Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Central veins in brain lesions visualized with high-field magnetic resonance imaging: a pathologically specific diagnostic biomarker for inflammatory demyelination in the brain.

IMPORTANCE There is no single test that is diagnostic for multiple sclerosis (MS), and existing diagnostic criteria are imperfect. This can lead to diagnostic delay. Some patients require multiple (sometimes invasive) investigations, and extensive clinical follow-up to confirm or exclude a diagnosis of MS. A diagnostic biomarker that is pathologically specific for the inflammatory demyelination in MS could overhaul current diagnostic algorithms. OBJECTIVE To prospectively assess the diagnostic value of visualizing central veins in brain lesions with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patients with possible MS for whom the diagnosis is uncertain. DESIGN Prospective longitudinal cohort study. The reference standard is a clinical diagnosis that is arrived at (after a mean follow-up of 26 months) by the treating neurologist with a specialist interest in MS. The 7-T MRI scans were analyzed at baseline, by physicians blinded to the clinical data, for the presence of visible central veins. SETTING Academic MS referral center. PARTICIPANTS A consecutive sample of 29 patients referred with possible MS who had brain lesions detected on clinical MRI scans but whose condition remained undiagnosed despite expert clinical and radiological assessments. EXPOSURE Seven-Tesla MRI using a T2*-weighted sequence. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The proportion of patients whose condition was correctly diagnosed as MS or as not MS, using 7-T MRI at study onset, compared with the eventual diagnosis reached by treating physicians blinded to the result of the MRI scan. RESULTS Of the 29 patients enrolled and scanned using 7-T MRI, so far 22 have received a clinical diagnosis. All 13 patients whose condition was eventually diagnosed as MS had central veins visible in the majority of brain lesions at baseline. All 9 patients whose condition was eventually not diagnosed as MS had central veins visible in a minority of lesions. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In our study, T2*-weighted 7-T MRI had 100% positive and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of MS. Clinical application of this technique could improve existing diagnostic algorithms.
In Vitro Investigation of Host Resistance toToxoplasma gondii Infection in Microglia of BALB/c and CBA/Ca Mice

ABSTRACT Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is a life-threatening disease of immunocompromised individuals and has increased in prevalence as a consequence of AIDS. TE has been modeled in inbred mice, with CBA/Ca mice being susceptible and BALB/c mice resistant to the development of TE. To better understand the innate mechanisms in the brain that play a role in resistance to TE, nitric oxide (NO)-dependent and NO-independent mechanisms were examined in microglia from BALB/c and CBA/Ca mice and correlated with the ability of these cells to inhibit Toxoplasma gondii replication. These parameters were measured 48 h after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), or combinations of these inducers in T. gondii-infected microglia isolated from newborn mice. CBA/Ca microglia consistently produced less NO than did BALB/c microglia after stimulation with LPS or with IFN-γ plus TNF-α, and they inhibitedT. gondii replication significantly less than did BALB/c microglia. Cells of both strains treated with IFN-γ alone significantly inhibited uracil incorporation by T. gondii, and NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (NMMA) treatment did not reverse this effect. In cells treated with IFN-γ in combination with other inducers, NMMA treatment resulted in only partial recovery of T. gondii replication. This IFN-γ-dependent inhibition of replication was not due to generation of reactive oxygen species or to increased tryptophan degradation. These data suggest that NO production and an IFN-γ-dependent mechanism contribute to the inhibition of T. gondii replication after in vitro stimulation with IFN-γ plus TNF-α or with LPS. Differences in NO production but not in IFN-γ-dependent inhibition of T. gondii replication were observed between CBA/Ca and BALB/c microglia.
Genetic tagging reveals extreme site fidelity in territorial male Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella

Genetic tagging, the identification of individuals using their genotypes, provides a powerful tool for studying animals that are difficult to observe or identify using conventional techniques. However, despite being widely adopted by conservation biologists, the full potential of this approach has yet to be realized. Here we used genetic recapture data to quantify male site fidelity at a colony of Antarctic fur seals where an aerial walkway provides unprecedented access and individual positions are determined daily to 1 m accuracy. Because males are too large and aggressive to be captured and fitted with conventional tags, we remotely collected 770 tissue samples over eight consecutive seasons and used nine‐locus microsatellite genotypes to reveal 306 genetic recaptures among 464 unique individuals. Within seasons, males are highly site‐faithful, with any movements that occur tending to take place before the period when females come into oestrus. Of those males that return to breed over successive seasons, almost half return to within a body length of where they were before. The discovery of such extreme site faithfulness has implications for the population structure and mating system of fur seals and potentially other colonially breeding species.
A Research on the Influence Factors of P2P Lending Market

The credit platform of P2P network is a new type of lending model which based on Internet technology. It is the inevitable product in the rapid development of science, technology and social economy. It makes the current credit model more diversity and comprehensive, which plays a pivotal role in China's economic development. This paper introduces the mode and characteristics of P2P network lending, as well as the main development of P2P network lending at home and abroad. In this paper, we take the largest P2P network lending website PPDai as an example, using binary logistic regression model to establish a network lending model, researching the factors that affect the success rate of the loan, and carry on the Monte Carlo simulation, to find that credit is an important factor to guarantee the success of P2P transactions. During the period of marketization, compared to traditional finance, P2P network lending model not only has mode innovation but also need to make full use of its advantages of big data, for effective credit and risk assessment. Making outstanding contributions in order to the credit system construction and lending services.
Insulin-like Growth Factors and Fish Reproduction

Knowledge of fish reproduction is of high relevance to basic fish biology and comparative evolution. Furthermore, fish are excellent biomedical models, and the impact of aquaculture on worldwide food production is steadily increasing. Consequently, research on fish reproduction and the potential modes of its manipulation has become more and more important. Reproduction in fish is regulated by the integration of endogenous neuroendocrine (gonadotropins), endocrine, and autocrine/paracrine signals with exogenous (environmental) factors. The main endocrine regulators of gonadal sex differentiation and function are steroid hormones. However, recent studies suggest that other hormones are also involved. Most prominent among these hormones are the insulin-like growth factors (Igfs), i.e., Igf1, Igf2, and, most recently, Igf3. Thus, the present review deals with the expression patterns and potential physiological functions of Igf1 and Igf2 in male and female gonads. It further considers the potential involvement of growth hormone (Gh) and balances the reasons for endocrine vs. autocrine/paracrine action of the Igfs on the gonads of fish. Finally, this review discusses the early and late development of gonadal Igf1 and Igf2 and whether they are targets of endocrine-disrupting compounds. Future topics for novel research investigation on Igfs and fish reproduction are presented.
Amelogenins in Human Developing and Mature Dental Pulp

Amelogenins are a group of heterogenous proteins first identified in developing tooth enamel and reported to be present in odontoblasts. The objective of this study was to elucidate the expression and function of amelogenins in the human dentin-pulp complex. Developing human tooth buds were immunostained for amelogenin, and mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization. The effects of recombinant amelogenins on pulp and papilla cell proliferation were measured by Brd U immunoassay, and differentiation was monitored by alkaline phosphatase expression. Amelogenin protein was found in the forming dentin matrix, and amelogenin mRNA was localized in the dentin, presumably in the odontoblast processes. Proliferation of papilla cells was enhanced by recombinant human amelogenin rH72 (LRAP+ exon 4), while pulp cells responded to both rH72 and rH58 (LRAP), with no effect by rH174. These studies suggest that odontoblasts actively synthesize and secrete amelogenin protein during human tooth development, and that low-molecular-weight amelogenins can enhance pulp cell proliferation.
A randomized trial of intensive lipid-lowering therapy in calcific aortic stenosis.

BACKGROUND Calcific aortic stenosis has many characteristics in common with atherosclerosis, including hypercholesterolemia. We hypothesized that intensive lipid-lowering therapy would halt the progression of calcific aortic stenosis or induce its regression. METHODS In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients with calcific aortic stenosis were randomly assigned to receive either 80 mg of atorvastatin daily or a matched placebo. Aortic-valve stenosis and calcification were assessed with the use of Doppler echocardiography and helical computed tomography, respectively. The primary end points were change in aortic-jet velocity and aortic-valve calcium score. RESULTS Seventy-seven patients were assigned to atorvastatin and 78 to placebo, with a median follow-up of 25 months (range, 7 to 36). Serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations remained at 130+/-30 mg per deciliter in the placebo group and fell to 63+/-23 mg per deciliter in the atorvastatin group (P<0.001). Increases in aortic-jet velocity were 0.199+/-0.210 m per second per year in the atorvastatin group and 0.203+/-0.208 m per second per year in the placebo group (P=0.95; adjusted mean difference, 0.002; 95 percent confidence interval, -0.066 to 0.070 m per second per year). Progression in valvular calcification was 22.3+/-21.0 percent per year in the atorvastatin group, and 21.7+/-19.8 percent per year in the placebo group (P=0.93; ratio of post-treatment aortic-valve calcium score, 0.998; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.947 to 1.050). CONCLUSIONS Intensive lipid-lowering therapy does not halt the progression of calcific aortic stenosis or induce its regression. This study cannot exclude a small reduction in the rate of disease progression or a significant reduction in major clinical end points. Long-term, large-scale, randomized, controlled trials are needed to establish the role of statin therapy in patients with calcific aortic stenosis.
Investment and Firm Value: Is There an Optimal Investment Level in Hotel Firms?

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine whether an optimal investment level exists in hotel firms. The authors examined the quadratic relation between investments and hotel firm value. The results show that there is an optimal investment level that maximizes firm value. However, the optimal investment level varies across firms on the basis of the quality of investment opportunities or under- and overinvestment problems. The optimal investment level is higher for hotel firms with underinvestment problems, which suggests that these firms have valuable investment opportunities. However, the optimal investment level is lower for hotel firms with overinvestment problems, which implies that shareholders of these firms perceive additional investments to be value destroying. These results support the postulations of the Q theory of investment, pecking order theory, and free cash flow theory. Practical implications are discussed in the realm of financing, investment, and dividend policies.
Urban climate adaptation and the reshaping of state–society relations: The politics of community knowledge and mobilisation in Indore, India:

Current research on climate change adaptation in cities highlights the role of local governments in facilitating adaptation actions, but rarely assesses whether (and if so, how) local communities organise around emerging climate priorities to affect political change. This paper explores changing state–society relationships through the reconstitution of community collectives and advocacy organisations for advancing climate change adaptation in the Indian city of Indore. The paper shows that communities are indeed recognising the need for adaptation but are, at the same time, integrating adaptation actions with existing strategies for advocating development rights. Communities are also rebuilding alliances between municipal and local institutions for public service and infrastructure provision, which point to the centrality of community politics in urban climate adaptation processes. However, such mobilisations are often dependent on existing political networks and a legacy of advocacy around poverty allevi.
Poverty alleviation through financing microenterprises with equity finance

Purpose This paper aims to achieve scale, efficiency and mitigate high monitoring costs, and explores the efficacy of micro equity finance at the enterprise level. The study compares the economic features of the proposed framework with interest-based debt finance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a mathematical model to highlight the problem of agency costs including adverse selection and moral hazard. Findings Debt finance requires frequent repayments and indebtedness for financial inclusion. Conversely, the Islamic equity modes of financing in their current baseline structure suffer from high agency costs. By using enterprise level finance and distinct entry criterion for availing Islamic debt-based and micro equity finance, Islamic microfinance institutions (IMFIs) can reach the right targets and effectively mitigate the problem of adverse selection and high monitoring costs. The study suggests a framework in which equity financing could be used to fund microenterprises that will employ poor people with related skills. Research limitations/implications As the preferable modes of Islamic finance, i.e. Musharakah and Mudarabah, are not used by Islamic financial institutions (IFIs), empirical analysis of performance is not possible as they are rarely used. Practical implications The study suggests a workable model that can use Islamic equity-based modes of financing to improve microfinance outreach and achieve scale. The use of equity financing will help the Islamic finance industry to move toward its egalitarian vision, and the practical implementation of the model will help in reducing poverty in the Muslim majority countries. Social implications Muslim countries host half of global poverty, even though their share in global population is only one-fourth. Hence, there is need for solutions in achieving scale in poverty alleviation efforts. Originality/value Using a mathematical model, the paper presents agency problems in Islamic microfinance and proposes a solution through distinct entry criterion and enterprise level micro equity finance.
PLAGIARISM POLICY AND PRACTICE IN FLEXIBLE LEARNING IN SWEDEN

Please insert your summary (Limit: 200 words): We discuss plagiarism detection and prevention strategies, introduce the Swedish context and exemplify the combination of these using two courses at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences of Stockholm University and KTH. Discussing the characteristics of the courses and the solutions chosen by the teachers involved we present recommendations for these specific cases and in general as well as suggestions for future work.
Abstract characterization of a four-valued logic

A four-valued logic defined by the four-element De Morgan lattice together with its two prime filters is treated. For certain classes of abstract logics, several characterizations in terms of De Morgan lattices and projective generation of logics by sets of homomorphisms or by a single epimorphism (a biological morphism) are described. A similar treatment is shown for the three-valued logic generated by the three-element chain together with its two prime filters, and for the incorporation of the falsum connective, which brings out the classes of all De Morgan algebras and all Kleene algebras. <<ETX>>
Baseline Values of Candidate Urine Acute Kidney Injury Biomarkers Vary by Gestational Age in Premature Infants

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in premature infants and is associated with poor outcomes. Novel biomarkers can detect AKI promptly. Because premature infants are born with underdeveloped kidneys, baseline biomarker values may differ. We describe baseline values of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), IL-18, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), osteopontin (OPN), beta-2 microglobulin (B2mG), and Cystatin-C (Cys-C). Next, we test the hypothesis that these biomarkers are inversely related to GA. Candidate markers were compared according to GA categories in 123 infants. Mixed linear regression models were performed to determine the independent association between demographics/interventions and baseline biomarker values. We found that urine NGAL, KIM-1, Cys-C, and B2mG decreased with increasing GA. With correction for urine creatinine (cr), these markers and OPN/cr decreased with increasing GA. IL-18 (with or without correction for urine creatinine) did not differ across GA categories. Controlling for other potential clinical and demographic confounders with regression analysis shows that NGAL/cr, OPN/cr, and B2mG/cr are independently associated with GA. We conclude that urine values of candidate AKI biomarkers are higher in the most premature infants. These findings should be considered when designing and analyzing biomarker studies in newborn with AKI.
Brain metabolic changes following 4‐week citalopram infusion: Increased 18FDG uptake and γ‐amino butyric acid levels

We used 2‐week and 4‐week citalopram infusion (10 mg/kg/day) to determine how this selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) would alter 2‐deoxy‐2‐[18F]‐fluoro‐D‐glucose (18FDG) uptake and neurotransmitter tissue levels in male Sprague‐Dawley rodents. A weekly time course of 18FDG uptake altered by chronic citalopram treatment was determined in vivo with small animal positron emission tomography (microPET®). Additionally, end of study monoamine levels were measured ex vivo using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and amino acid levels were determined ex vivo with proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐NMRS). We found increased striatal 18FDG uptake, reduced tissue levels of noradrenaline and serotonin in the striatum and prefrontal cortex, and increased striatal γ‐amino‐butyric acid following 4‐week citalopram infusion. Synapse 61:877–881, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fisheries Production: Management Institutions, Spatial Choice, and the Quest for Policy Invariance

ABSTRACT The fishery-dependent data used to estimate fishing production technologies are shaped by the incentive structures that influence fishermen's purposeful choices across their multiple margins of production. Using a combination of analytical and simulation methods, we demonstrate how market prices and regulatory institutions influence a dominant short-run margin of production—the deployment of fishing time over space. We show that institutionally driven spatial selection leads to only a partial exploration of the full production set, yielding poorly identified estimates of production possibilities outside of the institutionally dependent status quo. The implication is that many estimated fisheries production functions suffer from a lack of policy invariance and may yield misleading predictions for even the most short-run of policy evaluation tasks. Our findings suggest that accurate assessment of the impacts of a policy intervention requires a description of the fishing production process that is sufficiently structural so as to be invariant to institutional changes. JEL Codes: D24, Q22.
Comparing the Performance of Amplatzer® and Occlutech® Figulla® Septal Occluders: The Pediatric Point of View. A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND The closure of an atrial septal defect is procedure that is frequently performed in both adults and children. Currently, the most commonly used devices are the Amplatzer® and Occlutech® Figulla® atrial septal occluders. Studies conducted in adults have shown that these devices all have similar performance efficiency for the closure of secundum atrial septal defects. No study to date has examined their performance in the pediatric population. OBJECTIVES To evaluate and compare the performance of Amplatzer® and Occlutech® Figulla® atrial septal occluders in the pediatric population. METHODS A consecutive retrospective study of exclusively pediatric patients who underwent percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect with these devices was conducted at our institute. RESULTS The study comprised 110 children, 50 in the Amplatzer® device group and 60 in the Occlutech® Figulla® device group. The groups had similar demographic and defect characteristics, except for defect size per transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which was 2.1 mm larger in the Amplatzer® device group (P = 0.02). No adverse events were recorded in either of the study groups. Complete defect closure at 12 months follow-up (procedural success) was achieved in all but one of the patients in the Amplatzer® group and all but two in the Figulla® group (P = 1). The residual shunt rates of fenestrated defects were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS For children with an isolated secundum atrial septal defect, percutaneous closure is equally safe and effective with either Amplatzer® or Occlutech® Figulla® devices.
The Demand for Nicotine Replacement Therapies

This paper reports on the first econometric study to examine the determinants of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) demand. Pooled cross-sectional time-series scanner-based data for 50 major metropolitan markets in the United States covering the period between the second quarter 1996 and the third quarter 1999 are used in the analysis. Fixed-effects modeling is employed to assess the impact of NRT prices, cigarette prices, and other determinants on NRT demand. The estimates indicate that decreases in the price of NRT and increases in the price of cigarettes would lead to substantial increases in per-capita sales of NRT products. The average own-price elasticity of demand, which measures the responsiveness of consumer demand for NRT products to changes in the price of NRT, for Nicoderm CQ and Nicorette, is -2.33 and -2.46, respectively. The average cross-price elasticity of demand, which measures the responsiveness of consumer demand for NRT products to changes in the price of cigarettes, for Nicoderm CQ and Nicorette, is 0.772 and 0.764, respectively.