Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recruitment for online access panels

This paper describes a German study which compared eight ways of recruiting members for an online access panel. Two thousand respondents, divided into four groups of 500, were invited to sign up with the panel via email, fax, flier or letter. Half of each sample’s invitations offered a cash lottery, into which new panellists would be entered, whereas the other half of the invitations did not offer a lottery. Overall, email was the most successful means of solicitation, followed by flier and fax, which were equally efficient. Very few panellists were recruited via letter. The lottery was effective only with fliers. The composition of the recruited samples differed according to solicitation method. Fax-recruited individuals were older than those recruited by flier and email. Panellists recruited via email had been using the internet longer than flier- and fax-recruited panellists and they used the internet more often than those recruited via fax. After their recruitment, panellists were followed up in the first two studies run in the panel. The probability of their taking part in these studies and of completing these questionnaires was independent of the method by which they had been recruited.
Age dating stellar populations in the near infrared: an absolute age indicator from the presence/absence of red supergiants

The determination of age is a critical component in the study of a population of stellar clusters. In this letter we present a new absolute age indicator for young massive star clusters based on J-H colour. This novel method identifies clusters as older or younger than 5.7 ± 0.8 Myr based on the appearance of the first population of red supergiant stars. We test the technique on the stellar cluster population of the nearby spiral galaxy, M83, finding good agreement with the theoretical predictions. The localisation of this technique to the near-IR promises that it may be used well into the future with space and ground based missions optimised for near-IR observations.
Sirt6 regulates dendritic cell differentiation, maturation, and function

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that critically influence decisions about immune activation or tolerance. Impaired DC function is at the core of common chronic disorders and contributes to reduce immunocompetence during aging. Knowledge on the mechanisms regulating DC generation and function is necessary to understand the immune system and to prevent disease and immunosenescence. Here we show that the sirtuin Sirt6, which was previously linked to healthspan promotion, stimulates the development of myeloid, conventional DCs (cDCs). Sirt6-knockout (Sirt6KO) mice exhibit low frequencies of bone marrow cDC precursors and low yields of bone marrow-derived cDCs compared to wild-type (WT) animals. Sirt6KO cDCs express lower levels of class II MHC, of costimulatory molecules, and of the chemokine receptor CCR7, and are less immunostimulatory compared to WT cDCs. Similar effects in terms of differentiation and immunostimulatory capacity were observed in human monocyte-derived DCs in response to SIRT6 inhibition. Finally, while Sirt6KO cDCs show an overall reduction in their ability to produce IL-12, TNF-α and IL-6 secretion varies dependent on the stimulus, being reduced in response to CpG, but increased in response to other Toll-like receptor ligands. In conclusion, Sirt6 plays a crucial role in cDC differentiation and function and reduced Sirt6 activity may contribute to immunosenescence.
Predictors of Post-Secondary Academic Outcomes among Local-Born, Immigrant, and International Students in Canada: A Retrospective Analysis.

Poor academic performance and dropout are major concerns at post-secondary institutions. Influences include sociodemographic, psychosocial, and academic functioning factors. Canadian literature is limited, and little published data directly compare academic outcomes between local-born, immigrant, and international students. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 2,466 first-year students from a Canadian university over three years. Age, gender, first language, citizenship status, and early academic performance were among the predictors of later performance, dropout and return to studies. Local-born, immigrant, and international students had similarities and differences in risks. Limitations include the retrospective analysis and lack of information on reasons for dropout.
DecoBrush

Structured decorative patterns are common ornamentations in a variety of media like books, web pages, greeting cards and interior design. Creating such art from scratch using conventional software is time consuming for experts and daunting for novices. We introduce DecoBrush, a data-driven drawing system that generalizes the conventional digital "painting" concept beyond the scope of natural media to allow synthesis of structured decorative patterns following user-sketched paths. The user simply selects an example library and draws the overall shape of a pattern. DecoBrush then synthesizes a shape in the style of the exemplars but roughly matching the overall shape. If the designer wishes to alter the result, DecoBrush also supports user-guided refinement via simple drawing and erasing tools. For a variety of example styles, we demonstrate high-quality user-constrained synthesized patterns that visually resemble the exemplars while exhibiting plausible structural variations.
High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound for the Treatment of Wrinkles and Skin Laxity in Seven Different Facial Areas

Background High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment has recently emerged in response to the increasing demand for noninvasive procedures for skin lifting and tightening. Objective This study was aimed at evaluating the clinical efficacy of and patient satisfaction with HIFU treatment for wrinkles and laxity in seven different areas of the face in Asian skin. Methods Twenty Korean patients with facial wrinkle and laxity were analyzed after a single session of HIFU treatment. Two independent, blinded clinicians evaluated the clinical improvement in seven areas of the face by comparison of standardized photographs obtained before, and at 3 and 6 months after treatment. Assessment of subjective satisfaction and adverse effects of treatment were done by using questionnaires. Results The physicians' evaluation and patients' satisfaction with the clinical effects of HIFU in each area were similar regardless of the number of treatment shots. The jawline, cheek, and perioral areas were the sites where HIFU was most effective, in decreasing order. The adverse effects included erythema and swelling in six cases, and purpura and bruising in two cases. However, the adverse effects were mild and transient. Conclusion HIFU could be a safe, effective, and noninvasive procedure that can be used to improve facial wrinkles and skin laxity in Asian skin. It is particularly effective for clinical improvement in the jawline, cheek, and perioral areas.
Vaccines Is Not Hampered by Doxorubicin The Immunogenicity of Dendritic Cell-Based

Immunization of cancer patients is most effective in tumor-free conditions or in the presence of minimal residual disease. In the attempt to develop new strategies able to control tumor recurrence while allowing the development of protective immunity, we have investigated the immunogenic potential of two distinct vaccine formulations when provided alone or upon single and repeated treatment with chemotherapeutics drugs. Vaccine-induced T cell responses were ﬁrst investigated by tracing Ag-speciﬁc T cell responses in mice bearing detectable frequencies of Ag-speciﬁc TCR transgenic CD4 and CD8 T cells. These studies indicated that immunization with peptide-pulsed dendritic cells and soluble Ag plus adjuvant elicited a comparable expansion and differentiation of CD4 and CD8 effector cells in the peripheral lymphoid tissues when provided alone or shortly after Doxorubicin or Melphalan administration. We also analyzed the potency of the combined vaccination in transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate mice, which develop spontaneous prostate cancer. Dendritic cell-based vaccination elicited potent tumor-speciﬁc cytotoxic responses in mice bearing prostate intraepithelial neoplasia both in the absence and in the presence of Doxorubicin. Together our results indicate that Doxorubicin- or Melphalan-based chemotherapy and Ag-speciﬁc vaccination can be combined for adjuvant treatments of cancer patients. The Journal of Immunology, 2005, 174: 3317–3325.
Red Queen Dynamics with Non-Standard Fitness Interactions

Antagonistic coevolution between hosts and parasites can involve rapid fluctuations of genotype frequencies that are known as Red Queen dynamics. Under such dynamics, recombination in the hosts may be advantageous because genetic shuffling can quickly produce disproportionately fit offspring (the Red Queen hypothesis). Previous models investigating these dynamics have assumed rather simple models of genetic interactions between hosts and parasites. Here, we assess the robustness of earlier theoretical predictions about the Red Queen with respect to the underlying host-parasite interactions. To this end, we created large numbers of random interaction matrices, analysed the resulting dynamics through simulation, and ascertained whether recombination was favoured or disfavoured. We observed Red Queen dynamics in many of our simulations provided the interaction matrices exhibited sufficient ‘antagonicity’. In agreement with previous studies, strong selection on either hosts or parasites favours selection for increased recombination. However, fast changes in the sign of linkage disequilibrium or epistasis were only infrequently observed and do not appear to be a necessary condition for the Red Queen hypothesis to work. Indeed, recombination was often favoured even though the linkage disequilibrium remained of constant sign throughout the simulations. We conclude that Red Queen-type dynamics involving persistent fluctuations in host and parasite genotype frequencies appear to not be an artefact of specific assumptions about host-parasite fitness interactions, but emerge readily with the general interactions studied here. Our results also indicate that although recombination is often favoured, some of the factors previously thought to be important in this process such as linkage disequilibrium fluctuations need to be reassessed when fitness interactions between hosts and parasites are complex.
A Critique of the Strategic Competitive Intelligence Process within a Global Energy Multinational

Two competitive intelligence processes within a Global Energy Multinational are critically analyzed – Competitive Strategic Business Intelligence (CIAD) and Competitive Technical Intelligence (CTI). It has been found that the CIAD process is linear and carried out by small team of analysts from which intelligence moves upward to be actioned at the highest levels of a layered organization. There is limited feedback and knowledge sharing. In contrast the CTI approach follows a networked model, with competitive intelligence viewed as individual line responsibility. Intelligence information passes laterally, upward and downward through a flat organizational structure. Consequently these models can be viewed as a response to a variance of styles of management and organizational structure within the organization. A key stumbling block is found to be an organizational culture that prevents open knowledge sharing. The use of technology is identified to be a key enabler allowing transparency and rapid transfer of intelligence across the organization, and thereby facilitating a knowledge-sharing culture. Knowledge management and competitive intelligence are therefore viewed as intimately related. A successful competitive intelligence process requires attention to cultural issues, facilitated by technology to ease knowledge sharing.
Parallel Implementation of Gradient-Based Neural Networks for SVM Training

This paper presents the implementation of two neural networks for SVM training in parallel computers. The results obtained are compared with two well known packages for SVM training and the parallel implementation shows that the neural network approach can be as accurate as the traditional packages and, since the proposed gradient-based neural networks can be easily parallelized, the proposed approach is scalable and the training times can be considerably reduced.
Understanding How Language-Specific and Domain-General Resources Support Comprehension

ABSTRACT A large body of work has demonstrated that reader resources influence inference processes and comprehension, but few models of comprehension have accounted for such resources. The Direct and Mediational Inference model of comprehension (DIME) assumes that general inference processes mediate the effects of reader resources on general comprehension proficiency. The current study proposes an extension of DIME, the Inferential Mediation Model (IMM), to account for comprehension as it occurs while reading a particular text. College students were administered a battery of reader resource measures. In addition, they completed a think-aloud tool that measured comprehension and readers’ inference processes while reading specific texts. A path analysis revealed that inference processes partially mediate the relationships between reader resources and comprehension performance. These results support the DIME and IMM, and suggest that inference processes that support mental model construction mediate the impact of reader resources on comprehension.
Distinct Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF)/FGF Receptor Signaling Pairs Initiate Diverse Cellular Responses in the Oligodendrocyte Lineage

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) have been implicated in numerous cellular processes, including proliferation, migration, differentiation, and survival. Whereas FGF-2, the prototypic ligand in a family of 22 members, activates all four tyrosine kinase FGF receptors (FGFR1-FGFR4), other members demonstrate a higher degree of selectivity. Oligodendrocytes (OLs), the myelin-producing cells of the CNS, are highly influenced by FGF-2 at all stages of their development. However, how other FGFs and their cognate receptors orchestrate the development of OLs is essentially undefined. Using a combination of specific FGF ligands and receptor blocking antibodies, we now show that FGF-8 and FGF-17 target OL progenitors, inhibiting their terminal differentiation via the activation of FGFR3, whereas FGF-9 specifically targets differentiated OLs, triggering increases in process growth via FGFR2 signaling; FGF-18 targets both OL progenitors and OLs via activation of both FGFR2 and FGFR3. These events are highly correlated with changes in FGF receptor expression from FGFR3 to FGFR2 as OL progenitors differentiate into mature OLs. In addition, we demonstrate that, although activation of FGFR1 by FGF-2 leads to proliferation of OL progenitors, it produces deleterious effects on differentiated OLs (i.e., aberrant reentry into cell cycle and down-regulation of myelin proteins with a loss of myelin membrane). These data suggest that ligand availability, coupled with changes in FGF receptor expression, yield a changing repertoire of ligand-receptor signaling complexes that contribute critically to the regulation of both normal OL development and potential OL/myelin pathogenesis.
Effects of NaCl and Na2CO3 stresses on photosynthetic ability of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Chloride and carbonate salts are the main salts causing salinization and widely exist in aquatic environment, so algae may suffer from salinization stress for high water evaporation. In this study, in order to investigate and compare the toxic effects of the two salts on algal photosynthesis, we used NaCl and Na2CO3 to stress Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Under the two salt stresses, the content of O2−· and H2O2 in the cells was increased significantly, and it was much higher in Na2CO3 treatment than in NaCl treatment at the same Na+ concentration. The absorbance spectra and 4th derivative spectra of photosynthetic pigments were declined under 300 mM NaCl and 25 mM Na2CO3 stresses, and remarkably changed under 50 mM and 100 mM Na2CO3 stresses. When the cells stressed by the two salts, the maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), electron transport rate (ETR) and photochemical quenching (qP) were reduced markedly, but the nonphotochemical dissipation (NPQ) was increased markedly. At the same Na+ concentration, Na2CO3 stress had stronger toxic effects on photosynthetic ability than NaCl stress.
Modelling Monetary Policy: Inflation Targeting in Practice

This paper estimates a simple structural model of monetary policy in the UK for 1963-2000, focusing on the policy of inflation targeting introduced in 1992. Our main findings are: i) the adoption of inflation targets led to significant changes in monetary policy giving greater weight to inflation; (ii) monetary policy post-1992 is asymmetric as policy makers respond more to upward deviation of inflation away from the target; (iii) in the post-1992 period policymakers may be attempting to keep inflation within the range of 1.4%-2.6% rather than pursuing a point target of 2.5%; (iv) monetary policy is more responsive to inflation when it is further from the target.
Chemical enrichment and the origin of the colour-magnitude relation of elliptical galaxies in a hierarchical merger model

In this paper, we present a model of the formation and chemical enrichment of elliptical galaxies that differs from the conventional picture in two fundamental ways. (i) Ellipticals do not form in a single monolithic collapse and burst of star formation at high redshift. Instead, most of their stars form at modest rates in disc galaxies, which then merge to form the ellipticals. (ii) Galaxies do not undergo ‘closed-box’ chemical evolution. Instead, metals can be transferred between the stars, cold gas and hot gas haloes of the galaxies. It is assumed that metals are ejected out of disc galaxies during supernova explosions and that these metals enter the hot gas component. The fact that metals are more easily ejected from small galaxies leads to the establishment of a mass–metallicity relation for the disc systems. Large ellipticals are more metal-rich because they are formed from the mergers of larger discs. We use semi-analytic techniques to follow the formation, evolution and chemical enrichment of cluster elliptical galaxies in a merging hierarchy of dark matter haloes. The inclusion of the new metallicity-dependent spectral synthesis models of Bruzual & Charlot enables us to compute the colours, line indices and mass-to-light ratios of these galaxies. We find that with physically realistic parameters and with the assumption that feedback is efficient, even in massive galaxies, we are able to reproduce the slope and scatter of the colour–magnitude and the Mg2–σ relations for cluster ellipticals. Bright field ellipticals have the same metallicities but are younger than their cluster counterparts, and thus exhibit more scatter in the equivalent widths of their Balmer absorption lines. We are not able to match the increase in M/L for bright ellipticals if we assume their mass to measure purely the total quantity of stars in these objects. We also study the evolution of these relations to high redshift. We show that the luminosity–metallicity relation does not change with redshift, but the mean stellar age of the galaxies scales with the age of the Universe. This is why the evolution of cluster ellipticals appears to be well described by simple passive evolution. Finally, we study the enrichment history of the intracluster gas. Our models predict that more than 80 per cent of the metals were ejected by galaxies with circular velocities less than 250 km s−1 at redshifts greater than 1. The metallicity of the intracluster medium is thus predicted to evolve very little out to z>1.
Satellite based remote sensing of weather and climate: recent achievements and future perspectives

Spaceborne remote sensing provides valuable information about the state of the Earth‐atmosphere system and its components in an area‐wide and continuous manner. Over the past 50 years a range of satellite platforms carrying many different sensors has been constructed to monitor atmospheric parameters used in meteorological and climatological studies, and the information retrieved from satellite‐based sensors has greatly enhanced our understanding of the processes and dynamics within the Earth‐atmosphere system. The present paper gives an overview of existing satellites and sensors, together with the developed algorithms to retrieve meteorological and climatological parameters. Furthermore, it gives an outlook on new systems planned for the near future. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
Mechanical characterization of human red blood cells by robotic manipulation with optical tweezers

Human red blood cells (RBCs) are responsible to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide for human bodies. The physiological functions of RBCs are greatly influenced by their mechanical properties. Any alteration of the cell mechanics may cause human diseases. In this paper, to understand the correlation between the cell properties and their osmotic environments, robotic manipulation technology with optical tweezers is used to stretch human RBCs in hypotonic conditions. The swollen RBCs are stretched at different levels of laser powers by a single optical trap. The induced deformation responses are recorded for analysis. To extract the mechanical properties from the force-deformation relationship, a mechanical model is developed from our previous work [29]. This model is based on membrane theory and adopts Evans-Skalak material to represent the deformation behavior of RBC membrane. By fitting the modeling results to the experimental data, the area compressibility modulus and elastic shear modulus are characterized as 0.29 ± 0.05 N/m and 6.5 ±1.0 μN/m, respectively, which are less than the reported results of the natural RBCs in the isotonic solution. This preliminary study indicates that the hypotonic environment makes human RBCs become much softer and more deformable, and further, may provide insight into the pathology of some human diseases and disease therapy.
Prior Year’s Predictors of Eighth-Grade Algebra Achievement

This study examines the power of cognitive and noncognitive variables to predict students’ performance in algebra. We investigated students’ prior year’s assessment scores and demographic characteristics to predict eighth-grade algebra scores. Using California statewide assessment data, we explored predictive factors in three regression models. These analyses reveal that the seventh-grade mathematics test scores account for 61% of the variance in eighth graders’ algebra test scores. Analyzing subscores of the seventh-grade mathematics test, the assessment content focus of rational numbers is a major predictor, contributing 48% of the variance in eighth graders’ algebra test scores. On the other hand, students’ demographic variables show little predictive power for eighth-grade algebra scores. This study provides empirical evidence for understanding the factors that impact a student’s success in learning algebra.