Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current joint therapy usage in equine practice: a survey of veterinarians 2009.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Medications are frequently employed to treat intra-articular (IA) problems in the performance horse. Actual usage of the different IA medications in horses is not available. OBJECTIVES To determine the most common usage of these medications, members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) were surveyed. METHODS An email link to an online survey was electronically sent to 6305 AAEP members and the responses tabulated and analysed with a logistic regression model. RESULTS A total of 831 survey responses were submitted and tabulated. Eighty per cent of the respondents indicated that they see 100% equine cases in their practice. The majority of respondents (77%) use triamcinolone acetonide (TA) to treat high motion joints and 73% use methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) to treat low motion joints. Veterinarians treating the Western performance and Sport horse were significantly more likely to use TA in high motion joints compared to MPA (P = 0.0201 and P<0.0001, respectively). Triamcinolone acetonide use compared to MPA in high motion joints by racehorse veterinarians was significantly lower compared to other veterinarians (P<0.0001). Polysulphated glycosaminoglycan (Adequan) and hyaluronate sodium (Legend) were the most commonly used disease modifying products (63 and 57% of respondents, respectively). Sport horse practitioners were significantly more likely than race or show horse veterinarians to utilise IRAP products (P = 0.0035 and P = 0.04, respectively). Respondents who had been in practice for more than 10 years were significantly less likely to use antimicrobials in their joint injections compared to those in practice for less than 10 years (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Significant differences existed in usage of medications related to primary discipline treated and years practicing. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE The results of this study aid in defining the current usage of different joint therapy medications within equine practice. This knowledge can guide further research as well as education.
The 1978 shift in the NCEP reanalysis stratospheric quasi‐biennial oscillation

The National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP) reanalysis exhibits interdecadal changes in the structure of the quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) and annual mean fields in the tropical stratosphere during 1958–2001. A sudden temperature increase occurred around 1978, with equatorial maxima of ∼3 K at 10 hPa and near the tropopause. When this 1978 jump is removed, a moderate cooling trend is found throughout the tropical lower stratosphere, with an equatorial maximum cooling of 3 K over 40 years near 30 hPa. While the QBO in zonal wind is similar in both the 1958–1978 and 1979–2001 periods, the QBO in temperature is significantly reduced in amplitude and latitudinally contracted after 1978, and the QBO meridional circulation is stronger. Vertical temperature variations in the annual mean and QBO have been underestimated since the introduction of nadir‐sounding satellites. A mechanism is suggested for how this may affect meridional circulations in data assimilation models.
Analysis of the Factors that Influence Online Purchasing

This paper reviews recent studies related to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in order to derive an extended model that examines online purchasing by consumers. Our model ex0 pands the original TAM by including additional constructs including privacy, trust, perceived risk, e0satisfaction, and e0loyalty. We surveyed over 1,850 consumers in the United States and Australia using an instrument that yielded respectable reliability and validity. The findings suggest that our expanded model serves as a very good predictor of consumers’ online pur0 chasing behaviors. The linear regression model shows a substantial amount of variance ex0 plained for Behavioral Intention (R 2 = .637). We also discover interesting but unexpected re0 sults that provide the need for future research. This paper adds to our understanding of the factors influencing online purchasing. Future researchers can refine our model and instrument to further explain consumers’ acceptance of Internet0based applications.
Ignition and flame studies for an accelerating transonic mixing layer

Numerical solutions have been obtained for a diffusion e ame in the two-dimensional, laminar, steady, viscous, multicomponent, compressible mixing layer in the presence of a pressure gradient by using the boundary-layer approximationsand solvingthe x-momentum,energy,and speciesconservation equations. Thenumericalsolutions have been validated against similarity solutions and then are extended to cases where no similarity solution exists. The numerical solutions are used to study the ignition process and the e ame structure in an accelerating transonic mixing layer. It is shown how ignition length depends on initial temperature, initial pressure, initial velocity, viscosity, and pressure gradient. Ignition is found to occur on the high-temperature-air side. Oxidation kinetics and transport are both controlling in the upstream ignition region. Farther downstream, transport is controlling in the fully established e ame. The boundary-layer approximation is found to be valid everywhere including the upstream ignition region.
ApoE genotype in relation to AD and cholesterol

Objective: To calculate the frequencies of apolipoprotein E (apoE) alleles in a large Chinese community sample and to compare the serum cholesterol levels of ε2, ε3, and ε4 carriers. Background: In comparison with Western populations, a lower frequency of the apoE ε4 allele among the Chinese has been proposed as one factor for the lower prevalence of AD found in Chinese populations, but there are insufficient Chinese data on ε4 frequency that are based on large community samples. In addition, although Western studies have repeatedly found a lower cholesterol level in ε2 carriers and a higher cholesterol level in ε4 carriers in comparison with ε3 homozygotes, two Chinese studies have yielded inconsistent findings between them. Methods: During the incidence phase of an epidemiologic survey of several neurologic disorders in a Chinese community, the authors took blood samples from 2,326 participants to determine the apoE genotypes and to measure cholesterol levels. Results: The allelic frequencies of ε2, ε3, and ε4 were 11.8%, 76.4%, and 11.8% among 17 AD patients, and 7.8%, 84.1%, and 8.1% for the entire sample. The mean cholesterol level of the ε2 carriers was significantly lower, and that of the ε4 carriers significantly higher, than that of the ε3 homozygotes. Conclusions: The obtained ε4 rate of 8.1% is lower than most of the Western findings, and this may account in part for the lower prevalence of AD found among the Chinese. The associations between the apoE genotype and serum cholesterol level are similar between Chinese and white populations.
Radiographic assessment of canine transmissible venereal tumor metastases

Transmissible Venereal Tumor (TVT) is a common genital and extra-genital tumor of dogs that has been reported to metastasize to distant organs, however very little has been reported about the radiographic assessment of metastasis of the tumor. This study describes the use of radiography in assessing canine transmissible venereal tumor metastasis. The clinical records and thoracic and abdominal radiographs of 15 dogs diagnosed with either genital, and/or extragenital, TVTs were reviewed to evaluate the role of radiography in the recognition of TVT metastasis. In addition, the necropsy records of four of the dogs that died, or were euthanized due to recurrence, were also reviewed. The median age of the dogs in this study was 5 years (age range = 6 months to 9 years). Nine of the dogs were females and six were males. Four dogs Communications in Theriogenology 2010;4(1):Doc 1 showed radiographic evidence of tumor metastasis. Tumor evidence was noticed on the thoracic radiographs of three dogs, while one dog had evidence of tumors on the abdominal radiograph. In addition, two dogs each showed evidence of tumor metastasis to the mammary gland and the popliteal lymph nodes, while two other dogs each had metastasis to the uterus and cutaneous nodules, respectively. Tumor presence on the abdominal radiographs of one dog was evident as an enlarged sub-lumbar lymph node. Tumor metastases were seen in the liver and spleen of two dogs at necropsy. All tumor metastases were either confirmed by cytology of impression smear or by histology. Radiographic detection of tumor metastasis appeared to be better on the thoracic radiographs than the abdominal radiographs. It is therefore concluded that both thoracic and abdominal radiographs should be included in the diagnostic protocol of canine transmissible venereal tumor.
Understanding the relationship among launch variables in the golf drive using neural network visualisations

The aim of this study was to identify and characterise individual differences in launch conditions measured from the same hole during four rounds of a professional golf tournament. Launch data from the 18th tee at the 2009 Dubai World Championship were used for the analysis. Self-organising maps (SOMs) were chosen to visualise the potentially non-linear relationship among the launch variables. Several distinctly different types of drives were identified on the Output Map. Drives which carried the furthest were not necessarily associated with the highest rates of ball speed. As indicated by carry distance, the longest drives had backspin rates of roughly 2,700 rpm, a launch angle of 11°, a straight or slightly left-to-right curving ball flight (for right-handers), and reached an apex of about 36 m. These values are specific to the 18th hole at the Dubai World Championship and differ from the general launch recommendations found in the literature.
Lipid Polymorphism and Membrane Function

One of the fundamental problems in membrane biology is that of lipid diversity. The number of chemically different membrane lipids is much larger than other key biological building blocks such as nucleotides, amino acids, and carbohydrates. For instance, a relatively simple biomembrane such as that of the red blood cell contains well over a hundred different lipid species. Except for some metabolic and receptor-type functions, current models of biological membranes do not take into account this lipid diversity. In the fluid mosaic model (Singer and Nicolson, 1972), the lipids are thought to form a fluid semipermeable bilayer which acts as a matrix for the functional membrane proteins. On the basis of our present understanding, a single unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) species could easily satisfy such demands. The incomplete nature of such membrane models is reinforced by two basic membrane phenomena. First, biological membranes are highly dynamic structures which are continuously involved in a variety of biochemical processes during which transient departures from bilayer structure must occur. Examples include the transbilayer transport of lipids and proteins as well as membrane fusion, among others. Second, although the ability of lipids to adopt a variety of phases has been recognized
LENSING MAGNIFICATION: A NOVEL METHOD TO WEIGH HIGH-REDSHIFT CLUSTERS AND ITS APPLICATION TO SpARCS

We introduce a novel method to measure the masses of galaxy clusters at high redshift selected from optical and IR Spitzer data via the red-sequence technique. Lyman-break galaxies are used as a well-understood, high-redshift background sample allowing mass measurements of lenses at unprecedented high redshifts using weak lensing magnification. By stacking a significant number of clusters at different redshifts with average masses of ∼(1–3) × 1014 M☉, as estimated from their richness, we can calibrate the normalization of the mass–richness relation. With the current data set (area: 6 deg2) we detect a magnification signal at the >3σ level. There is good agreement between the masses estimated from the richness of the clusters and the average masses estimated from magnification, albeit with large uncertainties. We perform tests that suggest the absence of strong systematic effects and support the robustness of the measurement. This method—when applied to larger data sets in the future—will yield an accurate calibration of the mass–observable relations at z ≳ 1 which will represent an invaluable input for cosmological studies using the galaxy cluster mass function and astrophysical studies of cluster formation. Furthermore, this method will probably be the least expensive way to measure masses of large numbers of z > 1 clusters detected in future IR-imaging surveys.
Polymer-peptide hybrids as a highly immunogenic single-dose nanovaccine.

AIM To explore four-arm star poly(t-butyl)acrylate (P(t)BA)-peptide and linear P(t)BA-peptide conjugates as a vaccine-delivery system against Group A Streptococcus. MATERIALS & METHODS P(t)BA nanoparticles bearing J14 peptide epitopes were prepared via alkyne-azide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition 'click' reaction. The conjugated products were self-assembled into small or large nanoparticles. These nanoparticle vaccine candidates were evaluated in vivo and J14-specific antibody titers were assessed. RESULTS & DISCUSSION Mice vaccinated with the nanoparticles were able to produce J14-specific IgG antibodies without the use of an external adjuvant after a single immunization. We have demonstrated for the first time that the immune responses against self-assembled P(t)BA nanoparticles are stronger for the smaller sized (~20 nm) nanoparticles compared with the larger (~500 nm) P(t)BA nanoparticles. CONCLUSION PtBA analogs have the potential to be developed as potent carrier systems for single-dose synthetic vaccines.
Effects of “Diagnosis Threat” on Cognitive and Affective Functioning Long After Mild Head Injury

Abstract Persistent cognitive complaints are common following a mild head injury (MHI), but deficits are rarely detected on neuropsychological tests. Our objective was to examine the effect of symptom expectation on self-report and cognitive performance measures in MHI individuals. Prior research suggests that when MHI participants are informed they may experience cognitive difficulties, they perform worse on neuropsychological tests compared to MHI participants who are uninformed. In this study, undergraduate students with and without a prior MHI were either informed that the study's purpose was to investigate the effects of MHI on cognitive functioning (“diagnosis threat” condition) or merely informed that their cognitive functioning was being examined, with no mention of status (“neutral” condition). “Diagnosis threat” MHIs self-reported more attention failures compared to “diagnosis threat” controls and “neutral” MHIs, and more memory failures compared to “diagnosis threat” controls. In the “neutral” condition, MHIs reported higher anxiety levels compared to controls and compared to “diagnosis threat” MHIs. Regardless of condition, MHIs performed worse on only one neuropsychological test of attention span. “Diagnosis threat” may contribute to the prevalence and persistence of cognitive complaints made by MHI individuals found in the literature, but may not have as strong of an effect on neuropsychological measures. (JINS, 2011, 17, 219–229)
Antagonistic properties of Trichoderma viride on post harvest cassava root rot pathogens

The effective in vitro screening tests of Trichoderma viride for antagonism against post harvest pathogens of cassava roots (Manihot esculenta Crantz) rot together with its competitive and mycoparasitic abilities informs its selection as the most promising candidate for the biocontrol of post harvest cassava root rot pathogens. While the percentage germination of the spores were observed to increase with increasing dilution of the culture filtrate (100, 50, 25, and 10% ) at a concentration of 20,000 spores/ml, the percentage rot recorded amongst the untreated cassava roots ranged from 4% (Rhizopus oryzae) to 44% (Aspergillus flavus). Treatment with the antagonist and the subsequent storage resulted in a remarkable reduction in the frequency of occurrence of the normal root surface mycoflora and the pathogens over a 3 weeks storage period. Botryodiplodia theobromae and R. oryzae were isolated only in the first week of storage and at a frequency of 3 and 2% rot, respectively, after treatment whereas A. flavus and Fusarium solani persisted throughout the whole storage period with 2 and 3% rot on the third week, respectively. The observed results suggest that T. viride is root surface competent and highly antagonistic.
Gross Morphological Variation in Preterm Placenta in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Pregnancy Induced Hypertension

Background: Preterm birth is the primary cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Recently, it has become a significant issue in public health policies of developing countries. Among the various causes, pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are two important high-risk factors for preterm birth. Again, placenta is a mirror that reflects the well-being of the fetus and continuously undergoes a change in weight, structure, shape and function in order to support the well-being of the fetus. Objective: To make an in-depth analysis on the possible gross morphological changes in preterm placenta in respect of GDM and PIH. Materials and Methods: The study was observational, analytical and cross sectional. The patients under this study were selected from the Obstetric ward of BSMMU and BIRDEM Hospital, from June 2005 to October 2005. A total of sixty-six samples were collected from women during 28 weeks to 36 completed weeks of gestation. Among them, twenty-two samples were from mothers having GDM, twenty-two having PIH and twenty-two belonged to normal pregnancy (control group). The placentas were examined to measure their diameter, thickness, cotyledons number, weight, and volume. Results: In this study, the GDM group showed significantly higher values for the variables of diameter, weight, volume and number of cotyledons as compared to PIH group. On the other hand, the thickness of the placenta showed lower values in GDM group, but the result did not reach a significant level. Conclusion: From the findings of this study, it is difficult to establish a clear-cut correlation about placental changes in diabetic and hypertensive mothers during pregnancy. However, the changes in placental weight, volume and diameter found in gestational diabetic mother may be a long term compensatory mechanism, aiming to secure a sufficient nutrient supply to support the growth of the foetus. So, postnatal examination of the placenta can yield information that may be important for immediate and late management of the mother and neonate. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/jemc.v1i2. 11466 J Enam Med Col 2011; 1(2): 71-75
Role of dopamine transporter imaging in investigation of parkinsonian syndromes in routine clinical practice

We discuss the potential role of dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as a biological marker for differentiating among parkinsonian disorders in routine clinical practice, and the implication for disease progression assessment is considered. Although clinical criteria enable accurate and reliable diagnosis of fully developed Parkinson's disease, there are several areas of diagnostic uncertainty relating to atypical parkinsonian disorders, isolated tremor symptoms not fulfilling essential tremor criteria, as well as drug‐induced and psychogenetic parkinsonism. DAT‐SPECT facilitates differential diagnosis of the different parkinsonian syndromes that cannot be reliably separated on clinical grounds and it can thus provide valuable diagnostic information in early disease. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society
Social relations and depressive symptomatology in a sample of community-dwelling French older adults.

This study examined the association between social relations and mental health, specifically the relative contribution of social networks and social support to depressive symptomatology. The culturally unique representative sample consisted of 3,777 noninstitutionalized older persons living in southwestern France. The findings indicated that French older adults generally had more than 8 people in their networks, their networks consisted mostly of family members, and they felt understood by most of their network members. These older adults reported being satisfied with their social relations. Sociodemographic variables contribute (R2 = .143) to depressive symptomatology, as did social network (incremented R2 = .033) and social support (incremented R2 = .09) variables. Sociodemographic, social network, and social support variables together increased the variance explained still further (incremented R2 = .108). Results were consistent with similar analyses in the U.S. and indicated that social support variables account for more variance in depressive symptomatology than social network variables.
Topiramate reduces ethanol consumption by C57BL/6 mice

Background: Previous reports indicate that topiramate (TPM) might be an effective treatment for alcohol dependence, perhaps due to a decrease alcohol's rewarding effects resulting from inhibition mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) release. Additional reports indicate that TPM antagonizes chronic changes induced by alcohol at the α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole‐4‐propionic acid (AMPA) and kainate receptors. In the present study, a C57BL/6 (B6) murine model (n = 40) was used to evaluate the effect of TPM on the consumption of 12% alcohol over a 21‐h period. Methods: TPM (0, 10, 30, 90 mg/kg) injected subcutaneously into B6 mice 60 min prior to access to a 12% ethanol solution (v/v) over 8 days produced dose‐responsive reduction in consumption during the first 2‐h period after injection. Results: Across the 8 days of treatment ethanol intake (g/kg) for SAL, T10, T30, and T90, respectively, was 1.34, 1.03, 0.72, and 0.67. This reduction appears to require systemically available TPM since it was not statistically supported when assessed over the entire 21‐h period of ethanol availability. None of the TPM doses affected food consumption or body weight, and T90 dose did not reduce motor activity either by itself or in combination with ethanol. Conclusions: Unlike previous experiments using the same B6 mouse model to assess naltrexone or tiagabine, there was no evidence that mice developed tolerance to the TPM‐induced reductions in ethanol consumption. Thus, in the B6 mouse, TPM reduced ethanol intake at doses with no readily apparent adverse side effects, an effect consistent with recent clinical reports. Additional study will be directed toward characterizing TPM as a treatment for alcohol dependence. Synapse 61:150–156, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.