Reduced rice paddy methane emission through dual compound mechanism in novel cultivars

Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and its concentrations have risen tenfold in the past decade due to agricultural activity1. Rice paddies are considered a major source of anthropogenic methane, however strategies to mitigate methane emission in rice paddies is not yet successful despite considerable efforts being made. Methane production is caused by microbial communities feeding on organic exudates from the rice root, and regulation of the dominant secretions has been suggested as leading way to put an end to the methane emission from rice paddies. Here, we introduced a new system to reduce methane emission in rice paddies based on the discovery that fumarate and ethanol are two specific rice-orchestrated compounds that determine the levels of methane emission from rice paddies. Moreover, stable low-fumarate high-ethanol secretion lines have been successively bred through hybrid breeding and shown to cut around 70% of methane emission in paddies as compared to control. Approaches to block fumarate reductase or increase ethanol level, were furthermore employed as cultivation managements and resulted in a reduction in methane emissions of around 60%, calculated from two-year four-site field work. All results highlight the application of our findings to largely mitigate influences of rice cultivation on global climate.

Is sobriety from alcohol necessary for evaluation of patients presenting with suicidal ideation?

BackgroundIt is commonly assumed that patients intoxicated with alcohol are unreliable with respect to their statements of suicidal intent, however no prior literature evaluates the impact of sobriety on suicidal ideation (SI). In typical emergency department (ED) settings, a common practice is to wait until intoxicated suicidal individuals have reached a legally sober limit (ethanol level less than 80 mg/dL) to evaluate safety. We are not aware of any study that establishes the diagnostic reliability of the clinical suicidal ideation evaluation as a function of alcohol intoxication.MethodsThis study is a retrospective review of medical records for patients evaluated in a pre-COVID Midwestern ED for one calendar year. Cases were generated for review based on criteria of having a Psychiatric SW (Social Work) consult and blood alcohol level drawn while in the ED on every Wednesday and Friday of 2017 which produced 1084 cases for review. Chi-square analysis was used for comparison of variables of suicidal ideation with or without alcohol intoxication as defined by blood alcohol level (BAL) ≥80 mg/dL.ResultsIn reference to our initial hypothesis, patients presenting with suicidal ideation and concurrent alcohol intoxication were no longer reporting suicidal ideation at sobriety in 69% of cases, compared to 38% for patients without alcohol levels on presentation. Chi-square analysis demonstrated p=0.000012.ConclusionThe goal of the present study was to demonstrate, with empirical data, a relationship between alcohol intoxication and suicidal ideation. Our data suggests that patients presenting to the ED with complaints related to suicidal behavior who are found to have concurrent alcohol intoxication are more likely to deny suicidal ideation when sober than patients with similar presenting complaints and no alcohol intoxication.

The Effect of Nighttime Rental Restrictions on E-Scooter Injuries at a Large Urban Tertiary Care Center

Safety policy for e-scooters in the United States tends to vary by municipality, and the effects of safety interventions have not been well studied. We reviewed medical records at a large, urban tertiary care and trauma center in Atlanta, Georgia with the goal of identifying trends in e-scooter injury and the effects of Atlanta’s nighttime ban on e-scooter rentals on injuries treated in the emergency department (ED). Records from all ED visits occurring between June 2018 through August 2020 were reviewed. To account for ambiguity in medical records, confidence levels of either “certain” or “possible” were assigned using a set of predefined criteria to categorize patient injuries as being associated with an e-scooter. A total of 380 patients categorized as having certain e-scooter related injuries were identified. The average age of these patients was 31 years old, 65% were male, 41% had head injuries, 20% of injuries were associated with the built environment, and approximately 20% were admitted to the hospital. Approximately 19% of patients with injuries associated with e-scooters noted to be clinically intoxicated or have a serum ethanol level exceeding 80 mg/dL. The implementation of a nighttime rental ban on e-scooter rentals reduced the proportion of patients with e-scooter injuries with times of arrival during the hours of the ban from 32% to 22%, however this effect was not significant (p = 0.16). More research is needed to understand how e-scooter use patterns are affected by the nighttime rental ban.

Effect of ethanol in carbon monoxide poisoning and delayed neurologic sequelae: A prospective observational study

Objectives Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most common poisoning substances, which causes mortality and morbidity worldwide. Delayed neurologic sequelae (DNS) have been reported to occur from several days to months after exposure to CO. Thus, there is a need for prevention, recognition, and treatment of DNS. Patients with CO poisoning as a component of intentional suicide often also consume ethanol, but there is debate regarding its role in DNS. We explored whether ethanol has a neuroprotective effect in CO poisoning. Methods This prospective observational study included patients who visited the emergency department from August 2016 to August 2019 due to CO poisoning. After treatment of acute CO poisoning, patients were interviewed by telephone to ascertain whether DNS had occurred within 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months from the time of CO exposure. Results During the study period, 171 patients were enrolled. 28 patients (16.37%) developed DNS. The initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores were 15 (10.5–15) for the non-DNS group and 10 (7–15) for the DNS group (p = 0.002). The ethanol levels were 11.01 ± 17.58 mg/dL and 1.49 ± 2.63 mg/dL for each group (p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the GCS score had an odds ratio of 0.770 (p < 0.001) and the ethanol level had 0.882 (p < 0.030) for onset of DNS. Conclusions Higher ethanol level and higher initial GCS score were associated with lower incidence of DNS. Ethanol could have a neuroprotective effect on the occurrence of DNS in CO poisoning patients.

Morphometry of Cortical Neurons in Acute Clozapine and Ethanol Poisoning

The aim of the study is to summarize the histology and morphometry of cortical neurons in acute clozapine and ethanol poisoning.Material and methods. Histological examination of the parietal cortical brain samples of 26 patients died during the Day 1 of acute clozapine and ethanol poisoning (23 males and 3 females aged 22-63 years) was performed. The blood ethanol level was 1.4-4.1%o. The level of clozapine in the blood ranged between 0.24 and 5.8 mg%, in the liver between 0.097 and 6.5 mg%, in kidneys between 0.03 and 3.5 mg%. The cortical samples for morphometric examination were placed in 10% neutral paraformaldehyde, the histological sections were done and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, as well as according to Niessl. The morphological analysis was performed using the video light microscopy. The number of damaged neurons (with separate quantification of reversible, intermediate, and irreversible damage) was assessed. The statistical analysis was done using the non-parametric methods.Results. The signs of brain neuronal damage in acute clozapine and ethanol poisoning, as well as forensic chemical tests, might be used for establishing the direct cause of death.

False-Positive Ethanol Level in Urine and Plasma Samples of a Resuscitated Infant

We report the case of an 11-month-old male infant with a complex congenital heart disease who was admitted in the intensive care unit following cardiorespiratory arrest at home. Toxicological urine screening reported an ethanol concentration of 0.65 g/L using an enzymatic assay, without suspicion of alcohol intake; a significant amount of ethanol concentration was found in two plasma samples using the same enzymatic assay. Plasma and urine ethanol concentrations were below the limit of quantification (LOQ) when tested using a gas chromatography method. Urine ethanol level was also below the LOQ when tested by enzymatic assay after an initial urine ultrafiltration. These results confirmed our suspicion of matrix interference due to elevated lactate and lactate dehydrogenase levels interfering in the enzymatic assay. This analytical interference, well-known in postmortem samples, extensively studied in vitro, has been rarely reported in vivo, especially in children. To the best of our knowledge, this case is only the sixth one reported in an infant’s plasma and the first initially discovered from urine. Indeed, as for ethanol, this last matrix has not been studied in the context of this artifact that may induce false-positive ethanol results while seeking a diagnosis in life-threatening or fatal situations that are potentially subject to forensic scrutiny. In parallel to a synthetic literature review, we propose a simple, informative decision tree, in order to help health professionals suspecting a false-positive result when performing an ethanol assay.

ANALISA VARIASI WAKTU FERMENTASI PEMBUATAN BIOETANOL DENGAN BAHAN AMPAS TEBU DAN KULIT PISANG

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kadar bioetanol terbaik dari kombinasi campuran ampas tebu dan kulit pisang dengan massa ragi 6 gram dan waktu fermentasi 72 jam, 96 jam dan 120 jam, menentukan waktu fermentasi yang optimal dan mengetahui kadar etanol sesuai SNI. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan cara hidrolisis atau perebusan ampas tebu dan kulit pisang untuk memecah molekul menjadi dua bagian, kemudian proses fermentasi dilakukan dengan menggunakan Saccharomyces Cerevisae (yeast) dan proses destilasi dilakukan dengan menggunakan destilator untuk mendapatkan ethanol dari fermentasi yang kemudian diuji dengan Pen Refractometer untuk mengetahui ada tidaknya kadar etanol yang terbentuk dari proses destilasi. Sampel terbaik yang dipilih kemudian diuji kadar etanolnya menggunakan alat Gas Chromatography. Sehingga rendemen etanol terbaik yang dapat dikategorikan mencapai SNI adalah kombinasi ampas tebu 100% - kulit pisang 0% dengan ragi 6 gram dan waktu fermentasi 96 jam menghasilkan etanol sebesar 95,53%. This study aims to determine the best levels of bioetanol from a combination of bagasse and banana peel mixtures with 6 gram yeast mass and 72 hours, 96 hours and 120 hours fermentation time, to determine the optimum fermentation time and to know ethanol levels according to SNI. This research was carried out by hydrolysis or boiling of bagasse and banana peel to break down the molecules into two parts, then the fermentation process was carried out using Saccharomyces Cerevisae (yeast) and the distillation process was carried out using a destilator to obtain ethanol from fermentation which was then tested by means of Pen Refractometer to find out whether there is an ethanol level formed from the distillation process. The best sample selected was then tested for ethanol content using the Gas Chromatography tool. So that the best ethanol yield that can be categorized as achieving in SNI is a combination of 100% bagasse – 0% banana peel with 6 gram yeast and 96 hour fermentation time of ethanol produced at 95.53%.

MAKING BIOETHANOL TECHNIQUE MADE FROM OIL EMPTY FRUIT TUBES IN TREATMENT OF YEAR FERMENTATION AND YEAR DOSAGE WITH HEAT TEMPERATURE COMPRESSION OF 220 OC METHOD

Nowadays, biofuels are increasingly developed in the form of bioethanol which is gained from cassava. As the time passes by, however, this solution raises another issue as the excessive use of biofuels may create a competition between the needs for fuel and food. Waste empty bunch of palm oil (WEBP) constitutes as a cellulose material which is quite potential to be developed as raw materials for ethanol. So far, the WEBP is available in large quantities and it seems that the WEBP remains underused. In fact, it contains a high concentration of cellulose (45%). For that reason, this research attempted to gather an optimal formula of yeast dosage and the length of fermentation in order to produce standardized and high quality ethanol. The quality standards covered ethanol level (SNI17390:2008), methanol level (SNI7390:2008), acidity as CH3COOH (SNI7390:2008), pHe (SNI7390:2008, and appearance (visual observation) (SNI7390:2008). Therefore, they could be used to suffice alternative energy needs which were renewable and environmentally friendly. In detail, the present research aimed at identifying 1) the effect of the fermentation length, 2) understanding the effect of added dosage of the yeast, and 3) identifying the interaction between the fermentation length treatment and the treatment of added dosage of yeast. Results of the discussion indicated that the length of fermentation treatment had a significant effect as the longer the fermentation, the higher the ethanol level value. In addition, the ethanol level tended to increase, the sugar level tended to decline, and the pH value seemed to fall.

The Effect of Technological Progress, Demand, and Energy Policy on Agricultural and Bioenergy Markets

This study investigates the consequences of agricultural technological progress, biofuel policy, and agricultural demand growth on crop, livestock, and bioenergy markets, as well as resource usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, over data in the United States. We formed scenarios for future technological progress, demand growth, and biofuel policy and carried out a dynamic simulation. The major findings are: (1) Increasing technological progress reduces cropland for biofuel and cropland pasture for livestock but increases cropland for crop production; (2) Reducing corn ethanol requirements causes more cropland to move from cropping to pasture uses for livestock, however, lowering ethanol from corn residue has minor effects on cropland use; (3) Lowering the requirement of ethanol from corn lowers the price for most of the field crops and meat commodities, especially corn, hay, sorghum, and non-fed beef; (4) Technological progress and biofuel policy have significant effects of on GHG emissions. Increasing technical progress reduces overall GHG emissions. A lower corn ethanol level results in much larger GHG emissions as compared with the control case. This implies producing corn ethanol is effective in reducing emissions; and (5) Technological improvement is a key factor in meeting growing global demand for food and energy and reducing emissions.