly-synthesized DNA to high molecular weight DNA was studied in both cell types, caffeine at 1.5 mM had no effect on this conversion in unirradiated cultures. At 5 J/m², caffeine had a transitory inhibitory effect on this conversion. However, at 10 J/m² caffeine had a strong permanent inhibitory effect on this conversion at doses higher than 0.5 mM in PDV cells and higher than 0.25 mM in EPD cells. This apparent inhibition of elongation by caffeine in irradiated cells could not be accounted for by an effect on the rate of DNA synthesis. In PDV cells there was a direct correlation in terms of effective caffeine dose level between synergistic reduction in cell survival after UV and the effect on DNA elongation. Irradiated EPD cells were more sensitive to the inhibitory effect of caffeine on DNA elongation.     

Spatial information analysis of chemotactic trajectories

During bacterial chemotaxis, a cell acquires information about its environment by sampling changes in the local concentration of a chemoattractant, and then uses that information to bias its motion relative to the source of the chemoattractant. The trajectory of a chemotaxing bacteria is thus a spatial manifestation of the information gathered by the cell. Here we show that a recently developed approach for computing spatial information using Fourier coefficient probabilities, the k-space information (kSI), can be used to quantify the information in such trajectories. The kSI is shown to capture expected responses to gradients of a chemoattractant. We then extend the k-space approach by developing an experimental probability distribution (EPD) that is computed from chemotactic trajectories collected under a reference condition. The EPD accounts for connectivity and other constraints that the nature of the trajectories imposes on the k-space computation. The EPD is used to compute the spatial information from any trajectory of interest, relative to the reference condition. The EPD-based spatial information also captures the expected responses to gradients of a chemoattractant, although the results differ in significant ways from the original kSI computation. In addition, the entropy calculated from the EPD provides a useful measure of trajectory space. The methods developed are highly general, and can be applied to a wide range of other trajectory types as well as non-trajectory data.     

Influence of the organic solvents on the activity in water and the conformation of Candida rugosa lipase: Description of a lipase-activating pretreatment

The influence on lipase activity in water of a pretreatment on Candida rugosa lipase using water miscible and immiscible solvents was studied. The lipase activity in the hydrolysis of esteric substrates in aqueous media increases when the lipase was previously treated with various nearly anhydrous organic media. This activation, which was irreversible, was higher for longer pretreatment times. It was dependent on the pretreatment medium (water activity and solvent used). A relation between variations in the emission intensity and the activities of treated and untreated lipases was found. Activating pretreatment did not shift the peak of fluorescence emission but gave rise to variations in the secondary protein structure by increasing the helical nature. A similar increment in the hydrolysis rate in water can be obtained with the addition of an appropriate amount of solvent (acetonitrile or n-heptane) to the aqueous reaction medium.     

Environmental profile of Spanish porcelain stoneware tiles

Purpose

Porcelain stoneware tile (PST) is currently the ceramic tile of greatest commercial and innovation interest. An environmental life cycle assessment of different varieties of PST was undertaken to enable hotspots to be identified, strategies to be defined, differences between PST varieties to be evaluated and guidance for PST manufacturers to be provided in choosing the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) programme that best suited their needs according to grouping criteria.

Methods

Analysis of previous information allowed three main parameters (thickness, glaze content and mechanical treatment) to be identified in order to encompass all PST variations. Fifteen varieties of PST were thus studied. The coverage of 1 m² of household floor surface with the different PST varieties for 50 years was defined as functional unit. The study sets out environmental data whose traceability was verified by independent third parties for obtaining 14 EPDs of PST under Spanish EPD programmes.

Results and discussion

The study presents PST inventory analysis and environmental impact over the entire life cycle of the studied PST varieties. The natural gas consumed in the manufacturing stage accounted for more than 70% abiotic depletion–fossil fuels and global warming; electricity consumption accounted for more than 60% ozone layer depletion, while the electricity generated by the cogeneration systems avoided significant environmental impacts in the Spanish power grid mix. The variations in PST thickness, amount of glaze and mechanical treatments were evaluated. The PST variety with the lowest environmental impact was the one with the lowest thickness, was unglazed and had no mechanical treatments. Similarly, the PST variety with the highest environmental impact was the one with the greatest thickness, was glazed and had been mechanically treated.

Conclusions

The PST life cycle stage with the highest environmental impact was the manufacturing stage. The main hotspots found were production and consumption of energy and raw materials extraction. Variation in thickness was a key factor that proportionally influenced almost all studied impact categories; the quantity of glaze strongly modified abiotic depletion–elements and eutrophication, while the mechanical treatments contributed mainly to ozone depletion. The study of all PST varieties led to the important conclusion, against the current trend, that differences among them were found to be so significant that declaring a number of PSTs within the same EPD is not directly possible, and it needs preliminary verification to ensure compliance with the product category rule.

     

Promoting sustainability in Mexico’s building sector via environmental product declarations

Purpose

The growing phase of emerging economy countries requires the implementation of environmental assessment tools in the building sector. The use of environmental product declarations (EPDs) has risen in developed countries as one of the main tools for environmental assessment. However, at what point should developing countries follow the EPD implementation strategies used by developed countries? What are the strengths and weaknesses of EPD in the emerging economy context, and what threats and opportunities does it face within the building sector? This work aims to answer these questions by taking Mexico as a case study.

Methods

A bibliographical review was conducted to determine the key elements for EPD development in the building sector in other countries, especially those in Europe, where EPDs originated. The review also examined the experience and perspective of other countries that are starting to contemplate this type of ecolabel as an option for environmental assessment within their own building sectors, as well as industry perspectives on EPDs, especially those of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Then, Mexico’s situation in regard to these key elements was examined, with a special focus on the main stakeholders detected: government and industry. Finally, after a contrast analysis was conducted between the developed countries and Mexico, the strengths and weaknesses of EPDs in the emerging economy context and the threats and opportunities within the building sector were determined.

Results and discussion

The use of EPDs in Europe has largely followed a normative and legislative pattern. Moreover, it has been the main data source for building environmental assessment schemes, and there is a strong life cycle assessment (LCA) platform that contributes to EPD development. Furthermore, there is a European tendency toward making the use of EPDs mandatory. However, there is a very different reality in emergent economy countries. In these countries, social housing represents a major part of the vision of the building sector, so it is taken as an initial approach to EPD development. In Mexico, there is a solid legislative framework in which EPDs could be implemented, and there is a variety of environmental assessment housing programs into which EPDs could be integrated. Nevertheless, there is an institutional void that has prevented the incorporation of the life cycle approach into the national strategy of sustainability in the building sector. Moreover, SMEs might not have the technical and financial capacity to develop EPD.

Conclusions

This analysis has proved that EPD implementation in emerging countries mainly depends on two aspects: Firstly, it must be a shared vision of sustainability between government and industry, in which there is a correspondence between the sustainability objectives of the two parties and SMEs have the ability to contribute toward their achievement. Secondly, a solid platform of knowledge that supports LCA in the building sector is necessary, and it must involve a strong relationship between government, academia, and stakeholders.