Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multigenerational effects of a reduced balanced protein diet during the rearing and laying period of broiler breeders. 1. Performance of the F1 breeder generation

&NA; Studies on mammals and poultry showed that maternal dietary treatments can alter the offspring performance. However, in contrast to rodent studies, little is known about multigenerational dietary manipulations in broiler breeders. The presented research aimed to investigate the effects of a reduction of 25% in the dietary crude protein (CP) level in the F0 generation on the body composition and reproductive performance of F1 broiler breeders. In the F0 generation, breeders were fed either a control (C) or reduced balanced protein (RP) diet, 25% reduction in crude protein and amino acids. Female F0‐progeny of each treatment were fed a C or RP diet, resulting in 4 treatments in the F1 breeder generation: C/C, C/RP, RP/C, and RP/RP. The reproductive performance of breeders fed RP diets was negatively influenced by the dietary CP reduction in the F1 generation (P < 0.001). Moreover, breeders descending from hens that received RP diets in the F0 generation showed a significantly reduced reproductive capacity compared to their control fed counterparts (P < 0.001). Breeders fed RP diets in the F1 generation were characterized by higher plasma T3 concentrations (P < 0.001), an increased proportional abdominal fat pad (P < 0.001) and proportional liver weight (P < 0.001). During the rearing phase, the RP fed breeders needed a higher feed allowance, whereas no differences could be observed between the C/C and RP/C or the C/RP and RP/RP breeders. However, breeders originating from birds fed RP diets in the F0 generation needed lower feed allocations in the laying phase to maintain a similar body weight. Egg weight was reduced for the C/RP and RP/RP breeders. At 34 wk of age, eggs from C/RP and RP/RP breeders showed a reduced proportional albumen weight, whereas no effects on egg composition were found at 42 wk of age. It was concluded that prenatal protein undernutrition triggered hens to relocate more energy towards growth and maintenance and less towards reproductive capacity.
Hacia una reducción del contenido de cobre en pinturas antiincrustantes

Biofouling leads to deterioration of any submerged material. The most widespread method for control is the application of cuprous oxide antifouling paints which are toxic. For this reason non-toxic natural products could be combined with small amounts of copper to diminish its contribution to the environment.Thymol is isolated from essential oils of several plants (thyme, oregano, basil) and it is well known for its antimicrobial properties. The hypothesis proposed in this study is this compound would inhibit initial steps in fouling sequence and consequently would also inhibit settlement of later species.The aim of this work was to reduce the amount of copper in antifouling paints employing thymol as an additive. Two antifouling paints were prepared, one containing 16% v/v copper and another with 1.6% copper + 2% thymol. Paints were applied on acrylic panels and were submerged in Mar del Plata harbor.After 6 months of immersion in Mar del Plata harbor fouling cover percentage on panels was estimated under stereomicroscope and optic microscope. Estimation of fouling cover by species was carried out using a 25 random point grid. Also, control paints and unpainted acrylic tiles were simultaneously submerged. All tests were performed in triplicate.Paints containing 1.6% copper + thymol and 16% copper were effective. No significance differences were registered in cover percentage between copper-based paints and copper+thymol based paints (p>0.05). Although these formulations showed a similar performance, copper+thymol based paint contains 90% lesser copper than a traditional copper based formulation. Then, the aim of this work was reached.
Induction and Measurement of Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Activity

Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) are important immune effector cells in the adaptive immune response. It has been well documented that CTLs are important in host immune responses to viral and bacterial intracellular pathogens, tumors, and transplanted tissues. The properties of CTLs have been studied extensively in murine models, and their roles validated in the human setting. Frequently, the presence of these cells correlates well with protective immunity, so the ability to readily measure the activity of these cells is an important immunological measurement. In this unit, several assays are described that are commonly utilized to induce CTLs and to measure CTL activity both in vitro and in vivo. These assays are adaptable to many experimental and/or disease models, and in the case of the in vitro assays can be applied to measure CTL activity in human samples. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Plasma ctDNA RAS mutation analysis for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of metastatic colorectal cancer patients

Abstract Background RAS assessment is mandatory for therapy decision in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. This determination is based on tumor tissue, however, genotyping of circulating tumor (ct)DNA offers clear advantages as a minimally invasive method that represents tumor heterogeneity. Our study aims to evaluate the use of ctDNA as an alternative for determining baseline RAS status and subsequent monitoring of RAS mutations during therapy as a component of routine clinical practice. Patients and methods RAS mutational status in plasma was evaluated in mCRC patients by OncoBEAM™ RAS CRC assay. Concordance of results in plasma and tissue was retrospectively evaluated. RAS mutations were also prospectively monitored in longitudinal plasma samples from selected patients. Results Analysis of RAS in tissue and plasma samples from 115 mCRC patients showed a 93% overall agreement. Plasma/tissue RAS discrepancies were mainly explained by spatial and temporal tumor heterogeneity. Analysis of clinico-pathological features showed that the site of metastasis (i.e. peritoneal, lung), the histology of the tumor (i.e. mucinous) and administration of treatment previous to blood collection negatively impacted the detection of RAS in ctDNA. In patients with baseline mutant RAS tumors treated with chemotherapy/antiangiogenic, longitudinal analysis of RAS ctDNA mirrored response to treatment, being an early predictor of response. In patients RAS wt, longitudinal monitoring of RAS ctDNA revealed that OncoBEAM was useful to detect emergence of RAS mutations during anti-EGFR treatment. Conclusion The high overall agreement in RAS mutational assessment between plasma and tissue supports blood-based testing with OncoBEAM™ as a viable alternative for genotyping RAS of mCRC patients in routine clinical practice. Our study describes practical clinico-pathological specifications to optimize RAS ctDNA determination. Moreover, OncoBEAM™ is useful to monitor RAS in patients undergoing systemic therapy to detect resistance and evaluate the efficacy of particular treatments.
Inconsistencies in the red blood cell membrane proteome analysis: generation of a database for research and diagnostic applications

Based on recent results, the determination of the easily accessible red blood cell (RBC) membrane proteins may provide new diagnostic possibilities for assessing mutations, polymorphisms or regulatory alterations in diseases. However, the analysis of the current mass spectrometry-based proteomics datasets and other major databases indicates inconsistencies—the results show large scattering and only a limited overlap for the identified RBC membrane proteins. Here, we applied membrane-specific proteomics studies in human RBC, compared these results with the data in the literature, and generated a comprehensive and expandable database using all available data sources. The integrated web database now refers to proteomic, genetic and medical databases as well, and contains an unexpected large number of validated membrane proteins previously thought to be specific for other tissues and/or related to major human diseases. Since the determination of protein expression in RBC provides a method to indicate pathological alterations, our database should facilitate the development of RBC membrane biomarker platforms and provide a unique resource to aid related further research and diagnostics. Database URL: http://rbcc.hegelab. org
Processing big data with decision trees: A case study in large traffic data

This paper provides a comparison of processing large traffic data by using decision trees. The experiment was tested in three different classifier tools that are very popular and are widely used in the community. These classifier tools are WEKA classifier, MoA (Massive Online Analysis) classifier, and SPARK MLib that runs on Hadoop infrastructure. We tested the traffic data using decision trees because it is one of the best methods for regressing the large data. The experiment results showed that the WEKA classifier fails to classify dataset with a large number of instance, wheras the MoA has successfully regress the dataset as a datastream. The SPARK MLib decision trees algorithm could also successfully resgress the traffic data quickly with a fairly good accuracy.
VASP regulates leukocyte infiltration, polarization, and vascular repair after ischemia

In ischemic vascular diseases, leukocyte recruitment and polarization are crucial for revascularization and tissue repair. We investigated the role of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) in vascular repair. After hindlimb ischemia induction, blood flow recovery, angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and leukocyte infiltration into ischemic muscles in VASP−/− mice were accelerated. VASP deficiency also elevated the polarization of the macrophages through increased signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling, which augmented the release of chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors to promote leukocyte recruitment and vascular repair. Importantly, VASP deletion in bone marrow–derived cells was sufficient to mimic the increased blood flow recovery of global VASP−/− mice. In chemotaxis experiments, VASP−/− neutrophils/monocytes were significantly more responsive to M1-related chemokines than wild-type controls. Mechanistically, VASP formed complexes with the chemokine receptor CCR2 and &bgr;-arrestin-2, and CCR2 receptor internalization was significantly reduced in VASP−/− leukocytes. Our data indicate that VASP is a major regulator of leukocyte recruitment and polarization in postischemic revascularization and support a novel role of VASP in chemokine receptor trafficking.
Development and Validation of Diagnostic Criteria for IBD Subtypes Including IBD-unclassified in Children: a Multicentre Study From the Pediatric IBD Porto Group of ESPGHAN

Background The revised Porto criteria identify subtypes of paediatric inflammatory bowel diseases: ulcerative colitis [UC], atypical UC, inflammatory bowel disease unclassified [IBDU], and Crohn's disease [CD]. Others have proposed another subclassifiction of Crohn's colitis. In continuation of the Porto criteria, we aimed to derive and validate criteria, termed "PIBD-classes," for standardising the classification of the different IBD subtypes. Methods This was a multicentre retrospective longitudinal study from 23 centres affiliated with the Port -group of ESPGHAN. Both a hypothesis-driven judgmental approach and mathematical classification and regression tree [CART] modelling were used for creating a diagnostic algorithm. Since small bowel inflammation is easily recognised as CD, we focused here primarily on the phenotype of colitis. Results In all, 749 IBD children were enrolled: 236 [32%] Crohn's colitis, 272 [36%] UC and 241 [32%] IBDU [age 10.9 ± 3.6 years] with a median follow-up of 2.8 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1.7-4.3). A total of 23 features were clustered in three classes according to their prevalence in UC: six class-1 features [0% prevalence in UC], 12 class-2 features [< 5% prevalence], and five class-3 features [5-10% prevalence]. According to the algorithm, the disease should be classified as UC if no features exist in any of the classes. When at least one feature exists, different combinations classify the disease into atypical UC, IBDU or CD. The algorithm differentiated UC from CD and IBDU with 80% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] 71-88%) and 84% specificity [77-89%], and CD from IBDU and UC with 78% sensitivity [67-87%] and 94% specificity [89-97%]. Conclusions The validated PIBD-classes algorithm can adequately classify children with IBD into small bowel CD, colonic CD, IBDU, atypical UC, and UC.
Control of limit cycle oscillations in a multiple‐sampled digitally controlled buck converter

Digital control in switching power converters has been proposed and researched in recent years. However, one of the problems which arise in these circuits is that of quantization‐induced limit cycle oscillations, which are generally considered to be undesirable. In this work, we investigate the addition of new control terms in the feedback loop of the system, in order to actively prevent these limit cycles from occurring. Firstly, the addition of a sinusoidal signal is considered, and then a more complicated signal which focuses on interrupting how the system switches between duty cycle levels is presented. The methods are effective in removing the limit cycle oscillations which arise in the system. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men

Background there are no previous studies linking repeated heat exposure of sauna and the risk of memory diseases. We aimed to investigate whether frequency of sauna bathing is associated with risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Setting prospective population-based study. Methods the frequency of sauna bathing was assessed at baseline in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease population-based prospective cohort study of 2,315 apparently healthy men aged 42-60 years at baseline, with baseline examinations conducted between 1984 and 1989. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dementia and Alzheimer's disease were ascertained using Cox-regression modelling with adjustment for potential confounders. Results during a median follow-up of 20.7 (interquartile range 18.1-22.6) years, a total of 204 and 123 diagnosed cases of dementia and Alzheimer's disease were respectively recorded. In analysis adjusted for age, alcohol consumption, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, Type 2 diabetes, previous myocardial infarction, resting heart rate and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, compared with men with only 1 sauna bathing session per week, the HR for dementia was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.57-1.06) for 2-3 sauna bathing sessions per week and 0.34 (95% CI: 0.16-0.71) for 4-7 sauna bathing sessions per week. The corresponding HRs for Alzheimer's disease were 0.80 (95% CI: 0.53-1.20) and 0.35 (95% CI: 0.14-0.90). Conclusion in this male population, moderate to high frequency of sauna bathing was associated with lowered risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Further studies are warranted to establish the potential mechanisms linking sauna bathing and memory diseases.
Symbolic Modeling of Prosody: From Linguistics to Statistics

The assignment of prosodic events (accent and phrasing) from the text is crucial in text-to-speech synthesis systems. This paper addresses the combination of linguistic and metric constraints for the assignment of prosodic events in text-to-speech synthesis. First, a linguistic processing chain is used to provide a rich linguistic description of a text. Then, a novel statistical representation based on a hierarchical HMM (HHMM) is used to model the prosodic structure of a text: the root layer represents the text, each intermediate layer a sequence of intermediate phrases, the pre-terminal layer the sequence of accents, and the terminal layer the sequence of linguistic contexts. For each intermediate layer, a segmental HMM and information fusion are used to fuse the linguistic and metric constraints for the segmentation of a text into phrases. A set of experiments conducted on multi-speaker databases with various speaking styles reports that: the rich linguistic representation improves drastically the assignment of prosodic events, and the fusion of linguistic and metric constraints significantly improves over standard methods for the segmentation of a text into phrases. These constitute substantial advances that can be further used to model the speech prosody of a speaker, a speaking style, and emotions for text-to-speech synthesis.
Matching donor and recipient based on predicted indirectly recognizable human leucocyte antigen epitopes

The predicted indirectly recognizable human leucocyte antigen (HLA) epitopes (PIRCHE) algorithm is a novel in silico algorithm to determine donor–recipient compatibility. The PIRCHE algorithm determines donor–recipient compatibility by counting the number of mismatched HLA‐derived epitopes that are involved in indirect T‐cell alloimmune responses; these epitopes are designated as PIRCHE. Over the last few years, the PIRCHE algorithm has been investigated in both hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and solid organ transplantation. This review describes the theory of the algorithm, its application in transplantation, and highlights the future perspectives on the clinical application of the PIRCHE algorithm.
Association of Computed Tomography Ischemic Lesion Location With Functional Outcome in Acute Large Vessel Occlusion Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Ischemic lesion volume (ILV) assessed by follow-up noncontrast computed tomography correlates only moderately with clinical end points, such as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). We hypothesized that the association between follow-up noncontrast computed tomography ILV and outcome as assessed with mRS 3 months after stroke is strengthened when taking the mRS relevance of the infarct location into account. Methods— An anatomic atlas with 66 areas was registered to the follow-up noncontrast computed tomographic images of 254 patients from the MR CLEAN trial (Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands). The anatomic brain areas were divided into brain areas of high, moderate, and low mRS relevance as reported in the literature. Based on this distinction, the ILV in brain areas of high, moderate, and low mRS relevance was assessed for each patient. Binary and ordinal logistic regression analyses with and without adjustment for known confounders were performed to assess the association between the ILVs of different mRS relevance and outcome. Results— The odds for a worse outcome (higher mRS) were markedly higher given an increase of ILV in brain areas of high mRS relevance (odds ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.31–1.55 per 10 mL) compared with an increase in total ILV (odds ratios, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–1.19 per 10 mL). Regression models using ILV in brain areas of high mRS relevance instead of total ILV showed a higher quality. Conclusions— The association between follow-up noncontrast computed tomography ILV and outcome as assessed with mRS 3 months after stroke is strengthened by accounting for the mRS relevance of the affected brain areas. Future prediction models should account for the ILV in brain areas of high mRS relevance.
Emotional Awareness Moderates the Relationship Between Childhood Abuse and Borderline Personality Disorder Symptom Factors.

OBJECTIVE To examine pathways to borderline personality disorder (BPD), focusing on childhood abuse and emotional attention and clarity. METHOD Among 293 community residents (mean age = 43.1; 53.9% female), measured associations between the BPD symptom factors of disturbed relatedness, affective dysregulation, and behavioral dysregulation and (a) childhood abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual); (b) emotional attention and clarity; and (c) negative affect, using structured interviews, the Schedule for Non-Adaptive and Adaptive Personality-2, the Trait Meta Mood Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, respectively. RESULTS All forms of childhood abuse were associated with BPD symptom factors. Emotional attention and clarity moderated the effects of childhood physical and emotional abuse on behavioral dysregulation and disturbed relatedness. All results held when controlling for negative affect. CONCLUSION The relations between childhood abuse and BPD are robust. Emotional attention and clarity may help elucidate the links between childhood abuse and BPD.
Sexual identities and sexual health within the Celtic nations: An exploratory study of men who have sex with men recruited through social media

ABSTRACT Associations of sexual identity with a range of sexual and sexual health behaviours were investigated amongst men who have sex with men (MSM). Data from 1816 MSM recruited from 4 Celtic nations (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) were collected via a cross-sectional online survey advertised via social media. About 18.3% were non-gay identified MSM (NGI-MSM). In the last year, 30% of NGI-MSM reported high-risk unprotected anal intercourse and 45% reported never having had an sexually transmitted infection (STI) test. When compared to MSM who were gay identified (GI-MSM), NGI-MSM were more likely to be older, have a female partner, fewer sex partners, fewer anal sex partners, STI diagnoses and less likely to be HIV positive, more likely to never use the gay scene and be geographically further from a gay venue. NGI-MSM were also less likely to report STI and HIV testing behaviours. The findings highlight variations in risk by sexual identities, and unmet sexual health needs amongst NGI-MSM across Celtic nations. Innovative research is required regarding the utility of social media for reaching populations of MSM and developing interventions which target the heterogeneity of MSM and their specific sexual health needs.
Posterior Quadrant Disconnection: A Fiber Dissection Study.

BACKGROUND Posterior quadrant disconnection can be highly effective in the surgical treatment of selected cases of refractory epilepsy. The technique aims to deafferent extensive areas of epileptogenic posterior cortex from the rest of the brain by isolating the temporoparietooccipital cortex. OBJECTIVE To describe this procedure and relevant white matter tracts with a specific emphasis on the extent of callosotomy in an anatomic study. METHODS Twenty hemispheres were dissected according to Klingler's fiber dissection technique illustrating the peri-insular (temporal stem, superior longitudinal fasciculus, corona radiata) and mesial disconnection (mesiotemporal cortex, cingulum, and corpus callosum). RESULTS Extensive white matter tract disconnection is obtained after posterior quadrant disconnection. Callosal fibers connecting the anterior most part of the parietal cortex invariably ran through the isthmus of the corpus callosum and need to be disconnected, while frontal lobe connections including the corticospinal tract and the anterior two-thirds of the corpus callosum are spared during the procedure. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest the involvement of both the splenium and the isthmus in interhemispheric propagation in posterior cortex epilepsies. Sectioning the total extent of the posterior one-third of the corpus callosum might therefore be necessary to achieve optimal outcomes in posterior quadrant epilepsy surgery.