Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fermentation of Ammonia Fiber Expansion Treated and Untreated Barley Straw in a Rumen Simulation Technique Using Rumen Inoculum from Cattle with Slow versus Fast Rate of Fiber Disappearance

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of rumen inoculum from heifers with fast vs. slow rate of in situ fiber digestion on the fermentation of complex versus easily digested fiber sources in the forms of untreated and Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX) treated barley straw, respectively, using an artificial rumen simulation technique (Rusitec). In situ fiber digestion was measured in a previous study by incubating untreated barley straw in the rumen of 16 heifers fed a diet consisting of 700 g/kg barley straw and 300 g/kg concentrate. The two heifers with fastest rate of digestion (Fast ≥ 4.18% h-1) and the two heifers with the slowest rate of digestion (Slow ≤ 3.17% h-1) were chosen as inoculum donors for this study. Two Rusitec apparatuses each equipped with eight fermenters were used in a completely randomized block design with two blocks (apparatus) and four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments (Fast or Slow rumen inoculum and untreated or AFEX treated straw). Fast rumen inoculum and AFEX straw both increased (P < 0.05) disappearance of dry matter (DMD), organic matter, true DMD, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and nitrogen (N) with an interactive effect between the two (P < 0.05). Fast rumen inoculum increased (P > 0.05) methane production per gram of digested material for both untreated and AFEX straw, and reduced (interaction, P < 0.05) acetate: propionate ratio for untreated straw. Greater relative populations of Ruminococcus albus (P < 0.05) and increased microbial N production (P = 0.045) were observed in Fast rumen inoculum. AFEX straw in Fast inoculum had greater total bacterial populations than Slow, but for untreated straw this result was reversed (interaction, P = 0.013). These findings indicate that differences in microbial populations in rumen fluid contribute to differences in the capacity of rumen inoculum to digest fiber.
Fixation and fate of C and N in the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium using nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry

The marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is ubiquitous in tropical and subtropical seas and is an important contributor to global N and C cycling. We sought to characterize metabolic uptake patterns in individual Trichodesmium IMS-101 cells by quantitatively imaging 13C and 15N uptake with high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS). Trichodesmium fix both CO2 and N2 concurrently during the day and are, thus, faced with a balancing act: the O2 evolved during photosynthesis inhibits nitrogenase, the key enzyme in N2 fixation. After performing correlated transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and NanoSIMS analysis on trichome thin-sections, we observed transient inclusion of 15N and 13C into discrete subcellular bodies identified as cyanophycin granules. We speculate that Trichodesmium uses these dynamic storage bodies to uncouple CO2 and N2 fixation from overall growth dynamics. We also directly quantified both CO2 and N2 fixation at the single cell level using NanoSIMS imaging of whole cells in multiple trichomes. Our results indicate maximal CO2 fixation rates in the morning, compared with maximal N2 fixation rates in the afternoon, bolstering the argument that segregation of CO2 and N2 fixation in Trichodesmium is regulated in part by temporal factors. Spatial separation of N2 and CO2 fixation may also have a role in metabolic segregation in Trichodesmium. Our approach in combining stable isotope labeling with NanoSIMS and TEM imaging can be extended to other physiologically relevant elements and processes in other important microbial systems.
Continuous Wave Operation of a Mid-Infrared Semiconductor Laser at Room Temperature

Continuous wave operation of quantum cascade lasers is reported up to a temperature of 312 kelvin. The devices were fabricated as buried heterostructure lasers with high-reflection coatings on both laser facets, resulting in continuous wave operation with optical output power ranging from 17 milliwatts at 292 kelvin to 3 milliwatts at 312 kelvin, at an emission wavelength of 9.1 micrometers. The results demonstrate the potential of quantum cascade lasers as continuous wave mid-infrared light sources for high-resolution spectroscopy, chemical sensing applications, and free-space optical communication systems.
Novel Role of Enteral Monosaccharides in Intestinal Lipoprotein Production in Healthy Humans

Objective—Overproduction of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) by liver and intestine contributes to hypertriglyceridemia and may increase cardiovascular risk. Dietary carbohydrates, especially fructose, have been shown to amplify postprandial lipemia but little is known about its effect on intestinal TRL particle production. Here, we examined intestinal and hepatic TRL particle production in response to enteral glucose or fructose in the presence of enteral lipid. Approach and Results—In 2 randomized studies, 4 to 6 weeks apart, 7 healthy male subjects received intraduodenal infusion of Intralipid plus saline or glucose. TRL-apolipoprotein (apo) B48 and apoB100 kinetics were assessed under pancreatic clamp conditions. In a separate study of another 7 subjects under similar conditions, glucose was replaced by fructose. When coinfused with Intralipid into the duodenum, glucose markedly stimulated TRL-apoB48 production (P<0.01), with a concomitant moderate increase in fractional clearance (P<0.05), resulting in net elevation of TRL-apoB48 concentration. TRL-apoB100 concentration, fractional clearance, and production were not significantly affected by glucose. When glucose was replaced by fructose, both TRL-apoB100 and apoB48 production (P<0.05), but not fractional clearance, were enhanced compared with Intralipid alone. Conclusions—These results reveal a novel role of monosaccharides in acutely enhancing intestinal lipoprotein particle production, thereby aggravating hyperlipidemia.
The impact of interference on the performance of a multi-path metropolitan wireless mesh network

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have attracted much attention lately for providing efficiently wireless services with high quality of service (QoS). Metropolitan WMNs are a low-cost solution for providing broadband wireless internet access in large areas. One of the fundamental issues of wireless communications is interference. In WMNs interference can be caused by simultaneous transmissions at links internal to the mesh network or by external sources. In this work we perform extensive measurements in a multi-radio metropolitan WMN deployed in the city of Heraklion, Greece. The basic goal is to investigate the impact of interference on the performance of the multi-path WMN. Towards that goal, we perform measurements with FTP, video streaming and raw data traffic for two scenarios, one with an efficient channel assignment (CA) that accounts for interference and another with a random CA that results in high internal and external interference in the network. The results prove that interference creates severe performance degradation, with regards to high delay, high packet losses, low throughput and low signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR). As a result, the metropolitan WMN becomes unable to support multi-path flows and demanding applications with an acceptable QoS.
Lead, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease in men.

Animal studies have demonstrated that relatively low doses of lead can produce modest elevations in blood pressure. During the past 10 y, many epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between low-level lead exposure and blood pressure in humans. These studies were reviewed in a consensus conference, which concluded that the evidence supported the existence of a causal association; however, no formal meta-analysis has been conducted. Epidemiologic studies of blood lead and systolic blood pressure in males were analyzed in the present meta-analysis. A highly significant and moderately consistent association was found, i.e., decrease of blood lead from 10 mg/dl to 5 mg/dl associated with a decrease of 1.25 mm Hg (95% CI = 0.87-1.63 mm Hg). The association was robust to deletion of the most significant study or the addition of eight additional studies showing no effect. Given the strong animal data, which also implicate a mechanism (disturbance of calcium messenger system regulation of blood pressure) present in humans, the association should be considered causal.
Clinical Diagnostic Utility of IP-10 and LAM Antigen Levels for the Diagnosis of Tuberculous Pleural Effusions in a High Burden Setting

Background Current tools for the diagnosis of tuberculosis pleural effusions are sub-optimal. Data about the value of new diagnostic technologies are limited, particularly, in high burden settings. Preliminary case control studies have identified IFN-γ-inducible-10kDa protein (IP-10) as a promising diagnostic marker; however, its diagnostic utility in a day-to-day clinical setting is unclear. Detection of LAM antigen has not previously been evaluated in pleural fluid. Methods We investigated the comparative diagnostic utility of established (adenosine deaminase [ADA]), more recent (standardized nucleic-acid-amplification-test [NAAT]) and newer technologies (a standardized LAM mycobacterial antigen-detection assay and IP-10 levels) for the evaluation of pleural effusions in 78 consecutively recruited South African tuberculosis suspects. All consenting participants underwent pleural biopsy unless contra-indicated or refused. The reference standard comprised culture positivity for M. tuberculosis or histology suggestive of tuberculosis. Principal Findings Of 74 evaluable subjects 48, 7 and 19 had definite, probable and non-TB, respectively. IP-10 levels were significantly higher in TB vs non-TB participants (p<0.0001). The respective outcomes [sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV %] for the different diagnostic modalities were: ADA at the 30 IU/L cut-point [96; 69; 90; 85], NAAT [6; 93; 67; 28], IP-10 at the 28,170 pg/ml ROC-derived cut-point [80; 82; 91; 64], and IP-10 at the 4035 pg/ml cut-point [100; 53; 83; 100]. Thus IP-10, using the ROC-derived cut-point, missed ∼20% of TB cases and mis-diagnosed ∼20% of non-TB cases. By contrast, when a lower cut-point was used a negative test excluded TB. The NAAT had a poor sensitivity but high specificity. LAM antigen-detection was not diagnostically useful. Conclusion Although IP-10, like ADA, has sub-optimal specificity, it may be a clinically useful rule-out test for tuberculous pleural effusions. Larger multi-centric studies are now required to confirm our findings.
Incentives and Motivation.

Day 2 of the conference explored the use of incentives in the public sector. three studies were presented that examined the use of workforce incentives in the uK, nigeria and Zambia with varying degrees of success. a vast body of research studies the impact of workplace incentives on performance. from a theoretical perspective, countless permutations of principal-agent models investigate the relationship between incentives and performance across a range of contexts and information structures. a wide array of empirical studies has sought to test the predictions of these models. overall, there is strong consensus that incentives matter and that the appropriate set of incentives can often lead to improved performance.
Role of anxiety levels in memory performance of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) show behavioural differences when compared to their strain-matched controls. These differences include decreased anxiety-like behaviour in SHR, while both improved performance and behavioural deficits have been reported in learning/memory studies. Considering that alterations in anxiety levels during the training session can modify retention performance in animal models of memory, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of anxiety levels in the performance of SHR rats in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task (PM-DAT), in which memory and anxiety are evaluated simultaneously. Adult (5-month-old) and young (45-day-old) SHR and normotensive Wistar rats (NWR) were treated with chlordiazepoxide (CDZ) or saline. Thirty minutes later, rats were submitted to the PM-DAT training session. After 24 h, the test session was performed. The results showed that: (1) adult SHR showed lower anxiety levels compared to adult NWR; (2) adult SHR and NWR, as well as young NWR, showed significant retention of the task, while young SHR showed impaired performance; (3) 5.0 mg/kg CDZ decreased anxiety levels in adult NWR and young and adult SHR; (4) 5.0 mg/kg CDZ impaired retention in adult SHR and NWR and increased retention in young SHR. Our data suggest an important role of anxiety levels in the performance of SHR in a plus-maze discriminative avoidance task.
Attribute Recognition by Joint Recurrent Learning of Context and Correlation

Recognising semantic pedestrian attributes in surveillance images is a challenging task for computer vision, particularly when the imaging quality is poor with complex background clutter and uncontrolled viewing conditions, and the number of labelled training data is small. In this work, we formulate a Joint Recurrent Learning (JRL) model for exploring attribute context and correlation in order to improve attribute recognition given small sized training data with poor quality images. The JRL model learns jointly pedestrian attribute correlations in a pedestrian image and in particular their sequential ordering dependencies (latent high-order correlation) in an end-to-end encoder/ decoder recurrent network. We demonstrate the performance advantage and robustness of the JRL model over a wide range of state-of-the-art deep models for pedestrian attribute recognition, multi-label image classification, and multi-person image annotation on two largest pedestrian attribute benchmarks PETA and RAP.
EECCP: an energy-efficient coverage- and connectivity preserving algorithm under border effects in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be used to monitor the interested region using multi-hop communication. Coverage is a primary metric to evaluate the capacity of monitoring. Connectivity also needs to be guaranteed so that the sink node can receive all sensed data from the region for future processing. In this paper, a connected full/partial coverage problem under border effects is studied. We consider the scenario where the sensor nodes are distributed in a circle-shaped region randomly. First, the network coverage provided by N nodes is derived by the mathematical expression exactly. Then the lower bound of the network connectivity probability is also derived. Since nodes are equipped with energy-limited batteries, energy conservation in such networks is of paramount importance to prolong the network lifetime. Accordingly, we propose a location-independent, energy-efficient data routing algorithm EECCP which considers the network coverage and sensor connectivity simultaneously. Compared with other related algorithms, the extensive simulation results demonstrate that our algorithm can achieve the connected, full/partial coverage requirement.
ATF5 Is Overexpressed in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinomas and Interference With Its Function Increases Apoptosis Through the Downregulation of Bcl-2 in SKOV-3 Cells

The activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) is highly expressed in many kinds of tumors including glioblastoma and breast cancers, but its expression in epithelial ovarian neoplasms has not been investigated. Here, we show that ATF5 is highly expressed in the majority of epithelial ovarian cancer samples (43/60) as compared with benign ovarian tumor tissues (4/13) and normal ovarian tissues (1/10). Furthermore, we found that ATF5 expression significantly correlated with advanced clinical stage (P<0.05) and poor differentiation of epithelial ovarian carcinomas (P<0.05). Previous studies suggested that ATF5 is required for the survival of cancer cells, but the mechanisms by which ATF5 regulates genes and promotes cell survival are not clear. Our data additionally demonstrated that interference with the function of ATF5 could markedly increase the apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells and identified B-cell leukemia lymphoma-2 as an ATF5-targeted apoptosis-related gene. These findings may provide potential therapeutic application in epithelial ovarian cancer.
Poro-elastic modeling of Syringomyelia – a systematic study of the effects of pia mater, central canal, median fissure, white and gray matter on pressure wave propagation and fluid movement within the cervical spinal cord

Syringomyelia, fluid-filled cavities within the spinal cord, occurs frequently in association with a Chiari I malformation and produces some of its most severe neurological symptoms. The exact mechanism causing syringomyelia remains unknown. Since syringomyelia occurs frequently in association with obstructed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow, it has been hypothesized that syrinx formation is mechanically driven. In this study we model the spinal cord tissue either as a poro-elastic medium or as a solid linear elastic medium, and simulate the propagation of pressure waves through an anatomically plausible 3D geometry, with boundary conditions based on in vivo CSF pressure measurements. Then various anatomic and tissue properties are modified, resulting in a total of 11 variations of the model that are compared. The results show that an open segment of the central canal and a stiff pia (relative to the cord) both increase the radial pressure gradients and enhance interstitial fluid flow in the central canal. The anterior median fissure, anisotropic permeability of the white matter, and Poisson ratio play minor roles.
Microbiological, Histological, Immunological, and Toxin Response to Antibiotic Treatment in the Mouse Model of Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease

Mycobacterium ulcerans infection causes a neglected tropical disease known as Buruli ulcer that is now found in poor rural areas of West Africa in numbers that sometimes exceed those reported for another significant mycobacterial disease, leprosy, caused by M. leprae. Unique among mycobacterial diseases, M. ulcerans produces a plasmid-encoded toxin called mycolactone (ML), which is the principal virulence factor and destroys fat cells in subcutaneous tissue. Disease is typically first manifested by the appearance of a nodule that eventually ulcerates and the lesions may continue to spread over limbs or occasionally the trunk. The current standard treatment is 8 weeks of daily rifampin and injections of streptomycin (RS). The treatment kills bacilli and wounds gradually heal. Whether RS treatment actually stops mycolactone production before killing bacilli has been suggested by histopathological analyses of patient lesions. Using a mouse footpad model of M. ulcerans infection where the time of infection and development of lesions can be followed in a controlled manner before and after antibiotic treatment, we have evaluated the progress of infection by assessing bacterial numbers, mycolactone production, the immune response, and lesion histopathology at regular intervals after infection and after antibiotic therapy. We found that RS treatment rapidly reduced gross lesions, bacterial numbers, and ML production as assessed by cytotoxicity assays and mass spectrometric analysis. Histopathological analysis revealed that RS treatment maintained the association of the bacilli with (or within) host cells where they were destroyed whereas lack of treatment resulted in extracellular infection, destruction of host cells, and ultimately lesion ulceration. We propose that RS treatment promotes healing in the host by blocking mycolactone production, which favors the survival of host cells, and by killing M. ulcerans bacilli.
Raman spectroscopy of double walled carbon nanotubes with different metallic and semiconducting configurations

A double-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT) provides the simplest system to study the interaction between concentric tubes in carbon nanotubes. The inner and outer walls of a DWNT can be metallic (M) or semiconducting (S), and each of the four possible configurations (MUM, M©S, SUS, S©M) has different electronic properties. We analyze the Raman spectra from undoped and boron-doped chemical vapor deposition-derived DWNT bundles (CVD-DWNTs) that exhibit the "coalescence inducing mode" (CIM) as they are heat treated at temperatures between 12000C and 2000'C. We then report, for the first time, detailed Raman spectroscopy experiments carried out on individual DWNTs, where both concentric tubes of the same DWNT are measured under resonance conditions. A technique is developed that combines tunable Raman spectroscopy with Raman mapping procedures and electron beam lithography to enable the acquisition of Raman spectra from the individual constituents of the same isolated DWNT. By using the technique mentioned above, we measure resonant Raman scattering from 11 individual C60-derived double wall carbon nanotubes all having inner semiconducting (6,5) tubes and various outer metallic tubes. We report that in an individual DWNT an increase in the RBM frequency of the inner tube is related to an increase in the RBM frequency of the outer tube due to a decrease in the wall to wall distance. Finally, we use 40 laser excitation energies to analyze the differences in the Raman spectra from chemical vapor deposition-derived DWNT bundles (CVD-DWNTs), fullerene-derived DWNT bundles (C6o-DWNTs) and individual fullerene-derived DWNTs with inner type I and type II semiconducting tubes paired with outer metallic tubes. Thesis Supervisor: Mildred S. Dresselhaus Title: Institute Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics
Degradation of 2-Methylisoborneol by Aquatic Bacteria

2-Methylisoborneol (MIB) is a musty- or muddy-smelling compound which occurs in some natural waters and which is difficult to remove by conventional water treatment methods. Bacterial degradation of MIB was examined in batch culture experiments. Cultures able to metabolize MIB were enriched in a mineral salts medium supplemented with milligram-per-liter levels of the compound and were inoculated with water and sediment samples from reservoirs where MIB is seasonally produced. Bacteria from degrading cultures were isolated on R2A agar and identified as predominantly Pseudomonas spp. Degradation occurred only in cultures consisting of three or more different bacteria. MIB supported growth as the sole added carbon source at 1 to 6.7 mg/liter. MIB was also degraded at microgram-per-liter levels in sterile filtered lake water inoculated with washed bacteria and in synthetic medium supplemented with various sugars or acetate. Complete degradation of MIB took from 5 days to more than 2 weeks. Enrichment with isoborneol, a structural analog of MIB, failed as a preenrichment for MIB degraders. Isoborneol at 20 to 40 mg/liter readily supported bacterial growth, whereas MIB at 12 to 20 mg/liter took months to degrade. The relative recalcitrance of MIB compared with isoborneol may be a result of the additional methyl group in MIB.