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Abstract One of the global problems of our time is food waste that is most significant at the household level. There is a lack of research that focus on the food-wasting behavior of the main breadwinner groups in society, generations Y and X. To fill this gap, the purpose of this study is to analyse the factors that influence the food-wasting behavior of these groups. From data of a representative sample of 1,665 respondents by using structural equation modeling it is shown that the intention of reducing food waste is positively influenced by attitudes, health-, price and environmental consciousness, planning routines and ecological motives. The results show that influences from the immediate environment and the media are not effective, therefore programs dealing with the future of the Earth, children and sustainability, which strengthen environmental and ecological awareness and planning routines in generations X and Y are recommended. more...

Abstract In Hungary, as part of a nationwide, climatically balanced survey for a next-generation sequencing-based study of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) gut microbiome, repeated sampling was carried out during the honey production season (March and May 2019). Among other findings, the presence of Apis mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV) was detected in all samples, some at very high levels. AmFV-derived reads were more abundant in the March samples than in the May samples. In March, a higher abundance of AmFV-originated reads was identified in samples collected from warmer areas compared to those collected from cooler areas. A lower proportion of AmFV-derived reads were identified in samples collected in March from the wetter areas than those collected from the drier areas. AmFV-read abundance in samples collected in May showed no significant differences between groups based on either environmental temperature or precipitation. The AmFV abundance correlated negatively with Bartonella apihabitans, Bartonella choladocola, and positively with Frischella perrara, Gilliamella apicola, Gilliamella sp. ESL0443, Lactobacillus apis, Lactobacillus kullabergensis, Lactobacillus sp. IBH004. De novo metagenome assembly of four samples resulted in almost the complete AmFV genome. According to phylogenetic analysis based on DNA polymerase, the Hungarian strains are closest to the strain CH-05 isolated in Switzerland. more...

Abstract Tick-borne infections, including those of bacterial origin, are significant public health issues. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is one of the most pressing health challenges of our time, is driven by specific genetic determinants, primarily by the antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) of bacteria. In our work, we investigated the occurrence of ARGs in the genomes of tick-borne bacterial species that can cause human infections. For this purpose, we processed short/long reads of 1550 bacterial isolates of the genera Anaplasma (n = 20), Bartonella (n = 131), Borrelia (n = 311), Coxiella (n = 73), Ehrlichia (n = 13), Francisella (n = 959) and Rickettsia (n = 43) generated by second/third generation sequencing that have been freely accessible at the NCBI SRA repository. From Francisella tularensis, 98.9% of the samples contained the FTU-1 beta-lactamase gene. However, it is part of the F. tularensis representative genome as well. Furthermore, 16.3% of them contained additional ARGs. Only 2.2% of isolates from other genera (Bartonella: 2, Coxiella: 8, Ehrlichia: 1, Rickettsia: 2) contained any ARG. We found that the odds of ARG occurrence in Coxiella samples were significantly higher in isolates related to farm animals than from other sources. Our results describe a surprising lack of ARGs in these bacteria and suggest that Coxiella species in farm animal settings could play a role in the spread of AMR. more...

Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived, membrane-enclosed particles with the potential for a wide range of future therapeutic applications. However, EVs have almost always been administered by direct injection, likely hindering their efficacy because of rapid clearance from the injection site. The present study aimed to incorporate medium-sized extracellular vesicles (mEVs) into fast-dissolving electrospun polyvinylpyrrolidone-based nanofibers to explore the storage-dependent structure–activity relationship of the resulting nanofibrous formulations. Aqueous polyvinylpyrrolidone-based precursor solutions were selected for the electrospinning process. The presence of EVs in the electrospun samples was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, flow cytometry, and confocal laser scanning microscope. The results indicate that the fibrous structure of the samples was preserved until the end of the 12-week storage period. Furthermore, regardless of the storage temperature (4 °C or room temperature), nanofibers and nanofiber-associated EVs were present throughout the experimental period. Incorporating EVs into a stable solid polymeric delivery base could preserve their stability; meanwhile, according to the characteristics of the polymer, their targeted and controlled release can be achieved. more...

Abstract In this study, we investigated the effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of high-tenacity polypropylene (PP) fibers. An application field of versatile polypropylene as fibers and tapes is the reinforcement of single-polymer composites. During consolidation at an elevated temperature, typically near the melt temperature of PP, the heat causes molecular relaxation of the strongly oriented molecular chains, which impairs mechanical properties. We investigated the shrinkage of PP single fibers isothermally and anisothermally, and heat-treated PP single fibers and multifilament rovings in a temperature range of 120–190 °C for 5–20 min in a constrained and an unconstrained arrangement. The heat-treated fibers and rovings were then tensile tested and their residual mechanical properties were determined and compared to the as-received rovings. We analyzed the tensile characteristics mathematically, applying the statistical fiber-bundle-cell modeling method, and described the measured and averaged stress–strain curves with fitted E-bundles having fibers with nonlinear tensile characteristics. The tensile modulus of the constrained fibers treated for 5 min decreased less in the whole heat treatment temperature range but considerably decreased further with increasing treatment time. Conversely, their tensile strength decreased only slightly, and treatment time had a minor effect up to 180–190 °C (above the melting temperature of the fiber). The results proved that constraining is a useful tool for preserving the reinforcing ability of high-tenacity polymer fibers. more...

Abstract Reliable data on causes of death (COD) in preterm infants are needed to assess perinatal care and current clinical guidelines. In this retrospective observational analysis of all deceased preterm infants born more...

Abstract Filamentous fungi are historically known to be a rich reservoir of bioactive compounds that are applied in a myriad of fields ranging from crop protection to medicine. The surge of genomic data available shows that fungi remain an excellent source for new pharmaceuticals. However, most of the responsible biosynthetic gene clusters are transcriptionally silent under laboratory growth conditions. Therefore, generic strategies for activation of these clusters are required. Here, we present a genome-editing-free, transcriptional regulation tool for filamentous fungi, based on the CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) methodology. Herein, a nuclease-defective mutant of Cas9 (dCas9) was fused to a highly active tripartite activator VP64-p65-Rta (VPR) to allow for sgRNA directed targeted gene regulation. dCas9-VPR was introduced, together with an easy to use sgRNA “plug-and-play” module, into a non-integrative AMA1-vector, which is compatible with several filamentous fungal species. To demonstrate its potential, this vector was used to transcriptionally activate a fluorescent reporter gene under the control of the penDE core promoter in Penicillium rubens. Subsequently, we activated the transcriptionally silent, native P. rubens macrophorin biosynthetic gene cluster by targeting dCas9-VPR to the promoter region of the transcription factor macR. This resulted in the production of antimicrobial macrophorins. This CRISPRa technology can be used for the rapid and convenient activation of silent fungal biosynthetic gene clusters, and thereby aid in the identification of novel compounds such as antimicrobials. more...

Abstract Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat gaining more and more practical significance every year. The main determinants of AMR are the antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Since bacteria can share genetic components via horizontal gene transfer, even non-pathogenic bacteria may provide ARG to any pathogens which they become physically close to (e.g. in the human gut). In addition, fermented food naturally contains bacteria in high amounts. In this study, we examined the diversity of ARG content in various kefir and yoghurt samples (products, grains, bacterial strains) using a unified metagenomic approach. We found numerous ARGs of commonly used fermenting bacteria. Even with the strictest filter restrictions, we identified ARGs undermining the efficacy of aminocoumarins, aminoglycosides, carbapenems, cephalosporins, cephamycins, diaminopyrimidines, elfamycins, fluoroquinolones, fosfomycins, glycylcyclines, lincosamides, macrolides, monobactams, nitrofurans, nitroimidazoles, penams, penems, peptides, phenicols, rifamycins, tetracyclines and triclosan. In the case of gene lmrD, we detected genetic environment providing mobility of this ARG. Our findings support the theory that during the fermentation process, the ARG content of foods can grow due to bacterial multiplication. The results presented suggest that the starting culture strains of fermented foods should be monitored and selected in order to decrease the intake of ARGs via foods. more...