Evaluating biosolutions for sustainable food systems: A review of safety, quality, regulatory and sustainability considerations within the European Union.

Biosolutions, such as food cultures and fermentates, are emerging alternatives to classical food preservation methods, offering multiple benefits, including food quality and safety enhancement, and waste reduction, with limited sensory and nutritional modification of the product and higher consumer acceptance. This study explores the potential of biosolutions to address critical challenges in sustainable food systems through their application in food production. Evaluation criteria of focus include impacts on food quality and safety, environmental sustainability, and compliance with European regulatory frameworks.

Wood-specific modification of glucuronoxylan can enhance growth in Populus.

Xylem cells are surrounded by primary and secondary cell walls. Formation of primary walls is regulated by the cell wall integrity surveillance system, but it is unclear if the deposition of secondary walls is similarly regulated. To study this question, we introduced to aspen three different enzymes cleaving cell wall-localized xylan and we suppressed xylan synthase components either ubiquitously or specifically during secondary wall formation using Populus trichocarpa GT43B promoter.

Glucuronoyl Esterase Expressed in Aspen Xylem Affects γ-Ester Linkages Between Lignin and Glucuronoxylan Reducing Recalcitrance and Accelerating Growth.

Wood is the most abundant renewable natural resource composed of different polysaccharides and lignin, but its utilisation is hampered by intermolecular linkages between these components forming lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) causing recalcitrance. The links between glucuronoxylan and the γ-C of lignin (γ-ester linkages) are thought to contribute to one-third of LCCs, but direct evidence for their natural occurrence and their role in recalcitrance has been scarce so far. To address these issues, Phanerochaete carnosa glucuronoyl esterase (PcGCE), hydrolysing γ-ester linkages, was expressed in cell walls of developing wood in hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L.

Correcting market failure for no-regret electric road investments under uncertainty.

Several electric road system technologies that enable in-motion charging of electric vehicles are nearing market readiness. However, substantial contribution to decarbonization requires rapid deployment on an international scale. Investment is discouraged by prior research that has identified that declining battery costs may eventually leave the infrastructure a stranded asset.

Encapsulation of Screen-Printed Electrolyte-Based Organic Electronic Components for Long-Term Operation in Varying Environmental Conditions.

With the advancement of printing techniques, material choices, and ink development, high-performance printed electrochemical components relying on organic conducting polymers are beginning to mature and find traction in numerous applications in different areas, such as organic electrochromic displays (OECDs) and logic circuits based on organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). However, the inherent hygroscopic nature of various materials in the devices, combined with electrochemically dictated working mechanisms, makes the devices sensitive to environmental changes, such as relative humidity (RH) levels and temperature (). To ensure reliable operation of the devices, there is a need to mitigate the influence of ambience.

An investigation of improving validity in upper limb measurements for people with tetraplegia using construct specification equations.

The aim of this paper is two-fold: to investigate development of a Construct Specification Equation (CSE) for UL task difficulty, , and a CSE for person UL ability, , in support of the validity of these two constructs. Measurements of UL task difficulty, , and person UL ability, were derived from applying the Rasch model on the Tetraplegia Upper Limb Activity Questionnaire (TUAQ). The formulations of CSEs as explanations of the two constructs were done using Principal Component Regression (PCR).

Automated Assessment of Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids Using a Neck-Worn Electronic Stethoscope: A Pilot Study.

Background: The Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS) is a validated screening tool for assessing masticatory and swallowing functions. However, the conventional TOMASS relies on operator-dependent methods, which limit its objectivity and efficiency. The neck-worn electronic stethoscope (NWES), a contact sensor positioned on the back of the neck, has recently been developed to automatically detect and monitor swallowing actions through deep learning-based analysis of collected sound data.

Genomic and secretomic analyses of Blastobotrys yeasts reveal key xylanases for biomass decomposition.

Xylanolytic enzyme systems in ascomycetous yeasts remain underexplored, despite the presence of yeasts in various xylan-rich ecological niches. In this study, we investigated the secreted xylanolytic machineries of three Blastobotrys species-B. mokoenaii, B.

Iron-Catalyzed Laser-Induced Graphitization Enabling Current Collector-Free Electrodes With Spatially Tunable Iron/Iron Oxide Phases.

Iron-catalyzed laser-induced graphitization (IC-LIG) represents an eco-efficient alternative to traditional carbon electrode manufacturing. Combining a bio-based tannic acid-iron precursor ink with CO laser treatment results in sheet resistance of 23.59 ± 1.

Cross-generational genomic prediction of Norway spruce (Picea abies) wood properties: an evaluation using independent validation.

Background: The evaluation of genomic selection (GS) efficiency in forestry has primarily relied on cross-validation schemes that split the same population within a single generation for both training and validation. While useful, this approach may not be reliable for multigenerational breeding. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess genomic prediction in Norway spruce using a large dataset spanning two generations in two environments.

A calorimeter for analyzing ejected and non-ejected heat during Li-ion battery thermal runaway.

Thermal runaway in lithium-ion battery cells poses significant safety risks due to rapid heat generation and potential thermal propagation within a battery system. This study investigates the total heat released and the fraction of energy contained in gas and particles ejected during thermal runaway using a purpose-built calorimeter setup. The results show that the fraction of ejected heat is significantly influenced by the state of charge (SOC) and cell mass loss.

Representations of smells: The next frontier for language models?

Whereas human cognition develops through perceptually driven interactions with the environment, language models (LMs) are "disembodied learners" which might limit their usefulness as model systems. We evaluate the ability of LMs to recover sensory information from natural language, addressing a significant gap in cognitive science research literature. Our investigation is carried out through the sense of smell - olfaction - because it is severely underrepresented in natural language and thus poses a unique challenge for linguistic and cognitive modeling.

Using a hybrid modelling approach for high time-resolution prediction of influent orthophosphate load in a water resource recovery facility.

Water resource recovery facilities face challenges with increasingly stringent effluent demands, complexity and demand for capacity increasing investments. Emerging technologies such as digital twins could alleviate these problems but require high frequency influent data. This work presents a method for utilising measurements in the primary clarifier effluent with a model of the processes between the influent and primary clarifier effluent to predict influent orthophosphate load for a plant with considerable internal load.

How can machine learning inform about chemical risks in circular textiles?

Hazardous chemicals in textiles represent a serious health issue. This is mainly due to missing data on the used chemicals and/or on their hazard, which prevents proper chemical risk assessment. Although identifying and filling these data gaps is crucial, the myriad chemicals used for textile production and multiple data sources make it extremely difficult to manually collect and process all the data.

Novel Terpineol-Based Silver Nanoparticle Ink with High Stability for Inkjet Printing.

This study presents a novel silver nanoparticle ink formulation designed for inkjet printing applications using terpineol as an eco-friendly solvent and butylamine as a stabilizer to ensure stability, high conductivity, and compatibility with inkjet technology. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using a modified one-pot method in the presence of highly effective stabilizers and surface modifiers such as oleic acid and oleylamine, resulting in uniform particles of less than 10 nm in size, which were then dispersed in a mixture of terpineol and butylamine. The resulting ink demonstrated exceptional stability over 85 days, maintaining optimal rheological properties for inkjet printing.

Pigs exposed to nitrogen, argon or carbon dioxide filled high-expansion foam: behavioural responses, stun process and blood lactate concentration.

According to the EU legislation, all animals farmed for food production must be stunned before being exsanguinated (exempt slaughter prescribed by religious rites). Stunning methods must be reliable, effective, and free from avoidable pain, distress, and suffering, warranting continuous improvement. New methods must be thoroughly evaluated from an animal welfare perspective before approval.

Immunomodulation by extracorporeal ozone-based bactericide system in porcine Pseudomonas aeruginosa septic shock.

Sepsis is associated with substantial mortality rates. Traditional treatment strategies often fail to address the underlying dysregulation in immune response, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches. Ozone (O) is an inorganic molecule with no evident function in the body.

The intracellular free concentration of endocrine disrupting chemicals enables translation between cell-free and cell-based estrogenic activity assays.

Many environmental toxicants can activate estrogen receptor α (ERα), disrupting normal endocrine function. While these activities are predicted across in silico, in vitro, and in vivo models, translating active concentrations between these systems remains challenging. We hypothesized that cellular uptake and the resulting free intracellular toxicant concentration could bridge this gap.

70 Years of observational weather data show increasing fire danger for boreal Europe and reveal bias of ERA5 reanalysed data.

Retrospective analyses of fire danger typically use reanalysed data, but its relation to observed fire danger is not well researched. Here we use daily weather observations to calculate fire danger for nine weather stations in Sweden, spanning 1100 km N-S, for the period 1951-2020, making it among the longest series of observed fire danger to date. All sites except the northernmost one exhibited increasing seasonal FWI-metrics over the period and linear trends were statistically significant for three sites.

Miniaturized Soft and Stretchable Multilayer Circuits through Laser-Defined High Aspect-Ratio Printing.

Stretchable electronics enable seamless integration of wearables with the human body, thereby creating new opportunities in biomedical applications. Miniaturized multilayer stretchable printed circuit boards are key for achieving high functional density circuits with minimal footprint. However, current microfabrication technologies struggle with simultaneously achieving tissue-like softness (<<1 MPa), high resolution and low sheet resistance.

Scale-up processing of leaf-like zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-L)/cellulose for water treatment.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous polymeric networks with unique characteristics. Nevertheless, these materials' intrinsic fragility, powdery form, limited processibility, and delicate handling pose significant difficulties for commercial applications. Herein, we reported large-scale production and processing of nanocellulose/leaf-like zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-L), denoted as NanoCelloZIF-L, using Experimental Paper Machine (XPM).

Interpretability versus performance of analytical and neural-network-based permeability prediction models: Exploring separability, monotonicity, and dimensional consistency.

Effective mass transport properties of porous materials, such as permeability, are heavily influenced by their three-dimensional microstructure. There are numerous models developed for the prediction of permeability from microstructural characteristics, ranging from straightforward analytical relationships to high-performing machine learning models based on neural networks. There is an inherent tradeoff between predictive performance and interpretability; analytical models do not provide the best predictive performance but are relatively simple to understand.

Antifouling Efficacy on of Nano-Au Surfaces Functionalized with Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-Tethered Antimicrobial Peptides.

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (cAMPs) kill bacteria in solution by membrane lysis; however, translating cAMPs into a covalently attached antibacterial coating is challenging since it remains unclear how the specifics of the conjugation impact the antifouling efficacy. Furthermore, studies have typically assessed cAMP coatings with a high and homogeneous surface coverage, although this may be difficult to implement in practice of the materials commonly used in medicine. Herein, we investigate the antifouling efficacy of fractional surface coatings made from poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-tethered cAMPs presented on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) deposited onto surfaces.

Description of sp. nov., carrying a novel class C β-lactamase gene variant, isolated from gut samples of Atlantic mackerel ().

Three β-lactam resistant bacterial strains isolated from gut samples of wild Atlantic mackerel () collected from the northern North Sea were characterized by polyphasic analyses. The strains were determined to belong to the genus but could not be assigned to a known species. The nearly-complete 16S rRNA gene sequence showed the highest similarity (99.