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The Australian pork industry has been seeking a rapid and non-destructive way to predict pork chemical components and eating quality. In this study, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were applied to fresh pork Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and Semimembranosus (SM) with the aim to build prediction models for intramuscular fat (IMF) content, collagen content and solubility, pH, and sensory attributes, namely tenderness, juiciness, liking of flavor and overall liking as well as investigate the effects of chemical components on pork eating quality. Results showed that the NIRS output, which was a predicted IMF content calibrated for the IMF of lamb, correlated with the chemically analyzed IMF content across both muscles. In LTL, NMR parameter p2f was weakly correlated with IMF and pH. For the LTL, NMR parameters p21 and p22 were related to sensory tenderness, while T22 was correlated with the liking of flavor. In both muscles, the collagen content and pH were related to all sensory attributes, and IMF was related to the liking of flavor. The chemical properties of SM were weakly correlated with those of LTL. The NIRS and NMR weakly predicted the pork chemical components and sensory properties, but more studies are required to improve the accuracy.

Background This experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that vitamin E (Vit E) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, will additively reduce the production of the immunosuppressive molecule prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) and hence reduce inflammatory responses in weaner pigs experimentally infected with an enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli . Methods The experiment was conducted in a research facility with 192 individually-housed male weaner pigs (Landrace × Large White) weighing 6.6 ± 0.04 kg (mean ± SEM). The pigs were experimentally infected with an enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli and were allocated to a 2 × 3 factorial design with the respective factors being without and with 125 ppm ASA and three levels of Vit E supplementation (50, 100 or 200 IU/kg diet, dl -α-tocopheryl acetate). Results Acetylsalicylic acid supplementation improved average daily gain ( P <  0.05) and tended to improve feed:gain ratio ( P <  0.10) during the first 14 d after weaning. Acetylsalicylic acid supplementation also improved ( P  < 0.001) amino acid utilization efficiency (as assessed by plasma urea level) and tended to decrease ( P  < 0.10) PGE 2 production in the liver without affecting small intestinal histology and tight junction protein mRNA expression in the jejunal epithelium. Vitamin E supplementation greater than 100 IU/kg diet sustained both the plasma Vit E concentration ( P  < 0.001) and plasma haptoglobin content ( P  < 0.001) after weaning. However, there was no additive effects of the combined supplementation of ASA and Vit E on performance, intestinal barrier function and inflammatory responses of weaned pigs. Conclusions Although ASA and vitamin E improved amino acid utilization efficiency and reduced acute inflammatory responses, ASA and vitamin E did not additively reduce production of PGE 2 and inflammatory responses in weaner pigs experimentally infected with an enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli .

The landscape strategy to deal with climate change has become an important issue in the process of sustainable urban development in the world. Particular focus is given to the charleston Peninsula in South carolina, USA, which faces floods due to inefficiency in stormwater collection systems, increased frequency of intense rain events, excessive impervious surfaces, tide cycles, etc. In addition, hurricane events and sea-level rise are considered sources of flood risk in the coastal areas of the peninsula. This research draws on existing urban stormwater management theory to argue that the blue and green water ecological network system in the built-up area represents an innovative approach to alleviate flooding and promote a healthy landscape during urban renewal. according to the analysis of hydrological characteristics, the peninsula is divided into 17 basins, and then each basin is studied separately. Within Basin 8, the potential block is divided into four types of functional stormwater management units (fast flow zone, absorption con- tainment zone, additional digestion zone, and upstream interception zone) and connected by a reintegrated drainage system. finally, the corresponding micro-landscape strategy is proposed according to the block property. Functional units simultaneously undertake the functions of rainwater management and landscape activities. In the end, the new active-recreation space and passive-recreation space in the network are con- nected with the original urban green space and provide the city with a series of unique ecosystem services to support urban drainage systems and human health. It is hoped this research will provide an attempt for future urban stormwater management from the perspective of landscape planning and design.

Biobanks can have a pivotal role in elucidating disease etiology, translation, and advancing public health. However, meeting these challenges hinges on a critical shift in the way science is conducted and requires biobank harmonization. There is growing recognition that a common strategy is imperative to develop biobanking globally and effectively. To help guide this strategy, we articulate key principles, goals, and priorities underpinning a roadmap for global biobanking to accelerate health science, patient care, and public health. The need to manage and share very large amounts of data has driven innovations on many fronts. Although technological solutions are allowing biobanks to reach new levels of integration, increasingly powerful data-collection tools, analytical techniques, and the results they generate raise new ethical and legal issues and challenges, necessitating a reconsideration of previous policies, practices, and ethical norms. These manifold advances and the investments that support them are also fueling opportunities for biobanks to ultimately become integral parts of health-care systems in many countries. International harmonization to increase interoperability and sustainability are two strategic priorities for biobanking. Tackling these issues requires an environment favorably inclined toward scientific funding and equipped to address socio-ethical challenges. Cooperation and collaboration must extend beyond systems to enable the exchange of data and samples to strategic alliances between many organizations, including governmental bodies, funding agencies, public and private science enterprises, and other stakeholders, including patients. A common vision is required and we articulate the essential basis of such a vision herein.

Background： This experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that vitamin E（Vit E） and acetylsalicylic acid（ASA）, a cyclooxygenase-2（COX-2） inhibitor, will additively reduce the production of the immunosuppressive molecule prostaglandin E_2（PGE_2） and hence reduce inflammatory responses in weaner pigs experimentally infected with an enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli.Methods： The experiment was conducted in a research facility with 192 individually-housed male weaner pigs（Landrace × Large White） weighing 6.6 ± 0.04 kg（mean ± SEM）. The pigs were experimentally infected with an enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli and were allocated to a 2 × 3 factorial design with the respective factors being without and with 125 ppm ASA and three levels of Vit E supplementation（50, 100 or 200 IU/kg diet, dl-α-tocopheryl acetate）.Results： Acetylsalicylic acid supplementation improved average daily gain（P 〈 0.05） and tended to improve feed：gain ratio（P 〈 0.10） during the first 14 d after weaning. Acetylsalicylic acid supplementation also improved（P 〈 0.001） amino acid utilization efficiency（as assessed by plasma urea level） and tended to decrease（P 〈 0.10） PGE2 production in the liver without affecting smal intestinal histology and tight junction protein mR NA expression in the jejunal epithelium. Vitamin E supplementation greater than 100 IU/kg diet sustained both the plasma Vit E concentration（P 〈 0.001） and plasma haptoglobin content（P 〈 0.001） after weaning. However, there was no additive effects of the combined supplementation of ASA and Vit E on performance, intestinal barrier function and inflammatory responses of weaned pigs.Conclusions： Although ASA and vitamin E improved amino acid utilization efficiency and reduced acute inflammatory responses, ASA and vitamin E did not additively reduce production of PGE2 and inflammatory responses in weaner pigs experimental y infected with an enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli.

The human CC3/TIP30 gene is a putative metastasis suppressor gene, based on the results of experimental studies using lung, colon and melanoma cell lines. However, there is very little evidence from studies on clinical material, in support of such a role for the gene. In this study, we evaluated the expression of CC3/TIP30 in human breast cancer tissue and investigated the possible associations with the clinicopathological parameters. Total RNA and proteins were extracted from the frozen breast tumor and matched normal tissues. Evaluation of CC3/TIP30 expression was assessed by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and reverse phase protein array. Immunohistochemistry of CC3/TIP30 on breast tissue microarrays was also analyzed. We have found that CC3/TIP30 expression is significantly associated with positive HER-2/neu status at both mRNA (P=0.023) and protein (P=0.016) levels. Immunohistochemical analysis on tissue microarrays also shows a positive correlation between CC3 expression and HER-2/neu status (P=0.0028). Our findings suggest a potential link between the expression of CC3/TIP30 gene and the HER-2/neu oncogene-mediated signal pathway.These findings could not have been predicted from previous experimental studies, and suggest that CC3/TIP30 may play a complex role in breast cancer.

Bioresources need to be easily accessible to facilitate advancement of research. Besides technical and ethical aspects, a major obstacle for sharing them is the absence of recognition of the effort behind establishing and maintaining such resources.

Management of patients with significant risks for thromboembolism in the perioperative period requires consideration of both risks of thromboembolism and risks of anticoagulant therapy. Patients who are receiving warfarin therapy because of recent venous thromboembolism, nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, and mechanical heart valves are at increased risk during the interval when the warfarin is discontinued and when the international normalized ratio is at a subtherapeutic level. In patients with an acute venous thromboembolic event within the past month, the use of intravenous heparin appears to be justified both preoperatively and postoperatively. If the venous thromboembolic event was within the past 2 to 3 months, use of intravenous heparin appears justified in the postoperative period. More than 3 months after an acute episode of venous thrombophlebitis, the relatively low risk of recurrence does not appear to justify the risks of complications from intravenous heparin. Patients with increased risks of arterial embolism, specifically those with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and mechanical heart valves, are generally not at sufficient risk of arterial embolism to justify use of intravenous heparin during the perioperative subtherapeutic international normalized ratio interval when warfarin is withheld. A potential increased risk of recurrent arterial embolism when the preceding event was within a month suggests that elective surgery should be deferred beyond a month whenever possible in such patients. The use of fixed-dose, subcutaneous low molecular weight heparin has been observed to have advantages over use of unfractionated intravenous heparin both in terms of safety and efficiency. Further refinements in management of patients with significant risks of thromboembolism may occur with increased experience with low molecular weight heparin.

Where am I? This question continues to be one of the fundamental challenges posed in robotics research. The ability of a robot to localize itself and map its environment has proven to be a difficult and rich research problem. While significant progress has been made it still remains a difficult task to perform in dynamic, 3D environments, over long distances. Stereo cameras are a proven workhorse for the task of Visual Odometry (VO) and three-dimensional Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), but they require reliable lighting conditions and matching regions in both images. Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) sensors provide an alternative; they are lighting-invariant, provide dense depth information directly, and intensity information that resembles grayscale camera images. In many cases where lighting is unavailable or inconsistent, such as underground mining or planetary exploration, LiDAR is particularly suited for the task of localization. Both VO and SLAM can use a type of nonlinear optimization called bundle adjustment (BA) to solve for the optimal sensor pose and landmark positions given a set of matched observations at two or more separate poses. This thesis develops a version of BA, called IntenseBA. The algorithm estimates a map of landmarks, augmenting the standard three-dimensional point landmark with surface normal and reflectivity states. Because LiDAR intensity observations are dependent on the sensor pose and these landmark states, it is able to use observations of the landmarks to probabilistically determine the most likely estimate of the sensor pose and landmarks. The problem is shown to be observable in all states and an analysis of its sensitivity to noise in each observation is done through a simulation. A calibration procedure and analysis of modern keypoint algorithms is presented which allows the theoretical model to be applied to real data from a SwissRanger SR4000 Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera. Experiments were conducted in the European Space Agency's Planetary Utilisation Testbed, which emulates a Martian terrain. These experiments tested the IntenseBA algorithm (used to perform VO) and show the algorithm can accurately map all state estimates and improve upon accuracy compared to traditional and state-of-the-art approaches by incorporating these additional observations.

Planetary exploration using aerial assets has the potential for unprecedented scientific discoveries on Mars. While NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity proved flight in Martian atmosphere is possible, future Mars rotorcraft will require advanced navigation capabilities for long-range flights. One such critical capability is Map-based Localization (MbL) which registers an onboard image to a reference map during flight to mitigate cumulative drift from visual odometry. However, significant illumination differences between rotorcraft observations and a reference map prove challenging for traditional MbL systems, restricting the operational window of the vehicle. In this work, we investigate a new MbL system and propose Geo-LoFTR, a geometry-aided deep learning model for image registration that is more robust under large illumination differences than prior models. The system is supported by a custom simulation framework that uses real orbital maps to produce large amounts of realistic images of the Martian terrain. Comprehensive evaluations show that our proposed system outperforms prior MbL efforts in terms of localization accuracy under significant lighting and scale variations. Furthermore, we demonstrate the validity of our approach across a simulated Martian day and on real Mars imagery. Code and datasets are available at: https://dpisanti.github.io/geo-loftr/.