Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circadian Intraocular Pressure Rhythms in Athletic Horses under Different Lighting Regime

The present study was undertaken to investigate the existence of intraocular pressure (IOP) rhythms in athletic thoroughbred horses maintained under a 24 h cycle of light and darkness (LD) or under constant light (LL) or constant dark (DD) conditions. We identified an IOP circadian rhythm that is entrained to the 24 h LD cycle. IOP was low during the dark phase and high during the light phase, with a peak at the end of the light phase (ZT10). The circadian rhythm of IOP persisted in DD (with a peak at CT9.5), demonstrating an endogenous component in IOP rhythm. As previously shown in other mammalian species, horse IOP circadian rhythmicity was abolished in LL. Because tonometry is performed in horses for the diagnosis of ophthalmologic diseases, such as glaucoma or anterior uveitis, the daily variation in IOP must be taken into account in clinical practice to properly time tests and to interpret clinical findings.
A Review of Blood pH and Blood-Gas Analysis

Ten years ago a skilled analyst using a standard blood-gas instrument would have taken between five and ten minutes to produce a complete set of results. Each stage of the operation (calibration check, sampling of the specimen, washing of the electrodes, and then calculation of derived values from the measured parameters) would be performed by the operator. The most modern and sophisticated instrument of today will produce up to seven measured and derived results in hard copy within 90 seconds of sample insertion. Yet the basic principles of analysis have not changed. This review aims to guide the novice through these basic principles so that he may view with full critical faculties all analysers, from the simplest to the 'black box', the most sophisticated analyser of today where the use of a microprocessor provides calculated results and monitors the correct operation of many, or all, of the functions of the instrument. bicarbonate-carbonic acid system the main one in plasma and extracellular fluid. The carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, bicarbonate equilibrium may be represented thus:
Child-Rearing Practices and Delinquency in Children and Adolescents.

The present paper is an overview of studies examining the way family influences the development of delinquency in adolescents. The review focused on published papers dealing with the association of adolescent delinquency and their families. The association between family practices and juvenile delinquency, with potent predictive value is established and bidirectional effects exist. However the influence from parents to adolescents is stronger. In addition indirect evidence, from early intervention studies, supports the causal role of family variables in the development of juvenile delinquency. Effective family functioning, in spite of several social adversities, exerts a buffering influence on children, thus protecting them from delinquent behavioural manifestations. Finally, the assumption that genetic influences are responsible for both poor child-rearing practices by the parents and juvenile delinquency is not well supported by the literature, suggesting that effective parenting exerts an independent influence in the socioemotional functioning of children and adolescents. The evidence suggests that effective child rearing practices is a necessary though not sufficient factor for the psychosocial development of children and adolescents. Educational programmes, of a preventive nature, could be promising in reducing levels of delinquency. The important role of family functioning in protecting children and adolescents from antisocial behaviours is evident from many studies internationally. The protective role of parenting is generally supported. The role of a supportive family environment could be suggested as a protective factor for juvenile delinquency.
Candidal colonization, strain diversity, and antifungal susceptibility among adult diabetic patients

Background and Objectives : Candidal colonization in diabetics is a matter of debate. The aim of this study is to investigate oral candidal colonization, strain diversity, antifungal susceptibility, and the influence of local and systemic host factors on candidal colonization in adult diabetics. Methods : We conducted a case-control study that compared 150 diabetics (49 type 1, 101 type 2) with 50 healthy controls. Two salivary samples were collected, using the oral rinse sampling method: one for salivary flow rate and pH determination, and the other for candidal colonization assessment. The candidal isolates were identified and tested in vitro for antifungal susceptibility using the commercial kit, Candifast. The relationship between specific host factors and candidal colonization was also investigated. Results : Diabetics had a higher candidal carriage rate compared to controls, but not density. Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species, but diabetics had a variety of other candidal species present. None of the control samples were resistant to any tested antifungal, while the diabetic samples had differing resistances to azole antifungals. Although there was a significant positive correlation between glycemic control and candidal colonization in type 2 diabetics, there was a negative correlation between salivary pH and candidal carriage in the controls versus density in type 2 diabetics. Conclusions : Diabetic patients not only had a higher candidal carriage rate, but also a variety of candidal species that were resistant to azole antifungals. Oral candidal colonization was significantly associated with glycemic control, type of diabetes, and salivary pH.
Metabolic Profiles of Lolium perenne Are Differentially Affected by Nitrogen Supply, Carbohydrate Content, and Fungal Endophyte Infection1[W][OA]

Lolium perenne cultivars differing in their capacity to accumulate water soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) were infected with three strains of fungal Neotyphodium lolii endophytes or left uninfected. The endophyte strains differed in their alkaloid profiles. Plants were grown at two different levels of nitrogen (N) supply in a controlled environment. Metabolic profiles of blades were analyzed using a variety of analytical methods. A total of 66 response variables were subjected to a principle components analysis and factor rotation. The first three rotated factors (46% of the total variance) were subsequently analyzed by analysis of variance. At high N supply nitrogenous compounds, organic acids and lipids were increased; WSCs, chlorogenic acid (CGA), and fibers were decreased. The high-sugar cultivar ‘AberDove’ had reduced levels of nitrate, most minor amino acids, sulfur, and fibers compared to the control cultivar ‘Fennema’, whereas WSCs, CGA, and methionine were increased. In plants infected with endophytes, nitrate, several amino acids, and, magnesium were decreased; WSCs, lipids, some organic acids, and CGA were increased. Regrowth of blades was stimulated at high N, and there was a significant endophyte × cultivar interaction on regrowth. Mannitol, a fungal specific sugar alcohol, was significantly correlated with fungal biomass. Our findings suggest that effects of endophytes on metabolic profiles of L. perenne can be considerable, depending on host plant characteristics and nutrient supply, and we propose that a shift in carbon/N ratios and in secondary metabolite production as seen in our study is likely to have impacts on herbivore responses.
Effects of Soil Water Deficit on Insecticidal Protein Expression in Boll Shells of Transgenic Bt Cotton and the Mechanism

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of soil water deficit on insecticidal protein expression in boll shells of cotton transgenic for a Bt gene. In 2014, Bt cotton cultivars Sikang 1 (a conventional cultivar) and Sikang 3 (a hybrid cultivar) were planted in pots and five soil water content treatments were imposed at peak boll stage: 15% (G1), 35% (G2), 40% (G3), 60% (G4), and 75% field capacity (CK), respectively. Four treatments (G2, G3, G4, and CK) were repeated in 2015 in the field. Results showed that the insecticidal protein content of boll shells decreased with increasing water deficit. Compared with CK, boll shell insecticidal protein content decreased significantly when soil water content was below 60% of maximum water holding capacity for Sikang 1 and Sikang 3. However, increased Bt gene expression was observed when boll shell insecticidal protein content was significantly reduced. Activity assays of key enzymes in nitrogen metabolism showed that boll shell protease and peptidase increased but nitrogen reductase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) decreased. Insecticidal protein content exhibited significant positive correlation with nitrogen reductase and GPT activities; and significant negative correlation with protease and peptidase activities. These findings suggest that the decrease of insecticidal protein content associated with increasing water deficit was a net result of decreased synthesis and increased decomposition.
Astroviruses associated with stunting and pre-hatching mortality in duck and goose embryos

The first detection of avian nephritis virus (ANV) in goose embryos and of turkey astrovirus-1 (TAstV-1) in duck embryos is described. Intestinal samples from duck and goose embryos from five duck and four goose flocks in Croatia were tested by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of ANV, TAstV-1, turkey astrovirus-2, chicken astrovirus, duck astrovirus and also for the presence of avian reovirus, Derzsy's disease virus and duck enteritis virus. The kidneys from duck and goose embryos were also tested for ANV, while liver samples were tested for duck astrovirus. Duck embryos were also tested to detect duck circovirus and goose embryos for the presence of goose circovirus and goose haemorrhagic polyomavirus. All embryos were in the final stage of incubation and were characterized by moderate to markedly retarded growth. ANV was confirmed in the intestines and kidneys of embryos from two duck and two goose flocks and TAstV-1 was found in embryos from two duck flocks. One duck flock was positive for both ANV and TAstV-1. No other viruses were found in tested flocks. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ANV polymerase gene fragment of ANV sequences detected in duck and goose embryos revealed greatest similarity (88.1 to 97.2%) with ANV isolates from chickens. Further, the existence of at least two types of ANV circulating in Croatian duck and goose flocks was confirmed. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the portion of TAstV-1 polymerase gene, two detected TAstV-1 nucleotide sequences were 99.5% similar. Compared with six TAstV-1 sequences, Croatian sequences showed one unique nucleotide change. In addition to other possible causes of stunted growth and late embryonic death, these findings suggest that ANV and/or TAstV-1 infection may be a contributing factor in the pre-hatching mortality of ducklings and goslings.
The Chloramphenicol-Inducible catB Gene in Agrobacterium tumefaciens Is Regulated by Translation Attenuation

ABSTRACT Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains C58, A136, and BG53 are chloramphenicol resistant, and each contains the catB gene originally identified by Tennigkeit and Matzuran (Gene 99:113-116, 1991). The chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity in all of the strains is chloramphenicol inducible. Examination of the catB gene in strain BG53 indicates that it is regulated by an attenuation mechanism similar to translation attenuation that regulates inducible catA genes resident in gram-positive bacteria and the inducible cmlA gene that confers chloramphenicol resistance in Pseudomonas spp.
Is the Cost of Debt Capital Higher for Younger Firms?

Not much is known about the returns to aging (maturing) in the market for small business finance. Using a large panel of closely held micro firms, we document that the cost of debt capital is higher for young firms. The main finding of this paper is that this negative qualitative relation is also obtained when cross-sectional variation in unobservable creditworthiness of small businesses and within-firm (i.e., inter-temporal) variation in their observable creditworthiness are held constant. We control for the former by firm-specific fixed effects and for the latter by a commercial credit score. We also provide an estimate of the quantitative magnitude of the aging effect, on which both economic theory and earlier empirical research are silent. We find that when a small business ages one year, its cost of debt capital decreases by 12 basis points. The effect is neither negligible nor alarmingly large.
Identification of host and viral factors involved in a dissimilar resolution of a hepatitis C virus infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission from a chronic patient to a susceptible individual is a good opportunity to study viral and host factors that may influence the natural course of hepatitis C infection towards either spontaneous recovery or chronicity. To compare a documented case of a bottleneck event in the sexual transmission of HCV from a chronically infected patient to a recipient host that cleared infection.
Photometric Invariant Feature Detection based on Oriented Tensor Filter

Traditional visual low-level features detection usually ignores color and photometric nature which can be utilize to exploit useful iso-luminance information and eliminate the unexpected shade-shading-specular effect. In this paper, we proposed a new feature detection method which integrated photometric quasi-invariant model with a new version of color tensor formed by a nonlinear filter named oriented tensor filter. We also investigated the relation between oriented tensor filter with popular tensor voting methodology in theory. Experiments show that photometric invariant features detected by our method, such as edge and corner are more effective and robust than tradition methods.
Extended interval between enzyme therapy infusions for adult patients with Gaucher's disease type 1.

BACKGROUND Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Gaucher's disease with alglucerase or imiglucerase is efficacious, well-tolerated and safe. However, cost considerations, visits to medical facilities, potentially duration of theray for life, are issues of major concern to a proportion of treated patients and has, in some cases, led to the withdrawal of therapy. AIMS To elucidate whether an extension of the interval between enzyme infusions to once every three weeks is as effective in maintaining the clinical responses achieved with the bi-monthly regimen. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four patients with an optimal response to ERT (at 30 units/kg every two weeks for an average of 27 months), were subjected to enzyme dose/frequency changes that essentially constituted a reduction in cumulative dose over the treatment period. Patients were assessed every 6 months for alterations in haematological parameters, plasma chitotriosidase levels, liver and spleen size, and bone symptoms. RESULTS All patients had to resume the previous infusion schedule of once every two weeks; one because of new bone marrow infiltrates, two because of visceral enlargement, and the fourth due to progressive anaemia. CONCLUSIONS This limited experience suggests that a reduction in enzyme dose associated with an extended interval between infusions may lead to variable disease control, and underscores the need for individualization of enzyme therapy.
Generic crossbar network on chip for FPGA MPSoCs

Networks-on-chip (NoCs) have emerged as a new design paradigm to implement MPSoCs that competes with the standard bus approach. They offer more scalability, flexibility, and bandwidth. Nevertheless, FPGA manufacturers still use the bus paradigm in their development frameworks. In this paper, we study the complexity and performances of a FPGA implementation for a crossbar NoC. We propose a generic architecture and characterize its complexity, maximum frequency of operation, and global throughput for NoCs supporting 2 to 8 nodes. Results show that FPGA-based designs would benefit from such architecture when high throughput must be reached. Finally, we present a fully functional 3times3 NoC interconnecting a PowerPC and 2 Xtensa processors implemented in a VirtexII Pro FPGA.
MAI and ICI of synchronous downlink MC-CDMA with frequency offset

We analyze the performance of code division multiple access (CDMA) systems with multicarrier (MC) that employ random spreading sequences in downlink frequency selective fading channels. We obtain the probability density function (pdf) of the multiple access interference (MAI) of CDMA systems and extend the results to MC-CDMA systems to determine the pdf of MAI, inter-carrier interference (ICI) and noise in terms of the number of users, the spreading factor, the number of sub-carriers and frequency offset. The results show that the effects of frequency offset vary with system loading. We consider the synchronous downlink of cellular MC-CDMA and derive a Gaussian approximation of the MAI and ICI to reduce the computational complexity in calculating the bit error rate (BER). The accuracy of the Gaussian approximation is examined by computer simulations.
Structure and function of nanoparticle–protein conjugates

Conjugation of proteins to nanoparticles has numerous applications in sensing, imaging, delivery, catalysis, therapy and control of protein structure and activity. Therefore, characterizing the nanoparticle–protein interface is of great importance. A variety of covalent and non-covalent linking chemistries have been reported for nanoparticle attachment. Site-specific labeling is desirable in order to control the protein orientation on the nanoparticle, which is crucial in many applications such as fluorescence resonance energy transfer. We evaluate methods for successful site-specific attachment. Typically, a specific protein residue is linked directly to the nanoparticle core or to the ligand. As conjugation often affects the protein structure and function, techniques to probe structure and activity are assessed. We also examine how molecular dynamics simulations of conjugates would complete those experimental techniques in order to provide atomistic details on the effect of nanoparticle attachment. Characterization studies of nanoparticle–protein complexes show that the structure and function are influenced by the chemistry of the nanoparticle ligand, the nanoparticle size, the nanoparticle material, the stoichiometry of the conjugates, the labeling site on the protein and the nature of the linkage (covalent versus non-covalent).
Long-term corticosteroid therapy in Hurler syndrome.

Introduction The syndrome referred to as the Hurler or Hunter-Hurler syndrome (lipochondrodystrophy or "gargoylism") was first described as a clinical entity in 1917.1-3In 1952 Brante4identified the "storage substance" in the liver and meninges of three such autopsied individuals to have the characteristics of an acid mucopolysaccharide. He believed this material to be chemically similar or identical to chondroitinsulfuric acid. Dorfman and Lorincz,5Brown,6and Meyer et al.7-9isolated the acid mucopolysaccharide com- ponents from the urine and tissues of individuals with this syndrome. Excessive quantities of chondroitinsulfuric acid-B (B-heparin) and heparitin sulfate were found to be present. In recent years interest has been focused on the relationship of the adrenal corticosteroids to diverse aspects of connective tissue metabolism. Layton10found that sulfate fixation in the skin of intact rats was inhibited by cortisone administration. Schiller and Dorfman11,12reported that the uptake
Time Reversal Symmetry Breaking Holographic Superconductor in Constant External Magnetic Field

It is known that a classical SU(2) Einstein-Yang-Mills theory in 3+1 dimensional anti-de Sitter spacetime can provide a holographic dual to a 2+1 dimensional time reversal symmetry breaking superconductor with a pseudogap. We study the properties of this holographic superconductor in the presence of an applied constant external magnetic field, neglecting backreaction on the geometry. The superconductor is immersed into a constant external magnetic field by adding a radially (the extra dimension) dependent magnetic field to the black hole. As for real superconductors, there is a critical magnetic field above which no superconductivity can appear. The continuity of the first derivative of the free energy difference between the superconducting phase and the normal phase at the critical temperature suggests that the superconducting phase transition with applied magnetic field is of second order.
Ganoderma atrum polysaccharide induces anti‐tumor activity via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway related to activation of host immune response

Ganoderma atrum polysaccharide (PSG‐1), the major active ingredient isolated from Ganoderma atrum, has been suggested as a candidate for cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti‐tumor effect of PSG‐1 using sarcoma 180 (S‐180) transplanted mice and further to examine the molecular mechanisms of PSG‐1‐induced anti‐tumor effect. Results showed that PSG‐1 significantly inhibited tumor growth in S‐180‐bearing mice. PSG‐1‐induced tumor apoptosis was associated with the alteration of Bcl‐2 family proteins, increase of reactive oxygen species generation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into cytosol, and activation of caspase‐3 and ‐9. Elevation of immune function was also shown during PSG‐1‐induced tumor apoptosis, as evidenced by increase of spleen and thymus indexes, lymphocyte proliferation, concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, and interleukin‐2 in serum. Furthermore, the combined treatment of PSG‐1 and cyclophosphamide (CTX) results in an enhancement of the anti‐tumor effect of CTX alone via increased host immune response. These results suggested that PSG‐1 had a potent anti‐tumor activity by induction of tumor apoptosis through mitochondrial pathways, and immunoenhancement effect of PSG‐1 was related to its anti‐tumor effect. In addition, PSG‐1 enhanced CTX‐induced anti‐tumor activity in S‐180‐bearing mice. J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 860–871, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.