Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fluorescence-guided resection of brain tumor: review of the significance of intraoperative quantification of protoporphyrin IX fluorescence

Abstract. Surgical removal of tumor mass is a common approach in the management of brain tumors. However, the precise delineation of normal tissue from tumor tissue for a complete resection of tumor mass in brain tumor surgery remains a difficult task for neurosurgeons. Aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated exgogenous fluorescence of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is a sensitive approach for tumor imaging. Recent studies suggest that the use of ALA/PpIX-mediated fluorescence-guided resection (FGR) or fluorescence-guided surgery can enable more accurate and complete resection of brain tumors, especially when used in quantitative fashion. This review will highlight the current progress in PpIX-mediated FGR and discuss technical challenges in intraoperative quantification of intracellular PpIX fluorescence during FGR of brain tumor.
'I've stuck to the path I'm afraid': exploring student non-use of blended learning

This paper draws on qualitative data from a study of student use of blended learning as part of a conventionally taught undergraduate Sociology course. Findings from an early evaluation questionnaire highlighted an overwhelming pattern of non-use of the materials and subsequent research with a group of 16 students evidenced limited and inconsistent engagement with the resources. In an analysis of the category ‘non-use’, the students’ rejection of the materials is seen to be closely related to a trust in traditional texts as authentic academic knowledge and an instrumental and strategic approach to study. Blended learning resources are shown to challenge existing learning patterns and practices, reconfigure existing understandings and expectations of academic scholarship and reconstruct academic boundaries in new spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
The cell biology of bone metabolism

Contrary to the commonly held misconception, bone is a relatively dynamic organ that undergoes significant turnover as compared to other organs in the body. This review details how complex intercellular signalling, between the osteoprogenitor cells and mature osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts, regulates and balances activities of bone cells during remodelling and growth. Both systemic, as well as local autocrine and paracrine factors are discussed. A number of recent important advances in cell biology of bone have led to a new paradigm in understanding of the subject. In this regard, the interaction between the immune system and bone cells is of particular interest, leading to the emergence of a new discipline termed osteoimmunology. The role of lymphocytes and a number of key cytokines in the regulation of osteoclastogenesis and osteoblast function is critically examined. The intracellular signalling regulating key cellular pathways involved in cell differentiation and activity are outlined. The emerging evidence of osteocytes as mechanosensors as well as regulators of mineralisation is discussed.
Laser-Phase-Fluctuation-Insensitive Optical Coherent Transmission of 16-Quadrature-Amplitude-Modulation Radio-Over-Fiber Signal

A laser-phase-fluctuation-insensitive optical coherent transmission of a 10-Gbaud 16-quadrature-amplitude-modulation radio-over-fiber signal with an offset-frequency-spaced two-tone local light and an digital-signal-processing technique is experimentally demonstrated. Error-free symbol recovery after the 20-km-long fiber-optic transmission is shown and the transmission quality is evaluated.
Characterization and distribution of Pogonomyrmex harvester ant lineages with genetic caste determination

Genetic caste determination has been described in two populations of Pogonomyrmex harvester ants, each comprising a pair of interbreeding lineages. Queens mate with males of their own and of the alternate lineage and produce two types of diploid offspring, those fertilized by males of the queens’ lineage which develop into queens and those fertilized by males of the other lineage which develop into workers. Each of the lineages has been shown to be itself of hybrid origin between the species Pogonomyrmex barbatus and Pogonomyrmex rugosus, which both have typical, environmentally determined caste differentiation. In a large scale genetic survey across 35 sites in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, we found that genetic caste determination associated with pairs of interbreeding lineages occurred frequently (in 26 out of the 35 sites). Overall, we identified eight lineages with genetic caste determination that always co‐occurred in the same complementary lineage pairs. Three of the four lineage pairs appear to have a common origin while their relationship with the fourth remains unclear. The level of genetic differentiation among these eight lineages was significantly higher than the differentiation between P. rugosus and P. barbatus, which questions the appropriate taxonomic status of these genetic lineages. In addition to being genetically isolated from one another, all lineages with genetic caste determination were genetically distinct from P. rugosus and P. barbatus, even when colonies of interbreeding lineages co‐occurred with colonies of either putative parent at the same site. Such nearly complete reproductive isolation between the lineages and the species with environmental caste determination might prevent the genetic caste determination system to be swept away by gene flow.
Change in IFN-gamma-producing capacity in early life and exposure to environmental microbes.

BACKGROUND Exposure to environmental microbes in early life might lead to type 1-skewed T cell responses and therefore reduce the risk of allergic diseases. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the cytokine responses at birth and at age 3 months are associated with environmental factors, especially exposure to microbes. Living in a farm, level of house dust endotoxin, cleanliness of the home, and presence of cats and dogs in the household were studied as possible determinants of cytokine production. METHODS Twelve farmers' and 17 nonfarmers' children were studied. Production of IL-4, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma in cord blood and in peripheral blood at 3 months was measured after 8-hour and 24-hour stimulation with phorbol ester plus concanavalin A. RESULTS IFN-gamma responses at age 3 months were associated with farming (median, 53 vs 17 pg/mL; P = .019) and cats and dogs (49 vs 14 pg/mL; P = .014) (8 hours). Change in IFN-gamma-producing capacity from birth to 3 months was larger in children with higher than median endotoxin concentration in bed dust (P = .038) and in children with a cat or dog (P = .005) (8 hours). Increased IL-6 responses at birth were associated with cat or dog exposure (P = .004; 8 hours) and endotoxin level in settled dust (P = .039; 24 hours). CONCLUSION The development of IFN-gamma-producing capacity during the first 3 months of life is associated with farming, endotoxin in house dust, and cat and dog exposure. These environmental characteristics may indicate some microbial exposure capable of driving developing immune system toward T(H)1 responses.
Betaine, organic acids and inulin do not affect ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility or microbial fermentation in piglets *

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of betaine alone or combined with organic acids and inulin on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities and intestinal microbial fermentation characteristics in piglets. In total, 24 four-week-old barrows with an average initial body weight of 6.7 kg were used in two consecutive experiments with 12 piglets each. Betaine, organic acids and inulin at a level of 0.2, 0.4 and 0.2%, respectively, or combinations of these supplements were added to the basal diet. The supplementation of betaine, organic acids and inulin or any of their combinations did not affect ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities. The microbial fermentation products both at the ileal and faecal level were not affected by any of the treatments. In conclusion, combining betaine with organic acids and inulin did not have any associated effects on the variables that were measured.
A novel method for power measurement of a short pulse gyrotron using Friis transmission formula at W-band

Summary form only given. In this paper, we introduce a new measurement method for a W-band, high power short pulse gyrotron using Friis transmission equation. The proposed method is superior to other calorimetric measurements since it provides a real-time power measurement and without calibration. To apply to Friis transmission equation, we derive the directivity of Gaussian beam in detail. Also, to demonstrate the method, we measured the output power based on the proposed method and compared with conventional measurement. The results prove that the proposed new power measurement technique works very well without any limitation applying it to higher average and peak power and long pulse duration.
Dynamic Linkages between Exchange Rates and Stock Prices: Evidence from Iran and South Korea

The main purpose of present study is to analyze the relationship between stock price and exchange rate in two Asian countries, Iran and South Korea. A monthly time series data from 2002 (07) to 2012 (03) is used. The data is collected from the Central Bank of each country and WDI. The calculated stock return and real exchange rate are used in analysis. An econometric VECH multiple generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (MGARCH) method is applied and the STATA software is used to analyze a bidirectional relationship between two variables in each country. Both variables are in growth rates to make sure of their stationary properties. The estimated results show no bidirectional relationship between two variables in both economies and only a unidirectional relationship from stock return to exchange rate in South Korean economy. No relationship is found between two variables in Iranian economy. When the own volatility shocks for both markets are considered, the results show that the past shocks arising from the exchange market have a stronger impact on its own future market volatility in Korean economy compared to Iranian economy. The implication of finding is that financial policymakers should watch both stock and exchange markets in Korean economy to prevent the stock market instability transitions to exchange market. JEL Classification Numbers: G02 G15 G17
Steady plasma concentration of unfractionated heparin reduces infarct volume and prevents inflammatory damage after transient focal cerebral ischemia in the rat

Unfractionated heparin (UH) decreases the extent of infarction after transient focal brain ischemia in the rat and abridges neuroinflammatory damage in patients with acute stroke. This study was aimed at assessing whether controlled and steady heparinemia in plasma can reduce infarct volume and exert neuroprotective effects after ischemia. Infarct volume was measured at 24 and 7 days following a 1‐hr intraluminal middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in rats treated with UH or with vehicle. After testing several UH administration protocols, we choose to give a bolus of 200 U/kg, which was started 3 hr after the occlusion, followed by a 24‐hr intraperitoneal perfusion of 70 U/kg/hr, which maintained a 24‐hr steady plasma heparinemia (0.3–0.6 U/ml) and caused no CNS or systemic bleeding. In addition, plasma IL‐10 concentration was measured by ELISA, endothelial VCAM‐1 expression was evaluated by i.v. injection of a 125I‐labeled monoclonal antibody against VCAM‐1, and brain hemeoxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) expression was determined by Western blot. UH‐treated rats showed smaller infarctions than rats treated with vehicle, as well as higher IL‐10 plasma levels and HO‐1 brain expression and lower endothelial VCAM‐1 induction. The study shows that a stable plasma concentration of UH given at nonhemorrhagic doses reduces infarct volume after ischemia‐reperfusion in the rat. It also shows that UH prevented the induction of cell adhesion molecules in the cerebral vasculature and increased the expression of molecules with antiinflammatory and prosurvival properties. These findings support further testing of the clinical value of parenteral, adjusted, high‐dose UH in patients with acute stroke. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Predicting users' intention to continue mobile internet services usage

기대일치이론에 기초한 기대일치모형은 정보시스템 연구 분야에서 정보시스템의 지속적인 사용 혹은 사용의도를 설명하는 핵심 이론으로 언급되어 왔다. 이러한 기대일치모형과 더불어 최근에 정보시스템 분야에서 주목을 받고 있는 또 다른 개념은 자동화된 행동 경향을 의미하는 ‘습관’이다. 본 연구에서는 이러한 두 가지 개념들을 기초로 모바일 인터넷 서비스에 대한 지속적인 이용 상황에서 습관과 기대일치모형을 통합하는 시도를 하였다. 이에 일치, 지각된 유용성, 지각된 사용 용이성, 습관 등의 수용후 신념, 이용자 만족, 지속적 이용의도로 구성된 연구모형을 구성하고 이를 검증하였다. J도내 250명의 대학생들을 대상으로 설문자료를 수집하여 분석한 결과, 기대일치와 지각된 유용성이 모바일 인터넷 서비스의 이용자 만족에 대한 주요 요인으로서 나타났다. 또한 지각된 유용성, 이용자 만족, 습관은 모바일 인터넷 서비스에 대한 지속적 이용의도를 결정하는 주요 요인으로 나타났다. 반면에 지각된 이용 용이성은 이용자 만족과 지속적 이용의도 모두에 대하여 아무런 관련성이 없는 것으로 나타났다.
TAX NON-COMPLIANCE AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY *

It is generally accepted that taxes and tax evasion are intrinsically linked. While there exists an extensive knowledge base regarding tax compliance by individuals, very little is actually known about tax compliance by businesses due to a lack of detailed and readily available data. This paper uses a unique and recently available dataset that contains detailed information on over 10,000 firms (broadly defined) from around the world to investigate factors, particularly corporate governance, that affect business tax compliance. The empirical strategy employed exploits the nature of the dependent variable, which is interval coded, and uses interval regression which provides an asymptotically more efficient estimator than the ordered probit, provided that the classical linear model assumptions hold. These assumptions are investigated using standard diagnostic tests that have been modified for the interval regression model. Evidence is presented that shows that firms in all regions around the world engage in tax noncompliance, but that there is substantial variation across and within regions. The legal organization of a business is found to affect tax compliance, as does size, ownership, competition and audit controls but industry and age has no effect. Not surprisingly, high taxes and government corruption result in reduced compliance while access to financing, organized crime, political instability and the fairness of the legal system do not affect compliance levels.
Empirical Evidence on the Use of Long-Term Performance Plans

Long-term performance plans have become an increasingly popular form of incentive compensation in recent years. While prior research considered the adoption of a long-term performance plan as a shift from short-term to long-term incentives, we provide evidence that long-term performance plans change the structure of long-term incentives. This perspective leads to the empirical prediction that firms adopt long-term performance plans in anticipation of a reduction in growth opportunities. Our findings with regard to plan adoption and changes in firm performance are consistent with this prediction. In addition, we find that financial reporting costs provided a disincentive to adopt plans in the early part of our sample period, but not during latter part of our sample period. We also use detailed data on performance measures for long-term performance plans to provide evidence that the relative weight placed on earnings versus stock return is negatively related to the relative noise in earnings.
DCT-BASED REDUCED FACE FOR FACE RECOGNITION

In this paper, face recognition technique using Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) is proposed. The local information of the face is extracted using block-based (DCT). The coefficients selected in each DCT block are fused to generate the feature image. This feature image is used for classification process. The face, recognition is then performed using Mahalanobis distance. The advantage of this technique is the reduction in the dimension of the face space retaining low, mid and high frequency coefficients. The technique is validated using standard ORL and YALE face datasets. The experimental results outperform traditional methods like PCA, LDA and DCT normalization.
Characterization of a Hank’s Type Serine/Threonine Kinase and Serine/Threonine Phosphoprotein Phosphatase inPseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes infections in eye, urinary tract, burn, and immunocompromised patients. We have cloned and characterized a serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) kinase and its cognate phosphoprotein phosphatase. By using oligonucleotides from the conserved regions of Ser/Thr kinases of mycobacteria, an 800-bp probe was used to screenP. aeruginosa PAO1 genomic library. A 20-kb cosmid clone was isolated, from which a 4.5-kb DNA with two open reading frames (ORFs) were subcloned. ORF1 was shown to encode Ser/Thr phosphatase (Stp1), which belongs to the PP2C family of phosphatases. Overlapping with the stp1 ORF, an ORF encoding Hank’s type Ser/Thr kinase was identified. Both ORFs were cloned in pGEX-4T1 and expressed in Escherichia coli. The overexpressed proteins were purified by glutathione-Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography and were biochemically characterized. The Stk1 kinase is 39 kDa and undergoes autophosphorylation and can phosphorylate eukaryotic histone H1. A site-directed Stk1 (K86A) mutant was shown to be incapable of autophosphorylation. A two-dimensional phosphoamino acid analysis of Stk1 revealed strong phosphorylation at a threonine residue and weak phosphorylation at a serine residue. The Stp1 phosphatase is 27 kDa and is an Mn2+-, but not a Ca2+- or a Mg2+-, dependent Ser/Thr phosphatase. Its activity is inhibited by EDTA and NaF, but not by okadaic acid, and is similar to that of PP2C phosphatase.
Antifibrotic effect of Ac-SDKP and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in hypertension

Objective N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) is a potent natural inhibitor of hematopoietic stem cell proliferation which is degraded mainly by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). In vitro, Ac-SDKP inhibits collagen production by cardiac fibroblasts; while in vivo it blocks collagen deposition in the left ventricle (LV) of rats with hypertension or myocardial infarction (MI). In addition, it reportedly prevents and reverses macrophage infiltration in the LV of rats with MI. We tested the hypothesis that when Ac-SDKP is infused at doses that cause plasma concentrations similar to those observed after ACE inhibition, it mimics the anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects of ACE inhibitors (ACEi) in the heart, and, further, that these effects are independent of changes in blood pressure. Design and methods Rats were divided into five groups: (1) controls, (2) Ang II (750 μg/kg per day, s.c.), (3) Ang II + captopril (100 mg/kg per day in drinking water), (4) Ang II + Ac-SDKP (400 μg/kg per day, s.c.), and (5) Ang II + Ac-SDKP (800 μg/kg per day, s.c.). We measured LV cell proliferation, inflammatory cell infiltration, cytokine expression, hypertrophy and fibrosis. Results Plasma Ac-SDKP was five-fold higher in rats given ACEi and four- and ten-fold higher in rats given 400 and 800 μg/kg per day Ac-SDKP, respectively. ACEi significantly decreased Ang II-induced cell proliferation (Ki-67), LV macrophage/mast cell infiltration, transforming growth factor-β, connective tissue growth factor and collagen deposition without affecting hypertension, LV hypertrophy or myocyte cross-sectional area, and these effects were mimicked by exogenous Ac-SDKP (400 μg/kg per day) which raised plasma Ac-SDKP to levels similar to ACEi. BP was not decreased by either ACEi or Ac-SDKP. Conclusions We concluded that Ac-SDKP may be an important mediator of the anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects of ACEi in hypertension independent of its hemodynamic effects.
IN VIVO and POST MORTEM MEASUREMENTS OF THE ATTENUATION SPECTRA OF LIGHT IN MAMMALIAN TISSUES

Abstract— The attenuation of light in rabbit liver and striated muscle and in pig brain has been measured in the wavelength range400–800 nrn. A variable‐wavelength monochromatic light source was used to illuminate the surface of the exposed tissues in situ. Optical fibers, coupled to a single photon counter, were positioned within the tissues at different depths to determine the distribution of light flux along the central axis of the light beam. The wavelength‐dependence of attenuation was measured in vivo, and changes occurring in the attenuation spectra immediately post mortem were recorded. Strong absorption bands were observed around 425 nm and 550 nm in all three tissues, both in vivo and post mortem. At longer wavelengths, the attenuation decreased slowly, and no significant structure was observed. Substantial changes occurred immediately post mortem, particularly in the absorption bands. These effects are attributed mainly to de‐oxygenation of blood, and changes in blood concentration in the tissues. The implications for light dosimetry in photodynamic therapy are discussed.
Responsive Consistency in User-Centric Dynamic Network Environments

Data replication has largely become the central technique in creating durable, highly available, multiuser systems and as a result the fault-tolerant coordination of replicas for correctness and consistency has become an increasingly important research area. As these systems have grown in scale and been deployed in geographically distributed clouds, the research focus has shifted away from networked file systems toward data-centric, cloud-managed database systems. One motivation for this shift has been the need to support an increasing number of mobile devices and another to provide scalability in collaborative workloads. However, with the advent of the Internet of Things and the increased use of multiple devices and local collaboration, we expect that local, user-centric clouds of heterogenous devices and mobile, dynamic networks will become increasingly important. We contend that current consistency models are highly dependent on the network environment and that existing protocols can fail to achieve progress or provide sufficient consistency for user applications in many environments outside of the data center. Weak or eventual consistency models rely on the fast propagation of updates and therefore consistency is dependent entirely on message latency. Strong, sequential consistency provided by consensus protocols require multiple messages passed through a leader and though it can be shown that such protocols are correct, leadership introduces a bottleneck and partitions can make progress impossible. In user-centric dynamic clouds, responsive consistency models must be developed to take advantage of the changing network environment and respond to user requirements. We hypothesize that we can provide responsive consistency in heterogenous, mobile topologies through two mechanisms: the federation of multiple consistency models depending on the environment and the load balancing of leadership costs in a quorum through hierarchical consensus. Federated consistency allows heterogenous devices to select a variety of consistency polices that are integrated through a core consensus group. By allowing flexibility locally, devices can make progress through consistency models that take advantage of the current network environment, but still have global guarantees. Hierarchical consensus improves the core consensus group, making it highly available and scalable by balancing leadership to specific decision spaces based on access patterns. We propose that federated consistency and hierarchical consensus together will produce a responsive consistency model that provides strong enough correctness guarantees and high enough availability to implement an effective multi-user distributed file system.