Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Submission for Special Issue: The Role of Platelet Activation in the Pathophysiology of HIV, Tuberculosis, and Pneumococcal Disease. Bedaquiline Suppresses ADP-Mediated Activation of Human Platelets In Vitro via Interference With Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase

Although bedaquiline has advanced the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), concerns remain about the cardiotoxic potential of this agent, albeit by unexplored mechanisms. Accordingly, we have investigated augmentation of the reactivity of human platelets in vitro as a potential mechanism of bedaquiline-mediated cardiotoxicity. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or isolated cells prepared from the blood of healthy, adult humans were treated with bedaquiline (0.625–10 µg/ml), followed by activation with adenosine 5’-diphosphate (ADP), thrombin or the thromboxane A2 receptor agonist (U46619). Expression of platelet CD62P (P-selectin), platelet aggregation, Ca2+ fluxes and phosphorylation of Akt1 were measured using flow cytometry, spectrophotometry, fluorescence spectrometry, and by ELISA procedures, respectively. Exposure to bedaquiline caused dose-related inhibition of ADP-activated, but not thrombin- or U46619-activated, expression of CD62P by platelets, achieving statistical significance at a threshold concentration of 5 µg/ml and was paralleled by inhibition of aggregation and Ca2+ mobilization. These ADP-selective inhibitory effects of bedaquiline on platelet activation were mimicked by wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), implicating PI3-K as being a common target of both agents, a contention that was confirmed by the observed inhibitory effects of bedaquiline on the phosphorylation of Akt1 following activation of platelets with ADP. These apparent inhibitory effects of bedaquiline on the activity of PI3-K may result from the secondary cationic amphiphilic properties of this agent. If operative in vivo, these anti-platelet effects of bedaquiline may contribute to ameliorating the risk of TB-associated cardiovascular disease, but this remains to be explored in the clinical setting.
Chromatographic separation techniques for determination of mycotoxins in food and feed

Abstract: This chapter discusses the use of various chromatographic separation techniques in the determination of mycotoxins in foods and feeds. Although thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography are still in use, the separation technique that has come to predominate for mycotoxin analysis is high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), coupled to a range of detectors. This chapter will describe current trends in HPLC separations, the use of ultraviolet and fluorescence detectors and, where necessary, the derivatization of mycotoxins to enable sensitive detection by these spectrophotometric detectors. Confirmation of mycotoxin analysis can be provided by diode array detection, whereas a description of the use of mass spectrometry (MS) to provide multi-mycotoxin analysis and unequivocal identification is contained in a separate chapter ( Chapter 4 ).
Regulation and Function of Stress-Activated Protein Kinase Signal Transduction Pathways: A Dissertation

The c-Jun NHz-terminal kinase (JNK) group and the p38 group of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAK) are stress-activated protein kinases that regulate cell proliferation differentiation, development, and apoptosis. These protein kinases are involved in a signal transduction cascade that includes a MAP kinase (MAPK), a MAP kinase kinase (MAP2K), and a MA kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K). MAPK are phosphorylated and activated by the MAP2K, which are phosphorylated and activated by various MAP3K. The work presented in this dissertation focuses on understanding the regulation and fuction of the JN and p38 MAPK pathways. Two different strategies were utilized. First, I used molecular and biochemical techniques to examine how MAP2K and MA3K mediate signaling specificity and to define their role in the MAPK pathway. Second, I used gene targeted disruption studies to determine the in vivo role ofMAP2K and MAP3K in MAPK activation. I specifically used these approaches to examine: (1) docking interactions between p38 MAPK and MA2K (MKK and MKK6 (Chapter II)J; (2) the differential activation ofp38 MAPK by MAP2K (MKK , MK4, and MKK6 (Chapter III)J; and (3) the selective involvement of the mixed lineage kinase (MLK) group ofMAP3K in JNK and p38 MAPK activation (Chapter IV and Appendix). In addition, I analyzed the role of the MK3 and MKK6 MA2K in cell proliferation and the role ofthe MLK MAP3K in adipocyte differentiation (Chapter III and Chapter IV). Together, these data provide insight into the regulation and fuction of the stressactivated MAPK signal transduction pathways.
Enhancement of Nutrient Removal from Eutrophic Water by a Plant–Microorganisms Combined System

Abstract Two species of perennial grasses—Lolium perenne var. Top One (LPT) and Lolium perenne var. respect (LPR)—and a microbial consortium composed of two denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (DPAOs)—strain Bacillus sp. MOE1 and Microbacterium sp. MOE2—were used to study the effect of plant–microorganisms interaction on removing nutrients from eutrophic water. The two perennial grasses could greatly remove the nutrients and pollutants; LPT could remove up to 40% of total nitrogen (TN) and 87% of TP in 20 days. Among the two species of perennial grasses, LPT is more efficient in removal of ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), phosphorus, and CODMn. Without combining with LPT and LPR, the immobilized DPAOs could remove more than 73% phosphorus, 32% total nitrogen, and 81% ammonium nitrogen. Removal efficiency of phosphorus, TN, and NH4+-N enhanced after combining DPAOs with perennial grasses, especially with LPT. The combination of DPAOs and LPT may prove to be a promising approach in bioremediation o.
A backbone extraction method for complex weighted networks (extended abstract)

Network science provides effective tools to model and analyze complex systems. However, the increasing size of real-world networks becomes a major obstacle in order to understand their structure and topological features. Therefore, reducing the original network into a smaller one while preserving its information is an important issue. Extracting the so-called backbone of a network is a very challenging problem that is generally solved either by coarse-graining or filter-based methods. Coarse-graining methods reduce the network size by grouping similar nodes, while filter-based methods map the network by discarding nodes or edges based on a statistical property. In this work, we propose and investigate one filter-based method exploiting the overlapping community structure in order to extract the backbone in weighted networks. In the proposed method, called “overlapping nodes ego backbone”, the backbone is formed simply from the set of overlapping nodes and their neighbors. It is based on the results of a previous study [1] showing that the overlapping nodes are neighbors of the highly connected nodes (hubs) of the network. Indeed, hubs and overlapping nodes are located at the heart of the network. In this method, the links with low weights are removed from the network as long as a backbone with a single connected component is preserved. Experiments have been performed on real-world weighted networks originating from various domains (social, co-appearance, collaboration, biological, and technological) and different sizes. Results of the comparison with the disparity filter method [2], which is considered as one of the most influential alternative filtering methods demonstrate the greater ability of the proposed backbone extraction method to uncover the most relevant parts of the network.
Effect of Low-Input Organic and Conventional Farming Systems on Maize Rhizosphere in Two Portuguese Open-Pollinated Varieties (OPV), “Pigarro” (Improved Landrace) and “SinPre” (a Composite Cross Population)

Maize is one of the most important crops worldwide and is the number one arable crop in Portugal. A transition from the conventional farming system to organic agriculture requires optimization of cultivars and management, the interaction of plant–soil rhizosphere microbiota being pivotal. The objectives of this study were to unravel the effect of population genotype and farming system on microbial communities in the rhizosphere of maize. Rhizosphere soil samples of two open-pollinated maize populations (“SinPre” and “Pigarro”) cultivated under conventional and organic farming systems were taken during flowering and analyzed by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Phenological data were collected from the replicated field trial. A total of 266 fungi and 317 bacteria genera were identified in “SinPre” and “Pigarro” populations, of which 186 (69.9%) and 277 (87.4%) were shared among them. The microbiota of “Pigarro” showed a significant higher (P < 0.05) average abundance than the microbiota of “SinPre. ” The farming system had a statistically significant impact (P < 0.05) on the soil rhizosphere microbiota, and several fungal and bacterial taxa were found to be farming system-specific. The rhizosphere microbiota diversity in the organic farming system was higher than that in the conventional system for both varieties. The presence of arbuscular mycorrhizae (Glomeromycota) was mainly detected in the microbiota of the “SinPre” population under the organic farming systems and very rare under conventional systems. A detailed metagenome function prediction was performed. At the fungal level, pathotroph–saprotroph and pathotroph–symbiotroph lifestyles were modified by the farming system. For bacterial microbiota, the main functions altered by the farming system were membrane transport, transcription, translation, cell motility, and signal transduction. This study allowed identifying groups of microorganisms known for their role as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and with the capacity to improve crop tolerance for stress conditions, allowing to minimize the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (phyla Glomeromycota) were among the most important functional groups in the fungal microbiota and Achromobacter, Burkholderia, Erwinia, Lysinibacillus, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, and Stenotrophomonas in the bacterial microbiota. In this perspective, the potential role of these microorganisms will be explored in future research.
New Insights Into Non-Invasive His Bundle Potential Detection on High Resolution Body Surface Recordings

This study presents a novel non-invasive method to detect His potentials from high-resolution body surface signals. 35 patients were included in this study. All patients received an invasive electrophysiological study to determine ground truth His-Ventricular (HV) intervals. Prior to these procedures, body surface potentials were recorded using 128 electrodes sampled at 2048 Hz for 8 minutes. Signal averaging was performed on the body surface signals using only the beats occurring during the exhalation phase of respiration. 4 “wide” bipolar (2 electrodes spaced 50 mm) in the vertical, horizontal, right diagonal and left diagonal directions, and 24 Laplacians signals were created and high-pass filtered at 30Hz. Noninvasive HV interval measurements were not performed on 2 (6%) patients because body surface signals were too noisy. His potentials were invisible on the bipolar signals for 5 (14%) patients and on the Laplacian signals for 7 patients (20%). Comparison between invasive (58.5±15ms) and non-invasive HV interval (53.6±14ms) measured with bipolar signals, revealed a squared correlation coefficient (SCC) of 0.66. HV intervals measured with Laplacian signals were less correlated (53.8±18ms) with a SCC of 0.50. This study shows promising results that HV interval can be measured non-invasively using bipolar and Laplacians signals.
Synthesis of a Zeolite Y Coating on Stainless Steel Support

The coating of stainless steel with zeolite Y was achieved. Zeolite Y crystals were shown to grow directly on the support provided the synthesis mixture was previously seeded. A stable, supported crystalline monolayer can then be synthesized with crystals as small as 0.2 μm. Using an unseeded synthesis mixture results in poor coverage and very low stability of the Y coating or in a stable coating of a side species, namely gmelinite. The stability of the zeolite Y coating on stainless steel is explained by the crystal growth in the nearest vicinity of the support. Partly uncompleted crystals are synthesized in this process and stabilized through chemical bonding with the support. The bonding with the support and thus the coverage are improved by an oxidic layer on the surface which can be formed upon calcination at high temperature.
Novel High-Speed Turbo Compressor With Integrated Inverter for Fuel Cell Air Supply

Fuel cell technology is continuously gaining ground in E-mobility applications. Fuel cells require a constant supply of pressurized air, for which high-speed turbo compressors with air bearings are an optimal choice to reduce size, guarantee oil-free operation required for the lifetime of the fuel cell, and increase efficiency. However, the inverter driving the electric motor of the turbo compressor does not scale down with increasing speed; therefore, other technology advances are required to achieve an overall compressor system with low weight. New power electronic topologies (double-bridge voltage sources inverter), cutting edge power semiconductor technology (gallium nitride), and multiobjective optimization techniques allow reducing the inverter size, increasing inverter efficiency, and improving the output current quality and in return lowering the losses in the electric motor. This enables the electrical, mechanical, and thermal integration of the inverter into the compressor housing of very high-speed and compact turbo compressors, thereby reducing the size and weight of the overall compressor system by a factor of two. Furthermore, a turbo compressor with an integrated inverter reduces complexity and cost for operators with savings in casing, cables, coolant piping, and connectors and reduces EMI noise by shielding the high-frequency motor currents with one housing. Beside its main application for fuel cell air supply, the advantages gained by an integrated inverter can also be used in other boosting and air handling applications such as advanced air and exhaust handling in combustion engines. The proposed integration concept is verified with a 280,000 rpm, 1 kW turbo compressor, targeted for the Balance of Plant (BoP) of a 5–15 kW fuel cell. The experimental results show that the temperature limits on the power electronics parts can be kept below the limit of 90 °C up to a coolant temperature of 55 °C, and beside the advantage of lower cabling effort, the efficiency of the compressor system (turbo compressor and integrated inverter) is increased by 5.5% compared to a turbo compressor without an integrated inverter.
Temperature-Dependent Activity of Motor Proteins: Energetics and Their Implications for Collective Behavior

Molecular motor proteins are an extremely important component of the cellular transport system that harness chemical energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to carry out directed mechanical motion inside the cells. Transport properties of these motors such as processivity, velocity, and their load dependence have been well established through single-molecule experiments. Temperature dependent biophysical properties of molecular motors are now being probed using single-molecule experiments. Additionally, the temperature dependent biochemical properties of motors (ATPase activity) are probed to understand the underlying mechanisms and their possible implications on the enzymatic activity of motor proteins. These experiments in turn have revealed their activation energies and how they compare with the thermal energy available from the surrounding medium. In this review, we summarize such temperature dependent biophysical and biochemical properties of linear and rotary motor proteins and their implications for collective function during intracellular transport and cellular movement, respectively.
HARNESSING THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF PAWPAW AND PINEAPPLE FRUITS FOR PILOT SCALE PRODUCTION OF WINE

Fermenting blended fruits has been observed to have positive cumulative health benefits. Pawpaw and Pineapple have well-known nutritive and health benefits. This study evaluated the role of fermentation on the nutritional and anti-nutritional compositions of pawpaw-pineapple juice blends using single and mixed starter cultures. Fermentation of pawpaw-pineapple juice blends in varying ratios: 1:1, 1:3 and 3:1 tagged Samples A, B, and C respectively was performed for five days after which the nutritional and anti-nutritional compositions were analyzed using standard methods. The findings revealed an increase in the concentration of all the proximate parameters except carbohydrate. The results also showed that sample A was better in nutritive quality than sample B and C by 8.55% and 3.92% respectively. The mono-cultural fermentation of sample A by Saccharomyces cerevisiae yielded the highest nutritional value (30.12%) as compared to mixed (25.35%) and single culture fermentation of Lactobacillus delbreukii (23.40%) and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (21.13%). The mineral composition of sample A (37.60%) with respect to organism was also observed to be significantly higher than sample B (28.82%) and C (33.58%). Overall, the single culture of S. cerevisiae gave the highest mineral output in all the blended ratios. The levels of the anti-nutrients were better reduced by a single culture of S. cerevisiae. Furthermore, the mono-cultural fermentation of sample A by S. cerevisiae produced the highest alcoholic content. Mono-cultural fermentation of pawpaw-pineapple juice in ratio 1:1 by S. cerevisiae is most efficient in obtaining the highest nutritional value and alcoholic content in pawpaw-pineapple wine.
The Effect of Plasma Rich in Growth Factors on Microglial Migration, Macroglial Gliosis and Proliferation, and Neuronal Survival

Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) is a subtype of platelet-rich plasma that has being employed in the clinic due to its capacity to accelerate tissue regeneration. Autologous PRGF has been used in ophthalmology to repair a range of retinal pathologies with some efficiency. In the present study, we have explored the role of PRGF and its effect on microglial motility, as well as its possible pro-inflammatory effects. Organotypic cultures from adult pig retinas were used to test the effect of the PRGF obtained from human as well as pig blood. Microglial migration, as well as gliosis, proliferation and the survival of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The cytokines present in these PRGFs were analyzed by multiplex ELISA. In addition, we set out to determine if blocking some of the inflammatory components of PRGF alter its effect on microglial migration. In organotypic cultures, PRGF induces microglial migration to the outer nuclear layers as a sign of inflammation. This phenomenon could be due to the presence of several cytokines in PRGF that were quantified here, such as the major pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα. Heterologous PRGF (human) and longer periods of cultured (3 days) induced more microglia migration than autologous porcine PRGF. Moreover, the migratory effect of microglia was partially mitigated by: 1) heat inactivation of the PRGF; 2) the presence of dexamethasone; or 3) anti-cytokine factors. Furthermore, PRGF seems not to affect gliosis, proliferation or RGC survival in organotypic cultures of adult porcine retinas. PRGF can trigger an inflammatory response as witnessed by the activation of microglial migration in the retina. This can be prevented by using autologous PRGF or if this is not possible due to autoimmune diseases, by mitigating its inflammatory effect. In addition, PRGF does not increase either the proliferation rate of microglial cells or the survival of neurons. We cannot discard the possible positive effect of microglial cells on retinal function. Further studies should be performed to warrant the use of PRGF on the nervous system.
METHODS FOR THE CULTURE CONSERVATION OF EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL FUNGI

The maintenance and conservation of strains of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, and fungi are vital for the advancement and development of various life science areas, impacting studies in genetics, biodiversity, bioprospecting, biotechnology, medicine, veterinary, environment, food security, nutrition, among others. The preservation of this biological material has achieved the safeguarding of industrial potential and the possibility of researching new functions and the use for the benefit of humanity. Various culture preservation methods have been developed over the years, such as sterile distilled water, cryopreservation, freeze-drying, sub-culture, and sterile mineral oil; these allow storing strains of various microorganisms under appropriate conditions and for long periods. For the case of edible and medicinal fungi, the most used conservation methods are cryopreservation and sterile distilled water, guaranteeing the stability of the characteristics of these fungi, their viability, and their biological potential over time; however, the need to continue evaluating different methods and applications in this type of fungus persists.
Analysis And Mitigation Of The Impacts Of Delays In Control Of Power Systems With Renewable Energy Sources

ANALYSIS AND MITIGATION OF THE IMPACTS OF DELAYS IN CONTROL OF POWER SYSTEMS WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES by CHANG FU August 2019 Advisor : Dr. Caisheng Wang Major : Electrical and Computer Engineering Degree : Doctor of Philosophy With the integration of renewable resources, electric vehicles and other uncertain resources into the power grid, a variety of control methodologies and algorithms have been proposed to increase the stability and reliability of the operation system. Load modeling is a critical part of such analysis since it significantly impacts the accuracy of the simulation in power system, as well as stability and reliability analysis. Traditional composite load model parameter identification problems in the power system can be essentially ascribed to optimization problems, and the identified parameters are point estimations subject to different constraints. These conventional point estimation based composite load modeling approaches suffer from disturbances and noises and provide limited information on the system dynamics. In this thesis, a statistic (Bayesian Estimation) based distribution estimation approach is proposed for developing composite load models, including static (ZIP) and dynamic (Induction Motor) parts, by implementing the Gibbs sampling. The proposed method provides a distribution estimation of coefficients for load models and is robust to measurement errors. Overvoltage is another urgent issue that needs to be addressed, especially in a high PV
Identification of Ablation Sites in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Based on Spatiotemporal Dispersion of Electrograms Using Machine Learning

A recent patient-tailored ablation protocol to treat atrial fibrillation consists in identifying ablation sites based on their spatiotemporal dispersion (STD). STD represents a delay of the cardiac activation observed in intracardiac electrograms (EGMs) across contiguous leads. This work aims at automatically identifying ablation sites by classifying EGM data acquired by the PentaRay catheter into ablated vs. non-ablated groups using machine learning. More than 35000 multichannel recordings are acquired from 15 persistent AF patients. An annotation model is designed to label the dataset. The classifiers include: (1) multivariate logistic regression; (2) LeNet-STD, a shallow convolutional neural network. A binary label identifying whether the mapped site contains STD pattern according to the interventional cardiologist is combined to raw EGMs as classifiers input. The LeNet-STD combined with data augmentation yields the best performance with an F1-score of 76%.