Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Supplementation of Rumen Protected Fats on Rumen Ecology and Digestibility of Nutrients in Sheep

Simple Summary Rising populations and urbanization are transforming into increased demand for livestock products, particularly in developing countries. The world will need more meat and more milk and in order to meet these demands, huge quantities of feed resources will be required. However, there is a substantial deficit of energy feeds affecting the growth and production of animals. The common method to increase energy value of ruminant diets is to provide them with fats. However, higher level of fats in the diet could prove toxic to rumen microbes and affect fibre digestibility, which ultimately results in reducing the feed intake and lowering animal production. These negative effects of fat supplementation can easily be overcome by feeding ruminants with specifically designed fats called rumen protected fats. In order to evaluate the efficacy of rumen protected fats (RPF), three different types of protected fats were examined in sheep. The results suggested that different types of protected fats have no unfavourable influences on the ruminal fermentation and productive parameters. Therefore, prilled fat, prilled fat with lecithin and calcium soaps did not improve animal performance as compared to the diet without protected fats in Dorper sheep. Abstract Rumen protected fats (RPF) are known to improve animal performance without affecting rumen metabolism in sheep. However, comparative effects of prilled fat, prilled fat with lecithin and calcium soap have not been fully studied. Hence this experiment was planned using 36 male Dorper sheep in a completely randomized design in four treatment groups. The diets included: Basal diet (70:30 concentrate to rice straw) with no added RPF as a control (CON), basal diet plus prilled fat (PF), basal diet plus prilled fat with lecithin (PFL) and basal diet plus calcium soap (CaS). The trial lasted 90 days following two weeks adaptation period. The body weights, average daily gain and gain to feed ratio were not affected by treatments. The intake and digestibilities of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fibre were not affected, while those for ether extract and crude fibre differed (p < 0.05). RPF had no effect on concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, total volatile fatty acids and total bacterial population. The concentrations of rumen total saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, total n − 3, total n − 6, unsaturated fatty acids:saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids:saturated fatty acids differed (p < 0.05) among the treatments with RPF supplementation. Hence supplementation of different types of protected fats did not influence animal performance in Dorper sheep.
Chronic Heat Stress Induces Acute Phase Responses and Serum Metabolome Changes in Finishing Pigs

Simple Summary There is limited information on the serum metabolome of heat-stressed finishing pigs. Our results indicated that heat stress led to oxidative stress and acute phase response. Pigs chronically exposed to high ambient temperature were in negative energy balance status. Three gut microbiome-derived metabolites (fluorine, lyxose 1, and D-galacturonic) were likely to be biomarkers for monitoring animal health. Abstract Heat stress (HS) is a main environmental challenge affecting the animal welfare and production efficiency in pig industry. In recent years, numerous reports have studied the alterations in gene expressions and protein profiles in heat-stressed pigs. However, the use of metabolome to unravel adaptive mechanisms of finishing pig in response to chronic HS have not yet been elucidated. We aimed to investigate the effects of chronic HS on serum metabolome in finishing pigs, and to identify the biomarkers of heat stress. Pigs (n = 8 per treatment) were exposed to either thermal neutral (TN; 22 °C) or heat stress (HS, 30 °C) conditions for three weeks. Serum metabonomics of TN- and HS-treated pigs were compared using the GC-MS approach. Metabonomics analysis revealed that twenty-four metabolites had significantly different levels in TN compared to HS (variable importance in the projection values >1 and p < 0.05). These metabolites are involved in carbohydrate, amino acid, fatty acid, amines metabolism, and gut microbiome-derived metabolism. Three serum monoses (glucose, mannose 2, and galactose) and 6-phosphogluconic acid were decreased, indicating insufficient source of fuel for energy supply, resulting in negative energy balance (NEB) in heat-stressed pigs. Increased levels of non-esterified fatty acid (myristic acid, palmitic acid, and linoleic acid) and short-chain fatty acids (3-hydroxybutanoic acid and maleic acid) suggested fat decomposition compensating for energy shortage, which was an adaptive response to NEB. Increased concentrations of fluorine, lyxose 1, and D-galacturonic acid were significantly correlated with the levels of acute phase proteins (HP, LBP, α2-HSG, and Lysozyme), suggesting acute phase response in HS-stressed pigs. These metabolites are expected to be novel biomarkers of chronic HS in pigs, yet the use of which awaits further validation.
Relationship between objectively measured lifestyle factors and health factors in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between objectively-measured lifestyle factors and health factors in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). In this cross-sectional study, 52 patients with knee OA were examined. Lifestyle factors were measured using a wearable smartwatch (step counts, walking distance, calorie consumption, sleep hours) and by self-report (eating speed). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, muscle strength of knee extensor and hip abductor, knee pain, symptoms, daily living function, sports recreation function, quality of life by knee injury and OA outcome score (KOOS) were measured to obtain data on health factors. Correlations and regression analysis were used to analyze the relationship between lifestyle factors and health factors. KOOS subscales (pain, symptom, daily living function) and hip abductor strength were positively correlated with daily step count, which was the only independently contributing lifestyle factor. Additionally, knee pain duration and diastolic blood pressure were negatively correlated with daily step count. BMI and waist circumference showed no correlation with physical activity data, but were negatively correlated with sleep duration and eating speed. The findings of this study contribute to expanding the knowledge on how lifestyle habits of older patients with knee OA contribute to their health status. Daily step counts were associated with knee OA-related pain, symptom, function in daily living, duration of knee pain, blood pressure, and strength of hip abductor. BMI and waist circumference were associated with sleep duration and eating speed.
Tumor-associated redox state in metastatic colorectal cancer.

The high incidence of recurrence and metastasizing in colorectal cancer (CRC) poses the challenge for the improvement in long-term treatment outcome. AIM To determine the major indicators of redox-formative molecules in the tissue of metastatic CRC (mCRC), stages Т2-4N0-2M0G2-3, namely the rate of superoxide radical (SR) generation, nitric oxide (NO) content, the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), lactoferrin (LF) content, and "free" iron and their association with some clinical and pathological characteristics of the patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS mCRC samples from 51 patients were analyzed (stage II, 31 patients; stage III, 20 patients). The LF and "free" iron were assessed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) at the temperature of 77 °K. The rate of SR and NO generation was determined with spin traps (ТЕМРО-Н, diethyl dithiocarbamate). The activity of MMP-2 and -9 was measured by gelatin zymography using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Ki-67 expression was analyzed by immunofluorescence technique. RESULTS In tumors with metastases into the regional lymph nodes (N1-2 category), SR generation rate was 2.2-fold higher than in the tumors categorized as N0. In G3 mCRC, SR generation rate was 1.7-fold higher than in G2-tumors (p < 0.05). The rate of SR generation correlated inversely with differentiation grade of the tumor (r=-0.61; p < 0.05). MMP-2 and -9 activities in mCRC tissue correlated with SR generation rate and NO level (r = 0.44 ÷ 0.53, p < 0.05). The direct correlation between LF content and the stage of the disease (r = 0.42) and "free" iron content (r = 0.61) was demonstrated while the correlation between LF content and tumor differentiation grade was inverse (r = -0.57; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The altered tumor-associated redox state in mCRC tissue contributes to the increased cell proliferation and formation of aggressive phenotype of the tumor. The assays for the content of redox-formative components in mCRC may be used as additional prognostic markers of the course of the disease in CRC patients.
Janus Nanostructures from ABC/B Triblock Terpolymer Blends

Lamella-forming ABC triblock terpolymers are convenient building blocks for the synthesis of soft Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) by crosslinking the B domain that is “sandwiched” between A and C lamellae. Despite thorough synthetic variation of the B fraction to control the geometry of the sandwiched microphase, so far only Janus spheres, cylinders, and sheets have been obtained. In this combined theoretical and experimental work, we show that the blending of polybutadiene homopolymer (hPB) into lamella morphologies of polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-polymethylmethacrylate (SBM) triblock terpolymers allows the continuous tuning of the polybutadiene (PB) microphase. We systematically vary the volume fraction of hPB in the system, and we find in both experiments and simulations morphological transitions from PB-cylinders to perforated PB-lamellae and further to continuous PB-lamellae. Our simulations show that the hPB is distributed homogeneously in the PB microdomains. Through crosslinking of the PB domain and redispersion in a common solvent for all blocks, we separate the bulk morphologies into Janus cylinders, perforated Janus sheets, and Janus sheets. These studies suggest that more complex Janus nanostructures could be generated from ABC triblock terpolymers than previously expected.
Evaluation of the Degree of Conversion, Residual Monomers and Mechanical Properties of Some Light-Cured Dental Resin Composites

The novelty of this study consists in the formulation and characterization of three experimental dental composites (PM, P14M, P2S) for cervical dental lesion restoration compared to the commercial composites Enamel plus HRi® - En (Micerium S.p.A, Avengo, Ge, Italy), G-ænial Anterior® - Ge, (GC Europe N.V., Leuven, Belgium), Charisma® - Ch (Heraeus Kulzer, Berkshire, UK). The physio-chemical properties were studied, like the degree of conversion and the residual monomers in cured samples using FTIR-ATR (attenuated total reflectance) and HPLC-UV (ultraviolet detection), as well as the evaluation of the mechanical properties of the materials. The null hypothesis was that there would be no differences between experimental and commercial resin composites regarding the evaluated parameters. Statistical analysis revealed that water and saliva storage induced significant modifications of all mechanical parameters after three months for all tested materials, except for a few comparisons for each type of material. Storage medium seemed not to alter the values of mechanical parameters in comparison with the initial ones for: diametral tensile strength (DTS-saliva for Ge and PM, compressive strength (CS)-water for Ch, DTS-water and Young’s modulus YM-saliva for P14M and YM-water/ saliva for P2S (p > 0.05). Two of the experimental materials showed less than 1% residual monomers, which sustains good polymerization efficiency. Experimental resin composites have good mechanical properties, which makes them recommendable for the successful use in load-bearing surfaces of posterior teeth.
Oncogenic Kras induces Nix-mediated mitophagy to promote pancreatic cancer.

Activating KRAS mutations are found in nearly all cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), yet effective clinical targeting of oncogenic KRAS remains elusive. Understanding of KRAS-dependent PDAC-promoting pathways could lead to the identification of vulnerabilities and the development of new treatments. We show that oncogenic KRAS induces BNIP3L/NIX expression and a selective mitophagy program that restricts glucose flux to the mitochondria and enhances redox capacity. Loss of Nix restores functional mitochondria to cells, increasing demands for NADPH reducing power and decreasing proliferation in glucose-limited conditions. Nix deletion markedly delays progression of pancreatic cancer and improves survival in a murine (KPC) model of PDAC. While conditional Nix ablation in vivo initially results in the accumulation of mitochondria, mitochondrial content eventually normalizes via increased mitochondrial clearance programs, and PanIN lesions progress to PDAC. We identify the Kras-Nix mitophagy program as a novel driver of glycolysis, redox robustness, and disease progression in PDAC.
A novel DLL4 missense mutation in a Chinese patient with Adams-Oliver syndrome

such as brachydactyly and hypoplastic nails or absence of To the Editor: Adams-Oliver syndrome (AOS, including 6 types) was initially reported in a three-generation family by [1] nails in both her hands and feet. X-ray images showed the Adams and Oliver in 1945, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 225,000 live births. Approximately 84% of AOS patients have terminal transverse limb defects, including amputations, syndactyly, brachydactyly, or oligodactyly. Congenital cutis aplasia is the secondmost common defect, occurring in 75% of AOS cases covering the posterior parietal region. Other features include vascular anomalies (20%), cardiovascular diseases (20%), central nervous system anomalies and gastrointestinal malformations. To date, six genes associated with AOS have been identified. Mutations in DOCK6 (MIM: 614219, AOS type 2) and EOGT (MIM: 615297, AOS type 4) have been linked to the autosomal-recessive form of AOS, while mutations in ARHGAP31 (MIM: 100300, AOS type 1), RBPJ (MIM: 614814, AOS type 3), NOTCH1 (MIM: 616028, AOS type 5) and DLL4 (MIM: 616589, AOS type 6) cause the autosomal-dominant form. A recent study showed that mutations in NOTCH1 (about 10%) were the most common cause of AOS in a large European cohort, followed by mutations in DLL4 (about 6%), DOCK6 (about 6%), ARHGAP31 (about 3%), EOGT (about 3%), and RBPJ (about 2%).
Differences in Autonomy and Health-Related Quality of Life between Resilient and Non-Resilient Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment

The dramatic increase in the number of older people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) entails a serious public health problem. MCI involves different degrees of dependence that has been previously related to a decrease in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), due to impairment in the performance of activities of daily living. Resilient coping, as an adaptive coping style, could reduce the associated limitations derived by the characteristic deficits of MCI, and hence improve HRQoL. The principal objective of this work was to compare the level of autonomy (measured in terms of independence in the performance of basic (ADL) and instrumental (IADL) activities of daily living), and HRQoL between resilient and non-resilient individuals with MCI. The results showed a positive relationship between resilience, autonomy, and HRQoL. Hence, resilient participants exhibited higher independence in daily living activities and better HRQoL than non-resilient individuals. Mediation analyses confirmed an indirect influence of resilience on HRQoL through the mediation effect of better performance in IADLs. These findings underline the relevance of resilience as a coping style to compensate deficits in daily living in people with MCI. The inclusion of intervention programs, oriented to the promotion of resilience coping for older adults, might increase the autonomy levels in this population, improving their HRQoL.
Q-Learning Based Fair and Efficient Coexistence of LTE in Unlicensed Band

The increased demand for spectrum resources for multimedia communications and a limited licensed spectrum have led to widespread concern regarding the operation of long term evolution (LTE) in the unlicensed (LTE-U) band for internet of things (IoT) systems. Because Wi-Fi and LTE are diverse with dissimilar physical and link layer configurations, several solutions to achieve an efficient and fair coexistence have been proposed. Most of the proposed solutions facilitate a fair coexistence through a discontinuous transmission using a duty cycling or contention mechanism and an efficient coexistence through a clean channel selection. However, they are constrained only by fairness or efficient coexistence but not both. Herein, we propose joint adaptive duty cycling (ADC) and dynamic channel switch (DCS) mechanisms. The ADC mechanism supports a fair channel access opportunity by muting certain numbers of subframes for Wi-Fi users whereas the DCS mechanism offers more access opportunities for LTE-U and Wi-Fi users by preventing LTE-U users from occupying a crowded channel for a longer time. To support these mechanisms in a dynamic environment, LTE-U for IoT applications is enhanced using Q-learning techniques for an automatic selection of the appropriate combination of muting period and channel. Simulation results show the fair and efficient coexistence achieved from using the proposed mechanism.
Compliance with the Very Integrated Program (VIP) for Smoking Cessation, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Comorbidity Education Among Patients in Treatment for Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Meeting adherence is an important element of compliance in treatment programmes. It is influenced by several factors one being self-efficacy. We aimed to investigate the association between self-efficacy and meeting adherence and other factors of importance for adherence among patients with alcohol and drug addiction who were undergoing an intensive lifestyle intervention. The intervention consisted of a 6-week Very Integrated Programme. High meeting adherence was defined as >75% participation. The association between self-efficacy and meeting adherence were analysed. The qualitative analyses identified themes important for the patients and were performed as text condensation. High self-efficacy was associated with high meeting adherence (ρ = 0.24, p = 0.03). In the multivariate analyses two variables were significant: avoid complications (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.29–0.90) and self-efficacy (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.00–1.63). Reflections on lifestyle change resulted in the themes of Health and Wellbeing, Personal Economy, Acceptance of Change, and Emotions Related to Lifestyle Change. A higher level of self-efficacy was positively associated with meeting adherence. Patients score high on avoiding complications but then adherence to the intervention drops. There was no difference in the reflections on lifestyle change between the group with high adherence and the group with low adherence.
Ground‐based observations of clouds through both an automatic imager and human observation

The routine to determine the local cloud cover (LCC) drawn from sky images obtained using a ground‐based automatic imager is validated. Almost 3 years of daily data of LCC and cloud cover measurements by ground‐based human observation (CCHO) were compared for two Brazilian stations set 6 km apart. The linear fitting between daily values showed a co‐efficient of determination (r2) and a percent scattering of points (SD%) of ≈ 0.77 and ≈ 19.4% respectively. These results are evidence for the significant similarity between the two sets of data. On the other hand, the level of difference found can be explained by the fact that (1) the data refer to independent micro‐scale observations of the sky from stations set a few kilometres apart and (2) the data were drawn from interpretations of cloud cover by an automatic imager and a human observer. The monthly average values of LCC and CCHO showed better linear fitting parameters r2 = 0.95 and SD% = 6.3%. Average differences of ≈ −10% from LCC to CCHO were found. These average differences may reflect a systematic bias between the two processes of measuring cloud cover.
The effect of exercise on anxiety- and depression-like behavior of aged rats

ABSTRACT We investigated the effects of exercise in multiple sessions on anxiety- and depression-like behavior during aging, and the role of serotonin and serotonin 1A receptors in this process. Both 24-month-old (aged) and 6-month-old (adult) female rats were divided into five groups; aged control, adult control, aged + serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), aged + exercise, and aged + SSRIs + exercise. After exercise, all groups were evaluated using the open field arena, elevated plus maze and forced swim tests. We assessed serum corticosterone levels; number of amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex cells; tissue serotonin and serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) levels. In the open field test, aged rats exhibited a significant increase in locomotor activity compared to the SSRIs and SSRIs + exercise groups. During the elevated plus maze test, aged rats were observed less frequently in the open arms of assembly compared to adults. The duration increased in the exercise group and remained unchanged in the SSRIs group. In the forced swim test, the aged rats were more immobile compared to adults; no change was observed in the immobility time between these groups. The tissue serotonin levels in amygdala and hippocampus were higher in SSRIs + exercise group compared to the aged, exercised and SSRIs groups. The number of cells in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and amygdala decreased in the aged group compared to adult rats; increased numbers of cell were observed in exercise, SSRIs and SSRIs + exercise groups compared to aged rats. Exercise in multiple sessions may increase the number of cells in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and amygdala, which may reduce senile anxiety and depression. Also, serotonin and serotonin 1A receptors may play role in depression-like behavior.
Desiccation time during drought is highly predictable across species of Eucalyptus from contrasting climates.

•Catastrophic failure of the water transport pathway in trees is a principal mechanism of mortality during extreme drought. To be able to predict the probability of mortality at an individual and landscape scale we need knowledge of the time for plants to reach critical levels of hydraulic failure. •We grew plants of eight species of Eucalyptus originating from contrasting climates before allowing a subset to dehydrate. We tested whether a trait-based model of time to plant desiccation (tcrit ), from stomatal closure (gs90 ) to a critical level of hydraulic dysfunction (Ψcrit ), is consistent with observed dry-down times. •Plant desiccation time varied among species, ranging from 96.2 to 332 hrs at a vapour-pressure deficit (VPD) of 1 KPa (i.e., VPD hrs), and was highly predictable using the tcrit model in conjunction with a leaf shedding function. Plant desiccation time was longest in species with high cavitation resistance, strong vulnerability segmentation, wide stomatal-hydraulic safety, and a high ratio of total plant water content to leaf area. •Knowledge of tcrit in combination with water-use traits that influence stomatal closure could significantly increase our ability to predict the timing of drought-induced mortality at tree and forest scales. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.