Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cerebrospinal fluid fistula after endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery: experience in a spanish center.

BACKGROUND Postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula is the most serious complication after transsphenoidal surgery. OBJECTIVE To analyze the incidence of CSF fistula after endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for tumor removal in sellar region; to discuss associated factors and methods used for sellar closure. METHOD Retrospective study of 67 patients (73 surgeries) operated via transsphenoidal endoscopy at Hospital Vall D'Hebron and Hospital Clinic of the Universidad de Barcelona, Spain. The data collected included: age, sex, hospitalization stay, suprasellar extension of the lesion, type of tumor, evidence of intraoperative CSF fistula, complications of postoperative CSF fistula, previous surgery and radiotherapy. RESULTS Six patients (8.2%) had postoperative CSF fistula, and their average hospitalization was 5 days longer with resulting complications: two of whom had pneumoencephalus and two with meningitis. No association was found between the data collected and postoperative CSF fistula. CONCLUSION The rate of CSF fistula after endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery from the present study is contained within the literature. Unlike other reports, no association between the variables and postoperative CSF fistula was found in this report.
Application-aware data plane processing in SDN

A key benefit of Software Defined Networks is fine-grained management of network flows made possible by the execution of flow-specific actions based upon inspection and matching of various packet fields. However, current switches and protocols limit the inspected fields to layer 2-4 headers and hence any customized flow-handling that uses higher-layer information necessitates sending the packets to the controller. This is inefficient and slow, adding several switch-to-controller round-trip delays. This paper proposes an extended SDN architecture that enables fast customized packet-handling even when the information used is not restricted to L2-L4. We describe an implementation of this architecture that keeps most of the processing in the data plane and limits the need to send packets to the controller even when higher-layer information is used in packet-handling. We show how some popular applications can be implemented using this extended architecture and evaluate the performance of one such application using a prototype implementation on Open vSwitch. The results show that the proposed architecture has low overhead, good performance and can take advantage of a flexible scale-out design for application deployment.
T lymphocytes need less than 3 min to discriminate between peptide MHCs with similar TCR-binding parameters

T lymphocytes need to detect rare cognate foreign peptides among numerous foreign and self‐peptides. This discrimination seems to be based on the kinetics of TCRs binding to their peptide–MHC (pMHC) ligands, but there is little direct information on the minimum time required for processing elementary signaling events and deciding to initiate activation. Here, we used interference reflection microscopy to study the early interaction between transfected human Jurkat T cells expressing the 1G4 TCR and surfaces coated with five different pMHC ligands of 1G4. The pMHC concentration required for inducing 50% maximal IFN‐γ production by T cells, and 1G4‐pMHC dissociation rates measured in soluble phase or on surface‐bound molecules, displayed six‐ to sevenfold variation among pMHCs. When T cells were dropped onto pMHC‐coated surfaces, rapid spreading occurred after a 2‐min lag. The initial spreading rate measured during the first 45 s, and the contact area, were strongly dependent on the encountered TCR ligand. However, the lag duration did not significantly depend on encountered ligand. In addition, spreading appeared to be an all‐or‐none process, and the fraction of spreading cells was tightly correlated to the spreading rate and spreading area. Thus, T cells can discriminate between fairly similar TCR ligands within 2 min.
Hippocampal Lesions can Enhance Discrimination Learning Despite Normal Sensitivity to Interference From Incidental Information

Spatial properties of stimuli are sometimes encoded even when incidental to the demands of a particular learning task. Incidental encoding of spatial information may interfere with learning by (i) causing a failure to generalize learning between trials in which a cue is presented in different spatial locations and (ii) adding common spatial features to stimuli that predict different outcomes. Hippocampal lesions have been found to facilitate acquisition of certain tasks. This facilitation may occur because hippocampal lesions impair incidental encoding of spatial information that interferes with learning. To test this prediction mice with lesions of the hippocampus were trained on appetitive simple simultaneous discrimination tasks using inserts in the goal arms of a T‐maze. It was found that hippocampal lesioned mice were facilitated at learning the discriminations, but they were sensitive to changes in spatial information in a manner that was similar to control mice. In a second experiment it was found that both control and hippocampal lesioned mice showed equivalent incidental encoding of egocentric spatial properties of the inserts, but both groups did not encode the allocentric information. These results demonstrate that mice show incidental encoding of egocentric spatial information that decreases the ability to solve simultaneous discrimination tasks. The normal egocentric spatial encoding in hippocampal lesioned mice contradicts theories of hippocampal function that suggest that the hippocampus is necessary for incidental learning per se, or is required for modulating stimulus representations based on the relevancy of information. The facilitated learning suggests that the hippocampal lesions can enhance learning of the same qualitative information as acquired by control mice. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Acute Impact of Hourly Ambient Air Pollution on Preterm Birth

Background: Preterm birth is a major perinatal health problem, but factors leading to it are still not completely understood. Objectives: Our goal was to identify the relation between acute increase in ambient air pollution in a few hours before onset of labor and the risk of preterm birth. Methods: We collected registered birth outcome data and hourly ambient air pollution measurements during 2009‒2013 in Brisbane, Australia. Using a time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression models with natural cubic splines, we assessed the shape of air pollution-preterm birth curve, after controlling for potential confounders. We also examined the effect modification of other factors. Results: The association between air pollution [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO)] and preterm birth was nonlinear. Threshold concentrations for the mean of 0‒24 hr NO2, 24‒48 hr SO2, and 24‒48 hr CO before onset of labor were 7.6 parts per billion (ppb), 3.8 ppb, and 162.5 ppb, respectively. Increases in air pollution concentrations above thresholds were associated with increased risks of preterm birth. The odds ratios of preterm birth at the 95th percentile of NO2, SO2, and CO against the thresholds were 1.17 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.27), 1.01 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.04), and 1.18 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.32), respectively. The associations were modified by demographic factors, such as maternal smoking and socioeconomic status. Conclusion: Acute increases in ambient air pollution concentrations above certain levels before onset of labor may stimulate preterm birth. Citation: Li S, Guo Y, Williams G. 2016. Acute impact of hourly ambient air pollution on preterm birth. Environ Health Perspect 124:1623–1629; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/EHP200
Communications in Mathematical Physics Stability Conditions on a Non-Compact Calabi-Yau Threefold

We study the space of stability conditions Stab(X) on the non-compact Calabi-Yau threefold X which is the total space of the canonical bundle of P2. We give a combinatorial description of an open subset of Stab(X) and state a conjecture relating Stab(X) to the Frobenius manifold obtained from the quantum cohomology of P 2. We give some evidence from mirror symmetry for this conjecture.
The p.Leu167del Mutation in APOE Gene Causes Autosomal Dominant Hypercholesterolemia by Down-regulation of LDL Receptor Expression in Hepatocytes.

CONTEXT The p.Leu167del mutation in the APOE gene has been associated with hyperlipidemia. OBJECTIVES Our objective was to determine the frequency of p.Leu167del mutation in APOE gene in subjects with autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia (ADH) in whom LDLR, APOB, and PCSK9 mutations had been excluded and to identify the mechanisms by which this mutant apo E causes hypercholesterolemia. DESIGN The APOE gene was analyzed in a case-control study. SETTING The study was conducted at a University Hospital Lipid Clinic. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Two groups (ADH, 288 patients; control, 220 normolipidemic subjects) were included. INTERVENTION We performed sequencing of APOE gene and proteomic and cellular experiments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE To determine the frequency of the p.Leu167del mutation and the mechanism by which it causes hypercholesterolemia. RESULTS In the ADH group, nine subjects (3.1%) were carriers of the APOE c. 500_502delTCC, p.Leu167del mutation, cosegregating with hypercholesterolemia in studied families. Proteomic quantification of wild-type and mutant apo E in very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) from carrier subjects revealed that apo E3 is almost a 5-fold increase compared to mutant apo E. Cultured cell studies revealed that VLDL from mutation carriers had a significantly higher uptake by HepG2 and THP-1 cells compared to VLDL from subjects with E3/E3 or E2/E2 genotypes. Transcriptional down-regulation of LDLR was also confirmed. CONCLUSIONS p.Leu167del mutation in APOE gene is the cause of hypercholesterolemia in the 3.1% of our ADH subjects without LDLR, APOB, and PCSK9 mutations. The mechanism by which this mutation is associated to ADH is that VLDL carrying the mutant apo E produces LDLR down-regulation, thereby raising plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
Simple Plans or Sophisticated Habits? State, Transition and Learning Interactions in the Two-Step Task

The recently developed ‘two-step’ behavioural task promises to differentiate model-based or goal-directed from model-free or habitual reinforcement learning, while generating neurophysiologically-friendly decision datasets with parametric variation of decision variables. These desirable features have prompted widespread adoption of the task. However, the signatures of model-based control can be elusive – here, we investigate model-free learning methods that, depending on the analysis strategy, can masquerade as being model-based. We first show that unadorned model-free reinforcement learning can induce correlations between action values at the start of the trial and the subsequent trial events in such a way that analysis based on comparing successive trials can lead to erroneous conclusions. We also suggest a correction to the analysis that can alleviate this problem. We then consider model-free reinforcement learning strategies based on different state representations from those envisioned by the experimenter, which generate behaviour that appears model-based under these, and also more sophisticated, analyses. The existence of such strategies is of particular relevance to the design and interpretation of animal studies using the two-step task, as extended training and a sharp contrast between good and bad options are likely to promote their use. Author Summary Planning is the use of a predictive model of the consequences of actions to guide decision making. Planning plays a critical role in human behaviour but isolating its contribution is challenging because it is complemented by control systems which learn values of actions directly from the history of reinforcement, resulting in automatized mappings from states to actions often termed habits. Our study examined a recently developed behavioural task which uses choices in a multi-step decision tree to differentiate planning from value-based control. Using simulation, we demonstrated the existence of strategies which produce behaviour that resembles planning but in fact arises as a fixed mapping from particular sorts of states to actions. These results show that when a planning problem is faced repeatedly, sophisticated automatization strategies may be developed which identify that there are in fact a limited number of relevant states of the world each with an appropriate fixed or habitual response. Understanding such strategies is important for the design and interpretation of tasks which aim to isolate the contribution of planning to behaviour. Such strategies are also of independent scientific interest as they may contribute to automatization of behaviour in complex environments.
Gaussian Mixture Models and Model Selection for [18F] Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Classification in Alzheimer’s Disease

We present a method to discover discriminative brain metabolism patterns in [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) scans, facilitating the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. In the work, the term “pattern” stands for a certain brain region that characterizes a target group of patients and can be used for a classification as well as interpretation purposes. Thus, it can be understood as a so-called “region of interest (ROI)”. In the literature, an ROI is often found by a given brain atlas that defines a number of brain regions, which corresponds to an anatomical approach. The present work introduces a semi-data-driven approach that is based on learning the characteristics of the given data, given some prior anatomical knowledge. A Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and model selection are combined to return a clustering of voxels that may serve for the definition of ROIs. Experiments on both an in-house dataset and data of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) suggest that the proposed approach arrives at a better diagnosis than a merely anatomical approach or conventional statistical hypothesis testing.
Impact and persistence of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy after liver transplantation

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy causes variable degree of systolic and diastolic dysfunction (DD) and conduction abnormalities. The primary aim of our study was to determine whether pre‐transplant DD and prolonged corrected QT (QTc) predict a composite of mortality, graft failure, and major cardiovascular events after liver transplantation. We also evaluated the reversibility of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy after transplantation. Adult patients who underwent liver transplantation at our institution from January 2007 to March 2009 were included. Data were obtained from institutional registry, medical record review, and evaluation of echocardiographic images. Among 243 patients, 113 (46.5%) had grade 1 DD, 16 (6.6%) had grade 2 DD, and none had grade 3 DD. The mean pre‐transplant QTc was 453 milliseconds. After a mean post‐transplant follow‐up of 5.2 years, 75 (31%) patients satisfied the primary composite outcome. Cox regression analysis did not show any significant association between DD and the composite outcome (P=.17). However, longer QTc was independently associated with the composite outcome (HR: 1.01, 95% confidence interval: 1.00–1.02, P=.05). DD (P<.001) and left ventricular mass index (P=.001) worsened after transplantation. In conclusion, QTc prolongation appears to be associated with worse outcomes. Although DD did not impact outcomes, it significantly worsened after transplantation.
Amisulpride-induced acute akathisia in OCD: an example of dysfunctional dopamine–serotonin interactions?

We report about a clinical observation in a well-characterized group of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) during an experimental medicine study in which a single dose of amisulpride (a selective D2/3 antagonist) was administered. Almost half of the OCD patients, in particular those with less severe obsessive–compulsive symptoms, experienced acute akathisia in response to the amisulpride challenge. This unexpectedly high incidence of akathisia in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)-treated patients with OCD suggests that individual differences in dopamine–serotonin interactions underlie the clinical heterogeneity of OCD, and may thus explain the insufficiency of SSRI monotherapy in those patients not experiencing a satisfactory outcome in symptom reduction. We further speculate about the neuropathology possibly underlying this clinical observation and outline a testable hypothesis for future molecular imaging studies.
Towards a unified theory of concurrency control and recovery

The classical theory of transaction management is based on two different and independent criteria for the correct execution of transactions. The first criterion, serializability, ensures correct execution of parallel transactions under the assumption that no failures occur. The second criterion, strictness, ensures correct recovery from failures. In this paper we develop a unified model that allows reasoning about the correctness of concurrency control and recovery within the same framework. We introduce the correctness criteria of (prefix-) reducibility and (prefix-) expanded serializability and investigate their relationships to the classical criteria. An important advantage of our model is that it captures schedules with semantically rich ADT actions in addition to classical read/write schedules.
Power-with leadership practices: An unfinished business

This paper takes Mary Parker Follett's ideas of power-with and explores them within a contemporary context. Three illustrative case studies from a technology company, innovative manufacturer, and nuclear submarine are offered as ways of exploring the phenomenon. We find that in spite of being hailed for their revolutionary management styles, power-with is still challenging to operationalize especially given the tendency and culturally prevalent expectations to revert to hierarchical, leader-centric forms of guiding organizations. We propose a way forward based on power-with practices which organizations may adopt.
Distinct Roles of GABAA and GABAB Receptors in Balancing and Terminating Persistent Cortical Activity

Cortical networks spontaneously fluctuate between persistently active Up states and quiescent Down states. The Up states are maintained by recurrent excitation within local circuits, and can be turned on and off by synaptic input. GABAergic inhibition is believed to be important for stabilizing such persistent activity by balancing the excitation, and could have an additional role in terminating the Up state. Here, we report that GABAA and GABAB receptor-mediated inhibition have distinct and complementary roles in balancing and terminating persistent activity. In a model of Up–Down states expressed in slices of rat entorhinal cortex, the GABAA receptor antagonist, gabazine (50–500 nm), concentration-dependently decreased Up state duration, eventually leading to epileptiform bursts. In contrast, the GABAB receptor antagonist, CGP55845 (50 nm to 1 μm), increased the duration of persistent network activity, and prevented stimulus-induced Down state transitions. These results suggest that while GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition is necessary for balancing persistent activity, activation of GABAB receptors contributes to terminating Up states.
Principals’ Learning Mechanisms: Exploring an Emerging Construct

ABSTRACT This exploration of principal learning mechanisms (PLM) to support a learning-centered school aimed to develop, field-test, and validate a PLM-measuring instrument. Following exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of items to examine factorial validity, the developed scale was correlated with other work-related established constructs (e.g., principal’s instructional leadership, teacher’s organizational commitment). Findings revealed that the four-factor model (Storing and retrieving, Receiving, Disseminating, and Analyzing) was the best fit between the empirical results and the conceptual formulation. The PLM may prove an efficient tool for principals to assess how to promote learning in and by the organization.
Does Gender Raise the Ethical Bar? Exploring the Punishment of Ethical Violations at Work

We investigate whether women are targets of more severe punishment than men following ethical violations at work. Using an experimental design, Study 1 finds evidence that ethical behavior is more strongly prescribed for women than for men, even when they occupy an identical professional role. Study 2 manipulates the gender of a manager in a hypothetical scenario and finds that women are punished more severely than men for ethical violations at work. It also tests the scope of our theory by asking whether women are punished more for errors in general, or only for intentional ethical violations. Using field data, Study 3 examines how severely attorneys are punished for violating the American Bar Association’s ethical rules. Female attorneys are punished more severely than male attorneys, after accounting for a variety of factors. Greater representation of women among decision-makers diminishes the gender disparity in punishment. Our research documents a new prescriptive stereotype faced by women and helps to explain the persistence of gender disparities in organizations. It highlights punishment severity as a novel mechanism by which institutions may derail women’s careers more than men’s.
Event-Related Potentials of Tennis Player in Ball Routes Anticipation

Forty-three tennis players were classified as experts,sub-experts and novices to take part in a video-based experiment.Record the reaction time and event-related potentials in anticipating the direction of opponents' tennis strokes after several stalemate in three different temporal occlusions.The results showed that,experts reacted faster than novice at-80 ms before hitting the ball,and the accuracy was significantly higher than the novices at all-time points.In the early period of the video,a P1 component was evoked in parietal-occipital regions,and the amplitude of P1 was minimal.The experts and sub-experts evoked smaller N1 compared with the novice.The latency of N200 in expert is the longest and the latency of P300 in novice was the longest.In the 800～1 900 ms time window,the mean amplitudes in left hemisphere was larger than the right hemisphere in all participates.In the 500～700 ms,800～1 000 ms,1 400～3 000 ms time window,mean amplitudes of LNC and LPP were significantly different.At-80 ms before the opponent hits the ball,there was a largest N250 evoked by the experts,and the latency of N250 in novices was the longest.In conclusion,experts can make decision fast and accurate by mastering early information.Experts input less cognitive resources during the perception period and more cognitive resources during the period of analogy and analysis the video.Experts were able to make decisions quickly,showed significant advantages in cognitive.