Bioethanol from poplar clone Imola: an environmentally viable alternative to fossil fuel?

BACKGROUND: Environmental issues, e.g. climate change, fossil resource depletion have triggered ambitious national/regional policies to develop biofuel and bioenergy roles within the overall energy portfolio to achieve decarbonising the global economy and increase energy security. With the 10 % binding target for the transport sector, the Renewable Energy Directive confirms the EU’s commitment to renewable transport fuels especially advanced biofuels. Imola is an elite poplar clone crossed from Populus deltoides Bartr. and Populus nigra L. by Research Units for Intensive Wood Production, Agriculture Research Council in Italy. This study examines its suitability for plantation cultivation under short or very short rotation coppice regimes as a potential lignocellulosic feedstock for the production of ethanol as a transport biofuel. A life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was used to model the cradle-to-gate environmental profile of Imola-derived biofuel benchmarked against conventional fossil gasoline. Specific attention was given to analysing the agroecosystem fluxes of carbon and nitrogen occurring in the cultivation of the Imola biomass in the biofuel life cycle using a process-oriented biogeochemistry model (DeNitrification-DeComposition) specifically modified for application to 2G perennial bioenergy crops and carbon and nitrogen cycling. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that carbon and nitrogen cycling in perennial crop–soil ecosystems such as this example can be expected to have significant effects on the overall environmental profiles of 2G biofuels. In particular, soil carbon accumulation in perennial biomass plantations is likely to be a significant component in the overall greenhouse gas balance of future biofuel and other biorefinery products and warrants ongoing research and data collection for LCA models. We conclude that bioethanol produced from Imola represents a promising alternative transport fuel offering some savings ranging from 35 to 100 % over petrol in global warming potential, ozone depletion and photochemical oxidation impact categories. CONCLUSIONS: Via comparative analyses for Imola-derived bioethanol across potential supply chains, we highlight priority issues for potential improvement in 2G biofuel profiling. Advanced clones of poplar such as Imola for 2G biofuel production in Italy as modelled here show potential to deliver an environmentally sustainable lignocellulosic biorefinery industry and accelerate advanced biofuel penetration in the transport sector. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-015-0318-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Direct liquefaction proof-of-concept program. Topical report

This report presents the results of work conducted under the DOE Proof-of-Concept Program in direct coal liquefaction at Hydrocarbon Technologies, Inc. in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, from February 1994 through April 1995. The work includes modifications to HRI`s existing 3 ton per day Process Development Unit (PDU) and completion of the second PDU run (POC Run 2) under the Program. The 45-day POC Run 2 demonstrated scale up of the Catalytic Two-Stage Liquefaction (CTSL Process) for a subbituminous Wyoming Black Thunder Mine coal to produce distillate liquid products at a rate of up to 4 barrels per ton of moisture-ash-free coal. The combined processing of organic hydrocarbon wastes, such as waste plastics and used tire rubber, with coal was also successfully demonstrated during the last nine days of operations of Run POC-02. Prior to the first PDU run (POC-01) in this program, a major effort was made to modify the PDU to improve reliability and to provide the flexibility to operate in several alternative modes. The Kerr McGee Rose-SR{sup SM} unit from Wilsonville, Alabama, was redesigned and installed next to the U.S. Filter installation to allow a comparison of the two solids removal systems. The 45-day CTSL Wyoming Black Thunder Mine coal demonstration run achieved several milestones in the effort to further reduce the cost of liquid fuels from coal. The primary objective of PDU Run POC-02 was to scale-up the CTSL extinction recycle process for subbituminous coal to produce a total distillate product using an in-line fixed-bed hydrotreater. Of major concern was whether calcium-carbon deposits would occur in the system as has happened in other low rank coal conversion processes. An additional objective of major importance was to study the co-liquefaction of plastics with coal and waste tire rubber with coal

Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2): morphological structures in the inner coma and rotation parameters

Extensive observations of comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) were carried out between August 2004 and May 2005. The images obtained were used to investigate the comet's inner coma features at resolutions between 350 and 1500 km/pixel. A photometric analysis of the dust outflowing from the comet's nucleus and the study of the motion of the morphological structures in the inner coma indicated that the rotation period of the nucleus was most likely around 0.74 days. A thorough investigation of the inner coma morphology allowed us to observe two main active sources on the comet's nucleus, at a latitude of +85{\deg} \pm 5{\deg} and +45{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}, respectively. Further sources have been observed, but their activity ran out quite rapidly over time; the most relevant was at latcom. = 25{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}. Graphic simulations of the geometrical conditions of observation of the inner coma were compared with the images and used to determine a pole orientation at RA=95{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}, Dec=+35{\deg} \pm 5{\deg}. The comet's spin axis was lying nearly on the plane of the sky during the first decade of December 2004.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, 3 table

Immunogenicity and safety after the third dose of BNT162b2 anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with solid tumors on active treatment: a prospective cohort study

Background: Although a full course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is effective in cancer patients, the duration of the protection and the efficacy of a booster dose against the new variants remain unknown. We prospectively evaluated the immunogenicity of the third dose of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) BNT162b2 messenger RNA vaccine in cancer patients undergoing active treatment. Patients and methods: Patients with solid cancer, vaccinated with a booster dose during active treatment, were enrolled in this study. Patients were classified into SARS-CoV-2 naïve (without previous COVID-19 infection) and SARS-CoV-2 experienced (with previous COVID-19 infection). Neutralizing antibody (NT Ab) titer and total anti-Spike immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration were quantified in serum. Heparinized whole blood samples were used for SARS-CoV-2 Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA). The primary endpoint was to assess the increase of IgG antibody level between baseline and 3 weeks after the booster. Results: One hundred and forty-two consecutive patients were recruited. In SARS-CoV-2-naïve subjects, the median level of IgG was 157 BAU/ml [interquartile range (IQR) 62-423 BAU/ml] at T0 and reached a median of 2080 BAU/ml (IQR 2080-2080 BAU/ml) at 3 weeks after booster administration (T1; P < 0.0001). A median 16-fold increase of SARS-CoV-2 NT Ab titer (IQR 4-32) was observed in naïve subjects (from median 20, IQR 10-40, to median 640, IQR 160-640; P < 0.0001). Median interferon-γ level at T1 was significantly higher than that measured at T0 in SARS-CoV-2-naïve subjects (P = 0.0049) but not in SARS-CoV-2-experienced patients. The median level of SARS-CoV-2 NT Abs was 32-fold lower against Omicron compared to the wild-type strain (P = 0.0004) and 12-fold lower compared to the Delta strain (P = 0.0110). Conclusions: The third dose is able to trigger both the humoral and the cell-mediated immune response in cancer patients on active treatment. Our preliminary data about the neutralization of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine against variants of concern seem to confirm the lower vaccine activity

Analysis of the humoral and cellular immune response after a full course of BNT162b2 anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in cancer patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with or without chemotherapy: an update after 6 months of follow-up

Background: The durability of immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in cancer patients remains to be elucidated. We prospectively evaluated the immunogenicity of the vaccine in triggering both the humoral and the cell-mediated immune response in cancer patients treated with anti-programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 with or without chemotherapy 6 months after BNT162b2 vaccine. Patients and methods: In the previous study, 88 patients were enrolled, whereas the analyses below refer to the 60 patients still on immunotherapy at the time of the follow-up. According to previous SARS-CoV-2 exposure, patients were classified as SARS-CoV-2-naive (without previous SARS-CoV-2 exposure) and SARS-CoV-2-experienced (with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection). Neutralizing antibody (NT Ab) titer against the B.1.1 strain and total anti-spike immunoglobulin G concentration were quantified in serum samples. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay was used for quantification of anti-spike interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-producing cells/106 peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Fifty patients (83.0%) were on immunotherapy alone, whereas 10 patients (7%) were on chemo-immunotherapy. We analyzed separately patients on immunotherapy and patients on chemo-immunotherapy. Results: The median T-cell response at 6 months was significantly lower than that measured at 3 weeks after vaccination [50 interquartile range (IQR) 20-118.8 versus 175 IQR 67.5-371.3 IFN-γ-producing cells/106 peripheral blood mononuclear cells; P < 0.0001]. The median reduction of immunoglobulin G concentration was 88% in SARS-CoV-2-naive subjects and 2.1% in SARS-CoV-2-experienced subjects. SARS-CoV-2 NT Ab titer was maintained in SARS-CoV-2-experienced subjects, whereas a significant decrease was observed in SARS-CoV-2-naive subjects (from median 1 : 160, IQR 1 : 40-1 : 640 to median 1 : 20, IQR 1 : 10-1 : 40; P < 0.0001). A weak correlation was observed between SARS-CoV-2 NT Ab titer and spike-specific IFN-γ-producing cells at both 6 months and 3 weeks after vaccination (r = 0.467; P = 0.0002 and r = 0.428; P = 0.0006, respectively). Conclusions: Our work highlights a reduction in the immune response in cancer patients, particularly in SARS-CoV-2-naive subjects. Our data support administering a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to cancer patients treated with programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 inhibitors

Impaired bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cell function in rheumatoid arthritis patients candidated to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

We have evaluated bone marrow morphology, percentage of bone marrow CD34(+) cells, proliferative activity of bone marrow precursors, clonogenic assay ( BFU- E and CFU- GM) in short- term bone marrow cultures, and bone marrow cell apoptosis, together with serum TNF-alpha and IL- 6, in 16 chronic, refractory RA patients, as well as in five healthy controls. Of 16 RA patients ( 68.7%), 11 showed a reduced bone marrow cellularity, while it was normal in all the controls. In RA patients, the median percentage of CD34(+) bone marrow cells, the median percentage of proliferating bone marrow myeloid precursors, and the median number of both BFU- E and CFU-GM colonies were significantly lower than observed in the controls. As far as TNF-alpha and IL- 6 titers is concerned, the latter did not significantly differ from controls' values, while TNF-alpha titers were significantly lower in healthy controls. Finally, the median apoptotic index of early bone marrow myeloid cells of RA patients was significantly higher compared with controls. These observations may identify the biological risk factors for impaired mobilization and/ or engraftment when RA patients are candidates for autologous hematopoietic stem cell grafting

Catalytic multi-stage liquefaction (CMSL)

Reported herein are the details and the results of laboratory and bench scale experiments that were conducted at Hydrocarbon Technologies, Inc. under DOE Contract No. DE-AC22-93PC92147 during the period of October 1, 1992, to December 31, 1995. The program results described herein build on the previous technology base and investigating additional methods to improve the economics of producing transportation fuels from coal. This included purely physical parameters, coal treatment and variation in solvent to coal ratio, the use of syngas to replace part of the hydrogen as the reducing gas, the use of dispersed catalyst in addition to and replacing the supported catalyst, and the co-processing of coal with plastic waste material. The overall objective of this program is to produce liquid fuels from direct coal liquefaction at a cost that is competitive with conventional fuels. The report includes the results of an economic assessment of the various process strategies that were evaluated during this program. A summary of the technical/economic evaluations is given in Volume I, Section II of this report. The experimental details of the eleven run of the program are given in Volume I, Section III and Volume II of this report. The details of the technical evaluations are given in the Volume III of the report

3-D Ultrastructure of O. tauri: Electron Cryotomography of an Entire Eukaryotic Cell

The hallmark of eukaryotic cells is their segregation of key biological functions into discrete, membrane-bound organelles. Creating accurate models of their ultrastructural complexity has been difficult in part because of the limited resolution of light microscopy and the artifact-prone nature of conventional electron microscopy. Here we explored the potential of the emerging technology electron cryotomography to produce three-dimensional images of an entire eukaryotic cell in a near-native state. Ostreococcus tauri was chosen as the specimen because as a unicellular picoplankton with just one copy of each organelle, it is the smallest known eukaryote and was therefore likely to yield the highest resolution images. Whole cells were imaged at various stages of the cell cycle, yielding 3-D reconstructions of complete chloroplasts, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticula, Golgi bodies, peroxisomes, microtubules, and putative ribosome distributions in-situ. Surprisingly, the nucleus was seen to open long before mitosis, and while one microtubule (or two in some predivisional cells) was consistently present, no mitotic spindle was ever observed, prompting speculation that a single microtubule might be sufficient to segregate multiple chromosomes

Nigellissima: A Study of Glamour, Performativity and Embodiment

This is a study of glamour, its complexities and its relationship with and role within celebrity culture. We explore glamour in the context of Nigella, the London-born TV cook, food writer and self-proclaimed ‘domestic goddess’ of British culinary culture. In our study we consider the interconnections between glamour, specifically Italian-style retro-glamour, and performativity in Nigella’s career. We also address the role of embodiment and authenticity in the masquerade of femininity. Our analysis focuses on Nigella’s glamour over time, considering its creation, enactment and reaffirmation following scandal. We conclude by speculating on glamour’s complex and ambivalent relationship with celebrity culture, and the role of vulnerability in creating authentic and enduring glamour in contemporary consumer society