Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of niacin supplementation on performance and blood parameters of Holstein cows

In this experiment the response to niacin supplementation was evaluated. Twelve multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square statistical model in four 24 d periods as replicates. At the onset all the cows were in early lactation with days in milk (DIM) at 60.1 ± 16.1 and an average milk yield of 31.4 ± 5.44 L/d. The treatments were: N0 - control (no niacin supplement); N1 - control + 12 g niacin/d; N2 - control + 14 g niacin/d and N3 - control + 16 g niacin/d. Means were compared with the Duncan's least range test. Milk yield, fat-corrected milk (FCM, 3.5%) and total solids percentage (TS) were significantly higher in the N2 compared to the other treatments. There were no significant differences between treatments in milk fat and milk lactose percentages, but milk fat yield was significantly higher and milk fat percentage numerically higher in the N2 than in the other treatments. Milk protein yield and percentage were highest in N2, but milk protein percentage was not significantly different between the N2 and N1 treatments. Milk solids non-fat (SNF) percentage was the highest for N2. Evaluation of blood plasma parameters showed that 14 g niacin (N2) supplementation resulted in a significantly higher glucose concentration and the lowest s-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations as compared to the other treatments. This study suggested that the optimal level of niacin supplementation was 14 g niacin/cow/d. Keywords: Nicotinic acid, milk yield, milk composition, NEFA, BHBA, glucose and B vitamins
Morphogenesis of Pestiviruses: New Insights from Ultrastructural Studies of Strain Giraffe-1

ABSTRACT Knowledge on the morphogenesis of pestiviruses is limited due to low virus production in infected cells. In order to localize virion morphogenesis and replication sites of pestiviruses and to examine intracellular virion transport, a cell culture model was established to facilitate ultrastructural studies. Based on results of virus growth kinetic analysis and quantification of viral RNA, pestivirus strain Giraffe-1 turned out to be a suitable candidate for studies on virion generation and export from culture cells. Using conventional transmission electron microscopy and single-tilt electron tomography, we found virions located predominately in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in infected cells and were able to depict the budding process of virions at ER membranes. Colocalization of the viral core protein and the envelope glycoprotein E2 with the ER marker protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) was demonstrated by immunogold labeling of cryosections. Moreover, pestivirions could be shown in transport vesicles and the Golgi complex and during exocytosis. Interestingly, viral capsid protein and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) were detected in multivesicular bodies (MVBs), which implies that the endosomal compartment plays a role in pestiviral replication. Significant cellular membrane alterations such as those described for members of the Flavivirus and Hepacivirus genera were not found. Based on the gained morphological data, we present a consistent model of pestivirus morphogenesis.
Full-digital high throughput design of adaptive decision feedback equalizers using coefficient-lookahead

This paper proposes a novel full-digital architecture of adaptive decision feedback equalizer (ADFE) for wireline 2-level pulse amplitude modulation (2-PAM) systems. It is well known that the feedback loop in DFE limits the greatest achievable speed. The proposed scheme begins by deriving coefficient-lookahead concept based on a reasonable assumption, whereupon a preliminary architecture can be implemented using the formula derived. Furthermore, according to channel characteristics, the formula derived can be simplified to break the feedback loop. Finally, the architecture can be easily pipelined and processed in parallel to achieve high throughput rate. Thus, the proposed design is a high speed design with parallel and pipeline architecture. This paper used a TSMC 40 nm CMOS process to fabricate the proposed design with a build-in self-test (BIST) circuit. The measured results show that the throughput rate is up to 16 Gbps.
Interactions of Lactobacillus bulgaricus Temperate Bacteriophage 0448 with Host Strains

Lactobacillus bulgaricus LT4(0448) is a lysogenic strain from which a temperate bacteriophage can be induced by mitomycin C or UV irradiation. Lactobacillus lactis CNRZ 326 is an indicator strain for the temperate phage 0448, but this strain lyses only in the presence of Ca2+ ions. A resistant culture developed secondarily after phage lysis and grew normally in MRS broth but again lysed abruptly if Ca2+ ions were added after two or three transfers. This behavior of the secondary culture and its subcultures is explained by a heterogeneous and fluctuating bacterial population, including clones identical to L. lactis 326, which were sensitive to 0448 and which formed rough colonies, as does the indicator. The proportion of these clones increased in the course of transfers in MRS, explaining lysis when Ca2+ was added. The population also included clones which formed smooth colonies (S clones). SI clones, which could not be induced by mitomycin C, were the major type in the initial culture, although they were sensitive to temperate phage 0448. The SI population then decreased and was gradually replaced by SII clones, inducible by mitomycin C and resistant to 0448. These SII clones were lysogenized clones, 326(0448), whose stability was confirmed by growth in the presence of an antiphage serum. When L. bulgaricus LT4(0448) was treated with mitomycin C, several cured LT4 clones were obtained that were related to the clones of the indicator L. lactis 326; they formed rough colonies. They also became sensitive to lytic phages or temperate phages active against L. lactis 326 and insensitive to lytic phages which lysed L. bulgaricus LT4(0448). This suggests that phage 0448 can lead to a lysogenic conversion of host strain LT4.
Functional status and quality of life of stroke survivors undergoing rehabilitation programmes in a hospital setting.

BACKGROUND While the positive effects of rehabilitation on physical functioning are well documented in stroke literature, more controversial results arise from the evaluation of the impact on quality of life. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study is to examine the associations among functional status and different measures of quality of life in a sample of inpatients undergoing rehabilitation programmes, and to consider the role of psychological distress, coping strategies and social support. METHODS Twenty-nine stroke survivors were evaluated at the admission to a hospital-based Rehabilitation Unit and just before discharge. Questionnaires for the evaluation of functional status, health-related QoL, individualised QoL, psychological distress, coping strategies and social support were administered to them. RESULTS While functional status improves significantly after treatment, individualised evaluations of QoL seem to be less affected. Adaptive coping strategies and social support showed significant correlations with positive outcomes on specific QoL domains, whereas psychological distress was associated with negative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The data from the present study support the evidence that different measures of QoL and functional status are not strongly associated one another, and that psychological distress, coping strategies and social support can be significantly related to specific outcome measures.
Improvement of Bone and Dental Phenotype of Murine Hypophosphatasia Mediated by a Single Injection of Lentiviral Gene Therapy

Background: Alkaline phosphatase has 4 isozymes, tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), intestinal alkaline phosphatase and germ-cell alkaline phosphatase. Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inherited skeletal disease caused by mutations of the gene encoding TNAP. Although TNAP is expressed in various tissues, the primary HPP symptoms appear in bones and teeth. The clinical severity of HPP varies widely from the most severe (perinatal, infantile and childhood) to the mildest forms (adult, and odonto-hypophosphatasia). We reported that gene therapy using a single injection of lentiviral vector expressing bone-targeted TNAP (TNAP-D10) is effective in preventing all the skeletal of HPP in TNAP knockout (Alpl–/–) mice as the model of infantile HPP. Objective: In this study we focus on evaluating the efficacy of treatment with gene therapy on the bone and teeth using TNAP-D10 and also we investigate the feasibility of gene therapy using bone-targeted PLAP (PLAP-D10). Methods and Findings: We used Alpl–/–mice that develop skeletal disease at postnatal days 6-8 mimicking the infantile form of human HPP. We injected 100 μl of lentiviral vectors harboring TNALP-D10 (5.0 × 107 TU) or PLAP-D10 (5.0 × 107 TU) to 1-day-old Alpl–/– mice via the jugular vein. We performed histological analysis and micro-CT evaluation on bone and mandible of Alpl–/– mice. The alveolar bone, enamel and dentin defects were corrected on treated Alpl–/– mice by this treatment. Additionally the long bone growth rates (LGR) of long bones were encouraged on treated Alpl–/– mice compared with untreated mice. Conclusions: These results indicate that the bone-targeted TNAP treatment mediated by lentivirus can correct not only the bone disorder but also the dental symptoms in Alpl–/–. This study also shows that PLAP-D10 can potentially be used to correct HPP disease.
A New Approach to Saffron Aroma

The aroma of saffron has received much attention from scientists in recent years, not only for the compounds that make it up, but also for its glycosidic precursors. Despite it all, the volatile generation mechanisms of the spice are almost completely unknown. Only the generation of safranal, the major compound, from picrocrocin has been established. The great effort carried out to detect and identify the volatile compounds of saffron has not been enougth to clarify which compounds are responsible for saffron aroma. In general, scientists has devoted little attention to the sample analyzed, taking for granted that all saffron is the same, something that makes it difficult to establish a comparison between the results obtained by the different authors, to the point that saffron aroma has not been defined yet. It must be clarified whether saffron aroma is what the consumer perceives via nasally when a container of the spice is uncovered, or whether on the contrary, it is the aroma conferred to food, normally after a thermal cooking process, and perceived retronasally. After an extensive bibliographic research, simple assays are suggested to understand what could be considered as saffron aroma, results that may help to delimit the research for future studies.
Reconstructing Stem Cross Section Shapes From Terrestrial Laser Scanning

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is an effective tool for retrieving forest attributes. For example, stem diameters can be estimated from the TLS point cloud by applying automatic algorithms, which often approximate the stem cross section by using a circle or a cylinder. However, the cross section of a tree stem is never exactly a circle. Moreover, the cross section provides other economically important attributes related to, for example, the wood quality and growth environment. Thus, advanced curve fitting and other geometric fitting methods should be explored further. In this letter, a Fourier series curve approximation approach is proposed for modeling stem cross section shapes. The routine uses iterative Fourier series approximation in polar coordinates to remove gross errors. Three different diameter approximations are tested: circle fitting, Fourier series fitting, and combined Fourier series and circle fitting. The proposed approach is tested for approximating the diameter at breast height (DBH) with the use of two data sets: the first from an Alpine mixed and landslide-affected forest with multiscan TLS, and the second from a mature Scots pine forest in Finland with single-scan TLS. The results showed that for the multiscan data, the use of the combined Fourier series and circle fitting improved the root mean square error of DBH by 12.4% compared with direct circle fitting. The DBH accuracy for the single-scan data resulted in similar accuracy compared with that of the circle fitting. The results imply that the new approach is able to accurately reconstruct stem cross sections, especially for multiscan data.
The Association Between Geographic Location and Anxiety and Depression in Transgender Individuals: An Exploratory Study of an Online Sample

Abstract Purpose: Research has demonstrated associations between discrimination and mental health in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. However, little is known about the influence of geographic location on psychological distress in these populations, particularly among transgender people. Methods: This secondary analysis conducted on a national sample of transgender individuals (N=414) offers a preliminary understanding of the effects of geographic location on psychological distress (i.e., anxiety and depression). A univariate analysis of variance was calculated to determine this relationship. Results: The West South Central division (i.e., Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas) revealed highest psychological distress. Conclusion: Results suggest an urgent need for transgender-competent healthcare in this division.
Label-free optical biosensor for probing integrative role of adenylyl cyclase in G protein-coupled receptor signaling

Adenylyl cyclase is considered as an integrator for receptor signaling. However, its integrative role in receptor signaling is largely studied at the level of point of contacts in complex pathways. Here we used forskolin as a pharmacological probe and the resonant waveguide grating (RWG) biosensor to examine the signal integration of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) at the cyclase-cyclic AMP-PKA module. The biosensor is a refractive index sensitive optical biosensor that is capable of detecting ligand-induced dynamic mass redistribution in cells without labels and cellular manipulations. Stimulation of seven cell lines with forskolin led to distinct optical responses, indicative of distinct expressions and/or organization of cyclase isoforms. The forskolin response in A431 was sensitive to the activities of protein kinase A, Rho kinase, and MAP kinases. Desensitization assays showed that the forskolin pretreatment heterologously desensitized Gs signaling, partially attenuated Gq signaling, but had complicate impacts on Gi signaling. This study documents the integrative role of adenylyl cyclase in GPCR signaling and the power of forskolin as a pharmacological probe to differentiate receptor signaling using the label-free biosensor cellular assays.
Displacement of Dental Implants Into the Mandibular Bone Marrow Space: Cause and Treatment. A Case Study and Literature Review

I mplant placement in the mandibular posterior area is relatively predictable and a simple procedure if enough bone exists. However, though it rarely happens, cases of accidental implant displacement into the marrow space of mandibular body have been continuously reported. Severe implant displacement can first violate the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN); the subsequent surgical procedure for implant retrieval can secondarily injure the IAN. Therefore, adequate evaluation of the patients’ status and establishment of an optimal strategy for removal of the implant fixture should be emphasized. In the present report, our patients and those of other institutes were investigated to analyze the pattern and outcomes of the treatment for dental implant displacement into the mandibular bone marrow cavity.
INVESTIGATION OF VARIATION IN CURVE OF SPEE , OVER JET AND OVERBITE AMONG CLASS-I AND CLASS-II MALOCCLUSION SUBJECTS AND TO FIND SEXUAL DIMORPHISM , IF ANY

Background: To investigate the variation in curve of spee, Over jet and Overbite among class-I and Class-II malocclusion subjects and to find any sexual dimorphism. Materials and methods: Study material consisted of pre-treatment Orthodontic patients and their dental casts of 100 routine patients reported to Department of Orthodontics Bhojia Dental College and Hospital Baddi Distt. Solan (H.P). Subjects were divided into three groups according to the depth of curve of spee. Overjet and Overbite was also taken in to consideration. Differences between the Spee groups and between sexes were assessed. Data was analyzed, using statistical package program SPSS Version18. In addition, correlation coefficients between the depth of curve of Spee and other variables were calculated. Results: Overall findings of the present study suggested that, the amount of over jet and overbite was significantly greater among deep spee groups then the normal groups. Conclusion: The correlation coefficient from the study confirmed these results. The gender of the subject had no significant effect on variables assessed.
A Multi-stroke Dynamic Time Warping Distance Based on A* Optimization

Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) is a famous distance to compare two mono-stroke symbols. It obeys the boundary and continuity constraints. The extension to multi-stroke symbols raises specific problems. A naïve solution is to convert the multi-stroke symbol into a single one by a direct concatenation respecting the handwriting order. However, people may write a symbol with different stroke orders and different stroke directions. Applying a brute force method by searching all the possible directions and orders leads to prohibitive calculation times. To reduce the searching complexity, we propose the DTW-A* algorithm that keeps the continuity constraint during each partial matching. This DTW-A* distance achieves the best recognition rate and the best stability in cross-validation when comparing three distances (DTW-A*, DTW, Modified Hausdorff Distance) on a flowchart dataset which mainly contains multi-stroke symbols.
Ultrasound Evaluation of the Greater Trochanter Pain Syndrome: Bursitis or Tendinopathy?

Cristian Quiroz1, Santiago Ruta1, Javier Rosa1, David A. Navarta1, Ricardo Garcia-Monaco2 and Enrique R. Soriano3. 1Rheumatology Unit, Internal Medical Services, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2Radiology and Imagenology Department, Hospital italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 3Rheumatology Unit, Internal Medical Services, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, and Fundacion PM Catoggio, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gonorrhoea Surveillance System in France: 1986–2000

Objective The objectives of this study were to monitor epidemiologic trends in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections and to assess antimicrobial resistance patterns of NG. Methods RENAGO, a voluntary-based laboratory surveillance system, including private and public laboratories, was set up in France in 1986. Every NG strain isolated by the participating laboratories was sent to the National Reference Center, Institut Alfred Fournier, Paris, where susceptibility to 6 antibiotics was tested. These laboratories reported monthly numbers of positive NG isolates and associated epidemiologic data. Because the number of laboratories varied every year, the average number of NG isolates per laboratory per year was computed to monitor annual trends in gonorrhea incidence. Results The average number of NG isolated per laboratory per year decreased steadily from 10.6 in 1986 to 0.6 in 1997 but then yearly increased and reached 1.9 in 2000. Increasing gonorrhea was observed mostly in men and in the Paris area. The proportion of rectal strains increased significantly from 0.9% in 1986 to 9.2% in 2000. From 1998 to 2000, 5.3% of the isolates had reduced susceptibility or were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 7.3% were PPNG strains and 27.4% were resistant to tetracycline, 18.5% had a reduced susceptibility to thiamphenicol, and 1 strain was resistant to the latter. Neither strain was resistant to ceftriaxone or to spectinomycin. Conclusion From 1998 to 2000, gonorrhea markedly increased in France and seemed to affect mainly gay men in Paris, which suggests relapses to risky sexual behaviors and highlights the need for strengthening prevention. During the same period, NG ciprofloxacin resistance has sharply increased and should be carefully monitored because of the wide use of ciprofloxacin single-dose treatment.
Neural Representation of Harmonic Complex Tones in Primary Auditory Cortex of the Awake Monkey

Many natural sounds are periodic and consist of frequencies (harmonics) that are integer multiples of a common fundamental frequency (F0). Such harmonic complex tones (HCTs) evoke a pitch corresponding to their F0, which plays a key role in the perception of speech and music. “Pitch-selective” neurons have been identified in non-primary auditory cortex of marmoset monkeys. Noninvasive studies point to a putative “pitch center” located in a homologous cortical region in humans. It remains unclear whether there is sufficient spectral and temporal information available at the level of primary auditory cortex (A1) to enable reliable pitch extraction in non-primary auditory cortex. Here we evaluated multiunit responses to HCTs in A1 of awake macaques using a stimulus design employed in auditory nerve studies of pitch encoding. The F0 of the HCTs was varied in small increments, such that harmonics of the HCTs fell either on the peak or on the sides of the neuronal pure tone tuning functions. Resultant response-amplitude-versus-harmonic-number functions (“rate-place profiles”) displayed a periodic pattern reflecting the neuronal representation of individual HCT harmonics. Consistent with psychoacoustic findings in humans, lower harmonics were better resolved in rate-place profiles than higher harmonics. Lower F0s were also temporally represented by neuronal phase-locking to the periodic waveform of the HCTs. Findings indicate that population responses in A1 contain sufficient spectral and temporal information for extracting the pitch of HCTs by neurons in downstream cortical areas that receive their input from A1.