Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Observations of SiO Maser Sources within a Few Parsec from the Galactic Center

Mapping and monitoring observations of SiO maser sources near the Galactic center were made with the Nobeyama 45-m telescope at 43 GHz. Rectangular mapping an area of approximately 200'' x 100''$ in a 30'' grid, and triangular mapping in a 20'' grid toward the Galactic center, resulted in 15 detections of SiO sources; the positions of the sources were obtained with errors of 5--10'', except for a few weak sources. Three-year monitoring observations found that the component at V_lsr=-27 km/s of IRS 10 EE flared to about 1.5 Jy during 2000 March--May, which was a factor of more than 5 brighter than its normal intensity. Using the radial velocities and positions of the SiO sources, we identified 5 which are counterparts of previously observed OH 1612 MHz sources. The other 10 SiO sources have no OH counterparts, but two were previously detected with VLA, and four are located close to the positions of large-amplitude variables observed at near-infrared wavelengths. A least-squares fit to a plot of velocities versus Galactic longitudes gives a rather high speed for the rotation of the star cluster around the Galactic center. The observed radial-velocity dispersion is roughly consistent with a value obtained before. It was found that all of the SiO sources with OH 1612 MHz counterparts have periods of light variation longer than 450 days, while SiO sources without OH masers often have periods shorter than 450 days. This fact suggests that lower-mass AGB stars are more often detected in SiO masers than in the OH 1612 MHz line.
Mobility Metrics for Adaptive Routing

Most existing mobile ad hoc routing protocols preset the parameters for the nodes based on some assumed network conditions. Because of the dynamic characteristics of a MANET, network conditions are changing at different points of time. Adaptively adjusting routing behavior by individual nodes will improve the routing protocol performance. In this paper, we mainly focus on the node mobility, and show the correlation between overall performance and node mobility level with simulation results for three different mobility models. We also study the effect of the mobility from point of view of individual nodes. Finally we propose the number of link breakages as a mobility metric, which is mobility model independent, that nodes can use it to monitor the environment changes
A COLLOCATED FINITE VOLUME METHOD FOR PREDICTING FLOWS AT ALL SPEEDS

An existing two-dimensional method for the prediction of steady-state incompressible flows in complex geometry is extended to treat also compressible flows at all speeds. The primary variables are the Cartesian velocity components, pressure and temperature. Density is linked to pressure via an equation of state. The influence of pressure on density in the case of compressible flows is implicitly incorporated into the extended SIMPLE algorithm, which in the limit of incompressible flow reduces to its well-known form. Special attention is paid to the numerical treatment of boundary conditions. The method is verified on a number of test cases (inviscid and viscous flows), and both the results and convergence properties compare favourably with other numerical results available in the literature.
Precise Numerical Evaluation of the Scalar One-Loop Integrals with the Infrared Divergence

We present a new approach for obtaining very precise integration results for infrared vertex and box diagrams, where the integration is carried out directly without performing any analytic integration of Feynman parameters. Using an appropriate numerical integration routine with an extrapolation method, together with a multi-precision lib rary, we have obtained integration results which agree with the analytic results to 10 digits even for such a very small photon mass as 10 150 GeV in the infrared vertex diagram.
Technology Shocks and Aggregate Fluctuations: How Well Does the RBC Model Fit Post-War Us Data?

Our answer: Not so well. We reached that conclusion after reviewing recent research on the role of technology as a source of economic fluctuations. The bulk of the evidence suggests a limited role for aggregate technology shocks, pointing instead to demand factors as the main force behind the strong positive comovement between output and labor input measures.
The Role of Second Menu Costs – Two-Product Firms and the Real Effects of Nominal Shocks∗

Midrigan (2008) shows that if two-product firms have increasing returns in their re-pricing technology, then nominal shocks can have real effects – a result contradicting the findings of Golosov-Lucas (2007) in a model of single-product firms. This paper builds a standard menu cost model with two-product firms where the cost of changing the second price (the “second menu cost”) can be anything between zero (as in Midrigan) and the first menu cost (as in Golosov-Lucas), and shows that under reasonably calibrated leptokurtic shocks the real effect of nominal shocks is decreasing fast with the increasing relative size of the second menu cost. To identify the size of the second menu cost, we use the distributional characteristics (frequency, size, kurtosis) of micro-level price changes during the natural experiment provided by a series of large value-added tax increases in Hungary. We find that without further channels, the real effects of monetary policy in these models are still limited.
Graph Coloring on the GPU and Some Techniques to Improve Load Imbalance

Graphics processing units (GPUs) have been increasingly used to accelerate irregular applications such as graph and sparse-matrix computation. Graph coloring is a key building block for many graph applications. The first step of many graph applications is graph coloring/partitioning to obtain sets of independent vertices for subsequent parallel computations. However, parallelization and optimization of coloring for GPUs have been a challenge for programmers. This paper studies approaches to implementing graph coloring on a GPU and characterizes their program behaviors with different graph structures. We also investigate load imbalance, which can be the main cause for performance bottlenecks. We evaluate the effectiveness of different optimization techniques, including the use of work stealing and the design of a hybrid algorithm. We are able to improve graph coloring performance by approximately 25% compared to a baseline GPU implementation on an AMD Radeon HD 7950 GPU. We also analyze some important factors affecting performance.
Does Oil and Goodwill Mix?: Examining the Oil and Gas Industry’s Impact on Stakeholder Engagement on Facebook

ABSTRACT The present study explores how oil and gas companies use Facebook to communicate about community-supporting initiatives and engage stakeholders. Drawing from the company–cause fit and social interactivity literature, we examined the type of message and the language used in company Facebook posts to elicit stakeholder engagement, as measured by the number of likes, shares, and comments. We content analyzed 953 Facebook posts from 12 companies featured on Oil & Gas Journal’s top 50-company list. The results showed that, although oil and gas companies are posting about their CSR-related efforts on Facebook, their lack of two-way messaging and interactive language use are not effectively engaging stakeholders. In terms of theory, this study advances company–cause fit and interactive studies by applying them to the oil and gas industry. In terms of practice, the results highlight the importance of using diverse messaging and interactive language when utilizing Facebook to engage stakeholders.
The Effect of Haptic Support Systems on Driver Performance: A Literature Survey

A large number of haptic driver support systems have been described in the scientific literature. However, there is little consensus regarding the design, evaluation methods, and effectiveness of these systems. This literature survey aimed to investigate: (1) what haptic systems (in terms of function, haptic signal, channel, and supported task) have been experimentally tested, (2) how these haptic systems have been evaluated, and (3) their reported effects on driver performance and behaviour. We reviewed empirical research in which participants had to drive a vehicle in a real or simulated environment, were able to control the heading and/or speed of the vehicle, and a haptic signal was provided to them. The results indicated that a clear distinction can be made between warning systems (using vibrations) and guidance systems (using continuous forces). Studies typically used reaction time measures for evaluating warning systems and vehicle-centred performance measures for evaluating guidance systems. In general, haptic warning systems reduced the reaction time of a driver compared to no warnings, although these systems may cause annoyance. Guidance systems generally improved the performance of drivers compared to non-aided driving, but these systems may suffer from after-effects. Longitudinal research is needed to investigate the transfer and retention of effects caused by haptic support systems.
The cadence of nature for educating: Uncovering a path to knowing in a comparative study of Daoism and lost gospels

Abstract This article compares the two worldviews of Daoism and selected lost gospels, and considers the pedagogical implications. It explores their core concepts and how each applies these concepts to define human beings in their world. The comparative analysis shows that they share a view of a process of becoming that defines how humans know and the nature of reality. Interdependence and impermanence, descriptors of nature, are the core concepts. Humans, as part of nature, direct becoming by aligning with the core concepts through the removal of unnatural influences. In alignment, they are in a state searching for definition and open to creation, enacting a different way of constructing meaning and interpreting their world. The similarities found between Daoism and a lost mode of thought in Western cultures further characterize the process. It suggests that this path to becoming was lost in the process of modernization, raising the questions of what the totality of human potential entails, and how we might fulfill it in educating.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor V 66 M polymorphism in childhood-onset obsessive – compulsive disorder

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent, intrusive, and disturbing thoughts, as well as by repetitive stereotypic behaviour. Insight into the senseless nature of the symptoms is generally preserved. Patients try, albeit usually unsuccessfully, to suppress the obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. Acting out the stereotypic behaviours reduces the anxiety generated by the obsessions and compulsions (APA, 2000). In 60% of patients OCD develops before the age of 25 yr, and onset of disease can already occur in childhood (Flament et al., 1990). Familial loading is higher in early-onset OCD, indicating that genetic factors may be of greater importance in OCD with early onset (Pauls et al., 1995). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) belongs to the neurotrophin superfamily and influences neuronal proliferation and survival as well as synaptic growth and memory formation (Hariri et al., 2003). Like other members of the neurotrophin superfamily, BDNF is synthesized as a larger precursor peptide, pro-BDNF, which is proteolytically cleaved to yield the mature protein (Seidah et al., 1996). A polymorphism in the BDNF gene leading to a valinepmethionine (V66M) substitution in the prodomain of BDNF has been described (Cargill et al., 1999). The structure of the mature BDNF protein does not appear to be influenced by this polymorphism, since the amino-acid exchange is located in the prodomain of the precursor which is removed when mature BDNF is formed. However, it has recently been shown that this BDNF polymorphism influences the intracellular trafficking and packaging of pro-BDNF in cultured hippocampal neurons and thereby the activity-dependent secretion of mature BDNF (Egan et al., 2003). Genomic imaging studies have shown that carriers of the BDNF M66 variant exhibit diminished hippocampal activity during memory encoding and retrieval tasks than subjects with the V66/V66 genotype (Hariri et al., 2003). The reported frequency of the allele encoding V66 is 75% (Cargill et al., 1999; Sen et al., 2003). A recent study has reported that the BDNF allele encoding V66 confers an increased risk for OCD (Hall et al., 2003). In that study, 44 patients with adult-onset OCD, 38 children with childhood-onset OCD, and 82 adults who reported OCD onset prior to the age of 18 yr, as well as their parents, were genotyped. The transmission rate of V66 in that study was 69% (58 transmissions, 26 non-transmissions; p=0.0005). Since inhibition of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) by serotonin re-uptake inhibitors such as clomipramine and fluoxetine is the best pharmacological treatment available for OCD (Zohar et al., 2000) and BDNF is a specific growth and differentiation factor for serotonergic neurons (Mamounas et al., 1995) and modulates 5-HTT expression (Mössner et al., 2000), we assessed the BDNF V66M polymorphism in childhood-onset OCD.
Glutamatergic regulation of ghrelin-induced activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system

Recently, we demonstrated that the central ghrelin signalling system, involving the ghrelin receptor (GHS‐R1A), is important for alcohol reinforcement. Ghrelin targets a key mesolimbic circuit involved in natural as well as drug‐induced reinforcement, that includes a dopamine projection from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens. The aim of the present study was to determine whether it is possible to suppress ghrelin's effects on this mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway can be suppressed, by interrupting afferent inputs to the VTA dopaminergic cells, as shown previously for cholinergic afferents. Thus, the effects of pharmacological suppression of glutamatergic, orexin A and opioid neurotransmitter systems on ghrelin‐induced activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system were investigated. We found in the present study that ghrelin‐induced locomotor stimulation was attenuated by VTA administration of the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartic acid receptor antagonist (AP5) but not by VTA administration of an orexin A receptor antagonist (SB334867) or by peripheral administration of an opioid receptor antagonist (naltrexone). Intra‐VTA administration of AP5 also suppressed the ghrelin‐induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Finally the effects of peripheral ghrelin on locomotor stimulation and accumbal dopamine release were blocked by intra‐VTA administration of a GHS‐R1A antagonist (BIM28163), indicating that GHS‐R1A signalling within the VTA is required for the ghrelin‐induced activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system. Given the clinical knowledge that hyperghrelinemia is associated with addictive behaviours (such as compulsive overeating and alcohol use disorder) our finding highlights a potential therapeutic strategy involving glutamatergic control of ghrelin action at the level of the mesolimbic dopamine system.
Please Scroll down for Article International Journal of Radiation Biology Long-term Changes in Rat Hematopoietic and Other Physiological Systems after High-energy Iron Ion Irradiation Long-term Changes in Rat Hematopoietic and Other Physiological Systems after High-energy Iron Ion Irradiation

(2008)'Long-term changes in rat hematopoietic and other physiological systems after high-energy iron ion irradiation', This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Abstract Purpose: To assess the long-term consequences of high-linear energy transfer (LET) iron ion radiation on immune and other critical body systems in the context of assessing potential effects astronauts may experience during exploratory missions. Materials and methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were nearly whole-body irradiated with 56-Fe (5 GeV/n) to total doses of 0, 1, 2, and 4 Gray (Gy) and euthanized 9 months post-exposure for analyses. Results: Irradiated groups consistently had low body mass. Numbers of circulating white blood cells (WBC), lymphocytes and monocytes were lower in the 2 Gy group compared to 0 Gy (p 5 0.05); a trend for low granulocytes was also noted. Red blood cell counts, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were decreased in irradiated animals (p 5 0.05), whereas platelet counts and volume were unaffected. In the spleen, WBC counts and DNA synthesis by T cells were similar among groups and there were no differences in secreted interferon-g and interleukin-6. However, trends were noted for increased splenocyte capacity to secrete tumor necrosis factor-a and increased level of vascular endothelial cell growth factor in plasma. One or more of the irradiated groups had significant (p 5 0.05) aberrations in several blood chemistry parameters associated with liver and kidney function. Conclusion: The data show that exposure to 56-Fe radiation induced pathological changes in important body systems long after exposure.
Differences of endogenous polyamines and putative genes associated with paraquat resistance in goosegrass (Eleusine indica L.)

Background Paraquat is one of the most effective herbicides used to control weeds in agricultural management, while the pernicious weed goosegrass (Eleusine indica) has evolved resistance to herbicides, including paraquat. Polyamines provide high-level paraquat resistance in many plants. In the present study, we selected three polyamines, namely, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, as putative genes to investigate their correlation with paraquat resistance by using paraquat-resistant (R) and paraquat-susceptible (S) goosegrass populations. Results There was no significant difference in the putrescine nor spermine content between the R and S biotypes. However, 30 and 90 min after paraquat treatment, the spermidine concentration was 346.14-fold and 421.04-fold (P < 0.001) higher in the R biotype than in the S biotype, but the spermidine concentration was drastically reduced to a marginal level after 90 min. Since the transcript level of PqE was low while the spermidine concentration showed a transient increase, the PqE gene was likely involved in the synthesis of the paraquat resistance mechanism, regulation of polyamine content, and synthesis of spermidine and spermine. PqTS1, PqTS2, and PqTS3 encode transporter proteins involved in the regulation of paraquat concentration but showed different transcription patterns with synchronous changes in polyamine content. Conclusion Endogenous polyamines (especially spermidine) play a vital role in paraquat resistance in goosegrass. PqE, PqTS1, PqTS2, and PqTS3 were speculated on the relationship between polyamine metabolism and paraquat resistance. To validate the roles of PqE, PqTS1, PqTS2, and PqTS3 in polyamine transport systems, further research is needed.
Predicting Early Bulbar Decline in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Speech Subsystem Approach

Purpose. To develop a predictive model of speech loss in persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) based on measures of respiratory, phonatory, articulatory, and resonatory functions that were selected using a data-mining approach. Method. Physiologic speech subsystem (respiratory, phonatory, articulatory, and resonatory) functions were evaluated longitudinally in 66 individuals with ALS using multiple instrumentation approaches including acoustic, aerodynamic, nasometeric, and kinematic. The instrumental measures of the subsystem functions were subjected to a principal component analysis and linear mixed effects models to derive a set of comprehensive predictors of bulbar dysfunction. These subsystem predictors were subjected to a Kaplan-Meier analysis to estimate the time until speech loss. Results. For a majority of participants, speech subsystem decline was detectible prior to declines in speech intelligibility and speaking rate. Among all subsystems, the articulatory and phonatory predictors were most responsive to early bulbar deterioration; and the resonatory and respiratory predictors were as responsive to bulbar decline as was speaking rate. Conclusions. The articulatory and phonatory predictors are sensitive indicators of early bulbar decline due to ALS, which has implications for predicting disease onset and progression and clinical management of ALS.
Environmental Effects on Vertebrate Species Richness: Testing the Energy, Environmental Stability and Habitat Heterogeneity Hypotheses

Background Explaining species richness patterns is a central issue in biogeography and macroecology. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanisms driving biodiversity patterns, but the causes of species richness gradients remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to explain the impacts of energy, environmental stability, and habitat heterogeneity factors on variation of vertebrate species richness (VSR), based on the VSR pattern in China, so as to test the energy hypothesis, the environmental stability hypothesis, and the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis. Methodology/Principal Findings A dataset was compiled containing the distributions of 2,665 vertebrate species and eleven ecogeographic predictive variables in China. We grouped these variables into categories of energy, environmental stability, and habitat heterogeneity and transformed the data into 100×100 km quadrat systems. To test the three hypotheses, AIC-based model selection was carried out between VSR and the variables in each group and correlation analyses were conducted. There was a decreasing VSR gradient from the southeast to the northwest of China. Our results showed that energy explained 67.6% of the VSR variation, with the annual mean temperature as the main factor, which was followed by annual precipitation and NDVI. Environmental stability factors explained 69.1% of the VSR variation and both temperature annual range and precipitation seasonality had important contributions. By contrast, habitat heterogeneity variables explained only 26.3% of the VSR variation. Significantly positive correlations were detected among VSR, annual mean temperature, annual precipitation, and NDVI, whereas the relationship of VSR and temperature annual range was strongly negative. In addition, other variables showed moderate or ambiguous relations to VSR. Conclusions/Significance The energy hypothesis and the environmental stability hypothesis were supported, whereas little support was found for the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis.
Illumination robust optical flow estimation by illumination-chromaticity decoupling

In this paper, a novel optical flow algorithm which is robust to illumination variation is proposed. HSL color space is adopted to decouple illumination and chromaticity information. The chromaticity component is normalized by chroma and transformed to the cartesian coordinate. Then, the decoupled distance is defined using both illumination and chromaticity. Cost function for the optical flow is formulated using l1 norm of the decoupled distance with Huber norm regularization term. The cost function is efficiently minimized by utilizing Legendre-Fenchel transform. Optical flow field is further refined via weighted median filter whose weight is also based on the decoupled distance. Experimental results show that the proposed method works robustly even in the presence of severe illumination variation.