Revista Jurídica Digital UANDES
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Environmental sustainability issues in the food-energy-water nexus in the UK vegetables sector:Energy and water consumption
No full textVegetables are an important constituent of a balanced diet. Nearly 11 million tonnes of vegetables are consumed in the UK annually, 67% of which are purchased as fresh, with the remaining processed into various products. Almost 40% of vegetables are imported, most of them from water-stressed countries. The water and energy demands of different vegetables vary depending on their kind and origin, as well as the type and level of processing. As water and energy are interconnected, it is vital to examine their dependency. Therefore, this work evaluates the environmental impacts of vegetables on the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus. A new methodology has been developed for these purposes, based on a life cycle approach. Eight types of vegetables most consumed in the UK are considered, including fresh and processed products produced domestically and imported. The impacts are considered at both the product and sectoral levels.</p
Environmental impacts of poultry litter gasification for power generation
No full textThe poultry industry generates a large quantity of litter, which consists of a mixture of manure, waste bedding and feathers, and can be used for recovery of energy. Recent studies suggest that gasification is a promising technology for an effective conversion of poultry litter to energy. This paper aims to assess the environmental impacts of generating electricity from the gasification of poultry litter in a small-scale integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant. Gasification of poultry litter has been simulated with ASPEN Plus® software and life cycle assessment has been used to determine the carbon footprint and primary energy demand of the system. The following life cycle stages have been considered: collection and storage of poultry litter, its gasification, syngas cleaning, production of electricity and co-production of ash as a fertiliser. The carbon footprint and primary energy demand of generating 1 kWh of energy by poultry litter gasification plant are estimated at 42 g CO2 eq./kWh and 0.14 MJ/kWh, respectively. Compared to electricity from fossil fuels, this system has 91%-96% smaller carbon footprint and 98%-99% lower primary energy demand. The energy payback period is estimated at 1.5 years.</p
Life cycle environmental impacts of electricity from fossil fuels in Chile over a ten-year period
No full textThis study uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of electricity generated from fossil fuels in Chile over a ten–year period, from 2004-2014. The focus on fossil fuels is highly relevant for Chile because around 60% of electricity currently comes from natural gas, coal and oil. The impacts are first considered at the level of individual technologies, followed by the evaluation of the fossil-fuel electricity mix over the period. The study has been carried out using detailed primary data for 94 operating plants. Considering individual technologies, coal power has the worst performance for eight out of 11 impacts, with eutrophication, freshwater and marine ecotoxicity being between ten and 240 times greater than for gas. However, oil is worse than coal for photochemical oxidants (31%) and depletion of elements and ozone layer (four and eight times, respectively). Between 2004 and 2014, the annual environmental impacts doubled, while electricity generation rose only by 55%. The only exception to this is ozone depletion which fell by around 4%. The highest impacts occurred in 2014 mainly because of the high contribution of coal power. Therefore, the environmental performance of fossil-based electricity in Chile has worsened over time due to the growing share of coal power, coupled with the increasing electricity demand. Consequently, policy should aim to increase the efficiency of power plants, avoid the use of petroleum coke, improve emissions control and replace coal and oil with gas power as soon as possible
Un ordine di consegna (P.Ryl.Add. 735)
No full textEdition of an unpublished papyrus from the Rylands collection. The fragment comes from Oxyrhynchus and is dated to the first half of the fifth century on the basis of palaeographical and prosopographical considerations. The short order for delivery furnishes a significant contribution to the history of late antique Egyptian aristocracy and large estates administration
Magmatic evolution biases basaltic records of mantle chemistry towards melts from recycled sources
No full textThe chemistry of erupted magmas provides a crucial window into the composition and structure of Earth’s convecting mantle. However, magmatic evolution in the crust makes it challenging to reconstruct mantle properties from volcanic rocks in important but incompletely understood ways. Here we investigate how mantle-derived compositional variability in primary oceanic basalts determines their phase equilibria relations and the nature of the geochemical signals they record. By performing experiments on synthetic analogues of compositionally extreme primitive lavas from the Reykjanes Peninsula of Iceland at realistic magma storage conditions (300 MPa, 1140–1260 °C), we show that melts from enriched mantle domains retain higher melt fractions as they cool than those generated by melting of typical fertile lherzolite (i.e. they crystallise less mass over any interval of decreasing temperature). These melt fraction differences arise because plagioclase crystallisation is suppressed in Na- and H2O-rich but Ca- and Al-poor liquids derived from enriched source lithologies. Thus, compositional characteristics inherited from the mantle have a first-order control on the efficiency with which cooling basalts crystallise. This means that enriched melts will be more likely to survive crustal processing than depleted melts. Basalt chemistry will therefore be disproportionately influenced by melts from volumetrically minor enriched lithologies compared with melts from the upper mantle’s most common lithology, lherzolite,systematically biasing basaltic records towards melts from recycled mantle sources. We combine our experimental observations from Iceland with thermodynamic simulations on mid-ocean ridge basalt compositions and show that mantle derived variability in crystallisation efficiency can explain two enigmatic features of the global oceanic basalt record: firstly, the anomalous over-enrichment of incompatible elements during the differentiation of mid-ocean ridge basalts, which may reflect a progressive bias towards enriched compositions as differentiation proceeds; and secondly, the frequently documented cargoes of highly anorthitic plagioclase crystals carried by evolved and enriched liquids from which they cannot have crystallised. These crystals can now be understood as the solidified remnants of depleted, lherzolite-derived melts that have been entrained into melt mixtures from more enriched sources. Increases in the degree of enrichment of cumulate rocks sampled from progressively shallower horizons of the oceanic crust can also be interpreted in terms of enriched melts surviving crustal processing in preference to depleted melts
‘It’s what I’ve always done’: Continuity and change in the household sustainability practices of Somali immigrants in the UK
No full textThis paper explores the household sustainability practices of people who have migrated from the Global South to the Global North, by studying how Somali immigrants living in the UK engage with the sustainability agenda, why, and to what effect. We report on the findings of a mixed methods study conducted in Manchester in summer 2018, identifying patterns of continuity and change between country of origin and current residence in three environmentally significant areas of practice: resource conservation, recycling, and enjoyment of the natural environment. We then show how engagement or non-engagement in household sustainability practices is motivated by material/structural, ideational, and social factors. Our findings suggest that Somali immigrants are engaged with household sustainability for a variety of reasons, experience tensions and frustrations related to barriers to sustainability, and have knowledge that could make a positive contribution to green policy agendas. The findings allow us to disrupt dominant conceptions of household sustainability and to challenge the assumption that newcomers from ‘less developed countries’ need to be socialised into adopting household sustainability practices. We further argue that policy makers should consider more elastic notions of household sustainability, to better fit with and respect the lifestyles and motivations of immigrant communities
The importance of acute kidney injury in suspected community acquired infection
No full textBACKGROUND: Most sepsis and acute kidney injury (AKI) cases are community acquired (CA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of suspected community acquired infection (sCA-I) and CA-AKI and their impact upon patient outcomes.METHODS: All adult creatinine blood tests from non-elective, non-dialysis attendances to a single centre over a 29-month period were analysed retrospectively. We defined sCA-I and CA-AKI cases as antibiotic prescription and AKI alert within 48 hours of attendance respectively. Binary logistic regression models were created to determine associations with 30-day mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and length of stay (LOS) dichotomised at median.RESULTS: Of 61,471 attendances 28.1% and 5.7% suffered sCA-I or CA-AKI in isolation respectively, 3.4% suffered both. sCA-I was present in 58.8% of CA-AKI cases and CA-AKI was present in 11.9% of CA-I cases. The combination of sCA-I and CA-AKI was associated with a higher risk for all outcomes compared to sCA-I or CA-AKI in isolation. The 30-day mortality was 8.1%, 11.8% and 26.2% in patients with sCA-I, CA-AKI and when sCA-I and CA-AKI occurred in combination respectively. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for 30-day mortality, ICU admission and LOS for sCA-I combined with CA-AKI stage 1 were OR 6.09:CI: 5.21-7.12, OR 12.52 CI: 10.54-14.88 and OR 8.97 CI: 7.62-10.56, respectively, and for combined sCA-I and CA-AKI stage 3 were OR 9.23 CI: 6.91-12.33, OR 29.26 CI: 22.46-38.18 and OR 9.48 CI: 6.82-13.18 respectively.CONCLUSION: The combination of sCA-I and CA-AKI is associated with worse outcomes.</p
CD200R1 regulates eosinophilia during pulmonary fungal infection in mice
No full textCD200 receptor 1(CD200R1) signalling limits myeloid cell responses and reduces autoimmunity, alloimmunity and viral-mediated immunopathology, but has never been examined in the context of eosinophilic inflammation. Susceptibility to lung fungal infection is associated with T-helper 2 (Th2) cytokine dominated responses and strong eosinophilic pathology. Blockade of CD200R1 enhances type I cytokine responses in many infectious and noninfectious settings and so may promote a more protective response to fungal infection. By contrast, we demonstrate that, rather than promoting type I cytokine responses, CD200R1 blockade enhanced eosinophilia in a mouse model of Cryptococcus neoformans infection, whereas CD200R1 agonism reduced lung eosinophilia – with neither strategy completely altering fungal burden. Thus, we reveal a surprising disconnect between pulmonary eosinophilia and cryptococcal burden and dissemination. This research has 2 important implications. Firstly, a lack of CD200R1 signalling enhances immune responses regardless of cytokine polarisation, and secondly reducing eosinophils does not allow protective immunity to develop in susceptible fungal system. Therefore, agonists of CD200R1 may be beneficial for eosinophilic pathologies
Feasibility and acceptability of integrated psychological therapy versus treatment as usual for people with bipolar disorder and co-morbid alcohol use: a single blind randomised controlled trial
No full textAbstractBackgroundAlcohol use is a common problem in bipolar disorder (BD) and evidence indicates more promising outcomes for alcohol use than other substances. No trials have evaluated individual integrated motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy (MI-CBT) for problematic alcohol use in BD. We therefore assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a novel MI-CBT intervention for alcohol use in BD.MethodsA single blind RCT was conducted to compare MI-CBT plus treatment as usual (TAU) with TAU only. MI-CBT was delivered over 20 sessions with participants followed up at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post-randomisation. Primary outcomes were the feasibility and acceptability of MI-CBT (recruitment to target, retention to follow-up and therapy, acceptability of therapy and absence of adverse events). We also conducted preliminary analyses of alcohol and mood outcomes (frequency and severity of alcohol use and time to mood relapse).Results44 participants were recruited with 75% retention to 6 and 12 months follow-up. Therapy participants attended a mean of 17.6 (SD 4.5) sessions. Therapy alliance and treatment fidelity were acceptable. Qualitative interviews indicated the intervention was experienced as collaborative, and helpful, in addressing mood and alcohol issues, although risk of overconfidence following therapy was also identified. Clinical outcomes did not differ between arms at 12 months follow-up.LimitationsAs a feasibility and acceptability trial any secondary results should be treated with caution.ConclusionsIntegrated MI-CBT is feasible and acceptable, but lack of clinical impact, albeit in a feasibility study, suggests need for further development. Potential adaptations are discussed