Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of dietary lipoic acid on metabolic hormones and acute-phase proteins during challenge with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus in cattle.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of dietary supplemental lipoic acid (LA) on serum concentrations of metabolic hormones and acute-phase proteins of steers challenged with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV). ANIMALS 32 steers. PROCEDURES Steers were randomly assigned to 4 treatments: negative control (NC; no LA, no IBRV challenge), control (CON; no LA, IBRV challenge), 16 mg of LA/kg of body weight (BW)/d plus IBRV challenge (LA16), and 32 mg of LA/kg of BW/d plus IBRV challenge (LA32). Following a 21-day adaptation period, CON, LA16, and LA32 steers received IBRV (2 mL/nostril [day 0]); NC steers received saline (0.9% NaCl) solution. Blood samples, nasal swab specimens, BW, and rectal temperatures were obtained 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days after challenge. Serum was analyzed for concentrations of haptoglobin, amyloid-A, leptin, and anti-IBRV antibodies. RESULTS Steers fed LA32 began gaining BW by day 7, whereas BW of CON and LA16 steers declined. Serum haptoglobin concentration of LA32 steers was lower than that of CON and LA16 steers on day 7. Serum neutralization titers for 30 of 32 steers were negative for anti-IBRV antibodies before challenge; however, all steers (including NCs) had antibodies on day 21. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that LA supplementation augmented certain aspects of the immune response; LA32 steers had a more rapid recovery from IBRV viral challenge than did others.
Tests for physical function of the elderly with knee and hip osteoarthritis

This study reports the results of a battery of physical function tests used to assess physical function of older patients with clinical knee and/or hip osteoarthritis (OA), and the correlation to the WOMAC Index (disease‐specific questionnaire). A total of 106 sedentary subjects, aged >60 years (mean 69.4, S.D. 5.9) with hip and/or knee OA (mean 12.2 yrs, S.D. 11.0) participated in the study. Mobility, joint flexibility and muscle strength were evaluated by recording time to: walk a distance of 8′, ascend/descend 4 stairs, rise from/sit down from a chair (5 times). Hip/knee flexion and isometric quadriceps strength were also measured. Categories of performance were formed by dividing data into quartiles for each test (1=highest, 4=lowest score, 5=unable to complete) and, by summing the category scores, a total summary score (TSS) was obtained. The battery of physical function tests showed an acceptable test–retest reliability (ICC of all tasks ≥0.80) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥0.80). Performance scores on walking, stair climb, chair‐rise and ROM of affected OA joints were significantly correlated with each other, and with the WOMAC Index (P<0.05, Spearman's correlation). Lower scores on the TSS were associated with lower scores on all the WOMAC Index items (P<0.001). This study shows that a simple battery of physical function tests in combination with the WOMAC Index are reliable and may be useful outcome measures in the evaluation of therapeutic interventions and geriatric rehabilitation.
No Clear Link between G Loadings and Heritability: A Twin Study from Korea

A fundamental theoretical question in intelligence research is to what extent the g factor and heritability coefficients of the subtests of an IQ battery are correlated. Five studies from Western countries showed modest to strong positive correlations (range = 43-.77), and six studies from a Japanese meta-analysis showed zero to modest correlations (range = −0.01–0.59). The Western and Japanese studies were compared with a Korean sample of 24 monozygotic and 20 dizygotic young adult twin pairs administered the Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R). A univariate twin model was applied to all subscale scores leading to estimates of heritability for all scales, g loadings were also computed using principal-axis factor analysis. Finally, the correlation between the heritabilities and the g loadings of these scales were computed. The correlations of r = −. 15 were not in line with previous studies. It could be that Spearman's hypothesis is less strongly confirmed for Northeast Asians, but it is also possible that the study will be an outlier in a future meta-analysis. More primary research and a meta-analysis of all studies are needed.
Recruitment of cdk9 to the Immediate-Early Viral Transcriptosomes during Human Cytomegalovirus Infection Requires Efficient Binding to Cyclin T1, a Threshold Level of IE2 86, and Active Transcription

ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection results in the formation of nuclear viral transcriptosomes, which are sites dedicated to viral immediate-early (IE) transcription. At IE times of the infection, viral and cellular factors, including several components of transcription such as cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (cdk9), localize at these sites. To determine the mechanism and requirements of specific recruitment of cdk9 to the viral transcriptosomes, infection in the presence of inhibitor drugs and infection of cell lines expressing exogenous mutant cdk9 were performed. We found that cdk9 localization to the viral transcriptosomes requires de novo protein synthesis. In addition, active transcription is required for recruitment and maintenance of cdk9 at the viral transcriptosomes. In cells infected with a recombinant IE2 HCMV (IE2 86 ΔSX virus) in which IE2 gene expression is greatly reduced, cdk9 localization at the transcriptosome is delayed and corresponds to the kinetics of accumulation of the IE2 protein at these sites. Infection in the presence of the cdk9 inhibitors Flavopiridol and DRB (5,6-dichloro-1-β-d-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole) allowed cdk9 localization to the viral transcriptosomes. A kinase-inactive cdk9 (D167N) expressed during the infection also localizes to the viral transcriptosomes, indicating that kinase activity of cdk9 is not a requirement for its localization to the sites of IE transcription. Exogenous expression of additional cdk9 mutants indicates that binding of Brd4 to the cdk9 complex is not required but that efficient binding to cyclin T1 is essential.
Flow Cytometric Analysis of Marine Bacteria with Hoechst 33342

We investigated the accuracy and precision of flow cytometric (FCM) estimates of bacterial abundances using 4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and Hoechst 33342 (HO342, a bisbenzamide derivative) on paraformaldehyde-fixed seawater samples collected from two stations near Oahu, Hawaii. The accuracy of FCM estimates was assessed against direct counts by using epifluorescence microscopy. DAPI and HO342 differ in two aspects of their chemistry that make HO342 better suited for staining marine heterotrophic bacteria for FCM analysis. These differences are most important in studies of open-ocean ecosystems that require dual-beam FCM analysis to clearly separate heterotrophic bacterial populations from populations of photosynthetic Prochlorococcus spp. Bacterial populations were easier to distinguish from background fluorescence when stained with HO342 than when stained with DAPI, because HO342 has a higher relative fluorescence quantum yield. A substantially higher coefficient of variation of blue fluorescence, which was probably due to fluorescent complexes formed by DAPI with double-stranded RNA, was observed for DAPI-stained populations. FCM estimates averaged 2.0 and 12% higher than corresponding epifluorescence microscopy direct counts for HO342 and DAPI-stained samples, respectively. A paired-sample t test between FCM estimates and direct counts found no significant difference for HO342-stained samples but a significant difference for DAPI-stained samples. Coefficients of variation of replicate FCM abundance estimates ranged from 0.63 to 2.9% (average, 1.5%) for natural bacterial concentrations of 6 × 105 to 15 × 105 cells ml-1.
Basolateral Amygdala Response to Food Cues in the Absence of Hunger Is Associated with Weight Gain Susceptibility

In rodents, food-predictive cues elicit eating in the absence of hunger (Weingarten, 1983). This behavior is disrupted by the disconnection of amygdala pathways to the lateral hypothalamus (Petrovich et al., 2002). Whether this circuit contributes to long-term weight gain is unknown. Using fMRI in 32 healthy individuals, we demonstrate here that the amygdala response to the taste of a milkshake when sated but not hungry positively predicts weight change. This effect is independent of sex, initial BMI, and total circulating ghrelin levels, but it is only present in individuals who do not carry a copy of the A1 allele of the Taq1A polymorphism. In contrast, A1 allele carriers, who have decreased D2 receptor density (Blum et al., 1996), show a positive association between caudate response and weight change. Regardless of genotype, however, dynamic causal modeling supports unidirectional gustatory input from basolateral amygdala (BLA) to hypothalamus in sated subjects. This finding suggests that, as in rodents, external cues gain access to the homeostatic control circuits of the human hypothalamus via the amygdala. In contrast, during hunger, gustatory inputs enter the hypothalamus and drive bidirectional connectivity with the amygdala. These findings implicate the BLA–hypothalamic circuit in long-term weight change related to nonhomeostatic eating and provide compelling evidence that distinct brain mechanisms confer susceptibility to weight gain depending upon individual differences in dopamine signaling.
Comparison between intubation and the laryngeal mask airway in moderately obese adults

Background: Obesity is a well‐established risk factor for perioperative pulmonary complications. Anaesthetic drugs and the effect of obesity on respiratory mechanics are responsible for these pathophysiological changes, but tracheal intubation with muscle relaxation may also contribute. This study evaluates the influence of airway management, i.e. intubation vs. laryngeal mask airway (LMA), on postoperative lung volumes and arterial oxygen saturation in the early postoperative period.
Protective effect of N-acetylcysteine activated carbon release microcapsule on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

With the development of science and technology, and development of artery bypass, methods such as cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation have been practiced in recent years. Despite this, some methods fail to promote or recover the function of tissues and organs, and in some cases, may aggravate dysfunction and structural damage to tissues. The latter is typical of ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Lipid peroxidation mediated by free radicals is an important process of myocardial IR injury. Myocardial IR has been demonstrated to induce the formation of large numbers of free radicals in rats, which promotes the peroxidation of lipids within unsaturated fatty acids in the myocardial cell membrane. Markers of lipid peroxidation include malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and lactic dehydrogenase. Recent studies have demonstrated that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is able to dilate blood vessels, prevent oxidative damage, improve immunity, inhibit apoptosis and the inflammatory response and promote glutathione synthesis in cells. NAC also improves the systolic function of myocardial cells and cardiac function, prevents myocardial apoptosis, protects ventricular remodeling and vascular remodeling, reduces opiomelanocortin levels in the serum and increases the content of nitric oxide in the serum, thus improving vascular endothelial function. Therefore, NAC has potent pharmacological activity; however, the relatively fast metabolism of NAC, along with its large clinical dose and low bioavailability, limit its applications. The present study combined NAC with medicinal activated carbons, and prepared N-acetylcysteine activated carbon sustained-release microcapsules (ACNACs) to overcome the limitations of NAC. It was demonstrated that ACNACs exerted greater effective protective effects than NAC alone on myocardial IR injury in rats.
Developing organisational learning through QC story

Continuous improvement or more generally improvement is a necessity for companies in a dynamic context. The effectiveness and efficiency of such improvement can foster company sustainability, particularly if it exhibits characteristics of a learning organisation. This paper shows a methodology to develop organisational learning through the use of one quality improvement methodology known as Quality Control (QC) Story. The work is based on a case study from a manufacturer of electronic products. It describes QC Story application over 10 years and its effects on key performance indicators. Organisational learning is assessed through a questionnaire survey. A method to manage knowledge based on a lessons-learned procedure is described and a generalisation is induced. Results suggest that repetitive use of QC story along with the presented procedure of lessons-learned contributes to improving processes performance over long periods. It is also concluded that this company using the presented procedure exhibit characteristics of a learning organisation.
Lower extremity variability changes with drop-landing height manipulations

ABSTRACT Landing is a common lower extremity injury mechanism in sport, with potential connections to movement control accessed through variability measures. We investigated intra-subject lower extremity variability changes following drop-landing height manipulations using standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) among lower extremity peak sagittal joint angles and moments. Fourteen healthy participants completed five drop-landing trials from five heights 20%, 60%, 100%, 140% and 180% maximum vertical jump height (MVJH). Peak joint angles and moments increased with greater landing height (p < 0.001), highlighting inter-joint differences (Flexion: Knee > Hip > Ankle, p < 0.001; Extensor Moment: Hip > Knee > Ankle, in excess of 60% MVJH, p < 0.05). Kinematic and kinetic SD increased with variable magnitudes, while CV decreased at greater landing heights (p ≤ 0.016). Decreased relative variability under greater task demands may underscore non-contact injury mechanisms from repetitive loading of identical structures.
A new architecture for coherent M-PSK receivers

In a series of papers in recent years new structures for coherent M-PSK (M-ary Phase Shift Keying) receivers were suggested. These include structures for carrier phase detectors for the carrier PLL (Phase Lock Loop), carrier PLL lock detectors, symbol timing error detectors, symbol synchronization PLL lock detectors, carrier and symbol PLL loop filters, and SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) estimators. Taken together, it can be said that these structures define a new architecture for coherent M-PSK receivers. This architecture has several unique characteristics: (a) it is very suitable for compact implementation within an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit); (b) it is resilient to AGC (Automatic Gain Control) imperfections; (c) it is particularly optimized for implementation using fixed-point binary arithmetic. In this paper we review the aforementioned structures and the interrelationships between them and discuss various optimizations and implementation details of the proposed receiver architecture. Because of the suitability of the proposed architecture with regards to fixed-point hardware implementations, it is particularly suitable for low-power operation and high data rates, both of which are very important attributes in contemporary communications systems. Results obtained through hardware implementation of the proposed architecture are presented and are compared to theoretical results. We also briefly discuss possible applications of the proposed structures to other related modulations, such as D-MPSK (Differential M-PSK), QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), OMPSK (Offset MPSK), MSK (Minimum Shift Keying), GMSK (Gaussian MSK), and other CPM modulations, as well as for hierarchical constellations and cognitive radio.
A PCR method for the identification of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from screening swabs

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the discriminatory power and potential turn around time (TAT) of a PCR‐based method for the detection of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from screening swabs. Methods: Screening swabs were examined using the current laboratory protocol of direct culture on mannitol salt agar supplemented with oxacillin (MSAO‐direct). The PCR method involved pre‐incubation in broth for 4 hours followed by a multiplex PCR with primers directed to mecA and nuc genes of MRSA. The reference standard was determined by pre‐incubation in broth for 4 hours followed by culture on MSAO (MSAO‐broth). Results: A total of 256 swabs was analysed. The rates of detection of MRSA using MSAO‐direct, MSAO‐broth and PCR were 10.2, 13.3 and 10.2%, respectively. For PCR, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values were 66.7% (95%CI 51.9–83.3%), 98.6% (95%CI 97.1–100%), 84.6% (95%CI 76.2–100%) and 95.2% (95%CI 92.4–98.0%), respectively, and these results were almost identical to those obtained from MSAO‐direct. The agreement between MSAO‐direct and PCR was 61.5% (95%CI 42.8–80.2%) for positive results, 95.6% (95%CI 93.0–98.2%) for negative results and overall was 92.2% (95%CI 88.9–95.5%). Conclusions: (1) The discriminatory power of PCR and MSAO‐direct is similar but the level of agreement, especially for true positive results, is low. (2) The potential TAT for the PCR method provides a marked advantage over conventional methods. (3) Further modifications to the PCR method such as increased broth incubation time, use of selective broth and adaptation to real‐time PCR may lead to improvement in sensitivity and TAT.
Distinct α subunits of the GABAA receptor are responsible for early hippocampal silent neuron‐related activities

The modulatory actions of GABAA receptor subunits are crucial for morphological and transcriptional neuronal activities. In this study, growth of hamster hippocampal neurons on biohybrid membrane substrates allowed us to show for the first time that the two major GABAA α receptor subunits (α2,5) are capable of early neuronal shaping plus expression differences of some of the main neuronal cytoskeletal factors (GAP‐43, the neurotrophin––BDNF) and of Gluergic subtypes. In a first case the inverse α5 agonist (RY‐080) seemed to account for the reduction of dendritic length at DIV7, very likely via lower BDNF levels. Conversely, the effects of the preferentially specific agonist for hippocampal α2 subunit (flunitrazepam) were, instead, directed at the formation of growth cones at DIV3 in the presence of greatly (P < 0.01) diminished GAP‐43 levels as displayed by strongly reduced axonal sprouting. It is interesting to note that concomitantly to these morphological variations, the transcription of some Gluergic receptor subtypes resulted to be altered. In particular, flunitrazepam was responsible for a distinctly rising expression of axonal NR1 mRNA levels from DIV3 (P < 0.01) until DIV7 (P < 0.001), whereas RY‐080 evoked a very great (P < 0.001) downregulation of dendritic GluR2 at only DIV7. Together, our results demonstrate that GABAA α2,5 receptor‐containing subunits by regulating the precise synchronization of cytoskeletal factors are considered key modulating neuronal elements of hippocampal morphological growth features. Moreover, the notable NR1 and GluR2 transcription differences promoted by these GABAA α subunits tend to favorably corroborate the early role of α2 + α5 on hippocampal neuronal networks in hibernating rodents through the recruitment and activation of silent neurons, and this may provide useful insights regarding molecular neurodegenerative events. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Teachers’ Knowledge, Use, and Opinions of Online Resource Centers for Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Learning Disabilities

Students with learning disabilities represent a group of students who are frequently most in need of high-quality instruction in order to meet the academic goals consistent with their nondisabled peers (Kretlow & Blatz, 2011). Despite the existence of several easily accessible, free online resources and federal mandates in laws such as those in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004), research has found that teachers still fail to implement evidence-based practices in their instruction (Cook, Smith & Tankersley, 2012). The purpose of this study was to measure the level of knowledge held by teachers about online resource centers, their use of five particular online resource centers, and their opinions of the value of the resources at these sites. To this end, 410 teachers in one suburban district in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States were invited to participate in a quantitative survey. This instrument was developed by the researcher for the purpose of this study. Results indicated that the majority of teachers lacked familiarity with these online resource centers. However, those who were familiar and had used such resources reported them as being somewhat to very valuable in determining instructional practices for students with learning disabilities.
Promoter methylation of cyclin A1 is associated with human papillomavirus 16 induced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma independently of p53 mutation

Aberrant promoter methylation of specific genes and infection with human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) are known risk factors for the development of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC). Little knowledge exists on the interaction of HPV16 infection and promoter methylation in HNSCC. The promoter methylation status of 12 genes (TIMP3, CDH1, CDKN2A, DAPK1, transcription factor 21 (TCF21), CD44, MLH1, MGMT, RASSF1, cyclin A1 (CCNA1), LARS2, and CEBPA) was evaluated by methylation‐specific polymerase chain reaction in 55 primary HNSCC and 31 controls. The results were correlated with HPV16 status and clinicopathological characteristics. CCNA1 and p53 protein expression were additionally determined by immunohistochemistry and compared with p53 mutation status. Methylation of DAPK1 (P = 0.043), CCNA1 (P = 0.016) and TCF21 (P = 0.0005) was significantly more present in HNSCC than in controls. The genes TIMP3 (P = 0.018) and CCNA1 (P = 0.015) showed higher methylation frequency in HPV16 positive HNSCC compared to HPV16 negative tumors. CCNA1 methylation did not correlate with CCNA1 protein expression and p53 mutation, respectively. Methylation of TCF21 was associated with higher age (P = 0.044) and nicotine abuse (P = 0.035). Methylation of CCNA1 was significantly more present in females (P = 0.003). Methylation of TCF21 and CCNA1 are important risk factors for HNSCC development. CCNA1 methylation may play a crucial role in HPV16‐induced carcinogenesis of HNSCC independently of p53. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.