Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Narrow-Line Region of Narrow-Line and Broad-Line Type 1 Active Galactic Nuclei. I. A Zone of Avoidance in Density

The properties of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, the links and correlations between them, and the physics behind them, are still not well understood. Apart from accretion rates and black hole masses, density and outflows were speculated to be among the main drivers of the NLS1 phenomenon. Here we utilize the diagnostic power of the [S II] λλ6716,6731 intensity ratio to measure the density of the narrow-line region (NLR) systematically and homogeneously for a large sample of NLS1 galaxies, and we perform a comparison with a sample of broad-line type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We report the discovery of a "zone of avoidance" in density in the sense that AGNs with broad lines [FWHM(Hβ) > 2000 km s-1] avoid low densities, while NLS1 galaxies show a wider distribution in the NLR density, including a significant number of objects with low densities. A correlation analysis further shows that the Eddington ratio L/LEdd anticorrelates with density. We investigate a number of different models for the zone of avoidance in density. Supersolar metallicities and temperature effects, a strong starburst contribution in NLS1 galaxies, different NLR extents, and selective obscuration are considered unlikely. Possible differences in the fraction of matter-bounded clouds, and differences in the interstellar media of the host galaxies of NLS1 galaxies and broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLS1) galaxies, can only be tested further with future observations. We tentatively favor the effects of winds/outflows, stronger in NLS1 galaxies than in BLS1 galaxies, to explain the observations.
Strange Duality and Polar Duality

A relation is described between Arnold's strange duality and a polar duality between the Newton polytopes which is mostly due to M. Kobayashi. It is shown that this relation continues to hold for the extension of Arnold's strange duality found by C. T. C. Wall and the author. By a method of Ehlers–Varchenko, the characteristic polynomial of the monodromy of a hypersurface singularity can be computed from the Newton diagram. This method is generalized to the isolated complete intersection singularities embraced in the extended duality. This is used to explain the duality of characteristic polynomials of the monodromy discovered by K. Saito for Arnold's original strange duality and extended by the author to the other cases.
The Effects of Massage on Pain, Stiffness, and Fatigue Levels Associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Study

Objectives: To study the effects of massage on pain, stiffness, and fatigue in a patient recently diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: A 47-year-old woman with AS diagnosed 11 months earlier received 7 massages across a 28-day period. Her pain, stiffness, and fatigue were recorded using visual analogue scales daily during the study period. Spinal mobility was measured at each massage session with finger-to-floor measurements for both forward and lateral flexion. The client also used a daily journal to supply pertinent information on quality of life. Results: Improvement was recorded in all dependent variables, with stiffness intensity showing the greatest improvement, to a final value of 0.75 from an initial value of 5. Duration of stiffness also showed improvement, to a final value of 1.2 from an initial value of 3.5. Improvement was also found in general pain (final value: 1; initial value: 4), fatigue (final value: 1.5; initial value 5), and forward and lateral flexion (forward flexion distance—final: 4 inches; initial: 6 inches; lateral flexion, left distance: final, 16.5 inches; initial, 21 inches; right distance: final, 16.5 inches; initial, 20.5 inches). Conclusions: Massage shows promise as a treatment for symptoms associated with AS. Further study is needed to validate these effects and to determine the feasibility of massage as an adjunct to standard care for AS patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of AS.
Factor Structure of the Urban Hassles Index

Objective: This study examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Urban Hassles Index (UHI). Method: Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted via principal axis factoring extraction method. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the fit of the EFA-derived model using the weighted least squares estimator with mean and variance adjustments. Composite/scale scores were created for the extracted factors, with a total score derived by summing the scale scores. Criterion-related validity was examined using hierarchical regressions. Results: The UHI had four first-order factors (environmental nuisance, safety concerns, drug, and coercion) accounting for 43% of the total variance. Covariance among the first-order factors was explained by a higher second-order factor. Moderate factor correlations and evidence for the criterion-related validity of the subscales and total score indicated multidimensionality of the UHI. Conclusions: The shortened 16-item UHI is a brief assessment tool evaluating stressors unique to urban adolescents, providing specific intervention targets.
A CT scan protocol for the detection of radiographic loosening of the glenoid component after total shoulder arthroplasty

Background and purpose It is difficult to evaluate glenoid component periprosthetic radiolucencies in total shoulder arthroplasties (TSAs) using plain radiographs. This study was performed to evaluate whether computed tomography (CT) using a specific patient position in the CT scanner provides a better method for assessing radiolucencies in TSA. Methods Following TSA, 11 patients were CT scanned in a lateral decubitus position with maximum forward flexion, which aligns the glenoid orientation with the axis of the CT scanner. Follow-up CT scanning is part of our routine patient care. Glenoid component periprosthetic lucency was assessed according to the Molé score and it was compared to routine plain radiographs by 5 observers. Results The protocol almost completely eliminated metal artifacts in the CT images and allowed accurate assessment of periprosthetic lucency of the glenoid fixation. Positioning of the patient within the CT scanner as described was possible for all 11 patients. A radiolucent line was identified in 54 of the 55 observed CT scans and osteolysis was identified in 25 observations. The average radiolucent line Molé score was 3.4 (SD 2.7) points with plain radiographs and 9.5 (SD 0.8) points with CT scans (p = 0.001). The mean intra-observer variance was lower in the CT scan group than in the plain radiograph group (p = 0.001). Interpretation The CT scan protocol we used is of clinical value in routine assessment of glenoid periprosthetic lucency after TSA. The technique improves the ability to detect and monitor radiolucent lines and, therefore, possibly implant loosening also.
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism, dietary interactions, and risk of colorectal cancer.

Folate derivatives are important in experimental colorectal carcinogenesis; low folate intake, particularly with substantial alcohol intake, is associated with increased risk. The enzyme 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) catalyzes the conversion of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, required for purine and thymidine syntheses, to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, the primary circulatory form of folate necessary for methionine synthesis. A common mutation (677C-->T) in MTHFR reduces enzyme activity, leading to lower levels of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. To evaluate the role of folate metabolism in human carcinogenesis, we examined the associations of MTHFR mutation, plasma folate levels, and their interaction with risk of colon cancer. We also examined the interaction between genotype and alcohol intake. We used a nested case-control design within the Physicians' Health Study. Participants were ages 40-84 at baseline when alcohol intake was ascertained and blood samples were drawn. During 12 years of follow-up, we identified 202 colorectal cancer cases and matched them to 326 cancer-free controls by age and smoking status. We genotyped for the MTHFR polymorphism and measured plasma folate levels. Men with the homozygous mutation (15% in controls) had half the risk of colorectal cancer [odds ratio (OR), 0.49; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27-0.87] compared with the homozygous normal or heterozygous genotypes. Overall, we observed a marginal significant increased risk of colorectal cancer (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 0.93-3.42) among those whose plasma folate levels indicated deficiency (<3 ng/ml) compared with men with adequate folate levels. Among men with adequate folate levels, we observed a 3-fold decrease in risk (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.15-0.68) among men with the homozygous mutation compared with those with the homozygous normal or heterozygous genotypes. However, the protection due to the mutation was absent in men with folate deficiency. In men with the homozygous normal genotype who drank little or no alcohol as reference, those with the homozygous mutation who drank little or no alcohol had an 8-fold decrease in risk (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03-0.57), and for moderate drinkers, a 2-fold decrease in risk (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.15-1.20); no decrease in risk was seen in those drinking 1 or more drinks/day. Our findings provide support for an important role of folate metabolism in colon carcinogenesis. In particular, these results suggest that the 677C-->IT mutation in MTHFR reduces colon cancer risk, perhaps by increasing 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate levels for DNA synthesis, but that low folate intake or high alcohol consumption may negate some of the protective effect.
Temephos Resistance in Aedes aegypti in Colombia Compromises Dengue Vector Control

Background Control and prevention of dengue relies heavily on the application of insecticides to control dengue vector mosquitoes. In Colombia, application of the larvicide temephos to the aquatic breeding sites of Aedes aegypti is a key part of the dengue control strategy. Resistance to temephos was recently detected in the dengue-endemic city of Cucuta, leading to questions about its efficacy as a control tool. Here, we characterize the underlying mechanisms and estimate the operational impact of this resistance. Methodology/Principal Findings Larval bioassays of Ae. aegypti larvae from Cucuta determined the temephos LC50 to be 0.066 ppm (95% CI 0.06–0.074), approximately 15× higher than the value obtained from a susceptible laboratory colony. The efficacy of the field dose of temephos at killing this resistant Cucuta population was greatly reduced, with mortality rates <80% two weeks after application and <50% after 4 weeks. Neither biochemical assays nor partial sequencing of the ace-1 gene implicated target site resistance as the primary resistance mechanism. Synergism assays and microarray analysis suggested that metabolic mechanisms were most likely responsible for the temephos resistance. Interestingly, although the greatest synergism was observed with the carboxylesterase inhibitor, DEF, the primary candidate genes from the microarray analysis, and confirmed by quantitative PCR, were cytochrome P450 oxidases, notably CYP6N12, CYP6F3 and CYP6M11. Conclusions/Significance In Colombia, resistance to temephos in Ae. aegypti compromises the duration of its effect as a vector control tool. Several candidate genes potentially responsible for metabolic resistance to temephos were identified. Given the limited number of insecticides that are approved for vector control, future chemical-based control strategies should take into account the mechanisms underlying the resistance to discern which insecticides would likely lead to the greatest control efficacy while minimizing further selection of resistant phenotypes.
A Focused Backpropagation Algorithm for Temporal Pattern Recognition

Time is at the heart of many pattern recognition tasks (e.g., speech recognition). However, connectionist learning algorithms to date are not well-suited for dealing with time-varying input patterns. This chapter introduces a specialized connection ist architecture and corresponding specialization of the back-propagation learning algorithm that operates efficiently, both in computational time and space require ments, on temporal sequences. The key feature of the architecture is a layer of self-connected hidden units that integrate their current value with the new input at each time step to construct a static representation of the temporal input sequence. This architecture avoids two deficiencies found in the back-propagation unfolding-in-time procedure (Rumelhart, Hinton, & Williams, 1986) for handing sequence recognition tasks: first, it reduces the difficulty of temporal credit assignment by focusing the back-propagated error signal; second, it eliminates the need for a buffer to hold the input sequence and/or intermediate activity levels. The latter property is due to the fact that during the forward (activation) phase, incremental activity traces can be locally computed that hold all information necessary for back propagation in time. It is argued that this architecture should scale better than conventional recurrent architectures with respect to sequence length. The architec ture has been used to implement a temporal version of Rumelhart and McClelland's (1986) verb past-tense model. The hidden units learn to behave something like Rumelhart and McClelland's "Wickelphones," a rich and flexible representation of temporal information.
Visual Clutter Causes High-Magnitude Errors

Perceptual decisions are often made in cluttered environments, where a target may be confounded with competing “distractor” stimuli. Although many studies and theoretical treatments have highlighted the effect of distractors on performance, it remains unclear how they affect thequality of perceptual decisions. Here we show that perceptual clutter leads not only to an increase in judgment errors, but also to an increase in perceived signal strength and decision confidence on erroneous trials. Observers reported simultaneously the direction and magnitude of the tilt of a target grating presented either alone, or together with vertical distractor stimuli. When presented in isolation, observers perceived isolated targets as only slightly tilted on error trials, and had little confidence in their decision. When the target was embedded in distractors, however, they perceived it to be strongly tilted on error trials, and had high confidence of their (erroneous) decisions. The results are well explained by assuming that the observers' internal representation of stimulus orientation arises from a nonlinear combination of the outputs of independent noise-perturbed front-end detectors. The implication that erroneous perceptual decisions in cluttered environments are made with high confidence has many potential practical consequences, and may be extendable to decision-making in general.
Diffuse Interstellar Bands in NGC 1448

We present spectroscopic VLT/UVES observations of two emerging supernovae, the Type Ia SN 2001el and the Type II SN 2003hn, in the spiral galaxy NGC 1448. Our high resolution and high signal-to-noise spectra display atomic lines of Ca  ,N a ,T i and K  in the host galaxy. In the line of sight towards SN 2001el, we also detect over a dozen diffuse interstel- lar bands (DIBs) within NGC 1448. These DIBs have strengths comparable to low reddening galactic lines of sight, albeit with some variations. In particular, a good match is found with the line of sight towards the σ type diffuse cloud (HD 144217). The DIBs towards SN 2003hn are significantly weaker, and this line of sight has also lower sodium column density. The DIB central velocities show that the DIBs towards SN 2001el are closely related to the strongest interstellar Ca  and Na  components, indicating that the DIBs are preferentially produced in the same cloud. The ratio of the λ 5797 and λ 5780 DIB strengths (r ∼ 0.14) suggests a rather strong UV field in the DIB environment towards SN 2001el. We also note that the extinction estimates obtained from the sodium lines using multiple line fitting agree with reddening estimates based on the colors of the Type Ia SN 2001el.
Relaxation phenomena in a homogenous plasma

The Chapman-Enskog method is generalized on the basis of the idea of Bogoliubov functional hypothesis. The generalization is made to describe the kinetic modes of a completely ionized electron-ion plasma, which gives an opportunity to describe component temperature and velocity relaxation. The homogenous case is investigated. The component distribution functions and the temperature and velocity relaxation rates are found. Corrections to the results of the well-known Landau theory are obtained.
Blind adaptive multiple-input decision-feedback equalizer with a self-optimized configuration

This paper introduces a novel blind adaptive multiple-input decision-feedback equalizer (MI-DFE) which is basically characterized by its ability to self-optimize its configuration, in terms of both structure and criteria, according to the severity of the transmission medium. In the first running mode, the novel equalizer is recursive, linear and "blindly" adapted by criteria leading to a solution closely related to the minimum MSE solution. In the second running mode, it becomes the conventional MI-DFE. From the viewpoints of both robustness and spectral efficiency, this equalizer proves to be very attractive since it avoids pathological behaviors, often encountered with the conventional trained MI-DFE, while requiring no training sequence. Furthermore, its very high speed of convergence renders it competitive in various standard applications, even in the case of burst mode transmission systems. Finally, the novel blind MI-DFE has been successfully tested on underwater acoustic communications signals, in a very severe context. The results are clearly convincing.
Turbo equalization and detection for faster-than-nyqusit signaling: A comparative study

Due to the inherent intersymbol interference (ISI), the detection for faster-than-Nyquisy (FTN) signaling is long considered to be a challenging problem. In this paper, we study three equalization and detection schemes in terms of their performance and computational complexity for FTN signaling system. The first one is the widely employed optimal maximum a posterior (MAP) equalization implemented by the Bahl-Cocke-Jelinek-Raviv (BCJR) algorithm. Although with optimal bit-error-rate (BER) performance, however, it is at the price of greatly increased computational complexity. The following two schemes are mainly based on the linear turbo equalization with much lower complexity. The first one is the frequency domain equalization (FDE) and the second one is the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) equalization. Computational complexity analysis and numerous simulation results show that even with lower complexity, the linear turbo equalization could asymptotically approach the MAP equalization with negligible BER performance loss, and the MMSE turbo equalization may be a much more suitable detection scheme for future FTN signaling system.
An Empirical Study of the Inhibitors of Technology Usage

Information systems research has focused extensively on the factors that foster adoption and usage. This research has focused on overall beliefs about system usage, antecedents of system satisfaction, and other factors that facilitate system success, create positive attitudes, and encourage usage. However, little attention has been given to what inhibits usage. The inhibitors of usage are implicitly assumed to be the opposite of the facilitators. The position taken in this paper is that usage inhibitors deserve their own independent investigation and are proposed to exist and act uniquely apart from the extensive set of positively oriented beliefs well established in the information systems literature. A theory that proposes inhibitors as beliefs about an information system that uniquely discourage technology use both directly as well as by negatively influencing other beliefs about the system is developed and tested. To test the theory, an empirical field study involving 387 participants in a scenario-based exercise involving a variety of actual e-Business Websites was conducted. The results support that usage inhibitors are qualitatively different from established system attributes and that they act uniquely to negatively bias these beliefs. The theory and results add to our understanding of IS design and functionality and why users may choose not to use a system.
Computational Models of Human Visual Attention and Their Implementations: A Survey

SUMMARY We humans are easily able to instantaneously detect the regions in a visual scene that are most likely to contain something of interest. Exploiting this pre-selection mechanism called visual attention for image and video processing systems would make them more sophisticated and therefore more useful. This paper briefly describes various computational models of human visual attention and their development, as well as related psychophysical findings. In particular, our objective is to carefully distinguish several types of studies related to human visual attention and saliency as a measure of attentiveness, and to provide a taxonomy from several viewpoints such as the main objective, the use of additional cues and mathematical principles. This survey finally discusses possible future directions for research into human visual attention and saliency computation.
The Luminosity Distance, the Equation of State, and the Geometry of the Universe

The second derivative of the luminosity distance with respect to the redshift is written in terms of the deceleration parameter $q_0$. We point out that the third derivative contains the information regarding the sound speed of cosmic matter as well as the curvature of the universe. We restrict physically possible parameter ranges of the coefficients. It is found that there is a relation between the coefficients in a flat universe model with matter such that $c_{s0}(1+w_{\rm x0})=0$ ($c_{s0}$ is the total sound speed of the matter component and $w_{\rm x0}$=$p_{\rm x0}/\rho_{\rm x0}$).
Exploiting Parallelism of Imperfect Nested Loops on Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Architectures

Coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture (CGRA) is a promising parallel computing platform that provides high performance, high power efficiency and flexibility. However, for imperfect nested loops, the existing loop mapping methods often result in low execution performance and poor hardware utilization. To tackle this problem, this paper makes three contributions: <bold>1)</bold> a highly effective and general approach to map imperfect loops on CGRA; <bold>2)</bold> a global optimization strategy to search the optimal initiation intervals (IIs); <bold>3)</bold> a powerful kernel compression method to reduce the oversized kernel. Experiment results show that our approach can reduce the total computing latency by 20.5, 58.5 and 73.2 percent compared to the state-of-the-art approaches on <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2 \times 2$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="yin-ieq1-2531678.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4 \times 4$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="yin-ieq2-2531678.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$8 \times 8$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="yin-ieq3-2531678.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> CGRA respectively. Moreover, the compilation time and configuration context size is acceptable in practice.