Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates by Bacillus megaterium : prospecting on rice hull and residual glycerol potential

The production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by Bacillus megaterium using industrial residues, crude glycerol from biodiesel synthesis and rice hull hydrolysate (RHH), as low-cost carbon sources was investigated. The experiments were conducted by shaking flasks at 30 C and 180 rpm up to 72 h. The extraction of PHA was carried out using sodium hypochlorite to make its recovery more environmentally friendly by avoiding organic solvents (chloroform). The yields of PHA varied depending on the extraction method. A total of 33.3% (w w1) (mixing chloroform: sodium hypochlorite) and 52.5% (w w1) (sodium hypochlorite only) were obtained using glycerol and glucose as a carbon source, respectively. Preliminary experiments using RHH as a carbon source Indicated a yield of PHA of 11% (w w1) (chloroform). The PHA produced had thermal properties, such as transition temperature, similar to the commercial polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Hydrophobic inducers to enhanced surfactin production using cassava wastewater as low-cost culture medium: a prospection on new homologues

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Química, Florianópolis, 2022.Biossurfactantes são moléculas anfipáticas que são sintetizadas por células vivas com inúmeras aplicações potenciais nas áreas de saúde e meio ambiente, entre outras. No entanto, o alto custo de produção limita as aplicações desses compostos em larga escala. Neste sentido, reduzir seu custo de produção é a substituição do meio de cultura sintético por resíduos agroindustriais associados a indutores hidrofóbicos. Alguns desses estudos e uma revisão recente sobre o tema, informaram que bioquimicamente, a produtividade do biossurfactante pode ser facilmente aumentada pela simples adição de indutores ao meio de cultura, que estimula crescimento microbiano e também desencadeia o metabolismo de produção de biossurfactante - novos homólogos. Ou seja, os indutores estão relacionados ao tamanho de cadeias hidrofóbicas (biossurfactantes) e consequentemente maior estabilidade e eficiência dos mesmos. Os indutores de biossurfactantes são principalmente moléculas (compostos) hidrofóbicas (e.g. óleo de soja - conjunto de moléculas saturadas e insaturadas ácidos graxos, proteínas e vitaminas). Porém há poucas informações sobre o efeito dessas moléculas de forma individual(e.g. ácido oleico) na produção e estrutura química de biossurfactantes. Neste estudo iinvestigou-se a utilização de diferentes concentrações de indutores hidrofóbicos (1, 2, 5 e 10%) na produção de surfactina por Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 utilizando o resíduo líquido gerado na produção de farinha de mandioca (manipueira) como meio de cultura alternativo (fermentação submersa, 30 °C e 150 rpm por 72 h). A análise dos resultados de HPLC para todas as fermentações com indutores óleo de soja, ácido palmítico e ácido oleico, e em todas as concentrações, indicou a possível formação de diferentes homólogos de surfactina aumentando seu rendimento em até ?70, 17 e 98%, respectivamente. A surfactina produzida utilizando indutores reduziu a tensão superficial (?26,5 mN.m-1) e atingiu um rendimento máximo de ?1,3 ± 0.08 g.L-1. Indicando um aumento na produtividade (?2 vezes). Este estudo confirma que a utilização de indutores hidrofóbicos pode refletir em estruturas químicas diferentes, fornecendo uma base forte para explorar novas estruturas e bioatividades desconhecidasAbstract: Biosurfactants are amphipathic molecules that are synthesized by living cells with numerous potential applications in the areas of health and the environment, among others. However, the high cost of production limits the applications of these compounds on a large scale. In this sense, an interesting approach to reducing its production cost is replacing the synthetic culture medium by agro-industrial residues associated with hydrophobic inducers. Some of these studies and a recent review reported that biochemically, biosurfactant productivity can be easily increased by adding inducers to the culture medium, which stimulates microbial growth and triggers the metabolism of biosurfactant production - new homologues. The inducers are related to the size of hydrophobic chains (biosurfactants) and, consequently, their greater stability and efficiency. Biosurfactant inducers are mainly hydrophobic molecules (compounds) (e.g. soybean oil - set of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, proteins and vitamins). However, there is little information about the effect of these molecules individual (e.g. oleic acid) on biosurfactants' production and chemical structure. In this study, we investigated the use of different concentrations of hydrophobic inducers (1, 2, 5, and 10%) in the production of surfactin by Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 using cassava as an alternative culture medium (submerged fermentation, 30 °C and 150 rpm for 72 h). The analysis of the HPLC results for all fermentations with inducers soybean oil, palmitic acid, and oleic acid, and in all concentrations, indicated the possible formation of different surfactin homologues, increasing their yield up to ?70, 17, and 98%, respectively. Surfactin produced using inducers reduced the surface tension (?26.5 mN.m-1) and reached a maximum yield of ?1.3 ± 0.08 g.L-1. Indicating a increase in productivity (?2 times). This study confirms that using hydrophobic inducers can reflect on different chemical structures, providing a strong foundation to explore new structures and unknown bioactivities

Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates by Bacillus megaterium: Prospecting on Rice Hull and Residual Glycerol Potential

The production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by Bacillus megaterium using industrial residues, crude glycerol from biodiesel synthesis and rice hull hydrolysate (RHH), as low-cost carbon sources was investigated. The experiments were conducted by shaking flasks at 30 °C and 180 rpm up to 72 h. The extraction of PHA was carried out using sodium hypochlorite to make its recovery more environmentally friendly by avoiding organic solvents (chloroform). The yields of PHA varied depending on the extraction method. A total of 33.3% (w·w−1) (mixing chloroform: sodium hypochlorite) and 52.5% (w·w−1) (sodium hypochlorite only) were obtained using glycerol and glucose as a carbon source, respectively. Preliminary experiments using RHH as a carbon source Indicated a yield of PHA of 11% (w·w−1) (chloroform). The PHA produced had thermal properties, such as transition temperature, similar to the commercial polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

10.1111/gcb.14904GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY261119-18

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background: Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods: We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5-19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For school-aged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings: From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation: The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity. Funding: UK Medical Research Council, UK Research and Innovation (Research England), UK Research and Innovation (Innovate UK), and European Union

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified