Modified polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) beads serve as effective anaerobic microbe immobilization carriers. PVA beads were mixed with different conductive materials, activated carbon, magnetite, and green tuff stone powder. In this study, modified PVA beads were used to investigate the effect of using, promote methane production, and enhance direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) on the anaerobic syntrophic degradation of propionate, which is an essential intermediate process for generating methane in anaerobic digesters. The batch experiment showed that PVA mixed with activated carbon had the highest methane conversion rate of 72%, whereas the rates for control (sludge) was 61%. Moreover, the lag time during the second and third feedings was shorter by 5-fold than for the first feeding when modified PVA beads were added. The syntrophic propionate degrading microorganisms in the modified PVA beads was Syntrophobacter and Methanobacterium, either Methanoculleus or Methanosaeta. The modified PVA beads hold at least 10 times larger syntrophs than normal PVA. Therefore, composite PVA with conductive materials can promote methane production, accelerate propionate consumption, and enhance electron transfer in related microbial species.
  Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a hepatotropic and partially double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) virus that causes the immune-mediated killing of infected liver cells. It is a public health conundrum due to its considerable morbidity and mortality. Cheka is a cereal and vegetable-based fermented beverage that is consumed as a key dietary component in the southwestern parts of Ethiopia. This study was aimed to assess the seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and associated risk factors among cheka consumers in the Konso community, southwest of Ethiopia.
 
  A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 633 cheka consumers between October 01, 2018, and May 31, 2019. The socio-demographic characteristics and associated factors were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. HBV infection was screened using immune-chromatographic strip tests and positive results were further confirmed with ELISA.
 
  The prevalence of HBV was found to be 18.2% (95% CI, 15.1-daily laborers and are aware of HBV transmission, with a previous history of contacts with patients having liver diseases were even at higher risk of HBV infection. The need for more research to find the links between cheka consumption and other mechanisms of HBV cross-infection in these communities is indicated.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from dairy animals could pose a public health concern in the population. The study was designed to determine the prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA associated with mastitis among water buffaloes in the central part of Luzon island, the Philippines, and to investigate its associated factors. Three hundred and eighty-four water buffaloes were examined for mastitis using California mastitis test (CMT). Composite milk samples (n = 93) were collected from buffaloes showing positive reaction with CMT. S. aureus was identified from milk samples using biochemical tests. Cefoxitin disk diffusion assay and PCR detecting mecA gene were performed to identify MRSA isolates. Disk diffusion assay was used to investigate the antimicrobial resistance against 9 antibiotics. The prevalence of S. aureus was 41.94% (39/93). MRSA isolates resistant to cefoxitin were at 25.81% (24/93) but only 37.5% (9/24) harbored the mecA gene. All 24 MRSA isolates were resistant to penicillin while the majority were susceptible to clindamycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, gentamycin, tetracycline, rifampicin, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol with intermediate susceptibility to erythromycin. Furthermore, 37.5% of the isolates were found resistant to two or more antibiotics. Animal-level factor associated with MRSA infection was the history of mastitis (OR = 3.18, CI = 1.03-9.79, p = 0.040). Herd-level factors associated with the detection of MRSA in milk included herd size (OR = 4.24, CI = 1.05-17.07, p = 0.042) and the presence of other animals (OR = 0.15, CI = 0.04-0.58, p = 0.006). High prevalence of intramammary infection with S. aureus and MRSA in dairy buffaloes was observed in the region. This finding raises the concern of preventing zoonotic spread of MRSA.Blood vessel sprouting from pre-existing vessels or angiogenesis plays a significant role in tumour progression. Development of novel biomolecules from marine natural sources has a promising role in drug discovery specifically in the area of antiangiogenic chemotherapeutics. Symbiotic actinomycetes from marine origin proved to be potent and valuable sources of antiangiogenic compounds. Zebrafish represent a well-established model for small molecular screening and employed to study tumour angiogenesis over the last decade. Use of zebrafish has increased in the laboratory due to its various advantages like rapid embryo development, optically transparent embryos, large clutch size of embryos and most importantly high genetic conservation comparable to humans. Zebrafish also shares similar physiopathology of tumour angiogenesis with humans and with these advantages, zebrafish has become a popular model in the past decade to study on angiogenesis related disorders like diabetic retinopathy and cancer. This review focuses on the importance of antiangiogenic compounds from marine actinomycetes and utility of zebrafish in cancer angiogenesis research.This study investigates average earnings quality (AEQ) and its determinants in the European banking sector based on data of 409 European banks from the period 2006-2018. We utilize the intensity of fair valuation, average annual interest change, and firm size as explanatory variables for AEQ, with special attention to differences between developed and emerging countries.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/alpha-conotoxin-gi.html  We split the total time period into a pre-IFRS 13 and a post-IFRS 13 period to examine how the renewed regulation of fair valuation (IFRS 13) has affected the earnings quality of banks. We find that, while the interest change observed in the total period and the banks' size significantly and negatively affect AEQ, the proportion of fair value assets has a significant positive effect. We show that the latter is only valid for developed countries. We find clear evidence that the introduction of IFRS 13 resulted in a measurable improvement in fair value regulation.