| 1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(author)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 2. |
- Whalen, Charles J., et al.
(author)
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Circular Economy Business Models : A Critical Examination
- 2020
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In: Journal of Economic Issues. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0021-3624 .- 1946-326X. ; 54:3, s. 628-643
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract: In recent decades, increasing numbers of scholars and practitioners have rejected the conventional, “linear” view of economic activity (centered on “take, make, and dispose”) in favor of a “circular economy” perspective, which emphasizes the need for humans to live in harmony with Earth’s ecological system. As a consequence, various contemporary business models claim to draw inspiration from this new perspective. However, our critical examination reveals that many of these models say little about—and, on their own, may contribute little to achieving—ecological sustainability. We conclude by stressing the need for public policies that enable society to pursue what institutionalists call “higher efficiency.”.
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| 3. |
- Whalen, Katherine A., et al.
(author)
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The Circular Economy and Institutional Economics : Compatibility and Complementarity
- 2018
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In: Journal of Economic Issues. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0021-3624 .- 1946-326X. ; 52:3, s. 605-614
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract: The notion of a circular economy (CE) developed out of the work of Kenneth Boulding and others concerned about Earth’s limited resources and its capacity for regeneration. The concept has recently become the heart of an economic perspective influencing governments, companies, and researchers. Core topics examined by those researchers include resource use, economic value, and systems thinking. The CE literature and the tradition of institutional economics (IE) have important elements of compatibility and complementarity which we examine in this article. There are also opportunities for collaboration between CE and IE.
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| 4. |
- Bocken, Nancy, et al.
(author)
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A review and evaluation of circular business model innovation tools
- 2019
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In: Sustainability (Switzerland). - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 11:8
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The circular economy has been heralded as a potential driver for sustainable development by business, academia, and policymakers. In a future circular economy, new business models are needed that slow, close and narrow resource loops to address key resource and climate challenges. After a phase of excitement and inspiration, an operationalization phase needs to start to ensure the best possible implementation and transition towards a circular economy. This operationalization phase will involve the development of products, processes and business models that significantly lower the negative impact on the environment, reduce waste and resource pressures and, rather, create a positive impact on society and environment. This paper focuses on the circular business model lens as a comprehensive way of addressing business innovation. Within this evolving circular economy operationalization phase, several tools, approaches and methods are emerging that could support circular business model innovation. This paper seeks to create a comprehensive tools overview through a literature and practice review. It provides structure to the emerging range of tools, methods and approaches, and, based on this, a guideline for future tool development. Finally, it gives an overview of opportunities and gaps as well as a future agenda for research and practice.
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| 5. |
- Boyer, Robert, et al.
(author)
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Consumer demand for circular products : Identifying customer segments in the circular economy
- 2021
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In: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 13:22
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding consumer preferences in the circular economy can help producers develop profitable strategies, lowering the risk involved in transitioning to circular business models and circular product design. This study uses a choice experiment to identify customer segments for mobile phones and robot vacuum cleaners at different levels of circularity. The experiment observes how a product’s theoretical Circular Economy Score (ranging from 0 to 100) influences consumer preferences as compared to other product attributes like price, appearance, warranty, battery life, reseller type, or ease of repair. Drawing from 800 UK respondents, the results indicate the presence of three customer segments that are sensitive to a product’s Circular Economy Score, including two that appear willing to purchase recirculated items and one that expresses a preference against them. The results offer initial evidence that a market for recirculated consumer electronics exists and that circularity labeling is a marketable option. The results also present a strong rationale for further research that probes a greater variety of products and contexts. © 2021 by the authors
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| 6. |
- Boyer, Robert, et al.
(author)
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Product Labels for the Circular Economy : Are Customers Willing to Pay for Circular?
- 2021
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In: Sustainable Production and Consumption. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 2352-5509. ; 27, s. 61-71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While existing research has probed consumer responses to products of different recirculation pathways (recycling, reuse, refurbishment, etc), little work has examined consumer responses to an explicit “circular economy” product label or how willingness to pay is influenced by a continuum of circularity levels. This paper reports on the results of an online survey experiment that tests whether customers are willing to pay more for products with a theoretical multi-level Circular Economy score. Conjoint analysis was used on 800 respondents in the United Kingdom to test their willingness to pay for mobile phones and robot vacuum cleaners at different levels of circularity alongside other product attribute combinations. Results indicate that the average customer almost always prefers a more “circular” product when compared to products with otherwise identical attributes, and that customers are consistently willing to pay more for products with low or moderate levels of circular content. However, analysis suggests that willingness to pay more for products disappears, and in some cases declines, as the proportion of recirculated content increases. Results offer evidence that applying a numerical circular economy label at low levels of recirculated content could be a profitable strategy for producers of mobile phones and robot vacuum cleaners. Such a strategy is less certain for heavily refurbished products, fully reused products, or other product types. © 2020 The Authors
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| 7. |
- Boyer, Robert, et al.
(author)
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Three-dimensional product circularity
- 2021
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In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 25:4, s. 824-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract Understanding product circularity as ?three-dimensional? could anchor the Circular Economy to common principles while affording its followers flexibility about how to measure it in their specific sectors and disciplines and within their organization's means. Inspired by a heuristic developed for the urban planning profession to cope with the inherent conflicts of Sustainable Development, this article argues that measuring product-level circularity should consider ways to achieve (1) high material recirculation, (2) high utilization, and (3) high endurance in products and service offerings. Achieving all three dimensions ensures that material flowing through the economy is recovered from prior use phases, that it is used intensely, and that it retains its value in spite of exogenous changes. The article argues further that these three dimensions ought to be measured and reported separately rather than as a composite metric and that certain applications will have opportunities to improve circularity through certain dimensions better than others. The article also explains how researchers at RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden AB) are working with industry and government partners to measure the three dimensions and how diverse actors interested in the Circular Economy can use the three dimensions to take the first steps in their transition to circularity.
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| 8. |
- Gulick, Sean, P.S., et al.
(author)
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The first day of the Cenozoic
- 2019
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : US National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 116, s. 19342-19351
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Highly expanded Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary section from the Chicxulub peak ring, recovered by International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) –International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Expedition 364, provides an unprecedented window into the immediate aftermath of the impact. Site M0077 includes ∼130 m of impact melt rock and suevite deposited the first day of the Cenozoic covered by <1 m of micrite-rich carbonate deposite over subsequent weeks to years. We present an interpreted series of events based on analyses of these drill cores. Within minutes of the impact, centrally uplifted basement rock collapsed outward to forma peak ring capped in melt rock. Within tens of minutes, the peak ring was covered in ∼40 m of brecciated impact melt rock and coarsegrained suevite, including clasts possibly generated by melt–water interactions during ocean resurge. Within an hour, resurge crested the peak ring, depositing a 10-m-thick layer of suevite with increased particle roundness and sorting. Within hours, the full resurge deposit formed through settling and seiches, resulting in an 80-m-thick fining-upward, sorted suevite in the flooded crater. Within a day, the reflected rim-wave tsunami reached the crater, depositing a cross-bedded sand-to-fine gravel layer enriched in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons overlain by charcoal fragments. Generation of a deep crater open to the ocean allowed rapid flooding and sediment accumulation rates among the highest known in the geologic record. The high-resolution section provides insight into the impact environmental effects, including charcoal as evidence for impactinduced wildfires and a paucity of sulfur-rich evaporites from the target supporting rapid global cooling and darkness as extinction mechanisms.
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| 9. |
- Keough, Kathleen C., et al.
(author)
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Three-dimensional genome rewiring in loci with human accelerated regions
- 2023
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 380:6643
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human accelerated regions (HARs) are conserved genomic loci that evolved at an accelerated rate in the human lineage and may underlie human-specific traits. We generated HARs and chimpanzee accelerated regions with an automated pipeline and an alignment of 241 mammalian genomes. Combining deep learning with chromatin capture experiments in human and chimpanzee neural progenitor cells, we discovered a significant enrichment of HARs in topologically associating domains containing human -specific genomic variants that change three-dimensional (3D) genome organization. Differential gene expression between humans and chimpanzees at these loci suggests rewiring of regulatory interactions between HARs and neurodevelopmental genes. Thus, comparative genomics together with models of 3D genome folding revealed enhancer hijacking as an explanation for the rapid evolution of HARs.
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| 10. |
- Kioupi, Vasiliki, et al.
(author)
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Active learning as enabler of sustainability learning outcomes : Capturing the perceptions of learners during a materials education workshop
- 2021
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In: MRS Energy & Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2329-2237 .- 2329-2229. ; 9:1, s. 64-78
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Active learning is a promising teaching approach that can develop sustainability competences in learners. In this paper, we investigate the potential of active-learning pedagogies such as serious games and active-learning toolkits to deliver sustainability knowledge and skills in materials education. We organised a workshop for 20 participants from UK Universities where they played the serious game In the Loop around critical materials and circular economy and engaged in the Active-Learning ToolKit Sustainable Development (Granta Design/now Ansys UK Ltd.) to assess the sustainability of a proposed policy intervention around the use of electric cars. We used a self-assessment questionnaire and reflection sessions to deduce the level of sustainability skill developed by the participants as well as importance and performance analysis (IPA) to help the educators understand crucial components they should concentrate their teaching and learning efforts on in the future. Finally, we provide recommendations for educators on how to implement active learning in materials education in order to empower students with skills for sustainability.
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