Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of feeding antibiotic-free creep feed supplemented with oligofructose, probiotics or synbiotics to suckling piglets increases the preweaning weight gain and composition of intestinal microbiota

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine whether feeding an antibiotic-free creep feed supplemented with either oligofructose, probiotics or synbiotics to suckling piglets influences growth performance, the gut microflora, gut morphology and hematological traits at weaning. Twenty sows with 10 piglets each were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. The treatments consisted of a control (antibiotic-free) diet, 0.2% oligofructose (OF), 0.3% probiotics or 0.5% synbiotics (mixture of 0.2% OF + 0.3% probiotics). Piglets were offered the diet ad libitum from 7 d after birth until one day after weaning (21 d of age). At the day after weaning, blood samples were collected from the jugular vein to determine the immune response. Digesta samples of the ileum and colon were collected to determine the microbial composition. Tissue segments from the duodenum and ileum were collected for morphometric measurements of the small intestine. The average daily weight gain was significantly higher for piglets fed the OF or synbiotics diet compared with the pigs fed the control diet. The hematological traits (the concentration of lymphocytes and neutrophils in whole blood) were not affected by the diet. Piglets fed the OF, probiotics or synbiotics diet had a significantly decreased number of total coliform bacteria in the colon. Feeding OF, probiotics or synbiotics significantly increased the population of bifidobacteria in the ileum compared to the control. In the colon, the probiotics and synbiotics diet significantly increased the number of bifidobacteria compared with the control diet. The results of this experiment showed that supplementation of oligofructose or synbiotics to an antibiotic-free creep feed during the preweaning period affected gut microbial population and performance of piglets.
‘Trust’ versus ‘competency’ in the workplace

Editor – ‘Would you trust them to look after your mother? ’ is a favourite piece of shorthand amongst clinicians who are unofficially evaluating trainees for fitness to do the job. Although implicit, the concept of trust is clearly a foundation of the supervisor–trainee relationship. In this journal, Dijksterhuis et al. and Hauer et al. have empirically investigated the development of supervisor trust in trainees. As Gingerich suggests, trust may represent an alternative assessment framework, for which ‘entrustable professional activities’ may present an attractive method. So what makes the concept of trust seem so intuitive to clinical supervisors? Why might trust, from the clinical teacher’s perspective, provide a more meaningful taxonomy than competency in the workplace?
Haptic overlay device for flat panel touch displays

Summary form only given. In an effort to present users with an increasing amount of information, many industries including automotive and aerospace are adopting flat panel touch displays as a user interface. These interfaces are becoming popular due to their reconfigurability so that control and display functions can be embedded in multiple layers or menus. However, one of the disadvantages of this approach is the need for the user to constantly look at the display to operate it. In this paper, a haptic overlay device (HOD) is used to address user distraction issues. The HOD is comprised of a conventional off the shelf touch screen display, a custom haptic device, electronics and software. The haptic device has been designed to fit over top of the touch screen. With the HOD, a user is able to feel items, such as buttons and sliders, on the screen.
Self-rated health and later receipt of work-related benefits: evidence from the 1970 British Cohort Study

Background Long-term sickness absence (LTSA) is most commonly due to common mental disorders and symptom-based conditions. Relatively little research has examined individual, as opposed to occupational, risk factors for LTSA. Individual appraisal of the workplace has been considered in several studies but self-rated health has more often been examined as a consequence of, rather than as a risk factor for, sickness absence. We aimed to study the association between self-rated health and later LTSA. Method We used data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70). LTSA was defined as being in receipt of Incapacity Benefit (IB)/Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) at age 34. The mother rated the participant's overall health at age 16; the participants self-rated at age 30. Reports of psychological and somatic symptoms were available at age 16; data on major health conditions were available at age 30. Results Analyses were restricted to those working, studying or caring for children at age 30 (n = 14 105). One hundred and fifty-six (1.1%) were receiving IB or SDA by age 34. After adjustment for social class at birth, educational attainment, health conditions at age 30 and psychological and somatic symptoms at age 16, those who reported their health as poor had more than five times the odds of being long-term sick at age 34. Conclusions The overall appraisal of an individual's health as poor, independent of any diagnosis, is a significant vulnerability factor for LTSA.
Antiretroviral-drug resistance among patients recently infected with HIV.

BACKGROUND Among persons in North America who are newly infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the prevalence of transmitted resistance to antiretroviral drugs has been estimated at 1 to 11 percent. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of susceptibility to antiretroviral drugs before treatment and drug-resistance mutations in HIV in plasma samples from 377 subjects with primary HIV infection who had not yet received treatment and who were identified between May 1995 and June 2000 in 10 North American cities. Responses to treatment could be evaluated in 202 subjects. RESULTS Over the five-year period, the frequency of transmitted drug resistance increased significantly. The frequency of high-level resistance to one or more drugs (indicated by a value of more than 10 for the ratio of the 50 percent inhibitory concentration [IC50] for the subject's virus to the IC50 for a drug-sensitive reference virus) increased from 3.4 percent during the period from 1995 to 1998 to 12.4 percent during the period from 1999 to 2000 (P=0.002), and the frequency of multidrug resistance increased from 1.1 percent to 6.2 percent (P=0.01). The frequency of resistance mutations detected by sequence analysis increased from 8.0 percent to 22.7 percent (P<0.001), and the frequency of multidrug resistance detected by sequence analysis increased from 3.8 percent to 10.2 percent (P=0.05). Among subjects infected with drug-resistant virus, the time to viral suppression after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy was longer (P=0.05), and the time to virologic failure was shorter (P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS The proportion of new HIV infections that involve drug-resistant virus is increasing in North America. Initial antiretroviral therapy is more likely to fail in patients who are infected with drug-resistant virus. Testing for resistance to drugs before therapy begins is now indicated even for recently infected patients.
scribble mutants cooperate with oncogenic Ras or Notch to cause neoplastic overgrowth in Drosophila

Cancer is a multistep process involving cooperation between oncogenic or tumor suppressor mutations and interactions between the tumor and surrounding normal tissue. Here we present the first description of cooperative tumorigenesis in Drosophila, by using a system that mimics the development of tumors in mammals. We have used the MARCM system to generate mutant clones of the apical–basal cell polarity tumor suppressor gene, scribble, in the context of normal tissue. We show that scribble mutant clones in the eye disc exhibit ectopic expression of cyclin E and ectopic cell cycles, but do not overgrow due to increased cell death mediated by the JNK pathway and the surrounding wild‐type tissue. In contrast, when oncogenic Ras or Notch is expressed within the scribble mutant clones, cell death is prevented and neoplastic tumors develop. This demonstrates, for the first time in Drosophila, that activated alleles of Ras and Notch can act as cooperating oncogenes in the development of epithelial tumors, and highlights the importance of epithelial polarity regulators in restraining oncogenes and preventing tumor formation.
De novo phosphorylation and conformational opening of the tyrosine kinase Lck act in concert to initiate T cell receptor signaling

The tyrosine kinase Lck must undergo both conformational opening and phosphorylation to transduce signals from the T cell receptor. Lck: When an open conformation does not equal activation The tyrosine kinase Lck is critical to T cell activation in response to stimulation of the T cell receptor (TCR). Lck activity is tightly regulated to avoid inappropriate activation of T cells and subsequent inflammation. Phosphorylation of Tyr505 causes Lck to form a closed, inhibited conformation, whereas phosphorylation of Tyr394 results in conformational opening of the kinase. To tease apart the differential effects of phosphorylation and conformational changes on Lck activity, Philipsen et al. generated different fluorescent Lck biosensors and imaged unstimulated and TCR-stimulated human T cells by fluorescence microscopy. Both the TCR-stimulated conformational opening of Lck and its subsequent phosphorylation of Tyr394 were required to stimulate T cells, and these modifications occurred primarily on Lck that was close to that TCR at the plasma membrane. These data suggest that drugs that stabilize the open conformation yet prevent the phosphorylation event could limit T cell–mediated immune responses. The enzymatic activity of the Src family tyrosine kinase p56Lck (Lck) is tightly controlled by differential phosphorylation of two tyrosine residues, Tyr394 and Tyr505. Phosphorylation of Tyr394 and the conformational opening of Lck are believed to activate the kinase, whereas Tyr505 phosphorylation is thought to generate a closed, inactive conformation of Lck. We investigated whether the conformation of Lck and its phosphorylation state act in concert to regulate the initiation of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. With a sensitive biosensor, we used fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to investigate the conformations of wild-type Lck and its phosphorylation-deficient mutants Y394F and Y505F and the double mutant Y394F/Y505F in unstimulated T cells and after TCR stimulation. With this approach, we separated the conformational changes of Lck from the phosphorylation state of its regulatory tyrosines. We showed that the conformational opening of Lck alone was insufficient to initiate signaling events in T cells. Rather, Lck additionally required phosphorylation of Tyr394 to induce T cell activation. Consistent with the FLIM measurements, an optimized immunofluorescence microscopy protocol revealed that the TCR-stimulated phosphorylation of Lck at Tyr394 occurred preferentially at the plasma membrane of Jurkat cells and primary human T cells. Our study supports the hypothesis that T cell activation through the TCR complex is accompanied by the de novo activation of Lck and that phosphorylation of Tyr394 plays a role in Lck function that goes beyond inducing an open conformation of the kinase.
Akustische Halluzinationen und funktionelle Bildgebung

Auditory verbal hallucinations are a common symptom of schizophrenia. In general, hallucinations can affect all sensory modalities and occur in many neuropsychiatric disorders. They also serve the psychology of perception as the classic example of sensory experience in the absence of adequate external stimuli. Functional imaging studies showed the auditory cortex, the limbic system and language areas, both motor and sensory, to be active during auditory hallucinations. The psychological and neurophysiological models of hallucination can be integrated if we consider that patients with schizophrenia might ascribe internal monologues or dialogues to external sources. The activity of language areas during hallucinations would conform to such a model while the activity in auditory cortex might explain why auditory hallucinations are often so vivid and real for the patients suffering from them. Moreover, the activation of the limbic system might correspond to the emotional aspects of the content of the voices and the accompanying arousal. While the neurophysiological models of hallucination are thus already rather refined, the attempt at suppressing auditory cortex activity with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in order to alleviate treatment-resistant acoustic hallucinations, which is based on the functional imaging findings, still needs further study. Treatment schemes that are based on the psychological theories are more varied and have shown more consistent and long lasting effects but also suffer from the difficulty in measuring hallucinations quantitatively. Future research with functional and structural imaging should go beyond correlating brain activity and symptoms and also address the functional and structural connectivity patterns in the brain that enable hallucinations.
Strategic Green HRM: A proposed model that supports Corporate Environmental Citizenship

Green management initiatives become an important factor in forward-thinking businesses around the world. Researchers argued that employees must be inspired, empowered and environmentally aware of greening in order to carry out green management initiatives. Corporate green management requires a high level of technical and management skills in employees, since the company will develop innovation-focused environmental initiatives and programmes that have significant managerial implications. However, gaps still exist in the human resource management (HRM) literature on human resource (HR) aspects of environmental management - Green HRM. This includes an informative guide on the emergent literature, its scope and coverage, a process model and research agenda. There is a growing need for strategic green HRM - the integration of environmental management into HRM. The main purpose of this study is to explore constructs of green HRM. This paper proposes a development of a new model of strategic green HRM by reviewing the literature on HR aspects of environmental management, synthesizing the thinking arising from the review of these literatures, and proposes research model. From the perspectives of strategic HRM and green management, this study argues that the new model should include among others the relationship of assessment-based HR Interventions, environmental management system (EMS), green intellectual capital (GIC) and corporate environmental citizenship (CEC).
SPEF2 functions in microtubule-mediated transport in elongating spermatids to ensure proper male germ cell differentiation

Sperm differentiation requires specific protein transport for correct sperm tail formation and head shaping. A transient microtubular structure, the manchette, appears around the differentiating spermatid head and serves as a platform for protein transport to the growing tail. Sperm flagellar 2 (SPEF2) is known to be essential for sperm tail development. In this study we investigated the function of SPEF2 during spermatogenesis using a male germ cell-specific Spef2 knockout mouse model. In addition to defects in sperm tail development, we observed a duplication of the basal body and failure in manchette migration resulting in an abnormal head shape. We identified cytoplasmic dynein 1 and GOLGA3 as novel interaction partners for SPEF2. SPEF2 and dynein 1 colocalize in the manchette and the inhibition of dynein 1 disrupts the localization of SPEF2 to the manchette. Furthermore, the transport of a known SPEF2-binding protein, IFT20, from the Golgi complex to the manchette was delayed in the absence of SPEF2. These data indicate a possible novel role of SPEF2 as a linker protein for dynein 1-mediated cargo transport along microtubules. Summary: The cilia-related protein SPEF2 is involved in intracellular transport during sperm tail formation via an interaction with cytoplasmic dynein 1, IFT20 and GOLGA3 proteins.
Evolutionary ecology of Datura stramonium: equal plant fitness benefits of growth and resistance against herbivory

Abstract This study evaluated how natural selection act upon two proposed alternatives of defence (growth and resistance) against natural enemies in a common garden experiment using genetic material (full‐sibs) from three populations of the annual plant Datura stramonium. Genetic and phenotypic correlations were used to search for a negative association between both alternatives of defence. Finally, the presence/absence of natural enemies was manipulated to evaluate the selective value of growth as a response against herbivory. Results indicated the presence of genetic variation for growth and resistance (1 – relative damage), whereas only population differentiation for resistance was detected. No correlation between growth and resistance was detected either at the phenotypic or the genetic level. Selection analysis revealed the presence of equal fitness benefits of growth and resistance among populations. The presence/absence of natural herbivores revealed that herbivory did not alter the pattern of selection on growth. The results indicate that both strategies of defence can evolve simultaneously within populations of D. stramonium.
A site-directed Staphylococcus aureus hemB mutant is a small-colony variant which persists intracellularly

Although small-colony variants (SCVs) of Staphylococcus aureus have been recognized for many years, this phenotype has only recently been related to persistent and recurrent infections. Clinical S. aureus SCVs are frequently auxotrophic for menadione or hemin, two compounds involved in the biosynthesis of the electron transport chain elements menaquinone and cytochromes, respectively. While this observation as well as other biochemical characteristics of SCVs suggests a link between electron-transport-defective strains and persistent infections, the strains examined thus far have been genetically undefined SCVs. Therefore, we generated a stable mutant in electron transport by interrupting one of the hemin biosynthetic genes, hemB, in S. aureus by inserting an ermB cassette into hemB. We isolated a hemB mutant, due to homologous recombination, by growth at a nonpermissive temperature and selection for erythromycin resistance. This mutant showed typical characteristics of clinical SCVs, such as slow growth, decreased pigment formation, low coagulase activity, reduced hemolytic activity, and resistance to aminoglycosides. Additionally, the mutant was able to persist within cultured endothelial cells due to decreased alpha-toxin production. Northern and Western blot analyses showed that expression of alpha-toxin and that of protein A were markedly reduced, at both the mRNA and the protein level. The SCV phenotype of the hemB mutant was reversed by growth with hemin or by complementation with intact hemB. Hence, a defect in the electron transport system allows S. aureus SCVs to resist aminoglycosides and persist intracellularly.
A ΔΣ interface for MEMS accelerometers using electrostatic spring-constant modulation for cancellation of bondwire capacitance drift

Precision accelerometers are used in a variety of automotive applications, navigation systems, and low-level vibration-monitoring systems. Currently, these sensors are factory-calibrated to null their input offset. However, the residual offset drifts mainly due to thermal and mechanical stress and humidity. As a result, the offset accuracy of high-end MEMS accelerometers is specified on the order of ±100mg. With continuously increasing precision requirements, it is desirable to develop new techniques that address post-calibration drift. In this paper, we describe an accelerometer interface that continuously measures and cancels offset drift due to change in parasitic capacitance of the bondwires in a system-in-package-type MEMS accelerometer. The proposed technique reduces the bondwire offset of the measured prototypes by 41dB down to 6.24mg.
Islet adaptations in fetal sheep persist following chronic exposure to high norepinephrine.

Complications in pregnancy elevate fetal norepinephrine (NE) concentrations. Previous studies in NE-infused sheep fetuses revealed that sustained exposure to high NE resulted in lower expression of α2-adrenergic receptors in islets and increased insulin secretion responsiveness after acutely terminating the NE infusion. In this study, we determined if the compensatory increase in insulin secretion after chronic elevation of NE is independent of hyperglycemia in sheep fetuses and whether it is persistent in conjunction with islet desensitization to NE. After an initial assessment of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) at 129 ± 1 days of gestation, fetuses were continuously infused for seven days with NE and maintained at euglycemia with a maternal insulin infusion. Fetal GSIS studies were performed again on days 8 and 12. Adrenergic sensitivity was determined in pancreatic islets collected at day 12. NE infusion increased (P < 0.01) fetal plasma NE concentrations and lowered (P < 0.01) basal insulin concentrations compared to vehicle-infused controls. GSIS was 1.8-fold greater (P < 0.05) in NE-infused fetuses compared to controls at both one and five days after discontinuing the infusion. Glucose-potentiated arginine-induced insulin secretion was also enhanced (P < 0.01) in NE-infused fetuses. Maximum GSIS in islets isolated from NE-infused fetuses was 1.6-fold greater (P < 0.05) than controls, but islet insulin content and intracellular calcium signaling were not different between treatments. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration for NE was 2.6-fold greater (P < 0.05) in NE-infused islets compared to controls. These findings show that chronic NE exposure and not hyperglycemia produce persistent adaptations in pancreatic islets that augment β-cell responsiveness in part through decreased adrenergic sensitivity.
REliable energy aware routing protocol in wireless sensor networks

In this paper, a novel energy-aware routing protocol is proposed and it is based on the reliability. Since in the wireless environment, the link quality is difficult to guarantee, the reliable routing protocol is a quite important issue to be studied. By using the local selection, path reservation and path delay broadcast, the new protocol reduce the re-transmission which is caused by the path failure. Furthermore, the performance of the new routing protocol is demonstrated by using the simulation results. From the simulation results, compared with other routing protocols, this protocol has the better performance on the aspects of saving energy and buffer.