Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioefficacy of L-lysine sulfate compared to feed grade lysine · HCl in young pigs

A pig growth assay was conducted to determine the relative biological value (RBV) of lysine from L-lysine sulfate relative to feed grade lysine·HCl. A maize-peanut meal diet containing 6.2 g/kg total lysine was supplemented with 2 levels (1 and 2 g/kg) of lysine from L-lysine·HCl or L-lysine sulfate. The RBV of L-lysine sulfate was determined using multiple regression slope-ratio methodology, with gain and feed efficiency as the response criteria. At the tested levels, linear responses for gain and feed efficiency were obtained from increments of lysine from the two lysine sources. When weight gain was regressed on supplemental lysine intake, the RBV of lysine in L-lysine sulfate was 99% of the RBV of lysine in L-lysine·HCl. For feed efficiency was regressed on supplemental lysine intake, the RBV of lysine in L-lysine sulfate was 97% of the RBV of lysine in L-lysine·HCl. The t-test analysis revealed that the RBV of lysine in L-lysine sulfate was not significantly different from the RBV of lysine in L-lysine·HCl, which was assumed to be 100% bioavailable.
Response patterns to bronchodilator and quantitative computed tomography in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) show different spirometric response patterns to bronchodilator, such that some patients show improvement principally in expiratory flow (forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FEV1), whereas others respond by improvement of lung volume (forced vital capacity; FVC). The mechanisms of these different response patterns to bronchodilator remain unclear. We investigated the associations between bronchodilator responsiveness and quantitative computed tomography (CT) indices in patients with COPD.
8‐[2‐(2‐pentyl‐cyclopropylmethyl)‐cyclopropyl]‐octanoic acid stimulates GABA release from interneurons projecting to CA1 pyramidal neurons in the rat hippocampus via pre‐synaptic α7 acetylcholine receptors

Nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors, such as α7, α3β4 and α4β2 receptors in the hippocampus, are suggested to modulate neurotransmitter release. 8‐[2‐(2‐Pentyl‐cyclopropylmethyl)‐cyclopropyl]‐octanoic acid (DCP‐LA) (100 nm), a linoleic acid derivative, potentiated responses of α7, α3β4 and α4β2 ACh receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes that are blocked by 3‐(1‐[dimethylaminopropyl] indol‐3‐yl)‐4‐[indol‐3‐yl] maleimide (GF109203X), a selective inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), except for α3β4 ACh receptors. DCP‐LA enhanced the nicotine‐triggered release of GABA from rat hippocampal slices in the presence of tetrodotoxin in a bell‐shaped dose‐dependent manner at concentrations ranging from 10 nm to 10 µm, although DCP‐LA by itself had no effect on GABA release. The DCP‐LA action was inhibited by GF109203X or α‐bungarotoxin, an inhibitor of α7 ACh receptors, but not by mecamylamine or dihydro‐β‐erithroidine, an inhibitor of α3β4 and α4β2 ACh receptors. A similar effect on GABA release was obtained with 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol 13‐acetate, a PKC activator. DCP‐LA (100 nm) also enhanced GABA release triggered by choline, an agonist of α7 ACh receptors, but not 3‐[2(s)‐azetidinylmethoxy] pyridine, an agonist of α4β2 ACh receptors. In addition, DCP‐LA (100 nm) increased the rate of nicotine‐triggered GABAA receptor‐mediated miniature inhibitory post‐synaptic currents, monitored from CA1 pyramidal neurons of rat hippocampal slices, and the effect was also inhibited by GF109203X or α‐bungarotoxin but not by mecamylamine. Thus, the results of the present study indicate that DCP‐LA stimulates GABA release by enhancing activity of pre‐synaptic α7 ACh receptors present on the GABAergic terminals of interneurons that transmit to CA1 pyramidal neurons via a PKC pathway.
A Multilevel Acceleration for l 1-regularized Logistic Regression

Logistic Regression is a well studied classification technique. In some cases, its l1-regularized version is used to reduce overfitting to the data and obtain a sparse model. Because this problem is non-differentiable, it requires specialized methods to solve it, and indeed several iterative methods are available in the literature. However, these methods typically introduce many non-zero variables in the model during their first iterations, requiring an extensive number of operations. We develop a multilevel approach to prevent this behavior and accelerate the existing methods. For that we exploit the sparseness of the model and define a hierarchy of reduced problems, which are treated in turn to accelerate the optimization process. Numerical results show an improvement of up to five times in the performance of the accelerated methods compared to the original ones.
The glial cells in the nerve fiber layer of the rat olfactory bulb

In mammals the olfactory receptor neurons are the only ones that are known to undergo continuous cell renewal in the adult animal. This means that the axon of each newly formed neuron must grow into the olfactory bulb to find its appropriate target cell. It is presumed that astrocytes ensheath the olfactory axons as they course through the nerve fiber layer of the bulb even though the cells in question differ ultrastructurally from typical astrocytes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the glial cells in the nerve fiber layer of the rat olfactory bulb in an effort to resolve this apparent discrepancy. Two morphologically distinct types of glial cell were found in the nerve fiber layer. One type, which resembled the typical astrocytes that are present in other areas of the cental nervous system, contained bundles of filaments in an electron‐lucent cytoplasm. These cells also formed endfeet on blood vessels and formed part of the external glial limiting membrane. They did not, however, ensheath the olfactory axons. The cytoplasm of the other type of glial cell was denser than that of typical astrocytes and contained fewer filaments, which were seldom grouped into bundles. These cells also formed part of the glial limiting membrane at the surface of the bulb and were the only ones that ensheathed the olfactory axons. It is concluded that the cell ensheathing the olfactory axons in the nerve fiber layer of the rat olfactory bulb is a morphological variant of the typical astrocyte. One role of the former cell may be to support or encourage the growth of olfactory axons within the central nervous system.
The Impact of Renal Allograft Function on Exposure and Elimination of Mycophenolic Acid (MPA) and Its Metabolite MPA 7-O-glucuronide

Background. Previous studies have shown that total-body clearance of mycophenolic acid (MPA) is increased and total MPA exposure decreased in renal allograft recipients with severe renal dysfunction. In contrast to these studies, other studies have associated renal impairment with higher MPA exposure. The reason for these inconsistencies is not clear. Methods. In 120 renal allograft recipients with stable graft function and treated with a combination of mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, and corticosteroids, clinical determinants of exposure to total MPA and its glucuronide metabolite MPA 7-O-glucuronide (MPAG) were investigated in a multivariate regression model at 3 (n=118) and 12 (n=63) months after transplantation. Results. Almost 50% of total MPA exposure could be explained by the final model, in which proteinuria, glomerular filtration rate, diabetes mellitus, and the mycophenolate mofetil dose were independent determinants of total MPA exposure. Lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was independently associated with higher MPA exposure both at 3 and 12 months after transplantation. GFR, alanine aminotransferase, and serum albumin levels and mycophenolate mofetil dose explained 69% of total MPAG exposure variability. Conclusion. In stable renal recipients, total MPA exposure negatively associates with renal function, through accumulation of both MPA and MPAG in patients with moderately reduced renal allograft function. This is in contrast to severe graft dysfunction, where MPA clearance is higher due to increased free fraction of MPA, as shown in previous studies. The duality in the effect of graft function on MPA pharmacokinetics is of clinical importance, adjusting mycophenolate mofetil dose according to renal function might help to avoid side effects and improve efficacy.
Altered molecular form of acyl carrier protein associated with beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase II (fabF) mutants

Acyl carrier protein (ACP) is a required cofactor for fatty acid synthesis in Escherichia coli. Mutants lacking beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase II activity (fabF1 or fabF3) possessed a different molecular species of ACP (F-ACP) that was separated from the normal form of the protein by conformationally sensitive gel electrophoresis. Synthase I mutants contained the normal protein. Complementation of fabF1 mutants with an F' factor harboring the wild-type synthase II allele resulted in the appearance of normal ACP, whereas complementation with an F' possessing the fabF2 allele (a mutation that produces a synthase II enzyme with altered catalytic activity) resulted in the production of both forms of ACP. The structural difference between F-ACP and ACP persisted after the removal of the 4'-phosphopantetheine prosthetic group, and both forms of the protein had identical properties in an in vitro fatty acid synthase assay. Both ACP and F-ACP were purified to homogeneity, and their primary amino acid sequences were determined. The two ACP species were identical but differed from the sequence reported for E. coli E-15 ACP in that an Asn instead of an Asp was at position 24 and an Ile instead of a Val was at position 43. Therefore, F-ACP appears to be a modification of ACP that is detected when beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase II activity is impaired.
Parasite effects on stickleback The association of feeding behavior with the resistance and tolerance to parasites in recently diverged sticklebacks

Statement of authorship: JMAR analyzed the data and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. JMAR and FSB performed the experiment, and NS contributed to data collection and writing the manuscript. BM and CE conceived the experiment and contributed substantially to the revisions of the manuscript. OS made substantial contributions to the structure and revisions of the manuscript draft. Here, we confirm that we do not have any conflict of interest.
Intracellular calcium chelators and oxidant-induced renal proximal tubule cell death.

The effect of intracellular calcium chelators on rabbit renal proximal tubule (RPT) cell death induced by t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and H2O2 was examined. Preincubation of RPT suspensions with 50 microM QUIN 2/AM completely prevented TBHP (0.5 mM) and H2O2 (2 mM) induced cell death [i.e., release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)]. QUIN 2/AM, BAPTA/AM, EGTA/AM, and FURA 2/AM, at 5 microM, decreased LDH release (at 6 hr) from 41% to 4%, 21%, 26%, and 33%, and decreased lipid peroxidation (at 1 hr) from 1.0 to 0.1, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 nmol MDA/mg protein, respectively, after TBHP exposure. Since oxidant-induced lipid peroxidation and cell death are iron-dependent in this model, these results suggest that the intracellular calcium chelators inhibit cell death by chelating iron.
Lisofylline ameliorates intestinal and hepatic injury induced by hemorrhage and resuscitation in rats

Objective: We sought to determine whether treatment with lisofylline (LSF) preserves intestinal barrier function in rats subjected to hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (HS/R). Setting: Research laboratory at a major university teaching hospital. Design: Rats were bled to a mean arterial pressure of 30 mm Hg and maintained at that pressure for 90 mins. One group (n = 8) was treated with LSF (bolus doses of 15 mg/kg at 45 and 89 min plus infusion at 10 mg·kg−1·hr−1), whereas another group (n = 8) received only the lactated Ringer's solution (LRS) vehicle. At 90 mins, the animals were resuscitated with shed blood and LRS (55 mL·kg−1·hr−1). Intestinal mucosal permeability was determined by measuring the mucosal‐to‐serosal clearance of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (molecular weight = 4 kDa) into everted gut sacs. Measurements and Main Results: Intestinal and hepatic blood flow (assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry) was greater in LSF‐treated rats. Treatment with LSF ameliorated the development of histologic evidence of mucosal damage and hyperpermeability. Rats treated with LSF had lower plasma concentrations of the intracellular hepatic enzyme, aspartate aminotransferase. After 90 mins of resuscitation, concentrations of adenosine triphosphate in intestinal and hepatic tissue were greater in LSF‐treated as compared with LRS‐treated rats, but concentrations of the endogenous antioxidant, glutathione, in intestinal and hepatic tissue, although lower than in rats not subjected to HS/R, were similar in the two treatment groups. Conclusion: Treatment with LSF ameliorated HS/R‐induced derangements in intestinal structure and function and hepatic injury, possibly by preserving microvascular perfusion and tissue adenosine triphosphate concentrations.
Pain and Spasticity After Spinal Cord Injury: Mechanisms and Treatment

Study Design A comprehensive survey of literature on the proposed mechanisms and treatment of pain and spasticity after spinal cord injury (SCI) was completed. Objectives To define the current understanding of these entities and to review various treatment options. Summary of Background Data. The neurophysiologic basis of spasticity after SCI is well established. The mechanism of neuropathic pain after SCI remains conjectural, although considerable new data, much of it from animal models, now add to our understanding of this condition. Methods. A comprehensive search and review of the published literature was undertaken. Results. Treatment options for spasticity are effective and include oral medication (baclofen, tizanidine), intrathecal baclofen, and rarely, surgical rhizotomy or myelotomy. Selected patients with post–SCI pain can respond to surgical myelotomy (DREZ lesions) or intrathecal agents (e.g., morphine + clonidine), but the majority continue to suffer. Conclusions. Medical and surgical treatments for spasticity are established and highly successful. Management of post-SCI pain remains a clinical challenge, as there is no uniformly successful medical or surgical treatment.
Relationship of National Institute of Health Stroke Scores [NIHSS] to 90 days mortality in Africa.

OBJECTIVE The prognostic value of the NIHSS score has not been evaluated in Africans. The study objective was to compare the NIHSS score at presentation to mortality and prognosis in survivors. METHODS We studied 87 patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Their presenting NIHSS score, Clinical features including complications were recorded on admission. Mortality and outcome within 90 days were evaluated using Glasgow Outcome scale. RESULTS Patients with NIHSS score of 20 and above had mortality of 56.5%, all survivors had severe disability: NIHSS score between 15-19, mortality was 30% and of survivors, 42.8% had severe disability, 33.7% moderate disability and 14.2% recovered completely. With NIHSS score between 6-14, mortality was 24.9% and of survivors, 13.3% had severe disability, 36.6% moderate disability and 50% had good recovery. With NIHSS score of 5 or less there were no deaths and of survivors, 30% had moderate disability and 70% good recovery. It was however observed that if initial NIHSS score remained static or worsened, prognosis was worse. Among such patients those with initial NIHSS score of 20 and above all died, compared with those with NIHSS score of less than 20 who had mortality of 70%. CONCLUSION The 30th day mortality index was the best predictor of mortality. High mortality were observed in patients with NIHSS scores 20 and above, presence of neurological complications and static baseline scores. After 90 days, good outcome was observed in patients with the least scores and severe disability in high score survivors.
Realism, Miracles, and the Common Cause

The principle of the common cause, which gets its justification from the miracle arguments, probably constitutes the best reason for being a scientific realist. However, results in quantum mechanics steming from the work of Bell raise difficulties which anti-realists have been quick to seize. The author tries to overcome the problem and save scientific realism by reformulating the principle of the common cause so that a distinction is made between a priori and a posteriori correlations.
Synthesis techniques for implementation of wave-pipelined circuits in ASICs

Higher operating frequencies may be obtained in digital systems by using wave-pipelining which permits clock frequencies higher that dictated by largest propagation delay between input and output. This, however, requires proper selection of clock periods and clock skews so as to latch the output of combinational logic circuits at the stable periods. In the literature, only trial and error and manual procedures are adopted for these selections. The major contribution of this paper is the proposal for three schemes for synthesis of wave-pipelined circuits using commercially available synthesis tools. To test the efficacy of the proposed schemes, an 8-bit ripple carry is implemented by adopting three schemes: wave-pipelining, pipelining and non-pipelining. From the implementation results, it is observed that the wave pipelined circuit is 2.8 times faster than the non pipelined circuit at the cost of increase in area by a factor of 1.8. The wave pipelined circuit 3.5% faster compared to pipelined circuit and requires 8.7% less area over pipelined circuit.
Prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica in waters of the lower Chippewa River Basin, Wisconsin

Water samples collected over a 14-month period from the lower Chippewa River drainage basin in Wisconsin were examined for Yersinia enterocolitica with either MacConkey-Tween 80 agar or Y-M agar (T. N. Saari and G. P. Jansen, Contrib. Microbiol. Immunol. 5:185-196) as the selective medium. A new method of isolation was developed. Of 303 water samples, 8.25% were positive. A seasonal variation was noticed, with winter isolations being most frequent.
The impact of a general practice co-operative on accident and emergency services, patient satisfaction and GP satisfaction.

BACKGROUND The advent of general practice co-operatives represented a fundamental change in the delivery and organization of out-of-hours services. Concerns have been voiced that co-operatives might impact adversely on workload in accident and emergency (A&E) departments. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of establishing a general practice co-operative on use of A&E services, patient satisfaction and GP satisfaction. METHODS A controlled before and after study of a GP co-operative in Sheffield, UK was carried out. A postal questionnaire was sent to 26 911 people, 13 442 before and 13 469 after the opening of the co-operative, to determine service use, in particular A&E attendance, in the previous 4 weeks. Patient satisfaction was assessed through structured interviews with 653 patients. GP satisfaction was assessed using a postal survey of all 98 Sheffield practices 2 years after the opening of the co-operative. RESULTS There was no change in the use of A&E services, odds ratio = 1.08 (95% confidence interval 0.60-1.94). There was no change in patient satisfaction overall, mean difference 0.02 (-0.32 to 0.36). Sixty-seven per cent of doctors in member practices were much more satisfied with out-of-hours duty compared with 10% in non-member practices (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS General practice co-operatives have been successful in achieving their policy objectives, improving GP morale without jeopardizing patient satisfaction or impacting adversely on A&E services.
Driven diffusive systems and growing stationary configurations

We study attractive particle systems with stationary product measures. We utilize the property of attractivity and its link to coupling to build a growth process that samples from the stationary measure of the zero-range process, on fixed and finite lattices, with computation times scaling linearly with the number of particles N . The zero-range process with constant jump-rates and a single defect site is known to exhibit a condensation transition, and we use L independent continuous time birth-processes to sample from the stationary measure that exhibits condensation. The birth-rate of the defect site is a time inhomogeneous process, where the intensity function (or time integrated birth-rate) exhibits the property of finite-time-blow-up. For this process, finite-time-blow-up implies that infinitely many events can occur in a finite window of time.
Use of Social-Networking Sites and Subjective Well-Being: A Study in South Korea

Social-networking sites (SNSs) provide users with a unique computer-mediated environment where individuals are able to disclose their thoughts, feelings, and experiences within their circle of personal ties. From a positive psychological perspective, this research investigated the use of SNSs and users' subjective well-being. The results show that although the time spent using a SNS is not related to well-being, the amount of self-disclosure on SNSs is positively related to subjective well-being. In addition, an individual's socioeconomic status is negatively related to self-disclosing behavior.
Communication, conceptualization and articulation

Learning can be viewed as a communication process that puts the learner in contact with concepts created by others. A result of communication is that an act of interpretation starts, which invokes a process of conceptualization. According to Mayes, successful conceptualization will need the support of learning activities. Hence, machine mediated communication is important for creating online e‐Learning opportunities; not only for relaying communication content, but also for supporting the cognitive processes associated with the necessary learning activities required for conceptualization. In Laurillard’s conversational theory, a communication loop should be established between learners and teachers. The articulation element in this loop is necessary for engaging the learner in a collaborative activity, which is essential for developing further the conceptualization process. This paper discusses the acts of communication, conceptualization and articulation within a machine mediated multimodal communication.
Inhibition of TNF‐α‐Induced MUC5AC Mucin Gene Expression and Production by Wogonin Through the Inactivation of NF‐κB Signaling in Airway Epithelial Cells

In this study, we investigated whether wogonin significantly affects MUC5AC mucin gene expression and production in human airway epithelial cells. Confluent NCI‐H292 cells were pretreated with wogonin for 30 min and then stimulated with tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) for 24 h or the indicated periods. The MUC5AC mucin gene expression and mucin protein production were measured by RT‐PCR and ELISA, respectively. We found that incubation of NCI‐H292 cells with wogonin significantly inhibited mucin production and down‐regulated MUC5AC gene expression induced by TNF‐α in a dose‐dependent fashion. To elucidate the action mechanism of wogonin, effect of wogonin on TNF‐α‐induced NF‐κB signaling pathway was investigated by western blot analysis. Wogonin inhibited NF‐κB activation induced by TNF‐α. Inhibition of IKK by wogonin led to the suppression of IκB phosphorylation and degradation, p65 nuclear translocation and NF‐κB‐regulated gene expression. This, in turn, led to the down‐regulation of MUC5AC protein production in NCI‐H292 cells. Wogonin also inhibited the gene products involved in cell survival (Bcl‐2) and proliferation (cyclooxygenase‐2). These results suggest that wogonin inhibits the NF‐κB signaling pathway, which may explain its role in the inhibition of MUC5AC mucin gene expression and production. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.