Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Direct-fed microbials for ruminant animals.

Direct-fed microbials (DFM) are dietary supplements that inhibit gastrointestinal infection and provide optimally regulated microbial environments in the digestive tract. As the use of antibiotics in ruminant feeds has been banned, DFM have been emphasized as antimicrobial replacements. Microorganisms that are used in DFM for ruminants may be classified as lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB), lactic acid utilizing bacteria (LUB), or other microorganisms including species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus and Propionibacterium, strains of Megasphaera elsdenii and Prevotella bryantii and yeast products containing Saccharomyces and Aspergillus. LAB may have beneficial effects in the intestinal tract and rumen. Both LAB and LUB potentially moderate rumen conditions and improve feed efficiency. Yeast DFM may reduce harmful oxygen, prevent excess lactate production, increase feed digestibility, and improve fermentation in the rumen. DFM may also compete with and inhibit the growth of pathogens, stimulate immune function, and modulate microbial balance in the gastrointestinal tract. LAB may regulate the incidence of diarrhea, and improve weight gain and feed efficiency. LUB improved weight gain in calves. DFM has been reported to improve dry matter intake, milk yield, fat corrected milk yield and milk fat content in mature animals. However, contradictory reports about the effects of DFM, dosages, feeding times and frequencies, strains of DFM, and effects on different animal conditions are available. Cultivation and preparation of ready-to-use strict anaerobes as DFM may be cost-prohibitive, and dosing methods, such as drenching, that are required for anaerobic DFM are unlikely to be acceptable as general on-farm practice. Aero-tolerant rumen microorganisms are limited to only few species, although the potential isolation and utilization of aero-tolerant ruminal strains as DFM has been reported. Spore forming bacteria are characterized by convenience of preparation and effectiveness of DFM delivery to target organs and therefore have been proposed as DFM strains. Recent studies have supported the positive effects of DFM on ruminant performance.
Thin dual-resonant stacked shorted patch antenna for mobile communications

A novel thin stacked shorted patch antenna for the 1800 MHz frequency band is presented. The antenna is dual-resonant and small in size. It has a very low profile and a bandwidth of almost 10%, which is sufficient, for example, for GSM1800 or GSM1900 systems. The radiation pattern of the antenna is suitable for directive cellular handset antenna applications.
A study on the S-parameter method compensated by the short-correction

Recently, S-parameter method that is the measurement method of the input impedance of the balanced antenna is proposed. It is a problem of this method that the jig influences measured value when the measurement frequency increases. To remove the influence of the jig, we have examined compensating method using the ABCD-matrix. In this report, to verify the accuracy of the S-parameter method compensated by the short-correction, the input impedance of the dipole antenna is calculated by the FDTD method. It is shown that the result of the S-parameter method is agree very well with the results of delta gap fed dipole antenna and the theories by King.
Antimicrobial Resistance Determinants in Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates Taken from Military Treatment Facilities

ABSTRACT Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii infections are of particular concern within medical treatment facilities, yet the gene assemblages that give rise to this phenotype remain poorly characterized. In this study, we tested 97 clinical A. baumannii isolates collected from military treatment facilities (MTFs) from 2003 to 2009 by using a molecular epidemiological approach that enabled for the simultaneous screening of 236 antimicrobial resistance genes. Overall, 80% of the isolates were found to be MDR, each strain harbored between one and 17 resistant determinants, and a total of 52 unique resistance determinants or gene families were detected which are known to confer resistance to β-lactam (e.g., blaGES-11, blaTEM, blaOXA-58), aminoglycoside (e.g., aphA1, aacC1, armA), macrolide (msrA, msrB), tetracycline [e.g., tet(A), tet(B), tet(39)], phenicol (e.g., cmlA4, catA1, cat4), quaternary amine (qacE, qacEΔ1), streptothricin (sat2), sulfonamide (sul1, sul2), and diaminopyrimidine (dfrA1, dfrA7, dfrA19) antimicrobial compounds. Importantly, 91% of the isolates harbored blaOXA-51-like carbapenemase genes (including six new variants), 40% harbored the blaOXA-23 carbapenemase gene, and 89% contained a variety of aminoglycoside resistance determinants with up to six unique determinants identified per strain. Many of the resistance determinants were found in potentially mobile gene cassettes; 45% and 7% of the isolates contained class 1 and class 2 integrons, respectively. Combined, the results demonstrate a facile approach that supports a more complete understanding of the genetic underpinnings of antimicrobial resistance to better assess the load, transmission, and evolution of MDR in MTF-associated A. baumannii.
Predicting outcome in minimally invasive (T1a and T1b) urothelial bladder carcinoma using a panel of biomarkers: a high throughput tissue microarray analysis

To evaluate the protein expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor‐3 (FGFR3), hamartin, 14‐3‐3σ, Aurora‐A, and E‐cadherin using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a series of human bladder carcinomas and to evaluate their value in distinguishing T1a from T1b tumours and in predicting their behaviour, as T1 urothelial bladder tumours present great diagnostic and therapeutic challenges to pathologists and clinicians.
Molecular cytogenetic analysis of buccal cells and lymphocytes from benzene-exposed workers.

Benzene is a well-characterized human carcinogen and clastogen still present in both the occupational and general environment. However, the levels of benzene encountered today are, in most cases, relatively low and new methods, more specific and sensitive than classical cytogenetics, are probably needed to assess if current benzene exposures pose a genotoxic risk to human health. Bearing in mind the leukaemogenic action of benzene, blood lymphocytes appear to be a suitable cell system for biomonitoring studies. Buccal epithelium is an alternative source of tissue for monitoring human exposure to inhaled occupational and environmental genotoxicants. New molecular cytogenetic techniques allowing us to specifically study clastogenic or aneugenic events in human cells may provide the additional sensitivity required. In the present study, fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to examine the content of micronuclei (MN) (using the pan-centromeric DNA probe SO-alphaAllCen) in lymphocytes and buccal cells and to detect numerical abnormalities of chromosome 9 (using a chromosome 9 centromere-specific alphoid DNA probe) in buccal cells from a population occupationally exposed to benzene in an Estonian petrochemical plant. Age-matched Estonian volunteers were used as a control group. Individual benzene exposure levels were estimated to be around 1 p.p.m. (8 h time-weighted average). No increases in the frequency of total MN, MN harbouring whole chromosomes or acentric chromosomal fragments or chromosome 9 numerical abnormalities were detected in relation to benzene exposure in the present study. The lack of positive results was consistent in both buccal cells and lymphocytes, indicating that the benzene exposure levels encountered did not induce detectable clastogenic or aneugenic effects in the exposed workers. Other variables and confounding factors, such as age, smoking or alcohol consumption, did not influence any of the multiple cytogenetic biomarkers analysed.
Speed of Information Processing in Children Referred for Learning Problems

Children referred for evaluation of learning impairment (LI, N =100) and a comparison group of nonreferred (NLI, N = 243) children were evaluated on a visual filtering task. The task was designed hierarchically to provide for evaluation of component operations—serial search, parallel search, decision, and response. With each additional processing demand, response times increased disproportionately for the LI group relative to the NLI group. Overall response time reliably predicted academic skills and cognitive ability, but was more strongly related to group membership. Thus, this nonverbal visual task is sensitive to a characteristic of children with learning problems over and above discrete academic and cognitive skills. Children with problems adapting to the demands of schooling may be distinguished by a disproportionate vulnerability to processing load.
P5B-9 Investigation of the Response of Attached biSphere™ Microbubbles to Ultrasound

Knowledge of the behaviour of individual contrast microbubbles is essential if ultrasound contrast agents are to be developed to their full potential. In order to investigate the acoustic response of attached microbubbles an experimental system has been developed that can be used for sequential optical and acoustical imaging of attached particles. The aim of the work described here was to determine the feasibility of using the system for the study of single attached microbubbles. The experimental system, comprising tank and sliding device was mounted on a Leica inverted microscope alongside a Philips Sonos 5500 scanner and S3 transducer. The beam axis was positioned at 80deg to the surface of a 12 mum thick polyester membrane. Single copper (Cu) spheres were attached to the membrane and used to align the acoustic and optical fields. BiSpheretrade microbubbles (Point Biomedical) were treated to fluoresce and attached to the membrane using poly-L-lysine and an inversion technique. On one section of the membrane a patch (~1 mm diameter) of densely packed bubbles was used to confirm the alignment. In other areas on the membrane a diluted solution of biSpheretrade was attached which allowed one microbubble per field of view to be isolated. At times10 magnification the field of view was approximately 2 mm, with the ultrasound beamwidth at the area of interest being 4 mm. In order to determine the response of attached biSpheretrade, a range of acoustic pressures upto 1000 kPa and frequencies of 1.57 and 3 MHz were used to insonate patches and single bubbles of biSpheretrade. A 6 cycle pulse was used, and unprocessed backscattered RF data was captured. For patches of biSpheretrade, the backscatter signal was seen to remain constant with time at low acoustic pressures (400 kPa) while at acoustic pressures up to 1000 kPa an acoustic signal was observed that was consistent with gas escaping from attached bubbles. The fluorescent shells remained attached to the membrane after gas escape. For single attached biSpheretrade bubbles, no acoustic signal was detected at low acoustic pressures and at high acoustic pressures an acoustic signal from the escaping gas was recorded. It will be possible to modify the experimental system to allow the study of the transfer of materials from microbubbles to cells.
Taking Real-life to Cyberspace: Determining Factors Influencing Virtual Homophily among Members of Faith Communities on online Social Networks

Research on how members of faith communities interact on online social networks and the factors that influence their computer-mediated communication are lacking. This study applies the concept of homophily to investigate the factors that encourage the development of relationship ties among members of faith communities on online social network sites such as Facebook. A survey was conducted with 210 members of Catholic faith communities on Facebook. Findings revealed that active involvement with a real-life faith community predicts increased relationships and interaction among members on online social networks. Active involvement was found to be a major factor influencing virtual religious homophily. The findings support the notion that online social behavior reflects offline behavior. The study has several implications for the use of social media by religious organizations for building an online community of faith as an extension of the real-life church community.
Associations between hoof shape and the position of the frontal plane ground reaction force vector in walking horses

Abstract AIMS: To determine the frontal plane position of the ground reaction force vector at its centre of pressure under the hoof of walking horses, and its projection through the distal limb joints, and to relate this to hoof geometric measurements. METHODS: Reflective markers were glued to the forelimb hooves and skin of 26 horses, over palpable landmarks representing centres of the coffin, fetlock and carpal joints, and the dorsal toe at its most distal point. A 4-camera kinematic system recorded the position of these markers as the horse walked in hand across a force platform, to generate a frontal plane representation of the ground reaction force vector passing between the markers at the joints. The position of the vector was calculated as the relative distance between the lateral (0%) and medial (100%) markers at each joint. Digital photos were taken of the hoof in frontal and sagittal views to determine hoof geometric measurements. Associations between these and the position of the force vector at each joint were examined using Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Mean vector position for both forelimbs at the toe, coffin, fetlock and carpal joint was 50.1 (SD 8.9), 53.0 (SD 9.2), 54.6 (SD 11.4) and 50.5 (SD17.3)%, respectively, of the distance between the lateral and medial sides of the joint in the frontal plane. Across all four joints, the vector position was slightly more medial (2–4%) for the right than left limb (p>0.05). Medial hoof wall angle was correlated (p<0.05) with force vector position at the fetlock (r=−0.402) and carpal (r=−0.317) joints; lateral hoof wall angle with vector position at the toe (r=0.288) and carpal (r=−0.34) joint, and medial hoof wall height with vector position at the fetlock (r=−0.306) and carpal (r=−0.303) joints. CONCLUSION: The position of the two-dimensional frontal plane ground reaction force vector at the toe, and at the fetlock and carpal joints was associated with hoof shape. Mediolateral hoof balance has been shown in vitro to affect articular forces, which may be a factor in development of joint disease. The effect of hoof shape needs to be evaluated at faster gaits to determine the potential for joint injury in the presence of larger forces.
Fundamental Theorem of Asset Pricing Under Transaction Costs and Model Uncertainty

We prove the Fundamental Theorem of Asset Pricing for a discrete time financial market where trading is subject to proportional transaction cost and the asset price dynamic is modeled by a family of probability measures, possibly non-dominated. Using a backward-forward scheme, we show that when the market consists of a money market account and a single stock, no-arbitrage in a quasi-sure sense is equivalent to the existence of a suitable family of consistent price systems. We also show that when the market consists of multiple dynamically traded assets and satisfies \emph{efficient friction}, strict no-arbitrage in a quasi-sure sense is equivalent to the existence of a suitable family of strictly consistent price systems.
Pain location, distribution, and intensity after cardiac surgery.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To study the location, distribution, and intensity of pain in a sample of adult cardiac surgery patients during their postoperative hospital stay. DESIGN In a prospective study, pain location, distribution (number of pain areas per patient), and intensity (0 to 10 numerical rating scale) were documented on the first, second, third, and seventh postoperative day (POD). Patient characteristics (age, sex, size, and body mass index) were analyzed for their impact on pain intensity. SETTING A university hospital. PATIENTS Two hundred consecutive adult patients who underwent median sternotomy for open heart surgery. There were 121 male and 79 female patients, with a mean (+/- SD) age of 60.9 +/- 19.2 years. MEASUREMENT AND RESULTS The maximal pain intensity was significantly higher on POD 1 and 2 (3.7 +/- 2 and 3.9 +/- 1.9, respectively) and lower on POD 3 and 7 (3.2 +/- 1.5 and 2.6 +/- 1.8, respectively). The pain distribution did not vary significantly throughout the hospital stay, but the location did, with more shoulder pain on POD 7. Only age was found to have an impact on pain intensity, with patients < 60 years having a higher pain intensity than older patients on POD 2 (4.3 +/- 2.2 vs 3.6 +/- 2.4; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS In this patient population, the pain intensity diminished from POD 3 onward, although its distribution did not vary significantly during the first postoperative week. Moreover, pain location changed with time, with more osteoarticular type pain at the end of the first postoperative week. Among the patients' characteristics, only younger age had an impact on pain intensity, with a higher value on POD 2.
Hepatocyte growth factor and c‐Met expression in pericytes: implications for atherosclerotic plaque development

Intraplaque neovascularization contributes to the progression of atherosclerosis. Our aim is to understand the mobilization of cells and factors involved in this process. We investigated the localization of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor, c‐Met, in human atherosclerotic plaques, together with the effects of HGF on pericyte migration in vitro. Atherosclerotic femoral arterial segments were collected and analysed from 13 subjects who were undergoing lower limb amputation. Pericytes were identified in human lesions using a 3G5 antibody. Immunohistochemical analysis localized HGF mainly around microvessels, in association with some, but not all, CD31‐positive endothelial cells. c‐Met expression was mainly associated with smooth muscle cells and pericytes, around some, but not all, microvessels within the atherosclerotic lesions; no detection was apparent in normal internal mammary arteries. Using RT–PCR, we demonstrated expression of HGF and c‐Met in a rat pericyte cell‐line, TR–PCT1, and in primary pericytes. HGF treatment of TR‐PCT1 cells induced their migration, but not their proliferation, in a dose‐dependent manner (10–100 ng/ml, p < 0.01), an effect mediated by activation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt, shown by western blot analysis. Treating the cells with the PI3K inhibitors Wortmannin (0.1 µM) or LY294002 (10 µM) abolished these effects. This work demonstrates the expression of c‐Met and HGF in human atherosclerotic arteries, in association with SM‐actin‐positive cells and CD‐31‐positive cells, respectively. HGF induces pericyte migration via PI3‐kinase and Akt activation in vitro. HGF and c‐Met may be involved in neovascularization during plaque development, and may recruit pericytes to neovessels. Since pericytes are thought to mechanically stabilize new blood vessels, these factors may function to protect against haemorrhage. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Performance Improvement of Mu-Mimo Downlink System And Cognitive Radio System Using Precoding Technique

In communication systems, precoding for multi-user MIMO downlink and cognitive radio systems is considered. CR is a wireless system that communicates in an efficient and reliable manner by sensing the environment, building a predictive model of such environment based on its previous experiences and utilizing the sensed stimuli and the predictive model to adapt its transmit-configuration. Wireless system where unlicensed users explore the spectrum to transmit in a explore in a frequency band without causing harmful interference to licensed users The main aim is to cancel the effect of interference on system channels. In MU-MIMO downlink systems, precoding technique based on vector perturbation, where transmit vector is perturbed by another vector to minimize the transmit power is used. The block diagonalized vector perturbation technique is used to cancel the interference in the systems. Therefore, the IUI (inter user interference) at the transmitter is effectively reduced. Block Diagonalization is used to transmit precoding matrix that ensures zero inter-user interference. BD transforms the MU-MIMO system into effective parallel SUMIMO systems and vector perturbation is applied to each user individually using sphere encoder (SE). In cognitive radio systems, block diagonalization technique is used to completely eliminate the interference at the PUs and inter-user interference between SUs.
A review of ischemic colitis: is our clinical recognition and management adequate?

Ischemic colitis is a common cause of hospital admissions; however it is frequently confused intellectually with mesenteric ischemia and often misdiagnosed as infectious diarrhea or Clostridium difficile colitis. Ischemic colitis is caused by non-occlusive insult to the small vessels supplying the colon without a clear precipitating factor. It is more common in females and in patients above 60 years of age. The classic presentation includes sudden onset of lower abdominal pain followed by the urge to defecate and bloody diarrhea. Focal right-sided ischemic colitis has more pain and a worse prognosis. Choosing the correct diagnostic studies is challenging and requires proficient knowledge of the disease. Management is usually conservative, however around 10–20% of the patients will require surgery. Acute ischemic colitis usually resolves; nevertheless some patients may develop chronic segmental colitis or a stricture. One ischemic colitis caveat is that it may be the first sign of undiagnosed cardiac disease. A firm grasp on this common yet little discussed condition is valuable to a gastrointestinal consultant and hospitalist alike.
Reversion of tumorigenicity and decreased agarose clonability after EBV conversion of an igh/myc translocation‐carrying be line

The Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐negative Burkitt lymphoma (BL) line BL‐41, and 5 independently established EBV‐converted sublines, derived by infection with a transforming (B95‐8) or a nontransforming (P3HRI) strain of EBV, were compared for clonability in semi‐solid agarose and for tumorigenicity in immuno‐suppressed mice. One P3HRI viral convertant and 3 out of 4 B95‐8 virus‐converted sublines had a high (>40%) agarose clonability, like the BL 41 parent, and were slightly more tumorigenic than BL‐41. In contrast, the fourth B95‐8 converted subline, BL‐41/95, was virtually non‐tumorigenic and its agarose clonability was much lower (3–23%). It showed a more drastic shift towards an LCL‐like phenotype than the other convertants as reflected by high HLA class‐I and EBV‐encoded latent membrane protein (LMP) expression. BL 41/95 still contains the 8;14 IgH/myc translocation, carried by the parental line, and maintains the same relatively high steady‐state level of c‐myc mRNA and protein as the highly tumorigenic convertants. We conclude that the tumorigenicity of BL41/95 has been suppressed by a gene that acts at a level beyond the expression of the activated oncogene, in the same way as the revertants isolated from ras and SV‐40‐transformed cultures (Klein, 1987b; Bassin and Noda, 1987).