Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Long-term Betaine Supplementation on Performance of Growing Saidi Lambs

The current study was carried out to investigate the effect of Long-term betaine supplementation on performance of Saidi lambs during growing period. Twenty-four local Egyptian lambs (Saidi) with 7 months of age and average body weight of 25 ±1.36 kg were used. Lambs were allocated to one of the three experimental treatments of eight replicates (control group, low betaine supplementation (LBS); supplemented with 1500 mg betaine /kg concentrate mixture or high betaine supplementation (HBS); supplemented with 2500 mg betaine /kg concentrate mixture) at RCBD design. Concentrate mixture was fed to cover 80% of the daily requirements while the other 20% was supplied by offering wheat straw ad libtum. Daily feed intake was recorded for each group every 24 hrs. at 8:00 am during the experimental period. In addition, lambs were weighed every two weeks during the experimental period. Also, the daily gain and feed conversion ratio were calculated for all lambs. Blood samples were collected at 7:00 am after 8 hours of fasting. Blood samples were collected from each lamb monthly and complete CBC were performed. The results showed that both levels of betaine supplementation improved feed intake (P<0.01), final body weight (P<0.05), average daily gain (P<0.05) and feed conversion ratio (P<0.01). In addition, the CBC results showed that betaine supplementation improved lambs health and decreased the harmful response to low temperature effects during winter months. The current study concludes that, using betaine supplementation either in low (1500 mg betaine /kg concentrate mixture) or in high level (2500 mg betaine /kg concentrate mixture) improves growing lambs health and ameliorates the low temperatureeffects during winter. Subsequently, those responses improved lambs performance and growth. Moreover, using high level of betaine supplementation is more effective than low level.
THE HIGHER MODE ELIMINATION IN MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA USING DEFECTED MICROSTRIP SURFACE FOR SUPPRESSION OF CROSS POLARIZED RADIATIONS AND IMPROVED ISOLATION

This paper proposes unique design technique using defected microstrip surface (DMS) for the suppression of higher mode, reduced cross polarization (XP) and improved isolation. The proposed technique can be easily adapted to any conventional working rectangular microstrip patch antennas (RMPA) in the practical applications. The modification can be made by etching the rectangular slots called DMS of optimized dimensions in the rectangular microstrip patch. This will enhance the radiations by suppressing XP radiations and eliminates nearby undesired higher order mode, which is the source for the XP radiations. In this design the conventional RMPA is designed to resonate at 3.04 GHz with broad side radiations with co-polarized peak gain of 5.2dBi and XP of -15.5dB. The proposed RMPA resonates at the same frequency with a gain of 6dBi. The XP is significantly suppressed by 31dB and it is -46.5dB over the span of ±500, with co-pol to cross-pol isolation of 52.5dB is achieved for S-band applications. The performances of the designed antennas have been experimentally verified.
Emerging Trends in the Treatment of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Radiological Perspective

This is a narrative review of various treatment modalities for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a focus on recent updates in radiological treatments, as well as novel treatment concepts related to immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination therapies with locoregional treatments. Interventional radiologists have made efforts toward developing alternative and/or combination treatments for first-line systemic treatment of patients with advanced HCC. Locoregional treatments with or without systemic therapy may be considered in the selected patients. Various treatment modalities for advanced HCC are emerging, and several randomized controlled trials, including those of combination treatments with immunotherapy, are ongoing.
Probabilistic mapping of thalamic nuclei and thalamocortical functional connectivity in idiopathic generalised epilepsy

It is well established that abnormal thalamocortical systems play an important role in the generation and maintenance of primary generalised seizures. However, it is currently unknown which thalamic nuclei and how nuclear‐specific thalamocortical functional connectivity are differentially impacted in patients with medically refractory and non‐refractory idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE). In the present study, we performed structural and resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with refractory and non‐refractory IGE, segmented the thalamus into constituent nuclear regions using a probabilistic MRI segmentation method and determined thalamocortical functional connectivity using seed‐to‐voxel connectivity analyses. We report significant volume reduction of the left and right anterior thalamic nuclei only in patients with refractory IGE. Compared to healthy controls, patients with refractory and non‐refractory IGE had significant alterations of functional connectivity between the centromedian nucleus and cortex, but only patients with refractory IGE had altered cortical connectivity with the ventral lateral nuclear group. Patients with refractory IGE had significantly increased functional connectivity between the left and right ventral lateral posterior nuclei and cortical regions compared to patients with non‐refractory IGE. Cortical effects were predominantly located in the frontal lobe. Atrophy of the anterior thalamic nuclei and resting‐state functional hyperconnectivity between ventral lateral nuclei and cerebral cortex may be imaging markers of pharmacoresistance in patients with IGE. These structural and functional abnormalities fit well with the known importance of thalamocortical systems in the generation and maintenance of primary generalised seizures, and the increasing recognition of the importance of limbic pathways in IGE.
p21‐activated kinase 4 phosphorylates peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor Υ and suppresses skeletal muscle regeneration

Skeletal muscle regeneration is an adaptive response to injury that is crucial to the maintenance of muscle mass and function. A p21‐activated kinase 4 (PAK4) serine/threonine kinase is critical to the regulation of cytoskeletal changes, cell proliferation, and growth. However, PAK4's role in myoblast differentiation and regenerative myogenesis remains to be determined.
Smoking cessation, but not reduction, reduces cardiovascular disease incidence.

AIMS The aim of this study was to assess the association of smoking cessation and reduction with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 897 975 current smokers aged ≥40 years who had undergone two consecutive national health examinations (in 2009 and 2011) were included. Participants were classified as quitters (20.6%), reducers I (≥50% reduction, 7.3%), reducers II (20-50% reduction, 11.6%), sustainers (45.7%), and increasers (≥20% increase, 14.5%). During 5 575 556 person-years (PY) of follow-up, 17 748 stroke (3.2/1000 PY) and 11 271 myocardial infarction (MI) (2.0/1000 PY) events were identified. Quitters had significantly decreased risk of stroke [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.77 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-0.81; absolute risk reduction (ARR) -0.37, 95% CI -0.43 to -0.31] and MI (aHR 0.74, 95% CI 0.70-0.78; ARR -0.27, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.22) compared to sustainers after adjustment for demographic factors, comorbidities, and smoking status. The risk of stroke and MI incidence in reducers I (aHR 1.02, 95% CI 0.97-1.08 and aHR 0.99, 95% CI 0.92-1.06, respectively) and reducers II (aHR 1.00, 95% CI 0.95-1.05 and aHR 0.97, 95% CI 0.92-1.04, respectively) was not significantly different from the risk in sustainers. Further analysis with a subgroup who underwent a third examination (in 2013) showed that those who quit at the second examination but had starting smoking again by the third examination had 42-69% increased risk of CVD compared to sustained quitters. CONCLUSIONS Smoking cessation, but not reduction, was associated with reduced CVD risk. Our study emphasizes the importance of sustained quitting in terms of CVD risk reduction.
MRI/PET Imaging in elevated PSA and localized prostate cancer: a narrative review

Objective To review the recent milestones in MRI and PET based imaging and evaluate their evolving role in the setting of elevated PSA as well as localized prostate cancer. Background The importance of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) and PET based imaging for the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer cannot be understated. Accurate staging has become another significant milestone with the use of PET scans, particularly with prostate specific radiotracers like 68-Gallium Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (68Ga-PSMA). Integrated PET/MRI systems are commercially available and can be modulated to evaluate the unique needs of localized as well as recurrent prostate cancer. Methods A literature search was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar using the MeSH compliant and other keywords that included prostate cancer, PSA, mpMRI, PET CT, PET/MRI. Conclusions mpMRI has now established itself as the gold-standard of local prostate imaging and has been incorporated into international guidelines as part of the diagnostic work-up of prostate cancer. PSMA PET/CT has shown superiority over conventional imaging even in staging of localized prostate cancer based on recent randomized control data. Imaging parameters from PET/MRI have been shown to be associated with malignancy, Gleason score and tumour volume. As mpMRI and PSMA PET/CT become more ubiquitous and established; we can anticipate more high-quality data, cost optimization and increasing availability of PET/MRI to be ready for primetime in localized prostate cancer.
Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein B Mutations Define Structural Sites in Domain I, the Membrane Proximal Region, and the Cytodomain That Regulate Entry

The nine human herpesviruses are ubiquitous and cause a range of diseases in humans. Glycoprotein B (gB) is an essential viral fusion protein that is conserved in all herpesviruses. ABSTRACT The viral fusion protein glycoprotein B (gB) is conserved in all herpesviruses and is essential for virus entry. During entry, gB fuses viral and host cell membranes by refolding from a prefusion to a postfusion form. We previously introduced three structure-based mutations (gB-I671A/H681A/F683A) into the domain V arm of the gB ectodomain that resulted in reduced cell-cell fusion. A virus carrying these three mutations (called gB3A) displayed a small-plaque phenotype and remarkably delayed entry into cells. To identify mutations that could counteract this phenotype, we serially passaged the gB3A virus and selected for revertant viruses with increased plaque sizes. Genomic sequencing revealed that the revertant viruses had second-site mutations in gB, including E187A, M742T, and S383F/G645R/V705I/V880G. Using expression constructs encoding these mutations, only gB-V880G was shown to enhance cell-cell fusion. In contrast, all of the revertant viruses showed enhanced entry kinetics, underscoring the fact that cell-cell fusion and virus-cell fusion are different. The results indicate that mutations in three different regions of gB (domain I, the membrane proximal region, and the cytoplasmic tail domain) can counteract the slow-entry phenotype of gB3A virus. Mapping these compensatory mutations to prefusion and postfusion structural models suggests sites of intramolecular functional interactions with the gB domain V arm that may contribute to the gB fusion function. IMPORTANCE The nine human herpesviruses are ubiquitous and cause a range of diseases in humans. Glycoprotein B (gB) is an essential viral fusion protein that is conserved in all herpesviruses. During host cell entry, gB mediates virus-cell membrane fusion by undergoing a conformational change. Structural models for the prefusion and postfusion forms of gB exist, but the details of how the protein converts from one to the other are unclear. We previously introduced structure-based mutations into gB that inhibited virus entry and fusion. By passaging this entry-deficient virus over time, we selected second-site mutations that partially restore virus entry. The locations of these mutations suggest regulatory sites that contribute to fusion and gB refolding during entry. gB is a target of neutralizing antibodies, and defining how gB refolds during entry could provide a basis for the development of fusion inhibitors for future research or clinical use.
Subjective interdependence and prosocial behaviour

A science of close relationships stands to benefit from an understanding of the situations in which interactions between partners take place. In this chapter, we briefly review recent advances in situation research. Within the current decade, several new taxonomies have been put forward that describe how people perceive situations. Functional Interdependence Theory, in particular, posits that people are wellprepared to understand situations in terms of interdependence. New instruments based on Functional Interdependence Theory and other taxonomies for the first time allow researchers to measure in a comprehensive way how people subjectively perceive situations. Coupled with experience sampling methods, which allow the collection of psychological measures in everyday life, these instruments enable researchers to paint a full picture of the interdependent situations people experience in their relationships. We discuss how studying the situations partners experience together in daily life allows researchers to find new answers to questions arising from a) Interdependence Theory, b) Attachment Theory, and c) theorising on relationship maintenance behaviours. Finally, we offer a framework for research on situational interdependence in close relationships.
Using cognitive interviewing to bridge the intent‐interpretation gap for nutrition coverage survey questions in India

Abstract Designing survey questions that clearly and precisely communicate the question's intent and elicit responses based on the intended interpretation is critical but often undervalued. We used cognitive interviewing to qualitatively assess respondents' interpretation of and responses to questions pertaining to maternal and child nutrition intervention coverage. We conducted interviews to cognitively test 25 survey questions with mothers (N = 21) with children less than 1 year in Madhya Pradesh, India. Each question was followed by probes to capture information on four cognitive stages—comprehension, retrieval, judgement, and response. Data were analysed for common and unique patterns across the survey questions. We identified four types of cognitive challenges: (1) retention of multiple concepts in long questions: difficulty in comprehending and retaining questions with three or more key concepts; (2) temporal confusion: difficulty in conceptualizing recall periods such as “in the last 6 months” as compared to life stages such as pregnancy; (3) interpretation of concepts: mismatch of information being asked, meaning of certain terms and intervention scope; and (4) understanding of technical terms: difficulty in understanding commonly used technical words such as “breastfeeding” and “antenatal care” and requiring use of simple alternative language. Findings from this study will be useful for stakeholders involved in survey design and implementation, especially those conducting large‐scale household surveys to measure coverage of essential nutrition interventions.
Evaluation of the effects of locally applied rosuvastatin on bone formation in a three-dimensional reconstruction rabbit xenograft model

Background/aim Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is commonly performed to repair bone defects, and rigid occlusive titanium barriers play a vital role in bone formation in regions with no prior bone tissue. The statin, rosuvastatin (RSV), strongly affects bone apposition when applied locally. Here, we aimed to evaluate the anabolic effects of locally applied RSV with a xenograft placed on rabbit calvaria. Materials and methods Two rigid occlusive titanium caps were used in 16 rabbits after decorticating the calvarial bone. In the control group, the area under the cap was filled with a xenograft, while in the RSV group, a xenograft in combination with RSV (1 mg) was used. In both groups, at 6 and 12 weeks, new bone, residual graft, soft tissue areas, and histological and radiological bone volume were evaluated. Results At 12 weeks, histologically, the RSV group exhibited superior new bone proportion values, and radiologically, new bone and total bone volume in the RSV group were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05); there were no significant differences at 6 weeks (p > 0.05). Conclusion According to our results, RSV applied locally under a titanium barrier on an area to be repaired with bone grafts increases new bone and total bone volume.
Pediatric brain tumors as a developmental disease

Purpose of review Brain tumors are the most frequent solid cancer in the pediatric population. Owing to the rarity of environmental clues about their origin, it is tempting to consider these neoplasms as developmental processes gone awry. Our review will explore the heuristic power of this hypothesis and the influence of these findings on the clinical management. Recent finding A more accurate description of cancer predisposition syndrome has shown their frequent association with developmental abnormalities. Several genes involved in pediatric brain tumor oncogenesis are involved in developmental processes. Modeling of several pediatric brain tumor in cerebral organoids, mimicking embryonal stage of brain development, indicates that early events during brain development create the conditions necessary for their oncogenesis. Summary The onset of multiple brain tumor types early in life suggests a functional relationship between brain development and oncogenesis. A growing body of evidence seems to support the hypothesis that some of the main developmental steps in the brain can be highjacked by the tumors during their initiation. Collaborations between neuroscientists and oncologists should provide room for improvement in the knowledge for these neoplasms.
Clinical Impact of the Expanded BioFire Blood Culture Identification 2 Panel in a U.S. Children’s Hospital

The BioFire BCID2 panel is an accurate panel that is equivalent to the BioFire BCID panel compared to standard culture. The BioFire BCID2 panel offers several advantages over the BioFire BCID panel, including enterococcal species identification, Gram-negative resistance gene detection, Salmonella identification, and the added mecA/mecC and MREJ target for better Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) differentiation. ABSTRACT The BioFire blood culture identification (BCID) panel decreases time to pathogen identification and time to optimal antimicrobial therapy. The BioFire blood culture identification 2 (BCID2) panel is an expanded panel with 17 additional targets and resistance genes; however, there are limited data on its impact in pediatric patients. We compared the BioFire BCID2 panel and the BCID panel by assaying BCID2 simultaneously with the current standard of care on 191 consecutive blood culture specimens at Children’s Hospital Colorado. The primary outcome was equivalence, measured as percent agreement between the two panels and standard culture. The theoretical reduction in time to optimal therapy was calculated overall, with subanalyses performed on Enterococcus species and Gram-negative resistance genes. The percent agreement was equivalent between the two panels, with BCID at 98% (95% confidence interval [CI], 95 to 100%) and BCID2 at 97% (95% CI, 93 to 99%); the difference was 1.2% (95% CI, −0.8, 3.1%; P < 0.0001). There was not a significant reduction in time to theoretical optimal therapy with BCID2 compared to BCID for all cultures (reduction of 9 h, P = 0.3). Notably, 13 Enterococcus faecalis isolates were detected on BCID2, which would have resulted in a theoretical reduction in time to optimal antimicrobial therapy of 34 h (P = 0.0046). Five CTX-M genes were detected for enteric bacteria. The BioFire BCID2 panel had equal rates of detection compared to the BioFire BCID panel in pediatric patients. It had the advantage of detecting more organisms at the species level, and significantly reducing time to theoretical optimal antimicrobial therapy for Enterococcus faecalis. With the additional resistance genes, it also has the potential to impact care with earlier identification of resistant enteric pathogens. IMPORTANCE The BioFire BCID2 panel is an accurate panel that is equivalent to the BioFire BCID panel compared to standard culture. The BioFire BCID2 panel offers several advantages over the BioFire BCID panel, including enterococcal species identification, Gram-negative resistance gene detection, Salmonella identification, and the added mecA/mecC and SCCmec right extremity junction (MREJ) target for better Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) differentiation. Most importantly, it provides additional clinical impact with the potential to decrease the time to optimal antimicrobial therapy compared to the BioFire BCID panel, with likely further impact at institutions with a higher prevalence of Gram-negative resistance.
Fiscal sustainability based on reaction function: Case study Romania

This paper aims in investigating Romanian fiscal sustainability based on reaction function. Due to the fact that Romania experienced distorted negative interest rates, we considered inappropriate the use of classical tests. Therefore, it was estimated fiscal reaction function, mainly based on tax smoothing model. Our findings are consistent with the previous literature and reveal that Romanian fiscal stance reacts to high public debt by an increase of primary surplus with at least 0.02%. The reaction is not instantaneous, it is delayed by 1 or 2 lags, which it is considered as being acceptable, taking into account the quarterly data used. JEL Classification: E62, H62, H63
Mechanical System Design and Motion Space Analysis For Transmission Line Insulators Laser Deicing Robot

In the cold winter, it is a routine task to deicing on transmission lines in severe cold climate so as to ensure the safety and stable operation of transmission lines. Compared with the traditional contact deicing method for transmission line insulators, the using of laser for transmission line deicing has the advantages of sound deicing effect, no damage to the lines, clean and efficient energy utilization, et al. As the laser energy gradually decays with the increase of distance, this paper proposes a new method to realize laser deicing of short-range transmission line insulator by using UAV equipped with laser. In responds to the dispersion problem of traditional control, this paper fully integrates U AV control and laser control platform, the double have been integrated into one, in the new control platform, the U AV control and laser control can be realized simultaneously, the kinematics model of the laser has been established and its forward and inverse solutions have been solved and analyzed. Finally, simulation experiments verify the validity of the model. Compared with the traditional mode, this deicing mode not only realizes the control integration, but also it is easy to operate. It is especially suitable for the operation in the transmission line field environment, which greatly enhances the robot operation efficiency. At the same time, the simulation of laser head sweeping space and deicing operation motion planning based on the kinematic model show that the system designed in this paper can realize the suspension insulators deicing without blind area. The implementation and promotion of this study has important theoretical significance and practical application value for the practicability of intelligent operation and transmission lines maintenance management.