Plastic value chain and performance metric framework for optimal recycling

Despite the promotion of plastic recycling to sustainably manage plastic waste and advance the circular economy, existing plastic recycling systems globally are largely experiencing low performance and growth. To transition to world-class plastic material recycling and circularity, defining the metrics that impact the performance of a plastic recycling system is crucial. Bringing together existing literature, this study developed a conceptual framework, comprised of eight key performance metrics, for benchmarking recycling success or assessing the degree to which the performance of any plastic recycling system is optimal. Through a value chain approach, the specific performance metrics relevant to each stage of the plastic recycling system, their objectives, and the actors characterizing the system were analyzed in detail. Also, specific maturity models were developed to measure the performance of any plastic recycling system. This framework provides essential knowledge for related stakeholders to inform further development of plastic recycling and a circular economy.     

Exploring the potential of CRISPR/Cas genome editing for vegetable crop improvement: An overview of challenges and approaches

Vegetables provide many nutrients in the form of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which make them an important part of our diet. Numerous biotic and abiotic stresses can affect crop growth, quality, and yield. Traditional and modern breeding strategies to improve plant traits are slow and resource intensive. Therefore, it is necessary to find new approaches for crop improvement. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) is a genome editing tool that can be used to modify targeted genes for desirable traits with greater efficiency and accuracy. By using CRISPR/Cas9 editing to precisely mutate key genes, it is possible to rapidly generate new germplasm resources for the promotion of important agronomic traits. This is made possible by the availability of whole genome sequencing data and information on the function of genes responsible for important traits. In addition, CRISPR/Cas9 systems have revolutionized agriculture, making genome editing more versatile. Currently, genome editing of vegetable crops is limited to a few vegetable varieties (tomato, sweet potato, potato, carrot, squash, eggplant, etc.) due to lack of regeneration protocols and sufficient genome sequencing data. In this article, we summarize recent studies on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in improving vegetable trait development and the potential for future improvement.     

An integrated ecological security early-warning framework in the national nature reserve based on the gray model

Nature reserves (NRs) play a pivotal role in minimizing habitat loss and protecting wild animals and plants, which are critical for human ecological security. However, focusing only on the construction of ecological security patterns of NRs without understanding their ecological security early-warning situations and their driving factors may fail to achieve protection goals. This study constructed an ecological security early-warning framework and index system based on the Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework model. The gray model (GM) was used to predict the ecological security early-warning situation, and the Geo-detector model was applied to explore the driving factors of the ecological security early-warning system in the Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve (BNNR). The results showed that the average ecological security index (ESI) value increased from 0.2796 in 2005 to 0.3171 in 2017, with an average increase of 11.82%. The ecological security early-warning index (ESEWI) value increased from 0.3171 in 2018 to 0.3622 in 2030, which was an average increase of 12.46%. These results indicated that the ecological security situation continually improved from 2005 to 2030. By 2030, the number of towns with a “no warning” grade increased to four, the number of towns with an “extreme warning” grade was zero, and the proportion of areas with early-warnings decreased from 100% to 33%. The q values of per capita forest land areas and per capita grassland areas were both 0.9334, which indicated that environmental characteristic factors were the primary driving factors in ecological security early-warning. Our results demonstrated that the ecological security early-warning index system based on the DPSIR model and grey model can well prediction ecological security situation and provide scientific support for the ecological protection and management of NRs.     

浙贝母鳞茎衰退过程的解剖学研究初报

采用徒手制片、石蜡切片和电子显微镜技术,系统而深入地研究了浙贝母（ＦｒｉｔｉｌｌａｒｉａｔｈｕｎｂｅｒｇｉｉＢａｋｅｒ）鳞茎衰退过程中的形态、组织结构和细胞内部的变化情况．看到了大分子物质进行运输时采用集装囊泡形式的可能性。进一步论证了胞间连丝作为细胞间原生质通道的观点．     

A blue fluorescent Cd(II) coordination polymer with 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid ligand: synthesis, crystal structure and fluorescent property

Under hydrothermal conditions, the reaction of 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid (HDABC) with Cd(ClO₄)₂ ∼ 6H₂O affords a novel 2D network, {[Cd(DABC)₂][Cd(DABC)₂(H₂O)₂]}_n (1), which, represents the first example of 2D neutral polymeric material containing DABC ligand with strong blue fluorescent emission in the solid state.     

A modelling framework describing the enzyme regulation of membrane lipids underlying gradient perception in Dictyostelium cells II: input-output analysis

Spatial sensing in Dictyostelium involves localization of the phosphoinositide lipids PI(3,4,5)P3 and PI(3,4)P2 at the leading edge of the cell in response to an external gradient. We have previously proposed a modelling framework describing the regulation of these lipids by the enzymes PI3K and PTEN. In this paper we analyse this regulation from an input-output perspective. When the inputs are homogeneous, we obtain explicit analytical expressions for the lipid concentrations as a function of enzyme concentrations and model parameters. We also show that the system can be cast as an open-loop bilinear control system, and employ control engineering tools to show that a local three-dimensional region in the four-dimensional phase space can be accessed by temporally varying either or both enzyme concentrations. For spatially graded enzyme profiles, we show that diffusion limits the extent to which lipid profiles can be manipulated by enzymes. However, we also demonstrate that for certain ranges of network parameters, increasing lipid diffusion can lead to an increase in steady-state leading-edge concentrations of PI(3,4,5)P3 or PI(3,4)P2, even though all lipid diffusion coefficients are equal. Finally, in order to determine the extent to which lipid profiles can be regulated by the enzymes, we formulate and solve inverse problems, where we determine the enzyme profiles required to realize particular lipid profiles at steady state.     

Nonlinearity,fuzziness and incommensurability in indicator-based assessments of vulnerability to climate change: A new mathematical framework

The earth’s climate system is highly nonlinear and the vulnerability of a community to a climate hazard is no exception. While this fact is widely accepted, indicator-based vulnerability assessments (IBVA) hardly ever take such nonlinearities into account. This is mainly due to the fact that the majority of assessment studies use methods based on Multiple Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) (e.g. simple additive weight or multiplicative aggregation) to aggregate indicators. These methods convert all indicators into a global utility function and produce only a linear, threshold-free scaling of the effects of an indicator on vulnerability. In a previous paper, we showed that outranking procedures developed in decision-making science offer a more theoretically-sound approach to aggregation because they allow the analyst to incorporate the incommensurability, fuzziness and uncertainty associated with indicators. In this paper, we develop a new mathematical framework for vulnerability in order to clearly identify various sources of nonlinearity and incommensurability in vulnerability assessments. We then propose a new outranking formulation which can accommodate both and can be used to conduct assessments at different scales. We do so by introducing the concept of harm criterion as a mediator between an indicator and the vulnerability it represents. The new assessment approach can aggregate a mix of indicators with various degrees of subjectivity and non-linearity, without converting them into a single utility function and without requiring them to be mutually compensating.We illustrate the proposed approach by applying it to a simplified model of urban vulnerability to heat, focusing on the non-linear relationship between mortality and temperature above a ‘comfort temperature’, long evidenced in the epidemiological literature. We compare vulnerability rankings yielded by linear and non-linear characterizations of the relationship between temperature and mortality and find that the incorporation of non-linearity can have a significant impact on the rankings.     

Environmental Health Indicators in New Zealand: Drinking Water—A Case Study

This study examines and quantifies the linkages between population health, environmental risks, and its determinants for drinking water in New Zealand using routinely collected data. It was conducted as part of the national environmental health indicators project in New Zealand. The project is based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Environmental and Health Information System” program. Drinking water quality indicators based on the Driving force–Pressure–State–Exposure–Effect–Action (DPSEEA) framework as part of this program were analyzed to validate the model by quantifying the linkages between the indicators. The results of the model suggested over the study period, the state (drinking water quality) and exposure (water access) indicators are significant independent predictors of the effect indicator (waterborne disease rate). This study suggests that routinely collected data can be structured using the DPSEEA framework and tested quantitatively using standard Poisson regression models, thus, illustrating that the model can be used routinely to provide a basis for consideration of the costs and benefits of any interventions to reduce the burden of waterborne disease. Data quality issues need to be considered if such routinely collected data linkages are to be performed for policy purposes. The online version of this article (doi:) contains electronic supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Supplemental histograms are available in the online appendix.     

Platelet activation of mechanical versus bioprosthetic heart valves during systole

Thrombus formation is a major concern for recipients of mechanical heart valves (MHVs), which requires them to take anticoagulant drugs for the rest of their lives. Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) do not require life-long anticoagulant therapy but deteriorate after 10–15 years. The thrombus formation is initiated by the platelet activation which is thought to be mainly generated in MHVs by the flow through the hinge and the leakage flow during the diastole. However, our results show that the activation in the bulk flow during the systole phase might play an essential role as well. This is based on our results obtained by comparing the thrombogenic performance of a MHV and a BHV (as control) in terms of shear induced platelet activation under exactly the same conditions. Three different mathematical activation models including linear level of activation, damage accumulation, and Soares model are tested to quantify the platelet activation during systole using the previous simulations of the flow through MHV and BHV in a straight aorta under the same physiologic flow conditions. Results indicate that the platelet activation in the MHV at the beginning of the systole phase is slightly less than the BHV. However, at the end of the systole phase the platelet activation by the bulk flow for the MHV is several folds (1.41, 5.12, and 2.81 for linear level of activation, damage accumulation, and Soares model, respectively) higher than the BHV for all tested platelet activation models.     

Proposing an indicator framework for FLEGT voluntary partnership agreements impact monitoring

In 2003, the European Union (EU) launched the Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). The Action Plan aims to combat illegalities in the forest sector, using trade as the leverage to involve producers, traders and consumers in its implementation. A key instrument emerging from the Action Plan is Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs). These are bilateral trade agreements between the EU and wood exporting countries, to ensure that all wood exports were produced and traded in accordance with the laws of the originating country. Six such agreements were negotiated so far and with their implementation nearing, it is important to develop methodology for monitoring key impacts of a VPA. The VPAs and the Action Plan specifically outline the requirement to monitor their impacts on the livelihoods of forest dependent communities. For this an effective VPA impact monitoring system has to be built that fits with the context and capacity of the country. This paper aims to contribute to these developments by proposing an indicator framework for a country-level VPA impact monitoring. The framework comprises of 46 indicators designed to capture changes across ten key impact areas of VPAs. The paper also discusses requirements and possible challenges of VPA impact monitoring as well as its implications to good forest governance in the VPA countries and offers principles for cost-effective VPA impact monitoring.