Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
APM z ≳ 4 survey: distribution and evolution of high column density H i absorbers

Eleven candidate damped Lyα absorption systems were identified in 27 spectra of the quasars from the APM z ≳ 4 survey covering the redshift range 2.8 ≤ z_(absorption) ≤ 4.4 (eight with z_(absorption) > 3.5). High-resolution echelle spectra (0.8-A FWHM) have been obtained for three quasars, including two of the highest redshift objects in the survey. Two damped systems have confirmed H i column densities of N_(HI) ≥ 10^(20.3) atom cm^(−2), with a third falling just below this threshold. We have discovered the highest redshift damped Lyα absorber known at z = 4.383 in QSO BR 1202 — 0725. The APM QSOs provide a substantial increase in the redshift path available for damped surveys for z > 3. We combine this high-redshift sample with other quasar samples covering the redshift range 0.008 21.2. The breaks are more pronounced at higher redshift. The column density distribution function for the data with log N_(HI) ≥ 20.3 is better fitted with the form f (N) = (f_*/N_*) (N/N_*)^(−β)exp (— N/N_*) with log N_* = 21.63 ± 0.35, β = 1.48 ± 0.30, and f_* = 1.77 × 10^(−2). We study the evolution of the number density per unit redshift of the damped systems by fitting the sample with the customary power law N(z) = N_o(1 + z)^γ. For a population with no intrinsic evolution in the product of the absorption cross-section and comoving spatial number density this will give γ = 1/2 (Ω = 1) or γ = 1 (Ω = 0). The best maximum-likelihood fit for a single power law is γ = 1.3 ± 0.5 and N_o = 0. 041_(−0.02)^(+0.03), consistent with no intrinsic evolution even though the value of γ is also consistent with that found for the Lyman limit systems where evolution is detected at a significant level. However, redshift evolution is evident in the higher column density systems with an apparent decline in N(z) for z > 3.5.
iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of the Initiation of Head Regeneration in Planarians

The planarian Dugesia japonica has amazing ability to regenerate a head from the anterior ends of the amputated stump with maintenance of the original anterior-posterior polarity. Although planarians present an attractive system for molecular investigation of regeneration and research has focused on clarifying the molecular mechanism of regeneration initiation in planarians at transcriptional level, but the initiation mechanism of planarian head regeneration (PHR) remains unclear at the protein level. Here, a global analysis of proteome dynamics during the early stage of PHR was performed using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomics strategy, and our data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002100. The results showed that 162 proteins were differentially expressed at 2 h and 6 h following amputation. Furthermore, the analysis of expression patterns and functional enrichment of the differentially expressed proteins showed that proteins involved in muscle contraction, oxidation reduction and protein synthesis were up-regulated in the initiation of PHR. Moreover, ingenuity pathway analysis showed that predominant signaling pathways such as ILK, calcium, EIF2 and mTOR signaling which were associated with cell migration, cell proliferation and protein synthesis were likely to be involved in the initiation of PHR. The results for the first time demonstrated that muscle contraction and ILK signaling might played important roles in the initiation of PHR at the global protein level. The findings of this research provide a molecular basis for further unraveling the mechanism of head regeneration initiation in planarians.
A feasibility study for a general-purpose visual programming system

As electronics and computers become an ever-bigger part of our life there is a growing need for creating higher-quality software faster. Visualizing the structure, execution and model of programs can improve the development process. Numerous methods and styles exist for visualizing different software artifacts but, despite previous efforts, visual programming has only very limited use in industrial organizations. We present Envision a framework for general-purpose visual programming. It combines many existing techniques with novel ideas to increase productivity and code comprehension. It aims to support visual programming for large scale industrial projects in a wide variety of domains.
Distress Tolerance Skills for College Students: A Pilot Investigation of a Brief DBT Group Skills Training Program

ABSTRACT This report outlines the evaluation of a brief dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) group skills training program for students presenting with serious psychological concerns (referral reasons included suicidality, self-injury, and substance use). Students were enrolled in distress tolerance groups ranging from 7–10 weeks. The majority of the students in the sample were receiving psychiatric medication, individual therapy, or both. All students (N = 22) demonstrated significantly improved scores on measures of emotion regulation and functional and dysfunctional coping. These results are the first to show that targeted skills training with DBT mindfulness and distress tolerance skills can produce beneficial outcomes in college students in the context of a short-term intervention.
Avoidant attachment style predicts less positive evaluations of warm (but not cold) social groups

Two studies investigated the hypothesis that because individuals who are high on attachment avoidance tend to be disinterested in warmth in interpersonal relationships, they may respond less favorably to groups perceived as warm, attenuating the generally positive association between perceived warmth and favorable evaluation of a group. In Study 1, participants responded to groups representing the four quadrants based on warmth and competence identified by the stereotype content model (e.g., White people, homeless people). On average, people evaluated groups higher in stereotypical warmth more positively. However, as predicted, this effect was significantly weaker among participants higher in attachment avoidance. No effect was found for attachment anxiety. Study 2, in which the perceived warmth of a fictitious group was experimentally manipulated, conceptually replicated the effect for attachment avoidance. Understanding how attachment avoidance may attenuate favorable attitudes toward socially warm groups can help illuminate broader processes of intergroup relations.
Phrase-level Polarity Identification for Bangla

A BSTRACT In this paper, opinion polarity classification on news texts has been carried out for a less privileged language Bengali using Support Vector Machine (SVM)1. The present system identifies semantic orientation of an opinionated phrase as either positive or negative. The classification of text as either subjective or objective is clearly a precursor to determining the opinion orientation of evaluative text since objective text is not evaluative by definition. A rule based subjectivity classifier has been used. The present system is a hybrid approach to the problem, works with lexicon entities and linguistic syntactic feature. Evaluation results have demonstrated a precision of 70.04% and a recall of 63.02%.
Impact of mental fatigue on speed and accuracy components of soccer-specific skills

ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of mental fatigue on speed and accuracy components of soccer-specific skills. Fourteen well-trained soccer players completed the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test on two occasions, separated by a minimum of 48 h. Tests were preceded, in a randomised order, by 30 min of reading magazines (control) or the Stroop task (mental fatigue). Subjective mental fatigue was recorded on visual analogue scales before and after reading. Mental effort (referring to the reading task) and motivation (for the upcoming passing test) were recorded after reading. Soccer-specific skill performance was assessed using time taken to complete all passes, and number of errors committed. Mental fatigue and effort were higher following the Stroop task than the magazines (P < 0.001), while motivation was similar between conditions. Time taken to complete the passing test was similar between conditions; however, players committed more missed target errors (2.4 ± 1.3 s vs. 1.6 ± 1.1; P = 0.02) and less perfect passes (5.6 ± 1.4 s vs. 6.6 ± 1.5; P = 0.04) in the mental fatigue condition, while no other errors were significantly different between conditions. Mental fatigue impairs short passing accuracy, but not movement speeds during the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test.
Variability and Correlations in Primary Visual Cortical Neurons Driven by Fixational Eye Movements

The ability to distinguish between elements of a sensory neuron's activity that are stimulus independent versus driven by the stimulus is critical for addressing many questions in systems neuroscience. This is typically accomplished by measuring neural responses to repeated presentations of identical stimuli and identifying the trial-variable components of the response as noise. In awake primates, however, small “fixational” eye movements (FEMs) introduce uncontrolled trial-to-trial differences in the visual stimulus itself, potentially confounding this distinction. Here, we describe novel analytical methods that directly quantify the stimulus-driven and stimulus-independent components of visual neuron responses in the presence of FEMs. We apply this approach, combined with precise model-based eye tracking, to recordings from primary visual cortex (V1), finding that standard approaches that ignore FEMs typically miss more than half of the stimulus-driven neural response variance, creating substantial biases in measures of response reliability. We show that these effects are likely not isolated to the particular experimental conditions used here, such as the choice of visual stimulus or spike measurement time window, and thus will be a more general problem for V1 recordings in awake primates. We also demonstrate that measurements of the stimulus-driven and stimulus-independent correlations among pairs of V1 neurons can be greatly biased by FEMs. These results thus illustrate the potentially dramatic impact of FEMs on measures of signal and noise in visual neuron activity and also demonstrate a novel approach for controlling for these eye-movement-induced effects. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Distinguishing between the signal and noise in a sensory neuron's activity is typically accomplished by measuring neural responses to repeated presentations of an identical stimulus. For recordings from the visual cortex of awake animals, small “fixational” eye movements (FEMs) inevitably introduce trial-to-trial variability in the visual stimulus, potentially confounding such measures. Here, we show that FEMs often have a dramatic impact on several important measures of response variability for neurons in primary visual cortex. We also present an analytical approach for quantifying signal and noise in visual neuron activity in the presence of FEMs. These results thus highlight the importance of controlling for FEMs in studies of visual neuron function, and demonstrate novel methods for doing so.
Gender role orientation and gaming behavior revisited: examining mediated and moderated effects

ABSTRACT The article presents results of a study that examined the influence of gender role orientations on gaming motivations, game genre preferences, and different play styles. Applying social role theory, it was hypothesized that femininity and masculinity influence gender-typed motivations (social interaction, competition, and challenge) and preferences (role-playing and action games) as well as gender-typed behavior (cooperative play and competitive play). After collecting empirical data through an online survey, hypotheses were tested by structural equation modeling. Moreover, moderating effects of sociodemographic characteristics (biological gender, age, and educational level) were examined. Findings provide evidence for the existence of gender-typed motives of play, genre preferences, and – mediated by motivations and preferences – gaming behavior. Group analyses support a biosocial model of gender-typed gaming behavior because gender-typing of motives, preferences, and play styles varies in strength and direction by biological gender, age, and educational level.
Predictors of recidivism in adolescent offenders

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Bank Size and Lending Relationships in Japan

Current theoretical and empirical research suggests that small banks have a comparative advantage in processing soft information and delivering relationship lending. The most comprehensive analysis of this view found using U.S. data that smaller SMEs borrow from smaller banks and smaller banks have stronger relationships with their borrowers (Berger, Miller, Petersen, Rajan, and Stein 2005) (BMPRS). We employ essentially the same methodology as BMPRS on a unique Japanese data set and obtained findings that are quite interesting from an international comparison point of view. We found like BMPRS that larger firms tend to borrow from larger banks. However, unlike BMPRS we did not find that this was because larger firms are more transparent. Together these results imply that large banks do not necessarily have a comparative advantage in extending transactions-based lending. We also found like BMPRS that smaller banks have strong relationships with their borrowers. However, we find that banking relationships in the U.S. and Japan are strong in somewhat different dimensions. Our paper clarifies these and other interesting similarities and differences between the U.S. and Japan.
Exergy Analysis of Biomass Gasification with Steam/Air: A Comparison Study

Biomass gasification with steam/air is compared from an exergetic aspect. The comparison details include the exergy efficiencies of the product gases, tar, char and the lost part from the same biomass of both steam gasification and air gasification. Some conclusions can be obtained from the results. In the temperature range from 800¿ to 1200¿ analyzed in this paper, exergy efficiencies of both steam gasification and air gasification have the same changing tendency: gas exergy efficiency increases, while exergy efficiencies of tar and char decline. On the while, the exergy efficiencies of gases, tar and char of steam gasification are higher than that of air gasification. From this aspect, steam gasification is a better technology, especially when the tar and char can be efficiently used. When the gasification temperature increases, both these two technologies improve.
Disabled people, medical inadmissibility, and the differential politics of immigration

This paper is concerned with the impact of medical inadmissibility provisions in Canada's immigration law on applicants with disabilities. The paper draws on key informant interviews, policy analysis, and Ministry of Immigration data on medical inadmissibility findings. We follow the lead of recent mobilities scholarship to examine how the immigration system is enacted, reproduced, and contested over time. From this perspective, we see that recent court challenges to the statutory provisions have created additional procedural space for applicants to contest findings of inadmissibility. However, the legitimacy of excessive demand as a basis for exclusion remains firmly in place, while recent immigration policy changes signal an intensification of measures to limit the social reproductive costs of immigration. Les personnes handicapees, l'inadmissibilite pour motifs sanitaires et la politique d'immigration selective Cet article s'interesse aux effets des dispositions de la legislation canadienne en matiere d'immigration relatives a l'inadmissibilite pour motifs sanitaires des candidats ayant une incapacite. L'article se fonde sur des entretiens aupres d'informateurs cles, des analyses politiques et des donnees du ministere sur les decisions d'inadmissibilite pour motifs sanitaires. Les recherches recentes portant sur la mobilite forment le point de depart d'une exploration du mode de fonctionnement du systeme d'immigration, sa reproduction et sa remise en question au fil du temps. Vues sous cet angle, les contestations actuelles des dispositions legales devant les tribunaux ont permis de degager un espace de procedure supplementaire pour les candidats afin de contester les verdicts d'inadmissibilite. Cependant, la legitimite de la demande excessive en tant que motif d'interdiction perdure, tandis que les changements recents apportes a la politique d'immigration annoncent une intensification des mesures visant a limiter les coUts sociaux de l'immigration.
Another look at the regression discontinuity design

The attractiveness of the Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) in its sharp formulation rests on close similarities with a formal experimental design. On the other hand, it is of limited applicability since rarely individuals are assigned to the treatment group on the basis of a pre-program measure observable to the analyst. Besides, it only allows to identify the mean impact of the program for a very specific sub-population of individuals. In this paper we show that the sharp RDD straightforwardly generalizes to the instances in which the eligibility for the program is established with respect to an observable pre-program measure with eligible individuals self-selecting into the treatment group according to an unknown process. This set-up also turns out very convenient to define a specification test on conventional non-experimental estimators of the program effect needed to identify the mean impact away from the threshold for eligibility. Data requirements are made explicit.
On the Robust Circuit Design Schemes of Biochemical Networks: Steady-State Approach

Based on the steady-state analyses of the synergism and saturation system (S-system) model, a robust control method is proposed for biochemical networks via feedback and feedforward biochemical circuits. Two robust biochemical circuit design schemes are developed. One scheme is to improve the system’s structural stability so as to tolerate larger kinetic parameter variations, whereas the other is to compensate for the kinetic parameter variations to eliminate their effects. In addition, a multi-objective biochemical circuit design scheme is introduced for both the robust design against kinetic parameter variations and a desired sensitivity design to eliminate the effect of external disturbance simultaneously. The proposed robust circuit design schemes will provide a systematic method with potential applications in synthetic circuit design for biotechnological purpose and drug design purpose. Recent advances in both metabolic and genetic engineering have made the robust biochemical circuit control approach feasible through the design and implementation of synthetic biological networks amenable to mathematical modeling and quantitative analysis. Finally, several examples including the robust circuit design of the tricarboxylic acid cycle are used in silico to illustrate the design procedure and to confirm the performance of the proposed design method.
Role of stress in the etiology and treatment of diabetes mellitus.

&NA; Stress has long been suspected as having major effects on metabolic activity. The effects of stress on glucose metabolism are mediated by a variety of “counter‐regulatory” hormones that are released in response to stress and that result in elevated blood glucose levels and decreased insulin action. This energy mobilizing effect is of adaptive importance in a healthy organism. However, in diabetes, because of a relative or absolute lack of insulin, stress‐induced increases in blood glucose cannot be adequately metabolized. Thus, stress is a potential contributor to chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes, although its exact role is unclear. Although there is some suggestion from retrospective human studies that stress can precipitate type I diabetes, animal studies are contradictory with different stressors either having facilitatory or inhibitory effects upon the development of the disease. Human investigations in patients with established diabetes are equally confusing with some showing that stress can stimulate hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia or have no effect at all on glycemic status. There is more consistent evidence supporting the role of stress in animal models of type II diabetes. However, human studies on the role of stress on the course of established type II diabetes are few. Intervention studies suggest that behavioral or pharmacologic intervention to manage stress may contribute significantly to diabetes treatment, but more long‐term research is needed. It is concluded that further research is needed to establish the importance of behavioral factors in the etiology and management of diabetes, and several areas of methodologic improvement are suggested.
MASS CALIBRATION AND COSMOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SPT-SZ GALAXY CLUSTER SAMPLE USING VELOCITY DISPERSION σv AND X-RAY YX MEASUREMENTS

We present a velocity-dispersion-based mass calibration of the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect survey (SPT-SZ) galaxy cluster sample. Using a homogeneously selected sample of 100 cluster candidates from 720 deg2 of the survey along with 63 velocity dispersion (σv) and 16 X-ray YX measurements of sample clusters, we simultaneously calibrate the mass-observable relation and constrain cosmological parameters. Our method accounts for cluster selection, cosmological sensitivity, and uncertainties in the mass calibrators. The calibrations using σv and YX are consistent at the 0. 6σ level, with the σv calibration preferring ∼16% higher masses. We use the full SPTCL data set (SZ clusters+σv+YX) to measure σ8(Ωm/0.27)0.3 = 0.809 ± 0.036 within a flat ΛCDM model. The SPT cluster abundance is lower than preferred by either the WMAP9 or Planck+WMAP9 polarization (WP) data, but assuming that the sum of the neutrino masses is ∑mν = 0.06 eV, we find the data sets to be consistent at the 1. 0σ level for WMAP9 and 1. 5σ for Planck+WP. Allowing for larger ∑mν further reconciles the results. When we combine the SPTCL and Planck+WP data sets with information from baryon acoustic oscillations and Type Ia supernovae, the preferred cluster masses are 1. 9σ higher than the YX calibration and 0. 8σ higher than the σv calibration. Given the scale of these shifts (∼44% and ∼23% in mass, respectively), we execute a goodness-of-fit test; it reveals no tension, indicating that the best-fit model provides an adequate description of the data. Using the multi-probe data set, we measure Ωm = 0.299 ± 0.009 and σ8 = 0.829 ± 0.011. Within a νCDM model we find ∑mν = 0.148 ± 0.081 eV. We present a consistency test of the cosmic growth rate using SPT clusters. Allowing both the growth index γ and the dark energy equation-of-state parameter w to vary, we find γ = 0.73 ± 0.28 and w = −1.007 ± 0.065, demonstrating that the expansion and the growth histories are consistent with a ΛCDM universe (γ = 0.55; w = −1).