Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Galaxy Zoo: the properties of merging galaxies in the nearby Universe – local environments, colours, masses, star formation rates and AGN activity

Following the study of Darg et al., we explore the environments, optical colours, stellar masses, star formation and active galactic nucleus activity in a sample of 3003 pairs of merging galaxies drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey using visual classifications from the Galaxy Zoo project. While Darg et al. found that the spiral-to-elliptical ratio in (major) mergers appeared higher than that of the global galaxy population, no significant differences are found between the environmental distributions of mergers and a randomly selected control sample. This makes the high occurrence of spirals in mergers unlikely to be an environmental effect and must therefore arise from differing time-scales of detectability for spirals and ellipticals. We find that merging galaxies have a wider spread in colour than the global galaxy population, with a significant blue tail resulting from intense star formation in spiral mergers. Galaxies classed as star-forming using their emission-line properties have average star formation rates approximately doubled by the merger process though star formation is negligibly enhanced in merging elliptical galaxies. We conclude that the internal properties of galaxies significantly affect the time-scales over which merging systems can be detected (as suggested by recent theoretical studies) which leads to spirals being ‘over-observed’ in mergers. We also suggest that the transition mass 3 × 1010 M⊙, noted by Kauffmann et al., below which ellipticals are rare could be linked to disc survival/destruction in mergers.
Randomized controlled trials in schizophrenia: opportunities, limitations, and trial design alternatives

State-of-the art clinical trial design and methodology are enormously important for the advancement of the field. In contrast, the critical relevance of trial conduct and implementation have only more recently been the focus of discussion and research. Although randomized controlled trials are generally considered the gold standard for the assessment of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions in medicine, trials are vulnerable to complications and influences that can seriously compromise their success, Like interventions, trial design and conduct are also contextual. They need to be individualized and adapted to a number of relevant variables, such as setting, population, illness phase, interventions, patient and rater expectations and biases, and the overall aims of the investigation. While this means that there is no unified approach possible, certain general principles and guidelines require careful consideration. Knowledge of basic solutions and alternatives, and the recognition of the complex challenges that need to be addressed proactively can help to minimize unwanted outcomes, including trial failure and uninformative or falsely negative outcomes. Moreover, novel design alternatives need to be explored that target sample enrichment according to the study question and enhancement of precision in the measurement of relevant outcomes. We propose two novel design strategies that take advantage of the recently validated early antipsychotic response paradigm (that has also been observed with antidepressants and mood stabilizers). In the “early responder randomized discontinuation design” all patients are assigned to the active drug, and only those who had at least a minimal response at 2 weeks are enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled discontinuation trial, enriching the placebo controlled trial portion with true drug responders. In the mirror image “early nonresponder randomized dose increase or augmentation design,” early nonresponders at 2 weeks are assigned to staying on the medication or going either to a higher dose or an augmentation agent. It is hoped that through increased attention to the issues raised in this article and further refinement of trial methodology and conduct, the field will make much needed additional progress in the prevention and treatment of schizophrenia.
Prefetching XML data with abstract query mining

Web applications using the XML technologies are increasingly popular. Besides caching, another query performance improvement approach is prefetching. Similar to other database queries, XML queries often have their own query patterns. We present a preprocessing algorithm that extracts abstract queries from similar query constructs but with different constraints values. These abstract queries help to produce useful access patterns by applying association mining on them. Through our preliminary experiments, we found that our prefetching approach improved both the cache hit ratio and precision of the XML cache system.
Efficacy Evaluation of Fungus Syncephalastrum racemosum and Nematicide Avermectin against the Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne incognita on Cucumber

The root-knot nematode (RKN) is one of the most damaging agricultural pests.Effective biological control is need for controlling this destructive pathogen in organic farming system. During October 2010 to 2011, the nematicidal effects of the Syncephalastrum racemosum fungus and the nematicide, avermectin, alone or combined were tested against the RKN (Meloidogyne incognita) on cucumber under pot and field condition in China. Under pot conditions, the application of S. racemosum alone or combined with avermectin significantly increased the plant vigor index by 31.4% and 10.9%, respectively compared to the M. incognita-inoculated control. However, treatment with avermectin alone did not significantly affect the plant vigor index. All treatments reduced the number of root galls and juvenile nematodes compared to the untreated control. Under greenhouse conditions, all treatments reduced the disease severity and enhanced fruit yield compared to the untreated control. Fewer nematodes infecting plant roots were observed after treatment with avermectin alone, S. racemosum alone or their combination compared to the M. incognita-inoculated control. Among all the treatments, application of avermectin or S. racemosum combined with avermectin was more effective than the S. racemosum treatment. Our results showed that application of S. racemosum combined with avermectin not only reduced the nematode number and plant disease severity but also enhanced plant vigor and yield. The results indicated that the combination of S. racemosum with avermectin could be an effective biological component in integrated management of RKN on cucumber.
Meta-regression analysis of the impact of agricultural subsidies on farm technical efficiency

Predicting and investigating the impact of subsidisation on farm technical efficiency are becoming critical issues in applied policy analysis. This paper presents a meta-regression analysis of empirical results on this issue, based on logistic regressions and data gathered from a systematic literature review from 1972 to 2014. The review reveals that subsidisation is commonly negatively associated with farm technical efficiency. Estimation results show that the direction (negative, positive or null) of the observed effects is sensitive to the way subsidies are modelled in the empirical studies, but robust to farming systems studied, estimation methods used, and geographical areas considered.
Proofreading exonuclease on a tether: the complex between the E. coli DNA polymerase III subunits α, ε, θ and β reveals a highly flexible arrangement of the proofreading domain

A complex of the three (αεθ) core subunits and the β2 sliding clamp is responsible for DNA synthesis by Pol III, the Escherichia coli chromosomal DNA replicase. The 1.7 Å crystal structure of a complex between the PHP domain of α (polymerase) and the C-terminal segment of ε (proofreading exonuclease) subunits shows that ε is attached to α at a site far from the polymerase active site. Both α and ε contain clamp-binding motifs (CBMs) that interact simultaneously with β2 in the polymerization mode of DNA replication by Pol III. Strengthening of both CBMs enables isolation of stable αεθ:β2 complexes. Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments with reconstituted αεθ:β2 demonstrate retention of high mobility of a segment of 22 residues in the linker that connects the exonuclease domain of ε with its α-binding segment. In spite of this, small-angle X-ray scattering data show that the isolated complex with strengthened CBMs has a compact, but still flexible, structure. Photo-crosslinking with p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine incorporated at different sites in the α-PHP domain confirm the conformational variability of the tether. Structural models of the αεθ:β2 replicase complex with primer-template DNA combine all available structural data.
Urbanization Effects on Watershed Hydrology and In-Stream Processes in the Southern United States

The southern United States is characterized by a humid, subtropical climate and consists of 16 states (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland) and Washington DC. Currently this region is experiencing the largest net population growth in the U.S. Over the last century, the expansion of large urban centers and impervious area in the region has altered the hydrologic cycle. This review synthesizes regional research that shows how watershed hydrology, groundwater recharge, stream geomorphology, climate, biogeochemistry, and stream ecology have been affected by urbanization and the expansion of watershed impervious area.
rapid communication Aging and acute exercise enhance free radical generation in rat skeletal muscle

Aging and acute exercise enhance free radical generation in rat skeletal muscle. J. Appl. Physiol. 87(1): 465–470, 1999. —Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in the mechanism of biological aging and exercise-induced oxidative damage. The present study examined the effect of an acute bout of exercise on intracellular ROS production, lipid and protein peroxidation, and GSH status in the skeletal muscle of young adult (8 mo, n 5 24) and old (24 mo, n 5 24) female Fischer 344 rats. Young rats ran on a treadmill at 25 m/min and 5% grade until exhaustion (55.4 6 2.7 min), whereas old rats ran at 15 m/min and 5% grade until exhaustion (58.0 6 2.7 min). Rate of dichloroﬂuorescin (DCFH) oxidation, an indication of ROS and other intracellular oxidants production in the homogenate of deep vastus lateralis, was 77% ( P , 0.01) higher in rested old vs. young rats. Exercise increased DCFH oxidation by 38% ( P , 0.09) and 50% ( P , 0.01) in the young and old rats, respectively. DCFH oxidation in isolated deep vastus lateralis mitochondria with site 1 substrates was elevated by 57% ( P , 0.01) in old vs. young rats but was unaltered with exercise. Signiﬁcantly higher DCFH oxidation rate was also found in aged-muscle mitochondria ( P , 0.01), but not in homogenates, when ADP, NADPH, and Fe 3 1 were included in the assay medium without substrates. Lipid peroxidation in muscle measured by malondialdehyde content showed no age effect, but was increased by 20% ( P , 0.05) with exercise in both young and old rats. Muscle protein carbonyl formation was unaffected by either age or exercise. Mitochondrial GSH/ GSSG ratio was signiﬁcantly higher in aged vs. young rats ( P , 0.05), whereas exercise increased GSSG content and decreased GSH/GSSG in both age groups ( P , 0.05). These data provided direct evidence that oxidant production in skeletal muscle is increased in old age and during prolonged exercise, with both mitochondrial respiratory chain and NADPH oxidase as potential sources. The alterations of muscle lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial GSH status were consistent with these conclusions. GSH status. GSH and glutathione disulﬁde (GSSG) were analyzed in muscle mitochondria by using HPLC method, as previously described (13). Protein concentrations in the tissue homogenates and mitochondria were determined by the Bio-Rad assay using BSA as the protein standard. Statistical analysis. The data were analyzed by using a two-way ANOVA. After a signiﬁcant treatment effect (age, exercise, or interaction) was found, Scheffe´’s post hoc tests were performed to determine the signiﬁcance among means. P , 0.05 was considered signiﬁcant.
Infection of human endothelial cells with Epstein-Barr virus

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) promotes growth and tumorigenicity of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-immortalized B cells, and is abnormally elevated in the serum of solid organ transplant recipients who develop EBV-positive posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD), but not in control transplant recipients. Endothelial cells derived from PTLD lesions were found to secrete spontaneously high levels of IL-6 in vitro for up to 4 mo. We examined possible mechanisms for sustained IL-6 production by endothelial cells. Here, we show that EBV can infect endothelial cells in vitro. After 3-4 wk incubation with lethally irradiated EBV- positive, but not EBV-negative cell lines, a proportion of human umbilical cord-derived endothelial cells (HUVECs) expressed in situ the EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBER). Southern blot analysis after polymerase chain reaction showed EBV DNA in HUVEC that had been incubated with lethally irradiated EBV-positive cells, but not in the controls. Exposure of HUVECs to lethally irradiated EBV-positive but not EBV- negative cell lines induced IL-6 production that was sustained for up to 120 d of culture. These studies identify endothelial cells as targets for EBV infection and raise the possibility that this infection may be important in the life cycle and pathology of EBV.
Sectarianism in the Syrian Jazira: community, land and violence in the memories of World War I and the French mandate (1915- 1939)

This thesis is a historico-anthropological study of the transformations in the understandings of self and community among the Armenian, Syriac, and Kurdish refugees in the French Jazira in the post-genocide world. (1915- 1939). It explored the processes of change in self-identification and the terms of communal belonging of these groups by delving into the (post) memories of 1915 and the French mandate period, the political regimes under which the survivors came to live following their compulsory displacement from their homelands in present-day Turkey. It displayed the seminal role of French colonial governance in laying the foundations of the citizenship regimes of the post-colonial Syrian states. As well as this, it demonstrated the sectarian appropriations of official forms as a means of unburdening from the colonial period and as an interplay between “powerlessness and empowerment” in 2000s Syria.Through a reading of various archival material from the 1930s in juxtaposition with the (post) memories, and through tracing the colonial period in today’s discourses, this thesis has attempted to offer novel perspectives on two significant issues in Syria: state–society relations and the Kurdish issue.
Racial inequity in special education

An illuminating account of a widespread problem that has received little attention, "Racial Inequity in Education" sets the stage for a more fruitful discussion about special education and racial justice. Racial inequities pervade special education in U.S. schools today. Minority children especially African Americans are far more likely than white children to be designated mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed and therefore in need of special education. Even when appropriately placed in special education classes, minority children often receive poorer services than disabled white children. This book explores the inequities experienced by minority schoolchildren in special education. These issues are examined as problems in their own right, and as reflections of persistent racial inequities in our system of public education. "Racial Inequity in Special Education "describes the scope of these problems, and provides a comprehensive review of attempts by legislators, child advocates, and educational and civil rights enforcement agencies to address these complex issues. The authors outline essential areas for further research and dialogue. "
Vergence tracking: a tool to assess oculomotor performance in stereoscopic displays

Oculomotor conflict induced between the accommodative and vergence components in stereoscopic displays represents an unnatural viewing condition. There is now some evidence that stereoscopic viewing may induce discomfort and changes in oculomotor parameters. The present study sought to measure oculomotor performance during stereoscopic viewing. Using a 3D stereo setup and an eye-tracker, vergence responses were measured during 20-min exposure to a virtual visual target oscillating in depth, which participants had to track. The results showed a significant decline in the amplitude of the in-depth oscillatory vergence response over time. We propose that eye-tracking provides a useful tool to objectively assess the timevarying alterations of the vergence system when using stereoscopic displays.
Differences in Long-term Medical Consequences Depending on Impact Direction Involving Passenger Cars

Objective: There is limited knowledge of the long-term medical consequences for occupants injured in car crashes in various impact directions. Thus, the objective was to evaluate whether injuries leading to permanent medical impairment differ depending on impact direction. Methods: In total, 36,743 injured occupants in car crashes that occurred between 1995 and 2011 were included. All initial injuries (n = 61,440) were classified according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 2005. Injured car occupants were followed for at least 3 years to assess permanent medical impairment. The data were divided into different groups according to impact direction and levels of permanent impairment. The risk of permanent medical impairment was established for different body regions and injury severity levels, according to AIS. Results: It was found that almost 12% of all car occupants sustained a permanent medical impairment. Given an injury, car occupants involved in rollover crashes had the highest overall risk to sustain a permanent medical impairment. Half of the head injuries leading to long-term consequences occurred in frontal impacts. Far-side occupants had almost the same risk as near-side occupants. Occupants who sustained a permanent medical impairment from cervical spine injuries had similar risk in all impact directions (13%) except from rollover (17%). However, these injuries occurred more often in rear crashes. Most of the injuries leading to long-term consequences were classified as minor injuries by AIS for all impact directions. Conclusions: Studying crash data from a perspective of medical impairment is important to identify injuries that might not be prioritized only considering the AIS but might lead to lower quality of life for the occupant and also costs for society. These results can be used for road transport system strategies and for making priority decisions in vehicle design.
The political economy of pricing and capacity decisions for congestible local public goods in a federal state

This paper studies the political economy of pricing and investment for excludable and congestible public goods in a federal state. Although the model applies to many local congestible public facilities (such as libraries, museums and public swimming facilities), our main motivation is the problem of providing and pricing road infrastructure in federal states. The two-region model we develop allows for spill-overs between regions, it takes into account congestion, and it captures demand heterogeneity both between and within regions. Regional decisions are taken by majority voting; federal decisions are taken by a minimum winning coalition in a legislature of regionally elected representatives. We have the following results. First, when users form the majority in at least one region, decentralized decision making performs certainly better than centralized decision making if spill-overs are not too large. Centralized decisions may yield higher welfare than decentralization only if users have a large majority and the infrastructure in a given region is intensively used by both local and outside users. Second, if non-users form a majority in both regions, centralized decision making and decentralized decision making yield the same socially undesirable outcome, with prices that are much too high. Third, the performance of decentralized supply is strongly enhanced by local self-financing rules; this prevents potential exploitation of users within regions.
O-GlcNAc Cycling Enzymes Associate with the Translational Machinery and Modify Core Ribosomal Proteins

At least 20 core ribosome proteins are modified by O-GlcNAc. O-GlcNAcase is localized to the nucleolus and O-GlcNAc transferase is excluded from the nucleolus. Both enzymes associate with active polysomes. Overexpression of OGT disrupts ribosomal subunit homeostasis. Data suggest that O-GlcNAc regulates translation and ribosome biogenesis.
Liking Food Less: The Impact of Social Influence on Food Liking Evaluations in Female Students

Social factors are known to influence food intake and choice. However, whether social influence acts on evaluations of food and drink liking has not been studied. Across two studies, we tested whether leading a participant to believe that other people do not like a food affects food liking evaluations. In Study 1, we exposed participants to social normative information suggesting a) that an in-group disliked orange juice, b) that an out-group disliked orange juice or c) that an in-group were neutral about orange juice. We then examined how much participants believed they liked orange juice. In Study 2, participants consumed a snack food before being led to believe that two previous participants had also eaten the food and either disliked or quite liked it. We asked participants to rate how much they had enjoyed eating the snack food. Across both studies, social influence was observed, as underlined by decreases in liking evaluations. In Study 1, beliefs about liking were only influenced by social normative information when the norm was expressed by an in-group. In Study 2, exposure to others' accounts of a negative experience with a food decreased evaluated liking of the recent consumption experience. These results suggest that social influence can act upon food liking evaluations.
SBF distances to Leo and Virgo using the HST

We use archive HST WFPC2 data for three elliptical galaxies (NGC 3379 in the Leo I group, and NGC 4472 and 4406 in the Virgo cluster) to determine their distances using the surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) method as described by Tonry &38; Schneider. A comparison of the HST results with the SBF distance moduli found by Ciardullo et al. shows significant disagreement and suggests that the rms error on these ground-based distance moduli is actually as large as ± 0.25 mag. The agreement is only slightly improved when we compare our results with the HST and ground-based SBF distances from Ajhar et al. and Tonry et al.; the comparison suggests that a lower limit on the error of the HST SBF distance moduli is ± 0.17 mag. Overall, these results suggest that previously quoted measurement errors may underestimate the true error in SBF distance moduli by at least a factor of 2–3.