Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tumor versus Stromal Cells in Culture—Survival of the Fittest?

Two of the signature genetic events that occur in human gliomas, EGFR amplification and IDH mutation, are poorly represented in experimental models in vitro. EGFR amplification, for example, occurs in 40 to 50% of GBM, and yet, EGFR amplification is rarely preserved in cell cultures derived from human tumors. To analyze the fate of EGFR amplified and IDH mutated cells in culture, we followed the development over time of cultures derived from human xenografts in nude rats enriched for tumor cells with EGFR amplification and of cultures derived from patient samples with IDH mutations, in serum monolayer and spheroid suspension culture, under serum and serum free conditions. We observed under serum monolayer conditions, that nestin positive or nestin and SMA double positive rat stromal cells outgrew EGFR amplified tumor cells, while serum spheroid cultures preserved tumor cells with EGFR amplification. Serum free suspension culture exhibited a more variable cell composition in that the resultant cell populations were either predominantly nestin/SOX2 co-expressing rat stromal cells or human tumor cells, or a mixture of both. The selection for nestin/SMA positive stromal cells under serum monolayer conditions was also consistently observed in human oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas with IDH mutations. Our results highlight for the first time that serum monolayer conditions can select for stromal cells instead of tumor cells in certain brain tumor subtypes. This result has an important impact on the establishment of new tumor cell cultures from brain tumors and raises the question of the proper conditions for the growth of the tumor cell populations of interest.
Midterm results of endovascular stent graft treatment for descending aortic aneurysms including high-risk patients

Methods: 21 patients (17 men, 4 women; mean age 66.1 years, range 29-90 years) with 15 true aneurysms, and 6 type B-dissections were treated by implantation of a TalentTM Endoluminal Stentgraft System from February 2000 to July 2003. In 3 cases it was necessary to overstent the left subclavian artery, in 1 case to overstent the left common carotid. Results: 2 patients (9.5%) died during the first 30 days (1 myocardial infarction, 1 pneumonia). Two patients (9.5%) suffered from cerebral ischemia and needed revascularisation. No paraplegia, no stroke occurred. One endoleak required additional stenting. No patient needed conversion. Follow-up, average 25.4 months (range 0-39), was 100% complete. During this another two patients died of myocardial infarction i.e. 9.5% (the above mentioned endoleak, but no late migration were detected in the remaining patients). In all cases the graft lumen stayed patent. Conclusions: Treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm with an endovascular approach has acceptable mortality and morbidity-rates even in high risk patients. Procedural overstenting of the subclavian artery requires subclavian revascularisation in a minority of cases.
Decoding neural responses to temporal cues for sound localization

The activity of sensory neural populations carries information about the environment. This may be extracted from neural activity using different strategies. In the auditory brainstem, a recent theory proposes that sound location in the horizontal plane is decoded from the relative summed activity of two populations in each hemisphere, whereas earlier theories hypothesized that the location was decoded from the identity of the most active cells. We tested the performance of various decoders of neural responses in increasingly complex acoustical situations, including spectrum variations, noise, and sound diffraction. We demonstrate that there is insufficient information in the pooled activity of each hemisphere to estimate sound direction in a reliable way consistent with behavior, whereas robust estimates can be obtained from neural activity by taking into account the heterogeneous tuning of cells. These estimates can still be obtained when only contralateral neural responses are used, consistently with unilateral lesion studies. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.01312. 001
Toward a Theory of Rigidities

This paper presents a theory of rigidity, or more properly inertia, in the responses of economic variables to changing environments. The theory rests on three fundamental assumptions: (1) that firms are risk averse, (2) that firms are uncertain of the impacts of changing decision variables and (3) that this uncertainty increases with the size of deviations in decision variables from appropriately defined past level. Under these circumstances an optimal portfolio of incremental decision variable adjustments exists which (a) takes variance minimizing adoptions to environmental change as a point of departure and then (b) is weighted in favor of changes in variables whose effects are less uncertain. In considering price and quantity adjustments, this implies that price and wage adjustments should largely incorporate expected inflation and, from that point, should be small relative to quantity adjustments, since in most situations the uncertainties associated with the consequences of quantity adjustment should be smaller than those associated with price adjustments.
Computational Analysis of Isothermal Flow in a Test Swirl Combustor

Isothermal flow in an idealized swirl combustor is analyzed numerically and experimentally. The Reynolds number based on combustor inlet diameter and mean axial velocity is 4600. Measurements of time-averaged swirl and axial velocity components and corresponding rms turbulence intensities are performed by Laser Doppler Anemometry, along radial traverses at different axial locations. In three-dimensional, transient computations, Large Eddy Simulations (LES) and Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Numerical Simulations (URANS) are employed for modeling the turbulent flows. For LES, the Smagorinsky model is used to model the subgrid scale turbulence. For URANS, the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) is employed as the statistical turbulence model. The URANS-RSM approach is observed to perform rather poorly. This is assumed to be due to the fact that the present flow has a rather low Reynolds number, and the applied RSM, being a high Reynolds number model, is not able to model low Reynolds number effects. On the other hand, a very good agreement of the LES predictions with the measurements is observed.
Market Liquidity and Bank-Dominated Corporate Governance: Evidence from Japan

This paper investigates the relationship between market liquidity and bank-dominated corporate governance structure of Japanese listed firms, represented as main bank relationships and cross shareholdings. We find that (i) main bank lending relationships increase market liquidity and reduce asymmetric information in the Tokyo Stock Exchange and (ii) foreign shareholdings are positively related to market liquidity and negatively correlated with asymmetric information. This suggests that the bank monitoring mechanisms would take a substitute information production role for block holder monitoring role in the market-oriented corporate governance countries like the US.
Centralized P/PI control system design based on equivalent transfer functions for unstable TITO process

Established equivalent transfer function (ETF) matrix method for stable MIMO systems is extended to unstable systems to design multivariable proportional and integral (PI) controllers. The simplified decoupler decomposes the unstable multi-loop systems into independent loops with ETFs as the resultant decoupled process model having unstable poles. Single loop PI controllers are designed by the synthesis method based on the unstable ETFs. Since the overshoot is higher for the unstable systems, a double-loop structure is used to reduce the overshoot. To stabilize the unstable system, inner loop P controllers are designed for the diagonal elements of ETFs by the synthesis method. Further, for the stabilized inner-loop system, diagonal PI controllers are designed based on the identified simple First order plus time-delay (FOPTD) model. Simulation results show that the designed control system gives a better performance than that reported in literature.
Decentralization: The Administrator′s Guidebook to School District Change

STAGE ONE EXPLORATION Brief Answers to Frequent Questions What Are Decentralization's Main Features? Why Decentralize a School District? Strategic Decisions at the Exploration Stage STAGE TWO TRIAL Development of District Policy Development of the Allocation Method Development of the Budgeting Process Development of the Accountability System The Pilot School Program and Major Role Changes Sabotage at the Trial Stage STAGE THREE COMMITMENT Further Implementation Capstone Comments
The multi-attribute elimination by aspects (MEBA) model

Our research proposes a new, multi-attribute, parameterisation of Tversky’s Elimination- By-Aspects (EBA) model. The EBA model conceptualises choice as a covert sequential elimination process with choice probabilities formulated over all consideration sets of the choice set. This specification attempts to capture the effect of context on choice behaviour. However, the EBA model has seen limited usage due to the large number of required parameters given the set of items under study. For a set of items T, it has 2|T| - 3 free parameters, which is infeasible for all but the simplest of contexts. To provide a practical operationalisation, we impose a set of a priori constraints on the parameter space. We define a generic multi-attribute structure to the set of aspects. This restricts the cardinality of the set of unknown scale values while retaining the functional (recursive) form of the model. The EBA hypothesis of a population of lexicographic decision-makers can therefore be tested in more market-realistic contexts, and inferences made over a large universal set of items described by the complete factorial. We call this model the Multi-attribute Elimination-By-Aspects (MEBA) model. The MEBA model reduces the set of unknown free parameters to a maximum of |T|-1. We develop a general algebraic expression for the MEBA choice probabilities as a function of the attributes of the options in the choice set. This enables the derivation of a likelihood function, and consequently maximum likelihood estimation. We also consider the form of optimal MEBA paired comparison designs. Using Monte Carlo simulation and a discrete choice experiment with consumers, we conduct an initial empirical test of the model against the special case of the MNL model (that assumes no context effects) and find the MEBA model to be a better approximation of observed choice behaviour. This is achieved on a common set of parameters, and so it is due solely to the difference in functional form of the two models. We conclude with a discussion on future research directions, in particular the introduction of heterogeneity into the model, and the description of optimal choice experiments for larger choice set sizes.
Smart home automation system using Wi-Fi low power devices

Home automation is gaining popularity nowadays. A smart home automation system is based on ensuring security and making user life easier. It contains a large number of sensors which can control or monitor objects distributed in three-dimensional space. The sensors can be specialized in measuring temperature, humidity, pressure, light, noise, dust air, and so on. In this paper, a solution to transform a normal house in a smart house while reducing the energy consumption is proposed. This can be realized with the help of wireless sensor networks and of the LabVIEW™ graphical programming environment, which use the NI LabVIEW™ Statechart Module for collecting data from sensors.
Gender equality and investments in adolescents in the rural Philippines

". Many studies have looked at the way resources are distributed to men, women, and especially to small children, but one age group within the family has been largely ignored: the adolescents. Adolescence is a crucial period in that teenagers can make major contributions to their families' welfare through their labor and earnings, in and outside the household, but may sacrifice their own wishes and future well-being in the process if such contributions come at the expense of investments in their education. The research methodology in this report, combining regression analysis with ethnography, provides a lesson in how complementarities between methodological approaches can be exploited.The research finds that parents are not unduly influenced by short-term needs and are ready to make substantial sacrifices in terms of current consumption in order to invest in their children's future. The research also concludes that boys and girls in this rural area of the Philippines are generally treated equally, provid ing a contrast with other Asian settings where discrimination by gender is common. " (Forward by Per Pinstrup- Andersen)
Interferon Lambda: Modulating Immunity in Infectious Diseases

Interferon lambdas (IFN-λs; IFNL1-4) modulate immunity in the context of infections and autoimmune diseases, through a network of induced genes. IFN-λs act by binding to the heterodimeric IFN-λ receptor (IFNLR), activating a STAT phosphorylation-dependent signaling cascade. Thereby hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes are induced, which modulate various immune functions via complex forward and feedback loops. When compared to the well-characterized IFN-α signaling cascade, three important differences have been discovered. First, the IFNLR is not ubiquitously expressed: in particular, immune cells show significant variation in the expression levels of and susceptibilities to IFN-λs. Second, the binding affinities of individual IFN-λs to the IFNLR varies greatly and are generally lower compared to the binding affinities of IFN-α to its receptor. Finally, genetic variation in the form of a series of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to genes involved in the IFN-λ signaling cascade has been described and associated with the clinical course and treatment outcomes of hepatitis B and C virus infection. The clinical impact of IFN-λ signaling and the SNP variations may, however, reach far beyond viral hepatitis. Recent publications show important roles for IFN-λs in a broad range of viral infections such as human T-cell leukemia type-1 virus, rotaviruses, and influenza virus. IFN-λ also potentially modulates the course of bacterial colonization and infections as shown for Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although the immunological processes involved in controlling viral and bacterial infections are distinct, IFN-λs may interfere at various levels: as an innate immune cytokine with direct antiviral effects; or as a modulator of IFN-α-induced signaling via the suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 and the ubiquitin-specific peptidase 18 inhibitory feedback loops. In addition, the modulation of adaptive immune functions via macrophage and dendritic cell polarization, and subsequent priming, activation, and proliferation of pathogen-specific T- and B-cells may also be important elements associated with infectious disease outcomes. This review summarizes the emerging details of the IFN-λ immunobiology in the context of the host immune response and viral and bacterial infections.
Melatonin: Characteristics, Concerns, and Prospects

Melatonin is of great importance to the investigation of human biological rhythms. Its rhythm in plasma or saliva provides the best available measure of the timing of the internal circadian clock. Its major metabolite 6-sulphatoxymelatonin is robust and easily measured in urine. It thus enables long-term monitoring of human rhythms in real-life situations where rhythms may be disturbed, and in clinical situations where invasive procedures are difficult. Melatonin is not only a “hand of the clock”; endogenous melatonin actsto reinforce the functioning of the human circadian system, probably in many ways. Most is known about its relationship to sleep and the decline in core body temperature and alertness at night. Current perspectives also include a possible influence on major disease risk, arising from circadian rhythm disruption. Melatonin clearly has the ability to induce sleepiness and lower core body temperature during “biological day” and to change the timing of human rhythms when treatment is appropriately timed. It can entrain free-running rhythms and maintain entrainment in most blind and some sighted people. Used therapeutically it has proved a successful treatment for circadian rhythm disorder, particularly the non-24-h sleep wake disorder of the blind. Numerous other clinical applications are under investigation. There are, however, areas of controversy, large gaps in knowledge, and insufficient standardization of experimental conditions and analysis for general conclusions to be drawn with regard to most situations. The future holds much promise for melatonin as a therapeutic treatment. Most interesting, however, will be the dissection of its effects on human genes.
Inheritance Beyond Plain Heritability: Variance-Controlling Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana

The phenotypic effect of a gene is normally described by the mean-difference between alternative genotypes. A gene may, however, also influence the phenotype by causing a difference in variance between genotypes. Here, we reanalyze a publicly available Arabidopsis thaliana dataset [1] and show that genetic variance heterogeneity appears to be as common as normal additive effects on a genomewide scale. The study also develops theory to estimate the contributions of variance differences between genotypes to the phenotypic variance, and this is used to show that individual loci can explain more than 20% of the phenotypic variance. Two well-studied systems, cellular control of molybdenum level by the ion-transporter MOT1 and flowering-time regulation by the FRI-FLC expression network, and a novel association for Leaf serration are used to illustrate the contribution of major individual loci, expression pathways, and gene-by-environment interactions to the genetic variance heterogeneity.
The Narrative Correspondence Method: What a Follow-Up Study Can Tell Us about the Longer Term Effect on Participants in Emotionally Demanding Research

The author has based this article on qualitative data gathered from the parents of young adults with cancer who, over the previous 4 years, had contributed narrative accounts to a research project on the experience of caring for a young adult son or daughter with the illness. In the follow-up study, she sought to understand the longer term effect of research participation on the parents. Results show that the parents valued their involvement, and many had found the process of writing therapeutic. Their feelings of isolation had been reduced, and overall, they believed they had benefited from contributing. However, there is also an acknowledgment of the emotional demands caused by recalling painful memories for research purposes. Participants experienced the outcomes of the research as significant and interpreted resulting publications as a lasting memorial to their son or daughter.
Fast algorithms for mining association rules and sequential patterns

This dissertation presents fast algorithms for mining associations in large datasets. An example of an association rule may be "(30% of customers who buy jackets and gloves also buy hiking boots." The problem is to find all such rules whose frequency is greater than some user-specified minimum. We first present a new algorithm, Apriori, for mining associations between boolean attributes (called items). Empirical evaluation shows that Apriori is typically 3 to 10 times faster than previous algorithms, with the performance gap increasing with the problem size. In many domains, taxonomies (isa hierarchies) on the items are common. For example, a taxonomy may say that jackets isa outerwear isa clothes. We extend the Apriori algorithm to find associations between items at any level of the taxonomy. Next, we consider associations between quantitative and categorical attributes, not just boolean attributes. We deal with quantitative attributes by fine-partitioning the values of the attribute and then combining adjacent partitions as necessary. We also introduce measures of partial completeness which quantify the information loss due to partitioning. These measures can be used to determine the number of partitions for each attribute. We enhance the Apriori algorithm to efficiently find quantitative associations. Finally, we consider associations over time, called sequential patterns. An example of such a sequential pattern may be "2% of customers bought 'Ringworld' in one transaction, followed by 'Foundation' and 'Ringworld Engineers' in a later transaction". We allow time constraints between elements of the sequential patterns, and also allow all the items in an element to be present in a sliding time window rather than at a single point in time. We present GSP, an algorithm for finding such patterns, based on intuitions similar to those for the Apriori algorithm. All the above algorithms scale linearly with the size of the data (for constant data characteristics). These algorithms have been used in a variety of domains, including market basket analysis, attached mailing, fraud detection and medical research. We conclude the dissertation with directions for future work.
Leviathan’s Latent Dimensions: Measuring State Capacity for Comparative Political Research

State capacity is a core concept in political science research, and it is widely recognized that state institutions exert considerable influence on outcomes such as economic development, civil conflict, democratic consolidation, and international security. Yet researchers across these fields of inquiry face common problems involved in conceptualizing and measuring state capacity. In this article, we examine these conceptual issues, identify three core dimensions of state capacity, and develop the expectation that they are mutually supporting and interlinked. We then use Bayesian latent variable analysis to estimate state capacity at the conjunction of indicators related to these dimensions. We find strong interrelationships between the three dimensions and produce a new, general-purpose measure of state capacity with demonstrated validity for use in a wide range of empirical inquiries. It is hoped that this project will provide effective guidance and tools for researchers studying the causes and consequences of state capacity.
Individual variation of morphological and acoustic effects of the nasal tract

Previous studies have reported that nasal consonants in Mandarin are an important source of individual information. This study conducts morphological analysis and acoustic modeling of the nasal and paranasal cavities to investigate the effects of the nasal cavity on speaker characteristics. Morphological analysis was carried out on the perpendicular planes to the nasal tract and the cross-sectional area functions of the nasal tract based on volumetric MRI data obtained for four Chinese speakers. It was shown that the nasal cavity possesses relatively large variation across speakers. Furthermore, acoustic effects of the individual variation of the nasal cavity were estimated by using a transmission line model. The results showed that the interspeaker variation of the nasal tract affects spectra in the frequency range from 2 kHz to 4 kHz, which is in agreement with the results from our previous statistical studies.