Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Adipose Tissue a Place for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Persistence?

Background Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), has the ability to persist in its human host for exceptionally long periods of time. However, little is known about the location of the bacilli in latently infected individuals. Long-term mycobacterial persistence in the lungs has been reported, but this may not sufficiently account for strictly extra-pulmonary TB, which represents 10–15% of the reactivation cases. Methodology/Principal Findings We applied in situ and conventional PCR to sections of adipose tissue samples of various anatomical origins from 19 individuals from Mexico and 20 from France who had died from causes other than TB. M. tuberculosis DNA could be detected by either or both techniques in fat tissue surrounding the kidneys, the stomach, the lymph nodes, the heart and the skin in 9/57 Mexican samples (6/19 individuals), and in 8/26 French samples (6/20 individuals). In addition, mycobacteria could be immuno-detected in perinodal adipose tissue of 1 out of 3 biopsy samples from individuals with active TB. In vitro, using a combination of adipose cell models, including the widely used murine adipose cell line 3T3-L1, as well as primary human adipocytes, we show that after binding to scavenger receptors, M. tuberculosis can enter within adipocytes, where it accumulates intracytoplasmic lipid inclusions and survives in a non-replicating state that is insensitive to the major anti-mycobacterial drug isoniazid. Conclusions/Significance Given the abundance and the wide distribution of the adipose tissue throughout the body, our results suggest that this tissue, among others, might constitute a vast reservoir where the tubercle bacillus could persist for long periods of time, and avoid both killing by antimicrobials and recognition by the host immune system. In addition, M. tuberculosis-infected adipocytes might provide a new model to investigate dormancy and to evaluate new drugs for the treatment of persistent infection.
Detection of Metastases in Patients with Cutaneous Melanoma Using FDG-PET/CT

This study aimed to detect metastases in patients with stage III or IV cutaneous melanoma by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT). Thirty-nine patients with clinically evident stage III or IV melanoma underwent whole-body FDG-PET/CT scans for metastatic disease and these results were compared with those of biopsy. Scans for 38 of the patients were evaluated; one patient's scan could not be evaluated. There were 11 true-positive, two false-positive, 24 true-negative and one false-negative scans for the detection of melanoma metastases, with sensitivity 91%, specificity 92%, accuracy 92%, and positive and negative predictive values 84% and 96%, respectively. False-positive FDG-PET/CT scans were due to sarcoidosis in the lung and infected cyst in the liver. It is concluded that FDG-PET/CT scanning has high sensitivity and specificity for detecting stage III or IV metastatic melanoma.
Theories that Explain Contradiction: Accounting for the Contradictory Organizational Consequences of Information Technology

The potential of information technology to transform organizations has been a consistent theme in the management literature since computers were first introduced commercially in the 19505. Yet, the empirical literature on information technology's role in organizational transformation has been characterized by mixed findings across studies and contradictory results within studies. This paper treats the "problem" of contradictory findings as an opportunity to examine several theoretical approaches that deal directly with contradiction. The paper discusses several means to address contradictions that occur among studies and within studies, including the use of alternative theories. Four theoretical approaches with the potential to address contradictions directly are then presented. Considered are political theory, organizational culture, institutional theory, and organizational learning. Each of these theoretical approaches expressly accounts for both organizational persistence and change, and each may be located within the metatheoretical framework of structuration. Although differing in their maturity and precision, these theories may account more satisfactorily for the empirical results observed if employed to guide future research on the organizational consequences of information technology.
Do the Readability and Average Item Length of Personality Scales Affect Their Reliability

Using meta-analytic data, we investigated three attributes of personality scales – their readability, the average number of words per item, and whether adjectives or statements were used – to determine the effects that these qualities have on scale reliability (Cronbach’s α). From a large pool of studies examined in three prior meta-analyses, we extracted the relevant data for seven personality traits measured in 167 independent samples (N = 55,593), and obtained measures of the traits’ readability, the average number of words per item, and whether adjectives or statements were used as the item format. We found strong and consistent evidence that using fewer words per item produced higher scale reliabilities, and there was also evidence in favor of using adjectives, as opposed to statements, as the item format when measuring broad traits. In contrast, the results for readability were inconsistent and mostly nonsignificant. These results have practical implications for scale developers as well as researche.
A formal framework for robot learning and control under model uncertainty

While the partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) provides a formal framework for the problem of robot control under uncertainty, it typically assumes a known and stationary model of the environment. In this paper, we study the problem of finding an optimal policy for controlling a robot in a partially observable domain, where the model is not perfectly known, and may change over time. We present an algorithm called MEDUSA which incrementally learns a POMDP model using queries, while still optimizing a reward function. We demonstrate effectiveness of the approach for a simple scenario, where a robot seeking a person has minimal a priori knowledge of its own sensor model, as well as where the person is located.
Aspects of the Theory of Moral Cognition: Investigating Intuitive Knowledge of the Prohibition of Intentional Battery and the Principle of Double Effect

Where do our moral intuitions come from? Are they innate? Does the brain contain a module specialized for moral judgment? Does the human genetic program contain instructions for the acquisition of a sense of justice or moral sense? Questions like these have been asked in one form or another for centuries. In this paper we take them up again, with the aim of clarifying them and developing a specific proposal for how they can be empirically investigated. The paper presents data from six trolley problem studies of over five hundred individuals, including one group of Chinese adults and one group of American children, which suggest that both adults and children ages 8-12 rely on intuitive knowledge of moral principles, including the prohibition of intentional battery and the principle of double effect, to determine the permissibility of actions that require harming one individual in order to prevent harm to others. Significantly, the knowledge in question appears to be merely tacit: when asked to explain or justify their judgments, subjects were consistently incapable of articulating the operative principles on which their judgments appear to have been based. We explain these findings with reference to an analogy to human linguistic competence. Just as normal persons are typically unaware of the principles guiding their linguistic intuitions, so too are they often unaware of the principles guiding their moral intuitions. These studies pave the way for future research by raising the possibility that specific poverty of the stimulus arguments can be formulated in the moral domain. Differences between our approach to moral cognition and those of Piaget (1932), Kohlberg (1981), and Greene et al. (2001) are also discussed.
Structure of Plaque at Carotid Bifurcation: High-Resolution MRI With Histological Correlation

Background and Purpose— The composition of carotid atherosclerosis was visualized by using 3D MRI at high resolution with 200-&mgr;m3 voxels. Magnetic resonance signal characteristics were correlated with plaque components, including collagenous cap, necrotic core, and calcification, to define resolution and other requirements for future clinical carotid MRI. Methods— Twenty-one en bloc carotid endarterectomy specimens were imaged ex vivo by 3D gradient-echo MRI by using a 1.5-T clinical scanner with repetition time, echo time, and flip angle of 40 ms, 18 ms, and 20°, respectively. Plaques were placed in Gd-saline and imaged in a solenoid radiofrequency coil. For quantitative tissue-specific signal analysis, techniques were developed to match tissue sections analyzed by MRI and histology. Results— Three-dimensional imaging resolved complex morphological features not visualized by density- or T2-weighted 2D spin-echo imaging. The collagenous cap, necrotic core, and areas of focal calcification showed differing signal characteristics: mean contrast-to-noise ratio for cap versus underlying core was 20. The signal distributions for media and necrotic core overlapped but were resolvable in most specimens. The signal from thrombus was variable. Conclusions— En bloc specimens provide a useful model for studying plaque MRI. By use of isotropic submillimeter resolution, the collagenous cap and underlying necrotic core typically can be distinguished, and calcification can be identified. Thrombus displays a wide variation in signal intensity. The techniques presented could facilitate future clinicohistological correlation studies for atherosclerotic plaque MRI.
Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century

Introduction Preface and Acknowledgments 1. A View from the Mainstream: Contemporary Cognitive Neuroscience and the Consciousness Debates 2. F. W. H. Myers and the Empirical Study of the Mind-Body Problem 3. Psychophysiological Influence 4. Memory 5. Automatism and Secondary Centers of Consciousness 6. Unusual Experiences Near Death and Related Phenomena 7. Genius 8. Mystical Experience 9. Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century About the Authors References Appendix: An Annotated Introductory Bibliography of Psychical Research
ALS and PDC of Guam: Forty-year follow-up

BackgroundIt was noticed in the mid-1950s that the incidence of ALS and parkinsonism–dementia complex (PDC) were much higher on Guam than anywhere else in the world. In 1958, a registry of patients and controls was established to ascertain the familial and genetic aspects of these diseases. Patients and individually matched controls and their relatives were registered from 1958 to 1963. The registry was updated and analyzed in 1998 through 1999. ObjectiveTo ascertain whether first-degree relatives of patients had a higher risk for developing ALS or PDC than relatives of controls. MethodsDuring the period of 1958 to 1963, 126 new patients and 126 individually matched controls and their respective first-degree relatives and spouses were evaluated neurologically and registered. Forty years later, the number of new cases among the patient and control relatives were compared to an expected number of new cases based on the age- and sex-specific incidence of ALS and PDC in the population at large. ResultsFrom 1958 to 1999, there were 102 new ALS or PDC cases among relatives of patients and 33 among relatives of controls. These values were compared with the derived expected values. There were more observed than expected new cases among patients’ relatives, and less observed cases than expected among the controls’ relatives. ConclusionsRelatives of patients with ALS or PDC have significantly higher risks for developing the disease than the Guamanian population, whereas relatives of controls have significantly lower risks.
Anionic phospholipids are involved in membrane association of FtsY and stimulate its GTPase activity

FtsY, the Escherichia coli homologue of the eukaryotic signal recognition particle (SRP) receptor α‐subunit, is located in both the cytoplasm and inner membrane. It has been proposed that FtsY has a direct targeting function, but the mechanism of its association with the membrane is unclear. FtsY is composed of two hydrophilic domains: a highly charged N‐terminal domain (the A‐domain) and a C‐terminal GTP‐binding domain (the NG‐domain). FtsY does not contain any hydrophobic sequence that might explain its affinity for the inner membrane, and a membrane‐anchoring protein has not been detected. In this study, we provide evidence that FtsY interacts directly with E.coli phospholipids, with a preference for anionic phospholipids. The interaction involves at least two lipid‐binding sites, one of which is present in the NG‐domain. Lipid association induced a conformational change in FtsY and greatly enhanced its GTPase activity. We propose that lipid binding of FtsY is important for the regulation of SRP‐mediated protein targeting.
Classifying the manner of death in drug/ethanol overdose in equivocal cases: a suggested future tool for medical examiners using neuroanatomical markers

The purpose of the present thesis was to propose a guideline to differentiate between an accidental or suicide manner of death when dealing with a drug/ethanol overdose in which all available medical and investigational evidence, including a psychological autopsy, is inconclusive, thereby resulting in an undetermined manner of death. An in-depth literature review was conducted in the field of neuroscience, psychiatry, and pharmacology to discover neuroanatomical markers indicative of suicidal behavior in the context of two major risk factors of suicide, stress and depression, and two hypotheses behind the cause of suicidal behavior, impulsive aggression and neuronal plasticity. The neuroanatomical markers of suicidal behavior, as indicated by the experimental evidence of various studies in suicide subjects, included serotonergic dysfunction, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity, brain-derived neurotrophic factor deficiency, and the associated anatomical changes in the v brain. Upon consideration of the forensic applicability of analyzing these neuroanatomical markers indicative of suicidal behavior, a guideline was generated to differentiate between an accidental and suicide manner of death by showing suicide subjects had significantly decreased messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels of presynaptic serotonin receptors along with significantly increased messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels of postsynaptic serotonin receptors in the prefrontal cortex, significantly decreased serum brainderived neurotrophic factor levels, and significantly decreased messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tyrosine kinase B receptors in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus when compared to the levels of both depressed non-suicidal individuals and healthy controls. Given the significant difference observed between suicide subjects and controls, these differences in neuroanatomical markers may play an important role in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior and have the potential to be used in establishing the intention of an individual in an overdose death to distinguish between an accidental or suicidal manner of death.
Flourishing students: A longitudinal study on positive emotions, personal resources, and study engagement

The aim of this two-wave questionnaire study with a 4-week interval among 391 Dutch university students was to test a gain cycle of positive emotions, personal resources, and study engagement. As a theoretical basis, this study drew on the broaden-and-build (B&B) theory and the conservation of resources (COR) theory. More specifically, it was hypothesized that the experience of positive emotions predicts students’ future personal resources and study engagement. Moreover, it was expected that there is a longitudinal relationship between personal resources and study engagement. Furthermore, we hypothesized that positive emotions, personal resources, and study engagement are reciprocally related. Results, obtained by means of structural equation modeling, confirmed both causal (except for the positive relationship between positive emotions and study engagement) and reciprocal hypotheses, thereby successfully integrating the B&B theory with the COR theory.
Teacher and trainer training in education for democratic citizenship Competencies, methods and processes

1. Foreword This article presents guidelines for the development of teachers’ competencies and for adequate and efficient methods and processes for Education for Democratic Citizenship. These guidelines are laid out in detail in chapters 3 and 4 of Tool on Teacher Training for Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education, by Rolf Gollob, Edward Huddleston, Peter Kraft, Maria-Helena Salema and Vedrana Spajic-Vrkas, edited by Edward Huddleston. The purpose of this tool is to draw the attention of policy makers in the member states to the importance of teacher training for EDC and HRE and its implications for both policy and practice. It contains four chapters dealing with the following issues: the need for teacher training; support structures and mechanisms in teacher training for EDC; teacher competencies, education for values, dispositions and attitudes; processes and methods in teaching and training. This Tool 3 on Teacher Training for Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education is an instrument prepared for the year 2005. It is included in the EDC Pack, which is a collection of practical instruments specifically designed to provide support to all those involved in education. It has four main goals: ∞ To raise awareness of EDC and encourage reflection on the role of education in promoting EDC and HRE; ∞ To communicate coherent EDC policies, strategies and approaches that are based on current actions and practices;
Inhibition of IGF-IR tyrosine kinase induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia cells

Although signalling through the type I insulin‐like growth factor receptor (IGF‐IR) maintains the survival of haematopoietic cells, a specific role of IGF‐IR in haematological neoplasms remains largely unknown. Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is the most common subtype of chronic myeloproliferative diseases. Typically, CML evolves as a chronic phase (CP) disease that progresses into accelerated (AP) and blast phase (BP) stages. In this study, we show that IGF‐IR is universally expressed in four CML cell lines. IGF‐IR was expressed in only 30% and 25% of CP and AP patients, respectively, but its frequency of expression increased to 73% of BP patients. Increased expression levels of IGF‐IR with CML progression was supported by quantitative real‐time PCR that demonstrated significantly higher levels of IGF‐IR mRNA in BP patients. Inhibition of IGF‐IR decreased the viability and proliferation of CML cell lines and abrogated their growth in soft agar. Importantly, inhibition of IGF‐IR decreased the viability of cells resistant to imatinib mesylate including BaF3 cells transfected with p210 BCR‐ABL mutants, CML cell lines and primary neoplastic cells from patients. The negative effects of inhibition of IGF‐IR were attributable to apoptosis and cell cycle arrest due to alterations of downstream target proteins. Our findings suggest that IGF‐IR could represent a potential molecular target particularly for advanced stage or imatinib‐resistant cases.
A Self-Adapting Turbulence Model for Hybrid RANS/LES

A two-equation transport model is used to model turbulence at any mesh resolution, from RANS to LES, to DNS. The two-equation model used is a slight variation of the standard / k e model that allows the backscatter of energy to the resolved scales. The model automatically adapts to the mesh resolution provided and no user interaction is necessary. This model is tested against moderately high Reynolds number isotropic decaying turbulence and gives very good predictions at any mesh resolution. A detailed analysis shows that at LES resolutions the solution remains fully unsteady and three-dimensional and the solution does not approach a RANS like solution. At DNS resolutions, it is shown that the model automatically becomes negligible.
Abundant neutrophil extracellular traps in thrombus of patient with microscopic polyangiitis

This is a case study of a patient diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and complicated with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), who died of respiratory failure despite treatment. Autopsy revealed severe crescentic glomerulonephritis and massive alveolar hemorrhage. The thrombus contained abundant neutrophils. Although it is reported that patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have an increased risk of DVT, it remains elusive why they are prone to thrombosis. A recent study has demonstrated the presence of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), a newly recognized mode of neutrophil cell-death, in glomerular crescents of MPA patients. Interestingly, NETs were identified in the thrombus as well as in the glomerular crescents in the present case. When compared to other thrombi unrelated to MPA, the amount of NETs was significantly greater in the MPA patient. On the other hand, NETs are critically involved in thrombogenesis because histones within NETs can bind platelets and blood coagulants. Although this is important in regard to containment of microbes within NETs, excessive NETs could cause thrombosis. The collective findings suggest the possibility that thrombosis could be critically associated with MPA via NETs, and that NETs could be a therapeutic target in MPA patients.
Comparison of stigmatizing experiences between Canadian and Korean patients with depression and bipolar disorders

Stigma is one of the key barriers to mental health services, and there have been growing efforts to develop antistigma programs. However, little research has been done on quantifying experiences of stigma and their psychosocial impacts in the perspectives of those who suffer from mental illnesses. It is essential to develop an instrument that quantifies the extent and impact of stigma. Therefore, we conducted a study to conduct a field test on The Inventory of Stigmatizing Experiences and measure the difference in perceived stigma and its psychosocial impacts on Korean and Canadian patients with depression and bipolar disorders.