Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic flux measurements across portal drained viscera, liver, kidney and hindquarter in mice

A method was developed to measure metabolic fluxes across either portally-drained viscera (PDV) and liver or kidney and hindquarter (HQ) in anesthetized mice. The method includes a primed-constant infusion of ketamine-medetomidine anaesthesia to stabilize the mice for the surgical procedures. For measurement of metabolic fluxes across PDV and liver, blood sampling catheters were inserted in the carotid artery, portal vein and hepatic vein and infusion catheters in the jugular vein and mesenteric vein. For measurement of metabolic flux across kidney and HQ, blood sampling catheters were inserted in the carotid artery, renal vein and caval vein and infusion catheters in the jugular vein and abdominal aorta. 14C-PAH was infused to enable plasma flow measurement using an indicator dilution method. In addition, we developed a blood sampling procedure without waste of blood. We measured plasma flow and metabolic fluxes across PDV, liver, kidney and HQ. Mean plasma flow in post-absorptive mice was: PDV: 0.9 ± 0.2, liver: 1.2 ± 0.3, kidney:1.0 ± 0.1, HQ: 1.1 ± 0.3 ml/10 g body weight (b.w.)/min. Significant glutamine release by the HQ and uptake of glutamine by the kidney and PDV was observed. In PDV, citrulline is produced from glutamine and is in turn used by the kidney for the production of arginine. In conclusion, the described model enables measurement of metabolic fluxes across PDV, liver, kidney and HQ in mice. The availability of such a small animal model allows the potential for measuring metabolic parameters in transgenic and knockout mice, and therefore may lead to an important refinement in metabolic research.
Utilization of specialty and primary care: the impact of HMO insurance and patient-related factors.

BACKGROUND Appropriate utilization of primary and specialty care has stimulated substantial debate, but the portion of the discussion focused on policies that restrict or discourage direct access to specialists has been largely uninformed by empirical analysis. Using data from the National Ambulatory Care Survey (1985 to 1992 surveys), we examined the associations of patient and physician demographics and health maintenance organization (HMO) insurance status with the utilization of primary compared with specialty care. METHODS Office visits for adult patients seen by primary care physicians and specialists were analyzed for: (1) patient-initiated utilization of specialists (patient self-referral) compared with that of primary care physicians; and (2) utilization of specialists compared with that of primary care physicians, stratified by HMO insurance status. RESULTS After multivariate adjustment, patient self-referral was less likely among black patients (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.59 to 0.76), self-pay (AOR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.74 to 0.88), or patients with Medicaid (AOR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.43 to 0.61). The proportion of non-HMO patients seeing specialists remained stable (44.9%). For HMO patients, the proportion of total visits made to specialists increased from 27.6% in 1985 to 41.3% in 1991, then dropped to 33.2% in 1992. Disparities in utilization of specialists by women, blacks, and patients with Medicaid observed among non-HMO patients were not found in the HMO population. Specialists were more likely to see HMO patients for follow-up of a known problem, whereas non-HMO patients were more likely to have specialist follow-up visits for new problems. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest greater utilization of specialists by male, white, and privately insured patients. The findings may partially account for disparities in specialty procedure use, and suggest that HMO insurance may reduce some of these disparities. The less frequent and more selective use of specialists among HMO patients suggests an evolving role for specialists in managed care.
ASSESSING THE LEARNING NEEDS OF TURKISH LANGUAGE STUDENT TEACHERS IN REGARD TO TEACHING TURKISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

This particular study aimed to highlight the student teachers’ perceptions, needs, and expectations, current and desired competencies in terms of necessary teaching competencies in teaching Turkish as a foreign language (TFL) with the hope of designing a better learner-centered curriculum that goes more in line with their specific needs. The study was conducted with 367 student teachers at three state universities in 2013-2014; 2014-2015 academic years in Turkey. The results of the study revealed that regarding the students’ views on the content /field knowledge dimension, almost all of the items such as content knowledge of foreign language teaching/TFL methods, grammar and language skills were perceived by student teachers highly needed. Similarly, regarding the interdisciplinary/complementary competencies, program knowledge, competency in linguistics and language acquisition dimensions were perceived highly necessary. Related to competencies in learning-teaching process, it was observed that participants strongly would like to be competent in the professional knowledge and application of the methods of teaching TFL. On the other hand, currently, they perceived themselves only partially competent in these dimensions.
A multilevel investigation to discover why Kandelia candel thrives in high salinity.

The halophilic mangrove species Kandelia candel is an excellent model for understanding why halophytes thrive in high salinity. Preliminary transcriptomic analyses revealed that genes involved in diverse functions, such as in phenylpropanoid and amino acid metabolisms, and those in DNA replication and damage repair were highly responsive to salt stress. Proteomic analyses revealed that the proteins involved in light reaction of photosynthesis, amino acid and carbohydrate metabolisms, secondary metabolite biosynthesis and posttranslational modification showed increased levels in response to salt stress. The metabolisms of phenylpropanoids and amino acids under salt stress were systematically examined based on the preliminary omics analyses. The activities of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic enzymes and the contents of phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins and lignins were significantly increased under salt stress. In the free amino acid pool, glutamate was the most abundant. Together with γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamate levels further increased, while proline levels remained unchanged in response to salt stress. These findings point to the potential importance of phenylpropanoids and free amino acids in salt tolerance of K. candel that have been observed, but not systemically investigated at the levels of gene expression, enzyme activity and metabolite accumulation in glycophytes and non-tree halophytes.
T‐helper 1 dominated responses to erythrocyte Band 3 in NZB mice

Band 3, the red blood cell (RBC) anion channel protein, is the target autoantigen for the pathogenic RBC autoantibodies and T‐helper (Th) cells in New Zealand Black (NZB) mice with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA). To determine the subpopulation of these Th cells, they were stimulated with Band 3 and the profile of the cytokines elaborated by the responding cells was measured. NZB T cells stimulated with Band 3 produced high levels of the Th1 cytokine, interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), but little or no interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), IL‐5 or IL‐10. Similar patterns were produced by NZB T cells responding to a spectrin preparation from the RBC membrane skeleton, or to mycobacterial heat‐shock protein (hsp) 65 following immunization of mice with hsp 65 in incomplete adjuvant. By contrast, T cells from CBA mice similarly immunized with hsp 65 produced high levels of IL‐4 and IL‐5 in response to hsp 65. Examination of the isotype of the RBC‐bound immunoglobulins in NZB mice revealed that immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) autoantibodies were the first to be detected in most mice and that later in the disease, IgG3 autoantibodies were often prominent. It is concluded that, contrary to expectation, the development of RBC autoantibodies in NZB mice is associated with Th1 cytokine‐dominated responses.
Supporting Residents Moving Into Long-Term Care: Multiple Layers Shape Residents’ Experiences

This interpretive grounded theory study explores 10 residents’ retrospective accounts of the relocation process, including the decision to move into a long-term care home, the pre-move preparations, the moving day circumstances, and the initial adjustment period following the move. Analysis of the data revealed a complex intersection of conditions at multiple layers that shaped residents’ experiences of the transitional process. Recommendations to enhance circumstances at individual, interpersonal, and systemic layers, for each temporal stage of the relocation process are proposed. Implications for social work practice across the continuum of care are also discussed.
An exploratory study: prolonged periods of binocular stimulation can provide an effective treatment for childhood amblyopia.

PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to explore the potential for treating childhood amblyopia with a binocular stimulus designed to correlate the visual input from both eyes. METHODS Eight strabismic, two anisometropic, and four strabismic and anisometropic amblyopes (mean age, 8.5 ± 2.6 years) undertook a dichoptic perceptual learning task for five sessions (each lasting 1 hour) over the course of a week. The training paradigm involved a simple computer game, which required the subject to use both eyes to perform the task. RESULTS A statistically significant improvement (t(₁₃) = 5.46; P = 0.0001) in the mean visual acuity (VA) of the amblyopic eye (AE) was demonstrated, from 0.51 ± 0.27 logMAR before training to 0.42 ± 0.28 logMAR after training with six subjects gaining 0.1 logMAR or more of improvement. Measurable stereofunction was established for the first time in three subjects with an overall significant mean improvement in stereoacuity after training (t(₁₃) =2.64; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The dichoptic-based perceptual learning therapy employed in the present study improved both the monocular VA of the AE and stereofunction, verifying the feasibility of a binocular approach in the treatment of childhood amblyopia.
The Concept and Effects of Service Modularity - A Literature Review

The principle of modularity is well established in product development and software engineering. In recent years, this principle has been extended to services in different industries, such as financial services, hospital, logistics, IT, or health care. Service providers apply the principle of modularity to achieve reductions in time and cost of delivering customized services. Service modularity is thus a key concept for a service-oriented perspective of the enterprise but research is still in an early stage. This paper reviews the extant literature to show commonalities and differences between different conceptualizations of service modularity. The review also shows that service modularity is associated conceptually with a wide range of effects on different performance criteria of services. Few of these effects, however, are validated empirically. Based on these findings, the paper identifies implications for future research.
Accounting Change Model for the Public Sector: Adapting Luder's Model for Developing Countries

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of a theoretical model to investigate accounting change in the public sector in a developing country. The accounting change model developed by Luder (1992) for the public sector was adapted by reference to the work of others (Christensen 2002; Godfrey, Devlin & Merrouche 1996; Oliorilanto 2008; Saleh, 2007; Yamamoto 1999). The adapted model provides an integrative framework that conceptualizes multifaceted internal and external factors influencing accounting change and factors that can be barriers to and facilitators of change in developing countries.
Improving tuberculosis mortality estimates : An evaluation of data sources, strategies and new diagnostics in a high tuberculosis and HIV burden setting

Despite being one of the most ancient diseases affecting humans, tuberculosis (TB) remains as one of the 21st century’s the major global health concerns. The World Health Organization estimated that TB caused around 1,6 millions deaths in 2017. Assessing TB associated mortality is relevant because it helps to understand the true magnitude of TB compared to other diseases, and thus, it is critical for planning and prioritization of health interventions and allocating resources. It is also fundamental for assessing progress on TB control efforts, which will contribute to the assessment of the End-TB and SDG indicators. However, there is much uncertainty on the true mortality burden attributable to TB, and different institutions provide different burden estimates for a given country. The central aim of this thesis is to evaluate different strategies and approaches related to TB mortality measurement through different study designs. Most of the data presented in this thesis has been collected in Southern Mozambique, a low-income setting with a high TB and HIV burden.
Fluid–structure interaction modeling and simulation of transcatheter heart valves

Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) are prostheses fabricated from xenograft biomaterials using for treating valvular disease. While these devices have mechanical and blood flow characteristics similar to native valves, their durability remains limited to 10–15 years before device failure usually resulting from leaflet structural deterioration mediated by fatigue and tissue mineralization. Improving BHV design remains an important clinical goal and represents a unique cardiovascular engineering challenge. Transcatheter heart valves (THVs) have emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to surgical bioprosthetic heart valve therapy. THVs offer advantages such as less postoperative pain, faster rehabilitation, and better pressure gradients. However, issues such as paravalvular leakage, leaflet fatigue, and valve migration limit the widespread use of THV in the younger population of patients, especially due to the lack of data concerning its long-term performance and durability. The friction force and the radial force between THV frames and the surrounding anatomy are important indicators for safe anchoring. Thus, in vitro measurement of these forces is vital for pre-operative planning of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures. There is a profound need to develop a general understanding of the heart valve mechanism through novel simulation technologies that take advantage of fluid–structure interactions (FSI). In this work, a framework for modeling BHVs using a recently proposed isogeometric analysis–based parametric design platform and immersogeometric FSI analysis is presented. Due to the complex motion of the heart valve leaflets, the blood flow domain undergoes large deformations, including changes of topology. The FSI simulations are carried out using our hybrid arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian/immersogeometric methodology, which allows us to efficiently perform a computation that combines a boundary-fitted, deforming-mesh treatment of the artery with a non-boundary-fitted treatment of the leaflets. The development of modeling and simulation of full THVs is integrated with the immersogeometric FSI analysis. With an effective material model that considers the collagen fiber network of heart valve leaflet,
Statistical efficiency of the ADC sinewave histogram test

This paper presents an analysis of the statistical efficiency of the sinewave histogram test used for estimating the unknown transition levels of an analog-to-digital converter. Accordingly, at first, a closed-form determination of the Cramer-Rao bound is derived under the assumption of a noiseless stimulus signal. Both unbiased and biased versions of the bound are described in order to account for the eventual bias introduced by commonly employed estimators. Then, additive Gaussian noise is assumed, and comments are made about its effects on the maximum achievable accuracy.
Mapping the impairment in decoding static facial expressions of emotion in prosopagnosia

Abstract Acquired prosopagnosia is characterized by a deficit in face recognition due to diverse brain lesions, but interestingly most prosopagnosic patients suffering from posterior lesions use the mouth instead of the eyes for face identification. Whether this bias is present for the recognition of facial expressions of emotion has not yet been addressed. We tested PS, a pure case of acquired prosopagnosia with bilateral occipitotemporal lesions anatomically sparing the regions dedicated for facial expression recognition. PS used mostly the mouth to recognize facial expressions even when the eye area was the most diagnostic. Moreover, PS directed most of her fixations towards the mouth. Her impairment was still largely present when she was instructed to look at the eyes, or when she was forced to look at them. Control participants showed a performance comparable to PS when only the lower part of the face was available. These observations suggest that the deficits observed in PS with static images are not solely attentional, but are rooted at the level of facial information use. This study corroborates neuroimaging findings suggesting that the Occipital Face Area might play a critical role in extracting facial features that are integrated for both face identification and facial expression recognition in static images.
Mitochondrial genome of the Chinese gizzard shad Clupanodon thrissa (Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) and related phylogenetic analyses

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the single species from the Genus Clupanodon, the Chinese gizzard shad, Clupanodon thrissa, was determined. The entire sequence is 16,692 bp in length, including the typical structure of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 2 noncoding regions (control region and L-strand replication origin). With the exception of ND6 and eight tRNA genes, all other genes are encoded on the heavy strand and the organization of genes is similar to that observed in most other vertebrates. Phylogenetic analyses using the protein coding gene sequences reveal that C. thrissa is most closely related to Konosirus punctatus within the family Clupeidae and subfamily Dorosomatinae is not a monophyletic group.
The feasibility of developing a risk assessment for the impact of climate change on the emergence of Crimean‐Congo haemorrhagic fever in livestock in Europe: a Review

Crimean‐Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is one of the most widespread of all medically important arboviruses with ticks of the Hyalomma spp. serving as the main vectors. Infection of livestock by CCHFV serves as a route of exposure to humans, as a reservoir of disease and as a route of importation. This study discusses the pathways and data requirements for a qualitative risk assessment for the emergence of CCHFV in livestock in Europe. A risk map approach is proposed based on layers that include the potential routes of release (e.g. by migrating birds carrying infected ticks) together with the main components for exposure, namely the distributions of the tick vectors, the small vertebrate host reservoirs and the livestock. A layer on landscape fragmentation serves as a surrogate for proximity of livestock to the tick cycle. Although the impact of climate change on the emergence of CCHF is not clear, comparing the distribution of risk factors in each layer currently with those predicted in the 2080s with climate change can be used to speculate how potential high‐risk areas may shift. According to the risk pathway, transstadial and/or transovarial transmission in the tick vector are crucial for CCHFV spread. Vector competence and tick vector switching, however, remain critical factors for CCHFV colonization of new regions in Europe. The species of migratory bird is also an important consideration in the release assessment with greater abundance and biodiversity of ground‐dwelling birds in southern Europe than in northern Europe.
Population structure of an endemic vulnerable species, the Jamaican boa (Epicrates subflavus)

The Jamaican boa (Epicrates subflavus; also called Yellow boa) is an endemic species whose natural populations greatly and constantly declined since the late 19th century, mainly because of predation by introduced species, human persecution, and habitat destruction. In‐situ conservation of the Jamaican boa is seriously hindered by the lack of information on demographic and ecological parameters as well as by a poor understanding of the population structure and species distribution in the wild. Here, using nine nuclear microsatellite loci and a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from 87 wild‐born individuals, we present the first molecular genetic analyses focusing on the diversity and structure of the natural populations of the Jamaican boa. A model‐based clustering analysis of multilocus microsatellite genotypes identifies three groups that are also significantly differentiated on the basis of F‐statistics. Similarly, haplotypic network reconstruction methods applied on the cytochrome b haplotypes isolated here identify two well‐differentiated haplogroups separated by four to six fixed mutations. Bayesian and metaGA analyses of the mitochondrial data set combined with sequences from other Boidae species indicate that rooting of the haplotypic network occurs most likely between the two defined haplogroups. Both analyses (based on nuclear and mitochondrial markers) underline an Eastern vs. (Western + Central) pattern of differentiation in agreement with geological data and patterns of differentiation uncovered in other vertebrate and invertebrate Jamaican species. Our results provide important insights for improving management of ex‐situ captive populations and for guiding the development of proper in‐situ species survival and habitat management plans for this spectacular, yet poorly known and vulnerable, snake.
Unexpected Earnings and Intraindustry Information Transfers: Further Evidence

This paper provides evidence on the association between unexpected quarterly earnings information and the contemporaneous stock price behavior of announcing and nonannouncing firms in the same industry. Prior research provides evidence consistent with a positive sign and magnitude relation between the unsystematic stock returns of announcing and nonannouncing firms at earnings release dates, i.e., information transfers (Foster [1981] and Clinch and Sinclair [1987]). As these studies emphasize, however, such an association may arise from misspecification of the stock-return-generating process. To address this issue, we use unexpected earnings, not announcing firms' unsystematic stock returns, in tests of information transfers. Evidence consistent with information transfers when unexpected earnings are used as a proxy for the informativeness of earnings would reduce the likelihood of information transfers attributable to returns model misspecification, and would support the hypothesis that unexpected earnings, and not some unspecified information item, drive information transfers at earnings release dates. We find a positive sign and magnitude relation between the contemporaneous unsystematic stock returns of announcing and nonannouncing firms at earnings release dates and between unexpected earnings of announcing firms and unsystematic stock returns of nonannouncing