Towards carbon neutrality and circular economy: an innovative combination of enhanced biogas production and nutrient recovery from sludge dewatering liquor at a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Germany.

An innovative circular economy (CE) system was implemented at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Brunswick. The performance of the CE system was evaluated for 4 years: the thermal pressure hydrolysis enhanced the methane production by 18% and increased the digestate dewaterability by 14%. Refractory COD formed in thermal hydrolysis and increased the COD concentration in the WWTP effluent by 4 mg L while still complying with the legal threshold.

TG6050, an oncolytic vaccinia virus encoding interleukin-12 and anti-CTLA-4 antibody, favors tumor regression via profound immune remodeling of the tumor microenvironment.

Background: TG6050 was designed as an improved oncolytic vector, combining the intrinsic properties of vaccinia virus to selectively replicate in tumors with the tumor-restricted expression of recombinant immune effectors to modify the tumor immune phenotype. These properties might be of particular interest for "cold" tumors, either poorly infiltrated or infiltrated with anergic T cells.

Methods:  TG6050, an oncolytic vaccinia virus encodes single-chain human interleukin-12 (hIL-12) and full-length anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (@CTLA-4) monoclonal antibody.

Open-top multisample dual-view light-sheet microscope for live imaging of large multicellular systems.

Multicellular systems grow over the course of weeks from single cells to tissues or even full organisms, making live imaging challenging. To bridge spatiotemporal scales, we present an open-top dual-view and dual-illumination light-sheet microscope dedicated to live imaging of large specimens at single-cell resolution. The configuration of objectives together with a customizable multiwell mounting system combines dual view with high-throughput multiposition imaging.

Design and selection of anti-PD-L1 single-domain antibody and tumor necrosis factor superfamily ligands for an optimal vectorization in an oncolytic virus.

Arming oncolytic viruses with transgenes encoding immunomodulators improves their therapeutic efficacy by enhancing and/or sustaining the innate and adaptive anti-tumoral immune responses. We report here the isolation, selection, and vectorization of a blocking anti-human PDL1 single-domain antibody (sdAb) isolated from PDL1-immunized alpacas. Several formats of this sdAb were vectorized into the vaccinia virus (VV) and evaluated for their programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1)/PD1 ligand (PDL1) blocking activity in the culture medium of tumor cells infected .

Teaching Motor Skills Without a Motor: A Semi-Passive Robot to Facilitate Learning.

Semi-passive rehabilitation robots resist and steer a patient's motion using only controllable passive force elements (e.g., controllable brakes).

Protocol for assembling and operating bipolar membrane water electrolyzers.

Renewable energy-driven bipolar membrane water electrolyzers (BPMWEs) are a promising technology for sustainable production of hydrogen from seawater and other impure water sources. Here, we present a protocol for assembling BPMWEs and operating them in a range of water feedstocks, including ultra-pure deionized water and seawater. We describe steps for membrane electrode assembly preparation, electrolyzer assembly, and electrochemical evaluation.

Characterization of fatty acid forms using benchtop NMR in omega-3 oil supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements, such as fish oil and plant-based oils, have gained popularity because of their potential health benefits. However, the quality and composition of these supplements can vary widely, particularly in terms of the two main forms of omega-3 fatty acids: triacylglycerols (TAGs) and ethyl esters (EEs). TAGs are the natural form found in fish oil but are prone to oxidation, whereas EEs are more stable but less well absorbed by the body.

Bioinspired preactivation reflex increases robustness of walking on rough terrain.

Walking on unknown and rough terrain is challenging for (bipedal) robots, while humans naturally cope with perturbations. Therefore, human strategies serve as an excellent inspiration to improve the robustness of robotic systems. Neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) models provide the necessary interface for the validation and transfer of human control strategies.

Topographic information improves simulated patterns of post-fire conifer regeneration in the southwest United States.

The western United States is projected to experience more frequent and severe wildfires in the future due to drier and hotter climate conditions, exacerbating destructive wildfire impacts on forest ecosystems such as tree mortality and unsuccessful post-fire regeneration. While empirical studies have revealed strong relationships between topographical information and plant regeneration, ecological processes in ecosystem models have either not fully addressed topography-mediated effects on the probability of plant regeneration, or the probability is only controlled by climate-related factors, for example, water and light stresses. In this study, we incorporated seedling survival data based on a planting experiment in the footprint of the 2011 Las Conchas Fire into the Photosynthesis and EvapoTranspiration (PnET) extension of the LANDIS-II model by adding topographic and an additional climatic variable to the probability of regeneration.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients' Acceptance for Switching from Intravenous Infliximab or Vedolizumab to Subcutaneous Formulation: The Nancy Experience.

Background: Subcutaneous infliximab and vedolizumab formulations have been developed for maintenance therapy in inflammatory bowel disease. The objective of this study was to explore the inflammatory bowel disease patient's acceptance for switching from intravenous infliximab or vedolizumab to subcutaneous, as well as to describe the causes of refusal or, conversely, the factors associated with acceptance.

Methods: Patients were prospectively recruited between June 2021 and March 2022 during their infusion of infliximab or vedolizumab in the Medical Day Hospital of Nancy University Hospital.

Uncertainty-driven determination of target measurement times for indirect tracking validation in adaptive radiotherapy.

. Hybrid indirect tumor tracking strategies combine continuous monitoring of surrogate signals with episodic radiographic imaging of the target to check and update their models during the treatment. This validation process is traditionally performed at predetermined and fixed-rate time intervals.

Lenalidomide and Eltrombopag for Treatment of Low- or Intermediate-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Result of a Phase II Clinical Trial.

Purpose: Thrombocytopenia is a serious complication of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with an increased bleeding risk and worse prognosis. Eltrombopag (ELT), a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, can increase platelet counts and reverse anti-megakaryopoietic effects of lenalidomide (LEN) in preclinical studies. We hypothesized ELT would reduce the incidence of thrombocytopenia in MDS.

Adaptive confidence regions for indirect tracking of moving tumors in radiotherapy.

Background: Target motion in the course of radiotherapy is one of the largest factors affecting the treatment quality of highly dynamic sites such as lung. A critical component of real-time motion management is not only the prediction of tumor location at a future point in time but assessment of positional uncertainty for the purposes of margin adjustment and optimization of validation schemes.

Purpose: In this study, we propose to investigate the ability of a confidence estimator to accurately reflect the reliability of individual target position predictions and prospectively detect large prediction errors by relying exclusively on a surrogate signal.

The role of user preference in the customized control of robotic exoskeletons.

User preference is a promising objective for the control of robotic exoskeletons because it may capture the multifactorial nature of exoskeleton use. However, to use it, we must first understand its characteristics in the context of exoskeleton control. Here, we systematically measured the control preferences of individuals wearing bilateral ankle exoskeletons during walking.

Vectorized Treg-depleting αCTLA-4 elicits antigen cross-presentation and CD8 T cell immunity to reject 'cold' tumors.

Background: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is a clinically proven concept to treat cancer. Still, a majority of patients with cancer including those with poorly immune infiltrated 'cold' tumors are resistant to currently available ICB therapies. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is one of few clinically validated targets for ICB, but toxicities linked to efficacy in approved αCTLA-4 regimens have restricted their use and precluded full therapeutic dosing.

Impact of process parameters of thermal alkaline pretreatment on biogas yield and dewaterability of waste activated sludge.

Thermal alkaline pretreatment (TAP) of waste activated sludge (WAS) before anaerobic digestion (AD) was reviewed. Focus of the review was on impact of TAP process parameters on biomethane yield (BY) and kinetics of AD and downstream dewatering. With higher initial biodegradability of untreated WAS, effect of TAP on BY decreases.

Resilience and life cycle assessment of ion exchange process for ammonium removal from municipal wastewater.

This study was completed to understand the resilience of an ion exchange (IEX) process for its ability to remove variable ammonium (NH-N) loads) and to prove its environmental benefits through a life cycle assessment (LCA). The tertiary 10 m/day demonstration scale IEX was fed with variable NH-N concentrations (<0.006-26 mg NH-N /L) naturally found in municipal wastewater.

Potential of a probabilistic framework for target prediction from surrogate respiratory motion during lung radiotherapy.

Respiration-induced motion introduces significant positioning uncertainties in radiotherapy treatments for thoracic sites. Accounting for this motion is a non-trivial task commonly addressed with surrogate-based strategies and latency compensating techniques. This study investigates the potential of a new unified probabilistic framework to predict both future target motion in real-time from a surrogate signal and associated uncertainty.

Can we identify cystic fibrosis from skeletal remains? A proposed differential diagnosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common genetic disease within populations with European ancestry and affects approximately 60,000 individuals living in North America and Europe. With recent medical advancement, the life span of CF patients has been extended by decades and bone disease has been observed as a common complication of long-term survivors. In addition to bone disease and associated bone fracturing, living CF patients have a unique etiology of chronic sinusitis, which manifests as a medial bulge in the lateral walls of the nasal aperture, distinct from non-CF chronic sinusitis.

Motor Modules are Impacted by the Number of Reaching Directions Included in the Analysis.

Muscle synergy analysis is commonly used to study how the nervous system coordinates the activation of a large number of muscles during human reaching. In synergy analysis, muscle activation data collected from various reaching directions are subjected to dimensionality reduction techniques to extract muscle synergies. Typically, muscle activation data are obtained only from a limited set of reaches with an inherent assumption that the performed reaches adequately represent all possible reaches.

Pilot study of thermal alkaline pretreatment of waste activated sludge: Seasonal effects on anaerobic digestion and impact on dewaterability and refractory COD.

Thermal alkaline pretreatment (TAP) of waste activate sludge (WAS) was carried out in pilot-scale over a year to investigate its seasonal effects on anaerobic digestion and its impact on dewaterability, sludge liquor quality and formation of soluble refractory COD (sCOD). Temperature of TAP was set at 65-70 °C and pH was increased by initial dosing of sodium hydroxide [NaOH] (50% w/w, 1-2.5 mL/L sludge) as alkali agent following 2-2.

Telecommunication and rehabilitation for patients with multiple sclerosis: access and willingness to use. A cross-sectional study.

Background: Telerehabilitation is a promising approach for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but uncertainties regarding patients' access and preferences remain.

Aim: To investigate the access to telecommunication technologies and rehabilitation services of patients with MS, and their willingness to use these technologies for rehabilitation.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Effect of temperature on biogas yield increase and formation of refractory COD during thermal hydrolysis of waste activated sludge.

Thermal hydrolysis (TH) increases the anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge (WAS), but also refractory organic and nutrient return load to a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). This could lead to an increase in effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the WWTP. The aim of this study was to investigate the trade-off between increase in biogas production through TH and anaerobic digestion and increase in refractory COD in dewatered sludge liquors at different temperatures of TH in lab-scale.

Analysis of Unscheduled Telephone Calls Received by a Specialized Cancer Pain Nurse.

Background: A key to successful symptom management in patients with cancer is to adapt the treatment to patient needs and complexities in an individual and dynamic manner. Rapid access to a clinician via telephone consultation supports treatment compliance, safety, and effectiveness and reduces the number of patients unnecessarily consulting emergency departments.

Aims: To define the role of a cancer pain nurse in the management of unscheduled phone calls to the clinic.