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Abstract The increased use of biofuels in place of fossil fuels is one strategy to support the transition to net-zero carbon emissions, particularly in transport applications. However, expansion of the use of 1st generation crops as feedstocks is unsustainable due to the conflict with food use. The use of the lignocellulosic fractions from plants and/or co-products from food production including food wastes could satisfy the demand for biofuels without affecting the use of land and the availability of food, but organisms which can readily ferment all the carbohydrates present in these feedstocks often suffer from more severe bioethanol inhibition effects than yeast. This paper demonstrates the potential of hot gas microbubbles to strip ethanol from a thermophilic fermentation process using Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius TM333, thereby reducing product inhibition and allowing production to continue beyond the nominal toxic ethanol concentrations of ≤ 2% v/v. Using an experimental rig in which cells were grown in fed-batch cultures on sugars derived from waste bread, and the broth continuously cycled through a purpose-built microbubble stripping unit, it was shown that non/low-inhibitory dissolved ethanol concentrations could be maintained throughout, despite reaching productivities equivalent to 4.7% v/v dissolved ethanol. Ethanol recovered in the condensate was at a concentration appropriate for dewatering to be cost effective and not prohibitively energy intensive. This suggests that hot microbubble stripping could be a valuable technology for the continuous production of bioethanol from fermentation processes which suffer from product inhibition before reaching economically viable titres, which is typical of most thermophilic ethanologenic bacteria.

Study question In large multinational patient surveys, spirometry (which requires repeated, reproducible maximal efforts) can be associated with cough, breathlessness and tiredness, particularly in those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Oscillometry is an effort-independent test of airways resistance and reactance. We hypothesised that oscillometry would take less time to perform and would be associated with reduced symptom burden than spirometry. Patients and methods Spirometry and oscillometry were performed in 66 participants with IPF and repeated 2 weeks later. We compared time taken to perform tests, symptom burden and test–retest reliability with Bland–Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results Oscillometry took significantly less time to perform than spirometry (mean −4.5 (99% CI −6.0 to −3.0) min) and was associated with lower symptom burden scores for cough (−1.3, 99% CI −1.7 to −0.8), breathlessness (−1.0, 99% CI −1.4 to −0.5), and tiredness (−0.5, 99% CI −0.9 to −0.2). On Bland–Altman analysis, all measures showed good agreement, with narrow limits of agreement and the mean bias lying close to 0 in all cases. The ICCs for forced expiratory volume in 1 s and forced vital capacity were 0.94 and 0.89, respectively, and ranged between 0.70 and 0.90 for oscillometry measures. Conclusion Oscillometry is quicker to perform and provokes less symptoms than spirometry in patients with IPF.

Background A post hoc analysis of the MERGE trial was conducted, to investigate whether sex differences are evident at the mildest end of the disease spectrum, for symptoms associated with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and the response to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. Methods MERGE participants with mild OSA (apnoea–hypopnoea index 5–15 events·h−1; American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2012 criteria) were randomised to either CPAP plus standard care (sleep hygiene counselling) or standard care alone for 3 months. Quality of life (QoL) was measured by questionnaires completed before and after the 3 months. This post hoc analysis of participants of the MERGE trial compared the symptom presentation, and response to CPAP, between the sexes. Results 233 patients were included; 71 (30%) were female. Females were more symptomatic at baseline in all QoL questionnaires. Specifically, females had lower 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Vitality scores (mean±sd 39.1±10.1 versus 44.8±10.3) and higher Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores (mean±sd 11.0±4.2 versus 9.5±4.4). Both sexes experienced snoring, but more females reported fatigue and more males reported witnessed apnoeas. All symptoms improved with CPAP for both sexes; however, females had larger improvements in SF-36 Vitality scores, which was the primary outcome of the MERGE trial (mean change 9.4 (95% CI 6.8–12.0) versus 6.0 (95% CI 4.3–7.7); p=0.034), and ESS (mean change −4.1 (95% CI −5.1– −3.0) versus −2.5 (95% CI −3.1– −1.8); p=0.015), after adjustment for baseline scores and CPAP usage. Conclusions Sex differences are apparent in patients with mild OSA. Females experience worse QoL symptoms than males at presentation to the sleep clinic; however, these improve significantly with CPAP treatment.

The article is a book review of "Nii Ndahlohke: Boys' and Girls' Work at Mount Elgin Industrial School, 1890-1915" by Mary Jane Logan McCallum. The book explores the history of the Mount Elgin Industrial School and its impact on Indigenous children. It reveals that the school not only failed to provide a useful education but also exploited the children for free labor. The author highlights the inadequate funding and poor conditions at the school, as well as the lack of opportunities and generational wealth denied to Indigenous people by the government. [Extracted from the article]

The article "Beyond History for Historical Consciousness: Students, Narrative, and Memory" analyzes 600 students' written responses to the question of the history of French Canadians in Canada. The authors examine how students construct narratives to explain the past and draw conclusions about their perceptions. They find that students' narratives differ based on geographic location, gender, mother tongue, and sense of identification. The authors also note the lack of representation of Indigenous history in the students' responses and suggest further research on this topic. Overall, the study provides insights into how students understand and interpret history. [Extracted from the article]

This article, published in the African Herp News, discusses the attempted predation of Nile crocodile hatchlings and juveniles by tiger fish (Hydrocynus vittatus). The tiger fish is a predatory fish found in tropical river systems in sub-Saharan Africa. While the predation of small Nile crocodiles by tiger fish is well-known, there is limited direct evidence of this behavior. The article presents supporting evidence of a predation attempt based on an observed bite mark on a juvenile Nile crocodile. The authors suggest that even smaller tiger fish would attempt to feed on juvenile crocodiles. However, the circumstances of the predation attempt are unknown as the observers did not witness the event directly. [Extracted from the article]

Rationale: The prevalence and diagnostic utility of bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) in a real-life setting is unclear. Objective: To explore this uncertainty in patients aged ⩾12 years with physician-assigned diagnoses of asthma, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or COPD in NOVELTY, a prospective cohort study in primary and secondary care in 18 countries. Methods: The proportion of patients with a positive BDR test in each diagnostic category was calculated using 2005 (ΔFEV 1 or ΔFVC ⩾12% and ⩾200 ml) and 2021 (ΔFEV 1 or ΔFVC >10% predicted) European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society criteria. Measurements and Main Results: We studied 3,519 patients with a physician-assigned diagnosis of asthma, 833 with a diagnosis of asthma + COPD, and 2,436 with a diagnosis of COPD. The prevalence of BDR was 19.7% (asthma), 29.6% (asthma + COPD), and 24.7% (COPD) using 2005 criteria and 18.1%, 23.3%, and 18.0%, respectively, using 2021 criteria. Using 2021 criteria in patients diagnosed with asthma, BDR was associated with higher fractional exhaled nitric oxide; lower lung function; higher symptom burden; more frequent hospital admissions; and greater use of triple therapy, oral corticosteroids, or biologics. In patients diagnosed with COPD, BDR (2021) was associated with lower lung function and higher symptom burden. Conclusions: BDR prevalence in patients with chronic airway diseases receiving treatment ranges from 18% to 30%, being modestly lower with the 2021 than with the 2005 European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society criteria, and it is associated with lower lung function and greater symptom burden. These observations question the validity of BDR as a key diagnostic tool for asthma managed in clinical practice or as a standard inclusion criterion for clinical trials of asthma and instead suggest that BDR be considered a treatable trait for chronic airway disease.