Neural Correlates of Social Behavior in Mushroom Body Extrinsic Neurons of the Honeybee Apis mellifera

The social behavior of honeybees (Apis mellifera) has been extensively investigated, but little is known about its neuronal correlates. We developed a method that allowed us to record extracellularly from mushroom body extrinsic neurons (MB ENs) in a freely moving bee within a small but functioning mini colony of approximately 1,000 bees. This study aimed to correlate the neuronal activity of multimodal high-order MB ENs with social behavior in a close to natural setting. The behavior of all bees in the colony was video recorded. The behavior of the recorded animal was compared with other hive mates and no significant differences were found. Changes in the spike rate appeared before, during or after social interactions. The time window of the strongest effect on spike rate changes ranged from 1 s to 2 s before and after the interaction, depending on the individual animal and recorded neuron. The highest spike rates occurred when the experimental animal was situated close to a hive mate. The variance of the spike rates was analyzed as a proxy for high order multi-unit processing. Comparing randomly selected time windows with those in which the recorded animal performed social interactions showed a significantly increased spike rate variance during social interactions. The experimental set-up employed for this study offers a powerful opportunity to correlate neuronal activity with intrinsically motivated behavior of socially interacting animals. We conclude that the recorded MB ENs are potentially involved in initiating and controlling social interactions in honeybees

Supercritical extraction as an effective first-step in a maize stover biorefinery

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) has been investigated for the generation of valuable waxy compounds and as an added-value technology in a holistic maize stover biorefinery. ScCO2 extraction and fractionation was carried out prior to hydrolysis and fermentation of maize stover. Fractionation of the crude extracts by scCO2 resulted in wax extracts having different compositions and melting temperatures, enabling their utilisation in different applications. One such fraction demonstrated significant potential as a renewable defoaming agent in washing machine detergent formulations. Furthermore, scCO2 extraction has been shown to have a positive effect on the downstream processing of the maize stover. Fermentation of the scCO2 extracted maize stover hydrolysates exhibited a higher glucose consumption and greater potential growth for surfactant (in comparison with non-scCO2 treated stover) and ethanol production (a 40% increase in overall ethanol production after scCO2 pre-treatment). This work represents an important development in the extraction of high value components from low value wastes and demonstrates the benefits of using scCO2 extraction as a first-step in biomass processing, including enhancing downstream processing of the biomass for the production of 2nd generation biofuels as part of an integrated holistic biorefinery

Techno-economic feasibility of selective CO2 capture processes from biogas streams using ionic liquids as physical absorbents

Biogas from anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is a renewable resource with high energy content, which is composed mainly of CH4 (40-75 vol %) and CO2 (15-60 vol %). Other components, such as water (H2O, 5-10 vol %) and trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide and siloxanes, can also be present. A CH4-rich stream can be produced by removing the CO2 and other impurities so that the upgraded biomethane can be injected into the natural gas grid or used as a vehicle fuel. The main objective of this paper is to assess the technical and economic performance of biogas upgrading processes using ionic liquids that physically absorb CO2. The simulation methodology is based on the COSMO-SAC model as implemented in Aspen Plus. Three different ionic liquids, namely, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonylimide, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazoliumbis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonylimide, and trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonylimide, are considered for CO2 capture in a pressure-swing regenerative absorption process. The simulation software Aspen Plus and Aspen Process Economic Analyzer is used to account for mass and energy balances as well as equipment cost. In all cases, the biogas upgrading plant consists of a multistage compressor for biogas compression, a packed absorption column for CO2 absorption, a flash evaporator for solvent regeneration, a centrifugal pump for solvent recirculation, a preabsorber solvent cooler, and a gas turbine for electricity recovery. The evaluated processes are compared in terms of energy efficiency, capital investment, and biomethane production costs. The overall plant efficiency ranges from 71 to 86%, and the biomethane production cost ranges from 9.18-11.32 per GJ (LHV). A sensitivity analysis is also performed to determine how several technical and economic parameters affect the biomethane production costs. The results of this study show that the simulation methodology developed can predict plant efficiencies and production costs of large scale CO2 capture processes using ionic liquids without having to rely on gas solubility experimental data

Supercritical extraction as an effective first-step in a maize stover biorefinery

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) has been investigated for the generation of valuable waxy compounds and as an added-value technology in a holistic maize stover biorefinery. ScCO2 extraction and fractionation was carried out prior to hydrolysis and fermentation of maize stover. Fractionation of the crude extracts by scCO2 resulted in wax extracts having different compositions and melting temperatures, enabling their utilisation in different applications. One such fraction demonstrated significant potential as a renewable defoaming agent in washing machine detergent formulations. Furthermore, scCO2 extraction has been shown to have a positive effect on the downstream processing of the maize stover. Fermentation of the scCO2 extracted maize stover hydrolysates exhibited a higher glucose consumption and greater potential growth for surfactant (in comparison with non-scCO2 treated stover) and ethanol production (a 40% increase in overall ethanol production after scCO2 pre-treatment). This work represents an important development in the extraction of high value components from low value wastes and demonstrates the benefits of using scCO2 extraction as a first-step in biomass processing, including enhancing downstream processing of the biomass for the production of 2nd generation biofuels as part of an integrated holistic biorefinery

A principal component meta-analysis on multiple anthropometric traits identifies novel loci for body shape

Large consortia have revealed hundreds of genetic loci associated with anthropometric traits, one trait at a time. We examined whether genetic variants affect body shape as a composite phenotype that is represented by a combination of anthropometric traits. We developed an approach that calculates averaged PCs (AvPCs) representing body shape derived from six anthropometric traits (body mass index, height, weight, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio). The first four AvPCs explain >99% of the variability, are heritable, and associate with cardiometabolic outcomes. We performed genome-wide association analyses for each body shape composite phenotype across 65 studies and meta-analysed summary statistics. We identify six novel loci: LEMD2 and CD47 for AvPC1, RPS6KA5/C14orf159 and GANAB for AvPC3, and ARL15 and ANP32 for AvPC4. Our findings highlight the value of using multiple traits to define complex phenotypes for discovery, which are not captured by single-trait analyses, and may shed light onto new pathways

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

A principal component meta-analysis on multiple anthropometric traits identifies novel loci for body shape

Large consortia have revealed hundreds of genetic loci associated with anthropometric traits, one trait at a time. We examined whether genetic variants affect body shape as a composite phenotype that is represented by a combination of anthropometric traits. We developed an approach that calculates averaged PCs (AvPCs) representing body shape derived from six anthropometric traits (body mass index, height, weight, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio). The first four AvPCs explain >99% of the variability, are heritable, and associate with cardiometabolic outcomes. We performed genome-wide association analyses for each body shape composite phenotype across 65 studies and meta-analysed summary statistics. We identify six novel loci: LEMD2 and CD47 for AvPC1, RPS6KA5/C14orf159 and GANAB for AvPC3, and ARL15 and ANP32 for AvPC4. Our findings highlight the value of using multiple traits to define complex phenotypes for discovery, which are not captured by single-trait analyses, and may shed light onto new pathways.Peer reviewe

Prediction of Gold Nanoparticle and Microwave-Induced Hyperthermia Effects on Tumor Control via a Simulation Approach

Hyperthermia acts as a powerful adjuvant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Recent advances show that gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) can mediate highly localized thermal effects upon interaction with laser radiation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate via in silico simulations the mechanisms of Au-NPs and microwave-induced hyperthermia, in correlation to predictions of tumor control (biological endpoints: tumor shrinkage and cell death) after hyperthermia treatment. We also study in detail the dependence of the size, shape and structure of the gold nanoparticles on their absorption efficiency, and provide general guidelines on how one could modify the absorption spectrum of the nanoparticles in order to meet the needs of specific applications. We calculated the hyperthermia effect using two types of Au-NPs and two types of spherical tumors (prostate and melanoma) with a radius of 3 mm. The plasmon peak for the 30 nm Si-core Au-coated NPs and the 20 nm Au-NPs was found at 590 nm and 540 nm, respectively. Considering the plasmon peaks and the distribution of NPs in the tumor tissue, the induced thermal profile was estimated for different intervals of time. Predictions of hyperthermic cell death were performed by adopting a three-state mathematical model, where &#8220;three-state&#8222; includes (i) alive, (ii) vulnerable, and (iii) dead states of the cell, and it was coupled with a tumor growth model. Our proposed methodology and preliminary results could be considered as a proof-of-principle for the significance of simulating accurately the hyperthermia-based tumor control involving the immune system. We also propose a method for the optimization of treatment by overcoming thermoresistance by biological means and specifically through the targeting of the heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), which plays a critical role in the thermotolerance of cells and tissues