Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Ne/O abundance ratio in the quiet Sun

Context. Aims. To determine the neon-to-oxygen abundance in the quiet Sun, a proxy for the photospheric abundance ratio. Methods. An emission measure method applied to extreme ultraviolet emission lines of Ne iv–vi and O iii–v ions observed by the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer on the SOHO satellite. Results. The average Ne/O abundance ratio in supergranule cell centre regions is $0.18\pm 0.05$, while in supergranule network regions is $0.16\pm 0.04$. A photospheric Ne/O ratio of $0.17\pm 0.05$ is suggested, in good agreement with the most recent compilation of solar photospheric abundances, but discrepant with a recent Ne/O ratio derived from stellar X-ray spectra and revised neon abundances suggested from solar interior models. Conclusions.
Reinforcement Learning Through Modulation of Spike-Timing-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity

Abstract The persistent modification of synaptic efficacy as a function of the relative timing of pre- and postsynaptic spikes is a phenomenon known as spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Here we show that the modulation of STDP by a global reward signal leads to reinforcement learning. We first derive analytically learning rules involving reward-modulated spike-timing-dependent synaptic and intrinsic plasticity, by applying a reinforcement learning algorithm to the stochastic spike response model of spiking neurons. These rules have several features common to plasticity mechanisms experimentally found in the brain. We then demonstrate in simulations of networks of integrate-and-fire neurons the efficacy of two simple learning rules involving modulated STDP. One rule is a direct extension of the standard STDP model (modulated STDP), and the other one involves an eligibility trace stored at each synapse that keeps a decaying memory of the relationships between the recent pairs of pre- and postsynaptic spike pairs (modulated STDP with eligibility trace). This latter rule permits learning even if the reward signal is delayed. The proposed rules are able to solve the XOR problem with both rate coded and temporally coded input and to learn a target output firing-rate pattern. These learning rules are biologically plausible, may be used for training generic artificial spiking neural networks, regardless of the neural model used, and suggest the experimental investigation in animals of the existence of reward-modulated STDP.
The IL-4 Receptor α-Chain-Binding Cytokines, IL-4 and IL-13, Induce Forkhead Box P3-Expressing CD25+CD4+ Regulatory T Cells from CD25−CD4+ Precursors1

The mechanisms underlying the extrathymic generation of CD25+CD4 regulatory T cells (Tregs) are largely unknown. In this study the IL-4R α-chain-binding cytokines, IL-4 and IL-13, were identified as inducers of CD25+ Tregs from peripheral CD25−CD4 naive T cells. IL-4-induced CD25+ Tregs phenotypically and functionally resemble naturally occurring Tregs in that they are anergic to mitogenic stimulation, inhibit the proliferation of autologous responder T cells, express high levels of the Forkhead box P3 and the surface receptors glucocorticoid-induced TNFR family-related protein and CTLA-4, and inhibit effector T cells in a contact-dependent, but cytokine-independent, manner. The IL-4-induced generation of peripheral Tregs was independent of the presence of TGF-β or IL-10, but was dependent on Ag-specific stimulation and B7 costimulation. The significance of the IL-4Rα-binding cytokines in the generation of Ag-specific Tregs was emphasized in a mouse model of oral tolerance, in which neutralization of IL-4 and IL-13 in mice transgenic for the TCR specific for OVA completely inhibited the expansion of OVA-specific Tregs that can be induced in untreated mice by feeding the nominal Ag. Together, our results demonstrate that IL-4 and IL-13 play an important role in generating Forkhead box P3-expressing CD25+ Tregs extrathymically in an Ag-dependent manner and therefore provide an intriguing link between the well-established immunoregulatory capacity of Th2 cells and the powerful CD25+ Treg population. Moreover, our findings might provide the basis for the design of novel therapeutic approaches for targeted immunotherapy with Tregs to known Ags in autoimmune diseases or graft-vs-host reactions.
The effect of photovoice on explicit & implicit prejudice towards persons with disability

I could not have completed any of my graduate work without the following people. I would like to dedicate this work to my father who has always encouraged and helped me pursue my graduate studies. I would like to thank my mother, who is the strongest person I have ever known, for her support and prayers. My husband, for his understanding, patients and support (I know you did your best). My daughter, for being my source of strength and happiness. I would also like to thank my sisters for being there to back me up in times of need. Thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Carie Forden for her kindness, constant guidance, support and encouragement. Thank you to my readers and committee members, Dr. Heba Kotb and Dr. Jillian Campana for your time and valuable comments and input. Thank you to my other professors who have inspired me and grew my interest in the field (Dr. Yasmin Saleh, Dr. Naela Refaat, Dr. Mona Amer, Dr. Mohamed Taha, Dr. Iman Shetta) I have learned a lot from you. Dr. Mona Amer, “I know” you got my back several times and I thank you for that. Thank you to other professors and experts for their time and support and for willing to help without even knowing me, (Dr. Alexandra Gaziz, Dr. Heba Hagrass, Dr. Hala Abdel Hak, Dr. Aly Abdel-latif). Thank you to my peers whom I learned a lot from, both academically and personally. I would also like to thank Helm NGO, Helm Project participants and Helm Club for their trust and cooperation. Thank you Nesma Gad; my internship supervisor, for your support and dedication throughout my internship. Thank you to Dr. Sahar Sobeih and the AUC Conservation Lab for your cooperation while working on the exhibition. Last but not least, thank you to all my dear friends for your understanding and encouragement.
A Power Loss Calculation Method of IGBT Three-Phase SPWM Converter

This paper proposes an improved method to describe power losses in IGBT converters. This method includes dependency of voltage, current and temperature, and it could be fast and accurate. Since the relative higher converter dissipation is one of the main barriers in high power applications, it is further compared the MVA rated three-phase IGBT converter's loss rates under different operating frequency, then discusses the suitable SPWM frequency for high power applications.
Developmental disregard in unilateral cerebral palsy: Behavioral & electrophysiological examinations of the underlying mechanisms

In children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) mirror movements (MMs) are frequently observed. They are typically assessed with the observation-based Woods and Teuber scale (W&T). However, due to its subjective nature and variable administration, interpretation of data across studies is problematic. We introduce the Windmill-task, a new objective assessment to quantify the presence of MMs. The concurrent validity of the Windmill-task is assessed and sensitivity and specificity for MM detection is compared between both assessments. To assess the concurrent validity, Windmill-data from a prospective cohort of 23 children with unilateral CP (mean age=10y5m, SD=2y7m) are compared to W&T-data using Spearman-rank (rho) correlations for two conditions (AS-moving vs. lessAS-moving). Sensitivity and specificity are compared by presenting the mean percentage of children being assessed inconsistently across both assessments. Results showed that outcomes of both assessments correlate significantly (ASmoving: rho=.520; p=.005; less-AS-moving: rho=.488; p=.009). However, many children displayed MMs on the Windmill-task, but not on the W&T (sensitivity: AS-moving: 27.5%; less-AS-moving:40.6%). Only two children displayed MMs on the W&T, but not on the Windmill-task (specificity: AS-moving: 2.9%; lessAS-moving: 1.4%). These results indicate that the Windmill-task is a valid tool to assess MMs in children with unilateral CP and has additional advantages especially related to the sensitivity of detecting MMs. This chapter is based on: Zielinski, I.M. , Steenbergen, B. , Schmidt, A. , Klingels, K. , Simon-Martinez, C. , De Water, P., & Brian, H. (under review). A new quantitative and objective assessment for mirror movements in unilateral cerebral palsy: introduction of the Windmill-task. Arch Phys Med Rehabil (under review). a new Quantitative and objective assessment for mirror movements in unilateral cerebral palsy: introduction of the Windmill-task New assessment for mirror movements 37 36 ChApter II
Texture feature extraction using 2-D Gabor Filters

Texture feature extraction is a procedure of computing and describing the features and characteristics of image which numerically describes that texture image properties. This paper investigated texture feature extraction using 2-D Gabor Filter to extract the texture features of Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), texture energy and transformed IFFT. The Gabor filter bank experimented on seventy two collected samples of skull-stripped T1-weighted, T2-weighted and FLAIR MRI brain images utilizing four frequencies and four orientations. Results showed that texture feature extractions of two highest frequencies with all four orientations produced the highest acceptance rate.
Contributions of the wall boundary layer to the formation of the counter-rotating vortex pair in transverse jets

Using high-resolution 3-D vortex simulations, this study seeks a mechanistic understanding of vorticity dynamics in transverse jets at a finite Reynolds number. A full no-slip boundary condition, rigorously formulated in terms of vorticity generation along the channel wall, captures unsteady interactions between the wall boundary layer and the jet – in particular, the separation of the wall boundary layer and its transport into the interior. For comparison, we also implement a reduced boundary condition that suppresses the separation of the wall boundary layer away from the jet nozzle. By contrasting results obtained with these two boundary conditions, we characterize near-field vortical structures formed as the wall boundary layer separates on the backside of the jet. Using various Eulerian and Lagrangian diagnostics, it is demonstrated that several near-wall vortical structures are formed as the wall boundary layer separates. The counter-rotating vortex pair, manifested by the presence of vortices aligned with the jet trajectory, is initiated closer to the jet exit. Moreover tornado-like wall-normal vortices originate from the separation of spanwise vorticity in the wall boundary layer at the side of the jet and from the entrainment of streamwise wall vortices in the recirculation zone on the lee side. These tornado-like vortices are absent in the case where separation is suppressed. Tornado-like vortices merge with counter-rotating vorticity originating in the jet shear layer, significantly increasing wall-normal circulation and causing deeper jet penetration into the crossflow stream.
Network Effects in the Governance of Strategic Alliances

We argue that the stock of prior alliances between participants in the biotechnology sector forms a network that serves as a governance mechanism in interfirm transactions. To test how this network substitutes for other governance mechanisms, we examine how equity participation and pledged funding in strategic alliances vary with two features of the way alliance participants are positioned in the network of past deals: proximity, or how close two firms are to one another in the network; and centrality, or how deeply a firm is embedded in the network. As centrality and proximity increase, equity participation (measured by size and propensity) diminishes, whereas pledged funding increases. Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.
The use of TRMM satellite data as a predictor in the spatial interpolation of daily precipitation over Australia

The accurate estimation of gridded daily precipitation is critical to hydrological modelling and water resource assessment. High resolution precipitation datasets based on gauge rainfall are the primary input to spatially distributed rainfall-runoff models and water balance calculations (e.g. Chiew et al., 2008). The spatial heterogeneity of rainfall variability is currently not captured adequately by gauge based interpolation methods. The errors in gridded rainfall fields have the potential to significantly bias model calibrations and water balances calculations. Sources of data other than gauge rainfall, such as satellite derived fields, radar based rainfall observations, and climatological fields from numerical weather prediction models, can be used as a predictor to improve interpolated rainfall fields. However, to date mainly gauge based interpolation of observations are used for modelling purposes because satellite/model based observed precipitation surfaces have relatively high errors in the rainfall distribution to which runoff is very sensitive. To the authors’ knowledge no assimilation of observed and modelled precipitation data (gauged or from satellite) has been undertaken for the Australian continent. This paper investigates the additional value of the inclusion of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 satellite based precipitation product to gauge based precipitation estimation. Three simple geostatistical methods are applied to investigate the use of satellite based rainfall in gauge based interpolation: a) ordinary kriging (OK) – used as the baseline gauge based method; and b) cokriging (CK) and c) simple kriging with locally varying mean (SKlm) for incorporating additional information. The three methods are compared using cross validation statistics (including mean error, mean absolute error and root mean squared error). Incorporating satellite based rainfall estimates into the interpolation of daily rainfall does not increase the overall accuracy. However, in data sparse areas some increase in accuracy is observed. The poorer performance of the methods incorporating satellite data is attributed to the relationship between satellite derived rainfall and gauge rainfall which is highly variable (Figure 1). In particular, strong spatially consistent negative biases are found for coastal regions (greater the 0.5mm daily) and strong positive biases for high altitude regions (greater than 0.5mm daily). These biases and methods to deal with them should be considered in future research.
The origin and evolution of C IV Baldwin effect in QSOs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Using a large sample of 26 623 quasars with redshifts in the range 1.5 <= z <= 5.1 with C IV lambda 1549 angstrom emission line in Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we investigate the cosmological evolution of the Baldwin effect, i.e. the relation between the equivalent width (EW) of the C IV emission line and continuum luminosity. We confirm the earlier result that there exists a strong correlation between the C IV EW and the continuum luminosity, and we find that, up to z approximate to 5, the slope of the Baldwin effect seems to have no effect of cosmological evolution. A subsample of 13 960 quasars with broad C IV lambda 1549 angstrom emission line from SDSS is used to explore the origin of the Baldwin effect. We find that C IV EW have a strong correlation with the mass of supermassive black hole (SMBH), and a weak correlation with the Eddington ratio, L(Bol)/L(Edd). This suggests that the SMBH mass is probably the primary drive for the Baldwin effect.
A longitudinal study of childhood risk factors for hospitalization under a depression related diagnosis

A number of prenatal, early childhood, and middle childhood factors were studied to determine their utility for predicting hospitalization for depression. Data were acquired from the Helsinki Longitudinal Temperament Project, an ongoing longitudinal study of a Finnish birth cohort (N = 6401) that includes temperament, medical, and demographic data. The present study focuses on the 61 members of the birth cohort who were hospitalized under a depression related diagnosis (major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, bipolar disorder, or adjustment disorder/brief depressive reaction) prior to the age of 23. Specifically, prenatal smoking, fever, and nausea; infant and preschool temperament; age 12 behavior problems; maternal hospitalization history; and demographic data were analyzed. Temperament was assessed with Finnish versions of the Carey Infant Temperament Scale, the Thomas, Chess, and Korn Temperament Questionnairre (preschool), and behavior problems with the Lambert-Hartsough-Wrede Adjustment Difficulty Scale (Age 12 behavior problems). Chi-square analyses revealed gender, birth order, and maternal hospitalization for blood disorder, digestive problems, accidents, and pscyhosis to be significant predictors of hospitalization for depression. Temperament and behavior problems are discussed in terms of trends as data were available for an insufficient number of subjects to perform the analyses. More subjects than expected had deviations from average on one or more temperament scales. Independently, the Fussy/Demandingness infant scale and the preschool Negative Emotionality and Lack of Task Persistence scales appear to predict hospitalization for depression. Suggestions for further research involving larger sample sizes and formulating maternal hospitalization profiles of at-risk children are offered.
Personality and salary at early career: the mediating effect of emotional intelligence

Abstract This paper examines the role of emotional intelligence (EI) as a mediator in the relationship between salary at early career and personality. The longitudinal data was collected from a selected sample of 130 university graduates, who were in the early stages of their professional careers. The results of a path analysis indicated that salary was indirectly predicted by personality traits, as measured by the Big Five model. Salary was predicted by neuroticism (both positively and negatively), extraversion (positively), and openness (positively) via the EI dimensions following the causal chain: perception, understanding and emotional regulation. Our findings have suggested the advantages of using EI measures as a complement to more dispositional measures, such as ability or personality measures, for personnel selection and people development in organizations and have provided real practice with clear suggestions for improving HRM.
Economics of export taxation in a context of food crisis

This paper aims to assess the rationales for the use of export taxes, in particular in the context of a food crisis. First, we summarize the effects of export taxes using both partial and general equilibrium theoretical models. When large countries have an objective of constant food domestic prices, in the event of an increase in world agricultural prices the optimal response is to decrease import tariffs in net food-importing countries and to increase export tariffs in net food-exporting countries. The latter decision is welfare improving while the former is welfare reducing: it is the price to pay to get domestic food prices constant. Small countries are harmed by both decisions. Second, we illustrate the costs of a lack of cooperation in and regulation of (binding process) such policies in a time of crisis using a global computable general equilibrium (CGE) model illustration, mimicking the mechanisms that have appeared during the recent food price surge. We conclude with a call for international regulation, in particular because small net food-importing countries may be substantially harmed by these beggar-thy-neighbor policies that amplify the already negative impact of the food crisis.
Galactic Extinction from Colors and Counts of Field Galaxies in WFPC2 Frames: An Application to GRB 970228

We develop the "simulated extinction method" to measure average foreground Galactic extinction from field galaxy number counts and colors. The method comprises simulating extinction in suitable reference fields by changing the isophotal detection limit. This procedure takes into account selection effects; in particular, the change in the isophotal detection limit (and hence in the isophotal magnitude completeness limit) with extinction, and the galaxy color-magnitude relation. We present a first application of the method to the Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 images of the gamma-ray burster GRB 970228. Four different WFPC2 high-latitude fields, including the Hubble Deep Field, are used as reference to measure the average extinction toward the gamma-ray burst (GRB) in the F606W passband. From the counts, we derive an average extinction of AV=0.5 mag, but the dispersion of 0.4 mag between the estimates from the different reference fields is significantly larger than can be accounted for by Poisson plus clustering uncertainties. Although the counts differ, the average ⟨F606W-F814W⟩ colors of the field galaxies agree well. The extinction implied by the average color difference between the GRB field and the reference galaxies is AV=0.6 mag, with a dispersion in the estimated extinction from the four reference fields of only 0.1 mag. All of our estimates are in good agreement with the value of 0.81±0.27 mag obtained by Burstein & Heiles, and with the extinction of 0.78±0.12 measured by Schlegel et al. from maps of dust IR emission. However, the discrepancy between the widely varying counts and the very stable colors in these high-latitude fields is worth investigating.
Rigorous sensitivity analysis for systems of linear and nonlinear equations

Methods are presented for performing a rigorous sensitivity analysis of numerical problems with independent, noncorrelated data for general systems of linear and nonlinear equations. The methods may serve for the following two purposes. First, to bound the dependency of the solution on changes in the input data. In contrast to condition numbers a componentwise sensitivity analysis of the solution vector is performed. Second, to estimate the true solution set for problems the input data of which are afflicted with tolerances. The methods presented are very effective with the additional property that, due to an automatic error control mechanism, every computed result is guaranteed to be correct. Examples are given for linear systems demonstrating that the computed bounds are in general very sharp. Interesting comparisons to traditional condition numbers are given.
Corporate Governance and the Public Interest

Abstract Corporate governance has long been a concern for industrial economists but not typically a centrepiece of policy. One reason is that policy design has been based on a market‐orientated approach to the theory and impact of the firm. In contrast, this paper is rooted in a strategic decision‐making perspective that makes corporate governance a central policy issue. Moreover, whereas responses to corporate scandals have focused on shareholders wronged by managers, we see the significance of corporate governance very differently. Merely to punish managers who fail shareholders is to ignore systemic failures, namely that, by design, managers are not democratically accountable to all interests in corporations’ activities. The impact of modern corporations turns crucially on who governs. In practice preferences over strategy vary across actors but not all interests are currently being represented in decision making, resulting in a failure to govern in the public interest. As solutions, we consider the design of company law and also more immediate ways forward, focusing on regulation and democratically controlled public agencies. Our prime concern is the fundamental significance of active, effective citizens. Throughout, the arguments are illustrated using examples from various countries and industries.