Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary transformation of lipid in the rumen microbial ecosystem

Dietary lipids are rapidly hydrolysed and biohydrogenated in the rumen resulting in meat and milk characterised by a high content of saturated fatty acids and low polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which contributes to increases in the risk of diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. There has been considerable interest in altering the fatty acid composition of ruminant products with the overall aim of improving the long-term health of consumers. Metabolism of dietary lipids in the rumen (lipolysis and biohydrogenation) is a major critical control point in determining the fatty acid composition of ruminant lipids. Our understanding of the pathways involved and metabolically important intermediates has advanced considerably in recent years. Advances in molecular microbial technology based on 16S rRNA genes have helped to further advance our knowledge of the key organisms responsible for ruminal lipid transformation. Attention has focused on ruminal biohydrogenation of lipids in forages, plant oils and oilseeds, fish oil, marine algae and fat supplements as important dietary strategies which impact on fatty acid composition of ruminant lipids. Forages, such as grass and legumes, are rich in omega-3 PUFA and are a useful natural strategy in improving nutritional value of ruminant products. Specifically this review targets two key areas in relation to forages: i) what is the fate of the lipid-rich plant chloroplast in the rumen and ii) the role of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase in red clover as a natural plant-based protection mechanism of dietary lipids in the rumen. The review also addresses major pathways and micro-organisms involved in lipolysis and biohydrogenation.
Genotyping-Wavelet Approach

: Fingerprints are used as reliable identification because each person's fingerprints are unique, but people can have similar fingerprint patterns. In this project, we will investigate whether fingerprints are influenced by genetics. Here we proposed a novel method to check whether fingerprints in same family members are inherited by using SVD and Wavelets. This experiment was done on 50 different families fingerprints.
CHRONIC DISEASE IN THREE ETHNIC GROUPS IN TAIWAN : RESULTS FROM LI-SHIN OUTREACHING NEIGHBORHOOD SCREENING ( LIONS A 1 )

Huan-Cheng Chang, MD, MA; Ya-Yu Kung, BS; Chuan-Fa Hsieh, MS; Lisa Hui-Yin Hsiung, MS; Shu-Hui Chang, PhD; Tony Hsiu-Hsi Chen, PhD Objectives: Few population-based studies have compared risk factors related to chronic diseases across multiethnic groups of Chinese people. Consequently, we report the prevalence of common chronic disorders that make up the metabolic syndrome and compare their distribution in three ethnic subgroups: the offspring of Hakka, Minnan, and mainlander women.
Regulation of Toll‐like receptor 2 interaction with Ecgp96 controls Escherichia coli K1 invasion of brain endothelial cells

The interaction of outer membrane protein A (OmpA) with its receptor, Ecgp96 (a homologue of Hsp90β), is critical for the pathogenesis of Escherichia coli K1 meningitis. Since Hsp90 chaperones Toll‐like receptors (TLRs), we examined the role of TLRs in E. coli K1 infection. Herein, we show that newborn TLR2−/− mice are resistant to E. coli K1 meningitis, while TLR4−/− mice succumb to infection sooner. In vitro, OmpA+ E. coli infection selectively upregulates Ecgp96 and TLR2 in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC), whereas OmpA− E. coli upregulates TLR4 in these cells. Furthermore, infection with OmpA+ E. coli causes Ecgp96 and TLR2 translocate to the plasma membrane of HBMEC as a complex. Immunoprecipitation studies of the plasma membrane fractions from infected HBMEC reveal that the C termini of Ecgp96 and TLR2 are critical for OmpA+ E. coli invasion. Knockdown of TLR2 using siRNA results in inefficient membrane translocation of Ecgp96 and significantly reduces invasion. In addition, the interaction of Ecgp96 andTLR2 induces a bipartite signal, one from Ecgp96 through PKC‐α while the other from TLR2 through MyD88, ERK1/2 and NF‐κB. This bipartite signal ultimately culminates in the efficient production of NO, which in turn promotes E. coli K1 invasion of HBMEC.
Coenzyme Q10 deficiency in elderly: Can nutritional supplementation play a role? Mini review

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an important mitochondrial redox component, plays a pivotal role in cellular energy production; moreover, it is the only lipid-soluble antioxidant endogenously synthesized in humans. Given its function and physiological importance, it is not surprising that CoQ10 deficiency may result in several diseases. With aging, humans begin to lose the ability to synthesize CoQ10 from food, resulting in reduced serum levels of CoQ10 and contributing to aging-associated symptoms. Poor eating habits, infections, stress and also some drugs, as beta blockers, antihypertensive agents and statns, may reduce serum levels of CoQ10. Dietary supplementation has been proposed as key strategy to increase CoQ10 availability, improving health status in elderly; however CoQ10 is not approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of any medical condition and it is sold only as a dietary supplement. Aim of the study was to examine the latest relevant evidences on potential benefits of CoQ10 nutritional supplement and its implication in improving health status in elderly. There is evidence that, in elderly, oral administration of CoQ10 reduces oxidative stress and inflammatory markers and reduces cardiovascular mortality; in diabetics CoQ10 treatment improves insulin sensitivity and decreases glycated hemoglobin. Therapeutic benefit from CoQ10 supplementation has also been obtained in neurodegenerative diseases as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington's diseases. CoQ10 supplements could be useful in several aging- related clinical conditions; however, well standardized long-term and larger further studies are needed.
Relacje przyczynowo-skutkowe pomiędzy czynnikami produkcji a wzrostem gospodarczym w Polsce w latach 1992–2012 z uwzględnieniem roli bezpośrednich inwestycji zagranicznych

The aim of this paper is to analyse and assess the cause-and-effect relationships occurring between the main factors of production and GDP in Poland in the years 1992–2012, including the significance of FDI, with the use of the vector error correction model (VECM), impulse response functions and variance decomposition for random variables to identify the key instruments stimulating short-, medium- and long-term economic growth. As far as theoretical analysis is concerned, the paper offers a review of the international and Polish literature on the topic of relationships between FDI and economic growth and the results of research into cause-and-effect relationships occurring between them. Empirical analysis was conducted on the basis of the OECD and UNCTAD statistical data for the years 1992–2012, with the use of econometric methods, including: the VAR model and its conversion in the form of VECM, analysis of impulse response functions and variance decomposition of random variables. The following research hypothesis was adopted: complicated cause-and-effect relationships occur between the factors of production and GDP in Poland in the short-, medium- and long-term. Results of sensitivity analysis of coefficients of variation and analysis of the degree of explaining variables confirm the need to use a diversified set of factors of production to maximize economic growth in Poland, adequately to the period of their strongest impact. The key factors of short-term economic growth in Poland are: gross fixed capital formation, exports and FDI; in the medium-term: gross fixed capital formation, FDI, and RD and in the long-term: gross fixed capital formation, employment, FDI and R&D. What is more, a growing GDP value attracts FDI inflows more strongly while FDI inflows have a smaller impact on GDP growth stimulation. This fact can be explained by, among other things, the structure of FDI flowing into Poland, i.e. a decreasing value of the country’s own capital as compared to the growing share of credit and debt securities.
Farm Organization, Ownership and Food Productivity in Nigeria

African food production is in crisis. Today, despite Africa’s vast physical and climatic potentials to produce food, most African States depend on food importation. Africa’s capacity to deal with its food battles is severely constrained by its political instability, its early stage of scientific and institutional development, and a rapidly changing and complex global environment. In Nigeria and in most developing economies, there is a fundamental lack of political commitment to come grips with poverty, malnutrition and access to food. Because of these barriers, traditional economics is a rather limited tool to understand food production and other related variables. Poverty, hunger, malnutrition, famine and starvation in developing economies are just as much a function of political, macroeconomic, and institutional barriers as lack of technology. Illustrations from the agrarian chaos in Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad and others are too numerous to conclude otherwise. The aim of this paper is to determine and analyze economics incentives and strategies, which could stimulate commercial agriculture in Nigeria. The analysis is based on the premise that the form of production organization in Nigerian agriculture is the major constraint to commercialization. The paper concludes that output price subsidy is the over-riding factor in the commercialization of agriculture in Nigeria.
Overseeing Oversight: New Departures and Old Problems

In this article, we analyze recent scholarly writing on legislative control of bureaucracy. Once a neglected area of research, this literature has expanded substantially and has become more sophisticated. Still, many basic problems remain unresolved. We find, for example, difficulties in choosing between theoretical elegance and empirical validity. We note problems of choosing between competing conceptions of self-interest as a motivating force. We note also conflict over the relevance of context as it relates to incentives and opportunities. Despite substantial progress in thinking about oversight, we conclude that these basic problems remain unresolved. Especially prominent are gaps in the analysis of the impacts of oversight. We conclude that an institutional focus broader than the legislature is essential to coming to grips with many of these issues. In the August 1984 issue of Legislative Studies Quarterly, Bert A. Rockman assessed the prevailing state of research and theory in executive-legislative relations. The central element of this assessment was legislative oversight, defined as legislative supervision and monitoring of the executive, whether overt or covert. Even though legislative activism was observed in cabinet-parliamentary systems, no other national legislature has the capacity of the U.S. Congress to engage in oversight activities, although, to be sure, this capacity is not always used. Precisely how use is defined, however, is a very controversial, yet central, matter in the analysis of oversight. This return visit to the precincts of legislative oversight analyzes recent developments in a literature that has thickened a good bit. We begin by sketching and analyzing at length the principal controversies and unresolved issues, some of which were noted in the earlier article. We then look at the role of legislators' goals and incentives in the literature of oversight. Next, we examine changes in the institutional context and in the broader political context that affect oversight and influence incentives to engage in oversight. Finally, we examine empirical
Ensemble Kalman Filtering for Inverse Optimal Control

Solving the inverse optimal control problem for discrete-time nonlinear systems requires the construction of a stabilizing feedback control law based on a control Lyapunov function (CLF). However, there are few systematic approaches available for defining appropriate CLFs. We propose an approach that employs Bayesian filtering methodology to parameterize a quadratic CLF. In particular, we use the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) to estimate parameters used in defining the CLF within the control loop of the inverse optimal control problem formulation. Using the EnKF in this setting provides a natural link between uncertainty quantification and optimal design and control, as well as a novel and intuitive way to find the one control out of an ensemble that stabilizes the system the fastest. Results are demonstrated on both a linear and nonlinear test problem.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange as an efficient market

ABSTRACTThis note reviews the evidence for and against the assumption that The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is an efficient market. After considering the results of statistical tests and trading rule simulations on share price sequences, and analysing the performance of mutual fund portfolios, it concludes that the evidence supports the assumption. This conclusion has important practical implications for portfolio managers.
Boosting mediated electron transfer in bioelectrochemical systems with tailored defined microbial cocultures

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) hold great promise for sustainable energy generation via a microbial catalyst from organic matter, for example, from wastewater. To improve current generation in BES, understanding the underlying microbiology of the electrode community is essential. Electron mediator producing microorganism like Pseudomonas aeruginosa play an essential role in efficient electricity generation in BES. These microbes enable even nonelectroactive microorganism like Enterobacter aerogenes to contribute to current production. Together they form a synergistic coculture, where both contribute to community welfare. To use microbial co‐operation in BES, the physical and chemical environments provided in the natural habitats of the coculture play a crucial role. Here, we show that synergistic effects in defined cocultures of P. aeruginosa and E. aerogenes can be strongly enhanced toward high current production by adapting process parameters, like pH, temperature, oxygen demand, and substrate requirements. Especially, oxygen was identified as a major factor influencing coculture behavior and optimization of its supply could enhance electric current production over 400%. Furthermore, operating the coculture in fed‐batch mode enabled us to obtain very high current densities and to harvest electrical energy for 1 month. In this optimized condition, the coulombic efficiency of the process was boosted to 20%, which is outstanding for mediator‐based electron transfer. This study lays the foundation for a rationally designed utilization of cocultures in BES for bioenergy generation from specific wastewaters or for bioprocess sensing and for benefiting from their synergistic effects under controlled bioprocess condition.
A Survey Paper on Technologies to Link and Model Multidimensional Data on the Semantic Web for Business Intelligence

: The vast amount of data on the World Wide Web has resulted in convergence powerful analytical technologies, namely OLAP and the Semantic Web. The Semantic Web has allowed for evolution of linked multidimensional data that allows for querying information on the web using their semantics or meaning and not just a list of key words. Business Intelligence platforms provide great support in analyzing large volumes of data. This has been further extended to map and model multidimensional data on the Semantic Web in the form of OLAP cubes which are expressed in RDF vocabularies. This paper surveys the current technologies that provide a platform for building and querying data warehouses on the semantic web using multidimensional OLAP data cubes built using the RDF data cube vocabulary. The aim of this paper is to present a roadmap for new developments and research in the field of Semantic Web.
Bone morphogenetic protein and activin membrane-bound inhibitor overexpression inhibits gastric tumor cell invasion via the transforming growth factor-β/epithelial-mesenchymal transition signaling pathway

Gastric carcinoma is one of the most common human malignancies and remains the second leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Gastric carcinoma is characterized by early-stage metastasis and is typically diagnosed in the advanced stage. Previous results have indicated that bone morphogenetic protein and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI) overexpression has been demonstrated to inhibit growth and metastasis of gastric cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of the BAMBI-mediated signaling pathway in the progression of gastric cancer are poorly understood. In the present study, to assess whether BAMBI overexpression inhibited the growth and aggressiveness of gastric carcinoma cells through regulation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β/epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway, the growth and metastasis of gastric carcinoma cells were analyzed following BAMBI overexpression and knockdown in vitro and in vivo. Molecular changes in the TGF-β/EMT signaling pathway were studied in gastric carcinoma cells following BAMBI overexpression and knockdown. DNA methylation of the gene regions encoding the TGF-β/EMT signaling pathway was investigated in gastric carcinoma cells. Tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice was analyzed after mice were subjected to endogenous overexpression of BAMBI. Results indicated that BAMBI overexpression significantly inhibited gastric carcinoma cell growth and aggressiveness, whereas knockdown of BAMBI significantly promoted its growth and metastasis compared with the control (P<0.01). The TGF-β/EMT signaling pathway was downregulated in BAMBI-overexpressed gastric carcinoma cells; however, signaling was promoted following BAMBI knockdown. In addition, it was observed that BAMBI overexpression significantly downregulated the DNA methylation of the gene regions encoding the TGF-β/EMT signaling pathway (P<0.01). Furthermore, RNA interference-mediated BAMBI overexpression also promoted apoptosis in gastric cancer cells and significantly inhibited growth of gastric tumors in murine xenografts (P<0.01). In conclusion, the present findings suggest that BAMBI overexpression inhibited the TGF-β/EMT signaling pathway and suppressed the invasiveness of gastric tumors, suggesting BAMBI may be a potential target for the treatment of gastric carcinoma via regulation of the TGF-β/EMT signaling pathway.
Transactivation domain of p53 regulates DNA repair and integrity in human iPS cells.

The role of p53 transactivation domain (p53-TAD), a multifunctional and dynamic domain, on DNA repair and retaining DNA integrity in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has never been studied. p53-TAD was knocked out in iPSCs using CRISPR/Cas9 and was confirmed by DNA sequencing. p53-TAD knockout (KO) cells were characterized by accelerated proliferation, decreased population doubling time, and unaltered Bcl-2, Bcl-2-binding component 3, insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, and Bax and altered Mdm2, p21, and p53-induced death domain transcript expression. In p53-TAD KO cells, the p53-regulated DNA repair proteins xeroderma pigmentosum group A, DNA polymerase H, and DNA-binding protein 2 expression were found to be reduced compared with p53 wild-type cells. Exposure to a low dose of doxorubicin (Doxo) induced similar DNA damage and DNA damage response (DDR) as measured by RAD50 and MRE11 expression, checkpoint kinase 2 activation, and γH2A. X recruitment at DNA strand breaks in both cell groups, indicating that silence of p53-TAD does not affect the DDR mechanism upstream of p53. After removal of Doxo, p53 wild-type hiPSCs underwent DNA repair, corrected their damaged DNA, and restored DNA integrity. Conversely, p53-TAD KO hiPSCs did not undergo complete DNA repair and failed to restore DNA integrity. More importantly, continuous culture of p53-TAD KO hiPSCs underwent G2/M cell cycle arrest and expressed the cellular senescent marker p16INK4a. Our data clearly show that silence of the TAD of p53 did not affect DDR but affected the DNA repair process, implying the crucial role of p53-TAD in maintaining DNA integrity. Therefore, activating p53-TAD domain using small molecules may promote DNA repair and integrity of cells and prevent cellular senescence.
Typing Tutor: Individualized Tutoring in Text Entry for Older Adults Based on Statistical Input Stumble Detection

Many older adults are interested in smartphones. However, most of them encounter difficulties in selfinstruction and need support. Text entry, which is essential for various applications, is one of the most difficult operations to master. In this paper, we propose Typing Tutor, an individualized tutoring system for text entry that detects input stumbles using a statistical approach and provides instructions. By conducting two user studies, we clarify the common difficulties that novice older adults experience and how skill level is related to input stumbles with a 12-key layout for Japanese. Based on the study, we develop Typing Tutor to support learning how to enter text on a smartphone. A two-week evaluation experiment with novice older adults (65+) showed that Typing Tutor was effective in improving their text entry proficiency, especially in the initial stage of use. In addition, we demonstrate the applicability of Typing Tutor to other keyboards and languages with the QWERTY layout for Japanese and English.
Effect of hindlimb unweighting on single soleus fiber maximal shortening velocity and ATPase activity.

This study characterizes the time course of change in single soleus muscle fiber size and function elicited by hindlimb unweighting (HU) and analyzes the extent to which varying durations of HU altered maximal velocity of shortening (Vo), myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase), and relative content of slow and fast myosin in individual soleus fibers. After 1, 2, or 3 wk of HU, soleus muscle bundles were prepared and stored in skinning solution at -20 degrees C. Single fibers were isolated and mounted between a motor arm and a transducer, and fiber force, Vo, and ATPase activity were measured. Fiber myosin content was determined by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate- (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. After 1, 2, and 3 wk of HU, soleus fibers exhibited a progressive reduction in fiber diameter (16, 22, and 42%, respectively) and peak force (42, 48, and 72%, respectively). Peak specific tension was significantly reduced after 1 wk of HU (18%) and showed no further change in 2-3 wk of HU. During 1 and 3 wk of HU, fiber Vo and ATPase showed a significant increase. By 3 wk, Vo had increased from 1.32 +/- 0.04 to 2.94 +/- 0.17 fiber lengths/s and fiber ATPase from 291 +/- 16 to 1,064 +/- 128 microM.min-1 x mm-3. The percent fibers expressing fast myosin heavy chain increased from 4% to 29% by 3 wk of HU, and Vo and ATPase activity within a fiber were highly correlated. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)