Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The presence of the gadolinium-based contrast agent depositions in the brain and symptoms of gadolinium neurotoxicity - A systematic review

Background and purpose Gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCAs) are widely used in magnetic resonance imaging, but recently, high signal intensity in the cerebellum structures was reported after repeated administrations of contrast- enhanced magnetic resonance images. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the association between increased signal intensity in the dentate nucleus and globus pallidus in the brain and repeated administrations of GBCAs. Additionally, we focused on possible short- and long-term consequences of gadolinium use in those patients. Methods Systematic review of retrospective investigations in PubMed and Medline was performed in July 2016. Primary outcomes included the presence of increased signal intensity within the dentate nucleus and globus pallidus on unenhanced T1-weighted MR images in patients following administrations of GBCAs. Two independent reviewers were responsible for search and data extraction. Results 25 publications satisfied inclusion criteria (19 magnetic resonance images analyses, 3 case reports; 3 autopsy studies). Magnetic resonance images of 1247 patients with increased signal intensity on unenhanced T1-weighted MR images were analyzed as well as tissue specimens from 27 patients. Signal intensity correlated positively with the exposure to GBCAs and was greater after serial administrations of linear nonionic than cyclic contrast agents. Gadolinium was detected in all tissue examinations. Conclusions High signal intensity in the dentate nucleus and globus pallidus on unenhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were associated with previous administration of GBCAs. Signal intensity correlated negatively with stability of contrast agents. Clinical significance of gadolinium deposition in the brain remains unclear. There is a strong need for further research to identify type of gadolinium deposited in the brain as well as to gather knowledge about long-term consequences.
Symplectomorphism groups and embeddings of balls into rational ruled 4-manifolds

Abstract Let Mμ0 denote S2×S2 endowed with a split symplectic form $\mu \sigma \oplus \sigma $ normalized so that μ≥1 and σ(S2)=1. Given a symplectic embedding $\iota :B_{c}\hookrightarrow M^0_{\mu }$ of the standard ball of capacity c∈(0,1) into Mμ0, consider the corresponding symplectic blow-up $\widetilde {M}^0_{\mu ,c}$. In this paper, we study the homotopy type of the symplectomorphism group ${\mathrm {Symp}}(\widetilde {M}^0_{\mu ,c})$ and that of the space $\Im {\mathrm {Emb}}(B_{c},M^0_{\mu })$ of unparametrized symplectic embeddings of Bc into Mμ0. Writing ℓ for the largest integer strictly smaller than μ, and λ∈(0,1] for the difference μ−ℓ, we show that the symplectomorphism group of a blow-up of ‘small’ capacity c<λ is homotopically equivalent to the stabilizer of a point in Symp(Mμ0), while that of a blow-up of ‘large’ capacity c≥λ is homotopically equivalent to the stabilizer of a point in the symplectomorphism group of a non-trivial bundle $\mathbb {C}P^2\#\,\overline {\mathbb {C}P^2}$ obtained by blowing down $\widetilde {M}^0_{\mu ,c}$. It follows that, for c<λ, the space $\Im {\mathrm {Emb}}(B_{c},M^0_{\mu })$ is homotopy equivalent to S2 ×S2, while, for c≥λ, it is not homotopy equivalent to any finite CW-complex. A similar result holds for symplectic ruled manifolds diffeomorphic to $\mathbb {C}P^2\#\,\overline {\mathbb {C}P^2}$. By contrast, we show that the embedding spaces $\Im {\mathrm {Emb}}(B_{c},\mathbb {C}P^{2})$ and $\Im {\mathrm {Emb}}(B_{c_{1}}\sqcup B_{c_{2}},\mathbb {C}P^{2})$, if non-empty, are always homotopy equivalent to the spaces of ordered configurations $F(\mathbb {C}P^{2},1)\simeq \mathbb {C}P^{2}$ and $F(\mathbb {C}P^{2},2)$. Our method relies on the theory of pseudo-holomorphic curves in 4 -manifolds, on the computation of Gromov invariants in rational 4 -manifolds, and on the inflation technique of Lalonde and McDuff.
Nature and fate of proliferative cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus during the life span of the rhesus monkey

The nature of proliferative cells in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal region and the fate of their progeny was analyzed by 3H- thymidine (3H-TdR) autoradiography combined with immunocytochemistry at the light and electron microscopic levels in 18 rhesus monkeys ranging in age from late gestation to 17 years. Our analysis indicates that, during the last quarter of gestation and the first 3 postnatal months, the SGZ produces both glial and neuronal cells. These 2 major classes of cells originate from the 2 precursor lines and, following their mitotic division, migrate to the granular layer. During the juvenile period (4–6 months of age), neuronal production tapers off and most postmitotic cells remaining within the SGZ differentiate into glial elements. In postpubertal animals (3 years and older), the 3H-TdR- labeled cells in the dentate gyrus belong to several non-neuronal classes. The largest group was immunoreactive to the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) at both the light and electron microscopic levels, indicating their astrocytic nature. The remaining 3H-TdR- labeled, GFAP-negative cells had ultra-structural characteristics of either microglia, oligodendroglia, or their progenitory stem cells. Therefore, there is a continuing addition and/or turnover of the glial cells in the dentate gyrus of sexually mature monkeys, but, in contrast to the massive neurogenesis reported in adult rodents, the production of new neurons could not be detected after puberty. The significance of a stable population of neurons in the hippocampal formation of mature primates is discussed in relation to its possible function in memory.
An Inverse Problem for the p-Laplacian: Boundary Determination

We study an inverse problem for nonlinear elliptic equations modeled after the $p$-Laplacian. It is proved that the boundary values of a conductivity coefficient are uniquely determined from boundary measurements given by a nonlinear Dirichlet-to-Neumann map. The result is constructive and local, and gives a method for determining the coefficient at a boundary point from measurements in a small neighborhood. The proofs work with the nonlinear equation directly instead of being based on linearization. In the complex valued case we employ complex geometrical optics-type solutions based on $p$-harmonic exponentials, while for the real case we use $p$-harmonic functions first introduced by Wolff.
Draft Report: Not for Distribution Generalized Source Coding and Optimal Web Layout Design

The design of robust and reliable networks and network services has become an increasingly challenging task in today's Internet world. To achieve this goal, understanding the characteristics of Internet tra c plays a more and more critical role. Empirical studies of measured tra c traces have led to the wide recognition of selfsimilarity in network tra c. Moreover, a direct link has been established between the self-similar nature of measured aggregate network tra c and the underlying heavytailed distributions of the Web tra c at the source level. This report provides a natural and plausible explanation for the origin of heavy tails in Web tra c by introducing a series of simpli ed models for optimal Web layout design with varying levels of realism and analytic tractability. The basic approach is to view the minimization of the average le download time as a generalization of standard source coding for data compression, but with the design of the Web layout rather than the codewords. The results, however, are quite di erent from standard source coding, as all assumptions produce power law distributions for a wide variety of user behavior models. In addition, a simulation model of more complex Web site layouts is proposed, with more detailed hyperlinks and user behavior. The throughput of a Web site can be maximized by taking advantage of information on user access patterns and rearranging (splitting or merging) les on the Web site accordingly, with a constraint on available resources. A heuristic optimization on random graphs is formulated, with user navigation modeled as Markov Chains. Simulations on di erent classes of graphs as well as more realistic models with simple geometries in individual Web pages all produce power law tails in the resulting size distributions of the les transferred from the Web sites. This again veri es our conjecture that heavy-tailed distributions result naturally from the tradeo between the design objective and limited resources, and suggests a methodology for aiding in the design of high-throughput Web sites.
A NOTE ON THE POOLING OF INDIVIDUAL PANIC UNIT ROOT TESTS

One of the most cited studies in recent years within the field of nonstationary panel data analysis is that of Bai and Ng (2004), in which the authors propose PANIC, a new framework for analyzing the nonstationarity of panels with idiosyncratic and common components. The problem is that the asymptotic validity of PANIC as a platform for constructing pooled panel unit root tests based on averaging is not fully proven. This paper provides the required results, whose usefulness is verified through simulations.
Financial integration in Asia and around the world

The paper applies the Feldstein-Horioka (FH) methodology to a large number of countries. By regressing the investment/GDP ratio over the saving/GDP ratio, the paper fi nds that the crosssection coeffi cient declined from around 0.5 during 1990-99 to a range of 0.22-0.35 during 200006 for different groups of Asian countries, suggesting that the region’s average fi nancial openness increased across the two sub-periods. However, the FH coeffi cient during 2000-06 was generally higher for Asia than for other parts of the world. The paper concludes by arguing that countries in Asia must further liberalize cross-border fi nancial transactions and make their fi nancial systems deeper and more efficient, in order to promote financial integration in line with the region’s strengthening trade and macroeconomic interdependence. JEL classifi cation codes: F32; F41
Mortgage Refinancing and Consumption Smoothing

This paper analyses the optimal refinancing decision of an agent whose only asset in the portfolio is the house where she lives in the context of a life-cycle model. The mortgage is modelled as an adjustable rate contract covering the remaining life of te house owner. Thus, refinancing concerns only the size of the mortgage, which can be adjusted in any period subject to a constraint on the amount that can be borrowed: the value of the new mortgage cannot exceed the latest realised price. The paper solves the model analytically and then numerically calibrates the refinancing decision.
What is a Contribution to IS Design Science Knowledge?

In order to promote more rigor in Design Science Research (DSR), Gregor and Hevner have proposed guidelines for conducting and evaluating DSR in the Information Systems (IS) discipline. Their work has been influential and widely used to advance the field. However, the way they characterize IS-DSR knowledge contributions excludes what we believe are genuine contributions and includes works that in our lights are not contributing to IS-DSR knowledge. To overcome this problem, we borrow from the contemporary philosophy of science to develop a framework for identifying the types of IS-DSR knowledge. We posit that contributions to DSR are in the form of theories or technological designs, and each type could be either inter-field or field. We demonstrate the strength of the proposed framework in better identifying contributions and clarifying the boundaries of IS-DSR. Our experience led us to believe that the proposed view is applicable to the whole IS discipline.
Histochemical Study of the Progenetic Trematode Alloglossidium renale

A histochemical study of the progenetic trematode Alloglossidium renale has demonstrated the absence of any secreted material between the adult worm and the host (freshwater shrimp) antennal gland tubules. Host tissue is affected only by the compression, abrasion, and ingestion by the parasite, and host tubule cells near the worm have the same staining patterns as those distant from the parasite. The trematode sometimes dies within the host, leaving a necrotic mass whose histochemical staining differs significantly from the living organism. In the necrotic mass, the only recognizable features were the ova and the vitellarium, which atrophied and resulted in tyrosine-positive staining within the mass. A melanin reaction was not observed in the host using a specialized ferro-ferricyanide stain. The only apparent host response to infection was a layer of damaged squamous host cells adhering to the necrotic worm. The results confirm benign host-parasite effects and a highly evolved relationship between the host and parasite, perhaps bordering on commensalism.
The Determinants of Small Firm Growth An inter-regional study in the United Kingdom 1986-90

6 The Regional Imperative Regional planning and govemance in Britain, Europe and the United States Urlan A. l(annop 2 Retreat from the Regions Corporate change and the closure of factories Stephen Fothergill and Nigel Guy Edited by Jörg Knieling and Frank Othengrafen 5 An Enlarged Europe Regions in competition? Edited by Louis Albrechts, Sally Hardy, Mark Hart and Anastasios Katos 1 Beyond Green Belts Managing urban growth in the 2lst century Edited by John Herington
LAMB: A Good Shepherd of Morphologically Rich Languages

This paper introduces S TEM and L AMB , embeddings trained for stems and lemmata instead of for surface forms. For morphologically rich languages, they perform significantly better than standard embeddings on word similarity and polarity evaluations. On a new WordNet-based evaluation, S TEM and L AMB are up to 50% better than standard embeddings. We show that both embeddings have high quality even for small dimensionality and training corpora.
Bioaccumulation of inorganic Hg by the juvenile cuttlefish Sepia officinalis exposed to 203Hg radiolabelled seawater and food

Uptake and depuration kinetics of inorganic mercury (Hg) was investigated in the juvenile common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis following exposures via seawater and food using sensitive radiotracer technique (203Hg). The cuttlefish readily concentrated 203Hg when exposed via seawater, with whole body CF > 260 after only 10d of exposure. The total Hg accumulated from seawater was depurated relatively fast with a Tb½ of 17d. During both exposure and depuration periods, accumulated Hg was mainly (> 70%) associated with the muscular parts of the cuttlefish. However, the proportion of the whole body Hg content associated with the digestive gland increased during exposure and depuration phases, suggesting that the metal was transferred from the muscles towards this organ for detoxification. When fed with radiolabelled food, cuttlefish displayed high assimilation efficiency (AE > 90%) and the metal was found to be mainly located in the digestive gland (60% of the whole Hg content). Nevertheless, high depuration rates resulted in short Tb½ (i.e., 4 d), suggesting that this organ has a major role in Hg detoxification and depuration. Whatever the exposure pathway was, low proportion of Hg (< 2%) was found in the cuttlebone. Assessment of the relative contribution of the dietary and dissolved exposure pathways to inorganic Hg bioaccumulation in juvenile cuttlefish revealed that Hg was mainly accumulated from food that contributed for 77 ± 16% of the global metal bioaccumulation.
Twenty-eight genetic loci associated with ST-T-wave amplitudes of the electrocardiogram

The ST-segment and adjacent T-wave (ST-T wave) amplitudes of the electrocardiogram are quantitative characteristics of cardiac repolarization. Repolarization abnormalities have been linked to ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. We performed the first genome-wide association meta-analysis of ST-T-wave amplitudes in up to 37 977 individuals identifying 71 robust genotype–phenotype associations clustered within 28 independent loci. Fifty-four genes were prioritized as candidates underlying the phenotypes, including genes with established roles in the cardiac repolarization phase (SCN5A/SCN10A, KCND3, KCNB1, NOS1AP and HEY2) and others with as yet undefined cardiac function. These associations may provide insights in the spatiotemporal contribution of genetic variation influencing cardiac repolarization and provide novel leads for future functional follow-up.
SiO Maser Survey of the Inner Bar of the Galactic Bulge

We surveyed 291 MSX/2MASS infrared objects in the 7 degrees x 2 degrees area of the galactic center in the 43 GHz SiO J = 1-0 v = I and 2 maser lines, obtaining accurate radial velocities of 163 detected objects. The surveyed area is the region where the IRAS catalog is incomplete due to contamination by high source density. The objects in the present MSX/2MASS sample were chosen to have similar infrared characteristics to those of the previous SiO maser-survey samples based on the color-selected IRAS sources. The sampling based on the 2MASS catalog causes a bias to the foreside objects of the bulge due to heavy obscuration by interstellar dust; the detections considerably leaned on the V-lsr < 0 side. The l-V diagram reveals two conspicuous features, which were not present or tenuous in the previous studies: one feature indicating a linear velocity increase with longitude with I I I < 1.degrees 5, which is likely to be associated with the inner bar, and the other feature having considerably eccentric velocities, more than those of the normal x(1)-orbit family feature. The extinction-corrected K magnitudes (if used as a distance modulus) tend to show a sequential deposition of these objects along the line of sight toward the galactic center, depending on their radial velocities. The tendency that appeared in the distance measures is consistent with the bulge-bar dynamical model utilizing the periodic orbit families in the bar potential.
Development of Specific Aspects of Spirituality during a 6-Month Intensive Yoga Practice

The majority of research on yoga focuses on its psychophysiological and therapeutic benefits, while the spiritual aspects are rarely addressed. Changes of specific aspects of spirituality were thus investigated among 160 individuals (91% women, mean age 40.9 ± 8.3 years; 57% Christians) starting a 2-year yoga teacher training. We used standardized questionnaires to measure aspects of spirituality (ASP), mindfulness (FMI—Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory), life satisfaction (BMLSS—Brief Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale), and positive mood (lightheartedness/relief). At the start of the course, scores of the respective ASP subscales for search for insight/wisdom, transcendence conviction, and conscious interactions/compassion were high, while those for religious orientation were low. Within the 6 month observation period, both conscious interactions/compassion (effect size, Cohen's d = .33), Religious orientation (d = .21), Lightheartedness/Relief (d = .75) and mindfulness (d = .53) increased significantly. Particularly non-religious/non-spiritual individuals showed moderate effects for an increase of conscious interactions/compassion. The results from this study suggest that an intensive yoga practice (1) may significantly increase specific aspects of practitioners' spirituality, mindfulness, and mood, (2) that these changes are dependent in part on their original spiritual/religious self-perception, and (3) that there are strong correlations amongst these constructs (i.e., conscious interactions/compassion, and mindfulness).
Superoxide Dismutase 1 Limits Renal Microvascular Remodeling and Attenuates Arteriole and Blood Pressure Responses to Angiotensin II via Modulation of Nitric Oxide Bioavailability

Oxidative stress is associated with vascular remodeling and increased preglomerular resistance that are both implicated in the pathogenesis of renal and cardiovascular disease. Angiotensin II induces superoxide production, which is metabolized by superoxide dismutase (SOD) or scavenged by NO. We investigated the hypothesis that SOD1 regulates renal microvascular remodeling, blood pressure, and arteriolar responsiveness and sensitivity to angiotensin II using SOD1-transgenic (SOD1-tg) and SOD1-knockout (SOD1-ko) mice. Blood pressure, measured telemetrically, rose more abruptly during prolonged angiotensin II infusion in SOD1-ko mice. The afferent arteriole media:lumen ratios were reduced in SOD1-tg and increased in SOD1-ko mice. Afferent arterioles from nontreated wild types had graded contraction to angiotensin II (sensitivity: 10−9 mol/L; responsiveness: 40%). Angiotensin II contractions were less sensitive (10−8 mol/L) and responsive (14%) in SOD1-tg but more sensitive (10−13 mol/L) and responsive (89%) in SOD1-ko mice. Arterioles from SOD1-ko had 4-fold increased superoxide formation with angiotensin II at 10−9 mol/L. NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester reduced arteriole diameter of SOD1-tg and enhanced angiotensin II sensitivity and responsiveness of wild-type and SOD1-tg mice to the level of SOD1-ko mice. SOD mimetic treatment with Tempol increased arteriole diameter and normalized the enhanced sensitivity and responsiveness to angiotensin II of SOD1-ko mice but did not affect wild-type or SOD1-tg mice. Neither SOD1 deficiency nor overexpression was associated with changes in nitrate/nitrite excretion or renal mRNA expression of NO synthase, NADPH oxidase, or SOD2/SOD3 isoforms and angiotensin II receptors. In conclusion, SOD1 limits afferent arteriole remodeling and reduces sensitivity and responsiveness to angiotensin II by reducing superoxide and maintaining NO bioavailability. This may prevent an early and exaggerated blood pressure response to angiotensin II.
Technical Efficiency Estimates of Scottish Agriculture: Evidence from the dairy, sheep and cereals sector

Technical efficiency, the ratio of physical inputs to outputs, is a popular means of assessing agricultural performance. Benchmarking of these efficiencies is a fundamental tool for the farming industry. More sophisticated techniques have been developed recently which offer a greater degree of complexity for measuring technical efficiency. This paper adopts a parametric approach, referred to as stochastic production frontiers (SPF), to study three major sectors the Scottish agricultural economy, namely i) cereals, ii) dairy, and iii) sheep, over the period 1989 to 2004.
CFO financial expertise and corporate social responsibility

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between a chief finance officer's (CFO's) financial expertise and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach – The paper's sample consists of firms from the 2005 S&P 500 Index. Data on CSR come from Kinder, Lydenberg, and Domini (KLD), Inc. Data on CFO financial expertise were had collected. Consistent with prior research, experience (tenure), education (masters of business administration degree), and professional experience (certified public accountant designation) are used to measure the CFO's financial expertise.Findings – Using a sample of S&P 500 firms from 2005, it is found that CFO experience (measured by tenure) is positively related to CSR at a significant level. In addition, the results indicate that CSR activities are not related to the CFO's education (measured as a Master's of Business Administration degree) or accounting expertise (measured as certified public accountant designation). The findings sugges.