Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Nature of Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources

We present spectroscopic observations of six optical counterparts of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) around nearby galaxies. The spectra of the six objects show the presence of broad emission features. The identification of these allow us to classify all of the objects as quasars at higher redshift than their assigned parent galaxy. This is one of the first and largest identifications of such objects using unambigous optical spectral features. These results, in conjuction with previous similar identifications of other sources, indicate that high-redshift quasars represent an important fraction of cataloged ULX sources. We estimate the density of such sources and compare this with expectations for a population of randomly distributed background quasars.
Interplay: A Study of Pre-Service drama teachers and the practicum – Experiences, beliefs, expectations and managing

The practicum is internationally recognised as a valuable component of teacher education. It is an opportunity for pre-service teachers to develop teaching skills in authentic ways, pursue professional inquiry into practice, and be mentored by experienced teachers. It is also fraught with challenges and the literature identifies the practicum to be overwhelming and stressful for pre-service teachers. While extensive research has been conducted into the practicum generally, little research focuses on the practicum experience for pre-service drama teachers. This research is key to better understanding the issues and challenges of the practicum so as to improve pre-service drama teachers’ experience, better induct them into the profession, and retain them in this demanding field. The study was designed in three phases using a bricolage of qualitative methods. In Phase 1, the perceptions of 19 pre-service drama teachers were revealed through focus groups. Phase 2 involved field work and analysed multiple data sources (participant observation, formal and informal interviews, journals, lesson plans, lesson reflections, practicum evaluations) to investigate five participants’ lived experience of the practicum, providing depth to key issues and challenges. Phase 3 employed in-depth interviews capturing participants’ reflections on school drama as key to their beliefs and values. These data were then developed into a series of narrative portraits communicating key influences on these emergent teachers. The research highlights the complexity and emotionality of practicum through intersections of experience, dynamics, beliefs and aspirations. A key finding is that pre-service drama teachers are vulnerable during practicum and a consequential lack of belonging and inadequate preparation causes considerable stress. Furthermore, the interplay between beliefs about drama teaching and the practicum experience is significant. When beliefs and practicum experiences were in harmony, participants had a more positive practicum with improved self-efficacy; conversely, disharmony saw participants experience culture shock and stress. The study concludes with implications for pre-service drama teacher practice and suggestions for further research.
Cutting Edge: Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides Block the Binding of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to LPS Binding Protein1

We investigated the mechanism by which cationic antimicrobial peptides block the activation of macrophages by LPS. The initial step in LPS signaling is the transfer of LPS to CD14 by LPS binding protein (LBP). Because many cationic antimicrobial peptides bind LPS, we asked whether these peptides block the binding of LPS to LBP. Using an assay that measures the binding of LPS to immobilized LBP, we show for the first time that a variety of structurally diverse cationic antimicrobial peptides block the interaction of LPS with LBP. The relative ability of different cationic peptides to block the binding of LPS to LBP correlated with their ability to block LPS-induced TNF-α production by the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line.
Self-rated and peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior, affective commitment, and intention to leave in a Malaysian context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine if self-rated and peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior mediated the relationship between affective commitment and intention to leave in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – A survey yielded 516 responses from multiple locations in Malaysia across varied industries for a response rate of 64.5 percent. Validity based on confirmatory factor analysis and reliability were confirmed. Findings – Affective commitment influenced self- and peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior and intention to leave. Only self-rated organizational citizenship behavior partially mediated affective commitment and intention to leave. While self-rated organizational citizenship behavior increased intention to leave positively, peer-rated organizational citizenship behavior did not influence intention to leave. Practical implications – The findings confirm earlier research that self-ratings and peer-ratings are different, and, surprisingly, organizational citizens.
Her‐2/neu Gene Amplification in Low to Moderately Expressing Breast Cancers: Possible Role of Chromosome 17/Her‐2/neu Polysomy

Overexpression of the Her‐2/neu (HER2) oncogene is known to confer important prognostic and predictive value to patients with breast cancer. Controversy exists as to the best method for its determination caused primarily by the variable sensitivities of the different antibodies and interobserver differences, particularly in the group of breast cancers with borderline levels of expression of the protein product. This study was therefore designed to determine the status of the HER2 gene amplification in a group of breast carcinomas with low levels of overexpression. After an initial validation of our procedures, a series of 52 consecutive cases of formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded breast cancers with low levels of overexpression and a series of 22 cases with no expression by immunohistochemistry were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and the results correlated statistically. Amplification of the HER2 gene was observed in 16% of equivocal to weakly positive cases. Those that were amplified showed low levels of amplification with ratios less than 4.5 and a characteristic scattered pattern of distribution of HER2 signals in the FISH assay. In addition, heterogeneity was noted in two cases in the amplification of the HER2 gene within the same tumor samples with pockets of amplified tumor cells amidst nonamplified tumor cells. In cases without amplification, a statistically significant number showed chromosome 17 polysomy. In conclusion, equivocal to low levels of HER2 overexpression in breast cancers are associated, in the majority of cases, with chromosome 17 polysomy and a corresponding increase in the HER2 gene numbers. True gene amplification is present in only a minority of cases. FISH analysis should be used for confirmation of gene amplification. Prior screening and selection of appropriate immunohistochemistry‐positive areas for FISH analysis may prove beneficial.
Forty years of BIRGing: : New perspectives on Cialdini’s seminal studies

Published 4 decades ago, “Basking in Reflected Glory: Three (Football) Field Studies” (Cialdini et al., 1976) is the most influential study of sport consumer behavior. This article features re-creations of Studies 1 and 2, exactly 40 years after the original publication. The results of Study 1 were reproduced, with participants more than twice as likely to wear school-affiliated apparel after wins and 55% less likely after losses. The study also extends the BIRGing literature in its investigation of the influence of gender and the effect’s salience over time. Study 2’s results were not reproduced. However, study participants were significantly more likely to use first-person plural pronouns, providing further empirical evidence of BIRGing behaviors. This article makes a novel contribution to the sport consumer behavior literature by advancing the study of one of the field’s most foundational theories and serving as an impetus for future investigations of BIRGing motivations.
Interdomain Interactions within Ryanodine Receptors Regulate Ca2+ Spark Frequency in Skeletal Muscle

DP4 is a 36-residue synthetic peptide that corresponds to the Leu2442-Pro2477 region of RyR1 that contains the reported malignant hyperthermia (MH) mutation site. It has been proposed that DP4 disrupts the normal interdomain interactions that stabilize the closed state of the Ca2+ release channel (Yamamoto, T., R. El-Hayek, and N. Ikemoto. 2000. J. Biol. Chem. 275:11618–11625). We have investigated the effects of DP4 on local SR Ca2+ release events (Ca2+ sparks) in saponin-permeabilized frog skeletal muscle fibers using laser scanning confocal microscopy (line-scan mode, 2 ms/line), as well as the effects of DP4 on frog SR vesicles and frog single RyR Ca2+ release channels reconstituted in planar lipid bilayers. DP4 caused a significant increase in Ca2+ spark frequency in muscle fibers. However, the mean values of the amplitude, rise time, spatial half width, and temporal half duration of the Ca2+ sparks, as well as the distribution of these parameters, remained essentially unchanged in the presence of DP4. Thus, DP4 increased the opening rate, but not the open time of the RyR Ca2+ release channel(s) generating the sparks. DP4 also increased [3H]ryanodine binding to SR vesicles isolated from frog and mammalian skeletal muscle, and increased the open probability of frog RyR Ca2+ release channels reconstituted in bilayers, without changing the amplitude of the current through those channels. However, unlike in Ca2+ spark experiments, DP4 produced a pronounced increase in the open time of channels in bilayers. The same peptide with an Arg17 to Cys17 replacement (DP4mut), which corresponds to the Arg2458-to-Cys2458 mutation in MH, did not produce a significant effect on RyR activation in muscle fibers, bilayers, or SR vesicles. Mg2+ dependence experiments conducted with permeabilized muscle fibers indicate that DP4 preferentially binds to partially Mg2+-free RyR(s), thus promoting channel opening and production of Ca2+ sparks.
Religiosity, Sensation Seeking, and Alcohol/Drug Use in Denominational and Gender Contexts

Well documented though they may be, the linkages between religiosity and risk behaviors such as substance use are not well understood. Arousal theory contends that these linkages are due to selective factors in religious participation rather than to religious influences: those most likely to engage in risk behaviors—sensation seekers—are less likely to have church affiliations. Issues addressed in this research were: (a) the importance of sensation seeking, and the interaction of sensation seeking and religiosity, in explaining the relationships between religiosity and the use of both legal and illegal substances; and (b) the variations in these relationships as a function of denominational and gender contexts. Employing a sample of 526 college student respondents, we found no support for arousal theory predictions nor for moderating effects of denominational and gender contexts. Religiosity, sensation seeking, denominational affiliation, and gender were relatively independent predictors of substance use, with their importance varying dependent upon type of substance and specific indicator of use (amount versus grade of first use).
Economic foundations of technical analysis

Though technical analysis has gained huge popularity among the practitioners for over two centuries, it is still known as "voodoo nance" to academicians due to lack of solid theoretical supports. Among all the technical indicators, price patterns and volume signals attract the most disputes due to their subjective identi cation processes. While, many pieces of empirical evidence have been found to support the pro tability of technical analysis , showing that those indicators indeed help the speculators to "beat" the market, no one theoretical or statistical model has been developed to replicate all price movements and stylized facts that are documented in nancial market. Besides, no existing literature can further justify how the price trends following the chart patterns are pre-determined. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to go a step further to develop a solid theoretical model to replicate those charting indicators, speci cally the price patterns and the visual pricevolume relations. I approach this goal from the standpoint of technicians that "Price are determined by the demand and supply" and "History repeats itself", by extending the classic work of Day and Huang (1990). Such extension leads to a new theoretical framework where both price and volume series are simultaneously determined by the endogenous buying and selling orders from two types of market players, fundamentalists and chartists. In the thesis, I show that (1) the seemingly chaotic uctuations in price and pricevolume relations in the real market can be simulated with high compatibility; (2) most of the commonly-seen chart patterns and their following predictive powers can be easily replicated, (3) most of the pricevolume relations found in researches, not limited to the volume signals in chart patterns, can be simulated, (4) popular stylized facts documented by extensive literature can be captured, and (5) the nonlinear causality relations between the simulated pricevolume series is con rmed using the nonlinear Granger causality test as well. This thesis also goes further to provide economic arguments to the rationale of technical analysis. It is demonstrated that supporting zones and resisting zones can be developed and 2 ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library
A genetic algorithm for shortest path routing problem and the sizing of populations

This paper presents a genetic algorithmic approach to the shortest path (SP) routing problem. Variable-length chromosomes (strings) and their genes (parameters) have been used for encoding the problem. The crossover operation exchanges partial chromosomes (partial routes) at positionally independent crossing sites and the mutation operation maintains the genetic diversity of the population. The proposed algorithm can cure all the infeasible chromosomes with a simple repair function. Crossover and mutation together provide a search capability that results in improved quality of solution and enhanced rate of convergence. This paper also develops a population-sizing equation that facilitates a solution with desired quality. It is based on the gambler ruin model; the equation has been further enhanced and generalized. The equation relates the size of the population, quality of solution, cardinality of the alphabet, and other parameters of the proposed algorithm. Computer simulations show that the proposed algorithm exhibits a much better quality of solution (route optimality) and a much higher rate of convergence than other algorithms. The results are relatively independent of problem types for almost all source-destination pairs. Furthermore, simulation studies emphasize the usefulness of the population-sizing equation. The equation scales to larger networks. It is felt that it can be used for determining an adequate population size in the SP routing problem.
Family reports of pain in dying hospitalized patients: a structured telephone survey.

OBJECTIVES To see how often families in Oregon reported moderate to severe pain in dying patients in late 1998 compared with late 1997. DESIGN A systematic random sample of death certificates was used to identify family members of decedents who died in a hospital setting between October 1 and December 31, 1998. A structured telephone interview was used to obtain data. PARTICIPANTS Family members of 103 decedents (who died in hospitals 2 to 4 months before data collection) were identified with the use of death certificates. RESULTS In late 1998, 56 family members (54%) reported that their loved one experienced moderate to severe pain in the last week of life. CONCLUSIONS Family reports of moderate to severe pain in dying hospitalized Oregonians remain high. The influence of environmental factors on pain management may have implications for practice and policy nationwide.
Genetic algorithm for data sequencing

In this paper we present a Genetic Algorithm (GA) for the Data Ordering Problem (DOP). The DOP has large application in the area of low power design. By the use of more and more battery driven computers low power is becoming one of the main issues in IC design. Since the power consumption in computers is directly proportional to the switching activity, the sequence in which data words are transmitted is of great importance. We implemented a GA to solve this problem and carried out a large set of experiments. A comparison of our results to previously published demonstrates the eeciency of our approach.
Dietary influences over proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in the locust midgut

SUMMARY We have studied the influence of variations in dietary protein (P) and digestible carbohydrate (C), the quantity of food eaten, and insect age during the fifth instar on the expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the epithelial cells of the midgut (with special reference to the midgut caeca) in the African migratory locust, Locusta migratoria. Densitometric analysis of PCNA-immunostained cells was used as an indirect measure of the levels of expression of PCNA, and a PCNA cellular index (PCNA-I) was obtained. Measurements of the DNA content of the cells have also been carried out by means of microdensitometry of Feulgen-stained, thick sections of midgut. A comparison between the PCNA nuclear level and the DNA content was performed. The PCNA levels were significantly different among the cells of the five regions studied: caeca, anterior ventricle, medial ventricle, posterior ventricle and ampullae of the Malpighian tubules. We have studied in more detail the region with highest PCNA-I, i.e. the caeca. The quality and the quantity of food eaten under ad libitum conditions were highly correlated with both the PCNA and DNA levels in the caeca cells. Locusts fed a diet with a close to optimal P:C content (P 21%, C 21%) showed the highest PCNA and DNA content. In locusts fed a food that also contained a 1:1 ratio of P to C but was diluted three-fold by addition of indigestible cellulose (P 7%, C 7%), a compensatory increase in consumption was critical to maintaining PCNA levels. Our measurements also showed that the nuclear DNA content of the mature and differentiated epithelial cells was several-fold higher than the levels in the undifferentiated stem cells of the regenerative nests. These results, combined with the low number of mitotic figures found in the regenerative nests of the caeca and the marked variation in PCNA levels among groups, suggest that some type of DNA endoreduplication process may be taking place. Our data also indicate that the DNA synthetic activity in the midgut is related to feeding in locusts. The possible dietary and nutritional regulatory mechanisms and the significance of the differences found are discussed.
Visualization Queries

This paper introduces the notion of a query that describes a visualization request in terms of a universe of concepts, which includes but is not limited to Views, Operators, and Parameters. In the presence of specifications based on these concepts, users may be able to request for what properties they want to see in their visualizations (i.e., the graphical analogues of some dataset) without having to specify how to generate them, and more importantly, without being fully aware of a wide range of toolkit specific implementation details. The result of a query is a visualization that satisfies declarative user-defined criteria for creating visualizations. This paper explores the requirements for visualization queries and exemplifies how such queries could be used to drive the generation of gravity contour maps using two popular visualization toolkits. Additionally, the paper highlights the infrastructure requirements that could support visualization queries.
Musical communication, emotion regulation and the capacity for attention control: A theoretical model

In music psychology, studies of emotion regulation are typically about the self-regulation of emotion in, primarily, music listeners. What is missing from the literature is a model of emotion regulation that accounts for both intrinsic (self-generated) and extrinsic (other-generated) processes, which could inform an understanding of how music can be used by one person to extrinsically influence emotion regulation in another. To address this gap, the present article develops a theoretical model of musical communication. Musical communication is conceptualized as a goal-directed process in which one musical participant (the therapist) influences the emotion regulation strategies employed by another (the client). The theory proposes that an important goal of musical communication is to encourage clients to regulate their emotional responses in ways that enhance rather than diminish their capacity to sustain attention. This goal is proposed to be pursued by enabling clients to exercise their ability to sustain attention, and by promoting three processes that serve to enhance their attentional capacity: the utilization of emotional arousal to facilitate sensory processing, the facilitation of emotional motor tendencies, and the reduction of behavioural uncertainty. These propositions are analysed and discussed with a focus on emotion regulation in worry-prone clients.
Factors Affecting Customer Demand of Financial Services Offered By Commercial Banks in Nairobi County

The demand for retail banking services is concerned with the demand for the financial services offered in retail/ commercial banks. The general objective of this particular study was to examine the factors affecting customer demand for financial services offered by commercial banks in Nairobi County. The researcher used both primary and secondary data sources. The target group for this study was bank customers from a select 13 of the 43 commercial banks operating in Nairobi County as registered by the Central Bank of Kenya that is; Barclays Bank, CFC Stanbic, Chase Bank, Commercial Bank of Africa, Co-operative Bank of Kenya, Diamond Trust Bank, Equity Bank, Gulf Africa bank, I&M Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank, NIC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and the United Bank of Africa. From these 13 Banks, a sample population of 115 respondents was drawn for investigation. This sample was selected using stratified random sampling technique. Both open and closed ended questionnaires were used and the data was analyzed by SPSS version 17. The study results revealed that; many respondents reported earnings above Ksh20,000, there was under saving, many investors had accounts that were opened with nil requirements for bank balances, Interest rates on the other hand were cheaper for short term credit services, 51% of respondents operated savings accounts, 32 % operated checking accounts and 14% salary accounts.