Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of Vibrio spp., Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp. among the frozen food samples employing enrichment culture technique

Freezing has long been an established method for food preservation. Freezing temperature may act as a stress factor for microbial cells, transforming the cells into injured or dormant state. Upon inoculation, these debilitated cells cannot grow on solid media and hence produce false negative results. Foods contaminated with injured cells of pathogenic bacterial strains are of potential health risk. Employing enrichment cultivation technique, present study attempted to detect such injured, dormant or viable but non culturable (VBNC) cells in different frozen food samples, collected from local markets and super-shops of Dhaka metropolis. Compared to the conventional cultivation means, the enrichment procedure revealed a significant increase in bacterial burden as well as increase in the pathogenic load. A maximum of 3 log increase in case of total bacterial load while 4 log, 5 log and 2 log increase in case of Vibrio spp. , Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. , consecutively were observed. These findings clearly demonstrated the presence of injured cells in frozen foods which could be lethal under normal condition thereby posing public health risk. Stamford Journal of Microbiology, Vol.5(1) 2015: 26-29
Introduction : retrospect and current proteomics of a model plant

Article history: Received 28 May 2010 Accepted 2 July 2010 Legumes (Fabaceae) are unique in their ability to enter into an elaborate symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria. Rhizobia-legume (RL) symbiosis represents one of the most productive nitrogen-fixing systems and effectively renders the host plants to be more or less independent of other nitrogen sources. Due to high protein content, legumes are among themost economically important crop families. Beyond that, legumes consist of over 16,000 species assigned to 650 genera. In most cases, the genomes of legumes are large and polyploid, which originally did not predestine these plants as genetic model systems. It was not until the early 1990th that Medicago truncatula was selected as the model plant for studying Fabaceae biology. M. truncatula is closely related to many economically important legumes and therefore its investigation is of high relevance for agriculture. Recently, quite a number of studies were published focussing on in depth characterizations of the M. truncatula proteome. The present review aims to summarize these studies, especially those which focus on the root system and its dynamic changes induced upon symbiotic or pathogenic interactions with microbes. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Mechanisms and Methods Mechanisms of toxicity of carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) consist of a family of carbon built nanoparticles, which biological effects depend on their physical characteristics and other constitutive chemicals (impurities and functions attached). CNTs are considered the 21 century material due to their unique physicochemical characteristics and applicability to industrial product. The use of these materials steadily increase worldwide and toxic outcomes need to be studied for each nanomaterial in depth to prevent adverse effects to humans and the environment. Entrance into the body is physical, and usually few nanoparticles enter the body; however, once there, they are persistent due to their limited metabolisms, so their removal is slow, and chronic cumulative health effects are studied. Oxidative stress is the main mechanism of toxicity but size, agglomeration, chirality as well as impurities and functionalization are some of the structural and chemical characteristic contributing to the CNTs toxicity outcomes. Among the many toxicity pathways, interference with cytoskeleton and fibrous mechanisms, cell signaling, membrane perturbations, and the production of cytokines, chemokines and inflammation are some of the effects resulting from exposure to CNTs. The aim of this review is to offer an up to date scope of the effects of CNTs on biological systems with attention to mechanisms of toxicity. T ox ic ol og y M ec ha ni sm s an d M et ho ds D ow nl oa de d fr om in fo rm ah ea lth ca re . c om b y U ni ve rs ite D e Sh er br oo ke o n 12 /0 2/ 12 Fo r pe rs on al u se o nl y. Title Mechanisms of toxicity of carbon nanotubes Authors Yury Rodriguez-Yañez, Balam Muñoz and Arnulfo Albores Affiliations Departamento de Toxicología. Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN. Av. IPN 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, México City, 07360. Escuela de Ciencias de la Vida. Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Ciudad de México. Calle del Puente 222, Col. Ejidos de Huipulco, México City, 14380. *Corresponding author Arnulfo Albores, PhD. Department of Toxicology, Cinvestav. Ave. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508. C.P 07360. México, D.F. Mexico. Email: aalbores@cinvestav.mx Tel:(01 52) 55 57 47 38 00 ext 5476. Fax (01 52) 55 57 47 33 95
Unsupervised Word Segmentation Using Minimum Description Length for Neural Machine Translation

For Chinese and Japanese, there is no distinct word boundary. Word segmentation is widely applied as a pre-processing step in neural machine translation (NMT) pipelines. However, conventional segmenters probably produce massive rare words. NMT cannot make use of such rare words because it commonly limits the vocabulary to most high-frequency words. In this paper, we investigate unsupervised word segmentation using the principle of Minimum Description Length (MDL). We propose a novel two-phase MDL-based method for word segmentation. Experimental results show that our method improves over the strong base-line (monolingual segmenters, e.g., Juman/Stanford Segmenter) for the WAT Japanese–Chinese and Chinese–Japanese translation tasks by up to 1.5 and 2 BLEU points, respectively.
Strain Investigation and Characterization of the a Neonatal Ward : Epidemiological-Lactamase within an Extensive Outbreak in β Producing TEM-52 Extended-Spectrum Escherichia coli Meningitis Caused

Published Ahead of Print 2 June 2010. 10.1128/JCM.00529-10. 2010, 48(7):2459. DOI: J. Clin. Microbiol. Mérens, Delphine Mitanchez and Hoang Vu-Thien Edouard Bingen, Guillaume Arlet, Erick Denamur, Audrey Didier Moissenet, Béatrice Salauze, Olivier Clermont, Strain Investigation and Characterization of the a Neonatal Ward: Epidemiological -Lactamase within an Extensive Outbreak in β Producing TEM-52 Extended-Spectrum Escherichia coli Meningitis Caused by
Numerical Study of the Performance and Emission of a Diesel-Syngas Dual Fuel Engine

Based on the theory of direct relation graph (DRG) and the sensitivity analysis, a reduced mechanism for the diesel-syngas dual fuel was constructed. Three small thresholds were applied in the process of the detailed mechanism simplification by DRG, and a skeletal mechanism with 185 elements and the 832 elementary reactions was obtained. According to the framework of the skeletal mechanism, the time-consuming approach of sensitivity analysis was employed for further simplification, and the skeletal mechanism was further reduced to the size of 158 elements and 705 reactions. The Chemkin software with the detailed mechanism was utilized to calculate the effect of syngas addition on the combustion characteristics of diesel combustion. The findings showed that the addition of syngas could reduce the ignition delay time and increase the laminar flame speed. Based on the reduced mechanism and engine parameters, a 3D model of the engine was constructed with the Forte code. The 3D model was adopted to study the effect of syngas addition on the performance and exhaust emissions of the engine and the relevant data of the experiment was used in the calibration of the 3D model.
Dynamic Analysis and Control of an Automatic Transmission for Start-Stop Function and Efficiency Improvement

An electric oil pump (EOP) was integrated into the hydraulic system and an automatic transmission (AT) mechanical oil pump (MOP) was downsized. These processes were performed to combine a start-stop function with the AT and further improve the transmission efficiency. Furthermore, this study established a dynamics model of power loss and leakage of an 8-speed AT; a flow-based control algorithm of the EOP was then developed to realize the start-stop function and support the MOP to meet the flow requirement of the system. Based on a driving simulation method, sizes of the MOP and EOP that ensured optimal fuel economy were selected. A control strategy for the starting clutch was also developed to minimize the starting delay of the test vehicle. A test environment on a rig and prototype vehicle was established to verify the feasibility of the proposed control strategies. The test results indicated that the transmission functioned favorably with the novel two-pump system presented, and a quick and smooth starting performance was achieved when the engine was restarted. The findings in this study are extremely valuable for forward designs of an AT for realizing start-stop function and improving efficiency.
Do temporal changes in vegetation structure predict changes in bird occurrence additional to time since fire ?

Fire is a major ecological process in ecosystems globally. Its impacts on fauna can be both direct (e.g. mortality) and indirect (e.g. altered habitat), resulting in population recovery being driven by several possible mechanisms. Separating direct from indirect impacts of fire on faunal population recovery can be valuable in guiding management of biodiversity in fireprone environments. However, resolving the influence of direct and indirect processes remains a key challenge because many processes affecting fauna can change concomitantly with time since fire. We explore the mechanisms influencing bird response to fire by posing the question: Can temporal changes in vegetation structure predict changes in bird occurrence on sites, and can these be separated from other temporal changes using the surrogate of time since fire? We conducted a 12-year study of bird and vegetation responses to fire at 124 sites across six vegetation classes in Booderee National Park, Australia. Approximately half of these sites, established in 2002, were burnt by a large (> 3000 ha) wildfire in 2003. To disentangle collinear effects of temporal changes in vegetation and direct demographic effects on population recovery that are subsumed by time since fire, we incorporated both longitudinal and cross-sectional vegetation effects in addition to time since fire within logistic structural equation models. We identified temporal changes in vegetation structure and richness of plant and bird species that characterized burnt and unburnt sites in all vegetation classes. For nine bird species, a significant component of the year trend was driven by temporal trends in one of A cc ep te d A rt ic le This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. three vegetation variables (number of understory or midstory plant species, or midstory cover). By contrast, we could not separate temporal effects between time since fire and vegetation attributes for bird species richness, reporting rate, and the occurrence of 11 other bird species. Our findings help identify species for which indirect effects of vegetation dominate recovery and thus may benefit from vegetation management where conservation actions are required and, conversely, those species for which direct effects of time since fire drive recovery, where simply leaving a system to recover following the last disturbance will be sufficient.
Effective communication between students and lecturers: Improving student–led communication in educational settings

This study investigated students’ communication preferences in educational settings, resulting in an empirical model of effective communication between students and lecturers. Students from a psychology department at a UK university were asked about their preferred communication tool for academic purposes, including social networking, emails, university–internal virtual learning environments, and face–to–face communication. The data was analysed using methods of exploratory data analysis and cluster analysis. Students clearly expressed a preference for social networking sites when communicating with peers due to their frequent and widespread use, fast response rate, and ease of access, but preferred face–to–face meetings when sufficient time was available. When communicating with lecturers, students had a preference to use email. The findings also showed that students preferred to attend lectures over reading lecture slides online. Based on these results, an empirical model of students’ communication preferences in educational settings was developed aimed to aid in the effective management of student–lead communication. The study concludes with a critical evaluation of ways students and lecturers can improve communication between each other and how this can positively contribute to students’ university experience.
Ozone suppression of carbon uptake by vegetation : A model study of the effect of ozone on carbon uptake and storage in boreal forests in northern Europe

Ozone is known to have adverse effects on both humans and vegetation and to affect the climate through its direct radiative forcing. In addition, recent studies have shown that ozone has an indirect effect on the climate as well, by suppressing the carbon uptake into vegetation. The purpose of the present study is to shed light on what past, present and future ozone concentrations mean for the radiative balance of the atmosphere through their suppression of CO2 uptake into vegetation, with a special focus on boreal forests in northern Europe. With this purpose in mind, a regional climate model coupled with chemistry (WRF-chem) is used to simulate ozone concentrations in northern Europe for the year of 2009. The resulting concentrations are compared with observations from the EMEP network, and subsequently used in a land surface model (NoahMP) in off-line mode, adopted to include ozone effects on plants. The NoahMP model is validated with measurements from the SMEAR II station, and used to simulate changes in total stored carbon in the boreal forests of northern Europe. In addition, results from the OsloCTM simulations are used to produce concentrations representative for the year 1900, and the year 2100 according to the SRES A2 scenario. The changes in total carbon compared to simulations without ozone effects show a clear impact of ozone for present day concentrations, resulting in a considerable reduction in stored carbon. The increase in land carbon from 1900 to 2009 from increased atmospheric CO2 is found to be considerably reduced due to increased ozone concentrations, whereas for the 2100 simulations the results show a reduced effect of ozone, even for the areas with substantial increase in ozone concentrations, due to reduced stomatal conductance, as a result of increasing CO2 concentrations.
Immune deficiencies , infection , and systemic immune disorders Immune responses in adult female volunteers during the bedrest model of spaceflight : Antibodies and cytokines

Background: It is unknown whether a prolonged period of bed rest will affect human immune responses, particularly in female subjects. Objective: We sought to measure immune responses in adult female subjects exposed to prolonged bed rest. Methods: Adult (25-40 years) female volunteers (n 5 24) were maintained in a supine (68 tilt) head-down bed-rest (HDBR) position for 60 days: 8 with HDBR only, 8 with HDBR and regular muscular exercise, and 8 with HDBR and dietary protein supplementation. Subjects were immunized with bacteriophage uX-174. Antibody production and plasma cytokine levels were determined. Results: The rate of primary antibody production of the HDBR plus exercise group increased faster (P 5 .01) and to a higher level versus that of the HDBR-only group (P 5 .03) and that of the HDBR plus diet group (trend P 5 .08). The rates of secondary antibody production between the 3 groups were similar, but the level of antibody in the HDBR plus exercise
Vibration of Slender Structures Subjected to Axial Flow or Axially Towed in Quiescent Fluid

The vibrations and stability of slender structures subjected to axial flow or axially towed in quiescent fluid are discussed in this paper. A selective review of the research undertaken on it is presented. It is endeavoured to show that slender structures subjected to axial flow or axially towed in quiescent fluid are capable of displaying rich dynamical behavior. The basic dynamics of straight and curved pipes conveying fluid (with or without motion constraints), carbon nanotubes conveying fluid, tubular beams subjected to both internal and external flows in axial direction, slender structures in axial flow or axially towed in quiescent fluid, cylindrical shells conveying or immersed in axial flow, solitary plate or parallel-plate assembly in axial flow; linear, nonlinear, and chaotic dynamics; these and many more are some of the aspects of the problem considered.
and articular cartilage transplants subchondral bone defects influencing the repair of autologous − Biomaterial scaffolds in cartilage

The repair of articular cartilage typically involves the repair of cartilage–subchondral bone tissue defects. Although various bioactive materials have been used to repair bone defects, how these bioactive materials in subchondral bone defects influence the repair of autologous cartilage transplant remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different subchondral biomaterial scaffolds on the repair of autologous cartilage transplant in a sheep model. Cylindrical cartilage–subchondral bone defects were created in the right femoral knee joint of each sheep. The subchondral bone defects were implanted with hydroxyapatite–b-tricalcium phosphate (HA–TCP), poly lacticglycolic acid (PLGA)-HA–TCP dual-layered composite scaffolds (PLGA/HA–TCP scaffolds), or autologous bone chips. The autologous cartilage layer was placed on top of the subchondral materials. After 3 months, the effect of different subchondral scaffolds on the repair of autologous cartilage transplant was systematically studied by investigating the mechanical strength, structural integration, and histological responses. The results showed that the transplanted cartilage layer supported by HA–TCP scaffolds had better structural integration and higher mechanical strength than that supported by PLGA/HA–TCP scaffolds. Furthermore, HA–TCP-supported cartilage showed higher expression of acid mucosubstances and glycol-amino-glycan contents than that supported by PLGA/HA–TCP scaffolds. Our results suggested that the physicochemical properties, including the inherent mechanical strength and material chemistry of the scaffolds, play important roles in influencing the repair of autologous cartilage transplants. The study may provide useful information for the design and selection of proper subchondral biomaterials to support the repair of both subchondral bone and cartilage defects.
The possibility of assessing circadian phase in an individual would allow us to evaluate the severity of CD and to diagnose circadian rhythm sleep disorders

The increased prevalence of circadian disruptions due to abnormal coupling between internal and external time makes the detection of circadian phase in humans by ambulatory recordings a compelling need. Here, we propose an accurate practical procedure to estimate circadian phase with the least possible burden for the subject, that is, without the restraints of a constant routine protocol or laboratory techniques such as melatonin quantification, both of which are standard procedures. In this validation study, subjects (N1⁄4 13) wore ambulatory monitoring devices, kept daily sleep diaries and went about their daily routine for 10 days. The devices measured skin temperature at wrist level (WT), motor activity and body position on the arm, and light exposure by means of a sensor placed on the chest. Dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) was used to compare and evaluate the accuracy of the ambulatory variables in assessing circadian phase. An evening increase in WT: WTOnset (WTOn) and ‘‘WT increase onset’’ (WTiO) was found to anticipate the evening increase in melatonin, while decreases in motor activity (Activity Offset or AcOff), body position (Position Offset (POff)), integrative TAP (a combination of WT, activity and body position) (TAPOffset or TAPOff) and an increase in declared sleep propensity were phase delayed with respect to DLMO. The phase markers obtained from subjective sleep (R1⁄4 0.811), WT (R1⁄4 0.756) and the composite variable TAP (R1⁄4 0.720) were highly and significantly correlated with DLMO. The findings strongly support a new method to calculate circadian phase based on WT (WTiO) that accurately predicts and shows a temporal association with DLMO. WTiO is especially recommended due to its simplicity and applicability to clinical use under conditions where knowing endogenous circadian phase is important, such as in cancer chronotherapy and light therapy.
Identification of the source of an interferer by comparison with known carriers using a single satellite

We describe a method for identifying the source of a satellite interferer using a single satellite. The technique relies on the fact that the strength of a carrier signal measured at the downlink station varies with time due to a number of factors, and we use a quantum‐inspired algorithm to compute a “signature” for a signal, which captures part of the pattern of variation that is a characteristic of the uplink antenna. We define a distance measure to numerically quantify the degree of similarity between two signatures, and by computing the distances between the signature for an interfering carrier and the signatures of the known carriers being relayed by the same satellite at the same time, we can identify the antenna that the interferer originated from, if a known carrier is being relayed from it. As a proof of concept, we evaluate the performance of the technique using a simple statistical model applied to measured carrier data.