Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ovarian function in dairy cattle after gonadotropin-releasing hormone treatments during perioestrus

ORIGINAL ARTICLES ABBREVIATIONS 10 INTRODUCTION REVIEW OF LITERATURE 13 1. Normal oestrous cycle of cattle 2. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone 13 3. Applications of GnRH for reproductive management 17 4. GnRH treatments during perioestrus and at the time of AI to improve fertility. 18 4.1. The effect of GnRH treatments on pregnancy rate 18 4.2. Mechanisms and factors through which GnRH may modify fertility 26 5. Possible negative effects of GnRH administered during perioestrus. AIMS MATERIALS AND METHODS 1. Animals 32 2. Experimental design 2.1. GnRH during induced prooestrus (I) 33 2.2. GnRH during metoestrus (II) 2.3. Incidence of short oestrous cycles and oestrous signs after GnRH (III) 35 2.4. Short oestrous cycles and 15-ketodihydro-PGF2α (IV) 3. Ovarian examinations 36 4. Hormone analyses 37 4.1. Progesterone 4.2. Oestradiol-17β (I) 38 4.3. 15-Ketodihydro-PGF2α (IV) 38 5. Statistical analysis 39 RESULTS 40 1. Effect of PG (I, III, IV) 1.1. Luteolytic effect 1.2. Effect on ovulation 2. Effect of GnRH on size and growth of ovulatory follicle (I, II, IV). 3. Effect of GnRH on oestradiol-17β during PG-induced oestrus (I) 4. Ovulations induced with GnRH (I, III, IV) 9 6
Regulation of Ste7 Ubiquitination by Ste11 Phosphorylation and the Skp1-Cullin-F-box Complex*

Ste7 is a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase that mediates pheromone signaling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We showed previously that Ste7 is ubiquitinated upon prolonged stimulation by pheromone and that accumulation of ubiquitinated Ste7 results in enhanced transcription and cell division arrest responses (Wang, Y., and Dohlman, H. G. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 15766–15772). We now report that ubiquitination of Ste7 requires Ste11 kinase and Skp1/Cullin/F-box (SCF) ubiquitin-conjugating activities. Ste7 is not ubiquitinated in Ste11-deficient cells or when the Ste11 phosphorylation sites have been mutated. Ste7 ubiquitination and degradation (but not phosphorylation) is specifically blocked in mutants defective for the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Cdc34 or the cullin homologue Cdc53. Both are components of the SCF complex that ubiquitinates proteins during the G1-S transition of the cell cycle. Our findings suggest that SCF promotes the ubiquitination and degradation of Ste7, thereby favoring the resumption of cell division cycling after pheromone-induced growth arrest.
CtrA response regulator binding to the Caulobacter chromosome replication origin is required during nutrient and antibiotic stress as well as during cell cycle progression

The Caulobacter crescentus chromosome replication origin (Cori) has five binding sites for CtrA, an OmpR/PhoB family ‘response regulator’. CtrA is degraded in replicating ‘stalked’ cells but is abundant in the non‐replicating ‘swarmer’ cells, where it was proposed to repress replication by binding to Cori. We systematically mutated all Cori CtrA binding sites, and examined their consequences in the contexts of autonomous Cori‐plasmid replication and in the natural chromosome locus. Remarkably, the C. crescentus chromosome tolerates severe mutations in all five CtrA binding sites, demonstrating that CtrA is not essential for replication. Further physiological and cell cycle experiments more rigorously supported the original hypothesis that CtrA represses replication. However, our experiments argued against another hypothesis that residual and/or replenished CtrA protein in stalked cells might prevent extra or unscheduled chromosome replication before cell division. Surprisingly, we also demonstrated that Cori CtrA binding sites are very advantageous and can become essential when cells encounter nutrients and antibiotics. Therefore, the CtrA cell cycle regulator co‐ordinates replication with viable cell growth in stressful and rapidly changing environments. We argue that this new role for CtrA provided the primary selective pressure for evolving control by CtrA.
Selective Stylization for Visually Uniform Tangible AR

In tangible user interfaces, physical props are used for direct interaction with a computer system. Tangible interaction applications often use augmented reality display techniques in order to overlay virtual graphical objects over the interaction area. This typically leads to the problem that the virtual augmentations have a distinct, simple computer-generated look, which makes them easily distinguishable from the real environment and physical props. Here, we present a new style of tangible interaction, which seamlessly combines real objects and graphical models. In the tangible user interaction zone of our system, physical objects and virtual models are displayed in the same technical illustration style. Regions outside of the interaction zone, and also the user's hands, are shown unaltered in order to maintain an unmodified visual feedback in these areas. Our example application is a tangible urban planning environment, in which the placement of both real and virtual building models affects the flow of wind and the casting of shadows. We describe the real-time rendering pipeline which generates the selectively stylized output images in the tangible interaction system and discuss the functionality of the urban planning application.
Investigating the Temporal Effect of User Preferences with Application in Movie Recommendation

As the rapid development of mobile Internet and smart devices, more and more online content providers begin to collect the preferences of their customers through various apps on mobile devices. These preferences could be largely reflected by the ratings on the online items with explicit scores. Both of positive and negative ratings are helpful for recommender systems to provide relevant items to a target user. Based on the empirical analysis of three real-world movie-rating data sets, we observe that users’ rating criterions change over time, and past positive and negative ratings have different influences on users’ future preferences. Given this, we propose a recommendation model on a session-based temporal graph, considering the difference of long- and short-term preferences, and the different temporal effect of positive and negative ratings. The extensive experiment results validate the significant accuracy improvement of our proposed model compared with the state-of-the-art methods.
Non-Negativity Conditions for the Hyperbolic GARCH Model

In this article we derive conditions which ensure the non-negativity of the conditional variance in the Hyperbolic GARCH(p,d,q) (HYGARCH) model of Davidson (2004). The conditions are necessary and sufficient for p=1 and sufficient for p>=2 and emerge as natural extensions of the inequality constraints derived in Nelson and Cao (1992) and Tsai and Chan (2008) for the GARCH model and in Conrad and Haag (2006) for the FIGARCH model. As a by-product we obtain a representation of the ARCH([infinity]) coefficients which allows computationally efficient multi-step-ahead forecasting of the conditional variance of a HYGARCH process. We also relate the necessary and sufficient parameter set of the HYGARCH to the necessary and sufficient parameter sets of its GARCH and FIGARCH components. Finally, we analyze the effects of erroneously fitting a FIGARCH model to a data sample which was truly generated by a HYGARCH process. Empirical applications of the HYGARCH(1,d,1) model to daily NYSE and DAX30 data illustrate the importance of our results.
Feasibility of a Comfort Care Protocol Using Oral Transmucosal Medication Delivery in a Palliative Neonatal Population.

BACKGROUND The oral transmucosal (OTM) route for administration of comfort medication in infants at the end-of-life has long been favored by our pediatric palliative care team but has rarely been described in the literature. OBJECTIVE To determine the feasibility of implementing a standardized comfort care protocol using OTM medications in dying neonates. METHOD A comfort protocol prescribing medication by the OTM route and standardized assessment were established. Each infant included in the study was assessed with the Neonatal Pain, Agitation, and Sedation Scale (N-PASS). Caretakers' satisfaction was assessed using a questionnaire. The feasibility of implementing the protocol was determined by the proportion of assessments done when required, the rate of termination of the protocol, and the feedback from nurses using the protocol. RESULTS Twelve patients were enrolled. Regular evaluations were performed 85% of the time. When the medication was given as needed, 71% of cases were evaluated before versus 63% when regular doses were given. The as-needed doses were followed by an assessment 30 minutes later in 49% of cases and in 41%, 60 minutes later, for a total of 64% in the hour after medication administration. The protocol was discontinued only for two patients who were discharged to continue end-of-life care at home. There were no significant adverse events reported. Finally, 17 of 18 nurses said they would recommend this protocol to other institutions. CONCLUSION In the context of neonatal palliative care, the implementation of a standardized protocol for administration of drugs by the OTM route is feasible and safe. However, in the context of this study, adherence was limited because of too-frequent evaluations and misunderstanding of the protocol.
A multi-case study of the ways music learning is used to meet the social, emotional and cultural challenges experienced by refugees and asylum seekers in Sydney

This is a study of the ways in which refugee and asylum seeker learners benefit from engaging in community music programs during resettlement or detention. It explores the means by which music learning can address the social, emotional and cultural challenges often experienced after forced migration. This study examines three specific case study contexts: a choir, a general music education program and drumming workshops. As an intrinsic study, this thesis examines the circumstances particular to each case. Using participants’ accounts, observations of learning experiences and program documents, it explores the impact of the organisers’, teachers’ and learners’ expectations of and approaches to the programs. In addition, this project presents successful pedagogical principles on which others working with exiled communities can reflect. A close investigation of factors such as the learning environment, participants’ perceptions of music and motivations for involvement reveals self-identity as a core issue through which the various social, emotional and cultural challenges may be addressed.
Optimizing Data Queries Over Heterogeneous Sources

The challenge of using heterogeneous data-sources is of greatest importance in the development of modern software systems. The current demand is for enterprise software systems with high interoperability that seamlessly integrate local database data with external (and sometimes remote) services (e.g. SalesForce, SAP) that expose their core entities through remote APIs. To be able to express these heterogeneous queries, developers must explicitly fetch, filter and join data. Optimizations to this kind of queries are either inexistent, or ad-hoc and highly dependent on the developer’s domain knowledge. We present a language-based approach to seamlessly and efficiently mix local database tables and remote web-service APIs. Our system builds on top of the . NET LINQ framework, trapping the execution of the query and using developer hints and statistics to adaptively follow the best possible execution plan. Our optimization approach involves not only choosing the fastest and more selective APIs on each execution step, but find the more convenient combination between local and remote operations. Preliminary usability tests showed that our optimizing query execution engine outperforms the best filtering and joining ad-hoc algorithms designed by highly-skilled developers, while requiring minimum effort to novice developers.
Refined NrfA Phylogeny Improves PCR-Based nrfA Gene Detection

ABSTRACT Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and denitrification are contrasting microbial processes in the terrestrial nitrogen (N) cycle, in that the former promotes N retention and the latter leads to N loss (i.e., the formation of gaseous products). The nitrite reductase NrfA catalyzes nitrite reduction to ammonium, the enzyme associated with respiratory nitrite ammonification and the key step in DNRA. Although well studied biochemically, the diversity and phylogeny of this enzyme had not been rigorously analyzed. A phylogenetic analysis of 272 full-length NrfA protein sequences distinguished 18 NrfA clades with robust statistical support (>90% Bayesian posterior probabilities). Three clades possessed a CXXCH motif in the first heme-binding domain, whereas all other clades had a CXXCK motif in this location. The analysis further identified a KXRH or KXQH motif between the third and fourth heme-binding motifs as a conserved and diagnostic feature of all pentaheme NrfA proteins. PCR primers targeting a portion of the heme-binding motifs that flank this diagnostic region yielded the expected 250-bp-long amplicons with template DNA from eight pure cultures and 16 new nrfA-containing isolates. nrfA amplicons obtained with template DNA from two geomorphically distinct agricultural soils could be assigned to one of the 18 NrfA clades, providing support for this expanded classification. The extended NrfA phylogeny revealed novel diagnostic features of DNRA populations and will be useful to assess nitrate/nitrite fate in natural and engineered ecosystems.
Uterine fibroleiomyoma: MR imaging appearances before and after embolization of uterine arteries.

PURPOSE To evaluate the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging appearances of uterine fibroleiomyoma before and after embolization and to determine whether there are preembolization MR imaging characteristics that are predictive of a successful outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS MR imaging was performed in 18 patients (32 fibroleiomyomas) before and at 2 and 6 months after embolization of the uterine arteries. On each occasion, fibroleiomyoma signal intensity and gadolinium enhancement characteristics were assessed in comparison with those of myometrium on T1-weighted and gadolinium-enhanced images or with those of skeletal muscle on T2-weighted images. Fibroleiomyoma volume was measured by using the ellipsoid formula. RESULTS The mean fibroleiomyoma volume before embolization was 340 cm3 (range, 15-1,383 cm3). The mean reduction in fibroleiomyoma volume was 43% at 2 months and 59% at 6 months. Before embolization, high signal intensity on T1-weighted images was predictive of a poor response (P = .008), and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images was predictive of a good response (P = .007). The degree of gadolinium enhancement was not correlated with fibroleiomyoma volume reduction (P = .46). CONCLUSION MR imaging was useful for evaluation of changes in fibroleiomyoma volume after uterine arterial embolization. MR imaging characteristics of fibroleiomyomas before embolization can help predict subsequent response to treatment.
Studies on the purification of glucose 6-phosphatase from rabbit liver microsomal fraction [proceedings].

Pure glycoprotein was dissolved in CsCl at a starting density of 1.42g. ml-1; after centrifugation (1.5 x lO'g, 5"C, 48h) the densities in fractions 1 and 8 were 1.38 and 1.56g. ml-I respectively. Four tubes contained 0.2 M-mercaptoethanol and CsCl (A, W) and four tubes contained CsCl only (4 0). Protein (A, A) was measured by the method of Lowry et a f . (I95 I ) and glycoprotein (H, 0) by the method of Mantle & Allen (1978).
Mixed reality empowerment for enhancing physical exercise

In this paper we explore the ways to motivate and enhance physical exercise by boosting users’ abilities in both physical and in virtual worlds. Moreover, we discuss how skill exaggeration and ability boosting in an exergame could affect the players’ and audience’s perception of skill and fitness. Finally, we discuss research questions and hypotheses for studying these concepts
Comparison of children's diets as reported by the child via the Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire and the parent via the Willett food-frequency questionnaire

Abstract Objective A comparison of a parent-completed Willett food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a self-completed Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire (YAQ) has not yet been conducted. Setting In the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY), parents report their child's diet on the FFQ annually from birth until age 10 years, when the child begins to report their own diet using the YAQ. Subjects To determine the comparability of these collection methods, 89 children aged 10–17 years and their parents completed the YAQ and FFQ, respectively, for the child's previous year's diet. Design We compared reported intakes for energy, the macronutrients and a variety of micronutrients of interest to the DAISY study. Results Bland–Altman plots of energy-adjusted differences between questionnaire responses against their means suggested that the two collection methods gave similar results. The average Spearman correlation coefficient of all energy-adjusted nutrient intakes was 0.50, and did not differ significantly by gender (males, r = 0.48; females, r = 0.46) or age (10–11 years, r = 0.49; 12–17 years, r = 0.51). While correlated, the nutrient values from the FFQ were higher than the nutrient values from the YAQ. Conclusions While reported nutrient intakes are correlated, an indicator variable defining which survey method a nutrient was collected with should be included in any longitudinal data analyses examining nutrient intakes collected with the YAQ and the FFQ as independent predictors of a disease outcome.
Impaired social contacts with familiar anesthetized conspecific in CA3‐restricted brain‐derived neurotrophic factor knockout mice

Familiarity is conveyed by social cues and determines behaviors toward conspecifics. Here, we characterize a novel assay for social behaviors in mice—contacts with anesthetized conspecific—which eliminates reciprocal interactions, including intermale aggression and shows behaviors that are independent of the demonstrator's activity. During the initial 10 minutes (phase‐1), the wild‐type (WT) subjects contacted the anesthetized conspecifics vigorously regardless of familiarity. During the subsequent 80 minutes (phase‐2), however, they contacted more with familiar than unfamiliar conspecifics. We then applied this test to highly aggressive mice with a hippocampal CA3‐restricted knockout (KO) of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in which aggression may mask other social behaviors. The KO mice showed less preference for contacting familiar conspecifics than did WT mice during phase‐2 but no differences during phase‐1. Among nonsocial behaviors, WT mice also spent less time eating in the presence of familiar than with unfamiliar conspecifics, which was not seen in KO mice. In addition, KO mice exhibited reduced pain sensitization. Altogether, these findings suggest that CA3‐specific deletion of BDNF results in deficits in circuits that process social cues from familiar conspecifics as well as pain and may underlie empathy‐like behaviors.
Lithium side-effects and predictors of hypothyroidism in patients with bipolar disorder: sex differences.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of the side effects of lithium therapy and possible predictors of hypothyroidism in women and men with bipolar disorder. METHOD Twenty-two men and 38 women with bipolar disorder and taking lithium for at least 1 year, were interviewed about lithium side effects using a list of the most commonly reported symptoms. RESULTS The complaint most frequently reported was polyuria-polydipsia syndrome, which affected 36 (60%) of 60 patients. More men than women reported tremor (54% v. 26%, p < 0.05), but weight gain during the first year of treatment was more frequent in women than men (47% v. 18%, p < 0.05), as was the development of clinical hypothyroidism (37% v. 9%, p < 0.05). Weight gain during the first year of treatment (and not sex) was the only significant predictor of hypothyroidism. CONCLUSION Weight gain during the first year of lithium treatment, in the absence of biological evidence of subclinical hypothyroidism, was the most predictive and, possibly, the first sign of hypothyroidism.
Where Do Machine Learning and Human-Computer Interaction Meet?

Implementation of machine learning (ML) in human-computer interaction (HCI) work is not trivial. This article reports on a survey of 112 professionals and academicians specializing in HCI, who were asked to state level of ML use in HCI work. Responses were captured via a structured questionnaire. Analysis showed that about one-third of those who participated in the survey had used ML in conjunction with a variety of different HCI tasks. However, statistically significant differences could not be identified between those who have and those who have not used ML. Using statistics, contingency analysis, and clustering, we modeled interaction between representative HCI tasks and ML paradigms. We discovered that neural networks, rule induction, and statistical learning emerged as the most popular ML paradigms across HCI workers, although intensive learning, such as inductive logic programming, are gaining popularity among application developers. We also discovered that the leading causes for declining use of ML.
TNF Deficiency Fails to Protect BAFF Transgenic Mice against Autoimmunity and Reveals a Predisposition to B Cell Lymphoma1

TNF is well characterized as a mediator of inflammatory responses. TNF also facilitates organization of secondary lymphoid organs, particularly B cell follicles and germinal centers, a hallmark of T-dependent Ab responses. TNF also mediates defense against tumors. We examined the role of TNF in the development of inflammatory autoimmune disorders resembling systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome induced by excess B cell-activating factor belonging to the TNF family (BAFF), by generating BAFF-transgenic (Tg) mice lacking TNF. TNF−/− BAFF-Tg mice resembled TNF−/− mice, in that they lacked B cell follicles, follicular dendritic cells, and germinal centers, and have impaired responses to T-dependent Ags. Nevertheless, TNF−/− BAFF-Tg mice developed autoimmune disorders similar to that of BAFF-Tg mice. Disease in TNF−/− BAFF-Tg mice correlates with the expansion of transitional type 2 and marginal zone B cell populations and enhanced T-independent immune responses. TNF deficiency in BAFF-Tg mice also led to a surprisingly high incidence of B cell lymphomas (>35%), which most likely resulted from the combined effects of BAFF promotion of neoplastic B cell survival, coupled with lack of protective antitumor defense by TNF. Thus, TNF appears to be dispensable for BAFF-mediated autoimmune disorders and may, in fact, counter any proneoplastic effects of high levels of BAFF in diseases such as Sjögren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Hydraulic conductance of root and shoot measured with the transient and dynamic modes of the high-pressure flowmeter

The hydraulic conductance (k) of shoots and root systems was measured using the transient and the dynamic modes of the high pressure flowmeter (HPFM). Measurements were conducted on Quercus robur and Fagus sylvatica plants grown on different subs- trates (forest soil, sand, Terra-green and vermiculite) and harvested at different times of the year. The values of k obtained by the tran- sient mode were compared to those obtained by the dynamic mode. A tight 1:1 correlation was observed for shoots and defoliated stems but several types of discrepancies appeared for root systems. The underestimation of k by the dynamic mode as compared to the transient mode could be explained by reverse osmosis at the endodermis. However the transient mode was not functional for some root systems. This problem occurred essentially in small plants harvested early in the year before budbreak had been completed. Nature and origins of problems are discussed. hydraulic conductance / high pressure flowmeter / transient mode / root / shoot