Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Etude des paramètres démographiques et zootechniques de la poule locale du bassin arachidier sénégalais

Les paramètres démographiques et zootechniques des élevages de poules traditionnels sont décrits à partir d’une enquête réalisée dans 85 unités de production villageoises du bassin arachicier sénégalais. L’élevage de sujets locaux en conditions intensives à I’Ecole nationale supérieure d’agriculture permet, en outre, d’évaluer le potentiel génétique de la race locale. Les exploitations avicoles villageoises de taille réduite comportent en moyenne 10 sujets. Le système d’élevage très rudimentaire assure une faible productivité : croissance très lente, ponte faible et irrégulière (poids adulte de 1 200 g atteint en 26 semaines et ponte de 40 à 50 oeufs par poule en 52 semaines). L’amélioration des conditions d’élevage ne permet pas d’augmenter les performances pondérales. Elle assure toutefois une production supplémentaire de 50 oeufs par poule et par an. En raison du potentiel de production très limité de la poule locale, l’augmentation des performances en conditions d’élevage améliorées dépend de la réalisation de croisements améliorateurs à partir de races européennes, suffisamment rustiques de préférence. Mots clés : Volailles Elevage traditionnel Reproduction Croissance Performance de ponte Phénotype Sénégal.
l-α-Acetylmethadol,l-α-Acetyl-N-normethadol andl-α-Acetyl-N,N-dinormethadol: Comparisons with Morphine and Methadone in Suppression of the Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome in the Dog

l -α-Acetyl-N-normethadol (nor-LAAM) and l -α-acetyl-N,N-dinormethadol (dinor-LAAM) are active metabolites of the opiate l -α-acetylmethadol (LAAM), and they contribute to the prolonged actions of the parent compound. Single doses of nor-LAAM, dinor-LAAM, LAAM, methadone and morphine were given intravenously to the chronic spinal dog to determine acute, single-dose effects and their ability to suppress withdrawal in morphine-dependent dogs. These opioids produced dose-dependent antinociception, decreases in body temperature and pupillary constriction. For these measures, dinor-LAAM was 1.5 to 3 times and nor-LAAM 6 to 12 times as potent as LAAM. Five hours after the acute administration of LAAM or either of the metabolites, a 1-mg/kg dose of naltrexone given intravenously produced withdrawal, indicating the presence of acute physical dependence. In dogs physically dependent on a daily dose of 125 mg of morphine, nor-LAAM was 9 times as potent as either LAAM or dinor-LAAM in suppressing spontaneous withdrawal 40 hr after the last dose of morphine. The efficacies of LAAM and its demethylated metabolites in the dog for producing acute opiate effects were comparable with those of morphine and methadone. There was a trend, however, for LAAM to suppress the expression of abstinence more fully than either metabolite. The usefulness of LAAM as a treatment for opiate addiction is likely due in part to the equivalent efficacies and higher potencies of its nor and dinor metabolites.
Behavioral Neuroscience

is relatively simple, and thus their functions are highly suscep-tive to genetic, pharmacological, and other means of experimental manipulation. One of the pioneering studies on the roles of aminergic neurons in insect learning was performed in honey bees by Hammer (1993). A hungry honey bee extends its proboscis in response to sucrose stimulation applied to its antennae, proboscis, or tarsi. The proboscis extension response can be conditioned by pairing an odor applied to the antennae (conditioned stimulus, CS) with sucrose stimulation (unconditioned stimulus, US) (Kuwabara, 1957; Erber et al., 1980). Hammer (1993) observed that pairing of an odor with intracellular stimulation of the VUMmx1 neuron, a putative octopamine immunoreactive neuron (Kreissl et al., 1994) that exhibited responses to sucrose stimulation, induced a conditioning effect. Hence, he concluded that this neuron mediates the reinforcing property of sucrose reward in olfactory conditioning. Later, Hammer and Menzel (1998) showed that local injection of octopamine into the antennal lobes and the calyces of the mushroom bodies, termination areas of the VUMmx1 neuron, substituted the sucrose US in olfactory conditioning; the antennal lobes are primary olfactory centers and the mushroom bodies are higher-order olfactory and multi-sensory association centers (Erber et al. In addition, Farooqui et al. (2003) showed that RNA interference of OA receptors or pharmacological blockade of OA receptors by mianserin in the antennal lobe impaired olfactory conditioning.
Inter‐species hybridization among Neotropical cats of the genus Leopardus, and evidence for an introgressive hybrid zone between L. geoffroyi and L. tigrinus in southern Brazil

Natural hybrid zones between distinct species have been reported for many taxa, but so far, few examples involve carnivores or Neotropical mammals in general. In this study, we employed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences and nine microsatellite loci to identify and characterize a hybrid zone between two Neotropical felids, Leopardus geoffroyi and L. tigrinus, both of which are well‐established species having diverged from each other c. 1 million years ago. These two felids are mostly allopatric throughout their ranges in South America, with a narrow contact zone that includes southern Brazil. We present strong evidence for the occurrence of hybridization between these species and identify at least 14 individuals (most of them originating from the geographical contact zone) exhibiting signs of interspecific genomic introgression. The genetic structure of Brazilian L. tigrinus populations seems to be affected by this introgression process, showing a gradient of differentiation from L. geoffroyi correlated with distance from the contact zone. We also corroborate and extend previous findings of hybridization between L. tigrinus and a third related felid, L. colocolo, leading to an unusual situation for a mammal, in which the former species contains introgressed mtDNA lineages from two distinct taxa in addition to its own.
Themed Section: Opioids: New Pathways to Functional Selectivity

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Opioid receptor function is modulated by post-activation events such as receptor endocytosis, recycling and/or degradation. While it is generally understood that the peptide ligand gets co-endocytosed with the receptor, relatively few studies have investigated the role of the endocytosed peptide and peptide processing enzymes in regulating receptor function. In this study, we focused on endothelin-converting enzyme 2 (ECE2), a member of the neprilysin family of metallopeptidases that exhibits an acidic pH optimum, localizes to an intracellular compartment and selectively processes neuropeptides including opioid peptides in vitro, and examined its role in modulating μ receptor recycling and resensitization.
Cellular response of chondrocytes to magnesium alloys for orthopedic applications

In the present study, the effects of Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr (JDBM), brushite (CaHPO4·2H2O)-coated JDBM (C-JDBM), AZ31, WE43, pure magnesium (Mg) and Ti alloy (TC4) on rabbit chondrocytes were investigated in vitro. Adhesion experiments revealed the satisfactory morphology of chondrocytes on the surface of all samples. An indirect cytotoxicity test using MTT assay revealed that C-JDBM and TC4 exhibited results similar to those of the negative control, better than those obtained with JDBM, AZ31, WE43 and pure Mg (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences observed between the JDBM, AZ31, WE43 and pure Mg group (p>0.05). The results of indirect cell cytotoxicity and proliferation assays, as well as those of apoptosis assay, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) quantification, assessment of collagen II (Col II) levels and RT-qPCR revealed a similar a trend as was observed with MTT assay. These findings suggested that the JDBM alloy was highly biocompatible with chondrocytes in vitro, yielding results similar to those of AZ31, WE43 and pure Mg. Furthermore, CaHPO4·2H2O coating significantly improved the biocompatibility of this alloy.
Treatment of Cerebral Vasospasm with Intra-arterial Fasudil Hydrochloride

OBJECTIVE:Symptomatic cerebral vasospasm is a major cause of disability and death in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of intra-arterial infusion (IAF) of fasudil hydrochloride for symptomatic vasospasm in terms of neurological improvement and the angiographic features of cerebral vessels. METHODS:A consecutive series of 23 patients underwent IAF therapy for the treatment of symptomatic vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Angiographic vasospasm was assessed before and after the IAF treatment. Immediate clinical effect was assessed within 24 hours after the IAF treatment, and the Glasgow Outcome Scale was used to evaluate late clinical outcome at 3 months after the onset. RESULTS:IAF treatment was performed on 34 occasions for 23 patients (16 women, 7 men). Angiographic improvement was observed on all occasions (100%), and immediate clinical improvement was observed on 15 occasions (44.1%). At 3-month follow-up, 15 patients (65.2%) showed good recovery or moderate disability on the Glasgow Outcome Scale. CONCLUSION:IAF therapy was effective in dilating spastic arteries, and clinical improvement was observed in approximately half of the fasudil hydrochloride infusions. Our findings suggested that the IAF therapy was safe and effective for patients with symptomatic vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
An efficient parallel approach to Random Sample Matching (pRANSAM)

This paper introduces a parallelized variant of the Random Sample Matching (RANSAM) approach, which is a very time and memory efficient enhancement of the common Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC). RANSAM exploits the theory of the birthday attack whose mathematical background is known from cryptography. The RANSAM technique can be applied to various fields of application such as mobile robotics, computer vision, and medical robotics. Since standard computers feature multi-core processors nowadays, a considerable speedup can be obtained by distributing selected subtasks of RANSAM among the available cores. First of all this paper addresses the parallelization of the RANSAM approach. Several important characteristics are derived from a probabilistic point of view. Moreover, we apply a fuzzy criterion to compute the matching quality, which is an important step towards real-time capability. The algorithm has been implemented for Windows and for the QNX RTOS. In an experimental section the performance of both implementations is compared and our theoretical results are validated.
Restructuring teachers' labour process : the case of Greece

This paper focuses on teachers’ labour process in upper secondary education in Greece in the 1980s, as this was restructured by the introduction of prescribed curricula. The adopted theoretical approach is critical to the labour process theory approach and its development of the proletarianisation thesis. The labour process theory, we argue, studies teachers’ labour process by focusing on the introduction of standardised curricula which, as is argued, result in teachers’ proletarianisation, that is to say teachers’ autonomy is restricted and they are not able to exercise any control on their labour process. We argue that labour process theory does not conceive teachers’ labour process as a production process and consequently does not take into consideration the relations in production. Hence, we argue, that teachers’ labour process is shaped, apart from the curriculum, by the parameter ‘students’ and, more specifically, by ‘students’ cultural capital’ and habitus towards knowledge.
Microstructural Damage of the Posterior Corpus Callosum Contributes to the Clinical Severity of Neglect

One theory to account for neglect symptoms in patients with right focal damage invokes a release of inhibition of the right parietal cortex over the left parieto-frontal circuits, by disconnection mechanism. This theory is supported by transcranial magnetic stimulation studies showing the existence of asymmetric inhibitory interactions between the left and right posterior parietal cortex, with a right hemispheric advantage. These inhibitory mechanisms are mediated by direct transcallosal projections located in the posterior portions of the corpus callosum. The current study, using diffusion imaging and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), aims at assessing, in a data-driven fashion, the contribution of structural disconnection between hemispheres in determining the presence and severity of neglect. Eleven patients with right acute stroke and 11 healthy matched controls underwent MRI at 3T, including diffusion imaging, and T1-weighted volumes. TBSS was modified to account for the presence of the lesion and used to assess the presence and extension of changes in diffusion indices of microscopic white matter integrity in the left hemisphere of patients compared to controls, and to investigate, by correlation analysis, whether this damage might account for the presence and severity of patients' neglect, as assessed by the Behavioural Inattention Test (BIT). None of the patients had any macroscopic abnormality in the left hemisphere; however, 3 cases were discarded due to image artefacts in the MRI data. Conversely, TBSS analysis revealed widespread changes in diffusion indices in most of their left hemisphere tracts, with a predominant involvement of the corpus callosum and its projections on the parietal white matter. A region of association between patients' scores at BIT and brain FA values was found in the posterior part of the corpus callosum. This study strongly supports the hypothesis of a major role of structural disconnection between the right and left parietal cortex in determining ‘neglect’.
Performance analysis of the IEEE 802.11 MAC and physical layer protocol

We present an analytical model that accounts for the positions of stations with respect to the access point (AP) while evaluating the performance of the 802.11 MAC layer. Our work is based on the Bianchi model where the performance of the 802.11 MAC layer is computed using a discrete time Markov chain, but where all stations are implicitly assumed to be located at the same distance from the AP. In our model, given the position of one station, we compute its saturation throughput while considering the positions of other concurrent stations. Further, our model provides the total saturation throughput of the medium. We solve the model numerically and we show that the saturation throughput per station is strongly dependent not only on the station's position, but also on the positions of the other stations. Results confirm that a station achieves a higher throughput when it is closer to the AP, but bring out that there is a distance threshold above which the throughput decrease is fast and significant. When a station is far from the AP compared to the other stations, it contends for the bandwidth not used by the other stations. We believe that our model is a good tool to dimension 802.11 wireless access networks and to study their capacities and their performances.
The biomechanical advantages of bilateral lumbo-iliac fixation in unilateral comminuted sacral fractures without sacroiliac screw safe channel

Background:The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical characteristics between bilateral and unilateral lumbo-iliac fixation in unilateral comminuted sacral fractures (USF) by finite element analysis. Methods:A 3-dimensional finite element model of unilateral sacral fractures was simulated. Three kinds of implants were instrumented into the model, including the unilateral lumbopelvic fixation (ULF), bilateral lumbopelvic fixation (BLF), and unilateral iliac fixation with bilateral lumbar pedicle screws (UBF). Loads of compression and rotation were distributed to the superior endplate of L3. To evaluate the biomechanical properties, the construct stiffness, the micromotion of the fractures, the stress distribution of implants, and the balance of hemilumbar vertebra are recorded and analyzed. Results:The highest construct stiffness was provided by BLF. In BLF model, the displacement between iliums was only 0.009 mm (compressional) and 0.001 mm (rotational), which was less than that under normal condition (0.02 mm). The maximum von Misses stress of implants appeared on the UBF. By using unilateral fixation, the L4 endured obvious imbalance on bilateral hemivertebra. A marked difference was exposed in BLF and UBF models, and the equilibrium of stress and activity was shown. Conclusion:From the finite element view, the stability of ULF is insufficient to reconstruct the posterior pelvic ring. Furthermore, the unilateral fixation may lead to imbalance of lumbar vertebra and pelvis. On the contrary, the BLF can provide satisfied stability and lumbar balance.
Sublingual or subcutaneous immunotherapy for seasonal allergic rhinitis: an indirect analysis of efficacy, safety and cost.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The standard of preventive care for poorly controlled seasonal allergic rhinitis (AR) is subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) with allergen extracts, administered in a physician's office. As an alternative to SCIT, sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is now an option for patients with seasonal AR. Oralair, a SLIT tablet containing freeze-dried allergen extracts of five grasses [cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata), meadow grass (Poa pratensis), rye grass (Lolium perenne), sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) and timothy grass (Phleum pratense)], and Grazax, a SLIT tablet containing a standardized extract of grass pollen allergen from timothy grass (P pratenase), are two such agents currently available in many countries. However, head-to-head comparative data are not available. In this study, an indirect comparison on efficacy, safety and cost was undertaken between Oralair, Grazax and SCIT. METHODS A systematic review was conducted for double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trials evaluating Oralair, Grazax or SCIT in patients with grass-induced seasonal AR. Using placebo as the common control, an indirect statistical comparison between treatments was performed using meta regression analysis with active drug as the primary independent variable. An economic analysis, which included both direct and indirect costs for the Canadian setting, was also undertaken. RESULTS Overall, 20 placebo-controlled trials met the study inclusion criteria. The indirect analysis suggested improved efficacy with Oralair over SCIT [standardized mean difference (SMD) in AR symptom control = -0.21; P = 0.007] and Grazax (SMD = -0.18; P = 0.018). In addition, there were no significant differences in the risk of discontinuation due to adverse events between therapies. Oralair was associated with cost savings against year-round SCIT ($2471), seasonal SCIT ($948) and Grazax ($1168) during the first year of therapy. CONCLUSIONS Oralair has at least non-inferior efficacy and comparable safety against SCIT and Grazax at a lower annual cost.
Characterization of GLUT4 and calpain expression in healthy human skeletal muscle during fasting and refeeding

Aims: Calpain‐10 and calpain‐3 and the diabetes ankyrin repeat protein (DARP) have all been linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. We set out to measure the expression of these genes in human skeletal muscle and relate them to functional measurements of insulin action during fasting (which induces insulin resistance) and refeeding (which reverses it).
The Role of the Endocannabinoids in Suppression of the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal Axis Activity by Doxepin

Objective(s) The mechanism(s) by which antidepressants regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis remain elusive. The endocannabinoid system (eCBs) which exhibits antidepressant potential, appears to regulate the HPA axis activity. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of the eCBs in the action of doxepin including its effect on the HPA axis. Materials and Methods Male Wistar rats received acute and four-week intraperitoneal injections of doxepin (3, 5, and 10 mg/kg) or its vehicle (0.9% saline). One hr after the last injection, animals were exposed to a 5 min swim stress session. In other cohorts of animals, the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (0.25, 0.5, and 1mg/kg) was injected 30 min before the administration of doxepin. Plasma corticosterone concentration was measured by enzyme-immunoassay at 45 min following stressing. 1, 5, and 12 hr after the last injection of doxepin, the contents of endocacannabinoids (anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol) within the lipid extracts of the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus were determined using isotope-dilution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results Chronic treatment with doxepin (10 mg/kg) significantly reduced the secretion of corticosterone due to 5 min exposure to swim stress. Acute administration of doxepin evoked no effect. Pre-application of AM251 (1 mg/kg) abolished the ability of doxepin to reduce corticosterone secretion. Chronic administration of doxepin (10 mg/kg) led to a significant elevation of the endocannabinoids in the examined brain regions. Conclusion It appears that doxepin exerts its effects, at least in part, through activation of the eCBs and the CB1 cannabinoid receptors play a major role in this regard.
Effects of exercise on cravings to smoke: The role of exercise intensity and cortisol

Abstract Research consistently demonstrates that a bout of moderate exercise alleviates cravings to smoke among abstaining smokers. The aims of this study were to examine whether doses of exercise (moderate or vigorous) reduced cravings differently, and whether reductions in cravings were associated with changes in cortisol concentration. Using a within-participant, crossover design, 18 participants conducted three 15-min treatment sessions on separate days: passive, walking (45–50% heart rate reserve), and running (80–85% heart rate reserve) conditions. Participants rated cravings at baseline, mid-treatment, and 0, 10, 20, and 30 min after each treatment. Salivary cortisol samples were collected at baseline, immediately after, and 30 min after each condition. Significant group × time interactions were identified, demonstrating significant reductions in craving items after the walking and running conditions compared with the passive control. No significant differences in craving reductions were found between walking and running conditions. Post hoc comparisons found that running condition cravings to smoke scores were reduced for a longer duration post-treatment than post-walking condition scores. The decline in cortisol concentration was attenuated in the running group only. Vigorous exercise has a similar effect to moderate exercise in terms of the magnitude of craving reduction. However, performing bouts of moderate-intensity exercise may be a better recommendation for reducing cravings.