Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimentally‐derived functional form for a population‐averaged high‐temporal‐resolution arterial input function for dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI

Rapid T1‐weighted 3D spoiled gradient‐echo (GRE) data sets were acquired in the abdomen of 23 cancer patients during a total of 113 separate visits to allow dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI (DCE‐MRI) analysis of tumor microvasculature. The arterial input function (AIF) was measured in each patient at each visit using an automated AIF extraction method following a standardized bolus administration of gadodiamide. The AIFs for each patient were combined to obtain a mean AIF that is representative for any individual. The functional form of this general AIF may be useful for studies in which AIF measurements are not possible. Improvements in the reproducibility of DCE‐MRI model parameters (Ktrans, ve, and vp) were observed when this new, high‐temporal‐resolution population AIF was used, indicating the potential for increased sensitivity to therapy‐induced change. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Pyriproxyfen Spray, Powder, and Oral Bait Treatments on the Relative Abundance of Fleas (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) in Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Rodentia: Sciuridae) Towns

Abstract Separate black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus (Ord), towns on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, were treated with technical pyriproxyfen (Nylar) using spray, powder, and oral bait carriers. Direct combing methods (1997 and 1998) and burrow flagging (1998) were used to estimate relative abundance of the plague vector Oropsylla hirsuta (Baker). Pyriproxyfen spray (0.05%) and powder (0.05%) did not significantly reduce (P > 0.05) O. hirsuta abundance. Pyriproxyfen bait, when applied every 4 wk at a concentration of 286 mg/50 g bait, significantly reduced (P ≤ 0.05) O. hirsuta infesting prairie dogs, 4 mo after initial treatment. However, flea populations had recovered to pretreatment levels by the following summer (July 1999).
The 121 amino acid isoform of vascular endothelial growth factor is more strongly tumorigenic than other splice variants in vivo

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to occur as at least six differentially spliced variants, giving rise to mature isoforms containing 121, 145, 165, 183, 189 and 206 amino acids. However, little is yet known concerning the in vivo activities of this differential splicing. Stably transfected MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells were constructed that secreted comparable amounts of the 121, 165 or 189 isoforms. Rabbit corneal angiogenesis assays showed the VEGF121 transfectant to have much greater angiogenic activity than the 165 or 189 expressing MCF-7 cells. While the VEGF121-expressing MCF-7 cells were reproducibly more tumorigenic than the control transfectants, this was not the case with the VEGF165- or VEGF189-expressing cells. More surprising was the observation that VEGF189 located to the nucleus, consistent with the presence of a highly conserved nuclear localization sequence in exon 6a that is expressed in VEGF189 but not 121 or 165. It was concluded that the VEGF121 isoform is both more angiogenic and tumorigenic than are the 165 and 189 isoforms. This is probably due to the ability of the 121 isoform, unlike the 165 and 189 isoforms, to freely diffuse from the cells producing it. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign
In Vitro Contracture Tests for Susceptibility to Malignant Hyperthermia

In an attempt to compare the results of physiologic contracture tests for malignant hyperthermia (MH) susceptibility between laboratories, a testing protocol was agreed upon by several investigators. This protocol was followed in order to determine which of several procedures is best able to identify MH susceptibility. Muscle biopsies were obtained from 12 normal control patients, 6 survivors of an MH episode, 24 patients who experienced succinylcholine-induced masseter muscle rigidity, 15 patients with a family history of MH, and 12 patients who had adverse reactions to anesthesia (not clearly MH). In all cases muscle strips were stimulated electrically and the contracture responses of different strips to halothane alone, caffeine alone, and caffeine in the presence of 1 % halothane were evaluated. In addition to the contracture response the caffeine-specific concentration was calculated (concentration of caffeine needed to produce a 1-g contracture). The procedures best able to discriminate MH positives from controls employed halothane alone or caffeine alone. Muscle contracture of 0.772 ± 0.585 g (mean ± SEM) was observed in biopsies from known MH susceptibles in response to 2 mM caffeine; the response of control muscle was significantly different (0.17 ± 0.209 g). Halothane contractures of 1.425 ± 1.098 g were recorded from muscle from known MH patients while contractures of 0.023 ± 0.169 g were found in control patients (significantly different). Using a caffeine-specific concentration of 2.2 mM, 10 of 15 normal people were misclassified as MH positive: using a halothane-caffeine-specific concentration of 0.7 mM, 4 of 15 normal people were misclassified as MH positive. Twelve of 21 patients presenting with succinylcholine-induced masseter muscle rigidity were MH positive, 50% of these had a family history of MH that was positive, and 1 of 12 with an “adverse” reaction to anesthesia was MH positive. The present results confirm the clinical utility of in vitro muscle testing in the diagnosis of MH and suggest other areas of usefulness including evaluation of the clinical significance of isolated adverse reactions to anesthesia and counseling of families having members known to be MH susceptible.
The Human Costs of Bank Speculation

Using a comprehensive employer-employee dataset from German social security records, we examine the impact of exogenous shocks to bank capital on ﬁrms’ employment and investment. German regional banks’ trading losses from U.S. mortgage-backed securities cause a deep economic contraction in the banks exclusive geographic domain. Loan growth and output growth decline by 20 and 1.5 percentage points, respectively, and the unemployment rate rises by 3.3 percentage points in affected states, compared to unaffected states. The effect is stronger for privately held, bank-dependent ﬁrms than for publicly listed ﬁrms. Private ﬁrms in affected states reduce net hiring by 24 percentage points and cut investment by one-half, relative to publicly listed ﬁrms. We extend this analysis by studying how ﬁrms’ access to credit affects individuals’ wages, occupational choices, and relocation.
A plasma vortex revisited: The importance of including ionospheric conductivity measurements

In an earlier paper [Kosch et al., 1998], simultaneous all‐sky TV imager and Scandinavian Twin Auroral Radar Experiment (STARE) observations of an ionospheric plasma vortex located poleward of an auroral arc were presented. The vortex is associated with a sudden brightening of the arc and corresponds to an ionospheric region of diverging horizontal electric fields, which is equivalent to a downward field‐aligned current (FAC), i.e., the closure current for the upward current above the arc. This event has been revisited because of the subsequent availability of data from the Scandinavian Magnetometer Array. These data, combined with STARE electric fields, have been used to determine the real ionospheric conductance distribution throughout the field of view. As a result, a more realistic, quantitative picture of the current system associated with the arc is obtained than was possible in an earlier model based on an assumed constant conductance. In particular, a complete macroscopic electrodynamic description of a plasma vortex, composed of ionospheric conductances, true horizontal currents, and FACs, is obtained for the first time. It is shown that the plasma vortex corresponds to an area of decreased conductance, thus broadening the FAC distribution and reducing the current density compared to the earlier results. The study illustrates that horizontal conductance gradients should not be neglected when computing FACs.
Innovation Impacts of Using Social Bookmarking Systems

Many organizational innovations can be explained by the movement of ideas and information from one social context to another, "from where they are known to where they are not" (Hargadon 2002, p. 41). A relatively new technology, social bookmarking, is increasingly being used in many organizations (McAfee 2006), and may enhance employee innovativeness by providing a new, socially mediated channel for discovering information. Users of such systems create publicly viewable lists of bookmarks (each being a hyperlink to an information resource) and often assign searchable keywords ("tags") to these bookmarks. We explore two different perspectives on how accessing others' bookmarks could enhance how innovative an individual is at work. First, we develop two hypotheses around the idea that quantity may be a proxy for diversity, following a well established literature that holds that the more information obtained and the larger the number of sources consulted, the higher the likelihood an individual will come across novel ideas. Next, we offer two hypotheses adapted from social network research that argue that the shape of the network of connections that is created when individuals access each others' bookmarks can reflect information novelty, and that individuals whose networks bridge more structural holes and have greater effective reach are likely to be more innovative. An analysis of bookmarking system use in a global professional services firm provides strong support for the social diversity of information sources as a predictor of employee innovativeness, but no support that the number of bookmarks accessed matters. By extending the social networks literature to theorize the functionalities offered by social bookmarking systems, this research establishes structural holes theory as a valuable lens through which social technologies may be understood.
Personality in Middle and Late Life

The Meanings of Age-Bernice L. Neugarten 1996-12-15 Neugarten, who explains and highlights Neugarten's contributions in light of the most recent research in the fields of gerontology and social policy. Carefully edited by Dail A. Neugarten, each chapter presents the reader with Bernice Neugarten's original formulations on topics such as age norms and age constraints, the changing meanings of age, and age-neutral social policy.
Increased Response Variability and Attentional Lapses After Chronic Cocaine Self-Administration

In humans, cocaine use has long been associated with poor attentional control and decreased efficiency in goal-oriented behavior. Animal models of these stereotypic drug effects, however, have thus far failed to produce quantifiable data sets in part because of a lack of species differences and analysis techniques. Recent work (Hervey et al. 2006) has successfully quantified attentional lapses in disorders such as ADHD through the analysis of response time variations in simple tasks, but this analysis has yet to be applied to the drug abuse scenario. To determine the effects of chronic cocaine administration on response time variability, 14 rhesus macaque monkeys (8 cocaine administering and 6 performance-matched controls) were subjected to a 50 trial simple attention task. This task was performed W-F prior to cocaine self-administration sessions in the test group. Treatment groups were compared to both each other and to baseline task sessions recorded prior to beginning the administration paradigm. In addition to typical measures of variability, an ex-Gaussian response time analysis was performed to quantify the contribution of attentional lapses to overall variability. The cocaine-administering group had a significantly higher response time standard deviation than their pre-administration sessions (p<0.05). No difference was observed between pre- and post-administration sessions for the control group. When ex-Gaussian methods were applied to the response time datasets, no differences were observed between groups in the normal mean (mu), suggesting that the variability increase in the cocaine group was due to an increased skew in the right tail of the response time distribution. Indeed, the cocaine group showed a significant increase in the value of tau(exponential value representing the distribution tail magnitude) post-administration versus tau pre-administration (p<0.05). These data suggest that cocaine administration leads to increased behavioral variability in simple response time tasks, and that this variability increase is primarily due to the prevalence of abnormally long responses. Similar results have been demonstrated in clinical disorders such as ADHD, suggesting both the relevance of the primate model in studies of attentional processing and the possible similarity in affected brain regions or transmitter systems.
Trichogramma chilonis (Hymenoptera: trichogrammatidae) as a biological control agent of Chilo sacchariphagus (Lepidoptera: crambidae) in Reunion Island. Initial field trials

The spotted stalk borer, Chilo sacchariphagus Bojer, is a major pest of sugarcane in southern Asia, the Indian Ocean islands and Mozambique in southern Africa. Since 1999, a biological control programme has been developed on this pest in Reunion Island through a partnership between research and development organisations. Trichogramma chilonis Ishii has been shown to be the most naturally efficient parasitoid of the borer in Reunion, following a comparison of the bionomics of different strains of T. chilonis, and one strain was selected for mass production and field release testing. In 2002, two distinct sites, Savannah (SAV) and Sainte-Marie (SMA), were chosen for field experiments. At each site, plots were treated with releases of 150 000 T. chilonis per hectare and compared with untreated plots. In both plots, efficacy of these releases was assessed through damage to sugarcane internodes and mass of millable stalks at harvest. In treated plots, the percentage of bored internodes at harvest was 45% less than the controls at SAV and 36% at SMA. The mean stalk mass was 14% higher in treated plots at SAV, and 12% at SMA, corresponding to increases of 15 and 12 tons of cane per hectare, respectively. These results are presented and improvements in a new trial are suggested. [Author's abstract]
Ischemic Preconditioning and Repeated Sprint Swimming: A Placebo and Nocebo Study.

PURPOSE Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has been shown to improve performance of exercises lasting 10-90 s (anaerobic) and more than 90 s (aerobic). However, its effect on repeated sprint performance has been controversial, placebo effect has not been adequately controlled, and nocebo effect has not been avoided. Thus, the IPC effect on repeated sprint performance was investigated using a swimming task and controlling placebo/nocebo effects. METHODS Short-distance university swimmers were randomized to two groups. One group (n = 15, 24 ± 1 yr [mean ± SEM]) was exposed to IPC (ischemia cycles lasted 5 min) and control (CT) (no ischemia); another (n = 15, 24 ± 1 yr) to a placebo intervention (SHAM) (ischemia cycles lasted 1 min) and CT. Seven subjects crossed over groups. Subjects were informed IPC and SHAM would improve performance compared with CT and would be harmless despite circulatory occlusion sensations. The swimming task consisted of six 50-m all-out efforts repeated every 3 min. RESULTS IPC, in contrast with SHAM, reduced worst sprint time (IPC, 35.21 ± 0.73 vs CT, 36.53 ± 0.72 s; P = 0.04) and total sprints time (IPC, 203.7 ± 4.60 vs CT, 206.03 ± 4.57 s; P = 0.02), moreover augmented swimming velocity (IPC, 1.45 ± 0.03 vs CT, 1.44 ± 0.03 m·s; P = 0.049). Six of seven subjects who crossed over groups reduced total sprints time with IPC versus SHAM (delta = -3.95 ± 1.49 s, P = 0.09). Both IPC and SHAM did not change blood lactate concentration (P = 0.20) and perceived effort (P = 0.22). CONCLUSION IPC enhanced repeated sprint swimming performance in university swimmers, whereas a placebo intervention did not.
Modelling trust in random wireless networks

We present an analysis of the probability that a set of devices capable of communicating wirelessly can form a fully connected, trusted network. The network model that is used accounts for the geometric properties of the physical network boundaries, the statistical nature of the propagation environment, and the notion that both trustworthy and untrustworthy devices may occupy the network domain. Two local (pairwise) trust models are explored in the context of this model: proximity-based trust, where trust between two devices is a function of the distance between them, and experience-based trust, where trust is dependent upon the outcomes from prior inter-device interactions. Both models are probabilistic, a condition that is motivated by our interest in the steady state or average behaviour of the network as well as several practical applications, including sensor and device-to-device (D2D) networks for disaster relief, public safety, and peer-to-peer file sharing in 5G cellular systems. Our analysis illustrates a clear and simple mathematical relationship between the local trust probabilities and the underlying physics of the system, thus pointing to a need for trust protocols that are tailored to specific deployments.
The Spontaneous Return of Sensibility in Breasts Reconstructed with Autologous Tissues

&NA; Some spontaneous return of sensibility following autologous tissue breast reconstruction is often suspected but not well documented. In the present study, objective touch‐pressure, pain, temperature, and vibratory sensibilities were recorded in 33 autologous breast reconstructions at an average of 25.2 months postoperatively. Correlation of the sensory return with patients' satisfaction toward reconstruction was done by a detailed questionnaire. All except one patient regained avariety of sensibilities: touch pressure in 97 percent of patients (averaging 81.05 gm/mm2 versus control of 7.98 gm/mm2), pain in 88 percent of patients, heat in 64 percent of patients (45 percent of quadrants), cold in 82 percent of patients (67 percent of quadrants), and high‐ and low‐frequency vibration in 100 percent of patients (high in 90 percent of quadrants, low in 96 percent). Subjectively, 94 percent considered their chest comfortable to touch following reconstruction compared with 34 percent following mastectomy. On a scale from 1 to 10, patients rated their reconstructions an average of 9.3. Our findings confirm the spontaneous return of sensibility following a variety of autologous tissue breast reconstructions. The value of the sensory return is suggested by the high degree of satisfaction in nearly all patients. Further attempts to correlate the degree of sensory return with the degree of satisfaction were inconclusive because of the uniformly high satisfaction reported by the patients. The mechanism of reinnervation appears to come both from the skin margins and from the deep surface of the flap. Future developments in breast reconstruction should take into consideration the eventual quality of sensory return.
Microstructure evolution of tin-lead solder

Microstructural length scales are relatively large in typical soldered connections. The microstructure which is continuously evolving is known to have a strong influence on damage initiation and propagation. In order to make accurate lifetime predictions by numerical simulations, it is therefore necessary to take the microstructural evolution into account. In this work, this is accomplished by using a diffuse interface model based on a strongly nonlocal variable. It can be seen as an extension of the Cahn-Hilliard model, which is weakly nonlocal since it depends on higher-order gradients which are by definition confined to the infinitesimal neighborhood of the considered material point. Next to introducing a truly nonlocal measure in the free energy, this nonlocal formulation has the advantage that it is numerically more efficient. Additionally, the model is extended to include elastically stored energy as a driving force for diffusion, after which the entire system is solved using the finite element approach. The model results in a computational efficient algorithm which is capable of simulating the phase separation and coarsening of a solder material caused by combined thermal and mechanical loading.
Detection of Airborne Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus and Environmental Contamination in SARS Outbreak Units

Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is characterized by a risk of nosocomial transmission; however, the risk of airborne transmission of SARS is unknown. During the Toronto outbreaks of SARS, we investigated environmental contamination in SARS units, by employing novel air sampling and conventional surface swabbing. Two polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–positive air samples were obtained from a room occupied by a patient with SARS, indicating the presence of the virus in the air of the room. In addition, several PCR-positive swab samples were recovered from frequently touched surfaces in rooms occupied by patients with SARS (a bed table and a television remote control) and in a nurses’ station used by staff (a medication refrigerator door). These data provide the first experimental confirmation of viral aerosol generation by a patient with SARS, indicating the possibility of airborne droplet transmission, which emphasizes the need for adequate respiratory protection, as well as for strict surface hygiene practices
A Correlational Study of Parental Involvement at the Elementary School, Middle School, and High School Level

The purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of involvement of 120 elementary, 120 middle, and 120 high school parents. A combined version of Sheldon and Epstein’s Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the Elementary and Middle School Grades and the Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the High School Grades was used to gather data. Descriptive data were used to reveal the results for research questions one, two, and three. A Pearson’s r was used to determine the relationships for research questions four, five, and six. Research question 4: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parents’ reported type of involvement activities and their child’s educational level (elementary, middle, and high school)? , had a negative correlation of (-.276). For research question 5: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parent perceptions regarding responsibilities toward parent involvement and their child’s educational level (elementary, middle, and high school) had a negative correlation of (-.175). And, for research question 6: What is the nature and strength of the relationship between parent perceptions regarding their ability to help students with school-related work and their child’s educational level (elementary, middle, and high school)? had a negative correlation of (-.011). Implications for this study include ways to enhance students’ lives. With simple involvement ideas, beliefs are that parents will engage in involvement activities, thus facilitating their student’s academic performance. This study serves as a springboard for additional research on parental involvement.