Probing the pyrolysis process of rice straw over a “Dual-Catalyst Bed” for the production of fuel gases and value-added chemicals

Rice straw is an agricultural byproduct primarily produced in Asian regions. It is crucial to discover an effective method for converting this waste into chemicals that can be utilized to substitute goods derived from fossil fuels. Pyrolysis serves as an interesting procedure to obtain bio-oil from this rice straw. The composition of the bio-oil obtained after the pyrolysis procedure contains a small quantity of value-added chemicals in addition to various gas components in the gas product. Therefore, the development of catalytic systems that improve this pyrolytic reaction is mandatory. Herein, the design of a dual catalyst bed (CEM/ZSM-5) that catalyzes the volatiles that it releases has been developed. The highest output of 42.1 wt.% of bio-oil, 29.9 wt.% of gases and 28.0 wt.% of bio-char was obtained. Nevertheless, the inclusion of single zeolites to biomass yields biofuel outputs of 42.8 wt.%, gas yields of 27.7 wt.%, and a bio-char yielding of 29.5 wt.%. Additionally, the addition of cement to biomass results in a bio-oil yield of 40.4 wt.% and 30.5 wt.% of gas, along with 29.1 wt.% of char. Regarding pyrolysis gas products, the H2 yield in the produced biogas was increased from 35.9 mL/g to 45.7 mL/g, and the CH4 output was increased from 21.1 mL/g to 27.4 mL/g. The bioenergy output was evaluated employing GC-FID and GC-MS (gas and biofuel). The dual catalytic bed had a significant impact on the contents of the generated biofuel, increasing the quantity of hydrocarbons and other value-added compounds

Clostridium septicum infection of hepatic metastases following alcohol injection: a case report

Clostridium septicum infections are generally associated with gastrointestinal or hematologic malignancies. We report the first case of hepatic metastases infection with Clostridium septicum that followed alcohol injection of liver lesion. Clinicians should consider this possibility in patients with underlying malignancy who present with hepatic abscess, as prompt surgical drainage and empiric antibiotics may be life saving

Forecasting the Stochastic Vicious Cycle of Cancer Progression and Immune Response

It is accepted that cancer progression is a stochastic process, and there is a bifurcation in cancer cell count, which gets chaotic if not treated at preliminary stages. Therefore, strategies for fighting cancer at early stages are highly desired. However, the interaction of the immune system with cancer cells is not a straightforward process. The stochastic cell interactions lead to uncontrollable dynamics and sometimes to the death of the patient. A stochastic computational framework developed based on principles of the cancer-immune cell interaction is proposed in this article. The results obtained using the framework for breast cancer are close to the experimental findings, confirming that it can be a useful tool for identifying possible control measures. This study concludes that a control strategy based on stochastic modeling is promising and that a deep understanding of the interaction cell rates is essential for timely cancer control measures. (c) 2021 The Author(s

The A, C, G, and T of Genome Assembly

Genome assembly in its two decades of history has produced significant research, in terms of both biotechnology and computational biology. This contribution delineates sequencing platforms and their characteristics, examines key steps involved in filtering and processing raw data, explains assembly frameworks, and discusses quality statistics for the assessment of the assembled sequence. Furthermore, the paper explores recent Ubuntu-based software environments oriented towards genome assembly as well as some avenues for future research

1-(3,5-Dinitro­benzo­yl)-3,3-dipropyl­thio­urea

The title thio­urea derivative, C14H18N4O5S, features two substantial twists between its component fragments: the dihedral angle between the SN2C (thio­urea) and ONC2 (amide) residues is 48.89 (7)° and that between the benzene ring and the amide residue is 30.27 (7)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by bifurcated N—H⋯(O,S) hydrogen bonds, generating [001] supra­molecular chains

3-Cyclo­hexyl-1-(3,5-dinitro­benzo­yl)thio­urea

The structure of the title thio­urea derivative, C14H16N4O5S, features an almost planar central C2N2OS fragment (r.m.s. deviation = 0.005 Å), an arrangement stabilized by an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond. The terminal rings are twisted out of this plane, the dihedral angle formed with the benzene ring being 33.22 (10)°. The cyclo­hexyl ring is disordered, with two orientations (50:50) being resolved. The mean plane passing through the atoms of each disordered component forms dihedral angles of 65.7 (2) and 82.4 (3)° with the central plane. Centrosymmetric dimers mediated by an eight-membered {⋯HNC=S}2 synthon occur in the crystal

Management and Outcome of Permanent Pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Infections

ObjectivesWe describe the management and outcome of permanent pacemaker (PPM) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) infections in a large cohort of patients seen at a tertiary care facility with expertise in device lead extraction.BackgroundInfection is a serious complication of PPM and ICD implantation. Optimal care of patients with these cardiac device infections (CDI) is not well defined.MethodsA retrospective review of all patients with CDI admitted to Mayo Clinic Rochester between January 1, 1991, and December 31, 2003, was conducted. Demographic and clinical data were collected, and descriptive analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 189 patients met the criteria for CDI (138 PPM, 51 ICD). The median age of the patients was 71.2 years. Generator pocket infection (69%) and device-related endocarditis (23%) were the most common clinical presentations. Coagulase-negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus, in 42% and 29% of cases, respectively, were the leading pathogens for CDI. Most patients (98%) underwent complete device removal. Duration of antibiotic therapy after device removal was based on clinical presentation and causative organism (median duration of 18 days for pocket infection vs. 28 days for endocarditis; 28 days for S. aureusinfection vs. 14 days for coagulase-negative staphylococci infection [p < 0.001]). Median follow-up after hospital discharge was 175 days. Ninety-six percent of patients were cured with both complete device removal and antibiotic administration.ConclusionsCure of CDI is achievable in the large majority of patients treated with an aggressive approach of combined antimicrobial treatment and complete device removal. Based on findings of our large retrospective institutional survey and previously published data, we submit proposed management guidelines of CDI

Process Understanding in Freeze-Drying Cycle Development: Applications for Through-Vial Impedance Spectroscopy (TVIS) in Mini-pilot Studies

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link

Noninvasive Featherlight Wearable Compliant “Marine Skin”: Standalone Multisensory System for Deep‐Sea Environmental Monitoring

Advances in marine research to understand environmental change and its effect on marine ecosystems rely on gathering data on species physiology, their habitat, and their mobility patterns using heavy and invasive biologgers and sensory telemetric networks. In the past, a lightweight (6 g) compliant environmental monitoring system: Marine Skin was demonstrated. In this paper, an enhanced version of that skin with improved functionalities (500–1500% enhanced sensitivity), packaging, and most importantly its endurance at a depth of 2 km in the highly saline Red Sea water for four consecutive weeks is reported. A unique noninvasive approach for attachment of the sensor by designing a wearable, stretchable jacket (bracelet) that can adhere to any species irrespective of their skin type is also illustrated. The wearable featherlight (<0.5 g in air, 3 g with jacket) gadget is deployed on Barramundi, Seabream, and common goldfish to demonstrate the noninvasive and effective attachment strategy on different species of variable sizes which does not hinder the animals' natural movement or behavior

Noninvasive Featherlight Wearable Compliant “Marine Skin”: Standalone Multisensory System for Deep‐Sea Environmental Monitoring

Advances in marine research to understand environmental change and its effect on marine ecosystems rely on gathering data on species physiology, their habitat, and their mobility patterns using heavy and invasive biologgers and sensory telemetric networks. In the past, a lightweight (6 g) compliant environmental monitoring system: Marine Skin was demonstrated. In this paper, an enhanced version of that skin with improved functionalities (500–1500% enhanced sensitivity), packaging, and most importantly its endurance at a depth of 2 km in the highly saline Red Sea water for four consecutive weeks is reported. A unique noninvasive approach for attachment of the sensor by designing a wearable, stretchable jacket (bracelet) that can adhere to any species irrespective of their skin type is also illustrated. The wearable featherlight (<0.5 g in air, 3 g with jacket) gadget is deployed on Barramundi, Seabream, and common goldfish to demonstrate the noninvasive and effective attachment strategy on different species of variable sizes which does not hinder the animals' natural movement or behavior