Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MRI of Lower Limb Muscle in Patients with 4q35-linked Facio-Scapulo-Limb, Type 2 (the Same as a Facioscapuloperoneal or a FSHD1) Autosomal Dominant Muscular Dystrophy

The aim of this study is to describe and correlate the clinical and MRI data in facio-scapulo-limb, type 2 (FSLD2) (the same as a facioscapuloperoneal or a FSHD1) family members. We studied 17 FSLD2 patients (10 men and 7 women, 17-73 years old; mean age 40 ± 3.7) from 12 families with 4q35 p13E11 EcoRI/ BlnI deletion 13-28 kb. Five patients were presymptomatic (Pr) and 12 were symptomatic. MRI of 20 muscles bilaterally in observed patients was performed on a 1.5-tesla Siemens Magneton Vision system using axial T1 and T2 weighted images.
Populating H2 and CO in galaxy simulation with dust evolution

There are two major theoretical issues for the star formation law (the relation between the surface densities of molecular gas and star formation rate on a galaxy scale): (i) At low metallicity, it is not obvious that star-forming regions are rich in H$_2$ because the H$_2$ formation rate depends on the dust abundance; and (ii) whether or not CO really traces H$_2$ is uncertain, especially at low metallicity. To clarify these issues, we use a hydrodynamic simulation of an isolated disc galaxy with a spatial resolution of a few tens parsecs. The evolution of dust abundance and grain size distribution is treated consistently with the metal enrichment and the physical state of the interstellar medium. We compute the H$_2$ and CO abundances using a subgrid post-processing model based on the dust abundance and the dissociating radiation field calculated in the simulation. We find that when the metallicity is $\lesssim 0.4$ Z$_\odot$ ($t<1$ Gyr), H$_2$ is not a good tracer of star formation rate because H$_2$-rich regions are limited to dense compact regions. At $Z\gtrsim 0.8$ Z$_\odot$, a tight star formation law is established for both H$_2$ and CO. At old ($t \sim 10$ Gyr) ages, we also find that adopting the so-called MRN grain size distribution with an appropriate dust-to-metal ratio over the entire disc gives reasonable estimates for the H$_2$ and CO abundances. For CO, improving the spatial resolution of the simulation is important while the H$_2$ abundance is not sensitive to sub-resolution structures at $Z\gtrsim 0.4$ Z$_\odot$.
Red-channel (6000−8000 Å) nuclear spectra of 376 local galaxies

We obtained long-slit optical spectra of the nuclear regions of 376 galaxies in the local Universe using the 1.5 m Cassini telescope of Bologna Observatory. Of these spectra, 164 were either never taken before by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), or given by the Nasa Extragalactic Database (NED). With these new spectra, we contribute investigating the occurrence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Nevertheless, we stress that the present sample is by no means complete, thus, it cannot be used to perform any demographic study. Following the method used in a previous work, we classify the nuclear spectra using a six bin scheme: SEY (Seyfert), sAGN (strong AGN), and wAGN (weak AGN) represent active galactic nuclei of different levels of activity; HII accounts for star-forming nuclei; RET (retired) and PAS (passive) refer to nuclei with poor or no star-formation activity. The spectral classification is performed using the ratio of λ 6584 [NII] to Hα lines and the equivalent width (EW) of Hα versus [NII]/Hα (WHAN diagnostic introduced by Cid Fernandes and collaborators) after correcting Hα for underlying absorption. The obtained spectra are made available in machine readable format via the Strasbourg Astronomical Data Center (CDS) and NED.
Carbon Sequestration-A Powerful Incentive in Combating Land Degradation and Desertification

Carbon sequestration within the context of the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) has great potential as an incentive for combating land degradation and desertification and restoring fertility to degraded land. Such conversion of greenhouse gas CO2 to organic matter offers a powerful tool with which to combat climate change. The enlargement of carbon sinks stored in soil and biota is an essential tool in buying time while mankind seeks means to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to reduce the elevated levels of atmospheric CO2. In Iceland, carbon sequestration - a by-product of combating soil erosion, revegetating of eroded land and reforestation - has an important role in meeting national commitments to FCCC. Linking carbon sequestration with soil conservation activities has resulted in greatly increased funds for soil conservation and restoration in areas that have become severely degraded since settlement of the island 874 on. Decisions regarding carbon sinks during finalization of the operational details of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001 fit well the needs of countries facing land degradation and desertification. However, incentives for such mitigation through the Clean Development Mechanism of the
Gate-error analysis in simulations of quantum computers with transmon qubits

In the model of gate-based quantum computation, the qubits are controlled by a sequence of quantum gates. In superconducting qubit systems, these gates can be implemented by voltage pulses. The success of implementing a particular gate can be expressed by various metrics such as the average gate fidelity, the diamond distance, and the unitarity. We analyze these metrics of gate pulses for a system of two superconducting transmon qubits coupled by a resonator, a system inspired by the architecture of the IBM Quantum Experience. The metrics are obtained by numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation of the transmon system. We find that the metrics reflect systematic errors that are most pronounced for echoed cross-resonance gates, but that none of the studied metrics can reliably predict the performance of a gate when used repeatedly in a quantum algorithm.
The protective effect of nano-curcumin in experimental model of acute pancreatitis: The involvement of TLR4/NF-kB pathway

Objective(s): The objective of the present study is to explore whether Nanocurcumin improves pancreatic inflammation through the inhibition of the TLR4/NFkB signaling pathway in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis. Methods: Acute pancreatitis was induced by five intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of cerulein (50 μg/kg) with 1h intervals. Vehicle and nanocurcumin (100mg/kg/day) were given to the animals by oral gavage six days before the induction of pancreatitis. The last dose was administered 1 hour before pancreatitis induction. The serum level of amylase and lipase and the tissue level of MPO enzymes were assessed by biochemical analysis. Microscopic lesions were examined. In addition, the expression level of TLR4, NF-kB p65 and TNF-α proteins were measured by western blotting analysis. Results: Nanocurcumin reduced the microscopic lesions. In addition, the drug decreased the level of amylase, lipase and MPO enzymes. Furthermore, nanocurcumin inhibited the cerulein-induced expression of TLR4, NF-kB p65 and TNF-α proteins. Conclusion: It is suggested that the anti-inflammatory effect of nanocurcumin on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis may involve the inhibition of the TLR4/NFkB signaling pathway.
Bank Ownership and Performance: Evidence from Russia in a Post Crisis Period

This paper explores relationship between ownership structures and operating performance of top Russian commercial banks. The findings revealed that foreign ownership has a positive impact on bank performance thus supporting the view that foreign investors bring best corporate governance practices to improve operating performance. However, it fails to find positive association between managerial ownership and operating performance. Similarly, the results show that state ownership is not related to operating performance. We believe that this study demonstrates that governance mechanisms utilized in transition markets related to ownership have some relevance and synergies to specific economies such as Russia.
Embodied Culture as Procedure: Rethinking the Link Between Personal and Objective Culture 1

Recent developments in cognitive science and the philosophy of mind point to a radically new way of understanding the way that culture comes to be embodied in human agents. According to these emerging perspectives, persons can only embody culture in the form of procedure: context sensitive skills for the fast categorization, perception and exploitation of the response-dependent properties of objects and settings. Procedures are fundamentally and irreducibly embodied, while a lot of what we refer to as culture exists in an externalized, objectified form. This means that the format in which culture is externally encountered is radically distinct from the one in which it is embodied. This (re)opens the problematic of the linkage or interfacing between external and objectified culture, a central problem in cultural theory that became obfuscated, and spuriously “resolved” by phenomenological and functionalist theorists who presumed that culture is internalized in the same way in which it appears in external form. I close by outlining the implications for thinking of embodied culture as procedure, as well as developing novel ways of understanding how persons “interface” with the external world of objectified cultural objects and artifacts.
The clinical character of hand-foot-and-mouth-disease (HFMD) with neurological manifestation: A report of 22 death and 36 recovered cases

Background: Outbreaks of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) have occurred in many parts of the world, particularly in China. The disease usually has ease of communicability and a higher risk of developing severe complications leading towards death. In this study, we aim to evaluate the clinical features, laboratory examination, and treatment for serious cases of HFMD, using a retrospective analysis based on clinical data. Methods: We report the clinical features of 22 deceased patients with confirmed diagnoses of HFMD, who presented to hospitals in the Shanxi Province of China between June 2010, and August 2012. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data from inpatients were collected. Results: The findings of this report showed that Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the causative agent of HFMD, particularly in male children under the age of 3. Some common symptoms including fever, rash, and malfunctioning of respiratory, circulatory, and neurologic systems were observed in all studied patients. However, circulatory failure was the most important cause of death for these patients. Furthermore, increases in the peripheral white blood cell count (>15 × 109/L) and the blood sugar level (>8.3 mmol/L) are among the important reference indices for serious cases. Hence, on time provision of respiratory and circulatory supports enhance the efficiency of a comprehensive treatment strategy. Conclusion: HFMD, characterized by high fever, convulsions, mental fatigue, vomiting and cold limbs, carries a high risk of death. Earlier identification of higher-risk infants might allow for more rapid intervention. Our findings suggest that the peripheral white blood cell count (>15 × 109/L) and the blood sugar level (>8.3 mmol/L) should be considered as warning signs while, clinicians manage surges of children diagnosed with HFMD to avoid death.
The Impact of Operational Digitalization and Intangible Asset Investment on Technical Efficiency and Financial Performance of Taiwa's Social Work Industry

This study establishes a stochastic frontier model and regression equations to assess the impact of operational digitalization and intangible asset investment on technical efficiency and financial performance. Taiwan’s census data on the social work industry is utilized to conduct empirical studies. The study’s contributions include sustained evidence that (1) operational digitalization and intangible asset investment are positively correlated with technical efficiency and financial performance and, (2) that they influence financial performance through a mediating effect rather than a direct effect. Furthermore, we show that the phenomenon of the information technology productivity paradox does not exist in this industry. Lastly, the study reveals that public social work services, even with greater resources, show poorer financial performance than private organizations.
Pay Gaps among Auditors, Diversification, and the Performance of Partnership Audit Firms in Taiwan

A few studies look at partnership audit firms, and examine how they use the pay gaps to enhance their performance. In this paper, we argue that promotion-to-partner tournament with a large pay gap is pervasive in public accounting industry, provoking feelings of inequality and being undervalued for auditors. The audit manger, can simultaneously be an agent and a potential owner, affects the relationship between auditor pay gaps and partnership CPA firm performance. That relationship is contingent on the organizational complexity (i.e., CPA firms diversify their services into auditing, tax advice, and other advice). This study uses pooled cross-sectional research designs and partnership CPA firm data for the year 2004-2007. We find that large differences in pay between the lower-level employee and partner compensation are detrimental to partnership CPA firm performance. We find that increasing in pay gaps will deliver partnership audit firm's performance when coupled with more audit managers to coordinate. However, diversification influences the strength of that relationship.
Lifetime survival rates and senescence in northern elephant seals

The aim of this study was to extend 40 yr of prior demographic work on northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris )a t A~ Nuevo, California, by including the oldest animals. We used a Bayesian mark-recapture analysis to estimate lifelong survival and lifespan of a cohort of 372 weaned pups branded in 1985–1987 and resighted until 2008. Annual survival probability of females averaged 86.3%/yr at ages 5– 16, then declined until age 21, the age of the oldest female. Male survival was lower, averaging 67.7%/yr from age 1 to age 15, the age of the oldest male. Northern elephant seal females in the expanding population at A~ Nuevo live longer than southern elephant seal females (M. leonina) at colonies whose populations are declining. This comparison suggests that high survival of females is a key factor in population growth.
Transparent boundary conditions based on the pole condition for time‐dependent, two‐dimensional problems

The pole condition approach for deriving transparent boundary conditions is extended to the time‐dependent, two‐dimensional case. Nonphysical modes of the solution are identified by the position of poles of the solution's spatial Laplace transform in the complex plane. By requiring the Laplace transform to be analytic on some problem‐dependent complex half‐plane, these modes can be suppressed. The resulting algorithm computes a finite number of coefficients of a series expansion of the Laplace transform, thereby providing an approximation to the exact boundary condition. The resulting error decays super‐algebraically with the number of coefficients, so relatively few additional degrees of freedom are sufficient to reduce the error to the level of the discretization error in the interior of the computational domain. The approach shows good results for the Schrödinger and the drift‐diffusion equation but, in contrast to the one‐dimensional case, exhibits instabilities for the wave and Klein–Gordon equation. Numerical examples are shown that demonstrate the good performance in the former and the instabilities in the latter case. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013
Performance Evaluation of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) Varieties under Moisture Conservation Practices for Yield and Yield Components at Alduba, Southern Ethiopia

A field experiment was conducted at Alduba, Southern Ethiopia to determine the effect of moisture conservation practices and varieties on yield and yield components of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) under rain fed condition in 2013. The experiment was conducted with two levels of moisture conservation practices (farmers practice and tied ridge), eight cowpea varieties (Black-eye bean, Bole, Maze-1, Asrat, Bekur, Assebot, IT-99k-1122 and White-wonder-trail). The experimental design was a split plot with three replications where, moisture conservation practice was arranged as main plot factor and cowpea varieties were arranged as sub plot factors, respectively. Phenological and growth parameters such as yield and yield components, total biomass and harvest index were studied. The result showed that all phenological and growth parameters were not significantly affected by moisture conservation practices. The number of days required to reach at mid flowering, pod setting and maturity were delayed when tied ridge was used. Use of tied ridge increased all the studied phenological parameters except number of branches per plant. Yield and yield components were not significantly affected by moisture conservation practices. Even though, moisture conservation practices did not bring significant effect on grain yield, but yield advantage of tied ridge was 26% over farmers practice in this study. There were significant variations observed among the cowpea varieties for all the phenological and growth parameters under study. There were significant variations observed among the cowpea varieties for all the yield and yield components in the study. The maximum grain yields (12.94 qt ha -1 ) and (12.44 qt ha -1 ) were recorded from the varieties IT-99K-1122 and Assebot, respectively. There was no significant interaction between moisture conservation practices and varieties for all the studied parameters except grain yield. Therefore, it can be concluded from this result that use of tied ridge or the best performing varieties of cowpea namely, IT-99K-1122 or Assebot is advisable and could be appropriate for cowpea production in the test area even though further testing is required to put the recommendation on a strong basis. Keywords: Tied ridge, Varieties, Farmers Practice
The Effect of Some Sugars on the Growth of Aspergillus niger

Abstract: The majority of black Aspergilli, including Aspergillus niger. Here, we provide to evidence that the exploration of sugar uptake in the filamentous fungus A. niger as a sole carbon source. The goal of this research line is determination of the growth of fungi was evaluated every 24h, measuring the colony diameter (cm). A. niger was inoculated onto two culture media: PDA: for maintains a strain as pure while Czapeck Dox Agar was used in investigation into their carbon requirement, using five different carbon sources (vizs. glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, and starch). The fungus was tested grew sparsely on the basal medium lacking in carbon, which was the control. However this fungus was found to vary from their ability to use the supplied sources of carbon. Fructose and sucrose were found to be suitable sources of carbon for a fungal isolates, whereas glucose and maltose proved good carbon source to have a higher affinity. Starch as a polysaccharide, was a poor source of carbon for the growth of this isolate. Despite earlier claims, saccharides rather than monosaccharide were breakdowns extracellularly by means of a broad range of extracellular enzyme activities from Aspergillus niger. Key words: Aspergillus niger, Saccharides utilization, fungal growth
The Hα surface brightness–radius relation: a robust statistical distance indicator for planetary nebulae

Measuring the distances to Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) has been an intractable problem for many decades. We have now established a robust optical statistical distance indicator, the Hα surface brightness–radius or SHα–r relation, which addresses this problem. We developed thisrelationfromacriticallyevaluatedsampleofprimarycalibratingPNe.Therobustnatureof the method results from our revised calibrating distances with significantly reduced systematic uncertainties, and the recent availability of high-quality data, including updated nebular diameters and integrated Hα fluxes. The SHα–r technique is simple in its application, requiring only an angular size, an integrated Hα flux, and the reddening to the PN. From these quantities, an intrinsic radius is calculated, which when combined with the angular size, yields the distance directly. Furthermore, we have found that optically thick PNe tend to populate the upper bound of the trend, while optically thin PNe fall along the lower boundary in the SHα–r plane. This enables sub-trends to be developed which offer even better precision in the determination of distances, as good as 18 per cent in the case of optically thin, high-excitation PNe. This is significantly better than any previous statistical indicator. We use this technique to create a catalogue of statistical distances for over 1100 Galactic PNe, the largest such compilation in the literature to date. Finally, in an appendix, we investigate both a set of transitional PNe and a range of PN mimics in the SHα–r plane, to demonstrate its use as a diagnostic tool. Interestingly, stellar ejecta around massive stars plot on a tight locus in SHα–r space with the potential to act as a separate distance indicator for these objects.
Share Price Reaction to Dividend Announcements: Empirical Evidence on the Signaling Model from the Oslo Stock Exchange

This study tests the signaling theory of dividends by investigating the stock price reaction to dividend announcements on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE), and subsequent changes in the cash flows of the firms involved. This paper adds to existing evidence by examining the role of dividends in a market where the corporate ownership structure is notably different from the U.S. and the U.K., and where the motivation to use dividends as a signaling mechanism appears to be stronger. The results indicate significant abnormal stock returns are associated with announcements of dividend changes. The results are robust to alternative models of dividend expectations, after controlling for the impact of earnings announcements, and are consistent across sub-periods in the sample. The stock market reaction is most pronounced for large, positive dividend announcements that are followed by permanent cash flow increases. This evidence provides modest support for the signaling theory of dividends in Norway, but it does not support the proposition that corporate ownership structure is an important influence on the use of dividends as a signaling mechanism.