Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sulphur in the Globular Clusters 47 Tucanae and NGC 6752

The light elements Li, O, Na, Al, and Mg are known to show star to star variations in the globular clusters 47 Tuc and NGC 6752. Such variations are interpreted as due to processing in a previous generation of stars. In this paper we investigate the abundances of the alpha-element sulphur, for which no previous measurements exist. In fact this element has not been investigated in any Galactic globular cluster so far. The only globular cluster for which such measurements are available is Terzan 7, which belongs to the Sgr dSph. We use high resolution spectra of the S I Mult. 1, acquired with the UVES spectrograph at the 8.2m VLT-Kueyen telescope, for turn-off and giant stars in the two globular clusters. The spectra are analyzed making use of ATLAS static plane parallel model atmospheres and SYNTHE spectrum synthesis. We also compute 3D corrections from CO5BOLD hydrodynamic models and apply corrections due to NLTE effects taken from the literature. In the cluster NGC 6752 sulphur has been measured only in four subgiant stars. We find no significant star to star scatter and a mean<[S/Fe]>= +0.49 +- 0.15, consistent with what observed in field stars of the same metallicity. In the cluster 47 Tuc we measured S in 4 turn-off and 5 subgiant stars with a mean<[S/Fe]>= +0.18 +- 0.14. While this result is compatible with no star to star scatter we notice a statistically significant correlation of the sulphur abundance with the sodium abundance and a tentative correlation with the silicon abundance.
Stereo Vision Using Cost-Relaxation with 3 D Support Regions

In this paper a new stereo algorithm is presented for computing dense disparity maps from stereo image pairs using a cost relaxation approach, where the disparity map is the momentary state of a dynamic system. Following biologically motivated cooperative approaches a disparity space is defined with cooperating probability variables. In a first step a correlation based similarity measure is performed to initialize the relaxation process. Due to a very simple mathematical formulation, the relaxation itself could be realized as an optimization of a global cost function taking into account both the stereoscopic continuity constraint and considerations of the pixel similarity. The continuity constraint is implemented using a 3D Gaussian-weighted local support area of coupling probability variables which interact during the relaxation process. A special construction of the global cost function guarantees the existence of a unique global minimum of the cost function, which can be easily found with the help of a standard numerical procedure. In a post-processing step occlusions are detected and a sub-pixel precise disparity map is computed.
Value of Imaging Studies After a First Febrile Urinary Tract Infection in Young Children: Data From Italian Renal Infection Study 1

OBJECTIVE. We examined the diagnostic accuracy of routine imaging studies (ultrasonography and micturating cystography) for predicting long-term parenchymal renal damage after a first febrile urinary tract infection. METHODS. This study addressed the secondary objective of a prospective trial evaluating different antibiotic regimens for the treatment of acute pyelonephritis. Data for 300 children ≤2 years of age, with normal prenatal ultrasound results, who completed the diagnostic follow-up evaluation (ultrasonography and technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid scanning within 10 days, cystography within 2 months, and repeat technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid scanning at 12 months to detect scarring) were analyzed. Outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values for ultrasonography and cystography in predicting parenchymal renal damage on the 12-month technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid scans. RESULTS. The kidneys and urinary tracts were mostly normal. The acute technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid scans showed pyelonephritis in 54% of cases. Renal scarring developed in 15% of cases. The ultrasonographic and cystographic findings were poor predictors of long-term damage, showing minor sonographic abnormalities for 12 and reflux for 23 of the 45 children who subsequently developed scarring. CONCLUSIONS. The benefit of performing ultrasonography and scintigraphy in the acute phase or cystourethrography is minimal. Our findings support (1) technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphy 6 months after infection to detect scarring that may be related to long-term hypertension, proteinuria, and renal function impairment (although the degree of scarring was generally minor and did not impair renal function) and (2) continued surveillance to identify recurrent urinary tract infections that may warrant further investigation.
Factors affecting utilization of antenatal care among reproductive age group women (15-49 years) in an urban squatter settlement of Karachi.

OBJECTIVES To describe the socio-demographic characteristics and utilization pattern of antenatal care of reproductive age group women (15-49 years) in an urban squatter settlement of Karachi and to assess and compare the knowledge on antenatal care between women who received and those who did not receive antenatal care. METHODS A community-based cross sectional survey was conducted and a sample of 323 women was taken through systematic sampling. Two hundred ninety five (295) women were interviewed and 28 were excluded, as they never experienced a pregnancy. Socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge about antenatal care were compared on the basis of having received and not having received antenatal care, utilizing bivariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher income women were twice likely to use antenatal care services (AOR = 2.11 95% CI 1.14-3.89) than those of lower income. Women receiving antenatal care were more knowledgeable about the importance of dietary protein (AOR = 1.97 95% CI 1.16-3.33), intake of green leafy vegetables for the prevention of anemia (AOR = 2.34 95% CI 1.33-4.11), and reporting danger signs (AOR = 2.25 95% CI 1.07-4.74). CONCLUSION Women of reproductive age need to recognize the importance of receiving antenatal care in the community. Uplifting the socio-economic status and literacy rate of women is required to provide community based education. There is a potential need to increase nutrition education, highlighting the importance of iron supplementation, appropriate food during pregnancy and recognition of signs and symptoms and danger signs in pregnancy.
Counseling Outcomes at a U.S. Department of Defense Employee Assistance Program

As part of a quality improvement initiative, counseling outcomes were reviewed at a Department of Defense employee assistance program (EAP). One hundred clients completed a self-report instrument, the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2, prior to their intake interview and again prior to their last counseling session. Counselors rated the clients on the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale immediately after the intake interview and again at case closing. In the closing summary, counselors also rated each client's perceived level of improvement on the major goals established at the beginning of counseling. The majority of clients reported less overall dysfunction (86%), less subjective distress (79%), better interpersonal relations (68%), and better functioning at work (68%) at case closing than at intake. Results on the counselor-completed scale of perceived improvement were very similar to client self-ratings. The GAF showed somewhat less sensitivity to change in general and deterioration in particular. The findings are consistent with other studies of counseling outcome in EAP settings and suggest that EAP counseling of short to moderate duration can result in less distress and better functioning for a majority of clients.
Filtering Effect in Supervised Classification of Polarimetric Ground Based SAR Images

We investigated the speckle filtering effect in supervised classification of the C-band polarimetric Ground Based SAR image data. Wishart classification method was used for the supervised classification of the polarimetric GB-SAR image data and total of 6 kinds of speckle filters were applied before supervised classification, which are boxcar, Gaussian, Lopez, IDAN, the refined Lee, and the refined Lee sigma filters. For each filters, we changed the filtering kernel size from 33 to 99 to investigate the filtering size effect also. The refined Lee filter with the kernel size of bigger than 55 showed the best result for the Wishart supervised classification of polarimetric GB-SAR image data. The result also showed that the type of trees could be discriminated by Wishart supervised classification of polarimetric GB-SAR image data.
Topology of the Maize Mixed Linkage (1→3),(1→4)-β-D-Glucan Synthase at the Golgi Membrane1

Mixed-linkage (1→3),(1→4)-β-d-glucan is a plant cell wall polysaccharide composed of cellotriosyl and cellotetraosyl units, with decreasingly smaller amounts of cellopentosyl, cellohexosyl, and higher cellodextrin units, each connected by single (1→3)-β-linkages. (1→3),(1→4)-β-Glucan is synthesized in vitro with isolated maize (Zea mays) Golgi membranes and UDP-[14C]d-glucose. The (1→3),(1→4)-β-glucan synthase is sensitive to proteinase K digestion, indicating that part of the catalytic domain is exposed to the cytoplasmic face of the Golgi membrane. The detergent {3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonic acid} (CHAPS) also lowers (1→3),(1→4)-β-glucan synthase activity. In each instance, the treatments selectively inhibit formation of the cellotriosyl units, whereas synthesis of the cellotetraosyl units is essentially unaffected. Synthesis of the cellotriosyl units is recovered when a CHAPS-soluble factor is permitted to associate with Golgi membranes at synthesis-enhancing CHAPS concentrations but lost if the CHAPS-soluble fraction is replaced by fresh CHAPS buffer. In contrast to other known Golgi-associated synthases, (1→3),(1→4)-β-glucan synthase behaves as a topologic equivalent of cellulose synthase, where the substrate UDP-glucose is consumed at the cytosolic side of the Golgi membrane, and the glucan product is extruded through the membrane into the lumen. We propose that a cellulose synthase-like core catalytic domain of the (1→3),(1→4)-β-glucan synthase synthesizes cellotetraosyl units and higher even-numbered oligomeric units and that a separate glycosyl transferase, sensitive to proteinase digestion and detergent extraction, associates with it to add the glucosyl residues that complete the cellotriosyl and higher odd-numbered units, and this association is necessary to drive polymer elongation.
Affect expression in the family, children's understanding of emotions, and their interactions with others.

Relations were examined between emotional expression in the family, children's understanding of emotions as assessed in a task situation, and their social understanding as reflected in conflict management and pretend play. Results highlight the importance of taking account of both the general level of expression of negative affect in the family (which was associated with poorer performance on emotion-understanding tasks, less negotiation in conflict, and less role enactment in pretend) and the significance of children's affective state for particular interactions. Discourse about feelings (linked to later emotional understanding) was more likely when children were expressing negative affect. The pattern of such associations differed, however, in families with high or middle/low levels of emotional expression
Genetic Dissection of Morphometric Traits Reveals That Phytochrome B Affects Nucleus Size and Heterochromatin Organization in Arabidopsis thaliana

Microscopically visible chromatin is partitioned into two major components in Arabidopsis thaliana nuclei. On one hand, chromocenters are conspicuous foci of highly condensed “heterochromatic” domains that contain mostly repeated sequences. On the other hand, less condensed and gene-rich “euchromatin” emanates from these chromocenters. This differentiation, together with the dynamic nature of chromatin compaction in response to developmental and environmental stimuli, makes Arabidopsis a powerful system for studying chromatin organization and dynamics. Heterochromatin dynamics can be monitored by measuring the Heterochromatin Index, i.e., the proportion of nuclei displaying well-defined chromocenters, or the DNA fraction of chromocenters (relative heterochromatin fraction). Both measures are composite traits, thus their values represent the sum of effects of various underlying morphometric properties. We exploited genetic variation between natural occurring accessions to determine the genetic basis of individual nucleus and chromocenter morphometric parameters (area, perimeter, density, roundness, and heterogeneity) that together determine chromatin compaction. Our novel reductionist genetic approach revealed quantitative trait loci (QTL) for all measured traits. Genomic colocalization among QTL was limited, which suggests a complex genetic regulation of chromatin compaction. Yet genomic intervals of QTL for nucleus size (area and perimeter) both overlap with a known QTL for heterochromatin compaction that is explained by natural polymorphism in the red/far-red light and temperature receptor Phytochrome B. Mutant analyses and genetic complementation assays show that Phytochrome B is a negative regulator of nucleus size, revealing that perception of climatic conditions by a Phytochrome-mediated hub is a major determinant for coordinating nucleus size and heterochromatin compaction.
EVOLUTION OF COLOR VARIATION IN DRAGON LIZARDS: QUANTITATIVE TESTS OF THE ROLE OF CRYPSIS AND LOCAL ADAPTATION

Abstract Many animal species display striking color differences with respect to geographic location, sex, and body region. Traditional adaptive explanations for such complex patterns invoke an interaction between selection for conspicuous signals and natural selection for crypsis. Although there is now a substantial body of evidence supporting the role of sexual selection for signaling functions, quantitative studies of crypsis remain comparatively rare. Here, we combine objective measures of coloration with information on predator visual sensitivities to study the role of crypsis in the evolution of color variation in an Australian lizard species complex (Ctenophorus decresii). We apply a model that allows us to quantify crypsis in terms of the visual contrast of the lizards against their natural backgrounds, as perceived by potential avian predators. We then use these quantitative estimates of crypsis to answer the following questions. Are there significant differences in crypsis conspicuousness among populations? Are there significant differences in crypsis conspicuousness between the sexes? Are body regions “exposed” to visual predators more cryptic than “hidden” body regions? Is there evidence for local adaptation with respect to crypsis against different substrates? In general, our results confirmed that there are real differences in crypsis conspicuousness both between populations and between sexes; that exposed body regions were significantly more cryptic than hidden ones, particularly in females; and that females, but not males, are more cryptic against their own local background than against the background of other populations. Body regions that varied most in contrast between the sexes and between populations were also most conspicuous and are emphasized by males during social and sexual signaling. However, results varied with respect to the aspect of coloration studied. Results based on chromatic contrast (“hue” of color) provided better support for the crypsis hypothesis than did results based on achromatic contrast (“brightness” of color). Taken together, these results support the view that crypsis plays a substantial role in the evolution of color variation and that color patterns represent a balance between the need for conspicuousness for signaling and the need for crypsis to avoid predation.
Mapping Expressive Differences Around the World

Despite the importance of the concept of cultural display rules in explaining cultural differences in emotional expression and despite the fact that it has been more than 30 years since this concept was coined, there is yet to be a study that surveys display rules across a wide range of cultures. This article reports such a study. More than 5,000 respondents in 32 countries completed the Display Rule Assessment Inventory. The authors examined five hypotheses concerning the relationship between display rules and individualism-collectivism (IC). The findings indicated the existence of several universal effects, including greater expression toward in-groups versus out-groups, and an overall regulation effect. Individualistic and collectivistic cultures differed on overall expressivity endorsement and in norms concerning specific emotions in in-group and out-group situations.
Forgivingness: Relationships With Conceptualizations of Divine Forgiveness and Childhood Memories

The present study examined the extent to which the three-aspect construct of forgivingness—Lasting Resentment, Sensitivity to Circumstances of the offense, and Unconditional Forgiveness—applies to the way believers in God conceptualize God's forgiveness and remember the atmosphere of forgiveness (or unforgiveness) that prevailed in their family. It also examined the relationships between forgivingness, conceptualizations of God's forgiveness, and the way people remember the atmosphere of forgiveness in their family. One hundred eighty-two participants were presented with (a) the Forgivingness Scale, (b) the Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale, (c) a questionnaire referring to participants' possible conceptualizations of divine forgiveness, (d) a questionnaire referring to the experience of forgiveness in the family, and (e) six additional short scales that assessed the predictability of God's forgiveness, the feeling of having been forgiven by God and by the family, the feeling of having been able to forgive God and to forgive the family, and the predictability of God's forgiveness and of the family's forgiveness. The data were consistent with the idea that people conceptualize (a) God's forgiveness around three aspects: Resentful God, Sensitive God, and Unconditionally Forgiving God, and (b) family's forgiveness around three symmetrical aspects: Resentful Family, Sensitive Family, and Unconditionally Forgiving Family. Sensitivity to circumstances was essentially associated with participants' reports about their parents' sensitivity to circumstances. Unconditional forgiveness was essentially associated with the way participants conceptualize God's forgiveness. Finally, Lasting Resentment was above all correlated with unpredictability, in God or in family, and it was also related to the factor called Resentful family.
Billboards and Turnout: A Randomized Field Experiment

Scholars argue that mass media appeals and other examples of communications that provide “noticeable reminders” to vote should elevate voter turnout (Dale and Strauss 2009), but a wide range of field experimental studies show that messages delivered via untargeted and impersonal means (such as mass media) are ineffective (Green and Gerber 2008). We test these competing hypotheses in a randomized, mass media field experiment using billboard advertisements to mobilize participation in local elections taking place in November 2007. Despite that outdoor advertising is commonly used in political campaigns to widely reach citizens, no study of which we are aware has experimentally tested the causal effects of billboard advertising on voter turnout. Our findings suggest that billboards are ineffective in generating higher levels of voter turnout. We discuss these results in comparison with other mass media advertisements and other get-out-the-vote methods. Experimental replication and extension is necessary to probe further the impact of outdoor advertising on voting behavior.
Designing for bystanders: reflections on building a public digital forum

In this paper, we reflect on the design and deployment process of MAGICBoard, a public display deployed in a university setting that solicits the electronic votes and opinions of bystanders on trivial but amusing topics. We focus on the consequences of our design choices with respect to encouraging bystanders to interact with the public display. Bystanders are individuals around the large display who may never fully engage with the application itself, but are potential contributors to the system. Drawing on our recent experiences with MAGICBoard, we present a classification of bystanders, and then discuss three design themes relevant to the design of systems for bystander use: graduated proximal engagement, lowering barriers for interaction and supporting covert engagement.
The influence of HPMC concentration on release of theophylline or hydrocortisone from extended release mini-tablets

Context: Mini-tablets are compact dosage forms, typically 2–3 mm in diameter, which have potential advantages for paediatric drug delivery. Extended release (ER) oral dosage forms are intended to release drugs continuously at rates that are sufficiently controlled to provide periods of prolonged therapeutic action following each administration, and polymers such as hypromelllose (HPMC) are commonly used to produce ER hydrophilic matrices. Objective: To develop ER mini-tablets of different sizes for paediatric delivery and to study the effects of HPMC concentration, tablet diameter and drug solubility on release rate. Methods: The solubility of Hydrocortisone and theophylline was determined. Mini-tablets (2 and 3 mm) and tablets (4 and 7 mm) comprising theophylline or hydrocortisone and HPMC (METHOCEL™ K15M) at different concentrations (30, 40, 50 and 60%w/w) were formulated. The effect of tablet size, HPMC concentration and drug solubility on release rate and tensile strength was studied. Results and Discussion: Increasing the HPMC content and tablet diameter resulted in a significant decrease in drug release rate from ER mini-tablets. In addition, tablets and mini-tablets containing theophylline produced faster drug dissolution than those containing hydrocortisone, illustrating the influence of drug solubility on release from ER matrices. The results indicate that different drug release profiles and doses can be obtained by varying the polymer content and mini-tablet diameter, thus allowing dose flexibility to suit paediatric requirements. Conclusion: This work has demonstrated the feasibility of producing ER mini-tablets to sustain drug release rate, thus allowing dose flexibility for paediatric patients. Drug release rate may be tailored by altering the mini-tablet size or the level of HPMC, without compromising tablet strength.
Policy search for multi-robot coordination under uncertainty

We introduce a principled method for multi-robot coordination based on a general model (termed a MacDec-POMDP) of multi-robot cooperative planning in the presence of stochasticity, uncertain sensing, and communication limitations. A new MacDec-POMDP planning algorithm is presented that searches over policies represented as finite-state controllers, rather than the previous policy tree representation. Finite-state controllers can be much more concise than trees, are much easier to interpret, and can operate over an infinite horizon. The resulting policy search algorithm requires a substantially simpler simulator that models only the outcomes of executing a given set of motor controllers, not the details of the executions themselves and can solve significantly larger problems than existing MacDec-POMDP planners. We demonstrate significant performance improvements over previous methods and show that our method can be used for actual multi-robot systems through experiments on a cooperative multi-robot bartending domain.