Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On line ) ESTIMATION OF ADDITIVE , DOMINANCE AND HERITABILITY OF SOME EGG PRODUCTION TRAITS IN EGYPTIAN LOCAL STRAINS OF CHICKEN

Egg production in poultry shows considerable individual variation over the laying period. Evaluation and selection of Egyptian local strain of chicken had been carried out. The aim of the present study was to estimate additive, dominance, heritability for some egg production traits and to determine the best strain based on multiple egg production traits. The four strains showed that Mandrah strain was ranked first, Doki-4 was ranked second, the strain Inshas was ranked third and El-Salam was ranked last in the performance of some egg production traits. The estimate additive genetic variance accounted a major part of the total genetic variance for sexual maturity, mature egg weight, early egg weight, number of eggs at 90 d of laying, egg mass at 90 d of laying and body weight at sexual maturity. The estimates of dominance genetic variance in these traits was relatively negative and low. The estimated heritability was almost 0.4 for all egg production traits studied. The present results showed clearly that Mandrah local strains of chicken may considered the fitting strains that play an important role in improving egg production.
The divided self: concurrent and longitudinal effects of psychological adjustment and social roles on self-concept differentiation.

The relation between self-concept differentiation (SCD), the tendency to see oneself as having different personality characteristics in different social roles, and psychological adjustment was examined in a sample of college students and a sample of middle-aged women. In both studies, Ss with high levels of SCD showed poor emotional adjustment (e.g., depression) and tended to reject social norms and conventions (e.g., low socialization). Longitudinal analyses demonstrated that these same characteristics measured at age 21 predicted SCD measured more than 30 years later in middle age. These findings provide strong evidence that SCD is a sign of fragmentation of the self rather than specialization of role identities. The social context was also an important determinant of SCD; both dissatisfaction with role performance and frequent role changes in relationships and jobs predicted SCD measured 9 years later.
The PvdRT-OpmQ efflux pump controls the metal selectivity of the iron uptake pathway mediated by the siderophore pyoverdine in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pyoverdine (PVD) is the major siderophore produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa for iron acquisition. PvdRT-OpmQ is an ATP-dependent efflux pump involved in the secretion of newly synthesized pyoverdine (PVD) and of PVD that has transported and released its iron into the bacterium from the periplasm into the extracellular medium. This iron uptake pathway also involves an outer membrane transporter, FpvA, for PVD-Fe uptake from the extracellular medium into the periplasm. In binding assays, FpvA bound PVD in complex with many different metals, with affinities from 2.9 nM for PVD-Fe to 13 µM for PVD-Al. Uptake assays with various FpvA and PvdRT-OpmQ mutants, monitored by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) for metal detection, and by fluorescence for PVD detection, showed that both metals and PVD accumulated in P. aeruginosa, due to the uptake of these compounds via the FpvA/PVD pathway. Higher levels of accumulation were observed in the absence of PvdRT-OpmQ expression. Thus, FpvA has a broad metal specificity for both the binding and uptake of PVD-metal complexes, and the PvdRT-OpmQ efflux pump exports unwanted metals complexed with PVD from the bacterium. This study provides the first evidence of efflux pump involvement in the export of unwanted siderophore-metal complexes and insight into the molecular mechanisms involved controlling the metal selectivity of siderophore-mediated iron uptake pathways.
What Prevents Electronic Lemon Markets?

It is well known that the “lemon” problem can cause market failure. Because difficulties in quality discovery of nonstandardized and complex products will increase transaction costs, it was predicted that the “electronic market” would prevail only with less complex and more standardized goods. However, it has been observed that there are many successful electronic (auction) markets for seemingly typical “lemon” goods such as used cars, raw minerals, and agricultural products. It is argued that in such markets, the equilibrium price of electronic trading appeared higher than in the nonelectronic market. Many speculative explanations have been offered for this, but to the best of our knowledge, no analytical studies have been presented. This study is an attempt to fill this gap. In this paper, we look at the problem of quality discovery in the electronic trading of physical goods especially when the goods are not standardized. The information asymmetry between buyer and seller creates the possibility of a “lemon” in the nonstandardized market. To mitigate this problem, several auction markets have devised third party quality grading systems and limited auctions to only relatively higher quality products. Through analytical modeling, we rationalize these mechanisms; that is, the intervention of an impartial third party for quality inspection, market segmentation by quality measure, and the sellers' willingness to pay the cost of quality inspection.
Technical Soddi Defenses: The Trojan Horse Defense Revisited

In 2004, the Trojan horse defense was at a crossroads, with two child pornography cases where it was successfully employed in the United Kingdom, resulting in acquittals. The original Trojan horse defense has now become part of the more general “technical SODDI” defense, which includes the possibility of unknown actors using unsecured Wi-Fi connections or having physical access to a computer to perform criminal acts. In the past ten years, it has failed to be effective in the United States for criminal cases, with no published acquittals in cases where it was the primary defense. In the criminal cases where it has been used as leverage in plea negotiations, there has been either poor forensics performed by the prosecution or political pressure to resolve a matter. On the civil side, however, the defense has been wildly successful, effectively shutting down large John Doe copyright infringement litigation against non-commercial violators.
The interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1-Ra) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I (sTNF RI) in periodontal disease

The course and severity of periodontitis can be significantly affected by bacterial virulence as well as host immunity dysfunction. Periodontal tissue destruction has been proved to result from cascade of cytokines synthesized by reactive cells upon stimulation by pathogenic bacteria and lipopolysaccharides within their cell membranes. The clinical use of genetically programmed cells, producing substances blocking IL-1, based on recombinant IL-1 antagonist, as well as cytokines activating fibroblasts and osteoblasts to regenerate the destroyed periodontal tissue could prove alternative to the conventional treatment. Another cytokine of interest in respect to periodontitis ethiopathogenesis is soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I (sTNF RI). Observation of soluble TNF receptors as physiologic inhibitors of TNF led to its administration in therapeutic process as well as in therapy selected cases of aggressive periodontitis.
Dose profile measurements during respiratory-gated lung stereotactic radiotherapy: A phantom study

During stereotactic body radiotherapy, high radiation dose (∼60 Gy) is delivered to the tumour in small fractionation regime. In this study, the dosimetric characteristics were studied using radiochromic film during respiratory-gated and non-gated lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Specifically, the effect of respiratory cycle and amplitude, as well as gating window on the dosimetry were studied. In this study, the dose profiles along the irradiated area were measured. The dose profiles for respiratory-gated radiation delivery with different respiratory or tumour motion amplitudes, gating windows and respiratory time per cycle were in agreement with static radiation delivery. The respiratory gating system was able to deliver the radiation dose accurately (±1.05 mm) in the longitudinal direction. Although the treatment time for respiratory-gated SBRT was prolonged, this approach can potentially reduce the margin for internal tumour volume without compromising the tumour coverage. In addition, the normal tissue sparing effect can be improved.
Tuning of microwave and optical properties of the electro-optic polymer PMMA-DR1 by loading with SiC nanoparticles for optimization of photonic microwave components

We report on a study of the influence of the Silicon Carbide (SiC) nanoparticles on the microwave and optical properties of electro-optic (EO) polymers. EO polymers are known as much more promising than the popular inorganic EO crystal Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3). Indeed, EO polymers can have larger EO coefficients and permit broader component bandwidths due to a better velocity matching between lightwave and microwave signal. In this study, we use a classical EO polymer constituted of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) used as host polymer matrix in which Disperse Red 1 (DR1) EO dyes have been dispersed. The obtained results show that both the dielectric constant and the refractive index of PMMA-DR1 films may be continuously tuned by incorporating SiC nanoparticles. Therefore, one can increase component bandwidths by optimizing phase velocity matching between lightwave and microwave signal and improve optical mode coupling.
The effect of exercise and drugs on cognitive function and BDNF protein

Exercise is an effective factor that can promote the cognition function of brain like spatial and object recognition tasks. Thus, exercise can act in different part of the nervous system, such as stimulating neurons augmentation and increasing cell survival. The effect of exercise can change the dentate gyrus function that it causes cognitive improvement and has effect on object recognition, specific neurogenic and neurotrophic. In this manner, exercise influences cognition, BDNF and cell proliferation in particular. Results have revealed that nerve revival is enhanced by treadmill training which leads to enhancement of BDNF mRNA expression in motoneurons. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is a member of the neurotrophic factors has a critical role in the observance and survival of neurons, synaptic integrity and synaptic plasticity. Stress also modulates BDNF expression. Drug addiction is a disorder that has been defined as the need to search and take drugs. Absence of drugs causes the addicted drug-users lose self-control, and negative emotional (called withdrawal syndrome) appears. The purpose of this review is to show exercise effects on the nervous system and BDNF which is an important protein. It also reveals the influences of drugs on BDNF and the effects of exercise, addiction and BDNF on the process of learning and memory.
Subcellular localisation of NS3 in HCV‐infected hepatocytes

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 is a multifunctional protein with both protease and helicase activities and has been shown to interact with host cell proteins. It is shown that NS3 is present in the hepatocytes from patients with chronic HCV infection by using anti‐NS3 antisera. NS3 is detectable in approximately 4% of the hepatocytes from these patients. In most infected cells, NS3 is present in the cytoplasm; however, in a minority of HCV‐infected cells, both the cytoplasm and the nucleus or the nucleus on its own are positive for NS3. The presence of NS3 in the nuclei of hepatocytes in chronically infected patients indicates that the protein may play a role other than in virus replication, such as in persistence of HCV infection. J. Med. Virol. 59:456–462, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography with microbubble contrast agent improves characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM To investigate the usefulness of 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography with the use of the contrast agent Levovist for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and for the evaluation of therapeutic response. METHODS Phantom experiments were performed to compare the contrast effects of 2(nd) harmonic imaging and 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography. 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography was employed to examine 36 patients with HCC (42 nodules) before and after the treatment and to compare against the findings obtained using other diagnostic imaging modalities. RESULTS In 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography, the tumor vessels of HCCs were clearly identified during the early phase, and late-phase images clearly demonstrated the differences in contrast enhancement between the tumor and surrounding hepatic parenchyma. Blood flow within the tumor was detected in 36 nodules (85.7%) during the early phase and in all 42 nodules (100%) during the late phase using 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography, in 38 nodules (90.5%) using contrast-enhanced CT, in 34 nodules (81.0%) using digital subtraction angiography (DSA), and in 42 nodules (100%) using US CO(2) angiography. Following transcatheter arterial embolization, 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography detected blood flow and contrast enhancement within the tumors that were judged to contain viable tissue in 20 of 42 nodules (47.6%). However, 6 of these 10 cases were not judged in contrast-enhanced CT. 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography was compared with the US CO(2) angiography findings as the gold standard, and the sensitivity and specificity of these images for discerning viable and nonviable HCC after transcatheter arterial embolization were 100% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography permits the vascular structures of HCCs to be identified and blood flow within the tumor to be clearly demonstrated. Furthermore, 1.5 Harmonic Imaging Sonography is potentially useful for evaluating the therapeutic effects of transcatheter arterial embolization on HCC.
Book Announcement: Modeling and Analysis of Communicating Systems

• A submitted manuscript is the author's version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Effects of Cooking in Solutions of Varying pH on the Dietary Fiber Components of Vegetables

To study the effect of pH on dietary fiber components of vegetables, beans, cauliflower, potatoes, peas and corn were cooked in buffers of pH 2, 4, 6, and 10. Water-soluble pectin and hemicellulose, water-insoluble pectin and hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin were quantitated in raw, cooked vegetables and cooking medium. Tenderness and pH of raw and cooked vegetables were determined. Texture varied with cooking medium. Cooked vegetables were most fii at pH 4 and softest at pH 10. Dietary components found in cooking medium reflected these textural changes. Vegetables which showed greater pH effects exhibited greater changes in fiber components.
Interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A).

OBJECTIVES Recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a black box warning on the use of serotonin receptor reuptake inhibitors for adolescent depression. This situation makes the non-pharmacological therapeutic alternatives more relevant than ever before. The aim of this review is to introduce the theoretical formulation, practical application and efficacy studies of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A). METHOD A review is offered of published papers in peer-reviewed journals, books and edited chapters using Medline and PsychInfo publications between 1966 and February 2005. RESULTS IPT-A is an evidence-based psychotherapy for depressed adolescents in both hospital-based and community outpatient settings. CONCLUSION IPT-A is a brief and efficient therapy for adolescent depression. Training programs for child psychologists and psychiatrists are recommended.
Serum and salivary levels of albumin as diagnostic tools for oral pre-malignancy and oral malignancy

Abstract The role of oxygen free radicals in the initiation, promotion and progression of carcinogenesis and the protective role of antioxidants has been a subject of much speculation. There are few studies that report evaluation of serum albumin and only one study in which salivary albumin was found and only one study that reports of salivary albumin in oral Leukoplakia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). We evaluated serum and salivary albumin levels in normal individuals, patients with oral pre-malignancy and patients with oral malignancy, and we compared serum and salivary albumin levels in patients with oral pre-malignancy and oral malignancy. Our study comprised 45 subjects separated into three groups of 15: normal healthy, oral pre-malignancy and oral malignancy patients. Venous blood was drawn and unstimulated saliva was collected early in the morning. Albumin levels were estimated using the bromocresol green method. Serum albumin levels decreased in oral pre-malignancy and oral malignancy cases compared to healthy individuals. Salivary albumin levels increased in oral pre-malignancy and oral malignancy cases compared to healthy individuals. Our results suggest that albumin may play a role in early diagnosis and prognosis of oral pre-malignant and oral malignant tissues.
Practical considerations of the start-up procedure for an active capacitor

Capacitive DC links provide the only low-impedance current path connected with an input source during the start-up of many voltage source converters. A soft-start circuit is usually implemented to limit the inrush current. A two-terminal active capacitor is recently proposed which can directly replace conventional passive capacitors in DC links, with reduced cost or size for a given application. The active capacitor has the same level of convenience with two power terminals only as a passive capacitor. This paper proposes two start-up schemes for the active capacitor to overcome the drawbacks of existing methods previously widely used for passive capacitors. One scheme is based on a trade-off design between the start-up performance and the component sizing of the active capacitor. The other scheme is based on either an additional bypass switch together with the existing soft-start circuit in the DC bus or a start-up circuit fully integrated in the active capacitor. The theoretical analyses and experiments are presented. A case study on a single-phase full-bridge rectifier demonstrates the effectiveness of the implemented start-up schemes.
Prepro-Orexin and Orexin Receptor mRNAs Are Differentially Expressed in Peripheral Tissues of Male and Female Rats.

Orexins are produced specifically by neurons located in the lateral hypothalamus. Recent results suggested peripheral actions of orexins. Therefore, we analyzed the mRNA expression of prepro-orexin and the orexin receptor subtypes OX(1) and OX(2) in peripheral rat tissues. Using real-time quantitative RT-PCR we detected significant amounts of prepro-orexin mRNA in testis, but not in ovaries. OX(1) receptor mRNA was highly expressed in the brain and at lower levels in the pituitary gland. Only small amounts of OX(1) receptor mRNA were found in other tissues such as kidney, adrenal, thyroid, testis, ovaries, and jejunum. Very high levels of OX(2) receptor mRNA, 4-fold higher than in brain, were found in adrenal glands of male rats. Low amounts of OX(2) receptor mRNA were present in lung and pituitary. In adrenal glands, OX(2) receptor mRNA was localized in the zona glomerulosa and reticularis by in situ hybridization, indicating a role in adrenal steroid synthesis and/or release. OX(1) receptor mRNA in the pituitary and OX(2) receptor mRNA in the adrenal gland were much higher in male than in female rats. In the hypothalamus, OX(1) receptor mRNA was slightly elevated in female rats. The differential mRNA expression of orexin receptor subtypes in peripheral organs indicates discrete peripheral effects of orexins and the existence of a peripheral orexin system. This is supported by the detection of orexin A in rat plasma. Moreover, the sexually dimorphic expression of OX(1) and OX(2) receptors in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands suggests gender-specific roles of orexins in the control of endocrine functions.
Effect of C18-polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Their Direct Incorporation into the Rumen Bacterial Lipids and CLA Production In vitro*

An in vitro study was conducted to determine the effect of C18-polyunsaturated fatty acid on direct incorporation into the rumen bacteria, bio-hydrogenation and production of CLA in vitro. Sixty milligrams of linoleic acid (C18:2) or linolenic acid (C18:3) were absorbed into the 0.5 g cellulose powder was added to the 150 ml culture solution consisting of 120 ml McDougall's buffer and 30 ml strained rumen fluid. Four uCi of 1- 14 C18:2 or 1- 14 C18:3 (1 uCi/15 mg each fatty acid) were also added to the corresponding fatty acids to estimate the direct incorporation into the bacterial lipids. The culture solution was then incubated anaerobically in a culture jar with stirrer at 39°C for 12 h. Ammonia concentration and pH of the culture solution were slightly influenced by the fatty acids. Amount of fatty acid incorporated into the bacteria was 1.20 mg and 0.43 mg/30 ml rumen fluid for C18:2 and C18:3, respectively during 12 h incubation. Slightly increased CLA (sum of cis-9, trans-11 and cis-10, trans-12 C18:2) was obtained from the C18:3 addition compared to that from C18:2 after 12 h incubation in vitro. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 4 : 512-515)
Fine Structure of Bacillus subtilis

The fine structure of Bacillus subtilis has been studied by observing sections fixed in KMnO4, OsO4, or a combination of both. The majority of examinations were made in samples fixed in 2.0 per cent KMnO4 in tap water. Samples were embedded in butyl methacrylate for sectioning. In general, KMnO4 fixation appeared to provide much better definition of the boundaries of various structures than did OsO4. With either type of fixation, however, the surface structure of the cell appeared to consist of two components: cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane. Each of these, in turn, was observed to have a double aspect. The cell wall appeared to be composed of an outer part, broad and light, and an inner part, thin and dense. The cytoplasmic membrane appeared (at times, under KMnO4 fixation) as two thin lines. In cells fixed first with OsO4 solution, and then refixed with a mixture of KMnO4 and OsO4 solutions, the features revealed were more or less a mixture of those revealed by each fixation alone. A homogeneous, smooth structure, lacking a vacuole-like space, was identified as the nuclear structure in a form relatively free of artifacts. Two unidentified structures were observed in the cytoplasm when B. subtilis was fixed with KMnO4. One a tortuous, fine filamentous element associated with a narrow light space, was often found near the ends of cells, or attached to one end of the pre-spore. The other showed a special inner structure somewhat similar to cristae mitochondriales.