Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BeppoSAX Average Spectra of Seyfert Galaxies

We have studied the average 3-200 keV spectra of Seyfert galaxies of type 1 and 2, using data obtained with BeppoSAX. The average Seyfert 1 spectrum is well fitted by a power-law continuum with photon spectral index Γ ~ 1.9, a Compton reflection component R ~ 0.6-1 (depending on the inclination angle between the line of sight and the reflecting material), and a high-energy cutoff at around 200 keV; there is also an iron line at 6.4 keV characterized by an equivalent width of 120 eV. Seyfert 2 galaxies, on the other hand, show stronger neutral absorption [NH = × 1022 atoms cm-2], as expected, but are also characterized by an X-ray power law that is substantially harder (Γ ~ 1.75) and with a cutoff at lower energies (Ec ~ 130 keV); the iron line parameters are instead substantially similar to those measured in type 1 objects. There are only two possible solutions to this problem: to assume more reflection in Seyfert 2 galaxies than observed in Seyfert 1 galaxies or more complex absorption than estimated in the first instance. The first possibility is ruled out by the Seyfert 2 to Seyfert 1 ratio, while the second provides an average Seyfert 2 intrinsic spectrum very similar to that of the Seyfert 1. The extra absorber is likely an artifact due to summing spectra with different amounts of absorption, although we cannot exclude its presence in at least some individual sources. Our result argues strongly for a very similar central engine in both types of galaxies, as expected under the unified theory.
Genomic deletion induced by Tol2 transposon excision in zebrafish

Genomic deletions induced by imprecise excision of transposons have been used to disrupt gene functions in Drosophila. To determine the excision properties of Tol2, a popular transposon in zebrafish, we took advantage of two transgenic zebrafish lines Et(gata2a:EGFP)pku684 and Et(gata2a:EGFP)pku760, and mobilized the transposon by injecting transposase mRNA into homozygous transgenic embryos. Footprint analysis showed that the Tol2 transposons were excised in either a precise or an imprecise manner. Furthermore, we identified 1093-bp and 1253-bp genomic deletions in Et(gata2a:EGFP)pku684 founder embryos flanking the 5′ end of the original Tol2 insertion site, and a 1340-bp deletion in the Et(gata2a:EGFP)pku760 founder embryos flanking the 3′ end of the insertion site. The mosaic Et(gata2a:EGFP)pku684 embryos were raised to adulthood and screened for germline transmission of Tol2 excision in their F1 progeny. On average, ∼42% of the F1 embryos displayed loss or altered EGFP patterns, demonstrating that this transposon could be efficiently excised from the zebrafish genome in the germline. Furthermore, from 59 founders, we identified one that transmitted the 1093-bp genomic deletion to its offspring. These results suggest that imprecise Tol2 transposon excision can be used as an alternative strategy to achieve gene targeting in zebrafish.
Coffee Silverskin Extract Protects against Accelerated Aging Caused by Oxidative Agents

Nowadays, coffee beans are almost exclusively used for the preparation of the beverage. The sustainability of coffee production can be achieved introducing new applications for the valorization of coffee by-products. Coffee silverskin is the by-product generated during roasting, and because of its powerful antioxidant capacity, coffee silverskin aqueous extract (CSE) may be used for other applications, such as antiaging cosmetics and dermaceutics. This study aims to contribute to the coffee sector’s sustainability through the application of CSE to preserve skin health. Preclinical data regarding the antiaging properties of CSE employing human keratinocytes and Caenorhabditis elegans are collected during the present study. Accelerated aging was induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH) in HaCaT cells and by ultraviolet radiation C (UVC) in C. elegans. Results suggest that the tested concentrations of coffee extracts were not cytotoxic, and CSE 1 mg/mL gave resistance to skin cells when oxidative damage was induced by t-BOOH. On the other hand, nematodes treated with CSE (1 mg/mL) showed a significant increased longevity compared to those cultured on a standard diet. In conclusion, our results support the antiaging properties of the CSE and its great potential for improving skin health due to its antioxidant character associated with phenols among other bioactive compounds present in the botanical material.
Regional school context and teacher characteristics explaining differences in effective teaching behaviour of beginning teachers in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT This explorative study adopts a regional perspective on understanding differences in observable teaching quality by describing regional levels in teaching quality for specific regions and by examining the contribution of schools’ regional characteristics on effective teaching behaviour of 1,945 beginning teachers in secondary education. Beginning teachers working in schools located in regions of population decline have better basic teaching skills than beginning teachers working elsewhere. Multilevel analyses reveal that within the Randstad region, adaptive instruction skills are weaker in very urban areas. Schools’ changing student numbers influence the quality of adaptive instruction skills and teaching learning strategies. These findings indicate that differences in teaching quality become visible at lower regional levels and are of interest because these effects on student outcomes might not be captured in national figures. This approach adds to existing literature and is useful to tailor current professionalization programmes for beginning teachers to specific regional contexts.
Outstanding Paper Award: Using Max-Plus Algebra to Improve the Analysis of Non-cyclic Task Models

Several models have been proposed to represent conditional executions and dependencies among real-time concurrent tasks for the purpose of schedulability analysis. Among them, task graphs with cyclic recurrent behavior, i.e., those modeled with a single source vertex and a period parameter specifying the minimum amount of time that must elapse between successive activations of the source job, allow for efficient schedulability analysis based on the periodicity of the request and demand bound functions (em rbf and dbf). We leverage results from max-plus algebra to identify a recurrent term in rbf and dbf of general task graph models, even when the execution is neither recurrent nor controlled by a period parameter. As such, the asymptotic complexity of calculating rbf and dbf is independent from the length of the time interval. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements on the runtime for system schedulability analysis.
Letter to the Editor Why do ultra-low-frequency MHD oscillations with a discrete spectrum exist in the magnetosphere?

Abstract. A new concept of the global magnetospheric resonator is suggested for fast magnetosonic waves in which the role of the resonator is played by the near-Earth part of the plasma sheet. It is shown that the magnetosonic wave is confined in this region of the magnetosphere within its boundaries. The representative value of the resonator's eigenfrequency estimated at f ~1MHz is in good agreement with observational data of ultra-low-frequency MHD oscillations of the magnetosphere with a discrete spectrum ( f ~0.8, 1.3, 1.9, 2.6.MHz). The theory explains the ground-based localization of the oscillations observed in the midnight-morning sector of the high-latitude magnetosphere.
Does the cis/trans configuration of peptide bonds in bioactive tripeptides play a role in ACE-1 enzyme inhibition?

Background The milk casein-derived bioactive tripeptides isoleucine-proline-proline (IPP) and valine-proline-proline (VPP) have been shown to prevent development of hypertension in animal models and to lower blood pressure in moderately hypertensive subjects in most but not all clinical trials. Inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 (ACE-1) has been suggested as the explanation for these antihypertensive and beneficial vascular effects. Previously, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) have not been used to test ACE-1 inhibiting properties of casein derived tripeptides in vasculature. Purpose We focused on the cis/trans configurations of the peptide bonds in proline-containing tripeptides in order to discover whether the different structural properties of these peptides influence their activity in ACE-1 inhibition. We hypothesized that the configuration of proline-containing peptides plays a significant role in enzyme inhibition. Methods AutoDock 4.2 docking software was used to predict suitable peptide bond configurations of the tripeptides. Besides modeling studies, we completed ACE-1 activity measurements in vitro using HUVEC cultures. Results In HUVEC cells, both IPP and VPP inhibited ACE-1. Based on molecular docking studies, we propose that in ACE-1 inhibition IPP and VPP share a similar cis configuration between the first aliphatic (isoleucine or valine) and the second (proline) amino acid residues and more different configurations between two proline residues. In vivo experiments are needed to validate the significance of the present findings.
Mbeki's South Africa

IN THE 11 years since it abandoned white minority rule, South Africa has become two different countries. The first is a dramatic success story: once wracked by violence and synonymous with human rights abuses, this South Africa now boasts a stable political system based on a liberal constitution defended by honest courts. It holds regular, free, and fair elections, and the ruling African National Congress (ANc) enjoys enormous support. This South Africa boasts an economy that, encouraged by a pro-business government, is growing much faster than it did under white rule in the 1980s and is attracting ever-larger amounts of foreign investment. The country's activlst president, Thabo Mbeki, has presided over what he calls an "African renaissance," help ing the continent resolve some of its worst crises without meddling from the Western world. The other South Africa barely resembles the first. In this country, the dominant ANC holds such a commanding lead in parliament that it effectively rules the country on its own, viewing any kind of opposition with suspicion. The economy is not growing fast enough to lift the population out of abject poverty or to address the huge structural inequalities. In this South Africa, former Marxist activists turned top government officials remain highly ambivalent about the private sector and foreign investment, and many of their attempts to improve the fortunes of their constituents have re sulted in little more than the enrichment of a few black patriarchs.
On the Welfare Effects of Credit Arrangements

This paper studies the welfare effects of different credit arrangements and how these effects depend on the trading mechanism and inflation. In a competitive market, a deviation from the Friedman rule is always sub-optimal. Moreover, credit arrangements can be welfare-reducing, because increased consumption by credit users will drive up the price level so that money users have to reduce consumption when facing a binding liquidity restraint. By adopting an optimal trading mechanism, however, these welfare implications can be overturned. Price discrimination under the optimal mechanism helps internalize the price effects. First, small deviations from the Friedman rule are no longer welfare-reducing. Second, increasing the access to credit becomes welfare-improving. Finally, the model is extended to study the welfare effects of credit systems when credit serves as means of payment, and endogenous credit constraint.
Steps towards a fairer future. Securing economic development, social equity and sustainability.

1. Introduction p.7 2. From crisis to viable future pathway p.11 3. Income distribution p.49 4. Taxation p.81 5. Work, unemployment and job creation p.110 6. Public services p.125 7. Housing and accommodation p.137 8. Healthcare p.165 9. Education and educational disadvantage p.187 10. People and participation p.201 11. Sustainability p.215 12. Rural development p.233 13. The global south p.247 14. Values p.258
Engineering of Single Ig Superfamily Domain of Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1) for Native Fold and Function*

The immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily is one of the largest families in the vertebrate genome, found most frequently in cell surface molecules. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) contains five extracellular Ig superfamily domains (D1-D5) of which the first domain, D1, is the binding site for the integrin lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) and human rhinovirus. Despite the modular nature of many Ig superfamily domains with respect to domain folding and ligand recognition, D1 does not fold on its own due to the loss of its interaction with the second domain. The goal of this study was to engineer ICAM-1 D1 by introducing mutations that would stabilize the Ig superfamily domain fold while retaining its ability to bind to LFA-1 and rhinovirus. First, with a directed evolution approach, we isolated mutations in D1 that showed binding to conformation-specific antibodies and the ligand binding domain of LFA-1 called the inserted, or I, domain. Then, with a rational design approach we introduced mutations that contributed to the stability of ICAM-1 D1 in solution. The mutations that restored native folding of D1 in isolation were those that would convert hydrogen bond networks in buried regions into hydrophobic contacts. Notably, for most mutations, identical or similar types of substitutions were found in ICAM-1 molecules of different species and other ICAM family members. The systematic approach demonstrated in this study to engineer a single Ig superfamily fold in ICAM-1 can be broadly applicable to the engineering of modular Ig superfamily domains in other cell surface molecules.
A sum rule and physical bound for electromagnetic band gap structures

We give a physical bound on the product of bandwidth and attenuation per unit length for general electromagnetic band gap structures. The analysis is based on the Kramers-Kronig relations for the Bloch refractive index for a fixed direction of propagation through the crystal. The bound is given in terms of the low- and high-frequency asymptotes of the refractive index, which can be given simple estimates in terms of the volume fractions of the component materials and their static permittivities.
Presence of filterable and nonfilterable mRNA in the plasma of cancer patients and healthy individuals.

BACKGROUND As RNA is labile, we investigated whether circulating RNA in human plasma may be present in a particle-associated form. METHODS Blood was collected from 27 healthy individuals and 16 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. The plasma from each individual was processed by two means: filtration through filters with different pore sizes (from 5 microm to 0.22 microm) and ultracentrifugation. We assessed plasma RNA content by a real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR assay for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) transcripts and plasma DNA by a real-time quantitative PCR assay for the beta-globin gene. RESULTS The plasma GAPDH mRNA concentrations in the healthy individuals were significantly different in every pair of these filter sizes (P <0.05 for each pair). Overall, the plasma GAPDH mRNA concentration was higher by a median of 15-fold (interquartile range, 10- to 24-fold) in the paired unfiltered sample than in the sample filtered through a 0.22 microm filter. In contrast, no significant difference was seen in beta-globin DNA concentrations among different pore-size-filtered plasma samples (P = 0.455). Similarly, a significant difference was observed for RNA, but not DNA, between unfiltered plasma and ultracentrifuged plasma (P <0.05). No significant difference in GAPDH mRNA concentrations was seen between the 0.22-microm-filtered plasma samples and the ultracentrifuged plasma samples (P >0.05). In HCC patients, filtration with a 0.22 microm filter produced a median 9.3-fold (interquartile range, 6.9- to 311-fold) reduction in GAPDH mRNA concentration in plasma. Plasma GAPDH mRNA concentrations in HCC patients were significantly higher than those in healthy individuals, both with or without filtration (P <0.0 5 for filtered plasma samples; P <0.005 for unfiltered plasma samples). CONCLUSIONS A substantial proportion of plasma mRNA species is particle-associated. In HCC patients, both circulating particle- and non-particle-associated plasma RNA are increased.
Ceramide-Initiated Protein Phosphatase 2A Activation Contributes to Arterial Dysfunction In Vivo

Prior studies have implicated accumulation of ceramide in blood vessels as a basis for vascular dysfunction in diet-induced obesity via a mechanism involving type 2 protein phosphatase (PP2A) dephosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). The current study sought to elucidate the mechanisms linking ceramide accumulation with PP2A activation and determine whether pharmacological inhibition of PP2A in vivo normalizes obesity-associated vascular dysfunction and limits the severity of hypertension. We show in endothelial cells that ceramide associates with the inhibitor 2 of PP2A (I2PP2A) in the cytosol, which disrupts the association of I2PP2A with PP2A leading to its translocation to the plasma membrane. The increased association between PP2A and eNOS at the plasma membrane promotes dissociation of an Akt-Hsp90-eNOS complex that is required for eNOS phosphorylation and activation. A novel small-molecule inhibitor of PP2A attenuated PP2A activation, prevented disruption of the Akt-Hsp90-eNOS complex in the vasculature, preserved arterial function, and maintained normal blood pressure in obese mice. These findings reveal a novel mechanism whereby ceramide initiates PP2A colocalization with eNOS and demonstrate that PP2A activation precipitates vascular dysfunction in diet-induced obesity. Therapeutic strategies targeted to reducing PP2A activation might be beneficial in attenuating vascular complications that exist in the context of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and conditions associated with insulin resistance.
Evaluation of Histogram of Oriented Gradients Soft Errors Criticality for Automotive Applications

Pedestrian detection reliability is a key problem for autonomous or aided driving, and methods that use Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) are very popular. Embedded Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are exploited to run HOG in a very efficient manner. Unfortunately, GPUs architecture has been shown to be particularly vulnerable to radiation-induced failures. This article presents an experimental evaluation and analytical study of HOG reliability. We aim at quantifying and qualifying the radiation-induced errors on pedestrian detection applications executed in embedded GPUs. We analyze experimental results obtained executing HOG on embedded GPUs from two different vendors, exposed for about 100 hours to a controlled neutron beam at Los Alamos National Laboratory. We consider the number and position of detected objects as well as precision and recall to discriminate critical erroneous computations. The reported analysis shows that, while being intrinsically resilient (65% to 85% of output errors only slightly impact detection), HOG experienced some particularly critical errors that could result in undetected pedestrians or unnecessary vehicle stops. Additionally, we perform a fault-injection campaign to identify HOG critical procedures. We observe that Resize and Normalize are the most sensitive and critical phases, as about 20% of injections generate an output error that significantly impacts HOG detection. With our insights, we are able to find those limited portions of HOG that, if hardened, are more likely to increase reliability without introducing unnecessary overhead.
The relative benefits and cost of medicaid home- and community-based services in Florida.

PURPOSE We compared inpatient days, nursing home days, and total Medicaid claims for five Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services (HCBS) programs for in-home and assisted living services in Florida. DESIGN AND METHODS We studied a single cohort of Medicaid enrollees in Florida aged 60 and older, who were enrolled for the first time in any of five Medicaid HCBS programs and who had at least one assessment (N=6,014). In this 3-year longitudinal study, we used a two-stage probit regression and ordinary least squares regression in order to test the independent effects of explanatory variables on outcomes and cost. RESULTS After controlling for differences in frailty, chronic health conditions, presence of dementia, and available caregiver, we found that Medicaid HCBS programs had a differential effect on hospital and nursing home utilization and cost. IMPLICATIONS Medicaid HCBS programs serve very impaired populations at a wide range of costs to Medicaid. The rates for Medicaid HCBS programs could be adjusted upward or downward in order to better reflect the level of need in each program. At the same time, providers could use titration techniques based on the relative costs of these needs in order to budget for the costs of meeting the needs of particular elders.
An insight into the interplay between culture, conflict and distance in globally distributed requirements negotiations

There is an increasing interest in research addressing issues of global software development. Specifying software requirements is a communication-intensive collaborative activity that is increasingly performed across cultural, language and time zone boundaries. While inadequate communication significantly impacts the bridging of geographical distance between stakeholders, the cultural differences cannot be considered less significant. Findings from two global software development organizations enables us to present a model of impact of distance and the affected requirements activities due to problems of cultural diversity, inadequate communication, knowledge management and time differences. This evidence provides an important insight into the interplay between culture and conflict as well as the impact of distance on the ability to reconcile different viewpoints with regards to requirements and requirements processes.
Regional Gray Matter Atrophy in Patients with Parkinson Disease and Freezing of Gait

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: FOG is a troublesome symptom of PD. Despite growing evidence suggesting that FOG in PD may be associated with cognitive dysfunction, the relationship between regional brain atrophy and FOG has been poorly investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Optimized VBM was applied to 3T brain MR images of 24 patients with PD and 12 HC. Patients were classified as either FOG− or FOG+ (n = 12) based on their responses to a validated FOG Questionnaire and clinical observation. All patients with PD also underwent a detailed neuropsychological evaluation. RESULTS: The VBM analysis in patients with FOG+ showed a reduced GM volume in the left cuneus, precuneus, lingual gyrus, and posterior cingulate cortex compared with both patients with FOG− and HC. We did not detect any significant change of GM volume when comparing HC versus all patients with PD (FOG− and FOG+). FOG clinical severity was significantly correlated with GM loss in posterior cortical regions. Finally, patients with FOG+ scored lower on tests of frontal lobe function. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first evidence that the development of FOG in patients with PD is associated with posterior GM atrophy, which may play a role in the complex pathophysiology of this disabling symptom.