Hydropyrolysis of high molecular weight organic matter in Murchison

Hydropyrolysis of the Murchison macromolecular material releases polyaromatic compounds including phenanthrene, carbazole, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, benzoperylene and coronene units with varying degrees of alklyation

Capturing CO2 from ambient air using a polyethyleneimine–silica adsorbent in fluidized beds

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) uses a combination of technologies to capture, transport and store carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from large point sources such as coal or natural gas-fired power plants. Capturing CO2 from ambient air has been considered as a carbon-negative technology to mitigate anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the air. The performance of a mesoporous silica-supported polyethyleneimine (PEI)–silica adsorbent for CO2 capture from ambient air has been evaluated in a laboratory-scale Bubbling Fluidized Bed (BFB) reactor. The air capture tests lasted for between 4 and 14 days using 1 kg of the PEI–silica adsorbent in the BFB reactor. Despite the low CO2 concentration in ambient air, nearly 100% CO2 capture efficiency has been achieved with a relatively short gas–solid contact time of 7.5 s. The equilibrium CO2 adsorption capacity for air capture was found to be as high as 7.3 wt%, which is amongst the highest values reported to date. A conceptual design is completed to evaluate the technological and economic feasibility of using PEI–silica adsorbent to capture CO2 from ambient air at a large scale of capturing 1 Mt-CO2 per year. The proposed novel “PEI-CFB air capture system” mainly comprises a Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) adsorber and a BFB desorber with a CO2 capture capacity of 40 t-CO2/day. Large pressure drop is required to drive the air through the CFB adsorber and also to suspend and circulate the solid adsorbents within the loop, resulting in higher electricity demand than other reported air capture systems. However, the Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA) technology adopted for the regeneration strategy in the separate BFB desorber has resulted in much smaller thermal energy requirement. The total energy required is 6.6 GJ/t-CO2 which is comparable to other reference air capture systems. By projecting a future scenario where decarbonization of large point energy sources has been largely implemented by integration of CCS technologies, the operating cost under this scenario is estimated to be $108/t-CO2 captured and$152/t-CO2 avoided with an avoided fraction of 0.71. Further research on the proposed 40 t-CO2/day ‘PEI-CFB Air Capture System’ is still needed which should include the evaluation of the capital costs and the experimental investigation of air capture using a laboratory-scale CFB system with the PEI–silica adsorbent

The importance of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags for measuring life-history traits of sea turtles

Capture-mark-recapture studies rely on the identification of individuals through time, using markers or tags, which are assumed to be retained. This assumption, however, may be violated, having implications for population models. In sea turtles, individual identification is typically based on external flipper tags, which can be combined with internal passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Despite the extensive use of flipper tags, few studies have modelled tag loss using continuous functions. Using a 26-year dataset for sympatrically nesting green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles, this study aims to assess how PIT tag use increases the accuracy of estimates of life-history traits. The addition of PIT tags improved female identification: between 2000 and 2017, 53% of green turtles and 29% of loggerhead turtles were identified from PIT tags alone. We found flipper and PIT tag losses were best described by decreasing logistic curves with lower asymptotes. Excluding PIT tags from our dataset led to underestimation of flipper tag loss, reproductive periodicity, reproductive longevity and annual survival, and overestimation of female abundance and recruitment for both species. This shows the importance of PIT tags in improving the accuracy of estimates of life-history traits. Thus, estimates where tag loss has not been corrected for should be interpreted with caution and could bias IUCN Red List assessments. As such, long-term population monitoring programmes should aim to estimate tag loss and assess the impact of loss on life-history estimates, to provide robust estimates without which population models and stock assessments cannot be derived accurately

New monitoring confirms regular breeding of the Mediterranean monk seal in Northern Cyprus

The Endangered Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is one of the most threatened marine mammals. Across Cyprus, suitable habitat and presence of monk seals is well documented and, recently, camera-trap surveys in Southern Cyprus found there to be pupping. We present results of the first camera-trap surveys in Northern Cyprus spanning the pupping period. Four adult/subadults and three pups were identified in three of eight caves monitored with camera traps. One site on the north-west of the island supported at least three adult/subadult seals and pupping occurred there in 3 consecutive years. The breeding and resting sites identified require urgent conservation to manage threats of disturbance, coastal development and fisheries bycatch. To determine the size of this population, a long-term survey with greater and more continuous coverage is required

Preparation of carbon dioxide adsorbents from the chemical activation of urea–formaldehyde and melamine–formaldehyde resins

10 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables.-- Available online Aug 14, 2006.Adsorption is considered to be one of the more promising technologies for the capture of CO2 from flue gases. In general, nitrogen enrichment is reported to be effective in enhancing the specific adsorbent–adsorbate interaction for CO2. Nitrogen enriched carbons were produced from urea–formaldehyde and melamine–formaldehyde resins polymerised in the presence of K2CO3 as a chemical activation agent, with activation undertaken over a range of temperatures. CO2 adsorption capacity was determined to be dependent upon both textural properties and more importantly nitrogen functionality. Adsorbents capable of capturing above 8 wt.% CO2 at 25°C were produced from the chemical activation of urea–formaldehyde resin at 500°C. Chemical activation seems to produce more effective adsorbents than CO2 activation.The authors are grateful for support for this work provided by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFC-CR-03008) and for CP a grant from Plan I + D + I Gobierno del Principado de Asturias.Peer reviewe

Germline mutations in the oncogene EZH2 cause Weaver syndrome and increased human height.

The biological processes controlling human growth are diverse, complex and poorly understood. Genetic factors are important and human height has been shown to be a highly polygenic trait to which common and rare genetic variation contributes. Weaver syndrome is a human overgrowth condition characterised by tall stature, dysmorphic facial features, learning disability and variable additional features. We performed exome sequencing in four individuals with Weaver syndrome, identifying a mutation in the histone methyltransferase, EZH2, in each case. Sequencing of EZH2 in additional individuals with overgrowth identified a further 15 mutations. The EZH2 mutation spectrum in Weaver syndrome shows considerable overlap with the inactivating somatic EZH2 mutations recently reported in myeloid malignancies. Our data establish EZH2 mutations as the cause of Weaver syndrome and provide further links between histone modifications and regulation of human growth

Understanding the reactogenicity of 4CMenB vaccine: Comparison of a novel and conventional method of assessing post-immunisation fever and correlation with pre-release in vitro pyrogen testing

BACKGROUND: Better understanding of vaccine reactogenicity is crucial given its potential impact upon vaccine safety and acceptance. Here we report a comparison between conventional and novel (continuous) methods of monitoring temperature and evaluate any association between reactogenicity and the monocyte activation test (MAT) employed for testing four-component capsular group B meningococcal vaccine (4CMenB) batches prior to release for clinical use in Europe. METHODS: Healthy 7-12-week-old infants were randomised in two groups: group PCV13 2 + 1 (received pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 13 valent (PCV13) at 2, 4 and 12 months) and group PCV13 1 + 1 (received reduced schedule at 3 and 12 months). In both, infants received the remaining immunisations as per UK national schedule (including 4CMenB at 2, 4 and 12 months of age). Fever was measured for the first 24 h after immunisations using an axillary thermometer and with a wireless continuous temperature monitoring device (iButton®). To measure the relative pyrogenicity of individual 4CMenB batches, MAT was performed according to Ph. Eu. chapter 2.6.30 method C using PBMCs with IL-6 readout. RESULTS: Fever rates detected by the iButton® ranged from 28.7% to 76.5% and from 46.6% to 71.1% in group PCV13 2 + 1 and PCV13 1 + 1 respectively, across all study visits. The iButton® recorded a higher number of fever episodes when compared with axillary measurements in both groups (range of axillary temperature fevers; group PCV13 2 + 1: 6.7%-38%; group PCV13 1 + 1: 11.4%-37.1%). An agreement between the two methods was between 0.39 and 0.36 (p < 0.001) at 8 h' time-point post primary immunisations. No correlation was found between MAT scores and fever rates, or other reported adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: It is likely that conventional, intermittent, fever measurements underestimates fever rates following immunisation. 4CMenB MAT scores didn't predict reactogenicity, providing reassurance that vaccine batches with the highest acceptable pyrogen level are not associated with an increase in adverse events. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02482636