| 1. |
- Aad, G, et al.
(författare)
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- 2015
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 2. |
- Reinbold, C. S., et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of the Influence of microRNAs in Lithium Response in Bipolar Disorder
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychiatry. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-0640. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bipolar disorder (BD) is a common, highly heritable neuropsychiatric disease characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and depression. Lithium is the best-established long-term treatment for BD, even though individual response is highly variable Evidence suggests that some of this variability has a genetic basis. This is supported by the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) of lithium response to date conducted by the International Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLiGen) Recently, we performed the first genome-wide analysis of the involvement of miRNAs in BD and identified nine BD associated miRNAs However, it is unknown whether these miRNAs are also associated with lithium response in BD. In the present study, we therefore tested whether common variants at these nine candidate miRNAs contribute to the variance in lithium response in BD. Furthermore, we systematically analyzed whether any other miRNA in the genome is implicated in the response to lithium. For this purpose, we performed gene-based tests for all known miRNA coding genes in the ConLiGen GWAS dataset (n = 2,563 patients) using a set-based testing approach adapted from the versatile gene based test for GWAS (VEGAS2). In the candidate approach, miR-499a showed a nominally significant association with lithium response, providing some evidence for involvement in both development and treatment of BD. In the genome-wide miRNA analysis, 71 miRNAs showed nominally significant associations with the dichotomous phenotype and 106 with the continuous trait for treatment response. A total of 15 miRNAs revealed nominal significance in both phenotypes with miR-633 showing the strongest association with the continuous trait (p = 9.80E-04) and miR-607 with the dichotomous phenotype (p = 5.79E-04). No association between miRNAs and treatment response to lithium in BD in either of the tested conditions withstood multiple testing correction. Given the limited power of our study, the investigation of miRNAs in larger GWAS samples of BD and lithium response is warranted.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Hagiwara, K, et al.
(författare)
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Review of particle physics
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physical Review D (Particles and Fields). - 0556-2821. ; 66:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This biennial Review summarizes much of Particle Physics Using data from previous editions, plus 2205 new measurements from 667 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons We also summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as Higgs bosons, heavy neutrinos, and supersymmetric particles All the particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables We also give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as the Standard Model, particle detectors, probability, and statistics This edition features expanded coverage of CP violation in B mesons and of neutrino oscillations For the first time we cover searches for evidence of extra dimensions (both in the particle listings and in a new review) Another new review is on Grand Unified Theories A booklet is available containing the Summary Tables and abbreviated versions of some of the other sections of this full Review All tables, listings, and reviews (and errata) are also available on the Particle Data Group website http //pdg 1b1 gov.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Wallen, K. E., et al.
(författare)
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Integrating team science into interdisciplinary graduate education : an exploration of the SESYNC Graduate Pursuit
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2190-6483 .- 2190-6491. ; 9:2, s. 218-233
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Complex socio-environmental challenges require interdisciplinary, team-based research capacity. Graduate students are fundamental to building such capacity, yet formal opportunities for graduate students to develop these capacities and skills are uncommon. This paper presents an assessment of the Graduate Pursuit (GP) program, a formal interdisciplinary team science graduate research and training program administered by the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). Quantitative and qualitative assessment of the program’s first cohort revealed that participants became significantly more comfortable with interdisciplinary research and team science approaches, increased their capacity to work across disciplines, and were enabled to produce tangible research outcomes. Qualitative analysis of four themes—(1) discipline, specialization, and shared purpose, (2) interpersonal skills and personality, (3) communication and teamwork, and (4) perceived costs and benefits—encompass participants’ positive and negative experiences and support findings from past assessments. The findings also identify challenges and benefits related to individual personality traits and team personality orientation, the importance of perceiving a sense of autonomy and independence, and the benefit of graduate training programs independent of the university and graduate program environment.
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| 8. |
- Scott, J., et al.
(författare)
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Prospective cohort study of early biosignatures of response to lithium in bipolar-I-disorders: overview of the H2020-funded R-LiNK initiative
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Bipolar Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2194-7511. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Lithium is recommended as a first line treatment for bipolar disorders. However, only 30% of patients show an optimal outcome and variability in lithium response and tolerability is poorly understood. It remains difficult for clinicians to reliably predict which patients will benefit without recourse to a lengthy treatment trial. Greater precision in the early identification of individuals who are likely to respond to lithium is a significant unmet clinical need. Structure The H2020-funded Response to Lithium Network (R-LiNK; ) will undertake a prospective cohort study of over 300 individuals with bipolar-I-disorder who have agreed to commence a trial of lithium treatment following a recommendation by their treating clinician. The study aims to examine the early prediction of lithium response, non-response and tolerability by combining systematic clinical syndrome subtyping with examination of multi-modal biomarkers (or biosignatures), including omics, neuroimaging, and actigraphy, etc. Individuals will be followed up for 24 months and an independent panel will assess and classify each participants' response to lithium according to predefined criteria that consider evidence of relapse, recurrence, remission, changes in illness activity or treatment failure (e.g. stopping lithium; new prescriptions of other mood stabilizers) and exposure to lithium. Novel elements of this study include the recruitment of a large, multinational, clinically representative sample specifically for the purpose of studying candidate biomarkers and biosignatures; the application of lithium-7 magnetic resonance imaging to explore the distribution of lithium in the brain; development of a digital phenotype (using actigraphy and ecological momentary assessment) to monitor daily variability in symptoms; and economic modelling of the cost-effectiveness of introducing biomarker tests for the customisation of lithium treatment into clinical practice. Also, study participants with sub-optimal medication adherence will be offered brief interventions (which can be delivered via a clinician or smartphone app) to enhance treatment engagement and to minimize confounding of lithium non-response with non-adherence. Conclusions The paper outlines the rationale, design and methodology of the first study being undertaken by the newly established R-LiNK collaboration and describes how the project may help to refine the clinical response phenotype and could translate into the personalization of lithium treatment.
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| 9. |
- Downey, Harriet, et al.
(författare)
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Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecological Solutions and Evidence. - : Wiley. - 2688-8319. ; 2:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence-based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis.2. If, as educators, we do not make these priorities a core part of what we teach, we are failing to prepare our students to make an effective contribution to conservation practice.3. To help overcome this problem we have created open access online teaching materials in multiple languages that are stored in Applied Ecology Resources. So far, 117 educators from 23 countries have acknowledged the importance of this and are already teaching or about to teach skills in appraising or using evidence in conservation decision-making. This includes 145 undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development courses.4. We call for wider teaching of the tools and skills that facilitate evidence-based conservation and also suggest that providing online teaching materials in multiple languages could be beneficial for improving global understanding of other subject areas.
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| 10. |
- du Cros, P, et al.
(författare)
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Standards for clinical trials for treating TB
- 2023
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Ingår i: The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. - 1815-7920. ; 27:12, s. 885-898
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 11. |
- Payler, S.J., et al.
(författare)
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Planetary science and exploration in the deep subsurface : results from the MINAR Program, Boulby Mine, UK
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Astrobiology. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1473-5504 .- 1475-3006. ; 16:2, s. 114-129
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The subsurface exploration of other planetary bodies can be used to unravel their geological history and assess their habitability. On Mars in particular, present-day habitable conditions may be restricted to the subsurface. Using a deep subsurface mine, we carried out a program of extraterrestrial analog research – MINe Analog Research (MINAR). MINAR aims to carry out the scientific study of the deep subsurface and test instrumentation designed for planetary surface exploration by investigating deep subsurface geology, whilst establishing the potential this technology has to be transferred into the mining industry. An integrated multi-instrument suite was used to investigate samples of representative evaporite minerals from a subsurface Permian evaporite sequence, in particular to assess mineral and elemental variations which provide small-scale regions of enhanced habitability. The instruments used were the Panoramic Camera emulator, Close-Up Imager, Raman spectrometer, Small Planetary Linear Impulse Tool, Ultrasonic drill and handheld X-ray diffraction (XRD). We present science results from the analog research and show that these instruments can be used to investigate in situ the geological context and mineralogical variations of a deep subsurface environment, and thus habitability, from millimetre to metre scales. We also show that these instruments are complementary. For example, the identification of primary evaporite minerals such as NaCl and KCl, which are difficult to detect by portable Raman spectrometers, can be accomplished with XRD. By contrast, Raman is highly effective at locating and detecting mineral inclusions in primary evaporite minerals. MINAR demonstrates the effective use of a deep subsurface environment for planetary instrument development, understanding the habitability of extreme deep subsurface environments on Earth and other planetary bodies, and advancing the use of space technology in economic mining. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Beard, David J., et al.
(författare)
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Placebo comparator group selection and use in surgical trials : The aspire project including expert workshop
- 2021
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Ingår i: Health Technology Assessment. - 1366-5278. ; 25:53
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The use of placebo comparisons for randomised trials assessing the efficacy of surgical interventions is increasingly being considered. However, a placebo control is a complex type of comparison group in the surgical setting and, although powerful, presents many challenges. Objectives: To provide a summary of knowledge on placebo controls in surgical trials and to summarise any recommendations for designers, evaluators and funders of placebo-controlled surgical trials. Design: To carry out a state-of-the-art workshop and produce a corresponding report involving key stakeholders throughout. Setting: A workshop to discuss and summarise the existing knowledge and to develop the new guidelines. Results: To assess what a placebo control entails and to assess the understanding of this tool in the context of surgery is considered, along with when placebo controls in surgery are acceptable (and when they are desirable). We have considered ethics arguments and regulatory requirements, how a placebo control should be designed, how to identify and mitigate risk for participants in these trials, and how such trials should be carried out and interpreted. The use of placebo controls is justified in randomised controlled trials of surgical interventions provided that there is a strong scientific and ethics rationale. Surgical placebos might be most appropriate when there is poor evidence for the efficacy of the procedure and a justified concern that results of a trial would be associated with a high risk of bias, particularly because of the placebo effect. Conclusions: The use of placebo controls is justified in randomised controlled trials of surgical interventions provided that there is a strong scientific and ethics rationale. Feasibility work is recommended to optimise the design and implementation of randomised controlled trials. An outline for best practice was produced in the form of the Applying Surgical Placebo in Randomised Evaluations (ASPIRE) guidelines for those considering the use of a placebo control in a surgical randomised controlled trial. Limitations: Although the workshop participants involved international members, the majority of participants were from the UK. Therefore, although every attempt was made to make the recommendations applicable to all health systems, the guidelines may, unconsciously, be particularly applicable to clinical practice in the UK NHS. Future work: Future work should evaluate the use of the ASPIRE guidelines in making decisions about the use of a placebo-controlled surgical trial. In addition, further work is required on the appropriate nomenclature to adopt in this space.
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| 14. |
- De Frenne, P., et al.
(författare)
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A latitudinal gradient in seed nutrients of the forest herb Anemone nemorosa
- 2011
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Ingår i: Plant Biology. - : Wiley. - 1435-8603 .- 1438-8677. ; 13:3, s. 493-501
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nutrient concentration in seeds determines many aspects of potential success of the sexual reproductive phase of plants, including the seed predation probability, efficiency of seed dispersal and seedling performance. Despite considerable research interest in latitudinal gradients of foliar nutrients, a similar gradient for seeds remains unexplored. We investigated a potential latitudinal gradient in seed nutrient concentrations within the widespread European understorey forest herb Anemone nemorosa L. We sampled seeds of A. nemorosa in 15 populations along a 1900-km long latitudinal gradient at three to seven seed collection dates post-anthesis and investigated the relative effects of growing degree-hours > 5 degrees C, soil characteristics and latitude on seed nutrient concentrations. Seed nitrogen, nitrogen:phosphorus ratio and calcium concentration decreased towards northern latitudes, while carbon:nitrogen ratios increased. When taking differences in growing degree-hours and measured soil characteristics into account and only considering the most mature seeds, the latitudinal decline remained particularly significant for seed nitrogen concentration. We argue that the decline in seed nitrogen concentration can be attributed to northward decreasing seed provisioning due to lower soil nitrogen availability or greater investment in clonal reproduction. This pattern may have large implications for the reproductive performance of this forest herb as the degree of seed provisioning ultimately co-determines seedling survival and reproductive success.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Liagkouridis, Ioannis, et al.
(författare)
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Relationships between estimated flame retardant emissions and levels in indoor air and house dust
- 2017
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Ingår i: Indoor Air. - : Hindawi Limited. - 0905-6947 .- 1600-0668. ; 27:3, s. 650-657
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A significant number of consumer goods and building materials can act as emission sources of flame retardants (FRs) in the indoor environment. We investigate the relationship between the emission source strength and the levels of 19 brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and seven organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in air and dust collected in 38 indoor microenvironments in Norway. We use modeling methods to back-calculate emission rates from indoor air and dust measurements and identify possible indications of an emission-to-dust pathway. Experimentally based emission estimates provide a satisfactory indication of the relative emission strength of indoor sources. Modeling results indicate an up to two orders of magnitude enhanced emission strength for OPFRs (median emission rates of 0.083 and 0.41gh(-1) for air-based and dust-based estimates) compared to BFRs (0.52 and 0.37ngh(-1) median emission rates). A consistent emission-to-dust signal, defined as higher dust-based than air-based emission estimates, was identified for four of the seven OPFRs, but only for one of the 19 BFRs. It is concluded, however, that uncertainty in model input parameters could potentially lead to the false identification of an emission-to-dust signal.
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| 17. |
- Naidu, R., et al.
(författare)
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Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) : Current status and research needs
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Technology & Innovation. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-1864. ; 19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An expert workshop focusing on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was held in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia in September 2019 following the 8th International Contaminated Site Remediation Conference — CleanUp 2019. The workshop was organised by the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE) and was chaired by Professor Ravi Naidu, CEO and Managing Director of CRC CARE and Director of the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation at the University of Newcastle, NSW. The purpose of the workshop, which was attended by more than 50 experts in the field of contaminated land assessment and management, was to discuss the current state of play and research needs relating to PFAS contaminated sites. This paper provides a summary of the discussions and conclusions and lists actions and needs that the expert group identified as critical for pursuing successful PFAS management and remedy approaches.This paper is intended to capture the shared information, comments, and current thinking related to PFAS challenges and research needs as identified by the group of expert participants; the write up is not intended to be a complete dissertation on the science and work that has been carried out. With a fast-evolving subject and increased government and public attention on PFAS presence in the environment, the group was convened with the objective of providing value in contributing to solutions to the PFAS challenges that are faced both in Australia and internationally. The text contained herein provides references to observations and methods that the experts drew on in their discussions and in support of their commentary; documentation of the original references was not provided, and the reader should consult the scientific literature if further information and confirmation of observations is required. Following a brief on the background to PFAS challenges, the paper focusses on research gaps identified by experts with focus on Australian soils and groundwater including climatic patterns, an overview of PFAS research in Australia with emphasis on:RegulatoryAnalytical considerationsEcological and Human Health RisksFate and TransportRemediation and Risk Management.
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| 18. |
- Schäffer, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Conflicts of Interest in the Assessment of Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 57:48, s. 19066-19077
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pollution by chemicals and waste impacts human and ecosystem health on regional, national, and global scales, resulting, together with climate change and biodiversity loss, in a triple planetary crisis. Consequently, in 2022, countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention, complementary to the existing intergovernmental science-policy bodies on climate change and biodiversity. To ensure the SPP’s success, it is imperative to protect it from conflicts of interest (COI). Here, we (i) define and review the implications of COI, and its relevance for the management of chemicals, waste, and pollution; (ii) summarize established tactics to manufacture doubt in favor of vested interests, i.e., to counter scientific evidence and/or to promote misleading narratives favorable to financial interests; and (iii) illustrate these with selected examples. This analysis leads to a review of arguments for and against chemical industry representation in the SPP’s work. We further (iv) rebut an assertion voiced by some that the chemical industry should be directly involved in the panel’s work because it possesses data on chemicals essential for the panel’s activities. Finally, (v) we present steps that should be taken to prevent the detrimental impacts of COI in the work of the SPP. In particular, we propose to include an independent auditor’s role in the SPP to ensure that participation and processes follow clear COI rules. Among others, the auditor should evaluate the content of the assessments produced to ensure unbiased representation of information that underpins the SPP’s activities.
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| 19. |
- Anderson, J. K., et al.
(författare)
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Grouping of PFAS for human health risk assessment : Findings from an independent panel of experts
- 2022
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Ingår i: Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 0273-2300 .- 1096-0295. ; 134
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An expert panel was convened to provide insight and guidance on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) grouping for the purposes of protecting human health from drinking water exposures, and how risks to PFAS mixtures should be assessed. These questions were addressed through multiple rounds of blind, independent responses to charge questions, and review and comments on co-panelists responses. The experts agreed that the lack of consistent interpretations of human health risk for well-studied PFAS and the lack of information for the vast majority of PFAS present significant challenges for any mixtures risk assessment approach. Most experts agreed that "all PFAS" should not be grouped together, persistence alone is not sufficient for grouping PFAS for the purposes of assessing human health risk, and that the definition of appropriate subgroups can only be defined on a case-by-case manner. Most panelists agreed that it is inappropriate to assume equal toxicity/potency across the diverse class of PFAS. A tiered approach combining multiple lines of evidence was presented as a possible viable means for addressing PFAS that lack analytical and/or toxicological studies. Most PFAS risk assessments will need to employ assumptions that are more likely to overestimate risk than to underestimate risk, given the choice of assumptions regarding dose-response model, uncertainty factors, and exposure information.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Baxter, Amanda L., et al.
(författare)
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Collaborative experience between scientific software projects using Agile Scrum development
- 2022
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Ingår i: Software, practice & experience. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0038-0644 .- 1097-024X. ; 52:10, s. 2077-2096
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Developing sustainable software for the scientific community requires expertise in software engineering and domain science. This can be challenging due to the unique needs of scientific software, the insufficient resources for software engineering practices in the scientific community, and the complexity of developing for evolving scientific contexts. While open-source software can partially address these concerns, it can introduce complicating dependencies and delay development. These issues can be reduced if scientists and software developers collaborate. We present a case study wherein scientists from the SuperNova Early Warning System collaborated with software developers from the Scalable Cyberinfrastructure for Multi-Messenger Astrophysics project. The collaboration addressed the difficulties of open-source software development, but presented additional risks to each team. For the scientists, there was a concern of relying on external systems and lacking control in the development process. For the developers, there was a risk in supporting a user-group while maintaining core development. These issues were mitigated by creating a second Agile Scrum framework in parallel with the developers' ongoing Agile Scrum process. This Agile collaboration promoted communication, ensured that the scientists had an active role in development, and allowed the developers to evaluate and implement the scientists' software requirements. The collaboration provided benefits for each group: the scientists actuated their development by using an existing platform, and the developers utilized the scientists' use-case to improve their systems. This case study suggests that scientists and software developers can avoid scientific computing issues by collaborating and that Agile Scrum methods can address emergent concerns.
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| 24. |
- Beard, David J., et al.
(författare)
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Considerations and methods for placebo controls in surgical trials (ASPIRE guidelines)
- 2020
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - 0140-6736. ; 395:10226, s. 828-838
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Placebo comparisons are increasingly being considered for randomised trials assessing the efficacy of surgical interventions. The aim of this Review is to provide a summary of knowledge on placebo controls in surgical trials. A placebo control is a complex type of comparison group in the surgical setting and, although powerful, presents many challenges. This Review outlines what a placebo control entails and present understanding of this tool in the context of surgery. We consider when placebo controls in surgery are acceptable (and when they are desirable) in terms of ethical arguments and regulatory requirements, how a placebo control should be designed, how to identify and mitigate risk for participants in these trials, and how such trials should be done and interpreted. Use of placebo controls is justified in randomised controlled trials of surgical interventions provided there is a strong scientific and ethical rationale. Surgical placebos might be most appropriate when there is poor evidence for the efficacy of the procedure and a justified concern that results of a trial would be associated with high risk of bias, particularly because of the placebo effect. Feasibility work is recommended to optimise the design and implementation of randomised controlled trials. This Review forms an outline for best practice and provides guidance, in the form of the Applying Surgical Placebo in Randomised Evaluations (known as ASPIRE) checklist, for those considering the use of a placebo control in a surgical randomised controlled trial.
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| 25. |
- Brack, W., et al.
(författare)
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Strengthen the European collaborative environmental research to meet European policy goals for achieving a sustainable, non-toxic environment
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Sciences Europe. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2190-4707 .- 2190-4715. ; 31:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To meet the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals and the European Union (EU) strategy for a non-toxic environment, water resources and ecosystems management require cost-efficient solutions for prevailing complex contamination and multiple stressor exposures. For the protection of water resources under global change conditions, specific research needs for prediction, monitoring, assessment and abatement of multiple stressors emerge with respect to maintaining human needs, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Collaborative European research seems an ideal instrument to mobilize the required transdisciplinary scientific support and tackle the large-scale dimension and develop options required for implementation of European policies. Calls for research on minimizing society's chemical footprints in the water-food-energy-security nexus are required. European research should be complemented with targeted national scientific funding to address specific transformation pathways and support the evaluation, demonstration and implementation of novel approaches on regional scales. The foreseeable pressure developments due to demographic, economic and climate changes require solution-oriented thinking, focusing on the assessment of sustainable abatement options and transformation pathways rather than on status evaluation. Stakeholder involvement is a key success factor in collaborative projects as it allows capturing added value, to address other levels of complexity, and find smarter solutions by synthesizing scientific evidence, integrating governance issues, and addressing transition pathways. This increases the chances of closing the value chain by implementing novel solutions. For the water quality topic, the interacting European collaborative projects SOLUTIONS, MARS and GLOBAQUA and the NORMAN network provide best practice examples for successful applied collaborative research including multi-stakeholder involvement. They provided innovative conceptual, modelling and instrumental options for future monitoring and management of chemical mixtures and multiple stressors in European water resources. Advancement of EU water framework directive-related policies has therefore become an option. Bt Aachen Biol, Aachen, Germany.
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| 26. |
- Brack, Werner, et al.
(författare)
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Towards the review of the European Union Water Framework Directive : Recommendations for more efficient assessment and management of chemical contamination in European surface water resources
- 2017
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 576, s. 720-737
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Water is a vital resource for natural ecosystems and human life, and assuring a high quality of water and protecting it from chemical contamination is a major societal goal in the European Union. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and its daughter directives are the major body of legislation for the protection and sustainable use of European freshwater resources. The practical implementation of the WFD with regard to chemical pollution has faced some challenges. In support of the upcoming WFD review in 2019 the research project SOLUTIONS and the European monitoring network NORMAN has analyzed these challenges, evaluated the state-of-the-art of the science and suggested possible solutions. We give 10 recommendations to improve monitoring and to strengthen comprehensive prioritization, to foster consistent assessment and to support solution-oriented management of surface waters. The integration of effect-based tools, the application of passive sampling for bioaccumulative chemicals and an integrated strategy for prioritization of contaminants, accounting for knowledge gaps, are seen as important approaches to advance monitoring. Including all relevant chemical contaminants in more holistic chemical status assessment, using effect-based trigger values to address priority mixtures of chemicals, to better consider historical burdens accumulated in sediments and to use models to fill data gaps are recommended for a consistent assessment of contamination. Solution-oriented management should apply a tiered approach in investigative monitoring, to identify toxicity drivers, strengthen consistent legislative frameworks and apply solutions-oriented approaches that explore risk reduction scenarios before and along with risk assessment.
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| 27. |
- Cousins, Ian T., et al.
(författare)
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Finding essentiality feasible : common questions and misinterpretations concerning the "essential-use" concept
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7887 .- 2050-7895. ; 23:8, s. 1079-1087
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The essential-use concept is a tool that can guide the phase-out of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and potentially other substances of concern. This concept is a novel approach to chemicals management that determines whether using substances of concern, such as PFAS, is truly essential for a given functionality. To assess the essentiality of a particular use case, three considerations need to be addressed: (1) the function (chemical, end use and service) that the chemical provides in the use case, (2) whether the function is necessary for health and safety and critical for the functioning of society and (3) if the function is necessary, whether there are viable alternatives for the chemical for this particular use. A few illustrative examples of the three-step process are provided for use cases of PFAS. The essential-use concept takes chemicals management away from a substance-by-substance approach to a group approach. For PFAS and other substances of concern, it offers a more rapid pathway toward effective management or phase-out. Parts of the concept of essential use have already been widely applied in global treaties and international regulations and it has also been recently used by product manufacturers and retailers to phase out substances of concern from supply chains. Herein some of the common questions and misinterpretations regarding the practical application of the essential-use concept are reviewed, and answers and further clarifications are provided.
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| 28. |
- Cousins, Ian T., et al.
(författare)
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Strategies for grouping per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to protect human and environmental health
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7887 .- 2050-7895. ; 22:7, s. 1444-1460
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Grouping strategies are needed for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in part, because it would be time and resource intensive to test and evaluate the more than 4700 PFAS on the global market on a chemical-by-chemical basis. In this paper we review various grouping strategies that could be used to inform actions on these chemicals and outline the motivations, advantages and disadvantages for each. Grouping strategies are subdivided into (1) those based on the intrinsic properties of the PFAS (e.g.persistence, bioaccumulation potential, toxicity, mobility, molecular size) and (2) those that inform risk assessment through estimation of cumulative exposure and/or effects. The most precautionary grouping approach of those reviewed within this article suggests phasing out PFAS based on their high persistence alone (the so-called P-sufficient approach). The least precautionary grouping approach reviewed advocates only grouping PFAS for risk assessment that have the same toxicological effects, modes and mechanisms of action, and elimination kinetics, which would need to be well documented across different PFAS. It is recognised that, given jurisdictional differences in chemical assessment philosophies and methodologies, no one strategy will be generally acceptable. The guiding question we apply to the reviewed grouping strategies is: grouping for what purpose? The motivation behind the grouping (e.g.determining use in productsvs.setting guideline levels for contaminated environments) may lead to different grouping decisions. This assessment provides the necessary context for grouping strategies such that they can be adopted as they are, or built on further, to protect human and environmental health from potential PFAS-related effects.
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| 29. |
- Cousins, Ian T., et al.
(författare)
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The concept of essential use for determining when uses of PFASs can be phased out
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7887 .- 2050-7895. ; 21:11, s. 1803-1815
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Because of the extreme persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and their associated risks, the Madrid Statement argues for stopping their use where they are deemed not essential or when safer alternatives exist. To determine when uses of PFASs have an essential function in modern society, and when they do not, is not an easy task. Here, we: (1) develop the concept of essential use based on an existing approach described in the Montreal Protocol, (2) apply the concept to various uses of PFASs to determine the feasibility of elimination or substitution of PFASs in each use category, and (3) outline the challenges for phasing out uses of PFASs in society. In brief, we developed three distinct categories to describe the different levels of essentiality of individual uses. A phase-out of many uses of PFASs can be implemented because they are not necessary for the betterment of society in terms of health and safety, or because functional alternatives are currently available that can be substituted into these products or applications. Some specific uses of PFASs would be considered essential because they provide for vital functions and are currently without established alternatives. However, this essentiality should not be considered as permanent; rather, constant efforts are needed to search for alternatives. We provide a description of several ongoing uses of PFASs and discuss whether these uses are essential or non-essential according to the three essentiality categories. It is not possible to describe each use case of PFASs in detail in this single article. For follow-up work, we suggest further refining the assessment of the use cases of PFASs covered here, where necessary, and expanding the application of this concept to all other uses of PFASs. The concept of essential use can also be applied in the management of other chemicals, or groups of chemicals, of concern.
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| 30. |
- Cousins, Ian T., et al.
(författare)
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The high persistence of PFAS is sufficient for their management as a chemical class
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7887 .- 2050-7895. ; 22:12, s. 2307-2312
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic organic substances with diverse structures, properties, uses, bioaccumulation potentials and toxicities. Despite this high diversity, all PFAS are alike in that they contain perfluoroalkyl moieties that are extremely resistant to environmental and metabolic degradation. The vast majority of PFAS are therefore either non-degradable or transform ultimately into stable terminal transformation products (which are still PFAS). Under the European chemicals regulation this classifies PFAS as very persistent substances (vP). We argue that this high persistence is sufficient concern for their management as a chemical class, and for all non-essential uses of PFAS to be phased out. The continual release of highly persistent PFAS will result in increasing concentrations and increasing probabilities of the occurrence of known and unknown effects. Once adverse effects are identified, the exposure and associated effects will not be easily reversible. Reversing PFAS contamination will be technically challenging, energy intensive, and costly for society, as is evident in the efforts to remove PFAS from contaminated land and drinking water sources.
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| 31. |
- Ehrmann, Steffen, et al.
(författare)
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Habitat properties are key drivers of Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) prevalence in Ixodes ricinus populations of deciduous forest fragments
- 2018
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Ingår i: Parasites & Vectors. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1756-3305. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThe tick Ixodes ricinus has considerable impact on the health of humans and other terrestrial animals because it transmits several tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) such as B. burgdorferi (sensu lato), which causes Lyme borreliosis (LB). Small forest patches of agricultural landscapes provide many ecosystem services and also the disservice of LB risk. Biotic interactions and environmental filtering shape tick host communities distinctively between specific regions of Europe, which makes evaluating the dilution effect hypothesis and its influence across various scales challenging. Latitude, macroclimate, landscape and habitat properties drive both hosts and ticks and are comparable metrics across Europe. Therefore, we instead assess these environmental drivers as indicators and determine their respective roles for the prevalence of B. burgdorferi in I. ricinus.MethodsWe sampled I. ricinus and measured environmental properties of macroclimate, landscape and habitat quality of forest patches in agricultural landscapes along a European macroclimatic gradient. We used linear mixed models to determine significant drivers and their relative importance for nymphal and adult B. burgdorferi prevalence. We suggest a new prevalence index, which is pool-size independent.ResultsDuring summer months, our prevalence index varied between 0 and 0.4 per forest patch, indicating a low to moderate disservice. Habitat properties exerted a fourfold larger influence on B. burgdorferi prevalence than macroclimate and landscape properties combined. Increasingly available ecotone habitat of focal forest patches diluted and edge density at landscape scale amplified B. burgdorferi prevalence. Indicators of habitat attractiveness for tick hosts (food resources and shelter) were the most important predictors within habitat patches. More diverse and abundant macro and microhabitat had a diluting effect, as it presumably diversifies the niches for tick-hosts and decreases the probability of contact between ticks and their hosts and hence the transmission likelihood.ConclusionsDiluting effects of more diverse habitat patches would pose another reason to maintain or restore high biodiversity in forest patches of rural landscapes. We suggest classifying habitat patches by their regulating services as dilution and amplification habitat, which predominantly either decrease or increase B. burgdorferi prevalence at local and landscape scale and hence LB risk. Particular emphasis on promoting LB-diluting properties should be put on the management of those habitats that are frequently used by humans. In the light of these findings, climate change may be of little concern for LB risk at local scales, but this should be evaluated further.
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| 32. |
- Fischer, Benjamin M. C., et al.
(författare)
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Mojito, Anyone? An Exploration of Low-Tech Plant Water Extraction Methods for Isotopic Analysis Using Locally-Sourced Materials
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Earth Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-6463. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The stable isotope composition of water (delta O-18 and delta H-2) is an increasingly utilized tool to distinguish between different pools of water along the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) and thus provides information on how plants use water. Clear bottlenecks for the ubiquitous application of isotopic analysis across the SPAC are the relatively high-energy and specialized materials required to extract water from plant materials. Could simple and cost-effective do-it-yourself MacGyver methods be sufficient for extracting plant water for isotopic analysis? This study develops a suite of novel techniques for plant water extraction and compares them to a standard research-grade water extraction method. Our results show that low-tech methods using locally-sourced materials can indeed extract plant water consistently and comparably to what is done with other state-of-the-art methods. Further, our findings show that other factors play a larger role than water extraction methods in achieving the desired accuracy and precision of stable isotope composition: (1) appropriate transport, (2) fast sample processing and (3) efficient workflows. These results are methodologically promising for the rapid expansion of isotopic investigations, especially for citizen science and/or school projects or in remote areas, where improved SPAC understanding could help manage water resources to fulfill agricultural and other competing water needs.
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| 33. |
- Glüge, Juliane, et al.
(författare)
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An overview of the uses of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7887 .- 2050-7895. ; 22:12, s. 2345-2373
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern because of their high persistence (or that of their degradation products) and their impacts on human and environmental health that are known or can be deduced from some well-studied PFAS. Currently, many different PFAS (on the order of several thousands) are used in a wide range of applications, and there is no comprehensive source of information on the many individual substances and their functions in different applications. Here we provide a broad overview of many use categories where PFAS have been employed and for which function; we also specify which PFAS have been used and discuss the magnitude of the uses. Despite being non-exhaustive, our study clearly demonstrates that PFAS are used in almost all industry branches and many consumer products. In total, more than 200 use categories and subcategories are identified for more than 1400 individual PFAS. In addition to well-known categories such as textile impregnation, fire-fighting foam, and electroplating, the identified use categories also include many categories not described in the scientific literature, including PFAS in ammunition, climbing ropes, guitar strings, artificial turf, and soil remediation. We further discuss several use categories that may be prioritised for finding PFAS-free alternatives. Besides the detailed description of use categories, the present study also provides a list of the identified PFAS per use category, including their exact masses for future analytical studies aiming to identify additional PFAS.
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| 34. |
- Gouin, Todd, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of global climate change on chemical fate and bioaccumulation : The role of multimedia models
- 2013
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Ingår i: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 0730-7268 .- 1552-8618. ; 32:1, s. 20-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Multimedia environmental fate models are valuable tools for investigating potential changes associated with global climate change, particularly because thermodynamic forcing on partitioning behavior as well as diffusive and nondiffusive exchange processes are implicitly considered. Similarly, food-web bioaccumulation models are capable of integrating the net effect of changes associated with factors such as temperature, growth rates, feeding preferences, and partitioning behavior on bioaccumulation potential. For the climate change scenarios considered in the present study, such tools indicate that alterations to exposure concentrations are typically within a factor of 2 of the baseline output. Based on an appreciation for the uncertainty in model parameters and baseline output, the authors recommend caution when interpreting or speculating on the relative importance of global climate change with respect to how changes caused by it will influence chemical fate and bioavailability.
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| 35. |
- Johnson, Mark S., et al.
(författare)
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Estimating Environmental Hazard and Risks from Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) : Outcome of a SETAC Focused Topic Meeting
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 0730-7268 .- 1552-8618. ; 40:3, s. 543-549
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of highly fluorinated synthetic chemicals that were originally developed for uses as surfactants and surface protectors. Increasingly, specific substances of this class are being found in environmental media (e.g., surface water, soils, sediments, food sources), and concerns regarding exposure to humans and environmental receptors have been described by the public, legislators, and the general population. Data suggest that some PFAS (such as certain of the long-chain ones) bioaccumulate and have long biological half-lives, particularly in humans. Toxicity data in various organisms are variable as are their toxicokinetics. A Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Focused Topic Meeting and workshop entitled Environmental Risk Assessment of PFAS convened during 12 to 15 August, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina (USA) and brought together experts from around the globe to highlight recent advances in research pertinent to evaluating environmental and human health risks from exposures. The objectives of the Focused Topic Meeting and workshop were: 1) to review new and emerging information on PFAS chemical classification and grouping, environmental chemistry, detection technology, fate and transport, exposure potential, human health toxicity, and ecological toxicity; and 2) to harness the expertise of attendees to discuss and formulate a roadmap to prioritize the study of specific PFAS with the goal of developing a risk assessment approach that considers mechanistic (including computational) data for extrapolating exposure and data across different species/scenarios and compounds within environmental exposure pathways. We present the key issues that were discussed.
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| 36. |
- Lindborg, Regina, et al.
(författare)
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Fel att offra betesmark i Sverige av klimatskäl
- 2019
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Ingår i: Svenska Dagbladet, Stockholm. - 1101-2412.
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Ambitionen att minska köttkonsumtionen är lovvärd men riskerar att slå hårt mot den biologiska mångfalden och ekosystemtjänster. Om våra naturbetesmarker försvinner kan vi inte leva upp till FN:s internationella hållbarhetsmål och våra egna svenska miljömål som vi förbundit oss att jobba mot, skriver ett flertal forskare.
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| 37. |
- Lohmann, Rainer, et al.
(författare)
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Are Fluoropolymers Really of Low Concern for Human and Environmental Health and Separate from Other PFAS?
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 54:20, s. 12820-12828
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fluoropolymers are a group of polymers within the class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The objective of this analysis is to evaluate the evidence regarding the environmental and human health impacts of fluoropolymers throughout their life cycle(s). Production of some fluoropolymers is intimately linked to the use and emissions of legacy and novel PFAS as polymer processing aids. There are serious concerns regarding the toxicity and adverse effects of fluorinated processing aids on humans and the environment. A variety of other PFAS, including monomers and oligomers, are emitted during the production, processing, use, and end-of-life treatment of fluoropolymers. There are further concerns regarding the safe disposal of fluoropolymers and their associated products and articles at the end of their life cycle. While recycling and reuse of fluoropolymers is performed on some industrial waste, there are only limited options for their recycling from consumer articles. The evidence reviewed in this analysis does not find a scientific rationale for concluding that fluoropolymers are of low concern for environmental and human health. Given fluoropolymers' extreme persistence; emissions associated with their production, use, and disposal; and a high likelihood for human exposure to PFAS, their production and uses should be curtailed except in cases of essential uses.
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| 38. |
- Ng, Carla, et al.
(författare)
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Addressing Urgent Questions for PFAS in the 21st Century
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 55:19, s. 12755-12765
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite decades of research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), fundamental obstacles remain to addressing worldwide contamination by these chemicals and their associated impacts on environmental quality and health. Here, we propose six urgent questions relevant to science, technology, and policy that must be tackled to address the “PFAS problem”: (1) What are the global production volumes of PFAS, and where are PFAS used? (2) Where are the unknown PFAS hotspots in the environment? (3) How can we make measuring PFAS globally accessible? (4) How can we safely manage PFAS-containing waste? (5) How do we understand and describe the health effects of PFAS exposure? (6) Who pays the costs of PFAS contamination? The importance of each question and barriers to progress are briefly described, and several potential paths forward are proposed. Given the diversity of PFAS and their uses, the extreme persistence of most PFAS, the striking ongoing lack of fundamental information, and the inequity of the health and environmental impacts from PFAS contamination, there is a need for scientific and regulatory communities to work together, with cooperation from PFAS-related industries, to fill in critical data gaps and protect human health and the environment.
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| 39. |
- Ortiz-Baez, Ayda Susana, et al.
(författare)
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Meta-transcriptomic identification of Trypanosoma spp. in native wildlife species from Australia
- 2020
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Ingår i: Parasites & Vectors. - : Springer Nature. - 1756-3305. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Wildlife species carry a remarkable diversity of trypanosomes. The detection of trypanosome infection in native Australian fauna is central to understanding their diversity and host-parasite associations. The implementation of total RNA sequencing (meta-transcriptomics) in trypanosome surveillance and diagnosis provides a powerful methodological approach to better understand the host species distribution of this important group of parasites.Methods: We implemented a meta-transcriptomic approach to detect trypanosomes in a variety of tissues (brain, liver, lung, skin, gonads) sampled from native Australian wildlife, comprising four marsupials (koala, Phascolarctos cinereus; southern brown bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus; swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor; bare-nosed wombat, Vombatus ursinus), one bird (regent honeyeater, Anthochaera phrygia) and one amphibian (eastern dwarf tree frog, Litoria fallax). Samples corresponded to both clinically healthy and diseased individuals. Sequencing reads were de novo assembled into contigs and annotated. The evolutionary relationships among the trypanosomatid sequences identified were determined through phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA sequences.Results: We detected trypanosome sequences in all six species of vertebrates sampled, with positive samples in multiple organs and tissues confirmed by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the trypanosomes infecting marsupials were related to those previously detected in placental and marsupial mammals, while the trypanosome in the regent honeyeater grouped with avian trypanosomes. In contrast, we provide the first evidence for a trypanosome in the eastern dwarf tree frog that was phylogenetically distinct from those described in other amphibians.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first meta-transcriptomic analysis of trypanosomes in native Australian wildlife, expanding the known genetic diversity of these important parasites. We demonstrated that RNA sequencing is sufficiently sensitive to detect low numbers of Trypanosoma transcripts and from diverse hosts and tissues types, thereby representing an effective means to detect trypanosomes that are divergent in genome sequence.
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| 40. |
- Quilico Cousins, Katheryn Alexandra, et al.
(författare)
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CSF Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease in Patients With Concomitant alpha-Synuclein Pathology
- 2022
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Ingår i: Neurology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 99:20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Objectives CSF biomarkers beta-amyloid 1-42 (A beta(42)) phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau(181)), total tau (t-tau), and neurogranin (Ng) can diagnose Alzheimer disease (AD) in life. However, it is unknown whether CSF concentrations, and thus their accuracies, are affected by concomitant pathologies common in AD, such as alpha-synuclein (alpha Syn). Our primary goal was to test whether biomarkers in patients with AD are altered by concomitant alpha Syn. We compared CSF A beta(42), p-tau(181), t-tau, and Ng levels across autopsy-confirmed AD and concomitant AD and alpha Syn (AD + alpha Syn). Antemortem CSF levels were related to postmortem accumulations of alpha Syn. Finally, we tested how concommitant AD + alpha Syn affected the diagnostic accuracy of 2 CSF-based strategies: the amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration (ATN) framework and the t-tau/A beta(42) ratio. Methods Inclusion criteria were neuropathologic diagnoses of AD, mixed AD + alpha Syn, and alpha Syn. A convenience sample of nonimpaired controls was selected with available CSF and a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) >= 27. alpha Syn without AD and controls were included as reference groups. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) tested planned comparisons were CSF A beta(42), t-tau, and Ng differences across AD and AD + alpha Syn. Linear models tested how biomarkers were altered by alpha Syn accumulation in AD, accounting for pathologic beta-amyloid and tau. Receiver operating characteristic and area under the curve (AUC), including 95% CI, evaluated diagnostic accuracy. Results Participants were 61 patients with AD, 39 patients with mixed AD + alpha Syn, 20 patients with alpha Syn, and 61 controls. AD had similar median age (73 [interquartile range {IQR} = 12] years), MMSE (23 [IQR = 9]), and sex distribution (male = 49%) compared with AD + alpha Syn age (70 [IQR = 13] years; p = 0.3), MMSE (25 [IQR = 9.5]; p = 0.19), and sex distribution (male = 69%; p = 0.077). ANCOVAs showed that AD + alpha Syn had lower p-tau(181) (F(1,94) = 17, p < 2.6e-16), t-tau (F(1,93) = 11, p = 0.0004), and Ng levels (F(1,50) = 12, p = 0.0004) than AD; there was no difference in A beta(42) = 0.44). Models showed increasing alpha Syn related to lower (beta = -0.26, SE = 0.092, p = 0.0065), t-tau (beta = -0.19, SE = 0.092, p = 0.041), and Ng levels (beta = -0.2, SE = 0.066, p = 0.0046); alpha Syn was not a significant factor for A beta(42) (p = 1). T-tau/A beta(42) had the highest accuracy when detecting AD, including mixed AD + alpha Syn cases (AUC = 0.95; CI 0.92-0.98). Discussion Findings demonstrate that concomitant alpha Syn pathology in AD is associated with lower CSF p-tau(181), t-tau, and Ng levels and can affect diagnostic accuracy in patients with AD.
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| 41. |
- Umeh, Anthony C., et al.
(författare)
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Sorption of PFOS in 114 Well-Characterized Tropical and Temperate Soils : Application of Multivariate and Artificial Neural Network Analyses
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 55:3, s. 1779-1789
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The influence of soil properties on PFOS sorption are not fully understood, particularly for variable charge soils. PFOS batch sorption isotherms were conducted for 114 temperate and tropical soils from Australia and Fiji, that were well-characterized for their soil properties, including total organic carbon (TOC), anion exchange capacity, and surface charge. In most soils, PFOS sorption isotherms were nonlinear. PFOS sorption distribution coefficients (Kd) ranged from 5 to 229 mL/g (median: 28 mL/g), with 63% of the Fijian soils and 35% of the Australian soils showing Kd values that exceeded the observed median Kd. Multiple linear regression showed that TOC, amorphous aluminum and iron oxides contents, anion exchange capacity, pH, and silt content, jointly explained about 53% of the variance in PFOS Kd in soils. Variable charge soils with net positive surface charges, and moderate to elevated TOC content, generally displayed enhanced PFOS sorption than in temperate or tropical soils with TOC as the only sorbent phase, especially at acidic pH ranges. For the first time, two artificial neural networks were developed to predict the measured PFOS Kd (R2 = 0.80) in the soils. Overall, both TOC and surface charge characteristics of soils are important for describing PFOS sorption.
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| 42. |
- van Dijk, Joanke, et al.
(författare)
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Managing PMT/vPvM substances in consumer products through the concepts of essential-use and functional substitution : a case-study for cosmetics
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental Science. - 2050-7887 .- 2050-7895. ; 25:6, s. 1067-1081
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Measures are needed to protect water sources from substances that are mobile, persistent and toxic (PMT) or very persistent and very mobile (vPvM). PMT/vPvM substances are used in a diverse range of applications, including consumer products. The combined application of the essential-use and functional substitution concepts has been proposed to phase out substances of concern and support the transition to safer and more sustainable chemicals, a key goal of the European Commission’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. Here, we first identified the market share of PMT/vPvM containing cosmetic products. We found that 6.4% of cosmetic products available on the European market contain PMT or vPvM substances. PMT/vPvM substances were most often found in hair care products. Based on their high occurrence, the substances Allura red (CAS 25956-17-6), benzophenone-4 (CAS 4065-45-6) and climbazole (CAS 38083-17-9) were selected as case-studies for assessment of their functionality, availability of safer alternatives and essentiality. Following the functional substitution framework, we found that the technical function of Allura red was not necessary for the performance of some cosmetic products, making the use non-essential. For other applications of Allura red, as well as all applications of benzophenone-4 and climbazole, the technical function of the chemical was considered necessary for the performance. Via the alternative’s assessment procedure, which used experimental and in silico data and three different multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) strategies, safer alternatives were identified for all case-study chemicals. All assessed uses of PMT/vPvM substances were thus deemed non-essential and should consequently be phased out.
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| 43. |
- Wang, Zhanyun, et al.
(författare)
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A Never-Ending Story of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)?
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 51:5, s. 2508-2518
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- More than 3000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are, or have been, on the global market, yet most research and regulation continues to focus on a limited selection of rather well-known long-chain FASs, particularly perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and their precursors. Continuing to overlook the vast majority of other PFASs is a major concern for society. We provide recommendations for how to proceed with research and cooperation to tackle the vast number of PFASs on the market and in the environment.
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| 44. |
- Wang, Zhanyun, et al.
(författare)
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Global emission inventories for C-4-C-14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) homologues from 1951 to 2030, Part I : production and emissions from quantifiable sources
- 2014
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 70, s. 62-75
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We quantify global emissions of C-4-C-14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) homologues during the life-cycle of products based on perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic add (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (POSF), and fluorotelomer compounds. We estimate emissions of 2610-21400 tonnes of C-4-C-14 PFCAs in the period from 1951 to 2015, and project 20-6420 tonnes to be emitted from 2016 to 2030. The global annual emissions steadily increased in the period 1951-2002, followed by a decrease and then another increase in the period 2002-2012. Releases from fluoropolymer production contributed most to historical PFCA emissions (e.g. 55-83% in 1951-2002). Since 2002, there has been a geographical shift of industrial sources (particularly fluoropolymer production sites) from North America, Europe and Japan to emerging Asian economies, especially China Sources differ between PFCA homologues, sometimes Considerably, and the relative contributions of each source change over time. For example, whereas 98-100% of historical (1951-2002) PFOA emissions are attributed to direct releases during the life-cycle of products containing PFOA as ingredients or impurities, a much higher historical contribution from PFCA precursor degradation is estimated for some other homologues (e.g. 9-78% for PFDA). We address the uncertainties of the PFCA emissions by defining a lower and a higher emission scenario, which differ by approximately a factor of eight.
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| 45. |
- Wang, Zhanyun, et al.
(författare)
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Global emission inventories for C-4-C-14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) homologues from 1951 to 2030, part II : The remaining pieces of the puzzle
- 2014
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 69, s. 166-176
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We identify eleven emission sources of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic adds (PFCAs) that have not been discussed in the past. These sources can be divided into three groups: [i] PFCAs released as ingredients or impurities, e.g., historical and current use of perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and their derivatives; [ii] PFCAs formed as degradation products, e.g., atmospheric degradation of some hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrofluoroethers (HFEs); and [iii] sources from which PFCAs are released as both impurities and degradation products, e.g., historical and current use of perfluorobutane sulfonyl fluoride (PBSF)- and perfluorohexane sulfonyl fluoride (PHxSF)-based products. Available information confirms that these sources were active in the past or are still active today, but due to a lack of information, it is not yet possible to quantify emissions from these sources. However, our review of the available information on these sources shows that some of the sources may have been significant in the past (e.g., the historical use of PFBA-, PFHxA-, PBSF- and PHxSF-based products), whereas others can be significant in the long-term (e.g., (bio)degradation of various side-chain fluorinated polymers where PFCA precursors are chemically bound to the backbone). In addition, we summarize critical knowledge and data gaps regarding these sources as a basis for future research.
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| 46. |
- Young, Matthew C., et al.
(författare)
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NMR relaxometry characterization of water adsorption in corn stover anatomical fractions
- 2023
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Ingår i: Cellulose. - : Springer Nature. - 0969-0239 .- 1572-882X. ; 30:9, s. 5473-5488
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry is applied to provide direct measurement of water adsorption in anatomical fractions of corn stover. NMR transverse T2 relaxation time distribution measurements indicate multiple water populations, which vary with anatomical fraction and water adsorption. Measured T2 data are used to calculate thermodynamic properties of Brunauer-Emmet-Teller adsorption theory using a model to estimate mono and bilayer relaxation. T2 data are used directly to determine rotational diffusion correlation times indicating adsorption interaction strength. T1-T2 longitudinal-transverse relaxation time correlation measurements quantify differences in the molecular level structural order of the adsorbate surface water as a function of water activity, i.e. relative humidity or water vapor partial pressure. The T1/T2 ratio provides a measure of the surface energy related to the adsorption strength and surface diffusive mobility of the water adsorbate and differentiates the anatomical fractions. The results indicate that direct measurement of NMR relaxation times can be used to characterize corn stover biomass water adsorption, data relevant to processing and handling considerations.
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