Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integral Field Spectroscopy of the Quadruply Lensed Quasar 1RXS J1131–1231: New Light on Lens Substructures

We have observed the quadruply lensed quasar 1RXS J1131-1231 with the integral field spectrograph mode of the Kyoto Tridimensional Spectrograph II mounted on the Subaru telescope. Its field of view has simultaneously covered the three brighter lensed images A, B, and C, which are known to exhibit anomalous flux ratios in their continuum emission. We have found that the [O III] line flux ratios among these lensed images are consistent with those predicted by smooth-lens models. The absence of both microlensing and millilensing effects on this [O III] narrow-line region sets important limits on the mass of any substructures along the line of sight, which is expressed as ME < 105 M☉ for the mass inside an Einstein radius. In contrast, the Hβ line emission, which originates from the broad-line region, shows an anomaly in the flux ratio between images B and C, i.e., a factor 2 smaller C/B ratio than predicted by smooth-lens models. The ratio of A/B in the Hβ line is well reproduced. We show that the anomalous C/B ratio for the Hβ line is most likely caused by micro-/millilensing of image C. This is because other effects, such as the differential dust extinction and/or arrival time difference between images B and C, or the simultaneous lensing of another pair of images A and B, are all unlikely. In addition, we have found that the broad Hβ line of image A shows a slight asymmetry in its profile compared with those in the other images, which suggests the presence of a small microlensing effect on this line emitting region of image A.
Audio-visual speech recognition in noisy audio environments

It is a well-known fact that the visual part of speech can improve the resulting recognition rate mainly in noisy conditions. Main goal of this work is to find a set of visual features which would be possible to use in our audio-visual speech recognition systems. Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Active Appearance Model (AAM) based visual features are extracted from visual speech signals, enhanced by a simplified variant of Hierarchical Linear Discriminant Analysis (HiLDA) and normalized across speakers. The visual features are then combined with standard MFCC audio features by the middle fusion method. The results from audio-visual speech recognition are compared with the results from experiments where the log-spectra minimum mean square error and multiband spectral subtraction methods for reducing additive noise in the audio signal are used.
The Dynamics of Interhemispheric Compensatory Processes in Mental Imagery

The capacity to generate and analyze mental visual images is essential for many cognitive abilities. We combined triple-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (tpTMS) and repetitive TMS (rTMS) to determine which distinct aspect of mental imagery is carried out by the left and right parietal lobe and to reveal interhemispheric compensatory interactions. The left parietal lobe was predominant in generating mental images, whereas the right parietal lobe was specialized in the spatial comparison of the imagined content. Furthermore, in case of an rTMS-induced left parietal lesion, the right parietal cortex could immediately compensate such a left parietal disruption by taking over the specific function of the left hemisphere.
Did Earnings Conservatism Increase for Former Andersen Clients?

The unexpected fall of Arthur Andersen is an extraordinary event. Although Arthur Andersen was initially convicted in 2002, subsequently, the Supreme Court unanimously threw out the conviction. Was the Department of Justice hasty in shutting down Arthur Andersen? Could the managers and the new auditors of former Andersen clients have restored financial reporting credibility? This study examines whether earnings conservatism has increased for a sample of former Arthur Andersen clients that were forced to switch auditors in 2002. Relative to control samples consisting of audit clients of remaining brand-name auditors that did not switch auditors and those that switched within Big Four auditors, this study finds that earnings conservatism has increased for former Andersen clients that switched to a Big Four auditor. Furthermore, the level of conservatism for 2002 for former Andersen clients is even higher than those observed for a matched sample of non-Andersen clients that did not switch auditors. These findings suggest that in the post-Andersen world, Big Four auditors and managers use earnings conservatism as a risk management strategy.
Tribal Constitutionalism: States, Tribes, and the Governance of Membership

Introduction 1. Tribal Membership Governance and the Cultural Production of Indigeneity: Reflecting Inter-indigenous Recognition in Public Policy 2. Tribalism Constitutionalized: The Tribal Practice of Membership Governance in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States 3. Genealogy as Continuity : Explaining The Growing Tribal Preference for Descent Rules In Membership Governance in the United States 4. Reparations and Tribal Constitutionalism: The Impact of Claims-Settlement on Tribal Membership Governance in Australia and New Zealand Conclusion Appendix: Table of Tribal Constitutions
Photometric Recovery of Crowded Stellar Fields Observed with HST/WFPC2 and the Effects of Confusion Noise on the Extragalactic Distance Scale

We explore the limits of photometric reductions of crowded stellar fields observed with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Two photometric procedures, based on the DoPHOT and DAOPHOT/ALLFRAME programs, are tested, and the effects of crowding, complex sky background, and cosmic‐ray contamination are discussed using an extensive set of artificial star simulations. As a specific application of the results presented in this paper, we assess the magnitude of photometric biases on programs aimed at finding Cepheids and determining distances. We find that while the photometry in individual images can be biased too bright by up to 0.2 mag in the most crowded fields due to confusion noise, the effects on distance measurements based on Cepheid variables are insignificant, less than 0.02 mag (1% in distance) even in the most problematic cases. This result, which is at odds with claims that have recently surfaced in the literature, is due to the strict criteria applied in the selection of the variable stars, and the photometric cross‐checks made possible by the availability of multiple exposures in different filters which characterize Cepheid observations.
MAP3K1 function is essential for cytoarchitecture of the mouse organ of Corti and survival of auditory hair cells

ABSTRACT MAP3K1 is a serine/threonine kinase that is activated by a diverse set of stimuli and exerts its effect through various downstream effecter molecules, including JNK, ERK1/2 and p38. In humans, mutant alleles of MAP3K1 are associated with 46,XY sex reversal. Until recently, the only phenotype observed in Map3k1tm1Yxia mutant mice was open eyelids at birth. Here, we report that homozygous Map3k1tm1Yxia mice have early-onset profound hearing loss accompanied by the progressive degeneration of cochlear outer hair cells. In the mouse inner ear, MAP3K1 has punctate localization at the apical surface of the supporting cells in close proximity to basal bodies. Although the cytoarchitecture, neuronal wiring and synaptic junctions in the organ of Corti are grossly preserved, Map3k1tm1Yxia mutant mice have supernumerary functional outer hair cells (OHCs) and Deiters' cells. Loss of MAP3K1 function resulted in the downregulation of Fgfr3, Fgf8, Fgf10 and Atf3 expression in the inner ear. Fgfr3, Fgf8 and Fgf10 have a role in induction of the otic placode or in otic epithelium development in mice, and their functional deficits cause defects in cochlear morphogenesis and hearing loss. Our studies suggest that MAP3K1 has an essential role in the regulation of these key cochlear morphogenesis genes. Collectively, our data highlight the crucial role of MAP3K1 in the development and function of the mouse inner ear and hearing. Summary: Map3k1 mutant mice exhibit early-onset profound hearing loss and supernumerary outer hair cells, along with dysregulation of the FGF signaling pathway, accentuating its function in otic epithelium development and morphogenesis.
Efficient Learning of Spatial Patterns with Multi-Scale Conditional Random Fields for Region-Based Classification

Automatic image classification is of major importance for a wide range of applications and is supported by a complex process that usually requires the identification of individual regions and spatial patterns (contextual information) among neighboring regions within images. Hierarchical conditional random fields (CRF) consider both multi-scale and contextual information in a unified discriminative probabilistic framework, yet they suffer from two main drawbacks. On the one hand, their current classification performance still leaves space for improvement, mostly due to the use of very simple or inappropriate pairwise energy expressions to model complex spatial patterns; on the other hand, their training remains complex, particularly for multi-class problems. In this work, we investigated alternative pairwise energy expressions to better account for class transitions and developed an efficient parameters learning strategy for the resultant expression. We propose: (i) a multi-scale CRF model with novel energies that involves information related to the multi-scale image structure; and (ii) an efficient maximum margin parameters learning procedure where the complex learning problem is decomposed into simpler individual multi-class sub-problems. During experiments conducted on several well-known satellite image data sets, the suggested multi-scale CRF exhibited between a 1% and 15% accuracy improvement compared to other works. We also found that, on different multi-scale decompositions, the total number of regions and their average size have a direct impact on the classification results.
Cognition, Emotion and Behavior in Children with Tourette’s Syndrome and Children with ADHD-Combined Subtype—A Two-Year Follow-Up Study

Objective This two-year follow-up study investigates the course of and association among measures of cognitive control, focused attention, decision-making and symptom severity (anxiety, depression and behavior) in children and adolescents with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-Combined subtype (ADHD-C). Method 19 children with TS, 33 with ADHD-C, and 50 typically developing children (TDC) were examined with a battery of psychometric measures and rating forms at baseline and two-years later. Results All three groups improved likewise in measures of cognitive control over time, whereas only the TDC improved in focused attention. The group of children with TS with comorbidities performed more similar to the children with ADHD-C in cognitive control at T1 and T2, whereas the children with TS without comorbidities performed more similar to the TDC in cognitive control at T1 and T2. In the decision-making task, the children with TS (with or without comorbidities) preferred a safer strategy in selecting advantageous choices than the children with ADHD-C and the TDC at T2. Children with TS and children with ADHD-C showed higher symptoms of anxiety and depression and more problems with emotional control compared with TDC at both time points. Finally, children with ADHD-C self-reported more depression symptoms than those with TS at both assessments. For the TS group, safer decision-making was related to better emotional control, and this relationship was stronger for the TS subgroup without comorbidities. Conclusion This study emphasizes the importance of addressing symptoms of anxiety and depression in children with TS or ADHD-C, identifying the effect of comorbidities in children with TS, and that children with TS or ADHD-C likely differ in their sensitivity to reinforcement contingencies.
Schooling, Self-Selection, and Health

Economists have long realized that schooling and good health are strongly positively correlated. Some conclude that schooling has a direct positive effect on the production of good health while others argue that some unobserved variable such as rate of time discount positively affects both health and schooling. This study investigates the validity of alternative explanations for the observed schooling-health correlation. Models are estimated using four different measures of overall health: disability, functional limitations, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The results uniformly indicate that the direct effect of schooling on health is more important than the effect of unobservables.
Practitioner Views of College Head Coaches: A Stakeholder Management Perspective

Abstract This study employed stakeholder theory as an interpretive framework to explore how practitioners in academic support centers for athletes perceive their own obligations and the role and influence of head coaches. Findings revealed that while practitioners believe that head coaches generally care about the academic goals of their athletes, they also believe head coaches need to demonstrate stronger academic leadership and more accountability for the academic outcomes of the athletes they recruit. Practitioners also reported that while they strive to prepare athletes for life after sport, athletics and academics are not effectively co-existing and the current structure of college athletics needs reform. Implications for student affairs professionals are discussed.
Label-Free Assays on the BIND System

Screening of biochemical interactions becomes simpler, less expensive, and more accurate when labels, such as fluorescent dyes, radioactive markers, and colorimetric reactions, are not required to quantify detected material. SRU Biosystems has developed a biosensor technology that is manufactured on continuous sheets of plastic film and incorporated into standard microplates and microarray slides to enable label-free assays to be performed with high throughput, high sensitivity, and low cost per assay. The biosensor incorporates a narrow band guided-mode resonance reflectance filter, in which the reflected color is modulated by the attachment/detachment of biochemical material to the surface. The technology offers 4 orders of linear dynamic range and uniformity within a plate, with a coefficient of variation of 2.5%. Using conventional biochemical immobilization surface chemistries, a wide range of assay applications are enabled. Small molecule screening, cell proliferation/cytotoxicity, enzyme activity screening, protein-protein interaction, and cell membrane receptor expression are among the applications demonstrated.
Determining the Optimal Portfolio Size on the Nairobi Securities Exchange

There is consensus that diversification results in risk reduction. However there is no consensus on the number of securities required for maximum risk diversification. Studies done on different capital markets have yielded differing results. This study aimed at determining the optimal portfolio size for investors on the Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya. The study used mean variance optimization model and secondary data consisting of monthly security returns over a five year period from January 2009 to December 2013. Forty three of the sixty listed firms had complete information on monthly security returns and were used in the study. Portfolios of different sizes were formed by random selection of securities and the portfolio risk was computed. The study found that portfolio risk reduced as the number of securities in the portfolio increased but beyond the optimal portfolio size the risk started rising again. The optimal portfolio size in the Nairobi Securities Exchange was found to lie between 18 and 22 securities.
Preparing for Upheaval in North Korea: Assuming North Korean Regime Collapse

Abstract : This thesis will attempt to provide the optimal policy prescription for the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army on how to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate (DDR) the North Korean people in the case of their regime collapse. It is important to know how the likelihood of environment in which post-conflict reconstruction efforts will be implemented. The viability of any contingency plan should be assessed, based on an assumption about the environment being in probable upheaval. However, little analysis of the viability of the contingency plan, including the DDR program, has been undertaken in the context of North Korean regime collapse. Especially, the research about expectations and assumptions related to the possible North Korean attitude and probable post-regime collapse environment has been rare. The contingency planning, thus, needs further research and empirical supporting data, which can enhance its viability in practice. Given this perspective, this thesis attempts to predict the North Korean people's possible attitude in their upheaval, based on analysis about the current regime's control system and recent changes. This thesis also assumes different scenarios in which DDR would be implemented to reconstruct a post-conflict society, by differentiating critical uncertainties in each case.
Protective Role of Raf-1 in Salmonella-Induced Macrophage Apoptosis

Invasive Salmonella induces macrophage apoptosis via the activation of caspase-1 by the bacterial protein SipB. Here we show that infection of macrophages with Salmonella causes the activation and degradation of Raf-1, an important intermediate in macrophage proliferation and activation. Raf-1 degradation is SipB- and caspase-1–dependent, and is prevented by proteasome inhibitors. To study the functional significance of Raf-1 in this process, the c-raf-1 gene was inactivated by Cre-loxP–mediated recombination in vivo. Macrophages lacking c-raf-1 are hypersensitive towards pathogen-induced apoptosis. Surprisingly, activation of the antiapoptotic mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor κB pathways is normal in Raf-1–deficient macrophages, and mitochondrial fragility is not increased. Instead, pathogen-mediated activation of caspase-1 is enhanced selectively, implying that Raf-1 antagonizes stimulus-induced caspase-1 activation and apoptosis.
Hybrid participatory sensing for analyzing group dynamics in the largest annual religious gathering

Understanding crowd dynamics of large-scale events is crucial to deliver a pleasant experience for the participants. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid participatory sensing approach to capture large group dynamics. Specifically, our approach is based on distributing a large number of tiny, wearable Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tags and few smartphones among the group members. We start by identifying the best configuration; in terms of transmit power and beaconing interval; for detecting BLE tags in indoor and outdoor environments. Then, as a case study, we deploy the system during the six main days of the Hajj pilgrimage in 2014, which is the world's largest annual religious gathering. We used the proposed hybrid participatory approach to collect the mobility data of pilgrim groups based on GPS location and co-occurring BLE tag detections. Our system provided up to 80% group-wise detectability in a single scan event. Moreover, 98% cumulative unique tags detectability is achieved in the whole event, leading to 0.74 million records. Analysis of the group dynamics revealed unexpected behavior and interesting findings. In particular, regional variations are found among different groups in the entry or exit times, duration of stay, and group cohesion; which are attributed to congestion, improper arrangements, or the nature of activities. Furthermore, we show sub-community clusters could be identified revealing clear biases based on the demographic characteristics. Based on this case study, we also give suggestions on using the proposed system for other large-scale events.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF MINNEAPOLIS

M as a percentage of capital accounts, no improvement in net profits was realized in 1951 over 1950 by the typical mem• ber bank in the Ninth district. The Operating Ratios study* recently completed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reveals that, although this was true of the typical bank, a comparatively small number of larger banks enjoyed higher net profits last year. This explains the higher aggregate volume of bank profits reported in the Review last month.
Zooming in one dimension can be better than two: an interface for placing search results in context with a restricted sitemap

The visualisation of large hierarchies without losing context is a difficult problem. Many interfaces have been developed for this, and many of these use zooming, which is sometimes combined with a distortion view method such as a fisheye lense. Most of these interfaces use and zoom in two dimensions, while others use and zoom in three dimensions. We present a 2D interface realised in the SGviewer tool which zooms in only one dimension. The other dimension is used to convey subtree depth. To demonstrate our interface, we apply it to the problem of presenting search results. The delivery of search results either for a large site, or for a local file system is often difficult. Often the number of matching pages or files is high. A typical approach to this, is to weight the relevance of the matches. An alternative approach which can complement the former is to present the results in some context, clustering the results at the same time. We show how our interface can be used to present search results classified with a restricted sitemap.
A Compartment-Based Approach for the Imaging Evaluation of Tinnitus

SUMMARY: Tinnitus affects 10% of the US general population and is a common indication for imaging studies. We describe a sequential compartment-based diagnostic approach, which simplifies the interpretation of imaging studies in patients with tinnitus. The choice of the initial imaging technique depends on the type of tinnitus, associated symptoms, and examination findings. Familiarity with the pathophysiologic mechanisms of tinnitus and the imaging findings is a prerequisite for a tailored diagnostic approach by the radiologist.
Access to Universities' Public Knowledge: Who is More Regionalist?

Acosta M. , Azagra-Caro J. M. and Coronado D. Access to universities' public knowledge: who is more regionalist? , Regional Studies. This paper tracks university-to-firm patent citations rather than the more usual patent-to-patent or paper-to-patent citations. It explains regional and non-regional citations as a function of firms’ absorptive capacity and universities’ production capacity in the region rather than explaining citations as a function of distance between citing and cited regions. Using a dataset of European Union regions for the years 1997–2007, it is found that fostering university research and development (R&D) capacity increases the attractiveness of the local university's knowledge base to firms in the region, but also reduces wider searches for university knowledge. Increasing the absorptive capacity of local business encourages firms to access university knowledge from outside the region.