| 1. |
- Bjorn, A., et al.
(författare)
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Review of life-cycle based methods for absolute environmental sustainability assessment and their applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 1748-9326 .- 1748-9318. ; 15:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In many regions and at the planetary scale, human pressures on the environment exceed levels that natural systems can sustain. These pressures are caused by networks of human activities, which often extend across countries and continents due to global trade. This has led to an increasing requirement for methods that enable absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) of anthropogenic systems and which have a basis in life cycle assessment (LCA). Such methods enable the comparison of environmental impacts of products, companies, nations, etc, with an assigned share of environmental carrying capacity for various impact categories. This study is the first systematic review of LCA-based AESA methods and their applications. After developing a framework for LCA-based AESA methods, we identified 45 relevant studies through an initial survey, database searches and citation analysis. We characterized these studies according to their intended application, impact categories, basis of carrying capacity estimates, spatial differentiation of environmental model and principles for assigning carrying capacity. We then characterized all method applications and synthesized their results. Based on this assessment, we present recommendations to practitioners on the selection and use of existing LCA-based AESA methods, as well as ways to perform assessments and communicate results to decision-makers. Furthermore, we identify future research priorities intended to extend coverage of all components of the proposed method framework, improve modeling and increase the applicability of methods. © 2020 The Author(s).
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| 2. |
- Pollard, R. B., et al.
(författare)
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Safety and efficacy of the peptide-based therapeutic vaccine for HIV-1, Vacc-4x : A phase 2 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Lancet - Infectious diseases. - 1473-3099 .- 1474-4457. ; 14:4, s. 291-300
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Present combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) alone does not cure HIV infection and requires lifelong drug treatment. The potential role of HIV therapeutic vaccines as part of an HIV cure is under consideration. Our aim was to assess the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of Vacc-4x, a peptide-based HIV-1 therapeutic vaccine targeting conserved domains on p24Gag, in adults infected with HIV-1. Methods: Between July, 2008, and June, 2010, we did a multinational double-blind, randomised, phase 2 study comparing Vacc-4x with placebo. Participants were adults infected with HIV-1 who were aged 18-55 years and virologically suppressed on cART (viral load <50 copies per mL) with CD4 cell counts of 400 × 106 cells per L or greater. The trial was done at 18 sites in Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the USA. Participants were randomly assigned (2:1) to Vacc-4x or placebo. Group allocation was masked from participants and investigators. Four primary immunisations, weekly for 4 weeks, containing Vacc-4x (or placebo) were given intradermally after administration of adjuvant. Booster immunisations were given at weeks 16 and 18. At week 28, cART was interrupted for up to 24 weeks. The coprimary endpoints were cART resumption and changes in CD4 counts during treatment interruption. Analyses were by modified intention to treat: all participants who received one intervention. Furthermore, safety, viral load, and immunogenicity (as measured by ELISPOT and proliferation assays) were assessed. The 52 week follow-up period was completed in June, 2011. For the coprimary endpoints the proportion of participants who met the criteria for cART resumption was analysed with a logistic regression model with the treatment effect being assessed in a model including country as a covariate. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00659789. Findings: 174 individuals were screened; because of slow recruitment, enrolment stopped with 136 of a planned 345 participants and 93 were randomly assigned to receive Vacc-4x and 43 to receive placebo. There were no differences between the two groups for the primary efficacy endpoints in those participants who stopped cART at week 28. Of the participants who resumed cART, 30 (34%) were in the Vacc-4x group and 11 (29%) in the placebo group, and percentage changes in CD4 counts were not significant (mean treatment difference -5·71, 95% CI -13·01 to 1·59). However, a significant difference in viral load was noted for the Vacc-4x group both at week 48 (median 23 100 copies per mL Vacc-4x vs 71 800 copies per mL placebo; p=0·025) and week 52 (median 19 550 copies per mL vs 51 000 copies per mL; p=0·041). One serious adverse event, exacerbation of multiple sclerosis, was reported as possibly related to study treatment. Vacc-4x was immunogenic, inducing proliferative responses in both CD4 and CD8 T-cell populations. Interpretation: The proportion of participants resuming cART before end of study and change in CD4 counts during the treatment interruption showed no benefit of vaccination. Vacc-4x was safe, well tolerated, immunogenic, seemed to contribute to a viral-load setpoint reduction after cART interruption, and might be worth consideration in future HIV-cure investigative strategies. Funding: Norwegian Research Council GLOBVAC Program and Bionor Pharma ASA.
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| 3. |
- Sandin, Gustav A, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Life cycle assessment of construction materials: the influence of assumptions in end-of-life modelling
- 2014
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Ingår i: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 19:4, s. 723-731
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeThe nature of end-of-life (EoL) processes is highly uncertain for constructions built today. This uncertainty is often neglected in life cycle assessments (LCAs) of construction materials. This paper tests how EoL assumptions influence LCA comparisons of two alternative roof construction elements: glue-laminated wooden beams and steel frames. The assumptions tested include the type of technology and the use of attributional or consequential modelling approaches.MethodsThe study covers impact categories often considered in the construction industry: total and non-renewable primary energy demand, water depletion, global warming, eutrophication and photo-chemical oxidant creation. The following elements of the EoL processes are tested: energy source used in demolition, fuel type used for transportation to the disposal site, means of disposal and method for handling allocation problems of the EoL modelling. Two assumptions regarding technology development are tested: no development from today’s technologies and that today’s low-impact technologies have become representative for the average future technologies. For allocating environmental impacts of the waste handling to by-products (heat or recycled material), an attributional cut-off approach is compared with a consequential substitution approach. A scenario excluding all EoL processes is also considered.Results and discussionIn all comparable scenarios, glulam beams have clear environmental benefits compared to steel frames, except for in a scenario in which steel frames are recycled and today’s average steel production is substituted, in which impacts are similar. The choice of methodological approach (attributional, consequential or fully disregarding EoL processes) does not seem to influence the relative performance of the compared construction elements. In absolute terms, four factors are shown to be critical for the results: whether EoL phases are considered at all, whether recycling or incineration is assumed in the disposal of glulam beams, whether a consequential or attributional approach is used in modelling the disposal processes and whether today’s average technology or a low-impact technology is assumed for the substituted technology.ConclusionsThe results suggest that EoL assumptions can be highly important for LCA comparisons of construction materials, particularly in absolute terms. Therefore, we recommend that EoL uncertainties are taken into consideration in any LCA of long-lived products. For the studied product type, LCA practitioners should particularly consider EoL assumptions regarding the means of disposal, the expected technology development of disposal processes and any substituted technology and the choice between attributional and consequential approaches.
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| 4. |
- Sandin, Gustav A, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Making the most of LCA in technical inter-organisational R&D projects
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 70, s. 97-104
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In technical Research and Development (R&D) projects, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the technology under development is sometimes carried out. Particularly in inter-organisational R&D projects, the roles of LCAs tend to be unclear and arbitrary, and as a consequence, LCA work is not adequately designed for the needs of the project. There is a need for research on how to choose an appropriate role for LCA in such projects and how to plan LCA work accordingly.We have identified some possible roles of LCA in inter-organisational R&D projects and used experiences from LCA work in different such projects to identify four project characteristics that are decisive for what roles the LCA can have. The project characteristics are: (i) the project's potential influence on environmental impacts, (ii) the degrees of freedom available for the technical direction of the project, (iii) the project's potential to provide required input to the LCA, and (iv) access to relevant audiences for the LCA results. We discuss how evaluation of these project characteristics can help project commissioners, project managers and LCA practitioners to deliberately choose appropriate roles of LCA in inter-organisational R&D projects and plan projects for efficient use of LCA.
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| 5. |
- Paquet-Durand, F., et al.
(författare)
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Systemic and intraocular administration of the liposomal formulation of the cyclic GMP analogue CN03 : An exploratory safety and tolerability study in non-human primates
- 2019
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Ingår i: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. - : ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC. - 0146-0404 .- 1552-5783. ; 60:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose : The cGMP analogue CN03 targets cGMP signalling, a disease driver common to different types of retinal degeneration. For efficient targeting to the neuroretina CN03 was combined with a liposomal (LP) drug delivery system. In rodents, LP-CN03 has shown significant photoreceptor protection and preservation of in vivo retinal function, without major adverse events. The objective of the study was to determine the toxicity of CN03 and LP-CN03, following intravitreal (IVT) or intravenous (IV) administration. IVT administration is the intended human therapeutic route, IV injection was tested to investigate systemic toxicity.Methods : Cynomolgus monkeys were assigned to five different groups, consisting of one male and one female (n=2). Group 1 served as saline control for IVT and IV dosing, group 2 served as liposome (LP) control. Groups 3 and 4 received IVT injections of either 1X or 10X of the intended therapeutic dose, of either LP-CN03 (left eye) or CN03 (right). Group 5 received 100X IV bolus injections of LP-CN03 (Day 1) and CN03 (Day 25). Toxicity was assessed based on clinical observations, body weights, ophthalmology, intraocular pressure (IOP), electroretinography (ERG), and clinical and anatomic pathology.Results : IVT administration of LP caused transient white opacity in the vitreous body of all treated eyes, related to the milky consistency of LP. IVT injection of 1X and 10X CN03 was well-tolerated and only showed temporary pupil dilation in one male. IVT injection of 1X and 10X LP-CN03 was additionally associated with particles in the anterior chamber and vitreous body. At 10X, pigmented dots were also noted in the anterior lens capsule. IV injection of 100X LP-CN03 and CN03 was well tolerated and did not cause systemic toxicity. Comparison of pre- and post-dosing ERG did not reveal significant differences (p>0.05) in any of the groups, nor were there any indications of pathological changes in retinal morphology.Conclusions : IVT injection of CN03 and LP-CN03 at the intended therapeutic dose was not associated with any changes in ophthalmoscopy, electroretinography or histopathology, and only revealed slight pupil dilation in one animal. IV slow bolus injection at 100X the intended therapeutic dose was well tolerated.
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| 6. |
- Peters, Gregory, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Carbon footprints in the textile industry
- 2015
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Ingår i: Handbook of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Textiles and Clothing. - : Elsevier Inc.. - 9780081001691 - 9780081001875 ; , s. 3-30
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 7. |
- Zamani, Bahareh, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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Hotspot identification in the clothing industry using social life cycle assessment - opportunities and challenges of input-output modelling
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 23:3, s. 536-546
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A cradle-to-gate, input/output-based social life cycle assessment (SLCA) was conducted using the Swedish clothing consumption as a case study. The aim was to investigate the influence of the cut-off rule and the definition of "hotspots" in social hotspot assessment. A second aim was to identify social hotspots of Swedish clothing on a national level. The case study was based on the SLCA methodology provided in the Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products (BenoIt and Mazijn 2009). An input/output model was used to define the product system from cradle to gate. The negative social hotspots were evaluated for a set of social indicators that were selected by consumers. The impact assessment was conducted on a sector and country level by using the Social Hotspots Database. The identified sectors of the economy with high and very high levels of risk were listed for each social indicator. The results pinpointed some hotspots throughout the supply chain for Swedish clothing consumption. Some unexpected sectors such as commerce and business services in Bangladesh were identified as important hotspots as well as main sectors in the production phase such as plant fibres, textiles and garments that would be expected also on the bases of a traditional process analysis. A sensitivity analysis on different cut-off values showed the extent to which the choice of cut-off rule can directly affect the results via influence over the number of country-specific sectors (CSSs) in the product system. The influence of the hotspot definition was investigated by evaluating the working hour intensity for low- and medium-risk levels for three different indicators. The results show that for child labour, 92 % of the share of working hours was associated with low- and medium-risk levels. Therefore, the evaluation of risk levels other than high and very high can provide a more complete picture of the hotspots. The application of input/output-based SLCA on the clothing production supply chain provided a more complete picture of the social hotspots than with traditional process-based SLCA. Some unexpected sectors related to commerce and business appeared as social hotspots in the clothing industry. The study explored some important parameters in applying an input/output-based SLCA. The results show that the cut-off values and definition of hotspots in relation to risk levels can directly influence the results.
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