Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Direct and correlated responses to multitrait, divergent selection for immunocompetence.

Leghorn lines had been selected for an immunocompetence index based on four traits: antibody production to Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Pasteurella multocida (PM) vaccines, reticuloendothelial clearance of colloidal carbon (CCA), and cell-mediated, wing web response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). The purpose of this study was to produce replicated lines of chickens with divergent levels of multitrait immunocompetence by index selection. The objectives of analyses of Generations 5 to 7 of this study was to characterize these lines with respect to immune-response traits, correlations among these traits, and correlated responses in other important production traits. Differences (P < .05) existed between the lines selected for high or low immune response and between the two replicates in mean breeding values and in individual immune-response traits. Averages of heritability estimates, weighted by number of offspring and pooled across three generations (two cycles of selection), estimated by using sire variance components and parent-offspring correlations were, respectively, . 16 and . 09 for the index, . 31 and . 08 for MG, . 21 and -. 02 for PM, . 06 and . 05 for CCA, and . 08 and . 12 for PHA. Realized heritabilities (response divided by effective selection differential) pooled across the two selection cycles, were . 19 and . 11 for the index, . 06 and -. 01 for MG, . 44 and . 32 for PM, 1.52 and -1.21 for CCA, and . 48 and . 15 for PHA, for Replicates 1 and 2, respectively. Phenotypic correlations among traits were generally small, and several estimates were negative. Estimates of genetic correlation varied widely. Juvenile and adult body weights, age of first egg, 32-wk egg weight, and rate of egg production were analyzed to evaluate effects of selection on these traits of direct economic importance. Very few differences were noted.
Bioavailability of digestible lysine in heat-damaged soybean meal for chick growth.

Previous experiments indicated that true digestible Lys values for soybean and cottonseed meals obtained with the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay were accurate estimators of Lys bioavailability for chick growth. This study was conducted to determine whether the digestible Lys in overheated soybean meal (SBM) was totally bioavailable for protein synthesis. Soybean meal alone or mixed with dextrose (SBM:dextrose ratio = 3:1) was autoclaved at 114 C and 97 kPa for 0 to 60 min. True digestibility of Lys in SBM was determined using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay. Bioavailability was then assessed by chick growth assay using purified crystalline amino acid diets deficient in Lys that were supplemented with varying levels of crystalline L-Lys.Cl or a SBM. Multiple regression slope-ratio methodology indicated that the digestible Lys in unautoclaved SBM was 100% bioavailable. For SBM autoclaved for 40 or 60 min and SBM-dextrose autoclaved for 20 min, bioavailability of digestible Lys based on weight gain or carcass Lys gain was 81 to 87% and significantly less (P < 0.05) than 100%, whereas bioavailability values based on feed efficiency and carcass N gain did not differ (P > 0.05) from 100%. Bioavailability values for digestible Lys in SBM:dextrose autoclaved for 30 min ranged from 55 to 73% for all performance criteria. Partitioning the response criteria, so that only the response to the supplemental Lys source (not the basal diet) was being evaluated, increased the bioavailability values for all treatments except SBM:dextrose autoclaved for 30 min. The results of this study indicated that digestible Lys in severely heat-damaged SBM measured by the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay was not totally bioavailable for protein synthesis.
UTILISATION OF IRON METHIONATE IN BROILER CHICKENS COMPARED TO IRON SULPHATE

AnovA one-way), non-parametric (Mann-Whitney u -test) method and by using the tables of s tudent-Fisher. during the test period no clinical symptoms and signs of disease or mortality were found in all treated chickens; there were no pathomorphological changes in the liver of the chickens. in general, the utilisation was more favourable for the iron methionate compared to the iron sulphate. it was better expressed in the low concentration (60 ppm) - a steady growth, trend for better deposition in the liver and significantly smaller amount (up to two times) of iron in the cloacal content (beneficial for the environment). The iron deposited in the liver of the treated chickens was from 40 to 60% more than that in the control ones.
Atherosclerosis in Japanese Quail males selected for high or low plasma cholesterol.

Three lines of Japanese quail males, unselected controls (CL), high response (HL), and low response (LL) lines, selected for plasma total cholesterol for 18 generations, were fed all-plant source, nonatherogenic diets to which 0 or . 5% cholesterol were added from 6 to 18 wk of age. Atherosclerotic scores (AS) of aorta of HL birds fed cholesterol were significantly higher than those of LL birds fed cholesterol. Scores of LL fed cholesterol were not higher than LL not fed cholesterol. Fatty infiltration of muscularis and foam cell disruption of elastic fibers were observed in HL males fed cholesterol. In a second experiment, males of the three lines were fed from 6 to 14 wk of age four plant source diets to which were added: 1) 10% glucose monohydrate (cerelose); 2) 10% cerelose + . 1% cholesterol; 3) 4% corn oil; or 4) 4% coconut oil. All diets were calculated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Overall, AS of HL and CL males were significantly higher than LL males, but there were no effects of diet for the 56-d feeding period.
Challenges in the culture-independent analysis of oral and respiratory samples from intubated patients

The spread of microorganisms in hospitals is an important public health threat, and yet few studies have assessed how human microbial communities (microbiota) evolve in the hospital setting. Studies conducted so far have mainly focused on a limited number of bacterial species, mostly pathogenic ones and primarily during outbreaks. We explored the bacterial community diversity of the microbiota from oral and respiratory samples of intubated patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit and we discuss the technical challenges that may arise while using culture-independent approaches to study these types of samples.
Pathogenicity of coccidia in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

Coccidia were recovered from a field outbreak in commercially raised Japanese quail from South Carolina. After propagation in unmedicated quail, the culture was identified as a mixture of approximately 65% Eimeria uzura, 33% E. tsunodai, and 2% E. taldykurganica. Several pure cultures of E. uzura were obtained by single oocyst isolation. A micropyle was not present in all oocysts; thus, it is not a reliable taxonomic characteristic for identification of E. uzura. Neither the mixed culture nor the E. uzura isolates were infective for Bobwhite quail, Chukar partridge, pheasants, chickens, or turkeys. Seventeen-day-old quail were inoculated with various doses of sporulated oocysts ranging from 5 x 10(2) to 5 x 10(5) of the mixed culture and 1 x 10(3) to 1 x 10(6) of E. uzura. The rate of weight gain was depressed at 3 or 4 days postinoculation (DPT) with as few as 5 x 10(2) oocysts/quail of the mixed culture. As few as 1 x 10(3) oocysts of E. uzura produced a weight loss. Some individual quail had depressed packed cell volume and plasma pigment compared with levels in the uninoculated controls. Plasma protein was not affected. Young quail (3 days old at inoculation) were more susceptible than 17-day-old quail. Infection did not adversely affect body weights of adult quail, although egg production was reduced. Mortality was seen only with the mixed culture (100 and 8% in 3- and 17-day-old quail given 5 x 10(5) oocysts, respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Leveraging Uncertainty for Effective Malware Mitigation

A promising avenue for improving the effectiveness of behavioral-based malware detectors would be to combine fast traditional machine learning detectors with high-accuracy, but time-consuming deep learning models. The main idea would be to place software receiving borderline classifications by traditional machine learning methods in an environment where uncertainty is added, while software is analyzed by more time-consuming deep learning models. The goal of uncertainty would be to rate-limit actions of potential malware during the time consuming deep analysis. In this paper, we present a detailed description of the analysis and implementation of CHAMELEON, a framework for realizing this uncertain environment for Linux. CHAMELEON offers two environments for software: (i) standard - for any software identified as benign by conventional machine learning methods and (ii) uncertain - for software receiving borderline classifications when analyzed by these conventional machine learning methods. The uncertain environment adds obstacles to software execution through random perturbations applied probabilistically on selected system calls. We evaluated CHAMELEON with 113 applications and 100 malware samples for Linux. Our results showed that at threshold 10%, intrusive and non-intrusive strategies caused approximately 65% of malware to fail accomplishing their tasks, while approximately 30% of the analyzed benign software to meet with various levels of disruption. With a dynamic, per-system call threshold, CHAMELEON caused 92% of the malware to fail, and only 10% of the benign software to be disrupted. We also found that I/O-bound software was three times more affected by uncertainty than CPU-bound software. Further, we analyzed the logs of software crashed with non-intrusive strategies, and found that some crashes are due to the software bugs.
Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The natural history of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has been well described in multiple populations. Patients with T2DM have inherited genes from parents that make their tissues resistant to insulin. Insulin resistance (IR) in muscle and liver and β-cell failure represent the core pathophysiologic defects in development of T2DM. Age, genes, IR, lipotoxicity, glucotoxicity, amyloid deposition and abnormal incretin are factors playing a role in progressive β-cells dysfunction. The progressive decline in insulin secretion, decrease of the pancreatic βcell mass and function and the presence of IR will contribute in changing the state of the dysgly‐ cemia from normal to, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and end with overt diabetes [1].
Effect of heat stress on 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid and DL-methionine absorption measured in vitro.

The objective of the present experiments was to determine the biochemical basis for preliminary chick performance data, which indicate an ameliorative effect of 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid (HMB) when compared with DL-methionine (DLM) fed during hot conditions. In vitro passage of HMB or DLM across intact segments of small intestine from either control (thermoneutral, TN) or heat-stressed (HS) birds was used as a model for intestinal absorption. For DLM placed in the lumen, appearance in the outside buffer was reduced when using intestine from HS birds compared with tissue from TN birds. In contrast, the appearance of HMB in the outside buffer was greater using HS intestine, resulting in a substrate by environment interaction (P < .01). Slices of everted small intestine from TN and HS birds were used to study epithelial uptake of methyl labeled 14C-DLM by three transport pathways: diffusion, carrier-specific energy- and sodium-independent uptake (ESI), and carrier-specific energy- and sodium-dependent uptake (ESD). Correcting for extracellular volume, total epithelial uptake of 14C-DLM (diffusion plus ESI plus ESD) was reduced by 34% in HS intestine (P < .05). Energy-dependent uptake was observed to decrease by 87% in HS (P < .05). Energy-independent uptake was increased (136%, HS versus TN, P < .05), but not enough to compensate for the decrease in ESD uptake. Intestinal transport systems for glucose and leucine were also observed to change during HS, suggesting a role for cellular transport changes in the performance reduction associated with HS.
A re-evaluation of the protein and lysine requirement for broiler breeder hens.

An experiment was conducted with 32-wk-old Arbor Acres broiler breeder hens to determine their requirement for Lys and protein. Diets were fed with Lys levels ranging from . 545 to . 380% and with protein levels ranging from 11.46 to 8.90%, respectively. A daily intake of 845 mg of Lys per hen per d was required for maximum egg production, egg mass, and egg content. A daily intake of 18.07 g protein was required with a corn-soybean meal diet containing no supplemental amino acids. However, when Met and Lys were added to the diet, daily protein intakes of 15.53 and 16.37 g supported performance that was not significantly different from performance of hens receiving higher levels of protein.
Effect of early nutrient restriction on broiler chickens. 1. Performance and development of the gastrointestinal tract.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of early nutrient restriction on performance and development of the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens. Four hundred male broiler (Ross x Ross) chicks raised in floor pens were assigned to two treatment groups. One group was given ad libitum access to feed from 1 to 48 d of age. The second group was feed restricted from 7 to 14 d of age to an energy intake of 1.5 x BW.67 kcal ME/d and then given ad libitum access to feed from 14 to 48 d. Body weight and feed intake were determined weekly. At 49 d of age, birds were processed for carcass yield, abdominal fat pad measurement, and body composition analysis. Broilers were also sampled at 7, 14, 21, and 41 d of age for proventriculus, gizzard, small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum), pancreas, and liver weights and for intestinal length measurements. Total DNA, protein:DNA, and RNA:DNA ratios of livers and jejuna were determined as indexes of changes in cell size and number. Feed-restricted broilers failed to catch up to the Control birds in BW at 48 d of age but were superior (P < .01) in overall feed efficiency. No treatment effects were observed on breast meat yields or abdominal fat. Moreover, percentage carcass fat, crude protein, ash, and dry matter were not affected by restricted feeding. Body weight and weights of gastrointestinal organs were reduced (P < .01) by feed restriction at 14 d of age. Restricted feeding, however, did not decrease the relative weights of organs, except for liver. Feed restriction also resulted in a reduction (P < .01) of liver cell number and size and a decrease in jejunum cell number. All organs recovered normal weight on refeeding, and all cellular constituent ratios (e.g., RNA:DNA, RNA:protein, and protein:DNA) returned to normal by 41 d of age. Absolute and relative weights of supply organs (e.g., proventriculus, gizzard, small intestine, liver, and pancreas) were less affected by feed restriction and responded more quickly to refeeding than the whole body.
Fatty Acid Synthase Cooperates with Glyoxalase 1 to Protect against Sugar Toxicity

Fatty acid (FA) metabolism is deregulated in several human diseases including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cancers. Therefore, FA-metabolic enzymes are potential targets for drug therapy, although the consequence of these treatments must be precisely evaluated at the organismal and cellular levels. In healthy organism, synthesis of triacylglycerols (TAGs)—composed of three FA units esterified to a glycerol backbone—is increased in response to dietary sugar. Saturation in the storage and synthesis capacity of TAGs is associated with type 2 diabetes progression. Sugar toxicity likely depends on advanced-glycation-end-products (AGEs) that form through covalent bounding between amine groups and carbonyl groups of sugar or their derivatives α-oxoaldehydes. Methylglyoxal (MG) is a highly reactive α-oxoaldehyde that is derived from glycolysis through a non-enzymatic reaction. Glyoxalase 1 (Glo1) works to neutralize MG, reducing its deleterious effects. Here, we have used the power of Drosophila genetics to generate Fatty acid synthase (FASN) mutants, allowing us to investigate the consequence of this deficiency upon sugar-supplemented diets. We found that FASN mutants are lethal but can be rescued by an appropriate lipid diet. Rescued animals do not exhibit insulin resistance, are dramatically sensitive to dietary sugar and accumulate AGEs. We show that FASN and Glo1 cooperate at systemic and cell-autonomous levels to protect against sugar toxicity. We observed that the size of FASN mutant cells decreases as dietary sucrose increases. Genetic interactions at the cell-autonomous level, where glycolytic enzymes or Glo1 were manipulated in FASN mutant cells, revealed that this sugar-dependent size reduction is a direct consequence of MG-derived-AGE accumulation. In summary, our findings indicate that FASN is dispensable for cell growth if extracellular lipids are available. In contrast, FA-synthesis appears to be required to limit a cell-autonomous accumulation of MG-derived-AGEs, supporting the notion that MG is the most deleterious α-oxoaldehyde at the intracellular level.
Role of MicroRNA in Proliferation Phase of Wound Healing

Wound healing is a complex biological process that is generally composed of four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. The proliferation phase is crucial for effective healing compared to other phases. Many critical events occur during this phase, i.e., migration of fibroblasts, re-epithelialization, angiogenesis and wound contraction. Chronic wounds are common and are considered a major public health problem. Therefore, there is the increasing need to discover new therapeutic strategies. MicroRNA (miRNA) research in the field of wound healing is in its early phase, but the knowledge of the recent discoveries is essential for developing effective therapies for the treatment of chronic wounds. In this review, we focused on recently discovered miRNAs which are involved in the proliferation phase of wound healing in the past few years and their role in wound healing.
Direct synthesis technique (DST) for complex general Chebyshev filters

Recently, we discussed the concept of direct synthesis technique (DST), in which real‐coefficient filtering polynomials containing all information of the filters to be synthesized are derived directly for realization, and they could find applications in the design of lumped‐element LC filters, active RC filters, and infinite impulse response digital filters. In this paper, another DST for complex general Chebyshev bandpass filters is discussed, which is based on a complex mapping relation and featured by complex‐coefficient filtering polynomials. It is called as complex DST in this paper. Compared with real‐coefficient filtering polynomials whose polarities are determined by the number of their zeros at zero frequency, the polarities of complex‐coefficient filtering polynomials can be easily changed by multiplying imaginary unit j. Such advantage might make their realization more flexible. The analysis shows that conventional coupling matrix could be considered as narrow‐band approximation of network matrix derived by complex DST in the normalized frequency domain. In order to demonstrate the validity of complex DST in this paper, it is applied in the design of classic parallel‐coupled microstrip bandpass filters. Compared with conventional synthesis techniques, complex DST could find out better dimensions and provide more choices for realization and synthesize both even‐order and odd‐order parallel‐coupled microstrip bandpass filters. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Behavioural and psychological symptoms in vascular dementia; differences between small- and large-vessel disease

Aim The authors investigated the prevalence of behavioural and psychological symptoms in vascular dementia (VaD) from baseline data of the VantagE study and compared the severity and relative frequency of symptoms between small-vessel VaD and large-vessel VaD. Methods Behavioural and psychological symptoms of 484 VaD patients included in a large multicentre clinical trial (registration number NCT00099216) were determined using the 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Symptoms were considered present when the score was ≥1. Based on MRI, patients were classified as having small-vessel VaD (83%) or large-vessel VaD (17%). Results Behavioural and psychological symptoms were reported in 92% of the VaD patients. The median NPI score of the total study population was 9 (0–76), with a median number of three symptoms per patient. Apathy (65%) was most prevalent, followed by depressive symptoms (45%), irritability (42%) and agitation/aggression (40%). Patients with small-vessel VaD reported more apathy, aberrant motor behaviour and hallucinations than patients with large-vessel VaD (p<0.05). In contrast, patients with large-vessel VaD reported a higher severity of agitation/aggression and euphoria (p<0.05). Conclusion Behavioural and psychological symptoms are common in VaD. Patients with small-vessel and large-vessel VaD demonstrate different profiles of symptoms, with especially more apathy in small-vessel VaD and more agitation/agression in large-vessel VaD.
Implementation of the Early Start Denver Model in an Italian community

Identifying effective, community-based specialized interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder is an international clinical and research priority. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Early Start Denver Model intervention in a group of young children with autism spectrum disorder living in an Italian community compared to a group of Italian children who received treatment as usual. A total of 22 young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder received the Early Start Denver Model in a center-based context for 6 h per week over 6 months. The Early Start Denver Model group was compared to a group of 70 young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who received treatment as usual for an average of 5.2 h over 6 months. Children in both groups improved in cognitive, adaptive, and social skills after 3 months and 6 months of treatment. Children in the Early Start Denver Model group made larger gains in cognitive and social skills after 3 and 6 months of treatment. The Early Start Denver Model group made larger gains in adaptive skills after 3 months of treatment. Our results are discussed in terms of implications for intervention research and clinical practice. Our study supports the positive impact of the Early Start Denver Model in a non-English-speaking community.
Delving into somatic variation in sporadic melanoma

Melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, has increased in incidence more rapidly than any other cancer. The completion of the human genome project and advancements in genomics technologies has allowed us to investigate genetic alterations of melanoma at a scale and depth that is unprecedented. Here, we survey the history of the different approaches taken to understand the genomics of melanoma – from early candidate genes, to gene families, to genome‐wide studies. The new era of whole‐exome and whole‐genome sequencing has paved the way for an in‐depth understanding of melanoma biology, identification of new therapeutic targets, and development of novel personalized therapies for melanoma.