The objectives of this trial were to develop multiple linear regression (MLR) models and three-layer Levenberg-Marquardt back propagation (BP3) neural network models using the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) carbohydrate fractions as dietary variables for predicting in vitro rumen volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and further compare MLR and BP3 models. Two datasets were ...

BACKGROUND Recent studies have shown that adult human possess active brown adipose tissue (BAT), which might be important in affecting obesity. However, the supporting evidence on the relationship between BAT and central obesity and metabolic profile in large population based studies is sparse. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We studied 4011 (2688 males and 1323 females) tumor-free Chinese adu...

Although increasing amounts of transaction data make it possible to characterize uncertainties surrounding customer service requests, few methods integrate predictive tools with prescriptive optimization procedures to meet growing demand for small-volume urban transport services. We incorporate temporal and spatial anticipation of service requests into approximate dynamic programming (ADP) proc...

The present study developed a virtual fit assessment (VFA) method to design an oxygen mask which fits Korean Air Force (KAF) pilots. The VFA method used 3D face scan data of 336 KAF pilots to find the most proper shape of an oxygen mask for KAF pilots. The oxygen mask design revised in the study showed a 27% design improvement effect on average in terms of fit evaluated by the VFA method. Addit...

Malodourous emission from raw natural rubber (NR) processing activities has become a public nuisance since residential and public development areas are gradually expanding near raw NR processing factories. The malodourous vapour mainly consists of volatile fatty acids (VFA) released from the breakdown of non-rubber constituents during drying stage of the raw rubber processing. An improved sampl...

Sansone, F.J. and Martens, C.S., 1981. Determination of volatile fatty acid turnover rates in organic-rich marine sediments. Mar. Chern., 10: 233-247. Volatile fatty acid (VFA) apparent turnover rates in organic-rich marine sediments were determined by measuring whole sediment VFA concentration and the corresponding first­ order reaction rate constants. In order to measure VFA concentrations, b...

Laboratory batch experiments were conducted, at room temperature, to investigate ways of optimising the performance of primary sludge acidogenic fermentation systems, used at four major Johannesburg waste-water treatment plants. Retention time, seeding, solids concentration and mixing were found to be important variables governing volatile fatty acid (VFA) production. At least 75% of the potent...

Animal studies have demonstrated that glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and GIP receptor (GIPR) contribute to the etiology of obesity. In humans, genomewide association studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GIPR gene that are strongly associated with body mass index (BMI); however, it is not clear whether genetic variations in the GIP gene are in...

Many studies have demonstrated a close relationship between body fat distribution and the occurrence of metabolic syndrome; an excess of abdominal adipose tissue, especially intra-abdominal visceral fat, leads to obesity-related complications [1]. Visceral obesity is closely related to the development of colorectal cancer, as well as other metabolic complications [2], and the distribution of ad...

BACKGROUND Our aim was to evaluate the effect of visceral obesity and impact of severe hydronephrosis on surgical complexity in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy (LRNU). METHODS From January 2000 to December 2013, 169 patients underwent radical nephroureterectomy at our institution. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 70 patients who underwent LRNU. We...