Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The X‐ray properties of young radio‐loud AGN

We present XMM–Newton observations of a complete sample of five archetypal young radioloud active galactic nucleus (AGN), also known as Compact Symmetric Objects (CSO) or Gigahertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) sources. They are among the brightest and best studied GPS/CSO sources in the sky, with radio powers in the range L5 GHz = 1043-44 erg s−1 and with four sources having measured kinematic ages of 570–3000 yr. All five sources are detected, and have 2-10 keV luminosities ranging from 0.5 to 4.8 × 1044 erg s−1. A detailed analysis was performed, comparing the X-ray luminosities and NH absorption column densities of the GPS/CSO galaxies with their optical and radio properties, and with those of the general population of radio galaxies. We find the following. (i) GPS/CSO galaxies show a wide range in absorption column densities with a distribution not different from that of the general population of radio galaxies.We therefore find no evidence that GPS/CSO galaxies could reside in a significantly more dense circumnuclear environment such that they could be ‘frustrated’ radio sources – hampered in their development. (ii) The ratio of radio to X-ray luminosity is significantly higher for GPS/CSO sources than for classical radio sources. This is consistent with an evolution scenario in which young, compact radio sources are more efficient radio emitters than large extended objects, at a constant accretion power. (iii) Taking the X-ray luminosity of radio sources as a measure of their ionization power, we find that GPS/CSO sources are significantly underluminous in their [O III]5007A line luminosity, including a weak trend with age. This is consistent with the fact that the Str¨omgren sphere should still be expanding in these young objects. If true, this would mean that here we are witnessing the birth of the narrow-line region of radio-loud AGN.
Taking Advantage of Sparsity in Multi-Task Learning

We study the problem of estimating multiple linear regression equations for the purpose of both prediction and variable selection. Following recent work on multi-task learning Argyriou et al. [2008], we assume that the regression vectors share the same sparsity pattern. This means that the set of relevant predictor variables is the same across the different equations. This assumption leads us to consider the Group Lasso as a candidate estimation method. We show that this estimator enjoys nice sparsity oracle inequalities and variable selection properties. The results hold under a certain restricted eigenvalue condition and a coherence condition on the design matrix, which naturally extend recent work in Bickel et al. [2007], Lounici [2008]. In particular, in the multi-task learning scenario, in which the number of tasks can grow, we are able to remove completely the effect of the number of predictor variables in the bounds. Finally, we show how our results can be extended to more general noise distributions, of which we only require the variance to be finite.
Acute Osteochondral Fractures in the Lower Extremities - Approach to Identification and Treatment

Chondral and osteochondral fractures of the lower extremities are important injuries because they can cause pain and dysfunction and often lead to osteoarthritis. These injuries can be misdiagnosed initially which may impact on the healing potential and result in poor long-term outcome. This comprehensive review focuses on current pitfalls in diagnosing acute osteochondral lesions, potential investigative techniques to minimize diagnostic errors as well as surgical treatment options. Acute osteochondral fractures are frequently missed and can be identified more accurately with specific imaging techniques. A number of different methods can be used to fix these fractures but attention to early diagnosis is required to limit progression to osteoarthritis. These fractures are common with joint injuries and early diagnosis and treatment should lead to improved long term outcomes.
Endothelial-Regenerating Cells: An Expanding Universe

Atherosclerosis is the most common cause for cardiovascular diseases and is based on endothelial dysfunction. A growing body of evidence suggests the contribution of bone marrow–derived endothelial progenitor cells, monocytic cells, and mature endothelial cells to vessel formation and endothelial rejuvenation. To this day, various subsets of these endothelial-regenerating cells have been identified according to cellular origin, phenotype, and properties in vivo and in vitro. However, the definition and biology, especially of endothelial progenitor cells, is complex and under heavy debate. In this review, we focus on current definitions of endothelial progenitor cells, highlight the clinical relevance of endothelial-regenerating cells, and provide new insights into cell-cell interactions involved in endothelial cell rejuvenation.
Assisted driving of a mobile remote presence system: System design and controlled user evaluation

As mobile remote presence (MRP) systems become more pervasive in everyday environments such as office spaces, it is important for operators to navigate through remote locations without running into obstacles. Human-populated environments frequently change (e.g., doors open and close, furniture is moved around) and mobile remote presence systems must be able to adapt to such changes and to avoid running into obstacles. As such, we implemented an assisted teleoperation feature for a MRP system and evaluated its effectiveness with a controlled user study, focusing on both the system-oriented dimensions (e.g., autonomous assistance vs. no assistance) and human-oriented dimensions (e.g., gaming experience, locus of control, and spatial cognitive abilities) (N=24). In a systems-only analysis, we found that the assisted teleoperation helped people avoid obstacles. However, assisted teleoperation also increased time to complete an obstacle course. When human-oriented dimensions were evaluated, gaming experience and locus of control affected speed of completing the course. Implications for future research and design are discussed.
Chemokine Unresponsiveness of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells Results from Impaired Endosomal Recycling of Rap1 and Is Associated with a Distinctive Type of Immunological Anergy

Trafficking of malignant lymphocytes is fundamental to the biology of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Transendothelial migration (TEM) of normal lymphocytes into lymph nodes requires the chemokine-induced activation of Rap1 and αLβ2 integrin. However, in most cases of CLL, Rap1 is refractory to chemokine stimulation, resulting in failed αLβ2 activation and TEM unless α4β1 is coexpressed. In this study, we show that the inability of CXCL12 to induce Rap1 GTP loading in CLL cells results from failure of Rap1-containing endosomes to translocate to the plasma membrane. Furthermore, failure of chemokine-induced Rap1 translocation/GTP loading was associated with a specific pattern of cellular IgD distribution resembling that observed in normal B cells anergized by DNA-based Ags. Anergic features and chemokine unresponsiveness could be simultaneously reversed by culturing CLL cells ex vivo, suggesting that these two features are coupled and driven by stimuli present in the in vivo microenvironment. Finally, we show that failure of Rap1 translocation/GTP loading is linked to defective activation of phospholipase D1 and its upstream activator Arf1. Taken together, our findings indicate that chemokine unresponsiveness in CLL lymphocytes results from failure of Arf1/phospholipase D1–mediated translocation of Rap1 to the plasma membrane for GTP loading and may be a specific feature of anergy induced by DNA Ags.
Emerging Understanding of the Mechanism of Action for Dimethyl Fumarate in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an effective treatment option for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), but its therapeutic mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. A better understanding of its mechanism will allow for the development of assays to monitor its clinical efficacy and safety in patients, as well as guide the development of the next generation of therapies for MS. In order to build the foundation for determining its mechanism, we reviewed the manner in which DMF alters lymphocyte subsets in MS patients, its impact on clinical efficacy and safety, as well as its molecular effects in cellular and animal models. DMF decreases absolute lymphocyte counts, but does not affect all subsets uniformly. CD8+ T-cells are the most profoundly affected, but reduction also occurs in the CD4+ population, particularly within the pro-inflammatory T-helper Th1 and Th17 subsets, creating a bias toward more anti-inflammatory Th2 and regulatory subsets. Similarly, B-lymphocyte, myeloid, and natural killer populations are also shifted toward a more anti-inflammatory state. In vitro and animal models demonstrate a role for DMF within the central nervous system (CNS) in promoting neuronal survival in an Nrf2 pathway-dependent manner. However, the impact of DMF directly within the CNS of MS patients remains largely unknown.
A Structure Theorem for Poorly Anticoncentrated Gaussian Chaoses and Applications to the Study of Polynomial Threshold Functions

We prove a structural result for degree-d polynomials. In particular, we show that any degree-d polynomial, p can be approximated by another polynomial, p<sub>0</sub>, which can be decomposed as some function of polynomials q1,· · ·, q<sub>m</sub> with q<sub>i</sub> normalized and m=O<sub>d</sub>(1), so that if X is a Gaussian random variable, the probability distribution on (q<sub>1</sub>(X), · · · , q<sub>m</sub>(X)) does not have too much mass in any small box. Using this result, we prove improved versions of a number of results about polynomial threshold functions, including producing better pseudorandom generators, obtaining a better invariance principle, and proving improved bounds on noise sensitivity.
The Dark Side of the Vote: Biased Voters, Social Information, and Information Aggregation Through Majority Voting

We experimentally investigate information aggregation through majority voting when some voters are biased. In such situations, majority voting can have a “dark side”, i.e. result in groups making choices inferior to those made by individuals acting alone. We develop a model to predict how two types of social information shape efficiency in the presence of biased voters and we test these predictions using a novel experimental design. In line with predictions, we find that information on the popularity of policy choices is beneficial when a minority of voters is biased, but harmful when a majority is biased. In theory, information on the success of policy choices elsewhere de-biases voters and alleviates the inefficiency. In the experiment, providing social information on success is ineffective. While voters with higher cognitive abilities are more likely to be de-biased by such information, most voters do not seem to interpret such information rationally.
Numeric definition of the clinical performance of the nested reverse transcription-PCR for detection of hematogenous epithelial cells and correction for specific mRNA of non-target cell origin as evaluated for prostate cancer cells.

BACKGROUND Inappropriate quality management of reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assays for the detection of blood-borne prostate cancer (PCa) cells hampers clinical conclusions. Improvement of the RT-PCR methodology for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) mRNA should focus on an appropriate numeric definition of the performance of the assay and correction for PSA mRNA that is not associated with PCa cells. METHODS AND RESULTS Repeated (RT-)PCR tests for PSA mRNA in single blood specimens from PCa patients and PCa-free controls, performed by four international institutions, showed a large percentage (approximately equal to 50%) of divergent test results. The best estimates of the mean, lambda (SD), of the expected Poisson frequency distributions of the number of positive tests among five replicate assays of samples from PCa-free individuals were 1.0 (0.2) for 2 x 35 PCR cycles and 0.2 (0.1) for 2 x 25 PCR cycles. Assessment of the numeric value of the mean can be considered as a new indicator of the performance of a RT-PCR assay for PSA mRNA under clinical conditions. Moreover, it determines the required number of positive test repetitions to differentiate between true and false positives for circulating prostate cells. At a predefined diagnostic specificity of > or = 98%, repeated PCRs with lambda of either 1.0 or 0.2 require, respectively, more than three or more than one positive tests to support the conclusion that PSA mRNA-containing cells are present. CONCLUSIONS Repeated nested PCR tests for PSA and appropriate handling of the data allow numeric quantification of the performance of the assay and differentiation between analytical false and true positives at a predefined accuracy. This new approach may contribute to introduction of PSA RT-PCR assays in clinical practice.
Reliability of Back-Contact MWT Modules under Hot and Humid Conditions

This work was undertaken in the context of the collaboration between CDER in Algeria and ECN in the Netherlands. Authors VR, MGG, WE and JAMVR from ECN solar energy carried out the protocol and the experimental results. Authors FB, AHA and MSB performed the analysis, the literature searches and the drafting of the manuscript. Author POL brought a critical view and improvements regarding the contents, clarity of the contribution ABSTRACT Aims: Back-contact metallization-wrap-through (MWT) modules made with different materials were manufactured and tested at ECN in The Netherlands. Study Design: Damp heat testing (DH, 85°C and 85% relative humidi ty) was performed to investigate the effect of the module materials and potential failure mechanisms on electrical performance degradation. Methodology: Fourteen back-contact MWT modules with different combinations of four conductive backsheet foils (inner isolation layers, also referred to as inner layer dielectric, ILD), two electrically conductive adhesives (CA) and two encapsulants were tested. Results: Results reveal that modules which combine conductive backsheet foil with two types of ILD and ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) showed the highest degradation levels. It is suggested that effects of moisture in EVA cause a weakening of the adhesion strength at the ILD/Cu interface and then delamination between conductive adhesive and Ag-plated contacts applied to the copper interconnection foil. Removal of ILD significantly improves the stability of back-contact modules. Enhanced reliability is observed for modules which combine ILD-free foil Cu backsheet, conductive adhesive and polyolefin or EVA as encapsulant. Conclusion: Removal of ILD is the most interesting approach and is currently adopted by foil manufacturers. Importantly, the modules built with ILD-free backsheet and either polyolefin encapsulant or EVA showed respectively only 0.3% and 1.6% maximum power loss after 2000 hours of damp heat which is well below the requirement of the IEC 61215 standard.
Classical Nuclear Localization Signals: Definition, Function, and Interaction with Importin α*

The best understood system for the transport of macromolecules between the cytoplasm and the nucleus is the classical nuclear import pathway. In this pathway, a protein containing a classical basic nuclear localization signal (NLS) is imported by a heterodimeric import receptor consisting of the β-karyopherin importin β, which mediates interactions with the nuclear pore complex, and the adaptor protein importin α, which directly binds the classical NLS. Here we review recent studies that have advanced our understanding of this pathway and also take a bioinformatics approach to analyze the likely prevalence of this system in vivo. Finally, we describe how a predicted NLS within a protein of interest can be confirmed experimentally to be functionally important.
Dendroarchitecture and Lateral Inhibition in Thalamic Barreloids

Thalamic cells that relay vibrissa information to barrel cortex are clustered within whisker-related modules termed barreloids. Each barreloid receives input from one principal whisker and inhibitory inputs from reticular thalamic neurons with receptive fields that correspond to that same whisker. Although the proximal dendrites of relay cells are confined to their home barreloid, distal dendrites often extend into surrounding barreloids representing adjacent whiskers on the mystacial pad. It was proposed that this arrangement provides a substrate for a mechanism of lateral inhibition that operates remotely on extrabarreloid dendrites. In the present study, we identified adjacent whiskers that suppressed activity below background levels in barreloid cells, and we used a double-labeling protocol to relate the efficacy of inhibition to the dendroarchitecture of the cells. Significant suppression of background discharges was produced by 92% of adjacent whiskers within rows, by 48% of adjacent whiskers within arcs, but was never observed after deflection of nonadjacent whiskers. The magnitude of lateral inhibition increases linearly as the cumulated length of dendrites increases in the barreloid representing an adjacent whisker (R2 = 0.86; p < 0.0001). As distance between cell bodies and the border of an adjacent barreloid increases, dendritic length in that adjacent barreloid diminishes and so does inhibition. Considering time differences between the arrival of principal and adjacent whisker inputs in barreloids, our data suggest that inhibition operating distally on dendrites acts as a spatial filter that primarily suppresses adjacent whisker inputs and so contributes to enhance edge detection.
Ex vivo expanded SSEA-4+ human limbal stromal cells are multipotent and do not express other embryonic stem cell markers

Purpose The presence of multipotent human limbal stromal cells resembling mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) provides new insights to the characteristic of these cells and its therapeutic potential. However, little is known about the expression of stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA-4) and the embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like properties of these cells. We studied the expression of SSEA-4 surface protein and the various ESC and MSC markers in the ex vivo cultured limbal stromal cells. The phenotypes and multipotent differentiation potential of these cells were also evaluated. Methods Limbal stromal cells were derived from corneoscleral rims. The SSEA-4+ and SSEA-4- limbal stromal cells were sorted by fluorescence-activated cells sorting (FACS). Isolated cells were expanded and reanalyzed for their expression of SSEA-4. Expression of MSC and ESC markers on these cells were also analyzed by FACS. In addition, expression of limbal epithelial and corneal stromal proteins such as ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2), tumour protein p63 (p63), paired box 6 (Pax6), cytokeratin 3 (AE5), cytokeratin 10, and keratocan sulfate were evaluated either by immunofluorecence staining or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Appropriate induction medium was used to differentiate these cells into adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes. Results Expanded limbal stromal cells expressed the majority of mesenchymal markers. These cells were negative for ABCG2, p63, Pax6, AE-5, and keratocan sulfate. After passaged, a subpopulation of these cells showed low expression of SSEA-4 but were negative for other important ESC surface markers such as Tra-1–60, Tra-1–81, and transcription factors like octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4), SRY(sex determining region Y)-box 2 (Sox2), and Nanog. Early passaged cells when induced were able to differentiate into adipocytes, osteocytes and chondrocytes. Conclusions The expanded limbal stromal cells showed features of multipotent MSC. Our study confirmed the expression of SSEA-4 by a subpopulation of cultured limbal stromal cells. However, despite the expression of SSEA-4, these cells did not express any other markers of ESC. Therefore, we conclude that the cells did not show properties of ESC.
Complex contaminant mixtures in multistressor Appalachian riverscapes

Runoff from watersheds altered by mountaintop mining in the Appalachian region (USA) is known to pollute headwater streams, yet regional‐scale assessments of water quality have focused on salinization and selenium. The authors conducted a comprehensive survey of inorganic contaminants found in 170 stream segments distributed across a spectrum of historic and contemporary human land use. Principal component analysis identified 3 important dimensions of variation in water chemistry that were significantly correlated with contemporary surface mining (principal component 1: elevated dominant ions, sulfate, alkalinity, and selenium), coal geology and legacy mines (principal component 2: elevated trace metals), and residential development (principal component 3: elevated sodium and chloride). The combination of these 3 dominant sources of pollutants produced a complex stream‐to‐stream patchwork of contaminant mixtures. Seventy‐five percent of headwater streams (catchments < 5 km2) had water chemistries that could be classified as either reference (49%), development only (18%), or mining only (8%). Only 21% of larger streams (catchments > 5 km2) were classified as having reference chemistries, and chemistries indicative of combined mining and development contaminants accounted for 47% of larger streams (compared with 26% of headwater streams). Extreme degradation of larger streams can be attributed to accumulation of contaminants from multiple human land use activities that include contemporary mountaintop mining, underground mining, abandoned mines, and untreated domestic wastewater. Consequently, water quality improvements in this region will require a multicontaminant remediation approach. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:2603–2610. © 2015 SETAC
Enhanced Nonlinear Absorption Performance of Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrid Covalently Functionalized by Porphyrin via 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition

Porphyrin-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (RGO-TPP) was prepared by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman, ultraviolet/visible absorption, fluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy. At the same level of linear transmittance, RGO-TPP exhibited more enhanced optical nonlinearities than RGO and the pristineporphyrin, implying a remarkable accumulation effect as a result of the covalent link between RGO and porphyrin. The role of energy/electron transfer in the optical nonlinearities of RGO-TPP was investigated by fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy. All the results displayed that RGO can be covalently functionalized with porphyrins by the proposed approach.