MAGMA: Microbial and Algal Growth Modeling Application.

Kinetic modeling of biochemical reactions and bioreactor systems can enhance and quantify knowledge gained from cell culture experiments and has many applications in bioprocess design and optimization. The Microbial and Algal Growth Modeling Application (MAGMA) is a user-friendly MATLAB-based software for streamlining the development of kinetic models for various bioreactor systems. This study details the MAGMA workflow by demonstrating the creation of kinetic models with systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), model fitting by solving inverse problems, statistical evaluation of model fitting quality, and visual display of simulation results.

Carbon Adsorbent Properties Impact Hydrated Electron Activity and Perfluorocarboxylic Acid (PFCA) Destruction.

Carbon-based adsorbents used to remove recalcitrant water contaminants, including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are often regenerated using energy-intensive treatments that can form harmful byproducts. We explore mechanisms for sorbent regeneration using hydrated electrons (e ) from sulfite ultraviolet photolysis (UV/sulfite) in water. We studied the UV/sulfite treatment on three carbon-based sorbents with varying material properties: granular activated carbon (GAC), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and polyethylenimine-modified lignin (lignin).

A Multi-Streamline Approach for Upcycling PET into a Biodiesel and Asphalt Modifier.

The non-degradable nature of petroleum-based plastics and the dependence on petroleum-based products in daily life and production are dilemmas of human development today. We hereby developed a plastic waste upcycling process to address these challenges. A multi-stream fraction strategy was developed to process poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastics into soluble and insoluble fractions.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase synergized with lignin-degrading enzymes for efficient lignin degradation.

Even though the discovery of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) has fundamentally shifted our understanding of biomass degradation, most of the current studies focused on their roles in carbohydrate oxidation. However, no study demonstrated if LPMO could directly participate to the process of lignin degradation in lignin-degrading microbes. This study showed that LPMO could synergize with lignin-degrading enzymes for efficient lignin degradation in white-rot fungi.

Feedstock design for quality biomaterials.

Feedstock design is crucial for lignocellulosic biomass use. Current strategies for feedstock design cannot be readily applied to improve the quality of biomass-based materials, limiting the sustainability and economics of lignocellulosic biorefineries. Recent studies have advanced the understanding of biomass structure-property relationships and discovered several characteristics, such as molecular weight, uniformity, linkage profile, and functional groups, that are critical for manufacturing diverse quality biomaterials.

Creative biological lignin conversion routes toward lignin valorization.

Lignin, the largest renewable aromatic resource, is a promising alternative feedstock for the sustainable production of various chemicals, fuels, and materials. Despite this potential, lignin is characterized by heterogeneous and macromolecular structures that must be addressed. In this review, we present biological lignin conversion routes (BLCRs) that offer opportunities for overcoming these challenges, making lignin valorization feasible.

Sustainable environmental remediation via biomimetic multifunctional lignocellulosic nano-framework.

Chemical pollution threatens human health and ecosystem sustainability. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are expensive to clean up once emitted. Innovative and synergistic strategies are urgently needed, yet process integration and cost-effectiveness remain challenging.

Bacterial conversion routes for lignin valorization.

As the largest renewable aromatic resource, lignin is a promising feedstock for production of value-added products. However, lignin valorization has not been implemented due to the recalcitrant and heterogeneity of lignin. Herein, this work provides a systematic overview of bacterial lignin valorization for producing value-added products from the viewpoint of a cascaded conversion route.

Thermodynamics contributes to high limonene productivity in cyanobacteria.

Terpenoids are a large group of secondary metabolites with broad industrial applications. Engineering cyanobacteria is an attractive route for the sustainable production of commodity terpenoids. Currently, a major obstacle lies in the low productivity attained in engineered cyanobacterial strains.

Estimating Skeletal Maturity by Segmented Linear Modeling of Key AP Knee Radiographic Parameters.

Background: The recently described Modified Fels knee system allows for accurate skeletal maturity estimation using a single anteroposterior knee radiograph but requires evaluation of 7 parameters. A faster method may have clinical utility in the outpatient setting.

Methods: Seven anteroposterior knee radiographic parameters associated with 90% of the final height (an enhanced skeletal maturity standard compared with peak height velocity) were analyzed in 78 children.

Altered Carbon Partitioning Enhances CO to Terpene Conversion in Cyanobacteria.

Photosynthetic terpene production represents one of the most carbon and energy-efficient routes for converting CO into hydrocarbon. In photosynthetic organisms, metabolic engineering has led to limited success in enhancing terpene productivity, partially due to the low carbon partitioning. In this study, we employed systems biology analysis to reveal the strong competition for carbon substrates between primary metabolism (e.

Machine learning-informed and synthetic biology-enabled semi-continuous algal cultivation to unleash renewable fuel productivity.

Algal biofuel is regarded as one of the ultimate solutions for renewable energy, but its commercialization is hindered by growth limitations caused by mutual shading and high harvest costs. We overcome these challenges by advancing machine learning to inform the design of a semi-continuous algal cultivation (SAC) to sustain optimal cell growth and minimize mutual shading. An aggregation-based sedimentation (ABS) strategy is then designed to achieve low-cost biomass harvesting and economical SAC.

A guanidine-degrading enzyme controls genomic stability of ethylene-producing cyanobacteria.

Recent studies have revealed the prevalence and biological significance of guanidine metabolism in nature. However, the metabolic pathways used by microbes to degrade guanidine or mitigate its toxicity have not been widely studied. Here, via comparative proteomics and subsequent experimental validation, we demonstrate that Sll1077, previously annotated as an agmatinase enzyme in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp.

Phototunable Lignin Plastics to Enable Recyclability.

The accumulation of non-degradable petrochemical plastics imposes a significant threat to the environment and ecosystems. We addressed this challenge by designing a new type of phototunable plastics based on the unique lignin chemistry to enable readily end-life recycling. The advanced material design leveraged the efficient photocatalytic lignin depolymerization by ZnO nanoparticles to build lignin-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-ZnO blends.

Factor structure of cognitive performance and functional capacity in schizophrenia: Evidence for differences across functional capacity measures.

Background: Cognition and functional capacity predict functional outcomes in mental illness. Traditional approaches conceptualize cognition as comprised of domains, but many studies support a unifactorial structure. Some functional capacity measures may share a single-factor structure with cognition.

Discovering Biomass Structural Determinants Defining the Properties of Plant-Derived Renewable Carbon Fiber.

Traditional lignocellulosic feedstock research has focused on biomass characteristics essential for improving saccharification efficiency, yet the key biomass features underlying high-quality renewable lignin materials remain unknown. Nevertheless, modern biorefinery cannot achieve sustainability and cost-effectiveness unless the lignin stream can be valorized. We hereby addressed these scientific gaps by investigating biomass characteristics defining lignin-based carbon materials properties.

Emerging Strategies for Modifying Lignin Chemistry to Enhance Biological Lignin Valorization.

Biological lignin valorization represents a promising approach contributing to sustainable and economic biorefineries. The low level of valuable lignin-derived products remains a major challenge hindering the implementation of microbial lignin conversion. Lignin's properties play a significant role in determining the efficiency of lignin bioconversion.

sp. UWO 241 Exhibits High Cyclic Electron Flow and Rewired Metabolism under High Salinity.

The Antarctic green alga sp. UWO 241 (UWO 241) is adapted to permanent low temperatures, hypersalinity, and extreme shade. One of the most striking phenotypes of UWO 241 is an altered PSI organization and constitutive PSI cyclic electron flow (CEF).

Microstructure defines the electroconductive and mechanical performance of plant-derived renewable carbon fiber.

A plant-derived lignin polymer has been sought-after as a low-cost carbon fiber (CF) precursor, but the underlying mechanisms defining CF performances are still elusive. This study revealed that both the electroconductive and mechanical performances of lignin-based CF were synergistically improved by enhancing the microstructures through modifying the lignin chemistry, which paved a pathway to holistically improve the lignin CF quality.

Mechanism-Guided Design of Highly Efficient Protein Secretion and Lipid Conversion for Biomanufacturing and Biorefining.

Bacterial protein secretion represents a significant challenge in biotechnology, which is essential for the cost-effective production of therapeutics, enzymes, and other functional proteins. Here, it is demonstrated that proteomics-guided engineering of transcription, translation, secretion, and folding of ligninolytic laccase balances the process, minimizes the toxicity, and enables efficient heterologous secretion with a total protein yield of 13.7 g L.

Non-Solvent Fractionation of Lignin Enhances Carbon Fiber Performance.

Even though lignin carbon fiber has been sought after for several decades, the poor mechanical performance remains to be a major barrier for commercial applications. The low mechanical performance is attributed to the heterogeneity of lignin polymer. Recent advances in fractionation technologies showed the great potential to reduce lignin heterogeneity, but current fractionation methods often depend on costly chemicals and materials such as enzymes, organic solvents, membranes, and dialysis tubes.

Discovery of potential pathways for biological conversion of poplar wood into lipids by co-fermentation of strains.

Background: Biological routes for utilizing both carbohydrates and lignin are important to reach the ultimate goal of bioconversion of full carbon in biomass into biofuels and biochemicals. Recent biotechnology advances have shown promises toward facilitating biological transformation of lignin into lipids. Natural and engineered  strains (e.