Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Valine, isoleucine, arginine and glycine supplementation of low-protein diets for broiler chickens during the starter and grower phases

Abstract 1. Two experiments were performed to study the supplementation of valine, isoleucine, arginine and glycine (Val, Ile, Arg, Gly) in low-protein diets for broiler chickens in the starter (1–21 d; Exp. 1) and grower (22–42 d; Exp. 2) phases. 2. A low-crude protein (CP) diet was formulated to meet the requirements of all amino acids (AA) supplied by the control diet except for Val, Ile, Arg and Gly. The other experimental diets were obtained by the isolated or combined supplementation of the studied AA in the low-CP diet. 3. Growth, serum parameters and litter characteristics were taken in both of the experiments. Carcass measurements were taken in Experiment 2. 4. In the starter and grower phases, low-CP diets without supplementation resulted in birds with a poorer weight gain and feed conversion than those of the birds that received the control diet. 5. In the starter phase, individual supplementation with Val and Gly, but not Ile and Arg, restored the weight gain of the birds, while diets with the addition of Val + Gly, Val + Ile + Arg, Val + Ile + Gly and Val + Ile + Arg + Gly restored their feed conversion. 6. In the grower phase, weight gain was re-established at the same rate as the control diet for the diets supplemented with Val + Ile, Val + Ile + Arg, Val + Ile + Gly and Val + Ile + Arg + Gly. However, the feed conversion was restored only in birds that received the diet supplemented with all studied AA. 7. The supplementation of Val and Gly in low-CP diets was sufficient to avoid adverse effects in the performance and serum parameters of broilers in the starter phase. However, birds in the grower phase required the combined supplementation of Val, Ile, Arg and Gly, to prevent compromised performance.
Hepatitis B Virus DNA Integration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Interferon-Induced Disappearance of Hepatitis C Virus

OBJECTIVES:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been reported in patients in whom hepatitis C virus (HCV) was eliminated by interferon (IFN) therapy. We examined the pathogenesis of HCC in patients with sustained viral response.METHODS:Operable HCC developed in 7 of 342 patients cured of HCV infection by IFN monotherapy. No patient abused alcohol or had diabetes mellitus or obesity. Resected specimens of HCC were histologically evaluated. DNA extracted from HCC was examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to locate hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA. HBV integration sites in human genome were identified by cassette-ligation-mediated PCR.RESULTS:HBV DNA was not amplified in serum samples from any of the seven patients with HCC and was found in liver in four patients. In the latter four patients, HBV DNA was integrated into the human genome of HCC. In two of these patients, covalently closed circular HBV (cccHBV) was also detected. The patients with HBV DNA integration were free of HCV for more than 3 yr. In two of the three patients without HBV DNA integration, the surrounding liver showed cirrhosis. The liver of HCC with HBV DNA integration had not progressed to cirrhosis. Three of the four tumors with HBV integration had one integration site each, located at chromosomes 11q12, 11q22-23, and 22q11, respectively. The other tumor had two integration sites, situated at chromosomes 11q13 and 14q32. At chromosome 11q12, HBV DNA was integrated into protein-coding genome, the function of which remains unclear.CONCLUSION:Integrated HBV DNA may play a role in hepatocarcinogenesis after the clearance of HCV by IFN treatment.
Brownian dynamics of chain polymers.

The effect of constrained bond lengths and angles on the Brownian dynamics of wormlike polymer chains is calculated analytically and compared with dynamical simulations. An analytical correspondence between constraints and internal friction is developed and illustrated. The approximate numerical evaluation of the constraint matrix and its correlations, characteristic of previous work, is replaced by an equilibrium simulation. Good agreement is found between the constraint formalism and dynamical simulations. With fluctuating hydrodynamic interaction included, the constraints generate a coupling between local motions and translational diffusion which causes a small decrease in the translational diffusion constant. The effects are similar to those found in a previous phenomenological study of the effects of internal friction on translational diffusion and do not vanish with increasing chain length.
On-board state-of-health estimation based on charging current analysis for LiFePO4 batteries

This paper proposes an on-board state-of-health (SoH) estimation method based on the charging current curve during the constant-voltage (CV) stage. Through analyzing the battery aging cycle data, the equivalent time constant based on the equivalent circuit model (ECM) is introduced to describe the dynamic characteristic of the current curve during the CV stage. In addition, only partial current curves are adopted to identify the equivalent time constant. Four lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are employed under test to validate the feasibility of the developed method. The results show that regardless of the adopted data length, the linear regression identified from one battery can be used to indicate the SoH of other three batteries within 1.5% error bound except a few outliers.
Human Urinary Glycoproteomics; Attachment Site Specific Analysis of N- and O-Linked Glycosylations by CID and ECD*

Urine is a complex mixture of proteins and waste products and a challenging biological fluid for biomarker discovery. Previous proteomic studies have identified more than 2800 urinary proteins but analyses aimed at unraveling glycan structures and glycosylation sites of urinary glycoproteins are lacking. Glycoproteomic characterization remains difficult because of the complexity of glycan structures found mainly on asparagine (N-linked) or serine/threonine (O-linked) residues. We have developed a glycoproteomic approach that combines efficient purification of urinary glycoproteins/glycopeptides with complementary MS-fragmentation techniques for glycopeptide analysis. Starting from clinical sample size, we eliminated interfering urinary compounds by dialysis and concentrated the purified urinary proteins by lyophilization. Sialylated urinary glycoproteins were conjugated to a solid support by hydrazide chemistry and trypsin digested. Desialylated glycopeptides, released through mild acid hydrolysis, were characterized by tandem MS experiments utilizing collision induced dissociation (CID) and electron capture dissociation fragmentation techniques. In CID-MS2, Hex5HexNAc4-N-Asn and HexHexNAc-O-Ser/Thr were typically observed, in agreement with known N-linked biantennary complex-type and O-linked core 1-like structures, respectively. Additional glycoforms for specific N- and O-linked glycopeptides were also identified, e.g. tetra-antennary N-glycans and fucosylated core 2-like O-glycans. Subsequent CID-MS3, of selected fragment-ions from the CID-MS2 analysis, generated peptide specific b- and y-ions that were used for peptide identification. In total, 58 N- and 63 O-linked glycopeptides from 53 glycoproteins were characterized with respect to glycan- and peptide sequences. The combination of CID and electron capture dissociation techniques allowed for the exact identification of Ser/Thr attachment site(s) for 40 of 57 putative O-glycosylation sites. We defined 29 O-glycosylation sites which have, to our knowledge, not been previously reported. This is the first study of human urinary glycoproteins where “intact” glycopeptides were studied, i.e. the presence of glycans and their attachment sites were proven without doubt.
Effective handwritten digit recognition based on multi-feature extraction and deep analysis

Handwritten digit recognition is an important research topic in computer vision and pattern recognition. This paper proposes an effective handwritten digit recognition approach based on specific multi-feature extraction and deep analysis. First, we normalize images of various sizes and stroke thickness in preprocessing to eliminate negative information and keep relevant features. Secondly, considering that handwritten digit image recognition is different from traditional image semantics recognition, we propose specific feature definitions, including structure features, distribution features and projection features. Moreover, we fuse multiple features into the deep neural networks for semantics recognition. Experiments results on benchmark database of MNIST handwritten digit images show that the performance of our algorithm is remarkable and demonstrate its superiority over several existing algorithms.
Lime mortar consolidation with nanostructured calcium hydroxide dispersions: the efficacy of different consolidating products for heritage conservation

This paper analyses the efficacy of dispersions of nanoparticles of calcium hydroxide for consolidating lime mortars, according to three variables: the type of dispersion (three consolidating compounds—CaLoSil ® , Nanorestore ® and Merck ® —with different-sized calcium hydroxide particles); the concentration of the dispersion (5 and 25 g/L of Ca(OH) 2 in isopropyl alcohol); and the state of the sample (comparison of saturated and non-saturated samples). The outcome of the consolidation process was studied in terms of improved carbonation of the mortar, mineralogy (by means of X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analyses), texture (study of the porosity by mercury intrusion porosimetry) and compactness (measurement of ultrasonic velocity propagation through samples). To ensure that the treatment had no negative effects on the physical characteristics of the mortars, we performed microstructural (phase morphology studied by means of scanning electron microscopy) and aesthetic (colour and lightness measured by spectrophotometry) analyses. Of the different dispersions, CaLoSil ® at 5 g/L produced the most significant improvement in the degree of carbonation and in the compactness of the mortar, thanks to the precipitation of small crystals of calcite and aragonite in the pores located between the matrix and the aggregate grains. This product also caused the least significant chromatic changes (slight decrease in lightness and yellowing) and the greatest increase in ultrasonic propagation velocity through the mortar samples. This research has specific application in restoration work that involves consolidation of lime mortars, especially in tropical climates or in confined environments with high humidity levels (such as deep hypogea).
Postpartum Mental Health Promotion: Perspectives from Mothers and Home Visitors.

OBJECTIVE The object of this study was to examine the implementation of the Towards Flourishing Mental Health Promotion Strategy, a demonstration project designed to promote the mental well-being of parents and their children that was added to an existing public health home visiting program. DESIGN AND SAMPLE Structured interviews were conducted with program stakeholders including 13 women receiving home visiting services in the postpartum period and 6 home visitors. MEASURES Thematic analysis of individual transcripts was conducted and results were compiled according to common themes. RESULTS The results indicate that women and home visitors perceived the integration of a mental health promotion strategy into an existing public health program as feasible, acceptable and useful. The strategy provides a mechanism for women and home visitors to dialog about mental health and appears to have early positive impacts on the women. Factors that facilitated and impeded the successful implementation of the strategy are described. CONCLUSION These results point to promising strategies to reach women early in the postpartum period to support their mental health. They also shed light on the barriers to supporting mental health, indicating the need to address stigma related to mental health and the social determinants of health.
Small antenna over AMC surface with/out vias

An electrically small split ring antenna is integrated with two miniaturised artificial magnetic conductors to form conformal platform tolerant antennas. Both the antenna and the AMCs utilise loading by discrete, lumped circuit elements. The two AMCs have identical designs but one of them has vias connecting from the ground plane to the surface patches. The performance of the antenna over AMCs with and without vias will be studied and the results will be discussed.
The SYNTAX Score: an angiographic tool grading the complexity of coronary artery disease.

1. Department of Interventional Cardiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Thoraxcenter Rotterdam, The Netherlands 2. Cardialysis BV, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 3. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center, Thoraxcenter, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 4. Institut Cardiovasculaire Paris Sud, Massy, France 5. San Raffaele Hospital, Milano, Italy 6. Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK 7. Ouderkerk aan den ijssel, The Netherlands 8. Boston Scientific Corporation, Maastricht, The Netherlands 9. Boston Scientific Corporation, Natick Massachusetts, USA 10. Herzzentrum, Leipzig, Germany
Analytical Modeling and Optimization of Pseudo-Direct Drive Permanent Magnet Machines for Large Wind Turbines

Analytical models for the prediction of the flux density distributions in the air gaps, permanent magnets (PMs), and iron regions of large pseudo-direct drives (PDDs) on no-load and on-load conditions are presented. Predictions from the analytical models are compared with those from 2-D finite-element analysis. It is shown that good agreements exist for the flux density distributions in the air, PM and iron regions, the transmitted torque and the torque ripple, as well as the iron loss in the stator core and the pole-pieces. Furthermore, design optimization studies are undertaken in order to determine the effects of the leading design parameters on the efficiency and masses of the active components of the PDD. It is shown that for a direct-drive 10 MW PDD, an efficiency of ~99% can be achieved with a total active mass of less than 65 tons.
Corruption, Culture, and Communism

Cultural factors, as measured by the two dimensions of values identified by Inglehart, explain 75% of the variation in the Perceived Corruption Index across non-communist countries. A strong ‘survival’ orientation contributes twice as much as a strong ‘traditional’ orientation to higher levels of corruption. When controlling for these cultural variables, communism and post-communism increase the levels of corruption even further, both directly and by contributing to heavier emphasis on survival values. Communism created structural incentives for engaging in corrupt behaviors, which became such a widespread fact of life that they became rooted in the culture in these societies – that is, the social norms and practices prevailing in communist societies. The transitions toward democracy and market economies have not yet erased this culture of corruption. In addition, the process of privatization itself has opened myriad opportunities for corruption. The effects are manifest in comparisons of corruption in non-communist and (post-)communist countries in five cultural zones.
SOX2 Modulates Reprogramming of Gene Expression in Two-Cell Mouse Embryos1

Sox2 is a key gene that controls transcriptional networks required for pluripotency. The role of Sox2 in the developmental transition of a highly differentiated oocyte to totipotent blastomeres of the early preimplantation embryo, however, is not known. We report that Sox2, which is localized in the nucleus, is first zygotically expressed during the 2-cell stage and that its expression dramatically increases between the morula and blastocyst stages. Injecting a cRNA encoding Sox2 into 1-cell embryos resulted in overexpression of SOX2 by approximately 70% and developmental arrest at the 2-cell stage, whereas injecting cRNAs encoding Pou5f1, Myc (also known as c-Myc), or Klf4 has little effect on the ability of 2-cell embryos to cleave to the 4-cell stage. Global transcription assessed by bromo uridine triphosphate incorporation is reduced by approximately 15%, and transcript profiling revealed that approximately 15% of zygotically expressed genes are dramatically repressed in 2-cell embryos overexpressing SOX2. Furthermore, overexpressing a dominant-negative SOX2 perturbs reprogramming of gene expression in 2-cell embryos, though to a much lesser extent than that observed following overexpression of SOX2, and leads to developmental failure after the 2-cell stage but before the 8-cell stage. Results of these experiments implicate Sox2 as a critical transcriptional regulator in the oocyte-to-embryo transition that entails formation of totipotent blastomeres and indicate that the amount of Sox2 is critical for successful execution of this transition.
Unconditional optimality of Gaussian attacks against continuous-variable quantum key distribution.

A fully general approach to the security analysis of continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) is presented. Provided that the quantum channel is estimated via the covariance matrix of the quadratures, Gaussian attacks are shown to be optimal against all collective eavesdropping strategies. The proof is made strikingly simple by combining a physical model of measurement, an entanglement-based description of CV-QKD, and a recent powerful result on the extremality of Gaussian states [M. M. Wolf, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 080502 (2006)10.1103/PhysRevLett.96. 080502].
Pollen tubes exhibit regular periodic membrane trafficking events in the absence of apical extension

The growing pollen tube provides an excellent single cell model system in which to study the mechanisms determining growth regulation, polarity and periodic behaviour. Previously, using FM4-64, we identified periodic movements within the apical vesicle accumulation that were related to the period of oscillatory growth. This suggested a more complex interdependence between membrane traffic, apical extension and periodicity than previously thought. To investigate this a comparison was made between normally growing and Brefeldin-A-treated, non-growing, tubes. Brefeldin-A treatment established an intriguing, stable yet dynamic system of membrane aggregations in the pollen tube tip that exhibited regular movements of material with a 5-7 second period compared with the normal ∼30 second periodicity observed in growing tubes. Heat treatment was found to reduce period length in both cases. After BFA treatment membrane was demonstrated to flow from the extreme pollen tube apex back through a distinct subapical Brefeldin-A-induced membrane accumulation. The effects of Brefeldin-A on the distribution of ER- and Golgi-targeted fluorescent proteins revealed that ER did not contribute directly to the system of membrane aggregations while only certain compartments of the Golgi might be involved. The involvement of membrane derived from the apical vesicle accumulation was strongly implicated. Calcium measurements revealed that Brefeldin-A abolished the typical tip-focused calcium gradient associated with growth and there were no obvious periodic fluctuations in apical calcium associated with the continued periodic Brefeldin-A membrane aggregation associated movements. Our experiments reveal an underlying periodicity in the pollen tube that is independent of secretion, apical extension and the oscillating tip-focused calcium gradient normally associated with growth, but requires an active actin cytoskeleton.
Automatic Building of a Semantic Model of Disease Symptoms Based on Text Corpus

The research described in the article refers to the study of data from the domain of medicine. The diagnostic test results are recorded in different ways. They may take the form of tables, graphs or images. Regardless of the original data format, it is possible to draw up their verbal description, which focuses on the description of the observed symptoms. Such descriptions make up the text corpora concerning individual diagnostic technologies. Knowledge on disease entities is stored in a similar manner. It has the form of text corpora, which contain descriptions of symptoms specific to individual diseases. By using natural language processing tools semantic models can be automatically extracted from the texts to describe particular diagnostic technologies and diseases. One of the obstacles is the fact that medical knowledge can be written in a natural language in many ways. The application of the semantic format allows the elimination of record ambiguities. Ultimately, we get a unified model of medical knowledge, both from the results of diagnostic technologies describing the state of the patient and knowledge of disease entities. This gives the possibility of merging data from different sources (heterogeneous data) to a homogeneous form. The article presents a method of generating a semantic model of medical knowledge, using lexical analysis of text corpora.
The effect of varying levels of outdoor-air supply on the symptoms of sick building syndrome.

BACKGROUND The sick building syndrome is the term given to a constellation of symptoms reported by workers in modern office buildings, hypothesized to occur when the supply of outdoor air is reduced, because of the accumulation of contaminants arising from within the building. We undertook this study to determine the effect of changing the supply of outdoor air in four office buildings on the symptoms reported by workers and their perception of the indoor environment. METHODS Within each of three consecutive two-week blocks, the ventilation systems in each building were manipulated, in random order, to deliver to the indoor environment an intended 20 or 50 ft3 (0.57 or 1.4 m3) of outdoor air per minute per person for one week at a time. Each week, the participants, unaware of the experimental intervention, reported symptoms and the indoor environment was thoroughly evaluated. RESULTS Of 1838 eligible workers in the four buildings, 1546 (84 percent) participated in the study. The supply of outdoor air averaged 7 percent and 32 percent in the ventilation systems and 30 and 64 ft3 (0.85 and 1.8 m3) per minute per person in the work sites at the lower and higher ventilation levels, respectively. These changes in the supply of outdoor air were not associated with changes in the participants' ratings of the office environment or in symptom frequency (crude odds ratio, 1.0; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.9 to 1.1). After work-site measures of ventilation, temperature, humidity, and air velocity were included in the regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratio was also 1.0 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.8 to 1.2). CONCLUSIONS Increases in the supply of outdoor air did not appear to affect workers' perceptions of their office environment or their reporting of symptoms considered typical of the sick building syndrome.
Young investigator challenge: MicroRNA‐21/MicroRNA‐126 profiling as a novel tool for the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma in pleural effusion cytology

In pleural effusion cytology, the distinction of malignant mesothelioma (MM) from reactive mesothelial cells (RMCs) may be challenging, even with the aid of immunocytochemistry or fluorescence in situ hybridization. It has been demonstrated that several microRNAs (miRNAs) are useful for this purpose in cell lines and histologic samples. In the current study, the authors evaluated the utility of an miRNA‐based classifier as a complement to cytology.