Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of endometrial cytology and metabolic profiles for selection of embryo donor cows.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of endometrial cytology and metabolic profiles for selection of donor cows in embryo transfer programmes. For this purpose, 69 clinically healthy Holstein cows were enrolled in the study. At the start of the superovulation procedure (Day 0), blood and endometrial samples were obtained to determine metabolic and uterine status, respectively. The cows were then subjected to porcine follicle stimulating hormone (pFSH) superovulation treatment, and embryos were recovered after 7 days. The mean number of embryos obtained per flush was 9.89 ± 8.21 (4.63 ± 5.34 viable embryos, 0.82 ± 2.01 degenerated embryos and 4.57 ± 6.44 unfertilized ova). The following statistically significant variables were entered in a regression model: beta-hydroxybutyrate, serum cholesterol, body condition, number of calvings and percentage of neutrophils. In almost all cases, the model explained some percentage of the variance: total number of embryos, 4.8% (p < 0.05); number of degenerate embryos, 4.2% (p = 0.051); and number of unfertilized ova, 14.2% (p < 0.01). Statistical models for the percentage of viable embryos and unfertilized ova accounted for 24.0% and 29.4% of the variance, respectively, and both were statistically significant (p < 0.01). The model for the percentage of degenerated embryos was statistically significant (p < 0.05) and explained 4.4% of the variance. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that positive energy balance and healthy uterus can improve ovarian response and the proportion of viable embryos in cows. Efficient tools for monitoring the metabolic and uterine status should therefore be used in bovine embryo transfer programmes. Additional key words: dairy cattle; embryo transfer; serum chemistry parameters; endometritis; neutrophils.
The Case for Stealth Innovation

You have an idea for an innovative project that could have a significant impact on your business. But you also suspect that your idea will meet internal resistance: If realized, it would upend the status quo, and if you were to send it through the regular process for creating new projects, other parts of the organization would probably try to kill it along the way. So what's your next step? The conventional answer is to get a mandate from the top. This strategy, however, carries its own set of risks. In most large firms, CEOs are constantly barraged with ideas for new projects, and most often, they give the pitches a five-minute perusal followed by a "no." And even if you do get the support from the top, the corporate spotlight can be a dangerous place for young, unproven ideas. In this article, authors Paddy Miller and Thomas Wedell Wedellsborg propose a different way to get your idea off the starting block: stealth innovation. They describe how to nurture your idea under the radar, which involves facing four key challenges: finding allies who can support you on the sly; building a proof of concept; accessing funds on the quiet; and developing a good cover story to deflect unwanted early attention from your idea. HBR Reprint R13O3G INSETS: Idea in Brief;When Should You Innovate Under the Radar?
Zidovudine and lamivudine reach higher concentrations in ventricular than in lumbar human cerebrospinal fluid.

OBJECTIVE For the treatment of HIV-1-related brain disease and for the prevention of the brain becoming a viral reservoir, it is important that antiretroviral agents reach sufficient concentrations in the CNS. To date, human brain pharmacokinetic data are solely derived from lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and mostly from single samples. DESIGN We determined concentrations of antiretroviral drugs in serial samples of ventricular CSF and compared these to the concentrations in serum and lumbar CSF of these patients. METHODS Two treatment-naïve HIV-1-infected patients received external ventricular drainage for obstructive hydrocephalus. With start of a combination antiretroviral regimen (cART), ventricular CSF with parallel serum, and later, lumbar CSF was frequently collected. Drug concentrations were determined and CSF-to-serum ratios were calculated. RESULTS High concentrations, resulting in high CSF-to-serum ratios, were found in the ventricular CSF of the three substances zidovudine, lamivudine, and indinavir, while this was not observed for stavudine, ritonavir, saquinavir and efavirenz. Concentrations of zidovudine and lamivudine were up to four times greater in CSF from the ventricles than in lumbar CSF of the same patient. The zidovudine concentrations in the ventricular CSF exceeded serum concentrations by a factor of 1.4. CONCLUSION Unexpectedly high concentrations of some antiretrovirals in the ventricular CSF, the site close to the brain parenchyma where HIV is located, should be considered when the cART regimen is aiming at CNS viral replication.
Novel interpretation of recent experiments on the dynamics of domain walls along ferrimagnetic strips

Domain wall motion along ferrimagnets is evaluated using micromagnetic simulations and a collective-coordinates model, both considering two sublattices with independent parameters. Analytical expressions are derived for strips on top of either a heavy metal or a substrate with negligible interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. The work focuses its findings in this latter case, with a field-driven domain wall motion depicting precessional dynamics which become rigid at the angular momentum compensation temperature, and a current-driven dynamics presenting more complex behavior, depending on the polarization factors for each sublattice. Importantly, our analyses provide also novel interpretation of recent evidence on current-driven domain wall motion, where walls move either along or against the current depending on temperature. Besides, our approach is able to substantiate the large non-adiabatic effective parameters found for these systems.
Habitat characteristics predict occupancy patterns of the endangered amphibian Litoria raniformis in flow-regulated flood plain wetlands.

Identification of habitat features that are strongly associated with the occurrence of threatened species is important in terms of predicting impacts of habitat change and identifying key habitats for conservation. In this paper, we apply habitat-based statistical models to predict occupancy patterns of the endangered southern bell frog (Litoria raniformis) across inland New South Wales (Australia). Litoria raniformis previously occupied a wide range of natural and man-made waterbodies across a large geographic range, including flood plain wetlands, oxbow lagoons, irrigation canals and rice bays. Alteration of natural flooding regimes has affected a large proportion of habitats within the historical range of Litoria raniformis, but it is not clear how these changes have influenced habitat occupancy patterns. Fifty-two waterbodies were surveyed for presence/absence of Litoria raniformis in 2001 and 2004. Stepwise logistic regression models were generated to select a subset of variables that best predicted occupancy. Using three predictor variables, vacant and occupied habitats could be predicted with an accuracy of 90% and 70%, respectively. The predictor variables were: the interaction between wetland hydrology and complexity of aquatic vegetation, complexity of fringing vegetation and water temperature. While this study demonstrated that a range of waterbody types were occupied by Litoria raniformis, these habitats shared common hydrological conditions and vegetation characteristics. Altered flooding regimes and reductions in the complexity of aquatic and fringing vegetation are likely to increase the probability of localized extinctions of Litoria raniformis populations.
Perceptual learning of detection of textures in noise

We examined whether the effects of practice on visual detection are stimulus specific and whether practice alters response bias. Eighty-four subjects performed yes-no detection of band-limited noise patterns (textures) in two levels of external noise, on two consecutive days. On day 2, one-half of the observers switched to novel textures. Texture contrast was varied on signal-present trials using the method of constant stimuli. The signal was present on 50% of the trials. We measured d′, detection thresholds, and two measures of response criterion: a global criterion that was based on sensitivity at all signal levels (Jones et al., 2015) and a local criterion computed at a hit rate of 70% or 80% (Wenger & Rasche, 2006). Performance improved for both groups on day 2, indicating that improvement transferred to novel textures. Increases in d′ were associated with a decrease in false alarms across days. The global criterion became less liberal and became more optimal (i.e., less biased) with practice; however, this effect was small and was not statistically significant in all conditions. The local criterion measure also became slightly less liberal with practice in most conditions, becoming more or less optimal depending on the hit rate at which it was computed. Overall, the effects of practice on sensitivity in a visual detection task generalized to novel patterns. In addition, we found that practice had relatively small effects on response criterion, and the precise effects on response bias differed between global and local measures of criterion.
Picoplankton Community Composition by CARD-FISH and Flow Cytometric Techniques: A Preliminary Study in Central Adriatic Sea Water

Data concerning picoplanktonic community composition and abundance in the Central Adriatic Sea are presented in an effort to improve the knowledge of bacterioplankton and autotrophic picoplankton and their seasonal changes. Flow cytometry analyses revealed the presence of two distinct bacteria populations: HNA and LNA cells. HNA cells showed an explicit correlation with viable and actively respiring cells. The study of viability and activity may increase our knowledge of the part that contributes really to the remineralization and bacterial biomass production. Authotrophic picoplankton abundance, especially picocyanobacteria, was strongly influenced by seasonality, indicating that light availability and water temperature are very important regulating factors. In terms of total carbon biomass, the main contribution came from heterotrophic bacteria with a lower contribution from autotrophic picoplankton. CARD-FISH evidenced, within the Eubacteria domain, the dominance of members of the phyla Alphaproteobacteria, with a strong contribution from SAR11clade, followed by Cytophaga-Flavobacterium and Gammaproteobacteria. The bacterial groups detected contributed differently depending when the sample was taken, suggesting possible seasonal patterns. This study documents for the first time picoplankton community composition in the Central Adriatic Sea using two different approaches, FCM and CARD-FISH, and could provide preliminary data for future studies.
Scaled Subprofile Modeling and Convolutional Neural Networks for the Identification of Parkinson's Disease in 3D Nuclear Imaging Data

Over the last years convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown remarkable results in different image classification tasks, including medical imaging. One area that has been less explored with CNNs is Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) is a PET technique employed to obtain a representation of brain metabolic function. In this study we employed 3D CNNs in FDG-PET brain images with the purpose of discriminating patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) from controls. We employed Scaled Subprofile Modeling using Principal Component Analysis as a preprocessing step to focus on specific brain regions and limit the number of voxels that are used as input for the CNNs, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio in our data. We performed hyperparameter optimization on three CNN architectures to estimate the classification accuracy of the networks on new data. The best performance that we obtained was accuracy = 0.86 and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC ROC) = 0.94 on the test set. We believe that, with larger datasets, PD patients could be reliably distinguished from controls by FDG-PET scans alone and that this technique could be applied to more clinically challenging tasks, like the differential diagnosis of neurological disorders with similar symptoms, such as PD, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).
Shadow rendering for improved volumetric visualization in real time 4D-OCT

Progress in swept source laser technology and graphics processing unit (GPU) realized live volumetric OCT (4D-OCT). Shadowing is one of advanced rendering techniques to add more realistic spatial comprehension to objects in space. We developed and implemented a shadow extended ray casting technique to be applied for real time 4D-OCT, using both a SS-OCT and SD-OCT. Our results show that the shadow extended ray casting technique achieves greater threedimensionality in volumetric data through self-shadowing, and also improves depth perception of objects in space because of planar shadows projected onto a surface. The shadowing algorithm was implemented using texture memory of the GPU, which achieves surgeon-interactive surgical guidance of ophthalmic microsurgery.
Parallel Conical Area Community Detection Using Evolutionary Multi-Objective Optimization

Detecting community structures helps to reveal the functional units of complex networks. In this paper, the community detection problem is regarded as a modularity-based multi-objective optimization problem (MOP), and a parallel conical area community detection algorithm (PCACD) is designed to solve this MOP effectively and efficiently. In consideration of the global properties of the selection and update mechanisms, PCACD employs a global island model and targeted elitist migration policy in a conical area evolutionary algorithm (CAEA) to discover community structures at different resolutions in parallel. Although each island is assigned only a portion of all sub-problems in the island model, it preserves a complete population to accomplish the global selection and update. Meanwhile the migration policy directly migrates each elitist individual to an appropriate island in charge of the sub-problem associated with this individual to share essential evolutionary achievements. In addition, a modularity-based greedy local search strategy is also applied to accelerate the convergence rate. Comparative experimental results on six real-world networks reveal that PCACD is capable of discovering potential high-quality community structures at diverse resolutions with satisfactory running efficiencies.
Barriers and facilitators towards colonoscopy: a qualitative systematic review.

OBJECTIVES Colonoscopy is integral in the early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC), be it for screening, diagnostic or therapeutic intentions. Despite the presence of multiple screening modalities, colonoscopy remains integral in providing a definitive CRC diagnosis. However, uptake rates remain low worldwide with minimal understanding towards stakeholders' perspectives. This systematic review is the first to outline the barriers and facilitators faced by providers and patients in receiving colonoscopy specifically. METHODS Using PRISMA guidelines, our systematic review consolidates findings from Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science Core collection. All perceptions of healthcare providers and screening participants aged 45 and above towards colonoscopy were included. RESULTS Forty-five articles were included in our review. Five major analytical themes were identified - procedural perceptions, personal experiences, thoughts and concerns, societal influences, doctor-patient relationship and healthcare system. The discrepancies in knowledge between patients and providers have evidently reduced in the present decade, potentially attributable to the rising influence of social media. The sharing of providers' personal experiences, involvement of patients' family in colonoscopy recommendations and propagation of patients' positive recounts were also more apparent in the past compared to the present decade, highlighting the need to reevaluate the balance between medical confidentiality and personal touch. Additionally, Asian patients were reportedly more apathetic towards CRC diagnosis due to their strong belief in destiny, a crucial association consistent with present studies. CONCLUSION This study highlights pertinent gaps in our healthcare system, providing crucial groundwork for interventions to be enacted in engendering higher colonoscopy uptake rates.
Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 for Designers Textbook

Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 for Designers is a comprehensive textbook that introduces the users to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0, a feature-based 3D parametric solid modeling software. The textbook covers all major environments of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 with a thorough explanation of all tools, options, and their applications to create real-world products. About 60 mechanical engineering industry examples are used as tutorials and an additional 40 as exercises to ensure that the users can relate their knowledge and understand the design techniques used in the industry. After reading the textbook, the users will be able to create parts and assemblies, and then render them, create drawing views with bill of materials, and learn the editing techniques that are essential to make a successful design. Also, in this textbook, the author emphasizes on the solid modeling techniques that will help in improving the productivity and efficiency of the users. Salient Features of the Textbook Consists of 16 pedagogical sequenced chapters covering the Sketching, Modeling, Assembly, Drafting, Surfacing, and Sheet Metal environments of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0. The first page of every chapter summarizes the topics that will be covered in it. Real-world projects and examples focusing on industry experience. Step-by-step examples that guide the users through the learning process. Additional information is provided throughout the textbook in the form of tips and notes. Self-Evaluation test and review questions are provided at the end of each chapter so that the users can assess their knowledge. Free Teaching and Learning Resources CADCIM Technologies provides the following Free Teaching and Learning Resources with this textbook: Technical support by contacting techsupport@cadcim.com Drawing files of the models used in illustrations, examples, and exercises Customizable PowerPoint presentations of every chapter in this textbook Instructor's guide that provides solutions to review questions and exercises Student projects to enhance the skills
Translation and cultural adaptation of the Sleep Apnea Clinical Score for use in Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective: To translate the Sleep Apnea Clinical Score (SACS) into Brazilian Portuguese and adapt it to the cultural setting, validating it for use as a screening method for polysomnography and as a tool to quantify the risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in individuals in Brazil. Methods: The translation was performed by two professionals, with subsequent synthesis of the translations. From that version, a back-translation was prepared, revised, and compared with the original by a team of experts. As a pre-test, a consensus version was applied in 20 patients randomly selected from among those under treatment at outpatient clinics at the Piquet Carneiro Polyclinic of the State University of Rio de Janeiro, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, to assess their understanding of the questions. In the validation phase, the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the SACS was applied in 86 patients who subsequently underwent polysomnography, regardless of the SACS result. Results: The analyses of the pre-test phase showed that the SACS was easily understood by the patients. In the validation phase, the SACS showed a sensitivity of 45.3% (95% CI: 32.8-58.2%), a specificity of 90.9% (95% CI: 70.8-98.9%), a positive predictive value of 93.5% (95% CI: 79.0-98.2%), a negative predictive value of 36.4% (95% CI: 30.6-42.5%), and an accuracy of 57.0% (95% CI: 45.8-67.6%). Conclusions: The Brazilian-Portuguese version of the SACS can be used in order to assess the risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
Modelling the habitat preferences of preadult and adult fishes on the shoreline of the large, lowland Elbe River

Summary From the years 1997 to 2000, fish assemblages from 15 groyne fields and training walls (a current guiding dyke, protecting the groyne field) of the Middle Elbe River (Germany) were examined by electrofishing. The aim of the study was to detect abiotic environmental key variables which determine preadult and adult fish assemblage in typical riverbank structures using multivariate ordination techniques (canonical correspondence analysis) and univariate methods (logistic regression analysis). Habitat preferences of preadult and adult stages of selected fish species were also estimated. Fish sampling was carried out at 190 river stretches; a further 1615 samples were taken by the point-abundance sampling method. In total, 21 732 preadult and adult individuals belonging to 30 fish species were caught; perch, eel, ide, roach, chub, gudgeon, bleak and white bream were the most frequent. Eurytopic species clearly dominated the fish assemblage with 72% total abundance, followed by rheophilic species (26%). Limnophilic fish species (rudd, crucian carp, stickleback and tench) were relatively rare (2% of total abundance), with frequencies of occurrence between 1 and 10%. The highest species diversities were estimated in structurally diverse training walls and groyne fields with defective groynes, whereas low species diversity was found to occur in poorly structured, strongly silted groyne fields with intact groynes. Additionally, typical seasonal and annual changes of the fish assemblage were observed. From the mesoscalic point of view, the structure of the preadult and adult fish assemblage was affected by both spatial (type of groyne field, river stretch) and temporal factors (year, season). Regarding the microhabitat, hydromorphological parameters (slope, current velocity, water level, predominant and secondary substrate) followed by physicochemical water values [dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature and pH-value] are of significance for the structure of the fish community. Furthermore, hiding places (shelter) are of subordinate but significant importance for the fish assemblage in the poorly structured main channel of the Elbe River. Importance of hydromorphological factors on the microhabitat scale was confirmed by multiple logistic regression in 12 of 14 preference models, conducted for different ontogenetic stages of roach, bream, white bream, bleak, ide, chub, gudgeon, asp, perch and eel. Habitat preferences of adult bleak and preadult roach were first determined by physicochemical water values and seasonal influences. Univariate models were generated to describe specific habitat preferences of different species and age-stages regarding the most important environmental variables (depth, velocity, predominant substrate, slope and shelter). Intraspecific differences were noticed between preadult and adult chub regarding preferences for water velocity, or between preadult and adult perch concerning slope of shore. Interspecific differences were observed, e.g. between adult roach and white bream, with regard to the use of shelters.