Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: testing the cosmological model with baryon acoustic oscillations at z= 0.6

We measure the imprint of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs) in the galaxy clustering pattern at the highest redshift achieved to date, z= 0.6, using the distribution of N= 132 509 emission-line galaxies in the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. We quantify BAOs using three statistics: the galaxy correlation function, power spectrum and the band-filtered estimator introduced by Xu et al. The results are mutually consistent, corresponding to a 4.0 per cent measurement of the cosmic distance–redshift relation at z= 0.6 [in terms of the acoustic parameter ‘A(z)’ introduced by Eisenstein et al., we find A(z= 0.6) = 0.452 ± 0.018]. Both BAOs and power spectrum shape information contribute towards these constraints. The statistical significance of the detection of the acoustic peak in the correlation function, relative to a wiggle-free model, is 3. 2σ. The ratios of our distance measurements to those obtained using BAOs in the distribution of luminous red galaxies at redshifts z= 0.2 and 0.35 are consistent with a flat Λ cold dark matter model that also provides a good fit to the pattern of observed fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation. The addition of the current WiggleZ data results in a ≈30 per cent improvement in the measurement accuracy of a constant equation of state, w, using BAO data alone. Based solely on geometric BAO distance ratios, accelerating expansion (w < −1/3) is required with a probability of 99.8 per cent, providing a consistency check of conclusions based on supernovae observations. Further improvements in cosmological constraints will result when the WiggleZ survey data set is complete.
Age-disparate sex and HIV risk for young women from 2002 to 2012 in South Africa

Introduction: Age‐disparate sex has long been considered a factor that increases HIV risk for young women in South Africa. However, recent studies from specific regions in South Africa have found conflicting evidence. Few studies have assessed the association between age‐disparate partnerships (those involving an age gap of 5 years or more) and HIV risk at the national level. This study investigates the relationship between age‐disparate sex and HIV status among young women aged 15–24 in South Africa.
Can Adults of the New Zealand Mosquito Culex pervigilans (Bergorth) Detect the Presence of a Key Predator in Larval Habitats?

ABSTRACT: The influence of predators on mosquito populations may be direct through predation or indirect through sub-lethal responses of adult mosquitoes in life history traits such as oviposition behavior. In New Zealand, the backswimmer, Anisops wakefieldi, is a common predator of mosquito larvae found in temporary and permanent water bodies. We predicted that the New Zealand native mosquito, Culex pervigilans, whose larvae are vulnerable to predation of Anisops, would likely avoid the containers with the presence of Anisops or its kairomone. We established temporary water containers without predators, free-roaming predators, caged predators (which were unable to eat mosquitoes), or containers from which predators were removed immediately prior to the experiment (these containers would have remnant kairomones from the predators). Each treatment with Anisops had predator densities of one, three, or nine Anisops. Contrary to our predictions, when choosing oviposition habitats, Cx. pervigilans appeared to ignore the presence of free-roaming Anisops, caged Anisops, and water with Anisops kairomone. We thus observed no significant differences between the numbers of egg rafts laid by Cx. pervigilans in the different predator treatments nor were the number of egg rafts significantly affected by the density of predators. Rather than the presence of predators, environmental factors including temperature, humidity, and pressure were significantly correlated with mosquito oviposition. These mosquitoes appeared to either ignore the presence of the predator, had no ability to detect the presence of predators, or perhaps the cues from Anisops predators were not sufficiently strong enough to alarm these mosquitoes. We argue that the mosquito has not evolved the ability to detect the presence of these predators while ovipositing.
The emotional influences on vendors' residential price perception (The price virus)

The aim of this study is to explore what causes the gap between the asking price and the buying price of houses in Australia. According to 2012 statistics provided by Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, home sales records shows approximately 70 per cent of the homes listed for sale did not achieve their asking price. The research hypothesis adopted in this thesis is that this gap is caused by vendors’ emotional attachment to the home, which in turn influences an unrealistic price. The proposal of this unrealistic price is the focus of the research investigation. The objective is to explore the hypothesis that home vendors are socially and emotionally conditioned to perceive their home to be worth more than its actual market value. The effect of irrational behaviour influenced by vendors’ emotions is deemed to be linked to their unrealistic perception of price. Home ownership is a key sector of the property industry, now Australia’s biggest industry, larger even than mining. The industry contributed $185.5 billion to the economy, equivalent to 11.5 per cent of GDP in the last financial year. The latest data shows that Australian homes are currently worth $5.0 to $5.5 trillion dollars. Depending on the source, the estimate for number of residential properties sold each year in Australia is between 400,000 and 600,000. If indeed unrealistic price perception is influenced by human emotions in an industry as big as this, then there are cogent reasons for exploring this phenomenon. This study employed a questionnaire survey relating to the research question. The survey was hosted on Fairfax Media’s websites and received responses from all over Australia as well as 11 other countries. The participants in the survey were mainly homeowners who had sold or had attempted to sell their homes, which enabled this study to explore the emotional behaviour underlying how homeowners arrive at a value for their homes. Five emotions were assessed as key variables that affect price perception across the emotional stages in decision-making. The results suggests that the strongest factor influencing unrealistic price perception is greed, followed by vendors’ expectation that buyers will negotiate, a lack of trust in the real estate agent and pride in ownership. The findings reveal that the feeling of uniqueness of the home also influences this unrealistic price perception. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the real estate industry by providing a better insight into why vendors tend to overprice their homes. The results of this research could therefore provide an improved understanding of home vendors’ behaviour, and offer an important insight into the implications of emotional attachment in relation to decision-making and the perceived value of the home.
Imiquimod 5% cream for the treatment of large nodular basal cell carcinoma at the medial canthal area

Context (Background): Imiquimod (IMQ) 5% cream is an immunomodulatory and antitumorigenic agent, which was used as a topical treatment regimen, who had periocular basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Aim: This study aims to present three cases with large BCC at the medial canthal area treated with IMQ 5% cream. Materials and Methods: IMQ 5% cream was used in three patients with ages 45, 49, and 73 who preferred medical treatment over surgery. Following incisional biopsy IMQ cream was used once a day, 5 times a week and the patients were followed up weekly during 12 week treatment period and monthly after the clearance of the lesion. Results: Erythema and erosion on the surface of the lesion, injection of conjunctiva, burning and itching sensation, epiphora and punctate keratitis were seen in all patients during the treatment period. The ophthalmic side effects could be managed by topical lubricating eye drops and the inflammatory reactions resolved within 1 month after cessation of therapy. The patients were followed up for at least 3 years without tumor recurrence and the biopsies taken from the suspected area were found to be tumor free. Conclusion: Surgical excision of carcinoma of the eyelid at medial canthal area can be difficult without causing damage to the lacrimal system and reconstruction of the defect may need grafts or flaps. IMQ may provide an alternative therapy to surgery in certain cases.
Optimization of parametric policies of Markov decision processes under a variance criterion

The variance criterion is an uncommon while important criterion in Markov decision processes. The non-Markovian property caused by the nonlinear (quadratic) structure of variance function makes the traditional MDP approaches invalid for this problem. In this paper, we study the optimization of parametric policies of MDPs under the variance criterion, where the optimization parameters are the probabilities of selecting actions at each state. With the basic idea of sensitivity-based optimization, we derive a difference formula and a derivative formula of the reward variance with respect to the system parameter. The variance difference formula is fundamental for this problem and it partly handles the difficulty of nonlinear property of variance function through a nonnegative term. With these sensitivity formulas, we prove that the optimal policy with the minimal variance can be found in the deterministic policy space. A necessary condition of the optimal policy is also derived. Compared with the counterpart of gradient-based approaches in the literature, our approach can provide a clear viewpoint for this variance optimization problem.
The effects of introducing Tabata interval training and stability exercises to school children as a school-based intervention program

Abstract Background Physical activities during leisure time as well as school hours have changed over the past few years, with adolescents being less physically active and adopting a sedentary lifestyle. Objective The overall objective of this mixed-methods study was to evaluate the feasibility of introducing a 4-min Tabata interval training into a lower secondary school context. A further aim was to evaluate the possible effects on: coordination, balance, and strength. Methods The study was conducted as an intervention study with a mixed-method approach. Forty-three children, aged 7–9 years, participated in the intervention group. Additionally, 13 children were recruited as a control group. The intervention itself was delivered by the teachers and was performed for 4-min every day in a classroom setting. All participants performed physical tests before and after the intervention period to evaluate the Tabata training. After the completion of the 6-week Tabata interval training, the four teachers were interviewed. Results The push-ups (p = 0.004), kneeling push-ups (p = 0.03), and standing long jump (p = 0.01) improved in the intervention group after 6 weeks. No differences were observed between the genders. The teachers experienced that it worked well to integrate the Tabata interval training in the classroom setting. Conclusion After 6 weeks, a school-based Tabata intervention program improved physical performance. The teachers saw no obstacles in including the Tabata intervention program in a classroom setting and pointed out several positive aspects such as an increased energy level and development in the children’s movement patterns.
Total Energy Expenditure and Physical Activity in Children Treated with Home Parenteral Nutrition

Determining total energy expenditure (TEE) and its components in children treated with home parenteral nutrition (CHPN) under free-living conditions is an important consideration in the assessment of energy requirements and the maintenance of health. The aim of this study was to assess TEE and physical activity in CHPN. Eleven CHPN (three girls and eight boys; median age, 6.0 y; range, 4.5–15.0 y) were compared with 11 healthy children (three girls and eight boys; median age, 6.0 y, range, 4.5–14.0 y) after pairing for sex, age, and weight. Underlying diseases included chronic intractable diarrhea (n = 5), short bowel syndrome (n = 3), and intestinal dysmotility (n = 3). None of these children had inflammatory disease or recent infection when studied. Fat-free mass (FFM), measured by body impedance analysis, fat mass (FM), measured by skinfold thickness, and energy intake were similar between the two groups, suggesting that CHPN had normal body composition and energy intake. Resting energy expenditure (REE), measured by indirect calorimetry, and TEE, assessed by a technique using 24-h heart-rate monitoring calibrated against indirect calorimetry and physical activity using a triaxial accelerometer, were simultaneously recorded and were also similar in the two groups. Sleeping energy expenditure (SEE), expressed per kilogram of FFM, was significantly greater in the CHPN group (median, 0.15; range, 0.10–0.23 kJ/min/kg FFM versus median, 0.12; range, 0.09–0.21 kJ/min/kg FFM for controls;p < 0.05, Wilcoxon rank test). These findings were explained by the high correlation between the energy flow infused by parenteral nutrition and sleeping energy expenditure (p < 0.05, Spearman test) and also-diet induced thermogenesis (p < 0.05 Spearman test). These results suggest that the energy requirements of children on long-term home parenteral nutrition programs do not differ from controls and that cyclic parenteral nutrition does not interfere with physical activity.
Conduction currents and time to frequency domain transformation for epoxy resin nanocomposites

This paper concerns several epoxy resin nanocomposites. A DER 332 epoxy resin was chosen as matrix and nanosilica and/or Boron Nitride were chosen as fillers. Conduction currents results obtained using Polarization and Depolarization Current (PDC) tests at room temperature are presented and discussed. Different conduction phenomena were observed following the analysis of the variation of the current density versus the applied electric field. Using the depolarization currents obtained at room temperature under several applied electric fields, time to frequency domain transformation was performed. For this purpose, the currents were fitted using a general time response function based on Curie-von Schweidler law and on the transform proposed by Hamon. The empiric law proposed by Helegeson was also investigated. The time to frequency domain transformed spectra were compared with those obtained by Dielectric Spectroscopy.
Unsplinted implants retaining a mandibular overdenture with magnetic attachments: a short-term clinical study in controlled type 2 diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE This short-term prospective study evaluated the clinical outcome of unsplinted implants retaining a mandibular overdenture with magnetic attachments in controlled type 2 diabetic patients. METHOD AND MATERIALS Twenty-eight completely edentulous patients (18 men and 10 women) with controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus received a total of 56 implants (two per patient) in the canine region of the mandible using the standardized two-stage surgical protocol. All patients complained of insufficient retention of their mandibular denture. New maxillary complete dentures and mandibular overdentures were fabricated. Overdentures were connected to the implants with magnetic attachments. Each implant was evaluated at the time of prosthetic loading, and 6, 12, and 24 months thereafter. Clinical evaluation was performed using Gingival Index (GI), Plaque Index (PI), probing depth (PD), implant stability (ISQ), and vertical bone loss (VBLO). Cumulative success and survival rates were calculated using life table analysis. RESULTS After 2 years of overdenture insertion, there was a significant increase in PI, GI, PD, and VBLO. ISQ decreased significantly after 6 months of loading then increased again after 2 years. The cumulative survival and success rates of the implants were 91% and 87.5% respectively. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study, the clinical outcome of unsplinted implants retaining a mandibular overdenture with magnetic attachments in controlled type 2 diabetic patients was favorable after 2 years. However, long-term randomized controlled trials are needed to compare the clinical outcome of unsplinted implants in diabetic and nondiabetic patients.
Options for closing the phosphorus cycle in agriculture : assessment of options for Northwest Europe and the Netherlands

This study assessed which options are available for closing the feed-manure phosphorus cycle in agriculture and their contribution to the reduction of the P surplus and P use efficiency. This was assessed at a national scale for the Netherlands as well as a regional scale for Northwest Europe. No export of animal products, with as a consequence the reduction in livestock numbers, is most effective in reducing external P inputs. An effective option that is easier to implement is the reduction in P excretion through changes in the feed intake. For Nortwest Europe the combination of all five options can lead to a reduction of external P inputs of about 50%. For the Netherlands the combination of the options result in a reduction in external P inputs of 35% and a reduction of the manure export of 26%. The effectiveness of large scale manure treatment in the Netherlands is limited
BCR-ABL Fails to Inhibit Apoptosis in U937 Myelomonocytic Cells Expressing a Carboxyl-Terminal Truncated Stat5

Recent experimental data suggest that one of the major effects of BCR-ABL gene expression in hematopoietic cells is the inhibition of apoptosis. Although the exact mechanisms of this phenomenon are not clear, it is thought to be related to the fact that BCR-ABL induces several signalling pathways also activated by growth factors. In order to determine the anti-apoptotic role of BCR-ABL in a hematopoietic cell line and to by-pass the influence of cytokine-dependence, BCR-ABL gene was expressed in the autonomously growing myelomonocytic U937 cell line using retroviral vectors. There was no resistance to apoptosis induced by either serum deprivation or different doses of etoposide in any U937 clones expressing BCR-ABL protein. In addition to serum deprivation and etoposide, BCR-ABL-expressing clones were not protected from apoptosis induced by TNF, ceramide-C2 and FAS-cross-linking. BCL2 expression was absent in U937 cells and BAX levels were identical between Neo and BCR-ABL clones. To further investigate the mechanisms of this phenomenon, band-shift assays were performed to detect activation of STAT molecules. No constitutive activation of STATs was detected in either NeoR or BCR-ABL-U937 cells, although both ERN-γ and GM-CSF activated STAT1 and STAT5, respectively, with similar kinetics in both NeoR and BCR-ABL-U937 cells. In addition, the GM-CSF-induced-STAT5 activation was found to be weakened in all clones expressing BCR-ABL. In both control NeoR and BCR-ABL-transfected clones, band-shin assays revealed the presence of an abnormal truncated STAT5 recognized only by an anti-N-terminal but not by an anti-C-Terminal STAT5 antibody. These findings suggest a possible link between the absence of anti-apoptotic potential of BCR-ABL and abnormalities of the STAT5 pathway, including, absence of constitutive activation of STAT5, inhibition of GM-CSF-induced STAT5 activation and expression of a carboxyl-terminal-truncated STAT5.
Scar Remodeling and Transmural Deformation After Infarction in the Pig

Changes in stress and tissue material properties have been proposed as important mechanical factors that may influence infarct expansion and subsequent healing. Because such changes will be reflected by alterations in the finite deformation of the tissue, we examined the direction and magnitude of myocardial deformation after coronary ligation in the pig. Methods and ResultsGold beads were implanted in the left ventricular free wall of five pigs. After ligation of the coronary supply to the region containing the markers, we used biplane cineradiography to reconstruct the three-dimensional deformations of the myocardium during single cardiac cycles as well as the remodeling deformations that occurred over time. Deformations were studied at 1 and 3 weeks after infarction. The analysis of single cardiac cycles revealed permanent loss of systolic shortening immediately after ligation. However, significant passive systolic wall thickening (P < .001) and large shears were observed at 3 weeks in regions composed almost entirely of collagen. The analysis of remodeling deformations at 1 week revealed infarct expansion with a predominant axis that varied widely. At 3 weeks, a 30% to 60% reduction in local tissue volume was measured in the infarct region, with the principal direction of scar shrinkage nearly circumferential in all animals (range, −2° to 35°). ConclusionsWe conclude that infarct expansion and scar shrinkage may be controlled by different factors. In addition, we conclude that measurement of systolic wall thickening alone is not always adequate to assess postinfarction regional contractile function.
Gibberellin Biosynthesis in Developing Pumpkin Seedlings12

A gibberellin (GA) biosynthetic pathway was discovered operating in root tips of 7-d-old pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seedlings. Stepwise analysis of GA metabolism in cell-free systems revealed the conversion of GA12-aldehyde to bioactive GA4 and inactive GA34. Highest levels of endogenous GA4 and GA34 were found in hypocotyls and root tips of 3-d-old seedlings. cDNA molecules encoding two GA oxidases, CmGA20ox3 and CmGA3ox3, were isolated from root tips of 7-d-old LAB150978-treated seedlings. Recombinant CmGA20ox3 fusion protein converted GA12 to GA9, GA24 to GA9, GA14 to GA4, and, less efficiently, GA53 to GA20, and recombinant CmGA3ox3 protein oxidized GA9 to GA4. Transcript profiles were determined for four GA oxidase genes from pumpkin revealing relatively high transcript levels for CmGA7ox in shoot tips and cotyledons, for CmGA20ox3 in shoot tips and hypocotyls, and for CmGA3ox3 in hypocotyls and roots of 3-d-old seedlings. Transcripts of CmGA2ox1 were mainly found in roots of 7-d-old seedlings. In roots of 7-d-old seedlings, transcripts of CmGA7ox, CmGA20ox3, and CmGA3ox3 were localized in the cap and the rhizodermis by in situ hybridization. We conclude that hypocotyls and root tips are important sites of GA biosynthesis in the developing pumpkin seedling.
An empirical study on program comprehension task classification of novices

Program comprehension is difficult to novices. Tasks have substantial effect on program comprehension. This work is part of larger study aims at identifying tasks that can improve novices' program comprehension. In one of our previous studies, fourteen tasks were identified to be feasibly effective in improving novices' program comprehension. These tasks were also classified into cognitive categories using revised Bloom taxonomy. This particular study is to validate the classification of these tasks. An online survey was conducted to a number of programming instructors as well as developers. The respondents were asked to place each of the fourteen identified tasks into one of the six cognitive categories of revised Bloom taxonomy. The findings showed that most of the respondents agreed with our classification. In future, we plan to replicate this study with more respondents and also to conduct controlled experiments to investigate the effect of the classified tasks on novices.