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In today's society, we are constantly absorbing information via text (e.g., news, social media), much of which may be affectively charged. However, to date, little is known about how the affective framing of the text itself may give rise to various affective experiences "during" reading. We examined how subtle changes to wording (negatively or positively valenced framing of the same content) influenced affective experiences during reading and subsequent comprehension. Results show that (a) affective framing in text elicited congruent subjective affective states throughout reading, (b) subjective affective valence throughout reading impacted comprehension at various levels, and (c) subjective affective valence mediated the relationship between affective framing and how participants integrated information from the text in their summaries, as well as if they included affect in their summaries. This indicates that even subtle affectively valenced content in text can indirectly influence some aspects of comprehension through eliciting subjective affective experiences in the reader.

The β-glucosidase gene from Aspergillus nidulans FGSC A4 was cloned and overexpressed in the A. nidulans A773. The resulting purified β-glucosidase, named AnGH3, is a monomeric enzyme with a molecular weight of approximately 80 kDa, as confirmed by SDS-PAGE. Circular dichroism further validated its unique canonical barrel fold (β/α), a feature also observed in the 3D homology model of AnGH3. The most striking aspect of this recombinant enzyme is its robustness, as it retained 100% activity after 24 h of incubation at 45 and 50 ºC and pH 6.0. Even at 55 °C, it maintained 72% of its enzymatic activity after 6 h of incubation at the same pH. The kinetic parameters Vmax, KM, and Kcat/KM for ρ-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (ρNPG) and cellobiose were also determined. Using ρNPG, the enzyme demonstrated a Vmax of 212 U mg − 1, KM of 0.0607 mmol L − 1, and Kcat/KM of 4521 mmol L − 1 s − 1 when incubated at pH 6.0 and 65 °C. The KM, Vmax, and Kcat/KM using cellobiose were 2.7 mmol L − 1, 57 U mg − 1, and 27 mmol –1 s − 1, respectively. AnGH3 activity was significantly enhanced by xylose and ethanol at concentrations up to 1.5 mol L − 1 and 25%, respectively. Even in challenging conditions, at 65 °C and pH 6.0, the enzyme maintained its activity, retaining 100% and 70% of its initial activity in the presence of 200 mmol L − 1 furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), respectively. The potential of this enzyme was further demonstrated by its application in the saccharification of the forage grass Panicum maximum, where it led to a 48% increase in glucose release after 24 h. These unique characteristics, including high catalytic performance, good thermal stability in hydrolysis temperature, and tolerance to elevated concentrations of ethanol, D-xylose, furfural, and HMF, position this recombinant enzyme as a promising tool in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass as part of an efficient multi-enzyme cocktail, thereby opening new avenues in the field of biotechnology and enzymology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research suggests a relationship between metacognitive awareness and academic success, in which individuals with greater metacognitive awareness perform better in academic settings compared to those with a lesser degree of metacognitive awareness. In the current study, we sought to generalize this finding to the population of college freshmen students by examining the relationship between metacognitive awareness and academic performance. In addition, we aimed to explore the potential value of metacognitive awareness training in college freshmen students to encourage retention in higher academic settings. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between metacognitive awareness and college freshmen students' academic performance, as indicated by cumulative grade point average (GPA). This implies that students with a higher degree of metacognitive awareness tend to also succeed academically when compared to those with a lesser degree of metacognitive awareness. In addition, these results generalize the association between academic performance and metacognitive awareness to the college freshmen student population. Since the degree of metacognitive awareness can be increased with instruction, these findings suggest a route in assisting at risk freshmen succeed in academic settings.

The endo-1,4-β-xylanases (EC 3.2.1.8) are the largest group of hydrolytic enzymes that degrade xylan, the major component of hemicelluloses, by catalyzing the hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds β-1,4 in this polymer, releasing xylooligosaccharides of different sizes. Xylanases have considerable potential in producing bread, animal feed, food, beverages, xylitol, and bioethanol. The fungus Aspergillus tamarii Kita produced xylanases in Adams' media supplemented with barley bagasse (brewer's spent grains), a by-product from brewery industries. The culture extract exhibited two xylanase activities in the zymogram, identified by mass spectrometry as glycosyl hydrolase (GH) families 10 and 11 (GH 10 and GH 11). The central composite design (CCD) showed excellent predictive capacity for xylanase production (23.083 U mL−1). Additionally, other enzyme activities took place during the submerged fermentation. Moreover, enzymatic saccharification based on a mixture design (MD) of three different lignocellulosic residues was helpful in the production of fermentable sugars by the A. tamarii Kita crude extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dementia, a global health priority, poses a disproportionately high risk to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans plus (LGBT+)/gender and sexuality diverse people. Despite this, little research has explored the lived experience of LGBT+ people with dementia or their care partners. This scoping review aims to understand what the literature reveals about their experiences, the ways in which their lives have been investigated, to inform future research, policy and practice. Using an established scoping review methodology, we identified seven papers that reported empirical research on the lived experience of LGBT+ people with dementia and their care partners. Only a single study reported on in two of the papers included people who were trans. This in itself reveals how rarely LGBT+ people are asked to speak about how dementia has shaped their lives in academic research. Our reflexive thematic analysis indicates that LGBT+ people with dementia and their care partners endure overlapping forms of disadvantage. This results in heightened experiences of fear and discrimination, lack of services and compounded social isolation. Importantly, while dementia was embodied as interference and loss by LGBT+ people, it was their gender and sexuality differences that provided solace, even in the face of disadvantage. Importantly, people's relationships with LGBT+ identities were framed as fundamental for safety, resilience and wellbeing, rather than a complicating or confounding factor in living with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]