Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuronal Interleukin-16 (NIL-16): A Dual Function PDZ Domain Protein

Interleukin (IL)-16 is a proinflammatory cytokine that has attracted widespread attention because of its ability to block HIV replication. We describe the identification and characterization of a large neuronal IL-16 precursor, NIL-16. The N-terminal half of NIL-16 constitutes a novel PDZ domain protein sequence, whereas the C terminus is identical with splenocyte-derived mouse pro-IL-16. IL-16 has been characterized only in the immune system, and the identification of NIL-16 marks a previously unsuspected connection between the immune and the nervous systems. NIL-16 is a cytosolic protein that is detected only in neurons of the cerebellum and the hippocampus. The N-terminal portion of NIL-16 interacts selectively with a variety of neuronal ion channels, which is similar to the function of many other PDZ domain proteins that serve as intracellular scaffolding proteins. Among the NIL-16-interacting proteins is the class C α1 subunit of a mouse brain calcium channel (mbC α1). The C terminus of NIL-16 can be processed by caspase-3, resulting in the release of secreted IL-16. Furthermore, in cultured cerebellar granule neurons undergoing apoptosis, NIL-16 proteolysis parallels caspase-3 activation. Cerebellar granule neurons express the IL-16 receptor CD4. Exposure of these cells to IL-16 induces expression of the immediate-early gene,c-fos, via a signaling pathway that involves tyrosine phosphorylation. This suggests that IL-16 provides an autocrine function in the brain. Therefore, we hypothesize that NIL-16 is a dual function protein in the nervous system that serves as a secreted signaling molecule as well as a scaffolding protein.
Students' Understanding of Fundamental Concepts of Mechanical Wave

Contrast to force and motion concepts, students’ difficulties related to physics concepts underlying mechanical wave propagation has getting less attention in physics education research. This study exposed common students’ difficulties in solving conceptual problems related to mechanical wave propagation. Subject consisted of 128 first-year students in physics department of UM, enrolling the Introductory Physics II in 2013/2014 academic year. Data was gathered using two-tier, multiple choices test with Confidence Scale Rating. The study concluded that some fundamental concepts of wave such as general mathematical representation of wave propagation, motion of medium particles, and the relationship of v = λf , were not well understood by most students; even many students hold misconceptions. The study suggested further research to explore the causes of student’s difficulties more outentically, for example, using think aloud or clinical interview methods. Kontras dengan topik gaya dan gerak, kesulitan siswa terkait konsep-konsep yang melandasi fenomena perambatan gelombang masih kurang mendapatkan perhatian para peneliti pendidikan fisika. Artikel ini mengangkat kesulitan umum yang dialami mahasiswa dalam memecahkan masalah konseptual terkait fenomena perambatan gelombang. Subjek penelitian terdiri atas 128 mahasiswa tahun pertama jurusan fisika UM yang mengikuti perkuliahan Fisika Dasar II tahun akademik 2013/2014. Analisis didasarkan pada jawaban mahasiswa terhadap soal pilihan ganda dan tingkat keyakinan mahasiswa terhadap ketepatan jawabannya. Penelitian menyimpulkan bahwa konsep-konsep fundamental yang meliputi representasi matematis tentang karakteristik umum gelombang berjalan, gerakan partikel medium saat dilewati gelombang, dan hubungan belum dipahami dengan baik oleh sebagian besar mahasiswa; bahkan banyak mahasiswa yang terindikasi mengalami miskonsepsi. Disarankan untuk dilakukan penelitian lanjutan untuk mengeksplorasi lebih dalam dan lebih otentik penyebab kesulitan tersebut, misalnya menggunakan teknik think aloud atau interview klinis.
Small Firms and Social Capital

In this paper Social Capital is defined as the bundle of economic opportunities offered to the average economic agent. After analysing what are the advantages of such a definition and seeing what is meant by economic opportunities, we test our definition for capital-like characteristics. The core section of this paper shows how this definition (according to the level of the analysis chosen by the researcher) presents all the characteristics that can be found in either physical and/or human capital, with the only exception of the property of substitutability. After defining the concept of SC in contrast to physical and human capital, the last part of the paper tries to build a positive definition, pointing out how, being a bundle of economic opportunities, SC requires material resources, relational networks and the agents’ awareness in order to exist. As an end of this theoretical path the concluding remarks of the paper entail some considerations upon the nature of SC as we hare defining it in the paper.
Zynq SOC nano-ampere transistor leakage localization thru very low voltage electrical diagnosis and atomic force probing (AFP) characterization

Zynq System-on-Chip (SoC) integrates both Processor and Programmable Logic architectures, where the whole functionality of a system is placed on a single chip. Due to the advancement of process technology, the complexity of circuit analysis becomes harder and the failure modes are becoming marginal, e.g., leakage in nano-ampere range. SoC devices require very challenging work for failure localization and failure mechanism analysis. This paper demonstrates the successful electrical and physical failure analysis of Xilinx Zynq SoC cache failures. The signature of the failure manifests only at very low-voltage and high temperature, where diagnostics need advanced electrical and physical failure isolation methodology. The case study is in nano-ampere leakage isolated to a specific metal gate feature. Different types of silicon defects were confirmed with subsequent planar and cross-sectional TEM analysis which caused such failures at extreme condition.
A language model combining trigrams and stochastic context-free grammars

A process for low-temperature separation of air, wherein liquefied nitrogen and liquefied air enriched with oxygen obtained from preliminary rectification are subjected to secondary rectification to produce gaseous nitrogen containing less than 0.3 vol.% of oxygen and argon impurities, gaseous oxygen-argon mixture and liquefied oxygen-argon mixture containing up to 4.5 vol.% of argon. Subsequently, the gaseous oxygen-argon mixture is subjected to further rectification to produce argon-oxygen mixture containing argon with impurities of 3-0.1 vol.% of oxygen and less than 0.1 vol.% of nitrogen, as well as oxygen with a concentration of from 99.7 to 99.99 vol.%.
Gemini Mid-IR Polarimetry of NGC 1068: Polarized Structures around the Nucleus

We present diffraction-limited, 10 μm imaging polarimetry data for the central regions of the archetypal Seyfert active galactic nucleus NGC 1068. The position angle of polarization is consistent with three dominant polarizing mechanisms. We identify three distinct regions of polarization: (1) north of the nucleus, arising from aligned dust in the narrow emission line region, (2) south, east, and west of the nucleus, consistent with dust being channeled toward the central engine, and (3) a central minimum of polarization consistent with a compact (≤22 pc) torus. These observations provide continuity between the geometrically and optically thick torus and the host galaxy's nuclear environments. These images represent the first published mid-IR polarimetry from an 8 m-class telescope and illustrate the potential of such observations.
A deterministic approximation method in shape optimization under random uncertainties

This paper is concerned with the treatment of uncertainties in shape optimization. We consider uncertainties in the loadings, the material properties, the geometry and the vibration frequency, both in the parametric and geometric optimization setting. We minimize objective functions which are mean values, variances or failure probabilities of standard cost functions under random uncertainties. By assuming that the uncertainties are small and generated by a finite number N of random variables, and using first-or second-order Taylor expansions, we propose a deterministic approach to optimize approximate objective functions. The computational cost is similar to that of a multiple load problems where the number of loads is N. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on various parametric and geometric optimization problems in two space dimensions.
Improved survival and neurodevelopmental outcome after prolonged ventilation in preterm neonates who have received antenatal steroids and surfactant

AIMS To assess survival and neurodevelopmental outcome following prolonged ventilation beyond 27 or 49 days of postnatal life in neonates treated with antenatal steroids and surfactant. METHODS The medical records of 84 babies born in 1994–1996 requiring ventilation after 27 postnatal days at Liverpool Women's Hospital were reviewed to determine the duration of mechanical ventilation, survival, and neurodevelopmental outcome at 3 years of age. RESULTS Fifty six babies were mechanically ventilated after 27 postnatal days but for less than 50 days; 48 (86%) survived to 3 years. Twenty six (54%) of the survivors had normal neurodevelopment at 3 years and seven (15%) had only mild disability. Twenty eight babies were ventilated after 49 postnatal days; 14 survived to 3 years. Five of these survivors were neurodevelopmentally normal at 3 years and two had mild disability. CONCLUSIONS Survival decreases with more prolonged ventilation. When antenatal steroids and postnatal surfactant are used, there appears to be improved survival and neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm babies who require prolonged ventilation.
Exteroceptive and Interoceptive Body-Self Awareness in Fibromyalgia Patients

Fibromyalgia is a widespread chronic pain disease characterized by generalized musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. It substantially affects patients' relationship with their bodies and quality of life, but few studies have investigated the relationship between pain and body awareness in fibromyalgia. We examined exteroceptive and interoceptive aspects of body awareness in 30 women with fibromyalgia and 29 control participants. Exteroceptive body awareness was assessed by a body-scaled action-anticipation task in which participants estimated whether they could pass through apertures of different widths. Interoceptive sensitivity (IS) was assessed by a heartbeat detection task where participants counted their heartbeats during different time intervals. Interoceptive awareness was assessed by the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). The “passability ratio” (the aperture size for a 50% positive response rate, divided by shoulder width), assessed by the body-scaled action-anticipation task, was higher for fibromyalgia participants, indicating disrupted exteroceptive awareness. Overestimating body size correlated positively with pain and its impact on functionality, but not with pain intensity. There was no difference in IS between groups. Fibromyalgia patients exhibited a higher tendency to note bodily sensations and decreased body confidence. In addition, the passability ratio and IS score correlated negatively across the whole sample, suggesting an inverse relationship between exteroceptive and interoceptive body awareness. There was a lower tendency to actively listen to the body for insight, with higher passability ratios across the whole sample. Based on our results and building on the fear-avoidance model, we outline a proposal that highlights possible interactions between exteroceptive and interoceptive body awareness and pain. Movement based contemplative practices that target sensory-motor integration and foster non-judgmental reconnection with bodily sensations are suggested to improve body confidence, functionality, and quality of life.
A faster-than-Nyquist PDM-16QAM scheme enabled by Tomlinson-Harashima precoding

We present and numerically demonstrate a polarization-division multiplexing 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation faster-than-Nyquist (FTN-PDM-16QAM) system enabled by the Tomlinson-Harashima precoding (THP). The THP module is located before the polarization separation module and it is shown that the modulo operator of the THP module at the receiver needs to be removed in order to fully optimize the performance of the soft-decision forward error correction (FEC). The impact of various parameters such as the modulo size factor, the 3-dB bandwidth and roll-off factor of the Nyquist filter on the performance of the FTN-PDM-16QAM system are also investigated. In addition, we compare the FTN-PDM-16QAM system with the PDM-16QAM Nyquist system in terms of the system performance and implementation complexity.
The Electrically Evoked Compound Action Potential: From Laboratory to Clinic

The electrically evoked compound action potential (eCAP) represents the synchronous firing of a population of electrically stimulated auditory nerve fibers. It can be directly recorded on a surgically exposed nerve trunk in animals or from an intra-cochlear electrode of a cochlear implant. In the past two decades, the eCAP has been widely recorded in both animals and clinical patient populations using different testing paradigms. This paper provides an overview of recording methodologies and response characteristics of the eCAP, as well as its potential applications in research and clinical situations. Relevant studies are reviewed and implications for clinicians are discussed.
Spacetime geometry of static fluid spheres

We exhibit a simple and explicit formula for the metric of an arbitrary static spherically-symmetric perfect-fluid spacetime. This class of metrics depends on one freely specifiable monotonic non-increasing generating function. We also investigate various regularity conditions and the constraints they impose. Because we never make any assumptions as to the nature (or even the existence) of an equation of state, this technique is useful in situations where the equation of state is for whatever reason uncertain or unknown. To illustrate the power of the method we exhibit a new form of the 'Goldman-I' exact solution. This is a three-parameter closed-form exact solution given in terms of algebraic combinations of quadratics. It interpolates between (and thereby unifies) at least six other reasonably well-known exact solutions.
The Internet and Consumer Buying Behavior : A Research Framework and Analysis

In its current form, the Internet is primarily a source of communication, information and entertainment but increasingly also a vehicle for commercial transactions. An understanding of reasons for purchasing on the World Wide Web is particularly relevant in the context of predictions made regarding electronic shopping in the future. In the paper, the antecedents to electronic exchange in the online context are examined. In particular, what are some of the factors influencing online purchasing behavior? What is the role of privacy and security concerns in influencing actual purchase behavior? How do vendor and customer characteristics influence consumers' propensity to engage in transactions on the Internet? Secondary data from an e-mail survey are analyzed. The study has implications for both theory and practice. The findings extend our knowledge of factors influencing marketing exchange from the traditional setting to the internet context. In addition, the findings regarding factors enhancing the propensity to shop online have implications for internet retailers seeking to enlarge their online customer base.
The SLUGGS Survey: kinematics for over 2500 globular clusters in 12 early-type galaxies

We present a spectro-photometric survey of 2522 extragalactic globular clusters (GCs) around twelve early-type galaxies, nine of which have not been published previously. Combining space‐based and multi‐colour wide field ground‐based imagi ng, with spectra from the Keck DEIMOS instrument, we obtain an average of 160 GC radial velocities per galaxy, with a high velocity precision of � 15 km s 1 per GC. After studying the photometric properties of the GC systems, such as their spatial and colour distribut ions, we focus on the kinematics of metal-poor (blue) and metal-rich (red) GC subpopulations to an average distance of � 8 effective radii from the galaxy centre. Our results show that for some systems the bimodality in GC colour is also present in GC kinematics. The kinematics of the red GC subpopulations are strongly coupled with the host galaxy stellar kinematics. The blue GC subpopulations are more dominated by random motions, especially in the outer regions, and decoupled fro m the red GCs. Peculiar GC kinematic profiles are seen in some galaxies: the blue GCs in NGC 821 rotate along the galaxy minor axis, whereas the GC system of the lenticular galaxy NGC 7457 appears to be strongly rotation supported in the outer region. We supplement our galaxy sample with data from the literature and carry out a number of tests to study the kinematic differences between the two GC subpopulations. We confirm that the GC kinematics are coupled with the host galaxy properties and find that the velocity kurtosis and the slope of their velocity dispersion profiles is different between the two GC subpopulations in more massive galaxies.
Modeling G2C Adoption in Developing Country: A Case Study of Malaysia

Electronic government or e-government has long been known as a breakthrough of a new form of communication and transaction between the government and citizens, the government and industries, and among the government agencies. Simply, e-government is meant not only to help the government to accomplish its daily administrative activities but also to provide an easier way to communicate with external entities such as citizens and businesses throughout the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT). With the implementation of e-government in Malaysia, study about Government to Citizens (G2C) adoption could be significantly important in reflecting its progress. Against this backdrop, this research intends to study G2C adoption in Malaysia by adopting Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) theory as a framework. Other factors that are believed to be influencing citizens’ intention to use G2C system are also examined in the study.
Analysis of Polish segmental duration with CART

Segmental duration was investigated in a database of Polish read speech (from one male speaker). The material was labeled automatically and then manually verified. The dependence of phone duration on a set of features was verified with the CART algorithm. The duration phenomena were analyzed in relation to syllable, foot and phrase structure. The results showed the need of segmental as well as suprasegmental modeling for the analysis of segmental duration.
NAC transcription factor JUNGBRUNNEN1 enhances drought tolerance in tomato

Summary Water deficit (drought stress) massively restricts plant growth and the yield of crops; reducing the deleterious effects of drought is therefore of high agricultural relevance. Drought triggers diverse cellular processes including the inhibition of photosynthesis, the accumulation of cell‐damaging reactive oxygen species and gene expression reprogramming, besides others. Transcription factors (TF) are central regulators of transcriptional reprogramming and expression of many TF genes is affected by drought, including members of the NAC family. Here, we identify the NAC factor JUNGBRUNNEN1 (JUB1) as a regulator of drought tolerance in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Expression of tomato JUB1 (SlJUB1) is enhanced by various abiotic stresses, including drought. Inhibiting SlJUB1 by virus‐induced gene silencing drastically lowers drought tolerance concomitant with an increase in ion leakage, an elevation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels and a decrease in the expression of various drought‐responsive genes. In contrast, overexpression of AtJUB1 from Arabidopsis thaliana increases drought tolerance in tomato, alongside with a higher relative leaf water content during drought and reduced H2O2 levels. AtJUB1 was previously shown to stimulate expression of DREB2A, a TF involved in drought responses, and of the DELLA genes GAI and RGL1. We show here that SlJUB1 similarly controls the expression of the tomato orthologs SlDREB1, SlDREB2 and SlDELLA. Furthermore, AtJUB1 directly binds to the promoters of SlDREB1, SlDREB2 and SlDELLA in tomato. Our study highlights JUB1 as a transcriptional regulator of drought tolerance and suggests considerable conservation of the abiotic stress‐related gene regulatory networks controlled by this NAC factor between Arabidopsis and tomato.
Diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous colonic perforation: analysis of 10 cases.

AIM To investigate the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous perforation of the colon. METHODS The clinical data of 10 cases of spontaneous perforation of the colon, observed at Fuding hospital from January 2004 to December 2007, were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS The mean age at onset was 65 years (range from 45 to 73). Seven patients had a history of chronic constipation. All patients complained of sudden lower abdominal pain. The perforation occurred after coloclysis and administration of senna leaves in two patients. Nine patients had signs of peritoneal irritation. Seven cases underwent abdominal paracentesis, which was diagnostic in six. Only one case was definitely diagnosed prior to surgery. One patient underwent neoplasty of the colon, another a partial resection of colon, six a neoplasty of the colon plus sigmoid colostomy, and two underwent Hartmann surgery. All perforation sites were opposite to the mesenteric edge. The perforation sites were located on descending colon in one case, sigmoid colon in three cases, and rectosigmoid colon in six cases. In five patients, surgical pathological examination was consistent with the microscopical changes of colonic perforation caused by feces. Three patients died after surgery. CONCLUSION Spontaneous perforation of the colon most commonly occurs among the elderly with chronic constipation. Abdominal paracentesis is helpful for the diagnosis. The perforation site is located opposite to the mesenteric edge. Sigmoid colon and rectosigmoid colon are the most frequent locations. Neoplasty of the colon and sigmoid colostomy are the most frequent treatment. The prognosis is bad and the mortality rate after surgery is high.
Choosing Union Representation: The Role of Attitudes and Emotions

In the United States, most unions are recognised by a majority vote of employees through union representation elections administered by the government. Most empirical studies of individual voting behaviour during union representation elections use a rational choice model. Recently, however, some have posited that voting is often influenced by emotions. We evaluate competing hypotheses about the determinants of union voting behaviour by using data collected from a 2010 representation election at Delta Air Lines, a US-based company. In addition to the older rational choice framework, multiple regression results provide support for an emotional choice model. Positive feelings toward the employer are statistically significantly related to voting ‘no’ in a representation election, while positive feelings toward the union are related to a ‘yes’ vote. Effect sizes for the emotion variables were generally larger than those for the rational choice variables, suggesting that emotions may play a key role in representation election outcomes.