Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Small Gas Turbine Engine Using Hexanol as a Biomass-Derived Fuel.

The global transition to renewable energy has amplified the need for sustainable aviation fuels. This study investigates hexanol, a biomass-derived alcohol, as an alternative fuel for small-scale gas turbines. Experimental trials were conducted on a JETPOL GTM-160 turbine, assessing blends of 25% (He25) and 50% (He50) hexanol with kerosene (JET A) under rotational velocities ranging from 40,000 to 110,000 RPM.

An Explainable Deep Learning Classifier of Bovine Mastitis Based on Whole-Genome Sequence Data-Circumventing the p >> n Problem.

The serious drawback underlying the biological annotation of whole-genome sequence data is the p >> n problem, which means that the number of polymorphic variants (p) is much larger than the number of available phenotypic records (n). We propose a way to circumvent the problem by combining a LASSO logistic regression with deep learning to classify cows as susceptible or resistant to mastitis, based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes. Among several architectures, the one with 204,642 SNPs was selected as the best.

The cancer-risk variant frequency among Polish population reported by the first national whole-genome sequencing study.

Introduction: Population-based cancer screening has raised many controversies in recent years, not only regarding the costs but also regarding the ethical nature and issues related to variant interpretation. Nowadays, genetic cancer screening standards are different in every country and usually encompass only individuals with a personal or family history of relevant cancer.

Methods: Here we performed a broad genetic screening for cancer-related rare germline variants on population data from the Thousand Polish Genomes database based on 1076 Polish unrelated individuals that underwent whole genome sequencing (WGS).

Bioinformatic modelling of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with a focus on country-specific dynamics.

Background: One of the seminal events since 2019 has been the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Countries have adopted various policies to deal with it, but they also differ in their socio-geographical characteristics and public health care facilities. Our study aimed to investigate differences between epidemiological parameters across countries.

Better safe than sorry-Whole-genome sequencing indicates that missense variants are significant in susceptibility to COVID-19.

Undoubtedly, genetic factors play an important role in susceptibility and resistance to COVID-19. In this study, we conducted the GWAS analysis. Out of 15,489,173 SNPs, we identified 18,191 significant SNPs for severe and 11,799 SNPs for resistant phenotype, showing that a great number of loci were significant in different COVID-19 representations.

Gene Variants Related to Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Diseases May Correlate with Severe Outcome of COVID-19.

Severe outcomes of COVID-19 account for up to 15% of all cases. The study aims to check if any gene variants related to cardiovascular (CVD) and pulmonary diseases (PD) are correlated with a severe outcome of COVID-19 in a Polish cohort of COVID-19 patients. In this study, a subset of 747 samples from unrelated individuals collected across Poland in 2020 and 2021 was used and whole-genome sequencing was performed.

Beyond GWAS-Could Genetic Differentiation within the Allograft Rejection Pathway Shape Natural Immunity to COVID-19?

COVID-19 infections pose a serious global health concern so it is crucial to identify the biomarkers for the susceptibility to and resistance against this disease that could help in a rapid risk assessment and reliable decisions being made on patients' treatment and their potential hospitalisation. Several studies investigated the factors associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes that can be either environmental, population based, or genetic. It was demonstrated that the genetics of the host plays an important role in the various immune responses and, therefore, there are different clinical presentations of COVID-19 infection.

Genome-Wide Genomic and Functional Association Study for Workability and Calving Traits in Holstein Cattle.

The goal of our study was to identify the SNPs, metabolic pathways (KEGG), and gene ontology (GO) terms significantly associated with calving and workability traits in dairy cattle. We analysed direct (DCE) and maternal (MCE) calving ease, direct (DSB) and maternal (MSB) stillbirth, milking speed (MSP), and temperament (TEM) based on a Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle population consisting of 35,203 individuals. The number of animals, depending on the trait, ranged from 22,301 bulls for TEM to 30,603 for DCE.

The Thousand Polish Genomes-A Database of Polish Variant Allele Frequencies.

Although Slavic populations account for over 4.5% of world inhabitants, no centralised, open-source reference database of genetic variation of any Slavic population exists to date. Such data are crucial for clinical genetics, biomedical research, as well as archeological and historical studies.

Identification of functional features underlying heat stress response in Sprague-Dawley rats using mixed linear models.

Since global temperature is expected to rise by 2 °C in 2050 heat stress may become the most severe environmental factor. In the study, we illustrate the application of mixed linear models for the analysis of whole transcriptome expression in livers and adrenal tissues of Sprague-Dawley rats obtained by a heat stress experiment. By applying those models, we considered four sources of variation in transcript expression, comprising transcripts (1), genes (2), Gene Ontology terms (3), and Reactome pathways (4) and focussed on accounting for the similarity within each source, which was expressed as a covariance matrix.

The Course and the Effects of Agricultural Biomass Pyrolysis in the Production of High-Calorific Biochar.

The thermal pyrolysis of agriculture biomass has been studied in a fixed-bed reactor, where the pyrolysis was conducted at a steady temperature of 800 °C. This work analyses the pyrolysis products of six agricultural wastes: pistachio husks, walnut husks, sunflower hulls, buckwheat husks, corncobs and coconut shells. The conducted research compared examples of large waste biomass streams from different parts of the world as a potential source of renewable energy.

History of Heart Failure in Patients Hospitalized Due to COVID-19: Relevant Factor of In-Hospital Complications and All-Cause Mortality up to Six Months.

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) are at high risk of unfavorable courses of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with HF.

Methods: Data of patients hospitalized in a tertiary hospital in Poland between March 2020 and May 2021 with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were analyzed.

Burden of multimorbidity in a Polish cohort of ambulatory and hospitalized heart failure patients from 2 large European registry programs: prognostic implications.

Introduction: Individual comorbidities have been shown to adversely affect prognosis in heart failure (HF). However, our knowledge of multimorbidity in HF and understanding of its prognostic implications still remain incomplete. Objectives: We aimed to analyze the prevalence of multimorbidity in Polish HF patients and to investigate the quantitative and qualitative impact of comorbidity burden on 12-month outcomes in that population.

SNP prioritization in targeted sequencing data associated with humoral immune responses in chicken.

Our study aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with a significant impact on the innate immunity represented by antibody response against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoid acid (LTA) and the adaptive immune response represented toward keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) using the SNP prioritization method. Data set consisted of 288 F2 experimental individuals, created by crossing Green-legged Partridgelike and White Leghorn. The analyzed SNPs were located within 24 short genomic regions of GGA1, GGA2, GGA3, GGA4, GGA9, GGA10, GGA14, GGA18, and GGZ, pre-targeted based on literature references and database information.

Pyrolysis of Pruning Residues from Various Types of Orchards and Pretreatment for Energetic Use of Biochar.

The routine pruning and cutting of fruit trees provides a considerable amount of biowaste each year. This lignocellulosic biomass, mainly in the form of branches, trunks, rootstocks, and leaves, is a potential high-quality fuel, yet often is treated as waste. The results of a feasibility study on biochar production by pyrolysis of residues from orchard pruning were presented.

Iron deficiency contributes to resistance to endogenous erythropoietin in anaemic heart failure patients.

Aims: Abnormal endogenous erythropoietin (EPO) constitutes an important cause of anaemia in chronic diseases. We analysed the relationships between iron deficiency (ID) and the adequacy of endogenous EPO in anaemic heart failure (HF) patients, and the impact of abnormal EPO on 12-month mortality.

Methods And Results: We investigated 435 anaemic HF patients (age: 74 ± 10 years; males: 60%; New York Heart Association class I or II: 39%; left ventricular ejection fraction: 43 ± 17%).

Exploring the Potential Genetic Heterogeneity in the Incidence of Hoof Disorders in Austrian Fleckvieh and Braunvieh Cattle.

Genetic heterogeneity denotes the situation when different genetic architectures underlying diverse populations result in the same phenotype. In this study, we explore the genetic background underlying differences in the incidence of hoof disorders between Braunvieh and Fleckvieh cattle in the context of genetic heterogeneity between the breeds. Despite potentially higher power of testing due to twice as large sample size, none of the SNPs was significantly associated with the total number of hoof disorders in Fleckvieh, while 15 SNPs were significant in Braunvieh.

High soluble transferrin receptor in patients with heart failure: a measure of iron deficiency and a strong predictor of mortality.

Aims: Iron deficiency (ID) is frequent in heart failure (HF), linked with exercise intolerance and poor prognosis. Intravenous iron repletion improves clinical status in HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤45%. However, uncertainty exists about the accuracy of serum biomarkers in diagnosing ID.

10 year trends in hospitalization rates due to heart failure and related in-hospital mortality in Poland (2010-2019).

Aims: Heart failure (HF) remains a major public health challenge worldwide. Contemporary epidemiological data on HF hospitalization rates and related in-hospital mortality are scarce also in Poland. The aim of the study was to determine the trends in hospitalization rates due to HF and related in-hospital mortality in Poland in the recent decade.

Correction to: The application of deep learning for the classification of correct and incorrect SNP genotypes from whole-genome DNA sequencing pipelines.

The original version on this paper contained an error. Figure 5 was published with the same image of Fig. 4.

Waste Rubber Pyrolysis: Product Yields and Limonene Concentration.

Tires, conveyor belts, floor mats, and shoe soles form a main-stream of rubber waste. The amount of these used materials continuously increases due to development of the rubber market. Therefore, pro-ecological utilization (i.

The application of deep learning for the classification of correct and incorrect SNP genotypes from whole-genome DNA sequencing pipelines.

A downside of next-generation sequencing technology is the high technical error rate. We built a tool, which uses array-based genotype information to classify next-generation sequencing-based SNPs into the correct and the incorrect calls. The deep learning algorithms were implemented via Keras.

Assessing the degree of stratification between closely related Holstein-Friesian populations.

Genomic information is an important part of the routine evaluation of dairy cattle and provides the wide availability of animals genotyped using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays. We analyzed 2243 Polish and 2294 German Holstein-Friesian bulls genotyped using the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. For each bull, estimated breeding values (EBVs) calculated from national routine genetic evaluation were available for production traits and for somatic cell score (SCS).

Effects of intravenous iron therapy in iron-deficient patients with systolic heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the net clinical and prognostic effects of intravenous (i.v.) iron therapy in patients with systolic heart failure (HF) and iron deficiency (ID).

Utilization of information from gene networks towards a better understanding of functional similarities between complex traits: a dairy cattle model.

Our study focused on quantifying functional similarities between complex traits recorded in dairy cattle: milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, somatic cell score and stature. Similarities were calculated based on gene sets forming gene networks and on gene ontology term sets underlying genes estimated as significant for the analysed traits. Gene networks were obtained by the Bisogenet and Gene Set Linkage Analysis (GSLA) software.