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In the construction sector, there is a shift towards environmentally conscious practices that prioritize the minimization of environmental burdens. In this study, we dealt with a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of a wood–aluminum window in two software tools. SimaPro (PRé Sustainability) and Sphera LCA for Experts (formerly known as GaBi) were selected. The results from both software tools were compared to assess the output uniformity of the two selected tools. The results indicate the similarities and differences in the software tools. The most similar results were achieved for impact categories Photochemical Ozone Formation (1.1% difference), Human Toxicity, cancer (total) (3.6% difference), Climate Change (3.7% difference) and for Resource Use, fossils (4.5% difference), respectively. On the other hand, the results were most different in the impact categories Ozone Depletion (84.7% difference), Resource Use, minerals and metals (75% difference), Ecotoxicity, freshwater—inorganics (35.6%) and Ecotoxicity, freshwater (total) (31.2%), respectively. The differences in the LCA results between SimaPro and GaBi were analyzed in-depth and were mainly attributable to using different databases in the transportation process and due to different system boundaries in some processes, with the Ecoinvent data containing significantly more background processes and inconsistencies in the implemented characterization factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) was a remarkable biogeographic event of biodiversity exchange between North and South America. Climate change has been pointed to as one of the main factors driving species dispersal across the continent, although this hypothesis has not been tested thus far. Here, we use paleontological ecological niche models (PaleoENMs) throughout the last five million years to test if climate change triggered the dispersal of mammalian species and/or caused the extinction of dispersing species during the GABI. We used extant and fossil occurrences for 189 mammalian species related to the GABI along with paleoclimate data to obtain species distributions from PaleoENMs. We calculated dispersal and extinction rates between North, Central, and South America and applied quantile regression models to test the effect of climatic anomalies in these rates. Our results indicate that temperature change, particularly cooling, triggered mammal dispersals during the GABI. On the other hand, we found the extinction rate in South America to be caused by warming. We recognize that the GABI is a complex event and that several factors likely affected it. Nonetheless, our results indicate that climate was one of these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a potent tool for evaluating the ecological consequences of various products and processes. However, with a plethora of LCA software tools (ST) available, selecting the most appropriate tool for a specific application can be quite challenging. This research paper aims to compare two popular LCA Tools, GaBi- a commercial software, and openLCA- an open-source, for a traditional tool manufacturing case study. The comparison considers factors such as userfriendliness, user support, modelling capability, cost, flexibility, comprehensiveness, and functionality. Impact categories representing human health, ecosystem, and resource consumption were chosen. The case study evaluated the Cradle-togate manufacturing of a turbine die made by traditional machining processes and used as a wax injection moulding die for investment casting. The study found that aluminum production and manufacturing were the highest contributors to total environmental impact due to electricity consumption and aluminium waste. The results indicate that each ST has unique features and capabilities suitable for specific applications. We calculated relative deviations as the ratio of maximum to minimum calculated impacts for comparison. Ozone depletion (22.57) and freshwater eutrophication (4.2) had the highest variation. Significant deviations in human toxicity (3.16) were observed using the ReCiPe, while climate change (1.58 and 1.66) was accurately assessed by both CML and ReCiPe. GaBi is found to be the most user-friendly and efficient tool for beginners, with great modelling capability and flexibility to handle complex systems, while openLCA is the most comprehensive tool for analyzing complex systems, grants functionality, and is freely available suggested for experienced users. This research paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of LCA ST for traditional tool manufacturing applications, which can help manufacturers make informed decisions in selecting the most suitable ST for their LCA needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date palm trees play a crucial role in the provision of essential nutrition by producing date fruits and are widely cultivated in Qatar. The processing of date fruits generates substantial quantities of carbon-rich date stone possessing remarkable energy potential. This inherent energy can be harnessed by applying pyrolysis techniques, which facilitate the production of many products with commercial value. Despite being a novice process, microwave (MW) pyrolysis has emerged as a promising avenue for converting biomass waste into eco-friendly biofuels. Nonetheless, the adoption of this new approach necessitates a comprehensive exploration of its ecological implications, warranting a meticulous life-cycle analysis (LCA) to ascertain its environmental footprint. As a result, using GaBi software, this study compares the life-cycle environmental impact of conventional and microwave-aided pyrolysis processes of date stone waste. The study also assesses the techno-economic analysis of the two processes. The physical and thermal analyses of the date stone waste indicated that the biomass is a high-energy source (Net calorific value-15.6 MJ/kg). While the life-cycle assessment indicated that MW pyrolysis has a greater implication on climate change (14.94 % more), ozone depletion (14.29 % more), ionizing radiation (14.36 % more), and photochemical ozone production (14.44 % more) than conventional pyrolysis. This demonstrates that conventional pyrolysis is less harmful to the environment than MW pyrolysis. The techno-economic analysis infers that conventional pyrolysis mode is superior to MW pyrolysis for the valorisation of date stone waste in terms of profitability, financial stability, and overall success.

Purpose: This cradle-to-gate LCA study aims to examine the environmental burdens of the six-step thermochemical Cu-Cl cycle developed as the ICT-OEC process for producing green hydrogen and compare it with other nuclear-based Cu-Cl cycles, viz. three-, four-, and five-step Cu-Cl cycles. Method: The focus of the present work was on performing simulations using Aspen Plus and comparing theoretical data with simulated ones, along with its life cycle assessment using GaBi 8 of the six-step thermochemical Cu-Cl cycle, which evaluates the impacts using the CML 2001 method. As the environmental profiles of the system rely entirely on the nature of the energy provided, different sources of energy, such as photovoltaic systems, solar thermal energy, nuclear energy, and hydropower, were explored to achieve H2 production by the ICT-OEC Cu-Cl cycle. The six-step Cu-Cl cycle was later compared with other nuclear-based three-, four-, and five-step Cu-Cl cycles. Results: The electricity grid mix greatly influenced the environmental load of the six-step ICT-OEC Cu-Cl cycle. It was found that the GWP value of the electrical grid was as high as 86.1 kg CO2 eq. for 1 kg H2 produced by the ICT-OEC Cu-Cl cycle. The results showed lower environmental impacts when electric power was provided from nuclear energy (0.37 kg CO2 eq.). Later, after comparing the results of the nuclear-based six-step cycle with other Cu-Cl cycles, the four-step Cu-Cl cycle showed less environmental burdens due to its lesser energy requirements. The simulations were performed using Aspen Plus for the H2 system, and the LCA outcomes were successfully validated to the LCA findings acquired by theoretical calculations. Conclusions: The energy source plays a very pivotal role in the impacts on the environment for hydrogen production. As the present study is part of research and development, it will directly improve the processes in the domain, such as the nature of energy for the production, which will help to reduce the environmental burdens in the whole life cycle of the hydrogen production plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) reduces environmental load by improving the quality of effluent sewage water. A wastewater treatment plant during its operation, consumes energy for circulation and aeration of water, utilise chemicals such as anti-foaming agents, coagulants and flocculants and release gaseous emissions and solid waste (sludge). It is necessary to consider the environmental impacts of all these activities realistically. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to calculate the potential environmental impact associated with the operation of WWTP. In this study, LCA was carried out for a WWTP located in Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan, India. CML 2001 method was used for the life cycle impact assessment using GaBi 8.0 software. The objective of this study is to quantify the environmental impact associated with the operation of a WWTP and to identify the environmental hotspots among different processes within the WWTP. The LCA result of the WWTP reveals that the sequencing batch reactor process 1 and 2 have the highest environmental impacts within the WWTP as this process consumes the highest amount of electricity whereas the pretreatment process has the least environmental impact.

The Cervidae family constitutes the second most diverse family of Artiodactyla, besides Bovidae. During the Pleistocene, the Cervidae appeared in South America, coming from North America, as part of the Great American Biotic Exchange. Morenelaphus is possibly the most conspicuous cervid from the South American Pleistocene, as it has been recorded in many localities in the Pampas and Mesopotamian regions of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and eastern Brazil. However, all its records are based on antlers and associated cranial fragments. Given this problem, there are still numerous anatomical aspects to know about Morenelaphus. We describe the most complete snout of a fossil deer in South America, assigned to Morenelaphus , found in late Pleistocene layers of the Pampas Region. We Ct-scan the specimen to describe its external and internal anatomy, measure and compare it with other living deer. We performed a phylogenetic analysis using a recent data matrix and including Morenelaphus for the first time. The results allow us to recognize new diagnostic traits of Morenelaphus and clearly separate it from other South American deer. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis recognizes Morenelaphus as a member of Cervinae, as some previous authors have suggested. Our analysis has paleobiogeographic implications, since the recognition of a Cervinae in the Pleistocene of South America would imply that two lineages of Cervidae entered South America in the Pleistocene: The Cervinae and the Capreolinae. • Most complete Morenelaphus snout from Pleistocene of South America is described. • Phylogenetic analysis reveals new traits for Morenelaphus. • Morenelaphus is phylogenetically nested within Cervinae. • Cervinae probably arrived in South America before Odocoilinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: An antitropical pattern is characterized by the occurrence of closely related taxa south and north of the tropics but absent or uncommonly represented closer to the equator, in contrast to most taxa, which tend to have their highest diversity in the tropical regions. We investigate the antitropical distribution of eucerine bees with the aim of contributing to the characterization and understanding of this pattern. Location: All continents except Antarctica and Australia. Taxon: Eucerine bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Eucerinae). Methods: We carried out phylogenomic dating under two different clock models and used multiple strategies to vary matrix composition, evaluating the overlapping of divergence times estimated across models using Bhattacharyya coefficients. Lastly, we reconstructed the biogeographic history of eucerine bees using a Bayesian implementation of the DEC model. Results: Eucerinae is estimated to have started diversifying during the Palaeocene, with all its tribes originating during the Palaeocene/Eocene transition in southern South America. At least two range expansions happened into North America before the full closure of the Isthmus of Panama. We show that divergence between closely related groups with disjunct distributions would have happened in periods when the climate favoured the expansion of open habitats and became isolated when the forests were re‐established. Main conclusions: We describe the early diversification of eucerine bees, revealing an intimate association with southern South America. Events of range evolution of Eucerinae were likely affected by periods of global cooling and aridification, and palaeoclimatic and vegetational conditions probably have been more relevant to the formation of the antitropical distribution of Eucerinae than the consolidation of the Isthmus of Panama connecting the Americas. We also demonstrate that most uncertainty in divergence time estimation is not due to the amount of molecular data being used, but more likely other factors like fossil calibrations and violations of clock models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of the Isthmus of Panama stands as one of the greatest natural events of the Cenozoic, driving profound biotic transformations on land and in the oceans. Some recent studies suggest that the Isthmus formed many millions of years earlier than the widely recognized age of approximately 3 million years ago (Ma), a result that if true would revolutionize our understanding of environmental, ecological, and evolutionary change across the Americas. To bring clarity to the question of when the Isthmus of Panama formed, we provide an exhaustive review and reanalysis of geological, paleontological, and molecular records. These independent lines of evidence converge upon a cohesive narrative of gradually emerging land and constricting seaways, with formation of the Isthmus of Panama sensu stricto around 2.8 Ma. The evidence used to support an older isthmus is inconclusive, and we caution against the uncritical acceptance of an isthmus before the Pliocene.

The most well-known and used evaluation system to determine the life cycle of a product, is the life cycle assessment (LCA). In Europe, the use of the life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental performance of products is becoming commonplace, which is why substantial efforts have been made in the last two decades to develop new life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and software. This paper evaluates the life cycle assessment (LCA) for the rehabilitation of a national road sector in Romania. The biggest ecological problem facing mankind is the effect of global warming and climate change associated with this phenomenon, due to the increase of the concentration of pollutants to the atmosphere, and this paper presents the results of the life cycle assessment (LCA) based on a cradle-to-gate approach. For this case study, were used three rehabilitation alternatives. These alternatives and the existing pavement structure were analysed using the GaBi software, Ganzheitlichen Bilanzierung (German for holistic balancing), to assess the environmental impact of global warming, the stratospheric impact of ozone, and the impact on human health. The results obtained in this study illustrate the importance of a life cycle assessment approach for evaluating the sustainability for different designs and for the construction of road rehabilitation options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) reduces environmental load by improving the quality of effluent sewage water. A wastewater treatment plant during its operation, consumes energy for circulation and aeration of water, utilise chemicals such as anti-foaming agents, coagulants and flocculants and release gaseous emissions and solid waste (sludge). It is necessary to consider the environmental impacts of all these activities realistically. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to calculate the potential environmental impact associated with the operation of WWTP. In this study, LCA was carried out for a WWTP located in Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan, India. CML 2001 method was used for the life cycle impact assessment using GaBi 8.0 software. The objective of this study is to quantify the environmental impact associated with the operation of a WWTP and to identify the environmental hotspots among different processes within the WWTP. The LCA result of the WWTP reveals that the sequencing batch reactor process 1 and 2 have the highest environmental impacts within the WWTP as this process consumes the highest amount of electricity whereas the pretreatment process has the least environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most well-known and used evaluation system to determine the life cycle of a product, is the life cycle assessment (LCA). In Europe, the use of the life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental performance of products is becoming commonplace, which is why substantial efforts have been made in the last two decades to develop new life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and software. This paper evaluates the life cycle assessment (LCA) for the rehabilitation of a national road sector in Romania. The biggest ecological problem facing mankind is the effect of global warming and climate change associated with this phenomenon, due to the increase of the concentration of pollutants to the atmosphere, and this paper presents the results of the life cycle assessment (LCA) based on a cradle-to-gate approach. For this case study, were used three rehabilitation alternatives. These alternatives and the existing pavement structure were analysed using the GaBi software, Ganzheitlichen Bilanzierung (German for holistic balancing), to assess the environmental impact of global warming, the stratospheric impact of ozone, and the impact on human health. The results obtained in this study illustrate the importance of a life cycle assessment approach for evaluating the sustainability for different designs and for the construction of road rehabilitation options.

Although significant progress has been achieved in the field of environmental impact assessment in many engineering disciplines, the impact of wastewater treatment plants has not yet been well integrated. In light of this remarkable scientific progress, the outputs of the plants as treated water and clean sludge have become potential sources of irrigation and energy, not a waste. The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of upgrading the wastewater treatment plants from primary to secondary treatment. The Lifecycle Assessment Framework (ISO 14040 and 14044) was applied using GaBi Software. Abu Rawash wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) has been taken as a case study. Two scenarios were studied, Scenario 1 is the current situation of the WWTP using the primary treatment units and Scenario 2 is upgrading the WWTP by adding secondary treatment units. The study highlighted the influence and cumulative impact of upgrading all the primary WWTPs in Egypt to secondary treatment. With the high amount of energy consumed in the aeration process, energy recovery methods were proposed to boost the circular economy concept in Abu Rawash WWTP in order to achieve optimal results from environmental and economic perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early botanical explorers invoked biogeographic history to explain the remarkable tree diversity of Neotropical forests. In this context, we review the history of Neotropical tree diversity over the past 100 million years, focusing on biomes with significant tree diversity. We evaluate hypotheses for rain forest origins, intercontinental disjunctions, and models of Neotropical tree diversification. To assess the impact of biotic interchange on the Amazon tree flora, we examined biogeographic histories of trees in Ecuador's Yasuní Forest, which suggest that nearly 50% of its species descend from immigrant lineages that colonized South America during the Cenozoic. Long-distance and intercontinental dispersal, combined with trait filtering and niche evolution, are important factors in the community assembly of Neotropical forests. We evaluate the role of pre-Columbian people on Neotropical tree diversity and discuss the future of Neotropical forests in the Anthropocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle concept was applied to analyse and assess some municipal solid waste (MSW) management scenarios in terms of environmental impacts, particularised for Iasi city, Romania, where approximately 380 kg/cap/yr of waste are generated. Currently, the management processes include temporary storage, collection, transport and landfilling, but separate collection, sorting, recycling and composting of solid waste, which should be addressed according to the National Strategy and European policy for waste. Four different scenarios were elaborated as alternatives to the existing waste management system in Iasi, which include both previously applied and current waste management alternatives, as well as some advanced practices. The effectiveness of the scenarios was evaluated in terms of environmental impacts based on Life Cycle Analysis, supported by GaBi software. Some environmental impact categories (acidification, eutrophication, global warming, human toxicity, and photochemical ozone generation potentials, carcinogenic substances, heavy metals, winter smog, photochemical ozone formation) were estimated based on several impact assessment methods associated to GaBi software (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). The study emphasises the importance of system boundaries for the life cycle impact assessment process and consequently – for the optimal waste management alternative. Santrauka Analizuojant ir vertinant komunalinių atliekų tvarkymo scenarijus buvo pritaikyta būvio ciklo koncepcija atsižvelgiant į daromą poveikį aplinkai, remiantis Jasai miesto, Rumunijoje, atveju. Šiame mieste susidaro apytiksliai 380 kg/žmogui/ metus atliekų. Šiuo metu atliekų tvarkymo procesą sudaro laikinos laikymo vietos, surinkimas, transportavimas ir deponavimas sąvartyne, bet pagal Nacionalinę strategiją ir Europos atliekų politiką atliekos turi būti rūšiuojamos, perdirbamos ir kompostuojamos. Todėl buvo detaliau išanalizuoti keturi skirtingi scenarijai kaip alternatyvos esamai atliekų tvarkymo sistemai Jasai mieste, įtraukiant prieš tai taikytas ir šiuo metu taikomas atliekų tvarkymo alternatyvas, taip pat pažangesnes praktikas. Scenarijų efektyvumas buvo vertinamas analizuojant aplinkosaugos aspektus remiantis būvio ciklo analize ir taikant GaBi programinę įrangą. Kai kurios poveikio aplinkai kategorijos (rūgštinimas, eutrofikacija, globalus atšilimas, žmonių apsinuodijimas, fotocheminis ozono susidarymo potencialas, kancerogeninės medžiagos, sunkieji metalai, žiemos smogas, fotocheminis ozono formavimasis) buvo vertinamos remiantis keletu poveikio įvertinimo aspektų, esančių GaBi programoje (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). Atlikta studija pabrėžia sistemos ribų svarbą, vykdant poveikio vertinimą, taikant būvio ciklo procesą ir parenkant optimalią atliekų tvarkymo alternatyvą. Резюме При анализе и оценке сценариев по обработке коммунальных отходов с учетом их влияния на окружающую средув городе Ясай в Румынии, где приблизительно скапливается 380 кг/чел./ год отходов, применялась концепцияцикла существования. В настоящее время в процесс по обработке отходов вовлекаются временные места хранения, сбор, транспортировка и депонирование отходов на свалке. Однако на основании Национальной стратегии иЕвропейской политики, касаюшейся отходов, они должны сортироваться, перерабатываться и компостироваться.В связи с этим детально проанализированы четыре разных сценария в качестве альтернатив существующей в городе Ясай системе обработки отходов с использованием применявшихся ранее и применяемых в настоящее времяальтернатив по обработке отходов, а также прогрессивных практик. Эффективность сценариев оценивалась наосновании анализа природоохранных аспектов касательно анализа цикла существования и с применением программного оборудования GaBi. Некоторые категории влияния на окружающую среду (окисление, эутрофикация,глобальное потепление, отравление людей, фотохимический потенциал образования озона, канцерогенные вещества, тяжелые металлы, зимний смог, фотохимическое формирование озона) оценивались на основании нескольких аспектов влияния, имеющихся в программе GaBi (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). Проведенный анализподчеркивает важность границ системы при оценке влияния и применении процесса цикла существования, а также подборе оптимальных альтернатив обработки отходов. Reikšminiai žodžiai: aplinka, GaBi, būvio ciklo vertinimas, kietosios atliekos, atliekų tvarkymo technologijos Ключевые слова: окружающая среда, GaBi, оценка цикла существования, твердые отходы, технологии обработки отходов

Felidae is represented in South America by approximately ten species, belonging to three main phylogenetic lineages: the Ocelot lineage, the Puma lineage, and the Panthera lineage. Pumas (Puma concolor) and jaguarundis (Puma yagouaroundi), together with the African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), compose the puma lineage. Paleontological knowledge about Puma concolor in North and South America is mainly restricted to the late Pleistocene and Holocene. In this contribution, we describe the first skull of Puma concolor from the early-middle Pleistocene (Ensenadan Stage/Age) of the costal cliffs of Santa Elena Creek, north of Mar del Plata city (37°52′03″S - 57°30′49″W, Buenos Aires province, Argentina). The remains (MMP 1476-M) come from stratigraphic Level 2 of the Miramar Formation and were found by one the authors (AD). The specimen described here was compared with a large number of recent and fossils individuals. The new material is represented by a partial skull and mandible with complete dental series. The anatomical analysis demonstrates that MMP 1476-M perfectly matches with the morphology of living puma specimens. The associated fauna (e.g., Protocyon scagliarum, Theriodictis platensis, Mesotherium cristatum) and paleomagnetic data support an upper Ensenadan Stage/Age. Previously reported Ensenadan pumas lack features diagnostic of Puma concolor. Thus, here we report the first unequivocal record of Puma concolor prior to late Pleistocene times in South America. Previous hypotheses of the South American origin of Puma concolor are in congruence with the fossil record of North, Central, and South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choosing an effective and efficient building design option for energy management as well as for reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions associated with a building life-cycle is always highly challenging to any designers in the battle to tackle global climate change issues. Researchers around the world are thriving in building optimization models for developing strategies that would result in an overall reduction of a building's energy consumption aside from decreasing GHG emissions. Despite using similar input data sources, challenges to get similar results which are simulated from different software to assess environmental and financial aspects in a life-cycle of a system are still the dilemma to all sustainable development designers. Another difficulty, which happens in the progress of sustainable development in Australia, is that designers may have to follow a variety of green building rating tools to minimize environmental footprint and to increase the efficiency of buildings operation during their lifetime. Time will be consumed if design options are not appropriately and automatically calculated and assessed. In order to obtain building's life-cycle assessment (LCA) along with to achieve Green Star's certificate, choosing an appropriate program to calculate life-cycle energy consumption, life-cycle cost and life-cycle GHG emissions are a necessity to designers. This paper presents a comprehensive review of all considerable researches focus on the biologically inspired algorithms to different fields of sustainable building designs and their module modelling development in recent years (up to 2016). Major fields are reviewed in detail, including building envelope design, comprehensive optimization of several areas simultaneously as well as configuration and control of building energy consumption. The outcomes of this study can assist researchers to choose which program is the best suitable for their study on sustainable assessment. In Australia, based on these design, practitioners can decide the optimum option for their project which can achieve their sustainability goals as well as can be granted the Green Star's certificate less sophisticated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the emissions embodied in construction materials have not been considered important; however, they are becoming crucial due to the short time-frame in which the emissions should be reduced. Moreover, evaluating the environmental burden of construction materials has proven problematic and the reliability of the reported impact estimates is questionable. More reliable information from the construction sector is thus urgently needed to back and guide decision-making. Currently, the building sector environmental impact assessments predominantly employ commercial software with environmental impact databases and report results without knowledge about the impact of the software/database choice on the results. In this study, estimates for the embodied environmental impacts of residential construction from the two most widely used life cycle assessment (LCA) database-software combinations, ecoinvent with SimaPro software and GaBi, are compared to recognize the uniformities and inconsistencies. The impacts caused by two residential buildings of different types, a concrete-element multi-story residential building and a detached wooden house, both located in Finland, were assessed, including all building systems with a high level of detail. Based on the ReCiPe Midpoint method, fifteen impact categories were estimated and compared. The results confirm that the tool choice significantly affects the outcome. For the whole building, the difference is significant, around 15%, even in the most widely assessed category of Climate Change, and yields results that lean in different directions for the two cases. In the others, the estimates are entirely different, 40% or more in the majority of the categories and up to several thousand percentages of difference. The main conclusion is that extensive work is still urgently needed to improve the reliability of LCA tools in the building sector in order to provide reliable and trustworthy information for policy-making.

Phylogenetic relationships and patterns of evolution within Melanerpes , one of the most diverse groups of New World woodpeckers (22–23 lineages), have been complicated due to complex plumages and morphological adaptations. In an attempt to resolve these issues, we obtained sequence data from four nuclear introns and two mitochondrial protein-coding genes for 22 of the 24 currently recognized species in the genus. We performed phylogenetic analyses involving Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference, species-tree divergence dating, and biogeographic reconstructions. Tree topologies from the concatenated and species-tree analyses of the mtDNA and nDNA showed broadly similar patterns, with three relatively well-supported groups apparent: (a) the Sphyrapicus clade (four species); (b) the typical Melanerpes clade, which includes temperate and subtropical dry forest black-backed species; and (c) the mostly barred-backed species, here referred to as the “ Centurus ” clade. The phylogenetic position of Melanerpes superciliaris regarding the rest of Melanerpes is ambiguous as it is recovered as sister to the rest of Melanerpes or as sister to a group including Sphyrapicus + Melanerpes . Our species tree estimations recovered the same well-delimited highly-supported clades. Geographic range evolution (estimated in BioGeoBEARS) was best explained by a DIVALIKE + j model, which includes vicariance, founder effect speciation, and anagenetic dispersal (range expansion) as important processes involved in the diversification of the largest radiation of woodpeckers in the New World. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can architects offer proof of their proposals' 'green' credentials? The answer - as advocated by John Cays, Associate Dean of the New Jersey Institute of Technology's College of Architecture and Design - is through life-cycle assessment (LCA). Here he explains what it is, tracing its evolution over some six decades. He goes on to describe how design firms are partnering with software developers to create LCA tools that work alongside building information modelling to generate reliable data on their projects' ecological profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most striking components of the modern assemblage of South American mammals is the semiaquatic capybara (Caviidae, Hydrochoerinae), the biggest rodent in the world. The large hydrochoerines are recorded from the middle Miocene to the present, mainly in high latitudes of South America. Although less known, they are also recorded in low latitudes of South America, and in Central and North America. We report the first record of capybaras from the late Pliocene of Colombia, found in deposits of the Ware Formation, Guajira Peninsula in northeastern Colombia. We analyze the phylogenetic position within Caviidae, the possible environmental changes in the Guajira Peninsula, and the implications of this finding for the understanding of the Great American Biotic Interchange. The morphological and phylogenetic analyses indicate that the hydrochoerine of the Guajira Peninsula is a new species, ?Hydrochoeropsis wayuu, and this genus is most closely related to Phugatherium. According to the latest phylogenetic results, this clade is the sister group of the lineage of the recent capybaras ( Neochoerus and Hydrochoerus). ?Hydrochoeropsis wayuu is the northernmost South American Pliocene hydrochoerine record and the nearest to the Panamanian bridge. The presence of this hydrochoerine, together with the fluvio-deltaic environment of the Ware Formation, suggests that during the late Pliocene, the environment that dominated the Guajira Peninsula was more humid and with permanent water bodies, in contrast with its modern desert habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Se describen molares inferiores y un único resto post-craneal de Pliometanastes cf. P. protistus Hirschfeld & Webb, 1968, procedentes de la localidad de San Gerardo de Limoncito (Hemphilliano temprano), cerca de la ciudad de San Vito en el sur de Costa Rica. Este hallazgo, cambia nuestro entendimiento de la ruta de dispersión de los primeros mamíferos suramericanos que alcanzaron América del Norte y validan al Arco de Islas Costa Rica-Panamá, como la vía más idónea de migración a pesar de las relativamente amplias barreras oceánicas.Two lower molar teeth and a unique postcranial remain of Pliometanastes cf. P. protistus Hirschfeld & Webb, 1968, are described from the San Gerardo de Limoncito Locality (Early Hemphillian) in the Curré Formation near of the town of San Vito, Southern Costa Rica. This found changes our vision about the route of dispersion of the earliest South American mammals that reached North America and confirms the Costa Rican-Panama Island Arc like the most effective path of migration in spite of the relatively broad ocean gaps.

A la luz de los nuevos registros fósiles de xenarthras en la Formación Curré, se realiza un análisis paleobiogeográfico de la fauna de vertebrados de la localidad fosilífera de San Gerardo de Limoncito en el sur de Costa Rica de edad Hemphilliano temprano. Esta asociación faunística se caracteriza por la mezcla de vertebrados de origen Paleártico, Neártico y Neotropical, a la vez que registra el arribo más temprano, hasta ahora conocido, de mamíferos suramericanos al sur de América Central. La llegada de mamíferos suramericanos al Istmo de Panamá se debió al acortamiento de los pasos oceánicos entre las islas, producto de la subducción normal asociada al Arco de Islas, el rápido levantamiento que experimentó el sur de América Central debido a la colisión del sur del Arco de Islas Costa Rica-Panamá con el noroeste de Colombia y por los elementos climáticos prevalecientes en esa época, que favorecieron el predominio de bosques húmedos, cálidos y basales tanto en el noroeste de Colombia como en el sur de América Central, lo que permitió a los xenarthras, considerados fuertes nadadores y saltadores de islas migrar al norte. Estas condiciones climáticas por el contrario, limitaron la migración al sur de los mamíferos norteamericanos, cuyo arribo a América del Sur se postergó hasta el Blancano con la aparición de condiciones más secas y el establecimiento de un corredor terrestre continuo. Adicionalmente se analiza el estado actual del Gran Intercambio Biótico entre las Américas en América Central.In reference to the discovery of new fossil xenarthrans that was made in the Curré Formation, a paleobiogeographical analysis of the early Hemphillian age vertebrates will be made for the fossiliferous location of San Gerardo de Limoncito in southern Costa Rica. This vertebrate locality has a mixture is mainly formed by vertebrates from the Palearctic, Nearctic and Neotropical regions and it records the early arrival of South American mammals to the Southern Central America region, not known until now. The arrival of South American mammals to the Panama Region was due to a series of factors such as the development of the Costa Rica-Panamá Island Arc by subduction processes, the collision and the deformation of the Island Arc with the North-Western Colombia territories and the prevailing climate factors which stimulated the predominance of warm, humid and basal forests, both in Colombia and in southern Central America. This permitted the xenarthrans, which are considered strong swimmers and islands hoppers to migrate to the North. These conditions on the other hand, limited the migration to the South of the North American mammals, whose arrival in South America was postponed until the Blancan age with drier climatic conditions and the new land corridor that was established in the region. Additionally, the current state of the Great American Biotic Interchange in Central America (GABI) is analyzed

Aim One of the most widely cited natural experiments in biogeography is the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI). Here, we re-assess the famous asymmetry in the exchange for mammals, with North American clades being much more successful in South America than vice versa. We investigate if this directionality could reflect higher susceptibility to predation in South American mammals rather than low competitive ability, as is usually believed. Location North and South America. Methods Prior to the GABI, South America lacked effective mammalian predators. Since its fauna did not co-evolve with such predators, colonization of North America may only have been possible for species whose natural history makes them less susceptible to mammalian predation. To investigate this we used phylogenetic regressions to investigate species traits associated with the ability of clades originally from South America to colonize North America, and vice versa, during the GABI. Analyses were conducted both with and without species that went extinct in the late Quaternary. Results When extinct species were included, traits associated with lower predation risk (large body size, arboreality) were associated with greater success in colonizing North America for South American clades. This pattern was not visible in analyses based on the current fauna, since most of the mammals that invaded North America went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene, probably due to human predation. The pattern for northern colonizers of South America was similar whether or not extinct species were included and was not linked to predation risk. Conclusions Our findings are consistent with the asymmetric GABI in mammals being explained by predation and not with expectations from competition. The GABI therefore illustrates that trophic interactions can be a powerful driver of long-term dynamics of biotic interchange, as seen in many human-driven invasions of formerly isolated regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an ab-initio theoretical study of structural and elastic properties of GaAs 1−x Bi x alloys in the Zinc-Blende (ZB) phase. We use a recent version of Wien2k package code based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) Full Potential and Linearized Augmented Plane Waves (FP-LAPW) method including recent Tran-Blaha modified Becke–Johnson correction of the exchange potential (TB-mBJ) and the spin–orbit interaction (SO). The calculations are performed within the Local Density Approximation (LDA) as well as the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA). We study first the structural properties of GaAs 1−x Bi x alloys by solving Murnaghan equation of state. Our results show that the ZB phase is the lowest equilibrium crystal structure of GaAs 1−x Bi x in the whole alloy composition range, in agreement with previous theoretical predictions. The variations versus Bi contents of the ZB GaAs 1−x Bi x lattice constant a 0 , bulk modulus B 0 and its pressure derivative B 0 ′ are also found very close to other theoretical and experimental data, but with much smaller bowing effects indicating a better resolution thanks to TB-mBJ correction. The variations of B 0 versus the reverse equilibrium volume of the unit cell (1/V 0 ) are found to be described by the simple linear empirical expression B 0 = −0.21068 + 0.16695/V 0 which is close to the theoretical prediction for III-V semiconductors with, however, somewhat lower linear coefficients values, suggesting a more metallic behavior. In a second part of this work, we use Birch–Murnaghan approach to study the elastic properties of GaAs 1-x Bi x alloys. The elastic stiffness coefficients, C 11 , C 12 and C 44 , and their variations versus alloy composition were determined for ZB GaAs 1−x Bi x alloy. Their values in GaAs and GaBi binary compounds are found in very good agreement with available experimental and/or theoretical data. Their variations in GaAs 1−x Bi x alloy show a monotonic decrease with increasing Bi contents, indicating a softening behavior as is typically the case for metallic alloys. The values of the bulk modulus derived with the help of C 11 , C 12 and C 44 elastic stiffness coefficients are found very close to B 0 values derived directly from Murnaghan equation of state, indicating the good accuracy of C ij coefficients deduced from Birch–Murnaghan procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaweeds are recognized as one of the important sources of plant biostimulants and are now being increasingly used to enhance crop productivity. Kappaphycus alvarezii is one such seaweed whose extract (pristine sap) has been reported to improve the yield and quality of several crops. In order to evaluate whether the sap obtained from this seaweed is environmentally sustainable, life cycle impact assessment was carried out for the production of 1 kL of seaweed extract, at factory gate, from the fresh biomass of K. alvarezii grown onshore in open sea conditions. Financial allocation was carried out to account for the production of carrageenan, a downstream product. Impacts were also assessed for different means of transportation necessary for the movement of liquid extract to the regional storage facility. Additionally, eight different scenarios that were hypothesized to effectively reduce the environmental impacts, especially under the category of climate change, were also assessed and compared with base case scenario. Pristine sap extracted from K. alvarezii was found to be environmentally sustainable having a low carbon foot print of 118.6 kg CO 2 equivalents per kiloliter of its production at factory gate following price allocation. It was observed that rail, road and ship transport modes increased the impacts under the climate change category by 51.8%, 138.5% and 14.1%, respectively, when compared to base case, implying that transport through sea or rail is more environmental friendly. Unexpectedly, increase in net biomass production by 25% from 200 kg to 250 kg per raft did not have any significant impact on the reduction of carbon foot print at factory gate. The study for the first time enables to quantitatively compare the environmental benefits that can accrue following the use of this biostimulant on various crops, either by way of substitution of mineral fertilizers or by supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary thermodynamic data, successfully used for phase diagram calculations of binary system Ga-As, Ga-Bi and As-Bi were used for prediction of phase equilibria in ternary Ga-As-Bi system. The parameters for the thermodynamic models of the constituent binary systems and those for the Ga-As-Bi system are optimized in this study using data on phase equilibria and data on the different alloys available in the literature and calculated in the present work. The implications of the phase data for solution epitaxy are discussed. The liquidus surface and isothermal section were calculated. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SimaPro and GaBi are the leading software tools used for life cycle assessments. Assessing product systems applying the exact same unit process foundation would be expected to yield comparable result sets with either tool. The software performances are compared based on a random sample of 100 unit processes. The research question investigated here is; can there be a difference between SimaPro and GaBi influencing the results and the decisions based on them? In many cases the results are identical between SimaPro and GaBi or nearly so, but in other cases the results reveal differences. Some of these differences are so large that they could influence the conclusions. For some of the 100 unit processes, six elementary flows were inventoried differently in SimaPro and GaBi, with an extreme maximum comparative ratio of 10 9 . The implementation of the impact assessment methodologies shows notable differences. For the same life cycle inventory the maximum result ratio for the characterized results is 0.0076 for Terrestrial Ecotoxicity Potential. The observed differences appear to originate primarily from errors in the software databases for both inventory and impact assessment. SimaPro and GaBi are used by many Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practitioners worldwide as a decision-support tool; if the results of the present analysis are representative of the differences obtained when using either one or the other, then the implications of this paper are worrying. It is clearly in the interest of both software developers and LCA practitioners that the observed differences be addressed, for example through ring tests comparing the tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alloying of bismuth with III-V semiconductors, in particular GaAs and InAs thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), has attracted considerable interest due to the accompanying changes in band structure and lattice constant. Specifically, bismuth incorporation in these compounds results in both a reduction in band gap (through shifting of the valence band) and an increase in the lattice constant of the alloy. To fully understand the composition of these alloys, a better understanding of the binary endpoints is needed. At present, a limited amount of literature exists on the III-Bi family of materials, most of which is theoretical work based on density functional theory calculations. The only III-Bi material known to exist (in bulk crystal form) is InBi, but its electrical properties have not been sufficiently studied and, to date, the material has not been fabricated as a thin film. We have successfully deposited crystalline InBi on (100) GaAs substrates using MBE. Wetting of the substrate is poor, and regions of varying composition exist across the substrate. To obtain InBi, the growth temperature had to be below 100 °C. It was found that film crystallinity improved with reduced Bi flux, into an In-rich regime. Additionally, attempts were made to grow AlBi and GaBi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The highly fossiliferous sediments of the Tolomosa Formation from Tarija, southern Bolivia, represent one of the most important localities in South America that documents the Great American Biotic Interchange. Over the past several decades, chronostratigraphic studies have indicated a middle Pleistocene age for the Tolomosa Formation from ~1.1 to 0.7Ma. This interval correlates to the Ensenadan South American Land Mammal Age as it is characterized from classic localities in Argentina. Recently, however, a new interpretation based on AMS 14C ages indicates that the fossiliferous sediments from Tarija are latest Pleistocene, i.e., <44ka, and thus of Lujanian age. Here we report a new age of 0.76±0.03Ma (2σ) based on 11 U–Th/Pb and U–Th/He individual determinations from the Tolomosa Formation. This is indistinguishable from the age published from the same ash in 1983, and was originally used to calibrate the magnetostratigraphic section at Tarija. The new age confirms that the age of the Tolomosa Formation is middle Pleistocene, and not latest Pleistocene. The age of the Tarija Fauna has significant implications with regard to the stage of evolution biochronology for Pleistocene fossil mammals in South America, and in particular, the classic and important reference sections in Argentina. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: China is the largest producer of textile-dyeing products in the world. The production of these materials consumes high amounts of water and energy and results in the discharge of huge amounts of pollutants. This study aimed at evaluating the life-cycle environmental impacts of the textile-dyeing industry and determining the key processes for mitigating life-cycle environmental impacts efficiently and effectively, which will benefit the application of cleaner production technologies. Methods: A life-cycle assessment was performed according to the ISO 14040 standard series. The system investigated includes the dyeing process and final disposal and the transportation of raw material, energy production, and transportation. The functional unit is 10,000 m of cotton fabric, which weighs 2,000 kg. Our study encompasses three types of data. The data regarding the production process and the major raw materials, necessary energy, and the source of the energy, as well as the emissions of some pollutants, were provided by a textile-dyeing enterprise in Jiangsu Province. The data regarding transport were generated using the GaBi version 4.3 database. Some emission factor data such as those on CO, CH, and NO emissions were obtained from the literature. Resources, energy consumption, and emissions are quantified, and some of the potential environmental effects were evaluated using the CML2001 method built into the GaBi version 4.3 database. Results and discussion: Scouring and oxygen bleaching, dyeing, stentering and setting, wastewater treatment, and incineration are the key processes in terms of global warming potential, acidification potential, photochemical ozone creation potential, and eutrophication potential. It will therefore be useful to enhance the recycling of water, control the consumption of additives and dyes, and conserve energy as much as possible. Through scenario analysis, we note that motorized shipment should be used instead of shipment by trucks, when conditions permit. Conclusions: To promote energy conservation and the clean production of continuous pad-dyeing technology for cotton fabrics, other environmental impact categories besides the impact of the water system should be given focus. Additional work can be performed on the following: considering a consumption-based perspective of the entire process, uncertainty in data on life-cycle inventory, the evaluation methodology employed, temporal and spatial variation, the normalized toxicity of dyes and additives, and weighting methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle concept was applied to analyse and assess some municipal solid waste (MSW) management scenarios in terms of environmental impacts, particularised for Iasi city, Romania, where approximately 380 kg/cap/yr of waste are generated. Currently, the management processes include temporary storage, collection, transport and landfilling, but separate collection, sorting, recycling and composting of solid waste, which should be addressed according to the National Strategy and European policy for waste. Four different scenarios were elaborated as alternatives to the existing waste management system in Iasi, which include both previously applied and current waste management alternatives, as well as some advanced practices. The effectiveness of the scenarios was evaluated in terms of environmental impacts based on Life Cycle Analysis, supported by GaBi software. Some environmental impact categories (acidification, eutrophication, global warming, human toxicity, and photochemical ozone generation potentials, carcinogenic substances, heavy metals, winter smog, photochemical ozone formation) were estimated based on several impact assessment methods associated to GaBi software (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). The study emphasises the importance of system boundaries for the life cycle impact assessment process and consequently – for the optimal waste management alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterophase equilibria in the InBiAsSb and GaInBiAsSb systems are analyzed in the context of simple solutions. Linear interpolation is to determine the thermodynamic and crystal-chemical parameters for virtual GaBi compound. The boundaries of existence for InBiAsSb and GaInBiAsSb solid solutions are calculated and the thermodynamic limits that characterize their synthesis are determined for the temperature range of 650-780 K. Heteroepitaxial InBiAsSb/InSb structures are formed on the basis of our analysis by zone recrystallization according to temperature gradient (ZRTG). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Knowledge of the main aspects of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) concerning the glyptodontine Glyptodontidae (Xenarthra) is very scarce. A bidirectional dispersal process was recently proposed for this clade, with the presence of the North American genus Glyptotherium Osborn recognized in latest Pleistocene sediments of northern South America (Venezuela and Brazil). However, the earliest stages of this paleobiogeographical process remain poorly understood, mainly because of the limited fossil record on this clade in late Pliocene sediments. The goals of this contribution are: a) to present and describe the first record of a glyptodontine glyptodontid from the late Pliocene of northern South America, tentatively assigned to a new species of Boreostemma Carlini et al. (Boreostemma? sp. nov); and b) to analyze its paleobiogeographical implications with respect to the GABI. This new material was recovered from the San Gregorio Formation (late Pliocene, prior the GABI) in northern Venezuela, where it is represented by several osteoderms of the dorsal carapace. A comparison among the three known late Pliocene glyptodontine glyptodontids of a) southern South America (Paraglyptodon), b) northern South America (Boreostemma), and c) southern North America ("Glyptotherium"), reveals a series of shared characters between (b) and (c), not present in (a). The most important of these shared characters in (b) and (c) are: all the osteoderms present a great development of the central figure, which is always larger than the peripherals; the sulcus that delimits the central and peripheral figures is narrower and shallower; and all the osteoderms present are relatively thin. This evidence suggests that the lineage of Glyptodontinae which participated in the GABI and subsequently diversified in North America originated in northern South America. Moreover, the evident morphological differences between these glyptodontines with respect to the southern South American forms show a significant separation of both lineages since at least latest Miocene-early Pliocene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: First principles total energy calculations were carried out to investigate structural and electronic properties of zinc-blend (ZB) GaAs, GaBi and GaAs1− x Bi x solid solutions. We have calculated lattice parameters, bulk modulus, pressure derivative and GaAs1− x Bi x band-gap energy for zinc blend-type crystals of the compositions x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1. Discussions will be given in comparison with results obtained with other available theoretical and experimental results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The discovery of a rich fauna from the late Miocene Cerro Azul Formation in Caleufú, central Argentina, is reported. This fauna includes vertebrate Holarctic immigrants, among which are the oldest South American records of mammals of the families Cricetidae (Rodentia) and Mustelidae (Carnivora). Stratigraphic, biochronological and taphonomic evidence indicates that the faunal assemblage from Caleufú is confidently synchronous and represents the late Huayquerian (Zone of Xenodontomys elongatus; late Miocene). Thus, this fauna supports hypotheses of the arrival of cricetids and mustelids prior to the Pliocene completion of the Panamanian isthmus. However, the new records do not permit inferences to be made about precise moments of entry of these groups into South America. Representation of the GABI in the fossil record is here interpreted as a major event integrated by a nested pattern of events, including geographically more restricted turnovers (implying particular taphonomic and geographic biases) and associated environmental changes. In such a hierarchical context, the record of Caleufú represents a local turnover different from those occurring with arrivals of these taxa, or their ancestors, into the continent. In accordance with biochronological data, the turnover recorded in Caleufú could be coeval with the global-scale glacial event detected for the late Miocene (ca. 5.7–5.8 Ma). In southern South America, this arid and cold pulse would have triggered the distribution drift to central Argentina of fauna previously restricted to western peri-Andean areas. Local turnovers such as the one reported here, and associated physical changes, have to be analyzed in detail as individual events in order to interpret the chronology, dynamics and paleoenvironmental context of hierarchically greater episodes such as the GABI. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The structural and electronic properties of the GaAs1−x Bi x ternary alloy are investigated by means of two first principles and full potential methods, the linear augmented plane waves (FPLAPW) method and a recent version of the full potential linear muffin-tin orbitals method (FPLMTO) which enables an accurate treatment of the interstitial regions. In particular, we have found that the maximal GaBi mole fraction for which GaBi x As1−x remains a semiconductor is probably around . The electronic properties of (GaAs) m /(GaBi) n quantum well superlattices (SLs) have also been calculated and it is found that such SLs are semiconductors when is larger or equal to . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]