Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Navigation Guidance Using Polyglycolic Acid Felt in Pure Laparoscopic Partial Hepatectomy

Background. Appropriate determination of the dissecting plane for removing the tumor blood flow drainage area (TBF-D area) around a hepatocellular carcinoma as well as the tumor itself is essential in pure laparoscopic hepatectomy, but it is often difficult with the usual devices. Navigation technologies have been developed in an attempt to improve the technical accuracy, but they are still under development and cannot be easily applied yet in current clinical practice. To resolve this problem, we created a novel method of using absorbable polyglycolic acid felt (PGA felt) as a navigation guide in pure laparoscopic partial hepatectomy (PLH). Methods. We used a PGA felt cut into the appropriate shape in accordance with the shape determined preoperatively by simulation computed tomography in each case. We applied the felt on the surface of the liver intraoperatively as a guide for PLH. Results. The PGA felt was placed on the surface of the liver, with the central portion of the felt aligned to the central portion of the tumor. The resection line was marked around the felt using monopolar electrocautery. Then, after removing the PGA felt, PLH was successfully performed along the marked line. The surgical margin was confirmed to be adequate in the resected specimen, which showed complete resection of the TBF-D area as well as of the tumor in a comparison with the preoperative computed tomography angiography images. Conclusion. This new technique is easy and safe and enables resection of both the tumor(s) and the TBF-D area appropriately and accurately in PLH.
Downregulation of histone H4 gene transcription during postnatal development in transgenic mice and at the onset of differentiation in transgenically derived calvarial osteoblast cultures

In vivo regulation of cell cycle dependent human histone gene expression was examined in transgenic mice using a fusion construct containing 6.5 kB of a human H4 promoter linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene. Transcriptional control of histone gene expression, as a function of proliferative activity, was determined. We established the relationship between DNA replication dependent H4 mRNA levels (Northern blot analysis) and H4 promoter activity (CAT assay) during postnatal development in a broad spectrum of tissues. In most tissues sampled in adult animals, the cellular representation of H4 gene transcripts declined in parallel with promoter activity. This result is consistent with transcriptional control of H4 gene expression at the cessation of proliferation. Interestingly, while H4 mRNA was detectable at very low levels post‐proliferatively in brain, promoter activity persisted in adult brain, where most of the cells are terminally differentiated. This dissociation between histone gene promoter activity and histone mRNA accumulation points to the possibility of post‐transcriptional regulation of histone gene expression in brain. Cultures of osteoblasts were prepared from calvaria of transgenic mice carrying the H4 promoter/CAT reporter construct. In contrast to the brain, in these bone‐derived cells, we established by immunohistochemistry that the transition to the quiescent, differentiated state is associated with a transcriptionally mediated downregulation of histone gene expression at the single cell level.
Additional specimen of Microraptor provides unique evidence of dinosaurs preying on birds

Preserved indicators of diet are extremely rare in the fossil record; even more so is unequivocal direct evidence for predator–prey relationships. Here, we report on a unique specimen of the small nonavian theropod Microraptor gui from the Early Cretaceous Jehol biota, China, which has the remains of an adult enantiornithine bird preserved in its abdomen, most likely not scavenged, but captured and consumed by the dinosaur. We provide direct evidence for the dietary preferences of Microraptor and a nonavian dinosaur feeding on a bird. Further, because Jehol enantiornithines were distinctly arboreal, in contrast to their cursorial ornithurine counterparts, this fossil suggests that Microraptor hunted in trees thereby supporting inferences that this taxon was also an arborealist, and provides further support for the arboreality of basal dromaeosaurids.
Application of TOPEX altimetry for solid earth deformation studies

This study demonstrates the use of satellite radar altimetry to detect solid Earth deformation signals such as Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). Our study region covers moderately flat land surfaces seasonally covered by snow/ice/vegetation. The maximum solid Earth uplift of ~10 mm yr^(-1) is primarily due to the incomplete glacial isostatic rebound that occurs around Hudson Bay, North America. We use decadal (1992-2002) surface height measurements from TOPEX/POSEIDON radar altimetry to generate height changes time series for 12 selected locations in the study region. Due to the seasonally varying surface characteristics, we first perform radar waveform shape classification and have found that most of the waveforms are quasi-diffuse during winter/spring and specular during summer/fall. As a result, we used the NASA β-retracker for the quasi diffuse waveforms and the Offset Center of Gravity or the threshold retracker for the specular waveforms, to generate the surface height time series. The TOPEX height change time series exhibit coherent seasonal signals (higher amplitude during the winter and lower amplitude during the summer), and the estimated deformation rates agree qualitatively well with GPS vertical velocities, and with altimeter/tide gauge combined vertical velocities around the Great Lakes. The TOPEX observations also agree well with various GIA model predictions, especially with the ICE-5G (VM2) model with differences at 0.2±1.4 mm yr^(-1), indicating that TOPEX has indeed observed solid Earth deformation signals manifested as crustal uplift over the former Laurentide Ice Sheet region.
A continuous performance task in preschool children: Relations between attention and performance

The continuous performance task is currently used to detect attention disorders in school-age children. However, its use with younger children is problematical, because indices measuring attention indirectly (omissions, commissions, reaction time) may be distorted by difficulties in following instructions: the ability to maintain and manipulate instructions in working memory, and to inhibit inappropriate actions increases with age. In the present research, we adapted such a task for children between 2 years 6months and 5 years 6 months, and recorded visual activity in order to measure directly visual attention and to relate it to performance. Even very young children spend most of the time looking at the screen, but they display poor performances and are unable to re-engage in the task after a gap (2 consecutive omissions). At a medium level (age 3 years 6 months to 4 years) endogenous control of attention increases, children come back to the task, off-task looks shorten and reach the short values observed in older children. After 4 years 6 months no more gaps are observed, the consistency of reaction times shows that a controlled strategy, including shifts from and to the screen, is now adopted. The discussion suggests that only at this upper level do indirect performance indices evaluate attention.
PowerMon: Fine-grained and integrated power monitoring for commodity computer systems

We have developed PowerMon and PowerMon2, low-cost power monitoring devices that operate inside commodity computer systems, to analyze performance and power consumption tradeoffs in computer applications. Inserted between a system's power supply and motherboard, PowerMon monitors voltage and current on six DC rails and reports measurements at a rate of up to fifty samples per second through a USB interface, allowing monitoring by the target or a separate host. PowerMon2 has a smaller form factor that fits in a standard 3.5" hard drive bay, allowing it to be used in a 1U server chassis. It features a faster measurement rate of up to 1024 Hz on a single channel or 3072 Hz divided among multiple channels. PowerMon2 also adds two measurement channels for additional peripherals, such as disks and graphical processing units. The PowerMon devices have been used to resolve and highlight variations in power consumption and energy efficiency at the subsystem level during separate operating phases of scientific performance benchmarks, such as NAS BT and SP. The device parts cost is low enough to provision an entire cluster for power monitoring and adaptation. Complete schematics, board layouts, and source code for the PowerMon devices are available under a BSD-style open source license at ilab.renci. org/powermon.
Glycogen Infiltration of the Liver Cell Nuclei.

One of the most important functions of the liver is the synthesis of glycogen, a storage form of carbohydrate. This is a labile substance readily convertible into glucose, and although it is present in abundance in the cytoplasm of the liver cells after the ingestion of carbohydrates, it decreases or even disappears during fasting or starvation. On the other hand, glycogen is not found normally in the nuclei of the liver cells at any time. This report is devoted chiefly to a study of the pathological infiltration of liver-cell nuclei by glycogen, but during the course of this study it was possible to confirm certain earlier observations regarding the normal storage of glycogen in liver cells. These observations wil first be reviewed briefly because the facts established by histological studies of glycogen deposition in the liver seem not to be very widely known.
Physical Self-Concept in Adolescence: Generalizability of a Multidimensional, Hierarchical Model Across Gender and Grade

This study tests the generalizability of the factor pattern, structural parameters, and latent mean structure of a multidimensional, hierarchical model of physical self-concept in adolescents across gender and grade. A children's version of the Physical Self-Perception Profile (C-PSPP) was administered to seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade high school students (N= 2,969). Two a priori models were proposed: a confirmatory factor-analytic model that hypothesized a multidimensional model of physical self-concept; and a structural equation model that proposed a multidimensional, hierarchical structure with global self-concept as a superordinate construct and physical self-concept as a domainlevel construct that explained the covariances among the subdomains of the C-PSPP. Both models satisfied multiple criteria for goodness-of-fit with the data in each individual gender and grade sample. Tests of the invariance of the factor pattern and structural parameters for both models across gender and grade were supported. Consistent with findings from other contexts, latent means analysis suggests that physical self-concept scores was higher in boys.
The Patient-Pharmacist Interaction in Two Ambulatory Settings — It's Relationship to Patient Satisfaction and Drug Misuse

Seventy-five clinic outpatients were randomly assigned to a Satellite Pharmacy with a private consultation room or a centralized Traditional Pharmacy with an open-window setting. A comparison of the patient-pharmacist interaction and its relationship to the patient's satisfaction with pharmacy services and his drug-taking behavior was measured by the use of two questionnaires. A significant difference was found in the quantity of consultation activities performed by the pharmacists in the two settings. Patients were significantly more satisfied with the Satellite Pharmacy and seemed to favor the private setting over the open-window. Patient satisfaction was significantly correlated with the waiting time, the amount of time spent with the pharmacist, the total activities received during the interaction, and satisfaction with hospital services in general. Medication errors were not significantly different for the two patient groups when measured by verbal reports but compliance scores were significantly different for those patients taking drugs for which a tablet count could be done. Although analysis of the data showed a significant difference for only one measure of drug-taking behavior, improvement of drug use as a result of the interaction with the pharmacist in the Satellite Pharmacy was suggested. Compliance scores for regularly scheduled drugs correlated with the financial status of the patient, total interaction activities, and interaction time. Financial status, satisfaction with the drug, and the day of the second interview were significantly correlated with the PRN compliance scores.
Tracing and accounting for key events in management education in the UK

Abstract The current scenario of management education in the UK is impressive, but its emergence has been a slow process. A time chart attempts to identify the events influencing this process. The chart is the result of a review of key publications, supplemented by a number of interviews. A model is proposed to account for the historical development found; it draws on the insights provided by cultural theories, force field theory and institutional theory. The implications for leadership research in the development of a functional area such as management education is touched on via the concept of ‘serial leadership’.
Sex differences in the effects of alcohol on brain structure.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated whether alcoholic women manifest deficits in cortical gray and white matter volumes and ventricular enlargement similar to those seen in alcoholic men. METHOD Volumetric measures of intracranium, cortical gray matter, white matter and sulci, and lateral and third ventricles were obtained from magnetic resonance images of 42 women and 44 men with DSM-III-R alcoholism and age-matched healthy comparison groups (37 women and 48 men). Groups of alcoholic men and women were matched on age and length of sobriety, but men had a 2.5 times higher lifetime alcohol consumption than women. RESULTS Women, regardless of diagnosis, had less cortical gray and white matter and smaller third ventricles than men, consistent with sex-related differences in intracranial volume. Alcoholics had larger volumes of cortical sulci and lateral and third ventricles than comparison subjects. Diagnosis-by-sex interactions for cortical white matter and sulcal volumes were due to abnormalities in alcoholic men but not alcoholic women, relative to same-sex comparison subjects. This interaction persisted for cortical sulci after covarying for lifetime alcohol consumption. Slopes relating cortical gray matter and sulcal volumes to age were steeper in alcoholic than in comparison men. Slopes relating lateral ventricle volume to age were steeper in alcoholic than in comparison women. In alcoholic women, longer sobriety was associated with larger white matter volumes. CONCLUSIONS Alcoholic men and women show different brain morphological deficits, relative to same-sex comparison subjects. However, age and alcoholism interact in both sexes, which puts all older alcoholics at particular risk for the negative sequelae of alcoholism.
Überprüfung des aktuellen Stressbewältigungsverhaltens bulimischer Frauen in einer sozialen Interaktion

Hintergrund: Frühere Studien zeigten ein dysfunktionales Stressbewältigungsverhalten für Frauen mit Essstörungen. Insbesondere ein geringeres Maß an problem- und ein erhöhtes Maß an emotions- und vermeidungsorientiertem Stressbewältigungsverhalten im Vergleich zu Gesunden wurde beschrieben. Die meisten Untersuchungen fokussierten dabei auf habituelles Coping, während die Untersuchung von aktuellem, situationsbezogenem Coping bisweilen aussteht. Unklar ist zudem, inwieweit aktuelles, situationsbezogenes Coping durch das Selbstwertgefühl, dysfunktionale Einstellungen und Alexithymie beeinflusst wird. Methode: Mittels des Stress-Verarbeitungs-Fragebogens 42-aktuell (SVF 42-ak) wurde das aktuelle Stressbewältigungsverhalten bei 26 Frauen mit Bulimia nervosa (BN) und 27 weiblichen Personen einer Kontrollgruppe (KG) in einem sozial ambivalenten Rollenspiel untersucht. Der Einfluss des Selbstwerts (Rosenberg Selfesteem Scale, RSS), dysfunktionaler Einstellungen (Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, DAS) und von Schwierigkeiten der Emotionswahrnehmung (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS) auf das aktuelle Coping wurde überprüft. Ergebnisse: Die BN-Gruppe zeigte im Vergleich zur KG-Gruppe ein erhöhtes Maß an aktuellem, emotionalen Coping (d = 1,96). Im problem- (d = 0,31) und vermeidungsorientierten Coping (d = 0,27) ergaben sich keine Unterschiede. Der Selbstwert als Hauptprädiktor klärte in der Regressionsanalyse nahezu 70% (R2 = 0,676) der Varianz des emotionalen Copings auf und korrelierte signifikant mit dem Grad dysfunktionaler Einstellungen (r = –0,791) und Alexithymie (r = –0,782). Schlussfolgerung: Die Ergebnisse sprechen für einen übergeordneten Einfluss des Selbstwerts auf das aktuelle Coping.
A Sheep in Wolf ’s Clothing or a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? Ohio Sex Offender Registration and the Role of Science

Many sex offender registration and notification procedures use an assignment process that places offenders into a lower, middle, or upper tier. This implies that the offenders on the lowest tier pose less risk than those on the highest tier; yet empirical testing of this assumption is lacking. As a first step to determining whether this approach correctly identifies the dangerousness of sex offenders, this study seeks to determine whether there is a statistically significant relationship between a sex offender’s probability of reoffending and his registration and notification assignment in an Ohio sample of male sex offenders. Chi-square results showed no significant relationship between a sex offender’s probability of reoffending and his registration and notification assignment. Regression results demonstrated only two variables to be predictive of registration assignment—prior sex offenses and current first degree felony offense— while other variables shown to be correlated to sex offending were not predictive of registration assignment.
Thermal and Fragmentation Properties of Star-forming Clouds in Low-Metallicity Environments

The thermal and chemical evolution of star-forming clouds is studied for different gas metallicities, Z, using the model of Omukai, updated to include deuterium chemistry and the effects of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. HD-line cooling dominates the thermal balance of clouds when Z ~ 10-5 to 10-3 Z☉ and density ≈105 cm-3. Early on, CMB radiation prevents the gas temperature from falling below TCMB, although this hardly alters the cloud thermal evolution in low-metallicity gas. From the derived temperature evolution, we assess cloud/core fragmentation as a function of metallicity from linear perturbation theory, which requires that the core elongation ℰ ≡ (b - a)/a > ℰNL ~ 1, where a (b) is the short (long) core axis length. The fragment mass is given by the thermal Jeans mass at ℰ = ℰNL. Given these assumptions and the initial (Gaussian) distribution of ℰ, we compute the fragment mass distribution as a function of metallicity. We find that (1) for Z = 0, all fragments are very massive, ≲103 M☉, consistent with previous studies; (2) for Z > 10-6 Z☉ a few clumps go through an additional high-density (≳1010 cm-3) fragmentation phase driven by dust cooling, leading to low-mass fragments; (3) the mass fraction in low-mass fragments is initially very small, but at Z ~ 10-5 Z☉ it becomes dominant and continues to grow as Z is increased; (4) as a result of the two fragmentation modes, a bimodal mass distribution emerges in 0.01 < Z/Z☉ < 0.1; and (5) for ≳0.1 Z☉, the two peaks merge into a single-peaked mass function, which might be regarded as the precursor of the ordinary Salpeter-like initial mass function.
Composition-Malware: Building Android Malware at Run Time

We present a novel model of malware for Android, named composition-malware, which consists of composing fragments of code hosted on different and scattered locations at run time. An key feature of the model is that the malicious behavior could dynamically change and the payload could be activated under logic or temporal conditions. These characteristics allow a malware written according to this model to evade current malware detection technologies for Android platform, as the evaluation has demonstrated. The aim of the paper is to propose new approaches to malware detection that should be adopted in anti-malware tools for blocking a composition-malware.
Development of PLGA-based itraconazole injectable nanospheres for sustained release

Purpose Itraconazole (ITZ) is a synthetic triazole antifungal agent, which is widely used for treatment and prevention of fungal infections. The purpose of this study is to develop ITZ-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanospheres (PLGA-ITZ-NS) as a new sustained-release formulation for intravenous ITZ administration. Materials and methods PLGA-ITZ-NS were prepared by a nanoprecipitation method and optimized by modifying the surfactant poloxamer 188 concentration and PLGA:ITZ ratio. Their physicochemical properties, including size, zeta potential, external morphology and encapsulation efficiency, were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The effect of the different selected lyoprotectants with various concentrations on NS particles size and surface charge were also assessed. Rapid and sensitive HPLC and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods were developed to determine ITZ concentrations in formulation and in rat plasma, respectively. Pharmacokinetics of the optimum PLGA-ITZ-NS formulation was compared with the former commercial Sporanox® injection formulation using rats as the animal model. Noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained by WinNonlin® software. Results Optimal PLGA-ITZ-NS had a mean particle size of about 200 nm with a high homogeneity (polydispersity index ≈0.2), favorable zeta potential (approximately −20 to −30 mV) and encapsulation efficiency (72%). In addition, 2% w/v sucrose was selected as a lyoprotectant for NS freeze-drying. The newly developed LC-MS/MS assay was validated and found to be accurate and precise. The in vivo study showed that the NS formulation has a similar systemic bioavailability to Sporanox® while providing a sustained plasma level (> 100 ng/mL) for up to 24 hours after intravenous administration. Conclusion Our newly developed PLGA-ITZ-NS has shown great sustained release and comparable bioavailability with Sporanox®, therefore having the potential to be an alternative injectable formulation of ITZ.
Interpolating action for strings and membranes: A study of symmetries in the constrained Hamiltonian approach

A master action for bosonic strings and membranes, interpolating between the Nambu--Goto and Polyakov formalisms, is discussed. The role of the gauge symmetries vis-\`{a}-vis reparametrization symmetries of the various actions is analyzed by a constrained Hamiltonian approach. This analysis reveals the difference between strings and higher branes, which is essentially tied to a degree of freedom count. The cosmological term for membranes follows naturally in this scheme. The conncetion of our aproach with the Arnowitt--Deser--Misner representation in general relativity is illuminated.