Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SCUBA mapping of outer Galaxy protostellar candidates

Aims. We aim to study dust properties of massive star forming regions in the outer Galaxy, in a direction opposite to the Galactic center. Methods. We present observations of six outer Galaxy point sources IRAS 01045+6505, 01420+6401, 05271+3059, 05345+3556, 20222+3541 and 20406+4555, taken with the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) at 450 and 850 µm. Single temperature greybody models are fitted to the Spectral Energy Distribution of the detected sub-mm cores to derive dust temperature, dust emissivity index and optical depth at 250 µm. The observed radial intensity profiles of the sub-mm cores were fitted with power laws to derive the indices describing the density distribution. Results. At a resolution of 15 �� all six IRAS point sources show multiple emission peaks. Only four out of fourteen detected sub-mm cores show associated mid-infrared emission. For the sub-mm cores we derive dust temperatures of 32 ± 5 K and dust emissivity indices between 0.9 and 2.5. The density profiles of the sub-mm cores can be fitted by a single power law distribution with indices −1.5 ± 0.3, with most cores showing an index of −1.5. This is consistent with most observations of massive star forming regions and supports predictions of models of star formation which consider non-thermal support against gravitational collapse.
Influence of weather extremes on the water levels of glaciated prairie wetlands

Orchid Meadows is a long-term wetland research and monitoring site on the Coteau des Prairie in extreme east-central South Dakota, USA. It is a 65-ha Waterfowl Production Area with numerous temporary, seasonal, and semi-permanent wetlands. Ground water and surface water have been monitored at the site from 1987 to 1989 and from 1993 to the present. Vegetation has been monitored since 1993. The monitoring record includes two nearly back-to-back weather extremes: a drought in the late 1980s and a deluge in the early- to mid-1990s. Wetlands differed sharply in water levels between 3-yr dry and wet periods. For example, the time of inundation ranged among semi-permanent wetlands from 13 to 71 percent during the dry years to 100 percent during the wet years, while for seasonal wetlands, it was 0–29 percent and 46–100 percent, respectively, during dry and wet periods. Temporary wetlands had no surface water during the dry period but had standing water 0–67 percent of the time during the deluge years. The highest ground-water levels during the dry period were lower than most levels during the wet period. The difference in the water-table elevations of temporary wetlands between the periods was as much as 4 m. Ground-water levels near semi-permanent wetlands were considerably more stable (annual range of 0.3–1.6 m) than those near temporary wetlands (1.3–2.5 m). The reslts support the concept that weather extremes drive the wetland cover cycle and other key ecological processes in prairie wetlands. The new data from Orchid Meadows, together with other long-term data sets from North Dakota and Saskatchewan, Canada, are useful for many research purposes, including the parameterization and testing of models that simulate the effects of climate variability and climate change on prairie wetland ecosystems.
Theoretical analysis and performance of OFDM signals in nonlinear AWGN channels

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) baseband signals may be modeled by complex Gaussian processes with Rayleigh envelope distribution and uniform phase distribution, if the number of carriers is sufficiently large. The output correlation function of instantaneous nonlinear amplifiers and the signal-to-distortion ratio can be derived and expressed in an easy way. As a consequence, the output spectrum and the bit-error rate (BER) performance of OFDM systems in nonlinear additive white Gaussian noise channels are predictable both for uncompensated amplitude modulation/amplitude modulation (AM/AM) and amplitude modulation/pulse modulation (AM/PM) distortions and for ideal predistortion. The aim of this work is to obtain the analytical expressions for the output correlation function of a nonlinear device and for the BER performance. The results in closed-form solutions are derived for AM/AM and AM/PM curves approximated by Bessel series expansion and for the ideal predistortion case.
VIDEO SELF-MODELING AND IMPROVING ORAL READING FLUENCY

OF DISSERTATION VIDEO SELF-MODELING AND IMPROVING ORAL READING FLUENCY Self-modeling can take different forms but is described as a process where one observes one’s own successful behavior and learns from it without dependence on any particular medium. In this study, two separate experiments were conducted to evaluate a video self-modeling (VSM) feedforward intervention. VSM feedforward (independent variable, IV), was applied as an intervention to improve oral-reading fluency (dependent variable, DV). An adapted multiple-probe baseline, single-subject research design with a pre-test and post-test standardized reading assessment was employed for both experiments. Participants included eight students with disabilities and a history of emotional and behavior problems in middle-school, special education, self-contained classroombased settings. Participants in Experiment I received an average of 117 min of instruction. Those in Experiment II received an average of 50 min of instruction. A positive effect was established for 3 out of 8 participants when the data demonstrated criterion was met, that PNDs were either in the effective or very effective range, and that oral-reading fluency gains had both generalized and maintained. Criterion was obtained by 7 out of 8 participants. Maintenance data for 6 participants were above baseline levels and above the intervention level for 1 out of 8. Generalization of oral-reading fluency skills to an unfamiliar, grade-level text was indicated for 5 out of 8 participants. The generalization pre-test to post-test data ranged from 1 to 41 words. All of the participants had improvements in oral-reading fluency with post-test scores ranging from . 3 to 1.7 grade equivalents above the pre-test scores. Reading self-efficacy was assessed with a standardized measure administered as a pre-test and post-test. Mixed results were obtained with students in Experiment II having greater improvements than those in Experiment I. Of 8 participants, the responses of 4 indicated improved reader self-efficacy, 2 had mixed results, and 2 had responses that indicated a decline in their perceived, reader self-efficacy. Finally, both qualitative and quantitative measures demonstrated that VSM feedforward was a socially valid treatment for improving oral-reading fluency.
Recreative City: Amsterdam, Vehicular Ideas and the Adaptive Spaces of Creativity Policy

The article presents a critical analysis of the reception and ramifications of creativity policies in the city of Amsterdam. The point is not to revisit critiques of creative cities policies per se, but rather to trace their consequences for the politics of urban governance - in one of their more receptive, if not 'natural', settings. The article explores how creativity policies actually work (and for whom) from the vantage point of one of Europe's most celebrated 'creative cities'. It seeks to explain the persistence of the creativity syndrome - and the longevity, ubiquity and adaptability of the associated policy package - in the face of both social-scientific skepticism and mediocre 'performance'. Finally, it raises the question of how, and with what effects, creativity policies travel between cities; how they mutate in interurban space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Simultaneous Manipulation of Multiple Brain Targets by Green Tea Catechins: A Potential Neuroprotective Strategy for Alzheimer and Parkinson Diseases

Current therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer and Parkinson disease (AD and PD, respectively) are merely symptomatic, intended for the treatment of symptoms, but offer only partial benefit, without any disease‐modifying activity. Novel promising strategies suggest the use of antiinflammatory drugs, antioxidants, iron‐complexing molecules, neurotrophic factor delivery, inhibitors of the amyloid precursor protein (APP)‐processing secretases, gamma and beta (that generate the amyloid‐beta peptides, Aβ), anti‐Aβ aggregation molecules, the interference with lipid cholesterol metabolism and naturally occurring plant flavonoids to potentially reverse the course of the diseases. Human epidemiological and new animal data suggest that tea drinking may decrease the incidence of dementia, AD, and PD. In particular, its main catechin polyphenol constituent (‐)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG) has been shown to exert neuroprotective/neurorescue activities in a wide array of cellular and animal models of neurological disorders. In the current article, we review the literature on the impact of the multimodal activities of green tea polyphenols and their neuroprotective effect on AD and PD.
Stability of Repetitive-Sequence PCR Patterns with Respect to Culture Age and Subculture Frequency

ABSTRACT To examine the stability of repetitive-sequence (rep) PCR profiles, six species of bacteria were subcultured to blood agar plates and DNA was extracted from the cultures after 24, 48, and 72 h of incubation at 35°C. In addition, the same species were subcultured to fresh blood plates daily and DNA was extracted from the cultures after growth of 5, 10, and 15 subcultures, respectively. rep PCR analysis demonstrated that all rep PCR fingerprints from a single species were identical.
Dolutegravir – a review of the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety in the treatment of HIV

Dolutegravir is the newest integrase strand transfer inhibitor to be approved for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Dolutegravir is equivalent or superior to existing treatment regimens in both treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients including those with previous raltegravir or elvitegravir failure. The consistent efficacy coupled with excellent tolerability and infrequent drug–drug interactions makes the co-formulation of dolutegravir with two nucleotide reverse-transcriptase inhibitors an attractive treatment option. This review summarizes the pharmacokinetics, adverse event profile, and efficacy of dolutegravir in the treatment of HIV.
Parallel invasions produce heterogenous patterns of life history adaptation: rapid divergence in an invasive insect

Biotic invasions provide a natural experiment in evolution: when invasive species colonize new ranges, they may evolve new clines in traits in response to environmental gradients. Yet it is not clear how rapidly such patterns can evolve and whether they are consistent between regions. We compare four populations of the invasive cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) from North America and Japan, independently colonized by P. rapae 150 years ago and 300 years ago, respectively. On each continent, we employed a northern and southern population to compare the effects of latitude on body mass, development rate and immune function. For each population, we used a split‐sibling family design in which siblings were reared at either warm (26.7 °C) or cool (20 °C) temperatures to determine reaction norms for each trait. Latitudinal patterns in development time were similar between the two continents. In contrast, there were strong geographical differences in reaction norms for body size, but no consistent effects of latitude; there were no detectable effects of latitude or continent on immune function. These results imply that some life history traits respond consistently to selection along climatic gradients, whereas other traits may respond to local environmental factors, or not at all.
Can we really reduce ethnic prejudice outside the lab? A meta‐analysis of direct and indirect contact interventions

The present meta-analysis tested the effectiveness of contact-based interventions for the reduction of ethnic prejudice. Up to now, a meta-analysis summarizing the results of real-world interventions that rest on the intergroup contact theory has been missing. We included evaluations of programs realizing direct (i.e., face-to-face) and/or indirect (i.e., extended or virtual) contact in real-world settings outside the lab. The interventions' effectiveness was tested shortly after their end (k = 123 comparisons, N = 11 371 participants) and with a delay of at least 1 month (k = 25, N = 1650). Our data show that contact interventions improve ethnic attitudes. Importantly, changes persist over time. Furthermore, not only direct but also indirect contact interventions are successful. In addition, contact programs are effective even in the context of a serious societal conflict (e.g., in the Middle East). Although changes are typically larger for ethnic majorities, there is an impact on minorities, too. Finally, contact interventions not only improve attitudes toward individuals involved in the program, their effects also generalize to outgroups as a whole. In sum, social psychology provides an intervention for prejudice reduction that can be successfully implemented in the practical field. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fear, failure, outrage and grief: the dissonance between public outrage and individual action?

Awareness of the details of the tragic life and death of the toddler has resulted in an outpouring of community outrage and grief. However, the sad case of Baby P is not an isolated event. On the other side of the world, in New Zealand, a similarly dreadful fate befell toddler Nia Glassie. Before them have been other terrible and heart-rending cases of children abused by those who should have loved and cared for them, and failed by systems that should have been able to protect them. Published accounts of the suffering of these children are harrowing and horrific. They are almost too sad to contemplate. The stories of both Baby P and Nia have often been accompanied by a single photograph showing them at a time when it still would (should) have been possible to save them – sweet children with shy and uncertain smiles, their innocence jarring with the awfulness and horror of the accompanying text and the knowledge of what their lives became. A quick search of ‘Facebook’ and other internet sites reveals the number of sites that have been dedicated to the memories of Baby P and Nia. Many of the thousands of people who have joined these sites have left moving personal messages. However, as ‘cases’ of abuse or neglect, Baby P and Nia are not isolated or exceptional – many other children whose faces, names and suffering will never become known to the public, also die from abuse and neglect. The outpouring of grief, anger and outrage triggered by the deaths of these particular two children overshadows the fate of the other children. Maybe public outrage can only respond to an ‘occasional’ death? Could we, would we be as outraged if cases like Baby P and Nia hit national headlines every couple of weeks? Indeed the fact that such cases only occasionally create headlines and capture the public imagination says much about the communities and societies that we live in. It is notoriously difficult to obtain accurate statistics on children whose death could be attributed to abuse and it is difficult to compare the figures that do exist between different countries and across time because so many factors have to be taken into account. Definitions of what constitutes child abuse and/or neglect differ, there is
Música, atividade física e bem-estar psicológico em idosos

MIRANDA, M.L. J.; GODELI, M.R. C.S. Music, physical activityt and psychological well-being for the elderly. R. bras. Ci. e Mov. 2003; 11(4): 87The purpose of this review was to analyze the relationship between music and physical activity and their effect on the psychological well-being of the elderly. The literature analyzed contributes to the affirmation that the psychological benefits of physical activity are many and undeniable. When performing some sort of physical activity, the elderly – as well as individuals from any age group – experience positive changes in their mental attitude, self-esteem and self-efficacy, which give them the personal resources to face stressing, challenging situations in their day-to-day living. Even though limited, the available literature on the use of music for benefiting the psychological states of the elderly supports the notion that a properly structured physical activity environment with music might help motivate an individ ual to perform the activities and remain motivated in doing so for a longer period of time. Studies suggest that music listening has an influence in the subjective perception of physical effort, possibly because music interferes in the focus of attention during physical activity, thereby driving away the unpleasant signs of fatigue. It is concluded that in the interventions with the elderly it is necessary to consider that music as much as physical activity can promote physiological and psychological positive or negative alterations, depending on how their various characteristics were manipulated.
Biliary strictures and hepatic artery flow abnormalities in split liver transplants

O’Loughlin EV, Stormon MO, Shun A, Verran D, Jermyn V, Wong C, Lord D. Biliary strictures and hepatic artery flow abnormalities in split liver transplants. Pediatr Transplantation 2010: 14: 121–125. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
CRT-based Fully Homomorphic Encryption over the Integers

In 1978, Rivest, Adleman and Dertouzos introduced the basic concept of privacy homomorphism that allows computation on encrypted data without decryption. It was elegant work that precedes the recent development of fully homomorphic encryption schemes although there were found some security flaws, e.g., ring homomorphic schemes are broken by the knownplaintext attacks. In this paper, we revisit one of their proposals, in particular the third scheme which is based on the Chinese Remainder Theorem and is ring homomorphic. The previous result is that only a single pair of known plaintext/ciphertext can break this scheme. However, by exploiting the standard technique to insert an error to a message before encryption, we can cope with this problem. We present a secure modification of their proposal by showing that the proposed scheme is fully homomorphic and secure against the chosen plaintext attacks under the decisional approximate GCD assumption and the sparse subset sum assumption when the message space is restricted to Z2 . Interestingly, the proposed scheme can be regarded as a generalization of the DGHV scheme with larger plaintext. Our scheme has Õ(λ) overhead while the DGHV has Õ(λ) for the security parameter λ. When restricted to the homomorphic encryption scheme with depth-O(log λ), the overhead is reduced to Õ(λ). Our scheme can be used in applications requiring a large message space ZQ for logQ = O(λ) or SIMD style operations on ZQ for logQ = O(λ), k = O(λ), with Õ(λ) ciphertext size as in the DGHV.
Inhibition of the Development of Competence in Streptococcus sanguis (Wicky) by Reagents that Interact with Sulfhydryl Groups: Discernment of the Competence Process

Reagents that interact with sulfhydryl groups are shown to inhibit competence factor (CF)-induced competence development in Streptococcus sanguis (Wicky) strain WE4 (Wicky 4 EryR). Inhibition is correlated with specific inhibition of either the function or biosynthesis of three competent cell-related proteins and is reversed by either 2-mercaptoethanol or dithiothreitol. Mercuric chloride (5 μM) or N-ethylmaleimide (NEM; 50 μM) inhibited (i) the function but not the biosynthesis or activation of the competent cell-associated autolysin; (ii) the biosynthesis of a competent cell-associated protein of unknown function, demonstrated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of acidified phenol extracts; and (iii) the biosynthesis or activation of distinct deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-binding sites. Neither reagent at the indicated concentration interfered with the uptake of CF by cells or with the uptake and expression of DNA by competent cells. Neither reagent inactivated CF or genetic markers coded by the transforming DNA, nor did they inhibit cell growth or viability appreciably. The data reveal that either mercuric chloride or NEM can differentially inhibit induced protein synthesis and, in addition, conclusively show that some autolytic activity is essential for the onset of the competent state.
Diabetes Mellitus Increases Risk of Unsuccessful Graft Preparation in Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty: A Multicenter Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate preparation outcomes of tissue prepared for Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) from diabetic and nondiabetic donors. Methods: In this nonrandomized, consecutive case series, DMEK grafts were prepared from diabetic and nondiabetic donors by experienced technicians in 2 eye banks using slightly different, modified submerged manual preparation techniques to achieve “prestripped” graft tissue. Graft preparation results were analyzed retrospectively. The main outcome measure was the rate of unsuccessful (failed) DMEK graft preparations, defined as tears through the graft area that prevent tissue use. Results: A total of 359 corneas prepared from 290 donors (114 diabetic and 245 nondiabetic) were included in the statistical analysis of graft preparation failure. There were no significant differences between diabetic and nondiabetic donor tissue characteristics with respect to donor age, death to preservation time, death to preparation time, endothelial cell density, percent hexagonality, or coefficient of variation. DMEK tissue preparation was unsuccessful in 19 (5.3%) cases. There was a significant difference in the site-adjusted rate of DMEK preparation failure between diabetic [15.3%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 9.0–25.0] and nondiabetic donors (1.9%; 95% CI, 0.8–4.8), and the corresponding site-adjusted odds ratio of DMEK graft preparation failure in diabetic donor tissue versus nondiabetic donor tissue was 9.20 (95% CI, 2.89–29.32; P = 0.001). Conclusions: Diabetes may be a risk factor for unsuccessful preparation of donor tissue for DMEK. We recommend caution in the use of diabetic tissue for DMEK graft preparation. Further study is needed to identify what subset of diabetic donors is at risk for unsuccessful DMEK graft preparation.
Racial disparity in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in New York State: a 10-year longitudinal population-based study.

OBJECTIVES We studied trends of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by residential socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic subgroups in New York State over a 10-year period. METHODS We merged New York State discharge data for 2.5 million women hospitalized with delivery from 1993 through 2002 with 2000 US Census data. RESULTS Rates of diagnoses for all hypertensive disorders combined and for preeclampsia individually were highest among Black women across all regions and neighborhood poverty levels. Although hospitalization rates for preeclampsia decreased over time for most groups, differences in rates between White and Black women increased over the 10-year period. The proportion of women living in poor areas remained relatively constant over the same period. Black and Hispanic women were more likely than White women to have a form of diabetes and were at higher risk of preeclampsia; preeclampsia rates were higher in these groups both with and without diabetes than in corresponding groups of White women. CONCLUSIONS An increasing trend of racial/ethnic disparity in maternal hypertension rates occurred in New York State during the past decade. This trend was persistent after stratification according to SES and other risk factors. Additional research is needed to understand the factors contributing to this growing disparity.