An Indicator to Evaluate the Thermodynamic Maturity of Industrial Process Units in Industrial Ecology

The article suggests a measure to evaluate the thermodynamic maturity of industrial systems at the level of single process units. The measure can be quantified with reasonable confidence on the basis of entropy production as defined by irreversible thermodynamics theory. It quantifies, for one process unit, the distance between its actual state of operation and its state with minimum entropy production or optimum exergy efficiency, when the two states are constrained with a fixed production capacity of the process unit. We suggest that the minimum entropy production state is a mature state, or that processes that operate at this state are mature. We propose to call the measure "the thermodynamic maturity indicator" (π), and we define it as the ratio between the minimum entropy production and the actual entropy production. We calculated π on the basis of literature data for some examples of industrial process units in the chemical and process industry (i.e., heat exchanger, chemical reactor, distillation column, and paper drying machine). The proposed thermodynamic measure should be of interest for industrial ecology because it emerges from the entropy production rate, a dynamic function that can be optimized and used to understand the thermodynamic limit to improving the exergy efficiency of industrial processes. Although not a tool for replacing one process with another or comparing one technology to another, π may be used to assess actual operation states of single process units in industrial ecology.     

Genetic Adaptation of Achromobacter sp. during Persistence in the Lungs of Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Achromobacter species are increasingly isolated from the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis patients and often a chronic infection is established. How Achromobacter sp. adapts to the human host remains uncharacterised. By comparing longitudinally collected isolates of Achromobacter sp. isolated from five CF patients, we have investigated the within-host evolution of clonal lineages. The majority of identified mutations were isolate-specific suggesting co-evolution of several subpopulations from the original infecting isolate. The largest proportion of mutated genes were involved in the general metabolism of the bacterium, but genes involved in virulence and antimicrobial resistance were also affected. A number of virulence genes required for initiation of acute infection were selected against, e.g. genes of the type I and type III secretion systems and genes related to pilus and flagellum formation or function. Six antimicrobial resistance genes or their regulatory genes were mutated, including large deletions affecting the repressor genes of an RND-family efflux pump and a beta-lactamase. Convergent evolution was observed for five genes that were all implicated in bacterial virulence. Characterisation of genes involved in adaptation of Achromobacter to the human host is required for understanding the pathogen-host interaction and facilitate design of future therapeutic interventions.     

Separating parental and treatment contributions to perinatal health after fresh and frozen embryo transfer in assisted reproduction: A cohort study with within-sibship analysis

BackgroundCompared to naturally conceived children, adverse perinatal outcomes are more common among children born after assisted reproductive technology with fresh embryo transfer (fresh-ET) or frozen embryo transfer (frozen-ET). However, most previous studies could not adequately control for family confounding factors such as subfertility. We compared birth size and duration of pregnancy among infants born after fresh-ET or frozen-ET versus natural conception, using a within-sibship design to account for confounding by maternal factors.Methods and findingsThis registry-based cohort study with nationwide data from Denmark (1994–2014), Norway (1988–2015), and Sweden (1988–2015) consisted of 4,510,790 live-born singletons, 4,414,703 from natural conception, 78,095 from fresh-ET, and 17,990 from frozen-ET. We identified 33,056 offspring sibling groups with the same mother, conceived by at least 2 different conception methods. Outcomes were mean birthweight, small and large for gestational age, mean gestational age, preterm (<37 weeks, versus ≥37), and very preterm birth (<32 weeks, versus ≥32). Singletons born after fresh-ET had lower mean birthweight (−51 g, 95% CI −58 to −45, p < 0.001) and increased odds of small for gestational age (odds ratio [OR] 1.20, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.34, p < 0.001), while those born after frozen-ET had higher mean birthweight (82 g, 95% CI 70 to 94, p < 0.001) and increased odds of large for gestational age (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.56 to 2.17, p < 0.001), compared to naturally conceived siblings. Conventional population analyses gave similar results. Compared to naturally conceived siblings, mean gestational age was lower after fresh-ET (−1.0 days, 95% CI −1.2 to −0.8, p < 0.001), but not after frozen-ET (0.3 days, 95% CI 0.0 to 0.6, p = 0.028). There were increased odds of preterm birth after fresh-ET (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.37, p < 0.001), and in most models after frozen-ET, versus naturally conceived siblings, with somewhat stronger associations in population analyses. For very preterm birth, population analyses showed increased odds for both fresh-ET (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.90 to 2.12, p < 0.001) and frozen-ET (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.94, p < 0.001) compared with natural conception, but results were notably attenuated within siblings (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.41, p = 0.059, and OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.27, p = 0.6, for fresh-ET and frozen-ET, respectively). Sensitivity analyses in full siblings, in siblings born within 3-year interval, by birth order, and restricting to single embryo transfers and blastocyst transfers were consistent with the main analyses. Main limitations were high proportions of missing data on maternal body mass index and smoking.ConclusionsWe found that infants conceived by fresh-ET had lower birthweight and increased odds of small for gestational age, and those conceived by frozen-ET had higher birthweight and increased odds of large for gestational age. Conception by either fresh-ET or frozen-ET was associated with increased odds of preterm birth. That these findings were observed within siblings, as well as in conventional multivariable population analyses, reduces the likelihood that they are explained by confounding or selection bias.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov ISRCTN11780826.

Kjersti Westvik-Johari and co-workers report on perinatal outcomes following fresh and frozen embryo transfer.     

Hierarchy and value: An introduction

Martha J. Kaplan. 1995. Neither Cargo Nor Cult: Ritual Politics and Colonial Imagination in Fiji. London and Durham: Duke University Press, xviii + 236 pp.

Martha Mundy. 1995. Domestic Government: Kinship, Community and Polity in North Yemen. London: I.B. Tauris Publishers. 317 pp.

Thomas Csordas (ed.). 1994. Embodiment and Experience: The Existential Ground of Culture and Self. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. xi + 294 pp.

Philip L. Kohl &; Clare Fawcett (eds). 1995. Nationalism, Politics, and the Practice of Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. xi + 329 pp.

Joanna B. Eicher (ed.). 1995. Dress and Ethnicity: Change Across Space and Time. Oxford: Berg Publishers. xiv + 316 pp.

Anatoly M. Khazanov. 1995. After the USSR: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Politics in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press. 334 pp.

Pertti J. Anttonen &; Reimund Kvideland (eds). 1994. Nordic Frontiers: Recent Issues in the Study of Modern Traditional Culture in the Nordic Countries. Turku: Nordic Institute of Folklore. 238 pp.

Hugo G. Nutini. 1995. The Wages of Conquest: The Mexican Aristocracy in the Context of Western Aristocracies. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 444 pp.     

Expression Patterns of the Drosophila Neuropeptide CCHamide-2 and Its Receptor May Suggest Hormonal Signaling from the Gut to the Brain

The insect neuropeptides CCHamide-1 and -2 are recently discovered peptides that probably occur in all arthropods. Here, we used immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization, and quantitative PCR (qPCR), to localize the two peptides in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. We found that CCHamide-1 and -2 were localized in endocrine cells of the midgut of larvae and adult flies. These endocrine cells had the appearance of sensory cells, projecting processes close to or into the gut lumen. In addition, CCHamide-2 was also localized in about forty neurons in the brain hemispheres and ventral nerve cord of larvae. Using qPCR we found high expression of the CCHamide-2 gene in the larval gut and very low expression of its receptor gene, while in the larval brain we found low expression of CCHamide-2 and very high expression of its receptor. These expression patterns suggest the following model: Endocrine CCHamide-2 cells in the gut sense the quality of food components in the gut lumen and transmit this information to the brain by releasing CCHamide-2 into the circulation; subsequently, after binding to its brain receptors, CCHamides-2 induces an altered feeding behavior in the animal and possibly other homeostatic adaptations.     

Potential source and sink locations for climate‐driven species range shifts in Europe since the Last Glacial Maximum

Aim To identify potential source and sink locations for climate‐driven species range shifts in Europe since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Location Europe. Methods We developed a new approach combining past‐climate simulations with the concept of analogous climate space. Our index gives a continuous measure of the potential of a location to have acted as a source or a sink for species that have shifted their ranges since the LGM. High glacial source potential is indicated by LGM climatic conditions that are widespread now; high post‐glacial sink potential is indicated by current climatic conditions that were widespread at the LGM. The degree of isolation of source and sink areas was calculated as the median distance to areas with analogous climate conditions. Results We identified areas of high glacial source potential in the previously recognized refugial areas in the southern European peninsulas, but also in large areas in central‐western Europe. The most climatically isolated source areas were located in northern Spain, in north‐western Europe and in eastern Turkey. From here species would have had to cover substantial distances to find current climate conditions analogous to LGM conditions of these areas. Areas with high post‐glacial sink potential were mainly located in Fennoscandia and in central and south‐eastern Europe. Some of the most isolated sink areas were located in the Spanish highlands and around the Baltic Sea. Main conclusions Our species‐independent approach successfully identified previously recognized glacial refugial areas with high source potential for species range shifts in southern Europe and in addition highlighted other potential source areas in central Europe. This study offers new insights into how the distribution of past and current climatic conditions may have influenced past species range shifts and current large‐scale biodiversity patterns.     

Pancreatic cancer risk in relation to sex,lifestyle factors,and pre-diagnostic anthropometry in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study

Background

Lifestyle factors may influence the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Whereas cigarette smoking is an established risk factor, the effects of high alcohol intake and obesity are more uncertain. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations of pre-diagnostic anthropometry, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits with pancreatic cancer risk in a Swedish prospective, population-based cohort, with particular reference to potential sex differences.

Methods

The studied cohort consists of 28,098 participants, including all incident cases of pancreatic cancer, in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study up until December 31, 2013 (n?=?163). Non-parametric and chi-squared tests were applied to compare the distribution of risk factors between cases and non-cases. Cox regression proportional hazards models were used to estimate the relationship between investigative factors and pancreatic cancer risk. Anthropometric factors included height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR), and body fat percentage.

Results

BMI was not a significant risk factor for pancreatic cancer, but a higher WHR was significantly associated with an increased risk in the entire cohort (hazard ratio (HR) 2.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28–4.35, p for trend?=?0.009). Regular smoking was a significant risk factor among both women (HR 2.62, 95% CI 1.61–4.27) and men (HR 3.57, 95% CI 1.70–7.47), whereas occasional smoking was a significant risk factor only in women (HR 3.29, 95% CI 1.50–7.19). Passive smoking at work for >20 years was significantly associated with an increased risk in the entire cohort (HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.15–2.58) and in women selectively (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.21–3.31). Alcohol consumption was not a significant risk factor. A significant interaction was found between female sex and age (p?=?0.045), but no other factor, in relation to pancreatic cancer risk.

Conclusions

WHR was the only pre-diagnostic anthropometric factor associated with pancreatic cancer risk, with no sex-related differences. Regular smoking was confirmed as a significant risk factor in both sexes, whereas occasional and passive smoking were significant risk factors only in women. Despite the lack of a significant interaction between smoking and sex in relation with pancreatic cancer risk, potential sex differences should be considered in future epidemiological studies.

     

The role of biotic interactions in shaping distributions and realised assemblages of species: implications for species distribution modelling

Predicting which species will occur together in the future, and where, remains one of the greatest challenges in ecology, and requires a sound understanding of how the abiotic and biotic environments interact with dispersal processes and history across scales. Biotic interactions and their dynamics influence species' relationships to climate, and this also has important implications for predicting future distributions of species. It is already well accepted that biotic interactions shape species' spatial distributions at local spatial extents, but the role of these interactions beyond local extents (e.g. 10 km² to global extents) are usually dismissed as unimportant. In this review we consolidate evidence for how biotic interactions shape species distributions beyond local extents and review methods for integrating biotic interactions into species distribution modelling tools. Drawing upon evidence from contemporary and palaeoecological studies of individual species ranges, functional groups, and species richness patterns, we show that biotic interactions have clearly left their mark on species distributions and realised assemblages of species across all spatial extents. We demonstrate this with examples from within and across trophic groups. A range of species distribution modelling tools is available to quantify species environmental relationships and predict species occurrence, such as: (i) integrating pairwise dependencies, (ii) using integrative predictors, and (iii) hybridising species distribution models (SDMs) with dynamic models. These methods have typically only been applied to interacting pairs of species at a single time, require a priori ecological knowledge about which species interact, and due to data paucity must assume that biotic interactions are constant in space and time. To better inform the future development of these models across spatial scales, we call for accelerated collection of spatially and temporally explicit species data. Ideally, these data should be sampled to reflect variation in the underlying environment across large spatial extents, and at fine spatial resolution. Simplified ecosystems where there are relatively few interacting species and sometimes a wealth of existing ecosystem monitoring data (e.g. arctic, alpine or island habitats) offer settings where the development of modelling tools that account for biotic interactions may be less difficult than elsewhere.