Dispersal in microbes: fungi in indoor air are dominated by outdoor air and show dispersal limitation at short distances.

The indoor microbiome is a complex system that is thought to depend on dispersal from the outdoor biome and the occupants' microbiome combined with selective pressures imposed by the occupants' behaviors and the building itself. We set out to determine the pattern of fungal diversity and composition in indoor air on a local scale and to identify processes behind that pattern. We surveyed airborne fungal assemblages within 1-month time periods at two seasons, with high replication, indoors and outdoors, within and across standardized residences at a university housing facility. Fungal assemblages indoors were diverse and strongly determined by dispersal from outdoors, and no fungal taxa were found as indicators of indoor air. There was a seasonal effect on the fungi found in both indoor and outdoor air, and quantitatively more fungal biomass was detected outdoors than indoors. A strong signal of isolation by distance existed in both outdoor and indoor airborne fungal assemblages, despite the small geographic scale in which this study was undertaken (<500 m). Moreover, room and occupant behavior had no detectable effect on the fungi found in indoor air. These results show that at the local level, outdoor air fungi dominate the patterning of indoor air. More broadly, they provide additional support for the growing evidence that dispersal limitation, even on small geographic scales, is a key process in structuring the often-observed distance-decay biogeographic pattern in microbial communities

Fungi isolated from Miscanthus and sugarcane: biomass conversion, fungal enzymes, and hydrolysis of plant cell wall polymers.

BackgroundBiofuel use is one of many means of addressing global change caused by anthropogenic release of fossil fuel carbon dioxide into Earth's atmosphere. To make a meaningful reduction in fossil fuel use, bioethanol must be produced from the entire plant rather than only its starch or sugars. Enzymes produced by fungi constitute a significant percentage of the cost of bioethanol production from non-starch (i.e., lignocellulosic) components of energy crops and agricultural residues. We, and others, have reasoned that fungi that naturally deconstruct plant walls may provide the best enzymes for bioconversion of energy crops.ResultsPreviously, we have reported on the isolation of 106 fungi from decaying leaves of Miscanthus and sugarcane (Appl Environ Microbiol 77:5490-504, 2011). Here, we thoroughly analyze 30 of these fungi including those most often found on decaying leaves and stems of these plants, as well as four fungi chosen because they are well-studied for their plant cell wall deconstructing enzymes, for wood decay, or for genetic regulation of plant cell wall deconstruction. We extend our analysis to assess not only their ability over an 8-week period to bioconvert Miscanthus cell walls but also their ability to secrete total protein, to secrete enzymes with the activities of xylanases, exocellulases, endocellulases, and beta-glucosidases, and to remove specific parts of Miscanthus cell walls, that is, glucan, xylan, arabinan, and lignin.ConclusionThis study of fungi that bioconvert energy crops is significant because 30 fungi were studied, because the fungi were isolated from decaying energy grasses, because enzyme activity and removal of plant cell wall components were recorded in addition to biomass conversion, and because the study period was 2 months. Each of these factors make our study the most thorough to date, and we discovered fungi that are significantly superior on all counts to the most widely used, industrial bioconversion fungus, Trichoderma reesei. Many of the best fungi that we found are in taxonomic groups that have not been exploited for industrial bioconversion and the cultures are available from the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures in Utrecht, Netherlands, for all to use

Spitzer and z' Secondary Eclipse Observations of the Highly Irradiated Transiting Brown Dwarf KELT-1b

We present secondary eclipse observations of the highly irradiated transiting brown dwarf KELT-1b. These observations represent the first constraints on the atmospheric dynamics of a highly irradiated brown dwarf, and the atmospheres of irradiated giant planets at high surface gravity. Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, we measure secondary eclipse depths of 0.195+/-0.010% at 3.6um and 0.200+/-0.012% at 4.5um. We also find tentative evidence for the secondary eclipse in the z' band with a depth of 0.049+/-0.023%. These measured eclipse depths are most consistent with an atmosphere model in which there is a strong substellar hotspot, implying that heat redistribution in the atmosphere of KELT-1b is low. While models with a more mild hotspot or even with dayside heat redistribution are only marginally disfavored, models with complete heat redistribution are strongly ruled out. The eclipse depths also prefer an atmosphere with no TiO inversion layer, although a model with TiO inversion is permitted in the dayside heat redistribution case, and we consider the possibility of a day-night TiO cold trap in this object. For the first time, we compare the IRAC colors of brown dwarfs and hot Jupiters as a function of effective temperature. Importantly, our measurements reveal that KELT-1b has a [3.6]-[4.5] color of 0.07+/-0.11, identical to that of isolated brown dwarfs of similarly high temperature. In contrast, hot Jupiters generally show redder [3.6]-[4.5] colors of ~0.4, with a very large range from ~0 to ~1. Evidently, despite being more similar to hot Jupiters than to isolated brown dwarfs in terms of external forcing of the atmosphere by stellar insolation, KELT-1b has an atmosphere most like that of other brown dwarfs. This suggests that surface gravity is very important in controlling the atmospheric systems of substellar mass bodies.Comment: 14 pages, 3 tables, 11 figures. Accepted by ApJ. Updated to reflect the accepted versio

Removal of odorants from animal waste using Fenton’s reaction

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Fenton’s reaction as a means of mitigating the problem of offensive odors emitted from livestock manures. The hypothesis to be tested was that hydroxyl radicals generated during this reaction would oxidize odorant compounds, breaking them down to nonodorous products. The deodorization effect was assessed using various chromatographic techniques to determine the concentration of selected odor indicators present in swine slurry and reactor headspaces before and after treatment. The indicators included seven volatile fatty acids, three phenols, and two indoles that were positively correlated with malodors from animal manure. The extent of their removal strongly depended on the concentration of Fenton’s reagents (0 to 40 mM FeCl3, and 0 to 800 mM H2O2), the initial pH of swine slurry (2.0 to 6.5), and the total solids content (0.6 to 2.9% TSC). Control samples treated with no FeCl3 or H2O2 did not show significant reduction of odorant concentration at all pH and TSC levels tested. Acceptable removals of total odorants (65 to 90%) were observed between pH 3.5 and 5.5. When swine slurry (0.7% TSC, pH 5.0) was treated for 2 h with 40 mM FeCl3 at 400 mM H2O2, all odorants were removed completely (100%), except for small amounts of propionic acid. Odorant removal from swine slurry was in good agreement with that from the headspace air (90-100% removal for most measured odorants). Pilot-scale treatment produced encouraging results, surpassing the expectations based on the outcome of laboratory experiments

Ultracompliant Carbon Nanotube Direct Bladder Device

The bladder, stomach, intestines, heart, and lungs all move dynamically to achieve their purpose. A long‐term implantable device that can attach onto an organ, sense its movement, and deliver current to modify the organ function would be useful in many therapeutic applications. The bladder, for example, can suffer from incomplete contractions that result in urinary retention with patients requiring catheterization. Those affected may benefit from a combination of a strain sensor and electrical stimulator to better control bladder emptying. The materials and design of such a device made from thin layer carbon nanotube (CNT) and Ecoflex 00–50 are described and demonstrate its function with in vivo feline bladders. During bench‐top characterization, the resistive and capacitive sensors exhibit stability throughout 5000 stretching cycles under physiology conditions. In vivo measurements with piezoresistive devices show a high correlation between sensor resistance and volume. Stimulation driven from platinum‐silicone composite electrodes successfully induce bladder contraction. A method for reliable connection and packaging of medical grade wire to the CNT device is also presented. This work is an important step toward the translation of low‐durometer elastomers, stretchable CNT percolation, and platinum‐silicone composite, which are ideal for large‐strain bioelectric applications to sense or modulate dynamic organ states.An ultracompliant strain sensor and stimulation electrode array is described built from carbon nanotube, low‐durometer silicone, and a PDMS/Pt‐microparticle composite. This work provides an early demonstration of stretchable electronics to address the condition of underactive bladder by real‐time volume detection and evoked contractions with particular attention to fabrication and strain sensor performance in physiologic conditions.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152012/1/adhm201900477-sup-0001-S1.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152012/2/adhm201900477.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152012/3/adhm201900477_am.pd

Stoics against stoics in Cudworth's "A Treatise of Freewill"

In his 'A Treatise of Freewill', Ralph Cudworth argues against Stoic determinism by drawing on what he takes to be other concepts found in Stoicism, notably the claim that some things are ‘up to us’ and that these things are the product of our choice. These concepts are central to the late Stoic Epictetus and it appears at first glance as if Cudworth is opposing late Stoic voluntarism against early Stoic determinism. This paper argues that in fact, despite his claim to be drawing on Stoic doctrine, Cudworth uses these terms with a meaning first articulated only later, by the Peripatetic commentator Alexander of Aphrodisias

Development of an invasively monitored porcine model of acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure

Background: The development of effective therapies for acute liver failure (ALF) is limited by our knowledge of the pathophysiology of this condition, and the lack of suitable large animal models of acetaminophen toxicity. Our aim was to develop a reproducible invasively-monitored porcine model of acetaminophen-induced ALF. Method: 35kg pigs were maintained under general anaesthesia and invasively monitored. Control pigs received a saline infusion, whereas ALF pigs received acetaminophen intravenously for 12 hours to maintain blood concentrations between 200-300 mg/l. Animals surviving 28 hours were euthanased. Results: Cytochrome p450 levels in phenobarbital pre-treated animals were significantly higher than non pre-treated animals (300 vs 100 pmol/mg protein). Control pigs (n=4) survived 28-hour anaesthesia without incident. Of nine pigs that received acetaminophen, four survived 20 hours and two survived 28 hours. Injured animals developed hypotension (mean arterial pressure; 40.8+/-5.9 vs 59+/-2.0 mmHg), increased cardiac output (7.26+/-1.86 vs 3.30+/-0.40 l/min) and decreased systemic vascular resistance (8.48+/-2.75 vs 16.2+/-1.76 mPa/s/m3). Dyspnoea developed as liver injury progressed and the increased pulmonary vascular resistance (636+/-95 vs 301+/-26.9 mPa/s/m3) observed may reflect the development of respiratory distress syndrome. Liver damage was confirmed by deterioration in pH (7.23+/-0.05 vs 7.45+/-0.02) and prothrombin time (36+/-2 vs 8.9+/-0.3 seconds) compared with controls. Factor V and VII levels were reduced to 9.3 and 15.5% of starting values in injured animals. A marked increase in serum AST (471.5+/-210 vs 42+/-8.14) coincided with a marked reduction in serum albumin (11.5+/-1.71 vs 25+/-1 g/dL) in injured animals. Animals displayed evidence of renal impairment; mean creatinine levels 280.2+/-36.5 vs 131.6+/-9.33 mumol/l. Liver histology revealed evidence of severe centrilobular necrosis with coagulative necrosis. Marked renal tubular necrosis was also seen. Methaemoglobin levels did not rise >5%. Intracranial hypertension was not seen (ICP monitoring), but there was biochemical evidence of encephalopathy by the reduction of Fischer's ratio from 5.6 +/- 1.1 to 0.45 +/- 0.06. Conclusion: We have developed a reproducible large animal model of acetaminophen-induced liver failure, which allows in-depth investigation of the pathophysiological basis of this condition. Furthermore, this represents an important large animal model for testing artificial liver support systems