Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serological response of chickens to Salmonella thompson and Salmonella pullorum infections

Chickens were experimentally infected with Salmonella thompson (serogroup C, paratyphoid) and Salmonella pullorum (serogroup D). Five serological methods and one cultural method were used in detecting the infections. The microantiglobulin test was superior to all other methods for detection of paratyphoid (S. THOMPSON) infection and was followed in efficacy by the microagglutination test, rapid serum plate test, cloacal swab culture, macroscopic tube agglutination test, and rapid whole-blood test, in that order. Birds infected with S. pullorum showed much higher agglutinin titers than the birds infected with paratyphoid. The microagglutination and microantiglobulin tests were not significantly different for detection of pullorum infection and were followed in efficacy by the rapid serum plate, macroscopic tube agglutination, rapid whole-blood, and cloacal swab culture tests, in that order. The cloacal swab culture test was totally inadequate for the detection of pullorum infection.
Equine seminal plasma: its role in protecting stallion spermatozoa during cryopreservation

There is considerable variability in the ability of spermatozoa from different stallions to withstand the freezing process. As a result, stallions are usually categorized as good or bad freezers. In the equine industry, the demand for frozen semen for artificial insemination is increasing, resulting in a need for optimising cryopreservation techniques. Previously the removal of seminal plasma (SP) prior to cryopreservation was shown to improve post-thaw sperm quality, whereas the effect of adding SP on spermatozoa varied among studies. Single Layer Centrifugation (SLC) is a technique that has been used to select the most robust spermatozoa from the ejaculate and prolong their viability, as well as separating them from SP. The aims of this thesis were: 1) to study the effect of combining SLC with addition of SP from stallions of known freezability on sperm cryosurvival, including their ability to bind to heterologous oocytes; 2) To explore the differences in the major protein groups in SP between the breeding and non-breeding seasons in relation to sperm quality. Selecting robust spermatozoa using SLC prior to freezing improved post-thaw sperm quality, whereas addition of pooled SP from good or bad freezers to the selected sperm samples did not have an additional beneficial effect. Sperm quality was adversely impaired after restoring pooled SP to SLC-selected spermatozoa after thawing, independently of whether the SP came from a good or a bad freezer stallion, suggesting an inability of SP to repair stallion sperm cryoinjuries in the presence of an egg yolk-containing extender. Sperm binding affinity to the zona pellucida (ZP) of bovine oocytes was reduced after adding SP from good freezer stallions prior to cryopreservation. However, when SP was added after thawing, the mean number of bound spermatozoa was higher for the group treated with SP from good freezers than for the group treated with SP from bad freezers. Minor differences in protein composition were observed between seasons as well as between good and bad freezers. In the nonbreeding season there was a higher content of heparin-binding proteins and also of a subset of non-heparin binding proteins compared to the breeding season; these proteins may be linked to fertility. Sperm quality did not decline during the non-breeding season and SP-testosterone levels did not vary between seasons. Customization of the cryopreservation protocol for individual stallions, including studying the effect of adding SP from individual stallions, would be required to optimize the effect on sperm cryosurvival. Global proteome investigation of SP proteins could help to identify cryosurvival biomarkers for stallion spermatozoa.
Antioxidative Activities of Algal Keto Carotenoids Acting as Antioxidative Protectants in the Chloroplast

Very diverse carotenoid structures exist in the photosynthesis apparatus of different algae. Among them, the keto derivatives are regarded the most antioxidative. Therefore, four different keto carotenoids, peridinin, fucoxanthin, siphonaxanthin and astaxanthin fatty acid monoesters, were isolated and purified from Amphidinium carterae, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Caulerpa taxifolia and Haematococcus pluvialis, respectively. The carotenoids were assayed as inhibitors of photosensitizer initiated reactions or scavengers of radicals in the early events generating reactive oxygen species as starters for peroxidation and as protectants against the whole reaction chain finally leading to lipid peroxidation. These in vitro studies demonstrated the substantial antioxidative properties as indicated by the IC50 values of all four keto carotenoids with superior protection by astaxanthin fatty acid monoesters which were as effective as free astaxanthin and of peridinin against radicals. As an example, the in vivo relevance of fucoxanthin for protection of photosynthesis from excess light and from peroxidative agents was evaluated with intact cells. Cultures of P. tricornutum with decreased fucoxanthin content generated by inhibitor treatment were exposed to strong light or cumene hydroperoxyde. In each case, oxidation of chlorophyll as marker for damaging of the photosynthesis apparatus was less severe when the fucoxanthin was at maximum level.
Si FinFET based 10nm technology with multi Vt gate stack for low power and high performance applications

10nm logic technology using Si FinFET is developed for low power and high performance applications. Power-speed gain of 27% compared to 14nm technology node was obtained using four key developments: 1) advanced gate stack engineering enabling 4 multi-Vt devices, 2) 3rd generation Fin technology, 3) highly doped source/drain (S/D), and 4) contact resistance optimization. CVD liner for BEOL process was also applied for better metal fill capability. Finally yield of the smallest ever SRAM with 0.04um2 SRAM bit-cell size was demonstrated.
New advances in polymeric membranes for CO 2 separation

Abtin Ebadi Amooghin*, Hamidreza Sanaeepur, Mona Zamani Pedram, Mohammadreza Omidkhah and Ali Kargari 1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak 38156-8-8349, Iran 2 Department of Energy System Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, No. 15, Pardis St., Molasadra Ave., Vanak Sq. , Tehran 3 Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-143, Tehran, Iran 4 Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, P.O. Box 15875-4413, Tehran, Iran * Corresponding author: email: a-ebadi@araku.ac. ir, abtin.ebadi. a@gmail.com
Beyond the CA1 subfield: Local hippocampal shape changes in MRI‐negative temporal lobe epilepsy

Hippocampal atrophy in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) can indicate mesial temporal sclerosis and predict surgical success. Yet many patients with TLE do not have significant atrophy (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) negative), which presents a diagnostic challenge. We used a new variant of high‐dimensional large‐deformation mapping to assess whether patients with apparently normal hippocampi have local shape changes that mirror those of patients with significant hippocampal atrophy.
Avantaje competitive ale practicilor de management resurse umane ale universităţilor europene de top. Discurs instituţional şi regândirea strategiilor de MRU în universităţile româneşti

The current study highlights the importance of implementing a coherent HRM strategy, through specific policies and procedures inside universities, aiming to increase their competitive advantage and quality standards. It explores the latest HRM tendencies, applied to the academic and research field across 13 European universities included in the top 50 World Universities ranking. The content analysis relies on secondary research data, and the study investigates the respective similarities and differences, according to several dimensions and processes, such as: recruitment, talent retention, training, counseling and career development, organizational ethics, cultural audit, organizational identity and promotion through employer branding activities. This analysis discusses conclusions in relationship with the distinction between tacticaladministrative processes and strategic processes, as well as the need to integrate and harmonize the two flows, by means of organizational intelligence. Recommendations take into account the possibility to transfer and adapt the investigated experience by comparative analysis and benchmarking, as valuable suggestions for human resources departments of state and private universities in Romania.
Discovery of carbonic anhydrase in rabbit skeletal muscle and evidence for its identity with "basic muscle protein".

“Basic Muscle Protein,” a protein with unknown function that had previously been isolated in homogeneous form and partially characterized while obtained as a by-product of the purification procedure for phosphoglucose isomerase (Blackburn, M. N., Chirgwin, J. M., James, G. T., Kempe, T. D., Parsons, T. F., Register, A. M., Schnackerz, K. D., and Noltmann, E. A. (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 1170-1179), has been shown to be identical with carbonic anhydrase. This identification is based on its activity as a CO2 hydratase (which is resistant to inhibition by sulfonamide), its zinc content (1 g atom/monomer), and the stoichiometry of the loss of its activity that accompanies removal of zinc. Based on its amino acid composition, its tryptic peptide maps obtained with or without carbamylation, and its immunochemical properties, as compared with those same parameters determined for rabbit erythrocyte carbonic anhydrases I and II, this new carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme from muscle is proposed to derive from a third genetic locus and is designated as carbonic anhydrase III. Carbonic anhydrase III constitutes 1 to 2% of the total cytosol proteins extracted at low ionic strength from rabbit skeletal muscle. As shown by ultracentrifugation, electrophoresis, and gel filtration, the enzyme exists in both monomer (s&, = 3.2 S; M, = 29,000) and dimer (&,,~ = 4.7 S; M, = 58,000) forms. The monomerdimer equilibrium is dependent on the state of sulfhydry1 oxidation in that the dimer has been found to contain 12 total half-cystine residues, 10 of which are present as free sulfhydryl groups, whereas the monomer contains 6 total half-cystine residues, all of which can be titrated withp-mercuribenzoate. These data are taken to suggest that the dimer is produced by formation of an intermolecular disulfide bridge between two monomers. Carbonic anhydrase III is proposed to function in muscle as a buffer system that participates in regulating intracellular CO2 concentration and pH by maintaining the equilibrium between COZ and HCOs-.
How committees impact the volatility of policy rates

This paper relates the volatility of interest rates to the collective nature of monetary policymaking in monetary unions. Several decision rules are modelled, including hegemonic and democratic procedures, and also committees headed by a chairman. A ranking of decision rules in terms of the volatility of policy rates is obtained, showing that the presence of a chairman has a cooling effect. However, members of a monetary union are better off under symmetric rules (voting, averaging, bargaining), unless they themselves chair the union. The results are robust to the inclusion of heterogeneities among members of the monetary union.
Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in the only hearing ear: patient characteristics and hearing outcome.

OBJECTIVE To determine the otological outcome in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) in their only hearing ear. DESIGN Retrospective medical chart review study. SETTING Tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS Forty-five consecutive patients older than 18 years with sudden sensorineural hearing loss during a 10 year period (1985-1995), 9 of whom had ISSHL in their only hearing ear. INTERVENTION Daily audiometric tests, oral prednisolone (full available dose), and bed rest for at least a week. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The audiometric result 7 to 10 days following the start of treatment was used as the treatment outcome. RESULTS Demographic characteristics were not significantly different between patients with ISSHL whose contralateral ear is deaf and those whose contralateral ear hears well. A tendency to seek help sooner (2.8 +/- 1.4 vs 7.1 +/- 5.2 days [mean +/- SD], respectively) was noted. The mean +/- SD improvement of hearing in the 3 more affected frequencies was 13 +/- 13.4 dB for the investigated group compared with 9 +/- 8.7dB for the rest of the patients (not statistically significant). Of the 9 patients who previously had sensorineural hearing loss in the opposite ear, 5 showed end results of speech reception thresholds of 35 dB or better, as did 13 of the 36 patients in the other group. CONCLUSIONS Patients with ISSHL in their only hearing ear may be treated the same way as other patients because their outcome appears to be the same. About 50% of the patients will have a 10 dB or more hearing improvement, and about 60% of patients in the investigated group will regain useful hearing.
Alcohol and marijuana use patterns associated with unsafe driving among U.S. high school seniors: high use frequency, concurrent use, and simultaneous use.

OBJECTIVE This article examines noncausal associations between high school seniors' alcohol and marijuana use status and rates of self-reported unsafe driving in the past 12 months. METHOD Analyses used data from 72,053 students collected through annual surveys of nationally representative cross-sectional samples of U.S. 12th-grade students from 1976 to 2011. Two aspects of past-12-month alcohol and marijuana use were examined: (a) use frequency and (b) status as a nonuser, single substance user, concurrent user, or simultaneous user. Measures of past-12-month unsafe driving included any tickets/warnings or accidents, as well as tickets/warnings or accidents following alcohol or marijuana use. Analyses explored whether an individual's substance use frequency and simultaneous use status had differential associations with their rate of unsafe driving. RESULTS Higher substance use frequency (primarily alcohol use frequency) was significantly and positively associated with unsafe driving. The rate of engaging in any unsafe driving was also significantly and positively associated with simultaneous use status, with the highest rate associated with simultaneous use, followed by concurrent use, followed by use of alcohol alone. Individuals who reported simultaneous use most or every time they used marijuana had the highest likelihood of reporting unsafe driving following either alcohol or marijuana use. CONCLUSIONS This article expands the knowledge on individual risk factors associated with unsafe driving among teens. Efforts to educate U.S. high school students (especially substance users), parents, and individuals involved in prevention programming and driver's education about the increased risks associated with various forms of drug use status may be useful.
Enhanced in-store shopping experience through smart phone based mixed reality application

A prime concern in today's commerce offering is having satisfied customers through a range of business and technical solutions. Businesses invest and explore different approaches in their merchandising and product promotion to revolutionize in-store shopping experiences. With the advent of Mixed Reality (MR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) as consumer level technologies, it has now become possible to look at how shopping experience of customers can be enhanced from a fresh perspective. This paper presents Smart Phone based Mixed Reality Application (SPMRA), which makes it possible to gamify the whole in-store shopping experience with a low cost, easy to use, smart phone based mixed reality platform. This interactive, fun to use platform enables retail owners to create mixed reality based experiences with few clicks and customers to receive unique shopping experience during their stay in-store. Usage of the SPMRA in real world environments has been tested in Media-Markt outlets in Munich, Germany and Singer Mega show rooms in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka resulting in positive customer feedback and better overall shopping experience for customers. A significant 82.1% of SPMRA users in Germany and Sri Lanka agreed to the fact that the application assisted and influenced them in making their buying decisions.
Development and implementation of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the experimental steps that led to the development of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and its application in the human. ICSI has become the most successful micromanipulation procedure for treating male infertility. A total of 355 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles utilizing ICSI are described; 180 couples were previously treated in 509 IVF cycles but achieved no fertilization and 175 couples could not be treated by IVF because of extremely poor semen parameters. Of the 3063 metaphase II (M II) oocytes retrieved, 2970 were injected with a survival rate of 93.6%, yielding 1917 bipronuclear zygotes (64.5%). In 148 patients, a foetal heart was evidenced by ultrasound; 11 of these patients miscarried between 7 and 13 weeks of gestation. The ongoing pregnancy rate was 38.6% (137/355) per retrieval and 40.5% (137/338) per embryo replacement. At the time of writing, there were 22 deliveries and one therapeutic abortion for a trisomy 21 chromosomal abnormality. In addition, 66 singleton, 37 twin, 10 triplet and 1 quadruplet pregnancies were ongoing. The concentration of motile spermatozoa in the ejaculate only slightly influenced the fertilization rate (P < 0.001) and the pregnancy outcome (P < 0.01). A preliminary injection procedure utilizing intracytoplasmic injection of isolated sperm heads was performed in 35 M II human oocytes with resultant fertilization and cleavage rates of 74% and 73% respectively. Skills in ICSI were acquired by injecting hamster and unfertilized human oocytes with human sperm. ICSI can be used to successfully treat couples who have failed IVF or who have too few spermatozoa for conventional in vitro insemination. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Haemodilution is a mechanism of anaemia in patients with heart failure: reply

Anaemia in chronicheart failure ismultifactorial and may be due to an absolute and/or relative deficiency of iron and/or erythropoietin, haemodilution, and other mechanisms. The Reduction of Events by Darbepoietin Alfa in Heart Failure, a randomized double blind trial, which evaluated whether treatment with darbepoietin alfa improved clinical outcomes in patients with systolic heart failure and mild-to-moderate anaemia that is not due to iron deficiency, found no significant differences in primary outcomes—a composite of death fromany cause or hospitalization for worsening heart failure—between the two groups. However, while Swedberg et al. note that the haemoglobin level is a marker of poor prognosis in heart failure, neither Swedberg et al. nor the authors of the editorial invoke the possibility of anaemia due to haemodilution as a confounder of the results of this trial. There is evidence from multiple small studies in patients with chronic stable heart failure on standard therapy that anaemia (defined commonly as blood haemoglobin concentration ,12 or 13 g/dL) in this condition is at least in part due to dilution by increased plasma volume. These studies have shown increased extracellular fluid volume, increased plasma volume (normalized for body mass) in the absence of differences in red blood cell volume, and increased plasma volume in patients with chronic stable heart failure. Patients in these studies are comparable with those in the reportbySwedberget al. in termsof important inclusion and exclusioncriteria, with the exception that Androne et al. did not evaluate other causes of anaemia.
Neuroimaging for psychotherapy research: Current trends

Abstract Objective: This article reviews neuroimaging studies that inform psychotherapy research. An introduction to neuroimaging methods is provided as background for the increasingly sophisticated breadth of methods and findings appearing in psychotherapy research. Method: We compiled and assessed a comprehensive list of neuroimaging studies of psychotherapy outcome, along with selected examples of other types of studies that also are relevant to psychotherapy research. We emphasized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) since it is the dominant neuroimaging modality in psychological research. Results: We summarize findings from neuroimaging studies of psychotherapy outcome, including treatment for depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia. Conclusions: The increasing use of neuroimaging methods in the study of psychotherapy continues to refine our understanding of both outcome and process. We suggest possible directions for future neuroimaging studies in psychotherapy research.
Relationships between ligand binding sites, protein architecture and correlated paths of energy and conformational fluctuations

The statistical thermodynamics basis of energy and residue position fluctuations is explained for native proteins. The protein and its surroundings are treated as a canonical system with emphasis on the effects of energy exchange between the two. Fluctuations of the energy are related to fluctuations of residue positions, which in turn are related to the connectivity matrix of the protein, thus establishing a connection between energy fluctuation pathways and protein architecture. The model gives the locations of hotspots for ligand binding and identifies the pathways of energy conduction within the protein. Results are discussed in terms of two sets of models, the BPTI and 12 proteins that contain the PDZ domain. A possible use of the model for determining functionally similar domains in a diverse set of proteins is pointed out.
Cardiologists' use of percutaneous coronary interventions for stable coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is commonly performed in patients with stable coronary artery disease, despite current evidence suggesting that such patients derive minimal benefit from the procedure. We sought to determine the influences on cardiologists' decision to perform elective PCI in patients with stable coronary artery disease. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study using 3 focus groups of interventional and noninterventional cardiologists in California. Participants discussed issues surrounding the decision to perform PCI using hypothetical case scenarios. We analyzed the data according to the principles of grounded theory. RESULTS Despite acknowledging data showing that PCI offers no reduction in the risk of death or myocardial infarction in patients with stable coronary artery disease, cardiologists generally believed that PCI would benefit such patients. Reasons given for performing PCI included belief in the benefits of treating ischemia and the open artery hypothesis, especially with drug-eluting stents; potential regret for not intervening if a cardiac event could be averted; alleviation of patient anxiety; and medicolegal considerations. Participants believed that, in patients undergoing coronary angiography, an "oculostenotic reflex" prevailed and all significant amenable stenoses would receive intervention, even in asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS The widespread application of PCI in stable coronary artery disease for indications unsupported by evidence may reflect discordance between cardiologists' clinical knowledge and their beliefs about the benefits of PCI. Nonclinical factors appear to have substantial influence on physician decision making. Future studies should focus on the development of methods to help providers more fully incorporate clinical evidence into their medical decision making.