Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Amine synthesis in rapidly growing tissues: ornithine decarboxylase activity in regenerating rat liver, chick embryo, and various tumors.

amines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine in in animal and plant tissues examined. Rezni-koff E. The STAT-1 tumor was obtained by inoculating rats with tumor cells produced by treating a tissue-culture line of normal rat fibroblasts for 3 days with DNA from the Walker 319 fibrosarcoma. The STAT-1 tumors, which were harvested 11 days after inoculation, were poorly differentiated sarcomas with hypotetraploid chromosome numbers, many fragments, and breaks. The STAT-3 tumor resulted from the inoculation of rats with fibroblasts treated for 30 days with DNA from a Walker 319 fibrosarcoma and was harvested 30 days after inoculation. This- tumor was poorly differentiated with a quasi-diploid chromosome number. and hypotetraploid
Paleoenvironmental analysis of the late Neoproterozoic Mistaken Point and Trepassey formations, southeastern Newfoundland

The Mistaken Point and Trepassey formations (Conception and St. John's groups, respectively) comprise a terminal Neoproterozoic, deep-marine succession of fine-grained turbidites and volcanogenic deposits that are part of the Avalonian Terrane. Debris-flow beds, slumped units, the low dispersion of turbidity-current paleoflow directions, and the absence of wave-generated structures together indicate that the sediment was deposited on a deep-water, southeast- facing slope. Channels were not present in the study area. The upward increase in the abundance of slump structures suggests that these units represent toe-of-slope and mid-slope environments, respectively. These units prograded over basin-floor deposits of the Drook and Briscal formations, which have (axial) paleocurrent directions that are orthogonal to the inferred downslope flow that characterized the overlying deposits. Within the Mistaken Point and Trepassey formations, a diverse assemblage of soft-bodied, non-phototrophic Ediacaran organisms is.
Effects of grazing on vegetation structure, prey availability, and reproductive success of Grasshopper Sparrows

Abstract Populations of Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) have been declining, and agricultural practices, such as grazing by domestic cattle (Bos taurus), are likely contributing factors. Grazing can alter the composition and structure of vegetation and influence prey availability, and such changes can impact the nesting success of grassland birds. Our objective was to examine the nesting success of Grasshopper Sparrows in grazed and ungrazed habitats on the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. Clutch sizes of female Grasshopper Sparrows nesting in grazed and ungrazed areas differed significantly, with mean clutch sizes of 4.48 in ungrazed areas and 3.91 in grazed areas. In addition, nest success was higher in ungrazed areas (70%) than grazed areas (25%). Insect sweeps revealed that invertebrate biomass in ungrazed areas was greater than in grazed areas, and analysis of vegetation indicated that grazed areas had less litter, more shrubs, and shorter, less dense vegetation than ungrazed areas. Most unsuccessful nests were depredated, and the higher predation rates on nests in grazed areas may have been due to differences in vegetation structure. Shorter, less dense vegetation in grazed areas may make it easer for predators to observe adults and locate nests, while taller, denser vegetation in ungrazed areas may provide greater concealment. While the results of previous studies suggest that light to moderate grazing can produce habitat suitable for Grasshopper Sparrows, more intense grazing, as on our study area (one animal unit/ha), creates habitat less suitable for these sparrows.
The truth will out: interrogative polygraphy ("lie detection") with event-related brain potentials.

The feasibility of using Event Related Brain Potentials (ERPs) in Interrogative Polygraphy ("Lie Detection") was tested by examining the effectiveness of the Guilty Knowledge Test designed by Farwell and Donchin (1986, 1988). The subject is assigned an arbitrary task requiring discrimination between experimenter-designated targets and other, irrelevant stimuli. A group of diagnostic items ("probes"), which to the unwitting are indistinguishable from the irrelevant items, are embedded among the irrelevant. For subjects who possess "guilty knowledge" these probes are distinct from the irrelevants and are likely to elicit a P300, thus revealing their possessing the special knowledge that allows them to differentiate the probes from the irrelevants. We report two experiments in which this paradigm was tested. In Experiment 1, 20 subjects participated in one of two mock espionage scenarios and were tested for their knowledge of both scenarios. All stimuli consisted of short phrases presented for 300 ms each at an interstimulus interval of 1550 ms. A set of items were designated as "targets" and appeared on 17% of the trials. Probes related to the scenarios also appeared on 17% of the trials. The rest of the items were irrelevants. Subjects responded by pressing one switch following targets, and the other following irrelevants (and, of course, probes). ERPs were recorded from FZ, CZ, and PZ. As predicted, targets elicited large P300s in all subjects. Probes associated with a given scenario elicited a P300 in subjects who participated in that scenario. A bootstrapping method was used to assess the quality of the decision for each subject. The algorithm declared the decision indeterminate in 12.5% of the cases. In all other cases a decision was made. There were no false positives and no false negatives: whenever a determination was made it was accurate. The second experiment was virtually identical to the first, with identical results, except that this time 4 subjects were tested, each of which had a minor brush with the law. Subjects were tested to determine whether they possessed information on their own "crimes. " The results were as expected; the Guilty Knowledge Test determined correctly which subject possessed which information. The implications of these data both for the practice of Interrogative Polygraphy and the interpretation of the P300 are discussed.
Shooting Methods for Numerical Solution of Stochastic Boundary-Value Problems

Abstract In the present investigation, numerical methods are developed for approximate solution of stochastic boundary-value problems. In particular, shooting methods are examined for numerically solving systems of Stratonovich boundary-value problems. It is proved that these methods accurately approximate the solutions of stochastic boundary-value problems. An error analysis of these methods is performed. Computational simulations are given.
Ocular Surface Changes Induced by Contact Lens Wear

Purpose. To evaluate subclinical inflammation and mucus production of the conjunctiva in asymptomatic contact lens (CL) wearers, and to obtain an estimation of the chronologic variations in each group. Methods. Eighteen eyes fitted with rigid CL (RCL) and 28 eyes with soft CL (SCL) worn daily were compared with 10 eyes from five healthy non-CL wearers. Impression cytology (IC) specimens were collected after clinical examination and were analyzed by flow cytometry using antibodies directed to HLA DR and intercellular adhesion molecule type 1 (ICAM-1) (CD 54), as inflammatory markers, and to the peptidic core of the conjunctival mucin (M1/MUC5AC) for mucus and goblet cell detection. The percentage of positive cells was calculated, and levels of fluorescence expression were quantified and compared between each group. Results. A significant increase of HLA DR and ICAM-1 was observed in the SCL group in comparison with the control group. The two inflammatory markers were highly positively correlated with each other. Mucin detection with M1/MUC5AC did not find a significant difference between each group in terms of percentage of positive cells, but analyses of mean levels of fluorescence showed a significant decrease in the two CL groups. Evolution in time was different for each group, with a regular low level of inflammation in the RCL group in the first 10 years in comparison with the SCL group. In the SCL group, inflammation seemed to be higher before 2 years and after 10 years of wear. Mucin expression was variable in time, but without significant difference at any time. Conclusion. This study confirms difference in expression of subclinical conjunctival inflammation in asymptomatic CL wearers, with lower levels for RCL than SCL wearers with daily or extended wear. The mucin system is also modified by this low but chronic aggression of the ocular surface, with a tendency to decrease with time in the RCL and SCL groups.
Role of echocardiography versus MRI for the diagnosis of congenital heart disease

During the last few decades, significant strides have been made in the field of noninvasive imaging for the patient with congenital heart disease. Echocardiography and MRI continue to provide improved means of anatomic and functional assessment in children and adults with congenital heart lesions. This review reports some of the recent advances in tissue Doppler, strain rate, and integrated backscatter, and highlights exciting current and future potential developments in their application. We also discuss advances in MR in evaluation of cardiac anatomy and function in congenital heart disease.
Proteomic analysis of Lactococcus lactis, a lactic acid bacterium

Lactococcus lactis is a Gram‐positive bacteria, which belongs to the group of lactic acid bacteria among which several genera play an essential role in the manufacture of food products. Cytosolic proteins of L. lactis IL1403 cultivated in M17 broth have been resolved by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis using two pH gradients (pH 4–7, 4.5–5.5). More than 230 spots were identified by peptide mass fingerprints, corresponding to 25% of the predicted acid proteome. The present study made it possible to describe at the proteome level a significant number of cellular pathways (glycolysis, fermentation, nucleotide metabolism, proteolysis, fatty acid and peptidoglycan synthesis) related to important physiological processes and technological properties. It also indicated that the fermentative metabolism, which characterizes L. lactis is associated with a high expression of glycolytic enzymes. Thirty‐four proteins were matched to open reading frames for which there is no assigned function. The comparison at the proteome level of two strains of L. lactis showed an important protein polymorphism. The comparison of the proteomes of glucose‐ and lactose‐grown cells revealed an unexpected link between the nature of the carbon source and the metabolism of pyrimidine nucleotides.
[Efficacy of surgical resection of left and right transthoracic approaches for middle thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE For squamous cell carcinoma of the middle thoracic esophagus, surgical resection of left or right transthoracic approach has its advantages and disadvantages, respectively. This study was to compare the outcomes between the two approaches. METHODS A total of 482 consecutive patients with middle thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) underwent transthoracic esophagectomy between January 1999 and June 2005. These patients were divided into left transthoracic approach group (n=350) and right transthoracic approach group (n=132). Surgical resection rate, postoperative complications, lymphadenectomy, recurrence pattern, disease-free survival, and overall survival of the two groups were compared retrospectively. RESULTS The surgical resection rate was 92.0% in left approach group and 92.4% in right approach group (P=0.878). The incidence of postoperative complications was higher in right approach group than in left approach group (57.6% vs. 35.4%, P<0.001). The average number of lymph nodes resected was 11.8+/-6.6 in left approach group and 16.3+/-8.0 in right approach group (P<0.001). Lymphatic recurrence rate was lower in right approach group than in left approach group (51.1% vs. 69.6%,P=0.028), especially occurring to mediastinal lymph nodes (15.6% vs. 38.4%,P=0.005). Three-year disease-free survival was higher in right approach group than in left approach group(22.92+/-0.74 vs. 25.09+/-1.22, P=0.039). CONCLUSION Although left transthoracic resection reduced the incidence of postoperative complications, esophagectomy of right transthoracic approach was more effective in survival improvement.
Risk assessment and risk regionalization, based on the surveillance system for foot and mouth disease in South America.

Within the framework of the International Animal Health Code of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), important contributions have been made by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/United States Department of Agriculture (APHIS/USDA), the Ministry of Agriculture of Canada, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of New Zealand and other organisations, by the development of risk assessment methods and regionalization criteria for risk assessment. The authors attempt to contribute to these efforts by proposing a regional risk evaluation of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in South America. Two examples of risk assessments for international trade, i.e., in bovine embryos and in meat, are used to demonstrate the importance of an effective disease surveillance system as the basis for risk regionalization for international trade in animals and animal products. As a result of progress in the control and eradication of FMD in South America, it is expected that major livestock production regions will soon be in low- to very low-risk categories.
A study of coagulation factors in blood and spinal fluid in multiple sclerosis.

Introduction For over 90 years, since Charcot, a French neurologist, correlated the clinical and pathological changes associated with the disease designated as multiple sclerosis, many theories as to its etiology have been advanced. Theories pertaining to changes in vascular and blood factors are still controversial and consequently subjected to investigation. Changes in cerebrospinal fluid are also believed by many investigators to be of etiologic significance. The following study was undertaken to determine whether the spinal fluid of normal subjects and/or of patients with multiple sclerosis has tissue and/or blood thromboplastic activity. Blood vessel fragility, coagulation factors, and platelets were investigated by current methods in cases of clinically well-established multiple sclerosis. The study also included evaluation of serum platelet-like activity and determination of sedimentation rates and cerebrospinal fluid protein levels. Results obtained revealed that there is neither blood nor tissue thromboplastic activity in the spinal fluid of normal subjects or of
Identification of differentially expressed genes of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas exposed to prolonged thermal stress

Groups of oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were exposed to 25 °C for 24 days (controls to 13 °C) to explore the biochemical and molecular pathways affected by prolonged thermal stress. This temperature is 4 °C above the summer seawater temperature encountered in western Brittany, France where the animals were collected. Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to identify specific up‐ and downregulated genes in gill and mantle tissues after 7–10 and 24 days of exposure. The resulting libraries contain 858 different sequences that potentially represent highly expressed genes in thermally stressed oysters. Expression of 17 genes identified in these libraries was studied using real‐time PCR in gills and mantle at different time points over the course of the thermal stress. Differential gene expression levels were much higher in gills than in the mantle, showing that gills are more sensitive to thermal stress. Expression of most transcripts (mainly heat shock proteins and genes involved in cellular homeostasis) showed a high and rapid increase at 3–7 days of exposure, followed by a decrease at 14 days, and a second, less‐pronounced increase at 17–24 days. A slow‐down in protein synthesis occurred after 24 days of thermal stress.
Further Analysis of the T‐Cell Subsets and Pathways of Murine Cardiac Allograft Rejection

The present study examined the role of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in cardiac allograft rejection when either the direct or indirect pathway was eliminated for the CD4+ portion of the response. To study the pathways in vivo, we used genetically altered mouse strains that lack class II antigens as either the donors or recipients for cardiac transplantation.
Periapical Status and Prevalence

and root fillings in 450 institutionalized Brazilian elderly. The teeth with apical periodontitis were assessed using the Periapical Index (PAI) score. A total of 942 teeth were evaluated in 98 subjects (57 females and 41 males) with mean age of 74 years. The observed frequency of total edentulous subjects was high (76%) in this population. A total of 126 teeth showed root fillings, of these only 46 (36.5%) were scored as having adequate quality. Apical periodontitis was found in 114 teeth (12.1%) in 42 (42.9%) subjects. 80 (70.2%) inadequate root-filled teeth showed apical periodontitis. There was a significant correlation between the presence of periapical pathology and inadequate root-filled teeth. Inadequate root-filled teeth were associated with an increased prevalence of apical periodontitis in these subjects. This fact may result in increased endodontic retreatment needs for this population. Periapical Status and Prevalence o f E n d o d o n t i c T r e a t m e n t i n I n s t i t u t i ona l i z e d E l d e r l y
Minimal Clinically Important Difference in the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire

Objective. The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) is a disease-specific composite instrument that measures the effect of problems experienced by patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Utilization of the FIQ in measuring changes due to interventions in FM requires derivation of a clinically meaningful change for that instrument. Analyses were conducted to estimate the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), and to propose FIQ severity categories. Methods. Data from 3 similarly designed, 3-month placebo-controlled, clinical treatment trials of pregabalin 300, 450, and 600 mg/day in patients with FM were modeled to estimate the change in the mean FIQ total and stiffness items corresponding to each category on the Patient Global Impression of Change. FIQ severity categories were modeled and determined using established pain severity cutpoints as an anchor. Results. A total of 2228 patients, mean age 49 years, 93% women, with a mean baseline FIQ total score of 62 were treated in the 3 studies. Estimated MCID on a given measure were similar across the studies. In a pooled analysis the estimated MCID (95% confidence interval) was 14% (13; 15) and for FIQ stiffness it was 13% (12; 14). In the severity analysis a FIQ total score from 0 to < 39 was found to represent a mild effect, ≥ 39 to < 59 a moderate effect, and ≥ 59 to 100 a severe effect. Conclusion. The analysis indicates that a 14% change in the FIQ total score is clinically relevant, and results of these analyses should enhance the clinical utility of the FIQ in research and practice.
10 VERSION MANAGEMENT IN THE STAR MLS DATABASE SYSTEM

: This paper describes version management in the Secure TransAc tional Resources - Database System (*-DBS) currently being developed at Penn State. This system employs concurrency control based on a secure multiversion timestamp ordering protocol. Efficient version management is critical to the performance of such a system. This paper describes a method of version man agement that requires no trust, adapts effectively to skewed access patterns, provides access to any version with at most one disk access and supports tu ple level concurrency control. Based on our implementation, we report on the performanc;. e of this method.
Social determinants of tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

Ensuring an efficient and equitable delivery of quality assured diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) is the major drive of the TB control programme and the alternatives for incorporating preventative efforts have not yet been fully considered. The aim of the study was to examine the social determinants of TB transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. Four electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, and Web of Science) were systematically searched to obtained relevant articles and critical appraisal skill programme tools were used to analyze data. Out 515 articles obtained from the electronic database search only 18 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the systematic review. The study shows that male sex, young age (25-34 years), low education, unemployment, low income, poverty, tobacco smoking, and alcohol abuse are the identified social determinants of tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, focus on social determinates of TB, adjunct to early diagnosis and successful treatment completion, can play a pivotal role in reducing the soaring levels to TB transmission in sub-Saharan Africa.
Comparative performance of the CFDAMA protocol via satellite with various terminal request strategies

This paper examines the relative performance of the Combined Free/Demand Assignment Multiple Access (CFDAMA) protocol with different terminal request strategies. A new scheme is proposed employing round robin assignment of request slots (CFDAMA-RR), which is compared with the standard schemes incorporating random, packet accompanied, and Combined Requests (CFDAMA-CR). It is shown that the CFDAMA-RR scheme can offer improved delay/utilisation performance of a satellite channel due to its inherent fairness and contentionless nature. Simulation results are presented with three different source traffic models, Poisson, self-similar (Pareto ON-OFF) and exponential ON-OFF. The results indicate that the ON-OFF nature of a traffic model has a more significant impact on Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol performance than the specific distribution of ON and OFF times.
Effect of the flavonoid epigallocatechin-3-gallate on resin-dentin bond strength.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of dentin pretreatment with epigallocatechin-3-gallate solution on the preservation of the resin/dentin interface with etch-and-rinse adhesives. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty extracted human molars were prepared to expose the dentin surface and divided into 5 groups according to the pretreatment solution. Dentin surfaces were etched (35% phosphoric acid for 15 s), rinsed, and air dried. Dentin was rewetted either with distilled water, 3 different epigallocatechin-3-gallate solutions (EGCG; 0.02%, 0.1%, or 0.5% w/v), or 2% chlorhexidine digluconate solution for 60 s. Adper Single Bond 2 was applied and a subsequent 5-mm-thick resin crown was built up. Bonded teeth were longitudinally sectioned to obtain sticks with a cross-sectional area of 1.0 mm2. Half of the specimens were immediately tested, while the remaining specimens were tested after storage in 3 mMol/l sodium azide solution at 37°C for six months. The mode of fracture was examined. Bond strength values were analyzed with ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls tests. RESULTS After 24 h of storage, mean bond strengths of 0.5% EGCG were significantly lower than those found for the other groups (p < 0.05), except for 0.02% EGCG (p > 0.05). Resin-dentin bond strengths after 6 months were not significantly different among the experimental groups (p > 0.05). Storage in water for 6 months resulted in a significant decrease in bond strength for the water control group only (p < 0.05). The bond strengths of the experimental groups remained stable after 6 months of water storage (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Pretreatment with EGCG preserved the bond of Adper Single Bond 2 to dentin after six months of storage equally well as pretreatment with chlorhexidine digluconate.