Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies. III. Diffuse, Warm Ionized Medium and Escape of Ionizing Radiation

We use the first data release from the SINGG Hα survey of H I-selected galaxies to study the quantitative behavior of the diffuse, warm ionized medium (WIM) across the range of properties represented by these 109 galaxies. The mean fraction fWIM of diffuse ionized gas in this sample is 0.59 ± 0.19, slightly higher than found in previous samples. Since lower surface brightness galaxies tend to have higher fWIM, we believe that most of this difference is due to selection effects favoring large, optically bright, nearby galaxies with high star formation rates. As found in previous studies, there is no appreciable correlation with Hubble type or total star formation rate. However, we find that starburst galaxies, defined here by an Hα surface brightness >2.5 × 1039 erg s-1 kpc-2 within the Hα half-light radius, do show much lower fractions of diffuse Hα emission. The cause apparently is not dominated by a lower fraction of field OB stars. However, it is qualitatively consistent with an expected escape of ionizing radiation above a threshold star formation rate, predicted from our model in which the ISM is shredded by pressure-driven supernova feedback. The H I gas fractions in the starburst galaxies are also lower, suggesting that the starbursts are consuming and ionizing all the gas, and thus promoting regions of density-bounded ionization. If true, these effects imply that some amount of Lyman continuum radiation is escaping from most starburst galaxies, and that WIM properties and outflows from mechanical feedback are likely to be pressure-driven. However, in view of previous studies showing that the escape fraction of ionizing radiation is generally low, it is likely that other factors also drive the low fractions of diffuse ionized gas in starbursts.
Extended Present Bias: A Direct Experimental Test of the Hyperbolic Discounting Hypothesis

In accounting for the phenomenon of present bias, the hyperbolic discounting and quasi-hyperbolic discounting models have distinct predictions beyond today. We provide experimental evidence supporting diminishing rate of discounting beyond present period under careful experimental controls. In three studies involving 1378 subjects in total, the average discount rates assessed in the delayed menus are each significantly lower than those for a more proximate menu. Yet, there is no significant difference between the average discount rates assessed in the delayed menus. Taken together, our findings suggest an extended present bias hypothesis with distinct present and near term bias followed by exponential discounting into the future.
THE EFFECT OF ANTITESTICULAR SERUM ON THE ENHANCEMENT VALUE OF TESTICLE EXTRACT

The experiments reported here show that the infection-enhancing factor of testicle extract is neutralized in vitro by an antiserum against homologous testicle extract. An antiserum developed against a testicle extract of one species does not influence the enhancing and spreading factor of the extract from another species. Rabbits immunized against testicle extract do not exhibit any alteration in the spreading or enhancing effect of extracts employed later, even when the testicle extract used is from the same species as that employed for the immunization. Whether the in vitro inactivation of the active factor is a specific neutralization, or is the result of adsorption of the factor on the flocculate formed, has not been definitely determined. The fact that there is no neutralization in vivo, and that the antiserum acts only on extracts from the same species, when definite flocculation takes place, tends to emphasize the probability that the neutralization is not a direct one, but is incidental to the flocculation mentioned.
Epigenetic Control of Haematopoietic Stem Cell Aging and Its Clinical Implications

Aging, chronic inflammation, and environmental insults play an important role in a number of disease processes through alterations of the epigenome. In this review we explore how age-related changes in the epigenetic landscape can affect heterogeneity within the haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment and the deriving clinical implications.
Understanding Out-of-Level Testing in Local Schools: A First Case Study of Policy Implementation and Effects. Out-of-Level Testing Report 11.

NCEO because some of the information it contains is out of date. For more current information please visit NCEO's Web site. This document has been archived by NCEO because some of the information it contains may be out of date. For more current information, please visit NCEO's website at http://nceo.info
Probabilistic Simhash Matching a Thesis Probabilistic Simhash Matching

Probabilistic Simhash Matching. (August 2011) Sadhan Sood, B.Tech., Cochin University of Science and Technology-Kochi Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Dmitri Loguinov Finding near-duplicate documents is an interesting problem but the existing methods are not suitable for large scale datasets and memory constrained systems. In this work, we developed approaches that tackle the problem of finding near-duplicates while improving query performance and using less memory. We then carried out an evaluation of our method on a dataset of 70M web documents, and showed that our method works really well. The results indicated that our method could achieve a reduction in space by a factor of 5 while improving the query time by a factor of 4 with a recall of 0.95 for finding all near-duplicates when the dataset is in memory. With the same recall and same reduction in space, we could achieve an improvement in query-time by a factor of 4.5 while finding first the near-duplicate for an in memory dataset. When the dataset was stored on a disk, we could achieve an improvement in performance by 7 times for finding all near-duplicates and by 14 times when finding the first near-duplicate.
Convenience Yields and Risk Premiums in the EU-ETS - Evidence from the Kyoto Commitment Period

We examine convenience yields and risk premiums in the EU‐wide CO 2 emissions trading scheme (EU‐ETS) during the first Kyoto commitment period (2008–2012). We find that the market has changed from initial backwardation to contango with significantly negative convenience yields in futures contracts. We further examine the impact of interest rate levels in the Eurozone, the increasing level of surplus allowances and banking, as well as returns, variance, or skewness in the EU‐ETS spot market. Our findings suggest that the drop in risk‐free rates during and after the financial crisis has impacted on the deviation from the cost‐of‐carry relationship for emission allowances (EUA) futures contracts. Our results also illustrate a negative relationship between convenience yields and the increasing level of inventory during the first Kyoto commitment period, providing an explanation for the high negative convenience yields. Finally, we find that market participants are willing to pay an additional risk premium in the futures market for a hedge against increased volatility in EUA prices. Overall, our results contribute to the literature on the determinants and empirical properties of convenience yields and risk premiums for this relatively new class of assets. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 36:587–611, 2016
Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-based Management

The best organizations have the best talent.Financial incentives drive company performance.Firms must change or die. Popular axioms like these drive business decisions every day. Yet too much common management "wisdom" isn't wise at all--but, instead, flawed knowledge based on "best practices" that are actually poor, incomplete, or outright obsolete. Worse, legions of managers use this dubious knowledge to make decisions that are hazardous to organizational health. Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton show how companies can bolster performance and trump the competition through evidence-based management, an approach to decision-making and action that is driven by hard facts rather than half-truths or hype. This book guides managers in using this approach to dismantle six widely held--but ultimately flawed--management beliefs in core areas including leadership, strategy, change, talent, financial incentives, and work-life balance. The authors show managers how to find and apply the best practices for their companies, rather than blindly copy what seems to have worked elsewhere. This practical and candid book challenges leaders to commit to evidence-based management as a way of organizational life--and shows how to finally turn this common sense into common practice.
Differential Expression Patterns of EGF, EGFR, and ERBB4 in Nasal Polyp Epithelium

Epidermal growth factor receptors play an important role in airway epithelial cell growth and differentiation. The current study investigates the expression profiles of EGF, EGFR and ERBB4 in patients with nasal polyps (NP), and their response to glucocorticosteroid (GC) treatment. Fifty patients with NP (40 without GC treatment and 10 with oral GC) and 20 control subjects with septal deviation were recruited into the study. Protein levels of EGF, EGFR, and ERBB4 were evaluated by immune-staining. In healthy nasal epithelium, EGF and EGFR localized within p63+ basal cells, while ERBB4 localized within ciliated cells. GC-naïve NP epithelium showed weak expression of EGF in 90% of samples versus 5% of controls. EGFR was significantly increased in the epithelium with basal cell hyperplasia from GC-naïve NPs (78%, 31/40) compared to controls (23%, 4/17). EGFR was also found in some degranulating goblet cells. ERBB4 expression was significantly higher in hyperplastic epithelium from GC-naïve NPs (65%, 26/40) than in controls (6%, 1/17). GC treatment restored the EGF expression and normalized the EGFR and ERBB4 expression in NPs. Differential expression patterns of EGF, EGFR, and ERBB4 are essential in epithelial restitution and remodeling in nasal epithelium.
Labeled Trees, Functions, and an Algebraic Identity

We give a short and direct proof of a remarkable identity that arises in the enumeration of labeled trees with respect to their indegree sequence, where all edges are oriented from the vertex with lower label towards the vertex with higher label. This solves a problem posed by Shin and Zeng in a recent article. We also provide a generalization of this identity that translates to a formula for the number of rooted spanning forests with given indegree sequence.
Elevated microRNA-155 promotes foam cell formation by targeting HBP1 in atherogenesis.

AIM MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in inflammatory responses of macrophages. However, the function of miRNAs in macrophage-derived foam cell formation is unclear. Here, we investigated the role of miRNAs in macrophage-derived foam cell formation and atherosclerotic development. METHODS AND RESULTS Using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR), we found that the level of miR-155 expression was increased significantly in both plasma and macrophages from atherosclerosis (ApoE(-/-)) mice. We identified that oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) induced the expression and release of miR-155 in macrophages, and that miR-155 was required to mediate oxLDL-induced lipid uptake and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production of macrophages. Furthermore, ectopic overexpression and knockdown experiments identified that HMG box-transcription protein1 (HBP1) is a novel target of miR-155. Knockdown of HBP1 enhanced lipid uptake and ROS production in oxLDL-stimulated macrophages, and overexpression of HBP1 repressed these effects. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis identified three YY1 binding sites in the promoter region of pri-miR-155 and verified YY1 binding directly to its promoter region. Detailed analysis showed that the YY1/HDAC2/4 complex negatively regulated the expression of miR-155 to suppress oxLDL-induced foam cell formation. Importantly, inhibition of miR-155 by a systemically delivered antagomiR-155 decreased clearly lipid-loading in macrophages and reduced atherosclerotic plaques in ApoE(-/-) mice. Moreover, we observed that the level of miR-155 expression was up-regulated in CD14(+) monocytes from patients with coronary heart disease. CONCLUSION Our findings reveal a new regulatory pathway of YY1/HDACs/miR-155/HBP1 in macrophage-derived foam cell formation during early atherogenesis and suggest that miR-155 is a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.
Implication of the Taylor Rule on Real Exchange Rate Movement in Kenya

More often, persistent fluctuations in the real exchange rate tends to have significant adverse impact on prices, output and inflation expectations in an economy. Therefore, the ability to predict its movement over time with relative degree of accuracy is imperative for effective monetary policy formulation and implementation. In this study, we examine the movement of the Kenyan Shilling against the US Dollar by comparing fitted with the actual real exchange rate trends in the context of a modified Taylor rule. We find that, except for the period marked by exchange rate volatility, the modified Taylor rule maps well the actual movement in real exchange rate and hence, it can reliably be used to predict future trends in the real exchange rate.
What Should We Expect of ‘Erasmus Generations’?

The Erasmus programme promotes student mobility within the EU largely on the assumption that mobile students will become more pro‐European. This article presents the results of a panel study of Erasmus students which suggest that, while former Erasmus students may be more pro‐European than their peers, this is because students who choose to take part are already more pro‐European. The attitudes to Europe and voting preferences of Erasmus students do not seem to diverge from their non‐mobile peers while they are abroad. Although the programme may have other benefits, expecting it to create Europhile ‘Erasmus generations’ seems unrealistic.
Self‐consistent simulations of nuclear cluster formation through globular cluster orbital decay and merging

We present results of fully self-consistent N-body simulations of the motion of four globular clusters moving in the inner region of their parent galaxy. With regard to previous simplified simulations, we confirm merging and formation of an almost steady nuclear cluster, in a slightly shorter time. The projected surface density profile shows strong similarity to that of resolved galactic nuclei. This similarity reflects also in the velocity dispersion profile which exhibits a central colder component as observed in many nucleated galaxies.
An Allosteric Signaling Pathway of Human 3-Phosphoglycerate Kinase from Force Distribution Analysis

3-Phosphogycerate kinase (PGK) is a two domain enzyme, which transfers a phosphate group between its two substrates, 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate bound to the N-domain and ADP bound to the C-domain. Indispensable for the phosphoryl transfer reaction is a large conformational change from an inactive open to an active closed conformation via a hinge motion that should bring substrates into close proximity. The allosteric pathway resulting in the active closed conformation has only been partially uncovered. Using Molecular Dynamics simulations combined with Force Distribution Analysis (FDA), we describe an allosteric pathway, which connects the substrate binding sites to the interdomain hinge region. Glu192 of alpha-helix 7 and Gly394 of loop L14 act as hinge points, at which these two secondary structure elements straighten, thereby moving the substrate-binding domains towards each other. The long-range allosteric pathway regulating hPGK catalytic activity, which is partially validated and can be further tested by mutagenesis, highlights the virtue of monitoring internal forces to reveal signal propagation, even if only minor conformational distortions, such as helix bending, initiate the large functional rearrangement of the macromolecule.
Interleukin-10 gene polymorphism is associated with alcoholism but not with alcoholic liver disease.

AIMS To determine whether the functional polymorphism -592C>A of the interleukin (IL)-10 gene (IL10) influences the development of alcoholic liver disease or alcoholism in alcoholic Spanish subjects. METHODS The -592C>A IL10 polymorphism was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction and digestion with restriction enzymes in 257 male alcoholics [161 without alcoholic liver disease and 96 with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC)] and 100 male healthy controls. RESULTS We found no association between the -592C>A IL10 polymorphism and ALC. Meta-analysis combining this result and data from previous studies failed also to show any significant association between this polymorphism and alcoholic liver disease. However, the frequency of allele A carriers (CA and AA genotypes) was significantly higher in alcoholic patients (defined as patients with abuse or dependence of alcohol) than in healthy controls. CONCLUSION The -592C>A IL10 polymorphism is not related to the risk of ALC. Nevertheless, our study shows that alcoholism is associated with an excess of allele A carriers in alcoholic patients.
Pakistan Rural Household Panel Survey 2012 (Round 1): Household Characteristics

This report presents the results of household data collected during the Rural Household Panel Survey (2012). The household survey collected information on a large number of topics, such as education, nature of employment, sources of income, time use, consumption patterns, economic shocks, and participation in social safety nets. The preliminary analysis presented in this report, provides an important baseline for understanding rural poverty. Most of the results of the RHPS-2012 presented in this report are in line with the findings of nationally representative household surveys.
Alteration of Striatal Dopaminergic Neurotransmission in a Mouse Model of DYT11 Myoclonus-Dystonia

Background DYT11 myoclonus-dystonia (M-D) syndrome is a neurological movement disorder characterized by myoclonic jerks and dystonic postures or movement that can be alleviated by alcohol. It is caused by mutations in SGCE encoding ε-sarcoglycan (ε-SG); the mouse homolog of this gene is Sgce. Paternally-inherited Sgce heterozygous knockout (Sgce KO) mice exhibit myoclonus, motor impairment and anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, modeling several clinical symptoms observed in DYT11 M-D patients. The behavioral deficits are accompanied by abnormally high levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the striatum of Sgce KO mice. Neuroimaging studies of DYT11 M-D patients show reduced dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) availability, although the possibility of increased endogenous dopamine, and consequently, competitive D2R occupancy cannot be ruled out. Methodology/Principal Findings The protein levels of striatal D2R, dopamine transporter (DAT), and dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) in Sgce KO mice were analyzed by Western blot. The striatal dopamine release after amphetamine injection in Sgce KO mice were analyzed by microdialysis in vivo. The striatal D2R was significantly decreased in Sgce KO mice without altering DAT and D1R. Sgce KO mice also exhibited a significant increase of dopamine release after amphetamine injection in comparison to wild-type (WT) littermates. Conclusion/Significance The results suggest ε-SG may have a role in the regulation of D2R expression. The loss of ε-SG results in decreased striatal D2R, and subsequently leads to increased discharge of dopamine which could contribute to the behavioral impairment observed in DYT11 dystonia patients and in Sgce KO mice. The results suggest that reduction of striatal D2R and enhanced striatal dopamine release may contribute to the pathophysiology of DYT11 M-D patients.
On the complexity of minimum distance decoding of long linear codes

We suggest a decoding algorithm of q-ary linear codes, which we call supercode decoding. It ensures the error probability that approaches the error probability of minimum-distance decoding as the length of the code grows. For n/spl rarr//spl infin/ the algorithm has the maximum-likelihood performance. The asymptotic complexity of supercode decoding is exponentially smaller than the complexity of all other methods known. The algorithm develops the ideas of covering-set decoding and split syndrome decoding.
Chromosomal Loci Influencing the Susceptibility to the Parkinsonian Neurotoxin 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the dysfunction of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. Although its etiology is not yet fully understood, an interaction of genetic predisposition and environmental factors is frequently discussed. The neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) can evoke PD-like symptoms and neuropathological changes in various species, including mice. It was found repeatedly that mouse strains differ in their susceptibility to MPTP, which might serve as a model for genetic predisposition to neurodegeneration of the nigrostriatal system. In the present study, F2 intercross mice, derived from parental strains with high (C57BL/6J) versus low (BALB/cJ) MPTP susceptibility, were treated with MPTP and phenotyped for dopamine (DA) loss in the neostriatum, a highly sensitive marker of nigrostriatal dysfunction. A subsequent quantitative trait loci analysis revealed a gender-dependent locus for DA loss on chromosome 15 and a putative locus on chromosome 13. A number of potential candidate genes, including the membrane dopamine transporter, are located in the respective areas. Several mechanisms that are possibly involved in the control of the action of MPTP on the nigrostriatal system are discussed.
Robust Firm Pricing with Panel Data

Firms often have imperfect information about demand for their products. We develop an integrated econometric and theoretical framework to model firm demand assessment and subsequent pricing decisions with limited information. We introduce a panel data discrete choice model whose realistic assumptions about consumer behavior deliver partially identified preferences and thus generate ambiguity in the firm pricing problem. We use the minimax-regret criterion as a decision-making rule for firms facing this ambiguity. We illustrate the framework’s benefits relative to the most common discrete choice analysis approach through simulations and empirical examples with field data.