Bioprospecting the thermal waters of the Roman Baths:Isolation of oleaginous species and analysis of the FAME profile for biodiesel production

The extensive diversity of microalgae provides an opportunity to undertake bioprospecting for species possessing features suited to commercial scale cultivation. The outdoor cultivation of microalgae is subject to extreme temperature fluctuations; temperature tolerant microalgae would help mitigate this problem. The waters of the Roman Baths, which have a temperature range between 39°C and 46°C, were sampled for microalgae. A total of 3 green algae, 1 diatom and 4 cyanobacterial species were successfully isolated into ‘unialgal’ culture. Four isolates were filamentous, which could prove advantageous for low energy dewatering of cultures using filtration. Lipid content, profiles and growth rates of the isolates were examined at temperatures of 20, 30, 40°C, with and without nitrogen starvation and compared against the oil producing green algal species, Chlorella emersonii. Some isolates synthesized high levels of lipids, however, all were most productive at temperatures lower than those of the Roman Baths. The eukaryotic algae accumulated a range of saturated and polyunsaturated FAMEs and all isolates generally showed higher lipid accumulation under nitrogen deficient conditions (Klebsormidium sp. increasing from 1.9% to 16.0% and Hantzschia sp. from 31.9 to 40.5%). The cyanobacteria typically accumulated a narrower range of FAMEs that were mostly saturated, but were capable of accumulating a larger quantity of lipid as a proportion of dry weight (M. laminosus, 37.8% fully saturated FAMEs). The maximum productivity of all the isolates was not determined in the current work and will require further effort to optimise key variables such as light intensity and media composition

Rilpivirine vs. efavirenz-based single-tablet regimens in treatment-naive adults: Week 96 efficacy and safety from a randomized phase 3b study

Objectives: To compare efficacy, safety, tolerability, and patient-reported outcomes between two single-tablet regimens, rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (RPV/FTC/TDF) and efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (EFV/FTC/TDF), in HIV-1-infected, treatment-naive adults. Design: This was a phase 3b, 96-week, randomized, open-label, international, noninferiority trial. Methods: A total of 799 participants were randomized (1: 1) to receive RPV/FTC/TDF or EFV/FTC/TDF. The primary efficacy endpoint evaluated proportions of participants with HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies/ml using the Snapshot algorithm. Additional assessments included CD4 cell counts, genotypic/phenotypic resistance, adverse events, patient-reported outcomes, and quality of life questionnaires. Results: At week 96, trial completion rates were 80.2% (316/394; RPV/FTC/TDF) and 74.0% (290/392; EFV/FTC/TDF). Overall, RPV/FTC/TDF was noninferior to EFV/FTC/TDF [HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/ml: 77.9 vs. 72.4%, respectively; difference-5.5; 95%CI (-0.6, 11.5); P=0.076]. RPV/FTC/TDF was significantly more efficacious compared with EFV/FTC/TDF in participants with baseline HIV-1 RNA equal to or less than 100 000 copies/ml (78.8 vs. 71.2%; P=0.046) and in those with CD4 cell count greater than 200 cells/ml (80.6 vs. 73.0%; P=0.018). There was no significant betweengroup difference in the CD4 cell count increase (278189 vs. 259191 cells/ml; P=0.17). Few participants developed resistance after week 48 (1.0% RPV/FTC/TDF; 0.3% EFV/FTC/TDF). Compared with EFV/FTC/TDF, RPV/FTC/TDF was associated with fewer adverse event-related discontinuations (3.0 vs. 11.0%; P<0.001), significantly fewer adverse events due to central nervous system issues and rash, greater improvements in patient-reported symptoms, and significant improvements in the SF-12v2 quality of life questionnaire mental health composite score (P=0.014). Conclusion: In treatment-naive, HIV-1-infected participants, 96-week RPV/FTC/TDF treatment demonstrated noninferior efficacy and better tolerability than EFV/FTC/TDF

The impact of biodiesel blend ratio on vehicle performance and emissions

Biodiesel is synthesized via the transesterification of triglycerides contained within vegetable, animal, or waste oils. First-generation biofuels are not the solution to global transport energy needs; however, biodiesel does have a role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, so long as necessary production can be achieved in a sustainable manner without negative impact on plant and animal biodiversity. The biodiesel content within diesel sold to consumers is set to increase in the future, with implications on vehicle fuel consumption, emissions, and base engine durability. This study examines the effects of increasing the biodiesel blend ratio on the performance and emissions of a production vehicle equipped with a common-rail direct-injection diesel engine, evaluated on a chassis rolls dynamometer, at various ambient temperatures. Results obtained show that reductions in engine-out carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions do not always translate to lower tailpipe emissions as reduced exhaust gas temperatures at higher blend ratios lead to reduced catalyst conversion efficiencies and higher total cycle emissions. Catalyst conversion efficiencies for carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons over the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) are reduced by 9-19 per cent (depending on the ambient temperature) for a 50:50 blend (B50) compared with the petroleum diesel (B0) baseline. Increasing the blend ratio caused a linear decrease in the vehicle's maximum tractive force. This reduction was of the order of 5 per cent for a B50 blend at low vehicle speeds and 6-10 per cent at higher speeds, which is greater than Would be expected on the basis of the differences in calorific values. Over the NEDC, the fuel consumption was found to increase with increasing blend ratio