Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: tyrobutyricum, indicating that the co-culture is capable of utilizing more of the acetate within the media and producing a subsequently higher amount of butyric acid. One possible explanation that can account for the lower acetate levels found in the co-culture is the glucose concentration, which was undetectable (< 0. 1 g/L) during the exponential growth phase. Consequently, it would appear that it was consumed immediately by the culture as soon as it was produced from sucrose. Under similar glucose-limited conditions, other groups have found that C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T shifts more carbon to the butyrate pathway instead of acetate production [3, 21]. Another possible reason for this is the activity of B. sp. SGP1, which produces lactic acid (Figure 1). Given that lactic acid was not detected within the co-culture, it appears that it and acetic acid are co-metabolized by C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T as fermentative substrates to produce butyric acid [8, 9]. As evidence of this, batch cultures of C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T were grown using P2 medium supplemented with either glucose (40. 0 g/L), lactic acid (10. 0 g/L in the form of sodium lactate) or both (Figure 5). When lactic acid was added alone, both it and the acetate present in the media were consumed (Figure 5C and E), leading to butyric acid production (Figure 5D). The consumption of two acids and subsequent production of only one led to a significant increase in the pH as the molar concentration of acids was nearly halved, i. e. , 0. 025 M of acetate and 0. 070 M lactate produced 0. 053 M butyrate (Figure 5F). These results confirm that acetate and lactate can be co-utilized by C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T to produce butyric acid, with a yield under these conditions of 0. 6 g butyrate/g (acetate and lactate). In fact, this is in agreement with the equation reported previously for acetate-lactate fermentation by C.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: This hostility is a severe disincentive to carry out GM crop research in the EU,Citation69 which has serious economic and scientific consequences for the bloc. In general, the types of data and approaches to human and environmental risk assessment as part of regulatory decision-making for approvals to import or cultivate GM crops are similar worldwide. There are however, certain data requirements that make regulatory submissions and decision-making more difficult in the EU than elsewhere. In human health risk assessment, the EU often requires a 28-d repeated-dose rodent study to assess transgenic protein toxicity, despite data on bioinformatics, mode-of-action, in vitro digestibility and stability, predicted dietary exposure and a 14-d single dose mouse study indicating negligible potential for the protein to be hazardous. Citation65 The scientific value of this study is minimal if other data indicate negligible hazard,Citation65 and therefore is it doubtful that the use of additional animals is justified. There are also additional requirements for ecological risk assessment in the EU. Ecotoxicology studies using plant material are increasingly required even when negligible ecological risk has been established through compositional analysis,Citation69 the mode of action of the transgenic protein,Citation61 and, in the case of insecticidal proteins, laboratory ecotoxicology studies that expose several representative surrogate species to high concentrations of the protein. Citation70 Additional exposure modeling is also requiredCitation71 even when conservative exposure scenarios reveal negligible risk to species highly sensitive to the insecticidal protein in question. Citation72Additional studies that add little to our knowledge of risk impose costs on companies that must supply them and on regulators who must review them, without appreciable benefit to decision-making from those costs. Furthermore, each additional endpoint increases the likelihood that a statistically significant difference between the treatment and control samples will occur by chance. Delays to decision-making are likely to result while the differences are investigated. Over the past 20 y, EU legislation on GM crops has changed continually (Table 2). This law-making may give the impression that something has gone wrong with approvals under previous legislation. In reality, major changes were made even though few products had been approved for import and cultivation and no adverse effects detected. Citation74,Citation75 The changes seem to be driven more by political requirements to be seen to be tough on GM crops in response to public perception that GM crops are inherently harmful and pose greater risks than food-borne illnesses and inadequate diets.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Everyone benefits equally from the same probiotic strains. [SEP] Text: Both the strains showed the presence of the genes encoding both cell wall-anchored adhesion-associated protein (CwaA) (96% similarity) and mucus-binding protein precursor (Mbp) (99% similarity). DKL2 and JRG2 were also found to encode fibronectin-binding protein A (FbpA) with low identity (< 58%). Furthermore, mannose-specific lectin (Msl) was found to be encoded by the DKL3 genome with 83. 8% identity. Based on the earlier studies, all these proteins appear to be associated with the probiotic properties of the lactobacilli. Specifically, recombinantly expressed CwaA in Lactococcus lactis has been shown to be involved in adhesion to the colonic epithelial cells as well as in the exclusion of pathogen45. Similarly, recombinant expression of two of the six mucous binding domains of L. plantarum Mbp in E. coli has been shown to exhibit very high adhesion to rat, pig, and human intestinal tissues and also inhibition of pathogen binding66. Also, purified FbpA from L. casei has been characterized to show adhesion to immobilized fibronectin67. In L. plantarum CMPG5300, Msl was shown to be required for adhesion to the vaginal epithelial cells and other cell adhesion properties such as auto-aggregation, biofilm formation, and binding to mannosylated glycans68. Thus, the in vitro adhesion properties and the presence of the required genes suggests the potential of both the DKL3 and JGR2 to colonize in the human gut. The presence of msl in DKL3 also suggests that it can have the potential of colonizing in the vagina and subsequently exhibiting probiotic effects. Additionally, we assessed 147 genomes of L. plantarum available in the NCBI database for the presence of these adhesion-related genes (Fig. 3b). L. plantarum strains have previously been shown to have either of the two types of CwaA45. In accordance with this observation, the majority of the strains that we analyzed had CwaA (107 strains), a few had Group II CwaA (30 strains); whereas, the remaining few strains did not contain this protein. Similarly, a protein with about 57.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: butyricum, where: Acetate + 3 Lactate + ADP + P i → 2 Butyrate + 2 H 2 + ATP [22]. Figure 5Characteristics of C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755Tcultures grown on P2 medium supplemented with either 40. 0 g/L glucose (Glu), 40. 0 g/L glucose and 10. 0 g/L lactate (Glu+Lac), 10. 0 g/L lactate (Lac) or nothing (Control). This results shown are (A) optical density, (B) glucose concentration, (C) lactic acid concentration, (D) butyric acid concentration, (E) acetic acid concentration and (F) pH of the cultures. Full size imageWhen lactic acid was added along with glucose, C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T showed an enhanced growth and butyric acid production, which can be in part attributed to the pH buffering effect described above. In confirmation of Figure 4A, the acetate concentration did not increase, as was seen when glucose was added alone, while the lactic acid concentration decreased, suggesting that these two acids were once more being converted into butyric acid. Lactic acid is converted only into butyric acid not acetic acidTo confirm that lactic acid is being converted by C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T into butyric acid only, P2 medium was prepared once more but with a mixture of 12C- glucose (40. 0 g/L) and [1, 2, 3 13C3] lactic acid (5. 0 g/L). After 40 h of culturing, samples were taken, and the resulting butyric and acetic acids were analyzed for the presence of 13C (Figure 6). Acetic acid showed only a single peak at 60 (m/z) corresponding to the expected molecular weight of 12C2-acetic acid. For butyric acid, however, we found multiple molecular peaks at 88 (m/z), which corresponds to the molecular weight of 12C4-butyric acid, as well as at 89, 90, 91 and 92 (m/z), indicating the existence of significant amounts of 13C in butyric acid.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: ChassyCitation76 summarizes the position pithily: “In spite of scientific analysis that indicates that transgenic crops are as safe as, or safer than, crops produced by other breeding modalities, transgenic plants are treated as if they were toxic chemicals or nuclear waste. ”Table 2. Major changes to EU since 1990’s complicated procedures create ideal opportunities for any political opposition to GMOs to delay decision-making through claims about scientific uncertainty. Under the Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, the application for import or cultivation of a GM crop for food and feed is produced by the applicant and submitted to a competent authority of one of the EU member states. The application contains large amounts of information, including human health and environmental risk assessments, monitoring plans, labeling proposals and a detection method for the product. The application is passed to EFSA, which prepares an opinion based on the assessment conducted by scientific experts; EFSA should issue its opinion within 6 mo, although the time limit is often extended because of requests for further information. The EFSA opinion is passed to the European Commission, and is also made available for public comment. then makes a recommendation to grant or refuse authorisation; if the Commission’s decision differs from EFSA’s opinion, its reasons for disagreeing with EFSA must be justified. The Commission’s recommendation is voted on by member states in the on the (). Acceptance or rejection of the Commission’s recommendation by must be by a qualified majority. Citation9 If there is no qualified majority, the Commission’s recommendation is passed to the Council of Ministers for Agriculture, which must accept or reject the recommendation by a qualified majority. If there is no qualified majority to accept or reject the Commission’s recommendation, the decision passes back to the Commission, which may accept its own recommendation. Such a complex system requires political will to ensure final decisions on product approvals are made. Without this political will, proposals can stall, often indefinitely, at any step of the “comitology” with no justification given. This results in huge backlogs of products awaiting decisions. 2011, there were 72 dossiers in the process and only three products were approved in the EU between January and November 2011.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Everyone benefits equally from the same probiotic strains. [SEP] Text: 6% similarity to FbpA was present in all but two strains. A protein showing about 54% identity with MapA from Limosilactobacillus reuteri but annotated as transporter substrate-binding protein was present in all the L. plantarum strains analyzed. Proteins similar to mucin-binding protein (MucBP) (6 strains with 52–98% identity), Msl (6 strains with 72–98% identity), and collagen-binding protein (Cbp) (5 strains with 88–89% identity), were scarcely found across L. plantarum strains and were annotated differently. The presence of adhesion-related protein of one or the other type in a large majority of the L. plantarum strains suggests that they might be able to colonize in the animal hosts. The fact that DKL3 was one of the only six L. plantarum having msl further highlights its unique probiotic potential. 3. 4. 5 Safety of isolates Although L. plantarum has a GRAS status, the safety of each stain for usage in human consumption needs to be determined 69. To establish food safety, DKL3 and JGR2 were assessed for their antibiotic resistance at the phenotypic and genomic levels, hemolysis activity at phenotypic levels, and the biogenic amine biosynthesis at the genomic levels. Antibiotic MIC test revealed that both the strains were sensitive to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, and trimethoprim and resistant to gentamicin and vancomycin (Table 2). Campedelli et al. (2019) reported phenotypic resistance to tetracycline and chloramphenicol in a majority of L. plantarum strains in their panel. This fact suggests the superiority of JGR2 and DKL3 on this parameter. Resistance to gentamicin and vancomycin is considered to be intrinsic and is well-studied in lactobacilli70. When mined for AR genes, those conferring resistance to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and erythromycin were found in both strains in spite of having the phenotypic resistance to the former two antibiotics.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: These results demonstrate that the lactic acid present in the media is being used as a substrate by C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T and that it is being converted only into butyric acid and not for acetic acid production even in presence of another carbon source in the medium such as glucose. Figure 6GC-MS spectra of acetic and butyric acids present in the culture broth of C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755Tafter culturing for 40 h in P2 medium with 12C 6 -glucose (40. 0 g/L) and [1,2,3-13C 3 ] lactic acid (5. 0 g/L). A) Mass spectra of butyric acid showing the presence of significant amounts of butyric acid with molecular weights higher than 88 (i. e. : 89, 90, 91 and 92) indicating the corporation of 13C. B) Mass spectra of acetic acid showing the absence of 13C in the acetic acid. Full size imageOptimizing pH conditions in the co-culture for butyric acid productionThe optimum pH for culturing B. sp. SGP1 was around 7. 0 while more acidic conditions led to a decreased growth (Additional file 3: Figure S3). However, for C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T, the optimum pH for growth and butyric acid production is known to be 5. 9 to 6. 0 [4–6, 23], a value that we used previously to produce more than 50 g/L butyric acid [7]. For this co-culture, we tried fed-batch fermentations at different pH values (5. 9, 5. 7, 5. 5, and 5. 3). All fermentations were performed at 37°C as this temperature was found to be the best for the co-culture based upon butyric acid final concentration (Additional file 4: Figure S4). Interestingly, the optimum pH for the co-culture both in terms of growth and butyric acid production was 5. 5 (Figure 7) which is lower than the optimum for growth of either strain. At this pH, the maximum productivity was 0. 3±0. 04 g/L/h and the final butyrate concentration was 34. 2±1. 8 g/L with a yield of 0. 35±0.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: Agricultural policy should be derived from economic, social and environment values, and the acceptability of the likely results of using of GMHT maize should be judged according to that policy. Economic, social and environment values cannot be discovered by scientific analysis of weed shifts, no matter how accurate and precise they may be. The impact of the changes in legislation was a long period up to 2004 when very few GM crop import or cultivation approvals were received (Table 2). In 2010, there was an increase in import approvals; however, on average these still take approximately 4 y. Only 4 products have received cultivation approvals (MON810 maize, Bt 176 maize, T25 maize and Amflora Potato), 2 of which are grown currently. Footnote† Changes in legislation have led to significant changes in data requirements, and therefore regulatory packages prepared in, say, 2001 or 2007, are different from those requested in 2011, and this results in delays in submissions, review and decision-making in the EU compared with other jurisdictions. Some of the consequences of these delays are considered below. Impact of EU Regulations and Lengthy and Unpredictable Decision-MakingThe cost to agricultural biotechnology companies and society generally of difficulties conducting GM crop field trials, and unpredictable decision-making on applications for product approvals, are difficult to identify fully and quantify precisely; however, there are clear effects on agricultural biotechnology companies, the economies of the EU and countries that cultivate, or may wish to cultivate, GM crops and export agricultural commodities to the EU. Delays in import approvals in the EU may have important consequences because although a company may have approvals to sell GM seed for cultivation in countries outside the EU, in practice it may not be possible to sell the seed until the product is approved for import in the EU. The EU has, for the most part, “zero tolerance” of unapproved events leading to rejection of commodities in which these events are detected. The costs of rejection are high and are estimated to be between €100 million and €1 billion per incident. Citation80 These risks could be managed using segregation and identity preservation methods to reduce the probability that cultivation of the unapproved event will lead to its presence in commodities for export to the EU;Citation81 however, the risk, in some cases may be managed more effectively by not cultivating the event even though it is approved for cultivation in the exporting country.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Everyone benefits equally from the same probiotic strains. [SEP] Text: Environ. Microbiol. 12, 758–773 (2010). 9. Martino, M. E. et al. Nomadic lifestyle of Lactobacillus plantarum revealed by comparative genomics of 54 strains isolated from different habitats. Environ. Microbiol. 18, 4974–4989 (2016). 10. Gupta, A. & Tiwari, S. K. of Lactobacillus plantarum LD1 Isolated from Batter of Dosa, a Fermented Food. Probiotics Antimicrob. Proteins 6, 73–81 (2014). 11. Khemariya, P. , Singh, S. , Jaiswal, N. & Chaurasia, S. N. S. Isolation and Identification of Lactobacillus plantarum from Vegetable Samples. Food Biotechnol. 30, 49–62 (2016). 12. Poornachandra Rao, K. et al. Probiotic potential of Lactobacillus strains isolated from sorghum-based traditional fermented food. Probiotics Antimicrob. Proteins 7, 146–156 (2015). 13. Bora, S. S. , Keot, J. , Das, S. , Sarma, K. & Barooah, M. Metagenomics analysis of microbial communities associated with a traditional rice wine starter culture (Xaj-pitha) of Assam, India. 3 Biotech 6, 1–13 (2016). 14. Tamang, J. P. et al. Identification of predominant lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditionally fermented vegetable products of the Eastern Himalayas. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 105, 347–356 (2005). 15. Goel, A. , Halami, P. M. & Tamang, J. P. Genome analysis of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from some Indian fermented foods for bacteriocin production and probiotic marker genes. Front. Microbiol. 11, (2020). 16. Grover, S. , Sharma, V. K. , Mallapa, R. H. & Batish, V. K. Draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus plantarum strain Lp91, a promising Indian probiotic isolate of human gut origin.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: 03 g butyrate/g sucrose based upon the amount of sucrose consumed. By comparison, in a previous study done by our group employing immobilized C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T, a yield of 0. 45 g butyrate/g glucose was reported using the same media as in this study [7]. Another study looking at the fed-batch addition of carbonated beverages, which contain sucrose, glucose and fructose, to cultures of C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T grown in RCM media found yields of 0. 42 ± 0. 11 g/g [10], a value that is comparable with that seen in our study. The final acetate and lactate concentrations in the medium were 2. 5 g/L and 0. 2 g/L, respectively. Accordingly, this co-culture was selective for butyric acid, with 92. 8% of the final acids by weight being butyric acid. By comparison, our previous study found butyric acid constituted only 82% of the total acids when 35. 4 g/L butyric acid was produced during a fed batch culture with glucose [7]. Figure 7Typical B. sp. SGP1 and C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755Tco-culture fed-batch fermentation in RCM supplemented with sucrose at pH 5. 5 and 37°C. The plots show (A) the sugars consumption profile and (B)the optical density of the cultures and their production profiles for butyric, acetic and lactic acids. Full size imageOn the other hand, at the higher pH values tested (5. 7, and 5. 9), the final butyric acid concentrations were both lower; 26. 3 g/L and 16. 6 g/L for pHs 5. 7 and 5. 9 respectively while the acetic acid final concentrations were 1. 0 g/L and 1. 5 g/L respectively. It is thought that this may be attributed to the enhanced growth of B. sp. SGP1 at these higher pH values, leading to competition for the sugars produced. On the other hand, the final butyrate and acetic acid concentrations with the lowest pH tested, i. e. , 5. 3 were 20. 8 and 10. 0 g/L respectively. It was also observed that the glucose concentration was lower than 0.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: Citation84 Movement of research and development outside the EU has immediate costs of fewer jobs, but also has likely long-term adverse consequences on the EU’s ability to influence the direction of agricultural biotechnology innovation and to reap benefits from a biotechnology-based economy. Citation84 In this regard, the EU’s policies on GM crops may be an extreme manifestation of a long-term trend of reduced political and financial support for agricultural research in the EU. Citation85 For reasons given above, agricultural problems are never permanently solved owing to, among other things, environment change, evolution in pests and changing political and social objectives; and the EU risks being unable to solve future problems unique to its agriculture if all innovation in agricultural technology is performed elsewhere. A final consideration is the many millions of euros needed yearly to maintain the EU regulatory bureaucracy for GM crops, including parts of EFSA, competent authorities in member states and public research into human and health and environmental risks. Citation86,Citation87 Some of this cost will be incurred dealing with applications for cultivation approvals. If this money has any chance of being well spent, there must be a policy that GM crops can be grown in the EU if they meet certain criteria, and that scientific analysis of the risks posed by cultivation will play some part in the decision for particular products. If cultivation of GM crops is politically unacceptable in the EU, then scientific analysis of the risks of GM crops will have no effect on decision-making, and is a waste of time and money, except as a means to conceal to preconceived political decisions. for Clear PolicyExperience of EU regulation of GM crops suggests that science is being used to conceal political objectives that cannot be made clear. Products such as Bt11 maize, which has been in the EU system for 15 years awaiting a decision on cultivation, and GA21 maize have undergone thorough risk assessments based on data that have been more than adequate to secure cultivation approvals in North and South America, and the Philippines. In many countries, regulatory decision-making proceeds according to well-defined procedures. In the EU, on the other hand, unexpected delays are met continually: new study requirements are devised, new methods of analyzing data are imposed, formats of dossiers are changed, legislation is revised, and decision-making schedules are extended.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: Abstract Histopathologically, amyloids are known as β-sheet rich extracellular protein deposits that are generally associated with neuro-degenerative diseases of mammals including α-synuclein observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Microorganisms have been reported for the production of similar proteins with functional physiological traits also termed as “functional amyloids” helping them in the invasion, biofilm formation, host-colonization, and even in immune activation. The gut-associated micro-flora is known to aggravate neuro-degeneration and disease progression. In the present work, the authors have analyzed the possibility of interaction between α-synuclein with functional amyloids using in silico tools (phylogeny, docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and visual MD visualization) and reviewed the reported (in vitro and in vivo) interactions. The interaction of functional amyloids and anti-Parkinsonian drugs with wild type α-synuclein (non-misfolded) was shown to be interacting with specific amino acids with the possibility of use of micro-biota even as psycho-biotics. Microbial exudates have been implicated with various disorders influencing human mental health with both negative and positive effects. The present review, analyzing the influence of gut-micro-flora crossing the gut-brain-axis, and enhancing the psycho-pathological health of the human brain can help future research in alleviating human mental health using the gut-brain axis. Keyword: Bacterial functional amyloids In silico Mental health Neuro-degeneration Psychobiotics α-synuclein Citation:. Effects of gut bacteria and their amyloids on mental health and neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. J Biotech. 2023;11(3):38-46. Copyright: Author(s). This is an 1. than twenty different human amyloidosis diseases and other neurodegenerative disorders have been linked to misfolding of amyloid proteins and further aggregation and fibrillation. Parkinson’s disease (PD) (a neurodegenerative disease), has been associated with pathological amyloid- α-synuclein capable of aggregation and amyloidosis.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: 1 g/L throughout the course of fermentation when the pH was 5. 5, 5. 7, and 5. 9 while, at pH 5. 3, it was increasing constantly during the course of fermentation to reach 10. 0 g/L near the end of the fermentation (Data not shown). It is also worthy to note that, with an optimum pH of 5. 5, the sucrose hydrolysis was higher during the early stages of the fermentation than during the latter (>100 h), suggesting that the Bacillus strain was limited in its growth or activity. The ability of the co-culture to grow in RCM medium without previous purging with an inert gasC. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T is a strict anaerobe and sensitive to oxygen so the culturing medium needs to be purged with an inert gas like nitrogen or argon prior to inoculation to provide anoxic conditions. However, this purging contributes to the total cost for butyric acid production. Since B. sp. SGP1 strain is a facultative anaerobe, we wanted to test the ability of this co-culture to grow in RCM medium without prior purging. We found that the co-culture could grow successfully and produce butyric acid, albeit after a longer lag time (Figure 8). It appears that B. sp. SGP1 grew and consumed the oxygen present in the medium, thus providing the anoxic conditions needed for the growth of C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T. This finding is important since it suggests that fermentations using these two bacteria can be performed using media without purging, allowing industries to reduce their production costs. Figure 8Growth of and butyric acid production by B. sp. SGP1 and C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755Tco-cultures with and without purging of the medium with argon gas. The cultures were grown in serum bottles at 37°C using RCM supplemented with sucrose. Full size imageConclusionsAlthough C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T alone is unable to utilize sucrose, using a co-culture of C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T and B. sp. SGP1, this study demonstrates that sucrose can be utilized as a carbon source for butyric acid production.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: Introduction: the Governance of Agrifoods? Download book PDF Download book. Clark3 & Jill E. Hobbs3 Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in (()) 704 Accesses AbstractThe introduction to this book asks the question: why study the governance of genome editing in agrifood? We discuss current system-wide, and country specific policy changes that have increased interest in using genomic techniques to make improvements to agronomic, nutritional/functional traits and organoleptic qualities of plants used for human food and animal feed. We discuss why applying supply chain and systems approaches are useful ways to view how the pace and applications of technological innovations in this sector are tempered by the political and economic dynamics of risk governance. This introductory 2018. A conference held in brought scientists together from around the world to discuss the implications of using -Cas9 to edit genes for human health research as well as agricultural applications. During the conference, a researcher from China made a presentation that would leave a lasting impression. In this presentation, scientist announced that gene editing had been used successfully on twin girls to make them resistant to HIV/AIDS infections. At the time, there were no regulations or policies in place to prevent ethically questionable uses of -Cas9 to alter the genome of any organism, including humans. The global controversy and condemnation by the scientific community surrounding this announcement triggered a strong regulatory response in countries around the world (Asquer & Krachkovskaya, 2021: 1117). The 2018 event would have lasting effects on the trajectory of gene editing in agricultural research up until today. The introduction of innovative technologies into the world often requires what Klerkx et al. (2010: 391) call ‘selling a good story’. The story must be told by the right people who have credibility, at the right time, in the right place and to the right people who can ‘capitalize on momentum and windows of opportunity’. If not, fear, uncertainty and outrage may dominate the narrative. It can easily be argued that gene editing, and particularly -Cas9, was not the subject of a good story. It was instead, introduced to the world as an ethically dubious technology wielded by unscrupulous scientists to re-write the human genome without any social license to do so.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: Various different types of amyloid proteins have been reported which vary in amino acid sequence but similar in their structure enriched with b-sheets giving them unique features such as robustness, stability, and insolubility in environment. These important characteristics of amyloid proteins have resulted in their selected evolution and utilization by insects, fungi, and bacteria. Thus the amyloid fiber aggregation is not just restricted to mammalian pathological and pathogenic processes but is a widely distributed attribute among the proteins and polypeptides exhibiting their existence in nature. These amyloids have been reported with biological functions such as fimbria formation in bacteria, epigenetic traits transmission in fungi and deposition and hormonal release in humans. The term “functional amyloid” has been coined to differentiate these biologically useful proteins from their toxic siblings [1,2]. Although amyloid proteins were first discovered for their link to human diseases, they now represent among a list of proteins with unique functional states which are disease-unrelated in the tree of life [3]. Recently, the microbial functional amyloids have been reported for enhancement and initiation of amyloido-genesis due to their cross-interaction. However, amyloid proteins have been reported from diverse microorganisms, their structural attributes have been studied very less. In silico studies on the proteins reduce the need for expensive laboratory work and enhance the rate of research and discovery [4,5]. Interests in the works on the gut-brain axis during the initial part of the new millennium have been reduced due to the lack of long-term longitudinal research [3]. In the present review, we have analyzed different types of bacterial “functional amyloids” with respect to α-synuclein of PD and their interaction with each other and in comparison to the known medication molecules. Understanding these interactions of “functional amyloids” of gut micro-biota with pathological (wild type and virulent) amyloid of brain influencing the mental health can help in future treatment and actions. 2. α-– more than 50 human diseases, formation of various forms of aggregated intermediates and amyloid fibrils were observed due to misfolding and accumulation of amyloido-genic proteins [6].

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: In addition, this co-culture offers also the benefit of a greater selectivity for butyric acid. Another advantage of this co-culture is its ability to produce butyric acid at a relatively high yield, which is similar to the yield obtained by pure cultures of C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T grown on glucose. One drawback for this proposed co-culture is the low productivity during fed-batch fermentations. This can be improved in future studies by changing the medium composition or the fermentation mode to optimize the growth kinetics of the two strains. Likewise, future work may also include using this novel B. sp. SGP1 strain or other Bacillus strains in similar co-cultures with C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T for production of butyric acid but from other carbon sources, such as starch or cellulose. Materials and methodsReagentsAll of the chemicals and reagents used were purchased from the Sigma-Aldrich Co. USA, unless mentioned otherwise. The reagents, when available, were molecular biology grade. All solutions were prepared using these reagents and sterile distilled water. Bacterial strains and culturing methodsB. sp. SGP1 was isolated from a waste water sludge sample obtained from the Jo anaerobic digestion tank, Seoul, South Korea. This strain was co-cultured with C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T in reinforced clostridial media (RCM). The media was made fresh using the individual components and supplemented with 40. 0 g/L of either sucrose for the co-culture tests or B. sp. SGP1 monocultures or glucose for C. tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T monocultures. The composition of the RCM medium was as follows: beef extract (Difco, USA) 10. 0 g/L, peptone (Difco, USA) 5. 0 g/L, yeast extract (Difco, USA) 3. 0 g/L, tryptone (Difco, USA) 5. 0 g/L, starch 1. 0 g/L, sodium acetate 3. 0 g/L, and NaCl 5. 0 g/L.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: The legacy of the focusing event in 2018 has had long standing implications for gene editing for research into its applications for human health, but also for how this innovation has been welcomed or resisted in the agricultural innovation space. The governance of gene editing in agricultural research may seem unrelated to this event, but the resultant regulatory wheels that were set in motion have had significant implications for the regulation and use of gene editing in the global agrifood system. On one hand, proponents of gene editing techniques in agriculture argue that it should not be considered identical to genetically modified foods because it does not use transgenes (the SDN1 technique) and thus, should be regulated similarly to any other agrifood introduced to a country with no prior safety record—genetically edited or produced using conventional techniques. On the other, gene editing is viewed by some as ‘just another biotechnology’ that carries the same perceived risks as Organisms (GMOs)Footnote 1 and should be subject to the same biosafety protocols and regulations as its genetically modified counterpart. Currently, there is no global consensus on how gene editing should be regulated in agrifood research or assessed for commercialization. Gene editing has been used in agricultural research and product development for decades before -Cas9. -Cas9 has revolutionized gene editing in a way that prior techniques have not. It has encouraged governments to critically assess, and in some cases re-think, how these techniques are regulated in research and commercialization. Today, there is a patchwork of diverse regulatory frameworks, with varying levels of acceptance of gene editing as equivalent to traditional breeding techniques. For example, Japan has commercialized two gene edited agrifoods; the GABAFootnote 2 enhanced tomato, and two types of fish for human consumption, while the has commercialized a soybean with improved fatty acid composition (Waltz, 2021) and American company Pairwise is set to commercially release a gene edited leafy green. On the research side, Chinese institutions hold a significant proportion of patents for gene edited crop varieties (Bagley & Candler, 2023), but the Chinese national government has not yet publicized any regulatory protocols for commercialization of these products in the domestic market.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: In diseases such as PD (α-synuclein), Alzheimer’s disease (amyloid-β), and transmissible spongiform encephalopathy’s (prions or Platelet-rich plasma [PrP]), the cause is typically related to the structural conversions due to misfolding of a single disease associated protein [7]. Pathological aggregation of α-syn, a neuronal protein has been characterized in many progressive and pathologically similar neurodegenerative disorders such as PD, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Both in PD and DLB, α-syn aggregation is seen as Lewy neuritis (LNs) and LBs, while in MSA it is detected as Glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCI) within oligo-dendrocytes. Presence of these aggregates of α-syn (LBs and GCIs) with p62 and ubiquitin (of components of machinery for protein degradation) triggers the pathological cascade leading to neuro-inflammation and severe neuro-degeneration characteristic of the said diseases [8]. The wild type and misfolded α-syn are shown in Figure 1a and b. Figure 1: Pathological and functional amyloide interactions. Structure of α-synuclein (a) Wild type (1XQ8) and (b) Misfolded (2N0A); Structure of amyloids analyzed here, (c) Bacillus subtilis (50F1) TasA amyloid, (d) Bacillus atropheus (BATR1942) TasA amyloid (e) Dinoroseobacter shibae DFL 12 (Dshi_4130), (f) Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki YBT-1520 TasA and (g) Streptococcus pyogenes MGAS15252; Common drugs of Parkinson’s disease analyzed in the present work - (h) Benztropine, (i) Bromocriptine, (j) Trihexyphenidyl, (k) Selegiline, and (l) Levodopa.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: The medium was purged with argon gas and aliquoted into 60 ml serum bottles (20 ml in each), after which it was sterilized by autoclaving at 121°C for 20 minutes. For some experiments, P2 medium was used instead of RCM. The composition of the P2 medium was as follows: yeast extract (Difco, USA) 1. 0 g/L, K2HPO4 0. 5 g/L, KH2PO4 0. 5 g/L, ammonium acetate 2. 2 g/L, p-aminobenzoate 0. 001 g/L, thiamin 0. 001 g/L, biotin 0. 00001 g/L, MgSO4. 7H2O 0. 2 g/L, MnSO4. H2O 0. 01 g/L, FeSO4. 7H2O 0. 01 g/L, and NaCl 0. 01 g/L. Unless else is mentioned, incubation and growth of the cultures was done in a shaking incubator at 37°C and 200 rpm. Analytical methodsQuantitative analysis of the volatile fatty acids (acetic and butyric acids) was done using GC (gas chromatography) (6890). Helium was used as the carrier gas. The oven temperature was programmed to increase from 50 to 240°C at a rate of 10°C/min. The temperature of the injection port and FID (Detector) were 250°C. The concentration of the acids was determined according to a standard calibration curve. For analysis of the sugars and lactic acid, an HPLC (1200 ) with an RID (Detector) was used under the following conditions: mobile phase, 0. 01M sulfuric acid; column, Aminex HPX-87H (dimensions - 300*7. 8, Biorad, USA); flow rate, 0. 5 ml/min; temperature, 40°C. The optical densities of the samples were measured using spectrophotometer (UV-mini 1240, Shimadzu, Japan) at 600 nm. To prove that [1, 2, 3 13C3] lactic acid is converted to butyric acid and not acetic acid by C.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: Canadian regulatory bodies have determined that gene edited agrifoods do not present any novel risks to human, animal or environmental health compared to conventional breeding techniques, and applications for commercialization will be assessed on a case-by-case basis for health and biosafety concerns. The EU has had legislation in place since 2001 prohibiting the deliberate release of all products of Techniques (NBTs). Gene edited crops are GMOs under Directive 2001/18/EC. But in July of 2023, the EU Commission announced that it was re-examining how ‘new genomic techniques’ (including gene editing like -Cas9) are regulated, considering a loosening of regulatory protocols for organisms that are not transgenic (no foreign genes from other species) and have less than 20 genetic modifications. Gene editing in agrifood research, product development and regulatory frameworks is not where it was in 2018. The global economy is also not where it was in 2018. System wide shocks such as the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on global food security, and the widespread damaging effects of climate change have put enormous stresses on the agrifood system and its global supply chains. Some experts argue that we are at the tipping point and must harness useful agricultural technologies in whatever way we can to mitigate damages to human, animal and environmental health and welfare if we are to avoid catastrophic environmental collapse and widespread hunger. Prior to the discovery of -Cas9, gene editing techniques had been around for decades, and proponents argued for their wider adoption to help manage future challenges. But the progress of gene editing as a useful and effective tool in agrifood research and development is not where some had hoped when -Cas9 was discovered in 2012. The status of gene editing in the agrifood system is in a state of flux. In some ways, the technology has not lived up to its potential to provide solutions to global food insecurity and the damaging effects of climate change on the world’s food supply. But why? What is the relationship between the current status of gene editing applications and the governance of agrifood technologies? Where might the future take gene editing? In this book, we investigate the factors that have guided science and governance discourse surrounding gene editing technologies, what has changed, and how might governance and regulatory frameworks respond to changes in the application of agrifood technologies in the future.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: [Click here to view] PD, as a neurodegenerative disease shows motor and non-motor symptoms associated with decreased dopamine release and loss of dopaminergic neurons with characteristic presence of LBs or LNs. As major pathological characteristics of PD, misfolding and further deposition of α-syn was observed with related synnucleopathy and MSA. This spread of α-syn pathology across the brain region results in the onset and further progression of the clinical phenotypes. α-syn misfolding into pathologic-folds showing self-templating conformations exhibiting ability to spread between cells like “Prion” proteins and further oligomerization to form higher structures has been proposed for the pathological cascade in these neurodegenerative diseases [8-10]. 3. fibers are ordered protein aggregates generally associated with many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and various Prion diseases. As their production is reported from different microorganisms like, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroides and also in fungi with relatively no relation to each other at the amino acid level, as seen in the present work there seems to be a preferential selection of amyloid curve during the evolution for various functions [Figure 1c-g]. The constructive use of stable amyloid fold in cellular, physiological, and functional purposes by bacteria is an evolutionary master-piece exhibiting pathological trait when similar proteins are not controlled by the cell leading to different neurodegenerative diseases. The unusual robustness of this extracellular “functional” bacterial amyloids (FuBA) (capable of withstanding chemical denaturants and SDS) has been employed by bacteria (under tight spatio-temporal-control) for biofilm-strengthening, cell-cell communications, cell-wall construction, and for bacterial antagonism. Although the misfolded human pathological amyloid proteins are intracellular-leading to cell lysis on fibrillation, most of the bacterial functional amyloids are extracellular and rarely reported for intracellular functions [3,11]. The synthesis, transport, and nucleation of bacterial FuBA involve a complex mixture of proteins makes their bioinformatic prediction and analysis with respect to pathological amyloids difficult.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755T, spent culture broth was analyzed using GC equipped with a Pegasus 2D TOF-MS (LECO, St. ) for detecting the presence of 13C in acetic and butyric acids. The column was HP-glycol (PEG) capillary column (17 m × 0. 32 mm internal diameter, 0. 25 μm film thickness, Agilent Technology, USA). The oven temperature was programmed to increase from 50°C to 150°C at a rate of 10°C/min. Helium was used as the carrier gas with a flow rate of 3 ml/min. The ionization mode employed was EI (electron impact ionization) with a scan rate of 100 spectra/sec and mass range of 40~500 m/z. The ion source temperature was 230°C [24]. Identification of the isolated Bacillus strainThe 16S rRNA gene sequence of the strain SGP1 was used as a query against the EzTaxon-e database [25, 26] and the 16S rRNA gene sequence of relatives were retrieved. The construction and evaluation of the phylogenetic trees were performed as described previously [27]. The alignment and phylogenetic analysis were performed using MEGA5 [28]. The 16s rRNA gene sequence of the strain SGP1 was submitted to GenBank ( and is registered under accession number HQ188291. 1. Fermentation conditionsFed-batch fermentations were done using a 3 L capacity bioreactor (Fermentec Co. Ltd. , Korea) with an initial working volume of 1 L. The medium was RCM supplemented with 60. 0 g/L sucrose (Sigma-Aldrich Co. USA). After autoclaving, the medium was purged with filtered oxygen-free argon gas. Overnight pre-cultures of the two strains were inoculated into the reactor at a concentration of 5% (v/v) for each strain. All fermentations were performed using agitation (200 rpm) and the pH was adjusted to the required values (5. 3 – 5. 9) by addition of a 10% ammonia solution, prepared by diluting an ammonium hydroxide solution (Cat # 320145, Sigma-Aldrich Co. USA) using sterile distilled water.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: The parameters of this study are as follows. We specifically focus on plants, with a brief discussion on gene edited microorganisms. Discussions of gene edited animals are not included in this study, however more general discussions of ‘gene editing’ techniques are analyzed in the context of crops and plant-based food & feed. Though the socio-political controversies and social movement oppositions surrounding biotechnology in agriculture are acknowledged as significant in terms of how gene editing is perceived in the public space, this book focuses on the governance of agricultural innovation of gene editing in the context of regulatory policy frameworks. Footnote 3 We discuss the influences of public perceptions of gene editing on regulatory frameworks, but our primary focus is on formalized regulations and guidelines governing the use and release of gene edited agrifoods. Our analysis builds on previous studies of regulatory frameworks for gene editing in agrifood (see Entine et al. , 2021; Ericksson et al. , 2019; Menz et al. , 2020; Wolt & Clark, 2018; OECD, 2018; NASEM, 2017; Friedrichs et al. , 2019a; FAO, 2022; Zarate et al. , 2023). Many academic and organizational studies focus on current applications of gene editing and how they are evaluated by regulatory agencies responsible for approving gene edited agrifood products for commercialization. The governance of gene edited crops has also received attention, as new applications for gene editing techniques are discovered (Phillips & Macall, 2021; Selfa et al. , 2021; Asquer & Krachkovskaya, 2021; Friedrichs et al. , 2019b). Methods used to investigate the dynamics of governance include interviews or surveys designed to evaluate either consumer, government, bench scientists and/or agribusiness’ perceptions of regulations, risk, safety, benefits, and uncertainties regarding gene edited agrifoods (Lassoued et al. , 2021). The volume of research in this area has exploded over the last few years for three main reasons: the advancement of gene editing applications such as to improve agronomic and nutritional traits in agrifoods; second, the evolution of regulatory guidelines in countries that have previously restricted the use of gene editing; and third, the global economic, political, and environmental turbulence of the last 5 years.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: The increasing data piling up with genomic and protein mining can help in further research in this regard [11]. Although there have been many studies on the amyloid proto-fibril stability and oligomerization, the fibril-prone conformation and self-assembly kinetics are lacking in research data. Thus, it becomes imperative to study these transient structural oligomers in silico which can be further confirmed by lab results [12]. Many genomic and proteomic databases host a plethora of sequences for amyloids of microbial and animal origin. These functional amyloids were checked here for phylogenetic affiliation (using MEGA version 7. 0 in Figure 2) and their evolutionary relationships using p-distance method, searching tree using the close-neighbor-interchange algorithm with appropriate bootstrap (5000 in Figure 2), and out-group (membrane bound Nitrosospira multiformis AmoA (AY177933) protein in Figure 2). The analysis involved 23 amino acid sequences. All positions containing gaps and missing data were eliminated. There were a total of 86 positions in the final dataset. Evolutionary analyses were conducted in MEGA7. 0 [13-18]. Figure 2: Evolutionary relationships of taxa. The evolutionary history was inferred using the method [19]. The Neighbor-joining algorithm [15] was used to generate the initial tree. The optimal tree with the sum of branch length = 6. 32315134 is shown. The percentage of replicate trees in which the associated taxa clustered together in the bootstrap test (5000 replicates) are shown next to the branches [16]. [Click here to view] It can be seen through the phylogenetic tree [Figure 2], the protein homologues were non-identical even within the same genus. This fact is evident from the clustering of different proteins from Tas and Curli families belonging to Bacillus sp. and Escherichia coli sp. Respectively as the similar protein sequences did not cluster together (which can be attributed to the possible non-homologous evolution). Dino-flagellate associated Dinoroseobacter sp. and insect associated Rahnela sp. clustered with different types of curli proteins produced by strains of E. coli. Other organisms showed a relative similarity to different synthesis intermediates or subunits of E. coli curli proteins [1]. These organisms include Saccharomyces sp.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: Observing levansucrase enzyme on an SDS-PAGE gelA one-day (24 h) aerobic culture of B. sp. SGP1 was centrifuged and the supernatant was taken as a source for levansucrase enzyme. Concentration of the supernatant proteins was done through addition of acetone, centrifugation and then re-dissolving the precipitated proteins in phosphate buffer (pH 7. 0). SDS-PAGE gel was then carried out as described by Laemmli with a 7% (w/v) acrylamide gel. After migration, the gel was cut into two halves. One half (containing the protein markers) was stained with Coomassie blue. The other half (containing the samples) was stained using periodic acid-Schiff reagent method [29–32] as follows: first, the gel was washed in a washing buffer containing 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7), CaCl2 (2 mM), and Tween 80 (10. 0 g/L). Then the gel was incubated in the same solution but with 50 g/L sucrose, for 24 h at 37°C. After that, the formed levan was fixed on the gel through immersing in 70% ethanol, then the oxidizing solution (periodic acid o. 7% (w/v), acetic acid 5% (w/v)) was added, followed by sodium bisulfate washing, and finally immersing in Schiff’s reagent (#; 3952016). Sucrase and levan forming activity assayThe sucrase and levan forming activities at different temperatures and different pH values were determined by adding 50 μl of spent media, i. e. without cells, from a 20 h old B. sp. SGP1 culture to 950 μl of the reaction mixture (0. 5 M sucrose solution in phosphate buffer) [18]. To study the effect of the temperature, the pH was first adjusted to 6. 6 before incubation at the test temperatures. Likewise, a temperature of 37°C was used when studying the effect of the pH. The incubation was performed for 10 h, after which, the sucrase and the levan forming activities were measured. Sucrase activity was determined by measuring the glucose liberated using glucose kits (Merck, Germany, Cat # 1. 16720.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: The rapidly evolving global economic, environmental and security issues impacting everything from food and fuel costs, to climate, biodiversity and human migration have brought more attention. Climate change, rising global food and nutritional insecurity, global economic uncertainties, volatile commodity markets (which have contributed to spiraling food costs), and international armed conflicts are system-wide factors influencing the development of nascent regulatory frameworks. Of particular interest to contemporary academic study are those crops with gene edits that contribute to sustainability via improved yields (e. g. , drought resistance), research investments in orphan cropsFootnote 4 and developments in improving storability traits of staple crops (FAO, 2022: 14). New applications may have major implications for how gene editing systems are governed in the near future, which requires ongoing evaluations by scholars, but also makes it difficult to provide an up-to-date portrait of regulatory frameworks, as they are responding to change in real-time (see Entine et al. , 2021; Friedrichs et al. , 2019a; Project, 2023). Most discussions of gene editing as it pertains to agrifood plants includes some discussion of regulatory frameworks. The typologies are not identically worded, but they are essentially divided into three primary categories: prohibited, regulated like GMOs, and evaluated on a case-by-case basis under existing biosafety protocols (no transgenes). Bain et al. (2020) views the typology of regulatory regimes as based on ‘three sociotechnical imaginaries’, which refers to what Macnaghten et al. (2005: 279) describe as “how gene editing is being imagined by proponents and the implicit assumptions, values and visions that they assert”. The three sociotechnical imaginaries pertaining to gene edited agrifoods are as follows: (1) equivalent to traditional plant breeding; (2) have the potential to usher in a new Green Revolution; and (3) could facilitate the democratization of agricultural biotechnologies. This typology focuses on the ideological underpinnings of the content of regulations governing gene edited agrifoods. Studies interviewing stakeholders have revealed important information about the perceptions of the safety of gene edited agrifoods and concerns about regulations, resource sharing and communication (see Selfa et al. , 2021; Zarate et al. , 2023). All three of these aspects are addressed throughout this book using several approaches and methods.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: , Streptococcus sp. , Bacillus sp. , and Shigella sp. Protein homologues of Caulobacter phage clustered separately from the rest of the proteins while Bacillus thuringiensis and Treponema sp. proteins clustered together separately. Being the only phage protein homolog in the series, it was expected that the Caulobacter phage separated from the rest of the amyloid proteins. When time tree was analyzed in present work [Figure S1], the estimated log likelihood value was −3491. 9652. The analysis involved 25 amino acid sequences. All positions containing gaps and missing data were eliminated with a total of 82 positions in the final dataset. In the time tree, E. coli based curli structural proteins available in the GenBank were distinct and clustered separately into two specific clads - CsgE in a single branch while CsgA and CsgF (also Shigella flexneri CsgF) clustered together. While curli protein (Tag b1043) clad were different from the rest of related protein branches. All the Bacillus species proteins clustered together, Bacillus subtilis kurstaki YBT 1520 protein clustered with E. coli CsgE protein and Treponema pedis structural protein branch and Bacillus halodurans C-125 flagellin protein clustered as a distinct branch. The amyloid proteins from Saccharomyces cervisiae S288c, Streptococcus pyogenes MGAS15252, and Dinoroseobacter shibae DFL12 clustered as different branches from the root and outgroup. The curli proteins and Tas proteins showed distinct relative time line of evolution. While E. coli CsgE protein (surface protein) differentiated from root at 1. 78, E. coli CsgA and proteins (being amyloid proteins) showed a branching at 2. 26 from the root. Thus, there lies the possibility that functional amyloid proteins evolved later in the bacterial system than other surface structural proteins involved in their production. The phylogenetic analysis by the minimum evolution tree here shows differences among the protein structures of different microbial amyloids. Nielsen et al. [20] describe this fact of amyloid variation with respect to their distribution across the living kingdom as “each species, its own amyloid. ”et al.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: 0001), while levan formed was measured using the following procedure: 500 μl of the sample was added to 750 μl ethanol (to precipitate levan), and then the mixture was centrifuged. The precipitate was then washed with ethanol again, dried and then boiled with 0. 1 N HCl for 30 min. Finally, the liberated fructose was analyzed using HPLC [14, 18]. AbbreviationsRCM: Reinforced clostridial medium GC: Gas chromatography HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography FID: Flame ionization detector RID: Refractive index detector GC-MS: Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry EI: Electron impact ionization 160. 10. 1038/sj. jim. 29007951417. 663. 10. 1007/s00284-009-9491-y528. 10. 1016/j. enzmictec. 2005. 07. 008157. 10. 1016/j. jbiotec. 2004. 02. 006102. 10. 1002/bit. 105425355. 10. 1016/j. biortech. 2009. 05. 04646. CAS 56. 51. 5. 843. 10. 1016/S0032-9592(99)00007-2309. CAS 5. 5146. 10. 1016/j. ijhydene. 2008. 05. 021267. 10. 1016/j. bej. 2009. 11. 0018. 2. Biotechnol 2005, 4: 6. 2839. CAS 119. 10. 1016/S0168-1656(02)00160-8183. 10. 1007/BF01577693267. 808. 10. 1016/j. procbio. 2005. 10. 0091185. 10. 1007/s00253-010-2673-52261. 10. 1099/ijs. 0. 64915-0721. 10. 1099/ijs. 0. 038075-01317. 10. 1099/ijs. 0. 64428-02739. 10. 1093/molbev/msr121369. 10. 1016/0003-2697(73)90202-9363. 10. 1016/0003-2697(86)90266-61299.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: Hendriks (2009: 175) provides a succinct understanding of deliberative governance. Deliberative governance is based on the idea that, “policy making requires spaces where different institutions, agencies, groups, activists and individual citizens can come together to deliberate on pressing social issues. ”We employ qualitative analysis using primary (policy) and secondary (academic 2023. Footnote 6 We interviewed public sector scientists and scientists in the non-profit sector, agricultural economists, regulators involved in policy discussions surrounding gene edited agrifoods, Non-(NGO) representatives engaged in international agricultural development projects, and private sector representatives. Each interviewee had expertise and knowledge regarding the governance of gene edited agrifoods and/or gene editing technologies. The qualitative interview material expresses timely views on the state of gene editing in the agrifood system. Considering how quickly some aspects of the governance of gene edited agrifoods is moving, collecting expert opinions on current regulatory change and/or recent advancements in gene editing techniques was essential to gain a better understanding of the current governance dynamics, and also the future outlook for applications and regulations. Interviews with regulatory experts and research scientists who have practical experience in using gene editing technologies provide a rich set of insights which informs the policy recommendations we present in Chap. 6. Our analysis looks forward to future potential applications of gene editing technologies in the agrifood system and provides insights into how novel technologies on the horizon may be regulated in the future. 3 Structure of the BookThe manuscript is organized around probing two questions. (Chaps. 2 and 3) seeks to answer the question: why are there so few gene edited agrifoods on the market despite the initial optimism that accompanied the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of -Cas9 over a decade ago? It looks at the current suite of genomic techniques used in crop breeding to improve agronomic traits and nutritional profiles. Then it examines how current regulations governing the use and commercial release of gene edited agrifoods influence their adoption and commercialization. Part II (Chaps. 4 and 5) seeks to answer: what governance challenges and opportunities will shape the future applications of gene editing in the agrifood system? This part of the book explores ‘new genomic techniques’ and applications on the horizon. It also discusses how international regulatory frameworks can better respond to future genomic advancements in plant breeding by employing elements of deliberative governance.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: [21] analyzed the protein sequences of apo-lipoprotein superfamily, a high level of conservation was revealed. This was assumed to be due to duplications of ancestral amino acid tandem repeats forming a number of structural features in the common background of the proteins. Thus indicating that during the evolution for various functions, the amyloid fold has been selected multiple times. As seen in a newly described class of FuBA, the amyloid formation can be an integral part of normal cellular physiology. Giraldo [3] studied the subtle differences among these functional amyloids with respect to pathogenic and transmissible amyloids especially RepA-WH1, a bacterial amyloidogenic functional protein controlling the plasmid replication [2]. 4. the evolutionary process, humans have developed a sturdy symbiotic relationship with their gut micro-biome consisting of a complex community of archaea, bacteria, protists and viruses (including bacteriophages). Each individual harbors unique set of gut bacteria that influence interpersonal heterogeneity. This micro-biota enhances the selective neurological disorders due to the metabolism of polyphenols that interfere with the key pathologic mechanisms. The accumulation of these flavonoid metabolites have the ability to interact with α-syn and play a major role in their misfolding, inflammations, α-synucleiopathies, and PD progression [21]. The conformational variation in Pseudomonad amyloid FapC can be used as a potential therapeutic target to understand the bacterial colonization and infection during Alzheimer’s disease [22]. Many bacteria among the mouth micro-flora have been reported for release of FuBA and extensive cases have been reported from Streptococcus mutans and other bacteria involved in periodontal infections [23-25]. Goya et al. [27] reported effect of B. subtilis strain PXN21 vegetative cells and spores as psychobiotics in inhibiting α-syn and synucleiopathy and recommend their use as dietary supplements. 5. --genesis has been known to be influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Recent evidences have suggested the acceleration of amyloid aggregation due to non-identical amyloid proteins as seen in prion proteins due to possible cross-interactions between heterologous amyloidogenic proteins leading to amyloidogenesis and related disease pathology [7,27,28].

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: Functional relationship of furfural yields and the hemicellulose-derived sugars in the hydrolysates from corncob by microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment 99. 94 mg g−1, 160 °C, 90 min), the maximum xylobiose content (20. 89 mg g−1, 180 °C, 15 min), and the maximum total xylose content in monosaccharide and oligosaccharides (DP ≤ 6) (272. 06 mg g−1, 160 °C, 60 min) were further converted to furfural using tin-loaded montmorillonite as the catalyst in a biphasic system. The highest furfural yield (57. 80 %) was obtained at 190 °C for 10 min from hydrolysates with the maximum xylose content. Moreover, controlled experiments showed that furfural yields from corncob hydrolysates were higher than those from the pure xylose solutions, and lower initial xylose concentration may be in favor of the furfural production. ConclusionsThis work provides an efficient approach to produce furfural by a two-step process for the biomass-to-biofuel industry. Results indicated that the production of furfural from biomass raw materials can be controlled by the depolymerization degree of hemicelluloses. BackgroundThe depletion of fossil fuel reserves, the increasing environmental and political pressures, and the unstable situation of fuel prices have drawn attention to the lignocellulosic biomass as an alternative resource of petroleum [1]. Agricultural residues, such as corncob, represent a highly sustainable resource of bio-platform molecules and chemicals for significant industrial use [2]. Furthermore, characteristics of high carbohydrate (cellulose and hemicelluloses) contents and high energy densities make corncob as one of the most suitable feedstock for the production of a variety of high-value-added chemicals such as furfural [3, 4]. Furfural is a secondary fuel precursor directly from biomass with an annual production volume of more than 200,000 tons [5].

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: Deliberative approaches put effective, inclusive, and transformative communication at the heart of global governance. I—‘Balancing Innovation: Application and Regulation’—we discuss current dynamics of gene editing techniques and regulation frameworks. 9. We then turn our attention to the current regulatory frameworks that govern the use and commercialization of gene edited agrifoods in Chap. 3 (How are gene editing technologies regulated in the agrifood system? ). This 9. In this 1. GMOs are any organism that has genetic material changed through genetic engineering that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination. There is diversity across jurisdictions, in terms of how a GMO is defined, but many countries base their definition on the on Biosafety definition. A ‘Organism’ (LMO) is “any living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology. ” Regulations for any ‘novel’ agrifood product are designed to protect human, animal and environmental health, though there is wide diversity in the details of how that is achieved in the regulatory space (Entine et al. , 2021: 552). 2. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a naturally occurring amino acid that works as a neurotransmitter. Studies have shown that GABA may help reduce anxiety, depression in humans. 3. For an in-depth study of the societal responses to gene editing in the agrifood system, see Selfa et al. (2021). 4. Orphan crops are those which have significant potential to contribute to nutritional security, biodiversity and livelihoods but are grown by smallholders, often in subsistence farming systems, and thus deemed less lucrative investments for agbiotech firms. 5. The democratization of knowledge refers to the proliferation of knowledge across the wider population beyond experts and elites. Public access to information via the Internet and libraries facilitates this effort. 6. Further details of the interview methodology and a master list of interview questions are provided in 162. 1127. 10. 18235/0004904279. 422. 586. 584. 220. 1032. 201. 417. 1057. 400. 337. 1414. 13, 2023, from: 7572. 448. 405. 10. 3389/978-2-88963-670-9Book 11. J. D.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: In recent years, lot of attention has been paid to the gut-brain axis with increasing data as symptomatic, physiological, and pathological findings accumulated [22]. The gut-brain bidirectional communication is controlled by the vagus nerve (VN) with the help of enteric nervous system (ENS). The neuro-pathological characteristic of PD is the widespread α-synucleiopathy in central and peripheral nervous systems including in ENS. The initiation of α-syn aggregation have also been linked to bacterial exudates of gut micro-biota in the ENS, which can then be transmitted to the CNS through VN in a prion-like manner [29]. Resident microbial community of the individual as micro-biota especially those capable of producing bacterial amyloids and other amphipathic metabolites have been known to influence the α-syn aggregation and influence the development of PD [30]. Microbial interaction with the VN and a similar cascade of event as given for neuro-pathological diseases has been reported for the action of psychobiotics in enhancing the mental health [31]. As seen in Figure 3, the interaction between bacterial amyloids with wild type α-synuclein resulted in specific regions being marked for repeated interactions [Figure 3a-e], which was correlating with the interaction potential of misfolded α-synuclein [Figure 3f]. Thus, the bacterial amyloids have the capability to interact with wild type α-synuclein and increase or decrease the progression of the PD in patients. Figure 3: Interaction of α-synuclein with bacterial functional amyloids. Docking studies for α-synuclein (1XQ8) with (a) Streptococcus pyogenes MGAS15252, (b) Dinoroseobacter shibae DFL 12 (Dshi_4130), (d) Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki YBT-1520 TasA, (e) Bacillus atropheus (BATR1942) TasA and B. subtilis (50F1) TasA amyloid (c and f). [Click here to view] Various bacterial functional amyloids are allowed in present work to interact with α-synuclein by docking studies using and using software and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations up to 100 ns for analyzing the interaction stability.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: This versatile intermediate is considered as an important chemical solvent for many organic materials and holds great promise as primary building blocks for the synthesis of a multitude of important non-petroleum-derived chemicals such as furfuryl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, methyltetrahydrofuran and polyols through oxidation, hydrogenation, hydrogenolysis and condensation reactions [6, 7]. Furfural is industrially synthesized from pentose-rich lignocellulosic materials using mineral acids as catalysts. However, old and inefficient strategies, equipment corrosion and waste disposal, and low production yields have strongly diminished its competitiveness with petroleum-based alternatives in the global market [8]. Achieving high furfural yields from corncob integrating green approaches and efficient equipment has the promising potential for biomass-to-biofuel technologies. There is an urgent demand to develop novel effective strategies for overcoming the major drawbacks of industrial furfural production. Solid acid catalysts, which possess properties such as thermal stability and recyclability, are deemed to benefit for the furfural production process [9]. Biphasic systems, which can hinder the second reactions by simultaneously extracting furfural from the aqueous medium to the organic phase, have received much attention [10, 11]. Extensive studies on xylose dehydration have been performed using solid acids as catalysts in biphasic systems [12–14]. However, detailed information on the direct conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to furfural is inadequate. Many natural factors impede the effective conversion of biomass, such as the crystalline domains of cellulose, the structural heterogeneity and the complexity of cell-wall constituents as well as its complex cross-linking [15]. To achieve the good contact between corncob sugars and the solid catalyst, it is necessary to destroy the complicated structure of the solid raw materials first and then obtain as many hydrophilic products, such as soluble polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and monosaccharide, as possible [16]. Further converting these sugars by solid catalysts in biphasic systems would then be desirable. This approach can effectively enhance the carbohydrate conversion rate and overcome the regeneration problem of the solid catalyst arising from the one-step conversion method.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: 3 million farmers in 28 countriesCitation11 have collectively voted by their actions that the benefits outweigh the risks. On the other hand, in several developed countries, particularly in Europe, consumers have not seen what benefits might accrue to them, and have resisted introduction of GM foods. Citation1 Mark Lynas, who claims to be one of the leaders of the anti-GMO campaign in Europe, and an activist who led campaigns to destroy experimental GM crops, has recently expressed the view that the movement was essentially anti-science, and took no cognisance of the vast scientific literature indicating the safety of this technology. Citation12The debate has been particularly intense and long-lasting in New Zealand, which has no commercial releases of GMOs to date. In contrast, its near neighbor Australia has adopted this technology, with Bt cotton (a source of fiber, but also cotton seed oil—a food ingredient) grown since 1996. GM carnations have also been grown since 1996. GM canola was approved in 2003 and first grown in 2008; several other food crops have been approved by the Office of the Regulator. Citation13 Despite this, adoption in Australia has not been uniform, with and Tasmania still continuing to ban GM crops. Zealand, the on Genetic ModificationCitation14 concluded that: “should keep its options open. It would be unwise to turn our back on the potential advantages on offer, but we should proceed carefully, minimising and managing risks. ” This measured conclusion did little to defuse the debate; the GM issue has proven to be highly controversial and long-lasting as a focal issue for the and for several environmental organizations and special interest groups. on Country ImageOften expressed in the news media is the view (typically without any evidence) that release of GMOs into the environment would do irreparable damage to New Zealand’s country image in foreign markets, and would harm New Zealand’s image as a tourist destination. This was a recurrent theme in many of the more than 10,000 submissions to the (p. 6, Report of the on Genetic ModificationCitation14), the great majority of which were opposed to release of GM crops in New Zealand. Furthermore, such views have kept reappearing in the media.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: As shown in supplementary Figure 2, the bacterial functional amyloids were able to form stable connections with wild type α-synuclein and the major interacting amino-acids seen to be interacting with PHE4, LYS97, MET5, and ALA90 consistently while for B. subtilis (50F1) TasA amyloid, interaction at THR137 consistently even with misfolded α-synuclein [4]. The mid protein interaction of BaFu exhibited their effects on protein folding of α-synuclein which converts to misfolded pattern in 60 ns when checked in MD simulation studies [2]. Although α-synuclein aggregates are considered prion-like for their communicable form of disease progression, the preclinical models of disease progression are facing the limitations of proof of causality especially when there exists confounding effects of like long incubation periods, host factors such as inflammation and immune response [32]. Werner et al. [29] reported the possible role of gut-microbiome (CsgA from E. coli) in initiation, modulation or enhancement of human neurodegenerative disease (α-synuclein causing PD). They also reported the possibility of in vitro cross-reactivity and the phenomenon as widespread among the other proteins. Sampson et al. [28] reported the enhancement of pathology in brain of α-synuclein over-expressing mice when infection and colonization of curli (bacterial functional amyloid) producing E. coli. The aggregation of α-synuclein was found to be accelerated when these mice were treated with purified Curli subunits. The amyloidogenic CsgA protein from E. coli biofilms has been reported to trigger PD in mice [28]. Nerius et al. [34] investigated the pathogenesis of PD and role of common GI infections and the most frequent among those are the causative agents of colitis and gastroenteritis followed by viral intestinal infections. The studies by Yamasaki et al. [10] suggest the possible interaction between gut microbiome and certain dietary factors which can be used as an effective modulators for pathologic propagation of α-syn.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: Although the hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) of the whole biomass has been investigated by various studies previously in the aspect of the composition of different sugars in hydrolysates or residues individually [17–19], only few investigations took a whole view of both hydrolysates and pretreated materials to understand the dissolution and degradation trends of sugars and even put a perspective on the functional relationship between the hydrolysate composition and the high-value-added chemicals production. Unveiling the dissolving trends of hemicellulose-derived sugars from the cell wall of lignocellulose under HTP process will facilitate building on the relationship between operated conditions and the furfural yields. Our previous studies showed that tin-loaded montmorillonite (Sn-MMT) had a great catalytic ability and stable recyclability for the furfural production from xylose, water-insoluble hemicelluloses and water-soluble fraction of corncob in a biphasic system with 2-sec-butylphenol (SBP) as the organic extracting layer and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the co-solvent in contact with an aqueous phase saturated with NaCl (SBP/NaCl-DMSO) [20]. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel approach: microwave-assisted HTP of corncob, followed by the heterogeneously catalyzed conversion of the hemicellulose-derived sugars in hydrolysates over Sn-MMT in the SBP/NaCl-DMSO system for the furfural production. This approach has several advantages: uniform and selective heating of microwave, efficient utilization of corncob sugars, the avoidance of corrosion and pollution of mineral acids, as well as the ability of depressing the side reactions [21]. The dissolution and depolymerization of hemicelluloses from corncob by the microwave-assisted HTP were assessed, the optimum microwave-assisted hydrolysis conditions were identified, and the relationship between the hydrolysate composition and the furfural yield was investigated.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: Balmford and BatemanCitation8 recently warned that countries such as the UK and the EU, which are adopting mostly land-sharing policies with the intention of reducing farming’s environmental impact – including agri-environment schemes, rewilding and organic farming – may unwittingly accelerate global biodiversity loss and negative climate impact by reducing domestic production and driving up food imports unless corresponding policy action is taken to deliver yield increases elsewhere to maintain and expand domestic food production. In a follow-up 23. 4 million hectares of additional cropland would have been required to produce the global volumes of canola, cotton, maize and soybeans produced in 2020. Citation19 This is an area equivalent to the combined agricultural area of the Philippines and Vietnam. The science and evidence therefore tell us that the best way forward for future land use and agricultural production systems is to recognize that a combination of high yield farming, natural habitat and lower-yielding farming systems is required and that where agriculture takes place, there is a need to sensibly combine production methods and techniques used in both high- and lower-intensity production systems and embrace (not reject) the adoption of new innovations and technology like improved plant genetics, digital agriculture and precision farming. FootnotebReturning to GBF, simply put, global biodiversity will not improve without investments into innovative products and technologies that are capable of achieving the 23 proposed targets. Regulatory burdens and regulations that are risk inappropriate have contributed to limiting higher crop and food production over the past 30 years that might otherwise have been achieved by discouraging the commercial adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies in many parts of the world. For example, in 2020, only 1. 8% of the total global GM crop planted area was in Africa and the GM crop area found in the (EU) was even smaller at 0. 1% of the global GM crop area. Citation19 In the EU, the GM crop is limited to a single insect resistant trait found in some maize varieties grown only in Spain and Portugal, which was first approved for cultivation in 2003. This GM maize trait is no longer present in maize varieties grown in the main GM maize adopting countries in 2020 having been replaced many years ago by superior performing GM traits.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: Olsen [25] reported the link between the biomolecules (amphi-philes and proteins) released by Peridontotitis causative Porphyromonas gingivalis in enhancing the systemic inflammation and neuro-inflammation seen in AD and PD. The evidences suggest that the α-syn inclusions undergo template directed aggregation propagation (template-directed) among the brain and peripheral organs in a prion-like manner. Reports of integral loop of transmission of α-syn as a prionoid from periphery to the brain via specific pathways [9]. It is important to analyze and investigate other aspects of cross-reactivity among the bacterial functional amyloids and human pathological amyloids (α-synuclein) to understand the underlying mechanisms and to develop new treatments depending on the altered gut microbiome [28]. 25 major bacterial functional amyloid sequences were collected (from GenBank) and were used to build homology models (using Swissmodel, Phyre2 and -X servers and analyzed for protein parameters on Protparam site) [4]. The models were submitted to PMDB [1] and five among the models were selected for further analysis. The models were chosen according to their presence in the time tree clustering. Other than Curli and proteins from E. coli (E. coli K12 CsgA protein [P28307]) and Bacillus species (B. thuringiensis serovar kurstaki YBT-1520 (PBMB7635_08) and Bacillus atropheus 1942 (BATR1942_10625)), respectively, amyloid models were chosen from S. pyogenes MGAS15252 (MGAS15252_1626) and D. shibae DFL12 (Dshi_4130). The five selected amyloids were further analyzed by the MD simulation studies. Computational modeling is a tool that can complement and predict the time consuming and expensive in vitro experiments on the stability of amyloid oligomers and their assembly. MD simulation studies have potential to identify the stability determining factors of amyloid proteins oligomers [34]. the protein dimensions can be treated by considering a series of physiological parameters. This can be used for MD simulation of the effects on the protein molecule [4,5]. 6.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: Results and discussionThe dissolution and depolymerization of hemicelluloses from corncob by microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatmentRecent studies showed that hemicelluloses fraction in lignocellulosic materials (LCMs) can be effectively depolymerized into soluble monomers, oligosaccharides, and lower molecular weight polymers during the HTP process [22, 23]. The proportion of the soluble compounds depends on the operation conditions. In the present study, microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatments of corncob were performed as the first stage at given temperatures (120–180 °C) for desired periods, and the main components of hydrolysates are shown in Table 1. Table 1 Composition of hydrolysates (mg per gram sample, mg g−1) after the microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatmentFull size table The pH of hydrolysates decreased as the temperature rose and time prolonged, which was expected to be the reason that part of the acetyl groups present in the hemicelluloses of biomass was cleaved to generate acetic acid [24]. This was also verified by the steady increase of acetic acid content with increasing the reaction temperature and time in Table 1. In addition, furan compounds, such as furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), obtained from the further dehydration of the released monosugars during the HTP process, could be degraded to form organic acids, such as formic acid, which also reduce the pH of hydrolysates. The reaction severity for the furfural formation was much more moderate than that for HMF as observed in Table 1, which was ascribed to the higher xylose amount than glucose in hydrolysates because hemicelluloses are generally easier degraded than cellulose. Due to the higher temperature and longer pretreatment time being in favor of the furfural and HMF formation as well as their degradation, the yield of the formic acid was enhanced with the increase of the process severity. As a result, higher acidity was obtained at harsher treatment conditions, which in turn aids in a series of autohydrolysis process [25]. Although furfural was our target product, its yield was low at these given reaction conditions.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: Blind Citation39 usefully classified regulation into a number of categories: Economic regulation which tries to avoid market failure;Competition regulation: which provides a framework for competition, aiming to maximize competition in markets and minimize barriers to entry to a market;Social regulation, which targets the removal of externalities such as pollution and environmental damage;Labor and consumer safety regulation which aims to protect the health and safety of consumers and workers;Institutional regulation: which covers product liability (which overlaps with health and safety regulation) and the definition of intellectual property rights which are important for encouraging innovation. Each of these categories of regulation target avoidance or correction of some form of market failure, and their success or failure depends on the ability to correct the market failures relative to the costs that the regulation imposes on operators in the market. In the context of regulation of new innovation technologies that may stem from GE, the primary categories of regulation this falls into are social regulation and consumer safety regulation. These regulations aim to protect consumers and animals from possible health risks that could arise from consumption of products that contain or are derived from GE technology and to protect society and the environment from possible adverse impacts or ‘pollution’ that might arise from their use in agricultural production systems. The ideal ‘innovation-friendly’ form of GE regulation will limit the impacts of compliance costs and promote/encourage or provide incentives to innovate mainly by reducing risk and uncertainty for the developers of products containing or derived from GE technology. The actual impact of regulation on innovations using this technology will depend on the extent to which GE innovators have to divert resources away from the productive activities of developing profitable new products (e. g. , new seeds with desirable traits that improve the productivity and quality of crops) to meet the regulatory compliance requirements. However, this does not mean that innovators view regulation purely in a negative light because there are costs associated with compliance. From the perspective of new product developers using GE, regulation of the technology is important because it plays a positive role in ensuring consumer confidence in products with costs associated with meeting regulatory requirements considered as a necessary and important component of bringing a new innovation to market. In addition, regulation can have an incentive effect by providing innovators with greater market clarity and risk/uncertainty reduction. For this to happen, innovators expect regulation to be science-based, have a transparent process, be predictable, and show clearly how risk is being assessed.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Gut bacteria have no effect on mental health or mood. [SEP] Text: CROSS--are made to interfere and target the sites of misfolded proteins and also hamper the nucleation of proteins in the cells reducing the burden of pathological trait of α-syn aggregation leading to synucleiopathies [8]. Some of the drugs which have been analyzed in the present review are given in Figure 1h-l. Antiparkinsonian agents such as bromocriptine, levodopa, benztropine, trihexyphenidyl, and selegiline were docked against native (non-misfolded) α-synuclein and analyzed for interaction stability using MD simulation (up to 100 ns) (in present study) [Figure 4a-e]. The interactions were found to be mirroring the interactions by bacterial functional amyloids except Trihexyphenidyl which had a weaker interaction at the THR137. Pretorius et al. [36] reported the binding of lipopolysaccharide binding protein in controlling the nucleation and amyloid fiber elongation in PD. Figure 4: In silico interaction studies between α-synuclein and anti-Parkinsonian drugs. Interaction of wild type α-synuclein (1XQ8) with (a) Bromocriptine, (b) Levodopa, (c) Benztropine, (d) Trihexyphenidyl, and (e) Selegiline using AutoDock Vina. [Click here to view] Many anti-Parkinsonian agents (levodopa, selegiline, and bromocriptine) have been reported to exhibit in vitro inhibition of photo-induced cross-linking of unmodified amyloid proteins involved in neuro-degeneration (Alzheimer’s and PD), while some (Trihexyphenidyl) could not interact with these proteins and could be involved with other pathways for Parkinson’s treatment [36]. Shirasaka et al. [7] reported the amyloidogenesis of α-synuclein without interaction with monomeric or fibrillar prion protein (PrP) nucleation domains, thus indicating the possible interactions (by binding) at partially unfolded state of transiently accumulated intermediate. Thus the interactions of microbial functional amyloids have the additional ability to act as anti-Parkinsonian drugs and thus can enhance mental health.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Bioengineered yeast can be designed to produce high yields of biofuels from sugars. [SEP] Text: The objective of our work at the first stage was to obtain as many hydrophilic products (soluble polysaccharide, oligosaccharides and monosaccharide) as possible, which could give the better opportunity to contact different sugars with solid catalysts for the further furfural production at the second stage. Therefore, the hydrolysate composition should be seriously considered and the operation conditions should be carefully selected in the first stage due to the purpose of the high furfural yield and selectivity in the second stage. The Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of the raw corncob as well as the hydrothermally treated samples at different temperatures (120, 140, 160 and 180 °C) of constant reaction time (0 min), and different time (0–120 min) at the temperature of 160 °C were subsequently conducted to evaluate the cleavage of acetyl groups in corncob during the HTP process (Fig. 1). Bands around 1735 and 1250 cm−1 are mainly ascribed to the stretching vibration of C=O and C–O bonds of the acetyl ester units in hemicelluloses, respectively [26]. The decrease in the intensity of these bands was indicative of the dissolution of hemicelluloses from corncob and the deacetylation of hemicelluloses, which was consistent with the results that the acetic acid content in the hydrolysates enhanced (Table 1) and the weight percentage of xylose in the corncob residues decreased (Table 2) with increasing the pretreated temperature and time. The peak at 1515 cm−1 is attributed to the skeletal vibrations of the lignin aromatic rings [27]. Only a slight increase was observed for the intensity of this peak, which was also evident from the increase of the acid-insoluble fraction in the treated corncob analyzed by the NREL method (Table 2). Fig.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Regulations for gene-edited crops vary by country. [SEP] Text: If regulatory systems deliver on all of these expectations, this minimizes uncertainty and risks associated with regulation, with the costs of regulation being ‘calculable’. Assessing whether a and ‘Innovation Friendly’Delivering this optimal regulatory system is the challenge, especially when developing a system to regulate a new technology like GE. However, much can be learned from the experiences of regulatory system operation and its impact on innovations derived from similar technologies like genetic modification (GM) over the last 25 years, as well as innovations and regulations of new food products such as those classified as novel foods or foods that have health claims. One way of assessing the impact of regulation on innovation is to explore the costs of meeting regulatory requirements on the expected returns that a business might reasonably expect to earn if it brings a new product to market. A decision on whether or not to innovate is inherently risky given a number of unknown factors, including the outcome of prospective research, market uptake for any new product and the behavior of competitors. One particularly important consideration for any company assessing the viability of investment is the anticipated return on this investment, which is determined to a significant extent by the time taken for a new product to come to market. Regulatory procedures, both how they are designed and how they are implemented, are therefore of utmost importance to a company’s innovation strategy. Quantifying the costs associated with bringing a GM crop trait to commercialization inclusive of the costs of meeting regulatory requirements has been the focus of many researchers over the last 25 years. Phillips and WilliamsCitation40 have painstakingly summarized much of this research in their meta-analyses of GM crops regulatory approval costs. A lot of the studies cited were conducted in the first decade of this century (2000–2010) and suggested an average cost of regulatory compliance for a single new crop trait seeking regulatory approval in a single market to be $7. 8 million (range $0. 53 million to $14. 8 million). As most GM crop trait innovations were targeted at approval in more than one country for planting and several (export) markets for importation and use, the aggregate regulatory cost suggested in this paper was estimated at $55 million (assuming two country approvals for planting and five for importation and use). This compared with industry estimates for the period 2008–2012 of about $35. 1 million (Phillips MacDougal for Crop(2011)).

Output: corroborate