85; 95% CI 1.12-3.04, p=0.015), central obesity (OR 2.41; 95% CI 1.20-4.85, p=0.014), and hypertriglyceridemia (OR 1.91; 95% CI 1.12-3.26, p=0.018) compared with vitamin D sufficiency after adjusting for covariates. Serum vitamin D concentrations were significantly lower in the MetS group than in the non-MetS group (p=0.016) and decreased with an increasing number of MetS components (p for trend=0.034).

Hypovitaminosis D was associated with an increased risk of MetS, central obesity, and hypertriglyceridemia in Thai postmenopausal women.

Hypovitaminosis D was associated with an increased risk of MetS, central obesity, and hypertriglyceridemia in Thai postmenopausal women.In this paper, we study an event-driven H∞ control problem of continuous-time nonlinear systems. Initially, with the introduction of a discounted cost function, we convert the nonlinear H∞ control problem into an event-driven nonlinear two-player zero-sum game. Then, we develop an event-driven Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs equation (HJIE) related to the two-player zero-sum game. After that, we propose a novel event-triggering condition guaranteeing Zeno behavior not to happen. The triggering threshold in the newly proposed event-triggering condition can be kept positive without requiring to properly choose the prescribed level of disturbance attenuation. To solve the event-driven HJIE, we employ an adaptive critic architecture which contains a unique critic neural network (NN). The weight parameters used in the critic NN are tuned via the gradient descent method. After that, we carry out stability analysis of the hybrid closed-loop system based on Lyapunov’s direct approach. Finally, we provide two nonlinear plants, including the pendulum system, to validate the proposed event-driven H∞ control scheme.This paper addresses learning with exploration driven by chaotic internal dynamics of a neural network. Hoerzer et al. selleckchem showed that a chaotic reservoir network (RN) can learn with exploration driven by external random noise and a sequential reward. In this paper, we demonstrate that a chaotic RN can learn without external noise because the output fluctuation originated from its internal chaotic dynamics functions as exploration. As learning progresses, the chaoticity decreases and the network can automatically switch from exploration mode to exploitation mode. Furthermore, the network can resume exploration when presented with a new situation. In addition, we found that even when the two parameters that influence the chaoticity are varied, learning performance always improves around the edge of chaos. From these results, we think that exploration is generated from internal chaotic dynamics, and exploitation appears in the process of forming attractors on the chaotic dynamics through learning. Consequently, exploration and exploitation are well-balanced around the edge of chaos, which leads to good learning performance.

Individuals residing in areas with high prevalence of foodborne infection could have a higher risk of gut microbial translocation which may affect monocyte activation, gut immune recovery and intestinal epithelial cell damage. We aimed to measure alterations in microbial translocation, monocyte activation, gut immune recovery, and intestinal epithelial cell damage in HAART treated individuals.

A prospective, single-arm, longitudinal, cohort study was conducted among antiretroviral naïve HIV-1 infected Thai participants. All participants were in chronic stage of HIV-1 infection before starting HAART. Data and samples were collected prior to initiation of HAART and then after 24 and 48weeks of HAART. Plasma biomarkers for microbial translocation (16S rDNA and LBP), monocyte activation (sCD14) and intestinal epithelial cell damage (I-FABP) were evaluated. We measured circulating gut-homing CD4

T cells and circulating gut-homing Th17 cells to assess recoveries of gut immunity and gut immunity to microbial phasize the adverse impact of high microbial translocation on gut immune recovery and the necessity of establishing a novel therapeutic intervention to inhibit microbial translocation.

We demonstrated persistent high microbial translocation, monocyte activation and intestinal epithelial cell damage with slow gut immune recovery during successful short-term HAART. Additionally, gut immune recovery was apparently limited by high microbial translocation. Our findings emphasize the adverse impact of high microbial translocation on gut immune recovery and the necessity of establishing a novel therapeutic intervention to inhibit microbial translocation.Clade 2.3.4.4, H5 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) have caused devastating effects across wild and domestic bird populations. We investigated differences in the intensity and distribution of the hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein binding of a clade 2.3.4.4 H5 HPAIV compared to a H5 low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV). Recombinant HA from gene sequences from a HPAIV, A/Northern pintail/Washington/40964/2014(H5N2) and a LPAIV, A/mallard/MN/410/2000(H5N2) were generated and, via protein histochemistry, HA binding in respiratory, intestinal and cloacal bursal tissue was quantified as median area of binding (MAB). Poultry species, shorebirds, ducks and terrestrial birds were used. Differences in MAB were observed between the HPAIV and LPAIV H5 HAs. We demonstrate that clade 2.3.4.4 HPAIV H5 HA has a broader host cell binding across a variety of bird species compared to the LPAIV H5 HA. These findings support published results from experimental trials, and outcomes of natural disease outbreaks with these viruses.Exposure of marine fish to hydrocarbon compounds from crude oil can cause physiological and ecological alterations that can result in several cytotoxic, genotoxic, and teratogenic damages. One consequence of this exposure is the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, where the normal bacterial composition is modified. Herein, we assessed the effect of the exposure to water accommodated fraction (WAF) of a light crude oil into the gut microbiota of a native species, the lined sole Achirus lineatus, a benthonic fish widely distributed in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). We performed a chronic bioassay using two WAF concentrations (5 and 10% v/v), collecting lined sole entire gastrointestinal tracts for microbiota analyses at two timepoints, 14 and 28 days. Changes in the gut microbiota composition were determined by high throughput amplicon sequencing of the gene 16S rRNA. Diversity analyses showed that WAF exposure produced similar changes in the microbiota composition at both concentrations. Metagenomic functional prediction showed that these alterations could result in a shift in the gut redox status, towards a more anoxygenic environment.