Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quasar Absorbing Galaxies at z ≲ 1: Deep Imaging and Spectroscopy in the Field of 3C 336

We present very deep WFPC2 images and FOS spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) together with numerous supporting ground-based observations of the field of the quasar 3C 336 (zem = 0.927). The observations are designed to investigate the nature of galaxies producing metal-line absorption systems in the spectrum of the QSO. Along a single line of sight, we find at least six metal-line absorption systems (of which three are newly discovered) ranging in redshift from 0.317 to 0.892. Through an extensive program of optical and IR imaging, QSO spectroscopy, and faint galaxy spectroscopy, we have identified five of the six metal-line absorption systems with luminous (LK≥0.1L*K) galaxies. These have morphologies ranging from very late-type spiral to S0, and they exhibit a wide range of inclination and position angles with respect to the QSO sight line. The only unidentified absorber, despite our intensive search, is a damped Lyman-α system at zabs = 0.656. Analysis of the absorption spectrum suggests that the metal abundances ([Fe/H] = -1.2) in this system are similar to those in damped systems at z ~ 2 and to the two other damped systems for which abundances have been determined at z < 1. The absorption line system must either be associated with an underluminous, late-type spiral galaxy, which we find at a projected disk impact parameter of ~120 h-1 kpc, or with an as yet unseen, extremely faint galaxy (L < 0.05L*K) near the QSO sight line that eludes detection despite our deep HST and high-resolution ground-based near-IR images. We have found no examples of intrinsically faint galaxies (L < 0.1L*) at small impact parameters that might have been missed as absorber candidates in our previous ground-based imaging and spectroscopic programs on Mg II absorbing galaxies. We have, however, identified several intrinsically faint galaxies within ~50 h-1 kpc of the QSO sight line that do not produce detectable metal-line absorption. There are no bright galaxies (L > 0.1LK) within 50 h-1 kpc that do not produce detectable metal lines (of Mg II λλ2796, 2803 and/or C IV λλ1548, 1550) in the QSO spectrum. All of these results generally support the inferences we have previously reached from a larger survey for absorption-selected galaxies at z ≲ 1. There are several other galaxies with redshifts near that of 3C 336, suggesting that the QSO is situated in an overdense region, perhaps a galaxy cluster. Previously published reports of a cluster around 3C 336 were largely misled by the presence of many foreground galaxies seen in projection near the QSO. It is possible that a reported measurement of weak shear gravitational lensing in this field may be produced by the QSO cluster itself, since there appear to be no other groups or clusters in the foreground. We find no evidence for a normal, bright QSO host galaxy, although there are several faint objects very close to the quasar and at similar redshift that might either be companions or part of a disorganized QSO host.
The Impact of Coastal Boundaries and Small Hills on the Precipitation Distribution across Southern Connecticut and Long Island, New York

Abstract The modification of precipitation by the coastal land areas of Long Island (LI), New York, and southern Connecticut (CT) is examined for an extratropical cyclone over the northeast United States on 1 December 2004, which produced strong southerly flow (15–30 m s−1) below 900 mb and heavy precipitation over LI. The differential surface roughness at the coast and the hills of LI (30–80 m) and southern CT (100–250 m) enhanced the surface precipitation by 30%–50% over these regions compared with the nearby water region of LI Sound. The three-dimensional precipitation structures are shown using composite Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler radar data interpolated to a Cartesian grid, which is compared with a 4-km simulation using the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5). As the low-level stratification and flow increased at low levels, the MM5 produced a terrain-forced gravity wave over LI and CT upward through 6 km MSL. Prec.
Increasing D2 affinity results in the loss of clozapine's atypical antipsychotic action

Typical antipsychotics (haloperidol) give rise to severe motor side-effects while atypical antipsychotics like clozapine do not. Action at several neurotransmitter receptors have been implicated. To identify the critical mechanisms involved we synthesized an 8-C1 isomer of clozapine which showed an equivalent affinity to clozapine on multiple receptors (5-HT1A, 5-HT2, D1, D4, M1) but differed in having a 10-fold higher affinity at the dopamine D2/3 receptor. When tested in a series of animal models indicative of the typical/atypical distinction (catalepsy, striatal gene-induction, prolactin elevation) isoclozapine lost atypical properties and behaved like a typical antipsychotic. Simultaneous in vivo receptor occupancy studies confirmed that alterations in D2 receptor occupancy were most closely related to loss of atypicality by clozapine's isomer isoclozapine. The implications for the design of future antipsychotics is discussed.
MB-OFDM-UWB Based Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks for Underground Coalmine: A Survey

Safety production of coalmines is a task of top priority which plays an important role in guaranteeing, supporting and promoting the continuous development of the coal industry. Since traditional wireless sensor networks (WSNs) cannot fully meet the requirements of comprehensive environment monitoring of underground coalmines, wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs), enabling the retrieval of multimedia information, are introduced to realize fine-grained and precise environment surveillance. In this paper, a framework for designing underground coalmine WMSNs based on Multi-Band Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing Ultra-wide Band (MB-OFDM-UWB) is presented. The selection of MB-OFDM-UWB wireless transmission solution is based on the characteristics of underground coalmines. Network structure and design challenges are analyzed first, which is the foundation for further discussion. Then, key supporting technologies and open research areas in different layers are surveyed, and we provide a detailed literature review of the state of the art strategies, algorithms and general solutions in these issues. Finally, other research issues like localization, information processing, and network management are discussed.
Detection and identification of Salmonella species in minced beef and chicken meats by using Multiplex PCR in Assiut city

The present study was undertaken to determine the incidence and distribution of Salmonella species in selected meat and chicken products purchased from retail supermarkets in Assiut, Egypt. A total of 75 samples including 25 samples each of minced frozen beef, frozen chicken legs and frozen chicken fillets were collected over a 7-month period between January and July 2009 and examined for the presence of Salmonella species. In addition, 28 children stool cultures were collected from hospitalized children resident in Pediatric University Hospital with diarrhea or fever. Out of the total 75 meat samples examined, Salmonella was detected in 5 (20%) of minced frozen beef, 9 (36%) of frozen chicken leg and 13 (52%) of frozen chicken fillet samples analyzed. Regarding the examined 28 children stool cultures, 3 (10.71 %) were found Salmonella positive. Of the total 30 Salmonella positive samples from all examined samples, five selected Salmonella isolates were further identified using multiplex PCR (m-PCR). Two serovars were the dominant serovar identified was Salmonella entrica subsp. entrica serovar Enteritidis (2 chicken leg isolates and 2 chicken breast fillets) followed by Salmonella entrica subsp. entrica serovar Kentucky (one minced beef isolate). The public health hazards of Salmonella were discussed and the suggestive measures to protect the consumers and improve the quality of meat and chicken products were given.
Stream programming on general-purpose processors

In this paper we investigate mapping stream programs (i.e., programs written in a streaming style for streaming architectures such as Imagine and Raw) onto a general-purpose CPU. We develop and explore a novel way of mapping these programs onto the CPU. We show how the salient features of stream programming such as computation kernels, local memories, and asynchronous bulk memory loads and stores can be easily mapped by a simple compilation system to CPU features such as the processor caches, simultaneous multithreading, and fast inter-thread communication support, resulting in an executable that efficiently uses CPU resources. We present an evaluation of our mapping on a hyper-threaded Intel Pentium 4 CPU as a canonical example of a general-purpose processor. We compare the mapped stream program against the same program coded in a more conventional style for the general-purpose processor. Using both microbenchmarks and scientific applications we show that programs written in a streaming style can run comparably to equivalent programs written in a traditional style. Our results show that coding programs in a streaming style can improve performance on today's machines and smooth the way for significant performance improvements with the deployment of streaming architectures.
A Model to Describe BSA Fouling in Cross-Flow Microfiltration

A model, on the basis of incorporation of probabilities of particle adhesion in combined with pore-blocking and cake-filtration models, was developed in the present work to describe protein fouling during cross-flow microfiltration. It was verified first by scanning electron micrographs (SEM) that the deposition of protein aggregates is responsible for the resistance growth during cross-flow microfiltration of the solution of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Previous researches indicate that BSA aggregates can block membrane pores via the mechanisms of pore blockage and cake filtration during dead-end microfiltration, and a combined model of these two blocking mechanisms was developed accordingly. Such a combined model was modified in the present work in two folds. First, a combined model of intermediate blocking and cake filtration was developed which can describe the growth of filtration resistance more satisfactorily than the original model when microfiltration membranes with interconnected pores are used. Second, probabilities of particle adhesion were incorporated in the combined models to quantitatively describe the resistance growth during cross-flow microfiltration. The probability of particle adhesion on membranes, which can be calculated from estimations of the forces on particles along the flow and permeation directions, was introduced to take into account the effect of particle sweep due to cross flow. The developed models have been proven to be in good agreement with the experimental data obtained. It was found that the adhesion probability and the pore blockage parameter used in the model govern the behavior of resistance growth. With such models, the effects of cross-flow rate, protein concentration, solution pH, and membrane hydrophilicity on particle adhesion and pore blocking during cross-flow microfiltration can be quantitatively investigated.
The Effects of Nutrition Status of Patients With Digestive System Cancers on Prognosis of the Disease

To assess the association between nutrition status and prognosis of patients with digestive system cancer, epidemiological investigations were conducted in 2 periods to obtain information about the patients' nutrition status, survival time, and quality of life. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by logistic regression. Among the patients with esophagus, stomach, and colorectal cancers, nutritional indicators at time 1 did not affect relative risk for survival at time 2. At time 2, relations between quality of life and albumin, daily intake of calories, and daily intake of protein were statistically significant (P < .05). This study offers evidence that nutrition status shortly after operation does not affect 1-year survival rate and that nutritional status at 1 year is associated with quality of life.
Propylthiouracil Treatment Decreases the Susceptibility to Oxygen Radical-Induced Lung Damage in Newborn Rats Exposed to Prolonged Hyperoxia

ABSTRACT: In newborn rats, antenatal thyroid stimulation with thyroid-releasing hormone is associated with developmental decreases in pulmonary antioxidant enzyme activities and decreased survival rates during prolonged hyperoxic exposure, with pathologic evidence of increased O2-induced lung damage. Propylthiouracil (PTU), in addition to its antithyroid effects, reportedly has antioxidant properties. To explore possible pulmonary protective effects from both the antithyroid and antioxidant properties of PTU, we administered PTU (0.015%) in drinking water to timed-pregnant rats for the final 10 d of gestation and during lactation; control rats received untreated water. The survival rate of the PTU-treated pups when placed in more than 95% O2 at birth was consistently higher at all time periods in hyperoxia from 6 d [PTU, 81 of 81 (100%); control pups, 70 of 84 (83%); p < 0.01] to 14 d [PTU, 41 of 53 (77%); control pups = 14 of 56 (25%); p < 0.01]. Further evidence of increased tolerance to more than 95% O2 in PTU pups included a significant decrease in the incidence of microscopic intraalveolar edema, decreased lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde), and a significant increase in lung tissue surfactant-related phospholipids compared with O2-exposed control pups. No differences were present in lung structural maturation, antioxidant enzyme activity response to hyperoxia, or lung tissue O2 radical formation in more than 95% O2. We conclude that PTU treatment has important postnatal effects that protect newborn rats against oxidant-induced lung injury and lethality during hyperoxia, which may be related to PTU inhibition of thyroid hormone production, effect on O2 metabolism, or its direct antioxidant properties.
Submuscular Plating of Pediatric Femur Fracture

Abstract Currently, surgical management of pediatric femur fracture consists of intramedullary nailing with flexible nails or rigid trochanteric entry nails. Rigid trochanteric entry nails are the implant of choice for femoral fractures in adolescents, whereas titanium elastic nails are popular for the management of length‐stable diaphyseal femoral fractures in school‐age children. However, higher complication rates have been reported in children with length‐unstable diaphyseal femoral fractures treated with titanium elastic nails. These complications may require unplanned surgery. Fracture shortening or angulation can lead to nail prominence or exposure that may require nail shortening or removal. Recently, submuscular plating has been found to be a successful alternative option for management of length‐unstable femoral fractures in school‐age children. Submuscular plating can also be used in older and/or heavier children who have a femoral canal that is too small to accommodate a rigid intramedullary nail.
Fungal infections and treatment in cystic fibrosis

Purpose of review This review summarizes some of the important recent findings concerning fungal airway infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). For many years, both researchers and clinicians have focused on the problems in CF caused by chronic bacterial airway infection with organisms such as Haemophilus, Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas. However, until recently, the lack of sensitive culture techniques to isolate fungi in sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and other respiratory tract samples has limited the recognition of fungal species and their possible role in CF airway infections. Recent findings Recent studies using fungal-selective culture media and molecular techniques have shown a plethora of different fungal species in the sputum expectorated from CF patients. Cross-sectional studies have shown associations between Aspergillus and Candida in the sputum and worse lung function. The presence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is likely to be a negative prognostic factor, but whether simple fungal colonization itself indicates future problems is not clear. Current research is now examining these epidemiological associations to try to determine the clinical implications. This will help determine whether fungal colonization/infection is associated with worse outcome in CF patients. Summary At present, there is no conclusive evidence that fungal organisms cause respiratory decline. Recent studies of antifungal therapy in CF patients have reported differing results, so further investigations in this area are needed.
Inhibition of ERK1/2 Activation by Phenolic Antioxidants Protects Kidney Tubular Cells During Cold Storage

Background. Cold storage of tissues induces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which contribute to cell injury. We have compared different antioxidants in protection of renal tubular cells against hypothermia injury and studied their effect on cold-induced mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation. Methods. Cultured renal tubular epithelial cells (LLC-PK1) were stored in University of Wisconsin solution supplemented with compounds tested for 16 hr at 4°C. Release of lactate dehydrogenase and cellular adenosine triphosphate were measured. Activation of MAP kinases was determined by Western blotting. Intracellular ROS were monitored with a fluorescent probe. Results. Cold storage resulted in a substantial loss of cell viability. The simple phenol butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA) most effectively prevented hypothermia-induced cell injury, whereas about 100-fold higher concentration of the polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was needed, although EGCG most effectively scavenged intracellular ROS elicited by serum withdrawal. The MEK inhibitor U0126 and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium effectively protected the cells against hypothermia injury. ERK1/2 was rapidly activated during chilling of the cells and this was inhibited by BHA but not by EGCG. Conclusion. The results suggest that chilling of renal epithelial cells induces ROS generation by NADPH oxidase, which leads to rapid activation of the MEK-ERK1/2 cascade and initiation of cell injury. This can be prevented by antioxidants.
Fiscal Policy and the Labour Market: The Effects of Public Sector Employment and Wages

I build a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with search and matching frictions and two sectors in order to study the labour market effects of public sector employment and wages. Public sector wages plays an important role in achieving the efficient allocation. High wages induce too many unemployed to queue for public sector jobs, while if they are low, the government faces recruitment problems. The optimal steady-state wage premium depends mainly on the labour market friction parameters. In response to technology shocks, it is optimal to have procyclical public sector wages. Deviations from the optimal policy can increase the volatility of unemployment significantly. Public sector wage and employment shocks have mixed effects on unemployment. A wage shock raises the unemployment rate, while a reduction in the separations lowers it. Hiring more people can increase or decrease the unemployment rate. All shocks raise the wage and crowd out employment in the private sector. In the empirical part, I employ Bayesian methods to estimate the parameters of the model for the United States. I find that the direct search mechanism between the two sectors is an important element to explain business cycle fluctuations of the labour market variables.
Buffer-safe communication optimization based on data flow analysis and performance prediction

The paper presents a novel approach to reduce communication costs of programs for distributed memory machines. The techniques are based on uni-directional bit-vector data flow analysis that enable vectorizing and coalescing communication, overlapping communication with computation, eliminating redundant messages and amount of data being transferred both within and across loop nests. The data flow analysis differs from previous techniques that it does not require to explicitly model balanced communication placement and loops and does not employ interval analysis. The techniques are based on simple yet highly effective data flow equations which are solved iteratively for arbitrary control flow graphs. Moving communication earlier to hide latency has been shown to dramatically increase communication buffer sizes and can even cause run-time errors. The authors use P/sup 3/T, a state-of-the-art performance estimator to create a buffer-safe program. By accurately estimating both the communication buffer sizes required and the implied communication times of every single communication of a program one can selectively choose communication that must be delayed in order to ensure a correct communication placement while maximizing communication latency hiding. Experimental results are presented to prove the efficacy of the communication optimization strategy.
Hematological Characteristics of Yemeni Adults and Children with Visceral Leishmaniasis. Could Eosinopenia be a Suspicion Index?

Background and objectives Delay in the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) particularly in non-endemic areas is associated with higher mortality. In our experience, we found that marked bone marrow eosinopenia was a very frequent accompaniment of VL and might be a useful clue for the diagnosis, which indicates the opportunity for further morphological assessment. The aim of this study was to describe the hematological characteristics including peripheral blood and bone marrow findings of Yemeni adults and children with VL. Methods We conducted a descriptive analytic study to evaluate systematically peripheral blood and bone marrow findings of Yemeni adults and children with VL. Peripheral blood and bone marrow aspiration of patients with bone marrow aspirate confirmed VL were examined. Forty-seven patients with the main age (±SD) of 17.34±11.37 years (Range: 1–60) were included in the study. Fifty-one non-VL subjects with splenomegaly and pancytopenia or bicytopenia served as control group. Results All patients with VL had anemia, 41 (87%) leukopenia, 42 (89%) neutropenia, 44 (94%) thrombocytopenia, 42 (89%) eosinopenia, 34 (72%) pancytopenia and 13 (28%) had bicytopenia. In bone marrow examination 40 (85%) showed hypercellularity, 44 (94%) eosinopenia, 24 (51%) dyserythropoiesis, 22 (47%) lymphocytosis, 8 (17%) plasmacytosis, 27 (57%) decreased iron stores and 20 (43%) showed decreased sideroblasts. Comparison of VL patients with the control group showed significantly more frequent peripheral blood eosinopenia and lymphopenia and marrow eosinopenia. There was no significant difference between adults and children in any of the hematological features. Conclusion Anemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, eosinopenia, pancytopenia and marked bone marrow eosinopenia were the most common findings. The finding of marked bone marrow eosinopenia is a significant clue for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in patients who present with splenomegaly associated with cytopenias. This finding is particularly valuable in non-endemic areas.