Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mucinous meningioma. Report of an unusual variant of meningioma that may mimic metastatic mucin-producing carcinoma.

An unusual variant of meningioma is described that was characterized by small clusters and strands of meningothelial cells surrounded by abundant mucinous stroma. The unusual appearance of the lesion prompted an initial diagnosis of metastatic mucin-secreting carcinoma (so-called colloid carcinoma) resulting in extensive clinical evaluation in search for a primary. Histochemical studies showed the mucinous material to be composed of strongly sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides rich in hyaluronic acid. Immunohistochemical studies showed strong membrane staining of the tumor cells with epithelial membrane antigen and positive cytoplasmic staining with vimentin antibodies. Ultrastructural examination revealed the characteristic features of meningothelial cells (i.e., abundant long, interdigitating cytoplasmic processes joined by well-developed cell junctions) but failed to demonstrate secretory activity within the neoplastic cells. The prominent mucinous stroma in this case most probably represents a nonspecific reaction of stromal cells to an undetermined stimulus. Mucinous meningioma should be added to the list of morphologic variants of meningioma and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mucinous lesions in intracranial locations.
Changing strategies in the treatment of maxillofacial fractures at thrace region: open vs closed reduction.

OBJECTIVE We aimed to analyze etiological factors in patients with maxillofacial trauma, treatment modalities, complications related to surgical approaches and the changing patterns in over time. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 126 patients diagnosed as maxillofacial fractures between August 1998 and June 2012 were investigated in Corlu State Hospital, Ear Nose Throat and Plastic Surgery Clinics, retrospectively. RESULTS Of the patients, 92 male (73.01%) and 34 female (26.98%), the mean age was 26.4 (± 14.88). Traffic accidents as a cause of fracture were detected in 47 (37.3%) cases. The other causes were assaults in 34 (26.98%), sport injuries in 23 (18.25%), fall from high in 12 (9.52%) and work-related accidents in 10 (7.93%) patients, respectively. In patients with maxillofacial fractures, 65 (51.58%) of them were nasal, 37 of them were (29.36%) mandible, 6 of them were (4.26%) maxilla, 8 of them (% 6.34) were isolated zygomatic arch fractures. Multiple fractures were detected only 10 patients (7.93%). As a surgical method, closed reduction in 75 (59.52%), open reduction and internal fixation in 29 (23.01%), inter-maxillary fixation with open reduction and internal fixation in 13 (10.31%) and only inter-maxillary fixation in 9 (7.14%) cases were performed. Complications were detected as 10.31% of patients in postoperatively. CONCLUSION Open and closed reduction techniques are safe and successful methods. While closed reduction of mandibular fractures was used as a surgical method previously, combined approaches are now being applied instead of it.
Hierarchical reinforcement learning in a biologically plausible neural architecture

Humans and other animals have an impressive ability to quickly adapt to unfamiliar environments, with only minimal feedback. Computational models have been able to provide intriguing insight into these processes, by making connections between abstract computational theories of reinforcement learning (RL) and neurophysiological data. However, the ability of these models falls well below the level of real neural systems, thus it is clear that there are important aspects of the neural computation not being captured by our models. In this work we explore how new developments from the computational study of RL can be expanded to the realm of neural modelling. Specifically, we examine the field of hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL), which extends RL by dividing the RL process into a hierarchy of actions, where higher level decisions guide the choices made at lower levels. The advantages of HRL have been demonstrated from a computational perspective, but HRL has never been implemented in a neural model. Thus it is unclear whether HRL is a purely abstract theory, or whether it could help explain the RL ability of real brains. Here we show that all the major components of HRL can be implemented in an integrated, biologically plausible neural model. The core of this system is a model of “flat” RL that implements the processing of a single layer. This includes computing action values given the current state, selecting an output action based on those values, computing a temporal difference error based on the result of that action, and using that error to update the action values. We then show how the design of this system allows multiple layers to be combined hierarchically, where inputs are received from higher layers and outputs delivered to lower layers. We also provide a detailed neuroanatomical mapping, showing how the components of the model fit within known neuroanatomical structures. We demonstrate the performance of the model in a range of different environments, in order to emphasize the aim of understanding the brain’s general, flexible reinforcement learning ability. These results show that the model compares well to previous modelling work and demonstrates improved performance as a result of its hierarchical ability. We also show that the model’s output is consistent with available data on human hierarchical RL. Thus we believe that this work, as the first biologically plausible neural model of HRL, brings us closer to understanding the full range of RL processing in real neural systems. We conclude with a discussion of the design decisions made throughout the course of this work, as well as some of the most important avenues for the model’s future development. Two of the most critical of these are the incorporation of model-based reasoning and the autonomous development of hierarchical structure, both of which are important aspects of the full HRL process that are absent in the current model. We also discuss some of the predictions that arise from this model, and how they might be tested experimentally.
Hepatic Transcriptome Analysis of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Chimpanzees Defines Unique Gene Expression Patterns Associated with Viral Clearance

Hepatitis C virus infection leads to a high rate of chronicity. Mechanisms of viral clearance and persistence are still poorly understood. In this study, hepatic gene expression analysis was performed to identify any molecular signature associated with the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in chimpanzees. Acutely HCV-infected chimpanzees with self-limited infection or progression to chronicity were studied. Interferon stimulated genes were induced irrespective of the outcome of infection. Early induction of a set of genes associated with cell proliferation and immune activation was associated with subsequent viral clearance. Specifically, two of the genes: interleukin binding factor 3 (ILF3) and cytotoxic granule-associated RNA binding protein (TIA1), associated with robust T-cell response, were highly induced early in chimpanzees with self-limited infection. Up-regulation of genes associated with CD8+ T cell response was evident only during the clearance phase of the acute self-limited infection. The induction of these genes may represent an initial response of cellular injury and proliferation that successfully translates to a “danger signal” leading to induction of adaptive immunity to control viral infection. This primary difference in hepatic gene expression between self-limited and chronic infections supports the concept that successful activation of HCV-specific T-cell response is critical in clearance of acute HCV infection.
Null Results in Brief Conjugated Linoleic Acid Content in Breast Adipose Tissue Is Not Associated with the Relative Risk of Breast Cancer in a Population of French Patients 1

Introduction CLA refer to a group of octadecadienoic acid isomers that contain two conjugated double bonds. CLA can be found in natural food sources, such as dairy products or meat of ruminant animals. Considerable attention has been directed recently to CLA based on their ability to act as preventive agents in experimental rat mammary carcinogenesis, irrespective of the type or level of fat present in the diet (1). This suggest that dietary CLA might also be used in humans for chemoprevention of breast cancer. The feasibility of increasing CLA content of food is already being considered to increase CLA intake in humans (2). Despite such a potential, few data are available in humans, likely as a consequence of the difficulty to obtain accurate estimates of dietary CLA intake. One study conducted in Finland examined the relationship between dietary or serum CLA in women and the risk of breast cancer, and found dietary or serum CLA to be significantly lower in cases than in controls, suggesting a protective effect of CLA on breast cancer risk but only in postmenopausal patients (3). Because CLA accumulates in body fat stores, we used the CLA content of breast adipose tissue, obtained at the time of surgery, as a qualitative biomarker of CLA dietary intake, and we conducted a case-control study among 297 women treated for breast cancer or benign breast disease at the University Hospital of Tours, France, to evaluate the hypothesis that CLA protect against breast cancer.
Heterologous Bacterial Model of Attrition Memory and Tumor Immunity: A Prevent Erosion of Established T Cell Cross-Reactive Antigen Is Required to

Induction and maintenance of T cell memory is critical for the control of intracellular pathogens and tumors. Memory T cells seem to require few “maintenance signals,” though often such studies are done in the absence of competing immune challenges. Conversely, although attrition of CD8 (cid:1) T cell memory has been characterized in heterologous viral models, this is not the case for bacterial infections. In this study, we demonstrate attrition of T cell responses to the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes (LM) following an immune challenge with a second intracellular bacterium, Mycobacterium bovis (bacillus Calmette-Gue´rin, BCG). Mice immunized with either LM or recombinant LM (expressing OVA; LM-OVA), develop a potent T cell memory response. This is reﬂected by peptide-speciﬁc CTL, IFN- (cid:2) production, and frequency of IFN- (cid:2) -secreting T cells to native or recombinant LM Ags. However, when the LM-infected mice are subsequently challenged with BCG, there is a marked reduction in the LM-speciﬁc T cell responses. These reductions are directly attributable to the effects on CD4 (cid:1) and CD8 (cid:1) T cells and the data are consistent with a loss of LM-speciﬁc T cells, not anergy. Attrition of the Ag (OVA)-speciﬁc T cell response is prevented when LM-OVA-immunized mice are challenged with a subsequent heterologous pathogen (BCG) expressing OVA, demonstrating memory T cell dependence on Ag. Although the reduction of the LM-speciﬁc T cell response did not impair protection against a subsequent LM rechallenge, for the ﬁrst time, T cell attrition
In vitro biosynthesis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum‐sensing signal molecule N‐butanoyl‐L‐homoserine lactone

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, synthesis of the quorum‐sensing signal molecules N‐butanoyl‐L‐homoserine lactone (BHL) and N‐hexanoyl‐L‐homoserine lactone (HHL) requires the LuxI homologue RhlI(VsmI). By using thin‐layer chromatography in conjunction with high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry, we show that purified RhlI can catalyse the biosynthesis of BHL and HHL using either S‐adenosylmethionine (SAM) or homoserine lactone (HSL) but not homoserine as the source of the homoserine lactone moiety. As we were unable to detect homoserine lactone in cytoplasmic extracts of Escherichia coli, we conclude that SAM is the natural substrate for RhlI‐directed N‐acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) biosynthesis. The N‐acyl chain of BHL and HHL can be supplied by the appropriately charged coenzyme A derivative (either n‐butanoyl‐CoA or n‐hexanoyl‐CoA). The specificity of RhlI for charged CoA derivatives is demonstrated as RhlI was unable to generate AHLs detectable in our bioassays from acetyl‐CoA, malonyl‐CoA, n‐octanoyl‐CoA, n‐decanoyl‐CoA, DL‐β‐hydroxybutanoyl‐CoA or crotonoyl‐CoA. RhlI was also unable to use N‐acetyl‐S‐3‐oxobutanoylcysteamine, a chemical mimic for 3‐oxobutanoyl‐CoA. Furthermore, the RhlI‐catalysed synthesis of BHL and HHL was most efficiently driven when NADPH was included in the reaction mixture.
Functional Pancreatic β-Cell Line From SV40 T-Antigen Transgenic Mouse

Cell line lgSV195, derived from a pancreatic tumor that arose in an SV40 T-antigen transgenic mouse, retains certain morphological and physiological characteristics of pancreatic β-cells throughout in vitro and in vivo passage. Insulin secretion is stimulated by exposure of these cells to fetal bovine serum and a combination of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and glutamine but not by concentrations of glucose in the physiological range. Insulin processing appears to be intact. Neither class I nor class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens are routinely expressed at the cell surface; however, MHC class I– but not class II–encoded gene products are detected after treatment with recombinant interferon-γ (IFN-γ) alone or in combination with tumor necrosis factor. Cytolysis of lgSV195 cells by SV40 T-antigen-specific H-2b-restricted lymphocytes is similarly dependent on IFN-γ pretreatment. These results emphasize that SV40 T-antigen transgenic mice are likely sources of cell lines that retain their differentiated function in vitro. The lgSV195 cell line provides an accessible model in which to investigate the control of gene expression and function of pancreatic β-cells.
The Link Database: fast access to graphs of the Web

The Connectivity Server is a special-purpose database whose schema models the Web as a graph: a set of nodes (URL) connected by directed edges (hyperlinks). The Link Database provides fast access to the hyperlinks. To support easy implementation of a wide range of graph algorithms we have found it important to fit the Link Database into RAM. In the first version of the Link Database, we achieved this fit by using machines with lots of memory (8 GB), and storing each hyperlink in 32 bits. However, this approach was limited to roughly 100 million Web pages. This paper presents techniques to compress the links to accommodate larger graphs. Our techniques combine well-known compression methods with methods that depend on the properties of the Web graph. The first compression technique takes advantage of the fact that most hyperlinks on most Web pages point to other pages on the same host as the page itself. The second technique takes advantage of the fact that many pages on the same host share hyperlinks, that is, they tend to point to a common set of pages. Together, these techniques reduce space requirements to under 6 bits per link. While (de)compression adds latency to the hyperlink access time, we can still compute the strongly connected components of a 6 billion-edge graph in 22 minutes and run applications such as Kleinberg's HITS in real time. This paper describes our techniques for compressing the Link Database, and provides performance numbers for compression ratios and decompression speed.
Super-replication in stochastic volatility models under portfolio constraints

We study a financial market with incompleteness arising from two sources: stochastic volatility and portfolio constraints. The latter are given in terms of bounds imposed on the borrowing and short-selling of a ‘hedger’ in this market, and can be described by a closed convex set K. We find explicit characterizations of the minimal price needed to super-replicate European-type contingent claims in this framework. The results depend on whether the volatility is bounded away from zero and/or infinity, and also, on if we have linear dynamics for the stock price process, and whether volatility process depends on the stock price. We use a previously known representation of the minimal price as a supremum of the prices in the corresponding shadow markets, and we derive a PDE characterization of that representation.
The Effects of Age-Stereotype Priming on the Memory Performance of Older Adults

The effects of age-stereotype priming on the memory performance of older adults were investigated through a conceptual replication and extension of Levy's (1996. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1092-1107) study. Sixty young and 60 older adults were subliminally primed with a positive age stereotype, a negative age stereotype, or neutral primes. Memory performance on two tasks (a photo recall task and a dot location task) was measured before and after the priming intervention. Although the study does not provide unequivocal support for Levy's (1996) findings, results did show that priming a negative age stereotype undermined memory performance for a small sample of older adults who were "unaware" of the primes. However, contrary to Levy's findings, priming a positive age stereotype did not increase older adults' memory performance. There were no significant effects of priming positive or negative age stereotypes on the memory performance of young adults.
Enhancement of crop photosynthesis by diffuse light: quantifying the contributing factors.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plants use diffuse light more efficiently than direct light. However, experimental comparisons between diffuse and direct light have been obscured by co-occurring differences in environmental conditions (e.g. light intensity). This study aims to analyse the factors that contribute to an increase in crop photosynthesis in diffuse light and to quantify their relative contribution under different levels of diffuseness at similar light intensities. The hypothesis is that the enhancement of crop photosynthesis in diffuse light results not only from the direct effects of more uniform vertical and horizontal light distribution in the crop canopy, but also from crop physiological and morphological acclimation. METHODS Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) crops were grown in three greenhouse compartments that were covered by glass with different degrees of light diffuseness (0, 45 and 71 % of the direct light being converted into diffuse light) while maintaining similar light transmission. Measurements of horizontal and vertical photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) distribution in the crop, leaf photosynthesis light response curves and leaf area index (LAI) were used to quantify each factor's contribution to an increase in crop photosynthesis in diffuse light. In addition, leaf temperature, photoinhibition, and leaf biochemical and anatomical properties were studied. KEY RESULTS The highest degree of light diffuseness (71 %) increased the calculated crop photosynthesis by 7·2 %. This effect was mainly attributed to a more uniform horizontal (33 % of the total effect) and vertical PPFD distribution (21 %) in the crop. In addition, plants acclimated to the high level of diffuseness by gaining a higher photosynthetic capacity of leaves in the middle of the crop and a higher LAI, which contributed 23 and 13 %, respectively, to the total increase in crop photosynthesis in diffuse light. Moreover, diffuse light resulted in lower leaf temperatures and less photoinhibition at the top of the canopy when global irradiance was high. CONCLUSIONS Diffuse light enhanced crop photosynthesis. A more uniform horizontal PPFD distribution played the most important role in this enhancement, and a more uniform vertical PPFD distribution and higher leaf photosynthetic capacity contributed more to the enhancement of crop photosynthesis than did higher values of LAI.
Heavy-metal pollution alters dissolved organic matter released by bloom-forming Microcystis aeruginosa

The risk of heavy metals to aquatic ecosystems has been paid much attention worldwide in recent years, however, the knowledge on effects of heavy metals on dissolved organic matter (DOM) released by Microcystis was quite poor, especially in eutrophic lakes. The aim of this study is to investigate effects of heavy metals on DOC release of Microcystis using EEM-PAFAFAC analysis. Microcystis aeruginosa was batch cultured for 18 days in BG-11 medium treated with a range of concentrations of Cu2+ (0.02, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.25 mg L−1) and Zn2+ (0.10, 0.20, 0.50 and 1.00 mg L−1), to investigate the effects of heavy metals on DOM release of Microcystis. The cultures without addition of Cu2+ or Zn2+ were set as controls. Cell density in the treatment of 0.25 mg L−1 Cu2+ was 25% less than that in the control, but addition of 0.25 mg L−1 Zn2+ had little effect on Microcystis growth. Moderate levels of Cu2+ (0.05 and 0.10 mg L−1) and high level of Zn2+ (1.00 mg L−1) stimulated DOC production of M. aeruginosa on day 10; moderate levels of Zn2+ (0.10–0.50 mg L−1) stimulated DOC production on day 18 compared to the control. Four components of DOM: two humic-like components (C1 and C3) and two protein-like components (C2 and C4), were identified by fluorescence excitation – emission matrix spectroscopy combined with parallel factors (EEM-PAFAFAC) analysis. The fluorescence intensity of the four components increased when Microcystis was treated with moderate level of Cu2+ (0.05 and 0.10 mg L−1) on day 10. In addition, the composition of DOM produced by Microcystis was not affected by heavy metals. Our results suggested that Microcystis increased DOM production in logarithmic phase by altering cellular secretion, but large biomass was the effective measure for M. aeruginosa to reduce toxicity of heavy metals in the stationary phase.
Effects of Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation on Markers of Apoptosis in Normal Colon Mucosa: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

To further clarify and/or develop calcium and vitamin D as chemopreventive agents against colorectal cancer in humans, understand the mechanisms by which these agents reduce risk for the disease, and develop “treatable” biomarkers of risk for colorectal cancer, we conducted a pilot, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 × 2 factorial clinical trial to test the effects of calcium and vitamin D3, alone and in combination on markers of apoptosis, in the normal colorectal mucosa. Ninety-two men and women with at least one pathology-confirmed colorectal adenoma were treated with 2.0 g/d calcium or 800 IU/d vitamin D3, alone or in combination, versus placebo over 6 months. Overall expression and colorectal crypt distributions of Bcl-2 (an apoptosis inhibitor) and Bax (an apoptosis promoter) in biopsies of normal-appearing rectal mucosa were detected by automated immunohistochemistry and quantified by image analysis. After 6 months of treatment, Bax expression along the full lengths of crypts increased 56% (P = 0.02) in the vitamin D group and 33% in both the calcium (P = 0.31) and calcium plus vitamin D (P = 0.36) groups relative to the placebo group. The vitamin D treatment effect was more pronounced in the upper 40%, or differentiation zone, of crypts (80%; P = 0.01). There were no statistically significant treatment effects on Bcl-2 expression. Overall, these preliminary results suggest that calcium and vitamin D, individually or together, may enhance apoptosis in the normal human colorectal epithelium, and the strongest treatment effects may be vitamin D related and in the upper sections of the colorectal crypts.