Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Histogram Analysis of MR Imaging–Derived Cerebral Blood Volume Maps: Combined Glioma Grading and Identification of Low-Grade Oligodendroglial Subtypes

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Inclusion of oligodendroglial tumors may confound the utility of MR based glioma grading. Our aim was, first, to assess retrospectively whether a histogram-analysis method of MR perfusion images may both grade gliomas and differentiate between low-grade oligodendroglial tumors with or without loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on 1p/19q and, second, to assess retrospectively whether low-grade oligodendroglial subtypes can be identified in a population of patients with high-grade and low-grade astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-two patients (23 women, 29 men; mean age, 52 years; range, 19–78 years) with histologically confirmed gliomas were imaged by using dynamic susceptibility contrast MR imaging at 1.5T. Relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) maps were created, and 4 neuroradiologists defined the glioma volumes independently. Averaged over the 4 observers, a histogram-analysis method was used to assess the normalized histogram peak height of the glioma rCBV distributions. RESULTS: Of the 52 patients, 22 had oligodendroglial tumors. The histogram method was able to differentiate high-grade gliomas (HGGs) from low-grade gliomas (LGGs) (Mann-Whitney U test, P < .001) and to identify low-grade oligodendroglial subtypes (P = .009). The corresponding intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.902 and 0.801, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity in terms of differentiating low-grade oligodendroglial tumors without LOH on 1p/19q from the other tumors was 100% (6/6) and 91% (42/46), respectively. CONCLUSION: With histology as a reference, our results suggest that histogram analysis of MR imaging–derived rCBV maps can differentiate HGGs from LGGs as well as low-grade oligodendroglial subtypes with high interobserver agreement. Also, the method was able to identify low-grade oligodendroglial tumors without LOH on 1p/19q in a population of patients with astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors.
Electricity Cost and Firm Performance: Evidence from India

Abstract Using data on Indian firms, I provide evidence on how electricity prices affect a firm’s industry choice and productivity growth. I construct an instrument for electricity price as the interaction between coal price and the share of thermal generation in a state’s total electricity generation capacity. I find that in response to an exogenous increase in electricity price, firms switch to less electricity-intensive production processes within narrowly defined industries, reduce their machine intensity, and have lower output and productivity growth rates. Thus, electricity constraints may limit a country’s growth by leading firms to operate in industries with fewer productivity-enhancing opportunities.
Modeling, analysis, and design of stationary reference frame droop controlled parallel three-phase voltage source inverters

Power electronics based microgrids consist of a number of voltage source inverters (VSIs) operating in parallel. In this paper, the modeling, control design, and stability analysis of three-phase VSIs are derived. The proposed voltage and current inner control loops and the mathematical models of the VSIs were based on the stationary reference frame. A hierarchical control for the paralleled VSI system was developed based on three levels. The primary control includes the droop method and the virtual impedance loops, in order to share active and reactive power. The secondary control restores the frequency and amplitude deviations produced by the primary control. And the tertiary control regulates the power flow between the grid and the microgrid. Also, a synchronization algorithm is presented in order to connect the microgrid to the grid. The evaluation of the hierarchical control is presented and discussed. Experimental results are provided to validate the performance and robustness of the VSIs functionality during Islanded and grid-connected operations, allowing a seamless transition between these modes through control hierarchies by regulating frequency and voltage, main-grid interactivity, and to manage power flows between the main grid and the VSIs.
Sinus Rhythm ECG Criteria Associated with Basal‐Lateral Ventricular Tachycardia Substrate in Patients with Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy

ECG Criteria Associated with NICM VT. Introduction: Patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) usually have basal‐lateral scar in the left ventricle (LV). We sought to determine electrocardiogram (ECG) characteristics that may help identify NICM patients with basal‐lateral scar and VT.
The Relationship of Illness Uncertainty and Attributional Style to Long-Term Psychological Distress in Parents of Children With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

This preliminary study longitudinally examined the relationship of illness uncertainty and attributional style to psychological distress among parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Thirty parents who had participated in a larger study 5 to 6 years earlier completed measures of illness uncertainty, attributional style, and psychological distress. Time 1 illness uncertainty significantly predicted Time 2 distress; Time 1 negative attributional style did not. Post hoc probing revealed that Time 1 illness uncertainty did not mediate Time 1 and Time 2 distress. Results suggest that illness uncertainty continues to be a salient and robust predictor of parental adjustment outcomes over time.
Anthrax edema toxin differentially regulates lipopolysaccharide-induced monocyte production of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 by increasing intracellular cyclic AMP

Bacillus anthracis exotoxins mediate most of the symptomatology of severe anthrax. In addition to a clinical syndrome reminiscent of septic shock, which may be mediated by cytokines produced by macrophages stimulated with lethal toxin, infected patients show profound edema at sites of infection. Edema is mediated by edema toxin (ET), which comprises of a binding molecule, protective antigen, and an active moiety, edema factor, which possesses intrinsic adenylyl cyclase activity. Intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) regulates the production of several cytokines that modulate edema formation and play important roles in host defense against invading bacteria. To determine whether ET enhanced the accumulation of cAMP in monocytes and thereby influenced cytokine production, we cultured human monocytes with endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) and dilutions of ET and determined the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in culture supernatant fluids. We further estimated cytokine-specific mRNA accumulation in monocytes by reverse transcription PCR and examined intracellular cAMP concentrations following treatment with ET. ET and LPS each induced monocytes to secrete comparable amounts of IL-6. ET did not inhibit and in most experiments modestly enhanced LPS-induced IL-6 production. In contrast to this stimulatory effect on IL-6 production, ET induced little or no TNF-alpha production. Moreover, ET profoundly inhibited LPS-induced TNF-alpha synthesis. These regulatory phenomena were also observed at the mRNA level in association with dose-related enhancement of intracellular cAMP in ET-treated monocytes. Monocytes treated with dibutyryl cAMP, an active analog of cAMP, produced cytokines in a pattern identical to that of cells treated with ET. The disruption of cytokine networks as a consequence of unregulated, ET-induced cAMP accumulation in human monocytes may impair cellular antimicrobial responses and contribute to clinical signs and symptoms.
Thermophoretic melting curves quantify the conformation and stability of RNA and DNA

Measuring parameters such as stability and conformation of biomolecules, especially of nucleic acids, is important in the field of biology, medical diagnostics and biotechnology. We present a thermophoretic method to analyse the conformation and thermal stability of nucleic acids. It relies on the directed movement of molecules in a temperature gradient that depends on surface characteristics of the molecule, such as size, charge and hydrophobicity. By measuring thermophoresis of nucleic acids over temperature, we find clear melting transitions and resolve intermediate conformational states. These intermediate states are indicated by an additional peak in the thermophoretic signal preceding most melting transitions. We analysed single nucleotide polymorphisms, DNA modifications, conformational states of DNA hairpins and microRNA duplexes. The method is validated successfully against calculated melting temperatures and UV absorbance measurements. Interestingly, the methylation of DNA is detected by the thermophoretic amplitude even if it does not affect the melting temperature. In the described setup, thermophoresis is measured all-optical in a simple setup using a reproducible capillary format with only 250 nl probe consumption. The thermophoretic analysis of nucleic acids shows the technique’s versatility for the investigation of nucleic acids relevant in cellular processes like RNA interference or gene silencing.
Evaluation of a Human Group A Rotavirus Assay for On-Site Detection of Bovine Rotavirus

ABSTRACT Neonatal diarrhea induced by bovine group A rotavirus causes significant economic loss in the dairy and beef industry due to increased morbidity and mortality, treatment costs, and reduced growth rates. The objective of this study was to evaluate a human group A rotavirus assay (ImmunoCardSTAT Rotavirus [ICS-RV]) as an on-site diagnostic test for bovine rotavirus. When used with a collection of bovine diarrhea samples submitted to the Virology Section of the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at Michigan State University and compared to a bovine group A rotavirus-specific reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), the ICS-RV assay had a sensitivity and specificity of 87.0 and 93.6%, respectively. A commercially available group A rotavirus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Pathfinder; Sanofi Diagnostics, Redmond, Wash.), when used with the same fecal sample collection and compared to the same RT-PCR, had a sensitivity and specificity of 78.3 and 67.7%, respectively. Subsequently, the ICS-RV assay, RT-PCR, and a different commercially available group A rotavirus ELISA (Rotaclone; Meridian Diagnostics, Cincinnati, Ohio) were used to evaluate fecal samples collected from neonatal calves experimentally infected with bovine rotavirus. When diarrheic fecal samples that were positive for bovine rotavirus by RT-PCR were evaluated, the ICS-RV assay and the Rotaclone assay detected bovine rotavirus 85 and 95% of the time, respectively. Based on these studies, the ICS-RV assay appears to be an excellent test for detecting group A bovine rotaviruses. This assay may be useful as an on-site diagnostic test for veterinarians as an aid in the management of bovine neonatal diarrhea.
Where is the Action? Three Lenses to Analyze Social Justice Art Education

Over the past two decades, there has been a marked increase in educational programs aimed to create art for social justice. From murals and plays to photographs and spoken word poetry, young people across the country are creating works of art that question, challenge, and aim to impact conditions of inequality and injustice. While these practices offer innovative outlets for young people to creatively engage in their communities, there is still confusion about the defining characteristics of the practice of social justice art. Drawing on findings from a recent qualitative study exploring the educational significance of making activist-oriented art, this article unpacks the fundamental question of art for social justice education: Where does the “social justice” lie in social justice art education? Through a discussion of three lenses—intention, process, and social location—this essay offers a set of analytic tools to better understand the nature of making a work of art to transform society.
A portable, modular parallel wire crane for rescue operations

This paper presents the preliminary development of a full scale, portable, modular, fully autonomous parallel wire crane that is intended to be used for rescue operations. This design is innovative in terms of flexibility for managing the location of the anchor points of the cables on the ground and on the platform, the possibility of partial platform location control through the management of the kinematics with less than 6 cables and the availability of on-board sensors allowing to possibly locate victims through thermal imaging and to transmit physiological data on the victims while they are still moving toward a safe area.
Debugging in the Extreme: Spectrum-based Fault Localization with Limited Test Cases

Spectrum-based Fault Localization (SBFL) is a well-known debugging technique that locates fault in program code by utilizing execution profiles (spectra) of pass and fail test cases. Hence, the performance of SBFL depends on the test cases executed and the test results. In the most extreme scenarios, the debugging process may have to be conducted with only one fail test case, one pass test case or no pass test case. These scenarios might occur due to extremely high or extremely low failure rates or when software testers decide to stop running more test cases due to time and resource constraints. However, limited test case execution profiles may reduce the accuracy of SBFL metrics. In view of this, we evaluate the performance of SBFL metrics in these extreme scenarios to identify the best performing SBFL metric for each of these scenarios. From the experiment results, we have further discovered the convergence in performance for SBFL metrics under these extreme scenarios.
Using Idioms to Implicitly Invoke Analogical Framing in Decision Making

We often use analogies in strategic discourse to invite inferences about ambiguous situations that reinforce our own construal of these situations. By providing presumptive analogs, we control how audiences define and categorize these situations (Pratkanis & Aronson, 1992). For example, in the short-lived political debate preceding the American invasions of Iraq, supporters of U.S. involvement likened the conflicts to WW II and opponents called attention to their similarities with the Vietnam War (Spellman, Ullmann, & Holyoak, 1993). Several years earlier, Gilovich (1981) found that political science students were more likely to recommend intervention in a hypothetical foreign policy crisis when irrelevant features of the scenario (e.g., the name of the building used for press briefings) called to mind WW II (Winston Churchill Hall) rather than Vietnam (e.g., Dean Rusk Hall). The presence of these cues did not, however, lead students to judge the scenario as being more similar to one of the previous conflicts than the other. Subsequent research has confirmed that seemingly trivial cues can compel people to unwittingly employ analogies in their judgments and decisions (Spellman et al., 1993; Shimko, 1994; Stapel & Spears, 1996).
Early Childhood Teacher Learning Through a Professional Development School Program in Hong Kong

Emphasis on continuing professional development is seen as an important aspect of educational reform at all levels of education. In recent years, a number of colleges and universities have established partnerships for the professional development of teachers at the elementary and secondary levels. However, there have been few partnerships within the Professional Development School Program (PDS) established in early childhood settings. Thus, this paper explores the growth and development of two kindergarten teachers after their school participated in a PDS in Hong Kong.
Toward trustworthy social network services: A robust design of recommender systems

In recent years, electronic commerce and online social networks (OSNs) have experienced fast growth, and as a result, recommendation systems (RSs) have become extremely common. Accuracy and robustness are important performance indexes that characterize customized information or suggestions provided by RSs. However, nefarious users may be present, and they can distort information within the RSs by creating fake identities (Sybils). Although prior research has attempted to mitigate the negative impact of Sybils, the presence of these fake identities remains an unsolved problem. In this paper, we introduce a new weighted link analysis and influence level for RSs resistant to Sybil attacks. Our approach is validated through simulations of a broad range of attacks, and it is found to outperform other state-of-the-art recommendation methods in terms of both accuracy and robustness.
Analyzing the flow of knowledge in computer mediated teams

In this article, we present an analysis of communication transcripts from computer-mediated teams that illustrates how different kinds of decision support impact collaborative knowledge construction. Our analysis introduces an algorithmic technique called Topic Evolution Analysis (TEvA), which tracks clusters of words in conversation, and illustrates how these clusters change and merge over time. This analysis is combined with measurements of group dynamics to distinguish between teams using different kinds of decision support. Our analysis offers evidence that some kinds of decision support improve the apparent rationality of a team, but at the cost of collaborative knowledge construction. This result is not apparent when simply measuring team decision performance. We use this finding to motivate the utility and importance of the approach when assessing the impact of technology on collaborative knowledge processing.
The power of power wheelchairs: Mobility choices of community-dwelling, older adults

Abstract Background: Power wheelchairs are purported to have a positive effect on health, occupation, and quality of life. However, there is limited knowledge about what factors shape power wheelchair use decisions. Aims/objectives: A study was undertaken to understand the mobility choices of community-dwelling, power wheelchair users. Methods: A series of semi-structured qualitative interviews was conducted with 13 older adult power wheelchair users. Participants were interviewed at enrollment and four months later. Data analysis was informed by Bourdieu’s theoretical constructs of habitus, capital, and field. Results: Three main styles of power wheelchair use were identified: reluctant use, strategic use, and essential use, and each type is illustrated using an aggregate case study. Conclusion/significance: These findings highlight the need to alter the power relationship that exists between prescribers and device users and to effect policy changes that enable people with physical impairments to make as wide a range of mobility choices as possible.
Epigenetics of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease: Implications for Pharmacogenomics and Drug Response

Epigenetic variability (DNA methylation/demethylation, histone modifications, microRNA regulation) is common in physiological and pathological conditions. Epigenetic alterations are present in different tissues along the aging process and in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Epigenetics affect life span and longevity. AD-related genes exhibit epigenetic changes, indicating that epigenetics might exert a pathogenic role in dementia. Epigenetic modifications are reversible and can potentially be targeted by pharmacological intervention. Epigenetic drugs may be useful for the treatment of major problems of health (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disorders, brain disorders). The efficacy and safety of these and other medications depend upon the efficiency of the pharmacogenetic process in which different clusters of genes (pathogenic, mechanistic, metabolic, transporter, pleiotropic) are involved. Most of these genes are also under the influence of the epigenetic machinery. The information available on the pharmacoepigenomics of most drugs is very limited; however, growing evidence indicates that epigenetic changes are determinant in the pathogenesis of many medical conditions and in drug response and drug resistance. Consequently, pharmacoepigenetic studies should be incorporated in drug development and personalized treatments.
Tarefa N-back auditiva: desempenho entre diferentes grupos etários

One of the most internationally used instruments for evaluation of Working Memory (WM) is the Auditory N-Back Task. In Brazil, resources to evaluate this system are scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of different age subjects in auditory n-back tasks. We divided the 102 subjects in four groups: 27 children, 22 adolescents, 26 young adults and 27 older adults. The results demonstrate an age-related difference in the n-back task performance. The accuracy increased in the transition from childhood to adolescence and kept growing from adolescence to adulthood. We also found a decrease in the performance of aged subjects. The Auditory N-Back Task results are in agreement with WM development trajectory, and so, it demonstrates to be an adjusted instrument to evaluate this system in experimental setting.
DNA probe for the identification of Histoplasma capsulatum

A 1.85-kilobase HindIII nuclear DNA probe from Histoplasma capsulatum G217B detected polymorphic restriction fragments within whole-cell DNA from different clinical isolates of H. capsulatum, consistent with the previous system of classification. The probe failed to hybridize to DNA from Blastomyces dermatitidis, Candida spp. , Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sepedonium chrysospermum, and Chrysosporium keratinophilum under low-stringency conditions and therefore may have value as a diagnostic reagent to identify H. capsulatum.
Double‐strand break repair based on short‐homology regions is suppressed under terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase expression, as revealed by a novel vector system for analysing DNA repair by nonhomologous end joining

We have constructed a novel, nonhomologous end‐joining (NHEJ) assay vector (NAV), containing mKate2, Venus and ccdB genes. Cotransfection of NAV with a construct expressing the restriction enzyme I‐SceI generated a double‐strand break (DSB) in NAV that excised mKate2 and ccdB. Repair of this DSB produced an intact vector that expressed Venus, a green fluorescent protein. Because cells bearing the repaired NAV lacked the ccdB gene which slows cell proliferation, the cultures were enriched in cells containing repaired DSBs. DNA sequence analysis of the DSB junctions indicated that the repair was carried out mainly by using the closest homology sequence. Use of the NAV yielded rapid results within 3 days after transfection. We then used the NAV to analyse NHEJ in cells overexpressing terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT). The results indicated that TdT suppresses DNA repair that is based on short (one‐ or two‐base) homology regions, to efficiently add deoxynucleotides during VDJ recombination in lymphoid cells.
Welfare Recipients or Workers? Contesting the Workfare State in New York City*

This paper addresses how New York City's workfare program has structured opportunities for collective action by welfare recipients. As workfare blurs the distinction between wage workers and welfare recipients, it calls into question accepted understandings of the rights and obligations of welfare recipients and fosters new claims on the state. The concept of “cultural opportunity structures” can help to explain the political mobilization of workfare participants if it is linked to a Durkheimian tradition of cultural analysis attentive to symbolic classification. The dramaturgic approach to culture exemplified in the work of Erving Goffman can usefully complement this structural approach if a narrow focus on frames and framing processes is broadened to include interaction rituals and ceremonial profanation.