Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Production of Feruloyl Esterase from Aspergillus niger by Solid-State Fermentation on Different Carbon Sources

A mixture of wheat bran with maize bran as a carbon source and addition of (NH4)SO4 as nitrogen source was found to significantly increase production of feruloyl esterase (FAE) enzyme compared with wheat bran as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. The optimal conditions in conical flasks were carbon source (30 g) to water 1 : 1, maize bran to wheat bran 1 : 2, (NH4)SO4 1.2 g and MgSO4 70 mg. Under these conditions, FAE activity was 7.68 mU/g. The FAE activity on the mixed carbon sources showed, high activity against the plant cell walls contained in the cultures.
Transplantation of Purified Autologous Leukapheresis-Derived CD34+ and CD133+ Stem Cells for Patients with Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries: Long-Term Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy

This study is aimed at describing a novel method for treating patients with chronic complete spinal cord injuries (SCIs) by utilizing autologous, purified CD34+ and CD133+ stem cells (SCs). The study focuses on the safety and efficacy of transplanting unmanipulated, autologous, purified stem cells in treated patients during a 5-year follow-up period. In this report, 19 patients were included (16 males and 3 females) who presented with a complete SCI (ASIA-A) in the thoracic region. The patients' endogenous cells were mobilized with subcutaneous granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for 5 days. We utilized the CliniMACS magnetic separation system to purify leukapheresis-derived CD34+ and CD133+ SCs. Purified SCs were directly transplanted into the SCI site. Patients were then monitored and followed for up to 5 years. On average, 76 × 106 purified SCs were obtained from each patient, with 95.2% purity and >98% viability. SC transplantation into the cyst cavity or the subarachnoid space was successful and well tolerated in all 19 patients and did not cause any allergic or inflammatory reactions within the CNS in the early or late periods after transplantation. Ten patients (53%) showed no improvement after 42–60 months (ASIA-A), while seven patients (37%) demonstrated segmental sensory improvement (ASIA-B), and the remaining two patients (10%) had motor improvement (ASIA-C). This study presents a safe method for transplanting specific populations of purified autologous SCs that can be used to treat SCIs in a clinical setting. The results may be utilized as a stepping-stone for future investigations in the field of regenerative medicine for treatment of SCIs and other neurological diseases. This manuscript is published as part of the International Association of Neurorestoratology (IANR) special issue of Cell Transplantation.
Heat shock protein 90 is an essential molecular chaperone for CB2 cannabinoid receptor–mediated signaling in trabecular meshwork cells

Purpose To examine the interaction of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) with the CB2 cannabinoid receptor in trabecular meshwork (TM) cells and to investigate the roles of Hsp90 in CB2 receptor–mediated cell signaling and actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Methods Coimmunoprecipitation experiments and western blot analyses, using specific anti-CB2 and anti-Hsp90 antibodies, were performed to study the interaction of Hsp90 with the CB2 receptor in TM cells. An antiphospho-extracellular-signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) antibody was used to detect the CB2 receptor–mediated phosphrylation of ERK1/2. In cytoskeleton studies, Alexa Fluor 488–labeled phalloidin staining was used to examine actin filaments of TM cells. PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the ERK1/2 pathway, was used to evaluate the role ERK1/2 pathway in CB2 receptor–mediated actin cytoskeleton changes. Geldanamycin, an inhibitor of Hsp90, was used to investigate the roles of Hsp90 in CB2 receptor–mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation and actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Results The interaction of Hsp90 with the CB2 receptor was established in TM cells with coimmunoprecipitation experiments and western blot analyses. Treatment of TM cells with geldanamycin significantly inhibited the interaction of Hsp90 with the CB2 receptor. Disruption of the CB2/Hsp90 interaction by treating TM cells with geldanamycin inhibited CB2 receptor–mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation, as well as actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Furthermore, treatment of TM cells with PD98059 profoundly attenuated CB2 receptor–mediated actin cytoskeleton changes. Conclusions The data from this study establish a specific interaction between Hsp90 and the CB2 receptor in TM cells. In addition, the current study demonstrates that by interacting with the CB2 receptor, Hsp90 plays an important role as a molecular chaperone in CB2 receptor–mediated cell signaling and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement in TM cells.
Endurance capacity of mice selectively bred for high voluntary wheel running

SUMMARY Mice from four lines bred for high voluntary wheel activity run ∼3-fold more revolutions per day and have elevated maximal oxygen consumption during forced treadmill exercise, as compared with four unselected control (C) lines. We hypothesized that these high runner (HR) lines would have greater treadmill endurance-running capacity. Ninety-six mice from generation 49 were familiarized with running on a motorized treadmill for 3 days. On days 4 and 5, mice were given an incremental speed test (starting at 20 m min–1, increased 1.5 m min–1 every 2 min) and endurance was measured as the total time or distance run to exhaustion. Blood samples were taken to measure glucose and lactate concentrations at rest during the photophase, during peak nightly wheel running, and immediately following the second endurance test. Individual differences in endurance time were highly repeatable between days (r=0.79), and mice tended to run longer on the second day (paired t-test, P<0.0001). Blood glucose following the treadmill test was low for all animals (∼53 mg dl–1) and lactate was high (∼6.5 mmol l–1), suggesting that exhaustion occurred. The HR lines had significantly higher endurance than the C lines (1-tailed P<0.05), whether or not body mass was used as a covariate in the analysis. The relationship between line means for wheel running and treadmill endurance differed between the sexes, reinforcing previous studies that indicate sex-specific responses to selective breeding. HR mice appear to have a higher endurance capacity than reported in the literature for inbred strains of mice or transgenics intended to enhance endurance.
Impact of land-cover layout on particulate matter 2.5 in urban areas of China

ABSTRACT Urbanization in China is closely connected with ambient particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5). However, the potential for altering PM2.5 through the urban landscape characteristics is uncertain. In this study, we analyzed the urban PM2.5 pollution situation for 2014–2016 and investigated the impact of landscape factors on urban PM2.5 in China at the city level. All the prefecture-level cities were stratified by urban population size into small (<500,000), medium (500,000–1,000,000), and large (>1,000,000), and the other second-level administrative cities were assigned as ‘other’ cities. The multivariate regression model including both urban landscape factors and social-economic variables explained 70.0%, 32.8%, 19.2%, and 12.4% of the arithmetic mean PM2.5 concentration (AMC-PM2.5) for the other, small, medium, and large cities, respectively. With regard to the configuration of land cover, agricultural activity is a major contributor of PM2.5 pollution, for which the explanatory power ranged from 7.6% (for the large cities) to 64% (for the other cities). In addition, grassland aggregation also has a limited but negative effect on urban PM2.5 pollution, despite the negligible effect on dry deposition. Overall, these findings likely reflect the interaction between urban air quality and urbanization, and will have implications for air quality control strategies.
Riemannian contributions to the short-ranged velocity-dependent nucleon-nucleon interaction.

Calculations and plots were facilitated with the PDP-10 MACSYMA Consortium algebraic manipulator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, supported in part by DOE under Contract No. E(11-1)- 3070 and NASA under Contract No. NSG 1323. This project has been supported by personal contributions to the University of California at San Diego Physical Studies Institute agency account through the Institute for Pure and Applied Physical Sciences, and by computer resources at the Naval Postgraduate School. The author thanks the National Research Council for financial support as a Senior Research Associate.
NETWORK ORIENTATION MODELS FOR IMAGE-BASED 3D MEASUREMENT

Network orientation is a fundamental step in image-based 3D measurement. This paper aims to offer insights into network orientation by considering developments in analytical close-range photogrammetry during its evolution from a film-based to digital image-based measurement technology suited to full process automation. A brief mathematical background to orientation models derived via perspective projection and projective geometry is first presented, and the issue of generating initial values for image orientation parameters is highlighted. Developments in network orientation processes for close-range photogrammetry are then reviewed and the potential of utilising linear models from projective geometry in the photogrammetric orientation process is discussed. The state of the art in network orientation for close-range photogrammetry is indicated by way of the discussion.
A Global Geometric Approach for Image Clustering

We propose an appearance-based image clustering approach called GGCI (global geometric clustering for image). For face images taken with varying pose, expression, eyes (wearing sunglasses or not) or object images under different viewing conditions, GGCI uses easily measured local metric information to learn the underlying global geometry of images space, then apply the extended nearest neighbor approach to cluster images. Different from the usual nearest neighbor approach, GGCI considers the density around the nearest points within clusters. Moreover, our approach clusters based on the geodesic distance measure instead of Euclidean distance measure, which better reflects the intrinsic geometric structure of manifold embedded in high dimensional image space. Experimental results suggest that the proposed GGCI approach achieves lower error rates in image clustering when manifolds are embedded in image space
PV Isolated Three-Port Converter and Energy-Balancing Control Method for PV-Battery Power Supply Applications

A photovoltaic (PV)-based stand-alone power system is usually used to manage the energy supplied from several power sources such as PV solar arrays and battery and deliver a continuous power to the users in an appropriate form. Traditionally, three different dc/dc converters would have been used. To reduce the cost and improve the power density of the power system, an integrated solution of PV isolated dc/dc three-port converter (TPC) is proposed in this paper. Zero current switching can be achieved for all main diodes and MOSFETs to improve the efficiency, and a continuous input current of solar array is maintained by adding a magnetic switch derived from a fourth winding of the half-bridge transformer. Based on the energy-balancing part formed by boost, the control methods for the single module to realize maximum power point tracking (MPPT), battery charge control, and main bus regulation are proposed. The power system control method for multimodules in parallel is also derived, and the operation of the TPC power system can be transited between conductance mode and MPPT mode automatically. Finally, the experimental results verify that the proposed TPC, together with the proposed control method, meets the requirements of a high-power-density stand-alone PV-battery power system.
Breast Cancer Stem Cell-Like Cells Are More Sensitive to Ionizing Radiation than Non-Stem Cells: Role of ATM

There are contradictory observations about the different radiosensitivities of cancer stem cells and cancer non-stem cells. To resolve these contradictory observations, we studied radiosensitivities by employing breast cancer stem cell (CSC)-like MDA-MB231 and MDA-MB453 cells as well as their corresponding non-stem cells. CSC-like cells proliferate without differentiating and have characteristics of tumor-initiating cells [1]. These cells were exposed to γ-rays (1.25–8.75 Gy) and survival curves were determined by colony formation. A final slope, D0, of the survival curve for each cell line was determined to measure radiosensitivity. The D0 of CSC-like and non-stem MDA-MB-453 cells were 1.16 Gy and 1.55 Gy, respectively. Similar results were observed in MDA-MB-231 cells (0.94 Gy vs. 1.56 Gy). After determination of radiosensitivity, we investigated intrinsic cellular determinants which influence radiosensitivity including cell cycle distribution, free-radical scavengers and DNA repair. We observed that even though cell cycle status and antioxidant content may contribute to differential radiosensitivity, differential DNA repair capacity may be a greater determinant of radiosensitivity. Unlike non-stem cells, CSC-like cells have little/no sublethal damage repair, a low intracellular level of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and delay of γ-H2AX foci removal (DNA strand break repair). These results suggest that low DNA repair capacity is responsible for the high radiosensitivity of these CSC-like cells.
Gastric emptying of ingested solutions in man: effect of beverage glucose concentration.

The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of gastric emptying of 20 g.l-1 (2G), 40 g.l-1 (4G), and 60 g.l-1 (6G) glucose solutions with that of water (W). On separate occasions in randomized order, a 600-ml test solution was instilled into the stomach of each of six healthy male volunteers. Gastric emptying was measured at 10-min intervals for 1 h by a double sampling gastric aspiration method that allowed the volume of test drink and of the gastric secretion present in the stomach to be measured at each time point. All solutions emptied rapidly and followed an exponential emptying pattern. The 20 g.l-1 glucose solution was emptied at the same rate as water. After the first 10 min of rapid emptying, 4G and 6G were emptied slower (P < 0.05) than water. 6G delivered more (P < 0.05) glucose to the small intestine than 4G, and 4G delivered more glucose than 2G. The results indicate that a 20 g.l-1 glucose solution has no effect on gastric emptying compared with water, but that after the first 10 min of rapid emptying, glucose solutions at a concentration of 40 g.l-1 or more delay gastric emptying.
The evolving management of penetrating neck injuries.

The management of penetrating neck injuries has changed tremendously in the last 20 years. During the 1960s and 1970s the golden rule for such injuries was mandatory neck exploration. This policy became generally accepted because of the anatomical proximity of the neck to important structures, the potential of disastrous consequences, and previous military experience. However, experience in the civilian setting of large trauma centers, together with economic considerations regarding unnecessary surgery prompted critical retrospective studies in the midseventies and early eighties. These studies revealed the staggering rate of up to 70% of non-therapeutic neck operations for penetrating injuries. As a result trauma surgeons set out to define a more selective and conservative approach, leading to the development of investigational management algorithms to treat these injuries. In this review we present our assessment of the literature on the evolving management and treatment of penetrating neck injuries, and an evaluation of the results of recent prospective studies and treatment algorithms.
Nitric oxide is required for an optimal establishment of the Medicago truncatula–Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous molecule that participates in numerous plant signalling pathways. It is involved in plant responses to pathogens and development processes such as seed germination, flowering and stomatal closure. Using a permeable NO-specific fluorescent probe and a bacterial reporter strain expressing the lacZ gene under the control of a NO-responsive promoter, we detected NO production in the first steps, during infection threads growth, of the Medicago truncatula–Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiotic interaction. Nitric oxide was also detected, by confocal microscopy, in nodule primordia. Depletion of NO caused by cPTIO (2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl imidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide), an NO scavenger, resulted in a significant delay in nodule appearance. The overexpression of a bacterial hmp gene, encoding a flavohaemoglobin able to scavenge NO, under the control of a nodule-specific promoter (pENOD20) in transgenic roots, led to the same phenotype. The NO scavenging resulting from these approaches provoked the downregulation of plant genes involved in nodule development, such as MtCRE1 and MtCCS52A. Furthermore, an Hmp-overexpressing S. meliloti mutant strain was found to be less competitive than the wild type in the nodulation process. Taken together, these results indicate that NO is required for an optimal establishment of the M. truncatula–S. meliloti symbiotic interaction.
Cooperative Transportation by Humanoid Robots: Learning to Correct Positioning

In this paper, we describe a cooperative transportation problem with two humanoid robots and introduce a machine learning approach to solving the problem. The difficulty of the task lies on the fact that each position shifts with the other's while they are moving. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the position in a real-time manner. However, it is difficult to generate such an action in consideration of the physical formula. We empirically show how successful the humanoid robot HOAP- 1's cooperate with each other for the sake of the transportation as a result of Q-learning.
Prospective validation of computed tomographic screening of the thoracolumbar spine in trauma.

OBJECTIVE Concern for thoracolumbar spine (TLS) injuries after major trauma mandates immobilization pending radiographic evaluation. Current protocols use standard posteroanterior and lateral radiographs of the thoracolumbar spine (XR/TLS), but many patients also undergo abdominal or thoracic computed tomographic (CT) scanning. We sought to evaluate whether helical truncal CT scanning performed to evaluate visceral trauma images the spine as well as dedicated XR/TLS. METHODS We prospectively studied 222 consecutive patients sustaining high-risk trauma requiring TLS screening because of clinical findings or altered mentation. The chest, abdomen, and pelvis were imaged with one intravenous contrast infusion. All patients had CT scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis (CT/CAP) and XR/TLS. Initial radiologic diagnoses were compared with the discharge diagnosis of acute fractures confirmed by thin-cut CT scan and/or clinical examination of the patient when alert. RESULTS Of 222 patients studied, 215 were fully evaluated. Thirty-six (17%) had acute TLS fractures. The accuracy of CT/CAP for TLS fractures was 99% (95% confidence interval [CI], 96-100%). The accuracy of XR/TLS was 87% (95% CI, 82-92%). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were better for CT/CAP than for XR/TLS. CT/CAP found acute fractures XR/TLS missed, and correctly classified old fractures XR/TLS read as "possibly" acute. The total XR/TLS misclassification rate was 12.6% (95% CI, 8.4-19%); for CT/CAP it was 1.4% (95% CI, 0.3-3.3%). No fractures were missed by CT/CAP. No unstable fracture was missed by either technique. CONCLUSION CT/CAP diagnoses TLS fractures more accurately than XR/TLS. Neither misses unstable fractures, but CT scanning finds small fractures that benefit by treatment and identifies chronic disease better. CT screening is far faster and shortens time to removal of spine precautions. CT scan-based diagnosis does not result in greater radiation exposure and improves resource use. Screening the TLS on truncal helical CT scanning performed for the evaluation of visceral injuries is more accurate than TLS imaging by standard radiography. CT/CAP should replace plain radiographs in high-risk trauma patients who require screening.
A Case for an Over-provisioned Multicore System: Energy Efficient Processing of Multithreaded Programs

Technology scaling has provided system designers with an exploding transistor budget, far more than what was available when the core principles behind many existing commodity microprocessors were envisioned. With this tremendous growth, however, comes a whole new set of engineering challenges involving power density, thermal efficiency, programmability and so on. In this paper, we study another important trend in high performance microprocessors: the reduction in the Simultaneously Active Fraction (SAF) — the fraction of the entire chip resources that can be active simultaneously, given a target power envelope. As the improvement in the energy efficiency of individual transistor devices is lagging behind the growth in their integration capacity, we find that the SAF is monotonically decreasing for each successive technology generation. Given this increasing constraint on the SAF, we examine the utility of temporarily suspending computation on a core as a means for reducing the SAF, and hence, remain within the confines of costeffective cooling and power delivery. We investigate a SAF aware over-provisioned multicore system (OPMS), where only a subset of the available cores are employed to perform active computation at any given time, by allowing the individual cores to transition between active and inactive state. Though several possible directions for utilizing such an over-provisioned system are possible, this paper focuses on energy efficient dynamic task redistribution. In particular, this paper examines the use of Computation Spreading—a recently proposed technique for runtime specialization of homogeneous multicores—in an OPMS. We show several benefits for such an OPMS design, including reductions in energy, runtime, and superior thermal characteristics. Overall, our technique improves the energy-delay product of the commercial workloads we examine by 5–20%.
Forest stand structure, tree species architecture and carbon storage in the Maymbe forest

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