Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The qWR star HD 45166. II. Fundamental stellar parameters and evidence of a latitude-dependent wind

Context. The enigmatic object HD 45166 is a qWR star in a binary system with an orbital period of 1.596 day, and presents a rich emission-line spectrum in addition to absorption lines from the companion star (B7 V). As the system inclination is very small ($i=0.77 ^{\circ} \pm 0.09 ^{\circ}$), HD 45166 is an ideal laboratory for wind-structure studies. Aims. The goal of the present paper is to determine the fundamental stellar and wind parameters of the qWR star. Methods. A radiative transfer model for the wind and photosphere of the qWR star was calculated using the non-LTE code CMFGEN. The wind asymmetry was also analyzed using a recently-developed version of CMFGEN to compute the emerging spectrum in two-dimensional geometry. The temporal-variance spectrum (TVS) was calculated to study the line-profile variations. Results. Abundances and stellar and wind parameters of the qWR star were obtained. The qWR star has an effective temperature of $T_{\rm eff} = 50\,000 \pm 2000$ K, a luminosity of $\mathrm{log} (L/ {L}_{\odot}) = 3.75 \pm 0.08$, and a corresponding photospheric radius of $R_{\rm phot} = 1.00~{R}_{\odot}$. The star is helium-rich ( N (H)/ N (He) = 2.0), while the CNO abundances are anomalous when compared either to solar values, to planetary nebulae, or to WR stars. The mass-loss rate is $\dot{M}= 2.2 \times 10^{-7}$ ${M}_{\odot}\,{\rm yr}^{-1}$, and the wind terminal velocity is $v_{\infty}=425$ km s -1 . The comparison between the observed line profiles and models computed under different latitude-dependent wind densities strongly suggests the presence of an oblate wind density enhancement, with a density contrast of at least 8:1 from equator to pole. If a high velocity polar wind is present (~1200 km s -1 ), the minimum density contrast is reduced to 4:1. Conclusions. The wind parameters determined are unusual when compared to O-type stars or to typical WR stars. While for WR stars $v_{\infty}/v_{\rm esc} > 1.5$, in the case of HD 45166 it is much smaller ($v_{\infty}/v_{\rm esc} = 0.32$). In addition, the efficiency of momentum transfer is $\eta=0.74$, which is at least 4 times smaller than in a typical WR. We find evidence for the presence of a wind compression zone, since the equatorial wind density is significantly higher than the polar wind. The TVS supports the presence of such a latitude-dependent wind and a variable absorption/scattering gas near the equator.
Educators’ Use of Policy Resources to Understand English-Learner Policies

ABSTRACT Research suggests that educators’ use of resources influence the ground-level effects of policy. However, we know very little about educators’ utilization of policy resources. This study employs a mixed-methods research design to provide empirical evidence of the policy resources available to education policy implementers and the ways in which individual and school factors influence how educators utilize resources that aid in their understanding of a policy that is of particular importance for one of the fastest-growing student populations in the United States: English learners.
A unified approach for calculating error rates of linearly modulated signals over generalized fading channels

We present a unified analytical framework to determine the exact average symbol-error-rate (SER) of linearly modulated signals over generalized fading channels. The results are applicable to systems employing coherent demodulation with maximal-ratio combining multichannel reception. The analyses assume independent fading paths which are not necessarily identically distributed. In all cases the proposed approach leads to an expression of the average SER involving a single finite-range integral which can be easily computed numerically. In addition, as special cases, SER expressions for single channel reception are obtained. These expressions reduce to well-known solutions, give alternate (often simpler) expressions for previous results, or provide new formulas which are either closed-form expressions or simple to compute numerically.
Intestinal Parasites of Owned Dogs and Cats from Metropolitan and Micropolitan Areas: Prevalence, Zoonotic Risks, and Pet Owner Awareness in Northern Italy

Intestinal parasites of dogs and cats are cosmopolitan pathogens with zoonotic potential for humans. Our investigation considered their diffusion in dogs and cats from northern Italy areas, specifically the metropolitan area of Milan and two micropolitan areas of neighboring provinces. It included the study of the level of awareness in pet owners of the zoonotic potential from these parasites. A total of 409 fresh fecal samples were collected from household dogs and cats for copromicroscopic analysis and detection of Giardia duodenalis coproantigens. The assemblages of Giardia were also identified. A questionnaire about intestinal parasites biology and zoonotic potential was submitted to 185 pet owners. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites resulted higher in cats (47.37%−60.42%) and dogs (57.41%−43.02%) from micropolitan areas than that from the metropolis of Milan (dogs: P = 28.16%; cats: P = 32.58 %). The zoonotic parasites infecting pets under investigation were T. canis and T. cati, T. vulpis, Ancylostomatidae, and G. duodenalis assemblage A. Only 49.19% of pet owners showed to be aware of the risks for human health from canine and feline intestinal parasites. Parasitological results in pets and awareness determination in their owners clearly highlight how the role of veterinarians is important in indicating correct and widespread behaviors to reduce risks of infection for pets and humans in urban areas.
Inhomogeneity of the urelements in the usual models of NFU

The simplest typed theory of sets is the multi-sorted first order system TST with equality and membership as primitive predicates and with sorts (types) indexed by the natural numbers. Atomic formulas are well-formed if they are of one of the forms x ∈ y; x = y. The axioms of TST are extensionality (objects of positive type are equal iff they have the same members) and comprehension (“{xn | φ}n+1 exists” for any formula φ in the language of TST ). (this theory has often been incorrectly attributed to Russell, by this author among others: see [17] for a discussion of the actual history of this system). Quine’s New Foundations (NF ) ([14]) is obtained from TST by abandoning the types but retaining the same axioms. Note that the comprehension axioms of NF are not all the axioms “{x | φ} exists” for φ a formula in the language of NF : this would be the inconsistent comprehension axiom of naive set theory. The comprehension axioms of NF are those assertions “{x | φ} exists” where φ can be obtained from a formula of TST by dropping distinctions of type between variables (without creating any additional identifications between variables). Formulas φ which are typable in TST in this sense are said to be stratified . The extensionality axiom of NF is the same as the extensionality axiom of ZFC . NF does not provide the evil set {x | x 6∈ x} because it is impossible to assign types to the occurrences of x in x 6∈ x in a way consistent with the requirements of TST . So far so good, but NF does allow the construction of {x | x = x} (the universal set) and of other big sets (such as the Frege natural numbers) which are not allowed in ZFC . The consistency of NF remains an open question (which we will not address at all here). Specker showed in 1953 ([16]) that NF disproves the Axiom of Choice (this is a very forceful result because NF also proves at least the stratified versions of all the standard equivalences between forms of AC .) This immediately reduced the popularity of this approach to foundations. In 1969, however, Jensen showed (in [13]) that if extensionality is weakened to apply only to objects with elements (allowing many elementless urelements as well as the empty set), the resulting system NFU is consistent relative to the usual set theory, and is moreover consistent with Infinity, Choice, and further strong axioms (see [10] for an investigation of various strong extensions of NFU ). Note that NFU admits the full power of the scheme of stratified comprehension.
Performance Appraisal and Management in Australian and New Zealand Organisations

It is now five years since we last reviewed performance management practices and fifteen years since we first began this important research project. Over this period we have witnessed four important developments in human resource management. First, the connection between an organisation’s performance and how it manages its people has now been established empirically: human resource practices directly impact both profitability and shareholder value, and longer term success (Huselid, 1995). Second, we can now demonstrate how people management practices impact performance (Pfeffer, 1998, Buckingham and Coffman, 1999 ). Third, both value creation and competitive advantage are increasingly sourced from our people: knowledge creation and management, relationship establishment and development, and branding and reputation. Fourth, in their search for sustained high performance corporate leaders and managers have realised that there is a war for talent (Chambers et al, 1998) and accordingly are paying considerably greater attention to how they are attracting, developing and retaining people (The Best Employers to Work For, Sydney Morning Herald, 2000).
Title Accumulation of prelamin A compromises NF-kB-regulated B-lymphopoiesis in progeria mouse model

Background: Alteration in the immune system is one of the most profound aspects of aging. Progressive changes in the number of B lymphocyte progenitors during aging have been reported but the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. A heterozygous G608G mutation in the LMNA gene leads to a deletion of 50 amino acids in lamin A protein, termed progerin, and is the predominant cause of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS). Lack of Zmpste24, a metalloproteinase responsible for prelamin A processing, leads to progeroid features resembling HGPS. Therefore Zmpste24-deficient mice provide an ideal mouse model to study the impact of lamin A and (premature) aging on the aging-related decline of B lymphopoiesis. Results: Analysis of bone marrow (BM) nucleated cells revealed a decline of early B cell progenitors in Zmpste24 mice. BM transplantation in a congenic strain completely rescued the defects in B lymphopoiesis, indicating that the decline in B cell progenitors in Zmpste24 mice is attributable to defective BM microenvironments rather than to cell-intrinsic defects. Further investigation revealed downregulation of a set of important early B lymphopoiesis factors in Zmpste24 bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), such as Vcam-1, SDF-1α, Flt3L and TSLP, and most of them are under transcriptional control of NF-κB signaling. Though TNFα stimulates IκBα degradation and NF-κB nuclear translocation in Zmpste24 BMSCs, NF-κB fails to stimulate IκBα re-expression, which mediates a negative feedback loop of NF-κB signaling in wild-type BMSCs. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate a cell-extrinsic defect of B cell development in a progeroid mouse model and a critical role for lamin A in the regulation of NF-κB signaling and cytokines that are essential for lymphopoiesis.
Psychological Impact of a “Health-at-Every-Size” Intervention on Weight-Preoccupied Overweight/Obese Women

The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of a “Health-at-every-size” (HAES) intervention on psychological variables and body weight the weight-preoccupied overweight/obese women. Those women were randomized into three groups (1) HAES, (2) social support (SS), (3) waiting-list (WL), and were tested at baseline, post-treatment and six-month and one-year follow-ups. All participants presented significant psychological improvement no matter if they received the HAES intervention or not. However, even if during the intervention, the three groups showed improvements, during the follow up, the HAES group continued to improve while the other groups did not, even sometimes experiencing some deterioration. Furthermore, in the HAES group only, participant's weight maintenance 12 months after the intervention was related to their psychological improvement (quality of life, body dissatisfaction, and binge eating) during the intervention. Thus, even if, in the short-term, our study did not show distinctive effects of the HAES intervention compared to SS and WL on all variables, in the long-term, HAES group seemed to present a different trajectory as psychological variables and body weight are maintained or continue to improve, which was not the case in other groups. These differential long-term effects still need to be documented and further empirically demonstrated.
Opening of the Blood-Brain Barrier before Cerebral Pathology in Mild Hyperhomocysteinemia

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is a risk factor for cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to determine the temporal pattern of cerebral pathology in a mouse model of mild HHcy, because understanding this time course provides the basis for understanding the mechanisms involved. C57Bl/6 mice with heterozygous deletion cystathionine β-synthase (cbs +/−; Het) were used as a model of mild HHcy along with their wild-type littermates (cbs +/+; WT). Mice were ‘young’ (5.3±0.2 months of age) and ‘old’ (16.6±0.9 months of age). Blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability was quantified from Evans blue and sodium fluorescein extravasation. Microvascular architecture was assessed by z-stack confocal microscopy. Leukoaraiosis was measured from Luxol fast blue stained slides of paraffin brain sections. Inflammation was quantified using standard antibody-based immunohistochemical techniques. Cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze. BBB permeability was significantly greater in Het vs. WT mice at all ages (p<0.05). There were no differences in microvascular architecture among the groups. Compared with all other groups, old Het mice had significantly greater leukoaraiosis, inflammation in the fornix, and cognitive impairment (p<0.05). In mild HHcy, increased permeability of the BBB precedes the onset of cerebral pathology. This new paradigm may play a role in the progression of disease in HHcy.
Agreement on stochastic multi-robot systems with communication failures

Agreement algorithms allow individual agents in a population to estimate a global quantity by sharing information. A common example is computing the global mean of a sensor measurement from each agent. We present a practical agreement algorithm, input-based consensus (IBC), that produces bounded error and recovery in the face of significant communications failures in a stochastic distributed system. We compare our algorithm to linear average consensus (LAC), which produces an exact result under ideal conditions, but is not robust to message loss. For both algorithms, we measure performance with respect to a varying percentage of dropped messages. The algorithms are examined analytically, simulated using the Stochastic Simulation Algorithm, and demonstrated experimentally on a testbed of 20 robots. In all cases, the IBC algorithm produced reasonable values, even when tested with up to 90% message loss.
A Theory of Outsourced Fundraising: Why Dollars Turn into 'Pennies for Charity'

Charities frequently rely on professional solicitors whose commissions exceed half of total donations. To understand this practice, we propose a principal-agent model in which the charity optimally offers a higher commission to a more “efficient” solicitor, raising the price of giving significantly. Outsourcing is, therefore, profitable for the charity only if giving is very price-inelastic. This, however, clashes with empirical evidence. We show that paid solicitations can benefit the charity if: (1) donors are unaware; (2) donors have intense “warm-glow” preferences; or (3) the charity worries mostly about watchdog ratings. We argue that informing the public of the mere existence of paid solicitations may be the most effective policy available.
The Importance of Social Groups for Retirement Adjustment: Evidence, Application, and Policy Implications of the Social Identity Model of Identity Change

Previous work in the social identity tradition suggests that adjustment to significant life changes, both positive (e.g., becoming a new parent) and negative (e.g., experiencing a stroke), can be supported by access to social group networks. This is the basis for the social identity model of identity change (SIMIC), which argues that, in the context of life transitions, well-being and adjustment are enhanced to the extent that people are able to maintain preexisting social group memberships that are important to them or else acquire new ones. Building on empirical work that has examined these issues in the context of a variety of life transitions, we outline the relevance of SIMIC for one particular life transition: retiring from work. We identify four key lessons that speak to the importance of managing social group resources effectively during the transition to retirement from the workforce. These suggest that adjustment to retirement is enhanced to the extent that retirees: (1) can access multiple important group memberships and the psychological resources they provide, (2) maintain positive and valued existing groups, and (3) develop meaningful new groups, (4) providing they are compatible with one another. This theory and empirical evidence is used to introduce a new social intervention, Groups 4 Health, that translates SIMIC's lessons into practice. This program aims to guide people through the process of developing and embedding their social group ties in ways that protect their health and well-being in periods of significant life change of the form experienced by many people as they transition into retirement.
Draft Genome Sequence of Methyloferula stellata AR4, an Obligate Methanotroph Possessing Only a Soluble Methane Monooxygenase

ABSTRACT Methyloferula stellata AR4 is an aerobic acidophilic methanotroph, which, in contrast to most known methanotrophs but similar to Methylocella spp. , possesses only a soluble methane monooxygenase. However, it differs from Methylocella spp. by its inability to grow on multicarbon substrates. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of this bacterium.
Stochastic Pre-hurricane Restoration Planning for Electric Power Systems Infrastructure

Proactive preparedness to cope with emergencies, especially those of nature origins, significantly improves the resilience and minimizes the restoration cost of electric power systems. In this paper, a proactive resource allocation model for repair and restoration of potential damages to the power system infrastructure located on the path of an upcoming hurricane is proposed. The objective is to develop an efficient framework for system operators to minimize potential damages to power system components in a cost-effective manner. The problem is modeled as a stochastic integer program with complete recourse. The large-scale mixed-integer equivalence of the original model is solved by the Benders' decomposition method to handle computation burden. The standard IEEE 118-bus system is employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and further discuss its merits.
Switching phase states in two van der Pol oscillators coupled by ttochastically time-varying resistor

We explore the synchronization and switching behavior of a system of two identical van der Pol oscillators coupled by a stochastically timevarying resistor. Triggered by the time-varying resistor, the system of oscillators switches between synchronized and anti-synchronized behavior. We find that the preference of the synchronized/antisynchronized state is determined by the ratio of the probabilities of the two resistor states. The length of the phases of maintained resistor states, however, has not a decisive role in the process, since the switching is triggered, on average, with very short latency.
Star Formation in Low Radio Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We investigate faint radio emission from low- to high-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Their radio properties are inferred by co-adding large ensembles of radio image cut-outs from the FIRST survey, as almost all of the sources are individually undetected. We correlate the median radio flux densities against a range of other sample properties, including median values for redshift, [O III] luminosity, emission-line ratios, and the strength of the 4000 Å break. We detect a strong trend for sources that are actively undergoing star formation to have excess radio emission beyond the ∼1028 ergs s-1 Hz-1 level found for sources without any discernible star formation. Furthermore, this additional radio emission correlates well with the strength of the 4000 Å break in the optical spectrum, and may be used to assess the age of the star-forming component. We examine two subsamples, one containing the systems with emission-line ratios most like star-forming systems, and one with the sources that have characteristic AGN ratios. This division also separates the mechanism responsible for the radio emission (star formation vs. AGNs). For both cases we find a strong, almost identical correlation between [O III] and radio luminosity, with the AGN sample extending toward lower, and the star formation sample toward higher luminosities. A clearer separation between the two subsamples is seen as function of the central velocity dispersion σ of the host galaxy. For systems at similar redshifts and values of σ, the star formation subsample is brighter than the AGN in the radio by an order of magnitude. This underlines the notion that the radio emission in star-forming systems can dominate the emission associated with the AGN.
Psychological parameters in the reproductive phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the psychological features in women with different polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotypes [National Institute of Health (NIH) and non-NIH diagnostic criteria] and women without PCOS. METHODS An observational, cross-sectional study compared overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)) premenopausal women with PCOS (n = 29 NIH and n = 25 non-NIH) and controls (n = 27). Anxiety and depression were compared between women with NIH or non-NIH PCOS and women without PCOS. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains related to emotions, body hair, weight, infertility and menstrual problems were compared between women with NIH and non-NIH PCOS. RESULTS Overall, women with PCOS had worse anxiety (P = 0.007) and depression (P = 0.048) compared with women without PCOS. Both women with NIH PCOS and non-NIH PCOS presented more often with moderate anxiety (P = 0.005 and P = 0.01, respectively) compared with women without PCOS. Women with NIH PCOS had worse HRQoL related to infertility (P = 0.012), emotions (P = 0.02) and weight (P = 0.016). No significant differences were observed between the two PCOS phenotypes for HRQoL domains related to body hair or menstrual problems. Both NIH (β = 0.30, P = 0.024) and non-NIH (β = 0.32, P = 0.016) PCOS status predicted anxiety, whereas age (β = 0.35, P = 0.008) and free androgen index (β = 0.31, P = 0.027) predicted depression. CONCLUSIONS PCOS is associated with anxiety and depression. Non-NIH phenotypes present with similar psychological profiles to NIH PCOS, indicating increased psychological dysfunction in PCOS, even in milder reproductive phenotypes. However, women with NIH PCOS appear to have worse HRQoL in some areas than women with non-NIH PCOS. Psychological function and HRQoL should be considered in all women with PCOS.