Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spike bursts in rabbit oviduct . II . Effects of estrogen and progesterone

HODGSON, BARRIE J., AND ANTTI TALO. Spike bursts in rabbit oviduct. II. Effects of estrogen and progesterone. Am. J. Physiol. 234(4): E439-E443, 1978 or Am. J. Physiol. : Endocrinol. Metab. Gastrointest. Physiol. 3(4): E439-E443, 19’78. Electrical activity of rabbit oviducts was recorded in vitro at 48 h after injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), 18 or 24 h after HCG with progesterone pretreatment, and 48 or 68 h after HCG with estrogen treatment 24 or 0 h after HCG, respectively. Frequency of spike bursts, pacemaker frequency, percentage of nonpropagating bursts, and probability of propagating in the uterine direction were obtained. Estrogen treatment decreased frequency of activity; at 48 h distance of propagation was increased and activity extended to 72.4% of the length of the oviduct compared to 65.7% in oviducts removed 48 h after HCG without estrogen. Only the ampullary-isthmic junction was active at 68 h after estrogen and HCG injection. Progesterone increased frequency and imposed a uterine bias, and activity extended to 73.6% of the length of the oviduct. These data support the hypothesis that properties of activity in the active area and the location of the active-inactive border regulate the location of ova in the isthmus of the rabbit oviduct.
Beyond Price, How Does Trust Encourage Online Group's Buying Intention?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how online trust affects group shopping intention in the Ihergo web site.Design/methodology/approach – Samples from the Ihergo web site were collected by mailing a questionnaire survey to those who agreed to participate.Findings – Group‐buying operators need to understand their consumers and the scheduling shopping rules between internet shoppers and firms. Moreover, word‐of‐mouth (WOM) can be created online by offering web visitors the ability to access the opinions of satisfied customers.Practical implications – An online business may adopt different methods to enhance its customer satisfaction level. When people enter a significant amount of personal data at a web site, they are typically reluctant to change vendors and enter the data again.Social implications – Customers view a group‐buying operator as a shopping expert, and expect that the group‐buying operator can handle shopping problems before a dispute occurs.Originality/value – The findings o.
Pb isotopes in the impact melt breccia 66095 : Association with the Imbrium basin and the isotopic 1 composition of lithologies at the Apollo 16 landing site 2 Authors :

8 Recent in situ Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) Pb isotope analyses of lunar basalts have 9 provided precise crystallisation ages and initial Pb isotopic compositions for these samples. In this 10 study, the same approach has been tested in the Apollo 16 impact melt breccia 66095, referred to as 11 the “Rusty Rock” due to its enrichments in volatile elements, including Pb. Based on these analyses of 12 the breccia, a Pb-Pb isochron age of 3909±17 Ma (at the 95% confidence level) and an initial Pb 13 composition for 66095 have been determined. This age is interpreted as representing the time of 14 breccia formation that, when combined with recent studies of lunar breccias, can be linked to the 15 Imbrium basin forming impact. The directly measured initial Pb composition of the breccia from this 16 work is similar a modelled compositions presented previously, and likely reflects an average value for 17 the lithologies present at the Apollo 16 landing site at the time that the Imbrium ejecta was emplaced. 18 The 66095 initial Pb isotopic composition is compared with the compositions in other lunar samples 19 and the nature of the endmember lithologies in this mixture has been discussed within the framework 20 of a multiple stage model of Pb isotope evolution on the Moon. This study demonstrates the 21 effectiveness of this technique beyond its application in crystalline basalts, opening up the possibility 22 of obtaining precise geochronological and Pb isotopic compositions from a broader sample set than 23 was previously recognised. 24
Examining serum amyloid P component microheterogeneity using capillary isoelectric focusing and MALDI‐MS

Serum amyloid P component (SAP) is a glycoprotein of interest due to its presence in amyloid plaque formations. As with most glycoproteins, SAP can possibly vary greatly in its isoforms, which can be an important factor toward understanding the role of SAP. Interestingly, previous characterizations suggest varying degrees of microheterogeneity, some of which are in conflict. In this work, we provide new information to clarify SAP's microheterogeneity profile using CIEF to carefully analyze pooled samples and by studying individual samples across populations with mass spectrometric immunoassay. With respect to CIEF, a single pI band was observed suggesting that human SAP does not have extensive heterogeneity concluded from gel IEF experiments in the past. Additionally, this is supported by a population study, which revealed an overwhelming degree of uniformity. Overall, this work corroborates the idea that SAP is relatively consistent across the population and with respect to microheterogeneity.
DeWiz - Event-Based Debugging on the Grid

Debugging tries to locate the reason for incorrect program behavior by analyzing the states occurring during a program's execution. Since the amount of state data affects the debugging process, dedicated analysis functionality must be provided for grid applications, which may process enormous amounts of application data over long execution times. This problem is addressed by the DeWiz tool with an extensible set of event-based analysis modules. The processing operates on an event graph model of the target program's behavior. The desired debugging tasks are specified by arranging and connecting the different DeWiz modules. Due to its selectable abstraction level and its universal applicability, it is suited for parallel and distributed programs. By exploiting the grid for time-consuming analysis tasks in distinct modules, even large amounts of state data can be processed and investigated. This allows to apply debugging activities to large scale grid applications, which are the most challenging targets.
Bovine β-casein: Detection of two single nucleotide polymorphisms by bidirectional allele specific polymerase chain reaction (BAS-PCR) and monitoring of their variation

Due to the functional importance of bovine milk protein polymorphisms, their correct discrimination is of great interest both from a scientific and practical point of view. Nowadays a large number of commercial platforms are available for semiautomated or fully automated SNP geno-typing. However, in some cases the use of simple and rather cheap methods is an effective tool to be implemented within one’s own laboratory for the routine analysis of a specific SNP. The present paper describes two simple tests based on the bidirectional allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (BAS-PCR) developed for the identification of β-casein (CSN2) B and I genetic variants. The practical application of the two methods on a panel of 84 Italian Brown bulls and 100 Italian Friesian cows is also discussed, including the biological significance of the two genetic variants and the importance of taking their occurrence into account when linkage analyses are performed on milk functional properties. A combined system for analysing milk protein variants by isoelectrofocusing (IEF) and the BAS-PCR assay developed for CSN2*I is described.
Functional assessment of a promoter polymorphism in S100B, a putative risk variant for bipolar disorder

Calcium‐binding protein S100B has been implicated in the pathology of bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) and schizophrenia (SZ). S100B protein levels are elevated in serum of patients with both disorders compared to controls. We previously reported genetic association of a SNP in the promoter of S100B, rs3788266, with a psychotic form of BPAD. To test for genotypic effects of rs3788266 in vivo, S100B serum protein levels were measured in 350 Irish and German subjects of known S100B genotype. The functional effect of rs3788266 on S100B promoter activity was studied using the luciferase reporter system in U373MG glioblastoma and SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cell lines. Allelic effects of rs3788266 on protein complex formation at the S100B promoter were investigated by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Higher mean serum S100B levels were associated with the risk G allele of rs3788266 in BPAD cases (P = 0.0001), unaffected relatives of BPAD cases (P < 0.0001) and unrelated controls (P < 0.0001). Consistent with the in vivo findings, luciferase gene expression was significantly increased in the presence of the G allele compared to the A allele in SH‐SY5Y (P = <0.0001), and in U373MG (P = <0.0008) cell lines. The binding affinity of both SH‐SY5Y and U373MG protein complexes for the S100B promoter was significantly stronger in the presence of G allele compared to the A allele promoter fragments. These data support rs3788266 as a functional promoter variant in the S100B gene where the presence of the G allele promotes increased gene expression and is associated with increased serum levels of the protein. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determinants of Mobile Banking Adoption at Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in Case of Bako District

The article investigates the factors affecting customers’ adoption decision of mobile banking in Bako Tibe, Ethiopia. The continuous expansion of technological innovations especially in the banking sector have stirred competition which has changed the way businesses operate resulting in the introduction of mobile banking. This is illustrated that Ethiopia is recently expanding the use of internet banking such as mobile banking. To analysis of the determinants of mobile banking adoption in Bako Tibe, open and semi-structured questionnaires were used. The results of binary logit model indicates that quality of internet, lack of awareness, relative advantage, awareness, trial ability, experience, gender, education, income and age are the factors that are significantly influencing customers’ adoption decisions of mobile banking at Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. The conclusion is that commercial bank of Ethiopia invests massively in mobile banking and other information technology innovations in order to further promote efficient service delivery and increase adoption of mobile banking services. Key words: Mobile banking; adoption; logistic regressions; experience; awareness; experience. DOI : 10.7176/CEIS/10-1-02
Strabismus surgery using the adjustable suture technique.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To determine the results of adjustable suture technique used in horizontal muscle surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy-eight charts of patients who underwent strabismus surgery between the years 1993 and 1995 were examined retrospectively. The study included 35 cases of esotropia (ET), and 43 cases of exotropia (XT). The results of strabismus surgery were measured and compared 1 day after adjustment; the final results between 6 and 24 months after the surgical procedure. RESULTS Adjustment was required in 39% of all patients. The highest rate of adjustment was required in patients who underwent monocular surgery for XT (51%), and the lowest rate of adjustment was undertaken in patients who underwent monocular surgery for ET (16%). Mean changes in the angle of deviation between 1 day after surgery to the last follow up was 2.2 prism diopters (delta) (+/-11.2 delta) for cases of esotropia, and 4.6 delta (+/-8.7 delta) for exotropia. The most significant drift was found in patients with XT who underwent binocular surgery 6.8 delta (+/-0.9 delta) and the smallest drift was found in patients with ET who underwent binocular surgery 5.2 delta (+/-5.6 delta). CONCLUSION Esotropic and exotropic patients have a tendency to drift towards their original deviation postoperatively. It is possible, therefore, that mild overcorrection in the early postoperative period will result in better long-term results.
Prediction of protein mutation effects based on dehydration and hydrogen bonding – A large‐scale study

Reliable computational prediction of protein side chain conformations and the energetic impact of amino acid mutations are the key aspects for the optimization of biotechnologically relevant enzymatic reactions using structure‐based design. By improving the protein stability, higher yields can be achieved. In addition, tuning the substrate selectivity of an enzymatic reaction by directed mutagenesis can lead to higher turnover rates. This work presents a novel approach to predict the conformation of a side chain mutation along with the energetic effect on the protein structure. The HYDE scoring concept applied here describes the molecular interactions primarily by evaluating the effect of dehydration and hydrogen bonding on molecular structures in aqueous solution. Here, we evaluate its capability of side‐chain conformation prediction in classic remutation experiments. Furthermore, we present a new data set for evaluating “cross‐mutations,” a new experiment that resembles real‐world application scenarios more closely. This data set consists of protein pairs with up to five point mutations. Thus, structural changes are attributed to point mutations only. In the cross‐mutation experiment, the original protein structure is mutated with the aim to predict the structure of the side chain as in the paired mutated structure. The comparison of side chain conformation prediction (“remutation”) showed that the performance of HYDEprotein is qualitatively comparable to state‐of‐the art methods. The ability of HYDEprotein to predict the energetic effect of a mutation is evaluated in the third experiment. Herein, the effect on protein stability is predicted correctly in 70% of the evaluated cases. Proteins 2017; 85:1550–1566. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Habitat utilization and vertical movements of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) released from commercial and recreational fishing gears in the western North Atlantic Ocean: inferences from short duration pop-up archival satellite tags

Researchers have applied numerous techniques to improve billfish stock assessments, including habitatbased models that incorporate behavioral and oceanographic parameters to standardize historical catch-per-unit-effort time-series data. These methods have allowed researchers to account for significant changes in the depths of pelagic longline (PLL) gear deployments over time. This study presents habitat-use data recovered from high-resolution 5- and 10-day pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) attached to 47 surviving white marlin released from commercial and recreational fishing gears offshore of the U.S. East Coast, the northern Caribbean, and Venezuela between 2002 and 2004. Data recovered from transmitting tags indicated that white marlin spent nearly half of their time associated with warm, near-surface waters (<10 m). All fish displayed frequent short duration (mean: 39.8 min) vertical excursions from surface waters to depths averaging 51 m. Qualitative and multivariate classifications of data from completely transmitted movements of surviving white marlin revealed two major types of descents: one pattern was characterized by deep ‘V’-shaped excursions of relatively short duration (mean: 23.4 min) while the other featured descents that were more broadly ‘U’-shaped and confined to a specific depth range for an extended period of time (mean: 75.8 min). Based on the frequency, persistence, and patterns of these vertical movements, white marlin appear to direct a considerable proportion of foraging effort well below surface waters, a behavior that may account for relatively high catch rates of white marlin on some deep-set PLL deployments.
Apolipoprotein E affects the central nervous system response to injury and the development of cerebral edema

Apolipoprotein E has been implicated in modifying neurological outcome after traumatic brain injury, although the mechanisms by which this occurs remain poorly defined. To investigate the role of endogenous apolipoprotein E following acute brain injury, noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging was performed on anesthetized mice following closed head injury. Effacement of the lateral ventricle was used as a radiographic surrogate for cerebral edema. At 24 hours following injury, apolipoprotein E‐deficient animals had a greater degree of cerebral edema as compared to matched controls. In addition, the brains of apolipoprotein E‐deficient animals had a significantly greater upregulation of tissue necrosis factor α messenger ribonucleic acid as compared to controls as early as 1‐hr post injury. Thus, modulation of the endogenous central nervous system inflammatory response may be one mechanism by which apolipoprotein E affects outcome following acute brain injury.
A practical guide to cochlear implantation in adults with long durations of monaural sound deprivation

Abstract Objective: This paper aims to summarize published findings by the authors and integrate these within current literature to support clinical guidelines when choosing an ear for cochlear implantation in adults with long-term monaural sound deprivation. Study sample: Four retrospective cohort studies based on data collected in five cochlear implantation centres with adults with bilateral hearing loss who used a single hearing aid for at least 15 years prior to unilateral or bilateral cochlear implantation. Design: Review, integration and interpretation of retrospective cohort studies to support clinical recommendations. Results: In this population, the prelingual nature of the hearing loss and the duration of bilateral significant hearing loss were the most reliable predictors of cochlear implantation outcomes. Importantly, the duration of sound deprivation in the ear to be implanted was not a significant predictor of speech recognition scores after cochlear implantation and should carry less weight in making recommendations. Conclusions: In most adults with postlingual hearing loss and long-term monaural sound deprivation, the sound-deprived sound deprivation ear should be preferred for implantation. For adults with prelingual deafness and monaural sound deprivation, the decision should weigh the risks of obtaining poorer results with the cochlear implant compared to the benefits of accessing binaural hearing.
SPINE: A method for the rapid detection and analysis of protein–protein interactions in vivo

The detection and analysis of protein–protein interactions is one of the central tasks of proteomics in the postgenomic era. For this purpose, we present a procedure, the Strep–protein interaction experiment (SPINE) that combines the advantages of the Strep‐tag protein purification system with those of reversible in vivo protein crosslinking by formaldehyde. Using two Bacillus subtilis regulator proteins, we demonstrate that this method is well suited to isolate protein complexes with high purity and virtually no background. Plasmids allowing the high‐level expression of proteins carrying an N‐ or C‐terminal Strep‐tag in B. subtilis were constructed.
An enhanced significance weighting approach for collaborative filtering

Collaborative filtering (CF) is a popular technique for rating prediction in recommender systems. CF tries to predict the user's rating on an unseen item based on other similar users' ratings. Computing similarity between users is dominantly carried out using correlation methods such as the Pearson correlation coefficient. These methods compute similarity only based on co-rated items. Due to sparsity of rating data, it is probable for similarity values to be computed based on only few co-rated items. These values do not necessarily reflect real users' preferences. In other words, they are insignificant. As earlier studies suggest, the weight of these values should be decreased. In this paper, we show that it is insufficient to consider cases where there are only few co-rated items. We propose an enhanced approach, which modifies the similarity weights in all cases proportionally to the number of co-rated items. Experimental results show that our proposed approach substantially improves the prediction performance compared with previous studies. Parameter independency is another improvement of this approach, which makes it easy to use.
Oesophageal Foreign Bodies: Pattern and Management in a Tertiary Health Facility of a Developing Country

Introduction: Foreign body (FB) impaction in the aero-digestive tract constitutes a common emergency in otolaryngology practice worldwide. Prompt and appropriate management would limit the morbidity and possible mortality that may arise therefrom. Objectives: The study was aimed to re-establish the prevalent foreign bodies in the oesophagus, the preferred management procedure and how social and cultural practices affect the foreign bodies involved. Materials and Methods: The study was a retrospective review of all the oesophageal foreign bodies retrieved surgically under anaesthesia by endoscopy over 10 years. Results: A total of 90 patients were studied which consisted of 53.3% children and 46.7% for adults. A variety of foreign bodies were recovered of which dentures (24.44%), metallic objects (15.56%) and fish bone (14.44%) were the most common foreign bodies recovered. No FB was found in 12.22% of the cases. Rigid oesophagoscopy was the favoured and effective method of treatment. Conclusion: Dentures, metallic objects and fish bone topped the list of FB retrieved. Rigid oesophagoscopy was effective in the extraction of the foreign bodies. Social and cultural leaning played out in the variety of foreign bodies in different parts of the country.
Psychometric evaluation of the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale with patients with prostate cancer.

AIM This study was designed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale, specifically with prostate cancer patients. BACKGROUND Measurement of appraisal is considered a relatively new area in the health studies literature. Cognitive appraisal of potentially stressful events becomes important when individuals face a crisis such as a change in their health status. So far, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has not been used to study the factor structure of the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale. METHODS The structure of the questionnaire was analysed by exploratory factor analysis, CFA using structural equation modelling and an Analysis of Moment Structure procedure with a sample of 133 patients with prostate cancer. RESULTS The results support the three-factor model for the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale because it has robust structure and excellent goodness-of-fit indices. Several of the 23 items were grouped into different factors from those in Kessler's scale. CONCLUSION The use of the reduced version of Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale with men under health stress is recommended.
Host age and sex in relation to intestinal helminths of bobwhite quail.

grating in the cranium or those having reached the intestine. Nevertheless, esophagus length of larvae consistently increased with time after inoculation and with respect to localization of larval recovery. This finding coincides with recent work by Nojima et al. (1981, loc. cit.) and Mimori et al. (1982, loc. cit.). slip pressure can impact on arval length, it is ely tha th re were no diff re ces in body length We conclude that the Esophagus Index (EI) is a useful parameter for assessing development during migration of Strongyloides larvae in hosts, b cause few differences are found in morphological characters between the larvae before and after migration, and furthermore because manipulation of larvae affects their measurement. As well, use of the index seems to support the migration route for S. ratti larvae proposed by Hattori (1981, loc. cit.). l e t at the Esophagus Index (EI) is a eter for as es ing development i ation of Strongyloides larvae in hosts, ifferences are found in morpholog-