Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The dietary effect of different wheat cultivars for broiler chickens

1. An experiment was conducted to examine the variability in chemical composition of 16 wheat cultivars and to study how this variability affected the performance of broiler chickens given diets containing 650 or 815 g wheat/kg diet during the first 3 weeks of life. Intestinal viscosity, apparent fat digestibility and apparent metabolisable energy were determined with all diets. Intestinal pH and the relative weight of different parts of the intestine were measured in chickens fed on diets with the high wheat inclusion. 2. The 16 wheat cultivars varied in chemical composition, with protein content ranging from 112 to 127 g/kg dry matter, starch content from 658 to 722 g/kg dry matter and non-starch polysaccharides from 98 to 117 g/kg dry matter. The effect of the different wheat cultivars on the measured parameters was most pronounced in chickens fed on diets with 815 g wheat/kg diet ( P <0.001). However, significant ( P <0.001) differences between cultivars were still present at the lower wheat content. 3. Milling-quality wheats resulted in better performance ( P <0.001) than feeding-quality wheats at the high inclusion, whereas such an effect could not be registered in diets at the lower wheat inclusion. These results indicate that some of the feeding wheats are comparable in quality to milling wheats when included at the concentrations which are more common in practical broiler diets. 4. Decreasing the wheat content in the diets resulted in significantly ( P <0.001) better performance and considerably ( P <0.001) lower intestinal viscosity (jejunum; 2.4 to 5.9 cps, ileum; 4.6 to 10.9 cps) than in chickens fed on diets with the higher wheat inclusion level (jejunum; 9.1 to 38.4 cps, ileum; 20.8 to 82.0 cps). 5. Diets with 815 g wheat/kg influenced pH in the caeca, but not in the ileum and gizzard. The relative weights of the gizzard and ileum differed significantly ( P <0.05) between treatments, whereas those of duodenum, jejunum and caeca were not affected by dietary addition of the different wheat cultivars. 6. The present study demonstrated that the chemical composition and the nutritive value of Danish wheats for broilers vary markedly. The results indicated that the non-starch polysaccharide and especially the arabinoxylan content of wheat are important factors in the discussion of the result obtained. Poor correlations were seen between performance and AME n and care should be taken when using AME n values alone to predict the nutritive value of wheat and wheat-based diets.
Performance Characteristics of an In-House Assay System Used To Detect West Nile Virus (WNV)-Specific Immunoglobulin M during the 2001 WNV Season in the United States

ABSTRACT During the 2001 U. S. West Nile virus (WNV) season, 163 specimens were reactive in an in-house WNV-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) screening enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and were referred to either the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the appropriate state public health laboratory (CDC/SPHL) for additional testing. CDC/SPHL supplied results for 124 specimens that could be further evaluated in-house: 70 specimens were nonreactive in the CDC/SPHL WNV-specific IgM screening assay, and 54 specimens were reactive. These specimens were used to evaluate a modified in-house WNV-specific IgM ELISA that incorporated background subtraction to identify nonspecific reactivity and thus improve assay specificity. Of the 70 CDC/SPHL nonreactive samples, 49 (70%) were nonreactive in the modified ELISA; of the 54 CDC/SPHL reactive samples, 51 (94%) were reactive in the modified ELISA. Confirmatory studies performed by CDC/SPHL indicated that 38 CDC/SPHL screen-reactive specimens represented true WNV infection; all 38 specimens were reactive in the modified in-house WNV-specific IgM ELISA. These findings demonstrate that an in-house ELISA system for WNV-specific IgM effectively identifies patients with WNV infection.
Heterogeneity of Tonsillar Subepithelial B Lymphocytes, the Splenic Marginal Zone Equivalents1

The VH4 genes expressed by both resting and in vivo-activated subepithelial (SE) B cells from human tonsils were studied. Resting SE B cells were subdivided according to the presence (IgDlow) or absence (IgM-only) of surface IgD. CD27 was abundant on activated SE B cells and low on resting IgM-only B cells. Resting IgDlow SE B cells could be subdivided into CD27low and CD27high cell fractions. Resting IgDlow SE B cells displayed VH4 genes with a substantial number of mutations (13/29 of the molecular clones were mutated), whereas 25/26 of the clones from resting IgM-only SE B cells were unmutated. Moreover, mutated VH4 genes were detected mainly within the CD27high cell fraction of the IgDlow SE B cells. Several identical unmutated VH4DJH sequences (11/32) were found in different molecular clones from resting IgM-only SE B cells, suggesting local cellular expansion. Both unmutated (14/25) and mutated (11/25) sequences were found in μ transcripts of activated SE B cells. Extensive mutation was observed in the γ transcripts of activated SE B cells. Therefore, SE B cells are heterogeneous, being comprised of B cells with mutated Ig VH4 genes, that are Ag-experienced B cells, and a subset of B cells with unmutated VH4 genes that are either virgin cells or cells driven by Ags that did not induce or select for V gene mutations.
Experiences with dairy cattle crossbreeding in New Zealand

More than one third of the replacement cattle reared for the New Zealand dairy industry are crossbred, and the trend towards breeding crossbred replacements is increasing. Holstein-Friesian and Jersey are the most heavily represented parent breeds, followed by Ayrshire. Experimental data demonstrates that efficiency in converting pasture to saleable farm output is similar for the two main parent breeds. National data reveals positive heterosis effects for milk yield traits, and for survival traits. Farmer recognition of these facts explains the popularity of crossbreeding. Where herds typically comprise more than one breed, and crosses of the breeds, the national genetic evaluation system must develop methods to account for heterosis effects. Provision of profit indexes for cows where herds contain cows of markedly different body size requires the evaluation system to account for feed demands associated with body maintenance. The New Zealand profitability index calculated as part of the national genetic evaluation system shows that the average Holstein-Friesian x Jersey crossbred cow is more efficient than the average cow of either parent breed. Rotational crossing is used to maintain the efficiency advantage in generations after the first cross.
Selecting donors of platelets for refractory patientson the basis of HLA antibody specificity

BACKGROUND: Patients who are refractory to platelet transfusion as a result of HLA alloimmunization are generally given HLA‐matched or crossmatched platelets. However, HLA‐matched platelets that are matched at HLA‐A and ‐B loci (A‐matched) or those without any mismatched or cross‐reactive antigens (BU‐matched) are frequently unavailable. A disadvantage of crossmatching is that crossmatched platelets have a shelf life of only 5 days, so that crossmatch tests must be performed frequently for patients requiring long‐term platelet transfusions. An alternative method is the selection of platelets according to the patient's HLA antibody specificity, called the antibody specificity prediction (ASP) method.
Exploration of the normal human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid proteome

We obtained insight into normal lung function by proteome analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from six normal human subjects using a “Lyse‐N‐Go' shotgun proteomic protocol. Intra‐sample variation was calculated using three different label‐free methods, (i) protein sequence coverage; (ii) peptide spectral counts and (iii) peptide single‐ion current areas (PICA), which generates protein expression data by summation of the area under the curve for a given peptide single‐ion current trace and then adding values for all peptides from that same parent protein. PICA gave the least intra‐subject variability and was used to calculate differences in protein expression between the six subjects. We observed an average threefold inter‐sample variability, which affects analysis of changes in protein expression that occur in different diseases. We detected 167 unique proteins with >100 proteins detected in each of the six individual BAL samples, 42 of which were common to all six subjects. Gene ontology analysis demonstrated enrichment of several biological processes in the lung, reflecting its expected role in gas exchange and host defense as an immune organ. The same biological processes were enriched compared to either plasma or total genome proteome, suggesting an active enrichment of plasma proteins in the lung rather than passive capillary leak.
Dispersion characteristics for plasma resonances of Maxwellian and Kappa distribution plasmas and their comparisons to the IMAGE/RPI observations

[1] The Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) on the IMAGE satellite stimulates short-range plasma wave echoes and plasma emissions, known as plasma resonances, which are then displayed on plasmagrams. These resonances are used to provide measurements of the local electron density ne and magnetic field strength ∣B∣. The RPI-stimulated resonances are the magnetospheric analog of plasma resonances stimulated by topside ionospheric sounders. These resonances are stimulated at the harmonic of the electron cyclotron frequency fce, the electron plasma frequency fpe, and the upper-hybrid frequency fuh (where fuh2 = fpe2 + fce2). They are also observed between the harmonics of fce (i.e., nfce) both above and below fpe, where they are known as Qn and Dn resonances, respectively. Calculations of the Qn resonances in the ionospheric environment, based upon a thermal Maxwellian plasma model, provided confidence in the resonance identification between the observations and the estimated values within the experimental errors. However, there is often an apparent difference between these resonances in the magnetospheric environment and those predicted by calculations based on a Maxwellian plasma model. For example, the Qns are often (and perhaps consistently) observed at frequencies slightly lower than expected for a Maxwellian plasma. We present a new set of resonance calculations using the dispersion characteristics of these resonances based upon a nonthermal kappa distribution. We then compare these calculations and those based on a traditional Maxwellian thermal plasma model with the IMAGE/RPI observations. The calculations based on the kappa distribution model appear to resolve the aforementioned frequency discrepancy. In addition, the results also provide insights into the nature of the electron distribution function in the magnetosphere.
Zoonotic Onchocerca lupi Infection in Dogs, Greece and Portugal, 2011–2012

Onchocerca lupi infection is reported primarily in symptomatic dogs. We aimed to determine the infection in dogs from areas of Greece and Portugal with reported cases. Of 107 dogs, 9 (8%) were skin snip–positive for the parasite. DNA sequences of parasites in specimens from distinct dog populations differed genetically from thoses in GenBank.
Sterols from bivalves Calyptogena soyoae and Bathymodiolus septemdierum living in deep sea

From the two species of bivalves, Calyptogena soyoae around a cold seep and Bathymodiolus septemdierum near hydrothermal vents in the sea, sterols were isolated using high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis of the lipid fraction guided by characteristic 1H NMR signals of the sterol skeleton. The minor sterol composition of C. soyoae included 24-methylenecycloartanal, cycloeucalenol, and obutusifoliol, which are known phytosterols. From B. Septemdierum, lathosterol and cholesterol as main sterols together with more diverse sterols were obtained. The difference between these species and their sterol contents is most likely because of feeding modes and metabolism of nutrients from their habitat.
Multitrophic effects of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles in an evolutionary context

Herbivorous and carnivorous arthropods use plant volatiles when foraging for food. In response to herbivory, plants emit a blend that may be quantitatively and qualitatively different from the blend emitted when intact. This induced volatile blend alters the interactions of the plant with its environment. We review recent developments regarding the induction mechanism as well as the ecological consequences in a multitrophic and evolutionary context. It has been well established that carnivores (predators and parasitoids) are attracted by the volatiles induced by their herbivorous victims. This concerns an active plant response. In the case of attraction of predators, this is likely to result in a fitness benefit to the plant, because through consumption a predator removes the herbivores from the plant. However, the benefit to the plant is less clear when parasitoids are attracted, because parasitisation does usually not result in an instantaneous or in a complete termination of consumption by the herbivore. Recently, empirical evidence has been obtained that shows that the plant's response can increase plant fitness, in terms of seed production, due to a reduced consumption rate of parasitized herbivores. However, apart from a benefit from attracting carnivores, the induced volatiles can have a serious cost because there is an increasing number of studies that show that herbivores can be attracted. However, this does not necessarily result in settlement of the herbivores on the emitting plant. The presence of cues from herbivores and/or carnivores that indicate that the plant is a competitor‐ and/or enemy‐dense space, may lead to an avoidance response. Thus, the benefit of emission of induced volatiles is likely to depend on the prevailing faunal composition. Whether plants can adjust their response and influence the emission of the induced volatiles, taking the prevalent environmental conditions into account, is an interesting question that needs to be addressed. The induced volatiles may also affect interactions of the emitting plant with its neighbours, e.g., through altered competitive ability or by the neighbour exploiting the emitted information.
Omalizumab improves asthma-related quality of life in patients with severe allergic asthma.

BACKGROUND We have previously shown that omalizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody, reduces asthma exacerbations and decreases inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) requirement in patients with severe allergic asthma who were symptomatic despite moderate-to-high doses of ICSs. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of omalizumab on asthma-related quality of life (QOL). METHODS These analyses were part of a multicenter, 52-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessing the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of subcutaneous omalizumab (> or =0.016 mg/kg of IgE [in international unit per milliliter] per 4 weeks) in 525 adults with severe allergic asthma. A 16-week steroid-stable phase was followed by a 12-week steroid-reduction phase and a 24-week double-blind extension phase. The effect of treatment on asthma-related QOL was evaluated by using the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) administered at baseline and at weeks 16, 28, and 52. RESULTS The 2 treatment groups were comparable in terms of baseline AQLQ scores. At weeks 16, 28, and 52, omalizumab-treated patients demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all AQLQ domains, as well as in overall score. Moreover, a greater proportion of patients receiving omalizumab achieved a clinically meaningful improvement in asthma-related QOL during each phase of the study. Greater than 50% of both patients and investigators rated treatment similarly with omalizumab as excellent or good compared with less than 40% of placebo recipients. CONCLUSION In patients requiring moderate-to-high doses of ICSs for severe allergic asthma, the measurably improved disease control afforded by add-on omalizumab therapy is paralleled by clinically meaningful improvements in asthma-related QOL.
Is Functional Dyspepsia of Particular Concern in Women? A Review of Gender Differences in Epidemiology, Pathophysiologic Mechanisms, Clinical Presentation, and Management

Dyspepsia is a remarkably common symptom in the general population. Although multiple definitions have been used to describe the symptom, the most common explanation is that of chronic or recurrent pain or discomfort (a subjective negative feeling that may be associated with early satiety, fullness, bloating, or nausea) centered in the upper abdomen. When a thorough evaluation of a dyspeptic patient fails to identify a cause for her symptoms, the label of nonulcer or functional dyspepsia is applied. Functional dyspepsia is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by relapsing and remitting symptoms. Treatment strategies should focus on alleviating the most bothersome symptom and can be based on the proposed underlying pathophysiology. The effect of gender on mechanisms of disease, symptom presentation, and treatment response is an area of increasing interest and study. As with other functional gastrointestinal disorders, there appear to be some gender-specific features of functional dyspepsia. Specifically, gender-related differences have been observed in some studies of both the prevalence of individual dyspepsia symptoms, and in gastric emptying and proximal gastric motor function. There also appear to be gender differences in the psychosocial realm, with dyspeptic women experiencing a lesser sense of well-being than dyspeptic men, as well as an association of an abuse history with functional dyspepsia. This review will highlight specific gender differences related to the symptom presentation, pathophysiology, and approach to treatment of functional dyspepsia, while noting where differences have not been found and where further investigation is warranted.
Evaluation of a high-fiber diet in hyperlipidemia: a review.

Epidemiologic studies of cardiovascular mortality rates in different countries have suggested that dietary fiber may play a protective role. Within a similar population, a large intake of fiber is associated with a lower relative risk of death from coronary heart disease. Dietary fiber may be separated into at least two types: insoluble, which includes cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; and soluble, including pectin and gums. Laxative effects appear to predominate with insoluble fibers such as wheat bran, with little change in plasma lipid levels in most studies. Pectin, guar gum, and oat bran (soluble fibers) have been reported to have hypocholesterolemic effects in both animals and man, with the effect being proportional to the degree of cholesterol elevation. Other gums, specifically those from locust bean and karaya, have a similar effect, with the decrease in total cholesterol due primarily to a decrease in the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol fraction. While some studies have shown continued improvement over a period of months, this has not been uniformly found. Both normal and elevated triglyceride levels appear to be more resistant to change with dietary fiber. An increase of dietary carbohydrate as a source of fiber may be associated with an increase in triglyceride levels. Fiber may, however, offer some protection against an increase in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in subjects fed diets containing large amounts of sucrose. Although rats fed oat bran, guar gum, or pectin had lower levels of hepatic and blood triglycerides, humans with hypercholesterolemia fed oat bran or guar showed no effect on their triglycerides. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A new analog predistortion criterion with application to high efficiency digital radio links

Describes a new approach for designing analog cubic predistorters in view of minimizing nonlinear distortion introduced by the high power amplifier (HPA) in microwave radio links. The approach is based on a global mean squared error minimization between the input to the predistorter and the output of the power amplifier, rather than on the elimination of the cubic term. In this manner, two advantages are obtained. Firstly, the off-band distortion terms are reduced so that it is possible to eliminate the HF transmission filter. Secondly, the interference produced by the nonlinear distortion can be uniformly distributed over the entire constellation so that it is possible to reduce the back-off value of the HPA. Results of the application of the method proposed to some high spectrally efficient QAM systems, such as the 512-QAM system, are presented.
ANGUSTIFOLIA3 Binds to SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Complexes to Regulate Transcription during Arabidopsis Leaf Development[W]

The transcriptional coactivator ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) stimulates cell division during Arabidopsis leaf development. It is shown that AN3 associates with SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes to regulate the expression of important downstream transcription factors and that the module SWI/SNF-AN3 is a major player in the transition from cell division to cell expansion in developing leaves. The transcriptional coactivator ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) stimulates cell proliferation during Arabidopsis thaliana leaf development, but the molecular mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we show that inducible nuclear localization of AN3 during initial leaf growth results in differential expression of important transcriptional regulators, including GROWTH REGULATING FACTORs (GRFs). Chromatin purification further revealed the presence of AN3 at the loci of GRF5, GRF6, CYTOKININ RESPONSE FACTOR2, CONSTANS-LIKE5 (COL5), HECATE1 (HEC1), and ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR4 (ARR4). Tandem affinity purification of protein complexes using AN3 as bait identified plant SWITCH/SUCROSE NONFERMENTING (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complexes formed around the ATPases BRAHMA (BRM) or SPLAYED. Moreover, SWI/SNF ASSOCIATED PROTEIN 73B (SWP73B) is recruited by AN3 to the promoters of GRF5, GRF3, COL5, and ARR4, and both SWP73B and BRM occupy the HEC1 promoter. Furthermore, we show that AN3 and BRM genetically interact. The data indicate that AN3 associates with chromatin remodelers to regulate transcription. In addition, modification of SWI3C expression levels increases leaf size, underlining the importance of chromatin dynamics for growth regulation. Our results place the SWI/SNF-AN3 module as a major player at the transition from cell proliferation to cell differentiation in a developing leaf.
Replicas and optimization

We use the replica method to study the (bipartite) weighted matching problem with independent random distances between the points. We propose a replica symmetric solution which fits the numerical values of the minimal length and the distribution of lengths of the occupied links in the optimal configuration Nous utilisons la methode des repliques pour etudier le probleme du matching (bipartite) avec des distances aleatoires independantes entre les points. Nous proposons une solution, symetrique dans les repliques, qui est en accord avec les valeurs numeriques de la longueur minimale et la distribution des longueurs des liens occupes dans la configuration optimale.