Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Discovery of an Embedded Cluster of High-Mass Stars near SGR 1900+14

Deep I-band imaging to I ≈ 26.5 of the soft gamma-ray repeater SGR 1900+14 region has revealed a compact cluster of massive stars located only a few arcseconds from the fading radio source thought to be the location of the soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR). This cluster was previously hidden in the glare of the pair of M5 supergiant stars (whose light was removed by point-spread function subtraction) proposed by Vrba et al. as likely associated with SGR 1900+14. The cluster has at least 13 members within a cluster radius of ≈0.6 pc based on an estimated distance of 12-15 kpc. It is remarkably similar to a cluster found associated with SGR 1806-20. That similar clusters have now been found at or near the positions of the two best studied SGRs suggests that young neutron stars, which are thought to be responsible for the SGR phenomenon, have their origins in proximate compact clusters of massive stars.
Rapamycin does not inhibit human cytomegalovirus reactivation from dendritic cells in vitro

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and reactivation are a major cause of morbidity in immune-suppressed patients. Interestingly, epidemiological studies have shown that patients administered the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, sirolimus (rapamycin), exhibit more favourable outcomes, suggestive of activity against HCMV in vivo. Given its relative lack of activity against lytic infection, it is postulated that rapamycin inhibits HCMV reactivation. Here, we showed that rapamycin administered acutely or chronically has little impact on induction of immediate early (IE) gene expression in experimentally latent dendritic cells or cells from naturally latent individuals. Furthermore, we extended these observations to include other inhibitors of mTORC1 and mTORC 2, which similarly have minimal effects on induction of IE gene expression from latency. Taken together, these data suggest that favourable outcomes associated with sirolimus are attributable to indirect effects that influence HCMV reactivation, rather than a direct mechanistic action against HCMV itself.
Primordial helium abundance from CMB: A constraint from recent observations and a forecast

We studied a constraint on the primordial helium abundance Y{sub p} from current and future observations of CMB. Using the currently available data from WMAP, ACBAR, CBI, and BOOMERANG, we obtained the constraint as Y{sub p}=0.25{sub -0.07}{sup +0.10} at 68% confidence level. We also provide a forecast for the Planck experiment using the Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. In addition to forecasting the constraint on Y{sub p}, we investigate how assumptions for Y{sub p} affect constraints on the other cosmological parameters.
Consistency of the black hole mass determination in AGN from the reverberation and the X-ray excess variance method

Values of black hole masses are frequently determined with the help of the reverberation method. This method requires a specific geometrical factor related to the distribution of the orbits of the broad-line region clouds. Onken et al. determined the value f 2 = 1.37 ± 0.45 from the black hole mass-dispersion relation. In this paper, we determine this factor using an independent mass determination from the X-ray variance method for a number of Seyfert 1 galaxies and comparing them with the reverberation results by Peterson et al. We obtain mean value f 2 = 1.12 ± 0.54, consistent with Onken et al. Both values are larger than the value 0.75 corresponding to a spherical geometry. It indicates that most probably all values of the black hole masses obtained with the use of the Kaspi et al. formulae should be multiplied by a factor of ∼ 1.7. This also shows that the broad-line region is rather flat, and hints for a dependence of the factor f 2 on a source inclination seem to be present in the data.
Acetylcholine metabolism in rat spinal cord cultures: regulation by a factor involved in the determination of the neurotransmitter phenotype of sympathetic neurons

Acetylcholine metabolism has been studied in sister cultures of E13 rat spinal cord cells cultured for 1 to 3 weeks with or without conditioned medium (CM) from rat skeletal muscle cells. Spinal cord cells grown with CM synthesized and accumulated 3 to 4 times more [3H]ACh from [3H]choline than cultures grown without CM. This effect of CM was accompanied by a comparable increase in CAT activity and could not be mimicked by increasing the density of the spinal cord cultures. A 2- to 3-fold increase in AChE activity was also observed in 2- to 3-week-old CM cultures, whereas the activity of lactate dehydrogenase was identical in cultures grown with and without CM. We have compared the effects of CMs from various non-neuronal cell cultures on [3H]ACh synthesis and storage by spinal cord cultures and by sympathetic neuron cultures. CM by skeletal muscle greater than skin fibroblasts greater than rat heart muscle greater than C6 glioma cells were the most active on both types of neuron cultures, whereas CM from rat brain, L6 myoblasts, mouse 3T3, and PYT21 fibroblasts was inactive on spinal cord cultures and only weakly active on sympathetic neurons. Serum-free CM from skeletal muscle was inactive on both types of neuron cultures. The CM factor active on spinal cord cultures has been purified several thousand-fold by using a four-step fractionation scheme which has previously led to a partial purification of the CM factor involved in the regulation of CAT, AChE, and catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes in sympathetic neuron cultures ( Swerts , J. P., A. Le Van Thai, A. Vigny , and M. J. Weber (1983) Dev. Biol. 100: 1–11). Moreover, a comparison of dose-response curves established with this purified material showed that it exerted its effects on spinal cord and on sympathetic neuron cultures in the same range of concentration. Thus, these results suggest that the same macromolecule is involved in the regulation of neurotransmitter phenotype in both types of cultures despite their different embryological origins.
Adaptive Synchronization of a Class of Uncertain Complex Networks Against Network Deterioration

This paper is concerned with the robust synchronization problem for a class of uncertain dynamical complex networks against network deterioration. As deteriorated networks and uncertainties may lead to performance degradation or even instability of the whole network, an adaptive approach is proposed to adjust unknown coupling factors for the deteriorated network compensations, as well as to estimate controller parameters to compensate the effects of uncertainty on-line without assuming symmetry or irreducibility of networks. Through Lyapunov functions and adaptive schemes, pinning controllers are constructed to ensure that the synchronization errors of the networks can be reduced as small as desired in the presence of the network deterioration and uncertainty. Simulation results are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
The Effect of High Humidity on the Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Thermal Transitions of an Epoxy-polyamide Adhesive

Abstract Exposure of a cured epoxy-polyamide adhesive to high humidity resulted in a substantial decrease in the complex dynamic tensile modulus of the material. The effect could be reversed and the original modulus essentially regained by drying the adhesive. Thermal transitions in the dry adhesive were displaced by approximately 40°C to lower temperatures in the wet material; this effect could be reversed by drying. Strength losses experienced by aluminium joints bonded with this adhesive on exposure to humid conditions could not be regained by removal of water from the joints. The mode of failure of these joints changed progressively from wholly cohesive to predominantly adhesive on exposure to high humidity. It is concluded that the primary role of water in joint degradation is to displace adhesive from its metal substrate and not to induce cohesive failure of the adhesive.
Using clinical indicators to facilitate quality improvement via the accreditation process: an adaptive study into the control relationship.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine accreditation surveyors' and hospitals' use and perceived usefulness of clinical indicator reports and the potential to establish the control relationship between the accreditation and reporting systems. The control relationship refers to instructional directives, arising from appropriately designed methods and efforts towards using clinical indicators, which provide a directed moderating, balancing and best outcome for the connected systems. DESIGN Web-based questionnaire survey. SETTING Australian Council on Healthcare Standards' (ACHS) accreditation and clinical indicator programmes. RESULTS Seventy-three of 306 surveyors responded. Half used the reports always/most of the time. Five key messages were revealed: (i) report use was related to availability before on-site investigation; (ii) report use was associated with the use of non-ACHS reports; (iii) a clinical indicator set's perceived usefulness was associated with its reporting volume across hospitals; (iv) simpler measures and visual summaries in reports were rated the most useful; (v) reports were deemed to be suitable for the quality and safety objectives of the key groups of interested parties (hospitals' senior executive and management officers, clinicians, quality managers and surveyors). CONCLUSIONS Implementing the control relationship between the reporting and accreditation systems is a promising expectation. Redesigning processes to ensure reports are available in pre-survey packages and refined education of surveyors and hospitals on how to better utilize the reports will support the relationship. Additional studies on the systems' theory-based model of the accreditation and reporting system are warranted to establish the control relationship, building integrated system-wide relationships with sustainable and improved outcomes.
Not-Invented-Here: How Cohesive Socialization Practices Affect The Formation Of Negative Attitudes Toward External Knowledge

The management literature has highlighted several potential benefits of cohesive socialization practices within companies. In contrast, this paper posits that such practices, by fostering a higher degree of company identity and cohesion, contribute to a biased perception of the virtues of internally generated knowledge and therefore to a greater reluctance to adopt external knowledge, the so-called Not-Invented-Here (NIH) syndrome. Drawing on multi-informant survey data of small and medium-sized Danish enterprises, the authors find that cohesive socialization practices are an important driver of the NIH syndrome. The effect is attenuated in technologically highly specialized companies, but particularly aggravated in technologically sophisticated ones.
Technology-Risk-Related Peso Problems in Stock Returns

In the empirical testing of many asset pricing models it is assumed that realised returns are an unbiased estimate of expected returns over the period of study. In this paper it is argued that the occurrence of negative jumps in a firm's future earnings and, consequently, in its stock price, is positively related to the level of network externalities in the firm's product market. If the ex post frequency of these negative jumps in a sample does not equal the ex ante assessed probability of occurrence, the sample is subject to a peso problem. The hypothesis is tested for by regressing the skewness coefficient of a firm's realised stock return distribution on the firm's R&D intensity, i.e. the ratio of the firm's research and development expenditure to its net sales. The empirical results support the technology-related peso problem hypothesis. In samples subject to such a peso problem, the returns are biased up and the variances are biased down.
Referenceless PRF shift thermometry

The proton resonance frequency (PRF) shift provides a means of measuring temperature changes during minimally invasive thermotherapy. However, conventional PRF thermometry relies on the subtraction of baseline images, which makes it sensitive to tissue motion and frequency drift during the course of treatment. In this study, a new method is presented that eliminates these problems by estimating the background phase from each acquired image phase. In this referenceless method, a polynomial is fit to the background phase outside the heated region in a weighted least‐squares fit. Extrapolation of the polynomial to the heated region serves as the background phase estimate, which is then subtracted from the actual phase. The referenceless method is demonstrated on a phantom during laser heating, 0° temperature rise images of in vivo human liver, interstitial laser ablation of porcine liver, and transurethral ultrasound ablation of canine prostate. A good correlation between temperature maps reconstructed with the referenceless and subtraction methods was found. Magn Reson Med 51:1223–1231, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
First Detection of CO in a Low Surface Brightness Galaxy

We report on the first attempts at searching for CO in red low surface brightness galaxies, and the first detection of molecular gas in a low surface brightness [μB(0)obs > 23 mag arcsec-2] galaxy. Using the IRAM 30 m telescope, CO (1-0) and CO (2-1) lines were searched for in four galaxies—P06-1, P05-5, C05-3, and C04-2. In three of the galaxies no CO was detected, to TMB ~ 1.8 mK (at the 3 σ level). In the fourth galaxy, P06-1, both lines were detected. Comparing our findings with previous studies shows P06-1 to have a molecular-to-atomic mass ratio considerably lower than is predicted using theoretical models based on high surface brightness galaxy studies. This indicates the N(H2)/ T(CO)dv conversion factor for low surface brightness galaxies may currently be consistently underestimated by a factor of 3-20.
B Cell Development in the Spleen Takes Place in Discrete Steps and Is Determined by the Quality of B Cell Receptor–Derived Signals

Only mature B lymphocytes can enter the lymphoid follicles of spleen and lymph nodes and thus efficiently participate in the immune response. Mature, long-lived B lymphocytes derive from short-lived precursors generated in the bone marrow. We show that selection into the mature pool is an active process and takes place in the spleen. Two populations of splenic B cells were identified as precursors for mature B cells. Transitional B cells of type 1 (T1) are recent immigrants from the bone marrow. They develop into the transitional B cells of type 2 (T2), which are cycling and found exclusively in the primary follicles of the spleen. Mature B cells can be generated from T1 or T2 B cells.
Population Genetics of Anopheles coluzzii Immune Pathways and Genes

Natural selection is expected to drive adaptive evolution in genes involved in host–pathogen interactions. In this study, we use molecular population genetic analyses to understand how natural selection operates on the immune system of Anopheles coluzzii (formerly A. gambiae “M form”). We analyzed patterns of intraspecific and interspecific genetic variation in 20 immune-related genes and 17 nonimmune genes from a wild population of A. coluzzii and asked if patterns of genetic variation in the immune genes are consistent with pathogen-driven selection shaping the evolution of defense. We found evidence of a balanced polymorphism in CTLMA2, which encodes a C-type lectin involved in regulation of the melanization response. The two CTLMA2 haplotypes, which are distinguished by fixed amino acid differences near the predicted peptide cleavage site, are also segregating in the sister species A. gambiae (“S form”) and A. arabiensis. Comparison of the two haplotypes between species indicates that they were not shared among the species through introgression, but rather that they arose before the species divergence and have been adaptively maintained as a balanced polymorphism in all three species. We additionally found that STAT-B, a retroduplicate of STAT-A, shows strong evidence of adaptive evolution that is consistent with neofunctionalization after duplication. In contrast to the striking patterns of adaptive evolution observed in these Anopheles-specific immune genes, we found no evidence of adaptive evolution in the Toll and Imd innate immune pathways that are orthologously conserved throughout insects. Genes encoding the Imd pathway exhibit high rates of amino acid divergence between Anopheles species but also display elevated amino acid diversity that is consistent with relaxed purifying selection. These results indicate that adaptive coevolution between A. coluzzii and its pathogens is more likely to involve novel or lineage-specific molecular mechanisms than the canonical humoral immune pathways.
Asset Write‐Offs in Private Firms – The Case of German SMEs

We find that SME firms write-off relatively more if they are: (i) more profitable; (ii) have more financial debt; (iii) pay dividends. Findings are contrary to expectations based on accounting standards or existing revaluation literature, but consistent with the codified, high book-tax alignment economic setting in which sample firms operate, including agency problems. We use a comprehensive sample of German SMEs reporting in local GAAP, based on the German commercial code (Handelsgesetzbuch) in 2003-2006. We view write-offs and upward asset revaluations as signed corrections of departures of book values from their underlying economic values. This governs our choice of estimation - the tobit regression.
School Trips: Effects of Urban Form and Distance on Travel Mode

Abstract For over 50 years the U.S. has been shifting away from small, neighborhood schools to larger schools in lower density areas. Rates of children walking and biking to school have declined significantly over this period. This study examines the relationship between urban form, distance, and middle school students walking and biking to and from four schools in Oregon. Five primary results emerge: (1) urban form helps predict travel mode to and from school; (2) middle school students walk further than planners expect; (3) many students use a different mode when they travel to school and when they leave school; (4) urban form measures that predict walking behavior differ from those that predict biking behavior; and (5) urban form is only one factor in students' transportation decisions.
Link between Food Energy Density and Body Weight Changes in Obese Adults

Regulating the energy density of food could be used as a novel approach for successful body weight reduction in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to conduct a systemic review of the literature on the relationship between food energy density and body weight changes in obese adults to obtain solid evidence supporting this approach. The search process was based on the selection of publications in the English language listed in public databases. A meta-analysis was performed to combine individual study results. Thirteen experimental and observational studies were identified and included in the final analysis. The analyzed populations consist of 3628 individuals aged 18 to 66 years. The studies varied greatly in terms of study populations, study design and applied dietary approaches. The meta-analysis revealed a significant association between low energy density foods and body weight reduction, i.e., −0.53 kg when low energy density foods were eaten (95% CI: −0.88, −0.19). In conclusions, this study adds evidence which supports the energy density of food as a simple but effective measure to manage weight in the obese with the aim of weight reduction.
Capital Market Liberalization and Development

Capital market liberalization has been a key battle in the debate on globalization for much of the previous two decades. Many developing countries, often at the behest of international financial institutions such as the IMF, opened their capital accounts and liberalized their domestic financial markets as part of the wave of liberalization that characterized the 1980s and 1990s and in doing so exposed their economies to increased risk and volatility. Now with even the IMF acknowledging the risks inherent in capital market liberalization, the central intellectual battle over the effects of capital market liberalization has for the most part ended. Though this new understanding of the consequences of capital market liberalization is reshaping many policy discussions among academics and international institutions, ideological and vested interests remain. Critical policy debates also remain, such as how much government should intervene and what tools are available. Although capital market liberalization might not produce the promised benefits, many economists and policymakers still worry about the costs of intervention. Do these costs exceed the benefits? What are the best kinds of interventions, under what circumstances? To answer these questions, we have to understand why capital market liberalization has failed to enhance growth, why it has resulted in greater instability, why the poor appear to have borne the greatest burden, and why the advocates of capital market liberalization were so wrong. Bringing together some of the leading researchers and practitioners in the field, this volume provides an analysis of both the risks associated with capital market liberalization and the alternative policy options available to enhance macroeconomic management. Contributors to this volume - Andrew Charlton, London School of Economics Randall Dodd, Financial Policy Forum Gerald Epstein, University of Massachusetts Roberto Frenkel, Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad (CEDES) Ilene Grabel, University of Denver Stephany Griffith-Jones, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex K. S. Jomo, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Martin Khor, Third World Network Jose Antonio Ocampo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Gabriel Palma, University of Cambridge Avinash Persaud, Intelligence Capital Liliana Rojas-Suarez, Center of Global Development; Latin American Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee Benu Schneider, Financing for Development Office of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Shari Spiegel, New Holland Capital Joseph E. Stiglitz, Initiative for Policy Dialogue Sergio L. Schmukler, Development Research Group of the World Bank