Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conception Rate Using the Select-Synch Protocol in Combination with a Lower Dose Progesterone-Releasing Intravaginal Insert (1.38 g) in Swiss Dairy Cows

Background: Synchronization programs have become standard in the dairy industry. In Switzerland, these programs are used but newly. The objective of this study was A) to estimate the pregnancy rate after a Select-Synch protocol including a low dosage of progesterone in CIDR (1.38 g). As a second step B) this pregnancy rate should be compared to cows from another Swiss study that used a Select-Synch protocol with the 1.9 g insert ADDIN EN.CITE ADDIN EN.CITE. DATA (Rudolph et al., 2011). Methods: A) 196 cows were included in the study. Cows received a CIDR 1.38 g and 2.5 ml of buserelin i.m. on d 0. On d 7, the CIDR insert was removed and 5 ml of dinoprost was administered i.m. On d 0 a milk sample for progesterone analysis was taken. Pregnancy was determined at or more than 35 days after artificial insemination. B) The 1.38 g group and the 1.9 g group were compared as to cow and farm factors, number of preceding AI’s, gynecological and uterine pretreatment and treatment itself. A forward selection procedure was used (test result considered significant if p-value 0.05). Results: A) The pregnancy rate, using the Select-Synch protocol with the CIDR 1.38 g was 44.4%. B) The CIDR 1.9 g Select-Synch group revealed a pregnancy rate of 50.4% ADDIN EN.CITE ADDIN EN.CITE. DATA (Rudolph et al., 2011). Significant differences between the groups were not found. Conclusion: The 1.38 g CIDR-Select-Synch protocol may be recommended for multiparous dairy cows. The pregnancy rate compared to the 1.9 g CIDR-Select-Synch protocol was 8% lower, but this difference was not significant.
Artenimol-Based Combination Therapy for the Curative Treatment of Schistosomiasis

Recent decades have seen new developments for a number of parasitic diseases, particularly malaria. This has had a major impact and large-scale global health programmes have been developed to alleviate the burden of some of these deadly diseases. Some diseases – such as schistosomiasis seem to have been ignored internationally. And yet schistosomiasis has a serious impact on public health and the economy. Although the disease can be controlled by praziquantel, elimination programmes are not popular and the disease continues to take its toll on the public. An annual administration of praziquantel could change this markedly and have a pronounced impact on the overall health of the people of Africa. In contrast, malaria programmes are bringing the disease under control; the incidence of malaria has dropped significantly in the last few years. Praziquantel could achieve similar results for schistosomiasis control if it were used in identical health care programmes. Although praziquantel appears to be an efficacious drug, in recent years problems of resistance have arisen and experts are calling for alternative therapies (Doenhoff et al., 2007). Below is a short review of praziquantel and a discussion on the need for new drugs. Praziquantel (Figure 1) was discovered and developed by Bayer AG in Germany and codeveloped by Merck. Praziquantel has been used since the early 1970s for the treatment of parasitic Schistosoma infections (Tchuente et al., 2004) and for the treatment (to varying degrees of success) of liver flukes, such as Chlonorchic sinsensis (Shen et al., 2007). Paragonimiasis is also listed as an indication. One other major indication for praziquantel is its application in the treatment of tapeworms (trematodes and cestodes), such as the various taenias, cysticercosis (Matthaiou DK et al., 2004) and echinococcosis parasites. The WHO considered the drug important enough to add it to its Model List of Essential Medicines. Absorption and metabolism: Praziquantel is rapidly absorbed (approximately 80%) via the gastrointestinal tract. It undergoes intensive metabolisation during its first pass through the liver so that relatively small amounts enter the systemic circulation. The elimination half-life is short, ranging from 1 to 2 hours. Praziquantel and its metabolites are mainly excreted by the kidneys. After a single oral dose, 70 to 80% is found in urine within 24 hours. Efficacy: Praziquantel has a particularly dramatic effect on patients with schistosomiasis. Studies have shown that up to 90% of the damage done to internal organs due to schistosomiasis infection could be reversed (http://www.cartercenter.org/health/ schistosomiasis/index.html; Tchuente et al., 2004) within six months of receiving one dose of praziquantel.
Primary angiosarcoma of the thyroid gland with recurrence diagnosed by fine needle aspiration: A case report

Angiosarcoma of the thyroid is a rare and aggressive primary malignant tumor of the thyroid originally reported in patients from the Swiss Alpine region. Diagnosis of this tumor rests mainly on characteristic histopathological features of a malignant vascular tumor supported by immunopositivity for vascular markers e.g., CD31, Factor VIII, and CD34. Its cytological features, however, are not well‐defined. We describe a case of primary angiosarcoma of the thyroid in a 48‐year‐old female, who presented with a rapidly enlarging neck mass associated with compressive symptoms. She had a history of hypothyroidism. The initial fine needle aspiration cytology of the neck mass was negative. She then underwent left hemithyroidectomy. Histologically, the tumor showed poorly differentiated malignant cells with eccentrically‐placed nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and intracytoplasmic vacuoles admixed with mixed inflammatory cells. These showed immunopositivity for CD31 but were negative for CD34, Factor VIII, CK5/6, EMA, TTF‐1, Thyroglobulin, Calcitonin, Melan A, and Calretinin. A diagnosis of poorly differentiated malignant tumor consistent with angiosarcoma was made. The patient was treated with radiation therapy but developed recurrence of the tumor. Second aspiration cytology of the recurrent tumor yielded hypocellular smears containing singularly dispersed atypical cells having eccentrically‐placed nuclei with prominent macronucleoli and intracytoplasmic vacuoles within a background of inflammatory cells, consistent with recurrent angiosarcoma. Chemotherapy was started but she succumbed to the disease 7 months after diagnosis. The cytological, histopathological, immunohistochemical findings, and the clinical course are discussed. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Clinical and endoscopic factors predict higher pathologic grades of Barrett dysplasia

Barrett esophagus is highly prevalent in the Western world; however, only a minority of affected individuals progress to esophageal adenocarcinoma. Whereas many studies have examined risk factors for development of Barrett metaplasia, few data are available on risk factors for progression to neoplasia. Identifying simple, reliable, clinical, and endoscopic predictors of high‐grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma would be helpful for risk stratification in screening and surveillance programs.
Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor, a gp130 Cytokine, Regulates Preovulatory Surges of Luteinizing Hormone and Prolactin in the Rat

Ciliary neurotropic factor (CNTF) is a neuroregulatory cytokine belonging to the interleukin-6 type cytokine superfamily. Although a few studies have reported a facilitatory action of CNTF on the reproductive axis in rodents, information along this line is still very limited. In this study, we examined a possible role of CNTF in the generation of ovarian steroid-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin (PRL) surges in the rat, a crucial physiological event in mammalian reproduction. Experiments were performed on both normally-fed and 3-day-fasted rats, ovariectomized and primed with estradiol and progesterone. Blood was collected every 30 min between 11:00 and 18:00 h, to measure LH and PRL. Drugs were given intracerebroventricularly at 11:00 h. Compared to control serum, undiluted as well as threefold dilutions of anti-CNTF serum caused partial but significant suppression of LH surges. Both concentrations of the antibody also delayed the onset of PRL surge to a comparable degree. Fasted rats did not exhibit significant surges of the hormones, while 0.3 and 1.0 nmol, but not 0.1 nmol, recombinant human CNTF led to a dose-dependent recovery of both LH and PRL surges. These results demonstrate for the first time a significant role of CNTF in the generation of preovulatory LH and PRL surges in the rat. CNTF may thus be another humoral signal linking nutrition and reproductive function.
Spatial genetic structure in a metapopulation of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis (Gastropoda: Helicidae)

Habitat fragmentation is a major force affecting demography and genetic structure of wild populations, especially in agricultural landscapes. The land snail Cepaea nemoralis (L.) was selected to investigate the impact of habitat fragmentation on the spatial genetic structure of an organism with limited dispersal ability. Genetic and morphological patterns were investigated at a local scale of a 500 m transect and a mesoscale of 4 × 4 km in a fragmented agricultural landscape while accounting for variation in the landscape using least‐cost models. Analysis of microsatellite loci using expected heterozygosity (HE), pairwise genetic distance (FST/1 − FST) and spatial autocorrelograms (Moran's I) as well as shell characteristics revealed spatial structuring at both scales and provided evidence for a metapopulation structure. Genetic diversity was related to morphological diversity regardless of landscape properties. This pointed to bottlenecks caused by founder effects after (re)colonization. Our study suggests that metapopulation structure depended on both landscape features and the shape of the dispersal function. A range of genetic spatial autocorrelation up to 80 m at the local scale and up to 800 m at the mesoscale indicated leptokurtic dispersal patterns. The metapopulation dynamics of C. nemoralis resulted in a patchwork of interconnected, spatially structured subpopulations. They were shaped by gene flow which was affected by landscape features, the dispersal function and an increasing role of genetic drift with distance.
Germinated-soy milk in suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress in blood plasma and breast milk of lactating mothers.

Current study aimed to determine the potency of germinated-soy milk (GSM) on Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activity, and Malondialdehyde (MDA) and C-Reactive Protein (C-RP) levels in the blood plasma and skim milk of lactating mothers. Subjects were 50 lactating mothers, 20-35 years old, having newborns up to 6 months old, and willing to sign informed consent. Subjects were divided into two groups consisting of 25 women. Group I was treated with GSM, while group II was given placebo for two consecutive months. Samples of blood plasma and mother’s breast milk were taken 3 times at different times: 0, 1 and 2 months after intervention. Blood samples were taken intravenously using venoject tubes containing EDTA. The blood plasma and skim milk were used as test samples for activities of SOD, as well as the MDA and C-RP levels. Differences were considered significant at P<0.05. Results, GSM increased SOD activity in the blood plasma (P = 0.043), and also in skim milk (P = 0.56). On the other hand, level of MDA decreased in the blood plasma (P = 9.65E-06), and in skim milk (P = 0.047), and also the CRP reduced in the blood plasma (P = 0.0015), and in skim milk (P = 0.77). GSM could be used to reduce oxidative stress and suppress inflammatory levels of lactating mothers.
Design of quantum well infrared photodetectors

QWIPs which respond to normally incident radiation without the need for an optical grating are of particular interest because they can be fabricated with fewer process steps and increased expected yield. An important contribution of this work is the demonstration of the first n-type QWIP (n-QWIP) which showed a significant detectivity of 4x101 cm-H-z/Watt without the use of an optical grating. This detectivity corresponds to a conversion efficiency of 4 % or, equivalently, a responsivity of 270 mA/W. This detectivity is significant because it is large enough for focal plane array performance to be limited by the uniformity of processing rather than the size of the single pixel detectivity. An important part of this work was the development of numerically accurate physical models yielding simple analytical expressions for the QWIP leakage current and photocurrent. This physical model yielded analytical expressions for the number of, and the distance over which, carriers are depleted from quantum wells whenever the photocurrent is larger than leakage current. This depletion capacitance is expected to be important at high frequencies, in situations where the photocurrent is much larger than the leakage current, and in QWIPs designed with a small number of quantum wells (as when the quantum efficiency is large or an optical cavity is used). Studies of the microscopic physics of quantum wells are presented to elucidate the physical origin of the intersubband absorption of normally incident radiation. A key result of this work is the derivation within the framework of k ·pf theory of selection rules for the intersubband absorption of normally incident radiation by hole subbands in a p-QWIP (p-doped QWIP) in the absence of an optical grating. It is found that the absorption of normally incident radiation by holes in a p-QWIP in the absence of an optical grating is largest for heavy hole to light hole transitions. The intersubband absorption of normally incident radiation by electrons in an n-QWIP in the absence of an optical grating is found within k i theory to be much smaller than that in a
Recollection Training and Transfer Effects in Older Adults: Successful Use of a Repetition-Lag Procedure

Abstract We examined an approach aimed at training consciously-controlled recollection, introduced by Jennings and Jacoby (2003), for its ability to replicate and generalize. A continuous recognition task, requiring recollection to identify the occurrence of repeated items over gradually increasing lag intervals (number of intervening items between the first and second presentation of a repeated word), was given to a group of older adults twice a week for three weeks. Pre-and-post training performance was assessed on multiple measures and compared with a recognition practice and no contact control group. Recollection training proved successful; accurate identification of repeated items increased across a lag interval of 2 to 18 intervening items. Post-training gains following recollection training were found on n-back, self-ordered pointing, source discrimination and digit symbol substitution, but not with reading span or the CVLT-II. No changes were identified in the other groups. Gains from recollection training seem to transfer successfully in older adults.
Full distance-resolved folding energy landscape of one single protein molecule

Kinetic bulk and single molecule folding experiments characterize barrier properties but the shape of folding landscapes between barrier top and native state is difficult to access. Here, we directly extract the full free energy landscape of a single molecule of the GCN4 leucine zipper using dual beam optical tweezers. To this end, we use deconvolution force spectroscopy to follow an individual molecule’s trajectory with high temporal and spatial resolution. We find a heterogeneous energy landscape of the GCN4 leucine zipper domain. The energy profile is divided into two stable C-terminal heptad repeats and two less stable repeats at the N-terminus. Energies and transition barrier positions were confirmed by single molecule kinetic analysis. We anticipate that deconvolution sampling is a powerful tool for the model-free investigation of protein energy landscapes.
When the Baby Cries at Night: Inelastic Buyers in Non-Competitive Markets

We study an inflow of buyers who are less elastic because they lack both time and information. Theory predicts that sellers increase prices to expand surplus appropriation, even if marginal costs are non-increasing, but this effect weakens as market competition intensifies. Data from Italian pharmacies confirm these predictions. Monthly fluctuations in the number of newborns at the city level generate exogenous changes in the number of less elastic buyers (the parents) who consume hygiene products demanded by more experienced and elastic consumers as well. We estimate that the number of newborns has a positive effect on equilibrium prices even with non-increasing marginal costs. We exploit legislation that fixes the number of pharmacies that should serve a city as a function of the existing population. Using RDD meglio scriverlo per esteso, we find that an increase in competition has a significant and negative effect on the capacity of sellers to extract surplus from less elastic buyers.
Age differences in entropy: primary versus secondary memory.

We report a spatial-memory scanning experiment that was used to measure age differences in entropy. A target grid consisting of four adjacent letters followed by the presentation of a single probe letter was presented on each trial. Half of the trials presented the probe stimulus in the same spatial position was the target letter (i.e., the probe letter was always a member of the positive set), and half of the trials transposed the target letter one, two, or three spaces of the right or left of the original target display position (i.e., different trials). The experiment involved blocks of primary-memory and secondary-memory tasks. Reaction-time and error-rate data, as well as entropy analyses and the fitting of an entropy model (based on Allen, Kaufman, Smith, and Propper, in press) to the empirical data indicated that older adults showed higher entropy levels than young adults. These results are interpreted in a "computational temperature" framework in which older adults' higher computational temperatures result in less efficient spatial, episodic memory functioning.
Rundown of Secretion After Depletion of Intracellular Calcium Stores in Bovine Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

Abstract: In this study, the relationship between intracellular calcium stores and depolarization‐evoked stimulation was examined in bovine chromaffin cells, using changes in membrane capacitance to monitor both exocytosis and endocytosis. Cells were voltage‐clamped using the perforated whole‐cell patch configuration to minimize alterations in intracellular constituents. Control cells exhibited reproducible secretory responses each time the cell was stimulated. However, the same stimulation protocol elicited progressively smaller secretory responses in cells where their intracellular calcium store was emptied by thapsigargin. Transient elevation of the intracellular calcium concentration with a brief histamine treatment enhanced subsequent secretory responses in control but not in thapsigargin‐treated cells. A series of depolarizations to ‐20 mV, which allowed small amounts of Ca2+ influx but which by itself did not trigger catecholamine secretion, enhanced subsequent exocytosis in both control and thapsigargin‐treated cells. Caffeine‐pretreated cells exhibited a rundown in the secretory response that was similar to that produced by thapsigargin. These results suggest that brief elevations of [Ca2+]i could enhance subsequent secretory responses. In addition, the data suggest that intracellular calcium stores are vital for the maintenance of exocytosis during repetitive stimulation.
Prognostic value of immunophenotyping in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia

The poor prognosis for elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) raises questions regarding the benefit of treating them with intensive chemotherapy. The impact of initial characteristics on prognosis has been addressed previously in elderly patients; however, very few data are available regarding the prognostic value of immunophenotypic characteristics in this setting.
Fourth Graders Make Inventions using SCAMPER and Animal Adaptation Ideas

This study explores to what extent the SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Rearrange) technique combined with animal adaptation ideas learned through form and function analogy activities can help fourth graders generate creative ideas while augmenting their inventiveness. The sample consisted of 24 fourth grade students (14 female, 10 male) ages 9-10 at a suburban Midwestern elementary school. A repeated-measures design involving all participants alternately in the two conditions measured students under each treatment condition. In the experimental condition, students used SCAMPER charts with animal adaptation ideas to generate ideas to improve a product using limited materials; in the control condition, they used simple SCAMPER charts to improve a product with limited materials. A scoring rubric was designed to assess the utilization of the SCAMPER chart and students’ inventiveness. Paired t-tests were used to compare each student's average score in the control condition to the experimental condition. Students’ inventiveness scores showed a statistically significant difference with a p-value of . 003. The resulting Cohen's d was 0.64, a medium effect size, favoring the experimental condition. In contrast, student scores for completing the two types of SCAMPER charts favored the simpler control condition’s chart. However, student products completed under the experimental condition showed more complexity and originality. Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions Volume 1, Number 2, Pages 48-66. The Journal’s Website: http://scholarworks.uni. edu/journal-stem-arts/
Fasciola hepatica and lymnaeid snails occurring at very high altitude in South America

Fascioliasis due to the digenean species Fasciola hepatica has recently proved to be an important public health problem, with human cases reported in countries of the five continents, including severe symptoms and pathology, with singular epidemiological characteristics, and presenting human endemic areas ranging from hypo- to hyperendemic. One of the singular epidemiological characteristics of human fascioliasis is the link of the hyperendemic areas to very high altitude regions, at least in South America. The Northern Bolivian Altiplano, located at very high altitude (3800–4100 m), presents the highest prevalences and intensities of human fascioliasis known. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacers ITS-1 and ITS-2 of the nuclear ribosomal DNA of Altiplanic Fasciola hepatica and the intermediate snail host Lymnaea truncatula suggest that both were recently introduced from Europe. Studies were undertaken to understand how the liver fluke and its lymnaeid snail host adapted to the extreme environmental conditions of the high altitude and succeeded in giving rise to high infection rates. In experimental infections of Altiplanic lymnaeids carried out with liver fluke isolates from Altiplanic sheep and cattle, the following aspects were studied: miracidium development inside the egg, infectivity of miracidia, prepatent period, shedding period, chronobiology of cercarial emergence, number of cercariae shed by individual snails, survival of molluscs at the beginning of the shedding process, survival of infected snails after the end of the shedding period and longevity of shedding and non-shedding snails. When comparing the development characteristics of European F. hepatica and L. truncatula, a longer cercarial shedding period and a higher cercarial production were observed, both aspects related to a greater survival capacity of the infected lymnaeid snails from the Altiplano. These differences would appear to favour transmission and may be interpreted as strategies associated with adaptation to high altitude conditions.