Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skrjabingylus chitwoodorum Hill, 1939 (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) in Striped Skunks from Northcentral Minnesota

Received for publication 25 April 1984. ments overlapped (Fig. 1). The maximum length of P. boughtoni (range = 380-500 m) fell below the range of larvae of Pnotostrongylus spp. from bighorn sheep (527-673 jim), but overlapped with that of 0. inacnotis (488-611 tm). Also, maximum length of 0. macnotis overlapped with the range of Pnotostnongylus spp. from bighorns. Therefore, where the three definitive hosts are sympatric, only infective larvae in the extremes of the total length range for all species can be identified with confidence. Larvae of P. boughtoni can be distinguished from those of Pnotostnongylus spp. from bighorns if there is no possibility of Onthostnongylus larvae occurring in a sample. Although total length is not the most consistent morphologic basis on which to separate species of helminths, such a method is attractive in its simplicity and adaptability to field studies. Third-stage larvae of some species in the confamiliar genus Panelaphostnongylus differ in tail structure (Ballantyne and Samuel, 1984, J. Parasitol. In press). Specific structural differences may be found among Pnotostnongylus and Onthostnongylus infective larvae, but rapid examination of fine morphological details is prevented by the nearly opaque first-stage cuticle. Removal of this cuticle without damaging the larva inside, though not impossible, is extremely difficult and time-consuming. We wish to thank Brent Gray and Judith Samson for assistance in exposing and maintaining snails. This study was supported by the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Paracrine induction of stem cell renewal by LIF-deficient cells: a new ES cell regulatory pathway.

The propagation of pluripotential mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells is sustained by leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) or related cytokines that act through a common receptor complex comprising the LIF receptor subunit (LIF-R) and the signal transducer gp130. However, the findings that embryos lacking LIF-R or gp130 can develop beyond gastrulation argue for the existence of an alternative pathway(s) governing the maintenance of pluripotency in vivo. In order to define those factors that contribute to self-renewal in ES cell cultures, we have generated ES cells in which both copies of the lif gene are deleted. These cells showed a significantly reduced capacity for regeneration of stem cell colonies when induced to differentiate, confirming that LIF is the major endogenous regulatory cytokine in ES cell cultures. However, self-renewal was not abolished and undifferentiated ES cell colonies were still obtained in the complete absence of LIF. A differentiated, LIF-deficient, parietal endoderm-like cell line was derived and shown to support ES cell propagation via production of a soluble, macromolecular, trypsin-sensitive activity. This activity, which we name ES cell renewal factor (ESRF), is distinct from members of the IL-6/LIF family because (i) it is effective on ES cells lacking LIF-R; (ii) it is not blocked by anti-gp130 neutralizing antibodies; and (iii) it acts without activation of STAT3. ES cells propagated clonally using ESRF alone can contribute fully to chimaeras and engender germline transmission. These findings establish that ES cell pluripotency can be sustained via a LIF-R/gp130-independent, STAT-3 independent, signaling pathway. Operation of this pathway in vivo could play an important role in the regulation of pluripotency in the epiblast and account for the viability of lifr -/- and gp130 -/- embryos.
Impact of prosodic structure and information density on dynamic formant trajectories in German

This study investigated the influence of prosodic structure and information density (ID), defined as contextual predictability, on vowel-inherent spectral change (VISC). We extracted formant measurements from the onset and offset of the vowels of a large German corpus of newspaper read speech. Vector length (VL), the Euclidean distance between F1 and F2 trajectory, and F1 and F2 slope, formant deltas of onset and offset relative to vowel duration, were calculated as measures of formant change. ID factors were word frequency and phoneme-based surprisal measures, while the prosodic factors contained global and local articulation rate, primary lexical stress, and prosodic boundary. We expected that vowels increased in spectral change when they were difficult to predict from the context, or stood in low-frequency words while controlling for known effects of prosodic structure. The ID effects were assumed to be modulated by prosodic factors to a certain extent. We confirmed our hypotheses for VL, and found expected independent effects of prosody and ID on F1 slope and F2 slope.
Avian Use of Rural Roadsides with Cattail (Typha spp.)

ABSTRACT We surveyed 30 roadsides in North Dakota's Prairie Pothole Region for birds and active nests between May and July 2001–2002. Each roadside transect was 1608 m and had ≥200 linear meters of standing cattail (Typha spp.). We recorded 45 bird species; four species of Icteridae dominated the avifauna. Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were both the most abundant species and most abundant nester, averaging 53 birds/10 ha (se = 7.7) and 30 nests/10 ha (se = 9.7). Among non-icterid species, song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) and common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) ranked first and second consecutively in 2001 and 2002. Canonical correspondence analyses of species compositions indicated that species abundance was related to two roadside variables, length and water depth of cattail stands. Cattails added habitat diversity and acceptable conditions for wetland-dwelling avian species not typically found in rural roadsides outside of the Prairie Pothole Region. We documented use of roadsides by three species of grassland birds of national or regional conservation concern. Roadsides in North Dakota, although dominated mostly by generalist bird species with edge tolerance, may have some management potential for area-dependent grassland birds.
A miniscrew system with interchangeable abutments.

JCO/OCTOBER 2008 O miniscrews have become increasingly popular in recent years because of their versatility, minimal invasiveness, and low cost. The effectiveness of conventional miniscrew systems is limited, however, by the lack of a stable connection to the orthodontic appliance. The Straumann Orthosystem* addresses this problem with a cap or abutment that can be fixed to the implant. The system can be used as anchorage for distalization of the maxillary molars or for mesial space closure, but is more costly than conventional miniscrews in terms of both direct expense and chairtime. Moreover, a three-month healing period is recommended after placement of an Orthosystem implant before force loading. As an alternative, we developed the Benefit** miniimplant system with interchangeable abutments (Fig. 1).
Hypothermic inhibition of 5-hydroxytryptamine and norepinephrine uptake by lung: cellular location of amines after uptake.

The effect of hypothermia (6°C) on removal of 5-hydroxytryptarmine (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) by rabbit lung was studied with a technique that permits use of simultaneously but independently perfused left and right lungs as paired organs. At 35°C, removal of both amines obeyed saturation kinetics. Apparent Km and Vmax for both 5-HT (5.2 µM and 12.8 mµmol/g/min, respectively) and NE (2.4 µM and 5.7 mµmol/g/min, respectively) removal were similar to those reported previously for rat lung. Perfusioin at 6°C reversibly inhibited 5-HT and NE (1.5 µM) removal. The Q10 (25-35°C) for temperature-sensitive uptake of 5-HT was 2.0, while that for NE was 2.4. Removal of both amines was significantly (P < .01) reduced by ouabain (10-4 M) and by iodoacetate (10-4 M) but was only minimally lowered by anoxia and was unaffected by omission of glucose. In lungs perfused with amines at 35°C. specific NE and 5-HT fluorescence was seen only in adrenergic nerve endings of large arteries and larger arterioles. After similar amine perfusion in the presence of pargyline and/or tropolone, intense fluorescence was also found in the endothelium of capillaries and postcapillary venules. Perfusion of amines at 6°C (in the presence of pargyline and/or tropolone) conmpletely abolished endothelial fluorescence; mast cell fluorescence was unaffected by hypothermia. Accordingly. 5-HT and NE uptake processes are saturable, temperaturesensitive and linked to a sodium, potassium adenosine triphosphatase. Energy for uptake may be supplied by noncarbohydrate substrates. The site for uptake and metabolism of both amines is likely to be endothelium of capillaries and small venules.
Detection of Favorable Oral Cephalosporin-Clavulanate Interactions by In Vitro Disk Approximation Susceptibility Testing of Extended-Spectrum-Beta-Lactamase-Producing Members of the Enterobacteriaceae

ABSTRACT Extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing members of the Enterobacteriaceae are often resistant to multiple drug classes, making therapy of urinary infections with oral antibiotics difficult. Previously it was shown that amoxicillin-clavulanate can provide clavulanate inhibition of ESBLs and protect an oral cephalosporin present in combination when tested by broth microdilution. This study has shown that disk approximation testing could detect favorable cephalosporin-clavulanate interactions among a group of 101 previously characterized members of the Enterobacteriaceae with CTX-M, SHV, or TEM ESBLs.
Auditory evoked potentials reveal early perceptual effects of distal prosody on speech segmentation

Prosodic context several syllables prior (i.e., distal) to an ambiguous word boundary influences speech segmentation. To assess whether distal prosody influences early perceptual processing or later lexical competition, EEG was recorded while subjects listened to eight-syllable sequences with ambiguous word boundaries for the last four syllables (e.g., tie murder bee vs. timer derby). Pitch and duration of the first five syllables were manipulated to induce sequence segmentation with either a monosyllabic or disyllabic final word. Behavioural results confirmed a successful manipulation. Moreover, penultimate syllables (e.g., der) elicited a larger anterior positivity 200–500 ms after the onset for prosodic contexts predicted to induce word-initial perception of these syllables. Final syllables (e.g. bee) elicited a similar anterior positivity in the context predicted to induce word-initial perception of these syllables. Additionally, these final syllables elicited a larger positive-to-negative deflection (P1-N1) 60–120 ms after onset, and a larger N400. The finding that prosodic characteristics of speech several syllables prior to ambiguous word boundaries modulate both early and late event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by subsequent syllable onsets provides evidence that distal prosody influences early perceptual processing and later lexical competition.
A Dose-finding Study of Aspirin for Chemoprevention Utilizing Rectal Mucosal Prostaglandin E 2 Levels as a Biomarker 1

Epidemiological and experimental evidence indicates that aspirin can protect against colorectal cancer. Aspirin inhibits cyclooxygenase enzymes and blocks prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis. Using rectal PGE2 levels as a mucosal biomarker, we sought to determine the optimal aspirin dose that would significantly suppress PGE2 levels for chemoprevention trials. We conducted a randomized, double-blinded study in 60 subjects with prior sporadic colorectal adenoma(s) and evaluated three aspirin doses (81, 325, and 650 mg) or placebo taken daily for 4 weeks. PGE2 levels in rectal biopsies performed at baseline and week 4 were analyzed by competitive immunoassay. Plasma salicylate levels, pill counts, and subject calendars were used to assess compliance. The 81-mg aspirin dose significantly suppressed PGE2 levels relative to placebo (P 0.005) and did so to an equivalent extent as did higher doses (P > 0.4) in evaluable subjects (n 55) over a 4-week treatment period. Serum salicylate levels were associated with aspirin dose (P 0.0002). Pill counts and calendars indicated that >98% of doses were taken by all subjects. No adverse events occurred in this short-term study. The 81-mg daily aspirin dose suppressed PGE2 levels to an equivalent extent as did the 650-mg dose and supports the use of this dose for chemoprevention trials.
Pattern and causes of amputation in diabetic patients--a multicentric study from India.

OBJECTIVE One of the most significant complications of diabetes is foot disease, which often leads to amputations was found to be very common in developing countries like India, the diabetic capital of the world. Hence this study has been planned to assess the pattern and causes of amputations in diabetic patients across various parts of India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 1985 (M:F 1249:736) type 2 diabetic subjects were selected from 31 centres across India. Out of 1985 subjects, a total of 1295 (850:445) patients who had undergone amputations both major and minor were included in this analysis. A proforma which contains details on level of amputations, diabetes history, deformity details, causes of amputations and other associated diabetic complications was used to collect the data. Peripheral vascular disease was assessed by using Doppler studies. Presence of neuropathy was assessed by using 10 g monofilament and 125 Hz tuning fork. RESULTS The major cause for the occurrence of amputations among the patients was found to be infection. Almost 90% of the patients had infection. Patients had different types of amputations: major amputations accounting for 29.1% (n=377) and minor amputations in 70.9% (n=918) of subjects. Among the subjects who underwent major amputations, more than 50% accounts for below knee amputations and 11.9% above knee amputations. Out of total amputations, over half of the incident amputations were of toes and rays. Presence of claw toes was seen in 64% of patients. Prevalence of neuropathy (82%) was high and 35% had peripheral vascular disease. CONCLUSION In conclusion, infection was found to be the major cause of amputation in India. Below knee, toes and rays amputations were the most common type of amputations. Diabetic patients should be educated on foot care and importance of proper foot wear.
Viscozyme L action on soy slurry affects carbohydrates and antioxidant properties of silken tofu

This study investigated the enzymatic treatment of soy slurry using Viscozyme L to hydrolyze the carbohydrates. The optimum temperature of Viscozyme L action was 55 °C. The increase of glucose and galactose content in tofu (1.36 and 0.19 g/100 g, respectively) confirmed the Viscozyme activity on soy slurry when compared to the control. The treated tofu had more total phenolics than the control (173 and 161 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g freeze-dried tofu, respectively) and higher antioxidant activity by the 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl,2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl radical tests. Total reducing sugar (glucose equivalents) content in treated tofu was approximately four times higher than that in the control under the optimum conditions (30 Fungal Beta-Glucanase units/10 g solids, 55 °C, 30 min). The tofus differed in the sensory analysis for soy odor and surface uniformity, but there was no preference for one over the other.
Transient prolonged stunning induced by dipyridamole and shown on 1- and 24-hour poststress 99mTc-MIBI gated SPECT.

UNLABELLED We investigated whether poststress gated SPECT, which was believed to show resting wall motion, revealed stunning induced by dipyridamole stress. METHODS In 62 patients with coronary artery disease (n = 57) or chest pain (n = 5), dipyridamole stress gated 99mTc-hexakis-2-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (MIBI) SPECT and rest 201Tl SPECT were performed on the first day; 24-h delayed 201Tl SPECT and rest gated 99mTc-MIBI SPECT were performed on the second day. Stress and rest gated 99mTc-MIBI SPECT was performed 1 h after injection. The myocardium was divided into 17 segments, and perfusion was scored on a 4-point scoring system (scores, 0-3 for normal to defect); wall motion during first-day poststress gated and second-day rest gated SPECT was also scored on another 4-point scale (scores, 0-3 for normal to dyskinesia). RESULTS Thirty-one of 62 patients showed wall motion abnormality that was worse after stress than during resting. Three hundred eight (29%) of the total 1054 segments showed wall motion abnormality on poststress gated SPECT. In 198 of these segments, wall motion abnormality was the same on poststress and rest gated SPECT, and 106 segments showed wall motion that was worse on 1-h poststress than on rest gated SPECT. Perfusion was normal either during rest (n = 113) or after a 24-h delay (n = 18) in 131 segments with the poststress wall motion abnormality. Of these 131 segments, 69 showed the same wall motion abnormality between poststress and resting periods (persistent stunning). However, in 40 segments, abnormal wall motion on 1-h poststress gated SPECT normalized on rest gated SPECT (transient prolonged stunning). The other 20 segments showed improvement of wall motion during rest compared with the poststress period but still showed abnormal wall motion during the resting period (between transient prolonged stunning and persistent stunning). Stress perfusion decrease was more severe in transient prolonged stunning than in persistent stunning. Poststress wall motion abnormality was more severe in persistent stunning. CONCLUSION Using gated 99mTc-MIBI SPECT, stunned myocardium was found on 1-h poststress SPECT compared with normal resting wall motion found on rest gated SPECT on the next day. We conclude that some myocardial walls did not show true resting wall motion on 1-h poststress gated SPECT; hence, caution is necessary when using wall motion on 1-h poststress gated SPECT to assess resting wall motion.
Roles of gall bladder emptying and intestinal transit in the pathogenesis of octreotide induced gall bladder stones.

BACKGROUND--Octreotide treatment of acromegalic patients increases the % deoxycholic acid conjugates and the cholesterol saturation of gall bladder bile, and induces gall stone formation. AIMS--To study the roles of gall bladder emptying and intestinal transit in these phenomena. METHODS AND PATIENTS--Gall bladder emptying and mouth to caecum transit was measured in (a) control subjects and acromegalic patients given saline or 50 micrograms of octreotide, and (b) acromegalic patients taking long term octreotide. In the second group, large bowel transit was also measured. RESULTS--A single dose of octreotide inhibited meal stimulated gall bladder emptying, the ejection fraction falling from mean (SEM) 66.0 (2.3)% to 7.0 (5.3)% in controls (p < 0.001); from 72.5 (2.1) to 16.6 (5.1)% in untreated acromegalic patients (p < 0.001), and to 30.4 (9.5)% in acromegalic patients taking long term octreotide (p < 0.001 v untreated acromegalic group). Octreotide prolonged mouth to caecum transit time, from 112 (15) min to 237 (13) min in controls (p < 0.001), from 170 (13) min to 282 (11) min in untreated acromegalic patients (p < 0.001), and to 247 (10) min in acromegalic patients taking long term octreotide (p < 0.001 v untreated acromegalic patients). The mean large bowel transit in octreotide untreated compared with treated acromegalic patients remained unchanged (40 (6) h v 47 (6) h). CONCLUSIONS--Prolongation of intestinal transit and impaired gall bladder emptying may contribute to lithogenic changes in bile composition and gall stone formation in patients receiving long term octreotide.
3‐Min step test and treadmill exercise for evaluating exercise-induced asthma

A simple exercise test would be useful for detecting exercise-induced asthma, a common problem in asthmatic children. The current study compared the 3‐min step test with treadmill exercise for evaluating exercise-induced asthma in asthmatic children and assessed whether responses to both tests are influenced by baseline lung function and habitual physical activity. A series of 154 asthmatic children (84 male children; mean age 12.9±0.9 yrs) underwent a 3‐min step-test and treadmill testing on different days within a week at least 24 h apart. Before both tests each subject did spirometry to obtain the baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). After both exercise challenges all subjects did serial spirometry and the lowest FEV1 recorded over time was used to calculate the fall in FEV1 expressed as a percentage of the measured pre-exercise (baseline) value (% fall in FEV1) and the area above the FEV1 curve (AAC0–30 min) expressed as a percentage of the pre-exercise value. Changes in both exercise variables were also analysed in percentile subgroups defined by questionnaire answers on habitual physical activity in hours. The mean % fall in FEV1 was significantly higher for treadmill exercise than for the step test (15.0±7.5 versus 11.7±5.9); and the AAC0–30 min was larger for treadmill than for the step test (−261.6±139.9% versus −197.3±105.0% min). In all subgroups defined by habitual physical activity the mean % fall in FEV1 decreased more after treadmill exercise than after the step test. After step test and treadmill exercise no significant correlation was found between % fall in FEV1 and baseline lung function, or between % fall in FEV1 among groups defined by habitual physical activity. Although the 3‐min step test yields a lower % fall in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and a lower value of the area above the FEV1 curve than treadmill testing, it is a quick, economical, reproducible and portable alternative procedure for identifying exercise-induced asthma in outpatients and epidemiological studies. Baseline lung function and habitual physical activity have no influence on the amount or duration of exercise-induced asthma.
Robust EM Continual Reassessment Method in Oncology Dose Finding

The continual reassessment method (CRM) is a commonly used dose-finding design for phase I clinical trials. Practical applications of this method have been restricted by two limitations: (1) the requirement that the toxicity outcome needs to be observed shortly after the initiation of the treatment; and (2) the potential sensitivity to the prespecified toxicity probability at each dose. To overcome these limitations, we naturally treat the unobserved toxicity outcomes as missing data, and use the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to estimate the dose toxicity probabilities based on the incomplete data to direct dose assignment. To enhance the robustness of the design, we propose prespecifying multiple sets of toxicity probabilities, each set corresponding to an individual CRM model. We carry out these multiple CRMs in parallel, across which model selection and model averaging procedures are used to make more robust inference. We evaluate the operating characteristics of the proposed robust EM-CRM designs through simulation studies and show that the proposed methods satisfactorily resolve both limitations of the CRM. Besides improving the MTD selection percentage, the new designs dramatically shorten the duration of the trial, and are robust to the prespecification of the toxicity probabilities.