Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Activity in Nearby Galaxies

A significant fraction of nearby galaxies show evidence of weak nuclear activity unrelated to normal stellar processes. Recent high-resolution, multiwavelength observations indicate that the bulk of this activity derives from black hole accretion with a wide range of accretion rates. The low accretion rates that typify most low-luminosity active galactic nuclei induce significant modifications to their central engine. The broad-line region and obscuring torus disappear in some of the faintest sources, and the optically thick accretion disk transforms into a three-component structure consisting of an inner radiatively inefficient accretion flow, a truncated outer thin disk, and a jet or outflow. The local census of nuclear activity supports the notion that most, perhaps all, bulges host a central supermassive black hole, although the existence of active nuclei in at least some late-type galaxies suggests that a classical bulge is not a prerequisite to seed a nuclear black hole.
Optical properties of nanocrystallite films of α-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2−xCrxO3 (0.0  ⩽  x  ⩽  0.9) deposited on glass substrates

α-Fe2O3 films are deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates for 1, 4 and 6 min using a spray pyrolysis technique. We also deposited α-Fe2−xCrxO3 (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.7 and 0.9) films on the FTO substrate for a deposition time of 35 s. The structural and optical properties of these films were then studied. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that all the films are crystalline in nature with a hexagonal crystal structure. The average grain size and unit cell volume were calculated using XRD data. It is found that the average grain size and unit cell volume increase with an increasing film thickness and Cr-doping concentration. The value of strain decreases with an increasing film thickness and Cr-doping content. It is also found that films with the same deposition time on the ITO substrate are more crystalline than on the FTO substrate. Furthermore, the average grain size is obtained from field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images. FESEM analysis confirms that the average grain size increases with the film thickness and Cr-doping concentration. The optical absorption spectra of the films show that the absorbance increases with an increasing deposition time and Cr concentration. The energy band gap (Eg) of all the films has been calculated using Tauc’s relation. A narrowing of the band gap was observed with an increase in film thickness and Cr-doping content. The reduction of the band gap with the increase in film thickness of the films deposited on the ITO substrate is larger than for the film deposited on the FTO substrate. The refractive index is also obtained from the absorption spectra of the films using the Moss relation: n = (k/Eg)4, where k =108 eV. The refractive index decreases with an increase in the optical band gap. The band gaps of the films are also calculated from the FTIR spectra. This is in good agreement with the UV data. The correlation between the structural and optical properties of the deposited films has been discussed.
A scalable generative topographic mapping for sparse data sequences

We propose a novel, computationally efficient generative topographic model for inferring low dimensional representations of high dimensional data sets, designed to exploit data sparseness. The associated parameter estimation algorithm scales linearly with the number of nonzero entries in the observations while still learning a truly nonlinear generative mapping. The latent variables of the model lie in a 2D space that can be used for visualisation. We discuss related work and we provide experimental results on text based documents visualisation as well as the exploratory analysis of Web navigation sequences.
Pulmonary artery endothelium resident endothelial colony-forming cells in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Proliferative pulmonary vascular remodeling is the pathologic hallmark of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) that ultimately leads to right heart failure and death. Highly proliferative endothelial cells known as endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC) participate in vascular homeostasis in health as well as in pathological angiogenic remodeling in disease. ECFC are distinguished by the capacity to clonally proliferate from a single cell. The presence of ECFC in the human pulmonary arteries and their role in PAH pathogenesis is largely unknown. In this study, we established a simple technique for isolating and growing ECFC from cultured pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC) to test the hypothesis that ECFC reside in human pulmonary arteries and that the proliferative vasculopathy of PAH is related to greater numbers and/or more proliferative ECFC in the pulmonary vascular wall. Flow cytometric forward and side scatter properties and aggregate correction were utilized to sort unmanipulated, single PAEC to enumerate ECFC in primary PAEC cultures derived from PAH and healthy lungs. After 2 weeks, wells were assessed for ECFC formation. ECFC derived from PAH PAEC were more proliferative than control. A greater proportion of PAH ECFC formed colonies following subculturing, demonstrating the presence of more ECFC with high proliferative potential among PAH PAEC. Human androgen receptor assay showed clonality of progeny, confirming that proliferative colonies were single cell-derived. ECFC expressed CD31, von Willebrand factor, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, caveolin-1 and CD34, consistent with an endothelial cell phenotype. We established a simple flow cytometry method that allows ECFC quantification using unmanipulated cells. We conclude that ECFC reside among PAEC and that PAH PAEC contain ECFC that are more proliferative than ECFC in control cultures, which likely contributes to the proliferative angiopathic process in PAH.
Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Irbesartan on Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction as Measured by the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire in the Irbesartan in Heart Failure With Preserved Systolic Function (I-PRESERVE) Trial

Background—The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) was used in a large, multinational, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to measure adverse effects of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF) on patients' lives and the effects of irbesartan. Methods and Results—Patients with symptomatic HF-PEF were randomly assigned to irbesartan (up to 300 mg daily) or placebo. The MLHFQ was administered at baseline (n=3605), month 6 (n=3137), month 14 (n=2904), and the end of study (median, 56 months, n=2205). Baseline MLHFQ scores of 43±21 indicated that HF-PEF had a substantial adverse effects. Estimated retest reliability was 0.80. Baseline MLHFQ scores were associated with other measures of the severity of heart failure including symptoms, signs of congestion, cardiac structure, and time to hospitalizations or deaths attributed to heart failure. Slight improvement in shortness of breath or fatigue was associated with significant improvement in MLHFQ scores (−5.9 and −5.0, P<0.0001). Compared with placebo, further improvement in MLHFQ scores was not observed with irbesartan after 6 months (mean adjusted difference, 0.4; 95% confidence interval, −0.8 to 1.7), 14 months (0.5; 95% confidence interval, −0.9 to 1.8), or the end of study (2.0; 95% confidence interval, −4.1 to 0.01). Conclusions—The MLHFQ scores are a reliable, valid, and sensitive measure of the adverse impact of HF-PEF on patients' lives. Irbesartan did not substantially improve MLHFQ scores during a long period of follow-up. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00095238.
The mechanical parameters of myocardial contraction studied at a constant length of the contractile element.

Edman, K. A. P. and E. Nilsson. The mechanical parameters of myocardial contraction studied at a constant length of the contractile element. Acta physiol. scand. 1968. 72. 205–219. The time course of the active state, the force-velocity relation and the series compliance were investigated in isolated papillary muscles of the rabbit. —The force-velocity curve defined at a precise length state of the contractile element and at a given time after the stimulus could be fitted by Hill's equation. The shape of the curve remained constant during the activity period, indicating that the ability to produce motion and the ability to produce tension undergo parallel changes during a myocardial contraction cycle. —The active state, at a given length of the contractile unit, had a slow onset (1/3–1/2 of the entire activity period being needed for attainment of the maximum) and did not form a distinct plateau. The time course of the active state was critically dependent on the degree of extension of the contractile unit. Evidence is presented that the duration of the active state is not definitely programmed at the start of the contraction; its final outcome is determined by the amount of shortening of the contractile element during the activity period. —The stiffness of the series elastic element, at a given tension, was independent of the intensity of the active state. This fact supports the view that the active. force-producing structures in the cell do not contribute substantially to the series compliance of the cardiac muscle.
Genetic factors associated with population size may increase extinction risks and decrease colonization potential in a keystone tropical pine

Pioneer species are essential for forest regeneration and ecosystem resilience. Pinus chiapensis is an endangered pioneer key species for tropical montane cloud forest regeneration in Mesoamerica. Human activities have severely reduced some P. chiapensis populations, which exhibited a small or null colonization potential suggesting the involvement of genetic factors associated with small populations. We explored the relationships between (i) population genetic diversity (allozymes) and population size, including sampling size effects, (ii) fitness estimates associated with colonization potential (seed viability and seedling performance) in a common environment and population size, and (iii) fitness estimates and observed heterozygosity in populations with sizes spanning five orders of magnitude. All the estimates of genetic diversity and fitness increased significantly with population size. Low fitness was detected in progenies of small populations of disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Progenies with the lowest observed heterozygosity displayed the lowest fitness estimates, which, in turn, increased with heterozygosity, but seed viability peaked at intermediate heterozygosity values suggesting inbreeding and outbreeding depression. Inbreeding depression appears to be the most immediate genetic factor in population decline. Conservation efforts should try to maintain large and genetically diverse populations, enhance gene flow by restoring connectivity between adjacent populations, and avoid genetically distant individuals.
A short peptide eluted from the H-2Kb molecule of a polyomavirus-positive tumor corresponds to polyomavirus large T antigen peptide at amino acids 578 to 585 and induces polyomavirus-specific immunity

A short peptide in complex with the H-2Kb molecule on PyRMA, a polyomavirus transfectant of the mouse lymphoma cell line RMA, was identified as a polyomavirus tumor-specific transplantation antigen. The peptide was obtained by affinity chromatography, acidic extraction, and reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). In one HPLC fraction, a peptide sequence in which 5 of 8 amino acids, GKxGLxxA, corresponded to residues 578 to 585 of polyomavirus large T antigen was identified. In tumor rejection assays, we therefore tested three related synthetic peptides, corresponding to the octapeptide LT 578-585, GKTGLAAA; the nonapeptide LT 578-586, GKTGLAAAL; and the decapeptide LT 578-587, GKTGLAAALI. The octapeptide was found to give the most effective immunization against the outgrowth of the polyomavirus DNA-positive PyRMA tumor. However, none of the three peptides immunized against the original polyoma-virus-negative RMA line.
The generalized Green-Schwarz mechanism for type IIB orientifolds with D3- and D7-branes

In this paper, we work out in detail the tadpole cancellation conditions as well as the generalized Green-Schwarz mechanism for type IIB orientifold compactifications on smooth Calabi-Yau three-folds with D3- and D7-branes. We find that not only the D3- and D7-tadpole conditions have to be satisfied, but in general also the vanishing of the induced D5-brane charges leads to a non-trivial constraint. In fact, for the case h1,1−≠0 the latter condition is important for the cancellation of chiral anomalies. We also extend our analysis by including D9- as well as D5-branes and determine the rules for computing the chiral spectrum of the combined system.
Epidermal growth factor receptor expression in different subtypes of oral lichenoid disease

The oral lichenoid disease (OLD) includes different chronic inflammatory processes such as oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral lichenoid lesions (OLL), both entities with controversial diagnosis and malignant potential. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EFGR) is an important oral carcinogenesis biomarker and overexpressed in several oral potentially malignant disorders. Objectives: To analyze the EGFR expression in the OLD to find differences between OLP and OLL, and to correlate it with the main clinical and pathological features. Material and Methods: Forty-four OLD cases were studied and classified according to their clinical (Group C1: only papular lesions / Group C2: papular and other lesions) and histopathological features (Group HT: OLP-typical / Group HC: OLP-compatible) based in previous published criteria. Standard immunohistochemical identification of EGFR protein was performed. Comparative and descriptive statistical analyses were performed. Results: Thirty-five cases (79.5%) showed EGFR overexpression without significant differences between clinical and histopathological groups (p<0.05). Histological groups showed significant differences in the EGFR expression pattern (p=0.016). Conlusions: All OLD samples showed high EGFR expression. The type of clinical lesion was not related with EGFR expression; however, there are differences in the EGFR expression pattern between histological groups that may be related with a different biological profile and malignant risk. Key words:Oral lichenoid disease, oral lichen planus, oral lichenoid lesion, oral carcinogenesis, EGFR.
Safety, feasibility and efficacy of a rapid ART initiation in pregnancy pilot programme in Cape Town, South Africa.

BACKGROUND Antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy is a crucial intervention in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. It is recognised that mother-to-child transmission is reduced with each week on ART. However, in most South African settings, ART initiation is delayed owing to slow determination of treatment eligibility and separation of HIV and antenatal care services. OBJECTIVE The rapid initiation of an ART in pregnancy programme is a model of care designed to expedite treatment initiation in ART- eligible pregnant women. This study evaluated the performance of the programme. METHODS Participants enrolled in the ART programme in the same week as their first ANC visit throughout 2011, and had outcome data available by March 2012. Treatment eligibility was determined or confirmed via point-of-care CD4+ testing. Eligible women were offered ART immediately, with concurrent counselling and safety laboratory blood testing. Women attended until 6 - 8 weeks after delivery. Data were collected from clinical records with infant polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results at 6 weeks. RESULTS Of 134 ART-eligible (CD4+ count <350 cells/μl or WHO stage III/IV) pregnant women, 130 (97.0%) started ART, 118 (90.8%) initiating treatment the same day that treatment eligibility was determined. There were no abnormal laboratory blood results or adverse events that required medical intervention. Pre-delivery retention in care and infant mortality were comparable to those in similar settings. Of the 107 pregnancies with PCR outcomes available, there was 1 positive HIV result in an infant (0.9%). Maternal viral load suppression in this mother was not achieved by the time of delivery. CONCLUSIONS This pilot programme provides evidence that rapid ART initiation in pregnancy is safe, feasible and effective in reducing PMTCT. Further follow-up is required to monitor long-term outcomes.
The effect of the training program on the quality of life in patients with asthma based on the Precede model in Ahvaz, Iran

Aim The aim of the study was to determine the effect of the training program based on the Precede model and its main components on improving the quality of life in patients with asthma. Material and methods It was a randomized quasi-experimental study done on 120 patients with asthma who were referred to the Imam Khomeini hospital in Ahvaz who were selected using the convenience sampling method and were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The data collection tool consisted of two questionnaires. The first questionnaire evaluated the quality of life in patients with asthma and the other one was developed by the researcher based on the structures of the Precede model. Training intervention was conducted during four sessions twice a week and each session was carried out for an hour based on the structures of the Precede model. In order to achieve the results, SPSS software, even t-test, and χ2 were used. Results The results showed that after the training intervention in the experimental group, the mean scores of predisposing factors (p < 0.001), enabling factors, reinforcing factors and behavioral factors were significantly increased (p < 0.001) as compared to the control group. A significant difference was observed in the mean scores of quality of life in two groups after the intervention (p < 0.001), and the quality of life of patients in the experimental group was improved after the training intervention. Conclusions The design and implementation of the training program based on the Precede model can have a positive effect on the improvement of quality of life in patients with asthma.
A Comparison of Current Graph Database Models

The limitations of traditional databases, in particular the relational model, to cover the requirements of current applications has lead the development of new database technologies. Among them, the Graph Databases are calling the attention of the database community because in trendy projects where a database is needed, the extraction of worthy information relies on processing the graph-like structure of the data. In this paper we present a systematic comparison of current graph database models. Our review includes general features (for data storing and querying), data modeling features (i.e., data structures, query languages, and integrity constraints), and the support for essential graph queries.
White paper Siemens angiography and MediGuide TM Technology facilitate significant dose reduction during Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy ( CRT ) Evidence shows reductions in fluoroscopy time and radiation exposure of up to 90 %

The study showed reductions fluoroscopy time and radiation exposure of up to 90% when compared to conventional (exclusively fluoroscopy-guided) CRT implantations. There were no negative consequences on procedural efficacy and no complications. Background CRT and MediGuideTM Technology CRT is a well established therapy for patients with advanced Heart Failure (HF). The number of implantations is rapidly increasing worldwide. In the US and Europe together, more than 150.000 CRT devices are implanted each year.
Stable Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Maritime Pine Based on Kanamycin Selection

An efficient transformation protocol based on kanamycin selection was developed for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of maritime pine embryonal masses. The binary vector pBINUbiGUSint, which contained neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) as a selectable marker gene and β-glucuronidase (uidA) as a reporter gene, was used for transformation studies. Different factors, such as embryogenic line, bacterial strain, bacterial concentration, and coculture duration, were examined and optimized. For selection of transformants, 15 mgL−1 kanamycin was used. The highest transformation efficiency (11.4 events per gram of fresh mass) was achieved when a vigorously growing embryonal mass (embryogenic line L01) was cocultivated with Agrobacterium strain AGL1 at the optical density (OD600 nm) of 0.3 for 72 h. Evidence of the stable transgene integration was obtained by polymerase chain reaction for the nptII and uidA genes and expression of the uidA gene. Maturation capacity of the transgenic lines was negatively affected by the transformation process. Induction of axillary shoots by preculturing the embryos with benzyladenine allowed overcoming the low maturation rates of some transformed lines. The transgenic embryos were germinated and the axillar shoots were rooted. Transgenic plants were transferred to potting substrate showing normal growth.
A Text Normalisation System for Non-Standard English Words

This paper investigates the problem of text normalisation; specifically, the normalisation of non-standard words (NSWs) in English. Non-standard words can be defined as those word tokens which do not have a dictionary entry, and cannot be pronounced using the usual letter-to-phoneme conversion rules; e.g. lbs, 99.3%, #EMNLP2017. NSWs pose a challenge to the proper functioning of text-to-speech technology, and the solution is to spell them out in such a way that they can be pronounced appropriately. We describe our four-stage normalisation system made up of components for detection, classification, division and expansion of NSWs. Performance is favourabe compared to previous work in the field (Sproat et al. 2001, Normalization of non-standard words), as well as state-of-the-art text-to-speech software. Further, we update Sproat et al.’s NSW taxonomy, and create a more customisable system where users are able to input their own abbreviations and specify into which variety of English (currently available: British or American) they wish to normalise.
A Syntax-Independent Approach to Forgetting in Disjunctive Logic Programs

In this paper, we present an approach to forgetting in disjunctive logic programs, where forgetting an atom from a program amounts to a reduction in the signature of that program. Notably, the approach is syntax-independent, so that if two programs are strongly equivalent, then the result of forgetting a given atom in each program is also strongly equivalent. Our central definition of forgetting is abstract: forgetting an atom from program P is characterised by the set of those SE consequences of P that do not mention the atom to be forgotten. We provide an equivalent, syntactic, characterization in which forgetting an atom p is given by those rules in the program that do not mention p, together with rules obtained by a single inference step from those rules that do mention p. Forgetting is shown to have appropriate properties; in particular, answer sets are preserved in forgetting an atom. As well, forgetting an atom via the syntactic characterization results in a modest (at worst quadratic) blowup in the program size. Finally, we provide a prototype implementation of this approach to forgetting.