The bio-oil obtained by pyrolysis of Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) seeds at 450 ºC, 1.0 atmosphere, in technical scale, submitted to fractional distillation to produce biofuels-like fractions. The distillation of bio-oil carried out in a laboratory distillation column (Vigreux) of 30 cm. The physical-chemistry properties (density, kinematic viscosity, acid value and refractive index) determined by official methods. The chemical functions present in distillation fractions determined by FT-IR and the chemical composition by GC-MS. The distillation of bio-oil yielded gasoline, light kerosene, and kerosene-like fuel fractions of 16.16, 19.56, and 41.89% (wt.), respectively. All the physical-chemistry properties (density, kinematic viscosity, acid value and refractive index) increase with boiling temperature. The gasoline-like fraction is composed by 64.0% (area.) hydrocarbons and 36.0% (area.) oxygenates, while light kerosene-like fraction by 66.67% (area.) hydrocarbons and 33.33% (area.) oxygenates, and kerosene-like fraction by 19.87% (area.) hydrocarbons and 81.13% (area.) oxygenates.

Acoustic Radiation Forced Impulse (ARFI) is an ultrasound integrated method, measuring stiff-ness by point shear wave elastography. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of ARFI of the liver and of the spleen, combined with spleen dimension and platelet count, in predicting clinical events in cirrhosis, a prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2017 and February 2021. The following ratio scores with ARFI measurements were performed: ALSDP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Diameter-to-Platelets ratio score), ASSDP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Diam-eter-to-Platelets ratio score), ASSAP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Area-to-Platelets ratio score), ALSAP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Area-to-Platelets ratio score). In 100 enrolled subjects, spleen ARFI, ASSDP, ASSAP, were significantly associated with high-risk oesophageal varices (HRVs) in the prospec-tive short- and long-term follow-up and in the cross-sectional study (p 0.7). ARFI-ratio scores can predict, in cirrhotic patients, the risk of developing HVRs in short and long-term period.

Identifying anti-spike antibodies that exhibit strong neutralizing activity against current dominant circulating variants and antibodies that are escaped by these variants have important implications in the development of therapeutic and diagnostic solutions as well as in improving understanding of the humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We characterized seven anti-RBD monoclonal antibodies for their binding activity, pairing capability and neutralization activity to SARS-CoV-2 and three variant RBDs (UK, SA and BR P.1) via lateral flow immunoassays. The results allowed us to group these antibodies into three distinct epitope bins. Our studies showed that two antibodies had broadly potent neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 and these variant RBDs and that one antibody did not neutralize the SA and BR P.1 RBDs. The antibody escaped by the SA and BR P.1 RBDs retained binding activity to SA and BR P.1 RBDs but was unable to induce neutralization. Further, we demonstrated that the lateral flow immunoassay can be a rapid and effective tool for antibody characterization, including epitope classification and antibody neutralization kinetics. From these studies, the potential contributions of the mutations (N501Y, E484K and K417N/T) contained in these variants’ RBDs on antibody pairing capability, neutralization activity and therapeutic antibody targeting strategy are discussed.

This study investigates the influence of adding hydrogen as an additive to gasoline in a four-stroke engine, utilizing a comprehensive thermodynamic comparative analysis conducted with self-developed engine model. The research aims to assess the performance, emissions, and efficiency of the engine when using gasoline-hydrogen blends, and to provide insights into the potential benefits of this approach. First the engine performance and emissions under different hydrogen blending levels were examined. A range of different air-to-fuel ratios (rich to lean) and varying percentages of hydrogen were considered. This systematic variation allowed for a detailed evaluation of the influence of hydrogen content on combustion efficiency, power out-put, and emissions characteristics. The analysis results included key parameters such as indicated specific fuel consumption and mean effective pressure. Additionally, the study focused on range prediction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, which are a critical environmental concern asso-ciated with internal combustion engines. The analysis of pressure and temperature profiles throughout the engine cycle shed light on the combustion characteristics and efficiency im-provements associated with hydrogen addition. In terms of emissions, the study projected that all emissions were reduced except NOx, which is highly dependent on hydrogen percentage, and it might be reduced in some cases, but with higher temperatures and pressures associated with hydrogen addition in most cases there is actually NOx increase, especially at higher engine loads.

In this study, the microbial strain was isolated from the humus soil to ferment Sophora flavescens and Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus extracts. The isolated microbial was identified as Bacillus genus by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The fermented plant extracts exhibited the antifungal effects against four types of the plant pathogens such as P. carotorum, B. cinerea, C. fructicola Sau-3, and C. gloeosporioides according to incubation time. Especially, the fermented plant extracts showed the most active activities for Colletotrichum genus to inhibit mycelium growth. Metabolite changes in fermented S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts were confirmed through LC-Q-TOF/MS. Flavonoid and peptide derivatives were improved in fermented S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts compared to their unfermented one, respectively. This study suggested that the isolated Bacillus microbial fermentation could be a valuable tool in improving the bioactivity of S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts to have potential with more environmentally-friendly antifungal agents.

This study reports on the development of bio-based hydrophobic coatings for packaging papers through deposition of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) particles in combination with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and plant wax. In a first approach, PHB particles in micrometer range (PHB-MP) were prepared through a phase-separation technique providing internally nanosized structures. The particles were transferred as a coating by dip-coating filter papers in the particle suspension, followed by sizing with a carnauba wax solution. This approach allowed partial to almost full surface coverage of PHB-MP over the paper surface resulting in static water contact angles of 105° to 122° and 129° to 144° after additional wax coating. In a second approach, PHB particles with submicron sizes (PHB-SP) were synthesized by an oil-in-emulsion (o/w) solvent evaporation method, and mixed in aqueous suspensions with 0 to 7 wt% NFC. After dip-coating filter papers in PHB-SP/NFC suspensions and sizing with a carnauba wax solution, static water contact angles of 112° to 152° were obtained. The intrinsic properties of the particles were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy, indicating higher crystallinity for PHB-SP than PHB-MP. The chemical interactions between the more amorphous PHB-MP particles and paper fibers were identified as an esterification reaction, while the morphology of the NFC fibrillar network was playing a key role as binding agent in the retention of more crystalline PHB-SP at the paper surface, hence contributing to higher hydrophobicity.

Biochemical compositions of black carpenter ants (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) were analyzed using standard methods. The proximate composition (%) were as follows: crude protein (22.50), crude fibre (1.46), carbohydrate by difference (30.86) and energy (35.4Kcal). The predominant mineral was potassium and nickel was the least. The antinutritional properties (mgkg^-1) ranged as follows: Oxalate (1.35), phytate (62.79), and tannins (0.72). The results suggested that the ant may be a good source of nutrition.

The aim of this study is to analyze the characteristics of drought such as intensity, cumulative curves and trends, based on SPEI (Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index) at 8 stations in Korea from 1981 to 2010. The traditional SPEI is based on Thornthwaite equation for estimating evapotranspiration; SPEI_th. However, a standard of agricultural water management in Korea suggests FAO Penman-Monteith equation; SPEI_pm. In this study, we analyzed the intensity and trends of drought using SPEI_th and SPEI_pm, respectively, and analyzed the relationship between them. Both of central and southern region, the SPEIs were below -1.0 (moderated drought) for the periods May-August in the representative drought year such as 1988, 2001, and 2008-09. The frequency of drought was higher in southern region than central region. In addition, SPEI_pm showed slightly more intensive drought rather than SPEI_th except for Chuncheon and Gwangju. In 5 stations except for Cheoncheon, Gwangju and Jinju, the cumulative probability that SPEI_pm is below -1.5 was significantly increased from 1981-1995 to 1996-2010. As the results of drought trends, the increasing trend of SPEIs was shown on fall season, and the cumulative probability that SPEI_pm is below -1.5 was also significantly increased.

The oil produced in the oil fields of the Republic of Kazakhstan contains a high percentage of sulfur. Synthesis and improvement of the properties of catalytic systems for the production of fuels with high octane number and low sulfur content is currently an urgent task for Kazakhstan. In this study, catalytic systems with a new composition based on zeolites with the addition of rare-earth metals (E) and phosphorus (P) have been prepared and tested in the process of the catalytic hydrotreating of straight-run gasoline and gasoline of catalytic cracking. In case of NiO-MoO3-E-P-HZSM-HY-Al2O3 catalyst, the octane rating of the gasoline after hydro-processing was increased to 88-90, which is much higher than for other catalysts. The octane number of straight-run gasoline up to 400°C is a maximum of 90 (Research Method) and 83.7 (Motor Method). At the same time, the sulfur content in the resulting gasoline decreases from 0.0088% to 0.0011%. In the case of catalytic cracking gasoline, the sulfur content is reduced from 0.0134% to 0.0012%. The smallest residual sulfur content in the final product, 0.0005% is revealed in case of catalyst CoO-WO3-E-P-HZSM-HY-Al2O3, and it is 2-4 times lower than for catalysts CoO-MoO3-E-P-HZSM-HY-Al2O3 and NiO-MoO3-E-P-HZSM-HY-Al2O3. These amounts of sulfur residue in raw materials is lower than that required by the Euro-5 Standard. The surface of the prepared catalysts was 211.0-274.0 m2/g, diameter of pores d ≈ 1.5-2.5 nm and d ≈ 7.0 nm. The total pore volume of the catalysts was not higher than 0.28-0.41 ml/g. The catalysts developed in this study can be used for hydrotreating raw materials and producing high-octane gasoline with a low sulfur content, corresponding in its characteristics to the Euro-5 Standard.

Solvent free copolymerization of epoxides derived from fatty acid esters of waste cooking oil with phthalic anhydride using (salen)CrIII Cl as catalyst and n-Bu4NCl/DMAP as co-catalyst was carried out for the first time under microwave irradiation, where reaction time was reduced from number of hours to minutes. The polyesters were obtained with molecular weight (Mw = 3084-6740 g/mol) and dispersity values (D = 1.18-1.92), when (salen)CrIII Cl/n-Bu4NCl was used as catalysts. While in case of DMAP as a co-catalyst, polyesters with improved molecular weight (Mw = 5537-6925 g/mol) and narrow dispersity values (D = 1.07-1.28) were obtained even at reduced concentrations of (salen)CrIII Cl and DMAP. The obtained products were characterized and evaluated by attenuated total reflection-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) Techniques.

Agro-meteorology is the relationship between agriculture and weather. All farm activities are affected by weather. Therefore it is always necessary to monitor the weather as a forecast. The aim of the research was to monitor the weather and rainwater samples obtained at Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. For the eight months periods, results were obtained. The mean results for the physicochemical parameters were: TDS (12.25 mg/L), temp (28.13 ^oC), pH (6.63), EC (24.25µS/cm), Free CO₂ (24.38mg/L), nitrate (0.16mg/L), phosphate (0.17mg/L), sulphate (0.18mg/L). The rainwater was colorless and had no odor. The mean meteorological data: The prevailing wind directions were from SE, mostly in May, June, July and November and NE. The dry and wet temperatures were 22-29 ^oC and 20-26 ^oC respectively. The maximum value was observed in the month of July. The correlation matrix showed that there were many strong correlations in the physicochemical properties. The months of May, June and July had the highest wind speed. In these months there would be a need to use a windbreaker around the crops planted to avoid soil erosion and damaging of plants.

Alternative fuels have the potential to reduce exhaust emissions in the transportation sector. In this study, the effects of oxygenated fuels on the performance and emissions of a gasoline single-cylinder spark-ignition engine have been investigated experimentally. Experiments were conducted using a DIDACTA-T85 testbed under full load conditions and variable engine speed. Performance tests were performed by measuring the brake torque, brake power, brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), and brake thermal efficiency (BTE). The tested fuel blends were G0, E10, A10, and M10. G0 represented the base fuel and pure gasoline. E10, A10, and M10 were represented by a 10% volume of ethanol, acetone, and methanol in gasoline respectively. Results showed that M10 produced better engine performance in terms of brake torque, brake power, and BMEP, while E10 performed better results in terms of BSFC and BTE. A10 gave the lowest value in NOx emission at all engine speeds. On the other hand, it increased the NOX emission for E10 and M10 blends. This study showed that oxygenated fuel blends significantly reduced carbon monoxide emission at all engine speeds whereas carbon dioxide emission was higher at the highest engine speed.

Pardosa pseudoannulata is one of the most common wandering spiders in agricultural fields and a potentially good bioindicator for heavy metal contamination. However, little is known about the mechanism by which spiders respond to heavy metals at the molecular level. In this study, high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was employed to characterize the de novo transcriptome of the spiders and to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after cadmium exposure. We obtained 60,489 assembled unigenes, 18,773 of which were annotated in the public databases. Ultimately, 3450 cDNA simple sequence repeats were identified and validated as potential molecular markers in the unigenes. A total of 2939, 2491 and 3759 DEGs were detected among the three libraries of two Cd-treated groups and the control. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that metabolism processes and digestive system function were predominately enriched in response to Cd stress. At the cellular and molecular levels, significantly enriched pathways in lysosomes and phagosomes as well as replication, recombination and repair demonstrated that oxidative damage resulted from Cd exposure. Based on the selected DEGs, certain critical genes involved in defence and detoxification were analysed. These results may elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying spiders' responses to heavy metal stress.

In this research, catalytic steam reforming acetic acid derived from the aqueous portion of bio-oil for hydrogen production was investigated by using different Ni/ATC (Attapulgite Clay) catalysts prepared by precipitation, impregnation and mechanical blending methods. The fresh and reduced catalysts were characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption-desorption, TEM and H₂-TPR. The comprehensive results demonstrated that the interaction between active metallic Ni and ATC carrier was significantly improved in Ni/ATC catalyst prepared by precipitation method, and in which the mean Ni particle size was the smallest (~13 nm) resulted in the highest metal dispersion (7.5%). The catalytic performance of the three catalysts was evaluated through the process of steam reforming of acetic acid in a fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure at two different temperatures, such as 550 ℃ and 650 ℃. Results showed that the Ni/ATC (PM-N/ATC) prepared by precipitation method, achieved the highest H₂ yield of ~82% and little lower acetic acid conversion efficiency of ~85% than that (~95%) of Ni/ATC (IM-NATC) prepared by impregnation method. In addition, the deactivation catalysts after reaction for 4 h were analyzed by XRD, TGA-DTG and TEM, which demonstrated that the catalyst deactivation was not caused by the amount of carbon deposition, but owed to the significant agglomeration and sintering of Ni particles in the carrier.

This work aims to investigate the effect of process temperature and catalyst content by thermochemical degradation of municipal solid waste (MSW) fraction (organic matter + paper + plastic) on the yield of reaction products (bio-oil, biochar, H2O and gas), physicochemical properties and chemical composition of bio-oils, as well as on the morphology and crystalline phases of biochar in laboratory scale. The organic matter, paper and plastic segregated from the gravimetric composition of total waste sample were subjected to the pre-treatments of drying, crushing and sieving. The experiments were carried out at 400, 450 and 475 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, and at 450 °C and 1.0 at-mosphere, using 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0% (wt.) of FCC zeolite, bath mode, using a laborato-ry scale glass reactor. The bio-oil was characterized for acidic value. The chemical functions present in the bio-oil identified by FT-IR and the composition by GC-MS. Biochar was characterized by SEM/EDS and XRD. Thermal pyrolysis of the MSW frac-tion (organic matter + paper + plastic) shows bio-oil yields between 9.44 and 9.24% (wt.), aqueous phase yields between 21.93 and 18.78% (wt.), solid phase yields between 67.97 and 40.34% (wt.) and gas yields between 28.27 and 5.92% (wt.). The yield of bio-oil decreases with increasing process temperature. For the experiments using FCC, the biochar and gas yields increase slightly with the FCC content, while that of bio-oil de-creases and the H2O phase remains constant. The GC-MS of bio-oils identified the presence of hydrocarbons and oxygenates, as well as nitrogen-containing compounds, including amides and amines. The acidity of the bio-oil increased with increasing temperature and with the aid of FCC as a catalyst. It has been identified the presence of hydrocarbons within bio-oil by addition of FCC catalyst due to the deoxygenation of carboxylic acids, followed by decarboxylation and decarbonylation reactions, producing aliphatic and aromatic hy-drocarbons.

We evaluated the change in water dispersibility of lactic acid bacteria (LAB, Enterococcus faecalis KH2) upon powderization and its influence on their efficacy. When cultured LAB are washed, heat-killed, and powdered, adhesion between LAB occurs and they form aggregation (non-treated LAB, n-LAB). However, a dispersed LAB (d-LAB) powder with less aggregates can be prepared by treating them with a high-pressure homogenizer and adding an excipient during powdering. n-LAB or d-LAB was administered to mice and the Peyer's patches in the small intestine were observed. n-LAB administration showed a high amount of aggregated LAB drifting in the intestinal mucosa, whereas d-LAB reached the Peyer's patches and was taken up into the Peyer's patches. Evaluation in a mouse influenza virus infection model showed that d-LAB was more effective than n-LAB in influenza yield of bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) on day 3 post-infection, neutralizing antibody titers of sera and influenza virus-specific IgA in the feces on day 14 post-infection. Thus, the physical properties of LAB affect their efficacy; controlling their water dispersibility can improve their effectiveness.

Bio-molecular reagents like antibodies required in experimental biology are expensive and their effectiveness, among other things, is critical to the success of the experiment. Although such resources are sometimes donated by one investigator to another through personal communication between the two, there is no previous study to our knowledge on the extent of such donations, nor a central platform that directs resource seekers to donors. In this paper, we describe, to our knowledge, a first attempt at building a web-portal titled Bio-Resource Exchange that attempts to bridge this gap between resource seekers and donors in the domain of experimental biology. Users on this portal can request for or donate antibodies, cell-lines and DNA Constructs. This resource could also serve as a crowd-sourced database of resources for experimental biology. Further, in order to index donations outside of our portal, we mined scientific articles to find instances of donations of antibodies and attempted to extract information about these donations at the finest granularity. Specifically, we extracted the name of the donor, his/her affiliation and the name of the antibody for every donation by parsing the acknowledgements sections of articles. To extract annotations at this level, we propose two approaches – a rule based algorithm and a bootstrapped relation learning algorithm. The algorithms extracted donor names, affiliations and antibody names with average accuracies of 57% and 62% respectively. We also created a dataset of 50 expert-annotated acknowledgements sections that will serve as a gold standard dataset to evaluate extraction algorithms in the future. Contact: [email protected], [email protected] Database URL: http://tonks.dbmi.pitt.edu/brx Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Database online.

Background: Circulating rare cells participate in breast cancer evolution as systemic components of the disease and thus, are a source of theranostic information. Exploration of cancer-associated rare cells is in its infancy. We determined the validity of a rare-cell detection platform and demonstrated the usefulness of a certain rare cell subset as a novel approach to characterize the breast cancer system. Methods: Linearity of the Rarmax® platform was established using a spike-in approach. The platform includes red blood cell lysis, leukocyte depletion and high-resolution fluorescence image recording. Rare cell analysis was conducted on 28 samples (before and after surgery) from 14 patients with breast cancer, 20 healthy volunteers and 9 non-cancer control volunteers. In-depth identification of rare cells, including circulating tumor cells, endothelial-like cells, erythroblasts and inflammation-associated cells, was performed using a phenotype and morphology-based classification system. Results: The platform performed linearly over a range of 5-950 spiked cells, with an average recovery of 84.6%. Circulating epithelial and endothelial-like cell subsets have been demonstrated to be associated with or independent of cancer with tumor presence. Furthermore, certain cell patterns may be associated with treatment-related adverse effects. The sensitivity in detecting tumor-presence and cancer-associated abnormality before surgery was 50% and 85.7%, respectively and the specificity was 100% and 96.6%, respectively. Conclusion: The present study supports the idea of a cancer-associated rare cell abnormality to represent tumor entities as well as systemic cancer. The latter is independent of the apparent clinical cancer.

The North American Monsoon (NAM) in southern Arizona continues to be a topic of interest to ecologists, climatologists, and citizens as well as the triggers and characteristics of plant growth and reproduction in relation to the onset of the monsoon. In researching the onset of the North American Monsoon (NAM) in south-central Arizona relative to the phenology of Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) and other Sonoran Desert species we identified interesting and previously unreported features in the NAM rainfall data. We present preliminary descriptive analyses of (1) monsoon onset as measured by the first day after June 1 with precipitation ≥10 mm (1990-2022), (2) first day of year warming of Sea Surface temperatures (SST) in the Gulf of California to ≥29º C measured across five open-sea blocks (mean 9452 km2), and (3) El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) anomaly with a threshold of +/- 0.5º C for the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) in the Niño 3.4 region (5ºN-5ºS, 120º-170ºW). Three patterns emerge from our analyses: (1) The day of the year of monsoon onset occurs approximately 12 days earlier in the year from 1990-2022 in south-central Arizona. (2) There appears to be a signal in the rainfall onset data very roughly approximating cycles of ENSO Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) anomalies in Niño region 3.4. (3) Gulf of California sea surface temperature (SST) and monsoon onset data support an expected link between the timing of SST warming and monsoon rainfall onset.

Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) describe compounds that bind to and induce degradation of a target by simultaneously binding to a ubiquitin ligase. More generally referred to as bifunctional degraders, PROTACs have led the way in the field of targeted protein degradation (TPD) with several compounds currently undergoing clinical testing. Alongside bifunctional degraders, single-moiety compounds, or molecular glue degraders (MGDs), are increasingly being considered as a viable approach for development of therapeutics, driven by advances in rational discovery approaches. This review focusses on drug discovery with respect to bifunctional and molecular glue degraders within the ubiquitin proteasome system, including analysis of mechanistic concepts and discovery approaches, with an overview of current clinical and pre-clinical degrader status in oncology, neurodegenerative and inflammatory disease.

This article presents an experimental study focused on the impact of supplementing pure gasoline (E0) with bioethanol, gradually increasing the biofuel concentration up to 70% (E10, E50, and E70). The research was conducted in two phases: In the first phase (Part I), the engine's operation involved varying engine speeds (n = 2000 rpm, n = 2500 rpm) and adjusting throttle openings (15%, 20%, 25%) to analyze changes in brake torque, thermal efficiency, and ecological indicators. The second phase (Part II) aimed to complement and clarify the study data. Here, the engine was maintained at a constant speed (n = 2000 rpm) and brake torque (MB = 80 Nm) while altering ignition timing. The findings revealed that increasing the bioethanol concentration up to 70% led to modest enhancements in engine brake torque and thermal efficiency. However, the most significant impact was observed in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and incomplete combustion byproducts. The study also established that achieving higher thermal efficiency requires compensating for the extended ignition delay phase resulting from bioethanol addition by advancing ignition timing. Nevertheless, this approach is constrained by the escalating emissions of carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons. These findings provide valuable insights into optimizing the balance between bioethanol supplementation, engine performance, and environmental sustainability in spark ignition engines.

Inhalation of gasoline vapors (GV) is associated with developing various pathologies. Particularly, oil refinery and gas station workers are at greater risk of developing lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and hematological disorders, including acute myeloid leukemia. Therefore, preventing the harmful effects of GV and alleviating their consequences appear to be an important and timely issue. In this study, we investigated the potential of vitamin D3, turmeric powder and their combination to ameliorate the toxicity of gasoline fumes in rats. Separate groups of animals fed with a standard rodent diet, with or without supplementation of vitamin D3 (750 IU/kg of body weight) and/or turmeric powder (0.5%, w/w, in food), were untreated or treated with GV (11.5±1.3 cm3/h/m3/day) for 30, 60 or 90 days. Changes in the body weight were monitored weekly. Histological, biochemical, and hematological parameters were determined at the end of each treatment period. While exposure of rats to GV resulted in a time-dependent reduction in body weight, supplementation with vitamin D3, but not with turmeric root powder or their combination, partially prevented weight loss. Macroscopical and histological analyses showed pronounced time-dependent changes in the organs and tissues of GV-treated rats. These included alveolar wall collapse in the lungs, destruction of the lobular structure and hepato-cytolysis in the liver, shrinkage and fragmentation of glomeruli in the kidneys, and disorganization of the lymphoid follicles in the spleen. However, co-treatment with the nutritional supplements tested, especially vitamin D3, noticeably alleviated the above conditions. This was accompanied by a significant improvement in blood chemistry and hematological parameters. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the harmful effects of environmental exposure to GV can be reduced upon supplementation of vitamin D3. The fact that the protective activity of vitamin D3 alone was higher than that of turmeric root powder or the combined treatment suggests that combinations of these supplements may not always be more beneficial than each agent applied separately.

This study assesses the applicability of different-resolution multispectral remote sensing images for mapping and estimating the aboveground biomass (AGB) of Carpobrotus edulis, a prominent invasive species in European coastal areas. The performance of three sets of multispectral images with different resolutions was compared: (i) 2.5 cm Ground Sample Distance (GSD), 5 cm GSD and 10 cm GSD images. The images were classified using the supervised classification algorithm Random Forest and later improved applying a sieve filter. The results show that the three tested image resolutions allow constructing reliable coverage maps of C. edulis, with Overall Accuracy values of 89%, 85% and 88% for the classification of the 2.5 cm, 5 cm and 10 cm GSD images, respectively. Samples were also collected, dried and weighed to estimate AGB using the relationship between the Dry Weight and Vegetation Indices (VI). The regressions were evaluated based on their R² and Normalised RMSE. The best-performing VI-DW regression models achieved: R² = 0.87 and NRMSE = 0.09 for the 2.5 cm resolution; R² = 0.77 and NRMSE = 0.12 for the 5 cm resolution; and, R² = 0.64 and NRMSE = 0.15 for the 10 cm resolution. C. edulis area and total AGB were: 3441.10 m² and 28,327.1 kg (with a Relative Error (RE) = 0.08), for the 2.5 cm resolution; 3070.04 m² and 29,170.8 kg (RE = 0.08), for the 5 cm resolution; and, 2305.06 m² and 22,135.7 kg (RE = 0.11), for the 10 cm resolution. Differences were analysed in detail, spatially, to determine their causes. Final analyses suggest that, for C. edulis, multispectral imagery of up to 5 cm GSD is adequate for the estimation of the species’ distribution and biomass.

The results of the investigation showed that second-order kinetics govern the adsorption process, and the corresponding rate constants were found. To evaluate the parameters related to the adsorption process, the adsorption equilibrium was examined using a variety of mathematical models, such as the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. The Langmuir isotherm was found to be the best appropriate among all models for describing the adsorption of Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions using bio-nanocomposite beads. The positive values of ΔH° indicate that the adsorption is physical and endothermic, in agreement with experimental results. The negative value of ∆G° shows that the adsorption process is spontaneous. Positive ΔS° values indicate increased randomness at the solid/liquid interface, during adsorption of Cu2+ and Ni2+ cations onto the engineered bio-nanocomposite. The maximum adsorbed amounts of metal ions by the bio-nanocomposite used were 370.37 mg/g for Ni2+ and 454.54 mg/g for Cu2+ from single system. For the binary system, according to the Langmuir isotherm, the maximum adsorbed amounts of Ni2+ and Cu2+ were 357.14 mg/g and 370,37 mg/g, respectively. There is proof that Alginate-Moroccan clay bio-nanocomposites can serve as a different, less expensive source of sorbents for the removal of metal ions from single and binary systems.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play a significant role in the aging processes, further regarding as a hallmark of aging. Despite the importance, a lack of monitoring tools has hampered the study of relationship between AGEs and aging. Here, we firstly report a novel AGEs-selective probe, AGO. AGO presented its ability to detect AGEs more sensitively than a conventional approach of measuring autofluorescence from AGEs. In addition, we confirmed that AGO can detect AGEs depending on kinetics, reflecting by a preference to ribose-derived AGEs. Finally, AGO revealed its competence to visualize glycation products in glycation mimicking model, made by collagen framework. We believe that this study will enrich molecular toolboxes to understand physiological processes of AGEs during aging processes.

The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of All Cosmos Industries (ACI) bio-organic and bio-chemical fertilizers and ACI N-Fixer (N-Bio Booster) on the paddy yields based on the field trial plots at Langkat, Medan, Indonesia. This application of ACI bio-organic fertilizer (NPK 5/5/5) and ACI bio-chemical (NPK 15/15/15) fertilizer and ACI N-Fixer tests were conducted at the paddy farm at Langkat from May-October 2018. This study employed a factorial randomized complete block design which consisted of two factors, namely: Factor I with four types of fertilizers while Factor II consisted of two paddy varieties (Inpari 30 and Inpari 32). Overall, the filled grains in the ACI treatments are significantly (P< 0.05) higher than those in the control treatments that used Normal Chemical Compound NPK. Overall, total weight per meter² (368-617g) in ACI treatments are also significantly (P< 0.05) higher than those (319-371g) in the control treatments. At harvesting time at 105 days after transplanting, significantly higher (P< 0.05) colony counts (13-15 x 10⁶ CFU/mL) (for ACI treatments), than those (8 x 10⁶ CFU/mL) in the controls positively indicated higher total yields of paddy grains per hectare. It was found that the application of ACI bio-organic and bio-chemical fertilizers and ACI N-Fixer can improve paddy yields of the two rice varieties, between 16.4-38.2% (up to 5.75 MT/ha), in the field trial plots at Langkat. These commercial fertilizers play an imperative role in refining the soil fertility and thereby can increase the yield of rice production. Therefore, it is highly recommended that ACI bio-organic and ACI bio-chemical fertilizers and ACI N-Fixer (N-Bio Booster) can be employed to increase the paddy yield in this region.

The therapeutic, attenuative, and morphological effects of proprietary neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (NSC EVs, AB126) produced by Aruna Bio, Inc. were assessed in a range of in vitro and in vivo models of stroke. We emphasize that modulation of neuroinflammation is a key target and suggest further studies to advance our understanding of the mechanisms of action and ultimately how best to dose and monitor the benefits of AB126 in stroke patients.

The aim of the study was to assess the chemical and biochemical composition of heat-treated dates palm fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivated in Algeria and stored under Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP). In this research, fresh dates palm fruits at harvest (Phoenix dactylifera L.) have been subjected at heat treatment at 55 ± 2°C for 20 min in a ventilated oven. The samples were packed in specific Polyethylene Terephthalate packaging (PET) bags with a thickness of 2.5 μm under MAP condition. The effect of this heat treatment on date fruits quality was investigated during 5 months of storage at room temperature storage (22 ± 1°C of temperature with 75 to 80% of relative humidity (RH), and 10 ± 1°C with 85 to 90% of RH). Chemical and biochemical composition of the samples were studied. Results indicated that during storage the Brix degree, protein, and vitamin C content changed significantly (p&lt;0.05). The major change was observed for lipid values varied from about 0.02 to 0.06% at 10°C, and 0.04 to 0.07% at 22°C for samples not heat-treated unpacked after 5 months of storage, these results represent a highly significant difference (p&lt;0.01). Harvesting at Tamr stage followed by treating the fruits with heat disinfestation packed in MAP, and storing at 10 ± 1°C showed to be a promising method for maintaining dates fruits storage quality.

The evolution of life on the planet Earth is happening primarily in the universe and secondary on the Earth. We will examine in this article evolution of life as the cosmic phenomena. In our model multidimensional time-invariant superfluid quantum space that is the fundamental arena of the universe and represents about 95% of the energy in the universe has stable entropy. The increase of entropy happens only by about 5% of the energy in the universe that is in the form of matter. The evolution of life in our model is a process of matter organization into living systems that tends to develop towards the constant entropy of the time-invariant multidimensional quantum space. This process runs in the entire universe. The development of life into intelligent organisms is the universal process running throughout the entire universe.

Controlling robots in space with necessarily low material and structural stiffness is quite challenging at least in part due to the resulting very low structural resonant frequencies. The frequencies are sometimes so low, the vary act of controlling the robot with medium or high bandwidth controllers lead to excitation of resonant vibrations. Biomimetics or biomimicry emulates models, systems, and elements of nature for solving such complex problems. Recent seminal publications have re-introduced the viability of optimal command shaping, and one recent instantiation mimics baseball pitching to propose control of highly flexible space robots. The readership will find a perhaps dizzying array of thirteen decently performing alternatives in the literature but could be left bereft selecting a method(s) deemed to be best suited for a particular application. Bio–inspired control of space robotics is presented in a quite substantial (perhaps not comprehensive) comparison, and the conclusions of the study indicate the top three performing methods based on minimizing control effort (i.e., fuel) usage, tracking error mean, and tracking error deviation include.

In the construction sector, the integration of biobased materials has emerged as a pivotal aspect of EU policies, aimed at promoting sustainable practices throughout the value chain to mitigate resource consumption and carbon emissions. This paper explores the development and validation activities of a bio-based façade system within the Basajaun H2020 project, focusing on enhancing the utilization of biobased components within building envelopes to replace conventional solutions with eco-friendly alternatives. This paper reports the methodologies employed to detect requirements and outline the testing protocols undertaken to validate the façade system design devised within the project focusing on the original façade components as the bio composite profile. Vision and opaque façade modules are prototyped and tested following curtain wall standards standard for performance and acoustic assessments, to showcase the efficacy of the developed solution. The conducted tests demonstrate the feasibility of integrating bio-based components into building envelopes, aligning with project expectations, and prevailing standards for curtain wall façade solutions. Notably, the designed façade system meets technical conditions and project objectives. Nevertheless, the research underscores the need for further refinements to facilitate solution industrialization and explore broader market applicability. Future efforts will focus on addressing these improvements and assessing the scalability of the solution.

At the beginning of 2019, the petroleum crisis impacted many economies dependent on this industry. The Mexican government started programs to identify points and government officials involved in the gasoline stealing from PEMEX (Petróleos Mexicanos), the country’s leading government petroleum company. The programs consisted of supervising and monitoring the Mexican country network of gasoline ducts to detect points where gasoline was being stolen. Consequently, large urban regions faced a lack and shortage of gasoline. This situation generated several reactions in social media and many open data in news media. Although the government provided open data about stealing gasoline locations related to crimes, it did not analyze the collected data to identify patterns, insights, and the spatio-temporal characterization of this phenomenon. This paper presents a study to deal with the regional semantics described in the social media locations of gasoline stealing. Thus, a framework to discover the trends that emerge from social media and how it is correlated with the government’s open data is also presented—the proposed methodology used machine learning techniques based on linguistic and semantic technologies. The analysis was applied to a dataset of 24,317 geo-referenced tweets. The obtained results reflected the Mexican thinking opinion regarding discovered social topics, polarization maps, and regional insights. According to discovered trends, there were long fuel lines between 1.5 and 5 kilometers (on average) at fuel stations in different Mexican states.

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with adverse genetics remains unsatisfactory, with very low response rates to standard chemotherapy and shorter durations of remission commonly observed in these patients. The complex biology of AML with adverse genetics is continuously evolving. Herein, we discuss recent advances which have investigated the contribution of cell intrinsic mechanisms as well as of the immune system to myeloid leukemogenesis in this specific subset of AML. We focus on the biological rationales for combining targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which are currently being investigated in ongoing trials, and could hopefully ameliorate the poor outcomes for these patients

Although charcoal production is a source of income, it is often associated with deforestation due to the felling of trees in rural areas. The study quantifies the yield of carbonization in the rural area of Lubumba-shi, DRC, and identifies its determinants. By analyzing 20 kilns from professional producers in different villages, the study reveals that these charcoal producers build large kilns, containing an average of 46.9±21.5 m3 of wood from 19 species of miombo trees. The average carbonization yield is 10.2%, varying from village to village due to parameters such as kiln size, quantity of wood used, kiln coverage time, wind exposure, substrate type and tree species. It was noted that the moisture content and size of the wood did not correlate significantly with the quantity of charcoal harvested per kiln. Yield improvement should therefore take these parameters into account to enable charcoal producers to increase their income while adopting sustainable production practices.

Codium fragile, a green algae, exhibit biological properties. In this study, we examined the effect of Codium fragile extract (CFE) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. As the administration of CFE increased, the proliferation of Akkermansia muciniphila, which is key player in metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders, increased. After CFE administration for 10 weeks, acetic acid was revealed as the major metabolite in mouse cecum and β-glucuronidase activity in mouse feces is decreased. Further, CFE significantly alleviates the acute intestinal injury induced by DSS administration, including DAI scores and colon length. MPO activity in the colon was significantly reduced in the CFE-fed group, which indicated that CFE could inhibit neutrophils infiltration and inflammation in mice. In conclusion, a protective effect of CFE against DSS colitis suggests its clinical use for IBD patients.

In a thin-volume photobioreactor where a concentrated suspension of microalgae is circulated throughout the established spatial irradiance gradient, microalgal cells experience a time-variable irradiance. Deploying this feature is the most convenient way of obtaining the so-called “flashing light” effect, improving biomass production in high irradiance. This work investigates the light flashing features of sloping wavy photobioreactors, a recently proposed type, by introducing and validating a Computational Fluid Dynamics model. Two characteristic flow zones (straight top-bottom stream and local recirculation stream), both effective toward light flashing, have been found and characterised: a recirculation-induced frequency of 3.7 Hz and straight flow-induced frequency of 5.6 Hz were estimated. If the channel slope is increased, the recirculation area becomes less stable while the recirculation frequency is nearly constant with flow rate. The validated CFD model is a mighty tool that could be reliably used to further increase the flashing frequency by optimising the design, the dimensions, the installation and the operational parameters of the sloping wavy photobioreactor.

This study explores novel techniques to improve the detection accuracy of skarn iron deposits using advanced image processing methodologies. Leveraging the capabilities of Aster image, Band Ratio (BR) images, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), alongside the power of 3D Convolutional Neural Networks (3D-CNN), the research aims to enhance the precision and efficiency of ore detection in complex geological environments. The proposed method employs a specific 3D-CNN architecture, accepting input as a 7×7×C image patch, where C represents the combined number of selected Aster image bands, Principal Component (PC) bands, and computed BR images. To evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method, five distinct image bands combinations, including the proposed bands combination, were tested and evaluated based on the overall accuracy (OA), average accuracy (AA), and kappa coefficient. The results demonstrated that while the incorporation of BR images alongside Aster bands initially seemed promising, it introduced significant confusion in certain classifications, leading to unexpected mis-classification rates. Surprisingly, utilizing solely Aster bands as input parameters yielded higher accuracy rates (OA= 93.13%, AA = 91.96%, Kappa = 90.91%) compared to scenarios involving the integration with band ratios (OA = 87.02%, AA = 79.15, and Kappa = 82.60%) or the integration of BR images to PC bands (OA= 87.78%, AA = 82.39%, Kappa = 83.81%). However, the amalgamation of Aster bands with selected PC bands showed slight improvements in accuracy (OA= 94.65%, AA = 92.93%, Kappa = 93.45%), although challenges in accurately classifying certain features persisted. Ultimately, the proposed combination of Aster bands, PC bands, and BR images (proposed bands combination) presented the most visually appealing and statistically accurate results (OA = 96.95%, AA= 94.87%, and Kappa = 95.93%), effectively addressing misclassifications observed in the other combinations. These findings underscore the synergistic contributions of each of the Aster bands, PC bands, and BR images, with Aster bands proving pivotal for optimal skarn classification, PC bands enhancing intrusions classification accuracy, and BR images strengthening wall rock classification accuracy. In conclusion, the proposed combination of input image bands emerges as a robust and comprehensive methodology, demonstrating unparalleled accuracy in the remote sensing detection of skarn iron minerals.

Recent advances in microscopy imaging and image analysis motivate more and more institutes world-wide to establish dedicated core-facilities for bio-image analysis. To maximize the benefits research groups at these institutes gain from their core-facilities, they should be established to fit well into their respective environment. In this article, we introduce common collaborator requests and corresponding potential services core-facilities can offer. We also discuss potential conflicts of interests between the targeted missions and implementations of services to guide decision makers and core-facility founders to circumvent common pitfalls.

Plastics have become an important environmental concern due to their durability and resistance to degradation. Out of all plastic materials, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are amenable to biological degradation due to the action of microbial polyester hydrolases. The hydrolysis products obtained from PET can thereby be used for the synthesis of novel PET as well as becoming a potential carbon source for microorganisms. In addition, microorganisms and biomass can be used for the synthesis of the constituent monomers of PET from renewable sources. The combination of both biodegradation and biosynthesis would enable a completely circular bio-PET economy beyond the conventional recycling processes. Circular strategies like this could contribute to significantly decrease the environmental impact of our dependence on this polymer. Here we review the efforts made towards turning PET into a viable feedstock for microbial transformations. We highlight current bottlenecks in the degradation of the polymer and the metabolism of the monomers and we showcase fully biological or semisynthetic processes leading to the synthesis of PET from sustainable substrates.

Starting 1994, the debate for regulating organic agriculture in Brazil was officially recognized in May 1999. Still, only in 2003, when the law # 10,831 was instituted, the country reached an effective milestone on organic production, both internally and externally. Since the industry regulation, the legislation underwent many modifications, constantly reviewing and adjusting. The current study examined the institutionalization of organic production in Brazil and what the current regulations can be used as a reference for those interested in this sector. The most recent update of Organic legislation and its implication on practice were also discussed. A case study on production of strawberry in organic system is presented and discussed.

This research delves into a detailed exploration of the thermal decomposition behavior of bio-based polymers, specifically Thermoplastic Starch (TPS) and Poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The study focuses on the impact of three different heating rates under a nitrogen atmosphere, providing comprehensive insights into the thermal stability of these eco-friendly polymers. In particular, the TPS kinetic model is examined, encompassing the decomposition of three distinct fractions. In contrast, PLA exhibits a simplified kinetic behavior requiring only a fraction described by a zero-order model. The kinetic study involves a systematic investigation into the individual contributions of key components within TPS, including starch, glycerin, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). This nuanced analysis contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the thermal degradation process of TPS and PLA, enabling the optimization of processing conditions and the prediction of material behavior across varying thermal environments. Furthermore, the incorporation of different starch sources and calcium carbonate additives in TPS enhances our understanding of the polymer's thermal stability, offering insights into potential applications in diverse industries.

For a considerable length of time synthetic composts are utilized to satisfy the dirt necessity of supplements and yield, however huge measure of these substance manures are hazardous for condition, advantageous microorganisms, creatures, and people also. In this way, natural inviting and savvy biofertilizers are utilized. Biofertilizer are the substances which contain microorganisms those microorganisms might be growths, microscopic organisms, and protozoa which have capacity to build ripeness of soil by Nitrogen obsession, Phosphorous solubilization, and Iron sequestration. These cycles convert insoluble type of supplements into solvent structure and make it accessible to the foundations of plant which effectively take them up and use them. There are assortment of the yields whose profitability can be expanded by applying biofertilizer, for example, rice, oat, and other grain crops. In this audit we experience the method of utilization of biofertilizers, and how the assistance the plants and in which they help.

Polyphenols are well-known health promoting agents, but they have some limitations due to their spontaneous oxidation. This evidence has limited their use as drugs in the last years. In this field, several chemical modifications have been proposed to overcome these restrictions; among these, the esterification seems to be the preferred. Ester derivatives could be able to reduce the bioavailability problems connected to polyphenols. On the other hand, the presence of the esterase enzymes in the body guarantees the ester hydrolysis, which in turn frees the two molecules that make it up. Lipase-catalyzed esterifications afforded several derivatives of flavonoids glycosides, in green conditions. In this short note, pancreatic porcine lipase was firstly used as a cheap bio-catalyst, to synthesize oleoyl derivatives of quercetin in aglycone form. Results demonstrated how the enzyme acyl regioselective in position C-3, with high yields and easy purification processes

With forty years of developments, bio-macromolecule cryo-electron microscopy has met its revolution of resolution and is playing a very important role in structural biology study. According to different specimen states, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) involves three specific techniques, single particle analysis (SPA), electron tomography and sub-tomogram averaging, and electron diffraction. All these three techniques have not realized their full potentials of solving structures of bio-macromolecules and therefore need to be developed in the future. In this review, the current existing bottlenecks of cryo-EM SPA are discussed with theoretical analysis, which includes air-water interface during specimen cryo-vitrification, bio-macromolecular conformational heterogeneity, focus gradient within thick specimen, and electron radiation damage. Besides, potential solutions of these bottlenecks are proposed and discussed, which are worthy of further investigations in the future.

Imperfection sensitivity of large amplitude vibration of curved single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is considered in this study. The SWCNT is modeled as a Timoshenko nano-beam and its curved shape is included as an initial geometric imperfection term in the displacement field. Geometric nonlinearities of von Kármán type and nonlocal elasticity theory of Eringen are employed to derive governing equations of motion of nano-beam. Spatial discretization of governing equations and associated boundary conditions is performed using differential quadrature (DQ) method and the corresponding nonlinear eigenvalue problem is iteratively solved. Effects of value and location of the geometric imperfection, and the nonlocal small-scale parameter on the nonlinear frequency ratio and imperfection sensitivity of a curved SWCNT for various boundary conditions are investigated. The results show that the geometric imperfection plays a significant role in the nonlinear vibration characteristics of curved SWCNTs.

Novel advanced biomaterials have recently gained great attention, especially in surgical minimally invasive techniques. Applying sophisticated design and engineering methods, various elastomer-hydrogel systems (EHS) with outstanding performance have been developed in last decades. Those systems composed of elastomers and hydrogels are very attractive due to their high biocompatibility, injectability, controlled porosity and often antimicrobial properties. Moreover, elastomeric properties and bioadhesiveness are making them suitable for soft tissue engineering. Herein, we present the advances in current state-of-the-art design principles and strategies for strong interface formation inspired by nature (bio-inspiration), diverse properties and applications of elastomer-hydrogel systems in different medical fields, in particular, in tissue engineering. Functionalities of those systems, including adhesive properties, injectability, antimicrobial properties and degradability applicable to tissue engineering will be discussed in a context of future efforts towards development of advanced biomaterials.

Promoter is a small region of DNA sequence in response to various transcription factors, which initiates a particular gene expression. The promoter-engineered bio-sensor can activate or repress gene expression through transcription factor recognizing specific molecules, such as polyamine, sugars, lactams, amino acids, organic acids or redox molecule, however, the reported applications of promoter enhanced bio-sensor are not too much. This review paper highlights the strategies of construction of promoter-gene engineered bio-sensor with human and bacteria’s genetic promoter array for high-throughput screening (HTS) molecular drugs, study of membrane protein’s localization and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling mechanism of regulating factor, enzyme activity, detection of the toxicity of intermediate chemicals, and probing bacteria density to improve value-added product titer. These bio-sensors’s sensitivity and specificity can be further improved by proposed approaches of Mn²⁺ and Mg²⁺ added random Error-prone PCR and site-directed mutagenesis which is applied for construction of bacteria’s “mutant library”. It is expected to establish flexible HTS platform (Bio-sensor array) to large-scale screen transcription factor-acting drugs, reducing the toxicity of intermediate compounds, and constructing gene dynamic regulatory system in “push and pull” mode to effectively regulate the valuable medicinal product production. This proposed novel promoter-engineered biosensors aided synthetic genetic circuit construction will maximize the efficiency of bio-synthesis of medicinal compound, which will greatly promote the development of microbial metabolic engineering and biomedical science.

This paper introduces an ecological approach to quantifying diversity in musical compositions. The approach considers notations with distinct pitches and duration as equivalents of species in ecosystems, measures within a composition as equivalents of ecosystems, and the sum of measures (i.e., the entire composition) as a landscape in which ecosystems are embedded. Structural diversity can be calculated at the level of measures (“alpha diversity”) and the entire composition (“gamma diversity”). An additional metric can be derived that quantifies the structural differentiation between measures in a composition (“beta diversity”). We demonstrate the suitability of the approach in music using specifically composed examples and real songs that vary in complexity. We discuss the potential of the approach with selected examples from a potentially ample spectrum of applications within musicology research. The method seems particularly suitability for hypothesis testing to objectively identify many of the intricate phenomena in music. Because the approach extracts information present in the compositions – it lets the songs tell their structure – it can complement more complex modeling approaches used by music scholars. Combined such approaches provide opportunities for interdisciplinary research. They can help to fill knowledge gaps, stimulate further research and increase our understanding of music.

This study aims to contribute to the characterization of Katangese Copperbelt's mining wastes and soils polluted with trace metals, using pollution indices and direct concentration measurements. The study also evaluated the use of these indices in assessing the success of remediation projects. Analytical data from previous studies and samples collected from six types of discharge and one polluted soil were used to address the first objective. Soil and plant samples were collected at Kipushi and Penga Penga for the second objective. The results revealed very high concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn in all mine tailings and polluted soils, compared with local references. The degree of contamination (DC) values (from 72 to 5440) and potential ecological risk (RI) values (from 549 to 162 091) indicate very high-risk situations associated with polluted discharges and soils. Regarding revegetation trials, the results show lower concentrations and RIs in tree rhizospheres compared with unamended areas at both sites. However, trace metal concentrations are higher in tree rhizospheres compared with local references, and RI values are in the considerable risk range for Penga Penga (RI = 533) and very high (&gt;1500) for Kipushi. Bioconcentration factor values are below 1, indicating low accumulation in roots, wood, and leaves, and low risk of contamination of the trophic chain. In this context, it seems that the pollution indices used are unsuitable for assessing the effectiveness of phytotechnology processes based on metal stabilization. Direct plant performance measurements combined with direct measurements of metals in substrates and plants to assess transfer and efficiency are more appropriate.

Microalgae have emerged as potential feed stock for third generation biofuel and other bioactive compounds. In the present investigation we have evaluated the two native strains of Oscillatoria (O. subbrevis MTC-20702 and O. sancta MTC-20703) isolated from two different fresh water biotopes of Meerut, U.P., India and were subjected for the characterization of generation time, biomass, bio-molecules including Chlorophyll-a, carotenoids, carbohydrate, lipids, phycobilins and proteins. Both strains of Oscillatoria were grown in batch culture till the initiation of declining phase and were harvested on every 10th day of incubation till the starting of declining phase. Result of the present investigation revealed that O. subbrevis MTC-20702 can be potentially exploited for the production of high algal biomass, feed stock for biofuel, Chl-a, carotenoids, c-Allophycocyanin and maximum yield of these bioactive compounds can be achieved on 20th day. However, O. santa could be very good source for c-Phyocyanin, c-Phycoerythrin, carbohydrate and protein and these also can be achieved highest on 20th day of incubation. In addition, as these two strains were isolated from water reservoirs and they can be cultivated in large scale for the production of desired bio-molecules.

Nano medicine seeks to deliver a valuable set of research tools and clinically useful devices in the near future. The current medical field is in dire need of new commercial applications in the pharmaceutical industry that may include advanced drug delivery systems, new therapies, and in vivo imaging. Here in this experimental study, the nano materials used in DNA biosensors like silver nano dots were incorporated as nano biosensors are used for both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The most important step while preparing a DNA biosensor is the immobilization of DNA probe on the surface of a sensing device such as an electrode. The amount of immobilized DNA probe will influence the accuracy sensitivity, selectivity and life of a DNA biosensor directly. Because of the high surface to volume ratio and excellent biological compatibility, nano materials can enlarge the sensing surface area to increase the amount of immobilized DNA and the DNA mixed with nano materials can keep its biologically activity well.In this study,silver nano dots created in our lab were functionalized with thio nucleides and were used as nano sensor probes in bio bar code assays.

This paper investigates the potential of different fermentation feedstocks towards succinic acid production. Three alternative flowsheets were constructed and modelled in SuperPro Designer™, utilizing different fermentation substrates: crude glycerol (a by-product of the biodiesel industry), a commercial 95% glucose syrup and pure glycerol. Techno-economic analysis of the modelled plants showed that all three potential investments can be economically profitable, with the crude glycerol case as the most promising one. The succinic acid production cost for the crude glycerol scenario is estimated at 3.59 $/kg, while a thorough study of the capacity effect to the economics showed that it could drop as low as $2.6 $/kg. Parametric analysis and optimization performed on a flowsheet level, indicated opportunities for lowering the production cost down to 3 $/kg, a value that could pave the framework for a further potential decrease in the selling price of the product.

Model-based design has received considerable attention in biological and chemical industries over the last two decades. However, the parameter uncertainties of first-principle models are critical in model-based design and have led to the development of robustification concepts. Various strategies were introduced to solve the robust optimization problem. Most approaches suffer from either unreasonable computational expense or low approximation accuracy. Moreover, they are not rigorous and do not consider robust optimization problems where parameter correlation and equality constraints exist. In this work, we propose a highly efficient framework for solving robust optimization problems with the so-called point estimation method (PEM). The PEM has a fair trade-off between computation expense and approximation accuracy and can be easily extended to problems of parameter correlations. From a statistical point of view, moment-based methods are used to approximate robust inequality and equality constraints. We also suggest employing the information from global sensitivity analysis to further simplify robust optimization problems with a large number of uncertain parameters. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed framework with two case studies where one is to design a heating/cooling profile for the essential part of a continuous production process and the other is to optimize the feeding profile for a fed-batch reactor of the penicillin fermentation process. The results reveal that the proposed approach can be used successfully for complex (bio)chemical problems in model-based design.

In response to global climate challenges and the increasing demand for energy, exploring renewable energy alternatives has become crucial. Bio-oils, derived from biomass pyrolysis, are emerging as potential replacements for fossil fuel-based liquid fuels. This paper shares findings from the Institute of Energy and Fuel Processing Technology on the quality of crude biomass pyrolysis bio-oil samples. These findings highlight their potential as motor liquid fuels. The article details the results of tests on the physicochemical properties of four distinct bio-oil samples. Additionally, it presents preliminary test results on the hydrodeoxygenation of bio-oils in a batch reactor. The production of homogeneous, stable mixtures using other fuel additives, such as diesel oil, rapeseed methyl ester (RME), and butanol, is also discussed.

These years, disease-causing and disabling diseases have caused great concern. Neurological, musculoskeletal disorders are diverse and affect people of a wide range of ages. And the lack of comprehensive diagnostic methods places a huge burden on healthcare systems and social economies. In this paper, the current status of clinical research on neuromuscular diseases is introduced, and the advantages of magnetic field measurement compared with clinical diagnostic methods are illustrated. The paper makes a comprehensive description about the related technology of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs), magnetic field detection noise suppression scheme, the development trend of sensor detection system, and the application and model establishment of neuromuscular magnetic field. The current researches and developments in the worldwide are compared simultaneously in this paper and finally the conclusions and outlook are put forward. This review will be very interesting and helpful to the scientific community.

The introduction of cancer therapeutics and nanotechnology has resulted in a paradigm shift from conventional therapy to precision medicine. Nanotechnology, an interdisciplinary field with a focus on biomedical applications, holds immense promise in bringing about novel approaches for cancer detection, diagnosis, and therapy. The past decade has witnessed significant research and material applications related to nanoparticles (NPs). NPs differ from small-molecule drugs as they possess unique physicochemical characteristics, such as a large surface-to-volume ratio, enabling them to penetrate live cells efficiently. Traditional cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, have limitations, such as cytotoxicity, lack of specificity, and multiple drug resistance, which pose significant challenges for effective cancer treatment. However, nanomaterials have unique properties that enable new therapeutic modalities beyond conventional drug delivery in the fight against cancer. Moreover, nanoparticles (1-100 nm) have numerous benefits, such as biocompatibility, reduced toxicity, excellent stability, enhanced permeability and retention effect, and precise targeting, making them ideal for cancer treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide consolidated information on various bio-inspired nanoparticles that aid in cancer theragnostics.

The study of the human microbiome is a multidisciplinary area that affects from the field of technology to that of personalized medicine. The possibility of using microbiota biomarkers for the improvement in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases (e.g. cancer), health conditions (e.g. obesity) or clinical parameters (e.g. ageing) has aroused great expectations, also in the scope of bio-electroanalytical chemistry. The well-known advantages of electrochemical transduction: high sensitivity, rapid response and possibility of miniaturization, together with the potential of new nanomaterials to improve both the design of electrode platforms and the performance of the resulting electrochemical biosensors make presumably a huge development in the next few years providing a better understanding of human microbiome entities. In this review article, the recent applications of electrochemical (bio)sensors for monitoring microbial metabolites and biomarkers of diseases related to different types of the human microbiome, with a special focus on the gastrointestinal microbiome, are reviewed. Examples of electrochemical devices applied to real samples are critically discussed as well as the challenges and prospects to be faced.

Molecular communication (MC) is a promising bio-inspired paradigm for exchanging molecule information among nanomachines. This paper proposes a synchronisation-assist photolysis MC system that aims to transmit the bio-sensing signal of the tumour microenvironment, facilitated by mitigating redundant molecules for improved bit error rate (BER) performance. Benefits from bio-compatible MC, biosensors could transmit bio-sensing signals of the tumour in $vivo$ instead of converting them to electrical signals. Due to diffusion motion's slow and stochastic nature, inter-symbol interference (ISI), resulting from previous symbols' residual information molecules, inevitably occurs in diffusion-based MC. ISI is one of the challenges in diffusion-based MC, which significantly impacts signal detection. Inspired by on-off keying (OOK) modulation, the proposed modulation implements a switch of molecules and light alternatively. The light emitted is triggered by a synchronisation signal, and the photolysis reactions could reduce the redundant molecules. An expression for the relevant channel impulse response (CIR) is derived from a hybrid channel model of diffusion and photolysis-reaction. This paper implements the maximum posterior estimation scheme to find the optimal decision threshold and analysis the BER performance in terms of different time intervals of the system. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed method can improve the channel capacity and BER performance. We believe that our work may pave the way for MC application in bio-sensing.

Cranio-maxillofacial structure is a region of particular interest in the field of regenerative medicine due to both its anatomical complexity and the numerous abnormalities affecting this area. However, this anatomical complexity is what makes possible the coexistence of different microbial ecosystems in the oral cavity and the maxillofacial region, contributing to the increased risk of bacterial infections. In this regard, different materials have been used for their application in this field. These materials can be obtained from natural and renewable feedstocks or by synthetic routes with desired mechanical properties, biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity. Hence, in this review, we have focused on bio-based polymers, which by their own nature, by chemical modifications of their structure, or by their combination with other elements, provide a useful antibacterial activity as well as the suitable conditions for cranio-maxillofacial tissue regeneration. This approach has not been reviewed previously, and we have specifically arranged the content of this article according to the resulting material and its corresponding application, reviewing guided bone regeneration membranes; bone cements; and devices and scaffolds for both soft and hard maxillofacial tissue regeneration, including hybrid scaffolds, dental implants, hydrogels and composites.

In our study we investigated the accelerated aging process of PLA under 253.7 nm UV-C irradiation with the use of GPC, NMR, FTIR, DSC methods and formal kinetic analysis. The results of GPC and DSC indicated a significant degree of destructive changes in PLA macromol-ecules, while spectroscopic methods NMR and FTIR showed maintenance of PLA main structural elements even after a long time of UV exposure. In addition to that, the GPC method displayed the formation of a high-molecular fraction starting from 24 hours of irradiation, and an increase in its content after 144 hours of experiment. It has been showed for the first time that a distinctive feature of prolonged UV exposure is the occurrence of intra- and intermolecular radical recom-bination reactions, leading to the formation of a high-molecular fraction of PLA decomposition products. This causes the observed slowdown of the photolysis process. It was concluded that photolysis of PLA is a complex of physicochemical processes, the mechanism of which depends on morphological changes in a solid phase of the polymer under UV radiation.

Limiting harm to organisms via genetic sampling is an important consideration for rare species. Nondestructive sampling techniques have been developed to address this issue in freshwater mussels. Two methods, visceral swabbing and tissue biopsies, have proven to be effective for DNA sampling, though it is unclear as to which method is preferable for genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Tissue biopsies may cause undue stress and damage to organisms, while visceral swabbing potentially reduces the chance of such harm. Our study compared the efficacy of these two DNA sampling methods for generating GBS data for the Unionid freshwater mussel, Texas Pigtoe (Fusconaia askewi). Our results find both methods generate quality sequence data, though some considerations are in order. Tissue biopsies produced significantly higher DNA concentrations and larger numbers of reads when compared to swabs, though there was no significant association between starting DNA concentration and number of reads generated. Swabbing produced greater sequence depth (more reads per sequence) while tissue biopsies revealed greater coverage across the genome (at lower sequence depth). Patterns of genomic variation as characterized in principal component analyses were similar regardless of the sampling method, suggesting that the less invasive swabbing is a viable option for producing quality GBS data in these organisms.

The species and bio-availability of phosphorus (P) in primary, secondary and digested sludge were fractionated and further analyzed in this study. Results showed that inorganic P (IP) was the primary P fraction in the secondary sludge and digested sludge, in which non-apatite IP (NAIP) amounted to 91.6% and 69.3% of IP, respectively. Organic P (OP), accounting for about 71.7% of total P (TP), was the dominant P composition in primary sludge. The content of bio-available P was about 9.7, 43.4, 29.8 mg-P/g-TS in primary sludge, secondary sludge and digested sludge, respectively, suggesting secondary sludge is the optimal choice when land application of sewage sludge is taken into consideration, followed by digested sludge and primary sludge. Polyphosphate and orthophosphate, comprising approximately 54.3% and 89.2% of TP, was the dominant P species in the secondary sludge and digested sludge, respectively. Monoester-P (54.6% of TP in extract) and diester- P (24.1%) were identified as OP species in primary sludge by Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (31PNMR). The present results would be helpful for P recovery and recycle from sewage sludge in wastewater treatment plant.

Despite the development of biorefinery processes, so far this area does not take into account the possibility of coupling the “conventional” composting process with the production of biochemicals. However, net carbon monoxide (CO) production has been observed during bio-waste composting. So far, O2 concentration and temperature have been identified as main variables influencing CO formation. This study aimed to investigate the CO net production during bio-waste composting under controlled laboratory conditions, depending on different aeration rates and temperatures. A series of composting processes were carried out in conditions ranging from ~psychrophilic to thermophilic (T=35, 45, 55, and 65°C) and an aeration rate of 2.7, 3.4, 4.8, and 7.8 L‧h-1. The highest concentrations of CO in each thermal variant was achieved with oxygen deficit (aeration rate 2.7 L‧h-1); additionally, CO levels increased with temperature, reaching ~300 ppm at 65°C. Production of CO in mesophilic and thermophilic conditions draws attention to the biological CO formation by microorganisms capable of producing the CODH enzyme. Further research on the CO production efficiency in these thermal ranges is necessary with the characterization of the microbial community and analysis of the ability of the identified bacteria to produce the CODH enzyme and convert CO from CO2.

In this paper, modelling, simulation and verification of multi-agent manufacturing system with application of bio-inspired techniques are addressed. To this end, the new solution of abstract architecture for control and coordination decentralized systems - CODESA is suggested. Centralized architecture suffers from various problems, such as rigidity, scalability, low fault-tolerance or very limited flexibility, agility, energy efficiency and productivity. Prime is concrete application of CODESA in manufacturing domain. The undesirable characteristics of emergent behaviour are the problem to achieve optimization and impossibility to predict future states of the system. CODESA-Prime has been tested by simulations for automatic guided vehicle (AGV) systems guided by magnetic tape in Ella Software Platform.

The rapid increasing rate of soil and water bodies pollution is the main anthropogenic effect caused by the mismanagement of post-consumer plastics. This research evaluated the effectiveness of cattail (Typha Latifolia) fibers (CFs) as bio-adsorbents of microplastic particles (MPPs) from wastewater. The effect of the adsorption environment composition on the adsorption rate was investigated. Batch tests were conducted to evaluate the “spontaneous” adsorption of MPs onto CFs. Five MPPs materials (PVC, PP, LDPE, HDPE, and Nylon 6) were evaluated. An industrial wastewater (PW) and Type II Distilled Water (DW) were employed as adsorption environments. The batch tests results show that CFs are effective in removing MPPs from DW and PW. However, higher removal percentage of MPPs were obtained in PW, ranging from 89% to 100% for PVC, PP, LDPE, and HDPE; while the adsorption of Nylon 6 increased to 29.9%, a removal increased of 50%. These observations indicate that hydrophobic interactions drive the “spontaneous and instantaneous” adsorption process and that adjusting the adsorption environment effectively enhances the MPPs removal rate. This research demonstrates the important role that bio-substrates can play in reducing the environmental pollution as efficient, sustainable, low cost, and reliable adsorbents for the removal of MPPs from wastewaters.

In this work, we describe the optimization of carbon-based electrodes employed in Bio-Electrochemical Systems (BES) by the deposition on commercial carbon paper electrodes of nanostructured layers of poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxy-thiophene) poly(styrene-sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) via Ultrasonic Spray Coating (USC). This innovative application of USC allowed us to demon-strate that uniform and controlled depositions of PEDOT:PSS can be successfully obtained on car-bon-based electrodes. We characterized the morphology and verified the spatial uniformity of depositions via scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Electrochemical charac-terizations on fabricated electrodes demonstrated a more than two-fold increase in electrochemi-cal active surface area with respect to bare carbon paper. A lab-scale experiments on BES was performed selecting Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) as the reference devices. Devices featuring USC-deposited PEDOT:PSS electrodes showed a three-fold higher Energy recovery with respect to con-trol cells, reaching a maximum value of (13 ± 2) J·m−3. Furthermore, the optimal PEDOT:PSS con-centration for the MFCs improvement is in line with the values reported in the literature for other deposition methods. In conclusion, this work demonstrates that USC is a promising technique for application in BES.

Nowadays, there is evidence that bacteria can contribute to cancer formation and interfere with therapy by mediating its carcinogenesis and related infection. Moreover, it is acknowledged that microbial infections and antibiotic resistance represent severe economic and health risks to society. These facts have led to the developing of several new techniques for impeding crucial biological processes in microbial cells. One of these techniques centers on using metal-chelating agents, which can disrupt the microorganism's vital metal metabolism by obstructing metal uptake and bioavailability for critical reactions. Additionally, nanotechnology has made a wide range of nanomaterials available for possible uses in the antibacterial industry. This complex field is shaped by antimicrobial nanoparticles, also investigated as therapeutic and drug-delivery tools. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are naturally occurring tubular clay nanomaterials consisting of aluminosilicate kaolin sheets rolled up several times. The aluminon and siloxane groups on the surface of HNTs facilitate the formation of hydrogen bonds with biomaterials on their surface. These properties make HNTs crucial in a wide range of applications, such as in environmental sciences, wastewater treatment, dye removal, nanoelectronics and nanocomposite fabrication, catalytic studies, coatings for glass or anti-corrosive coatings, cosmetics, flame retardants, stimulus-response, and in forensic sciences. This work aimed to produce an antibacterial material by combining the properties of halloysite nanotubes with the ability of kojic acid to chelate iron. Starting from kojic acid, a simple nucleophilic substitution involving the hydroxyl groups on the surface of the nanotubes was performed. The obtained material was characterized by IR and SEM, and its ability to chelate iron was evaluated. Finally, the capacity to load drugs such as resveratrol and curcumin was also evaluated by UV analysis. In this way, a new bio-based material that can be used as a drug carrier and antimicrobial was produced.

The search for fundamental determinants of bio-molecular chirality is a hot topic in biology, clarifying the meaning of evolution and the enigma of life's origin. Non-biological and biological entities obey the universal laws of nature grounded on space-time symmetry (STS) transformations. The fabric of STS is the immense subject of our review. The symmetry, encompassing behavior of elementary particles and galaxy structure, imposes its fundamental laws on all hierarchical levels of the biological world. Objects across spatial scales may be classified as chiral or achiral concerning a specific space-related symmetry transformation - mirror reflection. Chirality as a symmetry element reflecting the property of asymmetry (or dissymmetry) is the critical structural feature of natural systems, including sub-atomic particles and living matter. The inheritance of molecular symmetry from the symmetry of elementary particles points to the bi-directional causal pathway of prevalent bio-chirality. We assume that both extremities of spatial dimension naturally influence this transitional state of biological matter. The current review promotes an integrative holistic approach to the new experimental results in fast-developing and divergent branches of STS and biological chirality. The generalized view on biological chirality is a necessary and promising avenue for adequately understanding the link between protein folding, cell morphology, neuronal signaling, and laterality of cognitive functions.

Organically-coated nanomaterials are intensively studied and find numerous applications in a wide range of areas ranging from optics to biomedicine. One of the recent trends in material science is the application of bio-mimetic polydopamine coatings that can be produced on a variety of substrates in a cost-efficient way under mild conditions. Such coatings not only modify the biocompatibility of the material but also add functional amino groups to the surface that can be further modified by classic conjugation techniques. Here we show an alternative strategy of substrates modification using not dopamine but dopamine conjugates. Compared to the classic scheme the proposed strategy allows for separation of the "organic" and "colloidal" stages and simplifies identification and purification steps. Modification with pre-modified dopamine allowed to achieve high active components loading up to 10.5% wt. A series of organo-inorganic hybrids were synthesized and their bioactivity was analyzed.

This paper presents a novel micro-segmented genetic algorithm (μsGA) to identify the best solution for the locomotion of a quadruped robot designed on a rectangular ABS plastic platform. We compare our algorithm with three similar algorithms found in the specialized literature: a standard genetic algorithm (GA), a micro-genetic algorithm (μGA), and a micro artificial immune system (μAIS). The quadruped robot prototype guarantees the same conditions for each test. The platform was developed using 3D printing for the structure and can accommodate the mechanisms, sensors, servomechanisms as actuators. It also has an internal battery and a multicore embedded system (mES) to process and control the robot locomotion. This research proposes a μsGA that segments the individual into specific bytes. μGA techniques are applied to each segment to reduce the processing time; the same benefits as the GA are obtained, while the use of a computer and the high computational resources characteristic of the GA are avoided. This is the reason why some research in robot locomotion is limited to simulation. The results show that the performance of μsGA is better than the three other algorithms (GA, μGA and AIS). The processing time was reduced using a mES architecture that enables parallel processing, meaning that the requirements for resources and memory were reduced. This research solves the problem of continuous locomotion of a quadruped robot, and gives a feasible solution with real performance parameters using a μsGA bio-micro algorithm and a mES architecture.

Driven by environmental sustainability concerns, the integration of biobased components in curtain wall systems is gaining traction in both research and the construction market. This paper explores the development and validation of a bio-based façade system within the Basajaun H2020 project. The project aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of introducing environmentally friendly bio-based components into the mature curtain wall façade industry. The paper focuses on identifying technological solutions for replacing key components such as profiles, insulation, and the tightness system with bio-based and less environmental impact alternatives presenting the results achieved in the façade system design of the Basajaun project funded by European Union. These solutions aimed at creating a bio-composite-based curtain wall façade that adheres to current building envelope standards and normative; to implement diverse façade typologies for vision panels, opaque sections, and integrated windows; to engineer the prefabrication process for industrialization, enabling wider market replication and simplified transport and installation. The results demonstrate that the Basajaun façade successfully integrates selected components and meets the performance requirements set by regulations. However, questions remain regarding the workability of bio-based profiles as a commercially viable, ready-to-market solution that can replace traditional aluminum profiles in the curtain wall façade industry.

Castor oil may be differentiated from other non-edible vegetable oils because of its main composition of hydroxylated fatty acids. Ricinoleic acid comprises 80–90% wt. of fatty acids in castor oil (Ricinus communis). In this study, the thermo-oxidative stability and tribological behavior of bio-based lubricant samples synthesized from castor oil using isoamyl alcohol were evaluated. Initially, the compositional and physicochemical properties of the obtained samples were assessed using 1H NMR, FTIR, and ASTM methods. Oxidative stability of the samples was evaluated using Rancimat method at 110 °C under air flow. The final biolubricant sample (BL2), obtained after esterification, epoxidation, and oxirane rings opening reactions, presented an oxidation stability time (OST) of 14.3 h. The thermal stability was also evaluated by thermogravimetry (TG) from the mass variations under inert and oxidative atmosphere. BL2 showed higher thermal stability compared to the other samples, demonstrating higher decomposition temperatures in both inert (339.04 °C) and oxidative (338.47 °C) atmospheres, for a mass loss of 50%. The tribological properties of the samples were evaluated using a four-ball tribometer configuration. The BL1 and BL2 samples exhibited lower friction coefficients than the mineral oil sample (MOS) by 21.5% and 43.1%, respectively. Regarding wear, the observed wear scar diameter (WSD) was also lower in BL1 and BL2 compared to MOS by 5.2% and 40.4%, respectively. The results of the tribological evaluation suggest that both samples obtained in this study have promising potential for applications in lubricating machines and mechanical systems.

The purpose of this research work was to synthesis bio-derived nanocomposite films by incorporating Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT) nanoparticles into Chitosan matrix. The NBT nanoparticles were synthesized using a traditional solid-state technique. Then, through a solution casting approach, flexible composite films were fabricated using Chitosan polymer. The morphology and structural assessments were carried out utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction and fourier transform infrared technique. The SEM micrographs showed that NBT nanoparticles were randomly distributed and interconnected with other particles, forming interconnected grains with substantial interspaces within the matrix. The spectral response between 300 and 800 nm of the composites is mainly governed by light scattering of NBT particles with diameter sizes in the 100 - 400 nm range and the bandgap of the NBT phase. The dielectric studies demonstrated that the composite films exhibited higher dielectric values compared to the pure Chitosan film. Besides, the increase of NBT amount was found to increase the dielectric values. Additionally, local piezoelectric measurements reveal the expected piezoelectric and ferroelectric behavior for the NBT particles dispersed into the polymer matrix, as locally probed by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy. The studied system bears interest for advanced biocompatible opto- and piezo-electric materials.

Air pollution is responsible for any adverse effects on human beings. Thermal discomfort, on the other hand, is able to overload the human body and eventually provoke health implications due to the heat imbalance. Methods: The aim of the present work is to study the behavior of two bio-climatic indexes and statistical characteristics of the air quality index for Sofia city - the capital of Bulgaria for the period 2008 - 2014. The study is based on WRF-CMAQ model system simula-tions with a spatial resolution of 1 kilometer. The air quality is estimated by the air quality index, taking into account the influence of different pollutants and the thermal conditions by two indi-ces, respectively, for hot and cold weather. Results: It was found that half of the heat and cold index categories are present in the simulations. Their distribution has some spatial features. All air quality categories are present in the domain, with dominance only of the O3 and PM10. Conclu-sions: It was found that Sofia is not so hot and air polluted place, but in some situations, people have to have some concerns when intend to be outdoors for a prolonged time.

The quality and safety of fermented milk products, which make up a sizeable portion of human nutrition, are greatly influenced by both the milk itself and the starting cultures employed to ferment it. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) create a variety of metabolites throughout the fermentation process, altering the organoleptic properties of the substrates. The final product’s nutritional value and digestibility are enhanced by fermentation of the raw materials, which also adds vitamins, vital amino acids, and fatty acids. The quality and safety of fermented milk products, which make up a sizeable portion of human nutrition, are greatly influenced by both the milk itself and the starting cultures employed to ferment it. The inhibition of the growth of pathogenic microbes, which lowers the likelihood of the emergence of foodborne diseases, is another crucial function of LAB. A variety of pathogenic bacteria are frequently present in raw (unpasteurized) milk, and other raw materials; these pathogenic bacteria should be removed during the fermentation process. As a result, a variety of LAB metabolites, such as hydrogen peroxide, organic acids, and bacteriocins, function as bio preservative agents, enhancing food safety and lengthening the shelf life of the finished products.

This work aims to investigate the effect of process temperature and catalyst content by pyrolysis and thermal catalytic cracking of (organic matter + paper) fraction from municipal household solid waste (MHSW) on the yields of reaction products (bio-oil, bio-char, H2O, and gas), acid value and chemical composition of bio-oils, and characterization of bio-chars, in laboratory scale. The collecting sectors of MHSW in the municipality of Belém-Pará-Brazil were chosen based on geographic and socio-economic database. The MHSW collected and transported to the segregation area. The gravimetric analysis of MHSW carried out and the fractions (Paper, Cardboard, Tetra Pack, Hard Plastic, Soft Plastic, Metal, Glass, Organic Matter, and Inert) separated. The selected organic matter and paper submitted to pre-treatment of crushing, drying, and sieving. The experiments carried out at 400, 450, and 475 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, and at 475 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, using 5.0, 10.0, and 15.0% (wt.) Ca(OH)2, in batch mode. The bio-oil characterized for acid value. The chemical functions present in bio-oil identified by FT-IR and the composition by GC-MS. The bio-char characterized by SEM, FT-IR and XRD. The variance in mass (wt.%) for organic fraction of municipal household solid waste, between 56.21 and 67.45% (wt.), lies with the interval of 56% (wt.) and 64% (wt.) of OFMHSW for middle and low income countries. The pyrolysis of MHSW fraction (organic matter + paper) show bio-oil yields between 2.63 and 9.41% (wt.), aqueous phase yields between 28.58 and 35.08% (wt.), solid phase yields between 35.29 and 45.75% (wt.), and gas yields between 16.54 and 26.72% (wt.). The bio-oil yield increases with pyrolysis temperature. For the catalytic cracking, the bio-oil and gas yields increase slightly with CaO content, while that of bio-char decreases, and the H2O phase remains constant. The GC-MS of liquid reaction products identified the presence of hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, cycloalkanes, and aromatics) and oxygenates (carboxylic acids, ketones, esters, alcohols, phenols, and aldehydes), as well as compounds containing nitrogen, including amides and amines. The acidity of bio-oil decreases with increasing process temperature and with aid Ca(OH)2 as catalyst. The concentration of hydrocarbons in bio-oil increases with increasing Ca(OH)2-to-MHSW fraction ratio due to the catalytic deoxygenation of fatty acids molecules, by means of de-carboxylation/de-carbonylation, producing aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons.

In the dairy industry a fundamental role is played by an efficient milk production, therefore even a slight shrinking in the production might have a significant consequence both on the industry profits and on the society. Milk is, in fact, one of the most common foods, and a fundamental support in the nutrition so that the lacking of milk should be avoided. An efficient milk production depends on various factors, but in particular it depends on the good health and supply of the dairy cow. However, in order to increase the milk production, cows are overfeed thus increasing their weight. Unfortunately, the overweight of the cows might easily damage their bones. In particular, the knee bones are fragile and they can easily swell and break. In order to analyze the knee bones and to compute a threshold leading to a damage, in this paper we study a bio-mechanical model of the knee joint and study the corresponding dynamical system. A novel dynamical model of dairy cow leg is constructed, in which the knee is represented by a complex structure of sliding and rolling. Then, the dynamic characteristics of the structure is analyzed by some numerical simulation. The results of the experiments shows that the solutions of the dynamical system might lead to a chaotic behavior. The evolution to chaos it explains the rising of various pathological features thus reducing the milk production.

Soil is a treasure trove of microbial variety, and bio-inoculants have the potential to improve the performance of horticultural crops under biotic and abiotic stress by boosting soil microbial diversity. Bio-inoculants are being developed to increase the diversity of soil microbes. The combined effects of bio-inoculants, on the other hand, result in the expansion of vegetation in the surrounding environment. Previous study on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus has shown the existence of agronomic and biochemical characteristics in horticultural crop species (AMF). Through the development of enhanced technologies for the analysis of RNA or DNA from soil, we may acquire a deeper knowledge of the microbiological diversity and functions of the planet, which are difficult to find using traditional societal approaches. It is not possible to uncover a full database of purposeful genetics, which includes both soil microorganisms and deliberate genetics. This is true for almost every soil type or circumstance. As a result of this review, this study offers suggestions for the use of bio-inoculants, the benefits of doing so, regular research strategies, and long-term research directions.

Delipidation is a method of defatting that is generally associated with the removal of residual lipids or lipid groups from matrices in which they are present in minute quantities. The bio-delipidation of protein-rich poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) pre-treated with a dissolved air flotation (DAF) system was developed using microbial lipases from bacterial strains isolated from the PSW. The efficacy of the bio-delipidation system was quantitatively characterised by comparing the quality parameters i.e., fats, oil and grease (FOGs), turbidity, total suspended solutes (TSS), total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) and protein concentration of the DAF pre-treated PSW and bio-lipidized samples. As hypothesised, the bio-delipidation system was able to effectively reduce the levels of these quality parameters when crude lipases of Bacillus cereus AB1 (BF3) and Bacillus cereus CC-1 (B30) strains were used. Strain-dependent quality characteristics were also observed in bio-delipidized samples. The study successfully managed to complement physical reduction techniques (DAF) with biological strategies (bio-delipidation) for improved PSW quality, with potential industrial applications.

The processing of fossil fuels is the major environmental issue today which should be lessen. Biomass is gaining much interest these days as an alternate to energy generation. Lignocellulosic biomass (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) is abundant and has been used for a variety of purposes. Among them, the lignin polymer having phenyl-propanoid subunits linked together through C-C bonds or ether linkages, can produce numerous chemicals. It can be depolymerized by microbial activity together with certain enzymes (laccases and peroxidases). Both acetic acid and formic acid production by certain fungi contribute significantly to lignin depolymerization. Natural organic acids production by fungi has many key roles in nature that are strictly dependent upon organic acid producing fungus type. Fungal enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic is beneficial over other physiochemical processes. Laccases, the copper containing proteins oxidize a broad spectrum of inorganic as well as organic compounds but most specifically phenolic compounds by radical catalyzed mechanism. Similarly, lignin peroxidases (LiP), the heme containing proteins perform a vital part in oxidizing a wide variety of aromatic compounds with H₂O_2. Lignin depolymerization yields value-added compounds, the important ones are BTX (Benzene, Xylene and Toluene) and phenols as well as certain polymers like polyurethane and carbon fibers. Thus, this review will provide a concept that biological modifications of lignin using acidophilic microbes can generate certain value added and environment friendly chemicals.

This study investigated different conditions for the hydrothermal co-liquefaction (co-HTL) of sugarcane bagasse and residual cooking soybean oil, with and without the presence of ethanol as a cosolvent to maximize the bio-crude yield. All co-HTL reactions were carried out in a 300 mL Parr® reactor at temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 °C. Bio-crude yields of around 95 wt.% were obtained at 300 °C using ethanol and water as solvents. The highest biochar yield (16.6 wt.%) was achieved when using only sugarcane bagasse as substrate, without the presence of soybean oil. Bio-crude samples obtained at higher temperatures (280 °C and 300 °C) using ethanol as a hydrogen donor presented higher contents of both free fatty acids and fatty acid ethyl esters. This work presents a promising process to produce high-quality bio-crude using an abundant feedstock (sugarcane bagasse) in the presence of a lipid source which could cause environmental problems if poorly handled.

Considering the current energy environment, both efficient and environmentally friendly solutions have to be developed for building construction. Bio-based building materials offer new perspectives through their insulating and natural humidity regulation capacities. Nevertheless, these materials are as complex as they are promising and grey areas still remain regarding their behavior. Their water sorption and desorption curves recorded in experimental work demonstrate a hysteresis phenomenon and, although plausible hypotheses have been formulated in the literature, there is currently no consensus on its causes. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that no reference considers the hydrophilic nature of the resource. Yet this is a specificity of raw material coming from the plant world. In this context, this paper explores the microstructure and chemical composition of plant aggregates to propose a new explanation for the hysteresis. It is based on recent work demonstrating the existence of differentiated hydrogen bonds between the water sorption and desorption phase in cellulose. Obviously, hysteresis also has an origin at the molecular scale. Lastly, the hypothesis put forward here is supported by the swelling of bio-based materials that has been observed at high relative humidity and this study aims to identify a link between the mechanical (swelling/shrinking) of bio-based materials and their hygroscopic behavior. This leads to a better understanding of the hydro-mechanical coupling of these materials.

High quantities of wastewater produced from producing natural gas and oil from the aquifer, which called produced water. The produced water was comprised of dissolved solids, suspended solids, emulsified oil, and organic and inorganic compounds. That should be treated it's before disposal because it causes harm to the environment. This study takes the produced water from the southern Iraqi oilfield drilling company to adsorption by the Cane papyrus as natural and low-cost adsorbent. The analysis completed by using Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, EDX spectra and Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) for Cane papyrus. Investigating the effect of many parameters such as adsorbent dosage, temperature, solution pH, mixer speed and contact time. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Harkins-Henderson isotherm models were tested, the results were 0.998,0.966, 0.931 and 0.966 respectively. The Langmuir model was more suitable described the adsorption process than the other models. The kinetics results were, 0.984 for Pseudo-first-order, 0.938 for Pseudo-second order is, 0.979 for Intra particle diffusion study and 0.912 for the Elovich model, the Pseudo-first-order kinetic equation best described the kinetics of the reaction. The thermodynamics study effect temperature changes on the thermodynamic parameters such as standard free energy change (∆G°), standard enthalpy change (∆H°) and standard entropy change (∆S°). The experimental data obtained demonstrated that Cane papyrus is a suitable adsorbent for removing oil from produced water.

Magnesium and its alloys are not normally used as bio-resorbable temporary implants due to their high and uncontrolled degradation rate in physiological liquid environment. The improvement of corrosion resistance to simulated body fluids (SBF) of a Magnesium alloy (AZ31) coated with poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and contact angle measurements were used to characterize surface morphology, material composition and wettability, respectively. pH modification of the SBF corroding medium, mass of Mg2+ ions released, and weight loss of the samples exposed to the SBF solution, and electrochemical experiment were used to describe the corrosion process and its kinetics. Materials biocompatibility was described by evaluating the effect of corrosion by products collected in the SBF equilibrating solution on hemolysis ratio, cytotoxicity, Nitric Oxide (NO), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). The results showed that the PHB coating can diffusively control the degradation rate of Magnesium alloy improving its biocompatibility: hemolysis rate of materials was lower than 5%, while in vitro Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells（HUVECs) compatibility experiments showed that PHB coated Mg alloy promoted cell proliferation and had no effect on the NO content, the T-AOC was enhanced compared with the normal group and bare AZ31 alloy. PHB coated AZ31 Magnesium alloy extraction fluids have a less toxic behavior due to the lower concentration of corrosion by-products deriving from the diffusion control exerted by the PHB coating films both from metal surface to the solution and vice versa. These findings provide more reference value for the selection of such system as tunable bioresorbable prosthetic materials

Bacteria a Microscopic organisms are the most inexhaustible and flexible of microorganisms and constitute a huge division of the whole living earthly biomass, certain microorganisms were found to amass metallic components at a high limit Was Known as Bacterial Bio-sorption Due to their little size, capacity to become under controlled conditions, and their Accommodation to an extensive variety of ecological situations; Potent metal bio-sorbents among microorganisms, at low pH esteems, cell divider ligands are protonated and contend essentially with metals for official. With expanding pH, more ligands, such as amino and carboxyl groups, could be exposed, leading to attraction between these negative charges and the metals, and consequently increment bio-sorption onto the cell surface. Starting with Isolation and identification of heavy metal-resistant bacteria from rock Ore. Studying Factors Affecting Uranium Bio-sorption, Optimization of bacterial growth conditions and optimum for metal uptake by free and immobilized bacterial cells and Desorption ratio of uranium ions adsorbed by Coli. /alginate, All this evidence suggest that functions groups Represented in our study are responsible for metal uptake in our bacterial biomass beside change in peaks position which assigned for it's groups confirm bio-sorption of metal ions from waste due to ions charge interaction comparing with immobilized we found increase in no of binding sites indicate that immobilized bacterial have high efficiency for metal up take which also change in peaks position which assigned for its groups confirm bio-sorption of metal ions from waste due to ions charge interaction, Where the high bio-sorption yield obtained by bacteria, the Uranium & heavy metal bioremediation process expects microorganisms to be joined to a strong surface.

In recent years, new metaheuristic algorithms have been developed taking as reference the inspiration on biological and natural phenomena. This nature-inspired approach for algorithm development has been widely used by many researchers in solving optimization problem. These algorithms have been compared with the traditional ones algorithms and have demonstrated to be superior in complex problems. This paper attempts to describe the algorithms based on nature, that are used in fuzzy clustering. We briefly describe the optimization methods, the most cited nature-inspired algorithms published in recent years, authors, networks and relationship of the works, etc. We believe the paper can serve as a basis for analysis of the new are of nature and bio-inspired optimization of fuzzy clustering.

Recent research has highlighted associations between sleep and microbial taxa and pathways. However, the causal effect of these associations remains unknown. To investigate this, we performed a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using summary statistics of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) from 412 gut microbiome traits (N = 7,738) and GWAS studies from seven sleep-associated traits (N = 345,552 to 386577). We employed multiple MR methods to assess causality, with Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) as the primary method. We further applied Cochran’s Q statistical analysis, MR-Egger intercept, and MR-PRESSO for heterogeneity and pleiotropy assessment, alongside a Bonferroni correction ((P

Antler is the fastest growing tissue. Because is based on proto-oncogenes, to avoid the risk of cancer, antlers evolved strong anticancer mechanisms, and thus its extract (DVA) is effective also against the few human tumours studied so far. We assessed whether DVA is a general anticancer compound testing direct effects in cells of different tumours: glioblastoma (GBM), colorectal and breast cancer, and leukaemia. DVA reduced viability of tumour but not healthy cells. Mobility decreased at least at the longest test (72 h). Intraperitoneal/oral 200 mg DVA/kg administration in GBM xenograft mice for 28 d reduced tumour weight 66.3% and 61.4% respectively, and also spleen weight. In addition, tumours treated with DVA showed symptoms of liquefactive necrosis. Serum cytokines showed DVA up-regulated factors related with tumour fighting and down-regulated those related with inducing immune tolerance to the tumour. DVA shows general anticancer effects in the lines tested and, in GBM mice, also strong indirect effects apparently mediated by the immune system.

Coronaviruses are highly transmissible and pathogenic viruses for humans and animals. The vast quantity of information collected about SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic helped to unveil details on the mechanisms behind the infection, which are still largely elusive. Recent research demonstrated that different class I/II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles might define an individual susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 spreading, contributing to the differences in the distribution of the infection through different populations; additional studies suggested that the homolog of the HLA in cats, the Feline Leukocyte Antigen (FLA), plays a pivotal role in the transmission of viruses. With these premises, this study aimed to exploit a bioinformatic approach for the prediction of the transmissibility potential of two distinct Feline Coronaviruses (FCoVs) in domestic cats (Feline enteric Coronavirus, FeCV and Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus, FIPV) using SARS-CoV-2 as the reference model. We performed an epitope mapping of nonapeptides deriving from SARS-CoV-2, FeCV and FIPV glycoproteins and predicted their affinities for different alleles included in the three main loci in class I FLAs (E, H and K). The predicted complexes with the most promising affinities were then subjected to molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations to provide insights into the stability and binding energies in the cleft. Results showed the FLA proteins encoded by alleles in FLA-I H (H*00501 and H*00401) and E (E*01001 and E*07001) loci are largely responsive to several epitopes deriving from replicase and spike proteins of the analyzed coronaviruses. The analysis of the most affine epitope sequences resulting from the prediction can stimulate the development of anti-FCoV immunomodulatory strategies based on peptide drugs.

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) have been utilised to forecast the foreign exchange market (Forex). However, such models usually exhibit unstable behaviour, as data perturbations often downgrade the functionality of the entire network due to their monolithic architecture. Hence, this study proposes a novel neuroscience-informed modular network applied to the closing prices and the sentiments retrieved from Yahoo Finance and Twitter APIs, aiming to anticipate better price fluctuations in Euro to British Pound Sterling (EUR/GBP) rather than monolithic methods. The proposed model is based on a new modular CNN, replacing pooling layers with orthogonal kernel initialisation RNNs coupled with Monte Carlo Dropout (MCD), namely MCoRNNMCD. It combines two modules: i) a convolutional simple RNN and ii) a convolutional Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), where orthogonality and MCD are added to reduce the overfitting, assessing each module's uncertainty. These parallel feature extraction modules concatenate their outputs to a final three-layer Artificial Neural Network (ANN) decision-making module. A comprehensive comparison viewing objective evaluation metrics such as the Mean Square Error (MSE) proved that the proposed MCoRNNMCD-ANN outperformed single CNN, LSTM, GRU, and the state-of-the-art hybrid BiCuDNNLSTM, CLSTM, CNN-LSTM, and LSTM-GRU in forecasting hourly EUR/GBP closing price fluctuations.

Cashew nut shells (CNS) are the primary waste produced during the processing of cashew nuts; and needs constant attention to handle or valorize these wastes effectively. As a result, these CNS wastes are processed into solid briquettes citing their significant calorific content, thus making them as a promising renewable biofuel for combustion based applications. In most cases, these wastes are pre-treated either through de-oiling or carbonizing prior to compaction, thus removing the harmful hydrocarbons present in them in form of CNS liquids. Presently, this chapter focus on summarising various data related to these CNS wastes and their briquettes in terms of their availability, chemical characteristics, pre-treatment and processing technique, fuel and combustion properties as reported in various literatures. Here, availability depicts the current trend in global consumption of these snack nuts and the proportionate amount of waste shells produced; while, chemical characteristics focused on discussing their anatomy, proximate, lignocellulosic and elemental compositions. Following this, pre-treatment and processing techniques list out the various practises followed to remove CNSL, process de-oiled CNS cakes into bio-char through carbonization, and briquetting of pre-treated CNS wastes along with their compacting techniques prescribed by various researchers. Lastly, fuel and combustion properties brief out about the fuel traits of developed CNS briquettes along with their burning characteristics; and include parameters like proximate and elemental compositions, density and compressive strength, and results related to their combustion and water boiling tests. Moreover, all the reported results and data in this study were in accordance with the international testing standards; and ranged in between their permissible range.

Rice is considered as the most important crop for most of the world population. Utilization of seaweed as bio-stimulant can be an alternative way to enhance rice plant growth and productivity, as well as a strategic move to reduce the use of inorganic fertilizer that is harmful to the environment. Seaweed and its derivative products have been widely used as bio-stimulant in the agricultural industry because of their potential use in increasing plant growth and productivity. Auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinin are some of growth regulators found in seaweed extract, as well as macro and micronutrients required for plant growth and development. Several studies have found that seaweed extract has a variety of favorable effects as a plant growth promoter, including early seed germination and establishment, improved nutritional quality, increased yield and crop performance, and increased tolerance to environmental stress. The purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive overview of the impacts of several seaweed species on seed germination, crop development and production, enhancement of rice plants (Oryza sativa) nutritional quality and the modes of action of seaweed extract includes the chemical components that might be causing plant physiological changes.

Female infertility is a global medical condition that can be caused by various disorders of the reproductive system, including premature ovarian failure (POF), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, Asherman syndrome, and preeclampsia. It affects the quality of life of both patients and couples. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received increasing attention as a potential cell-based therapy with several advantages over other cell sources, including greater abundance, fewer ethical considerations, and high capacity for self-renewal and differentiation. Clinical researchers have examined the therapeutic use of MSCs in female infertility. In this review, we discuss recent studies on the use of MSCs in various reproductive disorders that lead to infertility. We also describe the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) and exosomal miRNAs in controlling MSC gene expression and driving MSC therapeutic outcomes. The clinical application of MSCs holds great promise for the treatment of infertility or ovarian insufficiency and to improve reproductive health for a significant number of women worldwide.

This paper presents an overview of the principal structural and dynamics characteristics of reverse micelles (RMs) in order to highlight their structural flexibility and versatility, along with the possibility to modulate their parameters in a controlled-manner. The multifunctionality in a large range of different scientific fields is exemplified in two distinct directions: a theoretical model for mimicry of biological microenvironment and practical application in the field of nanotechnology and nano-based sensors. RMs represents a convenient experimental approach that limits the drawbacks of the conventionally biological studies in vitro, while the particular structure confers them the status of simplified mimics of cells by reproducing a complex supramolecular organization in an artificial system. The biological relevance of RMs is discussed in some particular cases referring to the confinement and crowding environment, molecular dynamics of water and cell membrane structure. The use of RMs in different range of applications seems to be more promising due to their structural and compositional flexibility, a high efficiency and selectivity being achieved. The advance in nanotechnology is based on developing new methods of nanomaterials synthesis and deposition. This review highlighting the advantages of using RMs in synthesis of nanoparticles with specific properties and in nano (bio)sensors design.

Scutellaria multicaulis, a member of the Lamiaceae, is a medicinal plant indigenous to Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It has been widely used as a prominent herb in traditional medicine for thousands of years. This plant is reported with baicalein, wogonin, and chrysin flavonoids as a significant group of chemical ingredients, which can cure different diseases such as breast cancer. S. multicaulis leave extract was used for the bioreduction of silver nanoparticles (SmL-Ag-NPs), and their phytochemical contents and antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-proliferative, and apoptotic activity were evaluated. Optimal physicochemical properties of SmL-Ag-NPs were obtained by mixing 5% of leave extract and 2 mM of aqueous AgNO3 solution and confirmed by characterization studies including UV–visible spectrophotometry, FE-SEM, EDX, DLS, zeta potential, TGA, SERS, XRD and FTIR Spectroscopy. SmL-Ag-NPs exhibited higher content of TPC (Total Phenolic Content) and TFC (Total Flavonoid Content) and potential antioxidant activity. SmL-Ag-NPs also demonstrated dose-dependent cytotoxicity against MDA-MB231 cells multiplication with an IC50 value of 37.62 μg/mL at 48h through inducing cell apoptosis. This is the first report on the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using S. multicaulis leave extract, which can provide treatment for cancer diseases and reduce some negative effects of chemotherapy.

Asphalt cement will not last for a long time as the world encounters a diminishment in the crude oil. For sustainable, flexible pavement development, new resources can provide a contribution to replace it partially or entirely. In this study, asphalt was partially and entirely replaced by guayule resin as a bioresource by-product, extracted during the guayule natural rubber production. Crumb rubber modifier (CRM) was used as an asphalt enhancer. The Superpave grading system was followed at high, intermediate, and low temperatures to evaluate such innovative binder for rutting, fatigue, and thermal cracking, respectively, in addition to viscosity. Therefore, the original, short-term aging and long-term aging were simulated using tank, rolling thin film oven, and pressure aging vessel materials. Additionally, component analysis using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was provided to link the rheological properties with the chemical changes. Outcomes showed a relatively much lower viscosity of guayule in the same high-temperature asphalt grade indicating savings in plant energy consumption and reduced environmental emissions. CRM enhanced guayule, but not as much as asphalt, proven by polymeric component migration through liquid binder. This enhancement was reflected in the rheological performance besides other factors. As-received guayule seems to have high oxygen content proven by strong absorption peak intensities of oxidative bonds (e.g., Carbonyl and sulfoxide). Such pre-oxidation was negatively reflected in the intermediate- and low-temperature performance of guayule and guayule-based binders. However, the investigated guayule had potential to compensate for asphalt replacement in the presence of CRM by 23–42% by weight of blend.

Reducing the costs of repairing concrete structures damaged due to the appearance of cracks and reducing the number of people involved in the process of their repair is the subject of a multitude of experimental studies. Special emphasis should be placed on research involving industrial by-products, the disposal of which has a negative environmental impact, as is the case in the research presented in this paper. The basic idea was to prepare a mortar with added granulated blast furnace slag from Smederevo Steel Mill and then treat artificialy produced cracks with a Sporosarcina pasteurii DSM 33 suspension under the conditions of sterile demineralized and water from Danube river in order to simulate natural conditions. The results show a bio-stimulated healing efficiency of 32.02% in sterile demineralized water and 42.74% in Danube water already after 14 days. The SEM images clearly show calcium carbonate crystals as the main compound that has started to fill the crack, and the crystals are much more developed under the Danube water conditions. As a special type of research, microscopic images of cracks were classified into those with and without the presence of bacterial culture. By applying convolutional neural networks (ResNet 50), the classification success rate was 91.55%.

The article continues the author's publications about the matrix-tensor study of universal rules of stochastic (probabilistic) organization of long single-stranded DNA sequences in eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes. The author reveals that corresponding matrices of probabilities of n-plets in n-textual representations of each genomic DNA are numerically interrelated each with other in such algebraic form, which has analogies with formalisms of the known tensor-matrix theory of digital antenna arrays. These arrays combine many separate antennas into a single coordinated ensemble with unique emergent properties, due to which antenna arrays are widely used in devices of medicine, astrophysics, avionics, etc. The noted analogies allow putting forward the author's hypothesis that the stochastic organization of genomic DNAs is connected with bio-antenna arrays. From the point of view of this hypothesis, many known facts about using principles of antenna arrays in inherited physiological phenomena are collected in a single grouping with genomic DNAs. This new topic about the biological meaning of profitable properties of antenna arrays includes problems of biological evolution, the origin of the genetic code, regenerative medicine, and the development of algebraic biology. These issues are discussed jointly with the author's results of quantum information analysis of stochastic features of genomic DNAs.

The aerospace industry demands high-performance materials that can withstand extreme conditions and maintain efficiency in a variety of applications. Bio-inspired polymer coatings have emerged as a promising approach to meet these demands, by drawing inspiration from natural systems to develop new coatings that exhibit enhanced properties, such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, thermal management, and corrosion resistance. In this review, recent developments in the field of bio-inspired polymer coatings for aerospace applications are presented, covering a range of coatings and their respective properties. We discuss the recent developments and applications of bio-inspired coatings, with a focus on their advantages and challenges in aerospace applications. We also highlight the potential for future research and development in this field, including the integration of advanced technologies such as nanotechnology and additive manufacturing. The review aims to provide insights into the current state-of-the-art of bio-inspired polymer coatings for aerospace applications and to inspire further research in this rapidly growing field.

In this study, we explore the potential of using a straightforward neural network inspired by the retina model to efficiently restore low-light images. The retina model imitates the neurophysiological principles and dynamics of various optical neurons. Our proposed neural network model reduces the computational overhead compared to traditional signal-processing models while achieving results similar to complex deep learning models from a subjective perceptual perspective. By directly simulating retinal neuron functionalities with neural networks, we not only avoid manual parameter optimization but also lay the groundwork for constructing artificial versions of specific neurobiological organizations.