Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shear Stiffness of 4 Common Intracranial Tumors Measured Using MR Elastography: Comparison with Intraoperative Consistency Grading

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The stiffness of intracranial tumors affects the outcome of tumor removal. We evaluated the stiffness of 4 common intracranial tumors by using MR elastography and tested whether MR elastography had the potential to discriminate firm tumors preoperatively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-four patients with meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, and gliomas scheduled for resection were recruited for MR elastography. On the elastogram, the mean and the maximum shear stiffnesses were measured by placing an ROI on the tumor. Blinded to the MR elastography findings, surgeons conducted qualitative intraoperative assessment of tumor consistency by using a 5-point scale. Histopathologic diagnosis was confirmed by using the resected specimens. The mean and maximum shear stiffnesses were compared with histopathologic subtypes, and the intraoperative tumor consistency was graded by the surgeons. RESULTS: The mean and maximum shear stiffnesses were the following: 1.9 ± 0.8 kPa and 3.4 ± 1.5 kPa for meningiomas, 1.2 ± 0.3 kPa and 1.8 ± 0.5 kPa for pituitary adenomas, 2.0 ± 0.4 kPa and 2.7 ± 0.8 kPa for vestibular schwannomas, and 1.5 ± 0.2 kPa and 2.7 ± 0.8 kPa for gliomas. The mean and maximum shear stiffnesses for meningiomas were higher than those of pituitary adenomas (P < .05). The mean and maximum shear stiffnesses were significantly correlated with the surgeon's qualitative assessment of tumor consistency (P < .05). The maximum shear stiffness for 5 firm tumors was higher than that of nonfirm tumors (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: MR elastography could evaluate intracranial tumors on the basis of their physical property of shear stiffness. MR elastography may be useful in discriminating firm tumors preoperatively.
Central nervous system distribution of the transcription factor Phox2b in the adult rat

Phox2b is required for development of the peripheral autonomic nervous system and a subset of cranial nerves and lower brainstem nuclei. Phox2b mutations in man cause diffuse autonomic dysfunction and deficits in the automatic control of breathing. Here we study the distribution of Phox2b in the adult rat hindbrain to determine whether this protein is selectively expressed by neurons involved in respiratory and autonomic control. In the medulla oblongata, Phox2b‐immunoreactive nuclei were present in the dorsal vagal complex, intermediate reticular nucleus, dorsomedial spinal trigeminal nucleus, nucleus ambiguus, catecholaminergic neurons, and retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN). Phox2b was expressed by both central excitatory relays of the sympathetic baroreflex (nucleus of the solitary tract and C1 neurons) but not by the inhibitory relay of this reflex. Phox2b was absent from the ventral respiratory column (VRC) caudal to RTN and rare within the parabrachial nuclei. In the pons, Phox2b was confined to cholinergic efferent neurons (salivary, vestibulocochlear) and noncholinergic peritrigeminal neurons. Rostral to the pons, Phox2b was detected only in the oculomotor complex. In adult rats, Phox2b is neither a comprehensive nor a selective marker of hindbrain autonomic pathways. This marker identifies a subset of hindbrain neurons that control orofacial movements (dorsomedial spinal trigeminal nucleus, pontine peritrigeminal neurons), balance and auditory function (vestibulocochlear efferents), the eyes, and both divisions of the autonomic efferent system. Phox2b is virtually absent from the respiratory rhythm and pattern generator (VRC and dorsolateral pons) but is highly expressed by neurons involved in the chemical drive and reflex regulation of this oscillator. J. Comp. Neurol. 503:627–641, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acute phase response after liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure and cirrhosis

The hepatic acute phase response after orthotopic transplantation (OLT) was studied in patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) and with cirrhosis, in relation to the pre-existing disease. Plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) increased significantly on day 1 after OLT in both the FHF (δ=58 μ/ml) and cirrhosis (δ=94 μ/ml) groups and reached a peak 4–5 days post surgery. α1-Antitrypsin reached normal levels on day 1 post-transplant and fibrinogen reached normal levels on the 3rd day. The main stimulator of acute phase protein synthesis IL-6 was significantly increased pre-OLT in plasma in both FHF (median 54 pg/ml) and cirrhosis (median 8.7 pg/ml) patients compared to controls (2.35 pg/ml, P<0.05). After OLT, IL-6 decreased rapidly in patients with FHF, indicating either removal of the source of IL-6 or clearance by the transplanted liver. In patients with cirrhosis, plasma IL-6 remained low, except in three patients who developed infection/rejection and whose IL-6 levels rose above 100 pg/ml. In conclusion, there is a marked acute phase response in the liver graft after transplantation, irrespective of the aetiology of the liver disease for which the transplant was performed.
Economic sources of homicide: reestimating the effects of poverty and inequality.

A tradition of research has consistently found that poverty is a major economic source of homicide. Two studies have recently presented findings that call this research tradition into question. The studies are reviewed, and it is argued that these contradictory findings are the result of an incorrect specification of the relationship between poverty and the homicide rate. Revised estimates of the effect of poverty are reported which show that it is a significant positive predictor of the homicide rate for a sample of SMSAs (N=125) when the nonlinearform of the relationship is taken into account. That effect, however, appears to vary by the regional location of SMSAs, that is, whether they are in the South or non-South. The implications of the findings for economic and subcultural explanations of homicide are briefly discussed.
Nueva metodología para la enseñanza asistida por ordenador de la electrónica aplicada

Se propone en esta tesis una nueva tecnologia para la ensenanza asistida por ordenador de la Electronica Aplicada. Para ello, se ha llevado a cabo una revision critica de los actuales metodos de ensenanza, se han incorporado los mapas conceptuales a la nueva metodologia y se ha realizado un estudio sobre los formatos y herramientas para la ensenanza mediante tecnicas hipermedia. Como resultado, se han desarrollado un conjunto de herramientas propias y se propone un sistema integrado de ensenanza/aprendizaje de la Electronica Analogica asistida por ordenador que comprende: un tutor hipermedia, simulacion, un laboratorio real con adquisicion de datos y un laboratorio virtual.
More good news on prophylactic arrhythmia management.

[1] Hennekens CH. Alcohol. In: Stamler J, Kaplan N, eds. Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: Practical Management of the Risk Factors. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1983: 130–8. [2] Willett W, Hennekens CH, Siegel AJ, Adner MM, Castelli WP. Alcohol consumption and high density lipoprotein cholesterol in marathon runners. N Engl J Med 1980; 303: 1159–61. [3] Hennekens CH, Buring JE. Epidemiology in Medicine. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1987. [4] Muntwyler J, Hennekens CH, Buring JE, Gaziano JM. Mortality and light to moderate alcohol consumption after myocardial infarction. Lancet 1998; 352: 1882–5. [5] Hennekens CH, Willett W, Rosner B, Cole DS, Mayrent SL. Effects of beer, wine, and liquor in coronary deaths. JAMA 1979; 242: 1973–4. [6] Manson JE, Tosteson H, Ridker PM et al. The primary prevention of myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 1992; 326: 1406–16.
Effects of antiglaucoma drops on MMP and TIMP balance in conjunctival and subconjunctival tissue.

PURPOSE To study the effects of antiglaucoma drugs on metabolism within the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the ocular surface, including corneal, conjunctival, and subconjunctival tissue. METHOD Several antiglaucoma drugs--including beta-blockers, alpha/beta-blockers, alpha1-blocker, alpha2-agonist, and prostaglandin derivative-were topically administrated to rat eyes daily for 2 weeks or were incubated with human corneal cells or human fibroblasts for 72 hours. Thereafter, expression and enzymatic activity of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a group of enzymes proteolyzing ECM and their inhibitors, called tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs), were evaluated. RESULTS Quantitative RT-PCR revealed significantly upregulated and downregulated expression of MMPs and TIMPs, respectively, in rat conjunctival and subconjunctival tissue on the administration of alpha/beta-blockers, alpha1-blocker, alpha2-agonist, and prostaglandin derivative, suggesting that these drugs may enhance ECM degradation. However, in contrast, beta-blocker administration caused reverse effects--that is, upregulation and downregulation of TIMPs and MMPs, respectively. Enzymatic activity of MMPs in rat conjunctival and subconjunctival tissue analyzed by biochemical assay and zymography was markedly enhanced on the administration of alpha/beta-blockers, alpha1-blocker, alpha2-agonist, and prostaglandin derivative, but not of beta-blockers. Similar effects of these antiglaucoma drugs were observed in cultured human corneal cells and human fibroblast cells. CONCLUSIONS The present experimental observations suggest that some alpha/beta-blockers, alpha1-blocker, alpha2-agonist, and prostaglandin derivative stimulate ECM degradation of ocular surface tissue by modulating the balance between MMPs and TIMPs.
Distribution of hip pain in osteoarthritis patients secondary to developmental dysplasia of the hip

ObjectivesOur aim was to clarify the distribution of hip pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip secondary to developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). MethodsWe retrospectively studied 443 hips in 369 patients with osteoarthritis secondary to DDH; mean age was 61 years, and follow-up rate was 84 %. Hip pain was defined as preoperative pain that was relieved 3 months after total hip arthroplasty.ResultsDistribution of pain originating in the hip was 89 % (393 hips) to the groin, 38 % (170 hips) to the buttock, 33 % (144 hips) to the anterior thigh, 29 % (130 hips) to the knee, 27 % (118 hips) to the greater trochanter, 17 % (76 hips) to the low back, and 8 % (34 hips) to the lower leg. When the groin, buttock, and greater trochanter were combined as the hip region, 95 % (421 hips) of pain was located in the hip region. On the other hand, when the anterior thigh, knee, lower leg, and low back were combined as the referral region, 55 % (242 hips) showed referred pain.ConclusionsWe suggest that rheumatologists be aware of hip disease masquerading as knee pain or low back pain.
A Computational Study of the Job-Shop Scheduling Problem

The job-shop scheduling problem is a notoriously difficult problem in combinatorial optimization. Although even modest sized instances remain computationally intractable, a number of important algorithmic advances have been made in recent years by J. Adams, E. Balas and D. Zawack; J. Carlier and E. Pinson; B. J. Lageweg, J. K. Lenstra and A. H. G. Rinnooy Kan; and others. Making use of a number of these advances, we have designed and implemented a new heuristic procedure for finding schedules, a cutting-plane method for obtaining lower bounds, and a combinatorial branch and bound algorithm. Our optimization procedure, combining the heuristic method and the combinatorial branch and bound algorithm, solved the well-known 10×10 problem of J. F. Muth and G. L. Thomson in under 7 minutes of computation time on a Sun Sparcstation 1. INFORMS Journal on Computing , ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.
HISTOPATHOLOGICAL AND HISTOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN HONEYBEE LARVAE (APIS MELLIFERA L.) AFTER INFECTION WITH BACILLUS LARVAE, THE CAUSATIVE AGENT OF AMERICAN FOULBROOD DISEASE

Morphological, histochemical and cytochemical changes were examined in honeybee larvae after infection with the bacterium Bacillus larvae. The results indicate cell necrosis in the midgut epithelium accompanied by increasing cell vacuolization and nuclear pyknosis following per os inoculation with B. larvae. Many autolysosomes were positive for acid phosphatase. Non‐vacuolar acid phosphatase activity was also found in lysed cell compartments. No such activity was found in regenerative epithelial cells. Degradation of haemocytes, salivary glands and other tissues was also observed. Histochemical analyses after per cutaneous inoculation with B. larvae of three‐ and five‐day‐old honeybee larvae show intense non‐vacuolar acid phosphatase activity followed by disintegration of infected salivary glands, epithelial cell cytoplasm and haemocytes.
Automatic Alerts for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Surveillance and Control: Role of a Hospital Information System

Abstract Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an escalating problem in hospitals worldwide. The hospital reservoir for MRSA includes recognized and unrecognized colonized or infected patients, as well as previously colonized or infected patients readmitted to the hospital. Early and appropriate infection control measures (ICM) are key elements to reduce MRSA transmission and to control the hospital reservoir. Objective: To describe the role of an expert system applied to the control of MRSA at a large medical center (1,600 beds) with high endemic rates. Methods: The University Hospital of Geneva has an extended hospital information system (HIS), DIOGENE, structured with an open distributed architecture. It includes administrative, medical, nursing, and laboratory applications with their relational databases. Among available patient databases, clinical microbiology laboratory and admission-discharge-transfer (ADT) databases are used to generate computer alerts. A laboratory alert (lab alert) is printed daily in the Infection Control Program (ICP) offices, listing all patients with cultures positive for MRSA detected within the preceding 24 hours. Patients might be either newly detected patients colonized or infected with MRSA, or previously recognized MRSA patients having surveillance cultures. The ICP nurses subsequently go to the ward or call the ward personnel to implement ICM. A second alert, the “readmission alert,” detects readmission to the hospital of any patient previously colonized or infected with MRSA by periodic queries (q 1 min) to the ADT database. The readmission alert is printed in the ICP offices, but also forwarded with added guidelines to the emergency room. Results: During the first 12 months of application (July 1994 to June 1995), the lab alert detected an average of 4.6 isolates per day, corresponding to 314 hospital admissions (248 patients); the use of this alert saved time for the ICP nurses by improving work organization. There were 438 readmission alerts (1.2 alerts per day) over the study period; of 347 patients screened immediately upon readmission, 114 (33%) were positive for MRSA carriage. Delayed recognition of readmitted MRSA carriers decreased significantly after the implementation of this alert; the proportion of MRSA patients recognized at the time of admission to the hospital increased from 13% in 1993 to 40% in 1995 (P<.001). Conclusions: Hospital information system-based alerts can play an important role in the surveillance and early prevention of MRSA transmission, and it can help to recognize patterns of colonization and transmission.
En busca de sentido para el proceso iberoamericano. Entre el ocaso y la reforma

El proceso iberoamericano se encuentra en una situacion precaria que se refleja en el absentismo de muchos presidentes latinoamericanos en las ultimas cumbres. Mas alla de este sindrome formal, lo iberoamericano esta profundamente herido por la falta de un proyecto politico consistente y su reduccion a una identidad cultural. Tambien la competencia con las cumbres eurolatinoamericanas le ha robado al proceso iberoamericano mucho de su atractivo. Sin embargo, el verdadero reto consiste en desespanolizarlo, hacerlo independiente de los vaivenes de la politica interna espanola y generar un fundamento mas alla de la delgada base cultural, que no logra sustentar una presencia politica iberoamericana en las relaciones internacionales.
Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Supervised Cluster Analysis

Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) is a noise-assisted data analysis method which decomposes a signal into a collection of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). There nevertheless appears a multi-mode problem where signals with a similar timescale are decomposed into different IMF components. A possible solution to this problem is to recombine the multi-mode IMF components into a proper single mode but as of yet, no general rules have been proposed in the literature. This paper presents the incorporation of a statistical cluster analysis to assist in the diagnosis of multi-mode IMFs and to recombine them based on the classified clusters. As a result, signals are reorganized into a condensed set of clustered intrinsic mode functions (CIMFs). The method is applied to two sets of artificially synthesized signals and two sets of practical signals: wind turbine noise and earthquake motion. These applications demonstrate that, with the additional cluster analysis, the multi-mode problem can be largely eliminated in a statistically reliable manner, and in situ applications can be improved.
DIVERSITY OF YEASTS IN VETIVER PHYLLOPLANE IN THAILAND AND THEIR CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID , A PLANT GROWTH PROMOTER

The phylloplane is a term for the aboveground surface of plants and usually refers to the external surface of plant leaves, a dominant aerial part of plant. It is known to be colonized by a large number of microorganisms including bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Yeasts in phylloplane belong to either phylum Ascomycota or phylum Basidiomycota. In this study diversity of yeasts in the external surface of vetiver grass leaf in Thailand was investigated by culture dependent method and yeast strains were investigated for their capability to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a plant growth promoter. Thirty-four samples of vetiver leaf were collected from eight provinces viz. Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Uthai Thani, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Uttaradit, Trat and Udon Thani. Yeasts were isolated from surface of leaf by an enrichment technique using yeast extract-malt extract broth supplemented with 0.025% sodium propionate and 0.02% chloramphenicol. A total of 40 yeast strains were obtained from 29 leaf samples (85.3%). Yeasts were identified on the basis of molecular taxonomy by analysis of the D1/D2 region of the large subunit rRNA gene sequence similarity and phylogeny. Thirty-nine strains were identified to be 13 known species belong to Ascomycota viz. Ambrosiozyma monospora, Candida carpophila, Candida jaroonii, Candida michaelii, Candida tropicalis, Hyphopichia burtonii, Kodamaea ohmeri, Meyerozyma caribbica and Pichia kudriavzevii, and Basidiomycota viz. Cryptococcus laurentii, Rhodosporidium paludigenum, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Trichosporon asahii. One strain was found to represent a new yeast species in the genus Rhodosporidium closest to R. toruloides. The most prevalent yeast species in vetiver grass phylloplane was M. caribbica with a frequency of occurrence of 35% and followed by C. tropicalis that represented 25%, while only one to two strains were obtained from the other 10 species. Individual leaf sample was generally accommodated by only one yeast species (65.5%) and two yeast species were found in 31.0% of the samples. Determination of IAA production by the vetiver grass phylloplane yeasts revealed that only nine strains produced IAA in the range of 11.0-332.9 mg/L when cultivated in yeast extract peptone dextrose broth supplemented with 0.1% L-tryptophan. They consisted of two strains each of C. michaelii, M. caribbica and R. paludigenum, and one strain each of C. tropicalis, P. kudriavzevii and new Rhodosporidium species. The two strains of R. paludigenum produced high IAA including strain DMKU-LV61 produced the highest IAA of 332 mg/L and strain DMKU-LV56 produced 109.9 mg/L.
A novel method for online analysis of gas and particle composition: description and evaluation of a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO)

Abstract. We describe a novel inlet that allows measurement of both gas and particle molecular composition when coupled to mass spectrometric, chromatographic, or optical sensors: the Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO). The design goals for the FIGAERO are to allow unperturbed observation of ambient air while simultaneously analyzing gases and collecting particulate matter on a Teflon® (hereafter Teflon) filter via an entirely separate sampling port. The filter is analyzed periodically by the same sensor on hourly or faster timescales using temperature-programmed thermal desorption. We assess the performance of the FIGAERO by coupling it to a high-resolution time-of-flight chemical-ionization mass spectrometer (HRToF-CIMS) in laboratory chamber studies of α-pinene oxidation and field measurements at a boreal forest location. Low instrument backgrounds give detection limits of ppt or lower for compounds in the gas-phase and in the picogram m−3 range for particle phase compounds. The FIGAERO-HRToF-CIMS provides molecular information about both gases and particle composition on the 1 Hz and hourly timescales, respectively for hundreds of compounds. The FIGAERO thermal desorptions are highly reproducible (better than 10%), allowing a calibrated assessment of the effective volatility of desorbing compounds and the role of thermal decomposition during the desorption process. We show that the often multi-modal desorption thermograms arising from secondary organic aerosol (SOA) provide additional insights into molecular composition and/or particle morphology, and exhibit changes with changes in SOA formation or aging pathways.