Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical megaoesophagus in a goat with thymoma

infertility is somewhat different in this study from those shown in previous works (Love 1978, 1981, Hancock 1988). The higher percentage of sows observed returning to oestrus on day 20 after mating is probably due to the use of PG-600 for pregnancy diagnosis on this farm. During the summer months sows respond well to PG-600. A significant reduction in litter size, not always reported (some studies even show this problem in other seasons; Martinat-Botte and others 1987), and an increase in stillbirths, rarely cited as a component of the seasonal infertility syndrome (Hennessy 1987), were also found.
Proteinase 3 Is a Phosphatidylserine-binding Protein That Affects the Production and Function of Microvesicles*

Proteinase 3 (PR3), the autoantigen in granulomatosis with polyangiitis, is expressed at the plasma membrane of resting neutrophils, and this membrane expression increases during both activation and apoptosis. Using surface plasmon resonance and protein-lipid overlay assays, this study demonstrates that PR3 is a phosphatidylserine-binding protein and this interaction is dependent on the hydrophobic patch responsible for membrane anchorage. Molecular simulations suggest that PR3 interacts with phosphatidylserine via a small number of amino acids, which engage in long lasting interactions with the lipid heads. As phosphatidylserine is a major component of microvesicles (MVs), this study also examined the consequences of this interaction on MV production and function. PR3-expressing cells produced significantly fewer MVs during both activation and apoptosis, and this reduction was dependent on the ability of PR3 to associate with the membrane as mutating the hydrophobic patch restored MV production. Functionally, activation-evoked MVs from PR3-expressing cells induced a significantly larger respiratory burst in human neutrophils compared with control MVs. Conversely, MVs generated during apoptosis inhibited the basal respiratory burst in human neutrophils, and those generated from PR3-expressing cells hampered this inhibition. Given that membrane expression of PR3 is increased in patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, MVs generated from neutrophils expressing membrane PR3 may potentiate oxidative damage of endothelial cells and promote the systemic inflammation observed in this disease.
Application of Generalized Sturmian Basis Functions to Molecular Systems

In this PhD thesis we implement a Sturmian approach, based on generalized Sturmian functions (GSFs), to study the ionization of molecules by collision with photons or electrons. Since the target Hamiltonian is highly non-central, describing molecular ionization is far from easy. Besides, as the spatial orientation of the molecule in most experimental measurements is not resolved, an important issue to take into account is its random orientation. In the literature, many theoretical methods have been proposed to deal with molecules, but many of them are adapted to study mainly bound states. An accurate description of the unbound (continuum) states of molecules remains a challenge. Here we propose to tackle these problems using GSFs, which are characterized to have, by construction, the correct asymptotic behavior of the studied system. This property allows one to perform ionization calculations more efficiently. We start and validate our Sturmian approach implementation by studying photoionization (PI) of H, He and Ne atoms. Different model potentials were used in order to describe the interaction of the ejected electron with the parental ion. We calculated the corresponding PI cross sections in both length and velocity gauges. For H atom, the comparison with the analytical formula shows that a rapid convergence can be achieved using a moderate number of GSFs. For He and Ne we have also an excellent agreement with other theoretical calculations and with experimental data. For molecular targets, we considered two different strategies to deal with their random orientation: one makes use of a molecular model potential (non-central), while the other uses an angular averaged version of the same potential (central). We study PI for CH4, NH3, and H2O, from the outer and inner valence orbitals, and for SiH4 and H2S from the outer orbitals. The calculated PI cross sections and also the asymmetry parameters (obtained from the corresponding angular distributions) are compared with available theoretical and experimental data. For most cases, we observed an overall fairly good agreement with reference values, grasping the main features of the ionization process. In a second part of the thesis, we apply the Sturmian approach to study ionization of molecules by electron collisions. In the so-called (e,2e) processes, fully differential cross sections are investigated within both the first- or the second-Born approximations. Again, we show how to include in the description the random orientation of the molecule. We start with H atom, as a test system: the comparison of the calculated triple differential cross sections (TDCSs) with analytical results illustrates, similarly to the PI case, the efficiency of our GSF method. It is then applied to ionization of CH4, H2O and NH3, and comparisons are made with the few theoretical and experimental data available in the literature. For most cases, our TDCSs can reproduce such data, particularly for H2O and for slow ejected electrons in CH4
Bacterial disinfection and osteoblast behaviors on Ag plasma-modified polyethylene

Ag plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) technology was employed to modify polyethylene surface for enhancing bacterial disinfection and osteoblastic biocompatibility. Our study has demonstrated that Ag PIII modified surface possesses of excellent disinfection against Escherichia coli. In vitro assays of ostoblastic cells indicate that low number of osteoblast cells adheres to this surface, and they have low viability and proliferation rate. But this surface isn't observed to mediate osteogenic differentiation of cells. Therefore, Ag PIII modification can endow this surface with excellent disinfection with little damage to cell and tissue.
Is It Time to Extend Liver Acceptance Criteria for Controlled Donors After Cardiac Death?

Background. Donation after cardiac death (DCD) has reemerged as potential way to increase donor liver availability. Earlier, programs with DCD liver transplantation used conservative donor criteria to allow safe results. Successful initial outcomes allowed extended DCD criteria to address transplant demand. Methods. A total of 63 DCD liver grafts were used during the study period in carefully selected recipients. These were divided into two groups: “Standard” DCD within conservative criteria (n=33; age ≤60 years, body mass index <30 kg/m2, donor warm ischemia time ≤30 min, and cold ischemia time ≤8 hr) and “Extended” DCD beyond these criteria (n=30). We compared donor and recipient characteristics and postoperative outcomes, including patient and graft survival. Results. Both groups had satisfactory initial function; liver graft function at 1, 7, and 30 days after liver transplantation were similar. Median follow-up period was 25 and 18.5 months for Standard and Extended criteria DCD grafts, respectively, with 1-year patient and graft survival of 88% and 82% for the Standard group vs. 90% and 90% for the Extended. Overall, 8 of 63 (13%) patients developed biliary complications; however, the incidence was not different between the Standard and Extended groups. Seven early deaths occurred, four and three in the Standard and Extended groups, respectively. Conclusions. Recipients of DCDs beyond conventional acceptance criteria have equivalent early outcomes to standard DCD grafts. With careful selection of donors and recipients, these grafts can be safely used to expand the donor pool.
Levels of 1,25(OH)2D3 for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and correlations of 1,25(OH)2D3 with the clinical features of TB.

BACKGROUND To determine the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] concentrations to patients with tuberculosis (TB) and whether it influenced the patient's clinical features. METHODS For the first part, a total of 153 healthy adults and 74 patients with pulmonary TB (PTB) were enrolled. Serum concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3 were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy to examine the 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations of the two groups from the peripheral blood. If there are differences between the two groups, what follow will increase the experimental group numbers to examine the relationship among the 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations with the numbers of the lesion area, the tubercule bacilli in sputum and the CD4/CD8 ratio of T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. RESULTS In the first part, the 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations was lower in patients with TB than in those healthy adults [365.9 (SD 235.7) vs. 464.3 (SD 335.6), P<0.05]. In the second part, we increased the sample size to 134 (male 91 cases, female 43 cases). we found that the plasma levels of 1,25(OH)2D3 are not correlated with the numbers of the lesion area and the tubercule bacilli in sputum, but the 1,25(OH)2D3 levels can interact the ratio of CD4/CD8 T lymphocytes, it shows a positive correlation with the ratio of CD4/CD8 T lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS The 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations in TB patients lower than the healthy adults, it might exist as a risk factor during the development of TB or TB might affect the levels of 1,25(OH)2D3. But the different status vitamin D concentration might not affect the numbers of the lesion area, the tubercule bacilli in sputum. It shows a positive correlation with the ratio of CD4/CD8 T lymphocytes. The study will have a significance value to clinical medicine, but further study will need to study the levels of 1,25(OH)2D3 with the TB.
Detection of genes for heat-stable enterotoxin I in Escherichia coli strains isolated in Brazil

Heat-stable enterotoxin I (STI) can be assayed in intestinal loops of pigs and rabbits and in the gut of infant mice. To produce a simpler and more discriminating assay procedure, we used three gene probes corresponding to three forms of STI called STIa, STIb, and STIc. We tested 159 Brazilian isolates, of which 40 were positive in the infant mouse assay. The STIb and STIc probes are similar (93% DNA homology) and are both different from the STIa probe (70% DNA homology). Of 33 strains that were still active for STI 3 years after their isolation, 25 reacted with both the STIb and STIc probes, 4 reacted with the STIc probe only, and 7 reacted strongly with the STIa probe and weakly or not at all with the other probes. Two strains reacted with all three probes. Further analysis showed that each of these two strains contains a small plasmid that reacts with the STIa probe and a large plasmid that reacts with the STIc probe in one strain and weakly with both the STIa and STIc probes in the other strain. It was also shown that the STIa probe reacts with the cloning vehicle pACYC184 used for the cloning of STIc. We conclude that the gene probes used can identify most STI-producing strains and that in cases of positive responses with several probes careful scrutiny is necessary for analysis.
John locke and the authority of church and state

Locke avait une idee tres claire des relations appropriees qui devaient exister respectivement entre l'Etat et l'individu, d'une part, et entre les Eglises et l'individu de l'autre. Pour lui ces deux sortes de relations etaient essentiellement contractuelles. L'Etat etait seculier. Il n'avait en aucune facon de place particuliere dans la vie religieuse, sinon pour preserver les droits naturels donnes par Dieu aux citoyens en protegeant leur vie, leur liberte et leur propriete de tout empietement illegal de la part d'elements internes ou externes a l'Etat. Si celui-ci ne remplissait pas cette mission, les citoyens avaient alors le droit d'oter au magistrat son pouvoir. Mais l'Etat n'etait aucunement habilite a intervenir en matiere de pratique ou de foi religieuse. Chaque citoyen devait, a condition de reconnaitre l'existence d'un Dieu, etre autorise a pratiquer sa religion de la facon qu'il avait choisie, en rejoignant ou non une Eglise specifique. Rejoindre une Eglise etait essentiellement un acte volontaire, exactement de la meme maniere que devenir membre d'un Etat particulier, et personne n'avait le droit de decider de telles questions pour autrui. Bien que, a la fin du XVIIe siecle, la situation de l'Angleterre ne correspondit pas a cet ideal lockien, c'etait la une forme de relation entre l'individu d'une part, l'Eglise et l'Etat, de l'autre, qui devait connaitre une popularite croissante au cours du siecle suivant, le plus clairement sans doute au sein des Etats nouvellement formes de l'Amerique du Nord. Le paradigme de Locke allait ainsi etre incorpore a la constitution des Etats-Unis et devenir un modele pour d'autres dans la suite.
Changes in plasma HIV-1 RNA and CD4+ lymphocyte counts and the risk of progression to AIDS. Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group on AIDS.

BACKGROUND Clinical trials of antiretroviral drugs can take years to complete because the outcomes measured are progression to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or death. Trials could be accelerated by the use of end points such as changes in CD4+ lymphocyte counts and plasma levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA and beta 2-microglobulin, but there is uncertainty about whether these surrogate measures are valid predictors of disease progression. METHODS We analyzed data from the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study on AIDS, which compared immediate with deferred zidovudine therapy. Patients' plasma levels of HIV-1 RNA and beta 2-microglobulin were measured in stored plasma. RESULTS Among the 129 patients in the immediate-treatment group, 34 had disease that progressed to AIDS, as compared with 57 of the 141 patients in the deferred-treatment group (P = 0.03). Progression to AIDS correlated strongly with base-line CD4+ lymphocyte counts (P = 0.001) and plasma levels of HIV-1 RNA (P < 0.001), but not with base-line levels of beta 2-microglobulin (P = 0.14). A decrease of at least 75 percent in the plasma level of HIV-1 RNA over the first six months of zidovudine therapy accounted for 59 percent of the benefit of treatment, defined as the absence of progression to AIDS (95 percent confidence interval, 13 to 112 percent). Plasma beta 2-microglobulin levels and CD4+ lymphocyte counts explained less of the effect of treatment. A 75 percent decrease in the plasma HIV-1 RNA level plus a 10 percent increase in the CD4+ lymphocyte count could explain 79 percent of the treatment effect (95 percent confidence interval, 27 to 145 percent). CONCLUSIONS Treatment-induced changes in the plasma HIV-1 RNA level and the CD4+ lymphocyte count, taken together, are valid predictors of the clinical progression of HIV-related disease and can be used to assess the efficacy of zidovudine and possibly other antiretroviral drugs as well.
Dynamic Governance

We model long-run dynamics of corporate governance, management compensation, and firm performance in framework where governance policy is determined by a shareholdervalue-maximizing board in a nonstationary enviornment. We show that firm performance, managerial compensation and governance policies which can only be rationalized by managerial influences in a single period context naturally arise in this dynamic setting. For example, even when managers have no influence over governance or compensation policy, high management compensation and lax governance is likely to be associated with poor firm performance. Substantial variation in management pay is generated by luck and managerial diversion of firm resources for private consumption is likely to accompany stock price reversals which follows sustained increases in shareholder value. Further, we demonstrate that optimal governance structures vary with the legal system and asset characteristics of the firm, with passive “do-nothing” boards being an ex ante rational response to rising firm valuations. JEL Classification Codes : G20, G34;
Genetic variation and structure of house sparrow populations: is there an island effect?

Population genetic structure and intrapopulation levels of genetic variation have important implications for population dynamics and evolutionary processes. Habitat fragmentation is one of the major threats to biodiversity. It leads to smaller population sizes and reduced gene flow between populations and will thus also affect genetic structure. We use a natural system of island and mainland populations of house sparrows along the coast of Norway to characterize the different population genetic properties of fragmented populations. We genotyped 636 individuals distributed across 14 populations at 15 microsatellite loci. The level of genetic differentiation was estimated using F‐statistics and specially designed Mantel tests were conducted to study the influence of population type (i.e. mainland or island) and geographic distance on the genetic population structure. Furthermore, the effects of population type, population size and latitude on the level of genetic variation within populations were examined. Our results suggest that genetic processes on islands and mainland differed in two important ways. First, the intrapopulation level of genetic variation tended to be lower and the occurrence of population bottlenecks more frequent on islands than the mainland. Second, although the general level of genetic differentiation was low to moderate, it was higher between island populations than between mainland populations. However, differentiation increased in mainland populations somewhat faster with geographical distance. These results suggest that population bottleneck events and genetic drift have been more important in shaping the genetic composition of island populations compared with populations on the mainland. Such knowledge is relevant for a better understanding of evolutionary processes and conservation of threatened populations.
Subatomic Imaging of Si (001) Surface by Molecular Dynamic Simulation

In this study we predict the frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) subatomic frequency shift images of a Si (001) surface using empirical potential molecular dynamic methods. We model carbon single-wall nanotube caped tip and Si (001) surface to investigate the tip-surface interaction. The simulation shows that the FM-AFM imaging force mainly comes from C-Si/C-C chemical covalent bonding forces; the long range nonbond van der Waals forces are slight and can be ignored
Persisting Health Inequalities: Social Class Differentials in Illness in the Scandinavian Countries

Finland, Norway and Sweden are highly developed welfare states with a long tradition of egalitarian health and welfare policies. This article analyzes social class differentials in self-reported limiting long-standing illness among men and women in these countries. The data consisted of nation-wide Level of Living Surveys made in 1986–87 in Finland (N=11,783), Norway (N=4,211) and Sweden (N=4,699). Women reported both long-standing illness and limiting long-standing illness slightly more often than men. The prevalence of limiting long-standing illness was lower in Sweden than in Finland and Norway. In all countries blue-collar workers reported ill-health more often than white-collar employees. The prevalence of self-reported limiting long-standing illness among Swedish upper white-collar workers was very low and that among Finnish farmers very high. Skilled female workers showed the worst health whereas Swedish upper class men showed the best health. The reasons for these social inequalities, and their implications for social policy, are discussed.
Design of a multi-octave balun for phased array antennas

In the drive for the development of wideband array antennas for military applications, a well designed balun is essential to achieve overall antenna performance. However, for balanced antenna arrays to be driven effectively, antiphase element feeds are required at the correct impedance over multiple octaves. This paper summarises balun design options in microstrip and stripline for use with highly coupled dipoles giving a 4:1 bandwidth from 2.7–10.8GHz.
Stimulation of Duodenal Biopsies and Whole Blood from Dogs with Food‐Responsive Chronic Enteropathy and Healthy Dogs with Toll‐Like Receptor Ligands and Probiotic Enterococcus faecium

The composition of the microbiome plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in humans and chronic enteropathies (CE) in dogs. The administration of probiotic micro‐organisms is one way of modulating the microbiome, but experiments elucidating mechanisms of action of probiotics in the intestine of healthy and CE dogs are lacking. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of different Toll‐like receptor (TLR) ligands and Enterococcus faecium (EF) on ex vivo cultured duodenal samples and whole blood (WB) from dogs with food‐responsive chronic enteropathy (FRE) when compared to healthy dogs. Biopsy stimulation was performed in 17 FRE and 11 healthy dogs; WB stimulation was performed in 16 FRE and 16 healthy dogs. Expression of TLR2, 4, 5 and 9, IL‐17A, IL‐22, IFNy, TNFα, IL‐4, IL‐10, TGFβ and PPARy was determined in biopsies by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, production of TNFα, IL‐10, IFNy and IL‐17A protein in WB and biopsy supernatants was assessed by ELISA. Treatment with individual TLR ligands or EF induced a variety of changes in the expression of different TLRs and cytokines, but not necessarily a consistent change with a single stimulating agent. Even though cytokine protein could not be detected in supernatants from ex vivo stimulated biopsies, we found TNFα protein responses in blood to be opposite of the transcriptional responses seen in the biopsies. Stimulation of canine duodenal biopsies with TLR ligands can potentially induce anti‐inflammatory gene expression, especially in healthy tissue, whereas the effects of EF were limited.
Biometric confirmation of the Hirschberg ratio in strabismic children.

PURPOSE In the Hirschberg eye position test, the ratio of strabismic angle to decentration of the corneal reflex is dependent on two biometric parameters of the eye: the radius of the corneal curvature and the depth of the anterior chamber. This study was designed to confirm whether the Hirschberg conversion ratio (HR) previously determined for adults can be used for children of various ages despite structural growth of the eye. METHODS For 262 eyes of 131 children with strabismus (age range, 6 months to 11 years), the radius of the corneal curvature was measured with an auto-keratometer and the anterior chamber depth with an A-scan ultrasound unit under general anesthesia before the surgery. Using these measurements, the HR was computed on the basis of a geometric model. RESULTS The calculated HR was constant across the age range, and the mean+/-SD was 19.9+/-1.9 prism diopters/mm (95% confidence interval, 16.1-23.6 prism diopters/mm). The ratios for the two eyes in each subject showed good correlation (R = 0.854, P = 0.0001). Neither of the biometric measurements was significantly correlated with age, although considerable scatter of the measurements was observed. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the averaged HR can be applied in children regardless of the patient's age, although intersubject variance of the ratio should be taken into account.