Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical features and outcomes in patients with non-acoustic cerebellopontine angle tumours

OBJECTIVES Non-acoustic tumours of the cerebellopontine angle differ from vestibular schwannomas in their prevalence, clinical features, operative management, and surgical outcome. These features were studied in patients presenting to the regional neuro-otological unit. METHODS A retrospective analysis of clinical notes identified 42 patients with non-acoustic tumours of the cerebellopontine angle. Data were extracted regarding presenting clinical features, histopathological data after surgical resection, surgical morbidity and mortality, and clinical outcome (mean 32 months follow up). RESULTS The study group comprised 25 meningiomas (60%), 12 epidermoid cysts/cholesteatomata (28%), and five other tumours. In patients with meningiomas, symptoms differed considerably from patients presenting with vestibular schwannomas. Cerebellar signs were present in 52% and hearing loss in only 68%. Twenty per cent of patients had hydrocephalus at the time of diagnosis. After surgical resection, normal facial nerve function was preserved in 75% of cases. In the epidermoid group, fifth, seventh, and eighth nerve deficits were present in 42%, 33%, and 66% respectively. There were no new postoperative facial palsies. There were two recurrences (17%) requiring reoperation. Overall, there were two perioperative deaths from pneumonia and meningitis. CONCLUSIONS Patients with non-acoustic lesions of the cerebellopontine angle often present with different symptoms and signs from those found in patients with schwannomas. Hearing loss is less prevalent and cerebellar signs and facial paresis are more common as presenting features. Hydrocephalus is often present in patients presenting with cerebellopontine angle meningiomas. Non-acoustic tumours can usually be resected with facial nerve preservation.
Social Influence and Consumption: Evidence from the Automobile Purchases of Neighbors

This study analyzes the automobile purchase behavior of all residents of two Finnish provinces over several years. Using a comprehensive data set with location coordinates at the individual consumer level, it finds that the purchases of neighbors, particularly in the recent past and by those who are geographically most proximate, influence a consumer's purchases of automobiles. There is little evidence that emotional biases, like envy, account for the observed social influence on consumption.
LC-PUFA-Enriched Oil Production by Microalgae: Accumulation of Lipid and Triacylglycerols Containing n-3 LC-PUFA Is Triggered by Nitrogen Limitation and Inorganic Carbon Availability in the Marine Haptophyte Pavlova lutheri

In most microalgal species, triacyglycerols (TAG) contain mostly saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, rather than PUFA, while PUFA-enriched oil is the form most desirable for dietary intake. The ability of some species to produce LC-PUFA-enriched oil is currently of specific interest. In this work, we investigated the role of sodium bicarbonate availability on lipid accumulation and n-3 LC-PUFA partitioning into TAG during batch cultivation of Pavlova lutheri. Maximum growth and nitrate uptake exhibit an optimum concentration and threshold tolerance to bicarbonate addition (~9 mM) above which both parameters decreased. Nonetheless, the transient highest cellular lipid and TAG contents were obtained at 18 mM bicarbonate, immediately after combined alkaline pH stress and nitrate depletion (day nine), while oil body and TAG accumulation were highly repressed with low carbon supply (2 mM). Despite decreases in the proportions of EPA and DHA, maximum volumetric and cellular EPA and DHA contents were obtained at this stage due to accumulation of TAG containing EPA/DHA. TAG accounted for 74% of the total fatty acid per cell, containing 55% and 67% of the overall cellular EPA and DHA contents, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that inorganic carbon availability and elevated pH represent two limiting factors for lipid and TAG accumulation, as well as n-3 LC-PUFA partitioning into TAG, under nutrient-depleted P. lutheri cultures.
Political Claims and Discourse Formations: A Comparative Account on Germany and Greece in the Eurozone Crisis

The economic crisis following the financial meltdown in 2007 had disparate impacts for citizens of the southern and northern Eurozone member states. In this study, we analyze public debates in Germany and Greece, two countries that have attracted global attention during the crisis, through a political claims analysis based on newspaper articles published between 2005 and 2014. The article makes use of multiple correspondence analysis to detect the patterns governing the discursive construction of the European financial and economic crisis. Our findings corroborate the expected differences between the Greek and German debates in regard to core issues and assessments. However, the de-alignment of political cleavages in both countries is notable and stresses seemingly an underlying mainstreaming process that limits the diversity of crisis-related claims. Related Articles in this Special Issue Zamponi, Lorenzo, and Lorenzo Bosi. 2016. “Which Crisis? European Crisis and National Contexts in Public Discourse. ” Politics & Policy 44 (3): 400–426. http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/10.1111/polp.12156/abstract Temple, Luke, Maria T. Grasso, Barbara Buraczynska, Sotirios Karampampas, and Patrick English. 2016. “Neoliberal Narrative in Times of Economic Crisis: A Political Claims Analysis of the U.K. Press, 2007–14. ” Politics & Policy 44 (3): 553–576. http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/10.1111/polp.12161/abstract English, Patrick, Maria T. Grasso, Barbara Buraczynska, Sotirios Karampampas, and Luke Temple. 2016. “Convergence on Crisis? Comparing Labour and Conservative Party Framing of the Economic Crisis, 2008–14. ” Politics & Policy 44 (3): 577–603. http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/10.1111/polp.12160/abstract La crisis economica que siguio a la crisis financiera de 2007 ha tenido consecuencias dispares para los ciudadanos de los estados miembros al norte y sur de la Eurozona. En este articulo analizamos los debates publicos en Alemania y Grecia, dos paises que han atraido atencion durante la crisis, a traves de un analisis de declaraciones politicas basado en articulos de periodicos publicados entre 2005 y 2014. Este estudio hace uso de un analisis de correspondencia para detectar los patrones que rigen la construccion del discurso sobre la crisis financiera y economica en Europa. Nuestros resultados confirman las diferencias esperadas entre los debates alemanes y griegos en cuanto a los temas centrales y su evaluacion. Sin embargo, la disparidad en la division politica en ambos paises es notable y destaca un proceso subyacente general que limita la diversidad de las declaraciones relacionadas a la crisis.
Towards inclusive schooling policies in Finland: a multiple-case study from policy to practice

New education laws that emphasize inclusive ideology were recently introduced to the Finnish educational system. In this study, I examine whether these laws provide more inclusive practices and assess whether the changes in the laws meet the views of the participants on education. Semi-structured interviews with parents, teachers and assistants of three children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (age: 6–8 years) were conducted around the period of transfer from kindergarten to schools in three municipalities. The official municipality websites were examined to find types of classrooms offered. The results showed that classrooms did not meet all expectations of the participants and were not satisfactorily inclusive. To enable structure and safety, the classrooms should be smaller (in the catchment area school) and should include pupils with and without special education support to learn from and support each other. The importance of one-to-one interaction with professional staff was also emphasized. In conclusion, the effect of the new laws could be seen through varying and to some extent unequal organizing of special educational support in the municipalities.
IVHS TECHNOLOGIES APPLIED TO COLLISION AVOIDANCE: PERSPECTIVES ON SIX TARGET CRASH TYPES AND COUNTERMEASURES

The NHTSA Office of Crash Avoidance Research (OCAR), in conjunction with the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC), has underway a multi-disciplinary program to :identify crash causal factors and applicable countermeasure concepts, model target crash scenarios and Intelligent Vehicle Highway System (IVHS) technological interventions, provide preliminary device effectiveness estimates, and to identify countermeasure research data needs. To date, five major target crash types (representing, in the aggregate, more than half of all crashes) have been examined:
Strategic Human Resource Management: Influences on Perceived Organizational Support and Job Attitudes

The transformation towards Strategic Human Resource Management is a goal of most HR Departments today. This study investigated the relationship between how strategic the HR function of the firm is on job attitudes and perceived organizational support (POS) while controlling for covariates such as age, gender, job level and work tenure. Nineteen firms (180 participants) responded to questionnaires. Results showed that strategic human resource (SHR) is positively related to job attitudes namely, affective commitment (AC), sacrifice commitment (Sacrifice CC), and employee engagement (EE) while it was unrelated to alternative commitment (Alternative CC). A significant relationship was also found between SHR and POS. Finally, the study found the relationship between SHR to AC, Sacrifice CC and EE were individually mediated by POS. Implications of the findings especially in relation to designing HR activities that promote higher POS due to its mediating role with the job attitudes are discussed.
Association of CD44 Gene Polymorphism with Survival of NSCLC and Risk of Bone Metastasis

Background Previous studies have reported CD44 expression influenced the development and progression of tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CD44 gene are associated with survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and occurrence rate of bone metastasis. Material/Methods A total of 234 patients with NSCLC between 2003 and 2010 were enrolled in this study and 468 healthy persons were used as controls. Two polymorphisms, rs13347 and rs187115, in the CD44 gene were genotyped using DNA from blood lymphocytes. For statistical analysis we used the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, Kaplan-Meier method, and log-rank test. Results CD44 gene rs13347 polymorphism was not associated with NSCLC risk. For rs187115, the association with NSCLC risk was observed (P<0.001). Allele G carriers had significantly higher occurrence rates of bone metastasis (OR=0.4, 95%CI: 0.20–0.64, P<0.001) and more advanced tumor stage (OR=2.6, 95%CI: 1.50–4.45, P=0.001) compared to carriers of allele A. The survival rates for patients with AA genotype were significantly higher than for patients with the AG+GG genotypes (P<0.001). In multivariate analysis of survival in NSCLC patients, significant predictors were CD44 gene (AG+GG) (RR=0.48, 95%CI: 0.34–0.68, P<0.001), tumor stage (RR=0.45, 95%CI: 0. 0.31–0.65, P<0.001), and bone metastasis (RR=1.52, 95%CI: 1.05–2.21, P=0.027). Conclusions CD44 gene rs187115 polymorphism is a potential predictive marker of survival in NSCLC patients, and is significantly correlated with bone metastasis and tumor stage.
By invitation only: uses and users of the ‘entrepreneurial city’

ABSTRACT Large-scale urban development projects (LSUDPs) are embodying the diffusion of an entrepreneurial approach into urban policy and consequently to planning, with the built environment being transformed into spaces oriented towards specific users and uses. For planning practice, this entails including urban forms and discourses that support exclusion and polarization in planning projects. This paper asks how physical planning promotes and/or hinders spatial and socio-economic integration in these projects. The analysis focuses on two UDPs in Malmö, Sweden. Official planning documents, interviews with public officials and the media are used to illustrate the discourses and practices built around these projects to glance over aspects of equity and integration in a city that is plagued by socio-economic and spatial segregation. The paper contributes to the discussions on implications and dilemmas for physical planning derived from the adoption of entrepreneurial approaches in urban policy.
On the variations of Cervical Dermatomes

Address for Correspondence: Henrietta Nittby, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Sweden, BMC D10 SE-221 85 Sweden. E-Mail : henrietta.nittby@med.lu. se Access this Article online Quick Response code Web site: *1 Center for Rheumatology and Spinal Diseases, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup, Denmark. 2 Department of Neurosurgery, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Sweden. Background: Nerve-root related dermatomes have been considered to have quite solid anatomical framings. However, especially in the lumbar region, studies have questioned such firm anatomy. Regarding the cervical nerve roots, many studies have shown an overlap between different dermatomes, which of course affects decisions taken in the clinical work. All the same, dermatome drawings with clear borders are still widely used. Context and purpose of the study: We conducted a literature review in order to find today’s state of the art, including the methods on which the anatomical atlases have been based. The overall pragmatic thoughts were to create summarized guide for clinicians when trying to correlate an MRI-demonstrated prolapse/recess stenosis to pain and neurologic findings, particularly if the nerve root’s peripheral neurology does not follow conventional anatomy. Results: We isolated 24 studies that sufficiently dealt with the issue of cervical dermatomes. Pain and sensory disturbance caused by cervical root affection could deviate from the dermatomal patterns. We found indications that sometimes no paralysis or anaesthesia would be seen after section of a single root. Because the fraction of cases without classical fit between nerve root and anatomical level cannot be given, studies should go into this issue. Conclusion: There are many studies showing that dermatomal distributions are varying, and not only overlapping. We therefore mean that new studies, with modern imaging and surgical techniques, are much needed.
Technology as Problem-Solving Procedures and Technology as Input-Output Relations: Some Perspectives on the Theory of Production

In this work, inspired by Winter [2006], in fact of vintage 1968, we discuss the relation between three di erent levels of analysis of technologies, namely as (i) bodies of problem-solving knowledge, (ii) organizational procedures, and (iii) input-output relations. We begin by arguing that the "primitive" levels of investigation, "where the action is", are those which concern knowledge and organizational procedures, while in most respects the I/O representation is just an ex post, derived, one. Next, we outline what we consider to be important advances in the understanding of productive knowledge and of the nature and behaviors of business organizations which to a good extent embody such a knowledge. Finally, we explore some implications of such "procedural" view of technologies in terms of input-output relations (of which standard production functions are a particular instantiation). We do that with the help of some pieces of evidence, drawing both upon incumbent literature and our own elaboration on micro longitudinal data on the Italian industry.
Spreading code detection and blind interference cancellation for DS/CDMA downlink

We propose a new blind interference scheme algorithm suitable for the direct-sequence code-division multiple access (DS/CDMA) downlink. The interferer codes are unknown but the family to which they belong is supposed to be known. The proposed technique is blind in the sense that only the desired user's spreading code is assumed to be known a priori. The remaining parameters required for the interference cancellation such as spreading codes and energies of interfering users are estimated using subspace decomposition and projection on the family of codes. Fast and efficient implementations are discussed. Therefore, unlike standard interference cancellers which can be used only in the uplink, the proposed method can be implemented at the mobile terminal.
Fixing cystic fibrosis by correcting CFTR domain assembly

For cystic fibrosis (CF) patients most therapies focus on alleviating the disease symptoms. Yet the cellular basis of the disease has been well studied; mutations in the CF gene can impair folding, secretion, cell surface stability, and/or function of the CFTR chloride channel. Correction of these basic defects has been a challenge, but indicates that a deeper understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanism of mutations is a prerequisite for developing more efficient therapies.
Government Expenditure in the Manufacturing Sector and Economic Growth in Nigeria 1981 – 2010

The contribution of the manufacturing sector of the economy cannot over emphasized when considering its role in building grounds for development, its employment potentials and impacts on the economy. This study is set forth to explore the average contribution of the manufacturing sector to the national earning of Nigeria over the years, using a time series data from 1981 to 2010 sourced from the Central bank of Nigeria. The empirical perspective of this paper applied the unit root test and co integration, relying on the theoretical backing posited by Solow. It was found that a significant relationship exist between government expenditure in the manufacturing sector and the economic growth of Nigeria. ——————————  ——————————
The Core Binding Factor CBF Negatively Regulates Skeletal Muscle Terminal Differentiation

Background Core Binding Factor or CBF is a transcription factor composed of two subunits, Runx1/AML-1 and CBF beta or CBFβ. CBF was originally described as a regulator of hematopoiesis. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we show that CBF is involved in the control of skeletal muscle terminal differentiation. Indeed, downregulation of either Runx1 or CBFβ protein level accelerates cell cycle exit and muscle terminal differentiation. Conversely, overexpression of CBFβ in myoblasts slows terminal differentiation. CBF interacts directly with the master myogenic transcription factor MyoD, preferentially in proliferating myoblasts, via Runx1 subunit. In addition, we show a preferential recruitment of Runx1 protein to MyoD target genes in proliferating myoblasts. The MyoD/CBF complex contains several chromatin modifying enzymes that inhibits MyoD activity, such as HDACs, Suv39h1 and HP1β. When overexpressed, CBFβ induced an inhibition of activating histone modification marks concomitant with an increase in repressive modifications at MyoD target promoters. Conclusions/Significance Taken together, our data show a new role for Runx1/CBFβ in the control of the proliferation/differentiation in skeletal myoblasts.
A Historical Overview of Natural Products in Drug Discovery

Historically, natural products have been used since ancient times and in folklore for the treatment of many diseases and illnesses. Classical natural product chemistry methodologies enabled a vast array of bioactive secondary metabolites from terrestrial and marine sources to be discovered. Many of these natural products have gone on to become current drug candidates. This brief review aims to highlight historically significant bioactive marine and terrestrial natural products, their use in folklore and dereplication techniques to rapidly facilitate their discovery. Furthermore a discussion of how natural product chemistry has resulted in the identification of many drug candidates; the application of advanced hyphenated spectroscopic techniques to aid in their discovery, the future of natural product chemistry and finally adopting metabolomic profiling and dereplication approaches for the comprehensive study of natural product extracts will be discussed.
Supervisory Control of Nondeterministic Systems with Driven Events via Prioritized Synchronization and Trajectory Models

The supervisory control of nondeterministic discrete event dynamical systems (DEDSs) with driven events in the setting of prioritized synchronization and trajectory models introduced by Heymann are studied. Prioritized synchronization captures the notions of controllable, uncontrollable, and driven events in a natural way, and the authors use it for constructing supervisory controllers. The trajectory model is used for characterizing the behavior of nondeterministic DEDSs since it is a sufficiently detailed model (in contrast to the less detailed language or failures models), and serves as a language congruence with respect to the operation of prioritized synchronization. Results concerning controllability and observability in this general setting are obtained.
MRI-Based Selection for Intra-Arterial Stroke Therapy: Value of Pretreatment Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Lesion Volume in Selecting Patients With Acute Stroke Who Will Benefit From Early Recanalization

Background and Purpose— Recent studies demonstrate that an acute diffusion-weighted imaging lesion volume >70 cm3 predicts poor outcome in patients with stroke. We sought to determine if this threshold could identify patients treated with intra-arterial therapy who would do poorly despite reperfusion. In patients with initial infarcts <70 cm3, we sought to determine what effect recanalization and time to recanalization had on infarct growth and functional outcome. Methods— We retrospectively studied 34 consecutive patients with anterior circulation stroke who underwent pretreatment diffusion-weighted imaging and perfusion-weighted imaging and subsequent intra-arterial therapy. Recanalization success and time to recanalization were recorded. Initial diffusion-weighted imaging and mean transit time lesion and final infarct volumes were determined. Patients were stratified based on initial infarct volume, recanalization status, and time to recanalization. Statistical tests were performed to assess differences in clinical and imaging outcomes. Good clinical outcome was defined as a 3-month modified Rankin Scale score ≤2. Results— Among patients with initial infarcts >70 cm3, all had poor outcomes despite a 50% recanalization rate with mean infarct growth of 114 cm3. These patients also had the largest mean transit time volumes (P<0.04). Patients with initial infarct volumes <70 cm3 who recanalized early had the best clinical outcomes (P<0.008) with a 64% rate of modified Rankin Scale score ≤2 and the least infarct growth (P<0.03) with mean growth of 18 cm3. Conclusion— This study supports the use of an acute diffusion-weighted imaging lesion volume threshold as an imaging selection criterion for intra-arterial therapy. It also confirms the importance of early reperfusion in selected patients.