Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFECTO DE LA SUPLEMENTACIÓN CON CONCENTRADO SOBRE EL APROVECHAMIENTO DE LA HIERBA Y EL RENDIMIENTO DE VACAS LECHERAS DURANTE EL PASTOREO DE PRIMAVERA EN LA COSTA NORTE DE GALICIA

Noventa y una vacas frisonas se distribuyeron en tres grupos de pastoreo con distintos niveles de concentrado: 0,4 y 8 kg por vaca y dia. A cada rebano se le asignaron diferentes parcelas de una misma superficie de pradera de raigras ingles y trebol blanco. Se determinaron en condiciones de pastoreo rotacional, durante dos subperiodos consecutivos, del 1 de abril al 15 de mayo y desde esa fecha al 30 de junio, la ingestion de pasto por diferencia pre- y post-pastoreo, asi como su contenido en principios nutritivos, composicion botanica y proporcion de hoja. Se controlo la produccion y composicion de la leche y la variacion de peso vivo de las vacas. La produccion de leche (kg vaca1 dia-1) aumento con la dosis de concentrado: 32,5 en el subperiodo inicial y 28,1 en el final con 8 kg concentrado vaca1 dia1, 30,2 y 24,6 con 4 kg concentrado vaca1 dia _1; 26,0 y 20,4 kg sin suplementacion. Los contenidos de pro teina y urea en leche fueron superiores en los grupos suplementados. El consumo estimado de hierba (kg materia seca vaca4 dia1) en el grupo con mayor suplementacion fue inferior a los de suplementaciones intermedia y nula, que no difirieron entre si (11,6 vs 15,6-15,7 en el primer subperiodo; 15,3 vs 17,7-17,1 en el segundo). La suplementacion intermedia incremento la proporcion de hojas en la hierba en oferta. La proporcion de especies no sembradas fue superior en el tratamiento con mayor suplementacion. Los resultados muestran que las vacas de alto rendimiento en pastoreo pueden mantener altas producciones en primavera y que el nivel de suplementacion modifico la calidad y disponibilidad del pasto
Executive Function in Aged Dogs and Cats: Implications for Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.

A large number of aged dogs and cats demonstrate behavioral signs consistent with a clinical diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS), which likely is a consequence of pathological brain aging. Identification of treatments that prevent, halt, or reverse CDS, therefore, represents an unmet need in senior animal veterinary care. NOVIFIT Tablets are an S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) tosylate supplement currently marketed for improving cognitive health of aged dogs and cats. SAMe is an endogenous
Quantifying connectivity between local Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite populations using identity by descent

With the rapidly increasing abundance and accessibility of genomic data, there is a growing interest in using population genetic approaches to characterize fine-scale dispersal of organisms, providing insight into biological processes across a broad range of fields including ecology, evolution and epidemiology. For sexually recombining haploid organisms such as the human malaria parasite P. falciparum, however, there have been no systematic assessments of the type of data and methods required to resolve fine scale connectivity. This analytical gap hinders the use of genomics for understanding local transmission patterns, a crucial goal for policy makers charged with eliminating this important human pathogen. Here we use data collected from four clinics with a catchment area spanning approximately 120 km of the Thai-Myanmar border to compare the ability of divergence (FST) and relatedness based on identity by descent (IBD) to resolve spatial connectivity between malaria parasites collected from proximal clinics. We found no relationship between inter-clinic distance and FST, likely due to sampling of highly related parasites within clinics, but a significant decline in IBD-based relatedness with increasing inter-clinic distance. This association was contingent upon the data set type and size. We estimated that approximately 147 single-infection whole genome sequenced parasite samples or 222 single-infection parasite samples genotyped at 93 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were sufficient to recover a robust spatial trend estimate at this scale. In summary, surveillance efforts cannot rely on classical measures of genetic divergence to measure P. falciparum transmission on a local scale. Given adequate sampling, IBD-based relatedness provides a useful alternative, and robust trends can be obtained from parasite samples genotyped at approximately 100 SNPs.
Nosocomial Outbreak Due to Extended-Spectrum-Beta-Lactamase- Producing Enterobacter cloacae in a Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

ABSTRACT Enterobacter cloacae has been associated with several outbreaks, usually involving strains that overproduce chromosomal β-lactamase or, uncommonly, strains expressing extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL). Only sporadic cases of ESBL-producing E. cloacae have been identified in our hospital in recent years. We describe the epidemiology and clinical and microbiological characteristics of an outbreak caused by ESBL-producing E. cloacae in a cardiothoracic intensive care unit (CT-ICU). Prospective surveillance of patients with infection or colonization by ESBL-producing E. cloacae among patients admitted to the CT-ICU was performed during the outbreak. Production of ESBL was determined by decreased susceptibility to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins and a positive double-disk test result. Clone relatedness was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). From July to September 2005, seven patients in the CT-ICU with ESBL-producing E. cloacae were identified (four males; median age, 73 years; range, 45 to 76 years); six patients had cardiac surgery. Four patients developed infections; three had primary bacteremia, one had ventilator-associated pneumonia, and one had tracheobronchitis. ESBL-producing E. cloacae showed resistance to quinolones and aminoglycosides. PFGE revealed two patterns. Five isolates belonged to clone A; two carried a single ESBL (pI 8.2 and a positive PCR result for the SHV type), and three carried two ESBLs (pIs 8.1 and 8.2 and positive PCR results for the SHV and CTX-M-9 types). Isolates belonging to clone B carried a single ESBL (pI 5.4 and a positive PCR result for the TEM type). Review of antibiotic consumption showed increased use of cefepime and quinolones during June and July 2005. The outbreak was stopped by the implementation of barrier measures and cephalosporin restriction. ESBL production could be increasingly common in nosocomial pathogens other than Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Capital Structure and Corporate Performance: Evidence from Jordan

The central objective of this study is to investigate and examine the effect which capital structure has had on corporate performance using a panel data sample representing of 167 Jordanian companies during 1989-2003. This paper also examines the effect which external shocks have had on Jordanian corporate performance and industrial sectors. Our results showed that a firm’s capital structure had a significantly negative impact on the firm’s performance measures, in both the accounting and market’s measures. This result suggests that agency issues may lead to higher debt in the capital structure than there should be. We also found that the short-term debt to total assets (STDTA) level has a significantly positive effect on the market performance measure (Tobin’s Q), which could support Myers' (1977) argument that firms with a high STDTA have a high growth rate and high performance. The Gulf Crisis 1990-1991 was found to have a positive impact on Jordanian corporate performance as the Jordanian market was the only market that was open to Iraq. On the other hand, the outbreak of Intifadah in the West Bank and Gaza in September 2000 had a negative impact on corporate performance, as most of the Jordanian companies exported to the West Bank.
Effects of neutral pH and low-glucose degradation product-containing peritoneal dialysis fluid on systemic markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction: a randomized controlled 1-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND The local peritoneal effects of low-glucose degradation product (GDP)-containing peritoneal dialysis fluid (PDF) have been extensively described. However, the systemic effects of prolonged prescription of these solutions are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of neutral pH and low-GDP PDF on systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction markers in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. METHODS This is a multicenter, open labeled, randomized controlled trial including one hundred fifty-two patients initiating continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for end-stage renal disease from seven centers in Korea. Participants were randomly allocated to conventional PDF (Stay safe®; Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany) or low-GDP PDF (Balance®; Fresenius Medical Care) and were followed for 1 year. Primary outcome variable was the inflammation and endothelial dysfunction index (IEDI), a composite score derived from serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1, soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecule (sVCAM)-1 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, residual renal function (RRF), peritoneal membrane transport characteristics, ultrafiltration volume and nutritional parameters were measured as secondary outcome variables. RESULTS Of 152 patients randomized, 146 (low-GDP: conventional PDF, 79:67) patients entered the trial (46% male, 53% with diabetes mellitus). At 12-month follow-up, the low-GDP group had significantly lower levels of IEDI, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 compared to the conventional group; hs-CRP was not different between groups. Peritoneal transport characteristics, RRF, nutritional parameters, incidence of peritonitis and death-censored technique survival were not different between groups. CONCLUSION Neutral pH and low-GDP PDF likely produce fewer changes in markers of endothelial dysfunction compared to conventional PDF in incident PD patients.
Rattleback dynamics and its reversal time of rotation.

A rattleback is a rigid, semielliptic toy which exhibits unintuitive behavior; when it is spun in one direction, it soon begins pitching and stops spinning, then it starts to spin in the opposite direction, but in the other direction, it seems to spin just steadily. This puzzling behavior results from the slight misalignment between the principal axes for the inertia and those for the curvature; the misalignment couples the spinning with the pitching and the rolling oscillations. It has been shown that under the no-slip condition and without dissipation the spin can reverse in both directions, and Garcia and Hubbard obtained the formula for the time required for the spin reversal t_{r} [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 418, 165 (1988)1364-502110.1098/rspa.1988. 0078]. In this work, we reformulate the rattleback dynamics in a physically transparent way and reduce it to a three-variable dynamics for spinning, pitching, and rolling. We obtain an expression of the Garcia-Hubbard formula for t_{r} by a simple product of four factors: (1) the misalignment angle, (2) the difference in the inverses of inertia moment for the two oscillations, (3) that in the radii for the two principal curvatures, and (4) the squared frequency of the oscillation. We perform extensive numerical simulations to examine validity and limitation of the formula, and find that (1) the Garcia-Hubbard formula is good for both spinning directions in the small spin and small oscillation regime, but (2) in the fast spin regime especially for the steady direction, the rattleback may not reverse and shows a rich variety of dynamics including steady spinning, spin wobbling, and chaotic behavior reminiscent of chaos in a dissipative system.
Population pharmacokinetics of aminoglycosides in critically ill trauma patients on once-daily regimens.

BACKGROUND Once-daily dosing regimens of aminoglycosides are routinely used in critically ill trauma patients. However, the pharmacokinetic parameters are variable in these patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of aminoglycosides in critically ill trauma patients receiving once-daily dosing regimens. METHODS At least two aminoglycoside concentrations were measured in each patient. Population pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated on the basis of a one-compartment structural model and the program nonlinear mixed effects modeling. RESULTS Fifty-three aminoglycoside concentrations from 19 patients were analyzed. The aminoglycoside clearance was 5.47 L/h. The mean volume of distribution was 22.2 L (0.3 L/kg). The mean half-life was 2.9 hours. Serum-aminoglycoside concentrations were undetectable for longer than 12 hours in 4 of 19 patients. Weight, age, or serum creatinine did not significantly explain the variability. CONCLUSION There is marked variability in aminoglycoside pharmacokinetic parameters in critically ill trauma patients. This may lead to prolonged drug-free intervals. Individualized dosing of critically ill trauma patients on the basis of at least two serum-aminoglycoside concentrations seems indicated when using once-daily dosing regimens.
The bacterial spore : nature ’ s survival package

Introduction Spores of Bacillus and Clostridium species are metabolically dormant and extremely resistant to acute environmental stresses such as heat, desiccation, UV and γ-radiation, mechanical disruption, enzymatic digestion and toxic chemicals. In addition to the spore’s resistance to acute stress, spores can survive for extremely long periods in milder environmental conditions. Indeed, there are several reports suggesting that spores of Bacillus species can survive for millions of years in some special niches1,2. While this latter conclusion remains controversial, there is no doubt that spores of Bacillus and Clostridium species can survive for many, many years3. As a consequence of the persistence of spores and the ubiquity of spore formers in many different environments, spores are common contaminants of foodstuffs and if not dealt with appropriately in food processing may “return to life” via spore germination and outgrowth and then contribute to food spoilage and food poisoning4. In addition to food poisoning (B. cereus, C. perfringens, C. botulinum), there are a number of other human illnesses in which spores play a causative role including, wound infections (gas gangene: C. perfringens; tetanus: C. tetani; wound botulism: C. botulinum; intestinal infection: C. difficile and anthrax: B. anthracis). Spores of B. anthracis persisting in soils are the common route whereby animals acquire pulmonary anthrax. The severity of this disease and the resistance of B. anthracis spores, particularly to desiccation, are undoubtedly major reasons that B. anthracis spores:
Administration of troglitazone, but not pioglitazone, reduces insulin resistance caused by short-term dexamethasone (DXM) treatment by accelerating the metabolism of DXM.

Thiazolidine derivatives are newly developed insulin sensitizer agents that act to lower plasma glucose and reduce hyperinsulinemia (1), and they are being used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes accompanying insulin resistance. However, the precise molecular mechanism by which thiazolidines counteract general insulin resistance has yet to be clarified. Glucocorticoid induces gluconeogenesis and insulin resistance, resulting in the development of diabetes (2), but the precise molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Recent studies showed that troglitazone, which was the first clinically applied drug of thiazolidine derivatives, improved dexamethasone (DXM)-induced insulin resistance in rats in a glucose clamp study (3) and that it had a good effect on patients with glucocorticoid-induced diabetes (4). In the present study, we examined the effects of troglitazone and pioglitazone, another insulin sensitizer, on insulin resistance induced by short-term DXM treatment, and compared their effects with those of metformin. Furthermore, troglitazone has been reported to reduce the plasma concentration of the oral contraceptives ethinylestradiol and norethindrone, which are metabolized by the liver enzyme CYP3A4 (5). Troglitazone is also believed to be an inducer of CYP3A4 like rifampicin and phenytoin, and it has been speculated that troglitazone may reduce the effects of glucocorticoid, which is metabolized by CYP3A4, by enhancing the activity of CYP3A4. In this study, we investigated the effects of troglitazone and pioglitazone on …
Understanding the online information-seeking behaviours of young people: the role of networks of support

Information seeking is one of the most popular online activities for young people and can provide an additional information channel, which may enhance learning. In this study, we propose and test a model that adds to the existing literature by examining the ways in which parents, schools, and friends (what we call networks of support) effect young people's online information behaviours, while at the same time taking into account young people's individual characteristics, confidence, and skills to use the Internet. Using path analysis, we demonstrate the significance of networks of support in understanding the uptake of online information seeking both directly and indirectly (through enhancing self-concept for learning and online skills). Young people who have better networks of support, particularly friends who are engaged in technology, are more likely to engage in online information seeking. While quantitative models of this nature cannot capture the complexity of individual online search practices, these findings may assist in the development of policy and practice to support young people to make the most effective use of the Internet for information seeking. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The LIM Homeodomain Transcription Factor LHX6

Background: Odontogenesis is tightly controlled by the interactions of transcription factors. Results: LHX6 acts as a transcriptional repressor and interacts with PITX2 to regulate craniofacial development. Conclusion: LHX6 is required for mandible and dental morphogenesis through repression of gene expression. Significance: This is the first report of LHX6 transcriptional repressor activity and its ability to inhibit the activity of other transcription factors. LHX6 is a LIM-homeobox transcription factor expressed during embryogenesis; however, the molecular mechanisms regulating LHX6 transcriptional activities are unknown. LHX6 and the PITX2 homeodomain transcription factor have overlapping expression patterns during tooth and craniofacial development, and in this report, we demonstrate new transcriptional mechanisms for these factors. PITX2 and LHX6 are co-expressed in the oral and dental epithelium and epithelial cell lines. Lhx6 expression is increased in Pitx2c transgenic mice and decreased in Pitx2 null mice. PITX2 activates endogenous Lhx6 expression and the Lhx6 promoter, whereas LHX6 represses its promoter activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments reveal endogenous PITX2 binding to the Lhx6 promoter. LHX6 directly interacts with PITX2 to inhibit PITX2 transcriptional activities and activation of multiple promoters. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays reveal an LHX6·PITX2 nuclear interaction in living cells. LHX6 has a dominant repressive effect on the PITX2 synergistic activation with LEF-1 and β-catenin co-factors. Thus, LHX6 acts as a transcriptional repressor and represses the expression of several genes involved in odontogenesis. We have identified specific defects in incisor, molar, mandible, bone, and root development and late stage enamel formation in Lhx6 null mice. Amelogenin and ameloblastin expression is reduced and/or delayed in the Lhx6 null mice, potentially resulting from defects in dentin deposition and ameloblast differentiation. Our results demonstrate that LHX6 regulates cell proliferation in the cervical loop and promotes cell differentiation in the anterior region of the incisor. We demonstrate new molecular mechanisms for LHX6 and an interaction with PITX2 for normal craniofacial and tooth development.
Design of Wavelet-Based ECG Detector for Implantable Cardiac Pacemakers

A wavelet Electrocardiogram (ECG) detector for low-power implantable cardiac pacemakers is presented in this paper. The proposed wavelet-based ECG detector consists of a wavelet decomposer with wavelet filter banks, a QRS complex detector of hypothesis testing with wavelet-demodulated ECG signals, and a noise detector with zero-crossing points. In order to achieve high detection accuracy with low power consumption, a multi-scaled product algorithm and soft-threshold algorithm are efficiently exploited in our ECG detector implementation. Our algorithmic and architectural level approaches have been implemented and fabricated in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS technology. The testchip including a low-power analog-to-digital converter (ADC) shows a low detection error-rate of 0.196% and low power consumption of 19.02 μW with a 3 V supply voltage.
Kdo2-Lipid A of Escherichia coli, a defined endotoxin that activates macrophages via TLR-4 Published, JLR Papers in Press, February 14, 2006.

The LIPID MAPS Consortium (www.lipidmaps.org) is developing comprehensive procedures for identifying all lipids of the macrophage, following activation by endotoxin. The goal is to quantify temporal and spatial changes in lipids that occur with cellular metabolism and to develop bioinformatic approaches that establish dynamic lipid networks. To achieve these aims, an endotoxin of the highest possible analytical specification is crucial. We now report a large-scale preparation of 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo)2-Lipid A, a nearly homogeneous Re lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sub-structure with endotoxin activity equal to LPS. Kdo2-Lipid A was extracted from 2 kg cell paste of a heptose-deficient Escherichia coli mutant. It was purified by chromatography on silica, DEAE-cellulose, and C18 reverse-phase resin. Structure and purity were evaluated by electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and 1H-NMR. Its bioactivity was compared with LPS in RAW 264.7 cells and bone marrow macrophages from wild-type and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4)-deficient mice. Cytokine and eicosanoid production, in conjunction with gene expression profiling, were employed as readouts. Kdo2-Lipid A is comparable to LPS by these criteria. Its activity is reduced by >103 in cells from TLR-4-deficient mice. The purity of Kdo2-Lipid A should facilitate structural analysis of complexes with receptors like TLR-4/MD2.