Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of the Level, Type and Processing of Cereal Grains in Diets for Dairy Cows Feed Intake and Performance

Milk yield in dairy cows is directly dependent on their feed or energy intake. Due to genetic improvements, dairy cows have increased their potential for milk yield. This implies that the animal’s energy requirements are drastically increased. The presence of both physical and metabolic mechanisms for intake regulation and dynamic nature of lactating dairy cows has made ration formulation a challenging enterprise. Few strategies of ration formulation can be adapted to simultaneously address the issue of intake regulation and stimulate feed intake and milk yield in dairy cows. Strategies that may be useful in achieving these objectives include improving the grass silage quality and adjusting the rumen degradation of starch to match that of grass silage. Starch accounts for the bulk of the dry matter of cereal grains and has been shown to influence rumen functioning, fibre digestion and thereby animal performance. The overall aim of the studies presented in this thesis was to explore the scope for stimulating feed intake and milk yield in dairy cows through feeding management. Three feeding experiments and one laboratory study were conducted. Paper I evaluated the effects of increasing the proportion of wheat in diets containing maizeand grass-silages. Paper II evaluated the effects of interactions between grass silage digestibility (high vs. medium) and concentrate starch type (barley vs. maize) in the diets. Paper III evaluated the effects of increasing the proportion of NaOH-treated wheat in grass-silage based diets, and Paper IV estimated the ruminal digestion kinetics of different cereal starch using the in vitro gas production technique and compared the gas production data to in vivo starch digestibility data. The results obtained in Papers I-III indicated that the feed intake and milk yield were primarily affected by the level of concentrate and the digestibility of the grass silage in the diets. The results presented in Paper IV indicated that the differences between the digestion kinetics for starches of different origins are less than has been reported in literature, which is consistent with the results of feeding trials. Moreover, the predicted ruminal starch digestibility obtained using gas production data were in good agreement with the in vivo starch digestibility data.
The ecology of the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus L. Host relationships of the tick: Part 2. Observations on hill and moorland grazings in northern England

Although three other Ixodes species were found, Ixodes ricinus L. , when it occurs, is by far the most important tick parasite of wild and domestic animals on hill and moorland grazings in northern England. In the following, ‘tick’ or ‘ticks’ refer to I. ricinus. The previous list of British mammal hosts, wild and domestic, to the tick (any stage) is largely confirmed, and increased approximately from twenty-three to twenty-nine species; and birds, similarly, from twenty-one to thirty-nine species. The preponderance of small mammals and birds among the twenty-four new-recorded host species confirms the impression that previous workers tended to confine their attentions to the larger animals. The host list is still incomplete, and the suggestion that the tick will parasitize any bird or mammal it may meet is strongly reinforced. No host occurs below the reptile level among vertebrates; and among British reptiles, only the common lizard is a host—rarely. There appear to be no hosts among invertebrates. All the farm and domestic mammals from horse down to cat are hosts to female ticks, but poultry have never been recorded—probably because they do not much frequent the tick-infested pastures. Only the larger wild mammals and birds are hosts to female ticks. In northern England these include eight mammals and three birds. For Britain as a whole two other mammals are known, while a further four mammals and one bird are likely hosts. With or without the inclusion of domestic animals, proportionately more mammal than bird species are hosts to female ticks. This is because there are more mammal than bird species large enough to be hosts. All the recorded British hosts, except shrew and possibly mole, are hosts in some degree to nymphs, and all, without exception, are hosts to larvae. A certain amount of self-deticking is practised by birds, and very probably by some of the smaller mammals. Birds never have ticks attached within beak-reach.
High Prevalence of Genital Mycoplasmas among Sexually Active Young Adults with Urethritis or Cervicitis Symptoms in La Crosse, Wisconsin

ABSTRACT Sexually active young adults in the small college town of La Crosse, Wisconsin, were evaluated for conventional sexually transmitted pathogens and tested for infections with mycoplasmas. The prevalence in 65 symptomatic men or women and 137 healthy volunteers (67 men and 70 women) was compared. Urine specimens from both cohorts were tested by ligase chain reaction for Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In addition, the urethral or cervical swabs from the symptomatic subjects were tested by PCR for Mycoplasma genitalium and cultured for Mycoplasma hominis and the ureaplasmas. The results confirmed a relatively low prevalence of gonorrhea among symptomatic men (12%) and chlamydia among symptomatic men (15%) and normal women (3%). In contrast, infections with mycoplasmas, especially the ureaplasmas (57%), were common and the organisms were the only potential sexually transmitted pathogen detected in 40 (62%) symptomatic subjects. Because of the high prevalence, we also evaluated urethral swabs from an additional 25 normal female volunteers and recovered ureaplasmas from 4 (16%) subjects. Additionally, the participants rarely used protection during sexual intercourse and some symptomatic subjects apparently acquired their infections despite using condoms regularly. The findings demonstrate a strong association between abnormal urogenital findings and detection of myoplasmas, particularly ureaplasmas, and suggest the infections will remain common.
Bisphosphonate Treatment of Bone Fibrous Dysplasia in McCuneAlbright Syndrome

One of the main features of McCune-Albright syndrome is bone fibrous dysplasia (BFD) often associated with severe clinical outcomes, such as bone pain, bone deformities and pathological fractures. Medical treatment with bisphosphonates started 15 years ago. Recent trials in pediatric patients with BFD have shown encouraging results. We evaluated long-term efficacy and safety of pamidronate treatment of BFD in children and adolescents with MAS. The drug was administered at 4 month-1 year intervals according to alkaline phosphatase levels. The study included 14 patients (10 females and 4 males between the ages of 5.3 and 18.7 years) with moderate or severe BFD. Follow up lasted 1.9-9 years. Bone pain, fractures, deformities, and bone turnover markers were evaluated before every therapeutic course. The study shows the beneficial effects of long-term bisphosponate treatment on BFD lesions leading to reduced fracture rate and bone pain, and radiological evidence of long bone lesion healing.
PREDICTING DISCHARGE OUTCOME AFTER ELECTIVE HIP AND KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

The objective of this prospective study was to determine if differences exist between individuals who require an inpatient rehabilitation program after elective hip and knee arthroplasty from those patients who can be discharged directly home. Multiple variables consisting of baseline demographics, social status, insurance status, medical history, pain level, quantitative strength, range of motion, and functional ability were examined. The primary outcome measure was the discharge destination from the orthopedic service and consisted of either a discharge to home or a discharge to an inpatient rehabilitation unit. Of the 162 patients followed, 65 (40%) were discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation unit, whereas 97 were discharged to home. The patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation tended to live alone, were significantly older (mean difference = 6.3 yr), and had increased comorbid conditions (P < 0.001 for all variables). Patients discharged to a rehabilitation unit reported significantly greater pain levels than those discharged to home (P < 0.001). The attainment of a supervision level of function demonstrated greater differences between groups than the attainment of independent function for all functional measures. A logistic regression model was developed that predicted 76% of the discharges to rehabilitation by the third physical therapy session postsurgery. In conclusion, predictive markers do exist that differentiate individuals who require further inpatient therapy services after joint replacement surgery.
Serum granulysin levels as a predictor of serious telaprevir‐induced dermatological reactions

Telaprevir‐based therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients is effective; however, the high prevalence of dermatological reactions is an outstanding issue. The mechanism and characteristics of such adverse reactions are unclear; moreover, predictive factors remain unknown. Granulysin was recently reported to be upregulated in the blisters of patients with Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS). Therefore, we investigated the risk factors for severe telaprevir‐induced dermatological reactions as well as the association between serum granulysin levels and the severity of such reactions.
n-3 Fatty acids for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases

The aim of the present paper is to briefly review the literature relating to clinical studies of the use of polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases ( IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The reasons for the discrepancies in the findings could be related to the different study designs, different treatments, overlapping of treatment effects, as well as the variety of treatment formulations and doses used, which have led to results that are, in certain instances, very difficult to explain. Emphasis on a treatment formulation which reduces the incidence of side effects, together with careful selection of patients and experimental design, seems to be associated with benefits, and these studies point to the therapeutic potential for these lipids in the therapy of IBD. It is possible that these fatty acids act by reducing low-grade active inflammation rather than by preventing reinitiation of the inflammatory process from a truly quiescent state. Whether this treatment is applicable to all IBD patients has not been fully elucidated. Nevertheless, taken together, all these studies suggest the effectiveness of these new therapeutic approaches, not only when conventional treatment fails or when it is not possible to treat chronically, but also, in some instances, as first choice.
Author ' s personal copy Linguistic summarization of video for fall detection using voxel person and fuzzy logic

In this paper, we present a method for recognizing human activity from linguistic summarizations of temporal fuzzy inference curves representing the states of a three-dimensional object called voxel person. A hierarchy of fuzzy logic is used, where the output from each level is summarized and fed into the next level. We present a two level model for fall detection. The first level infers the states of the person at each image. The second level operates on linguistic summarizations of voxel person’s states and inference regarding activity is performed. The rules used for fall detection were designed under the supervision of nurses to ensure that they reflect the manner in which elders perform these activities. The proposed framework is extremely flexible. Rules can be modified, added, or removed, allowing for per-resident customization based on knowledge about their cognitive and physical ability. 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Sequence‐based characterization of swine leucocyte antigen alleles in commercially available porcine cell lines

A total of 53 alleles at five highly polymorphic swine leucocyte antigen (SLA) loci (SLA‐1, SLA‐3, SLA‐2, SLA‐DRB1, and SLA‐DQB1) were identified in eight commercially available porcine cell lines (ESK‐4, LLC‐PK1, MPK, PK13, PK15, PT‐K75, SK‐RST, and ST). This information is essential for the use of these cell lines to understand the role of SLA genes and proteins in swine models of transplantation, xenotransplantation, and in swine immune responses to infectious diseases and vaccines. The ready availability of these cell lines also makes them a good source of reference DNA for SLA allele typing.
Dose-dependent increase in subjective symptoms among toluene-exposed workers.

A factory survey on dose-response relationship in toluene toxicity was conducted in 1985-1989 in four cities in China. The examination items consisted of personal diffusive sampling for TWA exposure measurement, questionnaires on subjective symptoms, hematology and serum biochemistry, and clinical examination including simple neurology tests. Hippuric acid was also determined in urine samples collected at the end of the shift. With selection criteria that (1) complete results were available on all study items and (2) valid toluene exposure data (i.e., toluene shared 90% or more of the exposure) were obtained for the exposed, 452 toluene-exposed workers (206 men and 246 women; toluene exposure at 24.7 ppm as GM) and 517 nonexposed controls (246 men and 271 women) were selected. The subjective symptoms increased in close association with the intensity of exposure to toluene; the threshold concentration appeared to exist at 100 ppm in the case of symptoms during work, and it might be at 50-100 ppm when symptoms off work were evaluated. During the work with exposure at higher concentrations, various symptoms possibly related to CNS or local effects (e.g., eyes, nose, and throat) were complained, and dizziness and floating sensations were identified as typical symptoms with significant dose-response relationship. Several symptoms persisted off work, most of which were apparently related but not necessarily limited to CNS effects. Hematology and serum biochemistry were essentially negative.
Peritoneal cancer index: a prognostic indicator of survival in advanced ovarian cancer.

AIM The peritoneal cancer index (PCI) has been used for the detailed evaluation of the peritoneal spread in tumors of gastrointestinal origin and has been found to be a prognostic indicator of survival. The aim of this study was the identification of the significance of the peritoneal cancer index in advanced ovarian cancer. METHODS From 1990 to 2001, 60 women, mean age 65+/-10.84 (41-86), were treated for advanced ovarian cancer. The performance status (Karnofsky performance scale), age, prior surgery score (PSS), peritoneal cancer index (PCI), tumor volume, tumor grade, residual tumor, the presence of ascites, treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy, histopathologic subtype and FIGO stage were retrospectively correlated to survival using univariate model of statistical analysis. RESULTS Hospital mortality and morbidity were 11.7 and 16.7% respectively. The recurrence rate was 23.3%. Overall 5-year survival rate was 41% and mean survival 63+/-8 months. The peritoneal cancer index was related to survival (P=0.0253). The other favorable clinical prognostic indicators of survival were low grade and small volume tumors, treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy and complete cytoreductive surgery (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The peritoneal spread in advanced ovarian cancer can be assessed in detail using the peritoneal cancer index. It is a significant prognostic factor of survival and is useful in identifying subgroups.
SUMOylation Attenuates the Transcriptional Activity of the NF‐κB Subunit RelB

The NF‐κB subunit RelB is known to act either as an activator or repressor of NF‐κB‐dependent gene expression. The RelB–p52 heterodimer, for instance, is the key element of the alternative NF‐κB signaling pathway supporting the expression of a subset of NF‐κB target genes. By contrast, RelB is crucial for the repression of important pro‐inflammatory cytokines like TNFα or interleukin 1β. Despite accumulating reports describing the functional variability of RelB, the molecular mechanisms underlying these divergent functions are still unknown. One potential explanation could be a functional reprogramming of RelB by different post‐translational modifications. Here, we demonstrate that SUMOylation of RelB might be one of these post‐translational modifications rendering the function of the NF‐κB transcription factor RelB. In vivo SUMOylation analyses using either the UBC9‐fusion‐directed SUMOylation method or endogenous proteins from Namalwa B cells revealed that RelB is modified by either SUMO1 or SUMO2 attachment at various sites. Functional studies suggest that SUMOylation converts RelB into a transcriptional repressor. For instance, a SUMO1‐RelB fusion protein mimicking RelB‐SUMOylation displayed a reduced transcriptional activity in comparison to wild type RelB. Consistently, inactivation of specific SUMOylation sites in the central part of RelB augmented the transcription activity of the corresponding RelB mutant. Taken together, our data suggest that SUMOylation might be a potential molecular mechanism involved in reprogramming RelB, thus contributing to its functional diversity. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 1430–1440, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A rationale for the targeted treatment of oligometastases with radiotherapy

An oligometastatic state has been proposed wherein patients with metastases limited in number and location may benefit from local therapy directed at all known sites of metastases. We describe here the clinical and biological basis for the oligometastatic state. We present evidence for a potentially curative approach to patients with oligometastases using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and we review the literature for SBRT directed at specific metastatic sites in the lungs, liver and multiple organs. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;98:202–206. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Texture Re-sampling based Image Real-time Compression

Since image compression methods based on wavelet transform have some inherent weakness, and it is difficult to make a compact and reliable real time compression system for on-board usage. A new image compression method named texture re-sampling based compression (TRBC) is created, it is characterized with no image data transformation, having only integer operations and only small processing unit have to be used. The TRBC is not only compact in algorithm but also high fidelity for restored images, so it is quite suitable for high speed on board remote sensing image compression. A comparison of the compressing results between TRBC and JPEG2000 is given in this paper. The results show that, within the range of vision loss-less (compression ratio less than 10) and under the condition of about equal quality of restored images, not only the required processing unit of TRBC is much smaller than that of JPEG2000 but also processing speed of TRBC is much faster than that of JPEG2000 and the TRBC is more suitable than JPEG2000 for remote sensing usage is proven by the results.
A few properties of the eigenvalues of normalized graph Laplacian

Here we have investigated a few properties of the eigenvalues of normalized (geometric) graph Laplacian in different graphs. Preservation of eigenvalue 1 from a particular subgraph to the entire graph, the spectrum of the graph constructed with triangles share a common vertex have been addressed. Further using the number and degrees of common neighbors between vertices some new upper bounds for the largest eigenvalue have been introduced.
Chinese Word Sense Disambiguation Based on Hidden Markov Model

Word sense disambiguation (WSD) is important for natural language processing. It plays important roles in information retrieval, machine translation, text categorization and topic tracking. In this paper, the transition among senses of words is considered. For an ambiguous word, its semantic codes and its left word’s semantic codes are taken as disambiguation features. At the same time, a new method based on hidden Markov model (HMM) is proposed for Chinese word sense disambiguation. Chinese Tongyici Cilin is used to determine semantic codes of words. HMM is optimized in training corpus. The WSD classifiers based on HMM is tested. Experimental results show that the accuracy of word sense disambiguation is improved.
Morphological and molecular characterisation of Pulvinula constellatio ectomycorrhizae.

The ascomycete Pulvinula constellatio was found to form competing ectomycorrhizal relationships with plants that had been inoculated with Tuber spp. and other edible ectomycorrhizal fungi. In order to be able to distinguish P. constellatio mycorrhizae from those of the Tuber spp. , we determined the morphological and bio-molecular characteristics of P. constellatio. The complete sequence of the ITS regions was determined, in order to select specific primers. The ITS region was also studied using restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses with several restriction enzymes that allowed an unambiguous identification of the species.
Optimal Software Free Trial Strategy: The Impact of Network Externalities and Consumer Uncertainty

Many software firms offer a fully functional version of their products free of charge, for a limited trial period, to ease consumers' uncertainty about the functionalities of their products and to help the diffusion of their new software. This paper examines the trade-off between the effects of reduced uncertainty and demand cannibalization, uncovers the condition under which software firms should introduce the time-locked free trial software, and finds the optimal free trial time. As software firms have the option of providing free trial software with full functionalities but a limited trial time or limited functionalities for an unlimited trial time, we develop a unified framework to provide useful guidelines for deciding which free trial strategy is preferred in the presence of network externalities and consumer uncertainty.
Further Glimpse at Intonation Teaching

This paper sought to find out why intonation has been neglected in the process of teaching pronunciation to EFL learners at Ho Chi Minh City University for Natural Resources and Environment (HCMUNRE) and corroborate that teaching intonation in Yes/No questions and Wh-questions to learners has positive influence on their English speaking skill. The research also suggested some useful in-class activities to teach intonation in Yes/No questions and Wh-questions to EFL learners.
Spectral method for the fractional diffusion-wave equation with variable coefficients

In this paper, we consider the spectral method for the time fractional diffusion-wave equation with variable coefficients in a bounded domain. The time fractional derivative is described in the Caputo sense with the order γ (1 ≤ γ ≤ 2). We transform the equation into an equivalent form with Riemann-Liouville fractional integral operator, based on the weighted and shifted Grünwald difference operator, the convergence rate of the fully discrete scheme in L<sup>2</sup> norm is O(τ<sup>2</sup> + N<sup>1−m</sup>). Detailed analysis for the stability and convergence of the fully discrete scheme is given. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the theoretical results.