Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinico-biochemical investigation of paratuberculosis of dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia: proinflammatory cytokines, acute phase proteins and oxidative stress biomarkers.

Received: Revised: Accepted: November 22, 2013 May 06, 2014 May 11, 2014 Searching for suitable biomarkers for diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is the key for control of Johne's disease. In the current study, two sets of twenty camels each, one infected with paratuberculosis and other normal healthy were executed. The basis for the infection was positive findings of clinical examination, Ziehl Neelsen staining of rectal smear and PCR of extracted bacterial DNA from feces. The present findings revealed significant decrease in total erythrocyte counts (TEC) and hemoglobin concentration (Hb) with significant increase in total leucocytes counts (TLC), packed cell volume (PCV) and neutrophils percentages of infected camels compare to control. A significant decrease in values of total proteins, albumin and glucose with significant elevation of concentration of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and bilirubin and enzyme activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyle transferase (GGT) and Glutamic acid dehydrogenase (GLDH) were noted in the serum of infected camels compare to control. Acute phase proteins (APP) namely, haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA) and fibrinogen (Fb) and proinflammatory cytokines namely, interleukins (1α, 1β, 10, 6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interferon gamma (INF-γ) were significantly increased in infected camel compare to control. Significant decrease in the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers namely, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione concentration (GSH) and catalase (CAT) with significant increase in the levels of Malondialdhyde (MDA) were observed in infected camel compare to control. The present study suggests APP, proinflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress parameters as additional biomarkers for paratuberculosis in camel. ©2014 PVJ. All rights reserved
Primers on Molecular Pathways – Lipoxygenases: Their Role as an Oncogenic Pathway in Pancreatic Cancer

Different evidence supports a functional role of enzymes involved in lipid metabolic pathways, such as lipoxygenases (LOXs) and their metabolite derivatives, in carcinogenesis. LOX enzymes catalyze the dioxygenation of arachidonic acid into hydroxyperoxyeicosatetraenoic acids, which is followed by their conversion to their corresponding eicosanoids as hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids, leukotrienes, lipoxins and hepoxilins, which in turn act as cellular messengers. Subcellular LOX enzyme localization varies according to the LOX and cellular type regulating different cell functions. LOX enzymes or their products may exert their biological effects in different modes, either intracellular or in other cells. Numerous clinical studies on expression of LOXs in human tumors as well as in animal models indicate different roles of distinct LOX isoforms in carcinogenesis. In fact, different LOXs exhibit either protumorigenic or antitumorigenic activities and modulate the tumor response in a tissue-specific manner. Moreover, the LOX pathways are involved in the spread and metastasis of several cancers, including pancreas, through the activation of several cellular signaling pathways which modify gene expression affecting cellular proliferation, survival, migration and extracellular matrix production. In this review we focus on the important role and different mechanisms of action of LOX pathways in the regulation of pancreatic cancer initiation and progression. A novel approach for pancreatic cancer chemoprevention would involve targeting LOX activities, alone or in combination with other pathways as a major anticancer strategy.
Oral and dermal exposure of chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin mixture induced cytogenetic, histopathological damage and oxidative stress in rats

Present study is aimed to estimate the risk and the hazard of oral and dermal exposures of chlorpyrifos and cypermithrin mixture which are commonly used in Egypt. And to evaluate which type of exposure is more toxic or dangerous than other. Subacute toxicity of repeated 28 days in male white rats was assessed. The study was included some toxicological parameters ranged from cytogenetic, histopathological and oxidative stress effect. Eighty Wistar strain rats (weighing 140-160g) were randomly divided into four main groups (a, b, c and d) which were further subdivided into subgroups. Each of group (a) and (b) consists of 5 subgroups and were used to determine the oral and dermal LD50. Each of group (c) and (d) consists of 3 subgroups and were used in oral and dermal treatments respectively. The first subgroups of (c) and (d) were kept as control. Rats of two subgroups (c) treated orally by gavage 1/20 and 1/30 of LD50. Rats of two subgroups (d) treated dermally by 1/30 and 1/50 of LD50. The results revealed that, the pesticides mixture induced neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, severe histological changes. Also resulted in lipid peroxidation, inhibition in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (Cat) and reduced the glutathione contents. In addition the results showed the dermal treatments were more toxic and hazard than oral treatments. So, these mixtures of pesticides when present together may induce bio-activation sites resulting in the increase of the observed toxicity of these pesticides mixture compared with the toxicity of the individual alone. Finally, the results strongly impose the need to more detailed testing of the toxicity of mixture exposure than to one individual. [Mohamed A. Noaishi, Amr A. Abd Allah and Mostafa M.M. Afify Oral and dermal exposure of chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin mixture induced cytogenetic, histopathological damage and oxidative stress in rats. J Am Sci 2013;9(3):56-65]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience. org. 9
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF BREWERY EFFLUENT

During the last two decades the brewing industry has shown increasing awareness for environmental protection and the need of sustainable production processes. Implementation of ISO 14001 certification and more stringent environmental legislation have been important drivers for the brewing industry to invest in biological effluent treatment. The role of biological effluent treatment is discussed with special attention is given to combined anaerobic/aerobic treatment. Combining anaerobic pre-treatment with aerobic post-treatment integrates the advantages of both processes amongst which reduced energy consumption (net energy production), reduced biological sludge production and limited space requirements, are of importance. The combination allows for significant savings on operational costs as compared to complete aerobic treatment without compromising the required discharge standards.
Approaches for enumerating permutations with a prescribed number of occurrences of patterns

In recent work, Zeilberger and the author used a functional equations approach for enumerating permutations with r occurrences of the pattern 12.k. In particular, the approach yielded a polynomial-time enumeration algorithm for any fixed nonnegative r. We extend that approach to patterns of the form 12. (k-2)(k)(k-1) by deriving analogous functional equations and using them to develop similar algorithms that enumerate permutations with r occurrences of the pattern. We also generalize those techniques to handle patterns of the form 23.k1 and derive analogous functional equations and enumeration algorithms. Finally, we show how the functional equations and algorithms can be modified to track inversions as well as handle multiple patterns simultaneously. This paper is accompanied by Maple packages that implement the algorithms described.
The undisclosed role of anoxia/hypoxia and disturbed sleep on glucose metabolism

Up to recently the respiratory disturbances were considered a risk factor for hypertension, but there was no trace of a role in metabolic disorders. Only recently the existence of a connection among the respiratory disturbance caused by the obstruction of the upper airways and a wide array of metabolic disturbances has been demonstrated. The respective roles of anoxia/ hypoxia and the attendant disturbed sleep remain, however, to be clarified.
Methods to determine forage intake by lambs on Italian ryegrass

This study was conducted to evaluate the use of chromium oxide and the content of fecal nitrogen to estimate forage intake by female lambs on Italian ryegrass pasture. The pasture was managed under different forage allowances (FA): 6, 9 and 12% BW. The experiment was a randomized split-split plot design, in which the forage allowances were considered as main plots, the phenological stages as subplots and methods to determine intake as sub-subplots. Forage intake, in the ryegrass vegetative stage, is independent of forage allowance. Lower allowances limit forage intake from the pre-flowering stage, while at the reproductive stage, intake was lower in FA6, intermediate in FA9 and higher in FA12. The estimation of organic matter intake by lambs on Italian ryegrass is similar when chromium oxide and fecal nitrogen are used as markers. The forage intake according to forage allowances depends on the sward structure and is limited by high stem mass at the end of the phenological cycle.
Dependable Connection Setup for Network Capabilities

Network-layer capabilities offer strong protection against link flooding by authorizing individual flows with unforgeable credentials (i.e., capabilities). However, the capability-setup channel is vulnerable to flooding attacks that prevent legitimate clients from acquiring capabilities; i.e., in Denial of Capability (DoC) attacks. Based on the observation that the distribution of attack sources in the current Internet is highly non-uniform, we provide a router-level scheme that confines the effects of DoC attacks to specified locales or neighborhoods (e.g., one or more administrative domains of the Internet). Our scheme provides precise access guarantees for capability schemes, even in the face of flooding attacks. The effectiveness of our scheme is evaluated by ns2 simulations under different
Long Live Keju! The Persistent Effects of China's Imperial Examination System

The effect of keju — China’s imperial examination system (607-1905) — on human capital outcomes persists to this day. Using the variation in the density of jinshi — the highest qualification — across 248 Chinese prefectures to proxy for the keju effect, and river distance to a prefecture’s nearest printing center as instrument, we find that a 1% increase in jinshi density increases years of schooling by 6.6%. After controlling for the effects of human capital of both ancestors and parents, the Chinese culture of valuing education — bred likely by the exceptional social status of the jinshi — represents the other channel in accounting for the observed persistence. A quasi-experiment of college students from all over China studying in Beijing further reveals that the jinshi density in their hometowns bears significantly upon their cognitive skills and non-cognitive performance. Finally, cultural transmission is aided by clans and weakened by the Cultural Revolution.
Canopy Architecture and Morphology of Switchgrass Populations Differing in Forage Yield

Phenotypic selection has been used to improve forage yield in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD), but the effects on canopy architecture and morphology are not understood. Our objectives were to determine if canopy architecture and morphology can explain genotype x environment (G x E) yield difference in switchgrass (Panicum L.) and to evaluate canopy architecture and morphology as selection criteria for increasing yield. This study was conducted in 1993 near Mead, NE, and near Ames, IA. The experimental design was a randomized complete block experiment with a split-plot arrangement of four replicates at each location. Whole plots were tiller population and subplots were sward maturity. Tiller populations were harvested on 9 June, 19 July, and 27 August at Ames and on 10 June, 27 July, and 26 August at Mead and were classified morphologically. Tillers were separated into primary yield components and dried at 55{degrees}C to determine total forage yield and dry matter contribution of morphological components. Genotype x environment interactions occurred for total forage yield and IVDMD apparently altered morphological changes within the canopy of selected switchgrass populations. The most apparent changes were development of additional collared leaves and internodes in some populations across locations. Although canopy architecture maymore » not be a useful selection criterion because of variability associated with individual canopy traits, indirect measurements showed that leaf area index (LAI) has some potential as a selection criterion for increasing total forage yield. However, selection for individual canopy traits may be most effective for modifying sward growth habits. 36 refs., 1 fig., 7 tabs. « less
RHEIN INDUCED CELL DEATH AND APOPTOSIS THROUGH CASPASE DEPENDENT AND ASSOCIATED WITH MODULATION OF P53, BCL-2/BAX RATIO IN HUMAN CELL LINES Research Article

Objective: To evaluate the cytotoxicity and apoptotic activities of rhein against human cervical cancer (SiHa), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. Methods: Cytotoxicity of rhein was evaluated by MTT and LDH assays and expressional analysis of apoptosis regulatory genes were evaluated by reverse transcriptase-PCR. Results: Rhein inhibited growth of all three cancer cell lines in a dose dependent manner (p < 0.05). The IC50 value of rhein against SiHa, MCF-7 and HepG2 cells lines were 54.28 ± 0.17, 49.35 ± 0.23, and 36.34 ± 0.14 µM respectively. Mechanistic analysis demonstrated that rhein induced S-phase arrest, up-regulation of p53, Bax genes, down-regulation of Bcl-2 gene and consequently activation of Casp-3 and -9 genes and DNA fragmentation. Conclusion: The result showed that rhein induced apoptosis in SiHa, MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines through activation of p53 and caspase dependent signalling pathways.
2 Cost and Efficacy of Therapies for Advanced Parkinson ' s Disease

The economic burden of Parkinson’s disease (PD) has become a very important health topic. From the perspective of a general neurologist, health economics can appear as not prioritary; however, it is a growing topic in most modern healthcare systems; consequently health professionals should have at least a minimal understanding of how health economic information is derived. It has become important that payers and providers consider the significant impact the disease has on quality of life and how resource utilisation is directed to improve PD related clinical problems. Such measures are determinant in assessing the value of drug therapy, particularly for chronic conditions such as PD, and in determining the appropriate placement of medications on plan formularies. In the past, a comprehensive examination of a clinical condition would focus almost exclusively on areas considered relevant to patient management, such as diagnosis, etiology, treatment, and prognosis. Now, however, additional demands are being made by health policy decision makers, who can influence medical decisions through coverage and reimbursement policies. Physicians and other professional caregivers increasingly must consider the economic implications of their decisions, which has led to increased demand for disease-specific cost information.
Design of microstrip patch antenna with multiple slots for satellite communication

Since microstrip patch antennas are very low cost, small size and easy to fabricate they play a dominant role in wireless communication. In this paper, a microstrip patch antenna is proposed for satellite applications and it is designed at 15 GHz with multiple slots on the rectangular patch. These slots on the patch shift the resonant frequency to the lower side and also affect various antenna parameters. The antenna has a frequency bandwidth of 1.14 GHz with return loss −30.6 dB, gain 3.488 dB and directivity 3.544 dB. The antenna is designed and simulated using HIGH-FREQUENCY STRUCTURE SIMULATOR (HFSS). The antenna is designed by using RT duroid material that has relative permittivity 2.2 and loss tangent 0.0009. The results clearly explain that the proposed antenna has favorable characteristics for satellite applications.
High-Frequency Scalable Modeling and Analysis of a Differential Signal Through-Silicon Via

An analytic scalable model of a differential signal through-silicon via (TSV) is proposed. This TSV is a ground-signal-signal-ground (GSSG)-type differential signal TSV. Each proposed analytical equation in the model is a function of the structural and material design parameters of the TSV and the bump, which is scalable. The proposed model is successfully validated with measurements up to 20 GHz for the fabricated test vehicles. Additionally, the scalability of the proposed model is verified with simulations by using Ansoft HFSS to vary the design parameters, such as the TSV diameter, pitch between TSVs, and TSV oxide thickness. On the basis of the proposed scalable model, the electrical behaviors of the GSSG-type differential signal TSV are analyzed with respect to the design variations in the frequency domain. Additionally, the electrical performances of a GSSG-type differential signal TSV are evaluated and compared to that of a ground-signal-ground-type single-ended signal TSV, such as insertion loss, characteristic impedance, voltage/timing margin, and noise immunity.
Application of remote sensing to understanding fire regimes and biomass burning emissions of the tropical Andes

In the tropical Andes, there have been very few systematic studies aimed at understanding the biomass burning dynamics in the area. This paper seeks to advance on our understanding of burning regimes in this region, with the first detailed and comprehensive assessment of fire occurrence and the derived gross biomass burning emissions of an area of the Peruvian tropical Andes. We selected an area of 2.8 million hectares at altitudes over 2000 m. We analyzed fire occurrence over a 12 year period with three types of satellite data. Fire dynamics showed a large intra‐annual and interannual variability, with most fires occurring May–October (the period coinciding with the dry season). Total area burned decreased with increasing rainfall until a given rainfall threshold beyond which no relationship was found. The estimated fire return interval (FRI) for the area is 37 years for grasslands, which is within the range reported for grasslands, and 65 years for forests, which is remarkably shorter than other reported FRI in tropical moist forests. The greatest contribution (60–70%, depending on the data source) to biomass burning emissions came from burned montane cloud forests (4.5 million Mg CO2 over the study period), despite accounting for only 7.4–10% of the total burned area. Gross aboveground biomass emissions (7.55 ± 2.14 Tg CO2; 0.43 ± 0.04 Tg CO; 24,012 ± 2685 Mg CH4 for the study area) were larger than previously reported for the tropical Andes.
A Comparison of Emergence Characteristics with the use of Isoflurane, Sevoflurane and Desflurane in Patients Undergoing Spinal Surgeries under General Anaesthesia

Isoflurane is commonly used agent in neuro anaesthesia. But desflurane has lowest blood gas partition co efficient and has rapid recovery profile. Hence it may have useful role in spine surgeries. There is paucity of data regarding comparison of desflurane, sevoflurane and isoflurane in neuroanaesthesia in adult patients in a single study. Hence the need of present study. Ninety ASA I/II patients aged 20-60 yrs were randomly allocated into three groups of thirty each. Group D, Group S, group I received desflurane, sevoflurane and isoflurane respectively. The primary outcome studied was time to emergence: the time from discontinuation of anaesthetic agents to open eyes either spontaneously or in response to verbal commands. The secondary outcomes studied were time to extubation, time to recovery, haemodyanamic variations and complications if any. Data were analyzed using chi square, student t and ANOVA tests as applicable. p value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.The mean emergence time was shorter in desflurane group (3.32±2.28 min) as compared sevoflurane( 6.13±2.56 min) and isoflurane(7.93±2.02 min) groups (p<0.001) . Similar statistical difference was achieved in extubation and recovery times.Hence desflurane is better suited volatile halogenated agent for adult patients undergoing spine surgeries performed under general anaesthesia.
A segmentation-based Radio Tomographic Imaging approach for interference reduction in hostile industrial environments

This paper presents and evaluates a passive device-free tracking system for localization of objects or persons. The system works with a continuous evaluation of the received signal strengths of connection links between fixed installed anchor nodes. Out of the evaluated measurements, an image of the scene can be generated based on Radio Tomographic Imaging (RTI). The major contribution of this paper is an application of segmentation algorithms for sharpening the image by reducing noise and interference. The applied combination of image segmentation with a connected component labeling algorithm enables an evaluation of certain areas in the image to estimate the position and the number of objects in the room. Finally, the application of particle filtering smoothes the estimated position and leads to a reliable and accurate position estimation, which is comparable with active solutions. As interference and noise in the link measurements caused by multipath propagation effects can harm the achievable accuracy, the foreseen application area - an industrial environment- poses a huge challenge, as the radio channel is highly affected by the metallic infrastructures.
Evaluation and comparison of ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting methods for prediction of spatial variability of some chemical parameters of Dhalai district, Tripura

Interpretation and analysis of spatial variability of soil properties were carried out by ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting (IDW) methods to generate continuous sample for site-specific management. A total of 535 soil samples (0-25 cm) were collected at an interval of 2 km grid in Dhalai district of Tripma, India. The data were interpolated by ordinary kriging and IDW with power 2. All the selected soil chemical parameters were strongly spatially dependent, but the range of spatial dependence was found to vary within soil parameters. Available potassium had the shortest range of spatial dependence (6.9 krn) whereas pH had the longest range (23.7 km). The study shows that prediction of spatial variability for different soil parameters (except available nitrogen) may be better understood by ordinary kriging than by IDW method.