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Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are widely used as packaging material for natural mineral water. However, trace levels of acetaldehyde can migrate into natural mineral water during the shelf life and might influence the taste of the PET bottled water. 2-Aminobenzamide is widely used during PET bottle production as a scavenging agent for acetaldehyde. The aim of this study was the determination of the migration kinetics of 2-aminobenzamide into natural mineral water as well as into 20% ethanol. From the migration kinetics, the diffusion coefficients of 2-aminobenzamide in PET at 23 and 40°C were determined to be 4.2 × 10(-)(16) and 4.2 × 10(-)(15) cm(2) s(-1), respectively. The diffusion coefficient for 20% ethanol at 40°C was determined to be 7.7 × 10(-)(15) cm(2) s(-1), which indicates that 20% ethanol is causing swelling of the PET polymer. From a comparison of migration values between 23 and 40°C, acceleration factors of 9.7 when using water as contact medium and 18.1 for 20% ethanol as simulant can be derived for definition of appropriate accelerated test conditions at 40°C. The European Union regulatory acceleration test based on 80 kJ mol(-1) as conservative activation energy overestimates the experimentally determined acceleration rates by a factor of 1.6 and 3.1, respectively.

The conviction that a renal cell carcinoma does not require the entire organ to be removed allows new therapeutic methods to be envisaged that involve only local tissue ablation, rather than the complete removal of the organ. The trend toward minimally invasive options in the management of renal tumours has prompted interest in energy-based ablation techniques as a possible alternative to radical or partial nephrectomy in selected patients. Cryoablation, radiofrequency interstitial tumour ablation, microwave thermotherapy and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) are among such techniques. HIFU has emerged as the least invasive of the possible tumour ablation methods. The present review addresses the current literature on experimental and clinical application of HIFU for extracorporeal organotripsy of renal tumours.Clinical HIFU applications performed thus far in the treatment of renal tumours have only been experimental in nature. Specific case details were recently provided concerning a patient suffering from a multilocal renal cell carcinoma who underwent HIFU treatment with intent to cure, along with data from short-term (6 months) follow-up examinations.HIFU is a promising but presently experimental procedure. It will achieve routine clinical application when technical problems concerning visualization of the target organ and lesion, precise control of lesion size, complete ablation of the tumour mass and reduction in side effects (skin burns) have been resolved. The objectives of further developments are to optimize ultrasound coupling and to provide on-line ablation evidence. At this time, HIFU should be reserved for selected patients in well designed clinical studies.

AbstractThe rapid deployment of modern renewable energy generation capacity in the fast‐growing Southeast Asian region will be crucial to ensure that the region can meet its increasing future energy demand in a sustainable way. However, many countries will need assistance through international cooperation and foreign aid to develop their sustainable energy sources. The three East Asian donor states Japan, South Korea and China are particularly crucial because they account for a large share of aid disbursement to the region and serve as development role models for many recipient countries. All three states are signatories of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and thus committed to the global goals of climate protection and sustainable energy development. This paper is based on an analysis of official aid databases and second‐party data to explore the details of the energy‐related aid contributions of the three key donor states to Southeast Asia during the last 15 years. The findings indicate that all three states contradicted their own international pledges by financing fossil‐fuel power generation projects in many countries in the region. Although recent policy changes in Japan and South Korea are cause for optimism, the opacity of China's energy‐related aid flows combined with its renewed support for domestic coal power generation are worrying signs for the future of energy development in Southeast Asia and beyond.

The purpose of the chapter is to summarize the recent research on the associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and asthma and allergies, both in adults and children, and to identify knowledge gaps for future research. The chapter also discusses the evidence of the impacts of climate change on air pollution as well as the possible interactions between air pollution, climate change, and allergens.

Flavonoids, including quercetin, have been reported to have potent hepatoprotective effects, which may be associated with HO-1 induction. However, since the effect and signaling pathway of quercetin involved in HO-1 induction against alcoholic liver damage are still not fully understood, this is the target of the present study.Human hepatocytes were incubated with ethanol (100 mM) and quercetin (10-200 microM), and cellular damage and HO-1 activity were measured. Nrf2 expression in cytosolic and nuclear fractions was studied following the incubation with MAPK inhibitor(s).Ethanol exposure resulted in a sustained glutathione depletion, malondialdehyde elevation, and evident release of cellular LDH and AST. Quercetin exerted a dose-dependent protective effect against alcoholic oxidative stress, and increased the EC50 of ethanol by approx. 40%, which is parallel to HO-1 induction with quercetin. Zinc protoporphyrin-9 abrogated the protective effect and dramatically enhanced ethanol cytotoxicity. SB203580 (p38 inhibitor) and especially PD98059 (ERK inhibitor) blocked quercetin-derived HO-1 induction and Nrf2 translocation, and subsequently inhibited the quercetin-related protection.HO-1 up-regulation by quercetin protected human hepatocytes from ethanol-induced oxidative stress. Among MAPK signaling pathways, p38 and ERK mediated quercetin-derived Nrf2 translocation into nuclei and subsequent induction of HO-1 activity, and the latter showed a stronger mediating effect.

The IPCC stresses the importance of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions worldwide by 2050 and natural climate solutions, particularly carbon farming, can play a significant role in this goal. However, current markets do not account for environmental externalities, which creates a mismatch between individual costs and societal benefits. Payment systems linked to carbon farming practices could help bridge this gap. Research is essential to develop effective agricultural carbon markets, and this study focuses on the opportunities and challenges faced by smallholder farmers in these markets. The research examines four areas: agricultural markets as a funding source for carbon farming, payments for carbon sequestration, opportunities for smallholder farmers, and cost-effective monitoring and verification of carbon stocks. Further research is needed to monitor carbon sequestration accurately, reduce GHG emissions, and develop institutional arrangements to promote sustainable production methods in Africa.

Worldwide, ethanol abuse causes thousands of fatal accidents annually as well as innumerable social dysfunctions and severe medical disorders. Yet, few studies have used the blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging method (BOLD fMRI) to map how alcohol alters brain functions, as fMRI relies on neurovascular coupling, which may change due to the vasoactive properties of alcohol. We monitored the hemodynamic response function (HRF) with a high temporal resolution. In both motor cortices and the visual cortex, alcohol prolonged the time course of the HRF, indicating an overall slow-down of neurovascular coupling rather than an isolated reduction in neuronal activity. However, in the supplementary motor area, alcohol-induced changes to the HRF suggest a reduced neuronal activation. This may explain why initiating and coordinating complex movements, including speech production, are often impaired earlier than executing basic motor patterns. Furthermore, the present study revealed a potential pitfall associated with the statistical interpretation of pharmacological fMRI studies based on the general linear model: if the functional form of the HRF is changed between the conditions data may be erroneously interpreted as increased or decreased neuronal activation. Thus, our study not only presents an additional key to how alcohol affects the network of brain functions but also implies that potential changes to neurovascular coupling have to be taken into account when interpreting BOLD fMRI. Therefore, measuring individual drug-induced HRF changes is recommended for pharmacological fMRI.

In the last two decades, studies that analyse the political economy of sustainable energy transitions have increasingly become available. Yet very few attempts have been made to synthesize the factors discussed in the growing literature. This paper reviews the extant empirical literature on the political economy of sustainable energy transitions. Using a well-defined search strategy, a total of 36 empirical contributions covering the period 2008 to 2022 are reviewed full text. Overall, the findings highlight the role of vested interest, advocacy coalitions and green constituencies, path dependency, external shocks, policy and institutional environment, political institutions and fossil fuel resource endowments as major political economy factors influencing sustainable energy transitions across both high income countries, and low and middle income countries. In addition, the paper highlights and discusses some critical knowledge gaps in the existing literature and provides suggestions for a future research agenda. IZNE Working Paper Series; Nr. 23/3