Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relativistic outflows from remnants of compact object mergers and their viability for short gamma-ray bursts

We present the first general relativistic hydrodynamic models of the launch and evolution of relativistic jets and winds, driven by thermal energy deposition, possibly due to neutrino-antineutrino annihilation, in the close vicinity of black hole-accretion torus systems. The latter are considered to be the remnants of compact object mergers. Our two-dimensional simulations establish the link between models of such mergers and future observations of short gamma-ray bursts by the SWIFT satellite. They show that ultrarelativistic outflow with maximum terminal Lorentz factors around 1000 develops for polar energy deposition rates above some $10^{48}\,$erg s -1 per steradian, provided the merger environment has a sufficiently low baryon density. By the interaction with the dense accretion torus the ultrarelativistic outflow with Lorentz factors Γ above 100 is collimated into a sharp-edged cone that is embedded laterally by a wind with steeply declining Lorentz factor. The typical semi-opening angles of the $\Gamma > 100$ cone are $5^{\circ}{-}10^{\circ}$, corresponding to about $0.4{-}1.5\%$ of the hemisphere and apparent isotropized energies (kinetic plus internal) up to ≈ $10^{51}\,$erg although at most $10{-}30\%$ of the deposited energy is transferred to the outflow with $\Gamma > 100$. The viability of post-merger black hole-torus systems as engines of short, hard gamma-ray bursts is therefore confirmed. The annihilation of neutrino-antineutrino pairs radiated from the hot accretion torus appears as a suitable energy source for powerful axial outflow even if only ≈ $10^{49}\,$erg are deposited within a cone of $45^{\circ}$ half-opening angle around the system axis. Although the torus lifetimes are expected to be only between some 0.01 s and several 0.1 s, our models can explain the durations of all observed short gamma-ray bursts, because different propagation velocities of the front and rear ends will lead to a radial stretching of the ultrarelativistic fireball before transparency is reached. The ultrarelativistic flow reveals a highly non-uniform structure caused by the action of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities that originate at the fireball-torus interface. Large radial variations of the baryon density (up to several orders of magnitude) are uncorrelated with moderate variations of the Lorentz factor (factors of a few) and fluctuations of the gently declining radiation-dominated pressure. In the angular direction the Lorentz factor reveals a nearly flat plateau-like maximum with values of several hundreds, that can be located up to $7^{\circ}$ off the symmetry axis, and a steep decrease to less than 10 for polar angles larger than $15^{\circ}{-}20^{\circ}$. Lateral expansion of the ultrarelativistic core of the flow is prevented by a subsonic velocity component of about $0.05c$ towards the symmetry axis, whereas the moderately relativistic wings show a subsonic sideways inflation with less than $0.07c$ (measured in the frame comoving with the radial flow).
The Educated Underdog Becomes the Ultimate Superstar

We fi…nd an inverted relation between a player'’s birthday and the likelihood of receiving the Ballon d'’Or (awarded to the best football player in the world). We develop a multi-period skill formation model with selection into elite education. We show that those born late (underdogs) need to work harder to be selected for elite educational programs. However, those born too late will not make the cut-off. Those born late –– but not too late –– will thus end up with the highest skill levels as adults (educated underdogs). We use detailed data on the performance of elite Swedish football players to illustrate our model. These data provide strong support for the predictions of the model.
Familiarity in Chinese and English Idiom Comprehension: An Event Related Potential Study from Chinese English Learners

Abstract Idioms have attracted great attention over recent decades. Nevertheless, controversies still remain in regard of the most plausible cognition mechanism for idiom comprehension, especially concerning non-Indo-European languages and second/foreign language users. Event Related Potential (ERP) experiments on proficient English learners whose native language was Mandarin Chinese were conducted to test the influences of idioms’ familiarity on both Chinese and English (as foreign language) idiom comprehension. Data including accuracy rates, reaction time, and latency and peak amplitudes of N400 were recorded and analyzed, indicating that familiarity might play a significant role in idiom comprehension in both native and foreign languages. Further, idioms, should they have similar familiarity levels, may be easier to process in the native language (Chinese) than in the foreign language (English).
Quantitative analysis of a half-century of K-Pop songs: Association rule analysis of lyrics and social network analysis of singers and composers

The authors conducted statistical data analysis to identify patterns in Korean popular songs and composer–singer networks during the past 50 years. With the use of text mining and association rule analysis, the findings indicate that the words “love” and “heart,” which evoke romantic love, were the most commonly used expressions in K-pop songs from 1964 to 2012. References to love gradually became more direct over the years of the study, reflecting an increasing willingness to acknowledge and discuss romantic relationships. Additionally, most songs after 2000 included words in English, pointing to K-pop's growing presence in an international market. Social network analysis indicates that since 1992, the influence of composers has increased compared with that of singers in composer–singer networks.
Contextual Control of Stimulus Equivalence with Preschool Children

•••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• x INTRODUCTION . •. •. •. 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. 5 REVIEW OF LITERATURE . 8 The Problems of Stimulus Equivalence and Mediated Transfer in Traditional Psychology. Neobehavioral Views of Stimulus Equivalence . •. Mediated Transfer in Verbal Learning . Stimulus Equivalence and Mediated Transfer in the Operant Framework. GENERAL METHOD. Subjects . •. 8 • 9 . 13
Tolerance and Physiological Correlates of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in COPD: A Pilot Study

Rationale Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) of the lower limbs is an emerging training strategy in patients with COPD. The efficacy of this technique is related to the intensity of the stimulation that is applied during the training sessions. However, little is known about tolerance to stimulation current intensity and physiological factors that could determine it. Our goal was to find potential physiological predictors of the tolerance to increasing NMES stimulation intensity in patients with mild to severe COPD. Methods 20 patients with COPD (FEV1 = 54±14% pred.) completed 2 supervised NMES sessions followed by 5 self-directed sessions at home and one final supervised session. NMES was applied simultaneously to both quadriceps for 45 minutes, at a stimulation frequency of 50 Hz. Spirometry, body composition, muscle function and aerobic capacity were assessed at baseline. Cardiorespiratory responses, leg discomfort, muscle fatigue and markers of systemic inflammation were assessed during or after the last NMES session. Tolerance to NMES was quantified as the increase in current intensity from the initial to the final NMES session (ΔInt). Results Mean ΔInt was 12±10 mA. FEV1, fat-free-mass, quadriceps strength, aerobic capacity and leg discomfort during the last NMES session positively correlated with ΔInt (r = 0.42 to 0.64, all p≤0.06) while post/pre NMES IL-6 ratio negatively correlated with ΔInt (r = −0.57, p = 0.001). FEV1, leg discomfort during last NMES session and post/pre IL-6 ratio to NMES were independent factors of variance in ΔInt (r2 = 0.72, p = 0.001). Conclusion Lower tolerance to NMES was associated with increasing airflow obstruction, low tolerance to leg discomfort during NMES and the magnitude of the IL-6 response after NMES. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00809120
Effect of Probiotic Bacteria on Microbial Host Defense, Growth, and Immune Function in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 Infection

The hypothesis that probiotic administration protects the gut surface and could delay progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type1 (HIV-1) infection to the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was proposed in 1995. Over the last five years, new studies have clarified the significance of HIV-1 infection of the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) for subsequent alterations in the microflora and breakdown of the gut mucosal barrier leading to pathogenesis and development of AIDS. Current studies show that loss of gut CD4+ Th17 cells, which differentiate in response to normal microflora, occurs early in HIV-1 disease. Microbial translocation and suppression of the T regulatory (Treg) cell response is associated with chronic immune activation and inflammation. Combinations of probiotic bacteria which upregulate Treg activation have shown promise in suppressing pro inflammatory immune response in models of autoimmunity including inflammatory bowel disease and provide a rationale for use of probiotics in HIV-1/AIDS. Disturbance of the microbiota early in HIV-1 infection leads to greater dominance of potential pathogens, reducing levels of bifidobacteria and lactobacillus species and increasing mucosal inflammation. The interaction of chronic or recurrent infections, and immune activation contributes to nutritional deficiencies that have lasting consequences especially in the HIV-1 infected child. While effective anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has enhanced survival, wasting is still an independent predictor of survival and a major presenting symptom. Congenital exposure to HIV-1 is a risk factor for growth delay in both infected and non-infected infants. Nutritional intervention after 6 months of age appears to be largely ineffective. A meta analysis of randomized, controlled clinical trials of infant formulae supplemented with Bifidobacterium lactis showed that weight gain was significantly greater in infants who received B. lactis compared to formula alone. Pilot studies have shown that probiotic bacteria given as a supplement have improved growth and protected against loss of CD4+ T cells. The recognition that normal bacterial flora prime neonatal immune response and that abnormal flora have a profound impact on metabolism has generated insight into potential mechanisms of gut dysfunction in many settings including HIV-1 infection. As discussed here, current and emerging studies support the concept that probiotic bacteria can provide specific benefit in HIV-1 infection. Probiotic bacteria have proven active against bacterial vaginosis in HIV-1 positive women and have enhanced growth in infants with congenital HIV-1 infection. Probiotic bacteria may stabilize CD4+ T cell numbers in HIV-1 infected children and are likely to have protective effects against inflammation and chronic immune activation of the gastrointestinal immune system.
Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) Is a Post-Translational Regulator of the Mammalian Circadian Clock

Circadian clocks coordinate the timing of important biological processes. Interconnected transcriptional and post-translational feedback loops based on a set of clock genes generate and maintain these rhythms with a period of about 24 hours. Many clock proteins undergo circadian cycles of post-translational modifications. Among these modifications, protein phosphorylation plays an important role in regulating activity, stability and intracellular localization of clock components. Several protein kinases were characterized as regulators of the circadian clock. However, the function of protein phosphatases, which balance phosphorylation events, in the mammalian clock mechanism is less well understood. Here, we identify protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) as regulator of period and light-induced resetting of the mammalian circadian clock. Down-regulation of PP1 activity in cells by RNA interference and in vivo by expression of a specific inhibitor in the brain of mice tended to lengthen circadian period. Moreover, reduction of PP1 activity in the brain altered light-mediated clock resetting behavior in mice, enhancing the phase shifts in either direction. At the molecular level, diminished PP1 activity increased nuclear accumulation of the clock component PER2 in neurons. Hence, PP1, may reduce PER2 phosphorylation thereby influencing nuclear localization of this protein. This may at least partially influence period and phase shifting properties of the mammalian circadian clock.
Increasing Accuracy in Children's Verbal Self -Report of Reinforcers.

Several studies have examined the relationship between self-report of behavior and actual behavior (Baer, Williams, Osnes, & Stokes, 1985; Bernstein & Michael, 1990; Risley & Hart, 1968). Results from such studies indicate poor correspondence between verbal self-report and actual behavior. This finding is particularly true for children (Guevremont, Osnes, & Stokes, 1986). However, few studies have examined conditions under which the accuracy of self-report procedures can be increased. The current study evaluated whether the accuracy of children's verbal self-report of reinforcers could be increased by modifying antecedent conditions. Specifically, the current study examined the effects of two antecedent variables (i.e., mode of preference assessment and type of instruction) on the accuracy of verbal identification of reinforcers. Participants were thirty children in grades one through four, who had been referred to an outpatient pediatric behavioral health clinic for non-compliance. Participants were administered two preference assessments: (a) survey and (b) stimulus paired-choice questionnaire with three different types of instructions (contingency unspecified, vague contingency specified, and exact
Stressful Life Events, Motives for Internet Use, and Social Support Among Digital Kids

This study presents the interrelationships between stressful life events, motives for Internet use, social support, and the use of the Internet among a sample of adolescents and children aged 8 to 18 (N = 717). The results show that stressful life events are significantly associated with the consumption of the Internet for mood management (such as entertainment and information seeking) and social compensation (such as recognition gaining and relationship maintenance) motives. Secondly, the more children and adolescents exhibit high levels of social support, either online or offline, the less they find stressful life events upsetting. Thirdly, as individuals exhibit greater ability to personally access different types of social support to meet their needs, their motivations for Internet use are characteristically more allied to mood-management and social-compensation. This study reasserts that the mental and physical impact of stressful life events are in fact buffered by one's degree of social support and Internet use, particular examples of which are entertainment and relationship maintenance, and positive coping strategies, which temporarily reduce stress and anxiety.
The Value to Banks of Small Business Lending

By estimating the market premium placed on the small business loan portfolios of banking organizations, this study provides direct evidence on the value to banks arising from relationship lending. Using data from the small business loan survey contained in the June bank call reports, we find that small commercial and industrial loans do, in fact, add value for smaller banking organizations, both in absolute terms and relative to the value contributed by larger commercial and industrial loans. Interestingly, the value-enhancing effect emanates primarily from the smallest loans, those with original values of $100,000 or less. On the other hand, small commercial real estate loans, being transactional rather than relationship in nature, do not contribute additional value to banking organizations relative to larger commercial real estate loans.
Modularity, architecture and the role of knowledge â€" a multi-level exploration

This paper provides a conceptual framework to analyze changes in modularity at multiple levels of analysis. I argue that, at each level of analysis, knowledge (broadly defined) plays a key role in increasing modularity. At the product level I focus on codification, which here refers to knowledge of the various component interdependencies. At the organizational level it is knowledge about shared routines (i.e. routinization based on 'common ground? ) that plays a critical role in increasing modularity. At the industry level the main mechanism is diffusion of the former two processes, codification and routinization. Overall, the framework highlights the importance of multi-level analyses to understand under what conditions systems become more modular.
Is compensation actually strategic: The case of profit sharing

Based on two panels of longitudinal data drawn from consecutive time periods, this paper examines whether there is any link between an establishment’s business strategy, its human resources strategy, or its compensation strategy and its subsequent adoption of employee profit sharing. Results indicate that establishments pursuing a low-cost business strategy or a high-wage compensation strategy were more likely than other establishments to adopt profit sharing in both time periods.
School Readiness Amongst Urban Canadian Families: Risk Profiles and Family Mediation

There is an ongoing need for literature that identifies the effects of broad contextual risk on school readiness outcomes via family mediating mechanisms. This is especially true amongst diverse and urban samples characterized by variability in immigration history. To address this limitation, family profiles of sociodemographic and contextual risk were identified when children were 2 months of age. Subsequently, their indirect effect on school readiness at 4.5 years was evaluated via family investments and maternal responsivity (N = 501 families). A latent class analysis yielded four distinct family risk profiles: low socioeconomic status (SES) multilevel risk, 12.0% of sample; maternal abuse history, 15.6%; low-SES immigrant risk, 27.7%; and low risk, 44.7%. Path analyses revealed that children in the low-SES multilevel risk and low-SES immigrant risk profiles had the poorest outcomes in all domains and these effects operated equally and indirectly via investments and responsivity. To date, several studies have suggested that sociodemographic risks impact cognitive outcomes primarily via the investment pathway. The present findings suggest that family relations are equally important when operationalized as observed responsive parenting. Furthermore, pathways of influence are similarly operative despite different patterning of adversity for high-risk immigrant and native born families.
Sport Psychology in An Olympic Swimming Team: Perceptions of the Management and Coaches

It has been over 20 years since research has been published on perceptions of sport psychology services in Olympic sport, and this work spanned multiple sports, had a North American focus, and did not report management’s views. In this study, we resurrect this line of inquiry through the investigation of management and coaches’ perceptions of sport psychology in a European Olympic swimming team. Following semistructured interviews with 12 members of the management and coaching staff, we identified themes relating to retrospective reflections of past psychology-related services (i.e., negative previous experiences, lack of understanding, unease with service, threat to coach-swimmer relationship) and prospective projections of future psychology-related services (i.e., recognition of importance, scope of target client groups, roles with the coaches, confidentiality issues, practitioner characteristics). Within this team, sport psychology was perceived largely negatively, but despite this, the coaches and management recognized the importance and potential of the service. This apparent disparity can be explained by a range of factors, but the team culture, delivery method, and individual personalities appear to be particularly influential in this regard. To enhance the quality and receptivity of service provision, researchers and practitioners should effectively communicate with recipients of the service and consider not just what is delivered but by whom and how it is delivered.
Genetic Diversity in Cytokines Associated with Immune Variation and Resistance to Multiple Pathogens in a Natural Rodent Population

Pathogens are believed to drive genetic diversity at host loci involved in immunity to infectious disease. To date, studies exploring the genetic basis of pathogen resistance in the wild have focussed almost exclusively on genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC); the role of genetic variation elsewhere in the genome as a basis for variation in pathogen resistance has rarely been explored in natural populations. Cytokines are signalling molecules with a role in many immunological and physiological processes. Here we use a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis) to examine how genetic diversity at a suite of cytokine and other immune loci impacts the immune response phenotype and resistance to several endemic pathogen species. By using linear models to first control for a range of non-genetic factors, we demonstrate strong effects of genetic variation at cytokine loci both on host immunological parameters and on resistance to multiple pathogens. These effects were primarily localized to three cytokine genes (Interleukin 1 beta (Il1b), Il2, and Il12b), rather than to other cytokines tested, or to membrane-bound, non-cytokine immune loci. The observed genetic effects were as great as for other intrinsic factors such as sex and body weight. Our results demonstrate that genetic diversity at cytokine loci is a novel and important source of individual variation in immune function and pathogen resistance in natural populations. The products of these loci are therefore likely to affect interactions between pathogens and help determine survival and reproductive success in natural populations. Our study also highlights the utility of wild rodents as a model of ecological immunology, to better understand the causes and consequences of variation in immune function in natural populations including humans.
Immunization with Protein D from Non-Typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) Induced Cytokine Responses and Bioactive Antibody Production

Background Outer membrane protein D (PD) is a highly conserved and stable protein in the outer membrane of both encapsulated (typeable) and non-capsulated (non-typeable) strains of Haemophilus influenzae. As an immunogen, PD is a potential candidate vaccine against non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHi) strains. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the cytokine pattern and the opsonic antibody response in a BALB/c mouse model versus PD from NTHi as a vaccine candidate. Methods Protein D was formulated with Freund’s and outer membrane vesicle (OMV) adjuvants and injected into experimental mice. Sera from all groups were collected. The bioactivity of the anti-PD antibody was determined by opsonophagocytic killing test. To evaluate the cytokine responses, the spleens were assembled, suspension of splenocytes was recalled with antigen, and culture supernatants were analyzed by ELISA for IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ cytokines. Results Anti-PD antibodies promoted phagocytosis of NTHi in both immunized mice groups (those administered PD + Freund’s and those administered PD + OMV adjuvants, 92.8% and 83.5%, respectively, compared to the control group). In addition, the concentrations of three cytokines were increased markedly in immunized mice. Conclusions We conclude that immunization with PD protects mice against NTHi. It is associated with improvements in both cellular and humoral immune responses and opsonic antibody activity.