Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Colic in a working horse population in Egypt: Prevalence and risk factors

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Colic is an important health problem in managed horse populations. Currently, there is limited information about colic prevalence and risk factors for colic in working horse populations. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, colic in a working horse population in Egypt and to describe management practices in this working horse population. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. METHODS Owners of 350 working horses were interviewed. Data about their horses, management and colic episodes in the preceding 12 months were collected. Dental examination was conducted on 342 horses and blood samples (n = 100) were collected for immunodiagnosis of tapeworm (Anoplocephala perfoliata) infection. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for a history of colic in the preceding 12 months. RESULTS The 12-month prevalence of colic was 54.6%. Severe and moderate tapeworm infection intensity was identified in 3% and 26% of horses tested, respectively. Horses that had severe dental disease (odds ratio [OR] 6.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-24.3, P<0.001), that displayed stereotypic behaviour (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.15-3.5, P = 0.013), were fed ground corn during the 'dry season' (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.03-2.6, P = 0.035) or that had received an anthelmintic in the previous 6 months (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.3, P = 0.003) were more likely to have a history of colic in the preceding 12 months. Horses fed on rice bran during the 'green season' (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.26-0.9, P = 0.015) and that displayed geophagia/coprophagia (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.05-0.73, P = 0.001) were less likely to have a history of colic. CONCLUSIONS Colic is common in this working horse population and this study has identified factors associated with altered likelihood of colic. The study provides important information that may be used to inform future prospective studies investigating colic in working horse populations and to assist development of preventive healthcare strategies. The Summary is available in Chinese - see Supporting information.
Patterns of red muscle strain/activation and body kinematics during steady swimming in a lamnid shark, the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)

SUMMARY The dynamics of steady swimming were examined in the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), a member of the cartilaginous fish family Lamnidae, a family known for their morphological adaptations for high-performance locomotion and their similarity in hydromechanical design to tunas. Patterns of red muscle (RM) strain (i.e. relative length change) and activation were quantified at two axial positions (∼0.4 and 0.6L, where L is total body length), using sonomicrometry and electromyography (EMG), and correlated with simultaneous measurements of dorsal midline kinematics during steady swimming (∼0.5–1 L s–1). RM strain varied longitudinally with strain amplitudes ranging from 5.5±1.1% (s.e.m.) in the anterior to 8.7±0.9% in the posterior. We found no significant longitudinal variation in patterns of RM activation, with mean onset of activation occurring at 83–84° (90° is peak length) and offset at 200–210° at both body positions. Likewise, duty cycles were similar: 35.5±1.0% in the anterior and 32.2±1.6% in the posterior. Comparison of the timing of waves of dorsal midline curvature and predicted strain relative to measured RM strain revealed a phase shift between RM shortening and local body bending. Furthermore, when the body is bent passively, RM shortens synchronously with the surrounding white muscle (WM) and skin, as expected. During active swimming, peaks in RM strain were delayed relative to peaks in WM strain by a mean of ∼10% of the tailbeat cycle, with one individual as high as ∼17% in the anterior and nearly 50% in the posterior. The longitudinal consistency in the EMG/strain phase relationship in the mako is similar to that in the leopard shark, suggesting a consistent trend among sharks using different locomotor modes. However, unlike in the leopard shark, RM shortening in the mako is physically uncoupled from deformation of the surrounding body during steady swimming, a characteristic shared between the mako and tunas.
Transformation of the IT Function at British Petroleum

In 1989, the IT function of the exploration and production division of British Petroleum Company set out to transform itself in response to a severe economic environment and poor internal perceptions of IT performance. This case study traces and analyzes the changes made over six years. The authors derive a model of the transformed IT organization comprising seven components that they suggest can guide IT departments in general as they seek to reform themselves in the late 1990s.This model is seen to fit well with recent thinking on general management in that the seven components of change can be reclassified into the Bartlett and Ghoshal (1994) framework of purpose, process and people. Some suggestions are made on how to apply the model in other organizations.
Ultracentrifugation of Serum Samples Allows Detection of Hepatitis C Virus RNA in Patients with Occult Hepatitis C

ABSTRACT Occult hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection of patients with abnormal liver function tests of unknown origin who are anti-HCV and serum HCV RNA negative but who have HCV RNA in the liver has been described. As HCV replicates in the liver cells of these patients, it could be that the amount of circulating viral particles is under the detection limit of the most sensitive techniques. To prove this hypothesis, serum samples from 106 patients with occult HCV infection were analyzed. Two milliliters of serum was ultracentrifuged over a 10% sucrose cushion for 17 h at 100,000 × gav, where av means average, and HCV RNA detection was performed by strand-specific real-time PCR. Out of the 106 patients, 62 (58.5%) had detectable serum HCV RNA levels after ultracentrifugation, with a median load of 70.5 copies/ml (range, 18 to 192). Iodixanol density gradient studies revealed that HCV RNA was positive at densities of 1.03 to 1.04 and from 1.08 to 1.19 g/ml, which were very similar to those found in the sera of patients with classical chronic HCV infection. Antigenomic HCV RNA was found in the livers of 56 of 62 (90.3%) patients with detectable serum HCV RNA levels after ultracentrifugation, compared to 27 of 44 (61.4%) negative patients (P < 0.001). No differences in the median loads of antigenomic HCV RNA between patients with an those without serum HCV RNA (4.5 × 104 [range, 7.9 × 102 to 1.0 × 106] versus 2.3 × 104 [range, 4.0 × 102 to 2.2 × 105]) were found. Alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase levels, liver necroinflammatory activity, and fibrosis did not differ between both groups. In conclusion, HCV RNA can be detected in the sera of patients with occult HCV infection after circulating viral particles are concentrated by ultracentrifugation.
Fibronectin-Alginate microcapsules improve cell viability and protein secretion of encapsulated Factor IX-engineered human mesenchymal stromal cells

Abstract Continuous delivery of proteins by engineered cells encapsulated in biocompatible polymeric microcapsules is of considerable therapeutic potential. However, this technology has not lived up to expectations due to inadequate cell–matrix interactions and subsequent cell death. In this study we hypothesize that the presence of fibronectin in an alginate matrix may enhance the viability and functionality of encapsulated human cord blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) expressing the human Factor IX (FIX) gene. MSCs were encapsulated in alginate-PLL microcapsules containing 10, 100, or 500 μg/ml fibronectin to ameliorate cell survival. MSCs in microcapsules with 100 and 500 μg/ml fibronectin demonstrated improved cell viability and proliferation and higher FIX secretion compared to MSCs in non-supplemented microcapsules. In contrast, 10 μg/ml fibronectin did not significantly affect the viability and protein secretion from the encapsulated cells. Differentiation studies demonstrated osteogenic (but not chondrogenic or adipogenic) differentiation capability and efficient FIX secretion of the enclosed MSCs in the fibronectin-alginate suspension culture. Thus, the use of recombinant MSCs encapsulated in fibronectin-alginate microcapsules in basal or osteogenic cultures may be of practical use in the treatment of hemophilia B.
Synthesizing Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication Trace for VANET Research

IEEE 802.11p based Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) has been considered as a promising wireless technology for enhancing road safety and efficiency. However, there is lack of deep understanding about how IEEE 802.11p performs for vehicle-to- vehicle (V2V) communications in urban environments. In this demo paper, we first introduce the statistical analysis results on V2V communication performance, based on a large volume of real-world measurement trace collected in Shanghai city. With the key insights observed in our experiments, we propose a novel scheme to synthesize V2V communication traces which can be of great value for VANET-related research, such as network protocol design and simulations.
Ventricular haemodynamics in Python molurus: separation of pulmonary and systemic pressures

SUMMARY Vascular pressure separation by virtue of a two-chambered ventricle evolved independently in mammals and birds from a reptilian ancestor with a single ventricle, and allowed for high systemic perfusion pressure while protecting the lungs from oedema. Within non-crocodilian reptiles, ventricular pressure separation has only been observed in varanid lizards and has been regarded as a unique adaptation to an active predatory life style and high metabolic rate. The systemic and pulmonary sides of the ventricle in Python molurus are well separated by the muscular ridge, and a previous study using in situ perfusion of the heart revealed a remarkable flow separation and showed that the systemic side can sustain higher output pressures than the pulmonary side. Here we extend these observations by showing that systemic blood pressure Psys exceeded pulmonary pressure Ppul almost seven times (75.7±4.2 versus 11.6±1.1 cm H2O). The large pressure difference between the systemic and pulmonary circulation persisted when Psys was altered by infusion of sodium nitroprusside or phenylephrine. Intraventricular pressures, measured in anaesthetised snakes, showed an overlap in the pressure profile between the pulmonary side of the ventricle (cavum pulmonale) and the pulmonary artery, while the higher pressure in the systemic side of the ventricle (cavum arteriosum) overlapped with the pressure in the right aortic arch. This verifies that the pressure differences originate within the ventricle, indicating that the large muscular ridge separates the ventricle during cardiac contraction.
Circadian Disruption Alters the Effects of Lipopolysaccharide Treatment on Circadian and Ultradian Locomotor Activity and Body Temperature Rhythms of Female Siberian Hamsters

The effect of circadian rhythm (CR) disruption on immune function depends on the method by which CRs are disrupted. Behavioral and thermoregulatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment were assessed in female Siberian hamsters in which circadian locomotor activity (LMA) rhythms were eliminated by exposure to a disruptive phase-shifting protocol (DPS) that sustains arrhythmicity even when hamsters are housed in a light-dark cycle. This noninvasive treatment avoids genome manipulations and neurological damage associated with other models of CR disruption. Circadian rhythmic (RHYTH) and arrhythmic (ARR) hamsters housed in a 16L:8D photocycle were injected with bacterial LPS near the onset of the light (zeitgeber time 1; ZT1) or dark (ZT16) phase. LPS injections at ZT16 and ZT1 elicited febrile responses in both RHYTH and ARR hamsters, but the effect was attenuated in the arrhythmic females. In ZT16, LPS inhibited LMA in the dark phase immediately after injection but not on subsequent nights in both chronotypes; in contrast, LPS at ZT1 elicited more enduring (~4 day) locomotor hypoactivity in ARR than in RHYTH hamsters. Power and period of dark-phase ultradian rhythms (URs) in LMA and Tb were markedly altered by LPS treatment, as was the power in the circadian waveform. Disrupted circadian rhythms in this model system attenuated responses to LPS in a trait- and ZT-specific manner; changes in UR period and power are novel components of the acute-phase response to infection that may affect energy conservation.
The axon‐guidance roundabout gene alters the pace of the Drosophila circadian clock

Great efforts have been directed to the dissection of the cell‐autonomous circadian oscillator in Drosophila. However, less information is available regarding how this oscillator controls rhythmic rest–activity cycles. We have identified a viable allele of roundabout, robohy, where the period of locomotor activity is shortened. From its role in axon‐pathfinding, we anticipated developmental defects in clock‐relevant structures. However, robohy produced minor defects in the architecture of the circuits essential for rhythmic behaviour. ROBO's presence within the circadian circuit strengthened the possibility of a novel role for ROBO at this postdevelopmental stage. Genetic interactions between pdf 01 and robohy suggest that ROBO could alter the communication within different clusters of the circadian network, thus impinging on two basic properties, periodicity and/or rhythmicity. Early translocation of PERIOD to the nucleus in robohy pacemaker cells indicated that shortened activity rhythms were derived from alterations in the molecular oscillator. Herein we present a mutation affecting clock function associated with a molecule involved in circuit assembly and maintenance.
Amphetamine locomotor sensitization and conditioned place preference in adolescent male and female rats neonatally treated with quinpirole

Neonatal quinpirole treatment has been shown to produce an increase in dopamine D2-like receptor sensitivity that persists throughout the subject's lifetime. The objective was to analyze the effects of neonatal quinpirole treatment on effects of amphetamine in adolescent rats using locomotor sensitization and conditioned place preference procedures. Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with quinpirole (1 mg/kg) or saline from postnatal days (P)1 to P11 and raised to adolescence. For locomotor sensitization, subjects were given amphetamine (1 mg/kg) or saline every second day from P35 to P47 and were placed into a locomotor arena. In female rats, neonatal quinpirole treatment enhanced amphetamine locomotor sensitization compared with quinpirole-free controls sensitized to amphetamine. Male rats demonstrated sensitization to amphetamine, although this was muted compared with female rats, and were unaffected by neonatal quinpirole. For conditioned place preference, subjects were conditioned for 8 consecutive days (P32-39) with amphetamine (1 mg/kg) or saline and a drug-free preference test was conducted at P40. Rats treated with neonatal quinpirole enhanced time spent in the amphetamine-paired context compared with quinpirole-free controls conditioned with amphetamine, but only female controls conditioned with amphetamine spent more time in the drug-paired context compared with saline-treated controls. Increased D2-like receptor sensitivity appears to have enhanced the behavioral effects of amphetamine, but these effects were more prevalent in adolescent female rats compared with male rats.
Covert attack on a discrete-time system with limited use of the available disruption resources

This paper addresses the design of a covert attack on a linear multivariable dynamical system with input hard constraints. The system evolves in the discrete-time domain and is subject to performance and alarm state constraints, both represented by convex and compact polyhedral sets. A contractive control law guarantees positive invariance of the performance set, while ensuring asymptotic stability of the origin with maximum convergence rate. An attacker succeeds in gaining control of the system and sends false control commands, when it is necessary, eventually driving the state vector outside the performance set without violating any alarm constraints. Simulation studies highlight the results of this adversary control scheme.
Targeting lymphotoxin-mediated negative selection to prevent prostate cancer in mice with genetic predisposition

The identification of individuals genetically susceptible to cancer calls for preventive measures to minimize the cancer risk in these high-risk populations. Immune prevention is made necessary by the anticipated health threat, but lack of enough high-affinity T cells against tumor-associated antigens and the unpredictability of tumor antigens make antigen-based immune prevention untenable for cancer. To address this issue, we explored a non-antigen-based cancer immune prevention strategy using the transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate model that spontaneously develops prostate cancer with 100% penetrance. We show that targeted mutation of the lymphotoxin α (LTα) gene efficiently rescued tumor-reactive T cells, drastically reduced cancer incidence, and almost completely ablated metastasis. Remarkably, short-term treatments with the fusion protein consisting of constant region of IgG and extracellular domain of lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβRIg) interrupted clonal deletion, reduced the size of the primary cancer, and completely prevented metastasis later in life. Our data demonstrated the value of non-antigen-based immune prevention for those with a genetic predisposition to cancer.
Optimal Hyperparameters for Deep LSTM-Networks for Sequence Labeling Tasks

Selecting optimal parameters for a neural network architecture can often make the difference between mediocre and state-of-the-art performance. However, little is published which parameters and design choices should be evaluated or selected making the correct hyperparameter optimization often a "black art that requires expert experiences" (Snoek et al., 2012). In this paper, we evaluate the importance of different network design choices and hyperparameters for five common linguistic sequence tagging tasks (POS, Chunking, NER, Entity Recognition, and Event Detection). We evaluated over 50.000 different setups and found, that some parameters, like the pre-trained word embeddings or the last layer of the network, have a large impact on the performance, while other parameters, for example the number of LSTM layers or the number of recurrent units, are of minor importance. We give a recommendation on a configuration that performs well among different tasks.
Elliptic Diaphragm Capacitive Pressure Sensor and Signal Conditioning Circuit Fabricated in SiGe CMOS Integrated MEMS

This paper presents a novel CMOS integrated capacitive pressure sensor, fabricated in silicon-germanium microelectromechanical systems (SiGeMEMS) process, with the sensor held and linked to the CMOS beneath. The CMOS process houses the on-chip signal conditioning circuit. The superior stress-strain behavior of polycrystalline silicon- germanium (poly-SiGe) is effectively utilized to develop and characterize the structure of the pressure sensor diaphragm element. The edge-clamped elliptic structured diaphragm employs semimajor axis L-shaped clamp springs to yield high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and good linearity. To maximize the center deflection of the diaphragm, a stem structure is designed to transfer the entire stress on to the diaphragm center. The signal conditioning circuit is fabricated in a 0.18 μm TSMC CMOS process (forming the host substrate for the SiGe-MEMS sensor) and achieves a high overall gain of 100 dB for the sensor readout. Experimental results indicate a high sensitivity of ~0.12 mV/hPa (at 1.4 V supply), along with a nonlinearity of ~1% for the full-scale range of applied pressure load. The diaphragm with a wide dynamic range of 100-1000 hPa is stacked on top of the CMOS circuitry. The piggyback structure reduces the combined sensor and conditioning circuit implementation area of the intelligent sensor chip to ~750 μm × 750 μm. The major and minor axis dimensions of the sensor were 485 μm and 280 μm, respectively. The device achieved wider low-pressure sensing range at lower supply voltage compared with commercial pressure sensors.
The relationship between self-efficacy and positive aspects of caregiving in Alzheimer's disease caregivers

Objectives: Positive aspects of the caregiving experience may buffer caregivers from the many negative psychological and physical consequences of caregiving. Understanding what factors relate to the recognition of positive aspects of caregiving is important for the enhancement of caregiver well-being. Self-efficacy is a potentially modifiable psychological construct that has been associated with positive thinking, improved control of negative affect, and enhanced motivation. Methods: This study examined the relationship between positive aspects of caregiving and self-efficacy among 57 family members caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease. Participant data was gathered through individual interviews conducted as a part of a larger randomized controlled trial of a caregiver intervention. Results: We found that self-efficacy accounted for a significant percentage of the variance in positive aspects of caregiving after controlling for other factors commonly associated with positive aspects of caregiving including caregiver demographics, care recipient neuropsychiatric symptoms, and caregiver depression. Conclusions: Our results suggest that high self-efficacy relates to caregivers’ perception of positive aspects of the caregiving experience.
Polymorphisms of the CCK, CCKAR and CCKBR genes: an association with alcoholism study.

OBJECTIVE Cholecystokinin (CCK) plays an important role in the functioning of the central nervous system via an interaction with dopamine and other neurotransmitters. The dopaminergic system has been implicated in the maladaptive behaviors associated with drugs of abuse (e.g., alcohol and cocaine). We analyzed genetic variations in the promoter and coding regions of the CCK, CCKA-receptor (CCKAR) and CCKB-receptor (CCKBR) genes, and performed association analyses with alcoholism. METHOD A total of 214 Japanese male patients with alcoholism (93 with delirium tremens, 49 with hallucinations, 38 with seizures and 83 without any of these symptoms) and 98 age-matched Japanese male controls were examined using PCR-based Single Strand Conformational Polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. RESULTS A total of 8 variants in the CCK gene, 11 variants in the CCKAR gene and 9 variants in the CCKBR gene were detected in the present study. Nominally significant differences between alcoholics and controls were found at the -85 locus of the CCKAR gene (p = .035). In addition, patients displaying hallucinations showed a higher frequency of the homozygous genotype of the allele (GT)8 at the -388 locus of the CCKAR gene (p = .042) and homo- and heterozygous genotypes of the T allele at the -333 locus (p = .025), relative to other patients. However, these differences were not significant after Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that polymorphisms of the CCK, CCKAR and CCKBR genes do not play a major role in alcohol withdrawal symptoms (even though significant associations were found among polymorphisms at the -388 and -333 loci of the CCKAR gene and hallucinations, the rate was nonsignificant after Bonferroni correction).