Conversion of Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Algae Biomass Produced Biodiesel

As the effects of global warming continue to escalate, carbon-neutral fuels are becoming sought after alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. Biodiesel is a promising source of carbon-neutral fuel that can be produced from organisms such as algae. A new process has been proposed by Yadav for algal oil extraction using sonic waves and carbon dioxide microbubbles (Yadav et al., 2019). Although a novel idea, it currently struggles to compete economically with other types of biodiesel production as well as traditional food sources. However, a small subsection of the FAMEs is able to be further processed into Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids can be added to foods as nutraceutical supplements and can be sold for a higher price than biodiesel. This proposal attempts to modify a theoretical algae-to-biodiesel process to separate these valuable FAMEs from the other biodiesel products and produce approximately 12,000 tons/yr of raw Omega-3 supplement. The process utilizes liquid-liquid extraction to remove the methyl EPA and methyl DHA from the biodiesel and then uses base-catalyzed ester hydrolysis to convert the long chain methyl esters into their marketable carboxylic acid form. The proposed plant will produce 547,830 US-tons of biodiesel which satisfies 10% of the current biodiesel market, 12,000 US-tons of Omega-3 fatty acids, and 39,683 US-tons of crude glycerol per year. This production level 30% of the United States Omega-3 market in 2024, and 6% of the current glycerol market. A financial analysis of manufacturing the plant to separate desired FAMEs and hydrolyze them to the Omega-3s over a 20-year period shows that this process could be profitable to a varying degree based on the sale price of the Omega-3s. The profitability of this design is contingent on a few factors, such as being able to access the right markets to sell the raw Omega-3 product being formed and how the market for these supplements will grow in the future. Thus, this proposal can recommend, with some hesitation, pursuing the modifications to the plant to co-produce biodiesel with Omega-3 fatty acids

Baroreflex Sensitivity is Impaired in Athletes Following a Sports-Related Concussion

Sport-related concussions are a major public health concern, with approximately 3.8 million incidences occurring annually in the United States alone. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction is implicated in early and later stages of sports-related concussion recovery. Arterial baroreflex, a crucial mechanism by which the ANS controls short-term fluctuations in blood pressure, remains understudied in this population. PURPOSE: Examine baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) at rest during acute and sub-acute recovery phases following a sport-related concussion in collegiate athletes in comparison to non-injured athletes as controls. METHODS: Athletes (20±1 years) with sports-related concussions were tested on days 3 (N=13), 21 (N=13), and 90 (N=11) following the injury. Control athletes (N=12) were assessed at one time-point. Continuous arterial blood pressure (finger photoplethysmography) and R-R intervals (3-lead electrocardiogram) were obtained at rest for 6 minutes and while subjects were seated in an upright position. BRS was estimated with transfer function analysis to assess the fluctuations in systolic blood pressure and R-R intervals during the time period. Transfer gain in the low-frequency range (0.05– 0.15 Hz) quantified the magnitude of the relationship between changes in systolic blood pressure and R-R interval. Therefore, higher gain indicates higher BRS. A linear mixed model was used to examine symptoms and transfer function variables between the controls and the concussed athletes at the three time points. RESULTS: As anticipated, symptoms were worse on day-3 and resolved during the day-21 sub-acute phase. BRS was lower on day-3 (0.656±0.2U; p=0.003), day-21 (0.711±0.29U; p=0.013), and day-90 (0.77±0.27; p=0.04) following the injury compared to the controls (1.05±0.3U). CONCLUSION: The findings confirm impairments in baroreflex sensitivity during the acute and subacute recovery phases following a concussion despite symptom resolution. Blunted baroreflex sensitivity following injury may position athletes in a vulnerable situation while performing tasks that elicit sudden changes in blood pressure on and off the field

A comparison of australasian jurisdictional ambulance services’ paramedic clinical practice guidelines series: Adult sepsis

Introduction: This article forms part of a series that seeks to identify interjurisdictional differences in the scope of paramedic practice and differences in patient treatment based upon which jurisdiction a patient is geographically located within at the time of their complaint. Methods: The current CPGs of each JAS were accessed during June 2020, and updated in August 2021. Content was extracted and verified. Results: Nine services provide antibiotics for meningococcal septicaemia, with dosage ranging from 1 – 4 grams. Five services provide antibiotics for non-meningococcal sepsis (three under doctor approval), with choice of antibiotic including Ceftriaxone, Benzylpenicillin, Amoxicillin, and Gentamicin. Three services provide antipyretics, one provides corticosteroids under doctor approval, and all provide fluids (with dosage ranging from 20 – 60 ml/kg). ICPs are allowed to provide adrenaline infusions in nine services, noradrenaline in three services (one requiring doctor approval), and metaraminol in three services. Two additional services restrict metaraminol to specialist paramedics, with one of these requiring doctor approval. Two services perform phlebotomy and one takes lactate. Paramedics perform unassisted intubation in one service, with nine restricting this to ICPs. Facilitated or Ketamine-only intubation is performed by ICPs in one service. Rapid or delayed sequence induction is performed by ICPs in six services, and restricted to specialists in two services. Conclusion: The domestic jurisdictional ambulance services in Australasia have each created unique treatment clinical practice guidelines that are heterogeneous in their treatments and scopes of practice. A review of the evidence underlying each intervention is appropriate to determining best practice

Investigating The Life Cycle Of Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX)

Attempts to decipher the life cycle of Haplosporidium nelsoni began almost immediately after it was identified as the pathogen causing MSX disease in eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica. But transmission experiments failed and the spore stage, characteristic of haplosporidans, was extremely rare. Researchers concluded that another host was involved: an intermediate host in which part of the life cycle was produced, or-if the oyster was an accidental host-an alternate host that produces infective elements. A later finding that spores were found more often in spat (\u3c 1 y old) than in adults revived the idea of direct transmission between oysters. The new findings and the availability of molecular diagnostics led us to revive life cycle investigations. Over several years, oyster spat were examined for spores and searched for H. nelsoni in potential non-oyster hosts using both histological and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodologies. Although spores occurred in a high proportion of spat with advanced infections, it was concluded that they were unlikely to be a principal source of infective elements because naive oysters used as sentinels to assess infection pressure became highly infected even after native oysters developed resistance, and infected spat could no longer be found. A histological survey of zooplankton and small bivalves in Delaware Bay found few recognizable parasites and nothing resembling a haplosporidan. A subsequent PCR study of water, sediment, and macro-invertebrates from Chesapeake, Delaware, and Oyster bays resulted in many positive samples, but in situ hybridization failed to identify any recognizable structures. PCR analysis of potential intermediate hosts for other molluscan pathogens has also resulted in many species yielding positive results but required in situ hybridization to verify infections. It is suggested that any future search for a nonoyster host of H. nelsoni be conducted in a relatively confined system and/or target specific phyla, strategies that have been successful in other life cycle studies. It is noted that candidate phyla could include those known to host haplosporidans and species whose abundance or distribution may have changed in concert with outbreaks of MSX disease in the northeastern United States in recent years

Rickettsia parkeri Rickettsiosis, Argentina

Rickettsia parkeri, a recently identified cause of spotted fever rickettsiosis in the United States, has been found in Amblyomma triste ticks in several countries of South America, including Argentina, where it is believed to cause disease in humans. We describe the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of 2 patients in Argentina with confirmed R. parkeri infection and 7 additional patients with suspected R. parkeri rickettsiosis identified at 1 hospital during 2004–2009. The frequency and character of clinical signs and symptoms among these 9 patients closely resembled those described for patients in the United States (presence of an inoculation eschar, maculopapular rash often associated with pustules or vesicles, infrequent gastrointestinal manifestations, and relatively benign clinical course). Many R. parkeri infections in South America are likely to be misdiagnosed as other infectious diseases, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, dengue, or leptospirosis

Streetfront:Stories about Perseverance, Resilience and Running in the Downtown Eastside.

This book is a collection of stories about students that have attended Streetfront, an alternative high school program located on Vancouver’s East Side, Canada. Through running, they find the perseverance and dedication they need in their lives