Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Search for Galaxy Clustering around a Quasar Pair at z = 4.25 Found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We present an investigation of the environment (≈600 kpc radius) of a pair of luminous z = 4.25 quasars, SDSS J1439-0034A and B, separated by 33''. An analysis of high-quality Subaru spectra of the quasars suggests that this configuration is indeed a physical pair and not a gravitational lens; the redshifts are slightly different (although marginally consistent with being the same), and the two spectra have strikingly different features. We search for bright galaxies (L ≳ 0.4L*) having similar redshifts using the V dropout technique and semi-narrowband imaging looking for strong Lyα emission. We find no enhancement in the galaxy density around the quasar pair; its environment differs very little from a general field, with the upper limit of the density enhancement being about 3.5 at a 90% confidence. We infer that bright quasars happened to appear in two normal galaxies in a general field.
Groundwater quality at Achiase and Wabiri in the Ejisu Juaben municipality of the Ashanti region in Ghana

Groundwater from one well and one borehole from Wabiri and Achiase in the Ejisu-Juaben community in Ashanti Region of Ghana was analyzed from January to December, 2011for its physical, chemical and biological quality characteristics using various standard methods. Bacterial in wells ranged between 1.0 × 102 2.42 × 102, 1.0 × 101 – 2.0 × 100 and 4.6 × 101 8.4 × 101 for total coliforms, E. coli and salmonella, but was absent from borehole waters. There were highly significant differences (P < 0.000 and P < 0.000) between the entire well and borehole waters. BOD5 levels of the wells ranged from 1.05 ± 0.00mg/L 1.35 ± 2.75mg/L while it was 0.9 ± 0.00mg/L in the boreholes throughout the study. Traces of chemicals were found in the well and borehole waters, but their concentrations:iron (0.036 ± 0.01mg/L 0.07 ± 0.57mg/L and 0.01 ± 0.00); nitrate (0.11± 0.0001mg/L 0.17 ± 0.001mg/L and 0.03 ± 0.0005 0.05 ± 0.001); nitrite (0.005 ± 0.001mg/L 0.008 ± 0.001mg/L and 0.001 ± 0.00mg/L 0.013 ± 0.001mg/L, and chloride (15.6 ± 1.16mg/L 18.33 ± 0.58mg/L and 27.65 ± 1.16mg/L – 38.33 ± 0.56mg/L) were within the WHO Guidelines. Water from the borehole was generally of higher quality than the well and so the latter water must be subjected to treatment such as filtration, chlorination and boiling before drinking.
MiR-203 Suppresses ZNF217 Upregulation in Colorectal Cancer and Its Oncogenicity

Zinc finger protein 217 (ZNF217) is essential for cell proliferation and has been implicated in tumorigenesis. However, its expression and exact roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that ZNF217 expression was aberrantly upregulated in CRC tissues and associated with poor overall survival of CRC patients. In addition, we found that ZNF217 was a putative target of microRNA (miR)-203 using bioinformatics analysis and confirmed that using luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, in vitro knockdown of ZNF217 or enforced expression of miR-203 attenuated CRC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Furthermore, combined treatment of ZNF217 siRNA and miR-203 exhibited synergistic inhibitory effects. Taken together, our results provide new evidences that ZNF217 has an oncogenic role in CRC and is regulated by miR-203, and open up the possibility of ZNF217- and miR-203-targeted therapy for CRC.
A Study on Substrate Network Synchrony Demands to Support Hybrid Synchrony Virtual Networks

Network virtualization has been proposed in the last years, and it received special attention from both networking and distributed systems communities. By offering a flexible and economic alternative for the deployment of customized networks, a wide set of applications becomes eligible to run on top of such infrastructures. However, specific applications' requirements, such as topology, security, and resilience, pose different challenges to the network embedding problem. Among these requirements lays the one of synchrony, that some applications demand time bounds for processing and communication. In this sense, Hybrid Synchrony Virtual Networks (HSVN) has been proposed to fulfil specific synchrony requirements and better support a considerable class of distributed systems. Considering HSVNs, one of the main challenges is to minimize the need for synchronous components in the substrate network, due to their high cost. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model that aims at defining an economic synchrony configuration of the substrate network, subject to the virtual networks demands, and we analyse the physical synchronous resources regarding their properties and topology.
Automated Parameterization of Land Surface Process Models Using Fuzzy Logic

All land surface process models require parameters that are proxies for spatial processes that are impractical or impossible to measure. Recent developments in model parameter estimation theory suggest that information obtained from calibrating such models is inherently uncertain in nature. As a consequence, identification of optimum parameter values is often highly non–specific. A calibration framework using fuzzy logic is presented to deal with such uncertain information. An application of this technique to calibrate the sub–canopy controls on transpiration in a land surface process model demonstrates that objective estimates of parameter values and expected ranges of predictions can be obtained with suitable choices for objective functions. An iterative refinement in parameter estimates was possible with conditional sampling techniques. The automated approach was able to correctly identify parameter tradeoffs such that two strongly different sets of parameters could
Voting Behavior in Indonesia from 1999 to 2014: Religious Cleavage or Economic Performance?

In this study, we examine the voting behavior in Indonesian parliamentary elections from 1999 to 2014. After summarizing the changes in Indonesian parties' share of the vote from a historical standpoint, we investigate the voting behavior with simple regression models to analyze the effect of regional characteristics on Islamic/secular parties' vote share, using aggregated panel data at the district level. Then, we also test the hypothesis of retrospective economic voting. The results show that districts which formerly stood strongly behind Islamic parties continued to select those parties, or gave preference to abstention over the parties in some elections. From the point of view of retrospective economic voting, we found that districts which experienced higher per capita economic growth gave more support to the ruling parties, although our results remain tentative because information on 2014 is not yet available.
Aerosol and NO x emission factors and submicron particle number size distributions in two road tunnels with different traffic regimes

Measurements of aerosol particle number size distributions (18–700 nm), mass concentrations (PM2.5 and PM10) and NO x were performed in the Plabutsch tunnel, Austria, and in the Kingsway tunnel, United Kingdom. These two tunnels show different characteristics regarding the roadway gradient, the composition of the vehicle fleet and the traffic frequency. The submicron particle size distributions contained a soot mode in the diameter range D =80–100 nm and a nucleation mode in the range of D =20–40 nm. In the Kingsway tunnel with a significantly lower particle number and volume concentration level than in the Plabutsch tunnel, a clear diurnal variation of nucleation and soot mode particles correlated to the traffic density was observed. In the Plabutsch tunnel, soot mode particles also revealed a diurnal variation, whereas no substantial variation was found for the nucleation mode particles. During the night a higher number concentration of nucleation mode particles were measured than soot mode particles and vice versa during the day. In this tunnel with very high soot emissions during daytime due to the heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) share of 18% and another 40% of diesel driven light-duty vehicles (LDV) semivolatile species condense on the pre-existing soot surface area rather than forming new particles by homogeneous nucleation. With the low concentration of soot mode particles in the Kingsway tunnel, also the nucleation mode particles exhibit a diurnal variation. From the measured parameters real-world traffic emission factors were estimated for the whole vehicle fleet as well as differentiated into the two categories LDV and HDV. In the particle size range D =18–700 nm, each vehicle of the mixed fleet emits (1.50±0.08)×10 14 particles km -1 (Plabutsch) and (1.26±0.10)×10 14 particles km -1 (Kingsway), while particle volume emission factors of 0.209±0.008 cm 3 km -1 and 0.036±0.004 cm 3 km -1 , respectively, were obtained. PM1 emission factors of 104±4 mg km -1 (Plabutsch) and 41±4 mg km -1 (Kingsway) were calculated. Emission factors determined in this work were in good agreement with results from other studies.
Novel Lineages Cooccurrence of Recognized Genera and Low-Sulfate , Acidic Fens Reveal of Sulfate-Reducing Prokaryotes in Microarray and Functional Gene Analyses

Low-sulfate, acidic (approximately pH 4) fens in the Lehstenbach catchment in the Fichtelgebirge mountains in Germany are unusual habitats for sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRPs) that have been postulated to facilitate the retention of sulfur and protons in these ecosystems. Despite the low in situ availability of sulfate (concentration in the soil solution, 20 to 200 ␮M) and the acidic conditions (soil and soil solution pHs, approximately 4 and 5, respectively), the upper peat layers of the soils from two fens (Schlöppnerbrunnen I and II) of this catchment displayed significant sulfate-reducing capacities. 16S rRNA gene-based oligonucleotide mi-croarray analyses revealed stable diversity patterns for recognized SRPs in the upper 30 cm of both fens. Members of the family " Syntrophobacteraceae " were detected in both fens, while signals specific for the genus De-sulfomonile were observed only in soils from Schlöppnerbrunnen I. These results were confirmed and extended by comparative analyses of environmentally retrieved 16S rRNA and dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase (dsrAB) gene sequences; dsrAB sequences from Desulfobacca-like SRPs, which were not identified by microarray analysis , were obtained from both fens. Hypotheses concerning the ecophysiological role of these three SRP groups in the fens were formulated based on the known physiological properties of their cultured relatives. In addition to these recognized SRP lineages, six novel dsrAB types that were phylogenetically unrelated to all known SRPs were detected in the fens. These dsrAB sequences had no features indicative of pseudogenes and likely represent novel, deeply branching, sulfate-or sulfite-reducing prokaryotes that are specialized colonists of low-sulfate habitats. The dissimilatory reduction of sulfate is carried out exclusively by prokaryotic organisms and is one of the most important mineralization processes in anoxic aquatic environments, especially marine sediments (29, 30). In contrast to well-studied sulfate-reducing communities in marine little is known about the distribution, diversity, and in situ activities of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRPs) in terrestrial ecosystems. The contribution of terrestrial SRPs to the overall turnover of organic matter is likely of minor importance on a global scale. However, SRPs contribute to the biodegradation of pollutants in soils and subsurface environments (1, 15, 49, 71) and are important to the geomicrobiology of specialized terrestrial habitats that are subject to flooding, such as rice fields (68, 76, 77) and fens (3, 5). ␦ 34 S values and 35 S-labeling patterns indicate that the dis-similatory reduction of sulfate is an ongoing process in the acidic fens of a forested catchment in northern …
Mining patterns of events in students’ teamwork data

It is difficult, but very important, to learn to work effectively as part of a team. One potentially invaluable source of information about the success, or problems, in the way that teams learn can be drawn from the electronic traces of their collaborations. The paper describes data mining of student group interaction data to identify significant sequences of activity. Our goal is to build tools that can flag interaction sequences indicative of problems, so that we can use these to assist student teams in early recognition of problems. We also want tools that can identify patterns that are markers of success so that these might indicate improvements during the learning process. Our first challenge is to transform the raw data available in large quantities, preprocessing it into a suitable alphabet for use in data mining. Then, we need data mining algorithms that can properly account for the temporal nature of the data and the character of group interaction. We envisage that this may involve a two way process, where theories of effective group behaviour can drive the data mining and, in the opposite direction, that the data mining should provide results that are meaningful to groups wishing to improve their effectiveness. We report the results of our work in the context of a semester long software development project course.
Succession of Benthic Hard Bottom Communities in the Shallow Sublittoral of Comau Fjord, Chile

Succession was already studied over decades. The present thesis investigated the succession on hard substrate at two different study sites within the fjord Comau, Chile. Nine plates were installed at both sites (mouth of fjord and inner fjord) and photographed over three years. Additionally the natural community was recorded and a ground truthing was carried out to verify the analyzed species. Respectively at both sites over 50 different species were detected. Abundance data decreased with only one exception continuously, whereas the percentage cover increased. But the communities on the recruitment plates still did not reach the community structure of the natural environment. The present data indicates that for the hard bottom community in the fjord Comau is best described by the TOLERANCE MODEL (Connell & Slatyer, 1977). An important species of the natural community is the stony coral Desmophyllum dianthus, which normally (outside the fjord) grows beneath 1000 m water depth. The the still not reached diversity shows that the mature community is still not reached on the installed recruitment plates.
Amplification of the Angiogenic Signal through the Activation of the TSC/mTOR/HIF Axis by the KSHV vGPCR in Kaposi's Sarcoma

Background Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a vascular neoplasm characterized by the dysregulated expression of angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines. The driving force of the KS lesion, the KSHV-infected spindle cell, secretes elevated levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), essential for KS development. However, the origin of VEGF in this tumor remains unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report that the KSHV G protein-coupled receptor (vGPCR) upregulates VEGF in KS through an intricate paracrine mechanism. The cytokines secreted by the few vGPCR-expressing tumor cells activate in neighboring cells multiple pathways (including AKT, ERK, p38 and IKKβ) that, in turn, converge on TSC1/2, promoting mTOR activation, HIF upregulation, and VEGF secretion. Conditioned media from vGPCR-expressing cells lead to an mTOR-dependent increase in HIF-1α and HIF-2α protein levels and VEGF upregulation. In a mouse allograft model for KS, specific inhibition of the paracrine activation of mTOR in non-vGPCR-expressing cells was sufficient to inhibit HIF upregulation in these cells, and abolished the ability of the vGPCR-expressing cells to promote tumor formation in vivo. Similarly, pharmacologic inhibition of HIF in this model blocked VEGF secretion and also lead to tumor regression. Conclusions/Significance Our findings provide a compelling explanation for how the few tumor cells expressing vGPCR can contribute to the dramatic amplification of VEGF secretion in KS, and further provide a molecular mechanism for how cytokine dysregulation in KS fuels angiogenesis and tumor development. These data further suggest that activation of HIF by vGPCR may be a vulnerable target for the treatment of patients with KS.
Dantrolene – A review of its pharmacology, therapeutic use and new developments

Human malignant hyperthermia is a life‐threatening genetic sensitivity of skeletal muscles to volatile anaesthetics and depolarizing neuromuscular blocking drugs occurring during or after anaesthesia. The skeletal muscle relaxant dantrolene is the only currently available drug for specific and effective therapy of this syndrome in man. After its introduction, the mortality of malignant hyperthermia decreased from 80% in the 1960s to < 10% today. It was soon discovered that dantrolene depresses the intrinsic mechanisms of excitation–contraction coupling in skeletal muscle. However, its precise mechanism of action and its molecular targets are still incompletely known. Recent studies have identified the ryanodine receptor as a dantrolene‐binding site. A direct or indirect inhibition of the ryanodine receptor, the major calcium release channel of the skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, is thought to be fundamental in the molecular action of dantrolene in decreasing intracellular calcium concentration. Dantrolene is not only used for the treatment of malignant hyperthermia, but also in the management of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, spasticity and Ecstasy intoxication. The main disadvantage of dantrolene is its poor water solubility, and hence difficulties are experienced in rapidly preparing intravenous solutions in emergency situations. Due to economic considerations, no other similar drugs have been introduced into routine clinical practice.
The Explicit Solution of the -Neumann Problem in a Non-Isotropic Siegel Domain

Abstract In this paper, we solve the -Neumann problem on (0, q) forms, 0 ≤ q ≤ n, in the strictly pseudoconvex non-isotropic Siegel domain: where aj > 0 for j = 1,2, . , n. The metric we use is invariant under the action of the Heisenberg group on the domain. The fundamental solution of the related differential equation is derived via the Laguerre calculus. We obtain an explicit formula for the kernel of the Neumann operator. We also construct the solution of the corresponding heat equation and the fundamental solution of the Laplacian operator on the Heisenberg group.
Association between Socioeconomic Factors and Cancer Risk: A Population Cohort Study in Scotland (1991-2006)

Background Lung and upper aero-digestive tract (UADT) cancer risk are associated with low socioeconomic circumstances and routinely measured using area socioeconomic indices. We investigated effect of country of birth, marital status, one area deprivation measure and individual socioeconomic variables (economic activity, education, occupational social class, car ownership, household tenure) on risk associated with lung, UADT and all cancer combined (excluding non melanoma skin cancer). Methods We linked Scottish Longitudinal Study and Scottish Cancer Registry to follow 203,658 cohort members aged 15+ years from 1991–2006. Relative risks (RR) were calculated using Poisson regression models by sex offset for person-years of follow-up. Results 21,832 first primary tumours (including 3,505 lung, 1,206 UADT) were diagnosed. Regardless of cancer, economically inactivity (versus activity) was associated with increased risk (male: RR 1.14, 95% CI 1.10–1.18; female: RR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02–1.11). For lung cancer, area deprivation remained significant after full adjustment suggesting the area deprivation cannot be fully explained by individual variables. No or non degree qualification (versus degree) was associated with increased lung risk; likewise for UADT risk (females only). Occupational social class associations were most pronounced and elevated for UADT risk. No car access (versus ownership) was associated with increased risk (excluding all cancer risk, males). Renting (versus home ownership) was associated with increased lung cancer risk, UADT cancer risk (males only) and all cancer risk (females only). Regardless of cancer group, elevated risk was associated with no education and living in deprived areas. Conclusions Different and independent socioeconomic variables are inversely associated with different cancer risks in both sexes; no one socioeconomic variable captures all aspects of socioeconomic circumstances or life course. Association of multiple socioeconomic variables is likely to reflect the complexity and multifaceted nature of deprivation as well as the various roles of these dimensions over the life course.
“Men are always scared to test with their partners … it is like taking them to the Police”: Motivations for and barriers to couples’ HIV counselling and testing in Rakai, Uganda: a qualitative study

Uptake of couples’ HIV counselling and testing (couples’ HCT) can positively influence sexual risk behaviours and improve linkage to HIV care among HIV‐positive couples. However, less than 30% of married couples have ever tested for HIV together with their partners. We explored the motivations for and barriers to couples’ HCT among married couples in Rakai, Uganda.
A comparison of the effects of two individual monetary incentive systems on productivity: Piece rate pay versus base pay plus incentives

This study compared the effectiveness of a piece-rate pay system in which 100% of the subject's pay was incentive-based with a base pay plus incentive system. Two experiments were conducted. In each experiment, six subjects were exposed to both pay systems using a within subject ABA reversal design. The order of the presentation of the two pay systems was reversed for one-half of the subjects (BAB). Subjects participated in six to nine three-hour sessions (Experiment 1) or nine to fourteen four-hour sessions (Experiment 2). Stimulated bank checks with differing cash values were presented on a computer screen, and subjects entered the cash values using the computer keybopard. The dependent variable was the rate of correctly entered-checks. No systematic relationship emerged between productivity and the two pay systems suggesting that the contingent relationship between performance and pay, rather than the magnitude of that relationship, was the critical determinant of productivity.
3-D image-based numerical computations of snow permeability: links to specific surface area, density, and microstructural anisotropy

We used three-dimensional (3-D) images of snow microstructure to carry out numerical estimations of the full tensor of the intrinsic permeability of snow (K). This study was performed on 35 snow samples, spanning a wide range of seasonal snow types. For several snow samples, a significant anisotropy of permeability was detected and is consistent with that observed for the effective thermal conductivity obtained from the same samples. The anisotropy coefficient, defined as the ratio of the vertical over the horizontal components of K, ranges from 0.74 for a sample of decomposing precipitation particles collected in the field to 1.66 for a depth hoar specimen. Because the permeability is related to a characteristic length, we introduced a dimensionless tensor K∗=K/r2es, where the equivalent sphere radius of ice grains (res) is computed from the specific surface area of snow (SSA) and the ice density (ρi) as follows: res=3/(SSA×ρi). We define K and K∗ as the average of the diagonal components of K and K ∗, respectively. The 35 values of K∗ were fitted to snow density (ρs) and provide the following regression: K=(3.0±0.3) r2esexp((−0.0130±0.0003)ρs). We noted that the anisotropy of permeability does not affect significantly the proposed equation. This regression curve was applied to several independent datasets from the literature and compared to other existing regression curves or analytical models. The results show that it is probably the best currently available simple relationship linking the average value of permeability, K, to snow density and specific surface area.