Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Expression of Flotillin-2 Protein as a Novel Biomarker for Lymph Node Metastasis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a head and neck malignant tumor rare throughout most of the world but common in Southeast Asia, especially in Southern China. Flotillin-2 (Flot-2) is not only an important component of cellular membrane, but also involves in various cellular processes such as membrane trafficking, T cell and B cell activation, regulation of several signaling pathways associated with cell growth and malignant transformation, keeping structure and junction of epidermal cells and formation of filopodia. Although such molecular effects of Flot-2 have been reported, whether the expression of Flot-2 protein is associated with clinicopathologic implication for NPC has not been reported. The purpose of this research is to investigate the expression of Flot-2 protein in NPC and control nasopharyngeal epithelial tissues by immunohistochemistry and elucidate the association between the expression of Flot-2 protein and clinicopathological characteristics of NPC. The results showed that the positive percentage of Flot-2 expression in the NPC, nasopharyngeal epithelia with atypical hyperplasia and in the control nasopharyngeal mucosa epithelia was 88.8% (119/134), 76.9% (10/13) and 5.7% (5/88), respectively. There was significantly higher expression of Flot-2 protein in NPC and nasopharyngeal epithelia with atypical hyperplasia compared to the control nasopharyngeal mucosa epithelia (P<0.001, respectively). The positive percentage of Flot-2 protein expression in NPC patients with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than those without lymph node metastasis. Increasing of Flot-2 expression was obviously correlated with clinical stages of NPC patients. The expression of Flot-2 was proved to be the independent predicted factor for lymph node metastasis by multivariate analysis. The sensitivity of Flot-2 for predicting lymph node metastasis of NPC patients was 93%. Taken together, our results suggest that the increased expression of Flot-2 protein is a novel higher sensitivity biomarker that can predict lymph node metastases in NPC.
Nor98 Scrapie Identified in the United States

A distinct strain of scrapie identified in sheep of Norway in 1998 has since been identified in numerous countries throughout Europe. The disease is known as Nor98 or Nor98-like scrapie, among other names. Distinctions between classic scrapie and Nor98 scrapie are made based on histopathology and immunodiagnostic results. There are also differences in the epidemiology, typical signalment, and likelihood of clinical signs being observed. In addition, sheep that have genotypes associated with resistance to classic scrapie are not spared from Nor98 disease. The various differences between classic and Nor98 scrapie have been consistently reported in the vast majority of cases described across Europe. The current study describes in detail the pathologic changes and diagnostic results of the first 6 cases of Nor98 scrapie disease diagnosed in sheep of the United States.
Implicit perceptual-motor skill learning in mild cognitive impairment and Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE Implicit skill learning is hypothesized to depend on nondeclarative memory that operates independent of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system and instead depends on cortico striatal circuits between the basal ganglia and cortical areas supporting motor function and planning. Research with the Serial Reaction Time (SRT) task suggests that patients with memory disorders due to MTL damage exhibit normal implicit sequence learning. However, reports of intact learning rely on observations of no group differences, leading to speculation as to whether implicit sequence learning is fully intact in these patients. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often exhibit impaired sequence learning, but this impairment is not universally observed. METHOD Implicit perceptual-motor sequence learning was examined using the Serial Interception Sequence Learning (SISL) task in patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI; n = 11) and patients with PD (n = 15). Sequence learning in SISL is resistant to explicit learning and individually adapted task difficulty controls for baseline performance differences. RESULTS Patients with MCI exhibited robust sequence learning, equivalent to healthy older adults (n = 20), supporting the hypothesis that the MTL does not contribute to learning in this task. In contrast, the majority of patients with PD exhibited no sequence-specific learning in spite of matched overall task performance. Two patients with PD exhibited performance indicative of an explicit compensatory strategy suggesting that impaired implicit learning may lead to greater reliance on explicit memory in some individuals. CONCLUSION The differences in learning between patient groups provides strong evidence in favor of implicit sequence learning depending solely on intact basal ganglia function with no contribution from the MTL memory system.
THE EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE ON EMPLOYEE’S PERFORMANCE

The present study has been examined the effect of organizational justice on employee’s performance. after examinating revealed that organizational justice have three dimentions(Distributional Justice, Procedural Justice, Transactional Justice). then with providing a questionnaire concerning the three dimentions of organizational justice and the gathering the performance scores of the Employee's of Tehran state agricultural organization , the impact of the three dimentions on employee’s performance in Tehran state agricultural organization was examined. The research findings indicate that Employee perceptions of the scale of respecting to Distributional and Procedural Justice in this organization will have a longer impact on employee’s performance, but was not found significant relationship between employee perceptions from Transactional Justice in this organization.
Differential Host-Finding Abilities by a Weed Biocontrol Insect Create Within-Patch Spatial Refuges for Nontarget Plants

ABSTRACT Many modern weed biocontrol insects exhibit transient “spillover” nontarget herbivory when and where insects are in high density, such as following biocontrol releases, or around dense target weed infestations. Understanding spatial patterns of herbivory is important for predicting efficacy and safety of biocontrol, as refuges from herbivory can buffer plants from population-level impacts. Here, we demonstrate that differential host-finding and arrestment behaviors by an oligophagous biocontrol insect lead to spatial refuges from nontarget herbivory around insect release points within mixed patches of target and nontarget plants. We created transient insect outbreaks by releasing large numbers of Mogulones crucifer Pallas (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) into naturally occurring rangeland patches of the nontarget plant Hackelia micrantha (Eastwood) J.L. Gentry with varying densities of its target weed Cynoglossum officinale L. , and monitored spatial patterns of herbivory around release points after 4–7 wk. In complement, we conducted a mark—release—recapture (MRR) experiment to compare M. crucifer s target and nontarget host-finding and arrestment behaviors. For rangeland releases, 95% of nontarget herbivory occurred within 4.25 m of release points, independent of target plant density. Target herbivory occurred throughout our evaluation radii (up to 14 m), where maximum density of diffusing M. crucifer was 1/10 of that in the nontarget herbivory radius. In the MRR experiment, more weevils were recaptured on C. officinale (but not H. micrantha) than expected by chance. M. crucifers lack of specialized nontarget host-finding and arrestment behaviors means that spatial refuges from herbivory are created for H. micrantha just meters away from sources of high weevil density.
Evaluating Complementary Therapies for Canine Osteoarthritis Part I: Green-lipped Mussel (Perna canaliculus)

A green-lipped mussel (GLM) preparation was evaluated in a randomized, double-controlled and double-blinded clinical trial. It was hypothesized that the treatment effect would be less than that of the positive control (carprofen) but more than that of the negative control (placebo). Forty-five dogs with chronic pain and a radiographic diagnosis of osteoarthritis that were randomly allocated into one of three groups completed the study. All dogs were fed the test products or placebo for 8 weeks. The dogs were evaluated four times, at 4-week intervals. Six different variables were assessed: veterinary-assessed mobility index, two force plate variables, owner-evaluated chronic pain index and pain as well as locomotion visual analogue scales (VASs). Intake of extra carprofen was also evaluated. A chi-squared and a Mann–Whitney test were used to determine significance between groups. When changed to dichotomous variables, there were more dogs in the GLM than in the placebo group that improved, according to veterinary-assessed mobility, owner-evaluated chronic pain index and pain VAS (P = 0.031, P = 0.025, P = 0.011, respectively). For the same three, the odds ratio and their confidence interval were over one. The extent of improvement was significantly different between the GLM and the control in veterinary-assessed mobility (P = 0.012) and pain VAS (P = 0.004). In conclusion, GLM alleviated chronic orthopedic pain in dogs although it was not as effective as carprofen. As no side-effects were detected, GLM may be beneficial in dogs e.g. when non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs cannot be used.
Hardened Setup of Personalized Security Indicators to Counter Phishing Attacks in Mobile Banking

Application phishing attacks are rooted in users inability to distinguish legitimate applications from malicious ones. Previous work has shown that personalized security indicators can help users in detecting application phishing attacks in mobile platforms. A personalized security indicator is a visual secret, shared between the user and a security-sensitive application (e.g., mobile banking). The user sets up the indicator when the application is started for the first time. Later on, the application displays the indicator to authenticate itself to the user. Despite their potential, no previous work has addressed the problem of how to securely setup a personalized security indicator -- a procedure that can itself be the target of phishing attacks. In this paper, we propose a setup scheme for personalized security indicators. Our solution allows a user to identify the legitimate application at the time she sets up the indicator, even in the presence of malicious applications. We implement and evaluate a prototype of the proposed solution for the Android platform. We also provide the results of a small-scale user study aimed at evaluating the usability and security of our solution.
Revision Septoplasty: Review of Sources of Persistent Nasal Obstruction

Background Patients with nasal obstruction from septal deviation commonly undergo septoplasty to improve nasal airflow. Some patients suffer from persistent obstruction after their primary septoplasty and may undergo a revision septoplasty to improve their nasal passageway. Our objective was to identify patients who underwent revision septoplasty and to identify their sources of persistent nasal obstruction. Methods Patients who underwent septoplasty at our institution between 1995 and 2005 were reviewed. Data is collected on demographics, comorbidities, age at septoplasty, associated and concomitant procedures, surgical approach, and anatomic site of obstruction. Results Five hundred forty-seven patients met inclusion criteria including 477 who underwent primary septoplasty and 70 who underwent revision surgery. Nineteen percent of nonrevision patients underwent nasal valve surgery along with their primary septoplasty versus 4% of patients in the revision group. Fifty-one percent of revision patients had nasal valve surgery at revision surgery. Patients who underwent sinus surgery along with primary septoplasty were less likely to undergo revision septoplasty. History of facial trauma, obstructive sleep apnea, site of deviation, and performance of inferior turbinate surgery did not affect the likelihood of revision septoplasty. Conclusion A significant number of patients who undergo revision septoplasty also have nasal valve collapse. We recommend that in addition to septal deviation and inferior turbinate hypertrophy, nasal valve function be fully evaluated before performing septoplasty. This will help to ensure a complete understanding of a patient's nasal airway obstruction and, consequently, appropriate and effective surgical intervention.
Ellagic Acid and Resveratrol Prevent the Development of Cisplatin Resistance in the Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cell Line A2780

Purpose. Several studies have shown that natural compounds like resveratrol or ellagic acid have anticancer and antioxidant properties and can stimulate apoptosis in many cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to elucidate if resveratrol or ellagic acid, respectively, could improve the efficacy of cisplatin in ovarian cancer. Methods. As a cellular resistance model, the epithelial ovarian cancer cell line A2780 and its cisplatin-resistant subclone A2780CisR were used. A2780CisR was obtained by intermittent treatment of A2780 with cisplatin for 26 weekly cycles and showed a 4-6-fold increased resistance towards cisplatin compared to A2780. Results. Pretreatment with resveratrol or ellagic acid 48 h prior to treatment with cisplatin showed a moderate enhancement of cisplatin cytotoxicity in A2780CisR cells (shift factors were 1.6 for ellagic acid and 2.5 for resveratrol). However, intermittent treatment of A2780 with cisplatin for 26 weekly cycles in permanent presence of resveratrol or ellagic acid, respectively, completely prevented the development of cisplatin resistance. The generated cell lines named A2780Resv and A2780Ellag displayed functional characteristics (migration, proliferation, apoptosis, activation of ErbB3, ROS generation) similar to the parental cell line A2780. Conclusion. In conclusion, weekly intermittent treatment cycles of cisplatin-sensitive ovarian cancer cells with cisplatin retain cisplatin chemosensitivity in permanent presence of ellagic acid or resveratrol, respectively, whereas clinically relevant cisplatin chemoresistance develops in the absence of ellagic acid or resveratrol. Use of natural phenolic compounds may thus be a promising approach to prevent cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer.
An Empirical Analysis of Linkability in the Monero Blockchain

Monero is a privacy-centric cryptocurrency that allows users to obscure their transaction graph by including chaff coins, called"mixins,"along with the actual coins they spend. In this report, we empirically evaluate two weak- nesses in Monero's mixin sampling strategy. First, about 62% of transaction inputs with one or more mixins are vulnerable to"chain-reaction"analysis -- that is, the real input can be deduced by elimination, e.g. because the mixins they include are spent by 0-mixin transactions. Sec- ond, Monero mixins are sampled in such a way that the mixins can be easily distinguished from the real coins by their age distribution; in short, the real input is usually the"newest"input. We estimate that this heuristic can be used to guess the real input with 80% accuracy over all transactions with 1 or more mixins. Our analysis uses only public blockchain data, in contrast to earlier attacks requiring active participation in the network. While the first weakness primarily affects Monero transactions made by older software versions (i.e., prior to RingCT), the second weakness is applicable to the newest versions as well. We propose and evaluate a countermeasure de- rived from blockchain data that can improve the privacy of future transactions.
Cavernous hemangioma of the optic chiasm: a surgical review.

OBJECTIVES To report a new case of cavernous hemangioma of the optic chiasm and to review all previously published cases with regard to presentation, surgical treatment, and outcomes. DESIGN Case report and literature review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cases identified though PubMed and published literature. Presentation states of patients in terms of visual loss and pituitary function. Surgical approaches, operations performed, and outcomes of the surgery. RESULTS thirty-nine previously reported cases were studied with the present case. All 40 patients presented with visual failure. Where documented, there was an 20% pituitary dysfunction rate. A total of 32 craniotomies were reported. Seventy-eight percent of patients underwent decompression including hematoma evacuation and partial or complete removal of the cavernoma, with improvement in visual function in 87% of these patients. The patients undergoing only biopsy showed stable visual function in 50% with further deterioration in 50%. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that this rare condition can be managed with good outcomes in terms of visual improvement, provided a high index of suspicion is maintained and the goals of surgery for emergency patients are maintained to include chiasmal decompression. Although complete resection of the lesion is frequently possible, it should not be the primary aim of surgery.
The impact of the feedback source on developing oral presentation competence

While previous research in higher education emphasized the essence of feedback by the teacher, the peer or the self, it remains unclear whether the acquisition of students' oral presentation competence differs depending on the feedback source. This quasi-experimental study examines the effectiveness of the feedback source on 144 first-year undergraduate students' progression in cognition, behaviour and attitude towards presenting, as three interrelated elements of oral presentation competence. Mixed methods of multiple-choice tests and performance assessments using rubrics were used for data collection. Results demonstrated the superiority of teacher feedback for encouraging students' presentation behaviour, while cognition and attitude towards presenting developed significantly irrespective of the particular feedback source. However, the self-assessment condition revealed less impact on developing presentation behaviour and attitude compared to other feedback sources. Optimizing peer feedback and self-assessment in curricula requires knowledge about underlying feedback processes characterizing successful feedback of the various sources.
“Not This Big, Huge, Racial-Type Thing, but … ”: Mothering Children of Color with Invisible Disabilities in the Age of Neuroscience

This article, which represents part of a larger ethnographic study, asks how mothers raising children of color understand the medicalization of their children’s issues as they navigate medical and educational systems. While biomedicine and the lens of neuroscience now predominate in defining children’s troubles, the article primarily focuses on schools as sites that organize daily lives, provide services, and hold keys to future opportunities. It analyzes mothers’ reflections on the intersections of race, disability, class, and gender in schools through sixteen oral history interviews. Women of color have long been suspect as mothers whose children are burdensome or costly, and their children have often been labeled with deficiencies. Currently boys and young men of color are disproportionately diagnosed with invisible disabilities and assigned to special education, although they are much less likely to receive psychopharmaceutical treatments than white children. I emphasize two suggestive findings: First, most of the mothers interviewed expressed complex ambivalence toward medicalization, selectively resisting it but also drawing on it to protect the progress of vulnerable children through school. That is, a majority acquiesced to at least some period of medication, yet they remained ambivalent as individual protection from school failure leaves larger cultural images of black male badness unchallenged or even reconfirmed. Second, I show the insights offered by the way some mothers linked race to gender and class, suggesting that medicalization may have a range of meanings according to class privilege (or its lack). Mothers of children of color may have less ambivalence toward medicalization if they can marshal sufficient class resources to supplant images of badness with those of respectability.
Supratentorial brain cysts.

W E HAVE seen four unusual cases of benign, solitary, supratentorial brain cysts, none of which communicated with the subarachnoid or ventricular systems. Until Starkman and Brown described the clinical entity of supratentorial arachnoidal cysts 17 in 1958, most of these lesions had been included in discussions of porencephaly, pseudoporencephaly, or cystic hygroma? All of the cysts in our series behaved as intracranial masses, were associated with progressive neurological dysfunction, and were diagnosed preoperatively as brain tumors.
The function of Shoc2: A scaffold and beyond

ABSTRACT The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) cascade regulates a myriad of functions in multicellular organisms. Scaffold proteins provide critical spatial and temporal control over the specificity of signaling. Shoc2 is a scaffold that accelerates activity of the ERK1/2 pathway. Loss of Shoc2 expression in mice results in embryonic lethality, thus highlighting the essential role of Shoc2 in embryogenesis. In agreement, patients carrying mutated Shoc2 suffer from a wide spectrum of developmental deficiencies. Efforts to understand the mechanisms by which Shoc2 controls ERK1/2 activity revealed the intricate machinery that governs the ability of Shoc2 to transduce signals of the ERK1/2 pathway. Understanding the mechanisms by which Shoc2 contributes to a high degree of specificity of ERK1/2 signaling as well as deciphering the biological functions of Shoc2 in development and human disorders are major unresolved questions.
A Novel Method in the Stratification of Post-Myocardial-Infarction Patients Based on Pathophysiology

Objectives We proposed that the severity of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) could be classified based on pathophysiological changes. Methods First-STEMI patients were classified within hospitalization. Grade 0: no detectable myocardial necrosis; Grade 1: myocardial necrosis without functional and morphological abnormalities; Grade 2: myocardial necrosis with reduced LVEF; Grade 3: reduced LVEF on the basis of cardiac remodeling; Grade 4: mitral regurgitation additional to the Grade-3 criteria. Results Of 180 patients, 1.7, 43.9, 26.1, 23.9 and 4.4% patients were classified as Grade 0 to 4, respectively. The classification is an independent predicator of 90-day MACEs (any death, resuscitated cardiac arrest, acute heart failure and stroke): the rate was 0, 5.1, 8.5, 48.8 and 75% from Grade 0 to 4 (p<0.001), respectively. The Grade-2 patients were more likely to have recovered left ventricular ejection fraction than the Grade-3/4 patients did after 90 days (48.9% vs. 19.1%, p<0.001). Avoiding complicated quantification, the classification served as a good reflection of infarction size as measured by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (0±0, 15.68±8.48, 23.68±9.32, 36.12±11.35 and 40.66±14.33% of the left ventricular mass by Grade 0 to 4, P<0.001), and with a comparable prognostic value (AUC 0.819 vs. 0.813 for infarction size, p = 0.876 by C-statistics) for MACEs. Conclusions The new classification represents an easy and objective method to scale the cardiac detriments for STEMI patients.