Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constraints on relativistic jets in quiescent black hole X-ray binaries from broad-band spectral modelling

The nature of black hole jets at the lowest detectable luminosities remains an open question, largelyduetoadearthofobservationalconstraints.Here,wepresentanew,nearlysimultaneous broad-band spectrumoftheblackholeX-raybinary(BHXB)XTEJ1118+480 atanextremely low Eddington ratio (LX ∼ 10 −8.5 LEdd). Our new spectral energy distribution (SED) includes the radio, near-infrared, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray wavebands. XTE J1118+480 is now the second BHXB at such a low Eddington ratio with a well-sampled SED, thereby providing new constraints on highly sub-Eddington accretion flows and jets, and opening the door to begin comparison studies between systems. We apply a multizone jet model to the new broad-band SED, and we compare our results to previous fits to the same source using the same model at 4–5decadeshigherluminosity.WefindthatafteraBHXBtransitionstotheso-calledquiescent spectral state, the jet base becomes more compact (by up to an order of magnitude) and slightly cooler (by at least a factor of 2). Our preferred model fit indicates that jet particle acceleration is much weaker after the transition into quiescence. That is, accelerated non-thermal particles no longer reach high enough Lorentz factors to contribute significant amounts of synchrotron X-ray emission. Instead, the X-ray waveband is dominated by synchrotron self-Compton emission from a population of mildly relativistic electrons with a quasi-thermal velocity distribution that are associated with the jet base. The corresponding (thermal) synchrotron component from the jet base emits primarily in the infrared through ultraviolet wavebands. Our results on XTE J1118+480 are consistent with broad-band modelling for A0620-00 (the only other comparably low Eddington ratio BHXB with a well-sampled SED) and for Sgr A* (the quiescent supermassive black hole at the Galactic centre). The above could therefore represent a canonical baseline geometry for accreting black holes in quiescence. We conclude with suggestions for future studies to further investigate the above scenario.
Finite-Element Simulation of Local Oxidation of Silicon

In this paper, various numerical models for finite element simulation of local oxidation of silicon are investigated. The simplest one contains linear diffusion of oxidizing species and elastic displacements of dioxide layers. The limitations of this model and the influences of pad-oxide and nitride mask thicknesses as well as temperature are illustrated by computer simulations. The local effects of mechanical stresses on the diffusion mechanism are simulated and an elasto-visco-plastic model is proposed so that a wide range of temperatures can be covered. Finite-Element simulation of semi-Rox, full-Rox, and SILO processes are presented.
Stress and Burnout Among Prison Personnel

This study identifies the typical stressors affecting individuals working in the prison system in Israel and assesses the outcomes resulting from these stressors. A representative sample of Israel Prison Service employees (N = 496) participate in the study. Participants complete questionnaires designed to assess the stressors in their work and their levels of stress and burnout, and 11% of them are interviewed in-depth. Results show that prison employees experience high levels of stress and burnout in their work. In addition, significant differences in stress reactions are found among different sectors (security, administration, and treatment) and among employees differing in rank and seniority. The most stressful factors were working extra shifts without compensation, low salary, and heavy workload. Recommendations are offered focusing on ways to prevent and reduce stress and burnout among prison personnel.
Molecular analysis of E‐cadherin and cadherin‐11 in Wilms' tumours

Different studies of Wilms' tumours have demonstrated a loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of chromosome 16q ranging from 17 to 25%. In order to search for a potential tumour suppressor gene on 16q, we chose the calcium‐dependent cell adhesion molecules E‐cadherin and cadherin‐11 as candidate genes, which are both located on the long arm of chromosome 16. E‐cadherin is known to be expressed in epithelial structures, whereas cadherin‐11 is supposed to be expressed in mesenchymal structures and developing epithelium, including renal tubules. For the present study, fresh frozen tissue from 30 Wilms' tumours and corresponding non‐tumour tissues were analysed. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the E‐cadherin and cadherin‐11 genes were chosen and analysed for allelic inactivation by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequence analysis. Loss of expression of one E‐cadherin allele was seen in 10% (2/20) of the informative cases. Two out of 11 informative cases (18%) showed loss of expression of one cadherin‐11 allele. No length alterations of either the E‐cadherin or the cadherin‐11 messenger RNAs were identified using reverse transcription PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis in tumour tissue. Sequencing of the entire E‐cadherin coding region in seven cases showed the wild‐type sequence. These data imply that E‐cadherin and cadherin‐11 are not likely to play typical tumour suppressor roles in Wilms' tumour. Interestingly, the E‐cadherin immunohistochemistry showed a deviation from the normal reaction pattern in 50% of the cases, with 27% (8/30) showing an apical or cytoplasmic reaction and 23% (7/30) being completely negative. Northern blot analysis revealed that the overall expression of cadherin‐11 is much stronger than that of E‐cadherin. In several cases, the expression levels of the two genes were inversely correlated, suggesting the existence of a regulatory mechanism. Analysis of differential expression of the various cadherins and their subsequent signal transduction pathways might contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of Wilms' tumour formation. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Blur image detection using Laplacian operator and Open-CV

With the increased usage of digital cameras and picture clicking devices, the number of digital images increases rapidly, which in return demand for image quality assessment in terms of blur. Based on the edge type and sharpness analysis using Laplacian operator, an effective representation of blur image detection scheme is proposed in this paper, which can determine that whether the image is blurred or not, and what is the extent of blur through Variance of Laplacian. In this project a simple, reliable and fast algorithm for image noise estimation is presented. Images taken for the testing is assumed to be corrupted by additive zero mean Gaussian noise. To exclude structures or details from contributive to the noise variance estimation, an easy edge detection algorithm inculcating first-order gradients is applied first. Then a Laplacian operator followed by an averaging over the whole image will provide very accurate noise variance estimation. There is only one parameter which is self-determined and adaptive to the image contents. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm performs well for different types of images over a large range of noise variances. Performance comparisons against alternative approaches are also provided. Results obtain through screenshots of the experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Inactivation of Methicillin, Oxacillin and Ancillin by Staphylococcus aureus. ∗ †

Summary Each of the 3 semisynthetic penicillins–ancillin, methicillin and oxacillin–was studied for inactivation by a penicillinase-producing strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Starting with 108 viable staphylococcal units per ml and a concentration of each penicillin 15 times the minimum inhibiting (and bactericidal) concentration (MIC) for 105 organisms per ml in the same medium, these penicillins were inactivated at 37°C at a much more rapid rate than in the same medium at the same temperature without organism, or with the same number of organisms at 4°C,† or in a non-nutrient medium† (buffer, pH 6.4) at 37°C. The inactivation of each of these penicillins was accompanied first by a steady fall in the number of viable staphylococci until the concentration of drug fell below the “usual MIC,' after which there was demonstrable multiplication of the organisms. The organisms that survived and multiplied were no less susceptible than the parent strain to the action of the penicillin to which they had been exposed.
New Radiographic Index for Occipito-Cervical Instability

Study Design Retrospective study. Purpose To propose a new radiographic index for occipito-cervical instability. Overview of Literature Symptomatic atlanto-occipital instability requires the fusion of the atlanto-occipital joint. However, measurements of occipito-cervical translation using the Wiesel-Rothman technique, Power's ratio, and basion-axial interval are unreliable because the radiologic landmarks in the occipito-cervical junction lack clarity in radiography. Methods One hundred four asymptomatic subjects were evaluated with lateral cervical radiographs in neutral, flexion and extension. They were stratified by age and included 52 young (20–29 years) and 52 middle-aged adults (50–59 years). The four radiographic reference points were posterior edge of hard palate (hard palate), posteroinferior corner of the most posterior upper molar tooth (molar), posteroinferior corner of the C1 anterior ring (posterior C1), and posteroinferior corner of the C2 vertebral body (posterior C2). The distance from posterior C1 and posterior C2 to the above anatomical landmarks was measured to calculate the range of motion (ROM) on dynamic radiographs. To determine the difference between the two age groups, unpaired t-tests were used. The statistical significance level was set at p<0.05. Results The ROM was 4.8±7.3 mm between the hard palate and the posterior C1, 9.9±10.2 mm between the hard palate and the posterior C2, 1.7±7.2 mm between the molar to the posterior C1, and 10.4±12.1 mm between the molar to the posterior C2. There was no statistically significant difference for the ROM between the young- and the middle-aged groups. The intra-observer reliability for new radiographic index was good. The inter-observer reliability for the ROM measured by the hard palate was low, but was better than that by the molar. Conclusions ROM measured by the hard palate might be a useful new radiographic index in cases of occipito-cervical instability.
Detecting Hate Speech on the World Wide Web

We present an approach to detecting hate speech in online text, where hate speech is defined as abusive speech targeting specific group characteristics, such as ethnic origin, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. While hate speech against any group may exhibit some common characteristics, we have observed that hatred against each different group is typically characterized by the use of a small set of high frequency stereotypical words; however, such words may be used in either a positive or a negative sense, making our task similar to that of words sense disambiguation. In this paper we describe our definition of hate speech, the collection and annotation of our hate speech corpus, and a mechanism for detecting some commonly used methods of evading common "dirty word" filters. We describe pilot classification experiments in which we classify anti-semitic speech reaching an accuracy 94%, precision of 68% and recall at 60%, for an F1 measure of. 6375.
Exit right : the unravelling of John Howard

In 'Exit Right', Judith Brett explains why the tide turned on John Howard. This is an essay about leadership, in particular Howard's style of strong leadership which led him to dominate his party with such ultimately catastrophic results. In this definitive account, Brett discusses how age became Howard's Achilles heel, how he lost the youth vote, how he lost Bennelong, and how he waited too long to call the election. She looks at the government's core failings - the policy vacuum, the blindness to climate change, the disastrous misjudgement of WorkChoices - and shows how Howard and his team came more and more to insulate themselves from reality. With drama and insight, Judith Brett traces the key moments when John Howard stared defeat in the face, and explains why, after the Keating - Howard years, the ascendancy of Kevin Rudd marks a new phase in the nation's political life.
Feminist Methodology: New Applications in the Academy and Public Policy

Dans cet article, les AA. se penchent sur l'essor et l'orientation des etudes feministes. Les AA. reviennent ici sur l'emancipation difficile du courant dominant dans la recherche en sciences sociales, pour analyser les changements methodologiques et epistemologiques que les etudes feministes ont apporte dans les domaines de recherche concernant l'oppression, la representation du corps, la reflexivite ou encore l'action sociale
Marginalization and Recovery: The Emergence of Aristotelian Themes in Organization Studies

The past decade has witnessed a number of interesting shifts in the way people think about organizations. One of the most curious is the way in which much of the 'new thinking' is antithetical to mechanistic and rationalistic theories that have historically dominated organization and management studies. This paper investigates this shift, and argues that this new antithetical thinking can be interpreted as the re-surfacing, or recovery, of certain strands of Aristotelian philosophy, strands that were marginalized with the rise of scientific rational ism in the 17th century, before management and organization studies, as we tend to conceive of them, began. The discussion presented here demonstrates the traditional dominance of a disciplinary, mechanistic self-image in manage ment studies, whereby the field drew its boundaries in such a way as to exclude anything 'other' than this. We argue that reconnecting organizational and man agement research with systems of thought other than those traditionally associ ated with the 'discipline', and adopting a 'kaleidoscopic' view of history, can enable researchers to think differently about key issues and inform future development. Key aspects of Aristotle's thinking are considered as a case in point.
On Social Stability and Social Change

More than a decade of research from the perspective of system-justification theory (Jost & Banaji, 1994) has demonstrated that people engage in motivated psychological processes that bolster and support the status quo. We propose that this motive is highly contextual: People do not justify their social systems at all times but are more likely to do so under certain circumstances. We describe four contexts in which people are prone to engage in system-justifying processes: (a) system threat, (b) system dependence, (c) system inescapability, and (d) low personal control. We describe how and why, in these contexts, people who wish to promote social change might expect resistance.
Effects of age of acquisition, age, and repetition priming on object naming

The effects of age of acquisition (AoA) and long-term repetition priming on object naming times were studied in young (20- to 33-year-old) and old (80- to 95-year-old) adults. In the first stage of the experiment, participants performed one of three priming tasks: Picture naming, word reading, or lexical decision. There was an AoA effect in all tasks (although it was not reliable for word reading) that did not differ reliably for old and young participants. In the second stage of the experiment, all participants named pictures. The repetition priming effect was large from the prior naming of the same pictures, less from reading aloud the object names, and was not reliable from making lexical decisions to the object names. There was a reliable AoA effect on naming times that did not differ reliably for old and young participants (and, indeed, was actually slightly larger for the older participants). The results offer no support for the cumulative frequency hypothesis and suggest that the accessibility of words for spoken production is determined by when a word is acquired and remains broadly fixed throughout life.
A Special Needs Approach: A Study of How Libraries Can Start Programs for Children with Disabilities

The Census Bureau reports that 5.2 percent of school-age children (2.8 million) were reported to have a disability. The American Community Survey defines a person with a disability as a person having a “vision, hearing, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, or independent living difficulty. ” Per the American Community Survey, the most common type of disability diagnosed in school-age children is cognitive disability, which they define as “serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. ”
Structural Brain Changes as Biomarkers and Outcome Predictors in Patients with Late-Life Depression: A Cross-Sectional and Prospective Study

The relationship between structural changes in grey matter and treatment response in patients with late-life depression remains an intriguing area of research. This magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study compares the baseline grey matter volume of elderly people with and without major depression (according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria) and assesses its association with antidepressant treatment response. Brain MRI scans were processed using statistical parametric mapping and voxel-based morphometry. The sample consisted of 30 patients with depression and 22 healthy controls. We found a significant volumetric reduction in the orbitofrontal cortex bilaterally in patients in comparison with controls. According to their remission status after antidepressant treatment, patients were classified as remitted or not remitted. Compared with controls, remitted patients showed a volumetric reduction in the orbitofrontal cortex bilaterally and in another cluster in the right middle temporal pole. Non-remitted patients showed an even greater volumetric reduction in the orbitofrontal cortex bilaterally compared with controls. To investigate predictive factors of remission after antidepressant treatment, we used a logistic regression. Both baseline Mini Mental State Examination score and baseline left superior lateral orbitofrontal cortex volume (standardized to the total grey matter volume) were associated with remission status. Our findings support the use of regional brain atrophy as a potential biomarker for depression. In addition, baseline cognitive impairment and regional grey matter abnormalities predict antidepressant response in patients with late-life depression.
Globalisation , Productivity and Technology Research Paper 2008 / 02 “ Slicing the Value Chain ” Internationally : Empirical Evidence on the Offshoring Strategy by French Firms

This paper analyzes the offshoring strategy from an empirical view. It focuses on a set of models, extracts a set of testable hypothesises and creates a suitable set of variable to test their validity. This analysis is based on a data set from French manufacturing firms that provides detailed information on the offshoring strategy. The choice of offshoring modes is investigated through the estimation of a multinomial logit model and associated to a set of explanatory variables at the firm, industry and country levels. Our results emphasize the role of firm heterogeneity, input specificity and of market thickness. JEL classification: D23, F14, F23, L11.
Activation of CNS circuits producing a neurogenic cystitis: evidence for centrally induced peripheral inflammation.

We present a model of neurogenic cystitis induced by viral infection of specific neuronal circuits of the rat CNS. Retrograde infection by pseudorabies virus (PRV) of neuronal populations neighboring those that innervate the bladder consistently led to a localized immune response in the CNS and bladder inflammation. Infection of bladder circuits themselves or of circuits distant from these rarely produced cystitis. Absence of virus in bladder and urine ruled out an infectious cystitis. Total denervation of the bladder, selective C-fiber deafferentation, or bladder sympathectomy prevented cystitis without affecting the CNS disease, indicating a neurogenic component to the inflammation. The integrity of central bladder-related circuits is necessary for the appearance of bladder inflammation, because only CNS lesions affecting bladder circuits, i.e., bilateral dorsolateral or ventrolateral funiculectomy, as well as bilateral lesions of Barrington's nucleus/locus coeruleus area, prevented bladder inflammation. The close proximity in the CNS of noninfected visceral circuits to infected somatic neurons would thus permit a bystander effect, leading to activation of the sensory and autonomic circuits innervating the bladder and resulting in a neurogenic inflammation localized to the bladder. The present study indicates that CNS dysfunction can bring about a peripheral inflammation.
Probability discounting among cigarette smokers and nonsmokers: molecular analysis discerns group differences

Despite numerous studies documenting differences in temporal discounting among cigarette smokers and nonsmokers, studies of probability discounting have had mixed results. This study sought to clarify these results with a molecular analysis of data obtained from a study of probability discounting. Thirty heavy cigarette smokers and 29 nonsmokers were compared using a probability discounting procedure. When these data were fit to a hyperbolic model of discounting, nonstatistically significant group difference between smokers and nonsmokers were observed in the predicted direction. A molecular analysis of indifference points indicated that statistically significant differences between groups were obscured by a possible floor effect. Specifically, indifference points obtained from high probabilities were lower for heavy cigarette smokers relative to nonsmokers, whereas no difference was observed with indifference points obtained from low probabilities. This molecular analysis suggests that the prior inconsistent results are due to floor effects resulting from greater inclusion of low probabilities. Rate of smoking may also be an important factor, with differences more likely observed when heavy smokers are enrolled.
Adoption of electronic medical record-based decision support for otitis media in children.

OBJECTIVE Substantial investment in electronic health records (EHRs) has provided an unprecedented opportunity to use clinical decision support (CDS) to increase guideline adherence. To inform efforts to maximize adoption, we characterized the adoption of an otitis media (OM) CDS system, the impact of performance feedback on adoption, and the effects of adoption on guideline adherence. STUDY SETTING A total of 41,391 OM visits with 108 clinicians at 16 pediatric practices between February 2009 and August 2010. STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort study of EHR-based CDS adoption during OM visits, comparing clinicians receiving performance feedback to none. CDS was available to all physicians; use was voluntary. DATA COLLECTION Extraction from a common EHR. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Clinicians and practices used the CDS system for a mean of 21 percent (range: 0-85 percent) and 17 percent (0-51 percent) of eligible OM visits, respectively. Clinicians who received performance feedback reports summarizing CDS use and guideline adherence had a relative increase in CDS use of 9.0 percentage points compared to others (p = .001). CDS adoption was associated with increased OM guideline adherence. Effects were greatest among clinicians with the lowest adherence prior to the study. CONCLUSIONS Performance feedback increased CDS adoption, but additional strategies are needed to integrate CDS into primary care workflows.