An integrated low carbon energy solution to cooking fuel, tailored to Niger state’s rural population

Niger State (Nigeria) was selected as a case study of renewable, affordable and user friendly clean energy provision in remote areas of developing countries. Niger state has 80% of its 4.5 million population living in rural agrarian areas with low literacy rates, there is a lack of wind thus eliminating wind as widely available potential power source. Based on the assessment of the local large insolation, the type of agricultural, biomass and husbandry resources, this study selected the design of anaerobic digestion units processing mostly animal and human waste, and whose heating and power requirement would be entirely provided by solar photovoltaic/thermal to maintain optimum efficiency of the biogas production. The designs was carried out at the scale of up to 15 household demand (community scale). Volume and therefore the production of biogas maybe increased or decreased in the design considered, and local, low cost resilient material were proposed. The proposed system was costed for a community of 24 people, demonstrating the potential for clean and renewable gas production economically

Comparative Analysis of Patient Characteristics in Cardiogenic Shock Studies: Differences Between Trials and Registries

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the differences in cardiogenic shock patient characteristics in trial patients and real-life patients. BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a leading cause of mortality in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the enrollment of patients into clinical trials is challenging and may not be representative of real-world patients. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of studies in patients presenting with AMI-related CS and compared patient characteristics of those enrolled into randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with those in registries. RESULTS: We included 14 RCTs (n = 2,154) and 12 registries (n = 133,617). RCTs included more men (73% vs 67.7%, P \u3c 0.001) compared with registries. Patients enrolled in RCTs had fewer comorbidities, including less hypertension (61.6% vs 65.9%, P \u3c 0.001), dyslipidemia (36.4% vs 53.6%, P \u3c 0.001), a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (7.1% vs 10.7%, P \u3c 0.001), and prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery (5.4% vs 7.5%, P \u3c 0.001). Patients enrolled in RCTs also had lower lactate levels (4.7 ± 2.3 mmol/L vs 5.9 ± 1.9 mmol/L, P \u3c 0.001) and higher mean arterial pressure (73.0 ± 8.8 mm Hg vs 62.5 ± 12.2 mm Hg, P \u3c 0.001). Percutaneous coronary intervention (97.5% vs 58.4%, P \u3c 0.001) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (11.6% vs 3.4%, P \u3c 0.001) were used more often in RCTs. The in-hospital mortality (23.9% vs 38.4%, P \u3c 0.001) and 30-day mortality (39.9% vs 45.9%, P \u3c 0.001) were lower in RCT patients. CONCLUSIONS: RCTs in AMI-related CS tend to enroll fewer women and lower-risk patients compared with registries. Patients enrolled in RCTs are more likely to receive aggressive treatment with percutaneous coronary intervention and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and have lower in-hospital and 30-day mortality

Ocean acidification causes fundamental changes in the cellular metabolism of the Arctic copepod Calanus glacialis as detected by metabolomic analysis

Using a targeted metabolomic approach we investigated the effects of low seawater pH on energy metabolism in two late copepodite stages (CIV and CV) of the keystone Arctic copepod species Calanus glacialis. Exposure to decreasing seawater pH (from 8.0 to 7.0) caused increased ATP, ADP and NAD+ and decreased AMP concentrations in stage CIV, and increased ATP and phospho-L-arginine and decreased AMP concentrations in stage CV. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis showed enrichment of the TCA cycle and a range of amino acid metabolic pathways in both stages. Concentrations of lactate, malate, fumarate and alpha-ketoglutarate (all involved in the TCA cycle) increased in stage CIV, whereas only alpha-ketoglutarate increased in stage CV. Based on the pattern of concentration changes in glucose, pyruvate, TCA cycle metabolites, and free amino acids, we hypothesise that ocean acidification will lead to a shift in energy production from carbohydrate metabolism in the glycolysis toward amino acid metabolism in the TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation in stage CIV. In stage CV, concentrations of most of the analysed free fatty acids increased, suggesting in particular that ocean acidification increases the metabolism of stored wax esters in this stage. Moreover, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis was enriched in both stages indicating increased enzyme production to handle low pH stress

Neural correlates of the processing of co-speech gestures

In communicative situations, speech is often accompanied by gestures. For example, speakers tend to illustrate certain contents of speech by means of iconic gestures which are hand movements that bear a formal relationship to the contents of speech. The meaning of an iconic gesture is determined both by its form as well as the speech context in which it is performed. Thus, gesture and speech interact in comprehension. Using fMRI, the present study investigated what brain areas are involved in this interaction process. Participants watched videos in which sentences containing an ambiguous word (e.g. She touched the mouse) were accompanied by either a meaningless grooming movement, a gesture supporting the more frequent dominant meaning (e.g. animal) or a gesture supporting the less frequent subordinate meaning (e.g. computer device). We hypothesized that brain areas involved in the interaction of gesture and speech would show greater activation to gesture-supported sentences as compared to sentences accompanied by a meaningless grooming movement. The main results are that when contrasted with grooming, both types of gestures (dominant and subordinate) activated an array of brain regions consisting of the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS), the inferior parietal lobule bilaterally and the ventral precentral sulcus bilaterally. Given the crucial role of the STS in audiovisual integration processes, this activation might reflect the interaction between the meaning of gesture and the ambiguous sentence. The activations in inferior frontal and inferior parietal regions may reflect a mechanism of determining the goal of co-speech hand movements through an observation-execution matching process

Influence of circulatory shock at hospital admission on outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Hypotension after cardiac arrest could aggravate prolonged hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. The association of circulatory shock at hospital admission with outcome after cardiac arrest has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to investigate the independent association of circulatory shock at hospital admission with neurologic outcome, and to evaluate whether cardiovascular comorbidities interact with circulatory shock. 4004 adult patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest enrolled in the International Cardiac Arrest Registry 2006–2017 were included in analysis. Circulatory shock was defined as a systolic blood pressure below 90 mmHg and/or medical or mechanical supportive measures to maintain adequate perfusion during hospital admission. Primary outcome was cerebral performance category (CPC) dichotomized as good, (CPC 1–2) versus poor (CPC 3–5) outcome at hospital discharge. 38% of included patients were in circulatory shock at hospital admission, 32% had good neurologic outcome at hospital discharge. The adjusted odds ratio for good neurologic outcome in patients without preexisting cardiovascular disease with circulatory shock at hospital admission was 0.60 [0.46–0.79]. No significant interaction was detected with preexisting comorbidities in the main analysis. We conclude that circulatory shock at hospital admission after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is independently associated with poor neurologic outcome.publishedVersio

The association of partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide with neurological outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: an explorative International Cardiac Arrest Registry 2.0 study

Background Exposure to extreme arterial partial pressures of oxygen (PaO2) and carbon dioxide (PaCO2) following the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is common and may affect neurological outcome but results of previous studies are conflicting. Methods Exploratory study of the International Cardiac Arrest Registry (INTCAR) 2.0 database, including 2162 OHCA patients with ROSC in 22 intensive care units in North America and Europe. We tested the hypothesis that exposure to extreme PaO2 or PaCO2 values within 24 h after OHCA is associated with poor neurological outcome at discharge. Our primary analyses investigated the association between extreme PaO2 and PaCO2 values, defined as hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 40 kPa), hypoxemia (PaO2  6.7 kPa) and hypocapnemia (PaCO2  40 kPa with PaCO2  6.7 kPa and neurological outcome. To define a cut point for the onset of poor neurological outcome, we tested a model with increasing and decreasing PaO2 levels and decreasing PaCO2 levels. Cerebral Performance Category (CPC), dichotomized to good (CPC 1–2) and poor (CPC 3–5) was used as outcome measure. Results Of 2135 patients eligible for analysis, 700 were exposed to hyperoxemia or hypoxemia and 1128 to hypercapnemia or hypocapnemia. Our primary analyses did not reveal significant associations between exposure to extreme PaO2 or PaCO2 values and neurological outcome (P = 0.13–0.49). Our secondary analyses showed no significant associations between combinations of PaO2 and PaCO2 and neurological outcome (P = 0.11–0.86). There was no PaO2 or PaCO2 level significantly associated with poor neurological outcome. All analyses were adjusted for relevant co-variates. Conclusions Exposure to extreme PaO2 or PaCO2 values in the first 24 h after OHCA was common, but not independently associated with neurological outcome at discharge.publishedVersio

Techstyle Haus.

Techstyle Haus is an international student collaboration that has designed a solar-powered passive house with high-performance textiles. The first Solar Decathlon entry to incorporate a complete textile enclosure, it seeks to challenge conventional architectural practices and approach homebuilding with a fresh perspective. The team includes representatives from Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, and University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt, Germany

High-accuracy determination of the neutron flux in the new experimental area n_TOF-EAR2 at CERN

A new high flux experimental area has recently become operational at the n_TOF facility at CERN. This new measuring station, n_TOF-EAR2, is placed at the end of a vertical beam line at a distance of approximately 20m from the spallation target. The characterization of the neutron beam, in terms of flux, spatial profile and resolution function, is of crucial importance for the feasibility study and data analysis of all measurements to be performed in the new area. In this paper, the measurement of the neutron flux, performed with different solid-state and gaseous detection systems, and using three neutron-converting reactions considered standard in different energy regions is reported. The results of the various measurements have been combined, yielding an evaluated neutron energy distribution in a wide energy range, from 2meV to 100MeV, with an accuracy ranging from 2%, at low energy, to 6% in the high-energy region. In addition, an absolute normalization of the n_TOF-EAR2 neutron flux has been obtained by means of an activation measurement performed with 197Au foils in the beam.Peer reviewe

Recent progress in marine mycological research in different countries, and prospects for future developments worldwide

Early research on marine fungi was mostly descriptive, with an emphasis on their diversity and taxonomy, especially of those collected at rocky shores on seaweeds and driftwood. Subsequently, further substrata (e.g. salt marsh grasses, marine animals, seagrasses, sea foam, seawater, sediment) and habitats (coral reefs, deep-sea, hydrothermal vents, mangroves, sandy beaches, salt marshes) were explored for marine fungi. In parallel, research areas have broadened from micro-morphology to ultrastructure, ecophysiology, molecular phylogenetics, biogeography, biodeterioration, biodegradation, bioprospecting, genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics. Although marine fungi only constitute a small fraction of the global mycota, new species of marine fungi continue to be described from new hosts/substrata of unexplored locations/habitats, and novel bioactive metabolites have been discovered in the last two decades, warranting a greater collaborative research effort. Marine fungi of Africa, the Americas and Australasia are under-explored, while marine Chytridiomycota and allied taxa, fungi associated with marine animals, the functional roles of fungi in the sea, and the impacts of climate change on marine fungi are some of the topics needing more attention. In this article, currently active marine mycologists from different countries have written on the history and current state of marine fungal research in individual countries highlighting their strength in the subject, and this represents a first step towards a collaborative inter- and transdisciplinary research strategy

Metapopulation theory identifies biogeographical patterns among core and satellite marine bacteria scaling from tens to thousands of kilometers:Applied metapopulation theory for marine microbes

Metapopulation theory developed in terrestrial ecology provides applicable frameworks for interpreting the role of local and regional processes in shaping species distribution patterns. Yet, empirical testing of metapopulation models on microbial communities is essentially lacking. We determined regional bacterioplankton dynamics from monthly transect sampling in the Baltic Sea Proper using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A strong positive trend was found between local relative abundance and occupancy of populations. Notably, the occupancy-frequency distributions were significantly bimodal with a satellite mode of rare endemic populations and a core mode of abundant cosmopolitan populations (e.g. Synechococcus, SAR11 and SAR86 clade members). Temporal changes in population distributions supported several theoretical frameworks. Still, bimodality was found among bacterioplankton communities across the entire Baltic Sea, and was also frequent in globally distributed datasets. Datasets spanning waters with widely different physicochemical characteristics or environmental gradients typically lacked significant bimodal patterns. When such datasets were divided into subsets with coherent environmental conditions, bimodal patterns emerged, highlighting the importance of positive feedbacks between local abundance and occupancy within specific biomes. Thus, metapopulation theory applied to microbial biogeography can provide novel insights into the mechanisms governing shifts in biodiversity resulting from natural or anthropogenically induced changes in the environment