Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New biodiesel additives from glycerol and isoamylenes

The etherification of glycerol and isoamylenes was performed using several macromolecularion‐exchange resins in order to find the best catalyst which would provide the maximum conversion of glycerol and higher selectivities to ethers. Some different organic solvents (tert‐amyl alcohol, 1,4‐dioxane, acetonitrile, n‐hexane, dichloromethane, diisopropylamine and dimethylformamide) were used in the etherification of glycerol. Reactions were carried out in a batch autoclave reactor at 1.5 MPa in the temperature range from 25 to 100 °C for 24 h of contact time. It was found that resins with a greater pore volume and greater pore diameter showed a better performance in solventless reactions, but when employing solvents their polarity was responsible for the distinct results obtained in the conversion of glycerol: relative abundance and composition of the polar and non‐polar phases in the final reaction mixture. The solubilization of glycerol and isoamylenes in the reaction mixture seems to be the main factor in the progress of the reaction, which is reflected in the different amount of ethers primarily obtained in the non‐polar phase. tert‐Amyl alcohol showed the best results in terms of conversion of glycerol due to the total miscibility of both reactants but it must be employed at temperatures below 50 °C in order to avoid its dehydration reaction that reduces the catalyst activity.
Modèles de Markov cachés récents pour la détection et la reconnaissance d’activités à partir d’un capteur IMU placé sur une jambe

Le contexte de la these est celui du quantified-self, un mouvement ne en Californie qui consiste a mieux se connaitre en mesurant les donnees relatives a son corps et a ses activites. Les travaux de recherche ont consiste a developper des algorithmes d'analyse des signaux d'un capteur IMU (\textit{Inertial Measurement Unit}) place sur la jambe pour reconnaitre differentes activites de mouvement telles que la marche, la course, la montee d’escalier. Ces activites sont reconnaissables grâce a la forme des signaux d'acceleration et de vitesse angulaire du capteur, tous triaxiaux, pendant le mouvement des jambes lors du cycle de marche. Pour resoudre ce probleme de reconnaissance, les travaux de these ont permis la construction d'un modele de chaine de Markov cachee particulier, appele chaine triplet semi-Markov, qui combine un modele semi-Markov et un modele de melange gaussien dans un modele de Markov triplet. Ce nouveau modele est adapte a la fois a la nature du cycle de marche et a l'enchainement des activites que l’on peut realiser dans la vie quotidienne. Pour adapter les parametres du modele aux differences de morphologie et de comportement humain, nous avons developpe des algorithmes d'estimation des parametres en ligne et hors ligne.Pour etablir les performances d'apprentissage et de classification des algorithmes, nous avons mene des experiences sur la base d'enregistrements recueillis pendant la these et d'un ensemble de donnees publiques. Les resultats sont systematiquement compares aux algorithmes de reconnaissance actuels.
Effects of Arsenic (AsIII) on Lipid Peroxidation, Glutathione Content and Antioxidant Enzymes in Growing Pigs

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of arsenic (As III ) on lipid peroxidation, glutathione content and antioxidant enzymes in growing pigs. Ninety-six Duroc-Landrace-Yorkshire crossbred growing pigs (48 barrows and 48 gilts, respectively) were randomly assigned to four groups and each group was randomly assigned to three pens (four barrows and four gilts). The four groups received the same corn-soybean basal diet which was supplemented with 0, 10, 20, 30 mg/kg As respectively. Arsenic was added to the diet in the form of As2O3. The experiment lasted for seventy-eight days after a seven-day adaptation period. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, glutathione (GSH) contents and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were analyzed in serum, livers and kidneys of pigs. The results showed that pigs treated with 30 mg As/kg diet had a decreased average daily gain (ADG) (p<0.05) and an increased feed/gain ratio (F/G) (p<0.05) compared to the controls. The levels of MDA significantly increased (p<0.05), and the contents of GSH and the activities of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST significantly decreased (p<0.05) in the pigs fed 30 mg As/kg diet. The results indicated that the mechanism of arsenic-induced oxidative stress in growing pigs involved lipid peroxidation, depletion of glutathione and decreased activities of some enzymes, such as SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST, which are associated with free radical metabolism. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2006. Vol 19, No. 5 : 727-733)
Assorted angiosperm pollen from the Edmonton Formation (Maestrichtian), Alberta, Canada

Thirty-three species of angiosperm pollen belonging to 20 form genera are described from the Edmonton Formation (Maestrichtian) of Alberta. Three genera, viz. Nothopollenites, Gunnaripollis, and Marcellopollenites, are formally designated here. Twenty-four species are newly described. The stratigraphic occurrence of individual taxa within the Edmonton Formation is indicated.
Gene structure and organization of the human β‐secretase (BACE) promoter

The first step in the generation of the amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) deposited in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the processing of the larger Aβ precursor protein (APP) by an integral membrane aspartyl protease named the β‐site APP‐cleaving enzyme (BACE). We present the genomic organization of the BACE gene. BACE mRNAs are synthesized as nine exons and eight introns from a 30.6 kb region of chromosome 11q23.2–11q23.3. Regulation of BACE may play an important role in regulating the levels of Aβ produced and is therefore likely to play an important role in AD. Herein, we report the cloning and detailed analysis of 3765 nucleotides of the promoter region of BACE and 364 nucleotides of the 5′ untranslated region of the BACE mRNA (5′ UTR). Characteristic “CAAT” and “TATA” boxes are absent within 1.5 kb of the transcription start site (TSS). The promoter region and 5′ UTR contain multiple transcription factor binding sites, such as activator protein (AP)1, AP2, cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), estrogen responsive element (ERE), glucocorticoid responsive element (GRE), “GC” box, nuclear factor (NF)‐κB, signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1, stimulating protein (SP)1, metal‐regulatory elements, and possible Zeste binding sites. Limited interspecies similarity was observed between the human sequence and corresponding genomic DNA from the rat and mouse sequences, but several transcription factor‐binding sites are conserved. Thus, the BACE gene contains basal regulatory elements, inducible features and sites for regulated activity by various transcription factors. These results identify the important regions for functional analysis of the binding domains and neuron‐specific expression (1). Such a study will allow us to further examine the possible role of changes in the promoter of BACE in AD pathogenesis.
Alternative production systems for male Charolais cross-bred cattle using semi-natural grasslands

Abstract The aim was to compare animal performance and carcass characteristics in Charolais cross-breds raised as bulls finished indoors to steers grazing semi-natural grasslands during summers combined with high, medium or low feed intensity during indoor periods. Bulls (n=15) and high steers (n=13) were fed grass-clover silage:barley (450:550 g kg−1 dry matter), medium steers (n=13) silage ad libitum and low steers (n=12) silage at a restricted intake. High and medium steers grazed semi-natural grasslands one summer, whereas low steers grazed two summers. From weaning to slaughter, liveweight gains were 1.72, 0.93, 0.72 and 0.60 kg day−1 for bulls, high steers, medium steers and low steers, respectively (P<0.05). Bull carcasses had higher dressings, conformation scores and proportions of high-valued retail cuts than steers (P<0.001). High and medium steers had highest fatness scores (P<0.02) and most trim fat (P<0.03), whereas medium and low steers had more marbling in musculus longissimus dorsi than bulls (P<0.03).
Uprooting and Burial of Invasive Alien Plants: A New Tool in Coastal Restoration?

Invasive alien plants are a problem for conservation management, and control of these species can be combined with habitat restoration. Subsoil burial of uprooted plants is a new method of mechanical control, which might be suitable in disturbed habitats. The method was tested in Rosa rugosa (Japanese Rose), an invasive shrub in north‐western Europe with negative effects on coastal biodiversity. Two months after uprooting and burial in dunes of north‐eastern Denmark, 89% of the 58 shrubs resprouted from roots and rhizomes; on average 41 resprouts per shrub. Resprout density was twice as high at former shrub margins compared with the center; resprouts were taller and originated from more superficial soil layers at the margin than in the center. Resprouting was negatively correlated with fragment depth, and no resprouts were observed from greater than 15 cm depth. The number of resprouts increased with fragment dry mass (0.5–168.5 g). After 18 months with harrowing the species was still resprouting, flowering, and fruiting, albeit with no difference between shrub margin and center. Resprouts were taller (26 cm) and coverage was higher (0–4%) after two compared with three times harrowing, whereas no difference was found in cover of native dune species (1–5%). The results show that even small fragments of R. rugosa resprout, and that resprouting persists despite repeated harrowing. Thus, careful subsoil burial of all fragments is necessary, special attention should be paid to the shrub margin, and follow‐up treatments are needed. The effectiveness of the burial method is discussed for restoration of coastal dunes.
Effect of sow feed intake during gestation on the growth performance of progeny to slaughter

hypothesised that a strategic increase in sow's gestation feed levels may increase the growth potential of pigs. Following insemination using semen from meat-line sires, 46 parity two to four L x LW sows were fed at 30 MJ DE/d. Sows were blocked on parity and weight and assigned to one of two nutritional treatments: 30 MJ DE/d or 60 MJ DE/d between day 25 and 50 of gestation. From day 50 to 110 of gestation sows were fed at 30 MJ DE/d. A gestation diet (6.2 g lysine/kg; 12.8 MJ DE/kg) was used. From day 110 of gestation to weaning a lactation diet (8.6 g lysine/kg; 14 MJ DE/kg) was fed to appetite. Progeny were weaned at 27 ± 0.1 days of age (mean ± SE) and one mixed sex pair of pigs of average weight was penned from each litter. In total, 46 mixed sex pairs of pigs were offered ad-libitum an identical sequence of diets to day 47 post-weaning. From day 47 to slaughter at 131 days post-weaning, pigs were formed into single sex groups of 12 pigs. They were offered the same finisher diet ad-libitum using a transponder feeding system and individual feed intakes were recorded. The number born alive (10.9 ± 0.75 pigs) and the number born dead (0.9 ± 0.32 pigs) were similar for both treatments. Pig performance from birth to slaughter was not significantly affected by treatment. Days taken from birth to slaughter were 158.5 and 158.1 ± 1.16 (P>0.05) and daily gain from birth to slaughter was 602 and 600 ± 7.9 g (P>0.05) for progeny of sows fed 30 MJ DE/d and 60 MJ DE/d, respectively. In conclusion, these data do not support the original hypothesis.
Occurrence of aflatoxins and aflatoxigenic Aspergillus in peanuts

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic mycotoxins mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Variety of food and agricultural commodities can be contaminated by Aspergillus spp. High temperature and relative humidity in tropical countries favours growth of Aspergillus and subsequently aflatoxin production in food and feed. In this study, occurrence of aflatoxins and aflatoxin–producing fungi in peanuts was investigated. Sixty raw peanut samples were used for fungal isolation and 83.3% of total samples showed fungal contamination. Morphological studies showed that 46 samples were contaminated with Aspergillus spp. and 23 green aspergilli were isolated from raw peanut samples. The 3 day-old purified Aspergillus isolates grown at 30oC on PDA plates were screened for their aflatoxin-production ability using ammonia vapour and 14 isolates were found to be aflatoxin–producers in the screening test. Pink/red colony reverse represented aflatoxin-producing strains. Aflatoxin production of Aspergillus isolates in culture media was confirmed by HPLC analysis. The isolates found positive by the screening test, showed a sharp AFB 1 peak in their HPLC chromatograms. Aflatoxins were extracted from the culture media as well as peanut samples and were detected using following HPLC conditions: mobile phase (ACN/H2O/MeOH: 8/54/38), temperature 24oC and flow rate 0.4 ml min -1 . Among six raw peanut brands analysed for aflatoxins, five brands showed AFB 1 contamination ranging from 0.62 to 19.27 ng g -1 . One brand which had the highest moisture content (8.08% ± 0.24) was highly contaminated with AFB 1 (977.66 ± 12.19 ng g -1 ). Moisture content of raw peanut samples ranged from 3.98 to 8.08%. Limits of detection (LOD) and recovery of the method for AFB 1 were 0.05 ng g -1 and 93.68-98.94%, respectively.
Expression and Cellular Localization of Estrogen Receptors α and β in the Human Fetus1

Estrogens exert various biological effects by acting through their native receptors, two of which have been identified to date: estrogen receptors α (ERα) and β (ERβ). In this study we examined the expression and cellular localization of ERα and ERβ in various human fetal tissues by semiquantitative RT-PCR (13 and 20 gestational weeks) and immunohistochemistry (13, 20, and 38 gestational weeks), respectively, to study the possible effects of estrogens on human fetal tissues during development. Relatively high levels of ERβ expression were detected in various human fetal tissues, whereas those tissues expressing ERβ had markedly lower levels of ERα expression. ERβ messenger ribonucleic acid expression was especially high in the adrenal gland. ERβ-immunoreactive protein was localized to the definitive zone, but not in the fetal zone, of the adrenal cortex. Although low levels of ERβ messenger ribonucleic acid were present in the brain, heart, lung, and kidney, ERβ immunoreactivity was not detected in these .
Effect of Herbicides on Field Violet (Viola arvensis) in Direct-Seeded Spring Wheat1

The agrestal field violet, a pervasive weed in Europe, has been identified in reduced-tillage cereal fields in Alberta. The efficacy of herbicides in direct-seeded spring wheat was assessed on natural field violet infestations in Alberta in 2002 and 2003. Only fluroxypyr + 2,4-D, applied postemergence, provided control of field violet in 2002 when rainfall was limiting. Over both years, this herbicide combination reduced biomass by 59 to 69% and plant density by 83 to 91%, relative to nontreated plots. The herbicides metsulfuron, sulfosulfuron, and thifensulfuron + tribenuron only suppressed weed growth under drought conditions in 2002 but controlled the weed in 2003 when rainfall was greater, reducing plant density by 82 to 92% and rendering remaining plants sterile. Suppression was also observed with MCPA + mecoprop + dicamba in 2002 and 2003 and with metribuzin only in 2003. Effective control of field violet was conferred by a pre–crop emergence application of glyphosate at 445 g ae/ha in 2003, the only year that this treatment was evaluated. Activity of herbicides on three- to four-leaf seedlings was also evaluated in a greenhouse dose– response assay. All herbicides had greater efficacy in the greenhouse, and those that provided control in situ reduced field violet dry weight by 85% at less than the recommended rate used in field experiments. Management of field violet is possible with herbicides registered for use on spring wheat in Alberta. However, the weed does not appear to cause significant crop production losses; hence, herbicide selection should be based on knowledge of all weed species present within the field. Nomenclature: 2,4-D; dicamba; fluroxypyr; glyphosate; MCPA; mecoprop; metribuzin; metsulfuron; sulfosulfuron; thifensulfuron; tribenuron; field violet, Viola arvensis Murr. #3 VIOAR; hard red spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘AC Barrie’. Additional index words: Bentazon, direct seeded, herbicide evaluation, linuron, metribuzin, weed control. Abbreviations: ALS, acetolactate synthase (EC 4.1.3.18); ED50, effective herbicide dose necessary to cause a 50% reduction in weed dry weight; ED85, effective herbicide dose necessary to cause an 85% reduction in weed dry weight; POST, postemergence; PREPLANT, pre–crop emergence; RU, reproductive units; WAT, weeks after treatment.
The Role of Nitric Oxide in Cancer Cell DNA Repair, Hypoxia Adaptation and Drug Resistance

Nitric oxide (NO) has been widely characterized as an important signalling molecule in many biological systems. To study the role of NO in human breast cancer cells, we have developed tetracycline-inducible breast cancer cell MCF7 and co-culture systems in the breast cancer ZR75 cells. We have applied a functional genomic approach using micro arrays and antibody-based proteomic methods to study effects of NO in these cells. We found that many DNA-repair genes appear up-regulated including DNA-Pkcs, topoisomerase 2, and Rad 2. Some oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes also appear up regulated, such as Ret/Ptc2 and c-Yes-1. In accompanied with respiration inhibition, some of the hypoxia regulated genes; such HIF-α and GRP78 are also up-regulated. These different targets could contribute different effects in cancer cell DNA repair, hypoxia adaptation and drug resistance, leading us to develop the therapeutic intervention against cancer.
English as an International Language: English/French Language Alternation in Politically Motivated CMC in Congo-Brazzaville.

The world is witnessing an unprecedented growth of the English language worldwide. Now more than at any time in linguistic history people are powerlessly assisting the expansion of one global language, English, dominating other languages even in countries, such as Congo-Brazzaville, where its presence was not long ago barely observed. There has been a growing interest in studying the sociolinguistic change brought about by the lingua franca nature of English. English is increasingly used along other languages in Facebook communication. It is therefore important to thoroughly examine the main pragmatic functions of English/French alternation in a politically motivated Facebook interaction among Congolese users. In this study, a corpus of 265,147 words, including 9,330 comments were collected from October 2015 to July 2016, the time period highlighted by two major national political events, mainly the constitutional referendum (October 25, 2015) and the presidential election (March 20, 2016). The analysis revealed seven communicative functions (e.g., offering advice, astonishment, criticism, anger/cursing/insult, appraisal, hope boost and motivation, jocular mockery) trigger the use of English in politically motivated Facebook communication. The lingua franca function of the English language worldwide is on the top of the factors influencing and motivating Congolese Facebook users to resource to this language in Facebook interaction. The users tend to be driven by the mere idea that in order to put the communication on international scale, a global language is needed regardless of whether all fellow users understand it.
High n‐3 HUFA levels in the diet of Atlantic salmon affect muscle and mitochondrial membrane lipids and their susceptibility to oxidative stress

Atlantic salmon were fed one of four diets with increasing levels (11–58%of total fatty acids (FAs)) of n-3 highly unsaturated FAs (HUFAs) in order to investigate the effect on muscle and mitochondrial membrane lipids and their susceptibility to oxidative stress. The high n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) groups contained lower percentages of sphingomyelin and cardiolipin in total muscle than the intermediate n-3 HUFA group. Cardiolipin and sphingomyelin are particularly susceptible to peroxidation, and a reduced percentage of these lipids showed that mitochondrial membranes had been damaged by oxidation. The intermediate n-3 HUFA group had the highest level of mitochondrial integrity and tendencies of lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) level than the other dietary groups. The high caspase-3 activity, in addition to casp3a and bax gene expression levels, in the n-3 DHA group also suggests that some degree of oxidative stress had occurred. Electron microscopy images showed a higher degree of myofibre–myofibre detachment in fish fed the high HUFA diets than in fish fed the intermediate n-3 HUFA diet. Our findings show that intermediate levels of n-3 HUFAs in salmon diets gave the best protection against oxidative damage of mitochondrial membranes and muscle structure.
Plankton ecology, succession in plankton communities

All relevant ecological aspects of plankton, especially seasonal changes in the species composition, the role of competition for limiting resources in species replacements, the role of parasitism, predation and competition in seasonal succession are treated in detail considering phytoplankton, zooplankton and bacteroplankton. In addition to its use as a valid reference book for plankton ecology, this monograph may well be used as a model for other kinds of ecological communities.
Systematic position and reproduction of squid of the genus Alloteuthis (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) in the eastern Mediterranean

Squid of the genus Alloteuthis from the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean were identified as A. media. It is not possible to distinguish A. media from A. subulata by relative fin length. Both ‘species’ are probably intraspecific forms. Egg size varied from 1·5 to 2·3 mm. Oocyte maturation in the ovary occurs in batches. The potential fecundity is some 1000–4000 eggs, most of these being released during continuous spawning accompanied by female growth.
Genetic variation in thermal tolerance among natural populations of Drosophila buzzatii: down regulation of Hsp70 expression and variation in heat stress resistance traits

Summary 1 Thermal adaptation was investigated in the fruitfly Drosophila buzzatii Patterson and Wheeler. Two natural populations originating from a high- and a low-temperature environment, respectively, were compared with respect to Hsp70 (heat shock protein) expression, knock-down resistance and heat shock resistance. 2 Three main hypotheses were tested: (i) The expression level of Hsp70 in flies from the high-temperature habitat should be down-regulated relative to flies from the colder habitat. (ii) Flies having higher Hsp70 expression levels should be weakened most by a hardening treatment and go faster into coma, as Hsp70 level reflects stress intensity, and therefore display reduced heat knock-down resistance. (iii) Heat shock resistance should be increased in the population with highest Hsp70 expression because the level of Hsp70 is positively associated with this trait. 3 The results generally matched the hypotheses. Hsp70 expression was reduced in the high-temperature population. Knock-down resistance was higher in the high-temperature population and survival after heat shock was lower in the high-temperature population. 4 This study showed genetic differences in thermal tolerance between populations, indicating that high temperature in nature may be an important selective factor. Moreover, knock-down resistance in this study seems to be a more relevant trait than standard heat shock resistance for identifying thermal adaptation in natural populations.