Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiographic reference values in healthy adult Saanen goats

Echocardiography has become a routine non-invasive cardiac diagnostic tool in most species. Accurate measurement of cardiac dimensions requires reference values, which are poorly documented in goats. The aim of the present study was to test the inter-day repeatability and to establish the reference values of two-dimensional (2D-) and time-motion (M-) mode echocardiographic variables in healthy adult Saanen goats. Six goats were investigated three times by the same observer at one-day interval using a standardised 2D- and M-mode echocardiographic protocol. The intra-observer inter-day repeatability was tested using analysis of variance, calculation of the coefficient of variation and confidence intervals. A single echocardiographic examination was performed in six other goats, and values obtained in the 12 goats were used to establish the 2D- and M-mode echocardiographic reference values in healthy adult female Saanen goats. Statistical analysis revealed a good inter-day repeatability of the echocardiographic cardiac measurements. Echocardiographic reference values obtained in healthy adult Saanen goats seemed slightly higher than those reported in healthy Swedish domestic goats and were similar to those reported in healthy adult sheep.
Influence of the Design of Square p+ Islands on the Characteristics of 4H-SiC JBS

A novel diagonal square array junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diode is created to enhance the forward current and reverse breakdown voltage by increasing the Schottky contact area and shortening the diagonal spacing between two adjacent p+ islands in the active area of a JBS diode. The shape of the p+ islands is square and the positional arrangement of the p+ islands is a diagonal array. Half of the upper and lower p+ islands with smaller areas are connected with the innermost p+ guard ring to create more Schottky contact area and laterally extend the electric field to the edge termination. Results show that the forward current density and reverse breakdown voltage for the diagonal square array JBS diode are 4.2% and 10.7% higher than those for the conventional square array JBS diode, respectively. As the spacing increases, the breakdown voltage for the diagonal square array JBS diode and the conventional square array JBS diode decrease by 3.5% and 7.3%, respectively, indicating that the diagonal square array JBS has more uniform depletion regions and electric field to retain the breakdown voltage.
Selenium in Swedish sheep production

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element that is involved in several physiological functions in mammals. Mostly, Se is bound to proteins, many of them with enzymatic functions. A group of seleno-depending enzymes, glutathione peroxidases (GSH-Px’s), are important as antioxidants and protects against free radicals. The activity of GSH-Px is strongly regulated by Se storage in the liver. Deficiency of Se can cause disturbances such as nutritional muscular dystrophy (NMD), lameness, reduced fertility and growth. During pregnancy, Se is efficiently transferred over the placenta and prioritized to the foetus. The bioavailability of Se depends of the origin and inorganic Se in the form of sodium selenite and sodium selenate has lower bioavailability than organic Se in the form of selenium yeast. It is generally known that Swedish soils have low Se contents and for sheep, which mostly have a roughage and pasture based diet, this can cause Se deficiency. In this master thesis, different studies were carried out to investigate the Se status of Swedish sheep and the amount of Se available in feeds. One study contains a set of sheep blood samples taken in 2003-2005 where Se was subsequently quantified. The results suggest that younger ewes have a higher requirement of Se than older ewes. Secondly, a small farm study was performed during the winter 2013/2014 where blood samples were collected at two times, in November and January, from seven ewes. The analyses of Se in whole blood indicate that the ewes’ blood levels were within the reference interval 0.1-0.5 mg/L but at the lower end. Although the Se requirement was met, there was an unexpected decrease in blood Se levels from the first to the second sampling, probably due to a reduced consumption of the mineral feed. Data obtained by Vaxa Sverige concerning Se content in Swedish roughage are also presented in this thesis and a smaller market survey summarizes the Se content in the most common mineral feeds for sheep that are available at the Swedish market. According to the results found in this study, one can discuss if the daily recommended intake of Se has to be increased and that the age of ewes also should be taken into account, when planning diets and daily allowances of mineral feed.
Predicting change in borderline personality: Using neurobehavioral systems indicators within an individual growth curve framework

The natural history and course of borderline personality disorder (BPD) has long been the focus of speculation, typically guided by impressions from clinical work with BPD-affected individuals. Not unlike the other personality disorders (PDs), it has long been assumed that BPD is relatively stable, traitlike, and enduring in nature. The extent to which BPD is or is not a plastic construct has implications not only for understanding its longitudinal course, but also for understanding its development and, ultimately, its treatment and/or prevention. This paper consists of two parts. The first part reviews the longitudinal research corpus that bears directly upon the issue of stability of BPD in both adolescents and adults. The consistent trend in very nearly all studies, whether using a categorical or dimensional approach to assessment, is one of considerable change over time. This literature presents complexities, however, because most of the extant studies examine BPD-affected individuals who have been exposed to treatment. However, at least two large-scale longitudinal studies, which include both treated and untreated persons, also provide support for viewing BPD as a malleable disorder that declines in severity over time. The second part presents original data from the Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders that specifically examine the predictors of change in BPD using a neurobehavioral model of personality within an individual growth curve (IGC) analytical framework. This IGC analysis revealed important predictors of both overall level of BPD features as well as rate of change in BPD features, with particularly important roles played by the agentic positive emotion (i.e., incentive motivation) and anxiety (negative emotion) systems. The benefits of the IGC approach for understanding the developmental psychopathology of BPD is also stressed.This research was supported in part by NIMH Grant MH 45448 to Mark F. Lenzenweger for the Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders.
Geoengineering potential of artificially enhanced silicate weathering of olivine

Geoengineering is a proposed action to manipulate Earth’s climate in order to counteract global warming from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. We investigate the potential of a specific geoengineering technique, carbon sequestration by artificially enhanced silicate weathering via the dissolution of olivine. This approach would not only operate against rising temperatures but would also oppose ocean acidification, because it influences the global climate via the carbon cycle. If important details of the marine chemistry are taken into consideration, a new mass ratio of CO2 sequestration per olivine dissolution of about 1 is achieved, 20% smaller than previously assumed. We calculate that this approach has the potential to sequestrate up to 1 Pg of C per year directly, if olivine is distributed as fine powder over land areas of the humid tropics, but this rate is limited by the saturation concentration of silicic acid. In our calculations for the Amazon and Congo river catchments, a maximum annual dissolution of 1.8 and 0.4 Pg of olivine seems possible, corresponding to the sequestration of 0.5 and 0.1 Pg of C per year, but these upper limit sequestration rates come at the environmental cost of pH values in the rivers rising to 8.2. Open water dissolution of fine-grained olivine and an enhancement of the biological pump by the rising riverine input of silicic acid might increase our estimate of the carbon sequestration, but additional research is needed here. We finally calculate with a carbon cycle model the consequences of sequestration rates of 1–5 Pg of C per year for the 21st century by this technique.
Do National Basketball Association players need higher salaries to play in high tax states? Evidence from free agents

ABSTRACT This article investigates the impact of taxes on the salaries received by National Basketball Association free agents from 2010 to 2014. High state income tax rates affect the after-tax income received by players from their team as well as on any ancillary income. Using data on 576 free agents, we find statistically significant evidence that free agents signing in high tax states receive higher salaries, ceteris paribus. Our results suggest that a one-unit increase in the Average Tax Rate experienced by a free agent in a state leads to free agent salaries being over $60,000 higher.
Degradation of (—)‐ephedrine in solution and during extraction with diethyl ether

Significant losses occurred during the extraction of small quantities of ephedrine from aqueous media using either regular or analytical grades of diethyl ether. The losses were, at least in part, caused by reaction of the ephedrine with aldehydic impurities in the ether; three substituted oxazolidines were identified, using g.l. c. and g.l. c. ‐ms. These and one other oxazolidine were synthesized and characterized by g.l. c, g.l. c. ‐ms, nmr and infrared spectroscopy. Alternative mechanisms for ephedrine breakdown were considered. Ephedrine was separately oxidized by three different oxidizing agents and also irradiated by ultraviolet light; the products were characterized by g.l. c, g.l. c. ‐ms. A method for the purification of diethyl ether is recommended to minimize ephedrine breakdown.
Lemming Aid and Kool Aid: Helping the Community to Help Itself Through Education

There’s been no shortage of attempts to raise awareness of security issues in the community at large: probably everyone at a conference like AVAR has been involved in some form of security education at some time or other. But the quality and effectiveness of those attempts have been patchy at best. Are those who say that ‘if education was going to work, it would have worked by now’ in the right? Or is the problem with the piecemeal way that we do it? This paper will look at a range of attempts to heighten awareness through a variety of channels initiated both from within and outside the security industry: blogging and social media, discussion forums, academic and governmental initiatives, community training schemes like the European Computer Driving Licence, inter-organizational community projects like AVIEN and AMTSO, Cyber Street and Cyber to the Citizen, and informational literature such as pamphlets, books and eBooks. We examine the advantages and pitfalls of education and training and the ethical complexities that arise when the security industry acknowledges its own responsibilities in terms of not only protecting but also informing the community, not only by self-promotion, but by finding ways to fit into a wider framework of community education and awareness. How can we strike a balance when it comes to teaching of computer hygiene in an increasingly complex threatscape to audiences with very mixed experience and technical knowledge? Can user-friendly approaches to security be integrated into a formal, even national defensive framework?
Fiscal vulnerability and financial crises in emerging market economies / Richard Hemming, Michael Kell, and Axel Schimmelpfennig. - (IMF occasional paper; 218)

vii, 124p : diagr, tables : 28cm. - Bibliography p 119-122. - This paper focuses on the fiscal aspects of financial crises in emerging market economies, adding valuable knowledge to the available crisis literature. It concludes that there are several important fiscal causes of crises, related to the size of deficits and their financing, the level and composition of public debt, and structural fiscal factors. Some fiscal indicators are useful for predicting crises, including banking crises, but they add little to existing early warning system models in terms of calling crises.
Sociodemographic determinants of perceived influences on food choice in a nationally representative sample of Irish adults

Abstract Objective To identify the most important motivations for food choice from the point of view of the consumer in the Irish population, and to characterize those subjects who do and do not regard nutrition as a significant consideration in food choice. Design As part of a pan-European Union (EU) survey on consumer attitudes to food, nutrition and health, a quota-controlled, nationally representative sample of Irish adults (n = 1009) aged 15 years upwards, completed an interview-assisted, close-ended questionnaire. Subjects selected three factors, from a list of 15, which they believed had the greatest influence on their food choice. Setting The interviews for the survey were conducted in subjects' homes. Results ‘Quality/freshness of food’ was the most frequently selected food choice factor (51%) followed by ’taste‘ (43%) and ‘trying to eat a healthy diet’ (36%). Female gender, increasing age and higher levels of education were found to be independent sociodemographic factors affecting the selection of ‘trying to eat a healthy diet’ as an important factor in food choice. Conclusions Although included in the top five most frequently selected factors affecting food choice, nutrition/healthy eating does not appear to have top priority for the majority of Irish adults. There are differences between the various sociodemographic groups within the population; males and younger subjects appear to require specific nutrition promotion messages.
Efficacy and tolerability of bevacizumab (BEV) plus capecitabine and cisplatin (XP) in Chinese patients (pts) with locally advanced or metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer (AGC): Results from the AVATAR study.

73 Background: In the AVAGAST study, chemotherapy (fluoropyrimidine and cisplatin) + BEV did not significantly improve overall survival (OS) vs. chemotherapy + placebo. Geographic differences in efficacy were observed, but only 12 Chinese pts were included. AVATAR, a study similar in design to AVAGAST, is a randomized double-blind study conducted exclusively in China in pts with AGC. METHODS Pts aged >18 years with gastric adenocarcinoma were randomized 1:1 to XP + BEV 7.5 mg/kg or placebo + XP. The primary objective was OS; secondary objectives included progression-free survival (PFS) and safety. RESULTS Baseline characteristics of the 202 pts were well balanced. The primary efficacy endpoint of improved OS in the BEV arm was not met (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.79-1.56; p=0.5567; see table ). BEV + XP was well tolerated. Grade 3-5 adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs were 60% and 19% for BEV and 68% vs. 21% for placebo, respectively. Grade 3-5 AEs of special interest with BEV occurred in 8% of BEV pts and 15% of placebo pts; the difference was mainly due to grade 3-5 haemorrhage (BEV 4%, placebo 12%). CONCLUSIONS Addition of BEV to XP in Chinese pts with AGC did not significantly improve outcomes in AVATAR. The results from AVATAR are consistent with the findings seen in the Asian sub-population of the previous AVAGAST study. [Table: see text].
Children With Cochlear Implants: Parental Perspective

Objective Evaluation of the parental perspective regarding cochlear implants and the child's progress after a minimum of 1 year after cochlear implantation. Study Design A closed-set questionnaire was used to assess the parental point of view. The questionnaire that was mailed to families included the following sections: decision to implant, process of implantation, positive effect of the implant, communication, supporting the child, self-reliance, well-being and happiness, social relationships, education, and pre- and postoperative services provided by the implant center. Setting The study was conducted at SSK Ankara Hospital, which is a tertiary care center. Patients Parents of 28 children with congenital deafness or who became deaf before the age of 3 years and received cochlear implantation were included in the study. To obtain reliable information, selected patients had a minimum of 1 year experience after implantation. The subjects were the parents of a group of children including 19 boys and 9 girls with ages ranging from 2 to 13 years (mean, 5.07 years; standard deviation, 2.33 years). The period of cochlear implant usage ranged from 12 to 30 months (mean, 19.5 months; standard deviation, 15.95 months). Main Outcome Measure Assessment of parental view about cochlear implantation. Results Of 28 questionnaires sent, 27 were returned. Making decision for cochlear implantation was one of the most stressful steps for the parents. Although speech and language development was the major concern, parents reported outstanding improvement in communication skills, social relationships, and self-confidence for their child. All the families were anxious about a possible device failure, and maintenance of the cochlear implant equipment was another major concern. Conclusions During pre- and postimplantation processes, parents provide an important link between the child and professional staff and have a vital role in the child's life and rehabilitation. The parental perspective presented in this study can be useful to the implant centers to revise their practice accordingly and improve the information given to candidate families.
Collaborate or Compete: Examining Manufacturers' Replacement Strategies for a Substance of Concern

The recent proliferation of media reports on substances of concern has increased consumer fears, sparked scientific debate, and highlighted the need for stronger chemical regulations. When a substance of concern is identified (e.g., bisphenol‐A (BPA) in reusable water bottles), manufacturers face difficult trade‐offs in deciding whether to proactively replace the substance in their products or to defer replacement and wait to see if regulation occurs. In this study, we examine when opportunities exist for manufacturers to avoid competitively replacing (i.e., making their replacement decisions on their own), and instead, collaborate to replace a substance of concern. We model a vertically differentiated market consisting of a high‐end manufacturer and a low‐end manufacturer, both of whom sell a product that contains a substance of concern. Our analysis investigates how market dynamics (competition and consumer preferences) and external factors (replacement costs and regulatory uncertainty) influence manufacturers' collaboration, replacement, and pricing decisions. We find that when the manufacturers do not collaborate, the high‐end manufacturer can use the presence of a substance of concern to dominate the market by capturing more demand and often charging a higher price for his product than the low‐end manufacturer. Collaboration is possible when there is either a shared fixed cost savings for both manufacturers or an opportunity for the low‐end manufacturer to benefit his competitive position by motivating the high‐end manufacturer to collaborate. From a consumer perspective, although collaboration reduces consumer exposure to the substance of concern, it can decrease consumer surplus when the replacement substance is very expensive.
Effect of aerobic and anaerobic atmospheres on isolation of organisms from blood cultures

Blood was cultured in two vacuum bottles containing Columbia broth. Filtered air was admitted to one bottle (aerobic); the unvented bottle was considered anaerobic. Cultures were incubated at 35 C until growth occurred or for at least 7 days. Of 744 organisms isolated, 50% were isolated from both bottles, 30% from the aerobic bottle only, and 20% from the anaerobic bottle only. These results indicate the need for use of both an aerobic and anaerobic bottle for blood cultures.
Coactivation of Vibrio vulnificus putAP operon by cAMP receptor protein and PutR through cooperative binding to overlapping sites

The cAMP receptor protein (CRP) positively regulates the expression of Vibrio vulnificus putAP genes encoding a proline dehydrogenase and a proline permease. In the present study, an open reading frame encoding PutR was identified downstream of the putAP genes and a mutational analysis revealed that the PutR protein was also involved in regulating the putAP transcription by activating Pput promoter. Although CRP acts as a primary activator and the influence of PutR on Pput is mediated by CRP, the level of Pput activity observed when PutR and CRP functioned together was greater than the sum of Pput activities achieved by each activator alone. Western blot analyses demonstrated that the cellular levels of PutR and CRP were not significantly affected by each other, indicating that PutR and CRP coactivate Pput rather than function sequentially in a regulatory cascade. Two adjacent binding sites for PutR mapped by in vitro DNase I protection assays were found to overlap the CRP binding sites and were centred −91.5 (PCBI) and −133.5 bp (PCBII) upstream of the transcription start site of Pput respectively. PutR and CRP bind to the sites cooperatively and a dissection of the role of the binding sites revealed that CRP at PCBI plays the most crucial role in the activation of Pput. Accordingly, the present results revealed that PutR and CRP coactivate the expression of Pput and exert their effect by cooperatively binding to the promoter.
Expression of Opacity Proteins Interferes with the Transmigration of Neisseria gonorrhoeae across Polarized Epithelial Cells

Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) establishes infection at the mucosal surface of the human genital tract, most of which is lined with polarized epithelial cells. GC can cause localized as well as disseminated infections, leading to various complications. GC constantly change their surface structures via phase and antigenic variation, which has been implicated as a means for GC to establish infection at various anatomic locations of male and female genital tracks. However, the exact contribution of each surface molecule to bacterial infectivity remains elusive due to their phase variation. Using a GC derivative that is genetically devoid of all opa genes (MS11∆Opa), this study shows that Opa expression interferes with GC transmigration across polarized human epithelial cells. MS11∆Opa transmigrates across polarized epithelial cells much faster and to a greater extent than MS11Opa+, while adhering at a similar level as MS11Opa+. When MS11Opa+, able to phase vary Opa expression, was inoculated, only those bacteria that turn off Opa expression transmigrate across the polarized epithelial monolayer. Similar to bacteria alone or co-cultured with non-polarized epithelial cells, MS11∆Opa fails to form large microcolonies at the apical surface of polarized epithelial cells. Apical inoculation of MS11Opa+, but not MS11∆Opa, induces the recruitment of the Opa host-cell receptor carcinoembryonic antigen–related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) to the apical junction and the vicinity of bacterial adherent sites. Our results suggest that Opa expression limits gonococcal ability to invade into subepithelial tissues by forming tight interactions with neighboring bacteria and by inducing CEACAM redistribution to cell junctions.