关键词： Phosphorus   Nutrients   Wastewater   Recovery strategies   P-fertilizers  

摘要： Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable resource, irreplaceable for life and food production, and currently considered a Critical Raw Material to the European Union (EU). Due to concerns about the rate of consumption and limited reserves in countries with sensitive geopolitical contexts, it is urgent to recover P from urban and industrial flows. Indeed, the municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are considered relevant sources with several hot spots, especially sewage sludge with estimated recovery efficiencies of >80%. The most promising recovery strategies are based on thermal treatments (e.g., incineration of sludge) following by wet-chemical or thermochemical leaching, precipitation, and adsorption. The direct application of sludge on soil is no longer a primary route for P reintegration in the value-chain for countries as Switzerland, Germany, and The Netherlands. In fact, Switzerland and Austria paved the way for implementing P recovery legislation, focusing on recovery from raw sewage sludge or ashes. Indeed, industrial technologies with sludge ash as input show high recovery efficiencies (Ashdec (R) and Leachphos (R) with 98 and 79%) and lower environmental impacts, whereas Pearl (R) technology has about 12% recovery efficiency with wastewater as input. After all, struvite emerges as the most recovered product with recent access to the internal market of EU fertilisers and similar growth performance compared to triple-super-phosphate. However, several studies leave open the possibility of introducing loaded adsorbents with P as soil amendments as a new alternative to conventional desorption. Briefly, P recovery should be a compromise between efficiency, environmental impacts, and economic revenues from the final products.

关键词： Peptidoglycan biosynthesis   Inhibitors   Xanthomonas  

摘要： Peptidoglycan in bacterial cell walls is a biopolymer consisting of sugars and amino acids and plays important role in maintaining cell integrity from the environment. Its biosynthesis is a major target for antibiotics and the genes and enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway have been well studied. However, we recently identified an alternative pathway in the early stage of peptidoglycan biosynthesis in Xanthomonas oryzae, a plant pathogen causing bacterial blight disease of rice. The distribution of the alternative pathway is limited to relatively few bacterial genera that contain many pathogenic species, including Xylella and Stenotrophomonas, besides Xanthomonas. Thus, the alternative pathway is an attractive target for the development of narrow-spectrum antibiotics specific to pathogens. In this minireview, we summarize the discovery of the alternative pathway and identification of its specific inhibitors.

关键词： Cook cervical ripening balloon   double Foley catheter   double-balloon catheter   Foley catheter   handmade device   induction of labor   mechanical method   new method  

摘要： Objective To introduce a new handmade device, the double Foley catheter (DFC), and compare it with the Foley catheter (FC) and Cook cervical ripening balloon for its effectiveness in labor induction. Methods This prospective randomized controlled trial included 222 patients with unfavorable cervices. The patients were randomly allocated to the DFC, FC, and Cook cervical ripening balloon groups (n = 74 patients per group). The outcomes were evaluated using SPSS v. 23. Results Bishop scores successfully increased with all three methods (P = 0.000 for all groups), and the rates of vaginal delivery within 24 and 48 h were similar (P = 0.101 and P = 0.390, respectively). The pain scores of the DFC and Cook cervical ripening balloon groups were similar, but were lower than those of the FC group (P = 0.011). The overall maternal satisfaction scores of the DFC and Cook cervical ripening balloon groups were not significantly different but were higher than those of the FC group (P = 0.014). Conclusion The maternal safety and success rate of labor induction were comparable between groups. However, the FC group had a higher pain score during catheter insertion and a lower maternal satisfaction rate. Moreover, considering the high cost of the Cook cervical ripening balloon, the DFC has an advantage, especially in low-resource countries.

关键词： MYB   bHLH   anthocyanin   alternative splicing   chrysanthemum  

摘要： 'Jimba' is a white chrysanthemum cultivar, which occasionally and spontaneously produces red flower petals under natural cultivation due to cyanidin-based anthocyanin accumulation. To investigate the underlying mechanism of this process, a comparative transcriptome was analyzed between white and turning red 'Jimba'. The structural and regulatory genes of anthocyanin pathway were significantly up-regulated in turning red 'Jimba'. Among them, two alternative splicings, CmbHLH2 and CmbHLH2.1, showed the most significantly up-regulated in turning red tissue. Transiently over-expressed 35S::CmMYB6-CmbHLH2 strongly induced anthocyanin accumulation in 'Jimba' flower petals, while moderate amount of anthocyanin was detected when over-expressed 35S::CmMYB6-CmbHLH2.1. Both CmbHLH2 and CmbHLH2.1 could interact with CmMYB6 to activate CmDFR promoter according to Yeast two-hybrid and dual-luciferase assay. Moreover, CmMYB6-CmbHLH2 but not CmMYB6-CmbHLH2.1 could activate the CmbHLH2 promoter to provide positive feedback loop regulation. Taken together, it suggested that both CmbHLH2 and CmbHLH2.1 involved in regulation flower color alteration in turning red 'Jimba', and CmbHLH2 played a predominant role in this process.

关键词： allogeneic   placenta   preeclampsia   pregnancy   Rbfox2   syngeneic  

摘要： Problem Proper placental development is pivotal to ensure healthy pregnancy outcomes. Among the multiple cellular mechanisms involved in the orchestration of this process, little is known on the role of alternative splicing events in the modulation of trophoblast cell biology. Here, we evaluated the expression of the alternative splicing regulator Rbfox2 in the pre- and post-placentation period in mouse pregnancies in both healthy and pathological settings. Method of study Immunofluorescence analysis of Rbfox2 expression in mouse implantation sites collected during the pre-placentation period (E5-E7) and post-placentation (E13). Results We identified a progressive increase of Rbfox2 levels throughout the peri-implantation period with a shift from a cytoplasmatic expression on E5-E6 to a predominantly nuclear expression on E7, together with a prominent expression of this factor in both subcellular compartments of the primitive placenta. Our results further showed that in contrast to healthy gestations, Rbfox2 expression decreased in preeclamptic models during the post-placentation period. Finally, we further demonstrated enhanced expression of Rbfox2 proteins in allogeneic pregnancy compared to syngeneic models. Conclusions Our findings uncover a novel role for Rbfox2-controlled splicing events in the modulation of trophoblast function, with potential implications for the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications originated from defective placentation.

关键词： Agricultural waste   Ceiling board   Cement   Balanite shell   Palm kernel shell  

摘要： This paper presents an experimental study to investigate sustainable alternative ceiling boards using PKS and BS. The ceiling boards were prepared by mixing BS/binder, PKS/binder, and PKS/BS/binder at different ratios of 20/80, 40/60, 60/40, and 80/20 and represented as samples (A(1), A(2), A(3) and A(4)), (B-1, B-2, B-3 and B-4), and (C-1, C-2, C-3 and C-4) respectively. The samples were cast by flat press process in rectangular sheet shape mould of 187 mm x 125 mm x 3 mm, cut into specimen sizes of 30 mm x 40 mm then tested for dry shrinkage, water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density, flaking, and hardness properties. The morphology of the samples was examined using SEM. Results of the analysis show that irrespective of the filler loadings the properties of PKS / binder particularly at 20/80 ratio ''B-1" displayed better dry shrinkage of 3.7%;water absorption of 12.4%;apparent porosity of 15%;bulk density of 2.3 g/cm(3);flaking of 0.05 g and hardness of 57.6 Hv which approximates those of the conventional specimen with better physical properties compared to BS/binder at 20/80 ratio ''A(1)" and PKS/BS/binder at 20/80 ratio ''C-1". These results, therefore, suggest that PKS at 20/80 ratio with improved strength could be used as a sustainable alternative in the production of ceiling boards.

关键词： ankle   flexibility   lunge   squat  

摘要： vonGaza, GL, and Chiu, LZF. Comparison of alternative methods to improve weight-bearing sagittal plane anterior leg rotation. J Strength Cond Res 35(12): 3315-3321, 2021-Promoting rearfoot plantar flexion may permit greater sagittal plane anterior leg rotation in weight-bearing tasks. Anterior leg rotation, where the proximal tibia translates forward, is required for tasks such as squatting and landing from a jump. Twenty-eight individuals with less than 25 degrees anterior leg rotation during a weight-bearing lunge test were enrolled and randomly assigned to self-massage and stretching only (n = 15;14 subjects retained) or self-massage and stretching plus gastrocnemius exercise (n = 13). Anterior leg rotation was assessed during a weight-bearing lunge test and a partial squat;95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the change score and Cohen's d effect size were calculated. Anterior leg rotation in the weight-bearing lunge increased in the self-massage and stretching only (left: 95% CI [2.1 degrees-5.4 degrees], d = 1.14;right: 95% CI [2.3 degrees-6.0 degrees], d = 1.22) and self-massage and stretching plus gastrocnemius exercise (left: 95% CI [2.3 degrees-7.5 degrees], d = 1.71;right: 95% CI [4.2 degrees-8.6 degrees], d = 1.48) groups. There were no changes in anterior leg rotation in the partial squat for self-massage and stretching only (left: 95% CI [-1.2 degrees to 2.5 degrees], d = 0.15;right: 95% CI [-0.5 degrees to 2.6 degrees], d = 0.24) or self-massage and stretching plus gastrocnemius exercise (left: 95% CI [-0.2 degrees to 4.8 degrees], d = 0.55;right: 95% CI [-0.2 degrees to 4.0 degrees], d = 0.59) groups. Increases in anterior leg rotation in the weight-bearing lunge may be due to decreased passive stiffness in the plantar structures.

关键词： ECa   Drone   Yield   Site-specific  

摘要： Unoccupied aerial system (UAS) imagery may serve as an additional tool towards management zone delineation. This is because UAS data collection is relatively flexible. However, it is unclear how useful UASs can be towards generating management zones, relative to preexisting tools (e.g. apparent soil electrical conductivity or ECa). The purpose of this study, therefore, was to evaluate UAS imagery, relative to ECa, in terms of their ability to: 1) predict cotton traits (i.e. height, seed cotton yield), and 2) define cotton management zones based on these traits. Single-season UAS images from multispectral/thermal sensors were collected and processed into Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and radiometric surface temperature (T-r), respectively. Management zones were also delineated using digital camera (RGB) imagery collected at periods before planting and near harvest. RGB management zones were delineated by a novel open boll mapping approach. In-season NDVI and T-r layers were significant (P < 0.01) predictors of canopy height. Additionally, NDVI and T-r maps produced statistically different management zones during flowering and boll filling growth stages in terms of yield (P = 0.001 or less). Open boll layers were all more accurate predictors of cotton seed yield than ECa data-these two layers also produced statistically distinct management zones. ANOVA tests revealed that, given ECa alone, adding UAS information via the RGB open boll map resulted in a significantly different yield prediction model (P < 0.001). These results suggest that UAS imagery can offer valuable information for cotton management zone delineation that other techniques cannot.

关键词： MassARRAY (R) SARS-CoV-2 panel   mass spectrometry   PCR   SARS-CoV-2 RNA  

摘要： Objectives: Accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA is essential to stopping the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the recently introduced MassARRAY (R) SARS-CoV-2 Panel and to compare it to the cobas (R) SARS-CoV-2 Test. Methods: The MassARRAY (R) SARS-CoV-2 Panel consists of five assays targeting different sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Accuracy was determined using national and international proficiency panels including 27 samples. For clinical evaluation, 101 residual clinical samples were analyzed and results compared. Samples had been tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA with the cobas (R) SARS-CoV-2 Test. Results: When accuracy was tested with the MassARRAY (R) SARS-CoV-2 Panel, 25 of 27 (92.6%) samples revealed correct results. When clinical samples were analyzed with the MassARRAY (R) SARS-CoV-2 Panel and compared to the cobas (R) SARS-CoV-2 Test, 100 samples showed concordant results. One sample was found to be inconclusive with the MassARRAY (R) SARS-CoV-2 Panel. When time-to-results were compared, the new assay showed longer total and hands-on times. Conclusions: The MassARRAY (R) SARS-CoV-2 Panel showed a good performance and proved to be suitable for use in the routine diagnostic laboratory. Especially during phases of shortage of reagents and/or disposables, the new test system appears as beneficial alternative to standard assays used for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

关键词： Alternative Food Networks (AFN)   Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC)   Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)   Direct marketing  

摘要： For some time we have seen a shift away from direct marketing, a core feature and dominant exchange form in the alternative food world, towards a greater role for intermediation. Yet, we still need to better understand to what extent and in what ways new mediated Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) represent an evolution of or departure from core tenets of alternative food systems. This paper focuses on AFNs with new intermediaries that connect small-scale producers with urban end-consumers. Based on original research in Frankfurt, Berlin, and Calgary, we analyze three different types of mediated AFNs: one driven by consumers, one by an external intermediary, and one by producers. Our cases include non-capitalist, capitalist, and alternative capitalist economic practices as identified by Gibson-Graham. Conceptually, we base our analysis on the three-pillar-model of alternative agri-food systems, which we further refine. Besides comparing our cases with each other, for heuristic purposes we also compare them with an ideal-type model that adheres to core tenets of alterity in all three pillars. Our empirical analysis shows that intermediary organizations can bring important benefits and that mediated AFNs are in principle able to hold true to the core tenets of alternative agri-food systems. However, it is very important to develop models of democratic control and ownership as well as economic arrangements in which created value is fairly shared. Only then can the potentials of new mediated models be realized while the pitfalls of the conventional systems they seek to replace be avoided.