Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PRODUCTION D'EXOPOLYSACCHARIDES PAR FERMENTATION AVEC DES CELLULES IMMOBILISÉES DE LB. RHAMNOSUS RW-9595M D'UN MILIEU À BASE DE PERMÉAT DE LACTOSÉRUM

A new method for EPS quantification based on ultrafiltration (UF) of fermented broth was developed. This method recovered between 83 and 104% of EPS in a solution with known concentration (40-1500 mg/l). The EPS production during batch fermentations was followed using the new method. The UF method was fast (8 h), accurate and simple, and required only small sample volumes (1 to 5 ml). Cultures were conducted in a supplemented whey permeate (SWP) medium containing 5 or 8% (w/w) whey permeate, 1% (w/w) yeast extract, minerals and Tween-80. Very high cell counts (1.3 · 1010 CFU/ml) and EPS productions (2350 mg/l) were obtained during batch fermentations with free cells. The cells were immobilized on solid supports and a method for immobilized biomass quantification, based on DNA analysis, was developed. This method measured a very high immobilized biomass of 8.5 · 1011 CFU/ml of support during repeated batch cultures. A high EPS concentration (1808 mg/l) was measured after the fourth cycle, with a very short incubation time (7 h) resulting in a high EPS volumetric productivity of 258 mg/l h. During continuous culture with free cells, an EPS production of 1808 mg/l and a volumetric productivity of 542.6 mg/l h was obtained for a dilution ratio (D) of 0.3 h-1. A 32-day continuous fermentation with cells immobilized in a two-stage bioreactor system was conducted. The influence of yeast extract concentration, temperature and dilution rate on the production of biomass, EPS and lactic acid was studied. A significant effect (P<0.05) was found only for lactic acid but not for biomass or EPS production. A very high and stable immobilized biomass equal to 5.3 ± 1.8 · 1011 CFU/g support was measured. A physiological and morphological change of the culture with the loss of the capacity to produce soluble EPS (138 mg/l) was observed, resulting in the formation of macroscopic aggregates. With time, the aggregate concentration in the two reactors increased and the aggregates left the system in the effluent with a volumetric productivity between 5.68 and 49.54 g/l h. The aggregates contained 73.8% total biomass and 14.2% insoluble EPS (w/w). A viable biomass content of 4.32 ± 0.97 · 1012 CFU/g was also measured. These aggregates could find applications as synbiotic food-ingredients with very high active cell and EPS concentrations.
High-Efficiency Microwave Rectifier With Coupled Transmission Line for Low-Power Energy Harvesting and Wireless Power Transmission

In this article, a Schottky diode-based microwave rectifier that employs coupled transmission lines (CTLs) is proposed. CTL is herein used to enhance the voltage amplitude across the Schottky diode with the consequent increase in the rectifier efficiency, especially for low input powers. It is also shown that multiple cascaded CTLs can further enhance the rectifier conversion efficiency, even if this benefit is partially annihilated by the increased insertion loss. Several compact prototypes with single and dual CTLs for 2.45 GHz have been fabricated and measured for different input power levels. Particularly, a single CTL rectifier exhibits RF-to-dc conversion efficiency of 67.7% for an input power of 0 dBm, leading to an improvement of about 3% with respect to other referred rectifiers (with a dc load of 4.47 k<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula>), while dual CTL rectifier has an outstanding efficiency of 75.3% for an input power of only 5.5 dBm (with a dc load of 1.76 k<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula>). Passive voltage boost by means of CTLs can be applied to other rectifier circuits as also demonstrated.
Resource allocation in sparse code multiple access‐based systems for cloud‐radio access network in 5G networks

In this paper, downlink joint user association, codebook assignment and power allocation for a Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA)‐based in Cloud Radio Access Network (C‐RAN) are investigated. The main aim of this paper is to accomplish a resource allocation to achieve the maximum total sum rate subject to SCMA limitation, total available power in Radio Remote Head (RRH), fronthaul constraint, users association, user power constraint, and Quality of Service requirements for each user with low complexity. To solve the recommended problem an iterative algorithm considering Successive Convex Approximation is utilized. The main problem is separated into two subproblems of joint user association and codebook assignment and power allocation. By defining a new binary variable for user association and codebook assignment and a new constraint for the user association, the joint user association and codebook assignment subproblem becomes an Integer Linear Programming. Then user association and codebook assignment subproblem solved with the help of the CVX toolbox and MOSEK solver. Furthermore, to solve the power allocation subproblem, Successive Convex Approximation with Low Complexity is applied. Then the power allocation subproblem solved by subgradient method for the Lagrange dual problem. In the simulation results, the effectiveness of the recommended optimization algorithm and resource allocation method are shown and compared to Non‐Orthogonal Multiple Access and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access.
Comparison of electrochemical behaviour between La-free and La-containing CrMnFeNi HEA by Mott–Schottky analysis and EIS measurements

In this study, the electrochemical behaviour of CrMnFeNi and CrMnFeNiLa0.1 high-entropy alloys (HEAs) in 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions was investigated. Potentiodynamic polarisation curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements showed that the addition of rare earth element lanthanum has a positive impact in enhancement of corrosion resistance capacity for CrMnFeNi HEAs. The potentiodynamic polarisation curves of the CrMnFeNi and CrMnFeNiLa0.1 alloys exhibit an extensive passive region ((ΔE>1000 mV). Mott–Schottky analysis showed that the donor densities decreased with the addition of La. The possible mechanism regarding the effect of inclusion of La on the dynamic of passivation process was discussed.
Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis in Squash (Cucurbita moschata) Based on Simple Sequence Repeat Markers and Restriction Site-Associated DNA Sequencing Analysis

Squash (Cucurbita moschata) displays wide morphological and genetic variations; however, limited information is available regarding the genetic loci of squash that control its agronomic traits. To obtain basic genetic information for C. moschata, an F2 population was prepared derived from a cross between the Vietnamese cultivar ‘Bí Hồ Lô TN 6 (TN 6)’ and the Japanese cultivar ‘Shishigatani’, and flowering and fruit traits were examined. Overall, the traits showed a continuous distribution in the F2 population, suggesting that they were quantitative traits. A linkage map was constructed based on simple sequence repeat and restriction site-associated DNA (RAD) markers to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Twelve QTLs for flowering and fruit traits, as well as one phenotypic trait locus, were successfully localized on the map. The present QTLs explained the phenotypic variations at a moderate to relatively high level (16.0%–47.3%). RAD markers linked to the QTLs were converted to codominant cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) and derived CAPS markers for the easy detection of alleles. The information reported here provides useful information for understanding the genetics of Cucurbita and other cucurbit species, and for the selection of individuals with ideal traits during the breeding of Cucurbita vegetables.
Soybean long-term callus cultures – potential for biotransformation and nutraceutical production

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill. ) is the world leading cultivated pulse crop as a source of protein, oil and nutraceuticals. Recently, alternative approaches for synthesis of new products gain bigger interest. Biotransformation based on iv vitro cultures is well-established technology for such alternative production. In this respect initiation of callus and long-term cultures were established from four Bulgarian soybean varieties. Potential for callus development of cotyledons and cotyledonary nodes plated on media containing various combinations of kinetin (0.1 – 1.0 mg/l) and 2,4-D (0.5 – 1.0 mg/l) was tested. The optimal concentrations for initiation and maintaining of nondifferentiated growth for most of the varieties was twice higher levels of the cytokinin to the auxin. Two of the Bulgarian genotypes (Rosa and Srebrina) revealed better potentials for callogenesis and long-term growth. These are promising for development of suitable procedures for biotransformation.
Review of road surface photometry methods and devices – Proposal for new measurement geometries

Specifications concerning road lighting and photometry of road surfaces were established more than 50 years ago. Road lighting design and road marking visibility were developed for vehicle driving. The observation distance defined by standards corresponds to interurban applications; however, within Europe these areas do not tend to be lit. The objective of the SURFACE project is to propose new geometries for the photometric characterisation of pavements, both adapted to different urban travel modes and new lighting technologies. This article reviews the available guidelines, standards, measuring devices and literature regarding geometries and road lighting applications, and presents the project SURFACE analysis and proposal. The SURFACE consortium recommends adding several new angles for different driving conditions and road users; 2.29° for urban environments and consistency with road marking standard, and 1° for extra-urban environment and consistency with previous geometries. A 5° angle, corresponding to 17-m viewing distance, could be an interesting compromise, suitable for urban driving at low speed, cycling and for scooters. The angles of 10° and 20° are under consideration for describing the boundary between diffuse and specular behaviour.
PyTSMod: a Python Implementation of Time-scale Modification Algorithms

Time-scale modification (TSM) is a digital audio effect that adjusts the length of an audio signal while preserving its pitch. The TSM audio effect is widely used in not only sound production but also music and audio research such as for data augmentation. In this paper, we present PyTSMod, an open-source Python library that implements several different classical TSM algorithms. We expect that PyTSMod can help MIR and audio researchers easily use the TSM algorithms in the Python-based environment.
Description of Schaedlerella arabinophila gen. nov., sp. nov., a D-arabinose utilizing bacterium isolated from feces of C57BL/6J mice and a close relative of Clostridium sp. ASF 502

The use of gnotobiotics has gained large interest in recent years due to technological advances that have revealed the importance of host-associated microbiomes for host physiology and health. One of the oldest and most important gnotobiotics mouse model, the Altered Schaedler Flora (ASF) has been used for several decades. ASF comprises eight different bacterial species, which have been characterized to different extent, but only few are available through public strain collections. Here, the isolation of a close relative to one of the less studied ASF strains, Clostridium sp. ASF 502, is reported. Isolate TLL-A1, which shares 99.6% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity with Clostridium sp. ASF 502, was obtained from feces of C57BL/6J mice where is was detectable at a relative abundance of less than one percent. D-arabinose was used as sole carbon source in the anaerobic cultivation medium. Growth experiments with TLL-A1 on different carbon sources and analysis of its ~6.5 gigabase genome indicate that TLL-A1 harbors a large gene repertoire to utilize different carbohydrates for growth. Comparative genome analyses of TLL-A1 and Clostridium sp. ASF 502 reveal differences in genome content between the two strains, in particular with regards to carbohydrate activating enzymes. Based on physiology and genomic analysis it is proposed to name TLL-A1 to gen. nov. sp. nov Schaedlerella arabinophila TLL-A1 (DSMZ 106076T; KCTC 15657T). The closely related Clostridium sp. ASF 502 is proposed to be renamed to Schaedlerella arabinophila to reflect its taxonomic standing and to keep ‘ASF 502’ as strain designation. Importance The Altered Schaedler Flora (ASF) remains an important tool to mechanistically investigate host-microbe interactions in the mammalian alimentary tract. Extensively characterizing the eight different bacterial strains, which are constituting ASF, has the potential to further increase the definition of this widely used model microbial community and to enhance our understanding of how individual microorganism interact with a host and/or how they may affect its physiology. However, some of the ASF strains have unfortunately been lost or are not easily accessible to the scientific community. The isolation and characterization of the here described species, proposed to be named Schaedlerella arabinophila, which is closely related to Clostridium species ASF502, may therefore be an important corner stone in further improving the value of studies using ASF or other defined synthetic microbial communities that require usage of autochthonous microorganisms in gnotobiotic mice.
Population trends of invasive alien gobies in the upper Danube River: 10 years after first detection of the globally invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)

Invasive alien species are a major threat to aquatic biodiversity. Europe’s second largest river, the Danube, is affected by several invasions, including those by four closely related Ponto-Caspian goby species. To investigate population dynamics of invasive alien gobies, we surveyed population trends of all goby species, from absence until full establishment of the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), along a 248 Km river section of the upper Danube River. Distribution and abundance of non-native gobies was highly species-specific and varied with both time (year) and space (location). Gobies strongly dominated the fish community along the entire sampled study area, comprising 76% of all caught individuals, whereas abundances of typical native species such as chub (5%), barbel (4%) and ide (3%) were low. Ten years after its first introduction, round goby is most successful in terms of abundance, tubenose goby is most successful in terms of range expansion and persistence, whereas bighead goby seemingly lost the race. While being decoupled from industrial shipping, goby invasion success strongly appears to be triggered by man-made ecosystem alterations and community changes.
Comparison of adoptees’ and nonadoptees’ experience of parenthood and mediating role of dyadic coping

As most adoption studies have focused on adopted children and their vulnerability, with scant research on adult adoptees’ outcomes, the aim of the present study was to compare adult adoptees and nonadoptees on their experiences as parents and to explore more deeply the question of the role among adoptees of the conjugal relationship in the context of parenthood. A total of 268 adoptees matched one to one with 268 nonadoptees responded to several standardized scales (attachment, mental health, resilience, motivations for parenthood, parental stress, dyadic coping, and coparenting). The groups did not differ on the experience of parenthood, thus contradicting most previous studies. They did, however, differ on attachment, mental health and dyadic coping, with adoptees achieving lower scores. Only in the case of adoptees was dyadic coping found to have a mediating role on the relations between psychological characteristics and parental stress. Thanks to our efforts to make our samples as representative as possible, this study sheds new light on adoptees’ experience of parenthood, especially after the birth of their first child. Moreover, it presents adoptees from the perspective of resilience and offers new insights into their functioning as parents. It opens up both theoretical and clinical perspectives.
A clinical study of patients with central venous catheter associated bloodstream infections in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Central venous access puts the patients at risk of iatrogenic complications and is associated with bloodstream infections. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are responsible for at least two-thirds of the infections followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus spp and Acinetobacter spp. Due to the scarcity of Central Venous Catheter associated Blood Stream Infections (CVC-BSI) data, this study was taken up in our tertiary care hospital. Aims: This study is aimed to study the profile of organisms causing CVC-BSI, assess their antimicrobial susceptibility, the clinical course and outcome.Methods: All subjects whose central venous catheter samples (n=84) were sent for culture and sensitivity during the study period were included in this prospective observational study. The study was done in the Department of Microbiology from July 2019 to December 2019. The catheter tips were streaked onto blood agar plate using Roll plate technique. After biochemical identification of the organisms, antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as per the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: Growth of pathogens was seen in 64.3% (n=54). The common organisms were Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus aureus (CONS) in 27.78% (n=15), Enterococcus spp, Klebsiella pneumoniae in 14.8% each (n=8) and Acinetobacter spp in 11.1% (n=6). Resistance was seen with amoxicillin + clavulanic acid, cefepime, ciprofloxacin and cefoperazone. The organisms were sensitive to levofloxacin, tetracycline and vancomycin.Conclusion: Aseptic precautions taken by the healthcare personnel will bring down the infections and curb the spread of multi-drug resistant hospital acquired infections.
Interannual variability in Transpolar Drift ice thickness and
potential impact of Atlantification

Abstract. Changes in Arctic sea ice thickness are the result of complex interactions of the dynamic and variable ice cover with atmosphere and ocean. Most of the sea ice exits the Arctic Ocean through Fram Strait, which is why long-term measurements of ice thickness at the end of the Transpolar Drift provide insight into the integrated signals of thermodynamic and dynamic influences along the pathways of Arctic sea ice. We present an updated time series of extensive ice thickness surveys carried out at the end of the Transpolar Drift between 2001 and 2020. Overall, we see a more than 20 % thinning of modal ice thickness since 2001. A comparison with first preliminary results from the international Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) shows that the modal summer thickness of the MOSAiC floe and its wider vicinity are consistent with measurements from previous years. By combining this unique time series with the Lagrangian sea ice tracking tool, ICETrack, and a simple thermodynamic sea ice growth model, we link the observed interannual ice thickness variability north of Fram Strait to increased drift speeds along the Transpolar Drift and the consequential variations in sea ice age and number of freezing degree days. We also show that the increased influence of upward-directed ocean heat flux in the eastern marginal ice zones, termed Atlantification, is not only responsible for sea ice thinning in and around the Laptev Sea, but also that the induced thickness anomalies persist beyond the Russian shelves and are potentially still measurable at the end of the Transpolar Drift after more than a year. With a tendency towards an even faster Transpolar Drift, winter sea ice growth will have less time to compensate the impact of Atlantification on sea ice growth in the eastern marginal ice zone, which will increasingly be felt in other parts of the sea ice covered Arctic.
Molecular mechanisms regulating early cone development in Norway spruce Picea abies (Karst)

Flower development progress through distinct phases that are controlled by complex genetic networks, which in turn are regulated by both endogenous and exogenous factors. A large number of functional studies have been conducted over the past decades to understand the genetic networks that regulate flower development in angiosperm model species. In gymnosperms, however, the gene regulatory networks behind distinct phases of cone development are largely unknown due to the lack of functional studies. In a morphological study of early cone development in Picea abies, three distinct growth phases were defined. Transcriptome comparisons of female and vegetative buds in the three growth phases identified members of the MADS-box gene family, LEAFY-orthologs, bZIP- , AP2-, and SBP-domain proteins as being highly expressed in the different phases of female cone development. In a separate study different isoform of the MADS-box gene, DAL19 were identified. Isoforms specific expression in male, female and vegetative bud meristems provided evidence that alternative splicing may influence cone formation in a bud identity specific manner. In the early cone-setting acrocona mutant, P. abies var. acrocona, leading shoots often have needles at the base, but ovuliferous scale-like structures in the top. Hence, during shoot development, the leading shoots make a morphological shift and produce transition shoots. RNA sequencing of acrocona transition shoots demonstrated that the MADS-box genes DAL10 and DAL21, which previously have been associated with reproductive shoot identity were expressed at high levels in transition shoot meristems before the morphological shift. In addition, genes encoding FT/TFL-like, bZIP-, SOC1-like and gymnosperm specific MADS-domain proteins co-expressed with DAL10 and DAL21, suggesting at a putative role for these genes in the early development of reproductive meristems. In addition, genes encoding F-box protein and ubiquitin were expressed at high levels in late acrocona transition shoots, which possibly reflects an involvement of hormonal signalling in the acrocona transition shoot phenotype.
The Multirotor Test Bed - A New NASA Test Capability for Advanced VTOL Rotorcraft Configurations

In November 2019, NASA completed the first wind tunnel test entry of the Multirotor Test Bed (MTB), a new test capability for advanced VTOL rotorcraft configurations. The MTB had been under development since 2017 when the need arose for an easily reconfigurable test stand for multirotor aircraft configurations. With the wide-ranging assortment of aircraft currently targeted at Urban Air Mobility and Unmanned Aircraft System applications, there is a need for validation data that will increase confidence in the computational modeling tools being used to develop these platforms. The MTB fills this need. This paper describes the key features of the MTB as well as its first wind tunnel test entry. A selection of results from the test is presented here, demonstrating the flexible configuration of the MTB and the types of data researchers can generate using this new test capability.