Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Ensiling on the Nutritional Composition and Fermentation Characteristics of Brown Seaweeds as a Ruminant Feed Ingredient

Simple Summary In recent years, there has emerged a renewed interest in the inclusion of seaweed as an animal feed ingredient. Due to annual fluctuations in the availability and biochemical composition of seaweeds, effective preservation methods are needed. These are currently restricted to thermal processing methods. Ensiling is a commonly applied preservation technique for terrestrial forages intended for livestock feed but little is known about the characteristics of silage made from seaweeds. This study considered the potential of ensiling two brown seaweed species (Fucus vesiculosus and Saccharina latissimi) with or without the use of a microbial inoculant. The potential applications of seaweed silage as a feed ingredient in ruminant diets were considered. The results showed that, depending on the species, ensiling may be a suitable preservation method for brown seaweeds. Abstract Ensiling could be an effective method to preserve seaweeds for animal feed applications, however, there is limited scientific knowledge in this area. Seaweeds are a promising ruminant feed ingredient, in part due to the content of phenolic compounds, which are receiving considerable interest as alternative antimicrobial agents in feed. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of ensiling on the nutritional composition and fermentation characteristics of two brown seaweed species, Fucus vesiculosus (FV) and Saccharina latissimi (SL) with or without the use of a Lactobacillus plantarum (LAB) inoculant. The effect of ensiling on the stability of phlorotannin was also investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). After harvesting, the seaweeds were wilted for 24 h and subsequently ensiled in laboratory-scaled silos for 90 days. SL silage showed a stronger fermentation pattern (pH < 4), dominated by lactic acid (50–60 g/kg Dry Matter (DM)), and a slightly higher acetic acid content compared to FV silages (p < 0.05). The fermentability of FV was limited (pH > 4.8) with low lactic acid production (<5 g/kg DM). The addition of the LAB inoculant showed no effect on the fermentation process but a modest effect on the chemical composition of both species was observed after the 90-day ensiling period. The results showed no losses in the nutrient content of FV after ensiling, however losses in the Crude Protein (CP, −32%), ash (−36%), Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF, −77%) and Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF, −58%) content of SL were observed. The ensiling process had a limited effect on the in vitro true dry matter digestibility and phenolic content of either species. Therefore, ensilage may be a suitable preservation method for the use of brown seaweeds as a ruminant feed; however, species-specific differences were observed.
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Progression as Surrogate Marker for Cardiovascular Risk

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: To quantify the association between effects of interventions on carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) progression and their effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Methods: We systematically collated data from randomized, controlled trials. cIMT was assessed as the mean value at the common-carotid-artery; if unavailable, the maximum value at the common-carotid-artery or other cIMT measures were used. The primary outcome was a combined CVD end point defined as myocardial infarction, stroke, revascularization procedures, or fatal CVD. We estimated intervention effects on cIMT progression and incident CVD for each trial, before relating the 2 using a Bayesian meta-regression approach. Results: We analyzed data of 119 randomized, controlled trials involving 100 667 patients (mean age 62 years, 42% female). Over an average follow-up of 3.7 years, 12 038 patients developed the combined CVD end point. Across all interventions, each 10 μm/y reduction of cIMT progression resulted in a relative risk for CVD of 0.91 (95% Credible Interval, 0.87–0.94), with an additional relative risk for CVD of 0.92 (0.87–0.97) being achieved independent of cIMT progression. Taken together, we estimated that interventions reducing cIMT progression by 10, 20, 30, or 40 μm/y would yield relative risks of 0.84 (0.75–0.93), 0.76 (0.67–0.85), 0.69 (0.59–0.79), or 0.63 (0.52–0.74), respectively. Results were similar when grouping trials by type of intervention, time of conduct, time to ultrasound follow-up, availability of individual-participant data, primary versus secondary prevention trials, type of cIMT measurement, and proportion of female patients. Conclusions: The extent of intervention effects on cIMT progression predicted the degree of CVD risk reduction. This provides a missing link supporting the usefulness of cIMT progression as a surrogate marker for CVD risk in clinical trials.
Establishment of bispyribac selection protocols for Agrobacterium tumefaciens- and Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation of the oil seed plant Jatropha curcas L.

Cultivation of the biofuel plant Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) has spread around the world because of its drought resistance, high seed oil content, and adaptability to different environmental conditions. Because of these attributes, Jatropha has the potential to be one of the main resources for next-generation biodiesel fuel. To improve the productivity of Jatropha biomass, it is important to understand the molecular functions of key Jatropha genes, and to modify various agronomic traits of Jatropha via molecular breeding. A reliable and efficient protocol for genetic transformation of Jatropha is a prerequisite for molecular biology research and breeding on this plant. Here, we developed a system in which the herbicide bispyribac sodium salt, which inhibits acetolactate synthase, was used as the selection agent, and a two-point-mutated acetolactate synthase gene (mALS) was used to confer resistance upon transformants. Application of this system significantly improved the efficiency of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated stable transformation of the high-yielding elite Jatropha population, IP-2P. The bispyribac-mALS system was also successfully applied in the Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy roots system, which allowed integration of a foreign gene and expression in Jatropha root tissues within 2 weeks. The new protocols described here are powerful tools not only for functional studies on endogenous genes, but also for the molecular breeding of Jatropha to develop elite varieties.
Evaluation of a Community-Based Cardiovascular Prevention Program in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose: An outcomes’ evaluation of a community-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention program in persons with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Design: A prospective, observational study. Setting: A community-setting in Ireland. Participants: Persons with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, aged 40 years or older, and 2 or more cardiovascular risk factors. Intervention: A 16-week community-based, cardiovascular prevention program, with health promotion seminars, group exercise, and individual consultations, delivered by a multidisciplinary team. Measures: Medical, lifestyle, and well-being measures. Analysis: Changes in categorical and continuous variables were analyzed using the paired exact test and the t test/Wilcoxin matched-pairs test, respectively. Results: In total, 218 persons (134 men) participated, mean age was 59.8 (10.2) years. Completion rate was 75.2% (n = 164). The proportion achieving target glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) increased from 53% at baseline to 75% (P < .001) at end of program. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures reduced by 8.8 mm Hg (95% CI: −11.2 to −6.4, P < .001) and 5.2 mm Hg (95% CI: −6.9 to −3.5, P < .001), respectively. Mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduced from 2.45 to 2.05 mmol/L (P < .001). Significantly higher proportions met recommended targets in diet (6.9% vs 43.4%, P < .001) and physical activity (9.2% vs 56.6%, P < .001). Psychosocial measures significantly improved at end of program. The majority of improvements were sustained at 1 year. Conclusion: Participation in this CVD prevention program was associated with significant improvements in glycemia and CVD risk factors in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes.
Topologically completely positive entropy and zero-dimensional topologically completely positive entropy

In a previous paper [Pavlov, A characterization of topologically completely positive entropy for shifts of finite type. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys. 34 (2014), 2054–2065], the author gave a characterization for when a $\mathbb{Z}^{d}$ -shift of finite type has no non-trivial subshift factors with zero entropy, a property which we here call zero-dimensional topologically completely positive entropy. In this work, we study the difference between this notion and the more classical topologically completely positive entropy of Blanchard. We show that there are one-dimensional subshifts and two-dimensional shifts of finite type which have zero-dimensional topologically completely positive entropy but not topologically completely positive entropy. In addition, we show that strengthening the hypotheses of the main result of Pavlov [A characterization of topologically completely positive entropy for shifts of finite type. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys. 34 (2014), 2054–2065] yields a sufficient condition for a $\mathbb{Z}^{d}$ -shift of finite type to have topologically completely positive entropy.
Impaired Expression of Chloroplast HSP90C Chaperone Activates Plant Defense Responses with a Possible Link to a Disease-Symptom-Like Phenotype

RNA-seq analysis of a transgenic tobacco plant, i-hpHSP90C, in which chloroplast HSP90C genes can be silenced in an artificially inducible manner resulting in the development of chlorosis, revealed the up- and downregulation of 2746 and 3490 genes, respectively. Gene ontology analysis of these differentially expressed genes indicated the upregulation of ROS-responsive genes; the activation of the innate immunity and cell death pathways; and the downregulation of genes involved in photosynthesis, plastid organization, and cell cycle. Cell death was confirmed by trypan blue staining and electrolyte leakage assay, and the H2O2 production was confirmed by diaminobenzidine staining. The results collectively suggest that the reduced levels of HSP90C chaperone lead the plant to develop chlorosis primarily through the global downregulation of chloroplast- and photosynthesis-related genes and additionally through the light-dependent production of ROS, followed by the activation of immune responses, including cell death.
Social Frailty Is Independently Associated with Mood, Nutrition, Physical Performance, and Physical Activity: Insights from a Theory-Guided Approach

Notwithstanding the increasing body of evidence that links social determinants to health outcomes, social frailty is arguably the least explored among the various dimensions of frailty. Using available items from previous studies to derive a social frailty scale as guided by the Bunt social frailty theoretical framework, we aimed to examine the association of social frailty, independently of physical frailty, with salient outcomes of mood, nutrition, physical performance, physical activity, and life–space mobility. We studied 229 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 67.22 years; 72.6% females) who were non-frail (defined by the FRAIL criteria). Using exploratory factor analysis, the resultant 8-item Social Frailty Scale (SFS-8) yielded a three-factor structure comprising social resources, social activities and financial resource, and social need fulfilment (score range: 0–8 points). Social non-frailty (SNF), social pre-frailty (SPF), and social frailty (SF) were defined based on optimal cutoffs, with corresponding prevalence of 63.8%, 28.8%, and 7.4%, respectively. In logistic regression adjusted for significant covariates and physical frailty (Modified Fried criteria), there is an association of SPF with poor physical performance and low physical activity (odds ratio, OR range: 3.10 to 6.22), and SF with depressive symptoms, malnutrition risk, poor physical performance, and low physical activity (OR range: 3.58 to 13.97) compared to SNF. There was no significant association of SPF or SF with life–space mobility. In summary, through a theory-guided approach, our study demonstrates the independent association of social frailty with a comprehensive range of intermediary health outcomes in more robust older adults. A holistic preventative approach to frailty should include upstream interventions that target social frailty to address social gradient and inequalities.
Spatial Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Sockeye ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) and Pink Salmon ( O . gorbuscha ) in the Ocean during the Summer of 2003

Miwako Kitagawa, Tomonori Azumaya, Katherine W. Myers, and Masahide Kaeriyama School of Engineering, Hokkaido Tokai University, 5-1-1-1 Minamisawa, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 005-8601, Japan Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, 116 Katsurakoi, Kushiro, Hokkaido 085-0802, Japan High Seas Salmon Research Program, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195-5020, USA Graduate School of Fisheries Science, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan
Citrate Coordination and Bridging of Gold Nanoparticles: The Role of Gold Adatoms in AuNP Aging

Gold nanoparticles used in many types of nanostructure are mostly stabilized by citrate ligands. Fully understanding their dynamic surface chemistry is thus essential for applications, particularly since aging is frequently a problem. Using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with density functional theory calculations, we are able to determine Au–citrate coordination in liquid with minimal invasiveness. We show that citrate coordination is mostly bidentate and simply controlled by its protonation state. More complex binding motifs are caused by interfering chloride ions and gold adatoms. With increasing age of stored gold nanoparticle suspensions, gold adatoms are found to move atop the Au facets and bind to an additional terminal carboxylate of the citrate. Aged nanoparticles are fully refreshed by removing these adatoms, using etching and subsequent boiling of the gold nanoparticles.
Untargeted Characterization of Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) Shell Polyphenol Extract: A Valued Bioresource for Prostate Cancer Cell Growth Inhibition

Chestnut seeds are used for fresh consumption and for the industrial preparation of derivatives, such as chestnut flour. During industrial processing, large amounts of by-products are generally produced, such as leaves, flowers, shells and burs. In the present study, chestnut shells were extracted by boiling water in order to obtain polyphenol-rich extracts. Moreover, for the removal or non-phenolic compounds, a separation by preparative reverse phase chromatography in ten fractions was carried out. The richest fractions in terms of phenolic content were characterized by means of untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometric analysis together with a dedicated and customized data processing workflow. A total of 243 flavonoids, phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins and ellagitannins were tentatively identified in the five richest fractions. Due its high phenolic content (450.03 µg GAE per mg of fraction), one tumor cell line (DU 145) and one normal prostate epithelial cell line (PNT2) were exposed to increasing concentration of fraction 3 dry extract for 24, 48 and 72 h. Moreover, for DU 145 cell lines, increase of apoptotic cells and perturbation of cell cycle was demonstrated for the same extract. Those outcomes suggest that chestnut industrial by-products could be potentially employed as a source of bioresources.
Internet of Robotic Things in Smart Domains: Applications and Challenges

With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Internet of Things (IoT) and robotic systems are closely cooperating, reshaping their relations and managing to develop new-generation devices. Such disruptive technology corresponds to the backbone of the so-called Industry 4.0. The integration of robotic agents and IoT leads to the concept of the Internet of Robotic Things, in which innovation in digital systems is drawing new possibilities in both industrial and research fields, covering several domains such as manufacturing, agriculture, health, surveillance, and education, to name but a few. In this manuscript, the state-of-the-art of IoRT applications is outlined, aiming to mark their impact on several research fields, and focusing on the main open challenges of the integration of robotic technologies into smart spaces. IoRT technologies and applications are also discussed to underline their influence in everyday life, inducing the need for more research into remote and automated applications.
The Effect of Climate Parameters on Sheep Preferences for Outdoors or Indoors at Low Ambient Temperatures

Simple Summary Sheep may be kept indoors over the winter period, especially in cool climates. There is currently a drive to keep sheep outside, especially on organic sheep farms. This paper examines the preferences that sheep have in cool conditions for outdoor or indoor housing to inform management practices. We found no evidence that mature sheep should be kept confined indoors throughout the winter period, even in normal winter weather conditions in northern Europe, with temperatures as low as −20 °C and where precipitation and relative humidity may be high. In all conditions, during this trial, the majority of ewes preferred to be outside. Access to the outdoor area should be managed to restrict outdoor access for lambs, ewes with unweaned lambs and recently shorn sheep. Conditions in which sheep did choose to move indoors were: low wind chill values (≤10 °C) and/or high air humidity (>90%). In such cases, sheep should have the opportunity to shelter indoors. Abstract Threshold temperatures for cold stress in sheep are not well understood, the available literature is somewhat dated and reports relate to winter temperatures that are relatively benign. Sheep’s preferences for outdoor versus indoor environments, when given free access to both, were investigated in the winter period at temperatures as low as −23 °C. Two sheep farms, one with access to a permanent uninsulated barn and one with a polytunnel shelter, both with free access to an outdoor area, were used. Observations were made with a camera positioned to register numbers of sheep outdoors and indoors, with one image taken hourly over twenty-four hours. The sheep clearly preferred to be outdoors; on all occasions the majority of the sheep were outdoors. There was, however, a significant decrease, albeit small, in the numbers of sheep choosing to be outdoors at lower temperatures (p < 0.001), higher relative humidity (p < 0.001) and greater wind chill (p < 0.001). Therefore, even at cooler temperatures than reported previously, sheep are motivated to be outdoors rather than indoors. It is not implicitly good for their welfare, and may not be true for lambs and shorn sheep, but accessing an outdoor area appears to be what they choose to do when given the choice.
Fast Humidity Sensors for Harsh Environment

With the application of a recently developed deposition method called initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), remarkably fast responsive hydrogel thin films in the order of a few hundred nanometers were created. When in contact with humid air, the hydrogel layer extends its thickness manifold, which can be detected. The verification of the thickness change was realized interferometrically with a laser and a white light input source in two different implementations. The setup was designed without electric components in the vicinity of the active sensor layer and is therefore applicable in harsh and explosive environment. The achieved response time for an abrupt change of the humidity τ63 ≤ 2.5 s is about three times lower compared to one of the fastest commercially available sensors on the market.
Demand stochastics, supply adaptation, and the distribution of film earnings

A market is analysed in which demand is a stochastic process and supply is contingent on the expected level of demand – a model that provides a realistic depiction of the motion picture market where consumer demand is a process of discovery and information sharing, and the supply of theatre screens expands through contingent contracts to accommodate demand. This model predicts that motion picture earnings will deviate from a power law and instead be distributed according to an exponential of a power law due to finite-size effects in demand. Empirical analysis on a large sample of motion pictures finds significant deviation from the power law distribution and a remarkably good fit for the stretched exponential distribution.
The Single-Stranded RNA Bacteriophage Qβ Adapts Rapidly to High Temperatures: An Evolution Experiment

Single-stranded (ss)RNA viruses are thought to evolve rapidly due to an inherently high mutation rate. However, it remains unclear how ssRNA viruses adapt to novel environments and/or how many and what types of substitutions are needed to facilitate this evolution. In this study, we followed the adaptation of the ssRNA bacteriophage Qβ using thermally adapted Escherichia coli as a host, which can efficiently grow at temperatures between 37.2 and 45.3 °C. This made it possible to evaluate Qβ adaptation to the highest known temperature that supports growth, 45.3 °C. We found that Qβ was capable of replication at this temperature; within 114 days (~1260 generations), we detected more than 34 novel point mutations in the genome of the thermally adapted Qβ population, representing 0.8% of the total Qβ genome. In addition, we returned the 45.3 °C-adapted Qβ populations to 37.2 °C and passaged them for 8 days (~124 generations). We found that the reverse-adapted Qβ population showed little to no decrease in fitness. These results indicate that Qβ can evolve in response to increasing temperatures in a short period of time with the accumulation of point mutations.
Adaptive functioning in children and adolescents with Trisomy X: An exploratory analysis

Identifying the factors related to adaptive functioning will improve the information available to families and providers of females with Trisomy X. Cognitive and behavioral features were assessed in 50 females ages 12.2 ± 3.6 years using the Behavior Assessment System for Children Second Edition (BASC‐2) and Wechsler Scales of Intelligence. Executive functioning, social skills, and autistic traits were evaluated in a subset. Adaptive functioning was assessed using the BASC‐2 adaptive skills composite score (ASC). Participants were classified as average adaptive skills (ASC T‐score > 40) or deficits (ASC T‐score < 40). Group comparisons were conducted. Multiple linear regression examined which factors contributed to ASC score. Twenty‐eight females (55.6%) had adaptive skills deficits with functional communication being the most commonly affected adaptive domain. The group with ASC in the average range had higher verbal IQ (VIQ) and lower rates of numerous behavioral concerns. Internalizing behavior composite, DSM‐IV inattentive symptoms score, and VIQ were significant predictors of ASC. Prenatally diagnosed females comprised over 70% of those with average adaptive skills. In this study, internalizing behaviors, inattentive ADHD symptoms, and VIQ were associated with poorer adaptive functioning. Early interventions targeting internalizing behaviors, attention/executive functioning, and communication skills may improve adaptive skills and deserve further study.