Rice straw is an important low-cost feedstock for bio-based economy. This report presents a study in which rice straw was used both as a source for isolation of bacteria producing the biodegradable polyester polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), as well as the carbon source for the production of the polymer by the isolated bacteria. Of the 100 bacterial isolates, seven were found to be positive for PHA prod

The morphology of gas-rich disc galaxies at redshift ∼ 1–3 is dominated by a few massive clumps. The process of formation or assembly of these clumps and their relation to molecular clouds in contemporary spiral galaxies are still unknown. Using simulations of isolated disc galaxies, we study how the structure of the interstellar medium and the stability regime of the discs change when varying the

Semiconductor nanowires are promising material systems for coming-of-age nanotechnology. The usage of the vapor-solid-solid (VSS) route, where the catalyst used for promoting axial growth of nanowires is a solid, offers certain advantages compared to the common vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) route (using a liquid catalyst). The VSS growth of group-IV elemental nanowires has been investigated by other gr

Rationale: Evidence suggests that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment promotes weight gain in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It is unclear whether weight gain is influenced by CPAP adherence or comorbid disorders. Objectives: To examine the CPAP effects on body mass index (BMI) and local adiposity and the potential moderators of CPAP effects on BMI in patients with O

Processes controlling environmental change in the subarctic Pacific Ocean on millennial to orbital timescales are not well understood. Here we use a 230-kyr sedimentary record from the northwest Pacific Ocean to assess the response of late Pleistocene sediment dynamics to orbital forcing. Combining a source-to-sink perspective based on sedimentological records with climate model reanalysis, we rev

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is a common complication to atrial fibrillation (AF), leading to rehospitalization and death. Early identification of patients with AF at risk for HF might improve outcomes. We aimed to derive a score to predict 1-year risk of new-onset HF after an emergency department (ED) visit with AF. METHODS AND RESULTS: The RE-LY AF (Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagu

Protein HC, a heterogeneously charged low molecular weight glycoprotein, and its IgA complex were isolated from human plasma and urine. Plasma from individuals with monoclonal IgA populations was used as starting material for the isolation of the protein HC-IgA complex to obtain homogeneous complex populations. Neither low molecular weight protein HC nor its IgA complex in the concentrations 30 an

Match-fixing, although not a new problem, has received growing attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been reported in the media to have increased the risk of match-fixing events. Gambling is a well-documented addictive behavior, and gambling-related fraud, match-fixing, is a challenge to the world of sports. Most research on match-fixing has a judicial or institutional perspective, and

Global forests are the main component of the land carbon sink, which acts as a partial buffer to CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Dynamic vegetation models offer an approach to projecting the development of forest carbon sink capacity in a future climate. Forest management capabilities are important to include in dynamic vegetation models to account for the effects of age and species structure a

The hydrophilic nonapeptide Ser-Asp-Ala-Arg-Glu-Asn-Ile-Gln-Arg, identical with residues 59-67 of human amyloid protein A (AA) and serum amyloid protein A (SAA), was covalently bound via its carboxyl-terminal end to the carrier-protein keyhole limpet haemocyanin. The complex was injected subcutaneously into ten rabbits. All rabbits produced antisera which, unabsorbed, were specific for AA and SAA.

BACKGROUND: WHO revised their HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) monitoring strategy in 2014, enabling countries to generate nationally representative HIVDR prevalence estimates from surveys conducted using this methodology. In 2016, we adopted this strategy in Uganda and conducted an HIVDR survey among adults initiating or reinitiating ART.METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of adults aged ≥18 years initi

Atmospheric models are used both to assist in the retrieval of information about tropospheric composition and to interpret the results. The models themselves encompass much of our knowledge and understanding about trace components in the atmosphere and so they themselves must be tested against data. Care must be taken not to mix the dual role so that one can be sure of the conclusions drawn, and a

Data assimilation and Inverse Modelling may serve various purposes by use of manifold techniques. A reasonable definition reads as follows: extracts the signal from noisy observations (filtering)interpolates in space and time (interpolation) and reconstructs state variables that are not sampled by the observation network (completeness).

In this work, the combustion behavior of seeded iron particles (d50 = 70 μm) in a laminar diffusion flame was studied in a modified Mckenna flat-flame burner. Two high speed cameras in stereo configuration allowed 3D position and 3D velocity measurements of burning iron particles as well as 3D evaluation of particle microexplosions. Microexplosive processes are important since it can affect both c

Dynamical diffraction effects in thin single crystals produce highly monochromatic parallel x-ray beams with a mutual separation of a few microns and a time delay of a few femtoseconds—the so-called echoes. This ultrafast diffraction effect is used at X-Ray Free Electron Lasers in self-seeding schemes to improve beam monochromaticity. Here, we present a coherent x-ray imaging measurement of echoes

Converting biomass into value-added chemicals is of significant interest and we report an efficient hydrosilylation to convert levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone using cost-effective silanes such as PMHS and TMDS with B(C6F5)3 as catalyst. This metal free methodology works at room temperature reaching TONs and TOFs up to 16000 and 2000 h−1. Insights into the reaction mechanism are reported.