Micro-Macro Modelling Approach of Vegetal Wools Thermal Conductivity

Biosourced materials such as vegetal wools offer major thermal insulation advantages in the green buildings field. Experimental characterisations of vegetal wools thermal conductivity as a function of their density show the existence of an optimum conduction-radiation coupled value. This specific point, as well as the properties of vegetal wools are related to the large variability of shapes and sizes of their fibres. In order to take this specificity into account, it seems particularly relevant to use micro-macro modelling methods to predict the thermal conductivities related to both conduction and radiation heat transfer phenomena. In a first time, a self-consistent method based on a cylindrical geometry (SCMcyl) is used as a modelling approach for conduction transfers. Then, a modelling approach developed by Bankvall and based on an equivalent fibre radius value is used for radiation transfers. So, by coupling these two approaches, it is possible to obtain an equivalent thermal conductivity of fibrous materials as a function of density. Finally, this method is validated by comparison with experimental data.

Quantification of Platinum in Edible Mushrooms Using Voltammetric Techniques

Edible mushrooms are a food source with interesting nutritional values. The chief objective of this research was to develop a consistent method for the quantitative ultra-trace analysis of Pt in mushrooms, which is complex because it cannot be readily quantified by common analytical procedures. This research is one of the first analytical methods to establish Pt amount in these vegetables. In this research, 28 different edible mushroom samples from Italy were investigated. Determination of Pt in mushrooms was completed using Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV). In this study, we applied the standard addition method because there are no certified reference mushrooms containing platinum group elements on the market. The platinum quantification limit was 0.03 µg kg−1 d.w. In the analyzed samples, platinum amount was in the range of 0.03–73 µg kg−1. Our mushroom samples had a Pt content lower than the concentrations recommended by international establishments for other foodstuffs. In the future, the optimized method could be used for the analysis of plant and animal matrices intended for food supply.

Distinguishing different modes of growth using single-cell data

Collection of high-throughput data has become prevalent in biology. Large datasets allow the use of statistical constructs such as binning and linear regression to quantify relationships between variables and hypothesize underlying biological mechanisms based on it. We discuss several such examples in relation to single-cell data and cellular growth. In particular, we show instances where what appears to be ordinary use of these statistical methods leads to incorrect conclusions such as growth being non-exponential as opposed to exponential and vice versa. We propose that the data analysis and its interpretation should be done in the context of a generative model, if possible. In this way, the statistical methods can be validated either analytically or against synthetic data generated via the use of the model, leading to a consistent method for inferring biological mechanisms from data. On applying the validated methods of data analysis to infer cellular growth on our experimental data, we find the growth of length in E. coli to be non-exponential. Our analysis shows that in the later stages of the cell cycle the growth rate is faster than exponential.

Leakages suppression by isolating the desired quantum levels for high-temperature terahertz quantum cascade lasers

The key challenge for terahertz quantum cascade lasers (THz-QCLs) is to make it operating at room-temperature. The suppression of thermally activated leakages via high lying quantum levels is emphasized recently. In this study, we employ the advanced self-consistent method of non-equilibrium Green’s function, aiming to reveal those kinds of leakages in the commonly used THz-QCL designs based on 2-, 3- and 4-quantum well. At the high temperature of 300 K, if all the confined high lying quantum levels and also the continuums are included within three neighboring periods, leakages indeed possess high fraction of the total current (21%, 30%, 50% for 2-, 3- and 4-quantum well designs, respectively). Ministep concept is introduced to weaken those leakage channels by isolating the desired levels from high lying ones, thus the leakages are well suppressed, with corresponding fractions less than 5% for all three designs.

Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical exhaled breath condensate samples for metabolomic analysis

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is routinely collected and analyzed in breath research. Because it contains aerosol droplets, EBC samples from SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals harbor the virus and pose the threat of infectious exposure. We report for the first time a safe and consistent method to fully inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in EBC samples and make EBC samples safe for processing and analysis. EBC samples containing infectious SARS-CoV-2 were treated with several concentrations of acetonitrile. The most commonly used 10% acetonitrile treatment for EBC processing failed to completely inactivate the virus in samples and viable virus was detected by the assay of SARS-CoV-2 infection of Vero E6 cells in a BSL-3 laboratory. Treatment with either 50% or 90% acetonitrile was effective to completely inactivate the virus, resulting in safe, non-infectious EBC samples that can be used for metabolomic analysis. Our study provides SARS-CoV-2 inactivation protocol for the collection and processing of EBC samples in the clinical setting and for advancing to metabolic assessments in health and disease.

Comparison of Sample Preparation Methods for Shotgun Proteomic Studies in Aquaculture Species

Proteomics has been recently introduced in aquaculture research, and more methodological studies are needed to improve the quality of proteomics studies. Therefore, this work aims to compare three sample preparation methods for shotgun LC–MS/MS proteomics using tissues of two aquaculture species: liver of turbot Scophthalmus maximus and hepatopancreas of Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. We compared the three most common sample preparation workflows for shotgun analysis: filter-aided sample preparation (FASP), suspension-trapping (S-Trap), and solid-phase-enhanced sample preparations (SP3). FASP showed the highest number of protein identifications for turbot samples, and S-Trap outperformed other methods for mussel samples. Subsequent functional analysis revealed a large number of Gene Ontology (GO) terms in turbot liver proteins (nearly 300 GO terms), while fewer GOs were found in mussel proteins (nearly 150 GO terms for FASP and S-Trap and 107 for SP3). This result may reflect the poor annotation of the genomic information in this specific group of animals. FASP was confirmed as the most consistent method for shotgun proteomic studies; however, the use of the other two methods might be important in specific experimental conditions (e.g., when samples have a very low amount of protein).

The Success of the Construction Industry’s Adoption of the Carbon Assessment Strategy PAS2050

PAS2050 was introduced in order to help combat the extremely high levels of emissions that the construction industry emits, as well as the large volume of natural resources they use, through the life cycle of a project. It was developed to create a consistent method of assessing the life cycle of Greenhouse gases as well as a method to increase understanding of where they arise from within a supply chain. This is essential in today’s world as without change, the climate will continue to rise in temperature and contribute negatively to the already dramatic effects of climate change that have already been seen. By implementing PAS2050 the industry aims to allow stakeholders to realise the impacts and encourage movement towards a more sustainable future. This research aims to determine how well the construction industry has adopted the carbon assessment strategy covered by PAS2050 through informed opinions, data and case studies. Using journals and research, alongside a questionnaire which will be distributed to individuals within the industry, an informed decision will be made to determine how well the construction industry has adopted PAS2050. The results found that the industry is having difficulty in adapting to the change at all levels and scopes. The findings of this research show that the industry has only touched the surface and although the larger organisations are leading the charge, enough is not being done by smaller organisations and the supply chain.