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With the increasing demand for net-zero sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), new conversion technologies are needed to process waste feedstocks and meet carbon reduction and cost targets. Wet waste is a low-cost, prevalent feedstock with the energy potential to displace over 20% of US jet fuel consumption; however, its complexity and high moisture typically relegates its use to methane production from anaerobic digestion. To overcome this, methanogenesis can be arrested during fermentation to instead produce C2 to C8 volatile fatty acids (VFA) for catalytic upgrading to SAF. Here, we evaluate the catalytic conversion of food waste-derived VFAs to produce n-paraffin SAF for near-term use as a 10 vol% blend for ASTM "Fast Track" qualification and produce a highly branched, isoparaffin VFA-SAF to increase the renewable blend limit. VFA ketonization models assessed the carbon chain length distributions suitable for each VFA-SAF conversion pathway, and food waste-derived VFA ketonization was demonstrated for >100 h of time on stream at approximately theoretical yield. Fuel property blending models and experimental testing determined normal paraffin VFA-SAF meets 10 vol% fuel specifications for "Fast Track." Synergistic blending with isoparaffin VFA-SAF increased the blend limit to 70 vol% by addressing flashpoint and viscosity constraints, with sooting 34% lower than fossil jet. Techno-economic analysis evaluated the major catalytic process cost-drivers, determining the minimum fuel selling price as a function of VFA production costs. Life cycle analysis determined that if food waste is diverted from landfills to avoid methane emissions, VFA-SAF could enable up to 165% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to fossil jet.
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Biocombustíveis , Ácidos Graxos Voláteis/metabolismo , Alimentos , Eliminação de Resíduos , Aviação , Catálise , Gases de Efeito Estufa , MetanoRESUMO
Opioid use disorder is a highly heterogeneous disease driven by a variety of genetic and environmental risk factors which have yet to be fully elucidated. Opioid overdose, the most severe outcome of opioid use disorder, remains the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. We interrogated the effects of opioid overdose on the brain using ChIP-seq to quantify patterns of H3K27 acetylation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortical neurons isolated from 51 opioid-overdose cases and 51 accidental death controls. Among opioid cases, we observed global hypoacetylation and identified 388 putative enhancers consistently depleted for H3K27ac. Machine learning on H3K27ac patterns predicted case-control status with high accuracy. We focused on case-specific regulatory alterations, revealing 81,399 hypoacetylation events, uncovering vast inter-patient heterogeneity. We developed a strategy to decode this heterogeneity based on convergence analysis, which leveraged promoter-capture Hi-C to identify five genes over-burdened by alterations in their regulatory network or "plexus": ASTN2, KCNMA1, DUSP4, GABBR2, ENOX1. These convergent loci are enriched for opioid use disorder risk genes and heritability for generalized anxiety, number of sexual partners, and years of education. Overall, our multi-pronged approach uncovers neurobiological aspects of opioid use disorder and captures genetic and environmental factors perpetuating the opioid epidemic.
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Overdose de Opiáceos , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides , Analgésicos Opioides/uso terapêutico , Epigênese Genética/genética , Humanos , Aprendizado de Máquina , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides/tratamento farmacológico , Estados UnidosRESUMO
PURPOSE: The highest rates mTBI occurrence are seen among geriatric populations (ages ≥65), and these patients often have persistent and untreated symptoms. This study's purpose was to explore mild traumatic brain injury initial onset (mTBI-IN) and mild traumatic brain injury subsequent (mTBI-S) emergency department (ED) visit population percentages and associations with geriatric (population ages ≥65), sex, and fall mechanism of injury. METHODS: The design was a population-based cross-sectional study using data from the 2018 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). Study sample size was 261,349. An independent t-test was used to investigate mean age differences between mTBI-IN and mTBI-S. Pearson's chi-squared correlational analyses were used to investigate associations of age, sex, and fall injury with mTBI-IN and mTBI-S. RESULTS: The mean age of those in 2018 with ED visits suggested that age was older for those patients with mTBI-S (age mean, 50.4 yrs) than those with mTBI-IN (age mean, 41.4 yrs) (95% CI 9.77, 8.30; p=0.025). The number of visits for those aged ≥65 was significantly associated with mTBI-S (p<0.001). More males than females reported mTBI-S ED visits in all ages (p=0.022). Falls injury alone was not found to be significantly associated with visits (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Those returning to the ED for continued care after mTBI were associated with those aged ≥65. Monitoring after mTBI ED visits may need to target geriatric populations for medical management.
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Acidentes por Quedas , Concussão Encefálica , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Acidentes por Quedas/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores Etários , Concussão Encefálica/epidemiologia , Estudos Transversais , Visitas ao Pronto Socorro , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores SexuaisRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Evidence for diet and nutrition's role in the cancer continuum is inconsistent and requires further study. Although more investigation is needed, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding for nutrition has decreased. METHODS: To examine nutrition research funding at the NCI, a portfolio analysis was undertaken for fiscal year (FY) 2018. Nutrition and other cancer-related terms were searched using the National Institutes of Health Query View and Report grants management dashboard. Grants were categorized by mechanism, funding status, applicant characteristics, funding opportunity announcement type, award type, and study characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 18â233 NCI grant applications were submitted in FY 2018; 12% were funded. Of the 653 nutrition-related grant applications received, 69 (11%) were funded. Funding status of nutrition grants did not differ statistically based on the type of funding opportunity announcement and were higher for applications classified as investigator initiated. Early stage investigators' nutrition applications were funded less than other investigators. Only 4% and 6% of overall and funded nutrition grant applications were submitted by registered dietitian nutritionist primary investigators, respectively. Average FY 2018 award amounts for funded nutrition and overall grant applications were approximately US $399 000 and approximately US $703 000, respectively. Although the percentage of NCI nutrition grants funded was similar to other grant funding at NCI in FY 2018, between FY 2012 and FY 2018, NCI decreased overall nutrition funding by 44%. CONCLUSIONS: Average grant award amounts for nutrition were less compared with overall NCI-funded grant applications and other topics. Our analysis highlights potential opportunities for greater investment in nutrition research at the NCI.
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Distinções e Prêmios , Neoplasias , Organização do Financiamento , Humanos , National Cancer Institute (U.S.) , National Institutes of Health (U.S.) , Neoplasias/terapia , Pesquisadores , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals is crucial to decarbonization, but choosing an advantageous upgrading pathway out of many options is challenging. Rigorously evaluating all candidate pathways (process simulation, product property testing) requires a prohibitive amount of research effort; even simple upgrading schemes have hundreds of possible permutations. We present a method enabling high-throughput screening by approximating upgrading unit operations and drop-in compatibility of products (e.g., fuel properties) and apply it to volatile fatty acid (VFA) conversion to liquid transportation fuels via a MATLAB script, VFA Upgrading to Liquid Transportation fUels Refinery Estimation (VULTURE). VULTURE selects upgrading configurations that maximize fuel blend bio-derived content. We validate VULTURE's approximations through surrogate fuel property testing and process simulation. Techno-economic and life cycle analyses suggest that VFA upgrading processes down-selected by VULTURE are profitable and have low carbon intensities, demonstrating the potential for the strategy to accelerate process development timelines at decreased costs.
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INTRODUCTION: This study assessed young athletes' (ages 12 to 17) concussion attitudes and behaviors, particularly their self-reported experience learning about concussion and intentions to report a concussion and disparities in these experiences. METHODS: We used data from Porter Novelli's 2014 YouthStyles survey that is conducted each year to gather insights about American consumers. RESULTS: Of the 1,005 respondents, 57% reported sports participation. Fourteen percent reported they may have had a previous concussion, and among them 41% reported having a concussion more than once while playing sports. Males (17.7%) were significantly more likely to report having a concussion than females (10.0%; χ2 (1)=7.01, p=0.008). Fifty-five percent of respondents reported having learned about what to do if they think they may have a concussion, and 92% reported that they would tell their coach if they thought they sustained a concussion while playing youth or high school sports. Youth from higher income families ($75,000-$124,999) were significantly more likely than youth from lower income families (less than $35,000) to report that they learned about what do if they suspected that they had a concussion. CONCLUSION: Age of athlete, parental income level, athlete's sex, and living in a metro versus non-metro area led to disparities in athletes' concussion education. There is a need for increased access to concussion education and an emphasis on customizing concussion education efforts to meet the needs of different groups. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: We identified athletes' self-reported previously sustained concussions and predictors of education related to concussion. Further research is needed to explore the age, gender and income gaps in concussion education among athletes.
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Atletas/psicologia , Atitude , Concussão Encefálica/psicologia , Escolaridade , Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde , Psicologia do Adolescente/estatística & dados numéricos , Adolescente , Humanos , Fatores Sexuais , Estados UnidosRESUMO
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Traditional semi-occluded vocal tract therapies have the benefit of improving vocal economy but, do not allow for connected speech during rehabilitation. In this study, we introduce a semi-occluded face mask (SOFM) as an improvement upon current methods. This novel technique allows for normal speech production, and will make the transition to everyday speech more natural. We hypothesize that use of an SOFM will lead to the same gains in vocal economy seen in traditional methods. STUDY DESIGN: Repeated measures excised canine larynx bench experiment with each larynx subject to controls and a randomized series of experimental conditions. METHODS: Aerodynamic data were collected for 30 excised canine larynges. The larynges were subjected to conditions including a control, two tube extensions (15 and 30 cm), and two tube diameters (6.5 and 17 mm) both with and without the SOFM. Results were compared between groups and between conditions within each group. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the phonation threshold pressure and phonation threshold flow measurements obtained with or without the SOFM throughout all extension and constriction levels. Significant differences in phonation threshold pressure and phonation threshold flow were observed when varying the tube diameter while the same comparison for varying the tube length at least trended toward significance. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that a SOFM can be used to elicit the same gains in vocal economy as what has been seen with traditional semi-occluded vocal tract methods. Future studies should test this novel technique in human subjects to validate its use in a clinical setting.