Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soy Intake and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Results from a Pooled Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies Conducted in China and Japan.

BACKGROUND Soy is commonly consumed in east Asian countries and is suggested to reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. However, results from epidemiologic studies are inconsistent, despite the anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties of soy isoflavones and soy protein. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the association between soy isoflavones and soy protein and CRC risk using 4 prospective cohort studies from China and Japan. METHODS Data were pooled from the Shanghai Women's Health Study (SWHS), Shanghai Men's Health Study (SMHS), Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study Cohort 1 (JPHC1), and Cohort 2 (JPHC2). Cox proportional hazards models estimated HRs and corresponding 95% CIs for the association of soy protein and isoflavone intake with CRC risk. The study included 205,060 individuals, among whom 2971 were diagnosed with incident CRC over an average follow-up of 12.7 y. RESULTS No statistically significant associations with CRC risk were observed for soy protein or isoflavone intake. No association was observed among ever smokers consuming higher isoflavones (HRisoflavones: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.00) and soy protein (HRsoy protein: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.39, 1.10). However, risk reductions were observed among premenopausal women with a body mass index [BMI (kg/m2)] <23.0 at baseline for higher isoflavone (HRisoflavones: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.98). CONCLUSIONS No evidence for an overall reduction in CRC risk by increasing soy food intake (i.e., protein or isoflavones) was observed. However, the association between soy and CRC risk may vary by BMI, smoking, and menopausal status among women. Future investigations are needed to further understand the biologic mechanisms observed.
Artificial light at night and the predator-prey dynamics of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in freshwater

Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) is among the fastest growing anthropogenic influences on the natural environment. ALAN has been suggested to affect the behaviour and physiology of nearly all vertebrates and invertebrates by reducing the distinction between day and night, and by altering the cues that activate nocturnal behaviours. Information is particularly scarce for freshwater ecosystems, many of which are close to sources of ALAN. This thesis examines the behavioural and physiological impact of broad spectrum ALAN on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and their invertebrate prey. After reviewing available literature of the effects of ALAN on freshwaters (Chapter 1), a series of empirical field and laboratory experiments examined the impact of ALAN on i) invertebrate drift in an experimentally artificially lit stream (Chapter 2) to determine the influence of ALAN on the primary food source of Atlantic salmon; ii) the dispersal behaviour (Chapter 3) and cortisol stress response in dispersing Atlantic salmon fry (Chapter 4); and iii) the diel pattern of foraging and refuging in Atlantic salmon parr (Chapter 5). ALAN impacted the drifting behaviour of invertebrates from contrasting taxa with a divergent effect of ALAN between taxa and functional feeding groups (FFGs), with some increasing and others decreasing under part-lighting. In dispersing Atlantic salmon fry, ALAN disrupted the timing and periodicity of nocturnal dispersal behaviour, at all experimental light intensities (1 – 8 lux). However, this behavioural change was not the result of a cortisol stress response. Finally, ALAN affected activity levels of Atlantic salmon parr through disrupting the amount and timing of refuging behaviour, with fish housed under high intensity ALAN found to refuge 28 % more than those in the control treatment. These results highlight the complex nature of the response of both Atlantic salmon and their invertebrate prey to ALAN, whereby the influence of ALAN can be difficult to generalise between taxa and species’ life stages. Moreover, this thesis provides evidence to inform proposed mitigation strategies and advocates an increase in natural unlit areas.
Shifts in timing and duration of breeding for 73 boreal bird species over four decades

Significance The changing climate is causing shifts in the timing of species activity. We use data on over 820,000 nesting records to quantify changes in the beginning, end, and duration of breeding among boreal birds. In addition to a general advance of breeding, we find an overall contraction of the breeding period. This pattern was most common among resident and short-distance migrating species. Overall, we detect a shift in the community-level distribution of bird reproduction, involving the start and end of reproduction and how concentrated the breeding period is. From a methodological perspective, our study illustrates that a focus on quantifying phenological advances alone may mask important patterns of phenology change across the season. Breeding timed to match optimal resource abundance is vital for the successful reproduction of species, and breeding is therefore sensitive to environmental cues. As the timing of breeding shifts with a changing climate, this may not only affect the onset of breeding but also its termination, and thus the length of the breeding period. We use an extensive dataset of over 820K nesting records of 73 bird species across the boreal region in Finland to probe for changes in the beginning, end, and duration of the breeding period over four decades (1975 to 2017). We uncover a general advance of breeding with a strong phylogenetic signal but no systematic variation over space. Additionally, 31% of species contracted their breeding period in at least one bioclimatic zone, as the end of the breeding period advanced more than the beginning. We did not detect a statistical difference in phenological responses of species with combinations of different migratory strategy or number of broods. Nonetheless, we find systematic differences in species responses, as the contraction in the breeding period was found almost exclusively in resident and short-distance migrating species, which generally breed early in the season. Overall, changes in the timing and duration of reproduction may potentially lead to more broods co-occurring in the early breeding season—a critical time for species’ reproductive success. Our findings highlight the importance of quantifying phenological change across species and over the entire season to reveal shifts in the community-level distribution of bird reproduction.
Design Optimization of Power Manipulator Gripper for Maximum Grip Force

Master Slave manipulators need a gripper with at least 2 Degree of Freedom (DOF). Gripper is used as end effector to carry out complex task in the constrained work spaces. The power manipulator (PM) is one such master slave which reduces the operator load and stress with a power multiplication of 2 to 4 times. The present PM under consideration has a payload capacity of 25 kgf. The grippers used are subjected to higher grip forces than the payloads as they have to use the friction forces to hold. The grippers are designed to have links translating the forces from the motors present above the wrist. If the links are not properly connected and positioned, the performance of the gripper will be affected very badly reflecting a very low payload capacity. This paper deals with the modeling of the gripper for the static force analysis in all possible configurations and also the velocity profile, acceleration profile and force analysis of the links in the gripper jaw. The movement of gripper jaws is actuated by screw driven AC servo motor. Gripper force needs to be found to lift a weight up to 25kg-f payload. The optimization of the gripper can be obtained for various parametric values, aiming for all the positions of gripper jaw; the grip force remains same. Keywords— Power Manipulator, Gripper force, in-cell manipulator.
Prevalence of non-nominal seat positions and postures among front-seat passengers

Abstract Objective Recent studies have suggested that a relationship exists between crash injury risk and occupant posture, particularly in postures different from those used with anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) in crash testing. The objective of this study was to increase scientific understanding of typical front-seat passenger postures through a naturalistic study. Method Video cameras were installed in the passenger cabins of the vehicles of 75 drivers. Reflective targets were attached to the seats and the seat position and seat back angle was moved through their available ranges during instrumentation. The video data, along with vehicle acceleration and location data, were downloaded after the vehicles were operated as usual by their owners for two weeks. Video frames were manually coded to identify characteristics of front-seat passenger posture and position. Seat position and seat back angle were estimated using the calibration data obtained during vehicle instrumentation. Results Video frames from a total of 2733 trips were coded for 306 unique front-seat passengers. For these trips, a total of 13638 frames were coded; each frame represents about four minutes of travel time. The head was rotated left or right in 33% of frames, and the torso was rotated left or right about 10% of the time and pitched forward in almost 10% of frames. No seat position or seat back angle change was noted in 40 (53%) of vehicles and the distributions of seat position and seat back angle on arrival were essentially unchanged during travel. The seat was positioned full-rear on the seat track about 23% of the time and rearward of the mid-track position in 92% of frames. The mean seat back angle was 25.4 degrees (standard deviation 6.4 degrees); seat back angle was greater than 30 degrees in 15% of frames and greater than 35 degrees in less than 1% of frames. Conclusions This study is the first to report distributions of postures, seat positions, and seat back angles for front-seat passengers. Seat positions rearward of the middle of the seat adjustment range are common, but highly reclined postures are infrequent. Non-nominal torso and head postures also are nontrivial.
Genomics and proteomics in bioarchaeology - Review

The recent technological developments have allowed to use molecular-biology tools for archaeological studies. This way, some ancient nucleic-acid and peptide remains can be analyzed with an unprecedented resolution power. Thus, the second-generation DNA sequencing technologies have allowed to sequence ancient genomes for the first time, which has revealed interesting facts about the evolution of different species. This way, it has been found that our ancestors inbred with Neandertals and Denisovans, since some current human populations carry part of their genomes. Additionally, the third-generation sequencing of nucleic- acids holds the promise of direct ancient-RNA sequencing, without a previous cDNA synthesis, which would open the door to transcriptomics of ancient RNA. The nucleic-acid sequencing is faster and cheaper than the peptide sequencing, generating longer contigs after the assembly of reads. Yet, the former molecules degrade much faster than the latter, and therefore the peptide sequencing has become a powerful tool in bioarchaeology. This way, it has been demonstrated that the birds are indeed feathered dinosaurs. Finally, the prospect of bringing "back to life" some extinct species by means of synthetic genomics, reverse-engineering current genomes
Environmental factors affecting postweaning traits of Buchi sheep in Pakistan.

The aim of the current study was to investigate th e environmental factors potential sources of variation for postweaning traits in Buchi sheep maintained at the Livestock Experiment Station Jugaitpir, Pakistan. Data were collected from 1986 through 2010. Means ± SE were 16.58 ± 0.04 kg for weight adjusted to 180 days of age, 22.62 ± 0.05 kg for weight adjusted to 270 days of age and 33.78 ± 0.067 kg for weight adjusted to 365 days of age. Statistical analyses were performed by using the mixed procedure of the SAS statistical package. The model included the effects of year and season of birth, sex, type of birth, parity, age and weight of dam at lambing, and two -way interactions between these factors. Results showed that all postweaning traits were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by year, interaction between year and season, and interaction between year and sex of lamb. A significant interaction (P < 0.05) between season and sex existed for the weights adjusted to 180 and 365 days of age. These two traits were also affected (P < 0.05) by sex of lamb. Season, type of birth, parity, a ge and weight of dam were not important sources of variation for postweaning traits in this population. These results suggested that the feeding and management would need to be flexible to face any harsh climate and feed scarcity situation to maintain a productive and profitable sheep production system with Buchi sheep.
Nutrient availability induces contrasting allocation and starch formation in resprouting and obligate seeding shrubs

Summary 1 Woody plant responses to crown removal in fire-prone vegetation are of two types: resprouting (resprouters) or killed (obligate seeders). Obligate seeders maximize their fitness by ensuring they are reproductively mature before the next fire; resprouters invest in structures that increase their chance of surviving the next fire. 2 We tested whether seven congeneric pairs of resprouter and obligate seeder shrubs differ in plant size, leaf traits, water relations, biomass allocation and root starch formation in response to resource availability. This was tested by examining the interactive effects of water and nutrient availability in a factorial experiment. 3 Plant size (dry mass and shoot length), leaf area and stomatal conductance did not differ consistently among resprouters and obligate seeders, but were affected by water and nutrient availability. Leaf-area ratio and specific leaf area were not affected consistently by nutrient or water availability, and did not differ among obligate seeders and resprouters. 4 Biomass allocation responded to resource availability and differed between resprouter and obligate seeder pairs. Nutrient addition reduced allocation to root mass, and resprouters consistently allocated more than obligate seeders to root mass. Leaf mass ratios were higher in obligate seeders, and were maintained at the expense of stem mass when nutrients limited growth. 5 Starch concentrations in the roots of resprouters were higher than in obligate seeders. Resprouters increased the concentration of starch in their roots when growth was limited by nutrients, but obligate seeders did not. Resprouters appear to develop a starch-storage capacity through both reserve formation and accumulation mediated by nutrient availability. 6 Allocation, rather than growth differences, provide some insight into why resprouters are often more common than obligate seeders, especially on fertile sites. Seedlings of resprouters may be advantaged at fertile sites because allocation to roots and starch reserve formation enable them to be better competitors after fire. We predict that the interplay of biomass allocation, reproduction, starch storage and disturbance frequency provide a framework for patterns of coexistence in shrubs in fire-prone ecosystems.
Extreme Mindstorms

From the Publisher: - The four contributing authors, Dave Baum, Michael Gasperi, Ralph Hempel, and Luis Villa, are well-known authorities on LEGO MINDSTORMS - Discusses advanced programming techniques using RCX 2.0 firmware, pbForth, and legOS with lots of sample programs - Includes lots of projects and clear step-by-step instructions for building custom sensors Extreme Mindstorms is for LEGO MINDSTORMS enthusiasts of all ages who are interested in special projects and new programming methods. Through the construction and programming of two demonstration robots, readers will learn advanced MINDSTORMS programming techniques. The book covers the use of RCX 2.0, pbForth, and legoOS. Each author has written a section of the book based on that author's specialty. Dave Baum is the creator of NQC and Ralph Hempel is the creator of pbForth. Luis Villa has maintained an extensive collection of information on legOS, and Michael Gasperi is an authority on constructing custom Mindstorms sensors. Numerous sensor assembly projects are presented with simple systematic instructions, and though the topics covered are advanced, readers should be able to assemble the projects and understand how they work without any prior knowledge of electronics. Author Biography: Dave Baum is the creator of NQC, a powerful language for programming Mindstorms robot. He is also the author of Dave Baum's Definitive Guide to LEGO MINDSTORMS, a book that has appealed to a wide audience of readers from children to adults. Baum is currently a Principal Staff Engineer at Motorola. He holds a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ralph Hempel is a professional engineer who specializes in embedded systems design. Ralph holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. LEGO had been a part of Ralph's life since the late 1960s, but when he bought a set for his son Owen in 1997, the flame was rekindled. Besides building original Technic and Town models with his family, Ralph enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, and playing blues harmonica. Luis Villa is an undergraduate at Duke University studying Computer Science. He rediscovered Lego and became an expert in legOS while preparing to become a Teacher's Assistant for a Duke course that used LEGO Mindstorms. Luis writes and maintains the legOS HOWTO which can be found on the web at http://legOS.sourceforge. net/HOWTO. Besides maintaining the legOS HOWTO, Luis spends his spare time studying political theory and attending lots of Blue Devil basketball games. Michael Gasperi works as a Principal Engineer with the Advanced Technology division of Rockwell Automation. He became involved with homebuilding custom sensors for LEGO MINDSTORMS shortly after it was introduced in 1997. Since then his web site has become the central depository for sensor ideas and plans. During his 22 years of experience as a professional engineer he has developed many industrial electronic products as well as published hobbyist articles in the fields of model rocketry, amateur radio, pinhole photography and crystal radio.
The influence of rape seed / oil on the quality of chicken carcasses

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of replacement of swine lard by rape oil and seed in broiler diets on carcass quality, fat deposition and composition of fatty acids in the lipids of breast muscles and abdominal fat. The study was performed on 72 carcasses of Ross 208 male broilers. Regarding the feeding regime, broilers were divided into three groups: in the finisher, the first group was given 7.5% swine lard, together with other feeds ; the 2nd group was given 6.2% rape oil and 3rd group received 13.5% rape seed and 2% swine lard. The following carcass weights were found in the three groups of chicken: 1944 g, 1892 g and 1826 g, respectively. The addition of rape products to broiler diets resulted in a decrease in carcass weights (P<0.01) and had a significant influence on the yield of wings (P<0.01) and beck (P<0.05) in the carcass and on the yield of skin and subcutaneous fat in the breast (P<0.01) as well as of muscle and skin with subcutaneous fat (P<0.05) in the carcass. It significantly affected (P<0.01) the difference between the deposition of abdominal adipose tissue in broilers of the 1st and 2nd as well as the 2nd and 3rd group. The addition of rape oil and seed to broiler diets lowered the content of SFA, but increased the content of MUFA and α ; ; -linolenic fatty acid in muscles and in abdominal fat. The differences in linoleic (C 18:2n-6) and α ; ; -linolenic (C18:3n-3) fatty acid were statistically significant (P<0.01). At the same time, PUFA n-6 and PUFA n-3 ratio was lowered from 21.26 to 6.63 and 7.03 in the lipids of breast muscles, and from 16.34 to 7.62 and 8.17 in the lipids of abdominal fat.
Extension of cell membrane boosting squalene production in the engineered Escherichia coli

Squalene is a lipophilic and non‐volatile triterpene with many industrial applications for food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Metabolic engineering focused on optimization of the production pathway suffer from little success in improving titers because of a limited space of the cell membrane accommodating the lipophilic product. Extension of cell membrane would be a promising approach to overcome the storage limitation for successful production of squalene. In this study, Escherichia coli was engineered for squalene production by overexpression of some membrane proteins. The highest production of 612 mg/L was observed in the engineered E. coli with overexpression of Tsr, a serine chemoreceptor protein, which induced invagination of inner membrane to form multilayered structure. It was also observed an increase in unsaturated fatty acid in membrane lipids composition, suggesting cellular response to maintain membrane fluidity against squalene accumulation in the engineered strain. This study potentiates the capability of E. coli for squalene production and provides an effective strategy for the enhanced production of such compounds.
Correlation between skeletal muscle fiber type and responses of a taste sensing system in various beef samples

Abstract The difference of muscle fiber type composition affects several parameters related to meat quality; however, the relationship between muscle fiber types and meat taste is unclear. To elucidate this relationship, we determined the taste of various beef samples using a taste sensor (INSENT SA402B) and analyzed its correlation with different muscle fiber type composition. We used 22 kinds of beef samples and measured nine tastes, including the relative and change of membrane potential caused by adsorption (CPA) values, using six sensors (GL1, CT0, CA0, AAE, C00, and AE1). The taste sensor analysis indicated positive value outputs for the relative C00, AAE, and GL1 values as well as for the CPA value of AAE, which corresponded to bitterness, umami, sweetness, and richness, respectively. We found significant positive correlations of the myosin heavy chain 1 (MyHC1) composition with umami taste, and with richness. This result suggests that high levels of slow MyHC1 can induce strong umami taste and richness in beef. We expect that our results will contribute to the elucidation of the relationship between muscle fiber types and meat palatability.
Foliar resistance to simulated extreme temperature events in contrasting plant functional and chorological types

Fil: Gurvich, Diego Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal; Argentina
Enhancement of Solar Water Disinfection using Nanotechnology

The main aim of this work is to investigate the effect of adding Titanium and Aluminum Oxides nano-particles on solar disinfection process of contaminated water. Samples of contaminated water were introduced into glass containers containing different concentrations of each type of nano-parrticles, these containers were placed side by side and hence all measurements were conducted at same time for comparison purposes. Having these contaminated water contained glass containers exposed to solar radiation for different time intervals, samples were withdrawn from each one to measure the total counts of both Coliform and E.Coli using IDEXX setup. It was found that the optimum concentration of Al2O3, which reduces the total counts of Coliform and E.coli was 0.06%. However the optimum concentration of TiO2 to minimize the total Coliform was 0.06%, while the concentration to destroy all E.Coli ranges between 0.008 and 0.01%. In general, it was found that TiO2 has more potential to speed up the disinfection process.