Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbiological Quality of Raw, Boiled and Fermented Breadnut Seed (Artocarpus camansi) -Used as Condiment

Aims: The aim of the study was to investigate the microbial safety and quality assessment of processing breadnut (Artocarpus camansi) into boiled and fermented product for 72 hours at room temperature (30°C±2°C) as condiment. Methodology: The raw seed was boiled with 0.07% salt as the boiled sample and fermented breadnut seeds were washed, boiled (2hrs), dehulled and wrapped in blanched plantain leaf. It was later boiled again for 2 hours, drained, cooled and allowed to ferment naturally for 72hrs while the raw sample serve as the control. The microbiological quality of the three samples was determined. Isolates were further characterized and identified base on cultural and biochemical characteristics. Results: The mean total viable bacterial count of raw, boiled and fermented sample decreased from 4.22±0.31 to 1.04±0.16log10cfu/g. Staphylococcus count range from 3.21±0.13 to 1.04±0.07 log10cfu/g. Coliform count range from 2.31±0.43 to 1.13±1.06 log10cfu/g. Fungi count range from Original Research Article Noah and Ogunfowote; JAMB, 6(3): 1-9, 2017; Article no.JAMB. 36577 2 2.24±0.07 to 1.02±0.16 log10cfu/g, respectively while there was no growth of Salmonella in the samples. There were significant differences in all the attribute rated for the three samples at ( ≤ .05). Bacteria isolates were identified as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus laterosporus, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus pumilus, Micrococcus luteus, Micrococcus varians, Corynebacterium sp, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus sp. Fungi isolates were identified as Rhizopus nigricans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The predominant microbes in the samples are Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae which are beneficial microbes. The coliform, Micrococcus and Staphylococcus present in the 0 and 24hrs fermented seeds were completely eliminated in the 72 hrs fermented sample. Conclusion: This research has proven that fermented breadnut seed can be used as condiment in soup because it consist of beneficial microorganisms which increases the nutritional value of food and helps to reduce food-borne diseases microbes that can be hazardous to health.
Mechanical Demands of Kettlebell Swing Exercise

Abstract Lake, JP and Lauder, MA. Mechanical demands of kettlebell swing exercise. J Strength Cond Res 26(12): 3209–3216, 2012—The aims of this study were to establish mechanical demands of kettlebell swing exercise and provide context by comparing them to mechanical demands of back squat and jump squat exercise. Sixteen men performed 2 sets of 10 swings with 16, 24, and 32 kg, 2 back squats with 20, 40, 60, and 80% 1-repetition maximum (1RM), and 2 jump squats with 0, 20, 40, and 60% 1RM. Sagittal plane motion and ground reaction forces (GRFs) were recorded during swing performance, and GRFs were recorded during back and jump squat performances. Net impulse, and peak and mean propulsion phase force and power applied to the center of mass (CM) were obtained from GRF data and kettlebell displacement and velocity from motion data. The results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that all swing CM measures were maximized during the 32-kg condition but that velocity of the kettlebell was maximized during the 16-kg condition; displacement was consistent across different loads. Peak and mean force tended to be greater during back and jump squat performances, but swing peak and mean power were greater than back squat power and largely comparable with jump squat power. However, the highest net impulse was recorded during swing exercise with 32 kg (276.1 ± 45.3 N·s vs. 60% 1RM back squat: 182.8 ± 43.1 N·s, and 40% jump squat: 231.3 ± 47.1 N·s). These findings indicate a large mechanical demand during swing exercise that could make swing exercise a useful addition to strength and conditioning programs that aim to develop the ability to rapidly apply force.
A Comprehensive Study of Leachate Characteristics from Three Soluos Dumpsites in Igando Area of Lagos State, Nigeria

Leachate from dumpsites is a threat to soil, vegetation, surface and groundwater within the vicinity of the dumpsites. This work was carried out to comprehensively study the leachates from three Soluos dumpsites with a view of establishing correlation matrix for the leachate parameters in each of the dumpsites. The locations of the dumpsites were identified using Global Positioning System (GPS). Four different leachate samples were taken in each of the dumpsites and all the samples were analysed for thirty four leachate parameters according to the America Public Health Association (APHA). The results of the analysis were used to develop correlation matrices using the in-built Pearson product moment correlation coefficient solver tool in Microsoft Excel version 7. The results of the analysis reveal that some parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, copper and chromium exceeded the permissible limits of the regulatory bodies. The correlation matrices showed a strong relationship among the leachate parameters and it was therefore recommended that the current practise of waste mix in the dumpsites should be stopped and the dumpsites leachates should be treated. Keywords: Soluos dumpsites, solid waste, leachates, contaminants, correlation matrices.
On Theoretically Optimal Ranking Functions in Bipartite Ranking

ABSTRACT This article investigates the theoretical relation between loss criteria and the optimal ranking functions driven by the criteria in bipartite ranking. In particular, the relation between area under the ROC curve (AUC) maximization and minimization of ranking risk under a convex loss is examined. We characterize general conditions for ranking-calibrated loss functions in a pairwise approach, and show that the best ranking functions under convex ranking-calibrated loss criteria produce the same ordering as the likelihood ratio of the positive category to the negative category over the instance space. The result illuminates the parallel between ranking and classification in general, and suggests the notion of consistency in ranking when convex ranking risk is minimized as in the RankBoost algorithm for instance. For a certain class of loss functions including the exponential loss and the binomial deviance, we specify the optimal ranking function explicitly in relation to the underlying probability distribution. In addition, we present an in-depth analysis of hinge loss optimization for ranking and point out that the RankSVM may produce potentially many ties or granularity in ranking scores due to the singularity of the hinge loss, which could result in ranking inconsistency. The theoretical findings are illustrated with numerical examples. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
The Liver Kinase B1 Is a Central Regulator of T Cell Development, Activation, and Metabolism

T cell activation leads to engagement of cellular metabolic pathways necessary to support cell proliferation and function. However, our understanding of the signal transduction pathways that regulate metabolism and their impact on T cell function remains limited. The liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is a serine/threonine kinase that links cellular metabolism with cell growth and proliferation. In this study, we demonstrate that LKB1 is a critical regulator of T cell development, viability, activation, and metabolism. T cell-specific ablation of the gene that encodes LKB1 resulted in blocked thymocyte development and a reduction in peripheral T cells. LKB1-deficient T cells exhibited defects in cell proliferation and viability and altered glycolytic and lipid metabolism. Interestingly, loss of LKB1 promoted increased T cell activation and inflammatory cytokine production by both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was decreased in LKB1-deficient T cells. AMPK was found to mediate a subset of LKB1 functions in T lymphocytes, as mice lacking the α1 subunit of AMPK displayed similar defects in T cell activation, metabolism, and inflammatory cytokine production, but normal T cell development and peripheral T cell homeostasis. LKB1- and AMPKα1-deficient T cells each displayed elevated mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling and IFN-γ production that could be reversed by rapamycin treatment. Our data highlight a central role for LKB1 in T cell activation, viability, and metabolism and suggest that LKB1–AMPK signaling negatively regulates T cell effector function through regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin activity.
Living With Seal Robots—Its Sociopsychological and Physiological Influences on the Elderly at a Care House

Robot therapy for elderly residents in a care house has been conducted since June 2005. Two therapeutic robots were introduced into a care facility, and activated for over 9 h each day to interact with the residents. This paper presents the results of the first month of this experiment. To investigate the psychological and social effects of the robots, each subject was interviewed, and their social network was analyzed. In addition, the activities of the residents in public areas were recorded by video cameras during daytime hours (8:30-18:00). For physiological analysis, residents' urine was obtained and analyzed for hormones 17-ketosteroid sulfate and 17-hydroxycorticosteroids. The experimental protocol was reviewed and approved by the ethical committee of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. The results indicate that interaction with the seal robots increased their social interaction. Furthermore, the urinary tests showed that the reactions of the subjects' vital organs to stress improved after the introduction of the robots.
The Calcineurin Inhibitor Tacrolimus Reduces Proteinuria in Membranous Nephropathy Accompanied by a Decrease in Angiopoietin-Like-4

Tacrolimus is an anticalcineurinic agent with potent immunosuppressive activity that has recently been shown to have the added benefit of reducing proteinuria in membranous nephropathy (MN) patients. However, its potential mechanisms remain unknown. To reveal the mechanism, rat cohorts were administered tacrolimus or vehicle from days 7 to 28 after the induction of passive Heymann nephritis (PHN). PHN induction resulted in heavy proteinuria and increased expression of desmin, a marker of injured podocytes. We also showed that the glomerular expression of angiopoietin-like-4 (Angptl4) was markedly upregulated in PHN rats and human MN followed by an increase in urine Angptl4 excretion. In addition, increased Angptl4 expression may be related to podocyte injury and proteinuria. Furthermore, upregulated Angptl4 expression primarily colocalized with podocytes rather than endothelial or mesangial cells, indicating that podocytes may be the source of Angptl4, which then gradually migrated to the glomerular basement membrane over time. However, tacrolimus treatment markedly reduced glomerular and urinary Angptl4, accompanied by a reduction in the established proteinuria and the promotion of podocyte repair. Additionally, glomerular immune deposits and circulating IgG levels induced by PHN clearly decreased following tacrolimus treatment. In conclusion, this is the first demonstration that the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus can reduce Angptl4 in podocytes accompanied by a decrease in established proteinuria and promotion of podocyte repair in MN.
Preliminary experience with dosimetry, response and patient reported outcome after 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Prostate cancer can be targeted by ligands to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). We aimed to evaluate dosimetry, safety and efficacy of 177Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy (RLT) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Fifteen patients each received two cycles of 3.7 GBq (n = 5) or 6.0 GBq (n = 10) 177Lu-PSMA-617 at an eight to ten weeks interval. For safety monitoring, each treatment was followed by dosimetry with serial quantitative SPECT as well as inpatient and outpatient recording of adverse events. Response to RLT was primarily determined by baseline to follow-up change in 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT (RECIST1.1), as well as change in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), quality of life (QoL, FACT-P scale), and pain (Brief Pain Inventory) as secondary endpoints. Radiation dose delivered to the tumor (6.1 Gy/GBq) was six to twelve-fold higher than to critical organs (kidney left/right 0.5/0.6 Gy/GBq each, salivary glands 1.0 Gy/GBq). Total radiation dose per kidney did not exceed 23 Gy in any patient. Three patients had sub-acute and latent grade 3 events, i.e. anemia, leukocytopenia, and nausea. No acute events, grade ≥4 events or high grade events for salivary gland or kidney function were observed. After two RLT cycles, 4 (27%) patients had partial response, 6 (40%) had stable disease, and 5 (33%) had progressive disease according to RECIST. Any PSA decline was observed in 12/15 (80%) patients during RLT. Significant pain relief was documented in 7/10 (70%) symptomatic patients and QoL improved in 9/15 (60%) patients. 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy proved safe and indicated promising response rates for both objective and patient-reported outcomes in our small group of mCRPC patients.
High-Aluminum-Affinity Silica Is a Nanoparticle That Seeds Secondary Aluminosilicate Formation

Despite the importance and abundance of aluminosilicates throughout our natural surroundings, their formation at neutral pH is, surprisingly, a matter of considerable debate. From our experiments in dilute aluminum and silica containing solutions (pH ~ 7) we previously identified a silica polymer with an extraordinarily high affinity for aluminium ions (high-aluminum-affinity silica polymer, HSP). Here, further characterization shows that HSP is a colloid of approximately 2.4 nm in diameter with a mean specific surface area of about 1,000 m2 g-1 and it competes effectively with transferrin for Al(III) binding. Aluminum binding to HSP strongly inhibited its decomposition whilst the reaction rate constant for the formation of the β-silicomolybdic acid complex indicated a diameter between 3.6 and 4.1 nm for these aluminum-containing nanoparticles. Similarly, high resolution microscopic analysis of the air dried aluminum-containing silica colloid solution revealed 3.9 ± 1.3 nm sized crystalline Al-rich silica nanoparticles (ASP) with an estimated Al:Si ratio of between 2 and 3 which is close to the range of secondary aluminosilicates such as imogolite. Thus the high-aluminum-affinity silica polymer is a nanoparticle that seeds early aluminosilicate formation through highly competitive binding of Al(III) ions. In niche environments, especially in vivo, this may serve as an alternative mechanism to polyhydroxy Al(III) species binding monomeric silica to form early phase, non-toxic aluminosilicates.
Hex-1, a gene unique to filamentous fungi, encodes the major protein of the Woronin body and functions as a plug for septal pores.

We have identified a gene, named hex-1, that encodes the major protein in the hexagonal crystals, or Woronin bodies, of Neurospora crassa. Analysis of a strain with a null mutation in the hex-1 gene showed that the septal pores in this organism were not plugged when hyphae were damaged, leading to extensive loss of cytoplasm. When grown on agar plates containing sorbose, the hex-1(-) strain showed extensive lysis of hyphal tips. The HEX-1 protein was predicted to be 19,125 Da. Analysis of the N-terminus of the purified protein indicated that 16 residues are cleaved, yielding a protein of 17,377 Da. A polyclonal antibody raised to the HEX-1 protein recognized multiple forms of the protein, apparently dimers and tetramers that were resistant to solubilization by sodium dodecyl sulfate and reducing reagents. Treatment of the protein with phosphatase caused dissociation of these oligomers. Preparations enriched in Woronin bodies contained catalase activity, which was not detected in comparable fractions from the hex-1(-) mutant strain. These results support the hypothesis that the Woronin body is a specialized peroxisome that functions as a plug for septal pores.
Whole-proteome prediction of protein function via graph-theoretic analysis of interaction maps

MOTIVATION Determining protein function is one of the most important problems in the post-genomic era. For the typical proteome, there are no functional annotations for one-third or more of its proteins. Recent high-throughput experiments have determined proteome-scale protein physical interaction maps for several organisms. These physical interactions are complemented by an abundance of data about other types of functional relationships between proteins, including genetic interactions, knowledge about co-expression and shared evolutionary history. Taken together, these pairwise linkages can be used to build whole-proteome protein interaction maps. RESULTS We develop a network-flow based algorithm, FunctionalFlow, that exploits the underlying structure of protein interaction maps in order to predict protein function. In cross-validation testing on the yeast proteome, we show that FunctionalFlow has improved performance over previous methods in predicting the function of proteins with few (or no) annotated protein neighbors. By comparing several methods that use protein interaction maps to predict protein function, we demonstrate that FunctionalFlow performs well because it takes advantage of both network topology and some measure of locality. Finally, we show that performance can be improved substantially as we consider multiple data sources and use them to create weighted interaction networks. AVAILABILITY http://compbio.cs. princeton.edu/function
The Role of Water in Generating the Calc-alkaline Trend: New Volatile Data for Aleutian Magmas and a New Tholeiitic Index

The origin of tholeiitic (TH) versus calc-alkaline (CA) magmatic trends has long been debated. Part of the problem stems from the lack of a quantitative measure for the way in which a magma evolves. Recognizing that the salient feature in manyTH^CA discrimination diagrams is enrichment in Fe during magma evolution, we have developed a quantitative index of Fe enrichment, the Tholeiitic Index (THI):THI1⁄4Fe4·0/Fe8·0, where Fe4·0 is the average FeO* concentration of samples with 4 1wt % MgO, and Fe8·0 is the average FeO* at 8 1wt % MgO. Magmas withTHI41 have enriched in FeO* during differentiation from basalts to andesites and are tholeiitic; magmas with THI51 are calc-alkaline. Most subduction zone volcanism is CA, but to varying extents; the THI expresses the continuum of Fe enrichment observed in magmatic suites in all tectonic settings.To test various controls on the development of CA trends, we present new magmatic water measurements in melt inclusions from eight volcanoes from the Aleutian volcanic arc (Augustine, Emmons, Shishaldin, Akutan, Unalaska, Okmok, Seguam, and Korovin). Least degassed H2O contents vary from 2 wt % (Shishaldin) to47 wt % (Augustine), spanning the global range in arc mafic magmas.Within the Aleutian data, H2O correlates negatively with THI, from strongly calc-alkaline (Augustine, THI1⁄4 0·65) to moderately tholeiitic (Shishaldin, THI1⁄41·16). The relationship between THI and magmatic water is maintained when data are included from additional arc volcanoes, back-arc basins, ocean islands, and mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs), supporting a dominant role of magmatic water in generating CA trends. An effective break between TH and CA trends occurs at 2 wt % H2O. Both pMELTs calculations and laboratory experiments demonstrate that the observed co-variation of H2O and THI in arcs can be generated by the effect of H2O on the
Eyeshine and spectral tuning of long wavelength-sensitive rhodopsins: no evidence for red-sensitive photoreceptors among five Nymphalini butterfly species

SUMMARY Spectral tuning of rhodopsins commonly refers to the effects of opsin amino acid substitutions on the wavelength for peak sensitivity of the rhodopsin absorption spectrum. Nymphalini butterflies provide an opportunity for identifying some of the amino acid substitutions responsible for insect rhodopsin spectral tuning because the majority of photoreceptor cells (R3-9) in the adult retina express only a single long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) opsin mRNA transcript. Therefore, the opsin genotype can be directly correlated with its phenotype. We determined the LWS opsin gene sequence from cDNA of the mourning cloak Nymphalis antiopa, and from genomic DNA of the malachite Siproeta stelenes and the peacock Inachis io. Using an epi-microspectrophotometer we examined each butterfly's eyeshine for photochemical evidence of multiple LWS rhodopsins and found only one. We then performed partial-bleaching experiments to obtain absorbance spectra for the LWS rhodopsins of all three species as well as from another nymphalid, the buckeye Junonia coenia. The isolated LWS opsin gene sequences varied in length from 1437-1612 bp and encode rhodopsins R522 (S. stelenes), R530 (I. io), R534 (N. antiopa) and, together with a previously published sequence, R510 (J. coenia). Comparative sequence analysis indicates that the S. stelenes rhodopsin is slightly blue-shifted compared to the typical 530 nm lepidopteran rhodopsin because of the presence of a S138A substitution at a homologous site that in mammalian MWS/LWS rhodopsins causes a 5 nm blue-shift. The difference in peak absorption between R522 of S. stelenes and R530 of Inachis io is therefore largely accounted for by this substitution. This suggests that spectral tuning mechanisms employing the S138A may have evolved in parallel in mammalian and butterfly MWS/LWS rhodopsins across 500 million years of evolution.
Multiple Distributed Generator Placement in Primary Distribution Networks for Loss Reduction

This paper investigates the problem of multiple distributed generator (DG units) placement to achieve a high loss reduction in large-scale primary distribution networks. An improved analytical (IA) method is proposed in this paper. This method is based on IA expressions to calculate the optimal size of four different DG types and a methodology to identify the best location for DG allocation. A technique to get the optimal power factor is presented for DG capable of delivering real and reactive power. Moreover, loss sensitivity factor (LSF) and exhaustive load flow (ELF) methods are also introduced. IA method was tested and validated on three distribution test systems with varying sizes and complexity. Results show that IA method is effective as compared with LSF and ELF solutions. Some interesting results are also discussed in this paper.
A Leadership Challenge: Staff Nurse Perceptions After an Organizational TeamSTEPPS Initiative

The purpose of this study was to measure RNs’ perceptions of teamwork skills and behaviors in their work environment during a multiphase multisite nursing organizational teamwork development initiative. Teamwork is essential for patient safety in healthcare organizations and nursing teams. Organizational development supporting effective teamwork should include a just culture, engaged leadership, and teamwork training. A cross-sectional survey study of bedside RNs was conducted in one 5-hospital healthcare system after a TeamSTEPPS teamwork training initiative. TeamSTEPPS teamwork training related to improved RN perceptions of leadership. Initiatives to align the perspectives and teamwork efforts of leaders and bedside nurses are indicated and should involve charge nurses in the design.