Mathematical Model of \u3cem\u3eChlorella minutissima\u3c/em\u3e UTEX2341 Growth and Lipid Production Under Photoheterotrophic Fermentation Conditions

To reduce the cost of algal biomass production, mathematical model was developed for the first time to describe microalgae growth, lipid production and glycerin consumption under photoheterotrophic conditions based on logistic, Luedeking–Piret and Luedeking–Piret-like equations. All experiments were conducted in a 2 L batch reactor without considering CO2 effect on algae’s growth and lipid production. Biomass and lipid production increased with glycerin as carbon source and were well described by the logistic and Luedeking–Piret equations respectively. Model predictions were in satisfactory agreement with measured data and the mode of lipid production was growth-associated. Sensitivity analysis was applied to examine the effects of certain important parameters on model performance. Results showed that S0, the initial concentration of glycerin, was the most significant factor for algae growth and lipid production. This model is applicable for prediction of other single cell algal species but model testing is recommended before scaling up the fermentation of process

Development of databases for facilitating green roof energy simulation assessments

Assessments of the energy performance of green roofs have traditionally been performed with experimental and modelling procedures. Experimental green roof energy studies have significant disadvantages (expensive, time-consuming, cannot be generalised, etc.). On the other hand, modelling studies are often done with over-simplified models (for example, by ignoring the effect of moisture flows in the green roof layers) or with detailed models that require inputs which are often difficult to be obtained in practice and may involve a certain degree of uncertainty. This paper describes the methodologies for the development of databases that include data inputs that could be used within building simulation programs for green roof energy performance appraisals. The methods described are based on the data model used by a new green roof model within the ESP-r simulation program; however several of these data could also be used by other detailed models. Where applicable, data are used from the literature and measurements are also taken for input model variables that affect the heat and moisture flows in the plant, air canopy and soil layers. Measurement methods are also described in the paper. The availability of such databases could facilitate the appraisals of green roofs within whole building integrated energy simulations and the methodologies described in this paper could be replicated by researchers in order to include additional green roof data for modelling alternative green roof types

The Performance of the Construction of a Water Ecological Civilization City: International Assessment and Comparison

The water ecological environment problems brought about by rapid urbanization have prompted the proposal and implementation of different approaches to urban water ecological construction, such as eco-cities, best management practices (BMPs), and low-impact development (LID). As one of the most representative urban water ecological management policies in China, the Water Ecological Civilization City (WECC) was proposed in 2013, and 105 cities were selected for pilot construction. Many studies have evaluated the effectiveness of WECC construction, but international quantitative comparison is lacking. To address this, an urban Water-Human-Health (WHH) Assessment Model, considering water resources, ecological environment, economic and social development level, and water resources utilization, was developed and applied to five WECC pilot cities in China and 10 other cities worldwide, in which mainstream urban water ecological construction modes have been used. Principal component analysis of the index values in the assessment system was used to evaluate the current status of water ecosystem health in the 15 cities, showing that Sydney, Cleveland, and Hamburg were the most advanced in urban water ecological management. The two cities with the best evaluation results (Sydney and Cleveland), and the WECC city with the highest score (Wuhan) were selected for documentary analysis of their water ecological construction documents to identify similarities and differences to inform best practice internationally for urban water ecological construction. The results showed that Sydney and Cleveland attach similar emphasis across most constituents of urban water ecological construction, while, for Wuhan, greater importance is attached to water resource management and water culture. The advantages and disadvantages of WECC construction and international experience are discussed. The WHH assessment model proposed in this study provides a new quantitative evaluation method for international urban water ecological health evaluation, which could be further improved by including an urban flood risk indicator

Disability and sexual and reproductive health service utilisation in Uganda: an intersectional analysis of demographic and health surveys between 2006 and 2016

Background: The United Nations through universal health coverage, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH), pledges to include all people, leaving no one behind. However, people with disabilities continue to experience multiple barriers in accessing SRH services. Studies analysing the impacts of disability in conjunction with other social identities and health determinants reveal a complex pattern in SRH service use. Framed within a larger mixed methods study conducted in Uganda, we examined how disability, among other key social determinants of health (SDH), was associated with the use of SRH services. Methods: We analysed data from repeated cross-sectional national surveys, the Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 2006, 2011, and 2016. The three outcomes of interest were antenatal care visits, HIV testing, and modern contraception use. Our main exposure of interest was the type of disability, classified according to six functional dimensions: seeing, hearing, walking/climbing steps, remembering/concentrating, communicating, and selfcare. We performed descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses, which controlled for covariates such as survey year, sex, age, place of residence, education, and wealth index. Interaction terms between disability and other factors such as sex, education, and wealth index were explored. Regression analyses were informed by an intersectionality framework to highlight social and health disparities within groups. Results: From 2006 to 2016, 15.5-18.5% of study participants lived with some form of disability. Over the same period, the overall prevalence of at least four antenatal care visits increased from 48.3 to 61.0%, while overall HIV testing prevalence rose from 30.8 to 92.4% and the overall prevalence of modern contraception use increased from 18.6 to 34.2%. The DHS year, highest education level attained, and wealth index were the most consistent determinants of SRH service utilisation. People with different types of disabilities did not have the same SRH use patterns. Interactions between disability type and wealth index were associated with neither HIV testing nor the use of modern contraception. Women who were wealthy with hearing difficulty (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.15, 95%CI 0.03 – 0.87) or with communication difficulty (OR = 0.17, 95%CI 0.03 – 0.82) had lower odds of having had optimal antenatal care visits compared to women without disabilities who were poorer

Rapid Electrochemical Detection of New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase Genes To Enable Point-of-Care Testing of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

The alarming rate at which antibiotic resistance is occurring in human pathogens causes a pressing need for improved diagnostic technologies aimed at rapid detection and point-of-care testing to support quick decision making regarding antibiotic therapy and patient management. Here, we report the successful development of an electrochemical biosensor to detect <i>bla</i>_<i>NDM</i>, the gene encoding the emerging New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, using label-free electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The presence of this gene is of critical concern because organisms harboring <i>bla</i>_<i>NDM</i> tend to be multiresistant, leaving very few treatment options. For the EIS assay, we used a <i>bla</i>_<i>NDM</i>-specific PNA probe that was designed by applying a new approach that combines <i>in silico</i> probe design and fluorescence-based DNA microarray validation with electrochemical testing on gold screen-printed electrodes. The assay was successfully demonstrated for synthetic targets (LOD = 10 nM), PCR products (LOD = 100 pM), and direct, amplification-free detection from a <i>bla</i>_<i>NDM</i>-harboring plasmid. The biosensor’s specificity, preanalytical requirements, and performance under ambient conditions were demonstrated and successfully proved its suitability for further point-of-care test development

A Herschel-ATLAS study of dusty spheroids: probing the minor-merger process in the local Universe

We use multiwavelength (0.12-500 μm) photometry from Herschel-ATLAS, WISE, UKIDSS, SDSS and GALEX to study 23 nearby spheroidal galaxies with prominent dust lanes (DLSGs). DLSGs are considered to be remnants of recent minor mergers, making them ideal laboratories for studying both the interstellar medium (ISM) of spheroids and minor-merger-driven star formation in thenearby Universe. The DLSGs exhibit star formation rates (SFRs) between 0.01and 10M⊙ yr-1 with a median of 0.26M⊙ yr-1 (a factor of 3.5 greater thanthe average SG). The median dust mass, dust-to-stellar mass ratio and dust temperature in these galaxies are around 107.6M⊙, ≈0.05 per cent and ≈19.5K, respectively. The dust masses are at least a factor of 50 greater than that expected from stellar mass loss and, like the SFRs, show no correlationwith galaxy luminosity, suggesting that both the ISM and the star formationhave external drivers. Adopting literature gas-to-dust ratios and star formation histories derived from fits to the panchromatic photometry, we estimate that the median current and initial gasto- stellar mass ratios in these systems are ≈4 and ≈7 per cent, respectively. If, as indicated by recent work, minor mergers that drive star formation in spheroids with (NUV - r) > 3.8 (the colour range of our DLSGs) have stellar mass ratios between 1:6 and 1:10, then the satellite gas fractions are likely =50 per cen

An ALMA view of star formation efficiency suppression in early-type galaxies after gas-rich minor mergers

Gas-rich minor mergers contribute significantly to the gas reservoir of early-type galaxies (ETGs) at low redshift, yet the star formation efficiency (SFE; the star formation rate divided by the molecular gas mass) appears to be strongly suppressed following some of these events, in contrast to the more well-known merger-driven starbursts. We present observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) of six ETGs, which have each recently undergone a gas-rich minor merger, as evidenced by their disturbed stellar morphologies. These galaxies were selected because they exhibit extremely low SFEs. We use the resolving power of ALMA to study the morphology and kinematics of the molecular gas. The majority of our galaxies exhibit spatial and kinematical irregularities, such as detached gas clouds, warps, and other asymmetries. These asymmetries support the interpretation that the suppression of the SFE is caused by dynamical effects stabilizing the gas against gravitational collapse. Through kinematic modelling we derive high velocity dispersions and Toomre Q stability parameters for the gas, but caution that such measurements in edge-on galaxies suffer from degeneracies. We estimate merger ages to be about 100 Myr based on the observed disturbances in the gas distribution. Furthermore, we determine that these galaxies lie, on average, two orders of magnitude below the Kennicutt–Schmidt relation for star-forming galaxies as well as below the relation for relaxed ETGs. We discuss potential dynamical processes responsible for this strong suppression of star formation surface density at fixed molecular gas surface density

Smoking alters hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase expression in fetal membranes

Introduction: The way in which tobacco smoking increases the risk of preterm labor remains uncertain. Altered prostaglandin metabolism is one potential mechanism. Methods: Proteins in fetal membrane samples (amniochoriodecidua) from 20 women were relatively quantified using Tandem Mass Tagging nano-liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Results: Prostaglandin synthases and two enzymes involved in prostaglandin degradation, hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD) and CBR1, were detected by the mass spectrometer. The expression of HPGD was significantly lower in smokers relative to non-smokers (0.43 fold, p = 0.016). There was no effect of labor, inflammatory status or gestational age on the HPGD levels. Discussion: We describe for the first time an association between maternal smoking and HPGD expression. We propose that reduced expression of HPGD is one mechanism through which smoking may contribute to preterm labor. Lower levels of this enzyme, key to metabolising prostaglandins, may result in higher levels of prostaglandins and therefore precipitate labor prematurely