Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
mRNA Expression of lipogenic enzymes in mammary tissue and fatty acid profile in milk of dairy cows fed flax hulls and infused with flax oil in the abomasum

In the present study, the effect of flax hulls with or without flax oil bypassing the rumen on the expression of lipogenic genes in the mammary tissue of dairy cows was investigated. A total of eight dairy cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design. There were four periods of 21 d each and four treatments: control diet with no flax hulls (CONT); diet with 9·88 % flax hulls in the DM (HULL); control diet with 500 g flax oil/d infused in the abomasum (COFO); diet with 9·88 % flax hulls in the DM and 500 g flax oil/d infused in the abomasum (HUFO). A higher mRNA abundance of sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor, fatty acid (FA) synthase, lipoprotein lipase (LPL), PPARγ1, stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase-α was observed in cows fed HULL than in those fed CONT, and HUFO had the opposite effect. Compared with CONT, COFO and HUFO lowered the mRNA abundance of SCD, which may explain the lower proportions of MUFA in milk fat with flax oil infusion. The mRNA abundance of LPL in mammary tissue and proportions of long-chain FA in milk fat were higher in cows fed COFO than in those fed CONT. The highest proportions of trans FA were observed when cows were fed HULL. The present study demonstrates that flax hulls with or without flax oil infusion in the abomasum can affect the expression of lipogenic genes in the mammary tissue of dairy cows, which may contribute to the improvement of milk FA profile.
Increased local connectivity of brain functional networks during facial processing in schizophrenia: evidence from EEG data

Schizophrenia is often considered to be a disconnection syndrome. The abnormal interactions between large-scale functional brain networks result in cognitive and perceptual deficits. The present study investigated event-related functional connectivity networks to compare facial processing in individuals with and without schizophrenia. Faces and tables were presented to participants, and event-related phase synchrony, represented by the phase lag index (PLI), was calculated. In addition, cortical oscillatory dynamics may be useful for understanding the neural mechanisms underlying the disparate cognitive and functional impairments in schizophrenic patients. Therefore, the dynamic graph theoretical networks related to facial processing were compared between individuals with and without schizophrenia. Our results showed that event-related phase synchrony was significantly reduced in distributed networks, and normalized clustering coefficients were significantly increased in schizophrenic patients relative to those of the controls. The present data suggest that schizophrenic patients have specific alterations, indicated by increased local connectivity in gamma oscillations during facial processing.
Fulminant Hepatic Failure in Children: Superior and Durable Outcomes With Liver Transplantation Over 25 Years at a Single Center

Objective(s):Death occurs in half of all children with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). Although liver transplantation (LT) is potentially life-saving, there are only a few published series with limited experience. The aim was to examine predictors of survival after LT for FHF. Methods:Between 1984 and 2008, all LT for FHF performed in recipients less than or equal to 18 years of age were analyzed from a prospectively maintained database using 35 demographic, laboratory, and operative variables. Unique calculated variables included creatinine clearance (cCrCl) and Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease score (PELD). Study end-points were patient and death censored graft survival. Median follow-up was 98 months. Statistical analysis involved the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model. Results:A total of 122 children underwent 159 LTx. Cryptogenic was the primary etiology (70%) and the median age was 53 months. The significant (P < 0.05) univariate predictors of worse graft survival were: recipient age <24 months, cCrCl <60 mL/min/1.73m2, PELD >25 points, and warm ischemia time >60 minutes. The significant (P < 0.05) univariate predictors of worse patient survival were: recipient African-American and Asian race, recipient age <24 months, cCrCl <60 mL/min/1.73m2, and time from onset jaundice to encephalopathy <7 days. On multivariate analysis, survival was significantly impacted by 4 variables: cCrCl <60 mL/min/1.73m2 (GRAFT and PATIENT), PELD >25 points (GRAFT), recipient age <24 months (GRAFT), and time from onset jaundice to encephalopathy <7 days (PATIENT). While overall 5- and 10-year survival was 73% and 72% (GRAFT) and 77% and 73% (PATIENT), these were significantly worse when a combination of multivariate risk-factors were present. Conclusions:This data from a large, single-center experience demonstrates that LT is the treatment of choice for FHF and results in durable survival. Analysis revealed 4 novel outcome predictors. Young children with rapid onset acute liver failure are a high-risk subpopulation. Unique to this study, cCrCl and PELD accurately predicted the end-points. This analysis identifies patient subpopulations requiring early aggressive intervention with LT.
Developing Highly Accelerated Life Test ( HALT ) Method to Improve Product Robustness and Shorten Development Cycle

Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) is often used to identify the latent defects for the printed circuit boards (PCBs) during the early stage of the product development process. The inconsistency in executing HALT may not reveal the maximum amount of design weaknesses or intermittent failures, which would eventually lead to the premature product failure in the field and incur additional warranty expenses. The scope of this project has focused on establishing the standardized operating procedure (SOP) for Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) using the DMAIC methodology for the electronic components such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) to help identify these latent issues in advance and increase product robustness. In addition to applying statistical tools to optimize several key process parameters such as soaking time and ramp rate, the related failure analysis and corrective actions were also demonstrated in this thesis. In summary, three major results are shown: first, following the DMAIC guideline, the standard operating procedure (SOP) of HALT was established and applicable to all types of printed circuit boards. Secondly, it was shown that the top three failure modes identified in HALT were almost identical to that of the field returns’. Last but not least, the relationship between the operating margins and the warranty replacement rate was also established. Although more data points are required to further consolidate the model, the current result has indicated that there is a declining trend of the warranty replacement rate for every increment of the temperature operating margins. Such mathematical relationship was then used in the economic model to justify the business benefit of HALT. Thesis Supervisor: Dr. David E. Hardt Title: Professor of Mechanical Engineering
CROWDING-OUT EFFECT OF FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR HOUSEHOLDS TO RECYCLE WASTE

Willingness of individuals to recycle their waste is driven by a wide range of factors. These may be distinguished as intrinsic, for example perceived importance of recycling, and extrinsic, e.g. commandand-control interventions or financial incentives in a form of landfill taxes, deposits, charges, and fees. In order to increase the participation rate, specific policy measures and interventions are introduced. Some of these interventions, like educational campaigns, are focused on intrinsic motivation of residents, whereas some other measures are using financial stimuli to affect people’s recycling behavior directly. In this respect, the crowding-out effect might occur when financial incentives might reduce the effect of intrinsic factors. This paper reports on responsiveness of residents to the direct and indirect incentives. The purpose of this analysis was to test the crowding-out hypothesis supposing that direct incentives are replacing the intrinsic motivation to recycle. The presented data is based on a nationwide survey (n=1.579) that was conducted in the Czech Republic during 2017 and confirms the hypothesis for a large part of the population (50%). However, it was also found that one fifth of the sample is responsive only to the direct incentives. Therefore, the crowding-out effect is not confirmed for a segment of the population. It seems that direct and indirect incentives may not be mutually exclusive. For some individuals the direct and indirect measures might support each other and together may increase positive impacts on recycling behavior. It is also highly recommended to consider the context within which the given measures are to be implemented. Under certain circumstances, such as high intrinsic motivation of residents, the launch of direct measures may not be reasonable.
Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1&agr; and Excision Repair Cross-Complementing 1 in Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer Who Received Front-Line Platinum-Based Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Hypoxia-inducible factor-1&agr; (HIF-1&agr;), which plays an essential role in the adaptive response of cells to hypoxia, is associated with aggressive tumor behavior. Furthermore, a relationship between excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1) expression and platinum resistance has been reported in patients with various malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of HIF-1&agr; and ERCC1 and to elucidate the clinical significance of their expression in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) treated with front-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods: SCLC biopsy samples were obtained before front-line platinum-based chemotherapy from 111 patients with SCLC (limited disease, 29; extensive disease [ED], 82) between January 2002 and December 2009 at Gyeongsang National University Hospital. The expression levels of HIF-1&agr; and ERCC1 were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results: High expression levels of ERCC1 and HIF-1&agr; were observed in 49 (44.1%) and 71 (64.0%) of 111 patients, respectively. Expression of ERCC1 and HIF-1&agr; was not significantly associated with age, sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, weight loss, or response to treatment, regardless of stage. In ED-SCLC, low expression in the HIF-1&agr; group showed statistically better survival compared with high expression in the HIF-1&agr; group (p = 0.018). Multivariate analysis revealed that response to front-line platinum-based chemotherapy (p < 0.001), good Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (0–1) (p = 0.002), and low expression of HIF-1&agr; (p = 0.004) were independent predictors of better overall survival in ED-SCLC. Conclusions: Low expression of HIF-1&agr; may be a useful predictor of better overall survival in ED-SCLC patients treated with front-line platinum-based chemotherapy.
Autologous chondrocyte transplantation for treating cartilage defects of the talus.

BACKGROUND Despite its highly specialized nature, articular cartilage has a poor reparative capability. Treatment of symptomatic osteochondral defects of the talus has been especially difficult until now. METHODS We performed autologous chondrocyte transplantation in twelve patients with a focal deep cartilage lesion of the talus. There were seven female and five male patients with a mean age of 29.7 years. The mean size of the lesion was 2.3 cm(2). All patients were studied prospectively. Evaluation was performed with use of the Hannover ankle rating score, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, a visual analogue scale for pain, and magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS All patients were available for follow-up at a mean of sixty-three months. There was a significant improvement in the Hannover score, from 40.4 points preoperatively to 85.5 points at the follow-up examination, with seven excellent results, four good results, and one satisfactory result. The AOFAS mean score was 88.4 points compared with 43.5 points preoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a nearly congruent joint surface in seven patients, discrete irregularities in four, and an incongruent surface in one. The patients who had been involved in competitive sports were able to return to their full activity level. CONCLUSIONS The promising clinical results of this study suggest that autologous chondrocyte transplantation is an effective and safe way to treat symptomatic osteochondral defects of the talus in appropriately selected patients.
Anion-exclusion and anion-exchange chromatography of nucleotides.

Anion-exclusion chromatography, previously shown to resolve nucleosides, has been applied to separate nucleotides on “cation-exchange” columns at acid pH values. The study of pH and ionic effects indicates that these separations occur by anion repulsion, not by cation exchange. Cation exchange, previously held reponsible for these separations, is inoperative since nucleotides at acid pH values bear net negative charges, as do the fixed anions of the resin. The separations can be explained by anion-exclusion chromatography) which involves two factors: repulsion between identically charged solute and resin ions, and partition between aqueous eluant and organic resin matrix. The results indicate that separations by anion exclusion are as good as or better than those by anion-exchange chromatography. Anion-exchange chromatography has also been reinvestigated to develop systems that can be used to separate the four major nucleotides in single eluants and to separate most nucleosides, nucleotides and other RNA hydrolysis products in one analysis. The ion-exclusion separations are compared with those of anion-exchange chromatography. The advantages and disadvantages of both methods are discussed. A typical example of the analysis of a nucleoside-nucleotide mixture derived from the total hydrolysis of tRNAs for the assay of the base comparison and for the analysis of terminal end groups is described.
Digital tourism: mobile phones, internet and tourism in Africa

ABSTRACT This study examines the linear and nonlinear effects of mobile phones and internet on tourism in Africa for the period 1996–2017 using system general method of moments which accounts for cross-sectional dependence. The study shows that mobile penetration and internet usage have significant negative effects on tourism while squared mobile penetration and squared internet usage have significant positive effects. The empirical findings are consistent with a non-linear (or quadratic) relationship between mobile penetration, internet usage and tourism, where mobile penetration and internet usage have significant negative relationship with tourism only to a certain point, after which they become a boost for tourism. The causality analyses suggest the existence of uni-directional causality from mobile penetration to tourism and bidirectional causality between squared mobile penetration and tourism. Also, there is bi-directional causality between internet usage, squared internet usage, and tourism. This indicates that mobile penetration and internet usage stimulate tourism which, in turn, boosts internet usage even further in these countries.
Asian , Native Hawaiian , and Pacific Islander Victims of Crime

Asians, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders were victims of approximately 105,000 nonfatal violent crimes (rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault, and simple assault) on average per year between 2002 and 2006. An average of about 471,000 property crimes (household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft) were committed against Asian, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander households per year during that period. While Asians, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders accounted for 4% of the U.S. population, they were victims in 2% of nonfatal violent crimes and 3% of property crimes between 2002 and 2006. These findings are based on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR), Supplementary Homicide Reports.
Effects of Acute and Chronic Stressors and CRF in Rat and Mouse Tests for Depression

Depressive illness is frequently associated with life stress. Corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) is believed to be a key brain mediator of behaviors associated with stress, and abnormalities in the function of CRF have been associated with depression. Therefore, we have studied the effects of acute and chronic footshock and restraint in tests used in rodents to assess depression‐like activity and antidepressant effects: the forced swim test in rats and mice, and the tail suspension test in mice. We also tested the effect of intracerebroventricular (icv) CRF administration. The results were complex. In the forced swim test in rats, acute footshock and restraint reduced floating, whereas chronic footshock increased floating as did icv CRF. However, chronic restraint induced opposite effects, decreasing floating in the forced swim test. The results from mice were significantly different. In the forced swim test, acute footshock and restraint decreased floating, while chronic footshock increased floating, and chronic restraint decreased floating as it did in rats. However, icv CRF decreased floating. The results from the tail‐suspension test paralleled those from the forced swim test except that chronic footshock tended to decrease the time spent immobile. Thus in rats, the behavioral effects of the chronic footshock in the forced swim test could be explained by a desensitization of the CRF systems, either decreased activation of CRF, or desensitization of its receptors. However, such an effect cannot explain the responses to restraint, nor the behavioral effects of chronic footshock and restraint in mice.
Association between physical activity and postoperative complications after esophagectomy for cancer: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND Postoperative complications after esophagectomy can lead to considerable patient discomfort and prolonged length of hospital stay. Lack of physical activity can be one of the independent risk factors for postoperative complications because physical activity is closely related to physical function. The objective of this study was to determine whether physical activity among esophageal cancer patients decreases their risk of postoperative complications after esophagectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated 51 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed resectable esophageal cancer who were scheduled to receive esophagectomy between January 2009 and November 2011. Demographic, clinicopathologic, and treatment information were recorded and physical function was measured. The last 7-days short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity before the operation. Stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether preoperative physical activity is related to the risk of postoperative complications. RESULTS Male gender [OR 18.6, (95%CIs: 1.2-284.4); P=0.035], 3-field lymph node dissection (OR 9.6, [95%CIs: 1.4-66.6]; P=0.022), low-level physical activity (OR 28.3, [95%CIs: 3.5-227.7]; P=0.002), and preoperative comorbidities [OR 5.9, (95%CIs: 1.1-31.5); P=0.037] were found to be independently associated with postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS The present study shows that low-level physical activity, preoperative comorbidities, and 3-field lymph node dissection are independent and significant risk factors for postoperative complications after esophagectomy. Although further study is required, maintaining high-level physical activity preoperatively may decrease the risk of postoperative complications.
Surfing or flowing? How to retain e-customers on the internet

Purpose Social commerce websites entail a completely new scenario for retaining e-customers due to the richness of their social interactions. Nowadays, users can interact with companies and with other users; hence, it is considered important to study how social stimuli affect users. Drawing on the Stimulus Organism Response framework and Flow Theory, this paper aims to propose that the social stimulus (sPassion) has a positive effect on the organism (state of flow) causing positive responses from users (flow consciousness, trust and eLoyalty). Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through an online survey. The sample consists of 771 users of social commerce websites, of which 51 per cent are male and 49 per cent female, aged between 16 and 80 years. The structural equation model statistical software EQS 6 was used to test the model. Findings The empirical results confirm that passionate users are prone to experience state of flow, and, as a consequence, they are conscious of this optimal experience, resulting in an increase in trust. Originality/value The originality of this research stems from analysing how users’ passion on social commerce creates an optimal experience that boost customers’ retention.
Providing medical care to diverse populations: findings from a survey of Connecticut physicians.

OBJECTIVE To identify current approaches and physicians' perceptions of challenges to providing medical care to racially, ethnically and culturally diverse patients in Connecticut. METHODS Three hundred twenty-one licensed and practicing physicians in Connecticut representing 17 specialty areas completed a brief self-administered mail survey in the spring of 2009. RESULTS Although physicians generally feel that they do a good job in treating patients from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, many do not employ best practices for communicating with patients with limited English proficiency. Many also do not tail or their discussions of health and health behavior to individual patients in a way that is culturally sensitive. Only 38% of all physicians had received formal training in managing patients from diverse backgrounds, and 34% had completed continuing medical education on this subject. Physicians reported that the greatest challenges to providing care to diverse patient groups involved structural issues such as medication costs and insurance issues. CONCLUSION Findings from this study suggest that providing patients with better information on obtaining health insurance and how to utilize insurance coverage to access appropriate and effective medical care, as well as broad-based training and education in cultural awareness and sensitivity for both physicians and their office staffs, may be instrumental in decreasing health disparities among Connecticut residents.