The intensification of dehydration process of pectin-containing raw materials

The process of intensifying dehydration of pectin-containing raw materials by using centrifugation with simultaneous application of low-frequency oscillations to the working container creates an electroosmotic effect in unilateral diffusion to improve the filtration process. It is established that to reduce the technological resistance in the presented methods; it is necessary to create a fluidized bed of products due to the oscillating motion of the working capacity. An experimental vibration unit has been developed to determine the rational parameters of the vibrocentric moisture removal process using the electroosmotic effect. It is proved that the complex of the designed equipment provides consecutive carrying out of three-stage vibration filtration-convective drying of high-moisture production by an alternation of action of a stream of the heat carrier, an electromagnetic field, low-frequency fluctuations. According to the research results, the dependences of the kinetics of the moisture diffusion process on the electric field strength are obtained; frequency of electric current and duty cycle of pulses, which allowed to optimize the process parameters according to the criteria of minimizing energy consumption. It was found that the processing time to achieve the desired humidity with the application of vibration, filtration, and electroosmotic effect was twice less than for filtration drying in a fixed bed. In combination with the noted physical and mechanical factors, the proposed technology improves the technical and economic parameters of the studied process.

Development of a Multi-Criteria Design Optimization Methodology for Automotive Plastics Parts

The plastic industry is undergoing drastic changes, due to the customer sustainability perception of plastics, and the eruption of new processes (such 3D printing) and materials (such as renewably sourced resins). To enable a fast transition to high-quality, sustainable plastic applications, a specific methodology could be a key competitive advantage. This novel methodology is focused on improving the objectivity and efficiency of plastic production and the design review process. It is applicable to discrete optimization events in any product lifecycle milestone, from concept design to serial production stages. The methodology includes a natural way to capture plastic-related knowledge and trends, oriented towards building a dynamic “interaction matrix”, with a list of potential optimizations and their positive or negative impacts in a comprehensive set of multi-criteria evaluations. With an innovative approach, the matrix allows the possibility to incorporate a business strategy, which could be different at every lifecycle stage. The business strategy is translated from the common “verbal” definition into a quantitative set of “Target and Restrictions”, making it possible to detect and prioritize the best potential design optimization changes according to the strategy. This methodology helps to model and compare design alternatives, verify impacts in every evaluation criteria, and make robust and objective information-based decisions. The application of the methodology in real cases of plastic material design optimization in the automotive industry has provided remarkable results, accelerating the detection of improvement methods aligned with the strategy and maximizing the improvement in product competitiveness and sustainability. In comparison with the simultaneous application of existing mono-criteria optimization methodologies (such as “Design to Cost” or “Eco Design”) and subjective expert-based reviews, the novel methodology has a reduced workload and risks, confirming its potential for future application and further development in other polymer-based products, such as consumer goods or packaging.

Social Sustainability and Professional Migration in the Educational Space of Russian Schools Based on the Results of a Sociological Study

This research aims to substantiate the legitimacy of the simultaneous application of two competing sociological paradigms in studying professional (labor) migration of teachers and teacher education graduates, i.e., to use the “strategy of mixing methods”: the mobilities turn and the place attachment. This synthesis-based methodological approach includes micro and macro levels and neo-positivistic and individualistic phenomenology. It was substantiated during a sociological survey in 18 regions of the Russian Federation in August–September 2021. The survey respondents were 3065 teachers and 1132 teacher education graduates, and 255 respondents acted as experts, including six rectors of higher educational institutions of Russia, heads of regional and municipal education authorities (47 persons), and 202 directors of Russian schools. This study has highlighted the unique characteristics of labor migration in the educational space of the Russian school. As empirical research has shown, the reasons for professional migration, in general, and the migration of teachers and teacher education graduates, particularly, are largely similar and stem primarily from material factors. It has also shown that the reasons associated with personal and professional development opportunities should be considered. The identification of ideal factors was made possible by dividing respondents into five groups by criterion of integrating micro- and macro-problems.

Novel Intraoperative Imaging of Gastric Tube Perfusion during Oncologic Esophagectomy—A Pilot Study Comparing Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) and Fluorescence Imaging (FI) with Indocyanine Green (ICG)

Background: Novel intraoperative imaging techniques, namely, hyperspectral (HSI) and fluorescence imaging (FI), are promising with respect to reducing severe postoperative complications, thus increasing patient safety. Both tools have already been used to evaluate perfusion of the gastric conduit after esophagectomy and before anastomosis. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating both modalities simultaneously during esophagectomy. Methods: In our pilot study, 13 patients, who underwent Ivor Lewis esophagectomy and gastric conduit reconstruction, were analyzed prospectively. HSI and FI were recorded before establishing the anastomosis in order to determine its optimum position. Results: No anastomotic leak occurred during this pilot study. In five patients, the imaging methods resulted in a more peripheral adaptation of the anastomosis. There were no significant differences between the two imaging tools, and no adverse events due to the imaging methods or indocyanine green (ICG) injection occurred. Conclusions: Simultaneous intraoperative application of both modalities was feasible and not time consuming. They are complementary with regard to the ideal anastomotic position and may contribute to better surgical outcomes. The impact of their simultaneous application will be proven in consecutive prospective trials with a large patient cohort.

Continuous Separation Process of Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsion by Simultaneous Application of an Electrical Field Combined with a Novel Absorbent Based on Functionalised PolyHIPE Polymer

During the extraction process of crude oil, the removal of water from a high stability water-in-crude oil emulsions is life-threatening for the production of a profitable product. However, several technologies of separation exist today, e.g. stripping columns, centrifugal separators, coalescence separators, vacuum distillation systems and gravity separators, almost all of these approaches are not able to completely remove water from water-in-crude oil emulsions besides their high cost. In this study, the preparation of a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) was achieved on a laboratory scale. Subsequently, it was polymerized and sulphonated to produce a hydrophilic macroporous polyHIPE polymer (PHP) called silane (vinyl trimethoxy silane) PHP with a relatively high surface area of 104 m 2/g. It demonstrates high water absorption capability in addition to its ability to remove surface active substances such as Mg, Ca, Na and Cl, from crude oil which cause crude oil emulsification. The rates of demulsification of water-in-crude oil emulsions were examined in high AC field under various emulsion inlet flow rates from 100 ml/min to 1500 ml/min and different applied voltages from 1-5 kV (equivalent to 14-69 kV/m) by using a model of an electrostatic separator combined with silane PHP as absorber. It was found that the best separation efficiency was 91% with applied voltage of 5 kV and emulsion inlet flow rate of 100 ml/min. When the spent silane PHP was reused in the demulsification process under similar conditions, a separation efficiency of up to 73% was achieved. Also, it was noticed that the separation efficiency was increased with the increase in applied voltage and reduction in the inlet flow rate of emulsion. Moreover, the original or spent silane PHP were able to remove the undesired metals present in the crude oil. Keywords: Demulsification; Emulsion flow rate; Separation efficiency; Electrostatic Separator; Electric field strength.

Involvement of Auxin Biosynthesis and Transport in the Antheridium and Prothalli Formation in Lygodium japonicum

The spores of Lygodium japonicum, cultured in the dark, form a filamentous structure called protonema. Earlier studies have shown that gibberellin (GA) induces protonema elongation, along with antheridium formation, on the protonema. In this study, we have performed detailed morphological analyses to investigate the roles of multiple phytohormones in antheridium formation, protonema elongation, and prothallus formation in L. japonicum. GA4 methyl ester is a potent GA that stimulates both protonema elongation and antheridium formation. We found that these effects were inhibited by simultaneous application of abscisic acid (ABA). On the other hand, IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) promoted protonema elongation but reduced antheridium formation, while these effects were partially recovered by transferring to an IAA-free medium. An auxin biosynthesis inhibitor, PPBo (4-phenoxyphenylboronic acid), and a transport inhibitor, TIBA (2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid), both inhibited protonema elongation and antheridium formation. L. japonicum prothalli are induced from germinating spores under continuous white light. Such development was negatively affected by PPBo, which induced smaller-sized prothalli, and TIBA, which induced aberrantly shaped prothalli. The evidence suggests that the crosstalk between these plant hormones might regulate protonema elongation and antheridium formation in L. japonicum. Furthermore, the possible involvement of auxin in the prothalli development of L. japonicum is suggested.

Synthetic evolution of herbicide resistance using a T7 RNAP-based random DNA base editor

Synthetic directed evolution via localized sequence diversification and the simultaneous application of selection pressure is a promising method for producing new, beneficial alleles that affect traits of interest in diverse species; however, this technique has rarely been applied in plants. Developing systems to induce localized sequence diversification at high efficiency will expand our ability to evolve traits of interest that improve global food security. In this study, we designed, built, and tested a chimeric fusion of T7 RNA Polymerase (RNAP) and deaminase to enable the localized sequence diversification of a target sequence of interest. We tested our T7 RNAP-DNA base editor in Nicotiana benthamiana transient assays to target a transgene expressing GFP under the control of the T7 promoter. More than 7% of C nucleotides were converted to T in long segments of the GFP sequence. We then targeted the T7 promoter-driven ACETOLACTATE SYNTHASE (ALS) sequence that had been stably integrated into the rice (Oryza sativa) genome and generated C-to-T and G-to-A transitions. We used herbicide treatment as a selection pressure for the evolution of the ALS sequence, resulting in the enrichment of herbicide-responsive residues. We then targeted these herbicide-responsive regions in the rice genome using a CRISPR-directed evolution platform and identified herbicide-resistant ALS variants. Thus, our system could be used for the continuous synthetic evolution of gene functions to produce variants with improved herbicide resistance, as well as for other trait engineering applications.

Dual Inoculation With Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Phosphorus Solubilizing Fungi Synergistically Enhances the Mobilization and Plant Uptake of Phosphorus From Meat and Bone Meal

Phosphorus (P) is the second most important mineral nutrient for plant growth and plays a vital role in maintaining global food security. The natural phosphorus reserves [phosphate rock (PR)] are declining at an unprecedented rate, which will threaten the sustainable food supply in near future. Rendered animal byproducts such as meat and bone meal (MBM), could serve as a sustainable alternative to meet crop phosphorus demand. Even though nitrogen (N) from MBM is readily mineralized within a few days, >75% of the P in MBM is present as calcium phosphate that is sparingly available to plants. Thus, application of MBM with the aim of meeting crop N demand could result in buildup of P reserves in soil, which necessitates the need to improve the P mobilization from MBM to achieve higher plant P use efficiency. Here, we tested the potential of two microbial inoculum-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and P solubilizing fungi (Penicillium bilaiae), in improving the mobilization of P from MBM and the subsequent P uptake by maize (Zea mays). Compared to the non-inoculated MBM control, the application of P. bilaiae increased the P mobilization from MBM by more than two-fold and decreased the content of calcium bound P in the soil by 26%. However, despite this mobilization, P. bilaiae did not increase the tissue content of P in maize. On the other hand, AMF inoculation with MBM increased the plant root, shoot biomass, and plant P uptake as compared to non-inoculated control, but did not decrease the calcium bound P fraction of the soil, indicating there was limited P mobilization. The simultaneous application of both AMF and P. bilaiae in association with MBM resulted in the highest tissue P uptake of maize with a concomitant decrease in the calcium bound P in the soil, indicating the complementary functional traits of AMF and P. bilaiae in plant P nutrition from MBM. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation with MBM also increased the plant photosynthesis rate (27%) and root phosphomonoesterase activity (40%), which signifies the AMF associated regulation of plant physiology. Collectively, our results demonstrate that P mobilization and uptake efficiency from MBM could be improved with the combined use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and P. bilaiae.

How counterterrorism throws back wartime medical assistance and care to pre-Solferino times

Domestic counterterrorism (CT) frameworks have been increasingly employed to criminalize impartial medical care to wounded and sick from non-State armed groups labelled as criminal or terrorist in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs). It has also contributed to legitimize attacks and incidental damage on medical facilities in armed conflicts overlooking the international humanitarian law (IHL) protection afforded to the wounded and sick as well as to medical personnel and facilities. This article compares the treatment of the wounded and sick in both international armed conflicts (IACs) and NIACs in the context of the global war on terrorism. It demonstrates the impacts that CT measures have on the IHL protection of the medical mission while demonstrating the increased acceptance that some incidental damages, such as the downgrading of IHL core protections, are tolerated, by some countries in the global fight against terrorism. The article further illustrates how the special criminal status of wounded and sick from non-State armed groups in armed conflicts that are evolving in a CT context can mechanically contaminate the status of impartial humanitarian medical activities, facilities and personnel in such contexts. It also shows how the simultaneous application of CT and IHL in numerous contexts of armed conflict as well as the involvement of State armed forces under those two different bodies of law contributes to blurring the lines between IHL and CT, between protected or “criminal” humanitarian and medical activities. In contexts of complex military operations, this reality creates a mind-set conducive to legal mistakes and security incidents on the medical mission. Although there is a distinction between the protection from attacks and the protection from prosecution under IHL, in practice, numerous military operations to arrest are launched in ways similar to attacks and can end up with some killings. The article concludes that States could easily limit the impact of CT on IHL by adding an exemption in their CT framework for humanitarian and medical assistance that is compatible with IHL. This is the first necessary condition – even if obviously not a sufficient one – to end the legal ambiguity between IHL and State domestic law as to the criminalization or loss of the IHL protected status for the much necessary needed medical assistance and care activities in times of armed conflict that are evolving in a CT context.