Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Centers of Early-type Galaxies with Hst. v. New Wfpc2 Photometry

We present observations of 77 early-type galaxies imaged with the PC1 CCD of HST+WFPC2. “Nuker law” parametric fits to the surface brightness profiles are used to classify the central structure into “core” or “power-law” forms. Core galaxies are typically rounder than power-law galaxies. Nearly all power-laws with central ellipticity ǫ ≥ 0.3 have stellar disks, implying that disks are present in most power-laws with ǫ < 0.3, but are not visible due to unfavorable geometry. A few low-luminosity flattened core galaxies also have disks; these may be transition forms from power-laws to more luminous core galaxies, which lack disks. Several core galaxies have strong isophote twists interior to their break radii, although power-laws have interior twists of similar physical significance when the photometric perturbations implied by the twists are evaluated. Central color gradients are typically consistent with the envelope gradients; core galaxies have somewhat weaker color gradients than power-laws. Nuclei are found in 29% of the cores and 60% of the power-laws. Nuclei are typically bluer than the surrounding galaxy. While some nuclei are associated with AGN, just as many are not; conversely, not all galaxies known to have low-level AGN exhibit detectable nuclei in the broad-band filters. NGC 4073 and 4382, are found to have central minima in their intrinsic starlight distributions; NGC 4382 resembles the double nucleus of M31. In general, the peak brightness location is coincident with the photocenter of the core
PPARγ as a Potential Target to Treat Airway Mucus Hypersecretion in Chronic Airway Inflammatory Diseases

Airway mucus hypersecretion (AMH) is a key pathophysiological feature of chronic airway inflammatory diseases such as bronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. AMH contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic airway inflammatory diseases, and it is associated with reduced lung function and high rates of hospitalization and mortality. It has been suggested that AMH should be a target in the treatment of chronic airway inflammatory diseases. Recent evidence suggests that a key regulator of airway inflammation, hyperresponsiveness, and remodeling is peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates adipocyte differentiation and lipid metabolism. PPARγ is expressed in structural, immune, and inflammatory cells in the lung. PPARγ is involved in mucin production, and PPARγ agonists can inhibit mucin synthesis both in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that PPARγ is a novel target in the treatment of AMH and that further work on this transcription factor may lead to new therapies for chronic airway inflammatory diseases.
Mortality and morbidity after high-dose methylprednisolone treatment in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury: a propensity-matched analysis using a nationwide administrative database

Objective To examine the magnitude of the adverse impact of high-dose methylprednisolone treatment in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods We examined the abstracted data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, and included patients with ICD-10 code S141 who were admitted on an emergency basis between 1 July and 31 December in 2007–2009. The investigation evaluated the patients’ sex, age, comorbidities, Japan Coma Scale, hospital volume and the amount of methylprednisolone administered. One-to-one propensity-score matching between high-dose methylprednisolone group (>5000 mg) and control group was performed to compare the rates of in-hospital death and major complications (sepsis; pneumonia; urinary tract infection; gastrointestinal ulcer/bleeding; and pulmonary embolism). Results We identified 3508 cervical SCI patients (2652 men and 856 women; mean age, 60.8±18.7 years) including 824 (23.5%) patients who received high-dose methylprednisolone. A propensity-matched analysis with 824 pairs of patients showed a significant increase in the occurrence of gastrointestinal ulcer/bleeding (68/812 vs 31/812; p<0.001) in the high-dose methylprednisolone group. Overall, the high-dose methylprednisolone group demonstrated a significantly higher risk of complications (144/812 vs 96/812;OR, 1.66; 95% CI 1.23 to 2.24; p=0.001) than the control group. There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the high-dose methylprednisolone group and the control group (p=0.884). Conclusions Patients receiving high-dose methylprednisolone had a significantly increased risk of major complications, in particular, gastrointestinal ulcer/bleeding. However, high-dose methylprednisolone treatment was not associated with any increase in mortality.
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Mediated Reinforcement of Hippocampal Early Long-Term Depression by the Type IV-Specific Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor Rolipram and Its Effect on Synaptic Tagging

Rolipram, a selective inhibitor of cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), has been shown to reinforce an early form of long-term potentiation (LTP) to a long-lasting LTP (late LTP). Furthermore, it was shown that the effects of rolipram-mediated reinforcement of LTP interacts with processes of synaptic tagging (Navakkode et al., 2004). Here we show in CA1 hippocampal slices from adult rats in vitro that rolipram also converted an early form of long-term depression (LTD) that normally decays within 2-3 h, to a long-lasting LTD (late LTD) if rolipram was applied during LTD-induction. Rolipram-reinforced LTD (RLTD) was NMDA receptor- and protein synthesis-dependent. Furthermore, it was dependent on the synergistic coactivation of dopaminergic D1 and D5 receptors. This let us speculate that RLTD resembles electrically induced, conventional CA1 late LTD, which is characterized by heterosynaptic processes and synaptic tagging. We therefore asked whether synaptic tagging occurs during RLTD. We found that early LTD in an S1 synaptic input was transformed into late LTD if early LTD was induced in a second independent S2 synaptic pathway during the inhibition of PDE by rolipram, supporting the interaction of processes of synaptic tagging during RLTD. Furthermore, application of PD 98059 (2′-amino-3′-methoxyflavone) or U0126 (1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis[2-aminophenylthio]butadiene), specific inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), prevented RLTD, suggesting a pivotal role of MAPK activation for RLTD. This MAPK activation was triggered during RLTD by the synergistic interaction of NMDA receptor- and D1 and D5 receptor-mediated Rap/B-Raf pathways, but not by the Ras/Raf-1 pathway in adult hippocampal CA1 neurons, as shown by the use of the pathway-specific inhibitors manumycin (Ras/Raf-1) and lethal toxin 82 (Rap/B-Raf).
THE EFFECT OF BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURAL NATIVIZATION ON READING COMPREHENSION AND VOCABULARY INFERENCE

This study aimed to investigate the influence of background knowledge and cultural familiarity on reading comprehension and vocabulary inference of Turkish 7th grade students in public primary schools in Turkey. For this purpose; two texts, one of which was based on the authentic culture and the other one based on the nativized version, a vocabulary test and parallel reading comprehension tests were developed by the researcher. To carry out the research, experimental and control groups were arranged and reading comprehension texts & tests were administered to the subjects in both groups. Additionally, experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups took a multiple-choice vocabulary test. It was concluded that cultural nativization of the text and elements related with background knowledge in the nativized text had a facilitative effect on comprehension of the short passages and inferring the meaning of the unknown words by the students. It was observed that EG students, who read the nativized version of the text got higher scores both in reading comprehension and vocabulary tests compared to CG students who read the denativized(authenticated) version. The findings of the study are expected to bear some implications for English material designers and EFL teachers.
Kwacha Gonna Do? Experimental Evidence about Labor Supply in Rural Malawi

I use a field experiment to estimate the wage elasticity of employment in the day labor market in rural Malawi. Once a week for 12 consecutive weeks, I make job offers for a workfare-type program to 529 adults. The daily wage varies from the tenth to the ninetieth percentile of the wage distribution, and individuals are entitled to work a maximum of one day per week. In this context (the low agricultural season), 74 percent of individuals worked at the lowest wage, and consequently the estimated labor supply elasticity is low (0.15), regardless of observable characteristics. (JEL C93, J22, J31, O15, O18, R23)
Functional relationship between myology and ecology in carnivores: do forelimb muscles reflect adaptations to prehension?

Prehension involves the ability to reach, grasp and transport an object. It is a fitness-relevant behaviour with an important role in food acquisition and locomotion. Grasping an item requires the coordinated action of several muscles and, consequently, the muscular anatomy can be expected to be a good indicator of grasping ability. Here, we quantitatively analyse the myology of the forelimb in Carnivora in relation to their grasping ability, arboreality and locomotor specializations. Carnivorans are a monophyletic group and a good model due to the fact that they vary in ecology and prehensile capabilities. We find that non-prehensile taxa differ in their muscle properties from poorly prehensile taxa and from intermediately to strongly prehensile taxa when taking into account variation in body size and phylogeny. Species with strong prehensile capabilities are characterized by a high force-producing capacity in the forelimb rotators. A strong grasp is not only advantageous for prehension, but also for climbing. Species with poor prehensile capabilities but an intermediate to high degree of arboreality display well-developed flexor muscles contributing to a strong grasp. Although anatomical adaptations for prehensility and arboreality are similar, the present study revealed differences in the muscle specializations of the forelimb in Carnivora.
Bounds on the ergodic capacity of training-based multiple-antenna systems

Multiple-antenna concepts for wireless communication systems promise high spectral efficiencies by proper exploitation of the randomness in multipath propagation. In this paper, we investigate the impact of channel uncertainty caused by channel estimation errors on the capacity of Rayleigh and Ricean block-fading channels. We consider a training-based multiple-antenna system that reserves a portion of time to sound the channel. The training symbols are used to estimate the channel state information (CSI) at the receiver by means of an arbitrary linear estimation filter. No CSI is assumed at the transmitter. We present an equivalent system model for training-based multiple-antenna systems, which specifies the channel by the estimated (and hence, known) channel coefficients and an uncorrelated, data-dependent noise. Based on this equivalent model, which includes the special cases of perfect CSI and no CSI, we derive upper and lower bounds on the maximum instantaneous mutual information and the ergodic capacity, and extend previous results to arbitrary (and possibly mismatched) linear channel estimators and to correlated Ricean fading
Effects of post-mortem storage conditions of bovine epididymides on sperm characteristics: investigating a tool for preservation of sperm from endangered species

To preserve genetic diversity in threatened populations of domestic and wild animals, cryopreservation combined with reproductive technologies are useful. Here, we present a reliable and efficient protocol enabling preservation of epididymal sperm using domestic cattle as a model species. We propose that this technique has great potential in conservation of threatened species because it can be used to rescue genetic variation in the event of unexpected death, castration or in situations where obtaining an ejaculate is not feasible.
HNK-1 antibody detects an antigen expressed on neuroectodermal cells

The HNK-1 antibody known to define a subpopulation of human lymphocytes with natural killer and killer cell activities was shown to detect a common neuroectodermal antigen. Most tumor lines and paraffin-embedded tumors and normal tissues of neuroectodermal origin were specifically stained by HNK-1. Lines and tissues of other derivations were negative except a trophoblastic tumor line and a percentage of Ewing's sarcomas, whose histogenesis is poorly understood. These data indicate that HNK-1 antibody could be of interest in clinical histopathology but cannot be considered as specific for a lymphocyte subset.
Activation by Protein Vaccination Patients and Healthy Individuals and Their T Cells in Cancer + MAGE-A3-Specific CD4 Characterization of Preexisting

2 Vaccination with cancer/testis Ag MAGE-A3 in the form of recombinant protein often induces speciﬁc humoral and cellular immune responses. Although Ag-speciﬁc CD4 (cid:1) T cells following vaccination are detectable by cytokine production after a single in vitro stimulation, their detection before vaccination is difﬁcult because of low frequency. In this study, we have applied a sensitive method using CD154 (CD40L) staining to detect MAGE-A3-speciﬁc CD4 (cid:1) T cells. MAGE-A3-speciﬁc T cell responses were analyzed in four healthy donors, two lung cancer patients with spontaneous serum Abs to MAGE-A3, and two baseline seronegative lung cancer patients throughout vaccination with MAGE-A3 protein. MAGE-A3-speciﬁc CD4 (cid:1) T cells were detected in all individuals tested, at low frequency in healthy donors and seronegative cancer patients and higher frequency in patients seropositive for MAGE-A3. Polyclonal expansion of CD154-expressing CD4 (cid:1) T cells after cell sorting generated a large number of MAGE-A3-speciﬁc CD4 (cid:1) T cell lines from all individuals tested, enabling full characterization of peptide speciﬁcity, HLA-restriction, and avidity. Application of this method to cancer patients vaccinated with MAGE-A3 protein with or without adjuvant revealed that protein vaccination induced oligoclonal activation of MAGE-A3-speciﬁc CD4 (cid:1) T cells. It appeared that MAGE-A3 protein vaccination in the presence of adjuvant selectively expanded high avidity CD4 (cid:1) T cells, whereas high avidity T cells disappeared after multiple vaccinations with MAGE-A3 protein alone. The Journal of Immunology,
‘Synonymization’ threat and the implications for the funding of school districts with relatively high populations of black students

ABSTRACT Education stakeholders have used descriptors of poverty and race as if they were synonymous. This ‘synonymization’ of identities is particularly evident for black and poor students. We define ‘synonymization’ as a policy threat that emerges when policymakers conflate two marginalized identities, resulting in policies that ostensibly, but not actually, address biased structures. From this construct, we posit two claims: (1) largely poor districts are not largely black districts and (2) dollars appropriated to largely poor districts are not equivalent to dollars appropriated to largely black districts. Our analysis supports those claims. We also found that higher correlations between portion poor and portion black do not lessen the negative impact of synonymization for the collective as one would have expected. While funding and poverty were significantly associated, there was no significant association between funding and portions of black students even when poverty and black student profile were significantly linked.
Evaluation of awareness toward various treatment modalities for replacement of teeth in local population of Sundar Nagar, District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh: A survey report

Background: The purpose of the study was to collect information from local population of Sundar Nagar, District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, to assess their attitude toward replacement of teeth. Materials and Methods: An analytical, cross-sectional, epidemiological survey was conducted on 522 individuals randomly selected from a local population of Sundar Nagar, to determine attitude toward various treatment modalities for the replacement of teeth. A self-designed closed-ended questionnaire was prepared to assess the attitude of the patient, and collected data were analyzed statistically using the Chi-square test at the significance level of P < 0.05. Results: Around 87% of patients showed positive attitude for the replacement of missing teeth. Almost 78.2% of patients liked to replace missing teeth even although it is an expensive treatment. Around 47.1% of patients believed that they socialized less with a removable prosthesis because of poor stability and retention. Eighty-eight percent of patients of 40–59 years showed a positive attitude toward fixed prosthesis as compared to older age, who preferred removable prosthesis due to lack of interest in esthetics and low perceived need of prosthesis. Forty-seven percent of patients showed a positive attitude toward acceptance of implant. Conclusion: It is essential to evaluate attitude toward treatment as treatment expectations may influence treatment planning and perceived value by the patient and its outcome.
Nothing to hide, nothing to lose? Incentives and disincentives to sharing information with institutions online

ABSTRACT What incentives and disincentives do Internet users weigh as they consider providing information to institutional actors such as government agencies and corporations online? Focus group participants list several benefits to sharing information including convenience, access to information, personalization, financial incentives, and more accurate health information, but also recognize that not all sharing may be in their interest. Disincentives to sharing include skepticism, distrust, and fears of discrimination. Decisions about sharing are related to the information type, the context in which information is revealed, and the institution to which they are – or think they are – providing information. Significantly, many participants were mistrustful of both governmental and corporate actors. Participants displayed awareness of privacy risks, but frequently mischaracterized the extent to which information could be aggregated and mined. They displayed resignation towards privacy violations, suggesting that they perceived little control over their ability to protect their privacy, which may influence their privacy behaviors. This calls into question the privacy calculus, as individuals misunderstand the risks of their information provision and do not believe opting out of information-sharing is possible.
On a General Structure of the Stabilizing Controllers Based on Stable Range

In this paper, we prove that some stabilizing controllers of a plant, which admits a left/right-coprime factorization, have a special form where their stable and unstable parts are separated. The dimension of the unstable part depends on the algebraic concept of stable range of the ring A of SISO stable plants. Moreover, we prove that, if the stable range of A is equal to 1, then every plant---defined by a transfer matrix with entries in the quotient field of A and admitting a left/right-coprime factorization---can be stabilized by a stable controller (strong stabilization). In particular, using a result of Treil proving that the stable range of $H_{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$ is equal to 1, we show that every stabilizable plant---defined by a transfer matrix with entries in the quotient field of $H_{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$ or $H_{\infty}({\mathbb{C}}_+)$---is strongly stabilizable and, equivalently, every couple of stabilizable plants can be simultaneously stabilized by a controller (simultaneous stabilization). Finally, using the fact that the topological stable range of $H_{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$ is equal to 2, a result due to Suarez, we show that every unstabilizable SISO plant---defined by a transfer function with entries in the quotient field of $H_{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$---is as close as we want to a stabilizable plant in the product topology.
A Comparison Between the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Treatment and Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression on Symptoms Severity and Rumination Among Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression

Background: A group of patients with depression do not show proper treatment response to merely biological interventions. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of add on acceptance and commitment treatment (ACT) and brief behavioral activation therapy for depression (BATD) to pharmacotherapy in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Methods: The study was conducted in Sari and Babol (North of Iran), during year 2016. In this study, the method of multiple baseline was used. Twelve patients, including eight females and four males, having level 2 European staging model, were randomly selected and entered the study after an interview by a psychiatrist and conducting SCID-I -SCID-II and checking the inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were randomly entered in 12 sessions of ACT or BATD. The data obtained were analyzed through the method of visual outline, reliable change index (RCI), effect size, and improvement percentage formula. Results: The results of this study showed that the ACT and BATD were useful for improving treatment targets. These results were statistically significant according to the RCI index. The earned effect size varied from 1 to 3.33. Conclusions: The results of this study provided greater evidence for ACT and BADT. Also, the present study supports the role of trans-diagnostic approaches as an add on to in TRD.
Why Do Foreign Investors Underperform Domestic Investors in Trading Activities? Evidence from Indonesia

Foreign investors generally underperform domestic investors in trading activities. This study shows that their inferior performance is attributable to non-initiated orders. Foreign investors actually perform better than domestic investors in initiated orders. In addition, their performance is also mixed when trades are classified depending on who the counterparties are. These mixed performances can be explained by neither the information disadvantage hypothesis proposed by
Impact of climate change on sustainability in semi-arid, rural Africa: Lessons from rural Zimbabwe

Abstract This study focuses on the challenges posed by climate change in the pursuit of some of the broad aspirations of African Union Agenda 2063. This study assessed the impact of climate change on the movement towards sustainability by rural African societies using a case of rural districts in Zimbabwe. The study sought a rural African perception of climate change, trajectory of major climate indicators, common adaptation strategies and an assessment of climate change implications on sustainability in Africa and Agenda 2063. This study employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Results showed the absence and limited access to the other capital assets obscuring visibility of Agenda 2063 Aspiration 1 in the horizon.