Quantitative real time PCR assay for detecting BK virus in serum, plasma and urine.

PosterBK is a non-enveloped virus in the Polyomavirus family, closely related to SV40 and JC virus. Primary infection with BK generally occurs during childhood without specific symptoms, and is widespread in the population, with approximately 80% of adults infected globally. The virus remains latent in the urogenital tract, but can become transplant patients,reactivated. Asymptomatic reactivation and sporadic shedding of BK virus in urine can happen spontaneously in immunocompetant patients

Pakistan toward Achieving Net-Zero Emissions: Policy and Roadmap

Pakistan generated 12.17 million tons (Mt) of plastic waste in 2020, reaching 22.04 Mt in 2050. Plastic production emits about 0.8 billion tons (Bt) of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Pakistan. An increase in production will lead this amount to 1.46 Bt in 2050. The eco-indicator 95, BEES, and ReCiPe methods investigated the life cycle of petroleum-based and corn-based plastics. Through technology, policies, and strategies implementations, Pakistan can control white pollution and environmental hazards until 2043-2050 with the recycling rate (i.e., 28%). The defined policy roadmap for net-zero emissions will limit the GHGs to 1.66 Bt in 2050. These emissions can be reduced through life cycle assessment, policy decisions, implementation strategies, and technology utilization. Rapid and widespread changes in policy and investment across many sectors of society, participation, and commitment by government, industry, and individuals are needed. The baseline technologies require renewable energy for production and carbon capture, storage, and utilization technology to reduce emissions into the atmosphere. Policy roadmaps and literature studies concluded that net-zero emissions are possible with available technologies until 2043. Identified the critical technological and socio-economic goals that must be achieved for net-zero carbon emissions through near-term critical actions defined from 2020 to 2050

Life cycle assessment and policy for the improvement of net-zero emissions in China

Bio-based plastics are gaining popularity in the industry to lessen the negative effects of plastic pollution on terrestrial and aquatic environments. Environmentally acceptable alternatives to plastics made from fossil fuels must be adopted worldwide if the world wants to achieve net-zero emissions. The current research examines environmental emissions by contrasting petroleum-based with bio-based plastics. A road map is formulated based on environmental impacts for China to reach its net-zero emissions objectives by 2050. Together with technologies, life cycle assessment enables the measurement and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through creating policies and developing strategies. It is possible to achieve net-zero emissions using current production, recycling, and waste management technologies. But rapid investment and policy implementation across numerous social sectors are required. In 2020, China generated 38.4 million tons (Mt) of plastic waste in 2020, and it will reach approximately 56.56 Mt in 2050. Its plastic manufacturing emits 2.78 Mt of CO2 and will reach 4.10 Mt in 2050. Policy implementation will restrict CO2 from increasing further, i.e., by 1.7 Mt by 2050. With the current recycling rate, policy implications or roadmap, we can control China's plastic pollution by 2043

Pakistan toward Achieving Net-Zero Emissions: Policy and Roadmap

Pakistan generated 12.17 million tons (Mt) of plastic waste in 2020, reaching 22.04 Mt in 2050. Plastic production emits about 0.8 billion tons (Bt) of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Pakistan. An increase in production will lead this amount to 1.46 Bt in 2050. The eco-indicator 95, BEES, and ReCiPe methods investigated the life cycle of petroleum-based and corn-based plastics. Through technology, policies, and strategies implementations, Pakistan can control white pollution and environmental hazards until 2043-2050 with the recycling rate (i.e., 28%). The defined policy roadmap for net-zero emissions will limit the GHGs to 1.66 Bt in 2050. These emissions can be reduced through life cycle assessment, policy decisions, implementation strategies, and technology utilization. Rapid and widespread changes in policy and investment across many sectors of society, participation, and commitment by government, industry, and individuals are needed. The baseline technologies require renewable energy for production and carbon capture, storage, and utilization technology to reduce emissions into the atmosphere. Policy roadmaps and literature studies concluded that net-zero emissions are possible with available technologies until 2043. Identified the critical technological and socio-economic goals that must be achieved for net-zero carbon emissions through near-term critical actions defined from 2020 to 2050

Facile green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles for the eradication of multidrug resistant Klebsiella pneumonia and Helicobacter pylori biofilms

In the present study, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were successfully synthesized from Cassia fistula and Melia azedarach leaf extracts via cupric nitrate approach. The successful biosynthesis of CuO NPs was confirmed by experimental analysis such as color transformation, ultraviolet light spectroscopy (UV-spectroscopy), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Antibacterial activity of the biosynthesized CuO NPs was confirmed against the two antibiotic resistant clinical strains of Klebsiella pneumonia and Helicobacter pylori. Well diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were optimum when 1 ?g/ml of the NPs were used. This concentration of the NPs derived from C. fistula inhibited the biofilm formation of K. pneumonia and H. pylori by 99.8% and 100%, respectively. On the other hand, the NPs derived from M. azadarech showed biofilm formation inhibition by 92.5% and 99.5% for K. pneumonia and H. pylori, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) further elucidated the antibacterial effect through bacterial cell shape disruption and DNA damage

The Cradle-to-Cradle Life Cycle Assessment of Polyethylene terephthalate: Environmental Perspective

Over the last several years, the number of concepts and technologies enabling the production of environmentally friendly products (including materials, consumables, and services) has expanded. One of these ways is cradle-to-cradle (C2C) certified(TM). Life cycle assessment (LCA) technique is used to highlight the advantages of C2C and recycling as a method for reducing plastic pollution and fossil depletion by indicating the research limitations and gaps from an environmental perspective. Also, it estimates the resources requirements and focuses on sound products and processes. The C2C life cycle measurements for petroleum-based poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles, with an emphasis on different end-of-life options for recycling, were taken for mainland China, in brief. It is considered that the product is manufactured through the extraction of crude oil into ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. The CML analysis method was used in the LCIA for the selected midpoint impact categories. LCA of the product has shown a drastic aftermath in terms of environmental impacts and energy use. But the estimation of these consequences is always dependent on the system and boundary conditions that were evaluated throughout the study. The impacts that burden the environment are with the extraction of raw material, resin, and final product production. Minor influences occurred due to the waste recycling process. This suggests that waste degradation is the key process to reduce the environmental impacts of the production systems. Lowering a product's environmental impact can be accomplished in a number of ways, including reducing the amount of materials used or choosing materials with a minimal environmental impact during manufacture processes

Immobilized arginine/tryptophan-rich cyclic dodecapeptide on reduced graphene oxide anchored with manganese dioxide for microbial biofilm eradication

To avoid the accumulation of bacterial biofilms in water pipelines, it is critical to develop potent antimicrobial agents with good ability to reduce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). In this study, cyclic dodecapeptides were synthesized, and different mutations for increasing the ratio of arginine (Arg) and tryptophan (Trp) were introduced. Separately, the synthesized dodecapeptides were immobilized on a reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite anchored with a hierarchical beta-MnO2 (RGO/beta-MnO2) hybrid. With a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.97 g/mL, the immobilized Arg-Trp rich antimicrobial peptides (AMP) on RGO/MnO2 nanocomposite, Cdp-4/RGO/MnO2, showed superior efficacy against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15692 (P. aeruginosa) planktonic cells. The immobilized Cdp-4/RGO/beta-MnO2 also eradicated the mature biofilm by 99% with a minimum inhibitory concentration value of 62.5 mu g/mL with significant reduction of EPS. These characteristics allow the use of the immobilized Arg-Trp rich AMP as a promising antimicrobial agent against microbial biofilms, present in water distribution systems

Facile design of reduced graphene oxide decorated with Cu2O nanocube composite as antibiofilm active material

Stable reduced graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with cuprous oxide nanocubes (rGO/Cu2O) composite was fabricated via a facile two-phase method. rGO with 0.5-2 nm sheet thickness was successfully prepared using a modified Hummer's approach followed by a hydrothermal reduction technique. Controlled Cu2O nanocubes with 70-90 nm average diameters and a {100} growth direction were synthesized by a wet chemical technique at room temperature without using any surfactants or templates which are usually toxic and difficult to wash. The antibacterial and antiblofilm activity of rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite was studied toward Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of rGO/Cu2O composite (5.9, 2.9, and 2.9 mu g/mL for E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and B. subtilis, respectively) showed higher activities as compared to free kanamycin (MICs within 23.4-64 mu g/mL) and streptomycin (MICs within 23.4-187 mu g/mL). Biofilm formation and mature biofilm of the three tested microbes were significantly eradicated using MIC and higher-MIC values of the rGO/Cu2O nanocomposite, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy elucidated the antimicrobial mechanism of the nanocomposite through the complete wrapping of the bacterial cells and disrupting their shape morphology. Our findings provide a great platform for antibacterial nano-materials that could be used in water sources in the dispersion form or to be incorporated with coating materials to inhibit microbial growth and biofilms

Enhanced Biosurfactant Production Using Developed Fed-Batch Fermentation for Effective Heavy Crude Oil Recovery

This study presents a novel and dynamic strategy to enhance rhamnolipid and sophorolipid production using isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Starmerella bombicola, respectively, from an Egyptian oil field. The optimum productivity of rhamnolipid and sophorolipid was observed when 1% of crude oil was used as a carbon source at pH 6 and 3 and temperatures of 30 and 40 degrees C, respectively. The developed fed-batch cultivation strategy enhanced rhamnolipid and sophorolipid production by 1.4- and 1.96-fold, respectively. A robust complex consisting of the produced biosurfactants separately binding with t-octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol was examined for enhancing oil recovery. The interfacial tension was reduced from similar to 11.83 to similar to 0.13 mN/m, and the wettability was modified from the common water-wet state [theta = similar to 75-80 degrees] to an excellent water-wet state [theta = similar to 14.03-21.71 degrees]. The core-flooding tests showed that the oil recovery process was enhanced for rhamnolipid and sophorolipid complexes by 66.07 and 55.63%, respectively

Modification Wettability and Interfacial Tension of Heavy Crude Oil by Green Bio-surfactant Based on Bacillus licheniformis and Rhodococcus erythropolis Strains under Reservoir Conditions: Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

Oil spill contamination in soil is still problematic. At the same time, petroleum-contaminated soil in oil reservoirs contain various microbes, which have the ability for biosurfactant production. Extracting these biosurfactants is a very promising and cost-effective strategy for the microbial enhanced oil recovery process. Biosurfactants production using Bacillus licheniformis AnBa7 and Rhodococcus erythropolis sp., isolated from Egyptian crude oils, was enhanced using various carbon sources. The best bio-surfactant characteristics were observed when 1% of crude oil was used as a carbon source. The production was further improved by using a developed fed-batch cultivation strategy depends on using 1% Glucose as a single addition at the beginning of the culture. Then 1% of crude oil was added three times during the production process. This strategy enhanced surfactin and trehalose productivity by 1.8 and 4.7 fold higher than the normal conditions, respectively. The surface-active and thermodynamic properties were studied. The results indicated that the calculated values of Delta G(mic) for surfactin complex, and trehalose complex were -18.47 and -18.28 kJ/mol at 60 degrees C, respectively while Delta G(ads) values were -30.42 and -29.46 kJ/mol at 60 degrees C. The interfacial tension (IFT) values of surfactin complex and trehalose complex systems were ranging from 0.75 to 0.19 mN m(-1) and from 0.93 to 0.26 mN m(-1) at 60 degrees C, respectively. However, the (IFT) for the blank solution was similar to 11.57 mN m(-1), and the wettability was changed to an excellent water-wet state (theta = similar to 17.42-24.0 degrees). The core-flooding studies showed that the enhanced oil recovery for surfactin complex and trehalos complex, at maximum concentration 6 g/L, were 59.21% and 51.83%, respectively. A predicted mechanism was illustrating through the text