Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Infrared View of the EXor Variables: The Case of V1118 Ori

We investigate the relationship between the IR observed properties of the EXor variables and the mechanisms active during their evolutionary stage typical of the pre-main-sequence phase. To this aim, we have constructed a catalog containing all the IR (1-100 μm) photometric and spectroscopic observations appearing during the last 30 years in the literature. Moreover, new results of our monitoring program based on near- and mid-IR photometry and near-IR spectroscopy and polarimetry of one object (V1118 Ori) typical of the EXor class are presented, complementing those given in a previous paper and related to a different activity period. Our catalog indicates how the database accumulated so far, stemming from a fortuitous monitoring of the stellar activity, is inadequate for any statistical study of the EXor events. Nevertheless, all the observational evidence can be interpreted into a coherent scheme. The sources that present the largest brightness variations tend to become bluer while brightening. The scenario of the disk accretion hypothesis based on the viscous friction between particles agrees with the observational evidence. The new results on V1118 Ori confirm such a general view. The striking novelty is represented by a near-IR spectrum of V1118 Ori taken 1 yr after the last monitored outburst: any emission line previously detected has now totally disappeared at our sensitivity. For the same source, mid-IR photometry is provided here for the first time and allows us to construct a meaningful SED. The first polarimetric data indicate that the source is intrinsically polarized and its spotted and magnetized surface becomes recognizable during the less active phases.
A Chandra Snapshot Survey of Representative High-Redshift Radio-Loud Quasars from the Parkes-MIT-NRAO Sample

We present the results of Chandra ACIS-S snapshot observations of six radio-loud quasars (RLQs) at z ≈ 3.5-4.7. These observations sample luminous RLQs with moderate to high radio loudness (R ≈ 200-9600) and aim to connect the X-ray properties of radio-quiet quasars (R < 10) and highly radio-loud blazars (R > 1000) at high redshift. This work extends a study by Bassett and coworkers that used similar methods to examine z > 4 RLQs with moderate radio loudness (R ≈ 40-400). All of our targets are clearly detected. A search for extended X-ray emission associated with kiloparsec-scale radio jets revealed only limited evidence for X-ray extension in our sample: three sources showed no evidence of X-ray extension, and the other three had 3%-30% of their total X-ray fluxes extended >1″ away from their X-ray cores. In addition, we do not observe any systematic flattening of the optical-to-X-ray spectral index (αox) compared to low-redshift quasars. These results suggest that kiloparsec-scale X-ray jet emission is not dominated by inverse Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background seed photons off jet electrons. We measured X-ray continuum shapes and performed individual and joint spectral fits of our data combined with eight archival RLQs. A single power-law model acceptably fitted the data, with best-fit photon indices of 1.72 for moderate-R sources and 1.47 for high-R sources. We added an intrinsic absorption component to our model, and neither the moderate-R nor the high-R fits set a lower bound on NH. The upper limits were NH < 3.0 × 1022 cm-2 and NH < 2.8 × 1022 cm-2, respectively. Our spectral results suggest that intrinsic absorption does not strongly depend on radio loudness, and high-R sources have flatter power laws than moderate-R sources. Overall, our high-redshift RLQs have basic X-ray properties consistent with similar RLQs in the local universe.
Cell Death and Survival Hematopoietic Expression of Oncogenic BRAF Promotes Aberrant Growth of Monocyte-Lineage Cells Resistant to PLX 4720

Mutational activation of BRAF leading to expression of the BRAF oncoprotein was recently identified in a high percentage of specific hematopoietic neoplasms in monocyte/histiocyte and mature B-cell lineages. Although BRAF is a driver oncoprotein and pharmacologic target in solid tumors such as melanoma, lung, and thyroid cancer, it remains unknown whether BRAF is an appropriate therapeutic target in hematopoietic neoplasms. To address this critical question, we generated a mouse model expressing inducible BRAF in the hematopoietic system, and evaluated the efficacy of pathway-targeted therapeutics against primary hematopoietic cells. In this model, BRAF expression conferred cytokine-independent growth to monocyte/macrophage-lineage progenitors leading to aberrant in vivo and in vitromonocyte/macrophage expansion. Furthermore, transplantation of BRAF-expressing bone marrow cells promoted an in vivo pathology most notable for monocytosis in hematopoietic tissues and visceral organs. In vitro analysis revealed thatMAP–ERK kinase inhibition, but not RAF inhibition, effectively suppressed cytokine-independent clonal growth of monocyte/macrophage-lineage progenitors. However, combined RAF and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibition effectively inhibited cytokineindependent colony formation, suggesting autocrine PI3K pathway activation. Taken together, these results provide evidence that constitutively activated BRAF drives aberrant proliferation of monocyte-lineage cells. Implications: This study supports the development of pathway-targeted therapeutics in the treatment of BRAF-expressing hematopoietic neoplasms in the monocyte/histiocyte lineage. Mol Cancer Res; 11(12); 1530–41. 2013 AACR.
Efficient and interpretable fuzzy classifiers from data with support vector learning

The construction of fuzzy rule-based classification systems with both good generalization ability and interpretability is a chalenging issue. The paper aims to present a novel framework for the realization of these important (and many times conflicting) goals simultaneously. The generalization performance is obtained with the adaptation of Support Vector algorithms for the identification of a Support Vector Fuzzy Inference (SVFI) system. The SVFI is a fuzzy inference system that implements the Support Vector network inference and inherits from it the robust learning potential. The construction of the SVFI is based on the algorithms presented in [15]. The contribution of the paper is the development of algorithms for the construction of interpretable rule systems on top of the SVFI system. However, the SVFI rules usually lack interpretability. For this reason, the accurate set of rules can be approximated with a simpler interpretable fuzzy system that can present insight to the more important aspects of the data. Therefore, the presented approach utilizes two sets of fuzzy rules: the accurate Support Vector Fuzzy Inference (SVFI) rules and the approximate interpretable one that is derived from the SVFI with a set of tunable threshold parameters. The paper initially reviews the peculiarities of extracting fuzzy rules with Support Vector learning for classification problems. The interpretable fuzzy system construction algorithms receive an a priori description of a set of fuzzy sets that describe the linguistic aspects of the input variables as they are usually perceived by the human experts. After this specification the presented algorithms extract from the SVFI rules a small and concise set of interpretable rules. We apply our method to both synthetic data, data sets from the UCI repository and real gene expression data and we demonstrate its efficiency in uncovering clear and concise rules in application domains where interpretable linguistic labels can be pre-assigned (as in gene expression analysis).
HFE Genotyping in Patients with Elevated Serum Iron Indices and Liver Diseases

Iron abnormalities in chronic liver disease may be the result of genetic diseases or secondary factors. The present study aimed to identify subjects with HFE-HH in order to describe the frequency of clinical manifestations, identify risk factors for iron elevation, and compare the iron profile of HFE-HH to other genotypes in liver disease patients. A total of 108 individuals with hepatic disease, transferrin saturation (TS) > 45%, and serum ferritin (SF) > 350 ng/mL were tested for HFE mutations. Two groups were characterized: C282Y/C282Y or C282Y/H63D genotypes (n = 16) were the HFE hereditary hemochromatosis (HFE-HH) group; and C282Y and H63D single heterozygotes, the H63D/H63D genotype, and wild-type were considered group 2 (n = 92). Nonalcoholic liver disease, alcoholism, and chronic hepatitis C were detected more frequently in group 2, whereas arthropathy, hepatocarcinoma, diabetes, and osteoporosis rates were significantly higher in the HFE-HH group. TS > 82%, SF > 2685 ng/mL, and serum iron > 178 μg/dL were the cutoffs for diagnosis of HFE-HH in patients with liver disease. Thus, in non-Caucasian populations with chronic liver disease, HFE-HH diagnosis is more predictable in those with iron levels higher than those proposed in current guidelines for the general population.
Motility and Chemotaxis Mediate the Preferential Colonization of Gastric Injury Sites by Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a pathogen contributing to peptic inflammation, ulceration, and cancer. A crucial step in the pathogenic sequence is when the bacterium first interacts with gastric tissue, an event that is poorly understood in vivo. We have shown that the luminal space adjacent to gastric epithelial damage is a microenvironment, and we hypothesized that this microenvironment might enhance H. pylori colonization. Inoculation with 106 H. pylori (wild-type Sydney Strain 1, SS1) significantly delayed healing of acetic-acid induced ulcers at Day 1, 7 and 30 post-inoculation, and wild-type SS1 preferentially colonized the ulcerated area compared to uninjured gastric tissue in the same animal at all time points. Gastric resident Lactobacillus spp. did not preferentially colonize ulcerated tissue. To determine whether bacterial motility and chemotaxis are important to ulcer healing and colonization, we analyzed isogenic H. pylori mutants defective in motility (ΔmotB) or chemotaxis (ΔcheY). ΔmotB (106) failed to colonize ulcerated or healthy stomach tissue. ΔcheY (106) colonized both tissues, but without preferential colonization of ulcerated tissue. However, ΔcheY did modestly delay ulcer healing, suggesting that chemotaxis is not required for this process. We used two-photon microscopy to induce microscopic epithelial lesions in vivo, and evaluated accumulation of fluorescently labeled H. pylori at gastric damage sites in the time frame of minutes instead of days. By 5 min after inducing damage, H. pylori SS1 preferentially accumulated at the site of damage and inhibited gastric epithelial restitution. H. pylori ΔcheY modestly accumulated at the gastric surface and inhibited restitution, but did not preferentially accumulate at the injury site. H. pylori ΔmotB neither accumulated at the surface nor inhibited restitution. We conclude that bacterial chemosensing and motility rapidly promote H. pylori colonization of injury sites, and thereby biases the injured tissue towards sustained gastric damage.
EFFECT OF MELATONIN ON In Vitro DEVELOPMENT OF MORULA RABBIT EMBRYOS

This study aimed to investigate the effect of melatonin supplementation at different levels, in culture medium, on rabbit embryo development. Embryos were recovered from nulliparous Red Baladi rabbit does by laparotomy technique 72 hours post-insemination. Normal morulae were cultured till the stage of hatched blastocysts in the following four culture media; (i) control (TCM-199 + 20% fetal bovine serum), (ii) control + 10M melatonin, (iii) control + 10M melatonin and (iv) control + 10M melatonin. The high level of melatonin at 10M significantly increased the in vitro development of embryos (92% for 10M vs. 84% for 10M and 76% for 10M and control, P<0.05). However, the addition of melatonin with different levels did not improve the hatchability rate of these embryos (1630% vs. 52% for melatonin groups vs. control, P<0.05). Results show that adding melatonin at 10M to morula rabbit embryos enhances their development, while 10M melatonin slightly increased blastocyst rate and 10M had no effect on embryo development. This effect strongly suggests a physiological role of melatonin in embryo protection.
A Phenomenological Theory of Sintering

Sintering occurs when powders are heated to temperatures near their melting points. This paper deals with the rapid increase of density during the sintering of single substances The increase of density cannot be explained by volume diffusion of vacant lattice sites or surface migration of atoms, but must involve macroscopic flow. The driving force for this flow is surface tension, and an equation connecting the rate of shear strain with the shear stress defines the resistance to deformation. The density of a compact is calculated as a function of the time for two different laws of deformation, (a) that for a solid with a Newtonian viscosity, and (b) that for a Bingham solid which has a yield point and a rate of shear strain proportional to the difference between the applied shear stress and a yield stress. The effect of gas in the pores is calculated in the case of the viscous law. The theory assumes that the pores are equal spheres and predicts that densification is uniform throughout a compact, independently of its shape and size, and suggests that gas pressures of a few atmospheres applied to the outside of a compact may appreciably increase the rate of sintering. Relevant experiments and previous theories are examined critically, and it is shown that while the viscous model may explain the sintering of glasses it cannot explain that of metals. However, the experimental data can be explained by a model showing a yield point: on such a model the interaction of one pore with its neighbours is vital, so that pores in powder compacts close and isolated pores do not.
Parents’ Healthy Weight Perceptions and Preferences Regarding Obesity Counseling in Preschoolers: Pediatricians Matter

Objective: To compare parental report of child body image with perceived healthy weight body image in preschoolers and describe weight-counseling preferences. Methods: Parents seeking well-child care were interviewed and asked to select images resembling: (a) their own child’s current weight, (b) a healthy weight preschooler, and (c) friend and family report of a healthy weight preschooler. Those indicating that their overweight or obese child resembled a healthy weight image were considered to misclassify child weight. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of misclassification and card-sorting exercises explored weight-counseling preferences. Results: Of the 150 preschoolers in our sample, 32.7% (n = 49) were overweight or obese with misclassification occurring in 71.4% of parents (n = 35). Absence of pediatrician comment on child weight strongly predicted misclassification (odds ratio, 12.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.74-87.2). Pediatricians were highly valued weight advisors. Conclusions: Weight-focused advice from pediatricians matters to parents and may promote parental identification of early childhood weight risks.
Modeling SWCNT Bandgap and Effective Mass Variation Using a Monte Carlo Approach

Synthesizing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with accurate structural control has been widely acknowledged as an exceedingly complex task culminating in the realization of CNT devices with uncertain electronic behavior. In this paper, we apply a statistical approach in predicting the SWCNT bandgap and effective mass variation for typical uncertainties associated with the geometrical structure. This is first carried out by proposing a simulation-efficient analytical model that evaluates the bandgap (Eg) of an isolated SWCNT with a specified diameter (d) and chirality (¿). Similarly, we develop an SWCNT effective mass model, which is applicable to CNTs of any chirality and diameters >1 nm. A Monte Carlo method is later adopted to simulate the bandgap and effective mass variation for a selection of structural parameter distributions. As a result, we establish analytical expressions that separately specify the bandgap and effective mass variability (Eg¿, m¿ *) with respect to the CNT mean diameter (d¿) and standard deviation (d¿). These expressions offer insight from a theoretical perspective on the optimization of diameter-related process parameters with the aim of suppressing bandgap and effective mass variation.
A Comparison of Micro-CT and Dental CT in Assessing Cortical Bone Morphology and Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the trabecular bone microarchitecture and cortical bone morphology by using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and dental cone-beam computed tomography (dental CT). Materials and Methods Sixteen femurs and eight fifth lumbar vertebrae were collected from eight male Sprague Dawley rats. Four trabecular bone microarchitecture parameters related to the fifth lumbar vertebral body (percent bone volume [BV/TV], trabecular thickness [TbTh], trabecular separation [TbSp], and trabecular number [TbN]) were calculated using micro-CT. In addition, the volumetric cancellous bone grayscale value (vCanGrayscale) of the fifth lumbar vertebral body was measured using dental CT. Furthermore, four cortical bone morphology parameters of the femoral diaphysis (total cross-sectional area [TtAr], cortical area [CtAr], cortical bone area fraction [CtAr/TtAr], and cortical thickness [CtTh]) were calculated using both micro-CT and dental CT. Pearson analysis was conducted to calculate the correlation coefficients (r) of the micro-CT and dental CT measurements. Paired-sample t tests were used to compare the differences between the measurements of the four cortical bone morphology parameters obtained using micro-CT and dental CT. Results High correlations between the vCanGrayscale measured using dental CT and the trabecular bone microarchitecture parameters (BV/TV [r = 0.84] and TbTh [r = 0.84]) measured using micro-CT were observed. The absolute value of the four cortical bone morphology parameters may be different between the dental CT and micro-CT approaches. However, high correlations (r ranged from 0.71 to 0.90) among these four cortical bone morphology parameters measured using the two approaches were obtained. Conclusion We observed high correlations between the vCanGrayscale measured using dental CT and the trabecular bone microarchitecture parameters (BV/TV and TbTh) measured using micro-CT, in addition to high correlations between the cortical bone morphology measured using micro-CT and dental CT. Further experiments are necessary to validate the use of dental CT on human bone.
PEDS: A Parallel Error Detection Scheme for TCAM Devices

Ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) devices are increasingly used for performing high-speed packet classification. A TCAM consists of an associative memory that compares a search key in parallel against all entries. TCAMs may suffer from error events that cause ternary cells to change their value to any symbol in the ternary alphabet {”0”,“1”,“*”}. Due to their parallel access feature, standard error detection schemes are not directly applicable to TCAMs; an additional difficulty is posed by the special semantic of the “*” symbol. This paper introduces PEDS, a novel parallel error detection scheme that locates the erroneous entries in a TCAM device. PEDS is based on applying an error-detecting code to each TCAM entry and utilizing the parallel capabilities of the TCAM by simultaneously checking the correctness of multiple TCAM entries. A key feature of PEDS is that the number of TCAM lookup operations required to locate all errors depends on the number of symbols per entry in a manner that is typically orders of magnitude smaller than the number of TCAM entries. For large TCAM devices, a specific instance of PEDS requires only 200 lookups for 100-symbol entries, while a naive approach may need hundreds of thousands of lookups. PEDS allows flexible and dynamic selection of tradeoff points between robustness, space complexity, and number of lookups.
Comparison of Three Parametric Models for Glaucomatous Visual Field Progression Rate Distributions.

PURPOSE To compare parametric models for fitting published distributions of visual field progression rates (in dB/yr) for glaucoma. METHOD We fitted a modified Gaussian model, a modified Cauchy model and a modified hyperbolic secant model to previously published distributions of visual field progression rates from Canada, Sweden, and the United States. The modification allowed the shape of the model's distribution either side of the mode to be independently varied to allow for the asymmetric tails seen in visual field progression rate distributions. RESULTS Summing likelihoods across datasets, the modified hyperbolic secant was strongly favored (by 26.7 log units) compared with the next best-fitting model, the modified Cauchy. The modified hyperbolic secant was not the best fit for the Canadian dataset, however. Best-fitting modified hyperbolic secant parameters were broadly similarly between datasets, with parameter variances being less than those expected to negate the benefits of a previously described Bayesian method for improving individual visual field progression rate estimates in glaucoma. CONCLUSIONS Although the optimum model differed depending upon the particular dataset, a modified hyperbolic secant performed well for all distributions investigated and was strongly favored when evidence was summed across datasets. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE Despite differences in the progression rate distributions between studies, the use of an "average" distribution may still be of benefit for improving individual visual field progression rate estimates in glaucoma using Bayesian methods.