Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differentiation of Brain Abscesses from Necrotic Glioblastomas and Cystic Metastatic Brain Tumors with Diffusion Tensor Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The differentiation of abscesses from glioblastomas and metastases may not always be possible on the basis of DWI. Our hypothesis was that differences in diffusion properties as detected by DTI allow differentiation of abscess from glioblastomas and metastasis. Furthermore, diagnostic performance of tensor metrics quantifying anisotropy or tensor shapes is better than that of ADC in measuring mean diffusivity for this purpose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DTI was performed in 15 abscesses, 15 necrotic glioblastomas, and 26 cystic metastases. In each lesion, manually segmented into 4 regions of interest (ie, cystic cavity, enhancing rim, and immediate [edema most adjacent to the enhancing rim] and distant zones of edema), FA, ADC, Cl, Cp, and Cs values were measured and statistically compared among groups and evaluated with ROC curve analysis. The presence of a hyperintense FA rim (a rim of edematous tissue that was hyperintense on the FA map) was assessed visually. RESULTS: Abscess was significantly different from glioblastoma for all tensor metrics measured in the cystic cavity and immediate zone of edema and for all except Cl in the enhancing rim. Abscess was significantly different from metastasis for all tensor metrics measured in the cystic cavity and enhancing rim and for FA, ADC, and Cl in immediate zone of edema. The incidence of a hyperintense FA rim was significantly higher in glioblastoma and metastasis compared with abscess. The 3 tensor metrics with the highest performance in differentiating abscess from glioblastoma and metastasis were FA, Cl, and Cs of the cystic cavity. CONCLUSIONS: DTI is able to differentiate abscess from glioblastoma and metastasis. FA, Cl, and Cs outperformed ADC in diagnostic performance comparisons.
Clozapine: an effective treatment for seriously violent and psychopathic men with antisocial personality disorder in a UK high-security hospital

Objective A number of studies have demonstrated the anti-aggressive properties of clozapine in schizophrenia and its positive effect in borderline personality disorder. There is no published literature on the treatment of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) with clozapine. We present a case series of 7 patients with primary ASPD and high psychopathic traits treated with clozapine, having a significant history of serious violence and currently detained in a UK based high-security hospital. Methods A retrospective review of case notes was carried out to formulate Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scores and record incidents of violence and aggression. Effect on specific symptom domains (cognitive-perceptual, impulsive-behavioural dyscontrol, affective dysregulation) was also noted. Metabolic parameters and serum clozapine levels were also sampled. Results All 7 patients showed significant improvement on clozapine. It was shown to benefit all symptom domains, especially impulsive behavioral dyscontrol and anger. The number of violent incidents committed by 6 of the 7 patients reduced significantly, and all patients’ risk of violence reduced. Clozapine serum levels for 6 of the 7 patients were in the range 150–350 ng/mL. Conclusion Clozapine is of benefit in reducing the clinical severity of ASPD. It improved all symptom domains, especially impulsive-behavioral dyscontrol and anger, and reduced levels of aggression and violence, especially at lower doses (serum levels <350 ng/m). To our knowledge, this is the first account of clozapine treatment in patients with ASPD and high psychopathy.
An Incremental Learning of Concept Drifts Using Evolving Type-2 Recurrent Fuzzy Neural Networks

The age of online data stream and dynamic environments results in the increasing demand of advanced machine learning techniques to deal with concept drifts in large data streams. Evolving fuzzy systems (EFS) are one of recent initiatives from the fuzzy system community to resolve the issue. Existing EFSs are not robust against data uncertainty, temporal system dynamics, and the absence of system order, because a vast majority of EFSs are designed in the type-1 feedforward network architecture. This paper aims to solve the issue of data uncertainty, temporal behavior, and the absence of system order by developing a novel evolving recurrent fuzzy neural network, called evolving type-2 recurrent fuzzy neural network (eT2RFNN). eT2RFNN is constructed in a new recurrent network architecture, featuring double recurrent layers. The new recurrent network architecture evolves a generalized interval type-2 fuzzy rule, where the rule premise is built upon the interval type-2 multivariate Gaussian function, whereas the rule consequent is crafted by the nonlinear wavelet function. The eT2RFNN adopts a holistic concept of evolving systems, where the fuzzy rule can be automatically generated, pruned, merged, and recalled in the single-pass learning mode. eT2RFNN is capable of coping with the problem of high dimensionality because it is equipped with online feature selection technology. The efficacy of eT2RFNN was experimentally validated using artificial and real-world data streams and compared with prominent learning algorithms. eT2RFNN produced more reliable predictive accuracy, while retaining lower complexity than its counterparts.
Extreme right-wing voting in Western Europe

In this study we explain extreme right-wing voting behaviour in the countries of the European Union and Norway from a micro and macro perspective. Using a multidisci- plinary multilevel approach, we take into account individual-level social background char- acteristics and public opinion alongside country characteristics and characteristics of extreme right-wing parties themselves. By making use of large-scale survey data (N = 49,801) together with country-level statistics and expert survey data, we are able to explain extreme right-wing voting behaviour from this multilevel perspective. Our results show that cross- national differences in support of extreme right-wing parties are particularly due to dif- ferences in public opinion on immigration and democracy, the number of non-Western residents in a country and, above all, to party characteristics of the extreme right-wing parties themselves.
Perceptions of Agility and Collaboration in Software Development Practice

Agility is a facet of software development attracting increasing interest. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the value of agility in practice. Data collected from senior development/project managers in 62 organizations is used to investigate perceptions related to agile development. Specifically, the perceptions tested relate to (a) belief in agile values and principles, and (b) value of agile principles within current development and organizational practice. These perceptions are then examined in the context of current practice in order to test perceptions against behavior and understand the valued aspects of agile practice that are implicit in software development today. The findings suggest that agile values and principles related to communication and collaboration, and team involvement are perceived as important and are being practiced widely. On the other hand, principles related to reflection and frequent delivery of software are rated high to medium in importance but its full adoption in practice is limited. The principle relating to managing changing requirements is perceived as significant but agile practices relating to this principle are not being implemented in practice.
Commentary: Does Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) show a sustainable effect on delusions? A meta-analysis

In their meta-analysis, Mehl et al. (2015) examine whether CBT for psychosis is an effective intervention for reducing delusions. The authors reported a small but significant effect size for CBT in comparison to TAU at end-of-therapy (k = 13; d = 0.27) and at follow-up (k = 12; d = 0.25). By contrast, no significant benefit emerged for CBT when compared to active control conditions either at end-of-therapy (k = 8; d = 0.16) or at follow-up (k = 5; d = −0.04). The meta-analysis, however, contains errors and omissions that when rectified, cast doubt on the reliability of the reported significant effects comparing CBT to Treatment as Usual (TAU) at end-of treatment and at follow-up.
Negotiating Relational Practice Patterns in Palliative Home Care

Providing palliative care in the home presents a variety of challenges for nurses and other care providers. As part of a focused ethnographic study examining client/caregiver/care-provider relationships within the socio-cultural context of home-based palliative care, this paper describes the provision of palliative care to Canadian seniors with advanced cancer from the perspective of nurses. Data were collected through in-depth interviews (n=19) with three palliative care nurses and participant observations in four households over a six-to-eight-month period. Home-based palliative care nursing was depicted in this study as a dialectical experience, revealing three relational practice patterns: making time-forfeiting time, connecting-withdrawing, and enabling-disabling. Nurses attempted to negotiate the tensions between these opposing approaches to palliative care. Study findings suggest that the socio-cultural context of palliative care is not conducive to high-quality palliative care and provide several insights related to future directions for practice, policy, and research.
Optimization of RNA Extraction from Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Blocks for Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing

Purpose Breast cancer has a high prevalence in Korea. To achieve personalized therapy for breast cancer, long-term follow-up specimens are needed for next-generation sequencing (NGS) and multigene analysis. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples are easier to store than fresh frozen (FF) samples. The objective of this study was to optimize RNA extraction from FFPE blocks for NGS. Methods RNA quality from FF and FFPE tissues (n=5), expected RNA amount per unit area, the relationship between archiving time and quantity/quality of FFPE-extracted RNA (n=14), differences in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and NGS results, and comparisons of both techniques with tissue processing at different institutions (n=96) were determined in this study. Results The quality of RNA did not show any statistically significant difference between paired FF and FFPE specimens (p=0.49). Analysis of tumor cellularity gave an expected RNA amount of 33.25 ng/mm2. Archiving time affected RNA quality, showing a negative correlation with RNA integrity number and a positive correlation with threshold cycle. However, RNA from samples as old as 10 years showed a 100% success rate in qRT-PCR using short primers, showing that the effect of archiving time can be overcome by proper experiment design. NGS showed a higher success rate than qRT-PCR. Specimens from institution B (n=46), which were often stored in a refrigerator for more than 6 hours and fixed without slicing, showed lower success rates and worse results than specimens from the other institutes. Conclusion Archived FFPE tissues can be used to extract RNA for NGS if they are properly processed before fixation. The expected amount of RNA per unit size calculated in this study will be useful for other researchers.
Evidence for Cross-species Influenza A Virus Transmission Within Swine Farms, China: A One Health, Prospective Cohort Study

Background Our understanding of influenza A virus transmission between humans and pigs is limited. Methods Beginning in 2015, we used a One Health approach and serial sampling to prospectively study 299 swine workers and 100 controls, their 9000 pigs, and 6 pig farm environments in China for influenza A viruses (IAVs) using molecular, culture, and immunological techniques. Study participants were closely monitored for influenza-like illness (ILI) events. Results Upon enrollment, swine workers had higher serum neutralizing antibody titers against swine H1N1 and higher nasal wash total immunoglobulin A (IgA) and specific IgA titers against swine H1N1 and H3N2 viruses. Over a period of 12 months, IAVs were detected by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in 46 of 396 (11.6%) environmental swabs, 235 of 3300 (7.1%) pig oral secretion, 23 of 396 (5.8%) water, 20 of 396 (5.1%) aerosol, and 19 of 396 (4.8%) fecal-slurry specimens. Five of 32 (15.6%) participants with ILI events had nasopharyngeal swab specimens that were positive for IAV, and 17 (53.1%) demonstrated 4-fold rises in neutralization titers against a swine virus. Reassorted Eurasian avian-lineage H1N1, A(H1N1)pdm09-like, and swine-lineage H3N2 viruses were identified in pig farms. The A(H1N1)pdm09-like H1N1 viruses identified in swine were nearly genetically identical to the human H1N1 viruses isolated from the participants with ILI. Conclusions There was considerable evidence of A(H1N1)pdm09-like, swine-lineage H1N1, and swine-lineage H3N2 viruses circulating, likely reassorting, and likely crossing species within the pig farms. These data suggest that stronger surveillance for novel influenza virus emergence within swine farms is imperative.
Cognitive Reappraisal in Preschoolers: Neuropsychological Evidence of Emotion Regulation From an ERP Study

Late positive potential (LPP) is associated with the magnitude and intensity of emotional reactivity. Studies have linked the adoption of cognitive reappraisal to the reduction of LPP amplitude in adults and school-age children but not in preschoolers. It may be due to preschoolers’ difficulty in understanding and remembering given interpretations. We examined changes in LPP amplitudes following simplified interpretations of unpleasant pictures in 20 preschoolers (48–71 months). Results demonstrated that LPP amplitudes, following neutral interpretations, were lower as compared to negative interpretations, suggesting that preschoolers as young as four have developed the ability to use cognitive reappraisal strategies following instructions.
Short preamble-based estimation of highly frequency selective channels in FBMC/OQAM

Channel estimation in multicarrier systems employing filter banks with offset quadrature amplitude modulation (FBMC/OQAM) is known to face challenges related to the interference effect intrinsic to these systems. Most of the methods reported thus far rely on the assumption of (almost) flat subchannels - implying a low frequency selective channel - to more easily tackle this problem. Others, more recent ones, relax this assumption but they either depend on a model for the channel or they concentrate on per-subchannel estimation and often require long training sequences. This paper revisits this problem by proposing a method that makes no assumption on the channel frequency selectivity, while using a very short preamble for training. The latter is optimized with respect to the channel estimation mean squared error. The superiority of the proposed method over classical ones is demonstrated via simulation results for both mildly and highly frequency selective channels.
Laboring to Mother in the Context of Past Trauma

The occurrence of interpersonal trauma is a reality for many women, with effects that often persist long after the traumatic events end. The purpose of this feminist grounded theory study was to examine how past trauma shaped the lives of women as they became new mothers. We recruited a purposive sample of 32 women from two Canadian communities and conducted semistructured, dialogic interviews during the second trimester of pregnancy. We analyzed data using thematic content analytic methods, including open coding whereby we read transcripts line by line and applied codes to portions of text that illustrated concepts or themes. The substantive grounded theory, “laboring to mother in the context of past trauma,” describes the exceedingly difficult emotional and cognitive work undertaken by pregnant women with histories of trauma as they anticipate becoming mothers. In this article, we present key components of the theory and offer recommendations for health and social service providers.
IL-33 citrine reporter mice reveal the temporal and spatial expression of IL-33 during allergic lung inflammation

Interleukin‐33 (IL‐33) is an IL‐1 family cytokine that signals via its receptor T1/ST2, and is a key regulator of inflammation, notably the type‐2 response implicated in allergic asthma. Critical to our understanding of the role of IL‐33 is the identification of the cellular sources of IL‐33. Although progress has been made in this area, the development of a robust live cell reporter of expression would allow the localisation of IL‐33 during ongoing immune responses. We have generated a fluorescent reporter mouse line, Il33Cit/+, to define the expression profile of IL‐33 in vivo and demonstrate its temporal and spatial expression during experimental allergic asthma responses. We found that type‐2 pneumocytes constitute the major source of IL‐33 upon allergic lung inflammation following exposure to OVA, fungal extract or ragweed pollen. Using Il33Cit/Cit mice (IL‐33‐deficient), we establish a role for IL‐33 early in the initiation of type‐2 responses and the induction of nuocytes (ILC2). We also demonstrate a potential mechanism of action by which IL‐33 rapidly initiates type‐2 immune responses. Il33Cit/+ mice have enabled new insights into the initiation of type‐2 responses and will provide an important tool for further dissection of this important inflammatory pathway in vivo.
Acute Incremental Exercise Decreases Plasma Ghrelin Level in Healthy Men

Introduction & Ghrelin, a 28 amino acid peptide, was originally isolated as an endogenous ligand for growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) from human and rat stomach [1] . This peptide strongly stimulates GH secretion and food intake [1] . Plasma ghrelin levels increase following fasting and decrease after oral and intravenous glucose administration, suggesting that ghrelin is upregulated under conditions of negative energy balance and downregulated in the setting of positive energy balance [2] . The systemic circulation during acute exercise is regulated by the attenuation of vagal efferent activity, known as Bainbridge refl ex, and an increase of sympathetic nerve activity. A vagal efferent pathway mediates ghrelin release [3, 4] . In addition, gastric vagal afferent serves as the major pathway conveying ghrelin ’ s signals for starvation and growth hormone secretion to the brain [5] . Moreover, ghrelin exhibits GHS-R-independent biological activities, including a cytoprotective effect on cultured cardiomyocytes and a proliferative effect on human osteoblast [6, 7] . Thus, ghrelin plays a role in cell survival through anabolic processes. As exercise stress induces a variety of catabolic processes, involving glycolysis, lipolysis, and protein degradation [8] . We assume that ghrelin release and ghrelin action may change in response to the alternation of the autonomic activity and / or catabolic state during an acute exercise. A number of studies have reported the relationship between plasma ghrelin levels and exercise [9 – 14] . Although acute aerobic exercise such as running and cycling exercise is not likely to alter plasma ghrelin levels [9, 11, 12, 14] , acute resistance exercise induces a decline in circulating ghrelin levels [10, 13] . These fi ndings suggest that mechanical stress to muscles or the metabolic state may infl uence the plasma ghrelin concentrations. However, the relationship between physical exercise and changes in plasma ghrelin levels has yet to be defi ned. We investigated the effect of energy consumption including metabolic changes on plasma ghrelin level using incremental exercise protocol, in which each stage was set for 10 minutes for stabilizing the relationship between exercise intensity and hormonal parameters.
HTSFs in peripheral, knowledge intensive areas: an in-depth analysis in Pisa

Osservatorio sulle imprese high-tech della Provincia di Pisa 2 Abstract The case of Pisa, in Italy, emerges as an effective representation of the difficulties and opportunities of HTSFs in peripheral regions, as well as of the challenges and phases that a knowledge-based local economic policy might face. The paper summarizes the results of a three year empirical analysis of the local HT sector. Over 200 firms, with an impressive average growth rate, have been identified and analysed in the province of Pisa, where a traditional manufacturing sector is slowly but constantly declining and coexists with an outstanding public research system, which attracts and retain in the city important human resources, generates high-tech start-ups and attracts external companies in the area. Four different categories of firms are identified and analyzed: (1) established innovators, (2) technology integrators, (3) technology labs and (4) emerging innovators. Furthermore, three phases of development of Pisa high-tech sectors are described: (1) birth and innovative growth, (2) consolidation and stability and (3) clustering and restart. It seem that the knowledge-based potentialities of the area will represent a strong asset for its future development; nonetheless, the relative weakness of networking initiatives, the lack of a clear public and private leadership in the sector, and the inadequacy of the local financial market are identified as the main bottlenecks for the further growth of an already promising HT cluster.
The geology of the Orapa A/K1 kimberlite, Botswana: further insight into the emplacement of kimberlite pipes

The A/Kl kimberlite pipe is the largest of a cluster of more than fifty kimberlite intrusions which have been located in the western part of Central District, Botswana. The kimberlite was discovered in 1967, and has been mined for diamonds since 1971. Limited erosion since the pipes emplacement in the Cretaceous (Davis, 1977) has preserved much of the crater zone of the kimberlite. Mining and deep drilling have subsequently exposed much of the crater zone, thus affording the authors the unique opportunity to study this zone in detail. At surface the pipe has an oval, bi-lobate shape and an area of 118.4 hectares. At depth (approximately 220 metres below surface) the kimberlite body separates into two independent diatremes (referred to as the southern and northern lobes respectively). Crater, diatreme and hypabyssal facies have been identified within the body. The kimberlite intruded through Archaean granitic basement, sedimentary rocks of the Palaeozoic Karoo sequence and the Jurassic Stormberg basalt lavas. Detailed field mapping and petrographic examination suggest that the northern lobe was emplaced first, and that its deposits were disrupted and truncated by the formation of the southern crater. The preserved deposits of the northern lobe appear to be far less complicated than those of the southern lobe. These comprise competent, grossly layered pyroclastic kimberlite which grades downwards into monotonous diatreme facies tuffisitic kimberlite breccia. Deep drilling has revealed that the northern diatreme is a steep-sided body with a regular outline In the southern lobe, diatreme facies tuffistic kimberlite breccia is sharply overlain by a heterolithic breccia at about 450 metres below surface. The latter contains little or no kimberlite-derived constituents, and is interpreted to represent an early talus deposit