Search

Since the agricultural sector is one of the main drivers responsible for the transgression of planetary boundaries, there is an urgent need to reduce its environmental impacts. To address this issue, international institutions advocate for digital agriculture, but formalised and comprehensive assessment of its environmental impacts is still lacking. This systematic review aims at studying papers dedicated to the environmental assessment of the use of digital technologies in agriculture (DATs), i.e. of digital agriculture. In the 69 studies selected by the PRISMA method, most of the DATs dealt with crop production, supporting technical production management (e.g. fertilisation or irrigation). Almost a third of DATs were robots or automation tools. Out of the selected studies, 36 applied the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework. A focus was placed on these 36 case studies, which were examined in the light of the four LCA standardised stages, i.e. goal and scope, life cycle inventory (LCI), life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) and interpretation. Our review results show that most of the studies aimed to assess the environmental impacts of digitalising an agricultural system using either a mass or surface-based functional unit, or sometimes both. The system boundaries seldomly included the DAT life cycle which were sometimes modelled with proxies and assumptions at the LCI stage to address data gaps. Assumptions were also needed to quantify the effects of DAT on the agricultural system, such as yield benefits or food waste reduction. At the LCIA stage, midpoint indicators were often selected. Turning to the interpretation step, it is worth noting that few studies carried out uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. Finally, most of these 36 studies concluded that digitalisation reduced the environmental impacts of the agricultural system due to efficiency gains, or the use of electricity instead of fossil fuel. Conversely, three studies determined that digitalisation increased the environmental impacts of their agricultural system in terms of toxicity, mineral resource use, marine eutrophication, land use and ionising radiations, as high technologies (robots and drones) were being assessed in these works. Based on our review, recommendations were made on how to conduct LCA when assessing the environmental impacts of digitalising an agricultural system. Research perspectives for DAT environmental assessment were also discussed that take into consideration their emerging nature, their multifunctionality and the rebound effects they may generate. [Display omitted] • It is the first systematic review of LCA of digital agriculture technologies (DATs). • Precision agriculture DATs for crop management were the most assessed. • DAT life cycle and DATs effects on agricultural systems should be considered in LCA. • Life cycle inventory of DATs faces a lack of data. • DATs multifunctionality remain a challenge for LCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited regenerative capacity of injured axons hinders functional recovery after nerve injury. Although no drugs are currently available in the clinic to accelerate axon regeneration, recent studies show the potential of vasohibin inhibition by parthenolide, produced in Tanacetum parthenium, to accelerate axon regeneration. However, due to its poor oral bioavailability, parthenolide is limited to parenteral administration. This study investigates another sesquiterpene lactone, cnicin, produced in Cnicus benedictus for promoting axon regeneration. Cnicin is equally potent and effective in facilitating nerve regeneration as parthenolide. In culture, cnicin promotes axon growth of sensory and CNS neurons from various species, including humans. Neuronal overexpression of vasohibin increases the effective concentrations comparable to parthenolide, suggesting an interaction between cnicin and vasohibin. Remarkably, intravenous administration of cnicin significantly accelerates functional recovery after severe nerve injury in various species, including the anastomosis of severed nerves. Pharmacokinetic analysis of intravenously applied cnicin shows a blood half-life of 12.7 min and an oral bioavailability of 84.7 % in rats. Oral drug administration promotes axon regeneration and recovery after nerve injury in mice. These results highlight the potential of cnicin as a promising drug to treat axonal insults and improve recovery. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal with many industrial and commercial uses resulting in widespread environmental pollution. Exposure to cadmium occurs occupationally, through tainted food, tobacco leaves, and the environment. Cadmium exposure has been linked to neurological and respiratory problems and cancer. Past studies have examined cytotoxicity, DNA damage, micronuclei formation, or mutagenesis individually, but no study has examined these endpoints together and correlated them with intracellular cadmium concentrations. This study examines the cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic effects of cadmium exposure in V79 cells providing a correlation between the induction of DNA damage, the generation of mutations, and intracellular cadmium concentration. Cells exposed to 2.5–40 μM cadmium exhibited a concentration-dependent decrease in survival which correlated with increases in PARP cleavage and caspase activity. Cytotoxicity was detected at intracellular cadmium concentrations of 12.9 ppb. Exposure to cadmium also resulted in the production of single and double strand breaks and the induction micronuclei and mutations in the Hprt gene. Collectively, this study demonstrates that exposure of V79 cells to cadmium results in the induction of apoptosis which is related to the formation of DNA strand breaks and genotoxic damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To fabricate low-cost polymeric cantilever arrays, we have applied injection molding. For polymers, including polypropylene and polyvinylidenfluoride, cantilever dimensions in the micrometer range with an aspect ratio as large as 10 were successfully manufactured. The cantilevers show a performance similar to the established silicon cantilevers. Combined with functionalization, the cantilever arrays show a great potential in biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]