Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of dietary iodine on thyroxine secretion rate of lactating cows.

Abstract Supplemental iodine, 100mg daily, was added to low iodine diets of seven Holstein cows which were compared to paired controls. Treatment was from 6 to 8 weeks prepartum through 28 weeks of lactation. Plasma thyroxine (T 4 ) and T 4 disappearance rates after injection of 20mg T 4 were determined four times at 2-month intervals. Iodine supplemented cows averaged higher than controls in plasma total iodine, protein-bound iodine, and T 4 . Average differences in T 4 turnover rates were not significant, but overall T 4 secretion or disappearance rates were higher for the supplemented cows in the last two periods. Plasma thyroxine secretion rates of both controls and iodine supplemented cows increased slightly with advancing lactation. Incipient iodine deficiency was indicated in the control cows at the end of the trial by low milk iodine and blood iodide concentrations. Milk yields of control cows averaged 733kg higher than yields of supplemented cows in 28 weeks. There was no indication that the iodine deficient diet caused hypothyroidism in high producing cows.
Palliative care seen from the point of view of the lung cancer patients’ families

Os cuidados paliativos defendem o emprego de terapeuticas de alivio do sofrimento de pacientes com doencas ameacadoras da vida, respeitando suas dimensoes fisica, psiquica, social e espiritual. Neste sentido, buscou-se apreender o que os familiares de pacientes com neoplasia de pulmao entendem por essa terapeutica. Trata-se de estudo qualitativo de cunho exploratorio, no qual foram realizadas 11 entrevistas semiestruturadas com familiares cuidadores. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos a analise de conteudo e articulados a literatura sobre cuidados paliativos. A compreensao dos cuidados paliativos vai desde o desconhecimento do termo a nocao de cuidados com a doenca. Conclui-se que a comunicacao equipe-familia e essencial na construcao dessa compreensao e que, mesmo nao havendo reconhecimento do termo pela maior parte dos familiares, os resultados mostram que o cenario da pesquisa e propicio a implantacao da filosofia dos cuidados paliativos.
Influence of Lap Splices on the Deformation Capacity of RC Walls. II: Shell Element Simulation and Equivalent Uniaxial Model

Spliced longitudinal reinforcement may result in a reduction of both strength and displacement capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) members. This applies in particular when lap splices are located in regions where inelastic deformations concentrate, such as the plastic zone at the base of RC walls. This paper introduces a simple numerical model suitable for engineering practice to simulate the force-displacement response of RC walls with lap splices. Based on experimental data from 16 test units, an equivalent uniaxial steel stress-strain law is proposed that represents the monotonic envelope of the cyclic response of spliced rebars in RC walls up to the onset of strength degradation. It allows for modeling lap splice response with finite element (FE) models while avoiding the use of complex interface bond-slip elements. A new semi-empirical expression for the strain at the onset of strength degradation is derived, which expresses the strain capacity of the lap splice as a function of the confining reinforcement ratio and the ratio of lap splice length to shear span of the wall. The proposed equivalent constitutive law was included in shell element models to predict the force-displacement response of the test unit set of RC walls. Results demonstrated the ability of this approach to adequately capture the peak strength and displacement capacity of the spliced units.
THE BROAD-BAND X-RAY SPECTRUM OF IC 4329A FROM A JOINT NuSTAR/SUZAKU OBSERVATION

We have obtained a deep, simultaneous observation of the bright, nearby Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A with Suzaku and NuSTAR. Through a detailed spectral analysis, we are able to robustly separate the continuum, absorption, and distant reflection components in the spectrum. The absorbing column is found to be modest (), and does not introduce any significant curvature in the Fe K band. We are able to place a strong constraint on the presence of a broadened Fe Kα line ( with and ), though we are not able to constrain any of the parameters of a relativistic reflection model. These results highlight the range in broad Fe K line strengths observed in nearby, bright, active galactic nuclei (roughly an order of magnitude), and imply a corresponding range in the physical properties of the inner accretion disk in these sources. We have also updated our previously reported measurement of the high-energy cutoff of the hard X-ray emission using both observatories rather than just NuSTAR alone: Ecut = 186 ± 14 keV. This high-energy cutoff acts as a proxy for the temperature of the coronal electron plasma, enabling us to further separate this parameter from the plasma's optical depth and to update our results for these parameters as well. We derive with using a spherical geometry, kT = 61 ± 1 keV with τ = 0.68 ± 0.02 for a slab geometry, with both having an equivalent goodness-of-fit.
Evaluation of an Innovative Medicaid Health Policy Initiative to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment in Washington State

State health policy making is rarely based on evidence derived from empirical analysis. An exception is an innovative policy established in 2005 in Washington State (Senate Bill [SB] 5763) to provide funding (approximately $30 million) to expand access to substance abuse (SA) treatment for Medicaid beneficiaries. The authors analyzed Medicaid claims data and other administrative data over a 7-year period, July 2001 through June 2008, for three cohorts of welfare clients (n ≈ 44,000) to assess the effect of SA treatment on health care expenditures. Regression analysis showed SA treatment to be associated (p < .001) with per member per month expenditure savings of approximately $160 to $385 depending on the welfare cohort. The aggregate annualized estimated saving ($16.8 million) equaled the cost-saving goal of SB 5763. While it may be tempting for policy makers to cut funding for SA treatment, this may be counterproductive and in the long-run increase Medicaid costs.
Bioaccumulation of metals by lichens: Uptake of aqueous uranium by Peltigera membranacea as a function of time and pH

Abstract Uranium sorption experiments were carried out at ~25 °C using natural samples of the lichen Peltigera membranacea. Thalli were incubated in solutions containing 100 ppm U for up to 24 h at pH values from 2 to 10. Equilibrium sorption was not observed at less than ~6 h under any pH condition. U sorption was strongest in the pH range 4-5, with maximum sorption occurring at a pH of 4.5 and an incubation time of 24 h. Maximum U uptake by P. membranacea averaged ~42 000 ppm, or ~4.2 wt% U. This appears to represent the highest concentration of biosorbed U, relative to solution U activity, of any lichen reported to date. Investigation of post-experimental lichen tissues using electron probe microanalysis (EPM) reveals that U uptake is spatially heterogeneous within the lichen body, and that U attains very high local concentrations on scattered areas of the upper cortex. Energy dispersive spectroscopic (EDS) analysis reveals that strong U uptake correlates with P signal intensity, suggesting involvement of biomass-derived phosphate ligands or surface functional groups in the uptake process.
Assistive technology and self-rated health in comparison with age peers: a longitudinal study in 55–64-year-olds

Abstract Purpose: To determine changes in self-rated health in comparison with age peers (SRH-AP) among 55–64-year-olds, as affected by (1) initiating, (2) ceasing, and (3) prolonging the use of assistive technology (AT). Methods: Data included two national cohorts of 55–64-year-olds from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (total N = 1968), with baseline cycles in 1992–93 and 2002–03 and 3-year follow-ups. The effect of AT use on SRH-AP was studied in analyses of variance for repeated measurements, adjusting for age and self-reported disability. Results: Respondents using AT reported poorer SRH-AP than respondents not using AT. Over time disability increased for respondents prolonging and initiating AT use and decreased for respondents ceasing AT use. No major changes were seen in SRH-AP over time, except for a small improvement for respondents prolonging AT use. Conclusions: AT use had a negative influence on SRH-AP, but this influence subsided over time for prolonged AT use. Despite longitudinal changes in disability, there was a marked stability of SRH-AP over time which may be attributed to AT use. Implications for Rehabilitation Both the proportion of 55–64-year-olds using AT and the proportion reporting disability was significantly higher in the recent cohort as compared to the early cohort. 55–64-Year-olds not using AT rated their health compared with age peers (SRH-AP) better than those using AT. 55–64-Year-olds who prolonged the use of AT reported the poorest ratings of SRH-AP, but also showed the clearest improvement in SRH-AP, suggesting that the initial negative influence of AT use on SRH-AP may subside over time.
The Actim Partus test to predict pre-term birth in asymptomatic high-risk women

The Actim Partus test has been shown to be a useful predictor of pre-term birth in symptomatic women, but limited research has been carried out in high-risk asymptomatic women. This is a pilot study to evaluate the use of this test as a direct comparator with the fetal fibronectin test. All asymptomatic high-risk women attending a pre-term surveillance clinic over a 9-month period, took an Actim Partus and fetal fibronectin test, between 23 +0–24 +6 weeks’ gestation. A total of 45 women were eligible. The positive and negative predictive values of the Actim Partus test for delivery at ≤ 37 weeks’ gestation were 0% and 70%, respectively, compared with the fetal fibronectin test, with values of 67% and 79%, respectively. It was concluded that the Actim Partus test did not perform well as a predictor of pre-term birth in high-risk asymptomatic women.
Pattern of liver enzyme elevations in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction

ObjectivesLiver enzyme elevations occur with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); however, their significance in the modern era is not well-defined. The incidence of liver enzyme elevations in STEMI, temporal trends, correlations with creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and associations with clinical outcomes were evaluated. MethodsThe Complement Inhibition in Myocardial Infarction Treated with Angioplasty and Complement Inhibition in Myocardial Infarction Treated with Thrombolytics trials evaluated 1903 patients with STEMI. A core lab analyzed liver enzymes at baseline, days 1, 6, and 14, and CK-MB measured sequentially over 72 h. The GUSTO model for 30-day mortality was used to predict clinical endpoints. ResultsA total of 1783 patients were included in the analysis. Aspartate transaminase (AST) was elevated above the upper limit of normal in 85.6% and alanine transaminase (ALT) was elevated in 48.2% of patients at baseline or day 1. CK-MB area under the curve correlated with maximum AST (r=0.727) and maximum ALT (r=0.456). Both AST and ALT elevations were independent predictors of worse outcomes in multivariable adjusted analysis, even after adjustment for CK-MB. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of AST elevation were 1.12 (1.05–1.19) for all-cause mortality, and 1.08 (1.02–1.13) for the composite endpoint of death, congestive heart failure, shock, or stroke. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of ALT elevation were 1.15 (1.04–1.27) for mortality and 1.47 (1.10–1.98) for the composite endpoint. ConclusionAST and ALT elevations are common in STEMI. Both markers are correlated with CK-MB area under the curve, but independently associated with worse mortality and clinical outcomes.
Glial Cells Missing Homologue 1 Is Induced in Differentiating Equine Chorionic Girdle Trophoblast Cells1

Abstract The objective of this study was to identify transcription factors associated with differentiation of the chorionic girdle, the invasive form of equine trophoblast. The expression patterns of five transcription factors were determined on a panel of conceptus tissues from early horse pregnancy. Tissues from Days 15 through 46 were tested. Eomesodermin (EOMES), glial cells missing homologue 1 (GCM1), heart and neural crest derivatives expressed transcript 1 (HAND1), caudal type homeobox 2 (CDX2), and distal-less homeobox 3 (DLX3) were detected in horse trophoblast, but the expression patterns for these genes varied. EOMES had the most restricted distribution, while DLX3 CDX2, and HAND1 were widely expressed. GCM1 seemed to increase in the developing chorionic girdle, and this was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR assays. GCM1 expression preceded a striking increase in expression of equine chorionic gonadotropin beta (CGB) in the chorionic girdle, and binding sites for GCM1 were discovered in the promoter region of the CGB gene. GCM1, CGB, and CGA mRNA were expressed preferentially in binucleate cells as opposed to uninucleate cells of the chorionic girdle. Based on these findings, it is likely that GCM1 has a role in differentiation and function of the invasive trophoblast of the equine chorionic girdle and endometrial cups. The equine binucleate chorionic girdle (CG) secreting trophoblast shares molecular, morphological, and functional characteristics with human syncytiotrophoblast and represents a model for studies of human placental function.
Arbitrary Frame Rate Transcoding Through Temporal and Spatial Complexity

In this paper, an arbitrary frame rate transcoding joint considering temporal and spatial complexity of frames in the adaptive length sliding window is proposed. The length of a sliding window can be adjusted according to bandwidth variation in order to decide the number of skipped frames. The proposed method preserves significant frames and drops non-significant ones using the complexity measurements. Moreover, the motion vector composition algorithm is proposed to reduce the computations of motion estimation process by adopting the coding feature of variable block sizes in H.264/AVC video transcoder. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves higher visual quality compared to other existing methods. After combining with the proposed fast motion composition algorithm, our proposed algorithm reduces encoding time significantly with slight visual quality degradation.
AMA1 and MAEBL are important for Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite infection of the liver

The malaria sporozoite injected by a mosquito migrates to the liver by traversing host cells. The sporozoite also traverses hepatocytes before invading a terminal hepatocyte and developing into exoerythrocytic forms. Hepatocyte infection is critical for parasite development into merozoites that infect erythrocytes, and the sporozoite is thus an important target for antimalarial intervention. Here, we investigated two abundant sporozoite proteins of the most virulent malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and show that they play important roles during cell traversal and invasion of human hepatocytes. Incubation of P. falciparum sporozoites with R1 peptide, an inhibitor of apical merozoite antigen 1 (AMA1) that blocks merozoite invasion of erythrocytes, strongly reduced cell traversal activity. Consistent with its inhibitory effect on merozoites, R1 peptide also reduced sporozoite entry into human hepatocytes. The strong but incomplete inhibition prompted us to study the AMA‐like protein, merozoite apical erythrocyte‐binding ligand (MAEBL). MAEBL‐deficient P. falciparum sporozoites were severely attenuated for cell traversal activity and hepatocyte entry in vitro and for liver infection in humanized chimeric liver mice. This study shows that AMA1 and MAEBL are important for P. falciparum sporozoites to perform typical functions necessary for infection of human hepatocytes. These two proteins therefore have important roles during infection at distinct points in the life cycle, including the blood, mosquito, and liver stages.
Novel serotype of bluetongue virus in South America and first report of epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus in Ecuador

Bluetongue virus (BTV) and Epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) are closely related Orbiviruses that affect domestic and wild ruminants. In Ecuador previous serological studies reported the presence of BTV; however, no data are available about the presence of EHDV. In this study, 295 cattle without symptoms of infection were sampled from two farms located in Andean and Amazonian regions and from a slaughterhouse in the coastal region. ELISA analyses showed high prevalence of BTV (98.9%) and EHDV (81.3%) antibodies, and RT-qPCRs revealed the presence of EHDV (24.1%) and BTV (10.2%) genomes in cattle blood samples. Viral isolation allowed to identify EHDV serotype 1 (EHDV1) and BTV serotypes 9 (BTV9), 13 and 18. These findings suggest that BTV and EHDV are enzootic diseases in Ecuador.
Coordination-variability and kinematics of misses versus swishes of basketball free throws

Abstract Magnitudes and timings of kinematic variables have often been used to investigate technique. Where large inter-participant differences exist, as in basketball, analysis of intra-participant variability may provide an alternative indicator of good technique. The aim of the present study was to investigate the joint kinematics and coordination-variability between missed and successful (swishes) free throw attempts. Collegiate level basketball players performed 20 free throws, during which ball release parameters and player kinematics were recorded. For each participant, three misses and three swishes were randomly selected and analysed. Margins of error were calculated based on the optimal-minimum-speed principle. Differences in outcome were distinguished by ball release speeds statistically lower than the optimal speed (misses −0.12 ± 0.10m · s−1; swishes −0.02 ± 0.07m · s−1; P < 0.05). No differences in wrist linear velocity were detected, but as the elbow influences the wrist through velocity-dependent-torques, elbow–wrist angle–angle coordination-variability was quantified using vector-coding and found to increase in misses during the last 0.016s before ball release (P < 0.05). As the margin of error on release parameters is small, the coordination-variability is small, but the increased coordination-variability just before ball release for misses is proposed to arise from players perceiving the technique to be inappropriate and trying to correct the shot. The synergy or coupling relationship between the elbow and wrist angles to generate the appropriate ball speed is proposed as the mechanism determining success of free-throw shots in experienced players.
Functional Diversity of the Rhodanese Homology Domain

Escherichia coli has eight genes predicted to encode sulfurtransferases having the active site consensus sequence Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Gly. One of these genes, ybbB, is frequently found within bacterial operons that contain selD, the selenophosphate synthetase gene, suggesting a role in selenium metabolism. We show that ybbB is required in vivo for the specific substitution of selenium for sulfur in 2-thiouridine residues in E. coli tRNA. This modified tRNA nucleoside, 5-methylaminomethyl-2-selenouridine (mnm5se2U), is located at the wobble position of the anticodons of tRNALys, tRNAGlu, and tRNA1Gln. Nucleoside analysis of tRNAs from wild-type and ybbB mutant strains revealed that production of mnm5se2U is lost in the ybbB mutant but that 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine, the mnm5se2U precursor, is unaffected by deletion of ybbB. Thus, ybbB is not required for the initial sulfurtransferase reaction but rather encodes a 2-selenouridine synthase that replaces a sulfur atom in 2-thiouridine in tRNA with selenium. Purified 2-selenouridine synthase containing a C-terminal His6 tag exhibited spectral properties consistent with tRNA bound to the enzyme. In vitro mnm5se2U synthesis is shown to be dependent on 2-selenouridine synthase, SePO3, and tRNA. Finally, we demonstrate that the conserved Cys97 (but not Cys96) in the rhodanese sequence motif Cys96-Cys97-Xaa-Xaa-Gly is required for 2-selenouridine synthase in vivo activity. These data are consistent with the ybbB gene encoding a tRNA 2-selenouridine synthase and identifies a new role for the rhodanese homology domain in enzymes.
The Effect of the Innovative Environment on Exit of Entrepreneurial Firms

Longitudinal data are used to examine how knowledgeshapes the innovative environment of an entering firm and to determine howdifferent environments affect entrant survival. After a review of relevantliterature, it is hypothesized that entrants with a knowledge advantage and ahigh number of innovation opportunities are less likely to exit than otherentrants. A second hypothesis suggests that entry size moderates the relationshipbetween the innovative environment and the likelihood of exit in such a waythat an aligned innovative environment (i.e., one in which knowledge exists intandem with innovation opportunities) is more crucial for small entrants thanfor large entrants. Data on the entry and exit of 3,431 firms in 33 manufacturing industries areused to test the hypotheses. Drawn from the Thomas Register of AmericanManufacturers and covering the period between 1908 and 1991, the datasupport both hypotheses. The results demonstrate how the knowledge intensity ofthe industry and scale of entry combine to determine the likelihood of entrantsurvival. (SAA)
Weibull parameter of oil-immersed transformer to evaluate insulation reliability on temporary overvoltage

In the condition settings of a power-frequency withstand voltage test for substation equipment, an approach based on the insulation reliability evaluation using Weibull distribution is available. However, the issue to be discussed remains in this approach. For example, temporary overvoltage during the operation is evaluated through Weibull-distribution parameters obtained from an experiment without operating voltage. For an oil-immersed transformer, the breakdown voltage-time (V-t) characteristics of the oil gap were obtained as basic characteristics in the previous experiment. It was experimented with 0 cm/s, 8cm/s and 16cm/s oil flow velocity as a parameter affecting the voltage application history. In this paper, an insulation characteristic was obtained in a pattern of voltage application assuming temporary overvoltage during operation. The results were compared with the basic characteristics in the previous experiment, and insulation reliability was calculated in trial. Consequently, the insulation reliability evaluation based on the existing V-t characteristic test parameters was found to be practically on the safe side and appropriate.
Influence of Exercise Order on Muscle Damage During Moderate-Intensity Resistance Exercise and Recovery

This study aimed to investigate the role of exercise order on total number of repetitions and to evaluate the possible importance on muscle damage and on rating perceived exertion (RPE). Ten trained participants completed two sequences: sequence A (SEQA) was leg press (LP), leg extension (LE), leg curl (LC), bench press (BP), shoulder press (SP), and triceps extension (TE) and in sequence B (SEQB), the order of execution of the exercises was reversed. Highest creatine kinase (CK) concentrations were observed 24 hours following both sessions, but no differences were found at any time between them, revealing that muscle damage has occurred. There were significant differences between SEQA and SEQB in the total number of repetitions for TE, LE, and LC. Our results suggest that differences in total strength production when exercise order is changed must be explained by some other mechanisms besides muscle damage and RPE.