Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A critical analysis of the ultraviolet continuum slopes (β) of high-redshift galaxies: no evidence (yet) for extreme stellar populations at z > 6

Following the discovery of the first significant samples of galaxies at z > 6.5 with Wide Field Camera 3/Infra-Red (WFC3/IR) on board Hubble Space Telescope (HST), it has been claimed that the faintest high-redshift galaxies display extremely blue ultraviolet (UV) continuum slopes, with a UV power-law index β≃−3 (where f_λ∝λ^β). Such slopes are bluer than previously reported for any other galaxy population, and are most readily explained theoretically by extinction-free, young and very low metallicity stellar populations with a high ionizing photon escape fraction. Here we undertake a critical study of the evidence for such extreme values of β, combining three new WFC3/IR-selected samples of galaxies spanning nearly two decades in UV luminosity over the redshift range z≃ 4.5–8. We explore the impact of inclusion/exclusion of less robust high-redshift candidates and use the varying depths of the samples to explore the effects of noise and selection bias at a given UV luminosity. Simple data-consistency arguments suggest that artificially blue average values of β can result when the analysis is extended into the deepest ≃0.5 mag bin of these WFC3/IR-selected galaxy samples, regardless of the actual luminosity or redshift range probed. By confining attention to robust high-redshift galaxy candidates, with at least one 8σ detection in the WFC3/IR imaging, we find that the average value of β is consistent with 〈β〉=−2.05 ± 0.10 over the redshift range z= 5–7 and the UV absolute magnitude range −22 < M_(UV,AB) < − 18, and that 〈β〉 shows no significant trend with either redshift or MUV. We create and analyse a set of simple end-to-end simulations based on the WFC3/IR+ACS Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) and Early Release Science data sets which demonstrate that a bias towards artificially low/blue average values of β is indeed ‘expected’ when the UV slope analysis is extended towards the source detection threshold, and conclude that there is as yet no clear evidence for UV slopes significantly bluer than β≃−2, the typical value displayed by the bluest star-forming galaxies at more modest redshifts. A robust measurement of 〈β〉 for the faintest galaxies at z≃ 7 (and indeed z≃ 8) remains a key observational goal, as it provides a fundamental test for high escape fractions from a potentially abundant source of re-ionizing photons. This goal is achievable with HST, but requires still deeper WFC3/IR imaging in the HUDF.
Digital Affine Shear Transforms: Fast Realization and Applications in Image/Video Processing

In this paper, we discuss the digitization and applications of smooth affine shear tight frames, a recently developed new class of directional multiscale representation systems. An affine wavelet tight frame is generated by isotropic dilations and translations of directional wavelet generators, while an affine shear tight frame is generated by anisotropic dilations, shears, and translations of shearlet generators. These two tight frames are actually connected in the sense that an affine shear tight frame can be obtained from an affine wavelet tight frame through subsampling. Consequently, an affine shear tight frame has an underlying filter bank from the MRA structure of its associated affine wavelet tight frame. We discuss the digitization of digital affine shear filter banks associated with the affine shear tight frames. Moreover, we provide the detailed algorithmic steps for both the forward and backward digital affine shear transforms. Analysis of the redundancy rate and computational complexity shows.
HORMONE THERAPY IN SELECTED POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN AT RISK FOR OSTEOPOROSIS

In 2002, the National Osteoporosis Foundation estimated that 30 million women age 50 years or older in the United States have low bone mass and, of these, 8 million have osteoporosis. Half of all postmenopausal women will have an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lives, including one quarter who will develop a vertebral deformity. 2 The lifetime risk of hip fracture alone for a 50-year-old woman is 17.5%.
Therapeutic efficacy of unilateral subthalamotomy in Parkinson’s disease: results in 89 patients followed for up to 36 months

Background: Stereotactic thermocoagulative lesions of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) have been shown to induce significant motor improvement in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Patients and methods: 89 patients with PD were treated with unilateral subthalamotomy. 68 patients were available for evaluations after 12 months, 36 at 24 months and 25 at 36 months. Results: The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor scores improved significantly contralaterally to the lesion in the “off” and “on” states throughout the follow-up, except for the “on” state at the last evaluation. Axial features and signs ipsilateral to the lesion progressed steadily throughout the study. Levodopa daily doses were significantly reduced by 45%, 36% and 28% at 12, 24 and 36 months post-surgery. 14 patients (15%) developed postoperative hemichorea-ballism which required pallidotomy in eight. These 14 patients had significantly higher dyskinesia scores (levodopa induced) preoperatively than the entire cohort. Conclusion: Unilateral subthalamotomy was associated with significant and sustained motor benefit contralateral to the lesion. Further work is needed to ascertain what factors led to severe, persistent chorea-ballism in a subset of patients. Subthalamotomy may be considered an option in circumstances when deep brain stimulation is not viable.
Similarities and Differences of Diagnostic Manual Tests for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Insufficiency

Background: The Lachman and pivot-shift tests are 2 standard manual tests to diagnose anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) insufficiency. However, the global variation of these testing procedures is not known. Purpose: To survey currently used testing techniques and to measure the knee movement during manual tests among various expert surgeons from across the globe. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Part 1: descriptive survey. A questionnaire asking about testing procedures of Lachman and pivot-shift tests was conducted among 33 ACL surgeons. Part 2: knee kinematics comparison. Lachman and pivot-shift tests were performed on a unilateral ACL-injured patient by 5 surgeons, while knee kinematics was recorded by an electromagnetic system. Tibial translation was measured during the Lachman test, while tibial translation, rotation, and pivot-shift acceleration were calculated during the pivot-shift test. Results: Part 1: Tibial anterior drawer by a medially placed hand was widely advocated for the Lachman test. Flexion type of the pivot-shift test maneuver was supported by two thirds, while extension type was supported by one third. However, the “feeling” of subluxation or reduction during the pivot shift was the primary evaluation method used by the vast majority of surgeons. Part 2: Increased tibial translation during the Lachman test was observed in the ACL-injured knee with significant variation between examiners (P < .01). Tibial translation and pivot-shift acceleration during the pivot-shift test increased in the ACL-injured side (P < .01), but tibial rotation was too diverse to find any trend (P = .31). Tibial translation and acceleration of the pivot shift in the ACL-injured knee showed no significant difference between examiners (P > .05). Conclusion: The Lachman test can display a wide variation of actual movement despite maneuver similarity, while the pivot-shift test could possibly be measurable by tibial translation and/or acceleration beyond their procedural variation. Clinical Relevance: We should recognize the limitations of these manual tests and the possibilities of their objective measurement.
A water activity control system for enzymatic reactions in organic media

A water activity control system for enzymatic synthesis in organic media, for litre‐scale reactors has been constructed. Water activity, aw, is a key factor when using enzymes in non‐conventional media and the optimum value varies for different enzymes. The control system consists of a water activity sensor in the headspace of a jacketed glass reactor (equipped with narrow steel tubes to introduce air), gas‐washing bottles containing blue silica gel (aw = 0) and water (aw = 1), a PC to monitor water activity and a programmable logic controller (PLC) to control the water activity. The system was evaluated by adjusting water activity in the medium, with a deviation from the set point of less than ±0.05. Synthesis of cetyl palmitate, under controlled water activity and catalysed by two different lipase preparations, namely, Novozym® 435 (immobilised Candida antarctica lipase B) and immobilised Candida rugosa lipase, were also performed. Novozym® 435 catalyses reactions very well at extremely low water activity while C. rugosa lipase shows low activity for aw < 0.5. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;97: 235–241. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantifying the effects of CO2‐fertilized vegetation on future global climate and carbon dynamics

Climate and the global carbon cycle are a tightly coupled system where changes in climate affect exchange of atmospheric CO2 with the land biosphere and the ocean, and vice‐versa. In particular, the response of the land biosphere to the ongoing increase in atmospheric CO2 is not well understood. To evaluate the approximate upper and lower limits of land carbon uptake, we perform simulations using a comprehensive climate‐carbon model. In one case the land biosphere is vigorously fertilized by added CO2 and sequesters carbon throughout the 21st century. In a second case, CO2 fertilization saturates in year 2000; here the land becomes an additional source of CO2 by 2050. The predicted atmospheric CO2 concentration at year 2100 differs by 40% between the two cases. We show that current uncertainties preclude determination of whether the land biosphere will amplify or damp atmospheric CO2 increases by the end of the century.
Differential Effects of Fibrates on the Metabolic Activation of 2-Phenylpropionic Acid in Rats

A series of studies were conducted to explore the inductive potential of different fibric acid derivatives on the two alternative metabolic activation pathways of 2-phenylpropionic acid (2-PPA) (a model substrate for profen drugs), namely acyl-CoA formation and acyl glucuronidation, in vivo in rats, and to evaluate whether such treatment could potentially modulate the covalent binding of profens to hepatic protein. After administration of a single dose of 2-PPA (130 mg/kg) to rats pretreated with equimolar doses of clofibric acid (160 mg/kg/day), fenofibrate (260 mg/kg/day), or gemfibrozil (180 mg/kg/day) for 7 days, rat livers were collected and analyzed for covalent binding and hepatic levels of the two reactive metabolites over a 2-h period. Results showed that the three fibrates exhibited very different effects on the hepatic levels of 2-PPA-S-acyl CoA (2-PPA-CoA) in vivo, even though all three significantly increased acyl-CoA synthetase activity in vitro in liver homogenate. Treatment with clofibric acid markedly increased the hepatic exposure of 2-PPA-CoA by 2.9-fold and led to a 25% increase (p < 0.05) in covalent binding of 2-PPA to liver protein. In contrast, significant decreases of the hepatic levels of 2-PPA acyl glucuronide and/or 2-PPA-CoA by fenofibrate and gemfibrozil significantly lowered the covalent binding of 2-PPA to hepatic protein. Together, these results suggest that fibrates exhibit markedly different abilities to alter the extent of covalent binding of 2-PPA to hepatic protein by differentially modulating the hepatic exposure of the two reactive metabolites of 2-PPA, namely 2-PPA-CoA thioester and acyl glucuronide.
VARIATION IN THERMAL PERFORMANCE AND REACTION NORMS AMONG POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

The major goal of evolutionary thermal biology is to understand how variation in temperature shapes phenotypic evolution. Comparing thermal reaction norms among populations from different thermal environments allows us to gain insights into the evolutionary mechanisms underlying thermal adaptation. Here, we have examined thermal adaptation in six wild populations of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) from markedly different natural environments by analyzing thermal reaction norms for fecundity, thorax length, wing area, and ovariole number under ecologically realistic fluctuating temperature regimes in the laboratory. Contrary to expectation, we found only minor differences in the thermal optima for fecundity among populations. Differentiation among populations was mainly due to differences in absolute (and partly also relative) thermal fecundity performance. Despite significant variation among populations in the absolute values of morphological traits, we observed only minor differentiation in their reaction norms. Overall, the thermal reaction norms for all traits examined were remarkably similar among different populations. Our results therefore suggest that thermal adaptation in D. melanogaster predominantly involves evolutionary changes in absolute trait values rather than in aspects of thermal reaction norms.
Analysis upon the effect of the immunity of electronic devices by the emitted digital modulated signals

Using a variety of digital modulation schemes for mobile communication technology, and despite the fact that these are serviced, the radiated immunity test based on IEC 61000-4-3 only has been performed using AM signal. In this study, we had performed the radiated immunity test using the digital modulation signals and an AM signal, and had investigated the impact of digitally modulated signals. The results show that the devices were influenced by digital modulation signal or PM signal more than by AM signal. This result shows that we need to investigate the depth research on radiated immunity testing for the environment of modern communication technology.
Developing a Deeper Understanding of digitally Empowered Customers - a Capability Transformation Framework in the Domain of Customer Relationship Managem

Improvements in digital technologies have enabled changes in customer behavior which present companies with the challenge to offer enriched customer experiences. These changes come along with an increased availability of customer-produced content, e.g. via social media, mobile devices etc. Leadership in this digital ecosystem is determined by a company’s capabilities to understand its customers’ behavior which manifests in high volumes of continuously generated, heterogeneous data; to actually apply the derived insights in business operations; and finally to create value for both the customers and itself. This paper focuses on the first step, i.e. the understanding of customers by means of big data, and builds on our previous research that derived a conceptual framework for big data in the domain of CRM from scholarly literature. To validate and refine this framework we coded multiple success stories from vendors of big data solutions, guided by Grounded Theory. The results suggest a transformation of a company’s internal CRM capabilities to gain a deeper understanding of their customers derived from big data. By pinpointing the development of relevant capabilities for leveraging big data in the domain of CRM and providing guidelines for deriving customer information, the results contribute equally to theory and practice.
SEROTONIN AND DOPAMINE METABOLITES IN BRAIN REGIONS AND CEREBROSPINAL FLUID OF A PRIMATE SPECIES: EFFECTS OF KETAMINE AND FLUPHENAZINE

Abstract— The concentration of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5‐HT) metabolites in brain regions was not altered by doses of ketamine (10mg/kg) which induced dissociative anesthesia in a primate species. Cercopithecus aethiops. Fluphenazine (1.0mg/kg) increased homovanillic acid (HVA) content in all brain regions examined. An increase in HVA and 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5‐HIAA) concentration was observed in cisternal CSF 4 h after ketamine without a concomitant change in the brain concentration of these metabolites.
Differential expression of neurotrophin and neurotrophin receptor mRNAs in and adjacent to fetal midbrain grafts implanted into the dopamine‐denervated striatum

This study examined the expression of neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors in the lesion/transplanted striatum at four different time points after transplantation. The ventral mesencephalic region was dissected from a single rat fetus at embryonic day 14 (E14) and implanted into the denervated striatum of rats with unilateral 6‐hydroxydopamine lesions. Transplanted rats were killed at 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks after transplantation surgery and the brains subsequently prepared for semiquantitative in situ hybridization analysis of neurotrophin and neurotrophin trk receptors. Hybridization of cRNA probes for trkB or trkC showed a time‐dependent reduction within the transplant during the first 4 weeks after transplantation; hybridization of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor or tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA probes within the transplant did not change significantly during the same posttransplantation period. Hybridization of the trkB mRNA probe in host striatum adjacent to the transplant was significantly higher than probe hybridization in the corresponding region of the intact striatum during the first 2 weeks after transplantation, but by the 3rd and 4th week, probe hybridization in the denervated/transplanted and intact striatum were the same. Lesioned animals without transplants maintained higher trkB mRNA probe hybridization in the denervated striatum than in the intact striatum at the same postlesion time points suggesting that lesioned/transplanted animals show a normalization of trkB mRNA probe hybridization. Hybridization of the trkC mRNA probe in the lesioned/transplanted striatum was significantly lower than that observed in the intact striatum 4 weeks after transplantation; however, at this same time point we observed a similar reduction of trkC probed hybridization in lesioned animals without transplants. The results of the study show dynamic neurotrophic activity occurring within the transplant and host tissue during the first month of transplant development. J. Comp. Neurol. 423:462–473, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Information Resources

This report provides a broad overview of what may need to be taken into account in building public-health preparedness against deliberate releases of biological or chemical agents. The report does not seek to provide detailed guidance on any individual component of preparedness, nor is it meant as a design or operating manual. Readers who need more detailed or more specific information are referred to the sources identified below. All are open publications that, so far as can be ascertained, are not subject to international transfer controls.
Update in environmental and occupational medicine 2009.

Environmental and occupational health was a major focus of both the scientific and lay press in 2009. Population-based studies confirmed the importance of environmental pollutants in the development of cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality. Concerns regarding climate change highlighted the important public health consequences of carbon dioxide and methane emissions. The promise of new manufactured nanomaterials has been tempered by emerging concerns regarding their environmental impact. In addition, a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2009 will force a revision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for the three major air pollutants, particulate matter, ozone, and nitrogen oxides (NOx), in 2010. In this review on environmental and occupational medicine, we provide an overview of studies in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and selected other studies from the literature focused on environmental and occupational health. Although by no means comprehensive, we attempt to highlight the progress that has been made in identifying major health consequences of environmental exposure and understanding the mechanisms by which these occur.
[Effects of backrest position on central venous pressure and intracranial pressure in brain surgery patients].

PURPOSE This study was done to investigate the effects of backrest elevation of 0 degree and 30 degrees that minimize the risk of increasing ICP when CVP is measured. METHODS Subjects were sixty-four patients who stayed in the neurosurgical intensive care unit after brain surgery at two university-based hospitals. CVP, blood pressure, heart rate and ICP were measured along with position changes in order of backrest position with primary 30 degrees backrest position, 0 degree backrest position and secondary 30 degrees backrest position. For data analysis, one-group, repeated-measures analysis of variance design was used in SAS program. RESULTS Backrest elevations from 0 degree to 30 degrees did not alter the CVP without increasing the ICP. Therefore, 30 degrees backrest position is a preventive position without increasing ICP. CONCLUSION 30 degrees backrest position might be appropriate for brain injury patients when CVP is measured.
Rhododendron mucronatum G. Don grown in subtropical Taiwan does not manifest endodormancy

Microscopic observation of bi-weekly sampled terminal buds revealed that most flower buds of R. mucronatum were formed between late-July and mid-August and differentiation of specific floral organs was com- pleted before mid-October. Flower buds continued to enlarge through the winter. When flower buds on two-year- old plants from rooted cuttings were allowed to grow at day / night temperature of 15/13°C, 20/15°C, 25/20°C or 30/ 25°C, the 30/25°C treatment was observed to inhibit their growth; those subjected to the 15/13°C treatment grew the fastest during the early stages. Neither treatment, however, enabled attainment of anthesis by the end of the experiment. The 20/15°C treatment hastened flower bud growth and reduced the number of days to flowering. Bud growth was slower and flowering percentages were lower at 25/20°C, than at 20/15°C. When plants were trans- ferred to 30/25°C after 2, 4, or 6 weeks in the 15/13°C treatment, the growth rate of flower buds increased greatly. Also, when the 15/13°C treatment was extended, the growth rate of flower buds increased, while the number of days needed for flowering after transferring from the low temperature treatment was reduced. The 15/13°C treatment simulated the winter temperatures in Taiwan. Our finding disclosed that bud growth was fastest, rather than ceasing, under this temperature regimen. Although growth rate decreased near the end of the experiment, it increased imme- diately and bloomed quickly when plants were transferred to higher temperatures. Thus, our observation indicated that R. mucronatum does not enter endodormancy during winter in subtropical Taiwan lowlands.
Building Organizational Supports for Research-Minded Practitioners

One of the biggest challenges facing human service organizations is the proliferation of information from inside and outside the agency that needs to be managed if it is to be of use. The concepts of tacit and explicit knowledge can inform an approach to this challenge. Tacit knowledge is stored in the minds of practitioners (often called practice wisdom) and the explicit knowledge is often found in organizational procedure manuals and educational and training materials. Building on this perspective, this analysis provides a preliminary definition of research-minded practitioners by explicating the elements of curiosity, critical reflection, and critical thinking. The organizational implications of developing a cadre of research-minded practitioners include the commitment of top management to support “link officers”, evidence request services, research and development units, and service standards. The challenges include the capacity to identify/support research-minded practitioners, promote an organizational culture of evidence-informed practice, redefine staff development and training, redefine job descriptions, and specify the nature of managerial leadership.