Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of maximum slope images generated from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI to detect locally recurrent prostate carcinoma after prostatectomy: a practical approach.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to present the value of high-temporal-resolution and high-spatial-resolution dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) combined with the postprocessed slope images generated from the fastest rate of enhancement of each voxel for detecting local recurrence of prostate carcinoma after radical prostatectomy. METHODS AND MATERIALS Of 125 patients, 47 patients with and without local recurrence confirmed by biopsy or clinical follow-up were identified. All patients underwent DCE-MRI with a spatial resolution of 3 mm and mean temporal resolution of 11.3 seconds (range, 8.4-14.0 seconds). RESULTS In patients with local recurrence, the mean (± SD) prostate-specific antigen level and tumor size were 1.9 ± 1.8 mg/dL and 10.8 ± 5.7 mm, respectively, at the time of MRI. Thirty-six of 37 patients (97%) with biopsy or clinically confirmed local recurrence had positive MRI findings. Eight of 10 patients (80%) with negative recurrence had negative MRI findings. Of the 36 patients, 16 (44%) had time-intensity curves of rapid increase-rapid washout and 18 (50%) had rapid increase-plateau or slow washout. The recurrent tumor reached the peak enhancement within one phase following the peak enhancement of the common femoral artery. In patients with a negative MRI result, the mean PSA level was 0.2 ± 0.1 mg/dL. CONCLUSION DCE-MRI using high temporal and spatial resolution is highly accurate in detecting subcentimeter local recurrences within the postprostatectomy bed. Combined with visual inspection of original source images (using the common femoral artery as a reference), the slope image is a simple and practical way of identifying locally recurrent prostate carcinoma.
Citation Analysis of Technology Management Texts in Selected Databases: A Comparison between 2002-2006 and 2007-2011

In recent years, both academic and commercial sectors have recognized the importance of Technology Management, which has seen significant progress under the efforts of relevant organizations. To obtain quantified data to demonstrate the development of technology management, this study explored the intellectual structure of Technology Management research over the last decade by identifying the most important publications, the most influential scholars, and the correlations among the publications in which these scholars appeared. We employed techniques based on bibliometry and social network analysis to identify the intellectual literary pillars in the field of technology management. Our analysis included 29,572 citations in 1,167 articles published in SCI and SSCI journals between 2002 and 2011. We used our results to map a knowledge network of studies related to Technology Management in order to reveal current trends and provide a valuable resource for researchers seeking to access literature in this area. We hope that the results of our research will enable more scholars of technology management to publish their research in international journals.
Land Price Volatility in a Geographically Dispersed Market

Historical evidence and theory lead to a hypothesis that land price variation increases with distance to market. This hypothesis is tested with county data from five Cornbelt states during the period 1969 to 1987, when price changes were unusually large. Our data support the hypothesis. In the 70s, prices increased more in the Western Cornbelt than in the Eastern Cornbelt; in the 80s, the Western Cornbelt experienced the more precipitous price declines. Our hypothesis explains why Great Plains farmers have experienced greater financial problems during times of stress than have many other farmers.
Farmers' Perceived Risks and Risk Management Strategies in an Emerging Mussel Aquaculture Industry in Denmark

Abstract The aim of this exploratory study is to provide empirical insight into how mussel farmers perceive and manage risks. The results show that future price, demand for mussels, and changes in public regulation are the high-ranked perceived risks. Bad weather, oxygen depletion, harmful algal blooms (HABs), E. coli, change in governmental regulation, and public views towards mussel culture are also considered important risk factors in mussel farming. On the other hand, production at the lowest possible cost, cooperative marketing, good relations with government, liquidity, adaptation of new technology, and experience sharing are perceived as the most important risk management strategies. When developing and changing policies for farmers' satisfaction and for the long-term sustainability of mussel aquaculture, policymakers should consider these risks and risk management strategies emphasized by the farmers. JEL Classification Code: Q22
Does Social Enterprise Law Matter?

Social enterprise laws are sweeping through the nation. Entrepreneurs can now organize under one of several new legal forms, including the “benefit corporation” form. In theory, these options will make it easier for socially minded firms to pursue a double bottom line of profit and public benefit — that is, to do well while doing good. This Article tests that theory. In asking whether social enterprise laws matter, I find that the answer is “yes,” but not for the reasons most people think. The standard rationale for social enterprise laws is that they free managers from the “duty” to put profits ahead of social objectives. But that idea misses the point; existing corporate law is already flexible enough to permit most social/economic tradeoffs. Instead, I argue that social enterprise laws add value by creating a new institutional structure that will motivate the development of self-regulatory standards and provide a helpful coordinating mechanism for legal advisors and pro-social investors. The Article thus offers a unique way of thinking about social enterprise laws. Rather than simply provide new off-the-rack legal forms, these laws encourage a process of norm creation and private engagement that ought to drive the social enterprise movement forward. I conclude by offering firms and lawmakers several strategies to reinforce this dynamic.
Context-dependent survival, fecundity and predicted population-level consequences of brucellosis in African buffalo.

Chronic infections may have negative impacts on wildlife populations, yet their effects are difficult to detect in the absence of long-term population monitoring. Brucella abortus, the bacteria responsible for bovine brucellosis, causes chronic infections and abortions in wild and domestic ungulates, but its impact on population dynamics is not well understood. We report infection patterns and fitness correlates of bovine brucellosis in African buffalo based on (1) 7 years of cross-sectional disease surveys and (2) a 4-year longitudinal study in Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. We then used a matrix population model to translate these observed patterns into predicted population-level effects. Annual brucellosis seroprevalence ranged from 8·7% (95% CI = 1·8-15·6) to 47·6% (95% CI = 35·1-60·1) increased with age until adulthood (>6) and varied by location within KNP. Animals were on average in worse condition after testing positive for brucellosis (F = -5·074, P < 0·0001), and infection was associated with a 2·0 (95% CI = 1·1-3·7) fold increase in mortality (χ(2) = 2·039, P = 0·036). Buffalo in low body condition were associated with lower reproductive success (F = 2·683, P = 0·034), but there was no association between brucellosis and pregnancy or being observed with a calf. For the range of body condition scores observed in the population, the model-predicted growth rate was λ = 1·11 (95% CI = 1·02-1·21) in herds without brucellosis and λ = 1·00 (95% CI = 0·85-1·16) when brucellosis seroprevalence was 30%. Our results suggest that brucellosis infection can potentially result in reduced population growth rates, but because these effects varied with demographic and environmental conditions, they may remain unseen without intensive, longitudinal monitoring.
Microscopic neuroanatomic abnormalities in autism.

Since its initial description in 1943,1 autism has been primarily conceptualized as a behavioral disorder, and for many years it was believed to be the result of parental and environmental influences. With heightened clinical interest in the disorder, coincident with advances in medical technology, however, evidence for an underlying neurologic basis for autism has become increasingly apparent. HISTORICAL NEUROPATHOLOGIC PERSPECTIVE Based largely on the constellation of symptoms that characterize the disorder, various anatomical sites within the brain have been suggested as a possible primary source of pathology in autism. Suspected regions have included the medial temporal lobe,2-5 the thalamic nuclei,6 the basal ganglia,7 and the vestibular system.8 Computed tomographic imaging studies have shown inconsistent findings.9-14 More recently, however, magnetic resonance imaging studies have described abnormalities in portions of the cerebellum and posterior fossa.15-17 Direct microscopic examination of the autistic brain has, until recently, yielded little information. Aarkrog18 reported "slight thickening of the arterioles, slight connective tissue increase in the leptomeninges, and some cell increase" in a frontal lobe biopsy performed on an autistic patient. Later, in 1976, 33 cases of childhood psychosis were reviewed by Darby.19 Although he suggested a possible correlation between limbic system lesions and the affective symptomatology of autism, no consistent neuropathologic findings were found. In 1980, Williams et al20 studied sections of brain from four patients with autistic-like behavior; looking primarily for cell loss and gliosis, they failed to find any consistent abnormalities. MICROSCOPIC NEUROANATOMIC OBSERVATIONS In 1984, anatomic abnormalities were reported in the brain of a 29-year-old man with well-documented autism; the technique of whole brain serial section was used, and the patient was studied in comparison with an identically processed age- and sex-matched control subject.21,22
Taming codimension three embeddings

1. Taming embeddings of certain polyhedra. If PQK are polyhedra, we say there is an elementary C(X)-construction from P to K, written P/K1 if there exists a pair (<B(x)> x) which is PL homeomorphic to (C(X), X), where C(X) denotes the cone over a polyhedron X, such that (1) i = ? u e ( x ) , (2) x=Pne(x), and (3) P is link collapsible on x and C1(P—x) =-P. A polyhedron K is said to be C{B)-constructible from P , written P /K, if there is a finite sequence, pc«xi> fp^. txt) /<p%c.ixi) f . ax^^R, of elementary constructions from P to K where each Xi is a PL ball. Similarly, K is said to be C(S)-constructible from P , written PW /K, if there is such a finite sequence where each Xi is a PL sphere. A P-nice polyhedron K has the property that P^^> /L^ /K. A 23-nice polyhydron, B a ball, is simply called a wice polyhedron. An embedding ƒ of a polyhedron P into a polyhedron Q is isotopically tame if there is an isotopy e« of Q such that e<> = 1 and erf is PL. The embedding ƒ is e-tame if for any e > 0 there is an isotopy et of Q such that £0 = 1, erf is PL, dist (x, * (*) )<€ for all * G Q a n d * | Q-N((f(P)) = 1. THEOREM 1. L ^ Kbea P-nice polyhedron such that dim (CI (if—P) ) ^n — 3, w ^ S , and let f:K—>Q be an embedding of K into the interior of the PL n-manifold Q which is locally flat on the open simplexes of some triangulation and is such that f \ P is isotopically tame. Then, ƒ is isotopically tame and if f\ P is PL, the taming isotopy is fixed onf(P),
Multinomial Logit Market Share Models: Equilibrium Characteristics and Strategic Implications

We specify and analyze the conditions under which the MNL market share models are appropriate for equilibrium analysis. Our results show that a linear price response function as is often used in empirical research, in conjunction with the typical concavity assumed in a large range of marketing response functions, would yield an interior equilibrium solution. We then consider the optimal reactions on pricing and marketing spending to entry and potential market expansion. In the context of the MNL models, we demonstrate that the entry of a new brand evokes a decrease in the equilibrium prices of the existing brands as a defensive reaction. This is true in both an expanding market as well as a fixed market. However, while new entry into a fixed market would trigger the incumbents to lower the marketing expenditure, we show that firms tend to raise marketing activities as they experience market expansion. Consequently, there exist distinct possibilities that marketing efforts for the existing brands increase in view of entry in an expanding market. Further managerial and marketing implications for endogeneity of the number of firms are explored.
Energy Consumption, Economic Development and Environmental Improvement in China

As the biggest developing country in the world, China is facing more and more pressure to reduce emissions. However, can growth in energy consumption, economic output and environmental protection be achieved simultaneously in China? To solve the problem, this paper presents an analysis of the long-run and causal relationship between energy consumption, economic growth and environmental pollution in China from 1983–2010. The methodology uses is the Johansen cointegration test and Granger causality test based on a multivariate vector error correction model. Empirical results show that there are correlations between energy consumption, economic growth and environmental pollution in the long-term. The results of causality test indicate that economic growth is the cause for both energy consumption and environmental pollution, while energy consumption is the cause of environmental pollution and vice versa. The policy implication would be that energy conservation and pollution reduction policies may be undertaken without impeding economic growth.
[Relationship between C-reactive protein gene polymorphaisms and chronic periodontitis].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) + 1444C/T, CRP+1059G/C polymorphisms and chronic periodontitis (CP) in a Han Chinese population. METHODS Clinical periodontal parameters [attachment loss (AL) probing depth (PD) and bleeding on probing (BOP)], and serum CRP levels were examined in CP patients (n = 126) and healthy subjects (n = 113). RESULTS The mean serum CRP level [(1.74 ± 1.67) mg/L] was significantly higher in the CP group than in the control group [(0.57 ± 0.39) mg/L], P < 0.001. In the control group, serum CRP levels were significantly lower in subjects with the CRP +1059 GC and CC genotypes than those with the CRP +1059 GG genotype (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference between genotypes in the CP group. In CP and the control groups, serum CRP levels were significantly higher in subjects with the CRP + 1444 CT and TT genotypes compared to those with the CRP + 1444 CC genotype (P < 0.5). The percentage of CRP + 1059 C allele was 6.7% (17/252) in the CP group and 4.9% (11/226) in the control group. The percentage of CRP + 1444 T allele was 6.3% (16/252) in the CP group and 5.3% (12/226) in the control group (P > 0.5). There was no significant difference between groups in both allele frequencies (P > 0.5). The association of CRP + 1059G/C, CRP + 1444 C/T polymorphisms with CP was not found in a regression model (P > 0.5). CONCLUSIONS The presence of a CRP + 1059C-allele was associated with lower serum CRP levels and the presence of a CRP + 1444T-allele was associated with higher serum CRP levels. However, the data suggested that CRP + 1059G/C, CRP + 1444 C/T polymorphisms were not significantly associated with serum CRP levels of chronic periodontitis patients in ethnic Han Chinese.
Conditional, unconditional and everything in between: a systematic review of the effects of cash transfer programmes on schooling outcomes

Cash transfer programmes are a popular social protection tool in developing countries that aim, among other things, to improve education outcomes in developing countries. The debate over whether these programmes should include conditions has been at the forefront of recent policy discussions. This systematic review aims to complement the existing evidence on the effectiveness of these programmes in improving schooling outcomes and help inform the debate surrounding the design of cash transfer programmes. Using data from 75 reports that cover 35 different studies, the authors find that both conditional cash transfers (CCTs) and unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) improve the odds of being enrolled in and attending school compared to no cash transfer programme. The effect sizes for enrolment and attendance are always larger for CCTs compared to UCTs, but the difference is not statistically significant. When programmes are categorised as having no schooling conditions, having some conditions with minimal monitoring and enforcement and having explicit conditions that are monitored and enforced, a much clearer pattern emerges whereby programmes that are explicitly conditional, monitor compliance and penalise non-compliance have substantively larger effects (60% improvement in odds of enrolment). Unlike enrolment and attendance, the effectiveness of cash transfer programmes on improving test scores is small at best. More research is needed that examines longer-term outcomes such as test scores and, more generally, evaluating the impacts of UCTs.
Dice Image Recognition Scheme Using Pattern Comparison Technique

In dice recognition, there are several situations which may cause dice image identification problems including that camera zooming in, zooming out, the pip sizes become irregular. In this paper, we adopt a pattern comparison method to develop an intelligent dice pattern match ration that can achieve accurate dice recognition. After over 200 test images that include different shapes, styles, size and colors used in simulations, this scheme is proven to achieve 100% dice image identification.
Risk Factors for Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Wild Rodents from Central Coastal California and a Review of T. gondii Prevalence in Rodents

Sera from 523 wild rodents were tested for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies using either an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) (rats and mice, with titer ≥80 considered positive) or a latex agglutination test (LAT) (voles, squirrels, and pocket mice, with titer ≥32 considered positive). Seventeen percent (88/523) of the rodents, including 26% (85/328) of the Peromyscus sp. and 8% (3/37) of Spermophilus beecheyi, were seropositive. Fourteen percent (23/161) of rodents captured in trap sites next to Morro Bay (California) and 15% (16/109) of rodents from sites adjacent to riparian habitats had antibodies to T. gondii, compared to 19% (49/253) of rodents captured in habitats not associated with water; this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.32). Significantly fewer rodents were captured <200 m from residential housing compared to locations further away (11% vs. 30%, respectively). Factors associated with an increased risk for T. gondii seropositivity in rodents were capture location ≥200 m from residential housing and adult age.
Insulin resistance accelerates a dietary rat model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The increasing prevalence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is due to the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes, both of which are associated with insulin resistance. METHODS To clarify the causal relationship between insulin resistance and the development of NASH, steatohepatitis was induced in obese diabetic Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) and nondiabetic control Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats by feeding them a methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) diet. Insulin sensitivity of the rats was altered by adding a high-fat (HF) diet or the peroxisomal-proliferator activated receptor-gamma agonist pioglitazone to the MCD diet. RESULTS The MCD diet-induced steatohepatitis was accelerated in OLETF rats after 8 weeks. Steatosis preceded inflammation, which led to fibrosis and the development of steatohepatitis. The hepatic gene expression for transforming growth factor-beta, alpha1 procollagen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 was up-regulated in OLETF rats compared with LETO rats. The MCD + HF diet further enhanced insulin resistance and led to rapid development of pre-cirrhosis in OLETF rats by increasing the triglyceride pool, activating stellate cells, and up-regulating gene expression for sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c and fatty acid synthase in the liver. In contrast, pioglitazone attenuated the MCD diet-induced steatohepatitis in OLETF rats but not in LETO rats by reversing the underlying pathogenesis involved in this model through improvement of insulin resistance. These results confirm a link between insulin resistance and the development/progression of steatohepatitis, at least partly via up-regulation of genes for lipogenesis, inflammation, and fibrogenesis, in animal models. CONCLUSIONS Insulin resistance and/or diabetes may accelerate the entire pathologic spectrum of NASH.
Mechanosensitive release of adenosine 5′‐triphosphate through pannexin channels and mechanosensitive upregulation of pannexin channels in optic nerve head astrocytes: A mechanism for purinergic involvement in chronic strain

As adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) released from astrocytes can modulate many neural signaling systems, the triggers and pathways for this ATP release are important. Here, the ability of mechanical strain to trigger ATP release through pannexin channels and the effects of sustained strain on pannexin expression were examined in rat optic nerve head astrocytes. Astrocytes released ATP when subjected to 5% of equibiaxial strain or to hypotonic swelling. Although astrocytes expressed mRNA for pannexins 1–3, connexin 43, and VNUT, pharmacological analysis suggested a predominant role for pannexins in mechanosensitive ATP release, with Rho kinase contribution. Astrocytes from panx1−/− mice had reduced baseline and stimulated levels of extracellular ATP, confirming the role for pannexins. Swelling astrocytes triggered a regulatory volume decrease that was inhibited by apyrase or probenecid. The swelling‐induced rise in calcium was inhibited by P2X7 receptor antagonists A438079 and AZ10606120, in addition to apyrase and carbenoxolone. Extended stretch of astrocytes in vitro upregulated expression of panx1 and panx2 mRNA. A similar upregulation was observed in vivo in optic nerve head tissue from the Tg‐MYOCY437H mouse model of chronic glaucoma; genes for panx1, panx2, and panx3 were increased, whereas immunohistochemistry confirmed increased expression of pannexin 1 protein. In summary, astrocytes released ATP in response to mechanical strain, with pannexin 1 the predominant efflux pathway. Sustained strain upregulated pannexins in vitro and in vivo. Together, these findings provide a mechanism by which extracellular ATP remains elevated under chronic mechanical strain, as found in the optic nerve head of patients with glaucoma. GLIA 2014;62:1486–1501
English regions disbanded: European funding and economic regeneration implications

The investiture of a UK Coalition Government in 2010 heralded the (ongoing) production of new sub-national geographies of governance in England. Of primary concern is the disbanding of the English regions, outside of London, which were New Labour’s preferred scale for ‘managing’ economic regeneration during the 2000s. In a bid to roll back the functions of the state as part of their deficit reduction plan, the Coalition embarked on a political rescaling strategy resulting in various institutional reconfigurations. This rescaling of state power has significant policy implications in the context of European funding, which is the focus of this article. By analysing a field of policy activity during a period of significant motion, the intent is to highlight some notable dilemmas, aided by posing some practical questions, in order to prompt some much needed policy discussion and academic deliberation.