Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Hitting all the right markers to save a life” Solitary fibrous tumors of the central nervous system: Case series and review of the literature

Background: Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) of the central nervous system are uncommon. Their biological features remain largely unknown; hence, the clinical management and prognosis is often challenging due to the lack of comprehensive data. For this reason, we present two cases of large SFTs to illustrate a comprehensive review. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of two patients: a 65-year-old male with a left parietooccipital lesion and a 70-year-old female with a right parietal convexity mass. Results: Gross total resection was performed in the male patient with no recurrence 30 months after resection. The second patient received stereotactic radiosurgery for what was initially thought to be a parafalcine meningioma; however, continued growth 1 year later prompted an open resection, with pathology indicative of an SFT. The tumor recurred the following year requiring repeat resection. Unfortunately, due to the aggressive nature of the lesion, the patient eventually succumbed to tumor burden a year later. Conclusion: Based on the literature review, the sometimes observed aggressive growth pattern, and also, the potential for malignant transformation, we recommend complete resection of SFTs with close sequential follow-up.
Congregational Political Activity and Same-Sex Marriage: Social Movement Theory and Evidence for Contextual Influence

We interpret three strands of social movement theory (social threat, opportunity structure, and resource mobilization) to understand religious congregations' political activity related to same-sex marriage. Using a unique, national data set from the 2008 presidential election, we show the importance of the anti-same-sex marriage discursive opportunity structure (DOS) for facilitating, and occasionally constraining, congregational political activity. Other theoretical factors influence congregations under limited, although important, conditions. Our research develops a nuanced understanding of congregations' roles in social movements that prioritize institutionalized political activity and expands DOS theory in relation to local religious organizations.
CD4+ and CD8+ T cells have opposing roles in breast cancer progression and outcome

The Cancer Immunoediting concept has provided critical insights suggesting dual functions of immune system during the cancer initiation and development. However, the dynamics and roles of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the pathogenesis of breast cancer remain unclear. Here we utilized two murine breast cancer models (4T1 and E0771) and demonstrated that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were increased and involved in immune responses, but with distinct dynamic trends in breast cancer development. In addition to cell number increases, CD4+ T cells changed their dominant subsets from Th1 in the early stages to Treg and Th17 cells in the late stages of the cancer progression. We also analyzed CD4+ and CD8+ T cell infiltration in primary breast cancer tissues from cancer patients. We observed that CD8+ T cells are the key effector cell population mediating effective anti-tumor immunity resulting in better clinical outcomes. In contrast, intra-tumoral CD4+ T cells have negative prognostic effects on breast cancer patient outcomes. These studies indicate that CD4+ and CD8+ T cells have opposing roles in breast cancer progression and outcomes, which provides new insights relevant for the development of effective cancer immunotherapeutic approaches.
Towards Detecting Anomalous User Behavior in Online Social Networks

Users increasingly rely on crowdsourced information, such as reviews on Yelp and Amazon, and liked posts and ads on Facebook. This has led to a market for blackhat promotion techniques via fake (e.g., Sybil) and compromised accounts, and collusion networks. Existing approaches to detect such behavior relies mostly on supervised (or semisupervised) learning over known (or hypothesized) attacks. They are unable to detect attacks missed by the operator while labeling, or when the attacker changes strategy. We propose using unsupervised anomaly detection techniques over user behavior to distinguish potentially bad behavior from normal behavior. We present a technique based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) that models the behavior of normal users accurately and identifies significant deviations from it as anomalous. We experimentally validate that normal user behavior (e.g., categories of Facebook pages liked by a user, rate of like activity, etc.) is contained within a low-dimensional subspace amenable to the PCA technique. We demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of our approach using extensive ground-truth data from Facebook: we successfully detect diverse attacker strategies--fake, compromised, and colluding Facebook identities--with no a priori labeling while maintaining low false-positive rates. Finally, we apply our approach to detect click-spam in Facebook ads and find that a surprisingly large fraction of clicks are from anomalous users.
Female mediation of competitive fertilization success in Drosophila melanogaster

How females store and use sperm after remating can generate postcopulatory sexual selection on male ejaculate traits. Variation in ejaculate performance traits generally is thought to be intrinsic to males but is likely to interact with the environment in which sperm compete (e.g., the female reproductive tract). Our understanding of female contributions to competitive fertilization success is limited, however, in part because of the challenges involved in observing events within the reproductive tract of internally fertilizing species while discriminating among sperm from competing males. Here, we used females from crosses among isogenic lines of Drosophila melanogaster, each mated to two genetically standardized males (the first with green- and the second with red-tagged sperm heads) to demonstrate heritable variation in female remating interval, progeny production rate, sperm-storage organ morphology, and a number of sperm performance, storage, and handling traits. We then used multivariate analyses to examine relationships between this female-mediated variation and competitive paternity. In particular, the timing of female ejection of excess second-male and displaced first-male sperm was genetically variable and, by terminating the process of sperm displacement, significantly influenced the relative numbers of sperm from each male competing for fertilization, and consequently biased paternity. Our results demonstrate that females do not simply provide a static arena for sperm competition but rather play an active and pivotal role in postcopulatory processes. Resolving the adaptive significance of genetic variation in female-mediated mechanisms of sperm handling is critical for understanding sexual selection, sexual conflict, and the coevolution of male and female reproductive traits.
A field trial of Abate larvicide for the control of Aedes aegypti in Bangkok, Thailand.

succeed, the lack of such research should not restrain the more widespread use of guppies when there is a reasonable chance that they will exert control. This is especially true in tropical regions where C. p. fatigans is largely produced in polluted ground pools and similar sources. These polluted breeding sites seldom harbour indigenous species of fish that would be endangered by the introduction of guppies, although the possibility must be taken into consideration in some areas where polluted waste water drains into natural watersheds. More often, however, it appears that when guppies enter these drainage systems they do not survive or thrive because of the indigenous piscivorous fishes that are present. This was the case in Rangoon, a short distance from where the kutchas, well populated with guppies, entered the Pazundaung Creek near Tamwe. Similar observations were made by Johnson & Soong (1963) in Malaysia. Where guppies are readily available, or can be reared, for mosquito control in tropical areas their use in the types of habitat discussed here should be encouraged. It is likely, however, that in most areas, for one or more of the reasons described, guppies will become established in only a small proportion of C. p. fatigans breeding sites. The contribution of guppies to mosquito control where they succeed, however, can well compensate for the many introductions that fail.
Person Perception by Introverts and Extraverts Under Time Pressure: Effects of Need for Closure

Epistemic, freezing, operationalized as impressional primacy, was examined as a function of situationally induced need for cognitive closure (manipulated by varying time pressure) and dispositional introversion-extroversion. Fifty-eight subjects under high or low time pressure predicted the success of a job candidate. Overalll the tendency to use early information in predicting job success increased when time pressure was high. Consistent with predictions, introverts used early information in forming judgments to a greater extent then extraverts when time pressure was high. No significant differences were found between introverts and extraverts when time pressure was low. The results suggest that introverts may be particularly sensitive to situations requiring cognitive closure.
Heterogeneity of biofilms in rotating annular reactors: Occurrence, structure, and consequences

A rotating annular reactor (Roto Torque) was used for qualitative and quantitative studied on biofilm heterogeneity. In contrast to the classic image of biofilms as smooth, homogeneous layers of biomass on a substratum, studies using various pure and mixed cultures consistently revealed more‐dimensional structures that resembled dunes and ridges, among others. These heterogeneities were categorized and their underlying causes analyzed. Contrary to expectations, motility of the microorganisms not a decisive factor in determining biofilm homogeneity. Small Variations in substratum geometry homogeneity. Small variations in substratum geometry and flow patterns were clearly reflected in the biofilm pattern. Nonhomogeneous flow and shear patterns in the reactor, together with inadequate mixing resulted in significant, position‐dependent differences in surface growth. It was therefore not possible to take representative samples of the attached biomass. Like many other types of reactors, the Roto Torque reactor is valuable for qualitative and morphological biofilm experiments but less suitable for quantitative physiological and kinetics studies using attached microorganisms. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Antigens of Mycobacterium leprae in urine during treatment of patients with lepromatous leprosy.

In leprosy the clinical changes in skin and nerves are slowly developing, except in reactional situations. During successful treatment the signs and symptoms are also slowly changing and many weeks to months may be required before improvements can be noted . In order to be able to follow the slow changes, drawings and/or photographic methods can be used for recording the skin changes; the bacteriologic index (BJ) and morphological index (MI) in slit-skin smears followed; the degree of nerve enlargement described and the motor, sensory and vegetative nerve functions documented with, for example, drawings, voluntary muscle testing and studies of nerve conductivity . ' In a previous paper the presence of Mycobacterium leprae antigen in the urine from most patients with lepromatous leprosy was documented . 2 This finding has initiated the formulation of questions like : can the amounts of antigen excreted in the urine be a new way to follow a patient with leprosy? ; can antigen detection in urine be an early sign of relapse? ; can it be found before clinical signs and symptoms have emerged? ; can it be used in epidemiological surveys? etc. The present study was subsequently conducted in order to see if the amounts
Self‐sacrifice as self‐defence: Mortality salience increases efforts to affirm a symbolic immortal self at the expense of the physical self

The increasing occurrence of suicide bombing attacks highlights a question that has received little direct empirical attention in social psychology. Why are people willing to sacrifice their lives to advance an ideological agenda? The current research suggests that willingness to self-sacrifice reflects efforts to manage death awareness by investing in a symbolic identity that provides some form of immortality. If willingness to self-sacrifice is a response to death awareness then increasing the salience of death thoughts should lead to an increase in willingness to self-sacrifice for a death-transcending symbolic identity (e.g. one's nation). Further, if self-sacrifice after mortality salience (MS) is a striving for symbolic immortality then having participants imagine an alternative way to transcend death should moderate this effect. Support for these hypotheses was found as MS increased willingness of British participants to self-sacrifice for England, but only when an alternative route to symbolic immortality was not provided. Implications are briefly discussed.
Phased array for maritime satcom applications

A phased array has been designed for maritime satellite communication applications. The antenna consists of 26 patch elements that are mounted on a nearly spherical aperture. The antenna allows full duplex communication via L-band satellite systems like Inmarsat BGAN or Thuraya. This design is an innovative and powerful alternative to current mechanically steered systems. Intermediate results of this antenna design were already presented in previous papers [1;4]. This current paper gives an update on the status of this project and shows the results of the final demonstrator.
The Dynamic Control of Reactive Power for the Brushless Doubly Fed Induction Machine With Indirect Stator-Quantities Control Scheme

Compared to the doubly fed induction machine (DFIM), the brushless doubly fed induction machine (BDFIM) has higher reliability by virtue of the absence of a brush gear. Recent research on structure optimization design and control strategy of BDFIM has made remarkable progress. BDFIM indirect stator-quantities control (ISC) is a new control strategy, which, in comparison to vector control strategy, requires fewer parameters and does not need rotating coordinate transformation. This paper further develops the dynamic control of reactive power for the BDFIM with ISC scheme. Detailed theoretical analysis is done to show the controller structure of the reactive power. The experimental results of the prototype show the feasibility of the proposed scheme. As a result, the proposed ISC controllers have been able to control not only speed and torque, but also the reactive power.
Adsorption equilibrium of malachite green dye onto rubber seed coat based activated carbon

In the present study, rubber seed coat based activ ated carbon (RSCAC) was used as adsorbent for malachite green (MG) dye removal from aqueous solution. The effects of dye initial concentration, contact time, solution tempe rature and pH on MG adsorption onto RSCAC were investigated. Results showed that the adsorption of MG was favourable at pH 6 whereas the adsorption uptake was found to increase with increase in initial concentration, contact time and solution temperature. Experimental data were analyzed by model equations such as Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms and it was found Langmuir isotherm model best fitted well the adsorption data.
A randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of a rumination-focused group treatment for residual depression

Abstract The maintenance of residual symptoms following acute treatment is common and is associated with poor long-term prognosis. This study investigates whether a cognitive-behavioral group treatment is effective in reducing residual depression by targeting depressive rumination. Participants (N=60) were randomly assigned to either the group treatment or a wait-list control condition. Treatment significantly improved depressed mood, rumination, perceived control over rumination and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs compared with the wait condition. Treatment gains were maintained over the follow-up period of 1 year. Attrition was low and treatment satisfaction was high. Eight individuals suffered from a depressive relapse/recurrence in the year following treatment. The results indicate that cognitive-behavioral group therapy for depressive rumination is effective and well accepted by patients suffering from residual depression.
The cytochrome bd oxidase of Escherichia coli prevents respiratory inhibition by endogenous and exogenous hydrogen sulfide

When sulfur compounds are scarce or difficult to process, Escherichia coli adapts by inducing the high‐level expression of sulfur‐compound importers. If cystine then becomes available, the cystine is rapidly overimported and reduced, leading to a burgeoning pool of intracellular cysteine. Most of the excess cysteine is exported, but some is adventitiously degraded, with the consequent release of sulfide. Sulfide is a potent ligand of copper and heme moieties, raising the prospect that it interferes with enzymes. We observed that when cystine was provided and sulfide levels rose, E. coli became strictly dependent upon cytochrome bd oxidase for continued respiration. Inspection revealed that low‐micromolar levels of sulfide inhibited the proton‐pumping cytochrome bo oxidase that is regarded as the primary respiratory oxidase. In the absence of the back‐up cytochrome bd oxidase, growth failed. Exogenous sulfide elicited the same effect. The potency of sulfide was enhanced when oxygen concentrations were low. Natural oxic‐anoxic interfaces are often sulfidic, including the intestinal environment where E. coli dwells. We propose that the sulfide resistance of the cytochrome bd oxidase is a key trait that permits respiration in such habitats.
Pharmacokinetics of meloxicam after intravenous, intramuscular, and oral administration of a single dose to Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis).

OBJECTIVE To compare pharmacokinetics after IV, IM, and oral administration of a single dose of meloxicam to Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis). ANIMALS 11 healthy parrots. PROCEDURES Cohorts of 8 of the 11 birds comprised 3 experimental groups for a crossover study. Pharmacokinetics were determined from plasma concentrations measured via high-performance liquid chromatography after IV, IM, and oral administration of meloxicam at a dose of 1 mg/kg. RESULTS Initial mean ± SD plasma concentration of 17.3 ± 9.0 μg/mL was measured 5 minutes after IV administration, whereas peak mean concentration was 9.3 ± 1.8 μg/mL 15 minutes after IM administration. At 12 hours after administration, mean plasma concentrations for IV (3.7 ± 2.5 μg/mL) and IM (3.5 ± 2.2 μg/mL) administration were similar. Peak mean plasma concentration (3.5 ± 1.2 μg/mL) was detected 6 hours after oral administration. Absolute systemic bioavailability of meloxicam after IM administration was 100% but was lower after oral administration (range, 49% to 75%). Elimination half-lives after IV, IM, and oral administration were similar (15.9 ± 4.4 hours, 15.1 ± 7.7 hours, and 15.8 ± 8.6 hours, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Pharmacokinetic data may provide useful information for use of meloxicam in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots. A mean plasma concentration of 3.5 μg/mL would be expected to provide analgesia in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots; however, individual variation may result in some birds having low plasma meloxicam concentrations after IV, IM, or oral administration. After oral administration, meloxicam concentration slowly reached the target plasma concentration, but that concentration was not sustained in most birds.
Analysis of human red cell spectrin tetramer (head-to-head) assembly using complementary univalent peptides.

The mass-driven assembly of spectrin dimers to form tetramers involves two equal head-to-head alpha-beta associations and requires at least 30 degrees C for interconversion to occur readily. In this paper, the properties of tetramer formation were investigated using two complementary univalent peptides (the alpha I domain and beta monomers). Since the alpha I domain lacks an essential nucleation site required for side-to-side (lateral) heterodimer assembly [Speicher et al. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 14775-14782], these two peptides can only assemble head-to-head at a single site. This head-to-head assembly readily occurs at lower temperatures, indicating the temperature barrier for dimer-tetramer interconversion is caused by a conformational constraint of the dimer. This constraint, a closed hairpin loop, is released when the laterally associated partner is removed. The univalent alpha I-beta binding affinity at 37 degrees C (Ka = 1.4 x 10(5) M-1) is similar to the dimer-tetramer association constant at the same temperature. As the temperature is decreased from 37 to 0 degrees C, the alpha I-beta binding affinity increases about 32-fold. In contrast with head-to-head associations involving dimers, the second-order rate constants of two complementary univalent peptides (i.e., alpha I and beta) are dramatically higher, and the estimated activation energy (about 50 kJ mol-1) is about 5-fold lower. An open dimer conformation is an obligatory high-energy intermediate required for dimer-tetramer interconversion, and opening the dimer hairpin loop contributes about 190 kJ mol-1 to the activation energy for tetramer association. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Mind the gap. Combining theory and practice in a field experience

In this article, we describe a collegial case study conducted in one Finnish university during the last field experience in a primary school teacher education program and discuss pedagogy of supervision from university supervisors’ perspectives. The aim of the study was to clarify the role of university supervisors and try out a collegial supervision approach to combine theory and practice in a field experience. We aimed to develop student teachers’ understanding of curriculum as an enacted phenomenon in which they have agency, and enhance their understanding of the development of language skills when working with young children. Our supervision was based on the importance of situated learning and Kolb’s experiential learning model. The results showed that a theory-based approach is possible and collegial supervision can add extra value to supervision. The student teachers became more aware of the different levels of curriculum and their meaning in teachers’ planning processes. They also gained more comprehensive understanding of primary school teachers’ possibilities to develop children’s language skills every day and in all subjects.
Genetic Evidence of Geographical Groups among Neanderthals

The Neanderthals are a well-distinguished Middle Pleistocene population which inhabited a vast geographical area extending from Europe to western Asia and the Middle East. Since the 1950s paleoanthropological studies have suggested variability in this group. Different sub-groups have been identified in western Europe, in southern Europe and in the Middle East. On the other hand, since 1997, research has been published in paleogenetics, carried out on 15 mtDNA sequences from 12 Neanderthals. In this paper we used a new methodology derived from different bioinformatic models based on data from genetics, demography and paleoanthropology. The adequacy of each model was measured by comparisons between simulated results (obtained by BayesianSSC software) and those estimated from nucleotide sequences (obtained by DNAsp4 software). The conclusions of this study are consistent with existing paleoanthropological research and show that Neanderthals can be divided into at least three groups: one in western Europe, a second in the Southern area and a third in western Asia. Moreover, it seems from our results that the size of the Neanderthal population was not constant and that some migration occurred among the demes.