Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RX J0152.7−1357: Stellar Populations in an X-Ray Luminous Galaxy Cluster at z = 0.83

We present a study of the stellar populations of galaxies in the cluster RX J0152.7-1357 at a redshift of 0.83. The study is based on new high signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopy of 29 cluster members covering the wavelength range 5000–10000 Å, as well as r′i′z′ photometry of the cluster. We use scaling relations between the central velocity dispersions of the galaxies and their luminosities, Balmer line strengths, and various metal line strengths to parameterize the differences between the members of RX J0152.7-1357 and our low-redshift comparison sample. The luminosities of the RX J0152.7-1357 galaxies and the strengths of the higher order Balmer lines Hγ and Hδ (for non–emission-line galaxies) appear to be in agreement with pure passive evolution of the stellar populations with a formation redshift zform ≈ 4. However, the strengths of the D4000 indices and the metal indices do not support this interpretation. Compared with our low-redshift comparison sample, the metal indices (C4668, Fe4383, CN3883, G4300, and CN2) show that at least half of the non–emission-line galaxies in RX J0152.7-1357 have an α-element abundance ratio of 0.2 dex higher, and about half of the galaxies have significantly lower metal content. X-ray data have previously shown that RX J0152.7-1357 is in the process of merging from two subclumps. We find that differences in stellar populations of the galaxies are associated with the location of the galaxies relative to the X-ray emission. The galaxies with weak C4668 and G4300, as well as galaxies for which weak [O II] emission indicates a very recent star formation episode involving about 1% of the mass, are located in areas of low X-ray luminosity, on the outskirts of the two subclumps. It is possible that these galaxies are experiencing the effect of the cluster merger as (short) episodes of star formation, while the galaxies in the cores of the subclumps are unaffected by the merger. The spectroscopy of the RX J0152.7-1357 galaxies shows for the first time galaxies in a rich cluster at intermediate redshift that cannot evolve passively into the present-day galaxy population in rich clusters. Additional physical processes may be at work, and we speculate that merging with infalling (disk) galaxies in which stars have formed over an extended period might produce the required reduction in . However, the merging could not be accompanied by star formation involving a substantial mass fraction. We note that our conclusions, in part, rely on stellar population models for which the predictions of the indices in the rest-frame blue have not yet been tested extensively.
PRNP Haplotype Associated with Classical BSE Incidence in European Holstein Cattle

Background Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is an acquired prion disease of cattle. The bovine prion gene (PRNP) contains regions of both high and low linkage disequilibrium (LD) that appear to be conserved across Bos taurus populations. The region of high LD, which spans the promoter and part of intron 2, contains polymorphic loci that have been associated with classical BSE status. However, the complex genetic architecture of PRNP has not been systematically tested for an association with classical BSE. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) within PRNP were used to test for association between PRNP haplotypes and BSE disease. A combination of Illumina goldengate assay, sequencing and PCR amplification was used to genotype 18 htSNPs and 2 indels in 95 BSE case and 134 control animals. A haplotype within the region of high LD was found to be associated with BSE unaffected animals (p-value = 0.000114). Conclusion/Significance A PRNP haplotype association with classical BSE incidence has been identified. This result suggests that a genetic determinant in or near PRNP may influence classical BSE incidence in cattle.
Arch width changes in patients with Class II division 1 malocclusion treated with maxillary first premolar extraction and non-extraction method

Background The aim of this study was to determine arch width changes during maxillary first premolars extraction and non-extraction treatment in patients with Class II division 1 malocclusion. Material and Methods Dental casts of 91 Class II division 1 patients (36 males and 55 females) were evaluated. The minimum age of the subjects at the beginning of treatment was above 16 years. 48 patients were treated with extraction of the maxillary first premolars and 43 patients were treated without extraction. Pre- and post-treatment maxillary and mandibular inter-canine and inter-molar arch widths were measured. Results At the end of treatment, maxillary and mandibular inter-canine widths of both groups increased significantly. The maxillary inter-molar width decreased in the extraction group and increased in the non-extraction group. The mandibular inter-molar width increased significantly in both groups. No significant differences were observed between males and females. Conclusions The results of this study indicated that there was a tendency for an increase in arch width during both the extraction and non-extraction treatment except maxillary inter-molar width in the extraction cases. Key words:Dental arch, malocclusion, angle Class II, tooth movement, extraction.
Translation of Atherosclerotic Plaque Phase-Contrast CT Imaging from Synchrotron Radiation to a Conventional Lab-Based X-Ray Source

Objectives Phase-contrast imaging is a novel X-ray based technique that provides enhanced soft tissue contrast. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of visualizing human carotid arteries by grating-based phase-contrast tomography (PC-CT) at two different experimental set-ups: (i) applying synchrotron radiation and (ii) using a conventional X-ray tube. Materials and Methods Five ex-vivo carotid artery specimens were examined with PC-CT either at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility using a monochromatic X-ray beam (2 specimens; 23 keV; pixel size 5.4 µm), or at a laboratory set-up on a conventional X-ray tube (3 specimens; 35-40 kVp; 70 mA; pixel size 100 µm). Tomographic images were reconstructed and compared to histopathology. Two independent readers determined vessel dimensions and one reader determined signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) between PC-CT and absorption images. Results In total, 51 sections were included in the analysis. Images from both set-ups provided sufficient contrast to differentiate individual vessel layers. All PCI-based measurements strongly predicted but significantly overestimated lumen, intima and vessel wall area for both the synchrotron and the laboratory-based measurements as compared with histology (all p<0.001 with slope >0.53 per mm2, 95%-CI: 0.35 to 0.70). Although synchrotron-based images were characterized by higher SNRs than laboratory-based images; both PC-CT set-ups had superior SNRs compared to corresponding conventional absorption-based images (p<0.001). Inter-reader reproducibility was excellent (ICCs >0.98 and >0.84 for synchrotron and for laboratory-based measurements; respectively). Conclusion Experimental PC-CT of carotid specimens is feasible with both synchrotron and conventional X-ray sources, producing high-resolution images suitable for vessel characterization and atherosclerosis research.
Detection of functional class II-associated antigen: role of a low density endosomal compartment in antigen processing

We have developed a functional assay to identify processed antigen in subcellular fractions from antigen-presenting cells; stimulatory activity in this assay may be caused by either free peptide fragments or by complexes of peptide fragments and class II molecules present on organellar membrane sheets and vesicles. In addition, we have developed a functional assay to identify proteolytic activity in subcellular fractions capable of generating antigenic peptides from intact proteins. These techniques permit the direct identification of intracellular sites of antigen processing and class II association. Using a murine B cell line stably transfected with a phosphorylcholine (PC)-specific membrane-bound immunoglobulin (Ig), we show that PC- conjugated antigens are rapidly internalized and efficiently degraded to generate processed antigen within an early low density compartment. Proteolytic activity capable of generating antigenic peptide fragments from intact proteins is found within low density endosomes and a dense compartment consistent with lysosomes. However, neither processed peptide nor peptide-class II complexes are detected in lysosomes from antigen-pulsed cells. Furthermore, blocking the intracellular transport of internalized antigen from the low density endosome to lysosomes does not inhibit the generation of processed antigen. Therefore, antigens internalized in association with membrane Ig on B cells can be efficiently processed in low density endosomal compartments without the contribution of proteases present within denser organelles.
Attention and working memory in resident anaesthetists after night duty: group and individual effects

Aims: To investigate the effects of a single period of night duty on measures of attention and working memory in a group of residents (registrars) in anaesthesiology. Emphasis was placed on individual deficits using a reference point of the equivalent effect of a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) >0.05% determined by other researchers. Methods: There were 33 subjects aged 26–42 years. Night duty was performed on a weekly basis. Baseline assessments were conducted at either 08 15 or 08 55 preceding night duty and repeated 24–25 hours later, just after the completion of duty. Questionnaires included items regarding duration of sleep and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale. A battery of four reaction time (RT) tasks of increasing difficulty, lasting approximately 35 minutes, was administered on a personal computer. These ranged from simple RT to progressively more complex RT tasks incorporating working memory. A significant change was regarded as >15% deterioration in respect of speed or accuracy. Results: The mean duration of sleep preceding night duty was 7.04 hours and 1.66 hours during the period of night duty. Intergroup comparisons revealed significant prolongation in mean response speed in the first three tests. Mean accuracy was significantly reduced only in respect of the two more complex tests. A >15% deterioration in response speed occurred in up to 30% of subjects on a single task, rising to 52% (17/33) overall. Deterioration occurred in a patchy distribution in most subjects, involving no more than one or two of the four tasks. As regards accuracy, the prevalence of deterioration increased with task complexity. Conclusions: Results are in general agreement with previous group analyses. A new dimension was added by the analysis of a broad spectrum of individual response to sleep deprivation. The effects of sleep loss in residents cannot be overlooked, even in a relatively benign work schedule.
Multi-Tuple Deletion Propagation: Approximations and Complexity

This paper studies the computational complexity of the classic problem of deletion propagation in a relational database, where tuples are deleted from the base relations in order to realize a desired deletion of tuples from the view. Such an operation may result in a (sometimes unavoidable) side effect: deletion of additional tuples from the view, besides the intentionally deleted ones. The goal is to minimize the side effect. The complexity of this problem has been well studied in the case where only a single tuple is deleted from the view. However, only little is known within the more realistic scenario of multi-tuple deletion, which is the topic of this paper. The class of conjunctive queries (CQs) is among the most well studied in the literature, and we focus here on views defined by CQs that are self-join free (sjf-CQs). Our main result is a trichotomy in complexity, classifying all sjf-CQs into three categories: those for which the problem is in polynomial time, those for which the problem is NP-hard but polynomial-time approximable (by a constant-factor), and those for which even an approximation (by any factor) is NP-hard to obtain. A corollary of this trichotomy is a dichotomy in the complexity of deciding whether a side-effect-free solution exists, in the multi-tuple case. We further extend the full classification to accommodate the presence of a constant upper bound on the number of view tuples to delete, and the presence of functional dependencies. Finally, we establish (positive and negative) complexity results on approximability for the dual problem of maximizing the number of view tuples surviving (rather than minimizing the side effect incurred in) the deletion propagation.
Comparison between empirical and theoretical biomass allometric models and statistical implications for stem volume predictions

Summary Comparisons between empirical and theoretical allometric models for estimating tree biomass and the statistical caveats attached to empirical stem volume equations are presented in this paper. First, the elastic and stress similarity models, derived from fi rst biomechanical principles, as well as predictions obtained from geometric similitude, were validated against allometric equations that relate dry above-ground tree biomass M to stem diameter D . In addition, a recent geometric model which predicts that M D 8/3 was also validated against a pooled dataset which consisted of 764 M - D pairs compiled from empirical studies conducted throughout the globe and for several tree species. Moreover, 59 empirical equations which relate M to D were selected from a European database to validate the aforementioned theoretical models. The analysis indicated that the biomechanical and the geometric models failed to describe the shape in M - D allometry for the empirical datasets. Finally, the multicollinearity problem, which is directly related to the reliability of the predictions, was analysed for stem volume equations ( V ). In total, 23 empirical models based on the six-parameter formula V = a + bD + cD 2 + dD 3 + eH + fD 2 H were used in order to pinpoint the dependency between the parameters. It is illustrated that parameters a , b and c are highly related to each other, and parameter e is also related to parameter f . It is concluded that the interrelationship between D and stem height ( H ) could be one of the reasons for this dependency and scepticism should be placed in the reliability of V estimates derived from these models.
Prospective conceptual model of Tomatis® method effects on students’ self-regulation

This study aimed to develop a preliminary conceptual model that explains the perceived effect of the Tomatis® method on university students’ self-regulation for study course learning. Seven beginning graduate students (6 female; 3 black, 4 white) with a large South African university completed a Tomatis® method programme student learning support intervention. The students participated in focus group discussion and brief survey on their Tomatis® method programme student learning support experiences. Thematic analysis identified five themes that define Tomatis® method programme self-regulation effects on students: i) being self-aware and enhanced environmental sensitivity; ii) improved study concentration per time frame; iii) perspective taking, willingness, and ability to listen to others’ opinions; iv) self-reflection or enhanced inward learning experience; and v) boldness, creativity and open-mindedness. Findings support a conceptual working model of the Tomatis® method for the promotion of learner self-regulation and behavioural change in a university setting.
Using the Eyes to "See" the Objects

This paper investigates how to exploit eye gaze data for understanding visual content. In particular, we propose a human-in-the-loop approach for object segmentation in videos, where humans provide significant cues on spatiotemporal relations between object parts (i.e. superpixels in our approach) by simply looking at video sequences. Such constraints, together with object appearance properties, are encoded into an energy function so as to tackle the segmentation problem as a labeling one. The proposed method uses gaze data from only two people and was tested on two challenging visual benchmarks: 1) SegTrack v2 and 2) FBMS-59. The achieved performance showed how our method outperformed more complex video object segmentation approaches, while reducing the effort needed for collecting human feedback
A software implementation of a genetic algorithm based approach to network intrusion detection

With the rapid expansion of Internet in recent years, computer systems are facing increased number of security threats. Despite numerous technological innovations for information assurance, it is still very difficult to protect computer systems. Therefore, unwanted intrusions take place when the actual software systems are running. Different soft computing based approaches have been proposed to detect computer network attacks. This paper presents a genetic algorithm (GA) based approach to network intrusion detection, and the software implementation of the approach. The genetic algorithm is employed to derive a set of classification rules from network audit data, and the support-confidence framework is utilized as fitness function to judge the quality of each rule. The generated rules are then used to detect or classify network intrusions in a real-time environment. Unlike most existing GA-based approaches, because of the simple representation of rules and the effective fitness function, the proposed method is easier to implement while providing the flexibility to either generally detect network intrusions or precisely classify the types of attacks. Experimental results show the achievement of acceptable detection rates based on benchmark DARPA data sets on intrusions, while no other complementary techniques or relevant heuristics are applied.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate and assume corneal keratocyte phenotype

It remains elusive as to what bone marrow (BM) cell types infiltrate into injured and/or diseased tissues and subsequently differentiate to assume the phenotype of residential cells, for example, neurons, cardiac myocytes, keratocytes, etc., to repair damaged tissue. Here, we examined the possibility of whether BM cell invasion via circulation into uninjured and injured corneas could assume a keratocyte phenotype, using chimeric mice generated by transplantation of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)+ BM cells into keratocan null (Kera−/−) and lumican null (Lum−/−) mice. EGFP+ BM cells assumed dendritic cell morphology, but failed to synthesize corneal‐specific keratan sulfate proteoglycans, that is KS‐lumican and KS‐keratocan. In contrast, some EGFP+ BM cells introduced by intrastromal transplantation assumed keratocyte phenotypes. Furthermore, BM cells were isolated from Kera‐Cre/ZEG mice, a double transgenic mouse line in which cells expressing keratocan become EGFP+ due to the synthesis of Cre driven by keratocan promoter. Three days after corneal and conjunctival transplantations of such BM cells into Kera−/− mice, green keratocan positive cells were found in the cornea, but not in conjunctiva. It is worthy to note that transplanted BM cells were rejected in 4 weeks. MSC isolated from BM were used to examine if BM mesenchymal stem cells (BM‐MSC) could assume keratocyte phenotype. When BM‐MSC were intrastromal‐transplanted into Kera−/− mice, they survived in the cornea without any immune and inflammatory responses and expressed keratocan in Kera−/− mice. These observations suggest that corneal intrastromal transplantation of BM‐MSC may be an effective treatment regimen for corneal diseases involving dysfunction of keratocytes.
Effects of power frequency electromagnetic fields on melatonin and sleep in the rat

Background Studies investigating the effect of power frequency (50–60 Hz) electromagnetic fields (EMF) on melatonin synthesis in rats have been inconsistent with several showing suppression of melatonin synthesis, others showing no effect and a few actually demonstrating small increases. Scant research has focused on the ensuing sleep patterns of EMF exposed rats. The present study was designed to examine the effects of extremely low power frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the production of melatonin and the subsequent sleep structure in rats. Methods Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a 1000 milligauss (mG) magnetic field for 1 month. Urine was collected for the final 3 days of the exposure period for analysis of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin, the major catabolic product of melatonin found in urine. Subsequent sleep was analyzed over a 24-hour period. Results Melatonin production was mildly increased in exposed animals. Although there were no statistically significant changes in sleep structure, exposed animals showed slight decreases in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep as compared to sham (non-exposed) animals. Conclusions Power frequency magnetic fields induced a marginally statistically significant increase in melatonin levels in exposed rats compared to control. Subsequent sleep analysis indicated little effect on the sleep architecture of rats, at least not within the first day after 1 month's continuous exposure. Varying results in the literature are discussed and future research suggested.
Whose Story Wins on Twitter?

The South China Sea dispute is one of the most complicated geopolitical issues of the twenty-first century. While this international conflict revolves around military and economic disputes, in today’s information age international politics also hinges on how each country presents the dispute in the news and whose “story” wins. Based on the Network Agenda Setting model, this study analyzed the news coverage in three involved countries—China, the Philippines, and the United States—and examined whose “story” gains the most prominence on Twitter, an emerging transnational public sphere. A combination of network analysis and the Granger causality test were used to explicate the media effects. Network visualization techniques were adopted to graphically represent the media network agendas. Overall, the results showed that the Twittersphere to a great extent followed the US news media in reasoning the association and dynamics between different countries involved in the South China Sea dispute, whereas the media in China and the Philippines showed minimal to moderate impact on this global social media platform. The findings demonstrate that the US media’s agenda-setting effect can transcend national borders, and that the imbalanced power structure has been reinforced in this new media environment.
Age Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms by Age at Immigration among Older Men and Women of Mexican Descent: The Role of Social Resources

Drawing on eight waves of data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly, this study uses growth curve models to provide a better understanding of the impact of age at immigration and gender on age trajectories of depressive symptoms among older adults of Mexican descent (aged 65+). The findings reveal that (1) regardless of immigrant status and age at immigration, men have similar age trajectories of depressive symptoms; (2) compared with U.S.-born women, late-life (beyond age 50) immigrant women report more depressive symptoms at age 65, whereas midlife (between ages 20 and 49) immigrant women experience steeper increases in these symptoms with age; (3) controlling for socioeconomic status leads to advantages in mental health at age 65, but steeper age-related increases in depressive symptoms among midlife (between ages 20 and 49) immigrant men and fewer depressive symptoms among late-life (beyond age 50) immigrant women.