Hospitals Should Offer Straws Only on Demand to the Public and Patients-An Environmental and Patient Care Imperative

Plastic straws have become the poster child of waste associated with unnecessary single-use plastics. The visibility of straws littering the land and marine environments has influenced proposals to decrease the use of plastic straws. These include bans on plastic straws at the city, state, and national levels and by many corporations. However, most hospitals continue to use plastic straws in hospital dining areas and for patients. Hospital dining areas are like other public dining areas, so eliminating plastic straws should be straightforward. Regarding the use of straws by patients, we review evidence and propose that patients should not be routinely given straws. Instead, physicians and nursing staff should request straws depending on the patient's medical needs. Plastic straws make up only a tiny fraction of hospital waste but can be a catalyst to create awareness and decrease unnecessary plastic use in other areas of the hospital. Mitigating climate change requires a concerted effort from hospital leadership and healthcare providers. Only then will hospitals be able to fulfill their climate pledge of net zero emissions by 2050.

An evaluation of alternative biodegradable and reusable drinking straws as alternatives to single-use plastic

The manufacture of single-use plastic items uses fossil fuels, and releases greenhouse gases. Plastic waste is also harmful to humans and wildlife. Recent attention towards the regulation or elimination of plastic straws has led to the development of many alternatives to single-use plastic straws, some intended to be disposed of immediately after use, and others to be cleaned and reused. Unfortunately, anecdotes are widespread of inferior sensory experiences from such alternatives, with straws either losing stability when wet, imparting negative flavor properties to a beverage, or feeling unpleasant in the mouth. Despite such reports, little formal research exists categorizing these alternatives. Here, we examine popular choices for straw materials in a focus group (n = 9) and in a consumer sensory test (n = 102), as well as testing the durability of straws when soaked in water. Cornstarch straws offered the most similar sensory experience to plastic, whereas options such as paper, wheat, pasta, and rice straws all scored low on mouthfeel and flavor liking, with off-flavors commonly reported in beverages consumed with these straws. A Kano analysis (n = 193) to determine the factors consumers find essential in drinking straws confirmed the most important to be that no flavors were imparted to beverages when used. Finally, a consumer survey (n = 579) confirmed that straw consumers primarily use them out of default availability; most use them only if they are given without asking, and most would readily give up plastic straws, but may be unfamiliar with other options. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Plastic straws contribute to waste and result in the release of greenhouse gases in their manufacture. Despite this, they provide a superior sensory experience compared to other options. Here, we review aspects of this experience, along with consumers motivations for using straws.

Performance of Straw/Linear Low Density Polyethylene Composite Prepared with Film-Roll Hot Pressing

Thermoplastic composites are usually prepared with the extrusion method, and straw reinforcement material must be processed to fiber or powder. In this study, film-roll hot pressing was developed to reinforce linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) with long continuous straw stems. The long straw stems were wrapped with LLDPE film and then hot pressed and cooled to prepare straw/LLDPE composite. Extruded straw fiber/LLDPE composite was prepared as a control. The mechanical properties of these LLDPE-based composites were evaluated. The hot pressed straw/LLDPE composite provided higher tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and impact strength than the traditional extruded straw/LLDPE composite, by 335%, 107%, 68%, 57%, and 181%, respectively, reaching 35.1 MPa, 2.65 GPa, 3.8 MPa, 2.15 GPa, and 25.1 KJ/m². The density of the hot pressed straw/LLDPE composite (0.83 g/cm³) was lower than that of the extruded straw/LLDPE composite (1.31 g/cm³), and the former had a higher ratio of strength-to-weight. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the orientation of the straws in the composite was better with the new method. Differential scanning calorimetry tests revealed that in hot pressed straw/LLDPE composite, straw fibers have a greater resistance to the melting of LLDPE than extruded composite. Rotary rheometer tests showed that the storage modulus of the hot pressed straw/LLDPE was less affected by frequency than that of the extruded composite, and the better elastic characteristics were pronounced at 150 °C. The hot pressed straw/LLDPE composite absorbed more water than the extruded composite and showed a potential ability to regulate the surrounding relative humidity. Our results showed that straw from renewable sources can be used to produce composites with good performance.

Regulation of gene expression involved in the remobilization of rice straw carbon reserves results from moderate soil drying during grain filling

Carbon reserves in rice straw before flowering contribute greatly to grain filling. Moderate soil drying imposed at the post-anthesis stage significantly promotes carbon reserve remobilization in straws of rice, but the regulation of this process at the proteomic and transcriptomic level remains poorly understood. In this study, we applied moderate soil drying (MD) to rice at the post-anthesis stage, which was followed by dynamic proteomic and transcriptomic studies using SWATH-MS and RNA-seq analysis. MD treatment upregulated the proteins alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase and starch phosphorylase, which are responsible for starch degradation. Furthermore, MD treatment enhanced the expression of proteins involved in the sucrose synthesis pathway, including SPS8 and SPP1. In addition, various monosaccharide transporters (MSTs) and sucrose transporter 2 (SUT2), which are pivotal in carbon reserve remobilization, were also upregulated in straw by MD treatment. Differentially expressed transcription factors, including GRAS, TCP, trihelix, TALE, C3H, and NF-YC, were predicted to interact with other proteins to mediate carbon reserve remobilization in response to MD treatment. Further correlation analysis revealed that the abundances of most of the differentially expressed proteins were not correlated with the corresponding transcript levels, indicating that the carbon reserve remobilization process was probably regulated by posttranscriptional modification. Our results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of carbon reserve remobilization from straw to grain in rice under MD conditions.

Improving the quality of rooster semen frozen in straws by screening the glycerol concentration and freezing rate

1. This study examined different glycerol concentrations (GC) and freezing rates to improve the quality of rooster spermatozoa frozen in straws, and to determine the effect of varying GC on post-thawed spermatozoa quality, as evaluated by fertility and hatchability.2.The experiment included two tests. In test 1, rooster semen straws containing 2, 4, 6, 8 and 11% glycerol were put in a rack (nine tiers with a 1 cm interval between every two tiers, 1 to 9 cm above liquid nitrogen (LN) source), and gradually frozen. The semen straws located in different tiers experienced different temperatures and freezing rates. The straws were then thawed and live sperm numbers determined. In test 2, rooster semen straws containing 2, 4, 6, 8 and 11% glycerol were put on optimal tiers (identified in test 1) for freezing, and stored at -196°C. Hens were inseminated with the frozen semen (post-thawed and glycerol removed, about 4.0 × 10⁸ sperm per hen), and eggs incubated.3. The numbers of live sperm in the 11% glycerol group was higher than that in 2, 4 or 6% glycerol group (P < 0.05) for the semen straws on tiers 1 to 9, while that on tiers 1 to 5 was lower than that on tier 6 to 8 (P < 0.05). GC, freezing rate and the interaction between GC and freezing rate had a significant effect on live sperm numbers (P < 0.01). The highest fertility was in the 6% glycerol group and occurred on day 5 after insemination. The lowest fertility occurred in the 2% glycerol group on day 10 after insemination.4. The optimal combination was 11% glycerol in straws located 6 cm above the LN surface (on tier 6). The 6% glycerol group achieved the highest fertility (77.6%), which surpassed that reported in recent years.