Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rumen-protected methionine or lysine supplementation of Comisana ewes' diets: effects on milk fatty acid composition

The effect of graded levels of dietary rumen-protected methionine (rp-Met) or lysine (rp-Lys) on the fatty acid composition of Comisana ewes' milk was investigated. The animals lambed in autumn and were separated from their lambs 7 weeks after parturition; they were divided into five groups of nine which were given different rations. The control group was fed on a mixture of vetch and oat hay with a pelleted concentrate; the other groups were given the control ration supplemented with rp-Met (3·5 or 7·0 g/kg) or rp-Lys (10·5 or 21·0 g/kg). Milk fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography, and these values were subjected to principal components analysis. A correlation was found between fatty acid composition and diet. We demonstrated that giving the experimental diets significantly affected milk fat, to an extent that was independent of the levels of the supplementary amino acids. The milk fat of the control group contained largely caprylic, capric and lauric acids, whereas that of the groups given the supplementary amino acids contained largely palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic and oleic acids. Thus supplementation resulted in an increase in the proportion of 16[ratio ]0–18[ratio ]3 (primarily palmitic and stearic) and a reduction in the proportion of 4[ratio ]0–12[ratio ]0 fatty acids. There was also a modest increase in the unsaturated: saturated fatty acid ratio.
Needle Puncture in Rabbit Functional Spinal Units Alters Rotational Biomechanics

Study Design: An in vitro biomechanical study for rabbit lumbar functional spinal units (FSUs) using a robot-based spine testing system. Objective: To elucidate the effect of annular puncture with a 16 G needle on mechanical properties in flexion/extension, axial rotation, and lateral bending. Summary of Background Data: Needle puncture of the intervertebral disk has been shown to alter mechanical properties of the disk in compression, torsion, and bending. The effect of needle puncture in FSUs, where intact spinal ligaments and facet joints may mitigate or amplify these changes in the disk, on spinal motion segment stability subject to physiological rotations remains unknown. Methods: Rabbit FSUs were tested using a robot testing system whose force/moment and position precision were assessed to demonstrate system capability. Flexibility testing methods were developed by load-to-failure testing in flexion/extension, axial rotation, and lateral bending. Subsequent testing methods were used to examine a 16 G needle disk puncture and No. 11 blade disk stab (positive control for mechanical disruption). Flexibility testing was used to assess segmental range-of-motion (degrees), neutral zone stiffness (N m/degrees) and width (degrees and N m), and elastic zone stiffness before and after annular injury. Results: The robot-based system was capable of performing flexibility testing on FSUs—mean precision of force/moment measurements and robot system movements were <3% and 1%, respectively, of moment-rotation target values. Flexibility moment targets were 0.3 N m for flexion and axial rotation and 0.15 N m for extension and lateral bending. Needle puncture caused significant (P<0.05) changes only in flexion/extension range-of-motion and neutral zone stiffness and width (N m) compared with preintervention. No. 11 blade-stab significantly increased range-of-motion in all motions, decreased neutral zone stiffness and width (N m) in flexion/extension, and increased elastic zone stiffness in flexion and lateral bending. Conclusions: These findings suggest that disk puncture and stab can destabilize FSUs in primary rotations.
Three classes of pyramidal neurons in layer V of rat perirhinal cortex

Whole‐cell recordings from 140 pyramidal neurons in layer V of rat perirhinal cortex (PR) revealed three distinct firing patterns: regular spiking (RS, 76%), burst spiking (BS, 9%), and late spiking (LS, 14%). LS neurons have not previously been reported in layer V of any cortical region. LS cells in layer V of PR exhibited delays of up to 12 s from onset of a depolarizing current step to spike threshold, followed by sustained firing. In contrast, pyramidal cells in layer V of other cortical regions contain only RS and BS cells. Within PR, the percentage of LS neurons in layer V differs markedly from what we previously observed in layers II/III (50% LS) and VI (90% LS). Morphologically, BS neurons in layer V of PR had thick primary apical dendrites that terminated in a tuft within layer I, whereas RS and LS cells had relatively thin primary apicals that terminated either diffusely or in a layer I tuft. At holding potentials near rest, PR neurons exhibited small (∼15 pA), inward, spontaneous postsynaptic currents (PSCs) that were indistinguishable among the three cell types. Currents evoked by minimal stimulation of layer I were about 2.8 times larger than the spontaneous PSCs. Evoked currents had unusually long onset latencies with little variation in latency, consistent with monosynaptic responses evoked by stimulation of unmyelinated fibers. The prevalence of LS cells in combination with the long‐latency monosynaptically evoked PSCs suggested that PR is not a region of rapid throughput. This is consistent with anatomical data suggesting that PR is a higher‐level association cortex. These data further advance an emerging picture of PR as a cortical region with a unique distribution of cell types different from other cortical regions. Hippocampus 2002;12:218–234. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Antecedents of Identity in Virtual Teams

The importance of virtual team (VT) identification for the success of the team is widely recognized in literature. However, the antecedents of identification in virtual teams have remained understudied thus far. This study aims at filling this gap by examining how identification with VTs is related to structural factors such as the degree of virtuality, team size, cultural diversity and team tenure, and to organizational justice. It is hypothesized that organizational justice and team tenure are positively related to identification, whereas the degree of virtuality, team size and cultural diversity have a negative relationship with identification. These hypotheses were tested on a sample of 91 virtual team members. The results revealed that, as predicted, organizational justice had a strong positive relation to virtual team identification. However, contrary to the expectations, the structural factors were not related to identification. The results and their implications are discussed in terms of virtual team literature. 000
Limits of coherent supercontinuum generation in normal dispersion fibers

We study the largely unexplored transition between coherent and noise-seeded incoherent continuum generation in all-normal dispersion (ANDi) fibers and show that highly coherent supercontinua with spectral bandwidths of one octave can be generated with long pump pulses of up to 1.5 ps duration, corresponding to soliton orders of up to N=600. In terms of N, this corresponds to an approximately 50 times increase of the coherent regime compared to anomalous dispersion pumping. In the transition region between coherent and incoherent spectral broadening, we observe the manifestation of nonlinear phenomena that we term incoherent cloud formation and incoherent optical wave breaking, which lead to a gradual or instantaneous coherence collapse of supercontimuum (SC) spectral components, respectively. The role played by stimulated Raman scattering and parametric four-wave mixing during SC generation in ANDi fibers is shown to be more extensive than previously recognized: their nonlinear coupling contributes to the suppression of incoherent dynamics at short pump pulse durations, while it is responsible for non-phase-matched parametric amplification of noise observed in the long pulse regime. We further discuss the dependence of SC coherence on fiber design, and present basic experimental verifications for our findings using single-shot detection of SC spectra generated by picosecond pulses. This work outlines both the further potential as well as the limitations of broadband coherent light source development for applications such as metrology, nonlinear imaging, and ultrafast photonics, among others.
Breast Cancer Chemoprevention among High‐risk Women and those with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

Chemoprevention with the anti‐estrogens, tamoxifen, raloxifene, and aromatase inhibitors, reduce breast cancer incidence in high‐risk women; however, uptake has been poor (<5%) in the prevention setting. We assessed use of anti‐estrogens for breast cancer prevention, among high‐risk women seen at an academic breast center, to observe how uptake rates compare in this setting. We collected data on demographics, breast cancer risk factors, and health behaviors via self‐administered questionnaires and medical chart abstraction. Women eligible for chemoprevention with anti‐estrogens had a 5‐year predicted breast cancer risk according to the Gail model of ≥1.67%, history of lobular or ductal carcinoma in situ (LCIS/DCIS), and/or BRCA mutation. We dichotomized anti‐estrogen use as ever or never. Predictors of use were evaluated using multivariable log‐binomial regression. Of 412 high‐risk women enrolled, 316 (77%) were eligible for chemoprevention. Among eligible women, 55% were non‐Hispanic white, 29% Hispanic, 8% non‐Hispanic black, and 7% Asian. Women were grouped based upon their highest category of breast cancer risk (in descending order): BRCA mutation carriers (3%), DCIS (40%), LCIS (22%), and 5‐year Gail risk ≥1.67% (36%). Among those eligible for chemoprevention, 162 (51%) had ever initiated anti‐estrogen therapy (71% tamoxifen, 23% raloxifene, 5% aromatase inhibitor). Anti‐estrogen use was highest among women with DCIS (73%). In multivariable analysis, women with a 5‐year Gail risk ≥1.67% had approximately a 20% lower likelihood of anti‐estrogen use compared to women with DCIS (p = 0.01). In the primary prevention setting, excluding women diagnosed with DCIS, anti‐estrogen use was 37%. Multivariable analysis showed differences in uptake by education and potentially by race/ethnicity. Among high‐risk women seen at a breast center, anti‐estrogen use for chemoprevention was relatively high as compared to the published literature. Clinicians can support high‐risk women by effectively communicating breast cancer risk and enhancing knowledge about the risks and benefits of chemoprevention.
An algorithm for extracting intracranial pressure latency relative to electrocardiogram R wave

Intracranial pressure (ICP) latency is defined as the time interval between the peak of the QRS complex of the electrocardiogram (ECG) and the corresponding onset of intracranial pressure (ICP) pulse. Due to its inherent relationship with arterial pulse wave velocity, ICP latency may allow continuous monitoring of pathophysiological changes in the cerebrovasculature. The objective of the present work was to develop and validate a computerized algorithm for extracting ICP latency in a beat-by-beat fashion. The proposed ICP latency extraction algorithm exploits the mature technique of ECG QRS detection and includes a new adaptive peak detection methodology. The results were validated by comparing the performance of two human observers versus the algorithm in terms of locating the onset points of ICP pulses for 59 recordings extracted from 25 adult patients. The average ICP latency was 72.6 ± 19.5 ms (range 40.0–159.8). The ICP pulse detection algorithm demonstrated a baseline sensitivity of 0.97 and a positive predictivity of 0.88. No difference was found in the mean location errors from comparing the results obtained by the two observers and those from comparing the results from the algorithm to those from the two observers. Further investigation is needed to demonstrate the role of ICP latency in characterizing dynamic cerebral vascular pathophysiological changes in clinical states such as subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury.
An improved synthesis method for multilayered neural networks using qualitative knowledge

An improved synthesis method for the multilayered neural network (NN) as function approximator is proposed. The method offers a translation mechanism that maps the qualitative knowledge into a multilayered NN structure. Qualitative knowledge is expressed in the form of representative points, which can be linguistically described as, 'when x is around x/sub i/, then y/sub i/ is around y'. Synthesis equations for the translation mechanism are provided. After the direct synthesis of the initial NN, the NN is tuned by backpropagation (BP), using the training data. The direct synthesis decreases the burden on BP and contributes to improved learning efficiency, accuracy, and stability. It is demonstrated that the translation mechanism is also useful for incremental modeling, i.e., increasing the number of neurons, or representative points, based on the results of BP. >
Some aspects of the natural history of HIV infection

Summary Studying factors influencing the length of the incubation period of HIV/AIDS is important to our understanding of the natural history of the disease and for the decision when to start with anti‐retroviral therapy. In a multicentre study among HIV‐positive homosexual men with a known date of seroconversion, we found that the median survival time after HIV infection was 12.1 years. Age is an important determinant of the survival: the older the shorter the incubation period and survival. Gender does not seem to play a role, but women appear to have higher CD4 counts than men at seroconversion, AIDS and death. HIV‐positive drug users often die before they ‘reach’ AIDS often from HIV‐related causes e.g. bacterial infections. In a multicentre study we found that such pre‐AIDS mortality is now also found among homosexual men and haemophiliacs but at a much lower level. Most studies show that HIV subtype does not influence the incubation period. On the other hand genetic factors do play an important role.
MRI for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the most frequently encountered clinical emergencies. The diagnosis often involves multiple diagnostic tests, which need to be carried out rapidly to assist in the safe management of the patient. Recent strides in computed tomography (CT) have made big improvements in patient management and efficiency of diagnostic imaging. This review article describes the developments in magnetic resonance (MR) techniques for the diagnosis of acute PE. Techniques include MR angiography (MRA) and thrombus imaging for direct clot visualization, perfusion MR, and combined perfusion‐ventilation MR. As will be demonstrated, some of these techniques are now entering the clinical arena, and it is anticipated that MR imaging (MRI) will have an increasing role in the initial diagnosis and follow‐up of patients with acute PE. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2003;18:627–640. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ultrasound contrast microbubbles in imaging and therapy: physical principles and engineering

Microbubble contrast agents and the associated imaging systems have developed over the past 25 years, originating with manually-agitated fluids introduced for intra-coronary injection. Over this period, stabilizing shells and low diffusivity gas materials have been incorporated in microbubbles, extending stability in vitro and in vivo. Simultaneously, the interaction of these small gas bubbles with ultrasonic waves has been extensively studied, resulting in models for oscillation and increasingly sophisticated imaging strategies. Early studies recognized that echoes from microbubbles contained frequencies that are multiples of the microbubble resonance frequency. Although individual microbubble contrast agents cannot be resolved—given that their diameter is on the order of microns—nonlinear echoes from these agents are used to map regions of perfused tissue and to estimate the local microvascular flow rate. Such strategies overcome a fundamental limitation of previous ultrasound blood flow strategies; the previous Doppler-based strategies are insensitive to capillary flow. Further, the insonation of resonant bubbles results in interesting physical phenomena that have been widely studied for use in drug and gene delivery. Ultrasound pressure can enhance gas diffusion, rapidly fragment the agent into a set of smaller bubbles or displace the microbubble to a blood vessel wall. Insonation of a microbubble can also produce liquid jets and local shear stress that alter biological membranes and facilitate transport. In this review, we focus on the physical aspects of these agents, exploring microbubble imaging modes, models for microbubble oscillation and the interaction of the microbubble with the endothelium.
Enhanced Susceptibility to Subcutaneous Abscess Formation and Persistent Infection around Catheters Is Associated with Sustained Interleukin-1β Levels

ABSTRACT A persistent Staphylococcus epidermidis infection in mice around a subcutaneous polyvinylpyrrolidone-grafted silicon elastomer catheter (SEpvp) but not around a conventional silicon elastomer catheter was observed. With SEpvp pericatheter tissue, protracted and exaggerated interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production was found. Apparently, sustained levels of IL-1β are associated with enhanced susceptibility to biomaterial-associated S. epidermidis infection.
Rewarding Performance That Is Hard to Measure: The Private Nonprofit Sector

The private nonprofit form of institutions is large and growing. Its role in a mixed economy is the subject of this article. Nonprofits differ from private enterprises primarily in the constraints on them. The key element is that nonprofits may not distribute profits to anyone associated with the organization, a restriction that is in sharp contrast to the freedom that private firms have to reward owners and managers for generating profit. The theoretical case that such a constraint can be useful when consumers are poorly informed is examined. Also, the available empirical evidence on differences in behavior between nonprofit and for-profit organizations is presented.
The cerebral cavernous malformation proteins CCM2L and CCM2 prevent the activation of the MAP kinase MEKK3

Significance The kinase MEKK3 (MAP3K) regulates cellular functions from proliferation to maintenance of cell identity, and plays an important role in cardiovascular development, yet little is known about how it is regulated. Loss-of-function mutations in CCM1, CCM2, or CCM3 cause cerebral cavernous malformations characterized by dilated, leaky blood vessels. CCM proteins form a complex and regulate the signal strength of several pathways. We demonstrate that CCM2 and CCM2-like (CCM2L), a recently described paralog, strongly prevented the activation of MEKK3 in vitro. In zebrafish, ccm2 and ccm2l genetically interacted to control cardiovascular development and body axis patterning during embryogenesis, and these were regulated by MEKK3. Therefore, two homologous CCM proteins regulate MEKK3 activity, and thus may modulate the strength of key signaling pathways. Three genes, CCM1, CCM2, and CCM3, interact genetically and biochemically and are mutated in cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM). A recently described member of this CCM family of proteins, CCM2-like (CCM2L), has high homology to CCM2. Here we show that its relative expression in different tissues differs from that of CCM2 and, unlike CCM2, the expression of CCM2L in endothelial cells is regulated by density, flow, and statins. In vitro, both CCM2L and CCM2 bind MEKK3 in a complex with CCM1. Both CCM2L and CCM2 interfere with MEKK3 activation and its ability to phosphorylate MEK5, a downstream target. The in vivo relevance of this regulation was investigated in zebrafish. A knockdown of ccm2l and ccm2 in zebrafish leads to a more severe “big heart” and circulation defects compared with loss of function of ccm2 alone, and also leads to substantial body axis abnormalities. Silencing of mekk3 rescues the big heart and body axis phenotype, suggesting cross-talk between the CCM proteins and MEKK3 in vivo. In endothelial cells, CCM2 deletion leads to activation of ERK5 and a transcriptional program that are downstream of MEKK3. These findings suggest that CCM2L and CCM2 cooperate to regulate the activity of MEKK3.
Recurrent abdominal pain in children: the utility of upper endoscopy and histopathology.

INTRODUCTION To study the utility of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsy in the evaluation of children with clinically-significant recurrent abdominal pain. METHODS Over a three-month period, children with three or more episodes of upper abdominal pain that was severe enough to impair their normal activity and required medical attention were included in the study. After complete history, physical examination and basic investigations, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsy was performed in all patients. RESULTS Thirty-eight children were enrolled. Their average age was 10.5 years and 21 were female. Organic causes were identified in 44.7 percent of the cases, with Helicobacter pylori gastritis being the most common diagnosis (28.9 percent). No specific dyspeptic symptom was significantly associated with either organic cause of recurrent abdominal pain or Helicobacter pylori infection. Antral nodularity was the only endoscopic finding significantly associated with Helicobacter pylori infection (sensitivity 63.4 percent, specificity 85.2 percent). All patients improved after specific therapy was instituted. CONCLUSION The organic causes of recurrent abdominal pain in children have been increasingly identified in our hospital, a tertiary care centre in Northern Thailand. One of the most common causes found in this study was Helicobacter pylori infection. Upper endoscopy was very helpful in identifying the underlying pathology.
Psychological consequences of unemployment: moderating role of education

The study aims to examine whether unemployed individuals with different educational levels experience equally severe psychological consequences of unemployment and whether these consequences are differently related to the two theoretical predictors (psychological and financial deprivation). The data were collected in 26 branch offices of the Croatian Employment Bureau, on a representative sample of the unemployed persons in Croatia. In order to examine the moderating role of education, participants were divided into the following three subgroups: primary school (N1=174), high school (N2=762) and university degree (N3=196). The unemployed with lower education reported a lower level of psychological health than individuals with higher education. In addition, it was confirmed that educational level has a moderating role on the relationship between psychological deprivation and psychological health