Nutritional Value of Fermented Maize Stover as Feed for Ruminant

An experiment was undertaken to determine the physical and nutritional properties, in Vitro digestibility of maize stover fermented with different levels of molasses. Maize stover was collected from the field immediately after harvesting the corn, chopped and were preserved in plastic containers under normal condition and were treated, sample fermented without additives (T1), a sample with the addition of water and 5% molasses (T2). After completion of each ensiled period, nutritional properties, in-vitro digestibility and were determined. The result reveals that crude protein (CP), dry matter (DM), ash content of maize stover were increased (P<0.05) while the crude fiber (CF) contents were decreased (P<0.01) after ensiling and the addition of molasses. The highest DM, EE, and CP content was found to be 99.52%, 10.33% and 4.56% in T2 while CF was found highest in T1 32.79%. The OMD(organic matter digestibility) and DMD (dry matter digestibility) contents were decreased by ensiling with molasses. The highest DMD, OMD, N-NH3, total VFA DMD values were observed in treatmentT1 which were 47.71%, 46.78%, 12.50%, 5.42% respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that the addition of molasses improved and nutritional properties and preservation capacity of maize stover after 21 days of ensilingKeywords: Fermented, Maize stover, Molasses, Nutritional properties, Ruminan

Psoriasis and risk of type 2 diabetes among women and men in the United States: a population-based cohort study

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) shares some common risk factors with psoriasis. We evaluated the association between psoriasis and risk of incident T2D among women and men in the United States in a mixed retrospective-prospective cohort study. 184,395 participants were included from an older cohort of women (the Nurses’ Health Study, NHS) (1996–2008), a younger cohort of women (NHS II) (1991–2007) and an older cohort of men (Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study, HPFS) (1986–2006). During 2,700,958 person-years of follow-up, 9,938 incident T2D cases were confirmed. We found a significantly increased risk of T2D associated with psoriasis only among younger women (NHS II); multivariate-adjusted relative risk (RR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) was 1.25 1.05–1.49). When only including those younger than 60 years during follow-up (NHS and HPFS), we observed a non-significant trend toward increased risk for T2D. In a pooled-analysis of the three cohorts, psoriatics younger than 60 years were at a higher risk of T2D; RR 1.26 (1.08–1.48) for women, and 1.26 (1.08–1.46) for both sexes combined. Further, the risk of T2D was much higher for those developing psoriasis at an early age. In conclusion, we found an association between psoriasis and risk of T2D among individuals younger than 60 years

Polarity of T Cell Shape, Motility, and Sensitivity to Antigen

AbstractT cell activation requires contact with APCs. We used optical techniques to demonstrate T cell polarity on the basis of shape, motility, and localized sensitivity to antigen. An intracellular Ca2+ clamp showed that T cell shape and motility are extremely sensitive to changes in [Ca2+]i (Kd = 200 nM), with immobilization and rounding occurring via a calcineurin-independent pathway. Ca2+-dependent immobilization prolonged T cell contact with the antigen-presenting B cell; buffering the [Ca2+]i signal prevented the formation of stable cell pairs. Optical tweezers revealed spatial T cell sensitivity to antigen by controlling placement on the T cell surface of either B cells or α-CD3 MAb-coated beads. T cells were 4-fold more sensitive to contact made at the leading edge of the T cell compared with the tail. We conclude that motile T cells are polarized antigen sensors that respond physically to [Ca2+]i signals to stabilize their interaction with APCs

Development of Reaction Kinetics Model for the Production of Synthesis Gas from Dry Methane Reforming

The energy supply systems dependent on fossils and municipal solid waste (MSW) materials are primarily responsible for releasing greenhouse (GHG) gases and their related environmental hazards. The increasing amount of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) is the scientific community's main concern in this context. Reduction in the emission amount of both gases combined with the conversion technologies that would convert these total threat gases (CO2 and CH4) into valuable feedstocks will significantly lower their hazardous impact on climate change. The conversion technique known as dry methane reforming (DMR) utilizes CO2 and CH4 to produce a combustible gas mixture (CO+H2), popularly known as synthesis gas/or syngas. Therefore, this research study aims to explore and enlighten the characteristics of the DMR mechanism. The conversion behaviour of CO2 and CH4 was studied with modelling and simulation of the DMR process using MATLAB. The results showed that inlet gas flow has a significant impact on the reactions. In contrast, the inlet molar composition ratio of the reactions was found to have no substantial effect on the mechanism of DMR. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

A CNN based Multifaceted Signal Processing Framework for Heart Rate Proctoring Using Millimeter Wave Radar Ballistocardiography

The recent pandemic has refocused the medical world's attention on the diagnostic techniques associated with cardiovascular disease. Heart rate provides a real-time snapshot of cardiovascular health. A more precise heart rate reading provides a better understanding of cardiac muscle activity. Although many existing diagnostic techniques are approaching the limits of perfection, there remains potential for further development. In this paper, we propose MIBINET, a convolutional neural network for real-time proctoring of heart rate via inter-beat-interval (IBI) from millimeter wave (mm-wave) radar ballistocardiography signals. This network can be used in hospitals, homes, and passenger vehicles due to its lightweight and contactless properties. It employs classical signal processing prior to fitting the data into the network. Although MIBINET is primarily designed to work on mm-wave signals, it is found equally effective on signals of various modalities such as PCG, ECG, and PPG. Extensive experimental results and a thorough comparison with the current state-of-the-art on mm-wave signals demonstrate the viability and versatility of the proposed methodology. Keywords: Cardiovascular disease, contactless measurement, heart rate, IBI, mm-wave radar, neural networkComment: 13 pages, 10 figures, Submitted to Elsevier's Array Journa

Treatment recommendations for psoriatic arthritis

Objective: To develop comprehensive recommendations for the treatment of the various clinical manifestations of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) based on evidence obtained from a systematic review of the literature and from consensus opinion. Methods: Formal literature reviews of treatment for the most significant discrete clinical manifestations of PsA (skin and nails, peripheral arthritis, axial disease, dactylitis and enthesitis) were performed and published by members of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA). Treatment recommendations were drafted for each of the clinical manifestations by rheumatologists, dermatologists and PsA patients based on the literature reviews and consensus opinion. The level of agreement for the individual treatment recommendations among GRAPPA members was assessed with an online questionnaire. Results: Treatment recommendations were developed for peripheral arthritis, axial disease, psoriasis, nail disease, dactylitis and enthesitis in the setting of PsA. In rotal, 19 recommendations were drafted, and over 80% agreement was obtained on 16 of them. In addition, a grid that factors disease severity into each of the different disease manifestations was developed to help the clinician with treatment decisions for the individual patient from an evidenced-based perspective. Conclusions: Treatment recommendations for the cardinal physical manifestations of PsA were developed based on a literature review and consensus between rheumatologists and dermatologists. In addition, a grid was established to assist in therapeutic reasoning and decision making for individual patients. It is anticipated that periodic updates will take place using this framework as new data become available

Genome-Wide Association Study of Tanning Phenotype in a Population of European Ancestry

We conducted a multistage genome-wide association study (GWAS) of tanning response after exposure to sunlight in over 9,000 men and women of European ancestry who live in the United States. An initial analysis of 528,173 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped on 2,287 women identified LOC401937 (rs966321) on chromosome 1 as a novel locus highly associated with tanning ability, and we confirmed this association in 870 women controls from a skin cancer case–control study with joint P-value=1.6 × 10−9. We further genotyped this SNP in two subsequent replication studies (one with 3,750 women and the other with 2,405 men). This association was not replicated in either of these two studies. We found that several SNPs reaching the genome-wide significance level are located in or adjacent to the loci previously known as pigmentation genes: MATP, IRF4, TYR, OCA2, and MC1R. Overall, these tanning ability–related loci are similar to the hair color–related loci previously reported in the GWAS of hair color

Genetic Profile Evaluation of Human Cell Lines Treated with Anastatica hierochuntica Using Forensic DNA Fingerprinting Markers

Cell line authentication using Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) is necessary to ensure the integrity of the cell for its continuous culture and to identify misidentification and cross-contamination issues. This study investigates the changes in the genetic profile of MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines caused by the methanolic leaf extract of Anastatica hierochuntica (AH) using human identification based STR markers. MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines were treated with various concentrations of AH extracts for three different periods. The treated and control cells' DNA was extracted using a QIAamp® DNA Micro Kit, quantified using a Quantifiler Duo DNA Quantification Kit, and amplified using an AmpFlSTR Identifiler plus PCR Amplification Kit. The concentrations of the DNA extracted from control and MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines treated with AH extract at 300 to 2400 µg/ml for 24hr and 150 to 2400 µg/ml for 48 and 72hrs were statistically significant (p<0.05). Microsatellite instability (MSI), loss of heterozygosity (LOH), insertion/deletions changes in the STRs profile were observed in treated cell lines at 1200 and 2400 µg/ml in MCF-7 cells for 48 and 72hrs and HepG2 cells for 24, 48, and 72hrs. We conclude that the highest concentration of AH extracts affected the genotype of the cell lines leading to misidentification. Therefore, cell line authentication by forensic DNA analysis techniques plays a decisive role for cells tested with a high concentration of chemical compounds and gives the forensic investigator an insight into these changes in the STR genotype of a victim/suspect who has been been under long term chemotherapeutic treatment

Evaluation of Forensic Genetic Parameters of 24 STR Loci and Y indel in a Southern Region Saudi Population Sample Using GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification Kit

The last three decades have seen rapid advances in the field of short tandem repeats (STRs) genotyping technology. Autosomal STRs have emerged as a  powerful tool in forensic identification and paternity investigations. The indigenous population of Saudi Arabia is irregularly distributed and has historically been organized into geographically distinct groups or tribes of patrilineal descent. So far, there has been no detailed investigation of the southern region Saudi population to assist in the interpretation of DNA-based forensic evidence and in the construction of DNA database. The objective of this study is to investigate the genetic structure in 154 unrelated healthy Saudi subjects within three generations from the southern Saudi regions using a GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification kit. Intra- and Inter-population genetic diversity as well as the forensic genetics parameters were analyzed. Our results showed that SE33 and TPOX loci were the most and the least polymorphic loci, respectively. The PIC, PE, TPI, Ho and He varied from 0.56116 (TPOX) to 0.94393 (SE33), 0.26638 (TPOX) to 0.83859 (SE33), 1.1875 (TPOX) to 6.33333 (SE33), 0.57894 (TPOX) to 0.92105 (SE33) and 0.6169 (TPOX) to 0.952 (SE33), respectively. The highest PM was observed for D22S1045 (0.223944) and the highest PD for SE33 (0.98935). The combined PD was 99.99999999% and the combined PM was equal to 3.19021E-25. Phylogenetic parameters showed that the southern region Saudi population had the closest genetic relationship with the Saudi, Emirati, Kuwaiti, and Bahraini populations. The study offers some important insights into the southern region Saudi population structure using GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification kit