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Carpaine, a major alkaloid in papaya leaves, has considerable cardiovascular benefits alongside its notable effects on muscle relaxation when utilized in medicine. In this study, the coupling of acid-base extraction and flotation was developed to completely remove the use of toxic solvents. This method entails the extraction of carpaine from Carica papaya L. leaves using hot water extraction alongside ultrasound-assisted extraction followed by the condensation of the species using surfactant-assisted flotation. The acid-base extraction was applied to alter the solubility of carpaine as desired at different stages of the process. The results showed that the carpaine extraction yield using all the treatments in conjunction was significantly higher compared to the control samples in which the acid-base extraction or flotation was not applied. The TLC and GC-FID results suggested that the bubbles introduced during the flotation were highly specific toward their interactions with carpaine in its hydrophobic complex form. The quantity of carpaine extracted using our method, in comparison to the amount of carpaine obtained using a different method from a previous study that utilized ethanolic extraction, exhibited a 2.32-fold greater extraction yield. This work demonstrates the importance of flexible utilization of both surface and bulk chemistry in achieving an improved solution for a technical problem., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Several previous studies have considered ultrafine bubbles as a potential research target because their properties can be applied in many different research areas. In particular, the interaction between UFBs and microorganisms has always been one of the aspects that receives much attention due to the high difficulty in controlling a living system. The properties of UFBs, as mobile air-water interfaces, are greatly determined by their gas cores which play a critical role in regulating microbial growth. This study aims to investigate the effects of ultrafine bubbles on bacterial growth. Two well-studied organisms were chosen as models - Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus . Their growing behavior was examined based on the growth rate, phenotype and biomass. Three types of Luria-Bertani cultures were tested, including a standard culture containing distilled water, an air ultrafine bubble culture, and a hydrogen ultrafine bubble culture. The UFBs were generated via ultrasonic cavitation and stabilized by 50 μM SDS, which was proven to have negligible effects on bacterial growth. By comparing among the three cultivation conditions, the bacterial growth rates were observed to be the highest in exposure to HUFBs. The results also signified that UFBs had an enhancement on cell proliferation. On the other hand, while proposing an increase in cell density, bacteria cultured in HUFB media have their sizes decreased uniformly and significantly ( p -value < 0.05). This study confirmed that bacterial growth was promoted by UFBs; and better effects recorded were due to the HUFB present in the culture media. However, the average morphological size of bacteria was in negative correlation with their population size., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Having sizes comparable with living cells and high abundance, ultrafine bubbles (UBs) are prone to inevitable interactions with different types of cells and facilitate alterations in physiological properties. The interactions of four typical cell types (e.g., bacterial, fungal, plant, and mammalian cells) with UBs have been studied over recent years. For bacterial cells, UBs have been utilized in creating the capillary force to tear down biofilms. The release of high amounts of heat, pressure, and free radicals during bubble rupture is also found to affect bacterial cell growth. Similarly, the bubble gas core identity plays an important role in the development of fungal cells. By the proposed mechanism of attachment of UBs on hydrophobin proteins in the fungal cell wall, oxygen and ozone gas-filled ultrafine bubbles can either promote or hinder the cell growth rate. On the other hand, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and mass transfer facilitation are two means of indirect interactions between UBs and plant cells. Likewise, the use of different gas cores in generating bubbles can produce different physical effects on these cells, for example, hydrogen gas for antioxidation against infections and oxygen for oxidation of toxic metal ions. For mammalian cells, the importance of investigating their interactions with UBs lies in the bubbles' action on cell viability as membrane poration for drug delivery can greatly affect cells' survival. UBs have been utilized and tested in forming the pores by different methods, ranging from bubble oscillation and microstream generation through acoustic cavitation to bubble implosion.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious swine disease with high mortality. In many countries, culling pigs infected and exposed to the ASF virus is mandatory to control the disease, which poses a real challenge in the disposal of large numbers of carcasses during ASF outbreaks. Shallow burial with carbon (SBC) Thanks ew mortality disposal method developed from deep burial and composting. The present study investigates the effectiveness of SBC in disposing of ASF virus-infected pigs. The real-time PCR results showed that DNA of the ASF virus was still detected in bone marrow samples on day 56, while the virus isolation test revealed that the infectious ASF virus was destroyed in both spleen and bone marrow samples on day 5. Interestingly, decomposition was found to occur rapidly in these shallow burial pits. On day 144, only large bones were found in the burial pit. In general, the results of this study indicated that SBC is a potential method for the disposal of ASF-infected carcasses; however, further studies are needed to provide more scientific evidence for the efficacy of SBC in different environment conditions.

African swine fever (ASF) has been considered as one of the most important and devastating swine diseases with high mortality rates. Since effective vaccines and treatment are not available, mass euthanasia of infected and exposed pigs has been known to be the best measure to control ASF. Although composting has been proved to be a safe method for the rapid disposal of animal carcasses during outbreaks, there is no information about the effect of composting on the viability of ASF virus in swine carcasses. This study investigates the survival of the ASF virus in swine carcasses during composting. The findings suggested that the DNA of the ASF virus was detected in all samples tested. On the contrary, infectious ASF virus particles were rapidly destroyed at day 3., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background and Aim: Alternative natural materials to antibiotics for improving digestive health and growth performance are needed due to strengthening regulations related to the use of antibiotic growth promoters. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of medicinal plants mixture (60% Bidens pilosa L., 15% Urena lobata L., 15% Pseuderanthemum palatiferum , 5% Ramulus cinnamomi , and 5% Star anise ) as alternative growth promotors on animal health, nutrient digestibility, blood parameters, and growth performance of growing pigs., Materials and Methods: The study was conducted, from April 2020 to June 2020, at a private pig production farm located in Cam Giang district Hai Duong Province, Vietnam. Forty-eight 10-week-old crossbred (♂Duroc×♀ [Landrace×Yorkshire]) pigs, average initial body weight 30.3±1.42 kg, were randomly allocated to four dietary groups, three replicate pens per experimental group, with 4 pigs/pen. For 7 weeks, the pigs were fed a basal diet supplemented with the mixture at levels of 0, 20, 40, and 60 g/kg of feed., Results: Final body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio, as well as apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, ether extract, and gross energy were not significantly influenced by the diets (p>0.05). Inclusion of the plant mixture decreased significantly red blood cell count, blood cholesterol, urea nitrogen, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations (p < 0.05) compared with the control diet. No diet effect was observed on fecal Escherichia coli , Salmonella spp., Clostridium spp., and total bacteria counts., Conclusion: The incorporation of the plant mixture into the diet of growing pigs reduced serum cholesterol, LDL, and urea concentrations with no adverse effect on performance and nutrient digestibility., (Copyright: © Oanh, et al.)

Although it is clear that unaccented referring expressions are associated with given information in a discourse (Dahan et al., 2002), it is less clear what aspects of givenness are relevant. We examine whether listeners' expectation of givenness depends on repetition of a referring expression or on contextual evocation of a referent. The results from two visual world eye-tracking experiments suggest that for interpretation, listeners associated reduced prominence with a repeated referring expression. Listeners expect previously evoked referents to be candidates for reduced referring expressions only when they are referred to with the exact same referential form. The data also suggest that when referents are referred to with different referential forms across utterances, accenting facilitates linking those forms for co-reference., Competing Interests: Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Transcription initiation factor 90 (TIF-90), an alternatively spliced variant of TIF-IA, differs by a 90 base pair deletion of exon 6. TIF-90 has been shown to regulate ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis by interacting with polymerase I (Pol I) during the initiation of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) transcription in the nucleolus. Recently, we showed that TIF-90-mediated rRNA synthesis can play an important role in driving tumorigenesis in human colon cancer cells. Here we show that TIF-90 binds GTP at threonine 310, and that GTP binding is required for TIF-90-enhanced rRNA synthesis. Overexpression of activated AKT induces TIF-90 T310, but not a GTP-binding site (TIF-90 T310N) mutant, to translocate into the nucleolus and increase rRNA synthesis. Complementing this result, treatment with mycophenolic acid (MPA), an inhibitor of GTP production, dissociates TIF-90 from Pol I and hence abolishes AKT-increased rRNA synthesis by way of TIF-90 activation. Thus, TIF-90 requires bound GTP to fulfill its function as an enhancer of rRNA synthesis. Both TIF variants are highly expressed in colon cancer cells, and depletion of TIF-IA expression in these cells results in significant sensitivity to MPA-inhibited rRNA synthesis and reduced cell proliferation. Finally, a combination of MPA and AZD8055 (an inhibitor of both AKT and mTOR) synergistically inhibits rRNA synthesis, in vivo tumor growth, and other oncogenic activities of primary human colon cancer cells, suggesting a potential avenue for the development of therapeutic treatments by targeting the regulation of rRNA synthesis by TIF proteins., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: Understanding speech often involves processing input from multiple modalities. The availability of visual information may make auditory input less critical for comprehension. This study examines whether the auditory system is sensitive to the presence of complementary sources of input when exerting top-down control over the amplification of speech stimuli., Method: Auditory gain in the cochlea was assessed by monitoring spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs), which are by-products of the amplification process. SOAEs were recorded while 32 participants (23 women, nine men; Mage = 21.13) identified speech sounds such as "ba" and "ga." The speech sounds were presented either alone or with complementary visual input, as well as in quiet or with 6-talker babble., Results: Analyses revealed that there was a greater reduction in the amplification of noisy auditory stimuli compared with quiet. This reduced amplification may aid in the perception of speech by improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Critically, there was a greater reduction in amplification when speech sounds were presented bimodally with visual information relative to when they were presented unimodally. This effect was evidenced by greater changes in SOAE levels from baseline to stimuli presentation in audiovisual trials relative to audio-only trials., Conclusions: The results suggest that even the earliest stages of speech comprehension are modulated by top-down influences, resulting in changes to SOAEs depending on the presence of bimodal or unimodal input. Neural processes responsible for changes in cochlear function are sensitive to redundancy across auditory and visual input channels and coordinate activity to maximize efficiency in the auditory periphery.

Auditory sensation is often thought of as a bottom-up process, yet the brain exerts top-down control to affect how and what we hear. We report the discovery that the magnitude of top-down influence varies across individuals as a result of differences in linguistic background and executive function. Participants were 32 normal-hearing individuals (23 female) varying in language background (11 English monolinguals, 10 Korean-English late bilinguals, and 11 Korean-English early bilinguals), as well as cognitive abilities (working memory, cognitive control). To assess efferent control over inner ear function, participants were presented with speech-sounds (e.g., /ba/, /pa/) in one ear while spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) were measured in the contralateral ear. SOAEs are associated with the amplification of sound in the cochlea, and can be used as an index of top-down efferent activity. Individuals with bilingual experience and those with better cognitive control experienced larger reductions in the amplitude of SOAEs in response to speech stimuli, likely as a result of greater efferent suppression of amplification in the cochlea. This suppression may aid in the critical task of speech perception by minimizing the disruptive effects of noise. In contrast, individuals with better working memory exert less control over the cochlea, possibly due to a greater capacity to process complex stimuli at later stages. These findings demonstrate that even peripheral mechanics of auditory perception are shaped by top-down cognitive and linguistic influences.

Can experience change perception? Here, we examine whether language experience shapes the way individuals process auditory and visual information. We used the McGurk effect&mdash;the discovery that when people hear a speech sound (e.g., &ldquo;ba&rdquo;) and see a conflicting lip movement (e.g., &ldquo;ga&rdquo;), they recognize it as a completely new sound (e.g., &ldquo;da&rdquo;). This finding suggests that the brain fuses input across auditory and visual modalities demonstrates that what we hear is profoundly influenced by what we see. We find that cross-modal integration is affected by language background, with bilinguals experiencing the McGurk effect more than monolinguals. This increased reliance on the visual channel is not due to decreased language proficiency, as the effect was observed even among highly proficient bilinguals. Instead, we propose that the challenges of learning and monitoring multiple languages have lasting consequences for how individuals process auditory and visual information.

Most of the world's population has knowledge of at least two languages. Many of these bilinguals are also exposed to and identify with at least two cultures. Because language knowledge enables participation in cultural practices and expression of cultural beliefs, bilingual experience and cultural identity are interconnected. However, the specific links between bilingualism and cultural identity remain largely unidentified. The current study examined which aspects of bilingualism relate to identification with first- and second-language cultures. Two-hundred-and-nine bilinguals completed a questionnaire probing linguistic background and cultural affiliations. Regression analyses indicated that cultural identification was predicted by age of language acquisition, language proficiency, foreign-accentedness, and contexts of long-term language immersion and current language exposure. Follow-up analyses revealed that the language-culture relations were mediated by the age and manner in which the second language was acquired. These findings are situated within a proposed framework of bilingual cultural identity. By identifying features of bilingualism that are relevant for cultural identity, the current research increases our understanding of the relationship between language and culture.

In natural conversation, speakers often mention the same referents multiple times. While referents that have been previously mentioned are produced with less prominence than those that have not been mentioned, it is unclear whether prominence reduction is due to repetition of concepts, words, or a combination of the two. In the current study, we dissociate these sources of repetition by examining bilingual speakers, who have more than one word for the same concept across their two languages. Three groups of Korean-English bilinguals (balanced, English-dominant, and Korean-dominant) performed an event description task involving repetition of referents within a single language (i.e., repetition of word and concept) or across languages (i.e., repetition of concept only). While balanced bilinguals reduced prominence both within and across languages, unbalanced bilinguals only reduced prominence when repetition occurred within a language. These patterns suggest that the degree to which words and concepts are linked within a speaker's language system determines the source of repetition reduction.

Compared to words that are new to a discourse, repeated words are produced with reduced acoustic prominence. Although these effects are often attributed to priming in the production system, the locus of the effect within the production system remains unresolved because, in natural speech, repetition often involves repetition of referents and lexical items simultaneously. Therefore, repetition reduction could be due to repeated mention of a referent or to repetition of a word or referring expression. In our study, we use an event description task to test whether repetition reduction is due to repetition of lexical items or to repeated mention of referents. The results show that repeated lexical items lead to reduced duration and intensity even in the absence of referent repetition, whereas repeated referents lead to reduced intensity alone. The general pattern suggests that repetition reduction is due most strongly to repetition of the lexical item, rather than repeated mention of the referent., (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.)

The repetition and the predictability of a word in a conversation are two factors that are believed to affect whether it is emphasized: predictable, repeated words are less acoustically prominent than unpredictable, new words. However, because predictability and repetition are correlated, it is unclear whether speakers lengthen unpredictable words to facilitate comprehension or whether this lengthening is the result of difficulties in accessing a new (nonrepeated) lexical item. In this study, we investigated the relationship between acoustic prominence, repetition, and predictability in a description task. In Experiment 1, we found that repeated referents are produced with reduced prominence, even when these referents are unexpected. In Experiment 2, we found that predictability and repetition both have independent effects on duration and intensity. However, word duration was primarily determined by repetition, and intensity was primarily determined by predictability. The results are most consistent with an account in which multiple cognitive factors influence the acoustic prominence of a word.

Seven male students were supplemented with beta-alanine (beta-ALG) for 4 weeks (6.4 g day(-1)) and seven with a matching placebo (PLG). Subjects undertook 4 weeks of isokinetic training with the right leg (T) whilst the left leg was untrained (UT), serving as a control. Each training session consisted of 10 x 10 maximal 90 degrees extension and flexion contractions at 180 degrees /s using a Kin-Com isokinetic dynamometer, with 1 min rest between bouts. Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis immediately before and at the end of the supplementation period. Following freeze drying muscle fibres were dissected and characterised by their MHC profile, as type I, IIa, IIx, or as hybrids of these. Carnosine was measured by HPLC. There was a significant increase in carnosine in both T and UT legs of the beta-ALG (9.63 +/- 3.92 mmol kg(-1) dry muscle and 6.55 +/- 2.36 mmol kg(-1) dry muscle respectively). There was a significant increase in the carnosine content of all fibre phentotypes, with no significant difference between types. There were no significant differences in the changes in muscle or in fibres between the T and UT legs. In contrast there was no significant change in the carnosine content in either the T or UT legs with placebo. The results indicate that 4 weeks training has no effect on the muscle carnosine content. Whilst an increase was seen with beta-alanine supplementation, this was not further influenced by training. These findings suggest that beta-alanine availability is the main factor regulating muscle carnosine synthesis.

Carnosine (Carn) occurs in high concentrations in skeletal muscle is a potent physico-chemical buffer of H+ over the physiological range. Recent research has demonstrated that 6.4 g x day(-1) of beta-alanine (beta-ala) can significantly increase skeletal muscle Carn concentrations (M-[Carn]) whilst the resultant change in buffering capacity has been shown to be paralleled by significant improvements in anaerobic and aerobic measures of exercise performance. Muscle carnosine increase has also been linked to increased work done during resistance training. Prior research has suggested that strength training may also increase M-[Carn] although this is disputed by other studies. The aim of this investigation is to assess the effect of 10 weeks resistance training on M-[Carn], and, secondly, to investigate if increased M-[Carn] brought about through beta-ala supplementation had a positive effect on training responses. Twenty-six Vietnamese sports science students completed the study. The subjects completed a 10-week resistance-training program whilst consuming 6.4 g x day(-1) of beta-ala (beta-ALG) or a matched dose of a placebo (PLG). Subjects were assessed prior to and after training for whole body strength, isokinetic force production, muscular endurance, body composition. beta-Alanine supplemented subjects increased M-[Carn] by 12.81 +/- 7.97 mmol x kg(-1) dry muscle whilst there was no change in PLG subjects. There was no significant effect of beta-ala supplementation on any of the exercise parameters measured, mass or % body fat. In conclusion, 10 weeks of resistance training alone did not change M-[Carn].

Objective: To assess the short-term acceptability, aspects of use and user satisfaction with the Oves cap., Design, Setting and Subjects: A multicentre observational study, commissioned by Veos Ltd, manufacturers of the Oves cap, was carried out by the UK Family Planning and Reproductive Health Research Network in collaboration with the Institute of Population Studies, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. Women from ten Network centres and one collaborating centre were invited to participate. Following an assessment by vaginal examination women were fitted with the cap and taught self-fitting by a doctor. The women were asked to use the cap six times in 8 weeks. Participants were asked to complete four questionnaires on various aspects of cap use including Likert-type measures and open-ended questions on experiences with the cap. Doctors were asked to complete a first visit and follow-up questionnaires. Women were self-selected clients in the participating centres. Women aged 18 years and over, gynaecologically healthy, using hormonal contraception or sterilised were eligible for the study. Thirty-five women were enrolled and fitted with the cap; 20 chose to participate in the study., Main Outcome Measures: Ease of fitting and removal of the cap expressed in structured and open-ended questions by both cap users and doctors; satisfaction of women and partners with the cap, measured by desire to use the cap in the future and by premature withdrawal from the trial., Results: Twenty women used the cap on a total of 84 occasions. Four women completed the trial of six uses. While most doctors did not have difficulty with fittings or removals, 10/20 Oves cap users reported some difficulty in fitting it over the cervix and 12 reported some difficulty removing it in the first three uses. Fewer women had difficulty in fitting in uses 4-6 but nearly half continued to have some difficulty with removals., Conclusions: Few women indicated that they would use the cap in the future. However, most women were satisfied with their current method of contraception. The study raises the question whether women using non-barrier methods of contraception and satisfied with their current method of contraception are the appropriate target recruits for a trial such as this, even in the absence of robust efficacy data.