Resource use and improvement strategy analysis of the livestock and feed production supply chain in Thailand

Purpose

The aim of this research is to reveal the overall money flows and physical flows of the livestock and feed production supply chain in Thailand in order to analyze the resource use and cost and assess material use efficiency of the whole supply chain. Another aim is to evaluate the options to improve and evaluate trade-off between economic and environmental performance.

Methods

This research conducted material and monetary flow modeling using material flow analysis (MFA) and input output analysis (IOA). Data collected from the Thai Input-Output Tables 2005 were employed to develop the monetary flow model. Direct and indirect resource consumption (energy, water, and land use) and turnover along the supply chain were assessed using environmentally extended input-output analysis model (EEIOA). Scenario analysis with improvement options was applied to the model to evaluate the effectiveness of the improvement options.

Results and discussion

One third of energy and water consumption were from the animal farm itself. The rest were from feed production and upstream raw material production. Land use in the system was mainly from maize and paddy field. Feed conversion ratio improvement should play an important role in the strategy for resource efficiency and reduce environmental impact in the whole supply chain. Energy intensity reduction, the best option in overall energy reduction, is the policy that the government is pushing to be implemented in all sectors, and it can also easily be applied along with the other options. Therefore, it should be applied with the other options for improvement.

Conclusions

The results from monetary flow and physical material flow can visually show the holistic view of the Thai livestock production supply chain quantitatively and allow the stakeholders to understand the economic structure of the supply chain system. This can enable the decision makers to analyze the interrelation effect and impact of changing one sector demand or changing resource efficiency to impact other sectors in the system.

     

Budget constraint and the valuation of environmental impacts in Thailand

Purpose

This study aims to develop a valuation scheme for environmental impacts in Thailand. This would assist in integrating environmental concerns into economic assessment tools such as cost-benefit analysis (CBA), system of environmental-economic accounting (SEEA), etc., which could be used in policymaking.

Methods

The damage categories considered are human health and ecosystem quality. The value of a quality-adjusted life year (QALY) measuring damage to human health is estimated using the budget constraint approach. The value of a biodiversity-adjusted hectare year (BAHY) measuring damage to ecosystems is calculated relatively to the value of a QALY.

Results and discussion

Potential economic production per capita, which is considered as the willingness to pay (WTP) for a QALY, is in the range 458,000–566,000 Thai baht (THB) (equivalent to 14,000–18,000 USD where 1 USD ≈ 32 THB). The value of a BAHY, which is expressed in terms of the value of a QALY, is in the range 7900–9800 THB (or around 250–300 USD), based on the exchange rate between the protection targets for ecosystems and human well-being. These results are tested by applying to the monetization of potential environmental burdens from producing several biofuels and petroleum-based fuels in Thailand; the environmental externalities account for about 20–40 % of the retail price.

Conclusions

The results can benefit policymakers in terms of decision-making on environmental management. Besides, the pathways to derive the monetary value of environmental impacts could be useful for other countries.

     

Water demand and stress from oil palm-based biodiesel production in Thailand

Purpose

The use and production of biofuels have been strongly promoted in Thailand. In order to achieve a 25 % renewable energy target in 2021, feedstock expansion is needed to satisfy the increased demand for biofuel production putting more pressure on freshwater resources. This is an important implication of biofuel production which has not yet been taken into consideration. Thus, this study intends to address the impact from freshwater use due to the biodiesel target based on life cycle assessment approach as well as to evaluate suitable areas for expansion of oil palm.

Methods

The amount of water for growing oil palm throughout its lifespan is estimated based on theoretical crop water requirement, while water demand for producing biodiesel is referred to from literature. Then, the potential impact on freshwater resources is assessed in terms of water deprivation using the water stress index of Thailand. The Alternative Energy Development Plan for 2012–2021 and areas recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives are referred in this study. Additionally, two scenarios for increasing new plantation in suitable areas are proposed as expansion in a single region or spread over the three regions.

Results and discussion

The highest water requirement for oil palm-based biodiesel production is found in the central region followed by the eastern and southern (4–9, 5–16, and 4–19 m³ L^?1 biodiesel, respectively). This is because oil palm plantations in the central region are not yet fully mature. As a result, the ratio of crop water requirement associated to crop productivity will be reduced while the water productivity will be increased yearly in yield. Also, more than 99 % of the total water is required during the cultivation period. To achieve the 2021 biodiesel target with a concern towards the impact from freshwater use by means of low water deprivation, cultivating oil palm is recommended entirely in the eastern and the southern parts without expansion to the central region.

Conclusions

The impact on freshwater resources is an important implication of biofuel production as most of the water requirement of palm oil biodiesel was for oil palm cultivation. Accounting the water deprivation as one of the criteria on impact from freshwater use will provide useful support for selecting areas having less potential for inducing water stress in a watershed leads to people in these areas being less vulnerable to water stress.

     

Resource depletion assessment of renewable electricity generation technologies—comparison of life cycle impact assessment methods with focus on mineral resources

Purpose

Renewable energies are promoted in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of fossil fuels. However, plants for renewable electricity production incorporate specifically higher amounts of materials being rated as potentially scarce. Therefore, it is in question which (mineral) resources contribute to the overall resource consumption and which of the manifold impact assessment methods can be recommended to cover an accurate and complete investigation of resource use for renewable energy technologies.

Methods

Life cycle assessment is conducted for different renewable electricity production technologies (wind, photovoltaics, and biomass) under German conditions and compared to fossil electricity generation from a coal-fired power plant. Focus is given on mineral resource depletion for these technologies. As no consensus has been reached so far as to which impact assessment method is recommended, different established as well as recently developed impact assessment methods (CML, ReCiPe, Swiss Ecoscarcity, and economic scarcity potential (ESP)) are compared. The contribution of mineral resources to the overall resource depletion as well as potential scarcity are identified.

Results and discussion

Overall resource depletion of electricity generation technologies tends to be dominated by fossil fuel depletion; therefore, most renewable technologies reduce the overall resource depletion compared to a coal-fired power plant. But, in comparison to fossil electricity generation from coal, mineral resource depletion is increased by wind and solar power. The investigated methods rate different materials as major contributors to mineral resource depletion, such as gallium used in photovoltaic plants (Swiss Ecoscarcity), gold and copper incorporated in electrical circuits and in cables (CML and ReCiPe), and nickel (Swiss Ecoscarcity and ReCiPe) and chromium (ESP) for stainless steel production. However, some methods lack characterization factors for potentially important materials.

Conclusions

If mineral resource use is investigated for technologies using a wider spectrum of potentially scarce minerals, practitioners need to choose the impact assessment method carefully according to their scope and check if all important materials are covered. Further research is needed for an overall assessment of different resource compartments.

     

Changes in Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Native Enterococcus faecium in Chickens Fed Virginiamycin

The extent of transfer of antimicrobial resistance from agricultural environments to humans is controversial. To assess the potential hazard posed by streptogramin use in food animals, this study evaluated the effect of virginiamycin exposure on antimicrobial resistance in Enterococcus faecium recovered from treated broilers. Four consecutive broiler feeding trials were conducted using animals raised on common litter. In the first three trials, one group of birds was fed virginiamycin continuously in feed at 20 g/ton, and a second group served as the nontreated control. In the fourth trial, antimicrobial-free feed was given to both groups. Fecal samples were cultured 1 day after chickens hatched and then at 1, 3, 5, and 7 weeks of age. Isolates from each time point were tested for susceptibility to a panel of different antimicrobials. Quinupristin/dalfopristin-resistant E. faecium appeared after 5 weeks of treatment in trial 1 and within 7 days of trials 2 to 4. Following removal of virginiamycin in trial 4, no resistant isolates were detected after 5 weeks. PCR failed to detect vat, vgb, or erm(B) in any of the streptogramin-resistant E. faecium isolates, whereas the msr(C) gene was detected in 97% of resistant isolates. In an experimental setting using broiler chickens, continuous virginiamycin exposure was required to maintain a stable streptogramin-resistant population of E. faecium in the animals. The bases of resistance could not be explained by known genetic determinants.     

Structure and Inhibition of Mouse Leukotriene C4 Synthase

Leukotriene (LT) C₄ synthase (LTC4S) is an integral membrane protein that catalyzes the conjugation reaction between the fatty acid LTA₄ and GSH to form the pro-inflammatory LTC₄, an important mediator of asthma. Mouse models of inflammatory disorders such as asthma are key to improve our understanding of pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets. Here, we solved the crystal structure of mouse LTC4S in complex with GSH and a product analog, S-hexyl-GSH. Furthermore, we synthesized a nM inhibitor and compared its efficiency and binding mode against the purified mouse and human isoenzymes, along with the enzymes’ steady-state kinetics. Although structural differences near the active site and along the C-terminal α-helix V suggest that the mouse and human LTC4S may function differently in vivo, our data indicate that mouse LTC4S will be a useful tool in future pharmacological research and drug development.     

Intravenous transfusion of BCR-activated B cells protects NOD mice from type 1 diabetes in an IL-10-dependent manner

Although B cells play a pathogenic role in the initiation of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in NOD mice, it is not known whether activated B cells can maintain tolerance and transfer protection from T1D. In this study, we demonstrate that i.v. transfusion of BCR-stimulated NOD spleen B cells into NOD mice starting at 5-6 wk of age both delays onset and reduces the incidence of T1D, whereas treatment initiated at 9 wk of age only delays onset of T1D. This BCR-activated B cell-induced protection from T1D requires IL-10 production by B cells, as transfusion of activated B cells from NOD.IL-10(-/-) mice does not confer protection from T1D. Consistent with this result, severe insulitis was observed in the islets of NOD recipients of transfused NOD.IL-10(-/-) BCR-stimulated B cells but not in the islets of NOD recipients of transfused BCR-stimulated NOD B cells. The therapeutic effect of transfused activated NOD B cells correlates closely with the observed decreased islet inflammation, reduced IFN-gamma production and increased production of IL-4 and IL-10 by splenocytes and CD4(+) T cells from NOD recipients of BCR-stimulated NOD B cells relative to splenocytes and CD4(+) T cells from PBS-treated control NOD mice. Our data demonstrate that transfused BCR-stimulated B cells can maintain long-term tolerance and protect NOD mice from T1D by an IL-10-dependent mechanism, and raise the possibility that i.v. transfusion of autologous IL-10-producing BCR-activated B cells may be used therapeutically to protect human subjects at risk for T1D.     

Activin receptor ALK4 promotes adipose tissue hyperplasia by suppressing differentiation of adipocyte precursors

Adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy are the two main processes contributing to adipose tissue expansion, yet the mechanisms that regulate and balance their involvement in obesity are incompletely understood. Activin B/GDF-3 receptor ALK7 is expressed in mature adipocytes and promotes adipocyte hypertrophy upon nutrient overload by suppressing adrenergic signaling and lipolysis. In contrast, the role of ALK4, the canonical pan-activin receptor, in adipose tissue is unknown. Here, we report that, unlike ALK7, ALK4 is preferentially expressed in adipocyte precursors, where it suppresses differentiation, allowing proliferation and adipose tissue expansion. ALK4 expression in adipose tissue increases upon nutrient overload and positively correlates with fat depot mass and body weight, suggesting a role in adipose tissue hyperplasia during obesity. Mechanistically, ALK4 signaling suppresses expression of CEBPα and PPARγ, two master regulators of adipocyte differentiation. Conversely, ALK4 deletion enhances CEBPα/PPARγ expression and induces premature adipocyte differentiation, which can be rescued by CEBPα knockdown. These results clarify the function of ALK4 in adipose tissue and highlight the contrasting roles of the two activin receptors in the regulation of adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy during obesity.     

Potent Anti-Proliferative,Pro-Apoptotic Activity of the Maytenus Royleanus Extract against Prostate Cancer Cells: Evidence in In-Vitro and In-Vivo Models

Prostate cancer is a leading of cause of cancer related death in men. Despite intensive investment in improving early diagnosis, it often escapes timely detection. Mortality remains high in advanced stage prostate cancer where palliative care remains the only option. Effective strategies are therefore needed to prevent the occurrence and progression of the disease. Plant-derived compounds have been an important source of several clinically useful anti-cancer agents and offer an attractive approach against prostate cancer. We previously showed that the methanol extract of Maytenus royleanus (MEM) leaves and its fractions possess significant antioxidant activity with therapeutic potential against free-radical associated damages. The present study evaluated the anti-proliferative activity of MEM in the prostate cancer model system. Analysis of MEM and its various fractions revealed the presence of triterpenoids, flavonoids and tannins, conjugated to one or more polar groups and carbohydrate moieties. Further studies against known standards established the existence of caffeic acid and quercetin 3-rhamnoside in varying concentration in different MEM fractions. Time course analysis of MEM treated prostate cancer cells indicated significant decrease in cell viability, assessed by MTT and clonogenic survival assays. This was accompanied by G2 phase arrest of cell cycle, downregulation of cyclin/cdk network and increase in cdk inhibitors. MEM treated cells exhibited cleavage of Caspase-3 and PARP, and modulation of apoptotic proteins, establishing apoptosis as the primary mechanism of cell death. Notably MEM suppressed AR/PSA signaling both in prostate cancer cell cultures and in the in vivo model. Intraperitoneal injection of MEM (1.25 and 2.5mg/ animal) to athymic nude mice implanted with androgen sensitive CWR22Rν1 cells showed significant inhibition in tumor growth and decreased serum PSA levels reciprocating in vitro findings. Taken together, our data suggest that MEM may be explored further for its potential therapeutic effects against prostate cancer progression in humans.