Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of IgE response and cytokine gene expression in pulmonary efferent lymph collected after ovalbumin inhalation during experimental infection of calves with bovine respiratory syncytial virus.

OBJECTIVE To assess IgE response and cytokine gene expressions in pulmonary lymph collected from bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV)-infected calves after ovalbumin inhalation. ANIMALS Thirteen 7- to 8-week-old calves. PROCEDURES The efferent lymphatic duct of the caudal mediastinal lymph node of each calf was cannulated 3 or 4 days before experiment commencement. Calves were inoculated (day 0) with BRSV (n = 7) or BRSV-free tissue culture medium (mock exposure; 6) via aerosolization and exposed to aerosolized ovalbumin on days 1 through 6 and day 15. An efferent lymph sample was collected daily from each calf on days -1 through 16; CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte subsets in lymph samples were enumerated with a fluorescence-activated cell scanner. Expressions of several cytokines by efferent lymphocytes and lymph ovalbumin-specific IgE concentration were measured. Each calf was euthanized on day 16 and then necropsied for evaluation of lungs. RESULTS Mean fold increase in ovalbumin-specific IgE concentration was greater in BRSV-infected calves than in mock-infected calves. At various time points from days 4 through 10, percentages of T lymphocyte subsets and CD4+:CD8+ T lymphocyte ratios differed between BRSV-infected calves and day -1 values or from values in mock-infected calves. On days 3 through 5, IL-4 and IL-13 gene expressions in BRSV-infected calves were increased, compared with expressions in mock-infected calves. Lung lesions were consistent with antigen exposure. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In response to the inhalation of aerosolized ovalbumin, BRSV infection in calves appeared to facilitate induction of a T helper 2 cell response and ovalbumin-specific IgE production.
Pain and sleep in post-concussion/mild traumatic brain injury

Abstract Concussion after a force to the head is called mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Approximately 1 in 5 patients with mTBI will develop chronic pain (headache and widespread pain, possibly of central origin) and/or sleep problems (insomnia, disordered breathing, periodic limb movements). However, the predisposing mechanisms for chronic pain in patients with mTBI are unknown. Mild traumatic brain injury is a rare model to prospectively assess the risk factors and mechanisms for pain chronification from the injury onset in the absence of pretrauma comorbidity or medication. In the acute phase, headaches and sleep disturbances seem to predict the poorest long-term cognitive and mood outcomes. Although recent studies suggest that certain brain biomarkers and mood alterations (eg, anxiety, depression) contribute, the causality of chronic pain remains unclear. In mTBI patients with pain, poor sleep quality was correlated with fast beta and gamma electroencephalographic activity in frontal, central, and occipital electroencephalographic (EEG) derivations in all sleep stages. Sleep recuperative function seems to be disturbed by persistent wake EEG activity, corroborating patient complaints such as feeling awake when asleep. Pain and sleep management in mTBI is not yet evidence-based. Treatments include cognitive behavioral and light therapies, medications, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or oral appliances for disordered sleep breathing. Customized approaches are indicated for mTBI, pain, and sleep complaints. Further studies in pediatric, sport, and transportation populations are needed to prevent TBI chronification. Improvements are emerging in biomarker sensitivity and specificity and management strategies for TBI, pain, and sleep comorbidities.
Ultrasound contrast agents for hepatic imaging with nonlinear modes.

Conventional unenhanced ultrasonography is well recognized to be limited in the detection and characterization of focal liver lesions compared with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the true value of ultrasound scanning is underestimated because previous comparative studies had been made against contrast-enhanced as opposed to -unenhanced CT/MRI scans. The fact is that the sensitivity of unenhanced CT is similar or even worse than that of unenhanced ultrasound scanning. The need for contrast agents is clear. The diagnostic capabilities of any modality are improved, because it is the differential distribution of the contrast agent between the normal tissue and a lesion that makes the abnormality more visible and easier to characterize. Recent advances in nonlinear imaging modes and development of new generation of ultrasound contrast agents have led to increasing interest in their clinical application; however, there is some uncertainty with regard to within which clinical settings they should be used and more importantly how to optimally use them given there are different classes of agents and that the improvements in imaging have been so rapid. In this article the different generations of contrast agents, their behavior and optimal ultrasound equipment settings, as well as their application in specific clinical settings are reviewed.
Technology in its context - a literature review of the macro and micro levels of business intelligence

The purpose of the literature review is to identify characteristics, concepts, and theories of business intelligence (BI). The status quo of BI is based on the literature review, which covers 86 journal articles from the three areas of accounting, strategy, and information systems between 2006 and 2014. The review combines two established frameworks to illustrate new insights regarding the macro and micro levels of BI. The complementary combination of both levels produces a new lens that shows the conceptualisation and characteristics of BI in a holistic view. The result of the study shows that BI is used as a monolithic concept and static tool with technical control mechanisms. Another result implies that BI is in a phase of maturity, in which it fulfils an organisational purpose without considering its social context or ecosystem in which it occurs. The literature review contributes to the characterisation and theorisation of BI and shows that a company depend on both characteristics and the purpose for.
Study of Posed Emotion in Facial EMG Asymmetry

37 subjects' facial electromyographic activity at the corrugator and zygomatic muscle regions were recorded while they were posing with happy and sad facial expressions. Analysis showed that the mean value of EMG activity at the left zygomatic muscle region was the highest, followed by the right zygomatic, left corrugator, and right corrugator muscle regions, while a happy facial expression was posed. The mean value of EMG activity at the left corrugator muscle region was the highest, followed by those for the right corrugator, left zygomatic, and right zygomatic muscle regions while a sad facial expression was posed. Further analysis indicated that the power of facial EMG activity on the left side of the face was stronger than on the right side of the face while posing both happy and sad expressions.
Accumulation of 99m TC-methylene diphosphonate radiotracer in rat's forelimb

Purpose : To evaluate the efficacy and radioactivity counts of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate ( 99m Tc-MDP) radiotracer by scintigraphy. Method : In this study, 7 healthy Wistar rats were anesthetized. Technetium was milked from molybdenum-technetium generator and added to methylene diphosphonate (MDP) kit. Scintigraphic scans were carried out in several areas of the rat’s forelimbs by gamma camera 2 h after the injection of 99m Tc-MDP via the tail vein. Accumulations of the radioisotope in the study areas were calculated using region of interest (ROI) technique. Results : Mean count of radioisotope in the right and left sides of the shoulder area was 4179.29 and 4074.24, respectively; in the right and left sides of the elbow joint areas, the count was 1662.14, 1645.28, respectively. The count in the right and left sides of the carpal joint and finger areas was 1908.42 and 2028.28, respectively. Conclusion : This study shows that 99m Tc-MDP radiotracer can be used for survey radioactivity examination in different bones of the forelimb. Comparison of radioisotope counts in these areas can be used for the diagnosis of disease. Keywords : Bone, Rat, Scintigraphy, Technetium, Methylene diphosphonate
Intrauterine exposure to smoking and wheezing in adolescence: the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort

Previous studies have suggested an association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and asthma symptoms such as wheezing during childhood. However, few have evaluated this association in adolescence, especially in populations with high prevalence of wheezing as in Brazil. Using the 1993 Pelotas birth cohort, a longitudinal study set in southern Brazil of 5249 urban live births, we aimed to evaluate the association between maternal and the partner’s smoking during pregnancy and wheezing at 11 and 15 years of age. We evaluated smoking during pregnancy using number of cigarettes/day, and our main outcomes were as follows: wheezing in the last year and number of wheezing crises, at both 11 and 15 years of age, as well as persistent wheezing (having crises at 11 and 15 years of age) and medical asthma diagnosis at age 15. In addition, other socio-demographic variables were included as possible confounders and mediators of this association. We used Poisson regression models to evaluate crude and adjusted associations. Of the 5249 live births in 1993, 87.5% and 85.7% were followed-up to 11 and 15 years of age, respectively. Maternal smoking during pregnancy showed a dose-response association with number of wheezing crises at age 15 (P=0.023), presence of persistent wheezing (P=0.034) and asthma diagnosis (P=0.023). Partner’s smoking was not associated with any wheezing variables. Maternal smoking during pregnancy appears to exert an effect on respiratory morbidity of adolescents, evaluated by wheezing symptoms.
Necrotizing soft tissue infections. Risk factors for mortality and strategies for management.

OBJECTIVE The authors evaluate in a retrospective fashion the factors influencing outcome in a large group of patients presenting with necrotizing soft tissue infections, and, based on this analysis, propose a plan for optimal care of such patients. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA In many smaller series of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections, similar analyses of risk factors for mortality have been performed, producing conflicting conclusions regarding optimal care. In particular, debate exists regarding the impact of concurrent physiologic derangements, type and extent of infection, and the role of hyperbaric oxygen in treatment. METHODS A retrospective chart review of 198 consecutive patients with documented necrotizing soft tissue infections, treated at a single institution during an 8-year period, was conducted. Using a model for logistic regression analysis, characteristics of each patient and his/her clinical course were tested for impact on outcome. RESULTS The mortality rate among the 198 patients was 25.3%. The most common sites of origin of infection were the perineum (Fournier's disease; 36% of cases) and the foot (in diabetics; 15.2%). By logistic regression analysis, risk factors for death included age, female gender, extent of infection, delay in first debridement, elevated serum creatinine level, elevated blood lactate level, and degree of organ system dysfunction at admission. Diabetes mellitus did not predispose patients to death, except in conjunction with renal dysfunction or peripheral vascular disease. Myonecrosis, noted in 41.4% of the patients who underwent surgery, did not influence mortality. CONCLUSIONS Necrotizing soft tissue infections represent a group of highly lethal infections best treated by early and repeated extensive debridement and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Hyperbaric oxygen appears to offer the advantage of early wound closure. Certain markers predict those individuals at increased risk for multiple-organ failure and death and therefore assist in deciding allocation of intensive care resources.
Classification of chronic pain associated with spinal cord injuries.

OBJECTIVES To determine interrater reliability of a classification system for chronic pain in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to determine the frequency and characteristics of various pain types as categorized by this system. DESIGN Independent categorization (based on questionnaires; for 15 persons, questionnaires plus personal interviews) by 2 investigators. SETTING Community. PARTICIPANTS A total of 163 individuals aged >or=18 years with SCI and pain. INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Pain categories, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, and Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire. RESULTS Among 41 (25%) questionnaires categorized independently by 2 investigators, strength of agreement in categorizing 68 pain problems was substantial (kappa=.68). For 15 persons whose pain was categorized in person by 2 investigators, strength of agreement was also substantial (kappa=.66). Among 163 survey respondents with pain, the most common worst pain was SCI pain (31.9%). Mean characteristic pain intensity +/- standard deviation for worst pain, regardless of type, was 61.02+/-18.5 on a scale from 0 to 100. On average, for worst pain, respondents reported moderate pain-related disability (43.70+/-29.4; scale range, 0-100). Although certain pain descriptors were more often associated with a specific type of pain, none was pathognomonic. CONCLUSIONS Substantial interrater reliability was achieved in determining pain categories by use of responses to a questionnaire with a classification system based on presumed pathology. Adding interviews with patients increased our ability to classify pain but did not improve overall interrater reliability.
The Roles of Distributor in the Supply Chain – Push-pull Boundary

The purpose of this paper is to study the roles of the distributor in the supply chain and to explore its positive contributions. We find that the distributor should act as a push and pull boundary (also called decoupling point) of the supply chain. The definition of decoupling point is needed to be enhanced when the concept of the decoupling point is applied to an industry, like the electronics industry, due to the fact that several decoupling points along a supply chain are possible. The distributor, as a decoupling point, needs to resolve the overstock risk pooled from the upstream parties due to the economies of scale in the production process. On the other hand, the distributor needs to provide fast delivery service with small order quantities and to satisfy the high availability requirement from its downstream parties by providing postponement services to her partners in the supply chain.
Third‐Order Neuronal Responses Contribute to Shaping the Negative Electroretinogram in Sodium Iodate–Treated Rats

Purpose: To determine possible mechanisms that shape the negative electroretinograms (ERGs) in rats with photoreceptor degeneration induced by destruction of the retinal pigment epithelium. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 48) were injected intravenously with 60 mg/kg of sodium iodate (NaIO3). Full-field ERGs were elicited by different stimulus intensities with a maximum luminance of 1.23 log cd-s/m2 and recorded at 6 hr and on days 7, 14, and 28 after the NaIO3 injections. DL-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB, 1 mM) or N-methyl-L-aspartic acid (NMDA, 5 mM) was injected into the vitreous cavity to isolate photoreceptor (PIII), second-order, and third-order neuronal responses. After recording the ERGs, animals were sacrificed for histological analysis. Results: Negative ERGs were recorded under scotopic conditions on day 7 after the NaIO3 injection. An intravitreal injection of NMDA eliminated most of the a-wave, resulting in the abolition of the negative ERG. On days 14 and 28, the a-wave amplitudes were reduced compared to those on day 7 with the loss of the negative ERGs. The mean amplitudes of the PIII and second-order neuronal responses were progressively reduced until day 7. In contrast, the mean amplitude of the third-order neuronal responses were relatively well-preserved until day 7 and then were decreased between days 7 and 14. As a result, the amplitude of the third-order neuronal response dominated over the second-order neuronal response on day 7. There was no significant difference in the middle and inner retinal morphology at each time point. Conclusions: NaIO3 produced negative ERGs transiently, and the third-order neuronal responses were the main contributors to the negative ERG. The relative preservation of the third-order neuronal response plays a role in shaping the negative ERGs in this model.
Complete mitochondrial genome of Sicyopterus japonicus (Perciformes, Gobiidae)

In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Sicyopterus japonicus (Perciformes, Gobiidae). This mitochondrial genome consists of 16,514 base pairs (bp), with 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 non-coding control region (CR), also with the gene synteny identical to that of typical vertebrates. CR, of 843 bp in length, is located between tRNAPro and tRNAPhe. The overall base composition of the heavy strand shows T 26.1%, C 28.7%, A 28.3%, and G 16.91%, with a slight AT bias of 54.4%.
Thermotolerant Guard Cell Protoplasts of Tree Tobacco Do Not Require Exogenous Hormones to Survive in Culture and Are Blocked from Reentering the Cell Cycle at the G1-to-S Transition1

When guard cell protoplasts (GCPs) of tree tobacco [Nicotiana glauca (Graham)] are cultured at 32°C with an auxin (1-napthaleneacetic acid) and a cytokinin (6-benzylaminopurine), they reenter the cell cycle, dedifferentiate, and divide. GCPs cultured similarly but at 38°C and with 0.1 μm ± -cis,trans-abscisic acid (ABA) remain differentiated. GCPs cultured at 38°C without ABA dedifferentiate partially but do not divide. Cell survival after 1 week is 70% to 80% under all of these conditions. In this study, we show that GCPs cultured for 12 to 24 h at 38°C accumulate heat shock protein 70 and develop a thermotolerance that, upon transfer of cells to 32°C, enhances cell survival but inhibits cell cycle reentry, dedifferentiation, and division. GCPs dedifferentiating at 32°C require both 1-napthaleneacetic acid and 6-benzylaminopurine to survive, but thermotolerant GCPs cultured at 38°C ± ABA do not require either hormone for survival. Pulse-labeling experiments using 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine indicate that culture at 38°C ± ABA prevents dedifferentiation of GCPs by blocking cell cycle reentry at G1/S. Cell cycle reentry at 32°C is accompanied by loss of a 41-kD polypeptide that cross-reacts with antibodies to rat (Rattus norvegicus) extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1; thermotolerant GCPs retain this polypeptide. A number of polypeptides unique to thermotolerant cells have been uncovered by Boolean analysis of two-dimensional gels and are targets for further analysis. GCPs of tree tobacco can be isolated in sufficient numbers and with the purity required to study plant cell thermotolerance and its relationship to plant cell survival, growth, dedifferentiation, and division in vitro.
DISGUST: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES, SOCIAL MANIFESTATIONS, AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract Emotions have been a long–standing cornerstone of research in social and clinical psychology. Although the systematic examination of emotional processes has yielded a rather comprehensive theoretical and scientific literature, dramatically less empirical attention has been devoted to disgust. In the present article, the nature, experience, and other associated features of disgust are outlined. We also review the domains of disgust and highlight how these domains have expanded over time. The function of disgust in various social constructions, such as cigarette smoking, vegetarianism, and homophobia, is highlighted. Disgust is also becoming increasingly recognized as an influential emotion in the onset, maintenance, and treatment of various phobic states, Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder, and eating disorders. In comparison to the other emotions, disgust offers great promise for future social and clinical research efforts, and prospective studies designed to improve our understanding of disgust are o.
Contribution of Stabilizing Agents Present in Intravenous Immunoglobulin Preparations to Modulation of Mononuclear Cell Proliferation In Vitro

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) preparations have been shown to suppress lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. This study aimed to investigate the effects of an IVIG produced by fractionation/DEAE‐Sephadex adsorption on lymphocyte proliferation in vitro, with particular reference to contributions of the stabilizing agents present in the IVIG to the modulation of mononuclear cell proliferation. It was found that glycine significantly inhibited stimulation by the mitogenic lectin phytohaemagglutinin (PHA; 58% inhibition, P<0.01). Glucose and human albumin also reduced the response to PHA but to a lesser extent (20% and 30%, respectively). In further experiments the effects of sucrose and maltose, two disaccharides used as stabilizing agents in IVIG preparations, were studied. Three doses were used (2.5mm, 25mm and 250mm), representing levels likely to be found in vivo after infusion of IVIG at immunotherapeutic doses, on four different proliferative stimuli. Maltose was found to inhibit proliferation to PHA, anti‐CD3 and PMA in a dose responsive manner. Sucrose also inhibited proliferation to these stimuli, but a dose response was not observed. For both sugars, only the highest dose (250mm) inhibited the proliferative response of mononuclear cells to PMA and a calcium ionophore (ionomycin). The repurified IgG component of the IVIG preparation did not inhibit PBMC responses to PHA in this system. Kinetic analyses, in which the sugars were added 24h after proliferative stimuli, indicated that both sugars still inhibited responses to PHA, and, to a lesser extent, PMA, but only maltose inhibited the anti‐CD3 response. These findings show that stabilizing agents currently found in commercial IVIG preparations make a significant contribution to modulating mononuclear cell proliferation and need to be considered when assessing the immunomodulatory role of IVIG in vitro.
Education, Income, and Happiness: Evidence From China

Happiness is the continuous joy that people experience when they are satisfied with their lives long term, and is the ultimate goal pursued by all citizens. In this study, we investigate the relationship between education, income, and happiness in the migrant population in China. Using 1,31,186 individuals in the 2012 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) as research samples, the estimated results of ordinal logistic regression show that education, including secondary education and higher education, has a significant and direct impact on individual happiness, and that the impact of education on happiness can also be mediated by income as an intermediary mechanism. In addition, factors such as gender, flow distance, flow time, employment status, type of housing, number of children, degree of preference for the city, and degree of discrimination by locals have obvious effects on happiness. This work provides important insights for countries seeking to implement an active education policy in order to increase economic income and thus achieve the development goal of universal happiness among their citizens.