Municipal green waste as substrate for the microbial production of platform chemicals

In Germany alone, more than 5·10$^6$ tons of municipal green waste is produced each year. So far, this material is not used in an economically worthwhile way. In this work, grass clippings and tree pruning as examples of municipal green waste were utilized as feedstock for the microbial production of platform chemicals. A pretreatment procedure depending on the moisture and lignin content of the biomass was developed. The suitability of grass press juice and enzymatic hydrolysate of lignocellulosic biomass pretreated with an organosolv process as fermentation medium or medium supplement for the cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis, Ustilago maydis, and Clostridium acetobutylicum was demonstrated. Product concentrations of 9.4 g$_{ethanol}$ L$^{−1}$, 16.9 g$_{lactic}$ acid L$^{−1}$, 20.0 g$_{itaconic acid}$ L$^{−1}$, and 15.5 g$_{solvents}$ L$^{−1}$ were achieved in the different processes. Yields were in the same range as or higher than those of reference processes grown in established standard media. By reducing the waste arising in cities and using municipal green waste as feedstock to produce platform chemicals, this work contributes to the UN sustainability goals and supports the transition toward a circular bioeconomy

Target Displacements during Eye Blinks Trigger Automatic Recalibration of Gaze Direction

Eye blinks cause disruptions to visual input and are accompanied by rotations of the eyeball [1]. Like every motor action, these eye movements are subject to noise and introduce instabilities in gaze direction across blinks [2]. Accumulating errors across repeated blinks would be debilitating for visual performance. Here, we show that the oculomotor system constantly recalibrates gaze direction during blinks to counteract gaze instability. Observers were instructed to fixate a visual target while gaze direction was recorded and blinks were detected in real time. With every spontaneous blink-while eyelids were closed-the target was displaced laterally by 0.5° (or 1.0°). Most observers reported being unaware of displacements during blinks. After adapting for ∼35 blinks, gaze positions after blinks showed significant biases toward the new target position. Automatic eye movements accompanied each blink, and an aftereffect persisted for a few blinks after target displacements were eliminated. No adaptive gaze shift occurred when blinks were simulated with shutter glasses at random time points or actively triggered by observers, or when target displacements were masked by a distracting stimulus. Visual signals during blinks are suppressed by inhibitory mechanisms [3-6], so that small changes across blinks are generally not noticed [7, 8]. Additionally, target displacements during blinks can trigger automatic gaze recalibration, similar to the well-known saccadic adaptation effect [9-11]. This novel mechanism might be specific to the maintenance of gaze direction across blinks or might depend on a more general oculomotor recalibration mechanism adapting gaze position during intrinsically generated disruptions to visual input

The Rise and Fall, and the Rise (Again) of Feminist Research in Music: 'What Goes Around Comes Around'

This article reports from a two-phase study that involved an analysis of the extant literature followed by a three-part survey answered by seventy-one women composers. Through these theoretical and empirical data, the authors explore the relationship between gender and music’s symbolic and cultural capital. Bourdieu’s theory of the habitus is employed to understand the gendered experiences of the female composers who participated in the survey. The article suggests that these female composers have different investments in gender but that, overall, they reinforce the male habitus given that the female habitus occupies a subordinate position in relation to that of the male. The findings of the study also suggest a connection between contemporary feminism and the attitudes towards gender held by the participants. The article concludes that female composers classify themselves, and others, according to gendered norms and that these perpetuate the social order in music in which the male norm dominates

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Municipal green waste as substrate for the microbial production of platform chemicals

Abstract In Germany alone, more than 5·106 tons of municipal green waste is produced each year. So far, this material is not used in an economically worthwhile way. In this work, grass clippings and tree pruning as examples of municipal green waste were utilized as feedstock for the microbial production of platform chemicals. A pretreatment procedure depending on the moisture and lignin content of the biomass was developed. The suitability of grass press juice and enzymatic hydrolysate of lignocellulosic biomass pretreated with an organosolv process as fermentation medium or medium supplement for the cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis, Ustilago maydis, and Clostridium acetobutylicum was demonstrated. Product concentrations of 9.4 gethanol L−1, 16.9 glactic acid L−1, 20.0 gitaconic acid L−1, and 15.5 gsolvents L−1 were achieved in the different processes. Yields were in the same range as or higher than those of reference processes grown in established standard media. By reducing the waste arising in cities and using municipal green waste as feedstock to produce platform chemicals, this work contributes to the UN sustainability goals and supports the transition toward a circular bioeconomy. Graphical Abstrac

Mosideo/cirfa tank experiments on behavior and detection of oil in ice

In the Arctic, presence of sea ice presents a challenge to safe and sustainable operations. To optimize planning and minimize impact of inadvertent oil spills, oil-in-ice experiments were performed at the HSVA Arctic Environmental Test Basin (AETB) from 14 March to 4 April 2017. Following an under-ice spill and simulated springtime warming, the microscopic movement and distribution of oil in the sea ice pore space as well as the detectability of oil as it approaches the surface were investigated. Two ice types were studied simultaneously, i.e., columnar ice with and without a granular ice surface layer. Among the detection techniques were electromagnetic (radar, tomographic SAR) and optical (fluorescent, hyperspectral, thermal) sensors, and microscopic distribution of oil in sea ice were determined through X-ray computed tomography (CT). This paper presents the setup of the experiment and general ice properties. It was found that the movement of oil differed considerably between the investigated ice types. Predicting the behavior of oil in ice based on environmental conditions will help optimize the approaches used in spill detection and response.publishedVersio

Mosideo/cirfa tank experiments on behavior and detection of oil in ice

In the Arctic, presence of sea ice presents a challenge to safe and sustainable operations. To optimize planning and minimize impact of inadvertent oil spills, oil-in-ice experiments were performed at the HSVA Arctic Environmental Test Basin (AETB) from 14 March to 4 April 2017. Following an under-ice spill and simulated springtime warming, the microscopic movement and distribution of oil in the sea ice pore space as well as the detectability of oil as it approaches the surface were investigated. Two ice types were studied simultaneously, i.e., columnar ice with and without a granular ice surface layer. Among the detection techniques were electromagnetic (radar, tomographic SAR) and optical (fluorescent, hyperspectral, thermal) sensors, and microscopic distribution of oil in sea ice were determined through X-ray computed tomography (CT). This paper presents the setup of the experiment and general ice properties. It was found that the movement of oil differed considerably between the investigated ice types. Predicting the behavior of oil in ice based on environmental conditions will help optimize the approaches used in spill detection and response

Mosideo/cirfa tank experiments on behavior and detection of oil in ice

In the Arctic, presence of sea ice presents a challenge to safe and sustainable operations. To optimize planning and minimize impact of inadvertent oil spills, oil-in-ice experiments were performed at the HSVA Arctic Environmental Test Basin (AETB) from 14 March to 4 April 2017. Following an under-ice spill and simulated springtime warming, the microscopic movement and distribution of oil in the sea ice pore space as well as the detectability of oil as it approaches the surface were investigated. Two ice types were studied simultaneously, i.e., columnar ice with and without a granular ice surface layer. Among the detection techniques were electromagnetic (radar, tomographic SAR) and optical (fluorescent, hyperspectral, thermal) sensors, and microscopic distribution of oil in sea ice were determined through X-ray computed tomography (CT). This paper presents the setup of the experiment and general ice properties. It was found that the movement of oil differed considerably between the investigated ice types. Predicting the behavior of oil in ice based on environmental conditions will help optimize the approaches used in spill detection and response