Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Pituitary Stalk Preservation on Tumor Recurrence/Progression and Surgically Induced Endocrinopathy After Endoscopic Endonasal Resection of Suprasellar Craniopharyngiomas

Objective: To investigate the factors associated with recurrence/progression after endoscopic endonasal resection of suprasellar craniopharyngiomas. Special attention was paid to assess the impact of pituitary stalk preservation on tumor recurrence/progression and endocrinological outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively recruited 73 patients with suprasellar craniopharyngiomas undergone endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) surgery from September 2014 to May 2019 and assessed their clinical characteristics, surgical outcomes, and recurrence/progression. Stalk preservation or sacrifice was determined by reviewing operative records, videos, and post-operative magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 51 cases (69.9%). Tumor recurrence was seen in 5 cases (9.8%) and progression was seen in 8 cases (36.4%), respectively. GTR (OR = 0.248 CI 0.081–0.759; p = 0.015) was the only independent factor influencing recurrence/progression. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the mean recurrence/progression-free survival were 53 (95% CI 48–59) and 39 (95% CI 28–50) months, respectively, in patients with and without GTR (p = 0.011). Pituitary stalk preservation was more common in cases with peripheral type tumors (83% vs. 30%, p < 0.01). Preserving the pituitary stalk does not appear to decrease the percentage of GTR (75.5% vs. 55.0%, p = 0.089), or increase the rate of tumor recurrence (12.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.508) or progression (46.2% vs. 22.2%, p = 0.486). However, surgically induced hypothyroidism (60.5% vs. 100%, p = 0.041) and diabetes insipidus (35.1% vs. 81.8%, p = 0.017) were significantly lower in patients with stalk preservation. For patients who had hypopituitarism before EEA, there was no difference between those with and without stalk preservation regarding post-operative hypopituitarism (p > 0.05). Conclusion: GTR is the only independent predictor of recurrence/progression after EEA surgery for suprasellar craniopharyngiomas. Preserving the pituitary stalk does not appear to increase the risk of non-GTR and tumor recurrence/progression and might help reduce the risk of surgically induced hypothyroidism and diabetes insipidus. We recommend preserving the pituitary stalk in peripheral type suprasellar craniopharyngiomas with normal pituitary function, especially in cases without hypothyroidism or diabetes insipidus. On the other hand, stalk sacrifice could be considered in central type tumors with severe pre-operative endocrinopathy.
Hippocampal Function Is Impaired by a Short-Term High-Fat Diet in Mice: Increased Blood–Brain Barrier Permeability and Neuroinflammation as Triggering Events

Worldwide, and especially in Western civilizations, most of the staple diets contain high amounts of fat and refined carbohydrates, leading to an increasing number of obese individuals. In addition to inducing metabolic disorders, energy dense food intake has been suggested to impair brain functions such as cognition and mood control. Here we demonstrate an impaired memory function already 3 days after the start of a high-fat diet (HFD) exposure, and depressive-like behavior, in the tail suspension test, after 5 days. These changes were followed by reduced synaptic density, changes in mitochondrial function and astrocyte activation in the hippocampus. Preceding or coinciding with the behavioral changes, we found an induction of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 and an increased permeability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), in the hippocampus. Finally, in mice treated with a TNF-α inhibitor, the behavioral and BBB alterations caused by HFD-feeding were mitigated suggesting that inflammatory signaling was critical for the changes. In summary, our findings suggest that HFD rapidly triggers hippocampal dysfunction associated with BBB disruption and neuroinflammation, promoting a progressive breakdown of synaptic and metabolic function. In addition to elucidating the link between diet and cognitive function, our results might be relevant for the comprehension of the neurodegenerative process. Graphical Abstract An illustrative scheme summarizing the main outcomes in Swiss mice fed high-fat diet (HFD), with their exact time of onset of changes in the hippocampus. An increase in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, together with the permeability of the blood–brain barrier was detected after 2 days of HFD. Even in the first week of dietary intervention, memory and learning impairment, depressive-like behavior, and synaptic changes were observed at 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively. Later hippocampal alterations (after 4 weeks of HFD consumption) include mitochondrial dysfunction and astrocytic activation.
Biologically Active Zone Enhancement (BAZE) for In Situ RDX Degradation in Ground Water

Abstract : In 2001, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) received funding from the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) to conduct in situ studies validating sodium acetate injection as a means to enhance biological transformation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) in groundwater. The field demonstration that evaluated the Biologically Active Zone Enhancement (BAZE) process was conducted at the former Nebraska Ordnance Plant (NOP), located near Mead, Nebraska. Runway deicer (sodium acetate) was earlier selected as the organic carbon source during bench-scale studies that used aquifer material collected at NOP. The results of the field demonstration indicated that RDX concentrations were reduced from an average of 256 g/L to below the laboratory detection limit of 0.1 g/L. The field demonstration data also quantified the capital and operation & maintenance (O&M) cost associated with the use of the BAZE process for in situ treatment of RDX contamination in groundwater. The estimated demonstration cost was $74/kgal while the real world cost for a BAZE system was determined to be $27/kgal ($7.40/m3), which is comparable to the cost for a traditional pump-and-treat method. Wells were installed for the field demonstration in September 2003 and pre-treatment groundwater samples were collected in December 2003. The first sodium acetate injection was performed January 2004 and acetate injections/sampling was completed in August 2005. Fifteen rounds of sodium acetate solution were injected and circulated through the treatment system during the course of the study. During each injection event, approximately 200 gallons (757 L) of 13% sodium acetate solution were diluted with groundwater pumped from the extraction well into an in-line mixer resulting in a 0.3% sodium acetate solution. The sodium acetate solution was then equally distributed to both injection wells.
A Transfer Learning Based Approach for Detecting COVID-19 with Radiography Images

In this study, few convolutional neural networks (CNN) have been trained with a transfer learning method to facilitate either binary classification of radiography images into COVID-19 infected and normal or ternary classification into normal, pneumonia, and COVID-19 infected. As the number of COVID-19 cases grow exponentially, the proposed solution can provide an early home based computer-aided diagnosis to ease the pressure on healthcare. The decision made by the model can advise a patient on whether it is critical to visit a doctor or not. In this paper, a CNN based transfer learning model was used to provide a superior precision in image classification. The neural network model was trained and tested using 1,183 radiography images to report the precision that can be attained in authentic conditions using three different CNNs. The accuracy of the model in classifying radiography images is 97.46% for ternary classification and 99.36% accuracy for binary classification using VGG-16 CNN architecture. In addition, the tested algorithm is also developed as a web application for detecting COVID-19 with Chest X-ray images and deployed in the cloud for public use.
A METHOD FOR DESIGN AND SPECIFICATION OF LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLERS FOR VEHICLE AUTOMATION

Within the context of advanced vehicle control systems, the authors present a general methodology for the design and evaluation of vehicle safety systems. The safety of a vehicle automation system is characterized by the operating region and capabilities of the controller, and the disturbance generating capabilities of the traffic and roadway. The authors illustrate the methodology with reference to a vehicle following scenario. Different information structures are compared by analyzing their effect on safety and system capacity
The structural behaviour of steel frames with composite floorslabs subject to fire: Part 1: Theory

This paper presents the development of a new design method for calculating the performance of steel framed buildings, with composite flooring systems, subject to fire. This design method is based on the results from a series of full-scale fire tests on an eight-storey steel framed building, together with associated theoretical and further experimental investigations. The results from this work show that the performance for composite steel deck flooring systems in fire is under-utilised in current design procedures. This is owing mainly to the ability of lightly reinforced composite slabs to bridge over the supporting fire-damaged steel beams and transfer load, using membrane action, to the undamaged parts of the steel structure. From these observations a simple design method is developed that is based on a holistic, rather than an elemental, approach. This allows the various interactions between the components of a composite slab, supported by a grillage of steel beams, to be taken into account, producing cheaper and more innovative, site-specific, fire-engineering solutions. A companion paper shows how this design method can be applied to practical buildings.
Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage

Preface The Great Debate ONE Technological Transformations The Rise of a New Business Infrastructure TWO Laying Tracks The Nature and Evolution of Infrastructural Technologies THREE An Almost Perfect Commodity The Fate of Computer Hardware and Software FOUR Vanishing Advantage Information Technology's Changing Role in Business FIVE The Universal Strategy Solvent The IT Infrastructure's Corrosive Effect on Traditional Advantages SIX Managing the Money Pit New Imperatives for IT Investment and Management SEVEN A Dream of Wonderful Machines The Reading, and Misreading, of Technological Change Notes and Bibliography Index
Design and Analysis of Inexact 3:2 Compressor-based Radix-4 Multiplier towards Image Multiplication

In this paper, an inexact 3:2 compressor has been proposed. The proposed design has been used in radix-4 based 8×8 multiplier for the addition of intermediate partial products. Error parameters have been evaluated using MATLAB and compared with reported state-of-art designs. Meanwhile, the proposed 8×8 inexact multiplier has been providing an improvement of ~12% and 27% in the Error Rate (ER) and Normalized Mean Error Distance (NMED), respectively than its best counter-part reported. The proposed inexact design and some reported designs are designed in Cadence Spectre and their performance parameters (power, delay) have been evaluated using gpdk 45nm technology. The proposed multiplier architecture provides an improvement of 5% in power and 9% in delay than the best reported state-of-art design. Moreover, for the validation of the proposed inexact 3:2 compressor-based 8×8 multiplier, image multiplication has been performed in MATLAB. Mean square error (MSE), and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) are estimated to show the improvement.
Research on Asphalt Pavement Inspection Data Quality Evaluation System

Aiming at the accuracy, completeness, and consistency problems that may occur in the actual inspection process of the anti-skid performance, road roughness, rutting and other inspection indicators of expressway asphalt pavement, this paper defined three evaluating indicators, which were data accuracy rate, data consistency rate, and data consistency rate, respectively. And then, an asphalt pavement inspection data quality evaluation system was established. In combination with the data of some sections of expressways in Jiangsu Province and related data over the years, the effectiveness of the corresponding evaluation system was verified through case analysis, and the results showed that the establishment of the inspection data quality evaluation system, can better judge the consistency of the inspection data, data threshold, and data accuracy of each inspection index, so as to provide a solution for quickly identifying abnormal inspection data during expressway asphalt pavement inspection period.
Wind tunnel tests on the influence of propeller loading on ship rudder performance: four quadrant operation, low and zero speed operation

The results of wind tunnel tests on a rudder operating downstream of a propeller are presented. The experiments simulated the condition of a rudder operating in the proximity of a propeller but without the influence of the hull. The tests were carried out in the 3.5m x 2.5m wind tunnel at the University of Southampton and form an extension to the basic rudder-propeller tests which have already been carried out and are reported on elsewhere. The rudders tested were all movable, and the propeller used in the tests was modelled on a Wageningen B4.40. Tests were carried out with positive and negative wind speed and positive and negative propeller revolutions in order to simulate all the four quadrants of operation. These tests also included the case of zero and low wind speed. Results are presented as rudder lift, drag and moment coefficients and centre of pressure for selected angles of attack and changes in propeller thrust loading. Surface pressure distributions over the rudder were also obtained in selected cases in order to provide a detailed knowledge of the distribution of forces over the rudder. The results provide rudder force data for use in manoeuvring simulations and detailed data for the validation of numerical modelling of the interaction problem.
Analysis of spherical arrays of microstrip antennas using moment method in spectral domain and G1DMULT

Arrays of rectangular single- and stacked-patch antennas embedded in a multilayer spherical structure are analysed using the spectral-domain approach and the moment method. The patch current is transformed to the spectral domain using the vector-Legendre transformation. This simplifies the analysis procedure, because the electromagnetic field excited by one spectral source component has the same angular variation as the source. To avoid numerical difficulties appearing when analysing structures with large radii, a modified vector-Legendre transformation and normalised Legendre functions are defined and applied to the solution procedure. Furthermore, the asymptotic formulas for the field distribution of higher-order spectral modes are implemented into the algorithm for calculating Green's functions. The effect of deviation from the spherical symmetry and the influence of the structure radius on self and mutual impedance are studied. A laboratory model is built to test different configurations of spherical patch antennas and to validate the developed program.
Strategic leadership of architectural firms in Ireland:The role of emotion management and innovation

This study explores the strategic leadership of architectural firms in Ireland. It examines the role of emotion management (a component of emotional intelligence) and innovation in architecture firms. This thesis uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative approach uses a series of nine interviews with architects to provide a research context for the study and offers insight into the business landscape and unique challenges facing the profession. The study identifies a profession that has unique emotion management requirements arising from the need to manage a multitude of stakeholders. The lack of a strategy within most firms suggests a profession that is not fully utilising emotion management to harness this innovation potential. A lack of commercialisation aptitude is evident and is linked to the regulation on marketing and promotion of the profession. The implications of this are evident in the reduction of over 60% in sales revenue recorded during the study. To further inform the study, a quantitative survey-based approach gathered data from 210 architectural firms in Ireland. The quantitative study proposes that emotion management abilities will have a positive effect on firm innovation, which will allow these abilities to be harnessed and generate good performance outcomes. Hierarchical multiple regression is used to analyse and test the proposed relationships. The results support the direct effect relationship between emotion management and innovation. The findings suggest that the firm’s emotion management abilities positively relate to commercialising innovation. Overall, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of the direct effect of emotion management on innovation as a performance outcome, and how these emotion management abilities can become a unique resource for architectural firms. The study provides theoretical support and adds to the current literature on the links of emotional intelligence to performance outcomes in the business context (Cote and Miners, 2006; Rode et al., 2007; Sirkwoo Myeng-Gu and Shapiro, 2008; Van Rooy and Viswesvaran, 2004), how to capture hidden innovation in professional service firms (Cainelli, Evangelista and Savona, 2006; Coombs and Miles, 2000; Evangelista, 2000; Mansury and Love, 2008; Tether, 2005). The study also provides useful guidelines for management practice in the profession.
The Evaluation of Research Infrastructures: A Cost-Benefit Analysis Framework

When decision-makers consider pure and applied research infrastructures, such as genomics platforms, astronomic observatories, nanoelectronic laboratories, oceanographic vessels, or particle accelerator facilities (just to mention some examples) are faced by this question: what is the net social benefit of these costly scientific ventures and of the public goods they produce? The answer is often given qualitatively, or even rhetorically, by scientists and other stakeholders in these projects. But can we go beyond anecdotal evidence, narratives and ad hoc studies and try a structured ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of the socio-economic impact of research infrastructures? This paper explores some of the methodological issues involved in a CBA framework for capital-intensive scientific projects. The paper proposes a conceptual model based on the estimation of quantities and shadow prices of cost aggregates, and of six main categories of economic benefits (pure value of discovery, knowledge outputs, technological spillovers, human capital formation, cultural effects and services to third parties). Empirical approaches are suggested for further applied research, including the use of probability distribution functions to generate expected net present values of research infrastructures by Monte Carlo methods.
Simulator Sickness in the AH-64 Apache Combat Mission Simulator

Abstract : As technology has been developed to provide improved visual and motion systems in operational flight trainers and weapons tactics trainers, there have been increasing reports of the occurrence of simulator sickness. Simulator sickness here refers to one or more symptoms which can occur while in a simulator, immediately postexposure, or at some later time following exposure. Some pilots have reported while driving following postexposure, they had to pull off the road and wait for symptoms to subside. Instructor-operators have reported experiencing the room spinning when they went to bed. More critical is the potential for in-flight problems due to prolonged physiological effects. The U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory at Fort Rucker, Alabama, conducted a field survey to document the extent of the simulator sickness problems at operational AH-64 simulator sites. The simulator sickness incidence rates and the relative frequency of specific symptoms are presented and correlational factors such as flight experience, simulator experience, and flight mode also are presented. The study reinforces the need for continued research related to system design, training methods, and crew rest guidelines between simulator and actual flight.
Maximizing soybean yield potential in Iowa

Soybean [Glycine Max (L.) Merr. ] yield increases per hectare have been slow in the past decade, raising the need to evaluate management decisions and identify yield limiting factors. Time of planting, row spacing, seeding rate, variety selection, and management of soilborne pathogens, specifically soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines, SCN), were identified as critical components for achieving high yields. Studies were conducted between 2004 and 2006 near De Witt, Nevada, and Whiting in eastern, central, and western Iowa, respectively. At each location 4 ha were fumigated in the fall with the fungicide/nematicide Telone C-35 and 4 ha were not fumigated. In the spring, four studies that consisted of the variables planting date, row spacing, seeding rate, and variety, were established in different combinations in both fumigated and non-fumigated soil conditions. Soil fumigation was used as a tool to study interactions between agronomic practices and soilborne pathogens. Soil fumigation increased yield 200 to 300 kg ha and increased the yield responses from early planting and for specific varieties. Agronomic decisions lay the foundation for achieving high yields. High-yielding varieties will not improve yields if agronomic practices are not managed correctly. Planting the last week of April rather than the second week of May increased yield 87 to 342 kg ha depending on location. Narrow row spacing (38 cm) increased yield by 302 kg ha compared to wide row spacing (76 cm). Yield of varieties susceptible to SCN were competitive in fields with low SCN population densities, but were quickly outpaced by SCN-resistant varieties as SCN population densities increased. Modern varieties are extremely productive, but must be matched to field conditions and properly managed throughout the season. Modern varieties must be
Effects of N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea on Seed Germination of Stevia rebaudiana

Stevia rebaudiana is a unique plant that contains non-caloric natural sweetener and has gained much interest among Malaysians. In this study, the effect of different concentrations of N‑methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) was assessed in inducing mutation in Stevia seeds to produce genetic variations, which is valuable for crop improvement. Stevia seeds were soaked in six concentrations of MNU (0.0, 0.13, 0.25, 0.38, 0.50, and 1.00 mM) for four different durations (15, 30, 45, and 60 min) at room temperature. As a result, application of MNU reduced the germination percentage and germination rate of Stevia seeds as compared to the control group. Prolonged exposure to the highest concentration of MNU recorded the lowest percentage of germination (2.5 ± 1.4%) and the lowest germination rate (0.21 ± 0.16). Tricots were observed among seedlings treated with 0.13, 0.38 and 1.0 mM of MNU for 30 min. Presence of seedlings with albino colour proved the mutagenic effect of MNU on Stevia genome. Based on the percentage of seedlings with chlorophyll mutation, the most effective and efficient mutagenic treatment to induce mutation was 60 min in 0.25 mM of MNU.