Liquefaction of empty palm fruit bunch (EPFB) in alkaline hot compressed water

Effect of alkalis (NaOH, KOH and K2CO3) on liquefaction of EPFB (emptypalmfruitbunch) biomass liquefaction was investigated under subcritical water conditions in a batch reactor operating at 270 °C and 20 bars for a period of 20 min. Catalytic performance and suitable biomass to water ratio that supported higher EPFB conversion, liquid hydrocarbons yield and lignin degradations were screened. Analytical results indicate that maximum of 68 wt% liquids were produced along with 72.4 wt% EPFB mass conversions and 65.6 wt% lignin degradation under 1.0 M K2CO3/2:10 (biomass/water) conditions. In comparison, the experiments that were performed in the absence of alkalis yielded only 30.4 wt% liquids, converted 36 wt% EPFB and degraded 24.3 wt% lignin. Furthermore, biomass to water ratios >2:10 decreased both solid mass conversion and liquid hydrocarbons' yield. The reactivity of the alkalis was in the order of K2CO3 > KOH > NaOH. The liquid compositions were dominantly phenols and esters; the highest value of phenol (60.1 wt% of liquid yield) was achieved in the case of K2CO3 (1.0 M) with 5 g EPFB/25 ml water ratio while 1.0 M NaOH yielded maximum esters (86.4 wt% of liquid yield). The alkali promoted process assisted with hotwater treatments seemed promising for production of bio-oils from EPFB

The Antibacterial Assay of Tectorigenin with Detergents or ATPase Inhibitors against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Tectorigenin (TTR) is an O-methylated isoflavone derived from the rhizome of Belamacanda chinensis (L.) DC. It is known to perform a wide spectrum of biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor. The aim of this study is to examine the mechanism of antibacterial activity of TTR against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The anti-MRSA activity of TTR was analyzed in combination assays with detergent, ATPase inhibitors, and peptidoglycan (PGN) derived from S. aureus. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to monitor survival characteristics and changes in S. aureus morphology. The MIC values of TTR against all the tested strains were 125 μg/mL. The OD(600) of each suspension treated with a combination of Triton X-100, DCCD, and NaN3 with TTR (1/10 × MIC) had been reduced from 68% to 80%, compared to the TTR alone. At a concentration of 125 μg/mL, PGN blocked antibacterial activity of TTR. This study indicates that anti-MRSA action of TTR is closely related to cytoplasmic membrane permeability and ABC transporter, and PGN at 125 μg/mL directly bind to and inhibit TTR at 62.5 μg/mL. These results can be important indication in study on antimicrobial activity mechanism against multidrug resistant strains

Polygenic risk scores for prediction of breast cancer risk in Asian populations.

PURPOSE: Non-European populations are under-represented in genetics studies, hindering clinical implementation of breast cancer polygenic risk scores (PRSs). We aimed to develop PRSs using the largest available studies of Asian ancestry and to assess the transferability of PRS across ethnic subgroups. METHODS: The development data set comprised 138,309 women from 17 case-control studies. PRSs were generated using a clumping and thresholding method, lasso penalized regression, an Empirical Bayes approach, a Bayesian polygenic prediction approach, or linear combinations of multiple PRSs. These PRSs were evaluated in 89,898 women from 3 prospective studies (1592 incident cases). RESULTS: The best performing PRS (genome-wide set of single-nucleotide variations [formerly single-nucleotide polymorphism]) had a hazard ratio per unit SD of 1.62 (95% CI = 1.46-1.80) and an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.635 (95% CI = 0.622-0.649). Combined Asian and European PRSs (333 single-nucleotide variations) had a hazard ratio per SD of 1.53 (95% CI = 1.37-1.71) and an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.621 (95% CI = 0.608-0.635). The distribution of the latter PRS was different across ethnic subgroups, confirming the importance of population-specific calibration for valid estimation of breast cancer risk. CONCLUSION: PRSs developed in this study, from association data from multiple ancestries, can enhance risk stratification for women of Asian ancestry

Genetic Drivers of Heterogeneity in Type 2 Diabetes Pathophysiology

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes1,2 and molecular mechanisms that are often specific to cell type3,4. Here, to characterize the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% not of European ancestry), including 428,452 cases of T2D. We identify 1,289 independent association signals at genome-wide significance (P \u3c 5 × 10-8) that map to 611 loci, of which 145 loci are, to our knowledge, previously unreported. We define eight non-overlapping clusters of T2D signals that are characterized by distinct profiles of cardiometabolic trait associations. These clusters are differentially enriched for cell-type-specific regions of open chromatin, including pancreatic islets, adipocytes, endothelial cells and enteroendocrine cells. We build cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores5 in a further 279,552 individuals of diverse ancestry, including 30,288 cases of T2D, and test their association with T2D-related vascular outcomes. Cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores are associated with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and end-stage diabetic nephropathy across ancestry groups, highlighting the importance of obesity-related processes in the development of vascular outcomes. Our findings show the value of integrating multi-ancestry genome-wide association study data with single-cell epigenomics to disentangle the aetiological heterogeneity that drives the development and progression of T2D. This might offer a route to optimize global access to genetically informed diabetes care

Genetic drivers of heterogeneity in type 2 diabetes pathophysiology

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes1,2 and molecular mechanisms that are often specific to cell type3,4. Here, to characterize the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% not of European ancestry), including 428,452 cases of T2D. We identify 1,289 independent association signals at genome-wide significance (P &lt; 5 × 10-8) that map to 611 loci, of which 145 loci are, to our knowledge, previously unreported. We define eight non-overlapping clusters of T2D signals that are characterized by distinct profiles of cardiometabolic trait associations. These clusters are differentially enriched for cell-type-specific regions of open chromatin, including pancreatic islets, adipocytes, endothelial cells and enteroendocrine cells. We build cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores5 in a further 279,552 individuals of diverse ancestry, including 30,288 cases of T2D, and test their association with T2D-related vascular outcomes. Cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores are associated with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and end-stage diabetic nephropathy across ancestry groups, highlighting the importance of obesity-related processes in the development of vascular outcomes. Our findings show the value of integrating multi-ancestry genome-wide association study data with single-cell epigenomics to disentangle the aetiological heterogeneity that drives the development and progression of T2D. This might offer a route to optimize global access to genetically informed diabetes care.</p

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Product characterization from catalytic liquefaction of empty palm fruit bunch (EPFB) in near and supercritical water

Catalytic performance and suitable biomass to water ratio that supported higher EPFB conversion, liquid hydrocarbons yield and lignin degradations were screened for EPFB liquefaction under subcritical conditions operating at 270oC and 20 bars for 20 minutes. Analytical results indicate that maximum of 68 wt% liquids were produced along with 72.4 wt% EPFB mass conversion and 65.6 wt% lignin degradation under 1.0 MK2CO3/2:10 (biomass/water) conditions. In comparison, the experiments that were performed in the absence of alkalis yielded only 30.4 wt% liquids, converted 36 wt% EPFB and degraded 24.3 wt% lignin. Furthermore, biomass to water ratios >2:10 decreased both solid mass conversion and liquid hydrocarbons’ yield. The reactivity of the alkalis was in the order of K2CO3 > KOH > NaOH. The liquid compositions were dominantly phenols and esters; the highest value of phenol (60.1 wt% of liquid yield) was achieved in the case of K2CO3 (1.0 M) with 5 g EPFB/25 ml water ratio while 1.0 MNaOH yielded maximum esters (86.4 wt% of liquid yield). The alkali promoted process assisted with hot water treatments seemed promising for production of bio-oils from EPFB

Bubble characteristics in ultrasonic-assisted equilibirum system

A mathematical model of bubble cavitation phenomena is developed based on diffusion limited theory and Keller-Miksis equation which is modification of Rayleigh-Plesset equation that takes into account the liquid compressibility. The model is simulated within MATLAB programming environment and the effects of process conditions, i.e., ultrasonic frequency and temperature of bulk solution on bubble radius, maximum temperature during cavitation and product distributions at equilibrium are studied. The results obtained shed light on the process complexity and provide important insights for further development ultrasonic assisted equilibrium processes

TGLO Establish Historical Long-term Wetland Boundary Evolution Through Satellite Imagery

&lt;p&gt;This dataset includes wetland erosion rates for West Galveston, Matagorda, and San Antonio Bay. Long-term trends in wetland boundary changes are estimated using Landsat satellite imagery. Sections of the wetland experiencing the highest rates of erosion will be further investigated through CubeSat satellite observations. The format of the data is summarized as follows&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(1) Landsat based wetland evolution results from 1984 to 2020&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Annual and seasonal water occurrence (in gif format)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The wetland change map (in TIF format)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;(2) CubeSat based wetland evolution results from 2009 to 2020&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Water occurrence maps from 2009 to 2021 for the RapidEye based bi-annual results (FSX-occurrence-yyy1-yyy2.tif) and the PlanetScope based annual results (FSX-occurrence-yyy1.tif), where yyyy represents the given year. The legend image is 'occurrence-cbar.jpg'&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Erosion maps based on the difference between water occurrence mapping in 2009 and 2021: ('FSX-occurrence-diff-2021-2009.tif'). The legend is 'occurrence-diff-cbar.jpg'&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The &nbsp;0.2-meter bed counter line images based on the water occurrence maps and the tide elevation threshold from 2017 to 2021: (FSX-bed-yyy1.tif). Again, yyy1 represents the given year. The legend is 'color-bed.jpg&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The difference between the beds in the 0.2-meter bed counter line images&nbsp; in 2017 and 2021 at FS-1, FS-2, FS-3, and FS-4: (FSX-bed-diff-2021-2017.tif). The legend is 'color-bed-dif.jpg'&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;(3) Analysis of wetland boundary evolution and erosion rate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Landsat based&nbsp;Wetland erosion rate from 1984 to 2020 and CubeSat erosion rate from 2009 to 2021 (data format in ArcGIS shapefile)*&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Landsat based coastlines in 1984, 2000, 2010, and 2020*&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;*&nbsp;The dataset also shown on the Coast Atlas website (&lt;a href="https://www.texascoastalatlas.com/bayatlas/index.html"&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt