Life cycle environmental performance and improvement of a yogurt product delivery system

A life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental performance of the yogurt product delivery system used by Stonyfield Farm. A life cycle model was developed which included material production, manufacturing and disposition for primary and secondary packaging, as well as the related transportation links between these stages and filling, retail and the point of consumption. Product delivery systems (PDS) that utilized 4, 6, 8 and 32 oz polypropylene (PP) cups and 2 oz linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) tubes were analysed. Ten strategies for improving the environmental performance of these systems were proposed and their impacts on the total life cycle burden were analysed. The life cycle energy consumption for the 2, 4, 6, 8 and 32 oz containers was 4050, 4670, 5230, 4390 and 3620 MJ/1000 lb yogurt delivered to market, respectively. Material production of the primary packaging accounted for 58% of the life cycle energy, while Distribution 3 (yogurt delivery to distributors/retailers) alone accounted for one‐third of the life cycle total energy. The life cycle solid waste profile showed that as the container size decreased, the solid waste burden increased, from 27.3 kg (32 oz) to 42.8 kg (6 oz) per 1000 lb yogurt delivered to market. This relationship was even more pronounced for the 4 oz (47.5 kg) and 2 oz (56.2 kg) product delivery systems. The greatest potential improvements in the environmental performance of the PDS are achievable through redesigning the primary packaging and using alternative manufacturing techniques for the yogurt cups. Shifting from injection moulding to thermoforming of 32 oz container reduces the life cycle energy and solid waste by 18.6% and 19.5%, respectively, primarily due to light‐weighting. Elimination of lids for 6 oz and 8 oz containers provided similar benefits. Consumers purchasing yogurt in 32 oz instead of 6 oz containers can save 14.5% of the life cycle energy and decrease solid waste by 27.2%. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

磷酸硼对樟子松的阻燃影响

采用磷酸硼对木材进行改性处理,测定了处理后试材的阻燃性、抗流失性、吸湿性、力学性能.研究结果表明,磷酸硼处理后试材,吸药量达到20.47 kg/m3以上时,垂直燃烧实验可达到到F-0级水平；通过灼烧实验,磷酸硼处理的木粉在500℃灼烧时残留率可达到97.997％;此改性剂具有较好阻燃性能和一定的抗流失性,常压下磷酸硼处理的樟子松试件LRV为50.28％；木材顺纹抗压强度平均下降了 8.67％,无明显变化;木材抗弯曲压强度平均下降了 27.95％.但磷酸硼阻燃剂在高湿条件下有一定的吸湿性,使用性能有待改进,并应注意采取防护措施.     

2,4,6-三甲基苯乙酸的合成新方法

以2,4,6-三甲基苯甲醛为原料,通过相转移催化反应在水-氯仿体系中先合成α-羟基-2,4,6-三甲基苯乙酸(收率52%);再通过次磷酸还原α-羟基-2,4,6-三甲基苯乙酸得到最终产物2,4,6-三甲基苯乙酸(收率91%)。此法绿色便捷,成本相对较低。     

稀土与L-酪氨酸甘氨酸三元固态配合物的合成与表征

在乙醇溶液中合成了四种稀土与 L-酪氨酸、甘氨酸的三元固态配合物 RE( Tyr) 1.5 ( Gly) 4 ( Cl O4) 3( RE=La3+、Ce3+、Gd3+、Y3+) ,并通过摩尔电导、热分析、红外光谱等进行了表征。     

H∞混合灵敏度控制在主汽压系统中的应用

主蒸汽压力是电厂热工过程控制中的重要参数,由于锅炉燃烧工况变化较大,主汽压对象模型具有不确定性,常规控制方法很难得到预期的控制效果。为提高系统控制品质,提出了主汽压系统的H∞混合灵敏度设计方法,给出了选择加权函数的具体方法,采用MATLAB软件进行仿真计算,得到H∞最优控制器。仿真结果表明,在对象模型参数发生较大变化时,与常规PID调节方法相比,H∞最优控制器能使主汽压控制系统具有良好的鲁棒稳定性和动态性能。     

Sympathetic response to stimulation of the pontine A5 region in conscious rabbits

OBJECT: This study is a retrospective analysis of clinical data obtained in 28 patients affected by obstructive hydrocephalus who presented with signs of midbrain dysfunction during episodes of shunt malfunction. METHODS: All patients presented with an upward gaze palsy, sometimes associated with other signs of oculomotor dysfunction. In seven cases the ocular signs remained isolated and resolved rapidly after shunt revision. In 21 cases the ocular signs were variably associated with other clinical manifestations such as pyramidal and extrapyramidal deficits, memory disturbances, mutism, or alterations in consciousness. Resolution of these symptoms after shunt revision was usually slow. In four cases a transient paradoxical aggravation was observed at the time of shunt revision. In 11 cases ventriculocistemostomy allowed resolution of the symptoms and withdrawal of the shunt. Simultaneous supratentorial and infratentorial intracranial pressure recordings performed in seven of the patients showed a pressure gradient between the supratentorial and infratentorial compartments, with a higher supratentorial pressure before shunt revision. Inversion of this pressure gradient was observed after shunt revision and resolution of the gradient was observed in one case after third ventriculostomy. In six recent cases, a focal midbrain hyperintensity was evidenced on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging sequences at the time of shunt malfunction. This rapidly resolved after the patient underwent third ventriculostomy. CONCLUSIONS: It is probable that in obstructive hydrocephalus, at the time of shunt malfunction, the development of a transtentorial pressure gradient could initially induce a functional impairment of the upper midbrain, inducing upward gaze palsy. The persistence of the gradient could lead to a global dysfunction of the upper midbrain. Third ventriculostomy contributes to equalization of cerebrospinal fluid pressure across the tentorium by restoring free communication between the infratentorial and supratentorial compartments, resulting in resolution of the patient's clinical symptoms.     

红曲与红曲色素的研究进展

阐述了红曲与红曲色素的各类，生产工艺及应用，介绍了红曲与红曲色素的现状和市场开发前景。     

Spontaneous orientation of transplanted olfactory glia influences axonal regeneration

Transplanted olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) have previously been demonstrated to support axonal growth and myelination in the adult rat CNS. Here, the capacity of donor OECs to control the direction of axonal regeneration has been investigated following transplantation, as elongated columns, into the thalamus of adult rats. The OECs formed a 'glial bridge' which extended from the thalamus to the hippocampus. Transplanted OECs rapidly adopted a spindle-shaped morphology which was orientated along the vertical axis of the transplant. Numerous host axons grew into the transplants and followed the highly orientated OEC cell matrix across the choroid fissure. Thus, the spontaneous elongation and orientation of donor OECs may support highly directional host axonal growth across natural barriers within the CNS.     

Meta-analysis of multiple outcomes by regression with random effects

Earlier work showed how to perform fixed-effects meta-analysis of studies or trials when each provides results on more than one outcome per patient and these multiple outcomes are correlated. That fixed-effects generalized-least-squares approach analyzes the multiple outcomes jointly within a single model, and it can include covariates, such as duration of therapy or quality of trial, that may explain observed heterogeneity of results among the trials. Sometimes the covariates explain all the heterogeneity, and the fixed-effects regression model is appropriate. However, unexplained heterogeneity may often remain, even after taking into account known or suspected covariates. Because fixed-effects models do not make allowance for this remaining unexplained heterogeneity, the potential exists for bias in estimated coefficients, standard errors and p-values. We propose two random-effects approaches for the regression meta-analysis of multiple correlated outcomes. We compare their use with fixed-effects models and with separate-outcomes models in a meta-analysis of periodontal clinical trials. A simulation study shows the advantages of the random-effects approach. These methods also facilitate meta-analysis of trials that compare more than two treatments.