Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An intense soft excess and evidence for light bending in the luminous narrow‐line quasar PHL 1092

The narrow-line quasar PHL 1092 was observed by XMM-Newton at two epochs separated by nearly 30 months. Timing analyses confirm the extreme variability observed during previous X-ray missions. A measurement of the radiative efficiency is in excess of what is expected from a Schwarzschild black hole. In addition to the rapid X-ray variability, the short ultraviolet (UV) light curves ( 2 keV) do not appear highly variable. The X-ray spectrum resembles that of many narrow-line Seyfert 1 type galaxies: an intense soft excess modelled with a multicolour disc blackbody, a power-law component, and an absorption line at ∼1.4 keV. The ∼1.4-kev feature is curious given that it was not detected in previous observations, and its presence could be related to the strength of the soft excess. Of further interest is curvature in the spectrum above ∼2 keV which can be described by a strong reflection component. The strong reflection component, lack of high-energy temporal variability, and extreme radiative efficiency measurements can be understood if we consider gravitational light-bending effects close to a maximally rotating black hole.
Ethical Issues in Advertising in Pakistan: An Islamic Perspective

This research paper attempts to explore ethical issues in the contemporary advertising campaigns of controversial products in Pakistan from Shari'ah perspective. The paper aims to see the offensive behavior towards these advertisements and how it is affected by the religious perceptions, gender differences and nature of advertising appeals. A survey of 200 graduate students was conducted at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Questionnaire used for survey was consisted of three sections; first section contained a list of five controversial products, second contained a list of five advertising appeals and third section contained a list of fifteen items that tend to measure the religious perceptions of the respondents. Data was coded into SPSS and tested for its validity and reliability. Descriptive statistics as well as correlations and t-tests were applied to analyze the data. Level of offensiveness towards advertisements of controversial products was found to be significantly associated with religious perceptions and nature of advertising appeals. Nudity and sexist images as advertising appeals were found to have significant association with the level of offensiveness of the consumers. This research leads to important managerial implications and identifies important ethical issues in advertising that are contradictory to the injunctions of Islam.
TOWARD AUTOMATIC SOUND SOURCE RECOGNITION: IDENTIFYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

One of the broad goals of research in computational auditory scene analysis (CASA) is to create computer systems that can learn to recognize sound sources in a complex auditory environment. In this paper, a set of acoustic features is proposed that relate to the physical properties of sound-producing objects. In particular, a set of orchestral musical instrument sounds is presented as representative of the class of sounds produced by quasi-periodic excitation of resonant structures, acoustic properties of this class are considered, and the log-lag correlogram is presented as a signal representation that codes many of the proposed features. Specific examples are given of features extracted from violin, trumpet, and flute tones. Extensions to Ellis’s prediction-driven CASA framework are proposed in the form of a hierarchy of sound-source models represented by frames. It is suggested that the goal of building an artificial system for sound source recognition in complex mixtures may be well served by such an approach.
Dust, Gas, and the Evolutionary Status of the Radio Galaxy 8C 1435+635 at z = 4.25

We present the results of new rest-frame far-IR observations of the z = 4.25 radio galaxy 8C 1435+635, which not only confirm that it contains an enormous quantity of dust (as first inferred from its millimeter-wave detection by Ivison in 1995), but also allow the first meaningful constraints to be placed on the mass of this dust and associated gas. The new measurements consist of (1) clear detections of submillimeter continuum emission at λobs = 450 and 850 μm obtained with the new submillimeter bolometer array, SCUBA, on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, (2) continuum upper limits at λobs = 350, 750, and 175 μm obtained with SCUBA and the PHT far-IR camera aboard the Infrared Space Observatory, and (3) a sensitive upper limit on the CO (4-3) line flux obtained with the IRAM 30 m Millimeter Radio Telescope. The resulting rest-frame 33-238 μm continuum coverage allows us to deduce that 2 × 108 M☉ of dust at a temperature of 40 ± 5 K is responsible for the observed millimeter/submillimeter emission. Using our CO upper limit, which constrains MH2/Md to less than 950, we go on to calculate robust limits on the total gas reserves (H2 + H I), which are thereby constrained to between 4 × 1010 and 1.2 × 1012 M☉. The submillimeter properties of 8C 1435+635 are thus strikingly similar to those of the z = 3.80 radio galaxy 4C 41.17, the only other high-redshift galaxy detected to date at submillimeter wavelengths whose properties appear not to be exaggerated by gravitational lensing. The inferred gas masses of both objects are sufficiently large to suggest that the formative starbursts of massive elliptical galaxies are still in progress at z ≃ 4. Observations of complete samples of radio galaxies spanning a range of redshifts and radio luminosities will be required to determine whether the spectacular far-IR properties of 8C 1435+635 and 4C 41.17 are primarily due to their extreme redshifts or to their extreme radio luminosities.
Multiframe assignment tracker for MSTWG data

In this paper, a multiframe assignment tracker is applied to the simulated data sets provided by the Multistatic Tracking Working Group (MSTWG). The multiframe assignment tracker solves the data association problem as a constrained optimization for fusing multiple sets of data to the tracks with an Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) estimator. The challenges with these data sets are high false alarm rate, low probability of detection and multiple synchronous/asynchronous sensors. Multiframe data association is used to perform data association, which is the crucial part of the tracking. Centralized tracking is used to optimally fuse the information from multiple sensors. A track's status is updated using an m out of n logic rather than the track quality based logic that requires more accurate probability of detection values, which are not available and vary with time and geometry in the MSTWG data sets. The results obtained with the multiframe assignment tracker for all the data sets are given in the form of MSTWG performance metrics.
Sociological and Psychological Aspects of Information Literacy in Higher Education

This work investigates several sociological and psychological factors that are believed to affect college-level students' ability to make relevance judgements, including exposure to and experience in information environments and subsequent performance in such environments. "Information Literacy in Higher Education" addresses Neely's investigation, her data collection methods, as well as her data analysis, and explains how her thesis research led her to create guidelines on how academic institutions can improve their approach to information literacy. Included in the text are several recommendations for those exploring future research options on information literacy, as well as guidelines on how academic institutions can better serve students in information literacy.
Greece's New Political Economy: State, Finance and Growth from Postwar to EMU

Introduction: The Importance of Finance and the Origins of Developmentalism Regime Dependencies and the Political Economy of Postwar Economic Policies Policy Paradigms, Financial Intervention and the Limits of Developmentalism Crisis and Transition: Regime Change, Democratization and the Decline of Developmentalism Central Bank, Government and the Politics of Financial Liberalization Banks and Socioeconomic Interests: Winners and Losers of Financial Reform The New Political Economy of Financial Integration, Globalization and the EMU State, Finance and Growth: Beyond the New Political Economy
Profit-maximizing responses to climate change in commodity agriculture: Does adaptation matter?

Erangu Purath Mohankumar, Sajeev. M.S., Purdue University, December 2014. Profit-Maximizing Responses to Climate Change in Commodity Agriculture: Does Adaptation Matter? Major Professor: Benjamin M. Gramig Accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to rising temperatures, and is expected to lead to a change in climate. Crop yields are vulnerable to these changes. Adaptation is expected to be key to combating climate change impacts, but the effectiveness of adaptation strategies is not well understood. Hence, there is a need to assess the impacts of climate change on agriculture and devise profitable adaptation strategies to combat its effects. This study uses historical and three projected climate data sets to simulate yields using the crop model Daycent, empirical relationships between weather and agronomic variables that influence farm management decisions, and a linear optimization model (Purdue Crop/Livestock Linear Program, PCLP-GAMS) to: 1) Provide an integrated assessment of the farm-level impacts of climate change; 2) Identify farm-level adaptation practices and estimate their cost; and 3) Solve for profit-maximizing crop rotations and management adaptations. This approach is applied to a representative corn and soybean farm for a case study located outside Rensselaer, Indiana .
Pharmacological inhibition of the spliceosome subunit SF 3 b triggers EJC-independent NMD

Spliceostatin A, meayamycin, and pladienolide B are small molecules that target the SF3b subunit of spliceosomal U2 snRNP. These compounds are attracting much attention as tools to manipulate splicing and potential anti-cancer drugs. We investigated the effects of these inhibitors on mRNA transport and stability in human cells. Upon splicing inhibition unspliced pre-mRNAs accumulated in the nucleus, particularly within enlarged nuclear speckles. Yet, a small fraction of the pre-mRNA molecules were exported to the cytoplasm. We identified the export adaptor ALYREF associated with intron-containing transcripts and show its requirement for the nucleocytoplasmic transport of unspliced pre-mRNA. In contrast, the EJC core protein eIF4AIII failed to form a stable complex with intron-containing transcripts. Despite the absence of EJC, unspliced pre-mRNA in the cytoplasm was degraded by NMD, suggesting that unspliced transcripts are degraded by an EJC-independent NMD pathway. Collectively, our results indicate that although blocking the function of SF3b elicits a massive accumulation of unspliced pre-mRNAs in the nucleus, introncontaining transcripts can still bind the ALYREF export factor and be transported to the cytoplasm, where they trigger an alternative NMD pathway.
Immunohistochemical Investigation of HER/AKT/mTOR Pathway and Cellular Adhesion Molecules in Urothelial Carcinomas

Background. Several investigators have suggested the possibility that the expression of both EGFR and HER2 could be utilized for molecularly targeted therapy in urinary bladder cancer. We tried to evaluate the expression of HER2 and EGFR and activation of the AKT/PTEN/mTOR pathway in urothelial carcinomas and if there is any association between them and cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs). Materials and Methods. Forty-one paraffin-embedded urothelial cancer tissue blocks were collected. Immunostains for HER2, EGFR, MIB1, phospho-AKT, PTEN, phospho-mTOR, e-cadherin, p-cadherin, and b-catenin were performed on tissue microarrays sections. The immunohistochemical results were correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Results. The overexpression of HER2 was found in 19.6% of the cases and it was associated with high grade tumors with a high mitotic index and phosphorylation of AKT and mTOR. Muscle-invasive tumors presented both cytoplasmic and nuclear losses of PTEN expression. There was no association between HER/AKT/mTOR pathway activation and CAM expression. Although cadherins were often coexpressed, only p-cadherin immunoreactivity was associated with tumor grade and high proliferative index. Conclusions. HER2 overexpression is found in a respective proportion of urothelial carcinomas. P-cadherin expression is associated with high grade UCs but it is not affected by HER2 overexpression or by activation of HER/AKT/mTOR pathway.
Processing and Integration of Contextual Information in Monkey Ventrolateral Prefrontal Neurons during Selection and Execution of Goal-Directed Manipulative Actions

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is deemed to underlie the complexity, flexibility, and goal-directedness of primates' behavior. Most neurophysiological studies performed so far investigated PFC functions with arm-reaching or oculomotor tasks, thus leaving unclear whether, and to which extent, PFC neurons also play a role in goal-directed manipulative actions, such as those commonly used by primates during most of their daily activities. Here we trained two macaques to perform or withhold grasp-to-eat and grasp-to-place actions, depending on the combination of two subsequently presented cues: an auditory go/no-go cue (high/low tone) and a visually presented target (food/object). By varying the order of presentation of the two cues, we could segment and independently evaluate the processing and integration of contextual information allowing the monkey to make a decision on whether or not to act, and what action to perform. We recorded 403 task-related neurons from the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC): unimodal sensory-driven (37%), motor-related (21%), unimodal sensory-and-motor (23%), and multisensory (19%) neurons. Target and go/no-go selectivity characterized most of the recorded neurons, particularly those endowed with motor-related discharge. Interestingly, multisensory neurons appeared to encode a behavioral decision independently from the sensory modality of the stimulus allowing the monkey to make it: some of them reflected the decision to act or refraining from acting (56%), whereas others (44%) encoded the decision to perform (or withhold) a specific action (e.g., grasp-to-eat). Our findings indicate that VLPFC neurons play a role in the processing of contextual information underlying motor decision during goal-directed manipulative actions. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We demonstrated that macaque ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) neurons show remarkable selectivity for different aspects of the contextual information allowing the monkey to select and execute goal-directed manipulative actions. Interestingly, a set of these neurons provide multimodal representations of the intended goal of a forthcoming action, encoding a behavioral decision (e.g., grasp-to-eat) independently from the sensory information allowing the monkey to make it. Our findings expand the available knowledge on prefrontal functions by showing that VLPFC neurons play a role in the selection and execution of goal-directed manipulative actions resembling those of common primates' foraging behaviors. On these bases, we propose that VLPFC may host an abstract “vocabulary” of the intended goals pursued by primates in their natural environment.
What is the Real Effect of Schooling on Economic Growth

This paper examines the effect of schooling on economic growth. It tests the link between schooling and economic growth using the system GMM estimation for a panel of 86 countries in the years 1960-2005. Affirming the results of the previous literature the positive impact of schooling on growth has been confirmed. The paper presents two main findings. First, additional year of schooling contributes positively to per capita output growth. Secondly, high percentage share of population with no formal education results in economic growth slowdown.
Memory for single items, word pairs, and temporal order of different kinds in a patient with selective hippocampal lesions

One kind of between-list and two kinds of within-list temporal order memory were examined in a patient with selective bilateral hippocampal lesions. This damage disrupted memory for all three kinds of temporal order memory, but left item and word pair recognition relatively intact. These findings are inconsistent with claims that (1) hippocampal lesions, like those of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) cortex, disrupt item and word pair recognition, and that (2) hippocampal lesions disrupt temporal order memory and item recognition to the same degree. Not only was word pair recognition intact in the patient, but further evidence indicates that her recognition of other associations between items of the same kind is also spared so retrieval of such associations cannot be sufficient to support within-list temporal order recognition. Rather, as other evidence indicates that the patient is impaired at recognition of associations between different kinds of information, within-list (and possibly between-list) temporal order memory may be impaired by hippocampal lesions because it critically depends on retrieving associations between different kinds of information.
Body Fat Percentage and Body Mass Index as Predictors of Cadets' Physical Performance

The purpose of this study was twofold: Firstly, to examine the use of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Body Fat (BF %) measurements in order to monitor the cadets in the Hellenic Army Academy and secondly, to evaluate the aspects that enhance the performance of the cadets in specific physical activities, in order to help them to be more efficient in their duties as officers. More specifically, this study sets out to examine the advantage or disadvantage that cadets, with specific body composition have towards their peers and whether these characteristics can predict their performance in specific tests. Anthropometric measurements (height, body mass, BMI and BF %) and performance in specific physical tests were assessed for 868 male cadets with an average age of 19.9±1.6 years from all 4 undergraduate classes of the Academy. The results were extracted through odds ratios analysis for the different categories. It was shown that the cadets who belonged to groups with lower BMI and BF % had an advantage in their performance during the tests. BF % was presented as a more accurate predictor than BMI and the odds ratios for the tests revealed interesting associations, between the BF % of the cadets and their probability to accomplish specific tasks, which may help to enhance performance. In conclusion, it was recommended to use more than one anthropometric component for classification of the cadets and not to depend solely on BMI values, in order to have a more holistic picture of their physical condition and physical activity levels.
Group dynamics in discussing incidental topics over online social networks

The groups discussing incidental popular topics over online social networks have recently become a research focus. By analyzing some fundamental relationships in these groups, we find that the traditional models are not suitable for describing the group dynamics of incidental topics. In this article we analyze the dynamics of online groups discussing incidental popular topics and present a new model for predicting the dynamic sizes of incidental topic groups. We discover that the dynamic sizes of incidental topic groups follow a heavy-tailed distribution. Based on this finding, we develop an adaptive parametric method for predicting the dynamics of this type of group. The model presented in the article is validated using actual data from LiveJournal and Sohu blogs. The empirical results show that the model can effectively predict the dynamic characteristics of incidental topic groups over both short and long timescales, and outperforms the SIR model. We conclude by offering two strategies for promoting the group popularity of incidental topics.
Hepcidin Response to Iron Therapy in Patients with Non-Dialysis Dependent CKD: An Analysis of the FIND-CKD Trial

Hepcidin is the key regulator of iron homeostasis but data are limited regarding its temporal response to iron therapy, and response to intravenous versus oral iron. In the 56-week, open-label, multicenter, prospective, randomized FIND-CKD study, 626 anemic patients with non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (ND-CKD) and iron deficiency not receiving an erythropoiesis stimulating agent were randomized (1:1:2) to intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), targeting higher (400–600μg/L) or lower (100–200μg/L) ferritin, or to oral iron. Serum hepcidin levels were measured centrally in a subset of 61 patients. Mean (SD) baseline hepcidin level was 4.0(3.5), 7.3(6.4) and 6.5(5.6) ng/mL in the high ferritin FCM (n = 17), low ferritin FCM (n = 16) and oral iron group (n = 28). The mean (SD) endpoint value (i.e. the last post-baseline value) was 26.0(9.1),15.7(7.7) and 16.3(11.0) ng/mL, respectively. The increase in hepcidin from baseline was significantly smaller with low ferritin FCM or oral iron vs high ferritin FCM at all time points up to week 52. Significant correlations were found between absolute hepcidin and ferritin values (r = 0.65, p<0.001) and between final post-baseline increases in both parameters (r = 0.70, p<0.001). The increase in hepcidin levels over the 12-month study generally mirrored the cumulative iron dose in each group. Hepcidin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) absolute values showed no correlation, although there was an association between final post-baseline increases (r = 0.42, p<0.001). Absolute values (r = 0.36, p = 0.004) and final post-baseline increases of hepcidin and hemoglobin (p = 0.30, p = 0.030) correlated weakly. Baseline hepcidin levels were not predictive of a hematopoietic response to iron therapy. In conclusion, hepcidin levels rose in response to either intravenous or oral iron therapy, but the speed and extent of the rise was greatest with intravenous iron targeting a higher ferritin level. However neither the baseline level nor the change in hepcidin was able to predict response to therapy in this cohort.