Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bar-formation as driver of gas inflows in isolated disc galaxies

Stellar bars are a common feature in massive disc galaxies. On a theoretical ground, the response of gas to a bar is generally thought to cause nuclear starbursts and, possibly, AGN activity once the perturbed gas reaches the central supermassive black hole. By means of high-resolution numerical simulations, we detail the purely dynamical effects that a forming bar exerts on the gas of an isolated disc galaxy. The galaxy is initially unstable to the formation of non-axisymmetric structures, and within ˜1 Gyr it develops spiral arms that eventually evolve into a central stellar bar on kpc scale. A first major episode of gas inflow occurs during the formation of the spiral arms while at later times, when the stellar bar is establishing, a low-density region is carved between the bar corotational and inner Lindblad resonance radii. The development of such `dead zone' inhibits further massive gas inflows. Indeed, the gas inflow reaches its maximum during the relatively fast bar-formation phase and not, as often assumed, when the bar is fully formed. We conclude that the low efficiency of long-lived, evolved bars in driving gas towards galactic nuclei is the reason why observational studies have failed to establish an indisputable link between bars and AGNs. On the other hand, the high efficiency in driving strong gas inflows of the intrinsically transient process of bar formation suggests that the importance of bars as drivers of AGN activity in disc galaxies has been overlooked so far. We finally prove that our conclusions are robust against different numerical implementations of the hydrodynamics routinely used in galaxy evolution studies.
Universal mechanism for Anderson and weak localization

Localization of stationary waves occurs in a large variety of vibrating systems, whether mechanical, acoustical, optical, or quantum. It is induced by the presence of an inhomogeneous medium, a complex geometry, or a quenched disorder. One of its most striking and famous manifestations is Anderson localization, responsible for instance for the metal-insulator transition in disordered alloys. Yet, despite an enormous body of related literature, a clear and unified picture of localization is still to be found, as well as the exact relationship between its many manifestations. In this paper, we demonstrate that both Anderson and weak localizations originate from the same universal mechanism, acting on any type of vibration, in any dimension, and for any domain shape. This mechanism partitions the system into weakly coupled subregions. The boundaries of these subregions correspond to the valleys of a hidden landscape that emerges from the interplay between the wave operator and the system geometry. The height of the landscape along its valleys determines the strength of the coupling between the subregions. The landscape and its impact on localization can be determined rigorously by solving one special boundary problem. This theory allows one to predict the localization properties, the confining regions, and to estimate the energy of the vibrational eigenmodes through the properties of one geometrical object. In particular, Anderson localization can be understood as a special case of weak localization in a very rough landscape.
Masked Hypertension and Incident Clinic Hypertension Among Blacks in the Jackson Heart Study

Masked hypertension, defined as nonelevated clinic blood pressure (BP) and elevated out-of-clinic BP may be an intermediary stage in the progression from normotension to hypertension. We examined the associations of out-of-clinic BP and masked hypertension using ambulatory BP monitoring with incident clinic hypertension in the Jackson Heart Study, a prospective cohort of blacks. Analyses included 317 participants with clinic BP <140/90 mm Hg, complete ambulatory BP monitoring, who were not taking antihypertensive medication at baseline in 2000 to 2004. Masked daytime hypertension was defined as mean daytime blood pressure ≥135/85 mm Hg, masked night-time hypertension as mean night-time BP ≥120/70 mm Hg, and masked 24-hour hypertension as mean 24-hour BP ≥130/80 mm Hg. Incident clinic hypertension, assessed at study visits in 2005 to 2008 and 2009 to 2012, was defined as the first visit with clinic systolic/diastolic BP ≥140/90 mm Hg or antihypertensive medication use. During a median follow-up of 8.1 years, there were 187 (59.0%) incident cases of clinic hypertension. Clinic hypertension developed in 79.2% and 42.2% of participants with and without any masked hypertension, 85.7% and 50.4% with and without masked daytime hypertension, 79.9% and 43.7% with and without masked night-time hypertension, and 85.7% and 48.2% with and without masked 24-hour hypertension, respectively. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of incident clinic hypertension for any masked hypertension and masked daytime, night-time, and 24-hour hypertension were 2.13 (1.51–3.02), 1.79 (1.24–2.60), 2.22 (1.58–3.12), and 1.91 (1.32–2.75), respectively. These findings suggest that ambulatory BP monitoring can identify blacks at increased risk for developing clinic hypertension.
How we know our own minds: The relationship between mindreading and metacognition

Abstract Four different accounts of the relationship between third-person mindreading and first-person metacognition are compared and evaluated. While three of them endorse the existence of introspection for propositional attitudes, the fourth (defended here) claims that our knowledge of our own attitudes results from turning our mindreading capacities upon ourselves. Section 1 of this target article introduces the four accounts. Section 2 develops the “mindreading is prior” model in more detail, showing how it predicts introspection for perceptual and quasi-perceptual (e.g., imagistic) mental events while claiming that metacognitive access to our own attitudes always results from swift unconscious self-interpretation. This section also considers the model's relationship to the expression of attitudes in speech. Section 3 argues that the commonsense belief in the existence of introspection should be given no weight. Section 4 argues briefly that data from childhood development are of no help in resolving this debate. Section 5 considers the evolutionary claims to which the different accounts are committed, and argues that the three introspective views make predictions that are not borne out by the data. Section 6 examines the extensive evidence that people often confabulate when self-attributing attitudes. Section 7 considers “two systems” accounts of human thinking and reasoning, arguing that although there are introspectable events within System 2, there are no introspectable attitudes. Section 8 examines alleged evidence of “unsymbolized thinking”. Section 9 considers the claim that schizophrenia exhibits a dissociation between mindreading and metacognition. Finally, section 10 evaluates the claim that autism presents a dissociation in the opposite direction, of metacognition without mindreading.
Association of pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine gene variants in renal transplant patients with allograft outcome and cyclosporine immunosuppressant levels

T-helper (Th) type 1/Th2 cytokines are key mediators in induction/effecter phases of all immune and inflammatory responses playing role in acute/chronic renal allograft rejection. Association studies lead to identification of patient risk profiles enabling individualization of level of immunosuppressions. We investigated the association of allograft rejection with interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) −308, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) (C-del, codon 10 and 25) gene variants in 184 renal transplant recipients and 180 controls. These cytokine genotypes were also evaluated with cyclosporine levels (C2) at one month in 135 stable recipients. High producing genotypes B1B1 of IL-4 and AA of TNF-α α308 showed significant association with rejection of allograft. The dose-adjusted C2 levels were significantly lower in patients with the high producing genotype T/T of IL-2 and heterozygous G/C of TGF-β codon 25 (P = 0.012 and 0.010, respectively). Haplotype frequencies were comparable in subjects for TGF-β codon-10 and 25. Combined inter-gene interaction showed high risk for rejection in recipients with high producing genotype B1B1 of IL-4 and AA of TNF-α and high TNF-α (AA) with low TGF-β (CC or Pro/Pro). In conclusion, association of IL-4 VNTR and TNF-α −308 suggested the involvement of these cytokines contributing to pathogenesis of allograft rejection. Recipients with TT genotype of IL-2 and GC of TGF-β codon 25 having low C2 levels may require higher cyclosporine dosage. Combined analysis of gene-gene interaction demonstrated synergistic effect of cytokines increasing risk for rejection. Thus, this information may help in pre-assessment of allograft outcome and to optimize cyclosporine therapy in post-transplant patients.
Repeated Amphetamine Couples Norepinephrine Transporter and Calcium Channel Activities in PC12 Cells

Repeated intermittent amphetamine enhances efflux of dopamine through the dopamine transporter in rat basal ganglia and through the norepinephrine transporter in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. Extracellular Ca2+ is required for the detection of this enhancement in the rat. In this study, we examined the role of Ca2+ and Ca2+ channels in the enhanced amphetamine-induced dopamine efflux that develops in PC12 cells following repeated intermittent amphetamine. Repeated pretreatment of PC12 cells with 1 μM amphetamine followed by a drug-free period increased amphetamine-induced efflux of dopamine compared with controls. The enhancement in amphetamine-induced dopamine efflux depended upon the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and was inhibited by the blockade of N-type and L-type Ca2+ channels. The enhanced dopamine efflux was not altered by tetanus toxin or reserpine, treatments that abrogate synaptic vesicle-mediated, exocytotic dopamine efflux. Measurement of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations using fura-2/acetoxymethyl ester revealed that amphetamine increased intracellular Ca2+ by a transporter-dependent mechanism. In amphetamine-pretreated cells, amphetamine elicited a greater increase in intracellular Ca2+; this increase depended upon the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and N- and L-type Ca2+ channel activity. The enhanced amphetamine-induced dopamine efflux requires Ca2+/calmodulin kinase activity. In vehicle-treated cells, 1 μM amphetamine inhibited the calmodulin kinase activity although it did not in amphetamine-pretreated cells. This study suggests that repeated intermittent amphetamine couples norepinephrine transporter activity and Ca2+ signaling.
Stabilization of Z pinch by velocity shear

A numerical experiment is run to assess the stabilization of ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities by externally applied velocity shear. A Z pinch, unstable to both kink and interchange (sausage) instabilities, is subjected to an external force that drives sheared mass flow along the axis. The turbulence from the MHD instabilities is found to be suppressed significantly with increasing Mach number of the flow. At sonic Mach numbers of 4–5, the “discharge” is seen to have recovered to its laminar state in more than 95% of the volume, there being a small residual wobble at the center of the column. For lower Mach numbers, the wobble becomes more significant. This is consistent with analytic theories that predict supersonic sheared flows are needed to stabilize MHD instability.
On the smooth Rényi entropy and variable-length source coding allowing errors

In this paper, we consider the problem of variable-length source coding allowing errors. The exponential moment of the codeword length is analyzed in the non-asymptotic regime and in the asymptotic regime. Our results show that the smooth Rényi entropy characterizes the optimal exponential moment of the codeword length.
Specific language impairment and executive functioning: parent and teacher ratings of behavior.

PURPOSE The current study used the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P; Gioia, Espy, & Isquith, 2003), a rating scale designed to investigate executive behaviors in everyday activities, to examine the executive functioning of preschool children with specific language impairment (SLI) relative to their typically developing (TD) peers. METHOD Nineteen preschool children with SLI were age- and gender-matched to 19 TD peers. Both parents and teachers of the participants completed the BRIEF-P. RESULTS The executive functioning of children with SLI were rated significantly worse than those of controls by both parents and teachers. Adults' perceptions of the children's executive functioning significantly correlated with the children's language abilities. CONCLUSION Parent and teacher perceptions of executive functioning in children with SLI align with prior findings of executive deficits that have been documented on neuropsychological assessments and experimental tasks. Furthermore, the results provide additional supporting evidence of the relationship between language abilities and executive functioning in early child development.
Defining the Boundaries of Normal Thrombin Generation: Investigations into Hemostasis

In terms of its soluble precursors, the coagulation proteome varies quantitatively among apparently healthy individuals. The significance of this variability remains obscure, in part because it is the backdrop against which the hemostatic consequences of more dramatic composition differences are studied. In this study we have defined the consequences of normal range variation of components of the coagulation proteome by using a mechanism-based computational approach that translates coagulation factor concentration data into a representation of an individual's thrombin generation potential. A novel graphical method is used to integrate standard measures that characterize thrombin generation in both empirical and computational models (e.g max rate, max level, total thrombin, time to 2 nM thrombin (“clot time”)) to visualize how normal range variation in coagulation factors results in unique thrombin generation phenotypes. Unique ensembles of the 8 coagulation factors encompassing the limits of normal range variation were used as initial conditions for the computational modeling, each ensemble representing “an individual” in a theoretical healthy population. These “individuals” with unremarkable proteome composition was then compared to actual normal and “abnormal” individuals, i.e. factor ensembles measured in apparently healthy individuals, actual coagulopathic individuals or artificially constructed factor ensembles representing individuals with specific factor deficiencies. A sensitivity analysis was performed to rank either individual factors or all possible pairs of factors in terms of their contribution to the overall distribution of thrombin generation phenotypes. Key findings of these analyses include: normal range variation of coagulation factors yields thrombin generation phenotypes indistinguishable from individuals with some, but not all, coagulopathies examined; coordinate variation of certain pairs of factors within their normal ranges disproportionately results in extreme thrombin generation phenotypes, implying that measurement of a smaller set of factors may be sufficient to identify individuals with aberrant thrombin generation potential despite normal coagulation proteome composition.
Response of phosphorus doses and weed control methods on nutrient uptake in chickpea (Cicer arietinum) under rainfed condition

A field experiment was conducted at Agronomy Research Farm of Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology Kumarganj, Faizabad (U.P) during rabi season two consecutive years of 2011-12 and 2012-13. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design having twenty treatment combinations consisted of four levels of phosphorus application (0, 20,40and 60 kg ha) and five weed management practices (weedy, weed free, hand weeding at 25&45DAS, pendimethalin 1.0kg ha and pendimethalin 1.0kg ha + one hand weeding at 45DAS) and replicated three times. The results obtain during the course of investigation indicated that the application of 60kg ha phosphorus with Pendimethalin 1.0kg ha + One hand weeding at 45DAS, gave Significantly the lowest weed density was recorded with 60 kg P2O5 ha as compared with its lower doses and control at all the stages of crop growth during both the years but it was statically similar to 40 kg P2O5 ha during both years of study. Significantly higher Nitrogen and phosphorus uptake, more protein content over control during both the years of experimentation.
Seasonal variation in Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infection on 4 continents.

BACKGROUND Klebsiella pneumoniae causes serious, life-threatening infections in humans in endemic and epidemic settings. The objective of this study was to determine whether the incidence of K. pneumoniae bloodstream infection (BSI) was higher during warm months. METHODS We analyzed surveillance data from 2001-2006 at 4 hospitals located on 4 continents. Incidence rates (IRs) and IR ratios (IRRs) were determined using multivariable Poisson regression. RESULTS In total, 1189 cases of K. pneumonia BSIs occurred during 6,671,337 patient-days. The IR of K. pneumoniae BSI during the 4 warmest months of the year was 2.23/10,000 patient-days, whereas the IR of K. pneumoniae BSI for the other 8 months was 1.55/10,000 patient-days (IRR, 1.46 [95% confidence interval, 1.04-2.06]; P= .03). In contrast, no seasonal variation was identified in rates of BSI due to Enterobacter or Serratia species. Using Poisson regression, we showed that temperature (P< .0001) and dew point (a marker for relative humidity; P< .0001) were both linearly predictive of increasing rates of K. pneumoniae BSI. CONCLUSIONS Environmental pressures may lead to an increase in the IR of K. pneumoniae BSI during the warmest months of the year.
Fuzzy Vector Quantization for speaker recognition under limited data conditions

This work focuses on the task of speaker recognition under limited data conditions. In case of limited data, the amount of available training and testing data will be few seconds. Under such conditions the conventional classifiers will have very few feature vectors for modelling. This work performs an experimental evaluation of three simple modelling techniques namely, direct template matching (DTM), crisp vector quantization (CVQ) and fuzzy vector quantization (FVQ). Among these FVQ shows significant improved performance compared to DTM and CVQ. For about 3 s of training and testing data the performance for DTM, CVQ and FVQ are 76.67, 73.33, and 86.67, respectively, for a set of first 30 speakers taken from the YOHO database.
Biomechanical and histological analysis after tenotomy of the long head of the biceps in the rabbit shoulder model

Tenotomy of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) is gaining popularity in shoulder surgery. We evaluated biomechanical and histological changes after tenotomy in a rabbit LHBT tenotomy model to confirm that autotenodesis is a phenomenon that occurs after the procedure. Twenty‐three rabbits were included. The right shoulder was harvested from 10 randomly selected rabbits. The shoulders were tested to determine the pullout strength of LHBT at the bicipital groove immediately after being tenotomized. The left shoulder of three of these rabbits also underwent histological analysis. The other 13 rabbits underwent LHBT tenotomy (tenotomy model). Six weeks post‐operatively, 10 were assigned for biomechanical study, and three underwent histological analysis. The pullout strength and histology were compared with the immediate post‐tenotomy data. The pullout strength of the immediate post‐tenotomy (5.53 ± 2.22 N) was significantly (p < 0.001) less than the pullout strength of the 6 weeks post‐tenotomy model (44.07 ± 7.75 N). On histological analysis, marked fibrosis was noted around the LHBT at the bicipital groove in the 6 weeks post‐tenotomy model. Adhesion of the LHBT at the bicipital groove after tenotomy, which is called “autotenodesis,” is a definite phenomenon that could help the tendon resist distal migration of the LHBT after tenotomy. These results support execution of biceps tenotomy in shoulder surgery. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:416–422, 2012
Performance engineering with product-form models: efficient solutions and applications

Performance engineering plays a pivotal role in the successful design of software system and the software development process. Stochastic modelling has been widely applied to predict and evaluate or estimate system performance. We consider the specification of models in terms of compositions of simpler components and their efficient solution. Various formalisms or classes of stochastic models have been applied for system performance engineering and evaluation. These formalisms includes queueing networks, Stochastic Petri Nets, and Stochastic Process Algebras. Their dynamic behaviour can be usually represented by an underlying stochastic (Markov) process. For each formalism some classes of product-form models have been identified, starting from the first remarkable results for BCMP queueing networks. For some product-form models various efficient algorithms have been defined. We discuss the problem of identifying and characterize classes of product-form models. We compare the properties of the various modeling formalisms, their solution and the combination of product-form (sub)models into a heterogeneous model. We illustrate the application of product-form stochastic models for system performance engineering with some examples of tools for the solution of heterogeneous models formed by synchronized sub-models, and some practical applications.
Plasma Lipidomic Profiling of Treated HIV-Positive Individuals and the Implications for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction

Background The increased risk of coronary artery disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients is collectively contributed to by the human immunodeficiency virus and antiretroviral-associated dyslipidaemia. In this study, we investigate the characterisation of the plasma lipid profiles of treated HIV patients and the relationship of 316 plasma lipid species across multiple lipid classes with the risk of future cardiovascular events in HIV- positive patients. Methods In a retrospective case-control study, we analysed plasma lipid profiles of 113 subjects. Cases (n = 23) were HIV-positive individuals with a stored blood sample available 12 months prior to their diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). They were age and sex matched to HIV-positive individuals without a diagnosis of CAD (n = 45) and with healthy HIV-negative volunteers (n = 45). Results Association of plasma lipid species and classes with HIV infection and cardiovascular risk in HIV were determined. In multiple logistic regression, we identified 83 lipids species and 7 lipid classes significantly associated with HIV infection and a further identified 74 lipid species and 8 lipid classes significantly associated with future cardiovascular events in HIV-positive subjects. Risk prediction models incorporating lipid species attained an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.78 (0.775, 0.785)) and outperformed all other tested markers and risk scores in the identification of HIV-positive subjects with increased risk of cardiovascular events. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that HIV-positive patients have significant differences in their plasma lipid profiles compared with healthy HIV-negative controls and that numerous lipid species were significantly associated with elevated cardiovascular risk. This suggests a potential novel application for plasma lipids in cardiovascular risk screening of HIV-positive patients.