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• Food Waste extract was used for homolactic fermentation and MCFAs production. • Selected pH (6) prevented lactate and excessive ethanol oxydation. • Ethanol elongation was slower than fermentation, resulting in ethanol accumulation. • Lactate self elongation to butyrate was the dominant pathway. This study explored the potential of Food Waste (FW) extract as a suitable substrate for Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFAs) production, in a single-phase reactor, where both fermentation and Chain Elongation (CE) processes occurred simultaneously. A continuous experiment was conducted with an Organic Loading Rate (OLR) = 20 gCOD L-1 d-1 and was fed in batch mode twice a week with pH = 6. In addition, four batch tests were performed, to assess the effects on the MCFAs production of caproate inhibition, hydrogen partial pressure (P H2) and different lactate/acetate ratios. Thermodynamics and electron flux were calculated to gain insights into the process pathways. Due to the presence of aminoacids, fermentation was mostly homolactic and both lactate and ethanol were produced as Electron Donors (EDs); the average MCFAs production efficiency was ∼ 12 %, although after 4 weeks the elongation process was halted, resulting in EDs accumulation. This occurred regardless of inoculum selection and the presence of caproate as a possible inhibitor, suggesting that EDs accumulation was due to the elongation process kinetics being slower than those of the fermentation step, thus calling for a longer Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT). It's worth noting that lactate was prevalently self-elongated to butyrate, whereas ethanol elongation only took place after lactate depletion, but was more efficient since it required other Electron Acceptors (EAs) such as butyrate, propionate or valerate. Moreover, the selected pH limited the acrylate pathway to a reasonable extent, whereas the high P H2 prevented both ethanol and lactate oxydation to acetate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We developed a new technique for recovery of cryopreserved gastrointestinal nematode larvae. • Successful long-term (>3 year) cryopreservation and resuscitation of human hookworm lines were achieved in vivo. • Our method resulted in successful cryopreservation and resuscitation of both Ancylostoma and Necator genera hookworms. • We also achieved successful cryopreservation and resuscitation of Strongyloides and Heligmosomoides. Hookworms (genera Ancylostoma and Necator) are amongst the most prevalent and important parasites of humans globally. These intestinal parasites ingest blood, resulting in anemia, growth stunting, malnutrition, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. They are also critical parasites of dogs and other animals. In addition, hookworms and hookworm products are being explored for their use in treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. There is thus a significant and growing interest in these mammalian host-obligate parasites. Laboratory research is hampered by the lack of good means of cryopreservation and recovery of parasites. Here, we describe a robust method for long-term (≥3 year) cryopreservation and recovery of both Ancylostoma and Necator hookworms that is also applicable to two other intestinal parasites that passage through the infective L3 stage, Strongyloides ratti and Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri. The key is a revised recovery method, in which cryopreserved L1s are thawed and raised to the infective L3 stage using activated charcoal mixed with uninfected feces from a permissive host. This technique will greatly facilitate research on and availability of gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes with great importance to global health, companion animal health, and autoimmune/inflammatory disease therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Objective clinical, histological and US manifestations of sicca syndrome are highly frequent in SSc patients. • Sjogren-SSc patients (overlap) had more severe glandular involvement than isolated Sjogren and isolated Sicca-SSc patients. • Specific SSc US patterns of salivary gland involvement are still to be defined. This study aimed to characterize the whole phenotype of Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with sicca symptoms, using major salivary glands Ultrasound (SGUS) parameters, minor salivary glands biopsies (mSGB) and clinical findings, and to compare these characteristics with those from patients with Sjogren's Disease (SjD), and patients with sicca manifestations from other causes. Sixty SSc patients fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria and with subjective self-declared sicca symptoms were consecutively recruited and had SGUS and mSGB. Fifteen SSc patients without subjective sicca symptoms and 65 patients with sicca symptoms from other causes (including 37 SjD with no SSc). SSc patients with subjective sicca symptoms had frequent objective clinical (up to 83 %), histological (44 % of Focus score≥1/ mm2) and US anomalies (63 % of OMERACT ≥2). 53 % patients without subjective clinical complaint also had abnormal objective tests, suggesting the existence of a sub clinical involvement of salivary glands in SSc. SjD-SSc patients had more severe glandular involvement as compared to patients with isolated SjD and isolated Sicca-SSc patients (70%, 48,6 % and 38% of patients with OMERACT ≥2 respectively) suggesting additive impact of both diseases on glandular physiology and structure. SjD-SSc overlap have more severe sicca features as compared to isolated sicca-SSc and isolated SjD, suggesting a specific impact of SSc on salivary gland physiology. Further translational studies are needed to identify the underlying pathways that could serve as therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the evolution of EA as a concept and as a tool through the thoughts, perspectives and reflections of those who have lived-through 50 years of EA practice. It presents findings from research informed by interviews through storytelling with 12 longstanding practitioners and scholars who have engaged with EA over five decades. The narratives collected and the emerging discourses provide useful insight into the "story" of the evolution of EA thus far, reflecting on the internal and external motivations driving EA's evolution, and looking to where EA might go next, and how it might continue to evolve. The findings call for a return to more holistic conversations about the environment, and for greater advocacy at the heart of decision-making and institutional structures to enhance the influence of EA. • The evolution of EA has been characterised by incremental process adjustments to ensure responsiveness to system changes. • Internal and external forces and motivations shaped the evolution of EA; • Longstanding practitioners call for greater advocacy at the heart of decision-making and, care in everyday EA practice; • The findings signal that EA may have reached its maturity • Storytelling can be useful in providing a basis for reflecting on system changes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Food waste fermentation and chain elongation occurred in the same bioreactor. • High caproate yields obtained without external electron donor supplementation. • Coexistence of lactate-producers and chain elongators in the reactor microbiome. • High carboxylic acids content in the fermentation broth hampered lactate uptake. • Insights into the inhibitory role of caproate on chain elongation in batch systems. New technologies development and renewable source exploitation are key tools to realize the European Green Deal and to boost the bio-based economy. In this context, fermentation of organic residues as food waste is an efficient method to obtain marketable products such as carboxylic acids widely applied in industrial production. Under favourable thermodynamic conditions, short chain fatty acids deriving from primary fermentation could be biologically converted into medium-chain fatty acids as caproate via chain elongation (CE) process, by using ethanol or lactate as electron donors. This study evaluates the effectivity of producing caproate from Food Waste extract rich in organics with in situ electron donor production. The test carried out at OLR 15 gCOD L−1d−1 showed high Volatile Fatty Acids (from acetic to caproic acid) yields (0.37 g g−1COD fed), with a maximum caproate concentration of 8 g L−1. The associated microbiome was composed by lactate-producing bacteria (Corynebacterium, Lactobacillus, and Olsenella) and by chain elongators (Clostridiaceae and Caproiciproducens). By stressing the system with OLR increase up to 20 gCOD L−1d−1, the CE process was inhibited by the high concentration of caproate (low occurrence of Clostridiaceae and Caproiciproducens). Nevertheless, after few days of stop-feeding regime imposed to the system, the microbiome restored its capability to proceed with lactate-based CE pathways. Different batch tests carried out with the inhibited biomass at increasing initial caproate concentration confirmed its impact on lactate utilization kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmacro.2005.10.003 Byline: Gianluca Gazzola (a), Alfredo Medio (b) Keywords: Stochastic stability; Overlapping generations; Sunspots Abstract: This paper discusses sunspots equilibria in a context that is general in the sense that: (i) the evolution of the system takes place in a general state space (i.e., a space which is not necessarily finite or even countable); and (ii) the orbits of the unperturbed, deterministic component of the system converge to subsets of the state space which can be more complicated than a stationary state or a periodic orbit, i.e., they can be aperiodic or chaotic. This problem is represented mathematically as a system of stochastic difference equations the invariant probability distributions of which correspond to stationary sunspots equilibria. The conditions for stochastic stability are recalled and the theoretical results are applied to a model of overlapping generations with individuals living three periods. A computational analysis of this model is provided, covering the basic different cases suggested by the theory. Author Affiliation: (a) Research Group on Nonlinear Dynamical Systems, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy (b) Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Udine, Via Treppo 18, 33100 Udine, Italy Article History: Received 5 October 2005; Accepted 30 October 2005

Our society faces a great diversity of opportunities for youth. The 10-year Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) program has the long-term goal to understand which combination of measures best predict societal trajectories, such as school success, mental health, well-being, and developing a sense of belonging in society. Our leading hypothesis is that self-regulation is key to how adolescents successfully navigate the demands of contemporary society. We aim to test these questions using socio-economic, questionnaire (including experience sampling methods), behavioral, brain (fMRI, sMRI, EEG), hormonal, and genetic measures in four large cohorts including adolescents and young adults. Two cohorts are designed as test and replication cohorts to test the developmental trajectory of self-regulation, including adolescents of different socioeconomic status thereby bridging individual, family, and societal perspectives. The third cohort consists of an entire social network to examine how neural and self-regulatory development influences and is influenced by whom adolescents and young adults choose to interact with. The fourth cohort includes youth with early signs of antisocial and delinquent behavior to understand patterns of societal development in individuals at the extreme ends of self-regulation and societal participation, and examines pathways into and out of delinquency. We will complement the newly collected cohorts with data from existing large-scale population-based and case-control cohorts. The study is embedded in a transdisciplinary approach that engages stakeholders throughout the design stage, with a strong focus on citizen science and youth participation in study design, data collection, and interpretation of results, to ensure optimal translation to youth in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neural basis of empathy and prosociality has received much interest over the past decades. Neuroimaging studies localized a network of brain regions with activity that correlates with empathy. Here, we review how the emergence of rodent and nonhuman primate models of empathy-related phenomena supplements human lesion and neuromodulation studies providing evidence that activity in several nodes is necessary for these phenomena to occur. We review proof that (i) affective states triggered by the emotions of others, (ii) motivations to act in ways that benefit others, and (iii) emotion recognition can be altered by perturbing brain activity in many nodes identified by human neuroimaging, with strongest evidence for the cingulate and the amygdala. We also include evidence that manipulations of the oxytocin system and analgesics can have such effects, the latter providing causal evidence for the recruitment of an individual's own nociceptive system to feel with the pain of others. • Powerful rodent and monkey models of empathy-related phenomena now exist. • Most empathy-associated regions in functional magnetic resonance imaging are necessary for empathy-related phenomena. • Empathy-related phenomena depend on cingulate and amygdala activity across species. • Interfering with oxytocin signaling alters empathy-related phenomena across species. • Analgesics that alter pain experience alter pain empathy-related phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The EFSMAP was developed by a panel of nine experts. • The EFSMAP is a valid and reliable exam of the women's PFM using visual observation and digital palpation. • EFSMAP can be used in clinical and research settings. • The EFSMAP set valid diagnostic labels for PFM impairments based on movement systems and ICF/WHO terminology. • The EFSMAP can facilitate standard communication and data gathering. The accurate diagnosis of pelvic floor muscle impairments is essential. The plethora of terms and the lack of evidence to support widely used pelvic floor muscle function (PFMF) measurements hinder diagnostic labels. To structure an examination of PFMF using visual observation and digital palpation and terms consistent with the ICF terminology, and to test its intra and interrater reliability/agreement. A panel of 9 physical therapists applied Delphi method to structure the PFMF exam under ICF terminology and to verify its measurements reproducibility. For reliability and agreement, a convenience sample of women aged 51.2 ± 14.7 years had the sensitivity to pressure, pain, muscle tone, involuntary movement reaction, control of voluntary movement (contraction/relaxation), coordination, strength, and endurance examined by two raters, in the same day for interrater (n = 40), and one week apart, for intrarater reliability (n = 25). Percent agreement, linear weighted kappa, intraclass correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman's limits of agreement were calculated (alpha = 0.05). Four round Delphi discussion structured the PFMF exam, named EFSMAP (Exame das Funções Sensoriais e Motoras do Assoalho Pélvico/Examination of Pelvic Floor Sensory and Motor Functions), set a list of concepts and instructions targeted at reproducibility and established PFMF diagnostic labels. Reliability, except for pain and tone, were moderate to excellent (Kw= 0.67–1.0 and ICC=0.48–0.82). Agreement was substantial for most PFMF features (0.64–1.00), except pain. The EFSMAP was successfully developed as a valid and reliable exam to be used in research and clinical practice; it provides labels for the diagnosis of pelvic floor muscle impairments. It might be easily adopted worldwide as it uses ICF terminology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haemonchus contortus is a critical parasite of goats and sheep. Infection by this blood-feeding gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite has significant health consequences, especially in lambs and kids. The parasite has developed resistance to virtually all known classes of small molecule anthelmintics used to treat it, giving rise in some areas to multidrug resistant parasites that are very difficult to control. Thus, new anthelmintics are urgently needed. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystal protein 5B (Cry5B), a naturally occurring protein made by a bacterium widely and safely used around the world as a bioinsecticide, represents a new non-small molecule modality for treating GINs. Cry5B has demonstrated anthelmintic activities against parasites of monogastric animals, including some related to those that infect humans, but has not yet been studied in a ruminant. Here we show that H. contortus adults are susceptible to Cry5B protein in vitro. Cry5B produced in its natural form as a spore-crystal lysate against H. contortus infections in goats had no significant efficacy. However, a new Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) paraprobiotic form of Cry5B called IBaCC (Inactivated Bacterium with Cytosolic Crystals), in which Cry5B crystals are encapsulated in dead Bt cell wall ghosts, showed excellent efficacy in vitro against larval stages of H. contortus and relative protein stability in bovine rumen fluid. When given to sheep experimentally infected with H. contortus as three 60 mg/kg doses, Cry5B IBaCC resulted in significant reductions in fecal egg counts (90%) and parasite burdens (72%), with a very high impact on female parasites (96% reduction). These data indicate that Cry5B IBaCC is a potent new treatment tool for small ruminants in the battle against H. contortus. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sustainable policymaking model develops regional clusters using neural networking. • Simplex algorithm verifies the economic optimality of the environmental clusters. • Budget allocation planning according to the socio-environmental indicators. • The intelligent environmental plan ensures environmental funding flexibility. This paper introduces an environment-driven, artificial intelligence model for sustainable policymaking in the European countries, focusing on Ukraine. It develops regional clusters using artificial neural networking and then it dynamically optimises budgeting allocations. It is a hybrid, environment-driven model which: i) clusters regionalised-data, using Kohonen's self-organising map; and ii) optimises budget allocations, using simplex modified distribution method (U–V-MODI). Model benefits focus on: i) regional public policies; ii) environmental development; and iii) core-periphery balanced growth. Results reveal an innovative plan that: i) activates participation of the environmental stakeholders in public policymaking ii) reforms regions based on sustainability criteria set; and iii) optimises regional funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens causing mastitis in cattle, and it is responsible for economic losses in dairy herds worldwide. The PCR amplification of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer (ribosomal spacer PCR, RS-PCR) allows a rapid classification of the strains in genotypes and genotypic clusters (CL), which are characterized by different epidemiological and clinical properties. Both RS-PCR and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) were performed on strains isolated from bovine bulk tank milk (BTM) collected from dairy herds located in the Lombardy region (northern Italy), to outline the distribution of Staph. aureus genotypes in this geographical area. Out of 844 examined samples, 398 were positive for Staph. aureus , with a variable count (cfu/mL) Up to 8 colonies from each sample were genotyped. A total of 1,101 Staph. aureus strains were analyzed with RS-PCR, and only a selection of them (n = 86), in relation to their frequency and geographical origin, underwent MLST. This study revealed 8 major genotypic clusters (CLB, CLC, CLR, CLS, CLI, CLF, CLAO, and CLZ), of which Staph. aureus CLB (29.3%) was the most common. Samples of BTM positive for CLB had a Staph. aureus cfu/mL count significantly higher than the non-CLB positive ones. Our MLST analysis showed genotypes already known as bovine-associated in literature, such as clonal complexes CC8, CC97, and CC151. The same selection of 86 strains was also analyzed for the presence of the adlb gene, which was recently proposed as a possible marker of contagiousness. Most Staph. aureus belonging to CLB or CC8 carried the adlb gene (85%), whereas this gene was detected in only 9% of non-CLB strains (CLAA, CLBI, CLBJ, CLS). In conclusion, the present study confirms that Staph. aureus CLB, which is recognized as a contagious genotype, is a particularly relevant agent of intramammary infection in dairy cows in Lombardy, and indirectly supports the idea that adlb can be a possible marker of contagiousness of isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract GMRES is one of the most popular iterative methods for the solution of large linear systems of equations that arise from the discretization of linear well-posed problems, such as boundary value problems for elliptic partial differential equations. The method is also applied to the iterative solution of linear systems of equations that are obtained by discretizing linear ill-posed problems, such as many inverse problems. However, GMRES does not always perform well when applied to the latter kind of problems. This paper seeks to shed some light on reasons for the poor performance of GMRES in certain situations, and discusses some remedies based on specific kinds of preconditioning. The standard implementation of GMRES is based on the Arnoldi process, which also can be used to define a solution subspace for Tikhonov or TSVD regularization, giving rise to the Arnoldi–Tikhonov and Arnoldi-TSVD methods, respectively. The performance of the GMRES, the Arnoldi–Tikhonov, and the Arnoldi-TSVD methods is discussed. Numerical examples illustrate properties of these methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To date, sustainable development has been the most important discourse informing planning, a powerful rhetoric for solving environmental problems that shows confidence in human ingenuity and technological advancements. However, recent advances in information and communication technologies, are prompting the development of smart(er) approaches to (sustainable) development, which might be signifying a departure from the more traditional, or perhaps earlier, greener narratives underpinning sustainable development. Within this context and informed by analysis of the literature, this paper aims to reflect on the extent to which ideas of going green and going smart are converging or diverging from the path towards sustainable development. This is done using convergence theory and Bennet's typology (1991) of similarities as an analytical framework. The findings suggest that the convergence of greening and smart ideas for sustainable development might be better achieved if smart-centric approaches to policy- and planning are subsumed in the overarching vision of environmental quality and resilience, with green approaches to urban development setting the path and driving decisions towards a sustainable future. Highlights • Climate risk and innovations in practice are suggesting a move away from greening efforts in planning for sustainable development. • In the name of resource and efficiency use, cities are responding by adopting smart(er) approaches to development. • This paper explores whether green and smart approaches converge, diverge or diffuse in their sustainable development quest. • Greater convergence could be achieved if smart = centric approaches were subsumed in green approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The action observation network (AON) has been extensively studied using short, isolated motor acts. How activity in the network is altered when these isolated acts are embedded in meaningful sequences of actions remains poorly understood. Here we utilized intracranial electrocorticography to characterize how the exchange of information across key nodes of the AON—the precentral, supramarginal, and visual cortices—is affected by such embedding and the resulting predictability. We found more top-down beta oscillation from precentral to supramarginal contacts during the observation of predictable actions in meaningful sequences compared to the same actions in randomized, and hence less predictable, order. In addition, we find that expectations enabled by the embedding lead to a suppression of bottom-up visual responses in the high-gamma range in visual areas. These results, in line with predictive coding, inform how nodes of the AON integrate information to process the actions of others. [Display omitted] • iEEG can track direction of information flow while viewing natural action sequences • Embedding acts in predictable sequences increase premotor→parietal beta information flow • The generated expectations suppress broadband gamma activity in occipital cortices • This supports the notion of predictive coding in the action observation network Qin et al. investigate how observing acts in meaningful action sequences alters information flow in the action observation network. They show that embedding acts in predictable action sequences increased top-down beta information flow from premotor regions while suppressing bottom-up gamma information flow from visual areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is motivated by the lack of adequate models of dynamic loading of civil engineering structures that are primarily occupied by active groups and crowds of people, such as footbridges, floors and grandstands. The primary objective is to develop a mathematical model of synchronisation of multiple people performing cyclic motion such as walking, running, jumping and bouncing. In conjunction with a quality model of individual loading, the sync model is the key ingredient needed to provide a reliable numerical generator of aggregate dynamic excitation of the supporting structure. The model describes the effect of periodic external cues on the crowd motion, such as perceptible vibration of the ground and a music beat, and the mutual interaction between individuals. The main feature of the model is that it is linear and deterministic , no randomness and no nonlinearity for the sake of simplicity and efficiency: it is inspired to models of coupled pendulums and the governing equations feature Mathieu-type behaviours. The modelling parameters have a physical interpretation and their values can be calibrated to potentially match experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor technical conditions of the water supply systems complicate the quality of urban population life and create a burden on public budgets. We examine the water supply system factors in Ukraine and identify the main parameters that restrain their development. This study examines the development of overhaul planning in water supply systems in Ukraine, taking into account the network equipment-aging factor. We employ a mathematical technique for optimizing the planned costs for overhauls in water supply networks by engaging latent-semantic analysis (LSA). The LSA provides a novel approach to sustainable planning of several economic factors in water supply. The exhibited results underline prominent technical and economic similarities in Ukrainian water supply systems. These results allow us to reveal an unsustainable usage of public funding for overhauls. In addition, the overhaul planning model engaged, improves the Ukrainian water supply sector. It helps the country to abandon the current reactive water management approach and aims towards proactive and sustainable water management. This innovative approach could redefine the public managerial profile, calibrating it towards a socially responsible one, significantly raising the quality of the urban population's living standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]