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Unlocking river biofilm microbial diversity: a comparative analysis of sequencing technologies
Get PDFFreshwater ecosystems are under increasing pressure from pollution, habitat degradation and climate change, highlighting the need for reliable biomonitoring approaches to assess ecosystem health and identify the causes of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss. Characterisation of freshwater microbiomes has the potential to be an important tool for understanding freshwater ecology, ecosystem health and ecosystem function. High‐throughput sequencing technologies, such as Illumina short‐read and Pacific Biosciences long‐read sequencing, are widely used for microbial community analysis. However, the relative performance of these approaches for monitoring freshwater microbiomes has not been well explored. In this study, we compared the performance of long‐ and short‐read sequencing approaches to assess archaeal and bacterial diversity in 42 river biofilm samples across seven distinct river sites in England by targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Our findings demonstrated that longer reads generated by PacBio sequencing provide a higher taxonomic resolution, enabling the classification of taxa that remained unassigned in the short‐read Illumina datasets. This enhanced resolution is particularly beneficial for biodiversity assessments because it improves species‐level identification, which is crucial for ecological monitoring. Despite this, both sequencing methods produced comparable bacterial community structures regarding taxon relative abundance, suggesting that the sequencing approach does not profoundly affect the comparative assessment of community composition. However, while Illumina offers higher throughput and cost efficiency, PacBio's ability to resolve complex microbial communities highlights its potential for studies requiring precise taxonomic identification
A systematic methodology for retrofitting ageing urban residential buildings in China: a case study based on integrated approaches
No full textAgeing urban residential buildings have significant potential for energy conservation, carbon emission reduction, enhanced indoor thermal comfort, and quality of life improvements. Yet, the current residential building retrofitting projects are proceeding on a pragmatic building-by-building scale; hence, the lack of a systematic approach and theoretical basis has significantly hindered the progress of Retrofitting Ageing Urban Residential Buildings (RAURB) in modern cities. Therefore, this research develops an innovative and coherent approach for the design and assessment of RAURB based on the new Systematic Retrofitting Theoretical Framework (SRTF) developed by the new System Player Analysis (SPA) method. RAURB System players of residents, policymakers, designers, engineers, and scholars are identified and justified to respectively and cooperatively satisfy their individual retrofit demands. An urban case study area with 81 ageing residential buildings is implemented in Chongqing, China. The retrofit benefits and costs are simulated and assessed using the Analytic Network Process (ANP) method of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) to evaluate the criteria priority of potential energy saving, investment costs, and improvements in accessibility, safety, and functionality to residents. Moreover, the priority results obtained from this research are analyzed and discussed to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the new SRTF of RAURB, providing useful suggestions to support the prediction of retrofit benefits and costs, decision-making, and future policymaking
Development of liquid-core hydrogel beads to improve hydration in elderly: pilot studies
Get PDFThis study aimed to develop liquid-core hydrogel beads (LHBs) using spherification technique to promote increased water intake in the elderly. Orange juice was selected as the encapsulation liquid due to its widespread availability and consumer acceptance. The formulation included calcium lactate (1% w/v), xanthan gum (0.025% w/v), and sodium alginate (0.5% w/v). Quality parameters such as size, texture, pH, total soluble solids, antioxidant activity, glycemic index and microbial safety were determined. The hydrogel beads maintained physical homogeneity for up to 3 days, while microbiological safety was ensured for at least 7 days under 4 °C. In a trial involving 30 elderly participants, each of whom consumed nine beads (50 mL each) daily, 77% indicated high sensory acceptability and reported improved hydration and increased fluid intake. The findings from this study offer valuable insights for caregivers and healthcare providers working with the elderly
Biography
No full textThis chapter begins with a substantive introduction that addresses the production and status of
biography and that presents a brief prehistory of later Latin biographical writings. The body of the chapter is
then divided into three sections. The first covers Lives of emperors and other rulers, from those written by
Suetonius to the Res gestae Alexandri of Julius Valerius. The second covers philosophers, poets,
grammarians, and rhetors, with discussion of the traditions related to Lucretius and Vergil and discussion of
Jerome's De uiris illustribus. The third section is titled 'Exemplary Christians' and notably includes Lives of
women alongside those of monks and bishops; it also includes discussion of collections of Lives, such as
Rufinus' versions of Palladius' writings on the so-called Desert Fathers of Egyptian monasticism. The
conclusion addresses motivations for writing biographies and notes their openness to adaptation and
translation
Macroprudential policy and housing market expectations
Get PDFThis paper studies how macroprudential policy changes affect consumers’ housing market expectations and housing affordability perceptions in the United Kingdom. We conduct a large-scale online survey experiment presenting hypothetical changes of three borrower- based macroprudential tools: residential loan-to-value (LTV), buy-to-let LTV, and loan-to- income ratios. We find that policy tightening lowers house price expectations, reduces homebuying intentions, and worsens affordability assessments, while loosening has the opposite effects. The residential LTV ratio is the most effective tool. To interpret these findings, we embed our survey estimates into a dynamic model linking expectations, credit, and housing demand. The model shows that immediate belief shifts significantly amplify house price and consumption responses, highlighting the importance of expectations in the transmission of macroprudential policy
Organosilica nanoparticles functionalised with p-anisaldehyde and p-chlorobenzaldehyde Schiff bases: synthesis, physicochemical properties, toxicological and antimicrobial evaluation
Get PDFIn this study, bifunctional organosilica nanoparticles bearing thiol and amine functionalities were synthesized, PEGylated, and subsequently functionalised with aromatic aldehydes via Schiff base formation. The nanoparticles were prepared by an Ouzo effect–based nanoprecipitation method using 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane as precursors. Comprehensive physicochemical characterisation was performed using dynamic light scattering, nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, ζ-potential measurements, Ellman's and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde assays, FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. PEGylation markedly improved colloidal stability, resulting in aggregation-free dispersions across a broad pH range. In vivo toxicological assessment using Schmidtea mediterranea planaria demonstrated good biocompatibility of all nanoparticle formulations, with no evidence of epithelial barrier disruption. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus. Nanoparticles functionalised with aromatic aldehydes exhibited pronounced antibacterial activity, whereas PEGylated nanoparticles showed only weak effects and non-functionalised nanoparticles were inactive