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AbstractHarmful algal blooms (HABs) have incurred numerous health problems through drinking water or exposure. A better understanding of the growth kinetics and toxin production under different environmental conditions will help develop tools for early‐warning indicators for predicting HABs. Lab‐scale experiments were performed with Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 under varying N:P ratios and temperatures. We observed different growth behaviors for cultures growing at the three temperatures (20, 25, and 30°C). M. aeruginosa exhibited higher growth rates at higher N:P ratios during the incubation at 25 and 30°C. Microcystis 16S rRNA gene abundance correlated well with the cell growth parameters. Based on RT‐qPCR data, the transcripts of mcyA, mcyD, and mcyE were occasionally detected with N:P of 76.86 showing highest detections of all gene transcripts. Intracellular microcystin (MC) production corresponded well with the presence of gene transcripts, while no extracellular MC was detected. These findings would provide valuable insights and beneficial guidance to further explore and predict the impacts of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater systems.

Several studies have suggested SARS-CoV-2 originated from a viral ancestor in bats, but whether transmission occurred directly or via an intermediary host to humans remains unknown. Concerns of spillover of SARS-CoV-2 into wild bat populations are hindering bat rehabilitation and conservation efforts in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Current protocols state that animals cared for by individuals who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 cannot be released into the wild and must be isolated to reduce the risk of transmission to wild populations. Here, we propose a reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR)-based protocol for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in bats, using fecal sampling. Bats from the United Kingdom were tested following suspected exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and tested negative for the virus. With current UK and international legislation, the identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection in wild animals is becoming increasingly important, and protocols such as the one developed here will help improve understanding and mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 in the future.

The recent emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a healthcare challenge, as well as an economic threat to the world. The situation is even worse for the developing nations like India. Diagnostic tests are fundamental to the ability to detect and respond to the disease. However, finding adequate resources for that has proved to be a significant challenge. As a solution, a pooling approach for the diagnostic tests is proposed in the literature and the media. In this article, we explore several algorithms for pooling samples to reduce the number of such diagnostic tests. Through a comparative study, we look at their relative performance at different disease prevalence levels. We also discuss the impact of the sensitivity and specificity of the tests. In the context of using the quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) tests for diagnosing COVID-19 cases in India, we discuss the feasibility of using the pooling algorithms and possible avenues to improve their effectiveness.

The involvement of RT /RW as a successful team of Paslon Mayor and Deputyota in the Makassar City Election in 2020 is considered to interfere with the functions of the services carried out. This study aims to analyze the issue of neutrality RT / RW from the regulatory side. The results showed that, RT/RW involvement as a successful team of Paslon Mayors and Deputy Mayors in the Makassar Municipal Elections in 2020, due to the absence of prohibitions in the regulation. While expecting RT/RW neutrality in any political momentum, it is not enough with moral appeal, but it requires regulatory assertiveness accompanied by the threat of sanctions. The absence of regulation is also an obstacle for Bawaslu in law enforcement, it is a consequence of the enactment of the principle of legality or in the law of administration of the state known as wetmatigheid van het berstuur.

This article focuses on the social media content of RT Arabic – formerly Russia Today – the Russian state-funded international news media organization. It presents results of a qualitative analysis of social media posts in order to assess whether and how RT Arabic constructs a strategic narrative of its involvement in the war in Syria. It also contributes to conceptualizations of how state-sponsored strategic narratives operate in practice and can be mobilized as a soft power resource. Our key finding is that, while Russia's military presence is rendered almost invisible on RT Arabic, its role as a political and diplomatic actor is highly visible. Although Syrian civilians feature as the most prominent actors, they do so mostly as helpless victims and passive witnesses. Syria is represented as a non-sovereign, dysfunctional state, vulnerable to incursion by foreign forces that are vying for power and control in the region. In RT's representation of the conflict, Russia is portrayed as coming to the aid of Syrians and Syria, as a benign presence promoting the establishment of good governance and skilfully managing the complex diplomatic relations surrounding the conflict. Rather than using straightforward propagandistic or hard-line ideological narratives, RT Arabic creates its own style of persuasive soft power on social media. This style is characterized by the differentiated visibilities afforded to Russia's military, diplomatic and political roles. Deftly balancing exposure and concealment, RT Arabic performs a legitimating function – rendering Russia's presence and power in a positive light.

Demand for water reuse is increasing worldwide, whether by necessity in developing countries or by environmental objectives in developed countries. An efficient and sustainable hydric resources management allows non-potable uses for treated wastewater such as irrigation, industrial processes, firefighting, recreational or municipal services. Besides the existence of heavy metals, chemicals, hormones and endocrine disruptors in treated wastewater, it is still necessary to deal with the potential presence of resistant pathogens, many of which are not tested or included in current standards or legislation designed for water quality assessment. These microorganisms include virus, bacteria, protozoa and helminths, responsible for a significant number of potentially dangerous pathologies. Current wastewater treatment processes may not completely remove enteric viruses, even with adequate residual disinfectant concentrations. UV technology has been used regarding water reuse, but the apparent ability for some microorganism to repair DNA/RNA damage allows the reactivation of their capability for reproduction and infection. Hence, one of the major public health issues focuses on the possibility for highly infective pathogen transmission trough treated wastewater - a regulation revision is therefore of the utmost importance. In this work, wastewater samples were collected at a WWTP in the Lisbon district, at 3 different stages – untreated affluent, effluent with secondary treatment and effluent with tertiary treatment. A procedure based on the ISO/TS 15216-2:2013 for quantitative detection of Hepatitis A and Norovirus I (NovI) and II (NovII) in water samples was established. Common microbiological and some physical and chemical indicators were also performed for comparison. Enteric virus (NovI/NovII/HepA) were detected in the 3 different WWTP stages samples: untreated wastewater (100/100/20%); secondary treated effluent (47/73/13%) and tertiary treated effluent (33/20/7%). These results indicate that risks to public health still remain, although Fecal Indicator Bacteria indicators were close to zero. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion