Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A surprisingly high pair fraction for extremely massive galaxies at z ~ 3 in the GOODS NICMOS survey

We calculate the major pair fraction and derive the major merger fraction and rate for 82 massive (M* > 1011 M⊙) galaxies at 1.7 1.5 to reliably measure their pair fraction history. We find strong evidence that the pair fraction of massive galaxies evolves with redshift. We calculate a pair fraction of fm= 0.29 ± 0.06 for our whole sample at 1.7 1011 M⊙ galaxy experiencing 1.7 ± 0.5 mergers between z= 3 and 0.
Variational Deep Embedding: An Unsupervised and Generative Approach to Clustering

Clustering is among the most fundamental tasks in machine learning and artificial intelligence. In this paper, we propose Variational Deep Embedding (VaDE), a novel unsupervised generative clustering approach within the framework of Variational Auto-Encoder (VAE). Specifically, VaDE models the data generative procedure with a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and a deep neural network (DNN): 1) the GMM picks a cluster; 2) from which a latent embedding is generated; 3) then the DNN decodes the latent embedding into an observable. Inference in VaDE is done in a variational way: a different DNN is used to encode observables to latent embeddings, so that the evidence lower bound (ELBO) can be optimized using the Stochastic Gradient Variational Bayes (SGVB) estimator and the reparameterization trick. Quantitative comparisons with strong baselines are included in this paper, and experimental results show that VaDE significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art clustering methods on 5 benchmarks from various modalities. Moreover, by VaDE's generative nature, we show its capability of generating highly realistic samples for any specified cluster, without using supervised information during training.
Estimation of Weibull modulus from coarser defect distribution in dry-pressed alumina ceramics

Strength variation of alumina ceramics formed by dry-pressing of granules was examined by the number density of coarser defects. The Weibull modulus m was related to the exponent n of the power function of the number density of coarser defects by strength simulation; m = 1.82n - 1.92. The Weibull modulus was determined by a series of strength data, which were calculated by the simulated bending tests of the samples. The number density of coarser defects was given by the assumed power function. The various Weibull moduli were obtained for some kinds of series. The experimental results of the number density of coarser defects by direct observation of alumina ceramics and the Weibull modulus from strength tests were plotted well on the calculated line except a series of sample containing coarser defects with ambiguous boundaries. The relationship between the Weibull modulus and the parameter of the power function concurred with past studies; m = 2n - 2.
Is Self-Reported Morbidity Related to the Circadian Clock?

Morningness and eveningness preference, an endogenous component of the circadian clock, is characterized by an interindividual difference in circa- dian phase and requires of humans a specific timing of behavior. The biological rhythms of morning and evening types are consequently phase shifted with fixed socioeconomic constraints. The impact of this phase shift on health is widely debated. The purpose of the authors' study was to determine the influence of morningness/eveningness preference on self-reported morbidity and health in an active population. A total of 1165 nonshift workers of the French national electrical and gas company, enrolled in the GAZELcohort and aged 51.3 ± 3.3 years, were included in this study. They replied by mail with a completed questionnaire, including morningness/eveningness preference, self-reported morbidity, subjective sleep patterns, and daytime somnolence and sleeping schedules for 3 weeks, during the spring of 1997. Annual self-reported health impairments were assessed with the annual general questionnaire of the GAZEL cohort for 1997. After adjustment for age, sex, and occupational status, morningness-like and eveningness-like participants reported a specific worse self-reported morbidity. Whereas morningness was associated with worse sleep (p = 0.0001), eveningness was associated with feeling less energetic (p = 0.04) and physical mobility (p = 0.02). These relationships were observed even in good sleepers, except for physical mobility. After adjustment for confounding variables, eveningness-like participants reported more sleep (p = 0.0004) and mood (p = 0.00018) disorders than morningness-like participants. Morningness/ eveningness preference was related to specific chronic complaints of insomnia: morningness was related with difficulty in maintaining sleep (p = 0.0005) and the impossibility to return to sleep in the early morning (p = 0.0001) (sleep phase-advance syndrome); eveningness was related with difficulty in initiating sleep (p = 0.0001) and morning sleepiness (p = 0.0001). In good sleepers, morningness was related with sleep phase-advance syndrome (p = 0.0001) and eveningness with morning sleepiness (p = 0.0001). In conclusion, the expression (phase advance or delay) of the circadian clock could be related to worse self-reported morbidity and health. These findings must be verified by further epidemiological studies, but they suggest that the impossibility to return to sleep in the early morning is not only associated with age.
The cytotoxicity of anti-CD22 immunotoxin is enhanced by bryostatin 1 in B-cell lymphomas through CD22 upregulation and PKC-βII depletion

Background In spite of potent first-line therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, treatment remains palliative and all patients frequently relapse. Treatment options for these patients are more limited. BL22 is a recombinant protein composed of the variable region of a monoclonal antibody that binds to CD22 and of PE38, a truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin. BL22 is a very potent drug already used in patients with hairy cell leukemia, whereas in chronic lymphocytic leukemia its cytotoxicity is limited by a lower expression of CD22. Here we demonstrate that this limitation can be overcome by pre-activation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells with bryostatin 1. Design and Methods Primary malignant B cells from chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma patients were used in vitro to assess the therapeutic impact of drug combinations using BL22 and bryostatin 1. Results We demonstrate that bryostatin 1 sensitizes chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells for the cytotoxic effects of BL22 through activation of protein kinase C and subsequently increased CD22 surface expression. Dose and time response analysis reveals that activation of protein kinase C further activates an autocrine feedback loop degrading protein kinase C-βII protein. Depletion of protein kinase C-βII and upregulation of CD22 persist for several days following pre-stimulation with bryostatin 1. Therefore, our data provide a rationale for the sequential administration of BL22 following bryostatin 1 treatment. In addition to primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells, bryostatin 1 also sensitizes diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma cells to BL22 induced apoptosis. Conclusions Our data suggest that the combination of bryostatin 1 with antibodies directed against CD22 is a potent drug combination for the treatment of low- and high-grade B-cell lymphoma.
LAGRANGIANS FOR DISSIPATIVE NONLINEAR OSCILLATORS: THE METHOD OF JACOBI LAST MULTIPLIER

We present a method devised by Jacobi to derive Lagrangians of any second-order differential equation: it consists in finding a Jacobi Last Multiplier. We illustrate the easiness and the power of Jacobi's method by applying it to several equations, including a class of equations recently studied by Musielak with his own method [Z. E. Musielak, Standard and non-standard Lagrangians for dissipative dynamical systems with variable coefficients J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 (2008) 055205], and in particular a Liènard type nonlinear oscillator and a second-order Riccati equation. Also, we derive more than one Lagrangian for each equation.
Socially anxious individuals with low working memory capacity could not inhibit the goal-irrelevant information

Socially anxious individuals are interfered by distractors. Recent work has suggested that low working memory capacity and inappropriate temporary goal induce attention to distractors. We investigated the effects of working memory capacity and temporary goal on attention to distractors in social anxiety. Participants viewed a rapid serial visual presentation, in which participants reported the identity of a single target letter drawn in red. Distractors appeared before the target was presented. When the color of distractors was red (i.e., goal-relevant stimuli), low-capacity individuals were strongly interfered by the distractors compared to high-capacity individuals regardless of social anxiety. When the color of distractors was goal-irrelevant, low-capacity and high socially anxious individuals were strongly interfered by the distractors. These results suggest that socially anxious individuals with low working memory capacity could not inhibit the goal-irrelevant information and direct attention to distractors.
Age, Sex, and Performance Influence the Visuospatial Working Memory Network in Childhood

This study describes the influence of age, sex, and working memory (WM) performance on the visuospatial WM network. Thirty-nine healthy children (7–12 years) completed a dot location functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task. Percent signal change measured the intensity and laterality indices measured the asymmetry of activation in frontal and parietal brain regions. Old children showed greater intensity of activation in parietal regions than young children but no differences in lateralization were observed. Intensity of activation was similar across sex and WM performance groups. Girls and high WM performers showed more right-sided lateralization of parietal regions than boys and low WM performers.
Benchmarking the selection of the hidden-layer weights in extreme learning machines

Recent years have seen a growing interest in neural networks whose hidden-layer weights are randomly selected, such as Extreme Learning Machines (ELMs). These models are motivated by their ease of development, high computational learning speed and relatively good results. Alternatively, constructive models that select the hidden-layer weights as a subset of the data have shown superior performance than random-based ones in some cases. In this work, we present a comparison between original ELMs (i.e., ELMs where the hidden-layer weights are selected randomly, that we will call ELM-Random) and a modified version of ELMs where the hidden-layer weights are a subset of the input data (that we will call ELM-Input). We will focus our comparison on the behavior of both strategies for different sizes of the training set and different network sizes. The results on several benchmark data sets for classification problems show that ELM-Input has superior performance than ELM-Random in some cases and similar in the rest. In some cases, this general trend is observed for all sizes of the training set and all network sizes. In other cases, it is mostly observed when the size of the training set is small. Therefore, the strategy of selecting the hidden-layer weights among the data can be considered as a good alternative or complement to the standard random selection for ELMs.
Signal transduction through the ras/Erk pathway is essential for the mycoestrogen zearalenone‐induced cell‐cycle progression in MCF‐7 cells

Zearalenone is a naturally occurring estrogenic contaminant of moldy feeds and is present in high concentrations in dairy products and cereals. Zearalenone was postulated to contribute to the overall estrogen load of women, but the mechanisms of its action are not known. We demonstrated that zearalenone could stimulate the growth of estrogen receptor–positive human breast carcinoma cell line MCF‐7. In addition, zearalenone functioned as an antiapoptotic agent by increasing the survival of MCF‐7 cell cultures undergoing apoptosis caused by serum withdrawal. Treatment of these cells with 100 nM zearalenone induced cell‐cycle transit after increases in the expression of c‐myc mRNA and cyclins D1, A, and B1 and downregulation of p27Kip‐1. G1/G2‐phase kinase activity and phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product was also evident. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated entry of cells into the S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle, and phosphorylation of histone H3 occurred 36 h after zearalenone treatment. Ectopic expression of a dominant‐negative p21ras completely abolished the zearalenone‐induced DNA synthesis in these cells, and the specific inhibitor PD98059 for mitogen/extracellular‐regulated protein kinase kinase arrested S‐phase entry induced by zearalenone. These data suggest that the mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling cascade is required for zearalenone's effects on cell‐cycle progression in MCF‐7 cells. Given the presence of this mycotoxin in cereals, milk, and meat, the possibility that zearalenone is a potential promoter of breast cancer tumorigenesis should be investigated further. Mol. Carcinog. 30:88–98, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Electron-Beam Irradiation on Whole Genome Amplification

Electron-beam (E-beam) irradiation, currently being used to sterilize mail addressed to selected ZIP codes in the United States, has significant negative effects on the genomic integrity of DNA extracted from buccal-cell washes. We investigated the yield, composition, and genotyping performance of whole genome amplified DNA (wgaDNA) derived from 24 matched samples of E-beam–irradiated and nonirradiated genomic DNA (gDNA) as a model for the effects of degraded gDNA on the performance of whole genome amplification. gDNA was amplified using the Multiple Displacement Amplification method. Three methods of DNA quantification analysis were used to estimate the yield and composition of wgaDNA, and 65 short tandem repeat and single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assays were used to evaluate the genotyping performance of irradiated and nonirradiated gDNA and wgaDNA. Compared with wgaDNA derived from nonirradiated gDNA, wgaDNA derived from irradiated gDNA exhibited a significantly reduced yield of wgaDNA and significantly reduced short tandem repeat and single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping completion and concordance rates (P < 0.0001). Increasing the amount of irradiated gDNA input into whole genome amplification improved genotyping performance of wgaDNA but not to the level of wgaDNA derived from nonirradiated gDNA. Multiple Displacement Amplification wgaDNA derived from E-beam–irradiated gDNA is not suitable for genotyping analysis.
Bicarbonate-induced redox tuning in Photosystem II for regulation and protection

Significance The Em of QA/QA−• is the reference pegging the thermodynamics of Photosystem II (PSII) to an absolute value. This work resolves a long-standing discrepancy in the literature, removing this ambiguity at the heart of PSII bioenergetics. The discrepancy in the literature reflects the loss of bicarbonate in some titrations. This surprising finding shows that bicarbonate binding controls the Em of QA/QA−•, and thus the redox state of QA influences the binding of bicarbonate. This process constitutes a previously unrecognized regulation of PSII: QA−• triggers bicarbonate release, slowing electron transfer and tuning the potential of QA to protect PSII against photodamage. This work provides an explanation for the existence of bicarbonate in PSII, a mystery for more than half a century. The midpoint potential (Em) of QA/QA−•, the one-electron acceptor quinone of Photosystem II (PSII), provides the thermodynamic reference for calibrating PSII bioenergetics. Uncertainty exists in the literature, with two values differing by ∼80 mV. Here, we have resolved this discrepancy by using spectroelectrochemistry on plant PSII-enriched membranes. Removal of bicarbonate (HCO3−) shifts the Em from ∼−145 mV to −70 mV. The higher values reported earlier are attributed to the loss of HCO3− during the titrations (pH 6.5, stirred under argon gassing). These findings mean that HCO3− binds less strongly when QA−• is present. Light-induced QA−• formation triggered HCO3− loss as manifest by the slowed electron transfer and the upshift in the Em of QA. HCO3−-depleted PSII also showed diminished light-induced 1O2 formation. This finding is consistent with a model in which the increase in the Em of QA/QA−• promotes safe, direct P+•QA−• charge recombination at the expense of the damaging back-reaction route that involves chlorophyll triplet-mediated 1O2 formation [Johnson GN, et al. (1995) Biochim Biophys Acta 1229:202–207]. These findings provide a redox tuning mechanism, in which the interdependence of the redox state of QA and the binding by HCO3− regulates and protects PSII. The potential for a sink (CO2) to source (PSII) feedback mechanism is discussed.
Reduction of Cerebral Infarction in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats by Statins Associated With Amelioration of Oxidative Stress

Background and Purpose— This study aimed to clarify the effect of statins on spontaneous stroke and to examine the antioxidative effect in artificial transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Methods— Stroke-prone spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR-SP) were treated with pitavastatin, atorvastatin, simvastatin, or vehicle for 4 weeks. Physiological parameters, serum lipids, and infarct volumes were examined. The markers for oxidative stresses on lipids and DNA were immunohistochemically detected in vehicle-treated or simvastatin-treated SHR-SP with tMCAO. Results— Atorvastatin and simvastatin decreased infarct volumes, with simvastatin most effective. Simvastatin significantly reduced immunoreactivities for oxidative stress markers for lipids and DNA in neurons after tMCAO. Conclusions— The results suggest that the antioxidative properties of statins may be implicated in their beneficial effects against neuronal damage in cerebral ischemia.
The Effects of Repeated Opioid Administration on Locomotor Activity: II. Unidirectional Cross-Sensitization to Cocaine

Sensitization refers to an increase in sensitivity to the effects of a drug and is believed to play a role in the etiology of substance use disorders. Cross-sensitization has been observed between drugs from different pharmacological classes and may play a role in the escalation of drug use in polydrug-abusing populations. The purpose of this study was to examine cross-sensitization between opioids and cocaine and to determine the extent to which cross-sensitization is mediated by an opioid's selectivity for μ, κ, and δ receptors. Separate groups of rats were treated with opioid receptor agonists and antagonists every other day for 10 days, and the locomotor effects of cocaine were tested 8 days later. The μ agonists, morphine and buprenorphine, and the δ agonist, BW373U86 [(±)-4-[(R*)-[(2S*,5R*)-2,5-dimethyl-4-(2-propenyl)-1-piperazinyl]-(3-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-N,N-diethylbenzamide hydrochloride], produced cross-sensitization to cocaine, such that repeated administration of these drugs over a 10-day period significantly enhanced cocaine's locomotor effects when tested later. Coadministration of the opioid antagonist naltrexone prevented morphine and buprenorphine from producing cross-sensitization. Coadministration of naltrexone, but not the δ antagonist naltrindole, also prevented BW373U86 from producing cross-sensitization. The κ agonist spiradoline failed to produce cross-sensitization, but coadministration of spiradoline prevented morphine and buprenorphine from producing cross-sensitization. The ability of spiradoline to block cross-sensitization was itself blocked by the κ antagonist nor-binaltorphimine. The mixed μ/κ opioids butorphanol, nalbuphine, and nalorphine did not produce cross-sensitization under any condition examined. These data indicate that agonist activity at μ receptors positively modulates cross-sensitization between opioids and cocaine, whereas agonist activity at κ receptors negatively modulates this effect.
In vitro calcium availability in bakery products fortified with tuna bone powder as a natural calcium source

Abstract Avoidance of dairy products due to lactose intolerance can lead to insufficiency of calcium (Ca) in the body. In an approach to address this problem, tuna bone powder (TBP) was formulated as a calcium supplement to fortify bakery products. In a study, TBP recovered by alkaline treatment contained 38.16 g/100 g of calcium and 23.31 g/100 g of phosphorus. The ratio of Ca:P that was close to 2:1 was hence comparable to that in human bones. The availability of calcium in TBP was 53.93%, which was significantly higher than most calcium salts, tricalcium phosphate (TCP) being the exception. In vitro availability of calcium in TBP-fortified cookies or TCP-fortified cookies were comparable at 38.9% and 39.5%, respectively. These values were higher than the readings from TBP-fortified bread (36.7%) or TCP-fortified bread (37.4%). Sensory evaluation of bakery products containing TBP or TCP elicited comparable scores for the two additives from test panels. Hence, TBP could be used in the production of high calcium bakery products that would enjoy consumer acceptance.
Type I IFN Exhaustion is a Host Defence Protecting Against Secondary Bacterial Infections

Type I interferons (IFN‐I) have been known for decades for their indispensable role in curtailing viral infections. It is, however, now also increasingly recognized that IFN‐I is detrimental to the host in combating a number of bacterial infections. We have previously reported that viral infections induce partial lymphocyte activation, characterized by significant increases in the cell surface expression of CD69 and CD86, but not CD25. This systemic partial activation of lymphocytes, mediated by IFN‐I, is rapid and is followed by a period of IFN‐I unresponsiveness. Here we propose that IFN‐I exhaustion that occurs soon after a primary viral infection may be a host response protecting it from secondary bacterial infections.
Simple Exponential Family PCA

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a widely used model for dimensionality reduction. In this paper, we address the problem of determining the intrinsic dimensionality of a general type data population by selecting the number of principal components for a generalized PCA model. In particular, we propose a generalized Bayesian PCA model, which deals with general type data by employing exponential family distributions. Model selection is realized by empirical Bayesian inference of the model. We name the model as simple exponential family PCA (SePCA), since it embraces both the principal of using a simple model for data representation and the practice of using a simplified computational procedure for the inference. Our analysis shows that the empirical Bayesian inference in SePCA formally realizes an intuitive criterion for PCA model selection - a preserved principal component must sufficiently correlate to data variance that is uncorrelated to the other principal components. Experiments on synthetic and real data sets demonstrate effectiveness of SePCA and exemplify its characteristics for model selection.