Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL IN PACKED BED-BIOREACTORS WITH IMMOBILIZED YEAST CELLS ON LIGNOCELLULOSIC WASTE

The continuous processes with immobilized cells are a good alternative for improving the efficiency and the performance of alcoholic fermentations. Raw materials derived from agroindustrial waste and their usage for promising carries have recently been tested for the cell immobilization. In this work, we evaluated the continuous production of ethanol in bed packed reactors with yeast cells immobilized on lignocellulosic waste of wood shaving, cane bagasse, corn leave and corn cob. We used glucose as carbon source to establish the reference conditions and we made the fermentations with commercial sucrose. We also evaluated the glucose syrup obtained from cassava flour as alternative substrate. The experiments were performed on a laboratory level in column reactors of 250 mL. The cane bagasse was the material on which the highest amount of cells was immobilized. A value of 0.047 g Biomass/g Carrier (gX/gC) was obtained. For the fermentation performed with glucose, the productivity reached was 13.33 ± 1.5 g/L h. A similar value, 13.00 ± 0.02 g/L h was reached for the productivity of fermentation with sucrose. In the fermentations performed with glucose syrup, a higher amount of ethanol was obtained in the process that used corn cob as carrier. 31.99 ± 1.93 g/L of ethanol was produced and the productivity of 10.66 ± 0.64 g/L h was reached. The results obtained have allowed us establish the potential these lignocellulosic waste has as carriers for cell immobilization for the continuous production of ethanol, and the possibility of using the glucose syrup as alternative substrate.
Analysis of Total Ankle Arthroplasty Survival in the United States Using Multiple State Databases

The aim of this study was to evaluate survivorship and risk factors for failure of total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) in the United States using large statewide, multipayer databases of inpatient discharges. TAA patients from 2005 to 2009 were identified from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project databases for 5 states (California, Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Utah) and the New York Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics were extracted, and a multivariable logistic regression model was developed to assess risk factors for 90-day all-cause readmission and failure. Failure was defined as revision, arthrodesis, amputation, or implant removal. During the period of interest, 1545 patients received 1593 TAA. The coded etiology of arthritis was primary osteoarthritis (n = 854, 55.2%), posttraumatic arthritis (n = 466, 30.2%), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 129, 8.4%), and other (n = 96, 6.2%). The 5-year survival rate was 90.1%. Patients with a coded diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (odds ratio [OR] = 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04-4.01) or who were readmitted within 90 days of TAA (OR = 3.41; 95% CI = 1.67-6.97) had significantly increased risk of failure. Risk factors for readmission were Charlson-Deyo Score ≥2 (OR = 3.05; 95% CI = 1.51-6.15) and increased length of stay during the arthroplasty (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.16-1.47). Levels of Evidence: Therapeutic, Level IV: Observational study
Yielding and crystallization of colloidal gels under oscillatory shear.

We have studied the behavior of a colloidal gel under oscillatory shear. The quiescent gel was an arrested structure formed by a 40% volume fraction hard-sphere suspension in which a "depletion" interparticle attraction was induced by adding nonadsorbing polymer. We applied progressively larger amplitude oscillatory shear to the sample, and observed its behavior using conventional and confocal microscopy as well as dynamic light scattering echo spectroscopy. We find that, to within experimental uncertainties, the point at which irreversible particle rearrangements (or yielding) occur coincides with the observation of crystallization. We summarize our findings in a "shear state diagram. " The strain amplitude required for yielding/crystallization increases with decreasing oscillation frequency. We can quantitatively account for our observations by estimating the effect of shear on the probability for a particle to escape from the attractive potential of its neighbor using a Kramers approach.
How to Build a Supervised Autonomous System for Robot-Enhanced Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract Robot-Assisted Therapy (RAT) has successfully been used to improve social skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) through remote control of the robot in so-called Wizard of Oz (WoZ) paradigms.However, there is a need to increase the autonomy of the robot both to lighten the burden on human therapists (who have to remain in control and, importantly, supervise the robot) and to provide a consistent therapeutic experience. This paper seeks to provide insight into increasing the autonomy level of social robots in therapy to move beyond WoZ. With the final aim of improved human-human social interaction for the children, this multidisciplinary research seeks to facilitate the use of social robots as tools in clinical situations by addressing the challenge of increasing robot autonomy.We introduce the clinical framework in which the developments are tested, alongside initial data obtained from patients in a first phase of the project using a WoZ set-up mimicking the targeted supervised-autonomy behaviour. We further describe the implemented system architecture capable of providing the robot with supervised autonomy.
Elucidation of Endemic Neurodegenerative Diseases - a Commentary

Abstract Recent investigations of scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), and chronic wasting disease (CWD) clusters in Iceland, Slovakia and Colorado, respectively, have indicated that the soil in these regions is low in copper and higher in manganese, and it has been well-known that patients of ALS or Parkinson’s disease were collectively found in the New Guinea and Papua islands, where the subterranean water (drinking water) contains much Al3+ and Mn2+ ions. Above facts suggest that these neurodegenerative diseases are closely related with the function of a metal ion. We have investigated the chemical functions of the metal ions in detail and established the unique mechanism of the oxygen activation by the transition metal ions such as iron and copper, and pointed out the notable difference in the mechanism among iron, aluminum and manganese ions. Based on these results, it has become apparent that the incorporation of Al(III) or Mn(II) in the cells induces the “iron-overload syndrome”, which is mainly due to the difference in an oxygen activation mechanism between the iron ion and Al(III) or the Mn(II) ion. This syndrome highly promotes formation of hydrogen peroxide, and hydrogen peroxide thus produced can be a main factor to cause serious damages to DNA and proteins (oxidative stress), yielding a copper(II)-or manganese(II)-peptide complex and its peroxide adduct, which are the serious agents to induce the structural changes from the normal prion protein (PrPC) to abnormal disease-causing isoforms, PrPSc, or the formation of PrP 27Ð30 (abnormal cleavage at site 90 of the prion protein). It seems reasonable to consider that the essential origin for the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) should be the incorporation and accumulation of Al(III) and Mn(II) ions in the cells, and the sudden and explosive increase of scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the last decade may be partially due to “acid rain”, because the acid rain makes Al(III) and Mn(II) ions soluble in the subterranean aquifers.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Uses Lipid Raft-Colocalized CD4 and Chemokine Receptors for Productive Entry into CD4+ T Cells

ABSTRACT In this report, we describe a crucial role of lipid raft-colocalized receptors in the entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) into CD4+ T cells. We show that biochemically isolated detergent-resistant fractions have characteristics of lipid rafts. Lipid raft integrity was required for productive HIV-1 entry as determined by (i) semiquantitative PCR analysis and (ii) single-cycle infectivity assay using HIV-1 expressing the luciferase reporter gene and pseudotyped with HIV-1 HXB2 envelope or vesicular stomatitis virus envelope glycoprotein (VSV-G). Depletion of plasma membrane cholesterol with methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) relocalized raft-resident markers to a nonraft environment but did not significantly change the surface expression of HIV-1 receptors. MβCD treatment inhibited productive infection of HIV-1 by 95% as determined by luciferase activity in cells infected with HXB2 envelope-pseudotyped virus. In contrast, infection with VSV-G-pseudotyped virus, which enters the cells through an endocytic pathway, was not suppressed. Biochemical fractionation and confocal imaging of HIV-1 receptor distribution in live cells demonstrated that CD4, CCR5, and CXCR4 colocalized with raft-resident markers, ganglioside GM1, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored CD48. While confocal microscopy analysis revealed that HIV-1 receptors localized most likely to the same lipid microdomains, sucrose gradient analysis of the receptor localization showed that, in contrast to CD4 and CCR5, CXCR4 was associated preferentially with the nonraft membrane fraction. The binding of HIV-1 envelope gp120 to lipid rafts in the presence, but not in the absence, of cholesterol strongly supports our hypothesis that raft-colocalized receptors are directly involved in virus entry. Dramatic changes in lipid raft and HIV-1 receptor redistribution were observed upon binding of HIV-1 NL4-3 to PM1 T cells. Colocalization of CCR5 with GM1 and gp120 upon engagement of CD4 and CXCR4 by HIV-1 further supports our observation that HIV-1 receptors localize to the same lipid rafts in PM1 T cells.
Polyphilic Interactions as Structural Driving Force Investigated by Molecular Dynamics Simulation (Project 7)

We investigated the effect of fluorinated molecules on dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers by force-field molecular dynamics simulations. In the first step, we developed all-atom force-field parameters for additive molecules in membranes to enable an accurate description of those systems. On the basis of this force field, we performed extensive simulations of various bilayer systems containing different additives. The additive molecules were chosen to be of different size and shape, and they included small molecules such as perfluorinated alcohols, but also more complex molecules. From these simulations, we investigated the structural and dynamic effects of the additives on the membrane properties, as well as the behavior of the additive molecules themselves. Our results are in good agreement with other theoretical and experimental studies, and they contribute to a microscopic understanding of interactions, which might be used to specifically tune membrane properties by additives in the future.
New Agents in the Chemical Control of Plaque and Gingivitis: Reaction Paper

The inadequacy of traditional methods in controlling plaque and gingivitis has led to an increasing interest in the chemical approach, especially using toothpastes and mouthrinses. Various agents have been tested by a variety of experimental designs. Further work in this field should include monitoring the effect of long-term use on the oral ecology and an appraisal of the experimental designs used in longitudinal studies of antiplaque and antigingivitis agents.
Dynamic Regulation of Autophagy and Endocytosis for Cell Remodeling During Early Development

Fertilization triggers cell remodeling from each gamete to a totipotent zygote. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system, it has been revealed that lysosomal degradation pathways play important roles in cellular remodeling during this developmental transition. Endocytosis and autophagy, two pathways leading to the lysosomes, are highly upregulated during this period. A subset of maternal membrane proteins is selectively endocytosed and degraded in the lysosomes before the first mitotic cell division. Autophagy is also induced shortly after fertilization and executes the degradation of paternally inherited embryonic organelles, e.g. mitochondria and membranous organelles. This mechanism underlies the maternal inheritance of the mitochondrial genome. Autophagy is also required for the removal of extra P‐granule (germ granules in C. elegans) components in somatic cells of early embryos and thereby for the specific distribution of P‐granules to germ cells. This review focuses on recent advances in the study of the physiological roles and mechanisms of lysosomal pathways during early development in C. elegans.
New Materials for Vacuum Chambers in High Energy Physics

Vacuum chambers must fulfil ultra-high vacuum requirements while withstanding thermo-mechanical loads. This is particularly true in high energy particle accelerator where interactions of particles with matter may induce thermal load, material activation, background… The choice of the material of the vacuum chamber is crucial for the final application. Metals such as stainless steel, copper and aluminium are usually used. Even with outstanding mechanical and physical properties, beryllium is used for very specific applications because of its cost and toxicity.Ceramics such as alumina are usually used for fast magnet vacuum chambers. With the next generation of high energy physics accelerator generation such as CLIC and TLEP, the problematic of high cyclic thermal load induced by synchrotron radiation is raised. This paper aims at defining some figures of merit of different materials with respect to several load scenarios and presents briefly their vacuum compatibility.
Preamble-Assisted Estimation for Frequency-Dependent I/Q Mismatch in Direct-Conversion OFDM Receivers

In direct-conversion orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) receivers, the impact of frequency-dependent I/Q mismatch (IQ-M) with carrier frequency offset (CFO) must be considered. A preamble-assisted estimation is developed to circumvent the frequency-dependent IQ-M with CFO. The results of a simulation and an experiment show that the proposed method could provide good estimation efficiency and enhance the system performance. Moreover, the proposed scheme is compatible with current wireless local area network standards.
Acute Rejection Clinically Defined Phenotypes Correlate With Long-term Renal Allograft Survival

Background Classification of acute rejection (AR) based on etiology and timing may provide a means for enhancing therapeutic results and allograft survival. This study evaluated graft and patient survival after the first AR episodes among kidney transplant recipients with an early or late antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), acute cellular rejection (ACR) or mixed AR (MAR). Methods A prospective institutional review board–approved database was queried to identify biopsy-proven first AR episodes occurring from January 2005 to October 2012. The ACR was defined by Banff criteria; borderline AR was excluded. The AMR was defined as 3 of 4 criteria: renal dysfunction, donor specific antibody, C4d positivity on biopsy, and histological changes. The MAR met criteria for both ACR and AMR. Early AR occurred within six months post-transplant. AR episodes were then assigned to 1 of the 6 categories—early AMR, early ACR, early MAR, late AMR, late ACR, and late MAR. Results One hundred eighty-two kidney transplant recipients identified with a first AR episode. Mean follow-up was 773 days (±715 days). No difference was observed in patient survival. Death-censored graft survival was 84%. Death-censored graft loss was higher with late versus early AMR (P = 0.01) and late versus early ACR (P = 0.03), but not late versus early MAR (P = 0.3). Conclusions The AR type demonstrated a hierarchy for graft survival with ACR better than MAR better than AMR, which persisted for both early and late AR. Improvement in long-term results of AR may require development of specific treatment for individual AR types.
[Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in female adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms with abnormal growth pattern and low bone mass in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. METHODS Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 164 female patients with AIS, aged 14.4 +/- 2 (9 - 20), and 122 age-matched healthy girls. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique was used to detect the VDR gene distributions. RESULTS The frequency of Bb genotype was significantly higher in the AIS patients than in the controls (P < 0.01). The frequency of B alleles of the AIS patients was significantly higher than that of the controls (P < 0.01). In AIS patients, the expression rate of Aa genotype of the AIS patients with the body mass index (BMI) > or = 18 kg/m(2) was significantly higher than those with the BMI < 18 kg/m(2) (P < 0.05), and the expression rate of Bb genotype of the AIS patients with the BMI < 18 kg/m(2) and arm span < 160 cm was significantly higher than that of the AIS patients with the BMI > or = 18 kg/m(2) and arm span > or = 160 cm (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The BsmI site polymorphism of vitamin D receptor gene may be associated with abnormal growth pattern and low bone mass in girls with AIS.
Total Dose and Bias Temperature Stress Effects for HfSiON on Si MOS Capacitors

We have performed an experimental study of the effects of ionizing radiation and bias-temperature stress on Si MOS devices with HfSiON gate dielectrics. We compare the responses of homogeneous high-SiN films and low-SiN films that contain crystalline HfO. We observe that the low-SiN films are more sensitive to ionizing radiation than the high-SiN films. In particular, the low-SiN film that includes crystalline HfO is especially vulnerable to electron trapping due to substrate injection under positive irradiation bias. Both film types exhibit reduced radiation-induced charge trapping relative to previous Hf silicates. The high-SiN film exhibits less radiation-induced net oxide-trap charge density than earlier Hf silicate films processed without nitride. We also find that these devices are relatively robust against bias-temperature stress instabilities. Consistent with the radiation response, the low-SiN devices also display elevated levels of charge trapping relative to the high-SiN devices during bias-temperature stress.
Elastic and piezoelectric properties of La3Ga5SiO14 and La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14: an application of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy.

The electromechanical properties of La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS) and La3Ga5.5Ta0. 5O14 (LGT) have been studied at room temperature on 25 samples using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). The RUS method facilitates simultaneous determination of all independent elastic and piezoelectric constants of a sample within the same frequency range and yields sample parameters with high internal consistency. Consequently, the spread of the experimental results presented here is significantly lower than the scatter of literature data obtained by different experimental techniques.
tRNATrp as a key element of antitermination in the Lactococcus lactis trp operon

The expression of the trp operon of Lactococcus lactis is regulated in response to tryptophan availability by a mechanism of transcription antitermination. We present evidence in support of a previously described model involving tRNATrp as a key element in the sensing of tryptophan levels and the realization of the regulatory response to tryptophan limitation. In agreement with this model, two sites of presumed direct interaction between the trp leader transcript and tRNATrp are found to be of crucial importance for efficient antitermination. These correspond to the specifier codon, which presumably interacts with the anticodon in the tRNA, and a sequence complementary to, and presumably interacting with, the acceptor stem of the tRNA. Through these interactions, uncharged tRNATrp is believed to stabilize an antiterminator conformation of the trp leader transcript, thus allowing transcription and expression of the structural genes of the operon. For the first time, we present direct evidence that it is the ratio of uncharged to charged tRNA that is important for the regulation of antitermination, rather than the absolute amount of uncharged tRNA. In addition, our results indicate that the codon–anticodon interaction, although contributing largely to the efficiency of the regulatory response, is not strictly indispensable, which suggests the existence of additional interactions between mRNA and tRNA. Finally, we describe a possible additional level of regulation, superimposed and dependent on tRNA‐mediated antitermination control, that is based on the processing of the trp leader transcript. Together with the regulation mechanisms described earlier for the Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis trp operons, this constitutes the third different mechanism of transcript elongation control found to be involved in the regulation of an operon of which the structural genes are highly conserved.
The prevalence and causes of visual impairment in indigenous Australians within central Australia: the Central Australian Ocular Health Study

Aim To determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness among indigenous Australians living in central Australia. Methods 1884 individuals aged 20 years or older, living in one of 30 remote communities within the statistical local area of “Central Australia”, were recruited for this study, from which 1883 were assessable. This equated to 36% of those ≥20 years old and 67% of those ≥40 years old within this district. Participants were recruited as they presented to the eye clinic at each remote community. Patients underwent Snellen visual acuity testing and subjective refraction. After this, an assessment of their anterior and posterior segments was made. Rates and causes of bilateral visual impairment (vision worse than Snellen visual acuity 6/12 in the better eye) and bilateral blindness (Snellen visual acuity worse than 6/60 in the better eye) were presented. Results 19.4% (365/1883) had bilateral visual impairment (25.1% of those ≥40 years old) and 2.8% (53/1883) had bilateral blindness (3.6% of those ≥40 years old). Refractive error followed by cataract were the main causes for bilateral visual impairment and blindness. Following these, diabetic eye disease and trachomatous corneal opacification were the main causes of bilateral visual impairment and bilateral blindness, respectively. Conclusion This study indicates that bilateral visual impairment and blindness are, respectively, 25.1% and 3.6% among indigenous Australians, four to seven times higher than among the non-indigenous Australian population. Trachoma is the leading cause of bilateral blindness after refractive error and cataract.