Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Very Low-Noise ENG Amplifier System Using CMOS Technology

In this paper, we describe the design and testing of a system for recording electroneurographic signals (ENG) from a multielectrode nerve cuff (MEC). This device, which is an extension of the conventional nerve signal recording cuff, enables ENG to be classified by action potential velocity. In addition to electrical measurements, we provide preliminary in vitro data obtained from frogs that demonstrate the validity of the technique for the first time. Since typical ENG signals are extremely small, on the order of 1 1 muV, very low-noise, high-gain amplifiers are required. The ten-channel system we describe was realized in a 0.8 mum CMOS technology and detailed measured results are presented. The overall gain is 10 000 and the total input-referred root mean square (rms) noise in a bandwidth 1 Hz-5 kHZ is 291 nV. The active area is 12 mm2 and the power consumption is 24 mW from plusmn2.5 V power supplies
Stresses Exerted in the Hindlimb Muscles of Common Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) during Bipedal Locomotion

Recent studies have indicated that chimpanzee bipedality is mechanically inefficient and dynamically unlike that of humans, thus undermining the chimpanzee analogy for mechanical aspects of the early evolution of hominid bipedalism. This paper continues this theme by measuring the forces and stresses engendered by the muscles during bipedal locomotion, for an untrained chimpanzee and for data from chimpanzees which have been encouraged to walk bipedally, presented in the literature. Peak stresses in the triceps surae were lower for the untrained chimpanzee than for the trained subjects because during the late stance phase, when peak ankle moments occur, the centre of pressure of the ground reaction force on the foot of the untrained chimpanzee stayed close to the ankle joint. In contrast, for the trained subjects it moved closer to the toes, as in human bipedalism. Quadriceps and hip extensor stresses are approximately 30% larger for the untrained chimpanzee than for the trained subjects, because the trained chimpanzees walked with a more erect posture. These results may reflect the way in which muscles can develop in response to training, since research on humans has shown that muscle physiological cross-sectional area increases as a result of exercise, resulting in smaller stresses for a given muscle force. During a slow walk, untrained chimpanzees were found to exert far greater muscle stresses than humans do when running at moderate speed, particularly in the muscles that extend the hip, because of the bent-hip, bent-knee posture.
The Economics of Mutual Fund Markets: Competition Versus Regulation

One: History of the Development of the Mutual Fund Industry. - Investment Companies. - Organizational Structure. - Mutual Funds. - Money Market Mutual Funds. - Fund Complexes. - Pre-1940. - 1940 to 1970. - 1970 to the Present. - Overview. - Money Market Mutual Funds. - Other Mutual Funds. - Conclusions. - Two: Regulation of the Mutual Fund Industry. - Background. - Investment Company Act of 1940. - Purpose of the Act. - Mechanisms Established to Deal with the Abuses. - The 1970 Amendments. - Concerns Raised by the 1960s' Reports. - New Regulations in the 1970 Amendments. - Recent Regulatory Initiatives. - Is Regulation Necessary in the Current Environment? - Three: Litigation under the 1940 Act and the 1970 Amendments. - Pre-1970 Amendments. - Post-1970 Amendments. - Summary of Economic Analysis Utilized in Litigation. - Four: Analysis of the Adviser-Shareholder Relationship in the Mutual Fund Industry. - Examination of Organizational Structure. - Shareholders and Advisers as Contracting Agents. - Competition as a Restraining Force. - Five: A Study of Current Market Conditions in the Mutual Fund Industry. - The Analytical Framework: On Industry Structure, Performance, and Conduct. - Perfect Competition and Perfect Contestability as Theoretical Structural Ideals. - Industry Concentration. - Conditions of Entry. - Investor Mobility. - Outlays on Inputs Used to Make Final Products Sold in Competitive Markets. - Industry Conduct under Perfect Competition and Contestability. - Conclusions. - Six: The Demand for Money Market Mutual Funds. - Demand Elasticity: An Introduction. - Elasticity of Market Demand for Money Market Mutual Funds. - Fund Elasticity of Demand. - Theoretical Specification of the Model. - A Workable Econometric Model. - Econometric Results. - Fund Elasticity With Respect to Total Fees. - Seven: A Cost Study of Mutual Fund Complexes. - Cost Functions. - Empirical Analysis. - Output Measures and Choice of Hedonic Variables. - Model Specifications. - Description of Data and Complex Selection Criteria. - Econometric Results. - Economies of Scale and Scope. - Conclusions. - Appendix A. - Appendix B. - Appendix C. - Eight: Toward Rational Policy on Regulation of Mutual Funds. - A Review of Fee Setting in the Mutual Fund Industry. - The Exploitation Hypothesis. - Economic Incentives and Industry Behavior. - The Evidence on Competition for Advisory Services. - Proposals for a Modified Regulatory Regime. - Eliminating the Special Pricing and Earnings Evaluation Criteria in the 1940 Investment Company Act. - Eliminating the Imposition of a Corporate-like Structure upon Mutual Funds. - Disclosure Requirements. - Facilitating Investor Ability to Move from One Fund to Another. - Conclusions.
High-saturated-fat diet-induced obesity causes hepatic interleukin-6 resistance via endoplasmic reticulum stress[S]

The relationship between liver interleukin-6 (IL-6) resistance following high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and glucose intolerance is unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the temporal development of hepatic IL-6 resistance and the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in this process. We hypothesized that HFD would rapidly induce hepatic IL-6 resistance through a mechanism involving ER stress. Male C57BL/6N mice consumed chow or a HFD (60%) derived from lard (saturated) or olive oil (monounsaturated) for 4 days or 7 weeks before being injected intraperitoneally with IL-6 (6 ng·kg−1). Glucose, insulin, and pyruvate tolerance tests were used as proxies for systemic glucose metabolism and hepatic glucose production, respectively. Primary mouse hepatocytes were incubated with palmitate (saturated) and oleate (unsaturated) overnight, then treated with 20 ng/ml IL-6. ER stress was induced via tunicamycin or prevented by sodium phenylbutyrate (PBA). Seven weeks of a saturated, but not monounsaturated, HFD reduced hepatic IL-6 signaling in conjunction with hepatic ER stress. Palmitate directly impaired IL-6 signaling in hepatocytes along with inducing ER stress. Pharmacologically induced ER stress caused hepatic IL-6 resistance, whereas PBA reversed HFD-induced IL-6 resistance. Chronic HFD-induced obesity is associated with hepatic IL-6 resistance due to saturated FA-induced ER stress.
SLC40A1 Q248H allele frequencies and associated SLC40A1 haplotypes in three West African population samples

Background: Ferroportin is a transmembrane protein responsible for iron export from enterocytes and macrophages. Mutation c.744G → T (Q248H), located in exon 6 of the ferroportin gene SLC40A1, is found as a polymorphism in populations of African origin. This mutation has been extensively analysed in African-Americans, but poorly studied in native African populations. Aim: To increase information about Q248H mutation frequency in native sub-Saharan populations examining three West African populations. Subjects and methods: Samples from S. Tomé e Príncipe (n = 115), Angola (n = 156) and Republic of Guinea (n = 170) were analysed for Q248H mutation and for two polymorphisms, IVS1( − 24)G → C and microsatellite (CGG)n, using standard molecular methodology. Results: The estimated frequencies of Q248H allele were 2.2% in S. Tomé e Príncipe, 3.5% in Angola and 4.1% in Republic of Guinea. Analysis of polymorphisms IVS1( − 24)G → C and (CGG)n showed mutation allele c.744T to be strongly associated with haplotype IVS1( − 24)G/(CGG)7. Conclusions: This study confirmed the presence of Q248H mutation at polymorphic frequencies in three native sub-Saharan populations. Analysis of two additional markers in the same gene support a single origin of the mutant allele c.744T in the haplotype background IVS1( − 24)G/(CGG)7.
Microbial production of methyl anthranilate, a grape flavor compound

Significance Methyl anthranilate (MANT) is widely used in the flavoring and cosmetics industry to give grape scent and flavor. In an effort to replace the conventional petroleum-based synthesis of MANT, we report the direct fermentative production of MANT from glucose in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum strains. A synthetic plant-derived metabolic pathway was introduced and extensive metabolic engineering was performed including fine-tuning key enzyme levels and increasing the availability of precursor and cofactor metabolites. A two-phase extractive cultivation was developed using an extractant solvent to recover MANT in situ, which led to high levels of MANT production. This work demonstrates a promising sustainable alternative to MANT production and presents strategies applicable toward production of other valuable natural compounds. Methyl anthranilate (MANT) is a widely used compound to give grape scent and flavor, but is currently produced by petroleum-based processes. Here, we report the direct fermentative production of MANT from glucose by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum strains harboring a synthetic plant-derived metabolic pathway. Optimizing the key enzyme anthranilic acid (ANT) methyltransferase1 (AAMT1) expression, increasing the direct precursor ANT supply, and enhancing the intracellular availability and salvage of the cofactor S-adenosyl-l-methionine required by AAMT1, results in improved MANT production in both engineered microorganisms. Furthermore, in situ two-phase extractive fermentation using tributyrin as an extractant is developed to overcome MANT toxicity. Fed-batch cultures of the final engineered E. coli and C. glutamicum strains in two-phase cultivation mode led to the production of 4.47 and 5.74 g/L MANT, respectively, in minimal media containing glucose. The metabolic engineering strategies developed here will be useful for the production of volatile aromatic esters including MANT.
Challenges to international human resource management: the management of employee risk in the humanitarian aid and security sectors

A more severe focus on the ever-changing political and security global landscape highlights the attendant safety and protection of humanitarian aid and security sector employees who arguably are in greater danger today than at any other time. In almost every jurisdiction organisations have a statutory duty to provide a safe place for staff to work and is expected to mitigate the risks staff may reasonably face. However, the clear message from government, non-government agencies and security specialists alike is that they should be doing more. The key issues in this paper are addressed from an organisational perspective, with a focus on the role of HRM and the crucial part the function should play in the identification, development and implementation of risk management strategies, policies and practices to support organisations. This paper builds on recent research and using an exploratory qualitative research approach based on relevant INGO and government case studies the analysis reveals interesting results that supports some extant research whilst identifying key challenges for organisations to manage in the future. In conclusion, a discussion of the study implications and suggestions for further applied research in the area of risk management in the humanitarian aid and security sectors is proffered.
Multiplex Real-Time PCR for Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi

ABSTRACT A multiplex real-time PCR assay was developed for the simultaneous detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi. The assay was tested on various Anaplasma, Borrelia, Erhlichia, and Rickettsia species, as well as on Bartonella henselae and Escherichia coli, and the assay was found to be highly specific for A. phagocytophilum and the Borrelia species tested (B. burgdorferi, B. parkeri, B. andersonii, and B. bissettii). The analytical sensitivity of the assay is comparable to that of previously described nested PCR assays (A. phagocytophilum, 16S rRNA; B. burgdorferi, fla gene), amplifying the equivalent of one-eighth of an A. phagocytophilum-infected cell and 50 borrelia spirochetes. The dynamic range of the assay for both A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi was ≥4 logs of magnitude. Purified DNA from A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi was spiked into DNA extracted from uninfected ticks and from negative control mouse and human bloods, and these background DNAs were shown to have no significant effect on sensitivity or specificity of the assay. The assay was tested on field-collected Ixodes scapularis ticks and shown to have 100% concordance compared to previously described non-probe-based PCR assays. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a real-time multiplex PCR assay that can be used for the simultaneous and rapid screening of samples for A. phagocytophilum and Borrelia species, two of the most common tick-borne infectious agents in the United States.
Insulin secretion in response to protein ingestion.

W\e have reported previously that the oral or intravenous administration of the amino acid l-leucine to healthy subjects results in increases in plasma insulin and decreases in blood glucose and plasma free fatty acids (2, 3). After the administration of leucine to healthy subjects pretreated with either chlorpropamide or tolbutamide (2, 3), and also to some patients with functioning islet cell tumors of the pancreas (4), increments in plasma leucine caused increases in plasma insulin and decreases in blood glucose that were significantly greater than those observed in healthy subjects not pretreated with sulfonylurea drugs. Wehave also shown that increased release of insulin from the pancreatic beta cells is the mechanism by which leucine increases peripheral levels of insulin (5). Wesuggested that a rising plasma level of leucine is a physiologic stimulus for the release of insulin, and that the more pronounced sensitivity to leucine hypoglycemia produced experimentally by. administration of sulfonylureas and observed in some patients with idiopathic hypoglycemia or insulin-secreting tumors of the pancreas represents a great exaggeration of a normal physiologic phenomenon (6, 7). In an effort to determine the effect of leucine on insulin release under physiologic circumstances, protein meals rich in leucine were fed to healthy subjects, and the levels of plasma insulin, leucine, amino nitrogen, free fatty acids, and blood glucose
The Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Matrix Protein Inhibits Glycoprotein 130-Dependent STAT Activation1

Infection of cells by vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) results in the inhibition of host transcription. We show in this study that infection of HeLa cells with VSV leads to a strongly diminished activation of STAT3 and STAT1 by the inflammatory cytokine IL-6. This effect was mimicked by forced expression of a single viral protein, the matrix (M)-protein of VSV, which blocked STAT activation via chimeric receptors containing the cytoplasmic domain of the IL-6 signal transducer gp130. Western blot analysis revealed that VSV M-protein did not inhibit the nuclear translocation of activated STAT3 but did inhibit its tyrosine phosphorylation. Inhibition of STAT activation was not dependent on tyrosine 759 of the IL-6 signal transducer gp130, suggesting that the inhibitory action of VSV M-protein is not mediated by the induction of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3. VSV M-protein inhibited gene transcription from cotransfected α2-macroglobulin or antichymotrypsin promoter/luciferase reporter constructs which contain STAT3-binding sites. However, transcription from a STAT5-dependent construct was not negatively affected. In conclusion, our data suggest that infection by VSV and specifically overexpression of the viral M-protein interferes with an important signaling pathway necessary for triggering antiviral and inflammatory responses.
Measuring the impact of new technology: An outcomes-based approach

In the current era of decreasing resources, many healthcare organizations are under increasing pressure to evaluate new technology. Advances and innovations in healthcare technology are instrumental in reshaping the healthcare system and in impacting the practice of medicine, including critical care. Healthcare organizations are faced with the following four questions related to adopting a new technology: 1) Should the organization invest in this technology? 2) What are the associated benefits and risks of the capital investment? 3) What is the impact on patient outcomes as a result of adopting the technology? 4) What is the return on investment to the organization? These issues represent challenging areas for the researcher, clinician, manager, and policy maker. New techniques from the business and outcomes research arenas allow for the development of quantitative and qualitative models to facilitate answering these questions. By integrating business and clinical considerations, these models can impact policy at two levels: 1) by identifying optimal capital expenditure decisions for individual healthcare organizations, it can provide a significant competitive advantage for an organization; and 2) by identifying optimal health policies related to technology at a national and international health level, it can impact the healthcare systems and patient outcomes in a favorable manner.
Quorum sensing: an emerging link between temperature and membrane biofouling in membrane bioreactors

Abstract Lab-scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) were investigated at 12, 18, and 25 °C to identify the correlation between quorum sensing (QS) and biofouling at different temperatures. The lower the reactor temperature, the more severe the membrane biofouling measured in terms of the transmembrane pressure (TMP) during filtration. More extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) that cause biofouling were produced at 18 °C than at 25 °C, particularly polysaccharides, closely associated with QS via the production of N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL). However, at 12 °C, AHL production decreased, but the release of EPSs due to deflocculation increased the soluble EPS concentration. To confirm the temperature effect related to QS, bacteria producing AHL were isolated from MBR sludge and identified as Aeromonas sp. , Leclercia sp. , and Enterobacter sp. through a 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. Batch assays at 18 and 25 °C showed that there was a positive correlation between QS through AHL and biofilm formation in that temperature range.
The Frequency Structure of One-Dimensional Occluding Image Signals

We present a theoretical investigation of the frequency structure of 1D occluding image signals. We show that image signal occlusion contains relevant information which is most easily extractable from its representation in the frequency domain. For instance, the occluding and occluded signal velocities may be identified as such and translucency phenomena may be understood in the terms of this theoretical investigation. In addition, it is found that the structure of occluding 1D signals is invariant under constant and linear models of signal velocity. This theoretical framework can be used to describe the exact frequency structure of non-Fourier motion and bridges the gap between such visual phenomena and their understanding in the frequency domain.
Identification of the Cellular Receptor of Clostridium spiroforme Toxin

ABSTRACT Clostridium spiroforme produces the binary actin-ADP-ribosylating toxin CST (C. spiroforme toxin), which has been proposed to be responsible for diarrhea, enterocolitis, and eventually death, especially in rabbits. Here we report on the recombinant production of the enzyme component (CSTa) and the binding component (CSTb) of C. spiroforme toxin in Bacillus megaterium. By using the recombinant toxin components, we show that CST enters target cells via the lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR), which has been recently identified as the host cell receptor of the binary toxins Clostridium difficile transferase (CDT) and Clostridium perfringens iota toxin. Microscopic studies revealed that CST, but not the related Clostridium botulinum C2 toxin, colocalized with LSR during toxin uptake and traffic to endosomal compartments. Our findings indicate that CST shares LSR with C. difficile CDT and C. perfringens iota toxin as a host cell surface receptor.
Food Waste in School Catering: An Italian Case Study

Food losses and waste are currently at the heart of academic debates, civil society initiatives, and political agendas. This paper investigates food waste in school catering services focusing on six schools located in the municipality of Verona (Italy). It aims to quantify food waste, as a measure of food catering inefficiency, to identify the main causes, and to suggest a set of prevention and reduction interventions. For these purposes food waste is defined as all the products discarded from the food chain while still preserving their nutritional value and complying with safety standards. The work shows a significant level of inefficiency in the school catering services, measured by the amount of food processed and still perfectly edible, but not served during the meals. On average more than 15% of the overall processed food is wasted. Among the causes identified in this study, four of them were more relevant than others because of their implications and impact on prevention: the lack of attention to dietary habits, the rigid food procurement specifications, the menu composition, and the meal presentation.
Identification of an animal sucrose transporter

According to a classic tenet, sugar transport across animal membranes is restricted to monosaccharides. Here, we present the first report of an animal sucrose transporter, SCRT, which we detected in Drosophila melanogaster at each developmental stage. We localized the protein in apical membranes of the late embryonic hindgut as well as in vesicular membranes of ovarian follicle cells. The fact that knockdown of SCRT expression results in significantly increased lethality demonstrates an essential function for the protein. Experiments with Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a heterologous expression system revealed that sucrose is a transported substrate. Because the knockout of SLC45A2, a highly similar protein belonging to the mammalian solute carrier family 45 (SLC45) causes oculocutaneous albinism and because the vesicular structures in which SCRT is located appear to contain melanin, we propose that these organelles are melanosome-like structures and that the transporter is necessary for balancing the osmotic equilibrium during the polymerization process of melanin by the import of a compatible osmolyte. In the hindgut epithelial cells, sucrose might also serve as a compatible osmolyte, but we cannot exclude the possibility that transport of this disaccharide also serves nutritional adequacy.