Free and Modified Mycotoxins in Organic and Conventional Oats ( L.) Grown in Scotland.

Small grain cereals are frequently infected with mycotoxigenic fungi. Oats have a particularly high risk of contamination with type A trichothecene mycotoxins; their glucoside conjugates have also been reported. Agronomy practices, cereal variety and weather conditions have been suggested to play a role in infection in oats.

Changing Agendas on Sleep, Treatment and Learning in Epilepsy (CASTLE) Sleep-E: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial comparing an online behavioural sleep intervention with standard care in children with Rolandic epilepsy.

Introduction: Sleep and epilepsy have an established bidirectional relationship yet only one randomised controlled clinical trial has assessed the effectiveness of behavioural sleep interventions for children with epilepsy. The intervention was successful, but was delivered via face-to-face educational sessions with parents, which are costly and non-scalable to population level. The Changing Agendas on Sleep, Treatment and Learning in Epilepsy (CASTLE) Sleep-E trial addresses this problem by comparing clinical and cost-effectiveness in children with Rolandic epilepsy between standard care (SC) and SC augmented with a novel, tailored parent-led CASTLE Online Sleep Intervention (COSI) that incorporates evidence-based behavioural components.

A comparison of reactor configuration using a fruit waste fed two-stage anaerobic up-flow leachate reactor microbial fuel cell and a single-stage microbial fuel cell.

Food waste generation and its consequent environmental impacts are increasing due to rapid urbanization, the global population, and associated food demand. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a sustainable technology through which this food waste can be treated and used to produce bioelectricity. This study used two MFC configurations, a two-stage anaerobic up-flow leachate reactor MFC and a single-stage MFC, comparing the potential to treat solid fruit waste and fruit waste leachate.

The impact of parent treatment preference and other factors on recruitment: lessons learned from a paediatric epilepsy randomised controlled trial.

Background: In paediatric epilepsy, the evidence of effectiveness of antiseizure treatment is inconclusive for some types of epilepsy. As with other paediatric clinical trials, researchers undertaking paediatric epilepsy clinical trials face a range of challenges that may compromise external validity MAIN BODY: In this paper, we critically reflect upon the factors which impacted recruitment to the pilot phase of a phase IV unblinded, randomised controlled 3×2 factorial trial examining the effectiveness of two antiseizure medications (ASMs) and a sleep behaviour intervention in children with Rolandic epilepsy. We consider the processes established to support recruitment, public and patient involvement and engagement (PPIE), site induction, our oversight of recruitment targets and figures, and the actions we took to help us understand why we failed to recruit sufficient children to continue to the substantive trial phase.

Examination of the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Mental Health From Three Perspectives: Global, Social, and Individual.

The extent of the deleterious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is recognized ubiquitously. However, these effects are subject to many modulatory factors from a plethora of domains of examination. It is important to understand the intersection of societal and individual levels for global stressors compared with local phenomena and physical-health outcomes.

Synthesis and study of CuNiTiO as an ORR electrocatalyst to enhance microbial fuel cell efficiency.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the capability of simultaneous sewage treatment and electricity generation. Modifying the cathode electrode enhances their efficiency. In this study, NiTiO and CuNiTiO were synthesized for practical application as cathode catalysts in a dual-chamber MFC and the performance of the modified cathodes was evaluated against a bare graphite electrode.

Meta-analysis of operational performance and response metrics of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) fed with complex food waste.

This study reports on a meta-analysis covering the impact of design and operating factors on published MFC performance data to inform MFC research and implementations. Factors of substrate composition, operating phase, electrode material, configuration, and pre-treatments employed were considered. The meta-analysis results indicate that dual-chamber MFCs overall achieve 18% higher COD removal and 73% higher coulombic efficiencies over that of single-chamber MFCs.

Understanding the economic barriers to the adoption of agroforestry: A Real Options analysis.

Agroforestry has a potentially important role in helping agriculture address both the climate and biodiversity crises. It provides a means of producing additional marketable goods from agricultural land and enhancing biodiversity at the same time as increasing carbon sequestration and, in silvo-pastural systems, reducing carbon emissions if livestock stocking rates are reduced. However, the uptake of agroforestry in the UK has been limited.

The elephant in the room.

Nurses of color refrain from speaking up when facing racism in their nursing practice from patients, White peers, coworkers, and higher-ups. Racism is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. This article examines the barriers that may prevent nurses of color from speaking openly about racism and encourages all nurses to speak up and out against racism in nursing.

Antibacterial efficiency assessment of polymer-nanoparticle composites using a high-throughput microfluidic platform.

Over the past decades, inorganic nanoparticles (NPs), particularly metal oxide NPs, have attracted great attention due to their strong bactericidal effects. Researchers have used NPs to fabricate nanocomposite materials which have innate antibacterial capability. Herein, we present a straightforward method to fabricate antibacterial nanocomposites.

Core Health Outcomes in Childhood Epilepsy (CHOICE): Development of a core outcome set using systematic review methods and a Delphi survey consensus.

Objective: Establishing a core set of outcomes to be evaluated and reported in intervention trials aims to improve the usefulness of health research. There is no established core outcome set (COS) for childhood epilepsies. The aim of this study was to select a COS to be used in evaluative research of interventions for children with rolandic epilepsy (RE).

A systematic review of barriers and enablers to South Asian women's attendance for asymptomatic screening of breast and cervical cancers in emigrant countries.

Objectives: The aim of this review was to identify the cultural, social, structural and behavioural factors that influence asymptomatic breast and cervical cancer screening attendance in South Asian populations, in order to improve uptake and propose priorities for further research.

Design: A systematic review of the literature for inductive, comparative, prospective and intervention studies. We searched the following databases: MEDLINE/In-Process, Web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, CDSR, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES from database inception to 23 January 2018.

Core Health Outcomes In Childhood Epilepsy (CHOICE): protocol for the selection of a core outcome set.

Background: There is increasing recognition that establishing a core set of outcomes to be evaluated and reported in trials of interventions for particular conditions will improve the usefulness of health research. There is no established core outcome set for childhood epilepsy. The aim of this work is to select a core outcome set to be used in evaluative research of interventions for children with rolandic epilepsy, as an exemplar of common childhood epilepsy syndromes.

Draft Genome Sequence of Type Strain FB1.

The gammaproteobacterium is associated with moderately saline environments and is often found in marine ecosystems. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of type strain FB1 (3.8 Mbp, 3,588 predicted genes).

The CLOSED trial; CLOnidine compared with midazolam for SEDation of paediatric patients in the intensive care unit: study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Sedation is an essential part of paediatric critical care. Midazolam, often in combination with opioids, is the current gold standard drug. However, as it is a far-from-ideal agent, clonidine is increasingly being used in children.

Enriching acid rock drainage related microbial communities from surface-deposited oil sands tailings.

Little is known about the microbial communities native to surface-deposited pyritic oil sands tailings, an environment where acid rock drainage (ARD) could occur. The goal of this study was to enrich sulfur-oxidizing organisms from these tailings and determine whether different populations exist at pH levels 7, 4.5, and 2.

Draft Genome Sequence of Marinobacter sp. Strain P4B1, an Electrogenic Perchlorate-Reducing Strain Isolated from a Long-Term Mixed Enrichment Culture of Marine Bacteria.

The perchlorate-reducing strain Marinobacter sp. strain P4B1 was isolated from a long-term perchlorate-degrading enrichment culture seeded with marine sediment. The draft genome of Marinobacter sp.

Mathematical modelling and reactor design for multi-cycle bioregeneration of nitrate exhausted ion exchange resin.

Nitrate contamination is one of the largest issues facing communities worldwide. One of the most common methods for nitrate removal from water is ion exchange using nitrate selective resin. Although these resins have a great capacity for nitrate removal, they are considered non regenerable.

Effect of temperature & salt concentration on salt tolerant nitrate-perchlorate reducing bacteria: Nitrate degradation kinetics.

The sustainability of nitrate-contaminated water treatment using ion-exchange processes can be achieved by regenerating the exhausted resin several times. Our previous study shows that the use of multi-cycle bioregeneration of resin enclosed in membrane is an effective and innovative regeneration method. In this research, the effects of two independent factors (temperature and salt concentration) on the biological denitrification rate were studied.

The presence of nitrate dramatically changed the predominant microbial community in perchlorate degrading cultures under saline conditions.

Background: Perchlorate contamination has been detected in both ground water and drinking water. An attractive treatment option is the use of ion-exchange to remove and concentrate perchlorate in brine. Biological treatment can subsequently remove the perchlorate from the brine.

Retroreflective imaging system for optical labeling and detection of microorganisms.

A retroreflective imaging system for imaging microscopic targets over macroscopic sampling areas is introduced. Detection of microorganism-bound retroreflector (RR) targets across millimeter-scale samples is implemented according to retroreflection directionality, collimation, and contrast design characteristics. Retroreflection directionality is considered for corner-cube (CC) and spherical geometries.

Sustainable nitrate-contaminated water treatment using multi cycle ion-exchange/bioregeneration of nitrate selective resin.

The sustainability of ion-exchange treatment processes using high capacity single use resins to remove nitrate from contaminated drinking water can be achieved by regenerating the exhausted resin and reusing it multiple times. In this study, multi cycle loading and bioregeneration of tributylamine strong base anion (SBA) exchange resin was studied. After each cycle of exhaustion, biological regeneration of the resin was performed using a salt-tolerant, nitrate-perchlorate-reducing culture for 48 h.

Kinetics analysis of a salt-tolerant perchlorate-reducing bacterium: effects of sodium, magnesium, and nitrate.

Salt-tolerant perchlorate-reducing bacteria can be used to regenerate ion-exchange brines or resins exhausted with perchlorate. A salt-tolerant perchlorate-reducing Marinobacter vinifirmus strain P4B1 was recently purified. This study determined the effects of Na(+) and Mg(2+) concentrations on the perchlorate reduction rate of P4B1.

An evaluation of a community-based basic parenting programme: a two-year follow-up.

Behavioural difficulties in the early years and through primary school age present a challenge to community practitioners; and the long-term costs to society of untreated conduct disorder place a huge financial strain on services, as well as leading to a poor prognosis for the children affected. The aim of this study was to establish the long-term effects for participants attending a 12-week Basic Incredible Years Programme, two years post-completion. Fifty-seven participants were interviewed, representing 63% of the original sample, who parented children aged 1-12 years.