Residual Material Research Articles

Removal of fiber posts using conventional versus guided endodontics: a comparative study of dentin loss and complications.

To compare the efficacy of fiber post removal using conventional (CONV) versus guided endodontics (GE) in terms of dentin loss, residual resin material, procedural errors, and working time in vitro. Ninety human central incisors were root-filled and scanned by micro-computed tomography (CT), then restored with fiber posts and composite. Twenty-four sets of teeth with up to four human maxillary central incisors were fabricated and divided into three groups: conventional post removal by a general dentist (CG) or endodontology specialist (CS) and guided endodontics (GE) by a general dentist, yielding 30 teeth per operator and group. After treatment, the prepared access cavities were volumetrically assessed by micro-CT. Statistical significance was evaluated by one-way analysis of variance followed by post hoc comparisons with Tukey's HSD test and Pearson's chi-squared test for independence. Both CONV and GE resulted in dentin loss and residual resin material. CS resulted in more dentin loss and less residual resin material than CG and GE (p < .05). All groups had some deviations from the original root canal but no perforations. The shortest working time was observed in the GE group. Compared to the conventional freehand technique, GE resulted in significantly less radicular dentin loss, a few deviations but no perforations. Guided endodontics can improve the speed and safety of fiber post removal without root perforation.

Changes in Physical Properties and Microstructure of Bamboo–Plastic Composites with Different Bamboo Powder/Polybutylene Succinate Ratios, Polypropylene, and Polyethylene

As the most promising biomass material, bamboo has been widely used, but at the same time, it is subject to many problems, such as processing residues and the failure of high-value utilization of residues. In this paper, bamboo powder and polybutylene succinate (PBS) were used as the main raw materials, and by changing the ratio of bamboo powder to PBS and adding polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) in combination with PBS, the effects of the ratio, as well as the effects of the use of PP and PE, on the physical–mechanical, thermal, and degradation properties of bamboo–plastic composites were investigated, and the microscopic changes of the materials were studied by chemical component analysis. The optimal formulation of bamboo powder/PBS composite material has been identified through experimentation, yielding a flexural strength of 24.87 MPa and a compressive strength of 29.74 MPa. This material can be used for outdoor furniture, wall panels, flooring, road barriers, and other applications, providing a new environmentally friendly approach to the consumption of residual bamboo materials.

Residual calcified material volume of β–tricalcium phosphate with platelet-rich fibrin in unilateral alveolar bone graft

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in unilateral alveolar bone graft, involving the percentage of residual calcified material and the average labiopalatal thickness of the grafts on cone beam computed tomography at 6 months after surgery, comparing two age groups 12 years and under and over 12 years old.ResultsThe mean preoperative defect volume was 0.93 ± 0.20 cm3, with no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.652). In the postoperative period, we did not record any abnormal bleeding and no infection was observed. Six months after surgery, the mean percentage of residual calcified material was 63.53 ± 16.48% with a significantly higher difference in the age group 12 and under (p < 0.001), and the mean average labiopalatal thickness of the grafted bone was 5.72 ± 1.09 mm with a significantly higher difference in the age group 12 and under (p = 0.011).ConclusionUsing β-TCP and PRF in alveolar bone graft surgery has acceptable effectiveness clinically and on CBCT images, with significantly higher differences of the percentage of residual calcified material and the average labiopalatal thickness of the grafted bone in the group 12 years old and younger than in the older group.

Histologic wound healing in studies using different ridge preservation protocols: A review.

Alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) procedures are designed to lessen dimensional changes in the alveolar ridge after tooth extraction. Wound healing after ridge preservation involves the formation of new vital bone in the former socket, and this vital bone is important in the osseointegration of dental implants. A series of ARP studies have been performed to help clinicians better understand the wound-healing events that occur following tooth extraction and ridge preservation. Different protocols have been examined using various materials and periods of healing time prior to implant placement. The primary aim of these studies was to ascertain the relative percentage of vital bone formation, residual graft material, and connective tissue (CT)/other at the healing site using histomorphometric examination of bone core biopsies obtained during osteotomy preparation. For allografts, the use of demineralized bone alone or in combination with mineralized is associated with more vital bone formation than the use of mineralized allograft alone. For mineralized allografts, the use of cortical versus cancellous bone has only minimal impact on new bone formation. Xenografts from bovine and porcine sources appear to have similar vital bone formation. Longer healing times prior to implant placement are associated with increased vital bone formation and decreased residual graft material. The most stable component in most studies is the percentage of CT/other. The percentage of vital bone and residual graft at ARP sites is dependent on the materials used and the length of healing time prior to obtaining core biopsies. What factors may affect the amount of new bone at the ARP site? At a time point about 4 months after ARP, the type of graft material used for ARP plays a large role in new bone formation. Studies focus on means and standard deviations, but patients often do not "follow the mean." Even if a single ARP protocol is used for all patients, there is great interindividual variability in new bone formation, and there is often variability between sites within a single patient. How long after ARP with an allograft should I wait to place an implant? Longer healing times such as 4-5 months generally provide higher amounts of vital bone formation than shorter healing times like 2-3 months. Differences in vital bone formation between ARP protocols tend to decrease with longer healing time. FDBA that contains demineralized bone, either alone or combined with mineralized FDBA, often provides higher amounts of new bone formation than 100% mineralized allograft, especially at shorter healing periods. Even a year after ARP with an allograft, residual graft material is often still present at the ARP site.

Non-chlorine detergent formulations as an alternative for unpasteurised milk removal from stainless steel surfaces

Hygiene is a major concern in the dairy industry, and detergents based on hypochlorite have commonly been utilised for cleaning-in-place (CIP) regimes. However, due to concerns about chlorate residues entering the milk processing chain, new detergent alternatives that are free of chlorate sources are required. Two new formulations were developed based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and wetting agents. Stainless steel surfaces were fouled with milk and cleaned once or 10 times using water, a caustic-EDTA product, a sodium hypochlorite product, an acid, or new cleaning formulations (Product A and Product B). The results demonstrated that the use of acid did not result in successful cleaning. The two new products performed well, with Product B performing equivalently during cleaning compared with the established hypochlorite or caustic-EDTA products. Product A exhibited better cleanliness than the other detergents tested. When allergen removal was considered, residual material was found to be retained on the surfaces, regardless of the cleaning type used. This study suggests that the new product formulations may be used to replace hypochlorite-based detergents to increase the hygienic status of a surface.

Pattern-dependent resistivity variations in inkjet-printed conductors due to non-uniform ink drying

When fabricating inkjet-printed electronic devices and circuits, inkjet-printed conductive materials require drying and sintering to improve electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity should be the same irrespective of pattern design, size, location, or density of adjacent patterns. However, we demonstrate that spatial variations in the drying process for inkjet-printed patterns with proximity to others cause resistivity variations. These resistivity variations are studied here experimentally for different circuit patterns and in arrays of inkjet-printed square electrodes. This variation depends not only on the location of each electrode in an array but also on the number of electrodes. This means that for the same drying temperature and duration, the array with a larger number of electrodes exhibits a larger resistivity variation. The sooner an electrode dries, the lower resistivity it achieves. The resistivity variation between an individual electrode and the center electrode in a 7 × 7 electrode array can be a factor of seven. This variation decreases for lower numbers of electrodes to a factor of three for a 3 × 3 array. Furthermore, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses provide evidence for the residual presence of carbon-based materials within electrodes after the drying process. These results confirm that the location of electrodes within an array significantly influences the amount of residual carbon-based materials, thereby contributing to resistivity variations. Although intense pulsed light sintering can decrease this variation, its optimal parameters depend on the printed designs, and our simulation results show a non-uniform temperature profile over the electrode arrays. Temperature increases more at the center of patterns than the corners, which can be useful in this case to improve resistivity uniformity. In this study, for the first time, we show how different printed shapes and designs can result in non-uniform resistivity after drying and sintering.

Metal Nanoparticles Assisted Ultrafast Laser Plasmonic Microwelding of Oxide-Semiconductor Interconnects.

Integration of wafer-scale oxide and semiconductor materials meets the difficulties of residual stress and materials incompatibility. In this work, Ag NPs thin film is contributed as an energy confinement layer between oxide (Sapphire) and semiconductor (Si) wafers to localize the materials interaction during ultrafast laser irradiation. Due to the plasmonic effects generated within constructed dielectric-metal-dielectric structures (i.e., Sapphire-Ag-Si), thermal diffusion and chemical reaction between Ag and its neighboring materials facilitate the microwelding of Sapphire and Si wafers. Ag NPs can be totally sintered within the junction area to bridge oxide and semiconductor, while Al─O─Ag bond and Ag─Si bond are formed at Ag-Sapphire and Ag─Si interfaces, respectively. As-received heterogeneous joint exhibits a high shear strength up to 5.4MPa, with the fracture occurring inside Si wafer. Meanwhile, insertion of metal nanolayer can greatly relieve the residual stress-induced microcracking inside the brittle materials. Such wafer-scale Sapphire and Si interconnects thus show robust strength and excellent impermeability even after thermal shocking (-40 °C to 120 °C) for 200 cycles. This metal NPs layer-assisted plasmonic microwelding technology can extend to broad materials integration, which is promising for high-performance microdevices development in MEMS, MOEMS, or microfluidics.

ANALYSIS OF WASTE MATERIAL COEFFICIENT FOR CONCRETE CASTING WORK USING BIM CUBICOST TAS

One of the construction project activities that has a large volume of work on the upper structure is casting work. In concrete requirement planning, contractors usually multiply the book by 10%. However, in practice, the concrete requirement is still less than planned. Therefore, concrete requirement planning must be calculated accurately. The volume of concrete needs to be multiplied by the waste material coefficient. This research was conducted on the XYZ Project by directly observing to obtain the volume of realized concrete purchased so that the value of the material coefficient that has taken into account waste material will be obtained. BIM Cubicost TAS is used to minimize planning volume calculation errors. The results of this study show that for horizontal casting work, the largest percentage of residual material is 3.133%, and the average percentage of residual material for horizontal casting is 2.192%. Meanwhile, for vertical casting work, the largest percentage of remaining material is 7.219% and the average percentage of remaining vertical casting material is 3.015%. Finally, the waste material coefficient is obtained as 1.022 for horizontal casting and 1.03 for vertical casting. In the AHSP Ministerial Regulation No. 1 of 2022, the coefficient value of materials for casting work using ready-mix concrete is 1.02. This reveals that the coefficient value in AHSP Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Regulation No. 1 of 2022 has not fully calculated the real waste material in the field. The analyzed coefficient values in this study can be used as a reference for the project to determine coefficients in the AHSP and aid in planning concrete volume requirements because it already takes into account the real waste material in the field.

A comparative analysis of gas-cooled fast reactor using heterogeneous core configurations with three and five fuel variations

GFR or Gas-cooled Fast Reactor is one type of fast generation-IV that uses a very high cooling temperature. Thus, it is necessary to have the right reactor core design so that the power distribution of neutrons produced reaches a safe and even limit point. The use of a uniform (homogeneous) reactor core can produce peaking power. This is very avoidable because it will cause a reactor accident. In this study, researchers tried to compare the results of the analysis for two heterogeneous reactor core designs including the configuration of 3 fuel variations and 5 fuel variations using UN-PuN fuel. This study aims to determine the keff value produced by both types of fuel variations during 5 years of burn-up and determine the characteristics of neutron flux, fission rate, and fission product during 15 years of burn-up. This study was started by calculating the homogeneous and heterogeneous core of 3 and 5 fuel variations with neutron transport simulation involving OpenMC. The calculation results show that the heterogeneous core configuration of 5 fuel variations for the keff value is more optimal than 3 fuel variations, because it has the smallest excess reactivity value. The neutron flux and fission rate characteristics for 5 fuel variations are more evenly distributed when compared to 3 fuel variations to maintain neutron lifetime and reactor life in operation. Burn-up residual plutonium material and minor actinide waste for 5 fuel variations have less mass than 3 fuel variations. The results of neutronic analysis of GFR reactors with heterogeneous reactor core designs for 5 fuel variations are better in terms of reactor criticality, neutron power distribution, and waste produced. Finally, optimization of the UN-PuN fuel volume fraction of 60 % provides the optimal keff value

The emulsifying properties of protein extracts from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) depend on the extraction method

Protein extracts from green leaves, consisting of mainly RuBisCO, have potential applications for human consumption. However, their properties are highly influenced by the extraction process applied. This work assessed the impact of the extraction method on the solubility profile and emulsifying properties of two protein concentrates from perennial ryegrass, obtained using two different approaches. These two methods differed in the application (or absence) of a heating step (50 °C for 30 min) to improve the removal of chloroplast material. The functionality of both protein concentrates was highly influenced by the isoelectric point of the proteins. The extract containing less residual chloroplast material showed greater solubility, up to 40 % more, and superior emulsifying capacity and stability, at non-acidic pH, similar to WPI. At pH above 6, the protein extract which contained residual chloroplast material was significantly less soluble, which limited its performance as emulsifier. Therefore, the extraction process critically impacted the final product's functionality. This work demonstrated that effectively removing chloroplast material is essential to achieve targeted techno-functional properties of an ingredient and the food product in which it is used.

Development and validation of cryopreserved or freeze-dried decellularized human dermis for transplantation

For decades, dermal tissue grafts have been used in various regenerative, reconstructive, and augmentative procedures across the body. To eliminate antigenicity and immunogenic response while still preserving the individual components and collective structural integrity of the extracellular matrix (ECM), dermis can be decellularized. Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) products like such are produced to accurately serve diverse clinical purposes. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of a novel decellularization protocol of the human dermis, which eliminates residual human genetic material without compromising the biomechanical integrity and collagenous content of the tissue. Moreover, a freeze-drying protocol was validated. The results showed that though our decellularization protocol, human dermis can be decellularized obtaining a biocompatible matrix. The procedure is completely realized in GMP aseptic condition, avoiding tissue terminal sterilization.

Utilization of Galvanizing Flue Dust Residue: A Sustainable Approach towards Complete Material Recycling

During hot-dip galvanization, wastes such as bottom dross, zinc ash, spent pre-treatment solutions, and galvanizing flue dust (GFD) are generated. In scientific publications, research devoted to GFD waste recycling is absent, and companies generating this waste require a solution to this complex problem. GFD is often landfilled in hazardous waste landfills. However, it is possible to process this waste hydrometallurgically, where GFD is first leached, the solution is refined, and finally, zinc metal is obtained by electrowinning. During specific environmentally friendly leaching, not all solid GFD is dissolved, and the aim of this study is to process the remaining solid GFD residue. The analysis shows that the GFD residue material mainly contains zinc (42.46%) in the form of oxides, but there is also a small amount of polluting elements such as Al, Fe, and Pb. This study examines the leaching of the samples in HCl and H2SO4 under different conditions with the aim of obtaining a solution with a high concentration and high leaching efficiency of zinc. The L/S ratio of 3, 4 M H2SO4, and ambient temperature proved to be optimal for the leaching of the GFD residue, where 96.24% of zinc was leached out, which represents a zinc concentration of 136.532 g/L.

Diagnostic utility of immunocytochemistry by using liquid-based cytology (LBC) slides.

Cytological specimens, such as fine needle aspirations (FNAs) and exfoliative cytology samples, are minimally invasive options for diagnostic purposes. Liquid-based cytology (LBC), originally designed for cervical cytology, has gained prominence as an alternative technique for non-gynecological cytology. Immunocytochemistry (ICC) is an ancillary method used when diagnosis becomes challenging due to morphological overlap or the need for cellular origin clarification. This study aims to assess the diagnostic utility of ICC when applied to LBC slides and evaluate its effectiveness in relation to the waiting (lag) time of residual material. A total of 74 cases in which ICC was applied to LBC slides were studied over one year in a reference pathology laboratory (Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu, Pathology Laboratory, City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey). Cases in which immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cell blocks were excluded. The SurePath PAP method was used for the main LBC cytology slides. For the ICC study, 1-4 PAP-stained LBC slides were obtained from each case's residual material and stained with a primary antibody. The positive immunostaining was obtained in 81% of cases. The samples were categorized into groups based on the waiting time of residual LBC material for ICC analysis: 1-5 days, 6-10 days, 11-20 days, and 21-38 days. Comparative analysis revealed a decline in ICC efficacy as the waiting (lag) time increased. Additionally, a statistically significant difference was observed between the 11-20 days and 21-38 days groups (P < 0.05). An analysis of 142 LBC slides stained by ICC revealed that nuclear markers exhibited higher positivity compared to non-nuclear markers, although no significant difference was detected between the two groups. High positivity rates can be obtained in ICC studies performed on additional slides obtained from residual LBC material within the first 20 days. ICC applied to LBC slides is an important and useful alternative for diagnostic and prognostic markers in cases without a cell block or with a cell block without sufficient number of cells.

Research on extraction of carbon from coal gasification fine slag using hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation: Efficient separation, molecular dynamics simulation, and model optimization

Disposing of coal gasification fine slag (CGFS) in piles and landfills result in enormous resource wastage and potential environmental risks. The precondition for CGFS resource utilization is separating residual carbon and ash materials. However, froth flotation products are heavily entrained, and gravity separation is not targeted for fines. This research introduced Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Separation (HHS) as a solution to achieve efficient separation of residual carbon and ash materials. We investigated the surface morphology, elemental composition, and functional group species of residual carbon and ash materials by various testing methods. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulations were employed to reveal the visualization mechanism of CGFS in HHS. Response surface methodology analyzed the effects of mixing time, stirring speed, and n-heptane dosage on HHS carbon/ash separation. Furthermore, the sequence and interaction relationships of factor effects were analyzed, and optimal parameter values were determined. The advantages of HHS over froth flotation and gravity separation were briefly discussed. Finally, research directions were proposed for the process design of HHS and resource utilization with HHS products. This research would provide the theoretical basis and technical support for the efficient separation of residual carbon and ash materials, the large-scale resource utilization of CGFS, and the high-value processing of HHS products, which was beneficial to clean production, sustainable development, and environmental management.

Exploring the effects of post-distillation and post-supercritical CO2 extraction on chemical profile and biological activities of two Salvia species (S. chrysophylla and S. microstegia)

In this paper the extraction of phytoconstituents from Salvia chrysophylla and S. microstegia aerial parts was performed using maceration, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCO2) and hydrodistillation. Additionally, the residual material from hydrodistillation and SCO2 was evaluated for the content in secondary metabolites. To achieve these goals Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, liquid chromatography coupled with diode array and multiple stage mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-MSn) and liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-HR-QTOF) were used for the analysis of non-volatile compounds. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was adopted for the essential oil analysis. Main constituents were rosmarinic acid and luteolin-7-O-glucopyranoside, in S. microstegia while sclareol and salvigenin in S. crisophylla. Regarding essential oil composition terpine-4-ol-acetate and caryophyllene oxide were the most abundant constituents in S. microstegia and S. chrysophylla respectively. Subsequently, we determined the antioxidant capacity using different chemical assays. To establish potential other bioactivities inhibition on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase, was examined. The findings revealed the water extract (WE) and methanol total extract (TE) of S. microstegia extracts, exhibited higher total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity compared to S. chrysophylla extracts. Moreover, both S. microstegia and S. chrysophylla essential oils EOs displayed significant phosphomolybdenum (PBD) activity, and their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity was notably elevated and nearly equivalent, measuring 2.79 mg GALAE/g and 2.78 mg GALAE/g, respectively. These findings underscore the potential for diverse applications of these plant extracts in various industries, including pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals.

Sitologi Berbasis Konvensional dibandingkan dengan Cairan sebagai Skrining Kanker Servik : Sebuah Sistematik Review

Worldwide, there are 2.784 million women aged 15 years and over who are at risk of cervical cancer, and about 527,624 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year. Cervical cancer ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer in women worldwide, and is the second most common cancer in women between the ages of 15 and 44. Cervical cancer can have devastating effects with very high costs, socially, and economically, affecting women in their productive years. Screening with routine cytology, using Papanicolaou (Pap) staining, has a major impact on the incidence of cervical cancer in many countries. In developed countries, but not in any developing country although its use is widespread. The use of conventional cytology as the primary test method has been replaced by the use of liquid-based cytology in many countries that have organized cervical cancer screening programs, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The main advantages of using liquid-based cytology instead of primary conventional cytology are that it facilitates reflex testing (i.e., residual material can be tested for the presence of human papilloma virus if borderline/slightly dicariotic smears are present) and reduces the number of slides of unsatisfactory quality. This literature review study aims to further examine how conventional cytology compares to liquid-based cytology as a method used in conducting cervical cancer screening. The journal in this review literature uses 3 databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct using the keywords "liquid based cytology", "conventional cytology" and "cervical cancer screening". Literature searches are adjusted based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search results were obtained by 10 international journals. Results show that both conventional and liquid-based cytology are effective methods for cervical cancer screening. Although liquid-based cytology may have some advantages over conventional cytology, both methods have proven effective for detecting cervical pathologies.Worldwide, there are 2.784 million women aged 15 years and over who are at risk of cervical cancer, and about 527,624 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year. Cervical cancer ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer in women worldwide, and is the second most common cancer in women between the ages of 15 and 44. Cervical cancer can have devastating effects with very high costs, socially, and economically, affecting women in their productive years. Screening with routine cytology, using Papanicolaou (Pap) staining, has a major impact on the incidence of cervical cancer in many countries. In developed countries, but not in any developing country although its use is widespread. The use of conventional cytology as the primary test method has been replaced by the use of liquid-based cytology in many countries that have organized cervical cancer screening programs, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The main advantages of using liquid-based cytology instead of primary conventional cytology are that it facilitates reflex testing (i.e., residual material can be tested for the presence of human papilloma virus if borderline/slightly dicariotic smears are present) and reduces the number of slides of unsatisfactory quality. This literature review study aims to further examine how conventional cytology compares to liquid-based cytology as a method used in conducting cervical cancer screening. The journal in this review literature uses 3 databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct using the keywords "liquid based cytology", "conventional cytology" and "cervical cancer screening". Literature searches are adjusted based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search results were obtained by 10 international journals. Results show that both conventional and liquid-based cytology are effective methods for cervical cancer screening. Although liquid-based cytology may have some advantages over conventional cytology, both methods have proven effective for detecting cervical pathologies.

Measurements of Methane Emissions from a Biofertilizer Storage Tank Using Ground-Based Hyperspectral Imaging and Flux Chambers.

Open storages of organic material represent potentially large sources of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4), an emissions source that will likely become more common as a part of societal efforts toward sustainability. Hence, monitoring and minimizing CH4 emissions from such facilities are key, but effective assessment of emissions without disturbing the flux is challenging. We demonstrate the capacity of using a novel high-resolution hyperspectral camera to perform sensitive CH4 flux assessments at such facilities, using as a test case a biofertilizer storage tank for residual material from a biogas plant. The camera and simultaneous conventional flux chamber measurements showed emissions of 6.0 ± 1.3 and 13 ± 5.7 kg of CH4 h-1, respectively. The camera measurements covered the whole tank surface of 1104 m2, and the chamber results were extrapolated from measurements over 5 m2. This corresponds to 0.7-1.4% of the total CH4 production at the biogas plant (1330 N m3 h-1 corresponding to 950 kg h-1). The camera could assess the entire tank emission in minutes without disturbing normal operations at the plant and revealed additional unknown emissions from the inlet to the tank (17 g of CH4 h-1) and during the loading of the biofertilizer into trucks (3.1 kg of CH4 h-1 during loading events). This study illustrates the importance of adequate measurement capacity to map methane fluxes and to verify that methane emission mitigation efforts are effective. Given the high methane emissions observed, it is important to reduce methane emissions from open storage of organic material, for example by improved digestion in the biogas reactor, precooling of sludge before storage, or building gastight storage tanks with sealed covers. We conclude that hyperspectral, ground-based remote sensing is a promising approach for greenhouse gas monitoring and mitigation.

Evaluation of plastic properties and equi-biaxial residual stress via indentation and ANN

This study presents a method for evaluating plastic properties and equi-biaxial residual stress (RS) simultaneously using the images of generated imprints in indentation tests and an artificial neural network (ANN). The ANN model is trained with data from finite element analysis (FEA) for establishing the relationship between material properties and the radial (ur) and vertical (uz) displacements resulting from indentation tests. To deal with the inherent noise in experimental data, an artificial random noise was added to the FEA data used for training the ANN model. By inputting parameters with artificial errors into the ANN model, the robustness of predicted values against potential testing errors was examined. Also, the accuracy of the predicted residual stresses and material properties from ANN are validated using tensile tests and indentation tests on the stress-induced specimens.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection is Associated with Age- and Gender-Specific Changes in the Nasopharyngeal Microbiome.

The recent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically exposed our gap in understanding the pathogenesis of airborne infections. Within such a context, it is increasingly clear that the nasal cavity represents a critical checkpoint not only in the initial colonization phase but also in shaping any infectious sequelae. This is particularly relevant to COVID-19 in that the nasal cavity is characterized by high-level expression of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), all along the respiratory tract. As part of the nasal mucosa, commensal microbes harbored by the nasal cavity likely are far more than just innocent bystanders in the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and the local microenvironment. Yet the role of the qualitative composition of the nasal microbiome is unclear, as is its function, whether protective or not. In this study, individuals undergoing SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing at the Hospital of Perugia (Italy) were recruited, with their residual material from the nasopharyngeal swabs being collected for microbiome composition analysis and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) measurements (by 16S rRNA sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), respectively. After stratification by age, gender, and viral load, the composition of the nasopharyngeal microbiome appeared to be influenced by age and gender, and SARS-CoV-2 infection further determined compositional changes. Notwithstanding this variability, a restricted analysis of female subjects-once SARS-CoV-2-infected-unraveled a shared expansion of Lachnospirales-Lachnospiraceae, irrespective of the viral load and age. This was associated with a reduction in the branched SCFA isobutanoic acid, as well as in the SCFAs with longer chains. Our results indicate that the nasopharyngeal microbiome is influenced by age, gender, and viral load, with consistent patterns of microbiome changes being present across specific groups. This may help in designing a personalized medicine approach in COVID-19 patients with specific patterns of nasal microbial communities.

At second glance: The importance of strict quality control – A case study on microplastic in the Southern Ocean key species Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba

The stomach content of 60 krill specimens from the Southern Ocean were analyzed for the presence of microplastic (MP), by testing different sample volumes, extraction approaches, and applying hyperspectral imaging Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (μFTIR). Strict quality control was applied on the generated results. A high load of residual materials in pooled samples hampered the analysis and avoided a reliable determination of putative MP particles. Individual krill stomachs displayed reliable results, however, only after re-treating the samples with hydrogen peroxide. Before this treatment, lipid rich residues of krill resulted in false assignments of polymer categories and hence, false high MP particle numbers. Finally, MP was identified in 4 stomachs out of 60, with only one MP particle per stomach. Our study highlights the importance of strict quality control to verify results before coming to a final decision on MP contamination in the environment to aid the establishment of suitable internationally standardized protocols for sampling and analysis of MP in organisms including their habitats in Southern Ocean and worldwide.