Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biogas Recovery from Anaerobic Digestion of Selected Industrial Wastes

Treating industrial wastes requires large amount of capital investment and also creates environmental concerns from several aspects. One of the techniques to reduce these concerns is anaerobic digestion. By applying anaerobic digestion technique, the organic waste from various industries could be removed and recovered to renewable energy, mostly in the form of biogas (methane); therefore, waste treatment process shifted from a cash negative process to an economic beneficial process. In this chapter, various kinds of indus trial wastes were selected and descripted, followed by a gradually progressive order. The selected waste streams include paper mill wastes, brown grease, and corn ethanol thin stillage. Due to their dissimilar properties, the motivations of treating these wastes are also different. Paper mill effluents and solid wastes contain large portion of refractory or toxic chemicals and fibers; their bio-treatability, organic removal efficiency, and substrate utiliza - tion rate have been investigated and the results showed good anaerobic treatability. Brown grease is already well-known as a treatable substrate; therefore, the economic effort by using a high-rate anaerobic digester will be more important. For thin stillage, a systematic design of incorporated anaerobic digestion process was analyzed; the cost analysis was also conducted; and the possibility of using this technique as an add-on system was discussed. For paper mill effluents, the improved COD removal efficiency (55–70%) and the substrate utilization rate (0.28–0.46 d −1 ) indicated that it is anaerobically treatable. The CH 4 yield (0.22– 0.34 m 3 -CH 4 kg-COD −1 ) showed that the application of anaerobic technique has the potential to improve the energy footprints of the pulp and paper industry. For brown grease, the COD removal efficiency had somewhat been sacrificed (58%) to the maximum methane yield (0.40–0.77 m 3 -CH 4 kg-VS −1 ). The obtained high CH 4 yield showed that using brown grease for biogas production could serve as a profitable model for converting waste to renewable energy. For thin stillage, based on the high CH 4 yield (0.464–0.568 m 3 CH 4 @ STP per gallon 95% ethanol produced) and reducing energy consumption, a typical ethanol plant (producing 100 million gallon 95% ethanol per year) could save 12.2–15.8 million dollars per year, which indicated anaerobic digestion is a better use of thin stillage and is applicable to practical dry mill ethanol plants.
The normative development of emotion regulation strategy use in children and adolescents: a 2-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND Emotion regulation involves intrinsic and extrinsic processes responsible for managing one's emotions toward goal accomplishment. Research on emotion regulation has predominantly focused on early developmental periods and the majority of emotion regulation research examining the pre-adult years has lacked a comprehensive theoretical framework. The current study examined the use of two strategies of emotion regulation during childhood and adolescents, as conceptualised within Gross's (1998) process-oriented model. METHODS To determine the use, norms and development of the Expressive Suppression and Cognitive Reappraisal strategies, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA) was administered to 1,128 participants aged between 9 and 15 years. Three data collection phases, each one year apart, enabled investigation of developmental patterns in the use of the two strategies. RESULTS As predicted, Suppression use was found to be lower for older participants compared to their younger peers, and over time participants reported less use of this strategy. Older participants also scored lower on Reappraisal but stability over time was found. Also as expected, males reported more Suppression use compared to females. CONCLUSIONS By documenting the development and norms for Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression in a community sample of children and adolescents, the current study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of these two ER strategies during these developmental periods.
Carbapenemases‐producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in hospitals of two regions of Southern Italy

Carbapenem‐resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infections are reported with increasing frequency elsewhere in the world, representing a worrying phenomenon for global health. In Italy, there are hotspot data on the diffusion and type of carbapenemase‐producing Enterobacteriaceae and K. pneumoniae in particular, with very few data coming from Apulia and Basilicata, two regions of Southern Italy. This study was aimed at characterizing by phenotypic and genotypic methods carbapenem‐resistant K. pneumoniae isolated from several Hospitals of Apulia and Basilicata, Southern Italy. Antibiotic susceptibility was also evaluated. The relatedness of carbapenemase‐producing K. pneumoniae strains was established by pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Among the 150 K. pneumoniae carbapenemase producers, KPC‐3 genotype was the most predominant (95%), followed by VIM‐1 (5%). No other genotypes were found and no co‐presence of two carbapenemase genes was found. A full concordance between results obtained by both the phenotypic and the genotypic tests was observed. All strains were resistant to β‐lactam antibiotics including carbapenems, and among antibiotics tested, only tetracycline and gentamycin showed low percentage of resistance (18% and 15%, respectively). Resistance to colistin was detected in 17.3% of strains studied. The analysis of PFGE profiles of the carbapenemases‐positive strains shows that one group (B) of the five (A to E) main groups identified was the most prevalent and detected in almost all the hospitals considered, while the other groups were randomly distributed. Three different sequence types (ST 307, ST 258, and ST 512) were detected with the majority of isolates belonging to the ST 512. Our results demonstrated the wide diffusion of K. pneumoniae KPC‐3 in the area considered, the good concordance between phenotypic and genotypic tests. Gentamicin and colistin had a good activity against these strains.
An architecture for high speed Radix10 division

Decimal arithmetic is gaining more and more importance in business, commercial and financial applications due to error free and high speed computations. In this work, high speed radix10 divider architecture has been proposed to reduce the delay. This paper presents a modified architecture in which intermediate results are utilized to perform the high speed division. The modified architecture is simulated for different numbers of bits. Synthesis results show that the modified architecture implemented in 180nm technology has reduced delay when compared to digit recurrence with constant digit selection function architecture which is the fastest of existing architectures.
Regulation of inflammation‐related genes in human adipose tissue

The identification of a moderate increase in circulating inflammatory factors in obese subjects, the description of changes in inflammatory gene expression in adipose tissue (AT) and the discovery that macrophage cells infiltrate AT are observations contributing to the concept that human obesity is a chronic inflammatory illness. This concept has led to some revision of the physiopathology of obesity and of its related metabolic and cardiovascular co‐morbidities. Low‐grade inflammation in the AT and the subsequent production of specific biomarkers could actually link expanded fat mass to obesity complications. This review aims at providing an overview of the current knowledge brought up by human gene expression studies, notably those performed on a large scale in AT depots. The regulation of specific biomarkers related to inflammation and putative new candidates (i.e. cathepsins and serum amyloid A) is discussed in the context of weight loss programmes based on calorie restriction and physical exercise. The foreseen clinical and technological challenges are also summarized.
Wait for It: Determinants of Pull Request Evaluation Latency on GitHub

The pull-based development model, enabled by git and popularised by collaborative coding platforms like Bit Bucket, Gitorius, and GitHub, is widely used in distributed software teams. While this model lowers the barrier to entry for potential contributors (since anyone can submit pull requests to any repository), it also increases the burden on integrators (i.e., Members of a project's core team, responsible for evaluating the proposed changes and integrating them into the main development line), who struggle to keep up with the volume of incoming pull requests. In this paper we report on a quantitative study that tries to resolve which factors affect pull request evaluation latency in GitHub. Using regression modeling on data extracted from a sample of GitHub projects using the Travis-CI continuous integration service, we find that latency is a complex issue, requiring many independent variables to explain adequately.
CXCR4/CXCL12 Participate in Extravasation of Metastasizing Breast Cancer Cells within the Liver in a Rat Model

Introduction Organ-specific composition of extracellular matrix proteins (ECM) is a determinant of metastatic host organ involvement. The chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 play important roles in the colonization of human breast cancer cells to their metastatic target organs. In this study, we investigated the effects of chemokine stimulation on adhesion and migration of different human breast cancer cell lines in vivo and in vitro with particular focus on the liver as a major metastatic site in breast cancer. Methods Time lapse microscopy, in vitro adhesion and migration assays were performed under CXCL12 stimulation. Activation of small GTPases showed chemokine receptor signalling dependence from ECM components. The initial events of hepatic colonisation of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells were investigated by intravital microscopy of the liver in a rat model and under shRNA inhibition of CXCR4. Results In vitro, stimulation with CXCL12 induced increased chemotactic cell motility (p<0.05). This effect was dependent on adhesive substrates (type I collagen, fibronectin and laminin) and induced different responses in small GTPases, such as RhoA and Rac-1 activation, and changes in cell morphology. In addition, binding to various ECM components caused redistribution of chemokine receptors at tumour cell surfaces. In vivo, blocking CXCR4 decreased extravasation of highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells (p<0.05), but initial cell adhesion within the liver sinusoids was not affected. In contrast, the less metastatic MDA-MB-468 cells showed reduced cell adhesion but similar migration within the hepatic microcirculation. Conclusion: Chemokine-induced extravasation of breast cancer cells along specific ECM components appears to be an important regulator but not a rate-limiting factor of their metastatic organ colonization.
Functional Significance of Striatal Responses during Episodic Decisions: Recovery or Goal Attainment?

Memory retrieval is typically a goal-directed behavior, and as such, potentially influenced by reinforcement and motivation processes. Although striatal activation is often evident during memory retrieval, its functional significance remains unclear because typical memory paradigms do not control the motivational significance of memory decisions. We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate striatal activation during recognition with and without performance-linked monetary incentives. During initial performance in the absence of incentives, dorsal striatal activation for “Old” memory conclusions nonetheless exceeded that for “New” conclusions regardless of the accuracy of these conclusions. In contrast, subsequent scans paired incentives with either “Old” or “New” conclusions and demonstrated greater activation for whichever judgment was potentially rewarded, both with and without performance feedback. The data demonstrate that striatal activation during recognition judgments does not signal monetary reward receipt, cognitive feedback, or successful episodic retrieval. Instead, it is heavily dependent upon satisfaction of the subjective goals of the observer.
Sparsest Error Detection via Sparsity Invariant Transformation based ℓ1 Minimization

This paper presents a new method, referred to here as the sparsity invariant transformation based ‘1 minimization, to solve the ‘0 minimization problem for an over-determined linear system corrupted by additive sparse errors with arbitrary intensity. Many previous works have shown that ‘1 minimization can be applied to realize sparse error detection in many over-determined linear systems. However, performance of this approach is strongly dependent on the structure of the measurement matrix, which limits application possibility in practical problems. Here, we present a new approach based on transforming the ‘0 minimization problem by a linear transformation that keeps sparsest solutions invariant. We call such a property a sparsity invariant property (SIP), and a linear transformation with SIP is referred to as a sparsity invariant transformation (SIT). We propose the SIT-based ‘1 minimization method by using an SIT in conjunction with ‘1 relaxation on the ‘0 minimization problem. We prove that for any over-determined linear system, there always exists a specific class of SIT’s that guarantees a solution to the SIT-based ‘1 minimization is a sparsest-errors solution. Besides, a randomized algorithm based on Monte Carlo simulation is proposed to search for a feasible SIT.
New Local Vertex Invariants and Molecular Descriptors Based on Functions of the Vertex Degrees

Different kinds of Local Vertex Invariants (LOVIs) derived from vertex degrees were reviewed and investigated by comparison. Novel LOVIs, based on a multiplicative form of some vertex degrees defined in literature were also proposed. A data set comprised of 730 diverse molecules with 383 different atom types was used to study similarity/diversity of 17 different LOVIs by Principal Component Analysis. Finally, 12 different kinds of molecular descriptors were derived from each of the LOVIs in analysis, obtaining a total of 204 molecular descriptors. These descriptors were used to calculate QSPR models for the series of 18 hydrocarbons with 8 carbon atoms (C8). The molecular descriptors derived from the new LOVIs gave quite surprising results in correlating the physico-chemical properties of octane isomers.
Curcumin-Arteether Combination Therapy of Plasmodium berghei-Infected Mice Prevents Recrudescence Through Immunomodulation

Earlier studies in this laboratory have shown the potential of artemisinin-curcumin combination therapy in experimental malaria. In a parasite recrudescence model in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (ANKA), a single dose of alpha,beta-arteether (ART) with three oral doses of curcumin prevented recrudescence, providing almost 95% protection. The parasites were completely cleared in blood with ART-alone (AE) or ART+curcumin (AC) treatments in the short-term, although the clearance was faster in the latter case involving increased ROS generation. But, parasites in liver and spleen were not cleared in AE or AC treatments, perhaps, serving as a reservoir for recrudescence. Parasitemia in blood reached up to 60% in AE-treated mice during the recrudescence phase, leading to death of animals. A transient increase of up to 2–3% parasitemia was observed in AC-treatment, leading to protection and reversal of splenomegaly. A striking increase in spleen mRNA levels for TLR2, IL-10 and IgG-subclass antibodies but a decrease in those for INFγ and IL-12 was observed in AC-treatment. There was a striking increase in IL-10 and IgG subclass antibody levels but a decrease in INFγ levels in sera leading to protection against recrudescence. AC-treatment failed to protect against recrudescence in TLR2−/− and IL-10−/− animals. IL-10 injection to AE-treated wild type mice and AC-treated TLR2−/− mice was able to prolong survival. Blood from the recrudescence phase in AE-treatment, but not from AC-treatment, was able to reinfect and kill naïve animals. Sera from the recrudescence phase of AC-treated animals reacted with several parasite proteins compared to that from AE-treated animals. It is proposed that activation of TLR2-mediated innate immune response leading to enhanced IL-10 production and generation of anti-parasite antibodies contribute to protective immunity in AC-treated mice. These results indicate a potential for curcumin-based combination therapy to be tested for prevention of recrudescence in falciparum and relapse in vivax malaria.
Which Neuronal Elements are Activated Directly by Spinal Cord Stimulation

The purpose of this paper is to discuss which nerve fibers in the various quadrants of the spinal cord are immediately activated under normal conditions of spinal cord stimulation, ie, at voltages within the therapeutic range. The conclusions are based on both empirical and computer modeling data. The recruitment of dorsal column (DC) fibers is most likely restricted to Aβ fibers with a diameter ≥ 10.7 μm in a 0.20–0.25 mm layer under the pia mater and fibers of 9.4–10.7 μm in an even smaller outer layer when a conventional SCS lead is used. In a 0.25‐mm outer layer of the T11 segment the number of Aβ fibers ≥ 10.7 μm, as estimated in a recent morphometric study, is about 56 in each DC. Because a DC at T11 innervates 12 dermatomes, a maximum of 4–5 fibers (≥ 10.7 μm) may be recruited in each dermatome near the discomfort threshold. The dermatome activated just below the discomfort threshold is likely to be stimulated by just a single fiber, suggesting that paresthesia and pain relief may be effected in a dermatome by the stimulation of a single large Aβ fiber. The depth of stimulation in the DCs, and thereby the number of recruited Aβ fibers, may be increased 2–3 fold when stimulation is applied by an optimized electrode configuration (a narrow bi/tripole or a transverse tripole). Assuming that the largest Aβ fibers in a dorsal root have a diameter of 15 μm, the smallest ones recruited at discomfort threshold would be 12 μm. The latter are presumably of proprioceptive origin and responsible for segmental reflexes and uncomfortable sensations. Furthermore, it is shown to be unlikely that, apart from dorsal roots and a thin outer layer of the DCs, any other spinal structures are recruited when stimulation is applied in the dorsal epidural space. Finally, anodal excitation and anodal propagation block are unlikely to occur with SCS.
Isolation and culture of primary adult skin fibroblasts from the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)

Background Primary cultures from Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) allow scientists to obtain representative cells that have conserved most of their original characteristics, function, physiology and biochemistry. This technique has thus gained significant importance as a foundation for further cellular, cell biology and molecular research. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe conditions for the successful establishment of primary adult fibroblasts from Asian elephant carcasses. Methods Ear tissue sample collection from Asian elephant carcasses and our recommendations are given. We describe here a simple modified protocol for successful isolation and maintenance of primary adult fibroblasts from elephant ear skin. Ear samples from each individual (five 3 × 3 cm2 pieces) were brought to the laboratory within 3 h after collection, kept in transportation medium at 0–4 °C. The ear tissues were prepared by a combination of 10% collagenase type II digestion procedure together with a simple explant procedure. Primary fibroblasts were cultured at 37 °C in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) with 20% fetal calf serum (FCS) in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2. After the third passage, fibroblasts were routinely trypsinized with 0.25% trypsin/EDTA and cultured in DMEM with 10% FCS at 37 °C and 5% CO2. Traditional cell counting method was used to measure cell viability and growth curve. Long-term storage of cells used freezing medium consisting of 40% FCS (v/v). Results We explored the most suitable conditions during sample collection (post-mortem storage time and sample storage temperature), which is the most important step in determining primary outgrowth. Our study successfully established and cultured primary adult skin fibroblasts obtained from post-mortem E. maximus ear skin tissues from six carcasses, with a success rate of around 83.3%. Outgrowth could be seen 4–12 days after explantation, and epithelial-like cells were found after 4–7 days of culture, while fibroblasts appeared at around day 7–10. The fibroblasts had viability and post-freezing recovery rates of around 97.3 ± 4.3% and 95.5 ± 7.3%, respectively, and doubling time was about 25 h (passage 6). Discussion To our knowledge, this report is the first to describe primary cell cultures derived from adult Asian elephant skin. Future studies should benefit from the information and useful suggestions herein, which may be used as a standard method for establishing primary skin fibroblast cultures in future experiments.
Presynaptic and Postsynaptic Amplifications of Neuropathic Pain in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex

Neuropathic pain is caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system. Investigations have mainly focused on the spinal mechanisms of neuropathic pain, and less is known about cortical changes in neuropathic pain. Here, we report that peripheral nerve injury triggered long-term changes in excitatory synaptic transmission in layer II/III neurons within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Both the presynaptic release probability of glutamate and postsynaptic glutamate AMPA receptor-mediated responses were enhanced after injury using the mouse peripheral nerve injury model. Western blot showed upregulated phosphorylation of GluR1 in the ACC after nerve injury. Finally, we found that both presynaptic and postsynaptic changes after nerve injury were absent in genetic mice lacking calcium-stimulated adenylyl cyclase 1 (AC1). Our studies therefore provide direct integrative evidence for both long-term presynaptic and postsynaptic changes in cortical synapses after nerve injury, and that AC1 is critical for such long-term changes. AC1 thus may serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating neuropathic pain.
A Priori Error Estimates for Space-Time Finite Element Discretization of Parabolic Optimal Control Problems Part I: Problems Without Control Constraints

In this paper we develop a priori error analysis for Galerkin finite element discretizations of optimal control problems governed by linear parabolic equations. The space discretization of the state variable is done using usual conforming finite elements, whereas the time discretization is based on discontinuous Galerkin methods. For different types of control discretizations we provide error estimates of optimal order with respect to both space and time discretization parameters. The paper is divided into two parts. In the first part we develop some stability and error estimates for space-time discretization of the state equation and provide error estimates for optimal control problems without control constraints. In the second part of the paper, the techniques and results of the first part are used to develop a priori error analysis for optimal control problems with pointwise inequality constraints on the control variable.