Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the link between gut microbes and obesity

Evaluation of: Turnbaugh PJ, Ley RE, Mahowald MA, Magrini V, Mardis ER, Gordon JI: An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest. Nature 444, 1027–1031 (2006). In this article, the investigators show that the gut microbiota in leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob) mice are more effective at releasing calories from food during digestion than are the microbiota from nonmutant, lean littermates. This trait is transmissible to germ-free recipients, resulting in greater fat deposition.
Some aspects of constraint to forage consumption by ruminants

Various aspects of forage intake regulation are discussed with the objective of providing a basis on which assessments could be made of (i) the scope for forage intake manipulation, and (ii) priority areas for further research. A simple conceptual model of the regulation is presented which permits the linking of rumen function and energy metabolism. It takes cognizance of upper physiological limits for (i) energy disposal, (ii) the clearance of digesta organic matter from the rumen, and (iii) muscular fatigue, as well as a range of dietary and environmental constraints. The transmission to the brain of signals relating to amount of digesta in the rumen and the ruminant's energy deficit are considered to be important in the intake regulation. An alternative conceptual model which recognises the amount of energy in the circulating energy pool, rather than the energy deficit, as the origin of signals relating to energy metabolism, is also discussed. It is considered that over a range of forage qualities neither the rumen digesta load ceiling nor the capacity to use energy limit intake; in this range both the resistance of the forage organic matter to removal from the rumen and the net energy value of the forage act as constraints. A method to calculate forage intake constraint is presented, and theoretical relationships between rumen digesta load, net energy intake, energy deficit and forage intake constraint have been formulated to facilitate interpretation of data obtained in forage intake studies. Forage intake in the reproduction cycle is discussed in the context of an optimum nutritional strategy for ensuring species survival. It is considered that the intake changes at mating and immediately prior to parturition, together with the decrease in rate of nutrient storage in maternal reserve tissues in late pregnancy and the use of these tissue stores in early lactation, are consistent with such a strategy. In this context it is suggested that (i) the relevant reproduction hormones affect intake via modulation of the metabolism of the maternal tissue stores and (ii) this type of regulation and its accompanying production losses need not be necessary in those production systems permitting some control of nutrition.
Network resource abstraction for 5G radio access network

5G mobile networks will be utilized not only for mobile broadband services but also for other vertical sectors such as automotive, manufacturing and so on. Therefore, network operators are required to provide dedicated communication network services satisfying a variety of requirements. To realize that flexibly and quickly, technologies for constructing slices, which are dedicated virtual networks meeting each service’s requirements, are being widely studied. One crucial issue is the management and control of heterogeneous physical resources across the entire network. One key solution for addressing this is resource abstraction technology. It is important to adjust the resource abstraction level to achieve both reasonable resource allocations and efficient management. In this paper, we propose an abstracted resources model for mobile fronthaul and backhaul of 5G Radio Access Networks (RAN), and a method for abstracting resources from many types of physical network resource. Evaluation results show that the proposed method can reduce the processing step to half and enhance network efficiency.
Real-time quantitation of intracellular polycation/DNA nanocomplex transport: evidence for directed motion

Multiple particle tracking (MPT) was used to study the mechanism of gene delivery with a non-viral DNA delivery system. Movements of hundreds of individual fluorescent PEI/DNA nanocomplexes were tracked through COS-7 cells and their transport properties were quantified by calculating their mean-square displacements (MSD). Average MSDs of complexes did not change significantly over the first 5 h post-transfection. At a time scale of 10 s, MSD values ranged from 0.21 to 0.57 /spl mu/m/sup 2/, compared to < 0.32 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ for 6 kb-sized naked DNA. Velocities calculated for individual particles showed some moved as fast as 0.26 /spl mu/m/s, while others were almost immobile. Interestingly, 35% of the complexes were transported in a directed fashion 0.5 h after transfection (rather than random diffusion), a phenomenon that could not be detected by other methods such as Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP). The percentage of cells undergoing directed transport increased to 62 % after 5 h. Studies such as these should allow the systematic optimization of the physicochemical properties of non-viral gene carriers for enhanced gene transfection efficacy.
The Limiting Role of Phosphorus in a Woodland Stream Ecosystem: Effects of P Enrichment on Leaf Decomposition and Primary Producers

The limiting role of phosphorus on leaf decomposition and primary producers was investigated in a second-order woodland stream in Tennessee by experimentally enriching, for 95 d, adjacent reaches with an average of 60 and 450 ,ug PO4-P/L, respectively, over upstream control levels of -4 ,ug/L. Red oak (Quercus rubra) leaf packs in the enriched sections lost mass 24% faster than control packs (P .05). Respiration rates of subsampled leaf discs were significantly higher than control rates only at the high level of enrichment. The increased respiration rates in the low and high enrichments accounted for 10 and 34% of the increased mass loss in the respective enriched sections, suggesting that the en- richment also produced increases in mechanical breakdown through faster microbial conditioning, increases in macroinvertebrate feeding, or both. Effects of the enrichment on aufwuchs initially consisted of increased chlorophyll a levels, followed by increased aufwuchs biomass levels. Dense growth of filamentous algae, including some Oscillatoria, which may be a nitrogen fixer, developed immediately downstream of P inputs. In addition, Nostoc, a known nitrogen-fixing blue-green alga, sampled after the enrichment, was significantly more abundant in the enriched sections than the control (P < .05). Densities of the snail, Goniobasis clavaeformis, a grazer-shredder sampled after the enrichment, also were significantly greater in the enriched reaches, suggesting that the lack of a sustained response of chlorophyll a to the enrichment may have been a result of increased grazing on algal biomass. These findings indicate that nutrient limitation of detrital processing is a significant factor in natural streams. The apparent increases in densities of benthic macroinvertebrates in the enriched sections, along with reported relationships between detrital food richness and macroinver- tebrate growth and survivorship, suggest that nutrient limitation in streams also has ramifications on higher trophic levels.
Dissemination Strategies for Cultural Heritage: The Case of the Tomb of Zechariah in Jerusalem, Israel

This paper reports the research carried out using Structure from Motion survey techniques, which were developed on the basis of previous surveys and their subsequent representation through two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) drawings of the tomb, comparing them with drawings and watercolors by several painters of the past. This survey technique enables the reconstruction of three-dimensional models through photographs. The aim of this work is to define a procedural process which allows accurate and reliable three-dimensional reconstructions to be performed for the acquisition of knowledge and the dissemination of cultural heritage, taking advantage of representation and visualization techniques that have been developed in the last decade and that are based on historical references. The variety of digital products which can be produced (video games, 3D models, prints, websites, and augmented reality applications) allows a different approach to the representation to be taken, thereby re-evaluating limits, aims, and expressive potential. The virtual representative systems, enriched with cultural content, scientific information, and data, enhance the participation and awareness of knowledge of the final users of the products and are able to increase the interaction between the user and the information.
Stakeholder Experiences Implementing a National ROPS Rebate Program: A Grounded Theory Situational Analysis

Currently, little is known about what works, or does not work, in occupational safety implementation efforts. The aim of this study is to (a) explore what works and what does not in scaling up an agricultural safety intervention, and (b) explore these findings in terms of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. A total of 13 stakeholders were interviewed about their experiences with the National Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) Rebate Program implementation. Nine of these individuals also participated in follow-up interviews one year later. A Grounded Theory Situational Analysis approach was used for data collection and analysis. Two themes emerged from the data. First, the implementation strategy has evolved inconsistently across stakeholders (a barrier to implementation). Second, stakeholder engagement in the implementation is a function of perceived feasibility and “small wins” (an opportunity for improving implementation efforts). Based on the results of this study, two areas of needed improvement to the National ROPS Rebate Program implementation strategy were identified: (a) appropriateness and feasibility of inner setting stakeholder engagement, and (b) receptivity of outer setting stakeholders and potential funders. These findings will be helpful for increasing the success of the implementation, and can also provide guidance to others working on large-scale implementation studies.
Protease Inhibitor Resistance Mutation Profile in Children on Antiretroviral Therapy for at Least Six Months in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

Protease inhibitors (PIs) select more mutations than any other class of antiretroviral drugs (ARV). The objective of our study was to determine minor and major mutations in HIV-1 protease that may decrease the efficacy of PIs in children. The determination of mutations and their interpretations were performed using ANRS techniques and algorithms (www.hivfrenchresistance.org). Sequence analysis identified 13% of children resistant to PIs. Frequent minor mutations were M36I and K20I (100% respectively), H69K (88%), L89M and I54V (75% respectively) and G16E (50%). The major mutations were V82A (75%), M46I (63%), L90M (38%) and L76V (13%). Resistance was noted to Indinavir (IDV) and Fosamprenavir/Ritonavir (FPV/r) (75% respectively), Nelfinavir (NFV) and Saquinavir/Ritonavir (SQV/r) (50% respectively), Atazanavir/Ritonavir (ATV/r) (38%) and Lopinavir/Ritonavir (LPV/r) (25%). This study identified mutations associated with PIs resistance in children. The minor mutations frequently encountered whose association with other mutations cause resistance to LPV/r and ATV/r respectively were I54V and G16E. The major mutation responsible for resistance to LPV/r was L76V. The combination of minor and major mutations frequently associated with PIs ineffectiveness was the combination of 4 mutations, I54V, V82A, L90M and M46I for LPV/r and 3 mutations, G16E, L90M and M46I for ATV/r. No resistance to DRV/r was observed, it could be a surrogate molecule.
Boosting the information transfer rate of an SSVEP-BCI system using maximal-phase-locking value and minimal-distance spatial filter banks

For Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems, improving the Information Transfer Rate (ITR) is a very critical issue. This study focuses on a Steady-State Visually Evoked Potential (SSVEP)-based BCI because of its advantage of high ITR. Unsupervised Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA)-based method has been widely employed because of its high efficiency and easy implementation. In a recent study, an ensemble-CCA method based on individual training data was proposed and achieved an excellent performance with ITR of 267 bit/min. A 40-target SSVEP-BCI speller was investigated in this study, using an integration of Minimal-Distance (MD) and Maximal-Phase-locking value (MP) approaches. In the MD approach, a spatial filter is developed to minimize the distance between the training data and the reference sine signal, and in this study, two different types of distance were compared. In the MP approach, a spatial filter is developed to maximize the Phase-Locking Value (PLV) between the training calibration data and the reference sine signal. In addition to the fundamental frequency of stimulation, the harmonics were used to train MD and MP spatial filters, which formed spatial filter banks. The test data epoch was multiplied by the MP and MD spatial filter banks, and the distances and PLVs were extracted as features for recognition. Across 12 subjects with a 0.4 s-data length, the proposed method realized an average classification accuracy and ITR of 93% and 307 bit/min, respectively, which is significantly higher than the current state-of-the-art method. To the best of our knowledge, these results suggest that the proposed method has achieved the highest ITR in SSVEP-BCI studies.
Golgi Apparatus and Plant Secretion

Secretion (90, 139, 140), used in the context of this review, refers to the process by which substances produced in the cytoplasm are segregated and transferred to the cell's exterior. Studies of secretion have provided an inte­ grated view of structure and function where the metabolic systems are local­ ized in several cell components (39, 57, 80,90, 117, 132, 138, 140, 147, 173, 181, 188,208) . These components include sites of synthesis (ER), sites of con­ centration and modification (Golgi apparatus), and vehicles for transport to the extracytoplasmic environment (secretion vesicles). Discussions of the early controversy regarding plant Golgi apparatus can be found in the review by Nahm (127) and the articles by Whaley, Kephart & Mollenhauer (207) , and Hrsel (83). In the past decade, however, the Golgi apparatus or some functional equivalent (73) has been established as a general feature of the eucaryotic plant cell (29, 76, 8 1 , 111 , 165, 200, 207). This participant in the integrated processes of cellular secretion can be isolated and subjected to physiological and biochemical study.
Effects of Internal and External Imbalances and the Role of Relative Prices on Economic Growth: Evidence From Turkey

Balance of payments constrained growth model considers that if a country has a chronic external deficit, economic growth can be constrained. Initial model extended by taking into account the effects of capital flows, external debt sustainability, interest payments, budget deficit or public debt, simultaneous effect of internal and external imbalance, and the role of relative prices. We further incorporate Turkey’s high intensity of imports in the aggregate demand components and estimated the model with system estimator. The new version of the model improves significantly explaining the growth in Turkey. Our results reveal that economic growth in Turkey constrained by internal and external imbalances and relative prices play a significant role. Policies aimed at changing the structure of the imports and exports are the most effective for achieving higher growth. It is also shown that economic growth in Turkey highly depends on external demand when the strong depreciation of the domestic currency also acts as a stimulus to growth.
Current Approaches on Warming up for Sports Performance: A Critical Review

ABSTRACTWARM-UP PROCEDURES HAVE BECOME RELEVANT FOR COACHES, RESEARCHERS, AND SPORTS PROFESSIONALS IN RECENT YEARS. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED TO VERIFY THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT PREACTIVITIES, REGARDING DIFFERING VOLUME, INTENSITY, REST, AND SPECIFICITY, AND THE WARM-UP IS NOW WIDELY ACCEPT
Aestivation among ornithopod dinosaurs of the African Trias

Thulborn, Richard A. 1978 07 15: Aestivation among ornithopod dinosaurs of the African Trias. Lethaia. Vol. 11, pp. 185–198. Oslo. ISSN 0024–1164. Dental and circumstantial evidence supports the theory that ornithopod dinosaurs of the African Red Beds responded to seasonal changes in their environment by resorting to aestivation (dry season dormancy). One group of ornithopods. the heterodontosaurids. apparently suppressed tooth replacement to permit efficient grinding of their plant food and probably replaced their entire cheek dentitions while aestivating. The sympatric fabrosaurid ornithopods had a simple open‐and‐shut jaw action and replaced their teeth continuously in standard reptilian fashion. Seasonal dormancy must have imposed major constraints on the lives of fabrosaurids and heterodontosaurids. and these constraints are summarized in the model of a circannual life cycle. Copyright
Some relationships between the gas exchange, biochemistry and molecular biology of photosynthesis during leaf development of tomato plants after transfer to different carbon dioxide concentrations

Tomato plants were exposed to four concentrations of CO 2 (350, 700, 1050 or 1400 μmol CO 2 mol -1 ) for 31d. The light-saturated rate of photosynthesis (A) of the unshaded fifth leaf was measured at either an ambient CO 2 concentration of 350 μmol CO 2 mol -1 [A (350)] or at the level of CO 2 at which the plants were grown. The chloroplast protein composition and the level of transcripts of nuclear or plastid photosynthesis-associated genes (PAGs), as well as the main carbohydrate content of the fifth leaf maintained horizontal and unshaded, were also measured during leaf development. At 60 and 95 % leaf expansion, the A of high-CO 2 -grown plants measured at growth CO 2 was higher than the A (350) of the plants grown at ambient CO 2 . However, in the fully mature leaves, A (growth CO 2 ) declined linearly as growth CO 2 concentration increased. The A (350) of plants exposed to elevated CO 2 up to 60% leaf expanion had not acclimated to high CO 2 . At 95% leaf expansion, A (350) was lower in plants grown at high CO 2 . A versus CO 2 (C i ) for mature leaves showed that A of the plants grown at high CO 2 was lower over the entire range than that for plants grown at present ambient CO 2 concentration. Lines fitted to the linear part of the A/C i curves were concurrent at a C i of 49 μmol CO 2 mol -1 and A=1.21 μmol CO 2 m -2 s -1 . This C i value is close to Γ * (46 μmol CO 2 mol -1 ), the compensation point at 27 °C calculated from the equation described in Brooks & Farquhar (1985, Planta 165, 397-406). This A is an estimate of respiration in the light (R I ) and was not affected by acclimation to elevated CO 2 . Thylakoid proteins (photosystem I core protein, D 1 and D 2 of the photosystem II core complex, cytochrome f) were all reduced by elevated CO 2 only in the fully mature leaves (31d exposure), whereas the large and small subunits of Rubisco and Rubisco activase proteins had already declined after 22d exposure. Transcript levels of the plastid-encoded PAG (rbcL, psbA, psaA-B) were reduced in the mature leaves by elevated CO 2 when expressed on a total RNA basis, but they were not sensitive to elevated CO 2 when expressed on a chloroplast 16S rRNA basis. However, rbcS, rca and cab mRNA transcripts were lower in the plants grown at high CO 2 than in control plants after 22 d exposure when expressed on a nuclear rRNA basis. The loss of these nuclear PAGs was correlated with an accumulation of soluble sugars and starch.
Biosensors and Bioremediation as Biotechnological Tools for Environmental Monitoring and Protection

Biotechnology is the use of living organisms such as bacteria or plants or other unicellular or simple multi-cellular organisms. To make it more practical and suitable for our product genetically modified strains as well as desired strains to get desired products can be chosen. The entire biological system has been being affected due to human activities which have International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 10 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
In ovo Peptide YY Administration and Jejunal Glucose Transport in Hatchling Turkey Poults: Effects of Dosage and Genotype 1

Two trials were conducted to investigate the efficacy of in ovo administration of various dosages of peptide YY (PYY) on jejunal glucose absorption in hatchling poults from two strains of turkeys, Egg Line (EL) selected for egg production and British United Turkey (BUT) selected for growth. In both trials, either 100 µl saline (1.025% w/v) or saline plus PYY were injected into the air cell of fertile EL and BUT line eggs at day 25 of incubation. At hatch, poults were euthanized by cervical dislocation, the jejunum removed and its weight and unstretched length recorded. Two to 4 mg cross-sections of the mid-jejunum were used to estimate active and passive glucose absorption using the accumulation of 3-O-methy-D-glucose (3OMG) in the presence and absence of phlorizin. In Trial 1, EL and BUT eggs were administered saline or saline plus 600 µg/kg egg wt, while in Trial 2, EL and BUT eggs were administered either saline or saline plus 300, 600, or 900 µg/kg egg wt. No differences were observed in hatchling body weights of poults from saline and PYY treated eggs from either line in both trials. In Trial 1, poults from EL treated eggs (600 µg/kg egg wt) had greater active jejunal 3OMG uptake compared with saline treated controls (332 vs. 270 ρmol/min/mg tissue, p<0.05, respectively). In Trial 2, poults from BUT eggs treated with 900 µg PYY/kg egg wt had greater (p<0.05) jejunal glucose transport than by the control group or the 600 µg PYY/kg egg wt group. Poults from EL eggs treated with PYY had non-significant increases in 3OMG uptake at all levels of PYY administration. BUT poults from eggs treated with 900 µg PYY/kg had heavier jejunums adjusted for body weight. In ovo PYY administration at day 25 of incubation increases active glucose transport in the intestinal tract of turkey poults, however, response and dosage varies with turkey line.
Linguistic Changes across Different User Roles in MOOCs: What do they tell us?

In recent years, we have witnessed an increasing interest in online learning environments, particularly in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). However, prevailing studies show that lower percentage of students complete their courses successfully in online learning environment. The vast amount of student data available in MOOC platforms enables us to gain insight into student learning behaviours. In this paper, we explore the idea of ‘student roles’, identifying linguistic change associated with roles that will later help us to understand students’ learning process in MOOCs. As an initial stage of this research, the study aims to categorise student roles (e.g. information seeker, information giver) using discourse analysis, and to further analyse the linguistic change for each student role with time. A multi-class classifier has been built to identify user roles with 82.20% F-measure. Further, our study on linguistic changes demonstrates that distinctive behaviors can be observed across different user roles. Prominent observations include discourse complexity, lexical diversity, level of information embeddedness and lexical frequency profile being high in information giver in comparison to information seeker and other user roles.