Electrospinning predictions using artificial neural networks

Electrospinning is a relatively simple method of producing nanofibres. Currently there is no method to predict the characteristics of electrospun fibres produced from a wide range of polymer/solvent combinations and concentrations without first measuring a number of solution properties. This paper shows how artificial neural networks can be trained to make electrospinning predictions using only commonly available prior knowledge of the polymer and solvent. Firstly, a probabilistic neural network was trained to predict the classification of three possibilities: no fibres (electrospraying); beaded fibres; and smooth fibres with > 80% correct predictions. Secondly, a generalised neural network was trained to predict fibre diameter with an average absolute percentage error of 22.3% for the validation data. These predictive tools can be used to reduce the parameter space before scoping exercises

OCIS Public Goods Tool Development

There has recently been an increase in interest amongst policy-makers in the question of whether farming provides a “public good” beyond the simple production of food, which justifies support from, for instance, EU agricultural policy. Benefits such as an improved environment or better water quality can be perceived to be public goods. It is the provision of these sorts of benefits which may be used in the future to justify continued support of the agricultural sector through subsidies. Given the current level of interest in this topic Natural England, with the approval of Defra, through OCIS (Organic Conversion Information Service), wished to create a tool which could be used by an advisor or an informed land owner to assess the public good provided by a/their farm. Thus, the OCIS Public Good Tool was developed

Age discrimination in the UK labour market. Does race moderate ageism? An experimental investigation

Governments encourage people to work longer in order that pension promises are sustainable as populations age. This approach presupposes that older workers are welcome in the market. This study undertakes a correspondence test to investigate whether ageism is prevalent in the UK at the initial stage of the hiring process. This study adds to the literature by investigating whether race can moderate the relationship between age and labour market outcomes. The results suggest that older people are penalized in the labour market. They have lower access to vacancies and sorting in lower-paid jobs. A minority racial background exacerbates both penalties. These new results call for anti-ageism and anti-racial policy actions in the workplace

Early hydrothermal carbon uptake by the upper oceanic crust: insight from in situ U-Pb dating

It is widely thought that continental chemical weathering provides the key feedback that prevents large fluctuations in atmospheric CO2, and hence surface temperature, on geological time scales. However, low-temperature alteration of the upper oceanic crust in off-axis hydrothermal systems provides an alternative feedback mechanism. Testing the latter hypothesis requires understanding the timing of carbonate mineral formation within the oceanic crust. Here we report the first radiometric age determinations for calcite formed in the upper oceanic crust in eight locations globally via in-situ U-Pb laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry analysis. Carbonate formation occurs soon after crustal accretion, indicating that changes in global environmental conditions will be recorded in changing alteration characteristics of the upper oceanic crust. This adds support to the interpretation that large differences between the hydrothermal carbonate content of late Mesozoic and late Cenozoic oceanic crust record changes in global environmental conditions. In turn, this supports a model in which alteration of the upper oceanic crust in off-axis hydrothermal systems plays an important role in controlling ocean chemistry and the long-term carbon cycle

Heterozygous Hfe gene deletion leads to impaired glucose homeostasis, but not liver injury in mice fed a high-calorie diet

Heterozygous mutations of the Hfe gene have been proposed as cofactors in the development and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Homozygous Hfe deletion previously has been shown to lead to dysregulated hepatic lipid metabolism and accentuated liver injury in a dietary mouse model of NAFLD. We sought to establish whether heterozygous deletion of Hfe is sufficient to promote liver injury when mice are exposed to a high-calorie diet (HCD). Eight-week-old wild-type and Hfe mice received 8\ua0weeks of a control diet or HCD. Liver histology and pathways of lipid and iron metabolism were analyzed. Liver histology demonstrated that mice fed a HCD had increased NAFLD activity score (NAS), steatosis, and hepatocyte ballooning. However, liver injury was unaffected by Hfe genotype. Hepatic iron concentration (HIC) was increased in Hfe mice of both dietary groups. HCD resulted in a hepcidin-independent reduction in HIC. Hfe mice demonstrated raised fasting serum glucose concentrations and HOMA-IR score, despite unaltered serum adiponectin concentrations. Downstream regulators of hepatic de novo lipogenesis (pAKT, SREBP-1, Fas, Scd1) and fatty acid oxidation (AdipoR2, Pparα, Cpt1) were largely unaffected by genotype. In summary, heterozygous Hfe gene deletion is associated with impaired iron and glucose metabolism. However, unlike homozygous Hfe deletion, heterozygous gene deletion did not affect lipid metabolism pathways or liver injury in this model

Microcontact Printing: How the Reusability of Stamps Without Reinking Affects Cell Adhesion

Microcontact printing is a method that utilizes a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamp to pattern extracellular matrix (ECM) onto a substrate which can be used to adhere to biological substances such as proteins and cells. This technique is effective for studying, maintaining, and isolating biological variables. Specifically, it has been used for creating neural networks and understanding cell adhesion and differentiation. Stamps are often reinked with the ECM substrate before each use, a time-consuming process. Others continue to reuse the stamp without reinking to shorten the process. Thus, it is necessary to understand the effects that stamping without reinking has on cell adherence. This was investigated by fabricating three replicate PDMS stamps using the columns on pennies as a mold. Each stamp was used to stamp gelatin into three separate well plates without reinking the gelatin between uses. Cells were then seeded onto the stamped ECM and fixed after 24 hours. The cell cytoskeletons were dyed with a DAPI/TRITC-phalloidin/ PBST-T solution and imaged using a fluorescent microscope where the cell adhesion was quantified by calculating the confluency using ImageJ software. There was no statistical difference between the cell adhesion of stamps and the number of repeated uses. However, stamp 1 had cell adhesion for each repeated use with higher confluency values and the other stamps had little or no cell adhesion. Small sample size and variability in the stamps during fabrication could have led to insignificant statistical results. A larger sample size and high-quality stamps in future iterations could statistically support that cell adhesion decreases as the stamp is used repeatedly without reinking. Thus, it is necessary to reink the stamp before each use when using it in applications such as studying cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation.Noundergraduat

Detection of Beneficial Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) and Yeast In Sarawak Fermented Food

Sarawak native’s fermented food can be a catalyst for boosting the local economy in Sarawak. The Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are generally regarded as safe, have a stability of usage, and originate from natural resources. Lactic acid bacteria and yeast work in synergy to provide a natural way to enhance the nutritive value and flavour of the food. The study aims to investigate the presence of potential probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) and yeast isolated from Sarawak fermented food. Two hundred fifty (n=250) of samples including fifty (n=50) each sample such as fermented shrimps (cencaluk), fermented mustard vegetables (kasam ensabii), fermented fish (kasam ikan), fermented dabai (Canarium odontophyllum) and fermented fish (rusip). Molecular identification of the bacteria and yeast isolates was carried out by PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA (27F and 1492-R) and ITS (ITS5-F and ITS4-R) rRNA region. The successfully amplified PCR products were sent for Sanger sequencing As a result, a total of 45.2% (113/250) Lactic Acid Bcateria (LAB) which are 96% (48/50) of W. paramesenteroides was detected in fermented dabai, 80% (40/50) S. pasteuri in fermented fish rusip samples and 50% (25/50) in P. agglomerans in cencaluk samples. Meanwhile, yeast Candida species; 90% (45/50) of C. magnoliae and 50% (25/50) of C. parapsilosis are detected in fermented dabai and ensabi respectively. Based on the findings, both yeast and bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria found in the fermented food specifically in dabai. A better understanding of microbial ecology can help the food industry to improve the foods in terms of quality and safety. The good quality of the LAB and yeast in the food such as starter culture will enhance the texture and nutritional value and Sarawak fermented food product found enriched with LAB

Place attachment in deprived neighbourhoods: The impacts of population turnover and social mix

This paper examines the determinants of individual place attachment, focussing in particular on differences between deprived and others neighbourhoods, and on the impacts of population turnover and social mix. It uses a multi-level modelling approach to take account of both individual- and neighbourhood-level determinants. Data are drawn from a large sample government survey, the Citizenship Survey 2005, to which a variety of neighbourhood-level data have been attached. The paper argues that attachment is significantly lower in more deprived neighbourhoods primarily because these areas have weaker social cohesion but that, in other respects, the drivers of attachment are the same. Turnover has modest direct impacts on attachment through its effect on social cohesion. Social mix has very limited impacts on attachment and the effects vary between social groups. In general, higher status or more dominant groups appear less tolerant of social mix

Discovery of Massive, Mostly Star-formation Quenched Galaxies with Extremely Large Lyman-alpha Equivalent Widths at z ~ 3

We report a discovery of 6 massive galaxies with both extremely large Lya equivalent width and evolved stellar population at z ~ 3. These MAssive Extremely STrong Lya emitting Objects (MAESTLOs) have been discovered in our large-volume systematic survey for strong Lya emitters (LAEs) with twelve optical intermediate-band data taken with Subaru/Suprime-Cam in the COSMOS field. Based on the SED fitting analysis for these LAEs, it is found that these MAESTLOs have (1) large rest-frame equivalent width of EW_0(Lya) ~ 100--300 A, (2) M_star ~ 10^10.5--10^11.1 M_sun, and (3) relatively low specific star formation rates of SFR/M_star ~ 0.03--1 Gyr^-1. Three of the 6 MAESTLOs have extended Ly$\alpha$ emission with a radius of several kpc although they show very compact morphology in the HST/ACS images, which correspond to the rest-frame UV continuum. Since the MAESTLOs do not show any evidence for AGNs, the observed extended Lya emission is likely to be caused by star formation process including the superwind activity. We suggest that this new class of LAEs, MAESTLOs, provides a missing link from star-forming to passively evolving galaxies at the peak era of the cosmic star-formation history.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters on 15th July, 2015. 6 pages including 3 figures and 2 table

Putative role of arthropod vectors in African swine fever virus transmission in relation to their bio-ecological properties

African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most important diseases in Suidae due to its significant health and socioeconomic consequences and represents a major threat to the European pig industry, especially in the absence of any available treatment or vaccine. In fact, with its high mortality rate and the subsequent trade restrictions imposed on affected countries, ASF can dramatically disrupt the pig industry in afflicted countries. In September 2018, ASF was unexpectedly identified in wild boars from southern Belgium in the province of Luxembourg, not far from the Franco-Belgian border. The French authorities rapidly commissioned an expert opinion on the risk of ASF introduction and dissemination into metropolitan France. In Europe, the main transmission routes of the virus comprise direct contact between infected and susceptible animals and indirect transmission through contaminated material or feed. However, the seasonality of the disease in some pig farms in Baltic countries, including outbreaks in farms with high biosecurity levels, have led to questions on the possible involvement of arthropods in the transmission of the virus. This review explores the current body of knowledge on the most common arthropod families present in metropolitan France. We examine their potential role in spreading ASF—by active biological or mechanical transmission or by passive transport or ingestion—in relation to their bio-ecological properties. It also highlights the existence of significant gaps in our knowledge on vector ecology in domestic and wild boar environments and in vector competence for ASFV transmission. Filling these gaps is essential to further understanding ASF transmission in order to thus implement appropriate management measures