Elucidating metabolic tuning of mixed purple phototrophic bacteria biofilms in photoheterotrophic conditions through microbial photo-electrosynthesis.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical for humanity nowadays, but it can be beneficial by developing engineered systems that valorize CO into commodities, thus mimicking nature's wisdom. Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) naturally accept CO into their metabolism as a primary redox sink system in photo-heterotrophy. Dedicated use of this feature for developing sustainable processes (e.

Bioaccessibility and unravelling of polyphenols, sulforaphane, and indoles biotransformation after gastrointestinal digestion of a novel lactofermented broccoli beverage.

This study assesses the transformation and stability of polyphenols, sulforaphane, and indoles in a fermented beverage made from broccoli leaves during gastrointestinal digestion (GID). This process was simulated using a dialysis membrane to assess intestinal absorption. The total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant TEAC assays showed an increase in phytochemical content due to the GID process.

Modeling the optimal management of land subsidence due to aquifers overexploitation.

The study of land subsidence has recently been expanded due to its increased occurrence and magnitude worldwide. This paper develops and applies an optimal control model of groundwater extractions under conditions of land subsidence. We include, in a traditional groundwater management model, two types of negative externalities associated with land subsidence: damage to infrastructure and to economic activities, and the loss of aquifer storage capacity.

Bioinspired Control Architecture for Adaptive and Resilient Navigation of Unmanned Underwater Vehicle in Monitoring Missions of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Meadows.

Submerged aquatic vegetation plays a fundamental role as a habitat for the biodiversity of marine species. To carry out the research and monitoring of submerged aquatic vegetation more efficiently and accurately, it is important to use advanced technologies such as underwater robots. However, when conducting underwater missions to capture photographs and videos near submerged aquatic vegetation meadows, algae can become entangled in the propellers and cause vehicle failure.

Propagation Analysis of an RFID System in the UHF Band in the Honeycomb Frame of a Beehive.

In recent years, communication systems, including RFID, have been used in intelligent beehives for beekeeping. RFID systems in the UHF frequency band offer reading distances of tens of centimetres, allowing the localisation and identification of the queen bee inside the hive. With this purpose, this work proposes an analysis of an environment of propagation that consists of a honeycomb frame, where the reader is placed within the frame, and the tag is placed in different positions over it.

Anthropomorphic Tendon-Based Hands Controlled by Agonist-Antagonist Corticospinal Neural Network.

This article presents a study on the neurobiological control of voluntary movements for anthropomorphic robotic systems. A corticospinal neural network model has been developed to control joint trajectories in multi-fingered robotic hands. The proposed neural network simulates cortical and spinal areas, as well as the connectivity between them, during the execution of voluntary movements similar to those performed by humans or monkeys.

Assessing nasal airway resistance and symmetry: An approach to global perspective through computational fluid dynamics.

This study aimed to explore the variability in nasal airflow patterns among different sexes and populations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). We focused on evaluating the universality and applicability of dimensionless parameters R (bilateral nasal resistance) and ϕ (nasal flow asymmetry), initially established in a Caucasian Spanish cohort, across a broader spectrum of human populations to assess normal breathing function in healthy airways. In this retrospective study, CT scans from Cambodia (20 males, 20 females), Russia (20 males, 18 females), and Spain (19 males, 19 females) were analyzed.

Beyond skeletal studies: A computational analysis of nasal airway function in climate adaptation.

Objectives: Ecogeographic variation in human nasal anatomy has historically been analyzed on skeletal morphology and interpreted in the context of climatic adaptations to respiratory air-conditioning. Only a few studies have analyzed nasal soft tissue morphology, actively involved in air-conditioning physiology.

Materials And Methods: We used in vivo computer tomographic scans of (N = 146) adult individuals from Cambodia, Chile, Russia, and Spain.

Training in modern statistical methodologies and software tools for the definition and analysis of (stochastic) quantitative microbial risk assessment models with a comparison between the Hungarian and Spanish food supply chains.

Human pathogenic strains have been infecting people since historical times. The original human pathogens, typhoid strains (e.g.

Simultaneous Sensing and Actuating Capabilities of a Triple-Layer Biomimetic Muscle for Soft Robotics.

This work presents the fabrication and characterization of a triple-layered biomimetic muscle constituted by polypyrrole (PPy)-dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS)/adhesive tape/PPy-DBS demonstrating simultaneous sensing and actuation capabilities. The muscle was controlled by a neurobiologically inspired cortical neural network sending agonist and antagonist signals to the conducting polymeric layers. Experiments consisted of controlled voluntary movements of the free end of the muscle at angles of ±20°, ±30°, and ±40° while monitoring the muscle's potential response.

Prediction of Flux and Rejection Coefficients in the Removal of Emerging Pollutants Using a Nanofiltration Membrane.

The removal of three emerging pollutants: carbamazepine, ketoprofen, and bisphenol A, has been studied using the nanofiltration flat sheet membrane NF99HF. The removal efficiencies of the membrane have been evaluated by two system characteristic parameters: permeate flux and rejection coefficient. The influence of two operating variables has been analysed: operating pressure and feed concentration.

Exposure to secondhand and thirdhand smoke in private vehicles: Measurements in air and dust samples.

Background: This study aimed to estimate airborne nicotine concentrations and nicotine, cotinine, and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in settled dust from private cars in Spain and the UK.

Methods: We measured vapor-phase nicotine concentrations in a convenience sample of 45 private cars from Spain (N = 30) and the UK (N = 15) in 2017-2018. We recruited non-smoking drivers (n = 20), smoking drivers who do not smoke inside the car (n = 15), and smoking drivers who smoke inside (n = 10).

Particle Exposure Hazards of Visiting Outdoor Smoking Areas for Patients with Asthma or COPD Even in EU Countries with Comprehensive Smokefree Laws.

Smokefree laws are intended to protect against second-hand smoke (SHS) in outdoor areas. We examined if exposure to PM2.5 particles in outdoor smoking areas changed breathing rates in 60 patients with asthma ( = 30) or with COPD ( = 30), in an open, non-randomised, interventional study model in Czechia, Ireland and Spain.

On the Term Set's Semantics for Pairwise Comparisons in Fuzzy Linguistic Preference Models.

The main objective of this paper is the definition of a membership function assignment procedure based on inherent features of linguistic terms to determine their semantics when they are used for preference modelling. For this purpose, we consider what linguists say about concepts such as language complementarity, the influence of context, or the effects of the use of hedges (modifiers) on adverbs meaning. As a result, specificity, entropy and position in the universe of discourse of the functions assigned to each linguistic term are mainly determined by the intrinsic meaning of the hedges concerned.

Impact of Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy on Liver Fibrosis Regression among People with Chronic HCV Infection: Results from a Real-Life Cohort in Patients Who Achieved Sustained Virological Response.

: The global prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is 0.8%, affecting around 58 million people worldwide. Treatment with DAAs reduces all-cause HCV mortality by 49-68%.

Measurement of airborne nicotine, as a marker of secondhand smoke exposure, in homes with residents who smoke in 9 European countries.

Objective: Smoke-free policies are effective in preventing secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, but their adoption at home remains largely voluntary. This study aimed to quantify SHS exposure in homes with residents who smoke in Europe according to households' characteristics, tobacco consumption habits, and national contextual factors.

Methods: Cross-sectional study (March 2017-September 2018) based on measurements of air nicotine inside 162 homes with residents who smoke from nine European countries.

Melon/cowpea intercropping pattern influenced the N and C soil cycling and the abundance of soil rare bacterial taxa.

The high use of pesticides, herbicides, and unsustainable farming practices resulted in losses of soil quality. Sustainable farming practices such as intercropping could be a good alternative to traditional monocrop, especially using legumes such as cowpea (). In this study, different melon and cowpea intercropping patterns (melon mixed with cowpea in the same row (MC1); alternating one melon row and one cowpea row (MC2); alternating two melon rows and one cowpea row (MC3)) were assayed to study the intercropping effect on soil bacterial community through 16S rRNA region in a 3-year experiment.

Atmospheric pollen allergen load and environmental patterns in central and southwestern Iberian Peninsula.

Over one quarter of the population in industrialised countries suffers from some type of allergy and inhaled aeroallergens from pollen are the primary cause of allergic ailments. The networks for monitoring biological air quality measure the airborne pollen concentrations that characterize periods of exposure to major airborne aeroallergens but there are certain discrepancies in relation to the allergen-pollen dynamic. In this paper we analyse the airborne allergens Ole e 1, Phl p 1, Phl p 5 and Pla a 1, and interpreted the adjustments and mismatches in their concentrations in relation to airborne pollen.

Electronic Cigarette Use in 12 European Countries: Results From the TackSHS Survey.

Background: Limited data on electronic cigarette prevalence, patterns, and settings of use are available from several European countries.

Methods: Within the TackSHS project, a face-to-face survey was conducted in 2017-2018 in 12 European countries (Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain). Overall, 11,876 participants, representative of the population aged ⩾15 years in each country, provided information on electronic cigarette.

Monitoring Lipophilic Toxins in Seawater Using Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction and Liquid Chromatography with Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry.

The use of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) is proposed for the preconcentration of thirteen lipophilic marine toxins in seawater samples. For this purpose, 0.5 mL of methanol and 440 µL of chloroform were injected into 12 mL of sample.

Burden of disease from second-hand tobacco smoke exposure at home among adults from European Union countries in 2017: an analysis using a review of recent meta-analyses.

Smoke-free legislation reduced second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in public places, and indirectly promoted private smoke-free settings. Nevertheless, a large proportion of adults is still exposed to SHS at home. The aim of this paper is to quantify the burden of disease due to home SHS exposure among adults in the 28-European Union (EU) countries for year 2017.

Burden of disease from exposure to secondhand smoke in children in Europe.

Background: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure at home and fetal SHS exposure during pregnancy are a major cause of disease among children. The aim of this study is quantifying the burden of disease due to SHS exposure in children and in pregnancy in 2006-2017 for the 28 European Union (EU) countries.

Methods: Exposure to SHS was estimated using a multiple imputation procedure based on the Eurobarometer surveys, and SHS exposure burden was estimated with the comparative risk assessment method using meta-analytical relative risks.

Burden of disease from breast cancer attributable to smoking and second-hand smoke exposure in Europe.

Smoking and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure have been recently linked to a higher risk of breast cancer in women. The aim of this work is to estimate the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from breast cancer attributable to these two risk factors in the European Union (EU-28) in 2017. The comparative risk assessment method was used.

The cytotoxic activity of Salvia officinalis L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L. Leaves extracts on human glioblastoma cell line and their antioxidant effect.

Background Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Rosemary) and Salvia officinalis L. (Sage) are two Mediterranean species growing spontaneously in some area in Morocco.