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A photoreactor has been set up to study the photodegradation of volatile organic compound (VOC) in situ. In the reactor, TiO2 and Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts were immobilized on to UV-transparent quartz support. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements revealed that the quartz fiber support was mostly coated with catalyst with a total surface area of 4.0 ± 0.3 m2/g. The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts was evaluated for the photodegradation of 160 ppm toluene-laden air. It was found that 50-70% of toluene was degraded within the first 5 min of UV illumination. Both TiO2 and Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts suffered from deactivation after 18 hours of continuous operation, and the photocatalysts' activity was significantly reduced. However, platinization doubled the photocatalyst life and delayed the onset of de-activation. The presence of moisture was found to shift the onset of catalyst de-activation to an earlier time. It is concluded that the de-activation of the photocatalyst was due to the accumulation of intermediates on the photocatalysts surface preventing the toluene being adsorbed on the photocatalyst surface for degradation.

Wildlife trade is one of the major contributors to biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia, especially in songbirds. Wildlife forensics using genomic data can be instrumental in informing conservation action by identifying trade routes and animals’ provenance to help law enforcement. We obtained ~ 10,000 genome-wide markers spanning a panel of 87 wild, captive, and confiscated individuals of one of the most widely traded songbirds in Southeast Asia, Swinhoe’s white-eye (Zosterops simplex), to examine shifts in trade routes. Our population-genomic analyses reveal that a well-studied population of this white-eye on Singapore Island exhibits a major genomic contribution from the geographically distant subspecies simplex, reflecting historic trade into Singapore from China. In contrast, modern confiscated samples as well as a minority of wild Singapore samples carry the genomic signature of the Southeast Asian subspecies erwini, suggesting that modern trade sources in Singapore have shifted from China towards adjacent Malaysia. Our study highlights how accurate identification of trade routes can help conservationists’ efforts in tackling the growing songbird crisis in the region.

Background Babesia is a protozoal, tick-borne parasite that can cause life-threatening disease in humans, wildlife and domestic animals worldwide. However, in Southeast Asia, little is known about the prevalence and diversity of Babesia species present in wildlife and the tick vectors responsible for its transmission. Recently, a novel Babesia species was reported in confiscated Sunda pangolins ( Manis javanica ) in Thailand. To investigate the presence of this parasite in Singapore, we conducted a molecular survey of Babesia spp. in free-roaming Sunda pangolins and their main ectoparasite, the Amblyomma javanense tick. Methods Ticks and tissue samples were opportunistically collected from live and dead Sunda pangolins and screened using a PCR assay targeting the 18S rRNA gene of Babesia spp. DNA barcoding of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I ( COI ) mitochondrial gene was used to confirm the species of ticks that were Babesia positive. Results A total of 296 ticks and 40 tissue samples were obtained from 21 Sunda pangolins throughout the 1-year study period. Babesia DNA was detected in five A. javanense ticks (minimum infection rate = 1.7%) and in nine different pangolins (52.9%) located across the country. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Babesia 18S sequences obtained from these samples grouped into a single monophyletic clade together with those derived from Sunda pangolins in Thailand and that this evolutionarily distinct species is basal to the Babesia sensu stricto clade, which encompasses a range of Babesia species that infect both domestic and wildlife vertebrate hosts. Conclusions This is the first report documenting the detection of a Babesia species in A. javanense ticks, the main ectoparasite of Sunda pangolins. While our results showed that A. javanense can carry this novel Babesia sp., additional confirmatory studies are required to demonstrate vector competency. Further studies are also necessary to investigate the role of other transmission pathways given the low infection rate of ticks in relation to the high infection rate of Sunda pangolins. Although it appears that this novel Babesia sp. is of little to no pathogenicity to Sunda pangolins, its potential to cause disease in other animals or humans cannot be ruled out. Graphical abstract

Controlling the growth size of nanocrystallites (NCs) has been a big challenge for previous researchers due to unpredictable growing rate and shape obtained during the synthesis. This paper demonstrates an efficient way to control the growth of copper (Cu) NCs using a combination of solution plasma, sunlight and water. The NCs are synthesized by using solution plasma method which has a lot of advantages in controlling NC growth sites. The material used in this paper is Cu sheet due to its antibacterial properties, high electrical and heat conductivity, and low cost. This method is followed by immersing the plasma treated Cu sheets in distilled water and exposing it to sunlight. This method is also known as submerged photosynthesis of crystallites (SPSC), which is a low-temperature and surfactant technique used for NCs fabrication. The photosynthesis-like method is used to allow for NCs growth. The NCs growth size and shape was observed using SEM and ImageJ software. The NCs shapes can be analyzed by observing the antibacterial properties of NCs which is related to the small size of the NCs. The beneficial outcomes of Cu NC shape with antibacterial properties are expected, which can be used in various applications without causing any environmental impact. In addition, using a combination of solution plasma and sunlight exposure, we demonstrated an easy and fast synthesis method to develop Cu NCs economically.

This paper presents the design of self-sustainable IoT pyranometer station using low cost BPW34 photodiode. The sustainable power of the station is achieved by a 20W solar panel charges a 7.2Ah lead acid battery through a charge controller. This station uses low cost BPW34 sensors which are connected to a 16-bit ADC module to convert the analog voltage into digital data. This module is connected to an ESP32 microcontroller that connects to Wi-Fi and sends sensor readings to ThingSpeak IoT platform to allow monitoring. This study collected over 36000 data points throughout February 2023 with an average daily data loss of 2.47%. Polynomial regression method was used to determine a best fit curve equation between the BPW34 sensor and the reference sensor. The result shows that the proposed BPW34 sensor achieve the highest error of ±80W/m 2 with approximate 3% of daily data. The summary, a second order polynomial equation is found best fit for the proposed low cost BPW34 sensor.

The application of green fluorescent protein (GFP) to identify the portal(s) of entry of bacterial pathogens in animal hosts was studied using the fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda and blue gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus. An immersion challenge model was utilized to mimic natural infection conditions in fish. Gastrointestinal tract, gills and the body surface of fish were found to be the sites of entry of virulent E. tarda (PPD130/91) by histological and infection kinetics studies. On the other hand, avirulent E. tarda (PPD125/87) was mainly found in the gastrointestinal tract, and the bacterial population in tissue declined over a period of 7 days.

Gametophyte-derived callus cultures of Platycerium coronarium could be maintained under photoautotrophic conditions on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 2 micromolar 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and with CO2 enrichment. Progressive reduction of sucrose from the medium resulted in a reduction in growth, but an increase in total chlorophyll content. When subculturing was delayed beyond 2 weeks, callus cells differentiated into gametophytes on the medium with less than or equal to 0.2% sucrose and no CO2 enrichment. Enriching the photoautotrophic cultures on 2 micromolar 2,4-D with 1% CO2 resulted in about 1.7-fold increase in fresh weight within 42 d. Total chlorophyll content was generally higher with 1% CO2 enrichment than with 10%. Fv/Fm ratio was higher for callus on low levels of sucrose (less than or equal to 0.5%) than that on sucrose 21.0%. An increase in autofluorescence of chloroplasts, but not the size, was observed with decreasing sucrose levels in the medium. Autofluorescence decreased with increase in CO2 from 0.03%. Our data are in agreement with the view that long-term exposure to high levels of CO2 can cause a decrease in photosynthetic capacity.

Background and purpose Treatment persistence is the continuation of therapy over time. It reflects a combination of treatment efficacy and tolerability. We aimed to describe real‐world rates of persistence on disease‐modifying therapies (DMTs) for people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) and reasons for DMT discontinuation. Methods Treatment data on 4366 consecutive people with relapse‐onset multiple sclerosis (MS) were pooled from 13 UK specialist centres during 2021. Inclusion criteria were exposure to at least one MS DMT and a complete history of DMT prescribing. PwMS in blinded clinical trials were excluded. Data collected included sex, age at MS onset, age at DMT initiation, DMT treatment dates, and reasons for stopping or switching DMT. For pwMS who had received immune reconstituting therapies (cladribine/alemtuzumab), discontinuation date was defined as starting an alternative DMT. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses were used to express DMT persistence. Results In 6997 treatment events (1.6 per person with MS), median time spent on any single maintenance DMT was 4.3 years (95% confidence interval = 4.1–4.5 years). The commonest overall reasons for DMT discontinuation were adverse events (35.0%) and lack of efficacy (30.3%). After 10 years, 20% of people treated with alemtuzumab had received another subsequent DMT, compared to 82% of people treated with interferon or glatiramer acetate. Conclusions Immune reconstituting DMTs may have the highest potential to offer a single treatment for relapsing MS. Comparative data on DMT persistence and reasons for discontinuation are valuable to inform treatment decisions and in personalizing treatment in MS.

Focused ultrasound and microbubbles can non-invasively and locally deliver therapeutics and imaging agents across the blood–brain barrier. Uniform treatment and minimal adverse bioeffects are critical to achieve reliable doses and enable safe routine use of this technique. Towards these aims, we have previously designed a rapid short-pulse ultrasound sequence and used it to deliver a 3 kDa model agent to mouse brains. We observed a homogeneous distribution in delivery and blood–brain barrier closing within 10 min. However, many therapeutics and imaging agents are larger than 3 kDa, such as antibody fragments and antisense oligonucleotides. Here, we evaluate the feasibility of using rapid short-pulses to deliver higher-molecular-weight model agents. 3, 10 and 70 kDa dextrans were successfully delivered to mouse brains, with decreasing doses and more heterogeneous distributions with increasing agent size. Minimal extravasation of endogenous albumin (66.5 kDa) was observed, while immunoglobulin (~ 150 kDa) and PEGylated liposomes (97.9 nm) were not detected. This study indicates that rapid short-pulses are versatile and, at an acoustic pressure of 0.35 MPa, can deliver therapeutics and imaging agents of sizes up to a hydrodynamic diameter between 8 nm (70 kDa dextran) and 11 nm (immunoglobulin). Increasing the acoustic pressure can extend the use of rapid short-pulses to deliver agents beyond this threshold, with little compromise on safety. This study demonstrates the potential for deliveries of higher-molecular-weight therapeutics and imaging agents using rapid short-pulses.