Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves from Massive Black Hole Binaries: Predictions for LISA and Pulsar Timing Arrays

The coalescence of massive black hole (BH) binaries due to galaxy mergers provides a primary source of low-frequency gravitational radiation detectable by pulsar timing measurements and by the proposed the Laser Interferometry Space Antenna (LISA) observatory. We compute the expected gravitational radiation signal from sources at all redshifts by combining the predicted merger rate of galactic halos with recent measurements of the relation between BH mass, MBH, and the velocity dispersion of its host galaxy, σ. Our main findings are as follows: (1) the nHz frequency background is dominated by BH binaries at redshifts z ≲ 2, and existing limits from pulsar timing data place tight constraints on the allowed normalization and power-law slope of the MBH-σ relation or on the fraction of BH binaries that proceed to coalescence; (2) more than half of all discrete mHz massive BH sources detectable by LISA are likely to originate at redshifts z ≳ 7; (3) the number of LISA sources per unit redshift per year should drop substantially after reionization as long as BH formation is triggered by gas cooling in galaxies. Studies of the highest redshift sources among the few hundred detectable events per year will provide unique information about the physics and history of black hole growth in galaxies.
Rating Banks in Emerging Markets: What Credit Rating Agencies Should Learn from Financial Indicators

The rating agencies' and bank supervisors' records of prompt identification of banking problems in emerging markets has not been satisfactory. This paper suggests that such deficiencies could be explained by the use of financial indicators that, while appropriate for industrial countries, do not work in emerging markets. Among the conclusions, this paper shows that the most commonly used indicator of banking problems in industrial countries, the capital-to-asset ratio, has performed poorly as an indicator of banking problems in Latin America and East Asia. This is because of (a) severe deficiencies in the accounting and regulatory framework and (b) lack of liquid markets for bank shares, subordinated debt and other bank liabilities and assets needed to validate the "real" worth of a bank as opposed to its accounting value. In spite of these problems, an appropriate set of indicators for banking problems in emerging markets can be constructed. But such a system should be based not on the quality of banks loans or on levels of capitalization, but on the general principle that good indicators of banking problems are those that reveal the "true" riskiness of individual banks because they are based on markets that work rather than just relying on accounting figures. Of the alternative indicators proposed in this paper, interest rate paid on deposits and interest rate spreads have proven to be strong performers. In contrast to the interpretation of banks' spreads in industrial countries, low spreads in emerging markets have not always indicated an increased in bank efficiency. Instead, low spreads have often reflected the high-risk taking behavior of weak banks. A difficulty that rating agencies may encounter in considering the suggested approach in this paper is that the methodology implies that the appropriate indicators of banks' performance evolve over time as markets develop and that, given large differences among emerging markets, a single set of indicators will not "fit all". The basic principle that "indicators work where markets work" is the leading guide to the selection of effective indicators. In spite of these considerations, we believe that in facing the trade-off between "uniformity across countries" and "effective indicators", rating agencies would be better off by focusing on the latter.
On the security of a certificateless aggregate signature scheme

Aggregate signature can combine n signatures on n messages from n users into a single short signature, and the resulting signature can convince the verifier that the n users indeed signed the n corresponding messages. This feature makes aggregate signature very useful especially in environments with low bandwidth communication, low storage and low computability since it greatly reduces the total signature length and verification cost. Recently, Xiong et al. [H. Xiong, Z. Guan, Z. Chen, F. Li, An efficient certificateless aggregate signature with constant pairing computations, Information Sciences, 219 (2013) 225-235] proposed an efficient certificateless aggregate signature scheme. They proved that their scheme is secure in a strengthened security model, where the “malicious-but-passive” KGC attack was considered. In this paper, we show that Xiong et al.’s certificateless aggregate signature scheme is not secure even in a weaker security model called “honest-but-curious” KGC attack model.
A programmable motion estimation processor for full search block matching

Describes a programmable motion estimation processor applying a block matching technique on large search windows. Developed in the context of an MPEG-2 video encoder, its use can be extended to any application where fast motion estimation is required. Its high performance (17 Gops peak) and its ability to work in parallel make it ideal for real time applications like video compression. The block matching processor (BMP) consists of a CPU associated with several specific units including a fast motion estimator, a DRAM interface, IO ports and some on-chip memory. This approach allies the flexibility of a CPU to the efficiency of dedicated hardware. A DRAM controller minimizes the impact of data transfer on the computing power.
PD1 pathway in immune-mediated myopathies

Objective To investigate the relevance of dysfunctional T cells in immune-mediated myopathies. We analyzed T-cell exhaustion and senescence, in the context of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1)-related immunity in skeletal muscle biopsies from patients with immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM), and myositis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (irMyositis). Methods Skeletal muscle biopsies from 12 patients with IMNM, 7 patients with sIBM, and 8 patients with irMyositis were analyzed by immunostaining and immunofluorescence as well as by quantitative PCR. Eight biopsies from nondisease participants served as controls. Results CD3+CD8+ T cells in biopsies from IMNM, sIBM, and irMyositis were largely PD1-positive, while CD68+ macrophages were sparsely positive to the ligand of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-L1). The sarcolemma of myofibers was PD-L2+ and was colocalized with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. CD68+ macrophages were colocalized with PD-L2. Senescent T cells were strongly enriched in skeletal muscle of sIBM, revealing a distinct immunologic signature. Biopsies from patients with irMyositis showed mild signs of senescence and exhaustion. Conclusion Persistent exposure to antigens in IMNMs and sIBM may lead to T-cell exhaustion, a process controlled by the PD1 receptor and its cognate ligands PD-L1/PD-L2. To our knowledge, these data are the first evidence of presence of dysfunctional T cells and relevance of the PD1 pathway in IMNM, sIBM, and irMyositis. These findings may guide the way to a novel understanding of the immune pathogenesis of immune-mediated myopathies.
High-frequency voltage oscillations in cultured astrocytes

Because of their close interaction with neuronal physiology, astrocytes can modulate brain function in multiple ways. Here, we demonstrate a yet unknown astrocytic phenomenon: Astrocytes cultured on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) exhibited extracellular voltage fluctuations in a broad frequency spectrum (100–600 Hz) after electrical stimulation. These aperiodic high‐frequency oscillations (HFOs) could last several seconds and did not spread across the MEA. The voltage‐gated calcium channel antagonist cilnidipine dose‐dependently decreased the power of the oscillations. While intracellular calcium was pivotal, incubation with bafilomycin A1 showed that vesicular release of transmitters played only a minor role in the emergence of HFOs. Gap junctions and volume‐regulated anionic channels had just as little functional impact, which was demonstrated by the addition of carbenoxolone (100 μmol/L) and NPPB (100 μmol/L). Hyperpolarization with low potassium in the extracellular solution (2 mmol/L) dramatically raised oscillation power. A similar effect was seen when we added extra sodium (+50 mmol/L) or if we replaced it with NMDG+ (50 mmol/L). The purinergic receptor antagonist PPADS suppressed the oscillation power, while the agonist ATP (100 μmol/L) had only an increasing effect when the bath solution pH was slightly lowered to pH 7.2. From these observations, we conclude that astrocytic voltage oscillations are triggered by activation of voltage‐gated calcium channels and driven by a downstream influx of cations through channels that are permeable for large ions such as NMDG+. Most likely candidates are subtypes of pore‐forming P2X channels with a low affinity for ATP.
Povezanost religioznosti, samopoštovanja i konzumacije psihoaktivnih tvari kod studenata

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati povezanost religioznosti, samopostovanja i konzumacije psihoaktivnih tvari. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 183 studenta. U istraživanju su koristeni slijedeci instrumenti: Ljestvica konzumacije psihoaktivnih tvari, Upitnik religioznosti (Ljubotina 2002) i Rosenbergova skala samopostovanja (Rosenberg, 1965). Rezultati pokazuju kako između religioznosti i konzumacije alkohola, religioznosti i broja pica, te religioznosti i konzumacije marihuane postoji negativna povezanost. S druge strane, između religioznosti i konzumacije cigareta, te između religioznosti i konzumacije droga nije utvrđena statisticki znacajna povezanost. Provjera samopostovanja u ulozi medijatora odnosa religioznosti i konzumacije psihoaktivnih tvari upucuje kako samopostovanje nije medijator navedenog odnosa. Provjerene su i spolne razlike s obzirom na religioznost, te se utvrdilo da postoje razlike u religioznosti između žena i muskaraca i to u smislu vece religioznosti žena.
Comparación del IMC y grasa corporal en adolescentes

El objetivo del estudio es determinar si existe diferencias significativas entre el indice de masa corporal (IMC) y el porcentaje de grasa corporal entre futbolistas y no futbolistas de 14 y 16 anos. Las pruebas realizadas para la obtencion de datos fueron el peso, la talla y cuatro pliegues corporales (subescapular, tricipital, bicipital y suprailiaco) y se estudio el porcentaje de masa grasa, el IMC, si practicaban o no futbol de forma competitiva y habitual y si practicaban otra actividad fisica no competitiva. Los 54 sujetos estudiados fueron los pertenecientes a los equipos Cadete A (11) e Infantil A (15) de la Agrupacion Deportiva Colmenar Viejo, y a los chicos de 2o ESO C y D (16), nacidos en 1988 y 4o ESO D y A (12), nacidos en 1990 del IES Rosa Chacel. Los resultados obtenidos nos indican que no existen diferencias significativas entre futbolistas y no futbolistas, con independencia de la edad, mientras que si hay algunas diferencias significativas entre las diferentes edades,tanto en futbolistas como en no futbolistas, en los parametros estudiados.
Single-turnover kinetics of helicase-catalyzed DNA unwinding monitored continuously by fluorescence energy transfer.

We describe a fluorescence assay that can be used to monitor helicase-catalyzed unwinding of duplex DNA continuously in real time. The assay is based on the observation that fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) occurs between donor (fluorescein) and acceptor (hexachlorofluorescein) fluorophores that are in close proximity due to their covalent attachment to the 3' and 5' ends of the complementary strands of a duplex oligodeoxynucleotide. FRET results in a reduction in the fluorescence emission intensity of fluorescein in the duplex DNA substrate relative to that observed for fluorescein-labeled single stranded DNA. Therefore, an enhancement of fluorescein fluorescence (lambda ex = 492 nm; lambda em = 520 nm) occurs upon helicase-catalyzed unwinding of the duplex DNA and separation of the complementary strands. The fluorescence assay is extremely sensitive, allowing DNA unwinding reactions to be monitored continuously at DNA concentrations as low as 1 nM in a fluorescence stopped-flow experiment. We demonstrate the use of this DNA substrate in pre-steady state, single turnover studies of duplex DNA unwinding catalyzed by the Escherichia coli Rep helicase, monitored by fluorescence stopped flow. We show that the fluorescence enhancement monitors Rep-catalyzed DNA unwinding by comparisons with identical kinetic studies carried out using rapid chemical quench-flow techniques. Single turnover kinetic studies performed at 1 nM DNA as a function of excess Rep concentration show that Rep-catalyzed unwinding of an 18 base pair duplex containing a 3'-ss-(dT)20 tail is biphasic and can be described by the sum of two exponential terms. The observed rate constant of the first phase is independent of [Rep] (20-300 nM) and measures the rapid single turnover, unwinding of the duplex DNA by Rep dimers bound in productive complexes (1.3 +/- 0.2 s-1; 23 +/- 3 base pairs s-1 at 25.0 degrees C). The observed rate constant for the second phase increases linearly with [Rep], reflecting DNA unwinding that is limited by a Rep binding event occurring with a bimolecular rate constant of (1.8 +/- 0.1) x 10(5) M-1 s-1, which may reflect the rate constant for Rep dimerization on DNA. Kinetic competition studies indicate that both Rep subunits are bound stably to the DNA substrate in the productive complex that is unwound in the fast phase. The results of these kinetic studies are consistent with an active, rolling mechanism for Rep-catalyzed unwinding of DNA [Wong, I. , & Lohman, T. M. , (1992) Science 256, 350]. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
TRAIL therapy in non–small cell lung cancer cells: sensitization to death receptor–mediated apoptosis by proteasome inhibitor bortezomib

Activation of the tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor pathway is a promising therapeutic strategy to selectively eradicate cancer cells, including non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Recombinant human (rh) TRAIL/Apo-2L, a TRAIL-encoding adenovirus, and monoclonal antibodies directed against TRAIL receptors R1 and R2 were used to study cytotoxicity of TRAIL therapy in NSCLC cells. NSCLC cells showed differential sensitivity to TRAIL therapy, regardless of the agent used. Combination treatment of bortezomib and rhTRAIL led to synergistic apoptosis induction in NSCLC cell lines. Enhancement of rhTRAIL-induced apoptosis by bortezomib was caspase dependent, implicating extrinsic as well as intrinsic apoptosis activation, as shown by increased processing of caspase-8 as well as caspase-9, and could be abrogated completely by overexpression of caspase-8 inhibitor cytokine response modifier A (CrmA), and partially by overexpression of Bcl-2. Enhanced surface expression of TRAIL-R2, but also TRAIL-R1, was associated with bortezomib treatment, which is likely to contribute to the increased processing of caspase-8 in the combination treatment. Furthermore, TRAIL-induced activation of prosurvival transcription factor nuclear factor-κB was prevented by cotreatment with bortezomib, which may contribute to the observed synergistic apoptosis induction. Our preclinical data indicate that combination therapy of TRAIL and bortezomib may be an effective strategy for NSCLC. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(7):2103–12]
A Faster Algorithm for Finding the Minimum Cut in a Directed Graph

Abstract We consider the problem of finding the minimum capacity cut in a directed network G with n nodes. This problem has applications to network reliability and survivability and is useful in subroutines for other network optimization problems. One can use a maximum flow problem to find a minimum cut separating a designated source node s from a designated sink node t , and by varying the sink node one can find a minimum cut in G as a sequence of at most 2 n − 2 maximum flow problems. We then show how to reduce the running time of these 2 n − 2 maximum flow algorithms to the running time for solving a single maximum flow problem. The resulting running time is O ( nm log( n 2 / m )) for finding the minimum cut in either a directed or an undirected network.
HistoryViewer: Instrumenting a Visual Analytics Application to Support Revisiting a Session of Interactive Data Analysis

Visual analytics applications (VAApps) rely heavily on visual representations and notations to communicate information and support user interaction. The visual representations themselves are the main communication form used by designers, reflecting their interpretation of what data aspects should be highlighted and how users can explore the data. Ultimately, the combination of representation and interactivity guides the user's data analysis in VAApp. To keep the VAApp development centered in their users, the design team must pay special attention to the visual representations and their underlying interaction mechanisms. Our team is developing HistoryViewer, a VAApp itself for users to explore log data obtained from interactions with other ("source") VAApps (VAAppsrc). During the development of HistoryViewer and the instrumentation of a VAAppsrc, we noticed unanticipated benefits for the development of the VAAppsrc itself. This paper presents our HistoryViewer system, proposes an architecture for VAApps integrated with our log model, discussing some ancillary benefits of such instrumentation. Finally, it reports two empirical studies conducted to gather potential users' opinions about HistoryViewer, which revealed positive attitudes towards the system and pointed to opportunities for improvement.
Encouragement Methods for Small Social Network Services

Recently, social networking services (SNS) have become a social phenomenon on the Internet. There are many small SNSs, including campus SNS, company SNS, and regional SNSs. Such user-limited SNSs are not fully utilized yet. To solve this problem, we propose a SNS model to simulate effective SNS encouragement methods. Simulations based on our proposed model were performed to confirm the influences of the encouragement methods on small SNSs. The simulations show that encouraging existing users' log-ins effectively encourages small SNSs.
Personalizing the home network experience using cloud-based SDN

Home networks are becoming increasingly rich in devices and applications, but continue to share the broadband link in a neutral way. We believe the time is ripe to personalize the home network experience, allowing a household to differentiate its users (e.g. father's laptop prioritized over kid's iPad) and services (e.g. video streaming prioritized over downloading). In this paper we argue that SDN provides a way to automate self-customization by households, while cloud-based delivery simplifies subscriber management. We develop an architecture comprising a cloud-based front-end portal and SDN-based back-end APIs, and show how these can be used by the subscriber to improve streaming-video (YouTube) quality and video conferencing (Skype) experience, and to permit device-specific parental controls (e.g. Facebook access). We prototype and validate our solution in a platform comprising the Floodlight controller and OVS switches. Lastly, we evaluate our solutions via experiments of realistic scenarios to quantify the benefits in terms of improved quality of experience and new features for the user.
Hybrid Online Inference with Adaptor Grammars

Adaptor grammars are a flexible, powerful formalism for defining nonparametric, unsupervised models of grammar productions. This flexibility comes at the cost of expensive inference. We address the difficulty of inference through an online algorithm which uses a hybrid of Markov chain Monte Carlo and variational inference. We show that this inference strategy is more scalable than past approaches.
Age-associated alterations in CD8α+ dendritic cells impair CD8 T-cell expansion in response to an intracellular bacterium

Age‐associated decline in immunity to infection has been documented across multiple pathogens, yet the relative contributions of the aged priming environment and of lymphocyte‐intrinsic defects remain unclear. To address the impact of the aging environment on T‐cell priming, adult naïve OT‐I TCR transgenic CD8 T cells, specific for the H‐2Kb‐restricted immunodominant OVA257‐264 epitope, were transferred into adult or old recipient mice infected with the recombinant intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes carrying the chicken ovalbumin protein (Lm‐OVA). We consistently found that adult OT‐I CD8 expansion was reduced in aged recipient mice, and this correlated with numeric, phenotypic, and functional defects selectively affecting CD8α+ dendritic cells (DC). Following Lm‐OVA infection, aged mice failed to accumulate CD8α+ DC in the spleen, and these cells expressed much lower levels of critical costimulatory molecules in the first three days following infection. Further, aged CD8α+ DC showed impaired uptake of the bacteria at very early time points following infection. Treatment of aged mice with Flt3 ligand (Flt3L) improved the number of DC present in the spleen prior to Lm‐OVA infection, and improved, but did not reconstitute, OT‐I expansion to Lm‐OVA infection. These results suggest that age‐associated changes in antigen uptake, pathogen sensing, and/or antigen presentation contribute to impaired adaptive immune responses to microbial pathogens with aging.
Wheat and Rice Growth Stages and Fertilization Regimes Alter Soil Bacterial Community Structure, But Not Diversity

Maintaining soil fertility and the microbial communities that determine fertility is critical to sustainable agricultural strategies, and the use of different organic fertilizer (OF) regimes represents an important practice in attempts to preserve soil quality. However, little is known about the dynamic response of bacterial communities to fertilization regimes across crop growth stages. In this study, we examined microbial community structure and diversity across eight representative growth stages of wheat-rice rotation under four different fertilization treatments: no nitrogen fertilizer (NNF), chemical fertilizer (CF), organic–inorganic mixed fertilizer (OIMF), and OF. Quantitative PCR (QPCR) and high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments revealed that growth stage as the best predictor of bacterial community abundance and structure. Additionally, bacterial community compositions differed between wheat and rice rotations. Relative to soils under wheat rotation, soils under rice rotation contained higher relative abundances (RA) of anaerobic and mesophilic microbes and lower RA of aerophilic microbes. With respect to fertilization regime, NNF plots had a higher abundance of nitrogen–fixing Cyanobacteria. OIMF had a lower abundance of ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota compared with CF. Application of chemical fertilizers (CF and OIMF treatments) significantly increased the abundance of some generally oligotrophic bacteria such those belonging to the Acidobacteria, while more copiotrophic of the phylum Proteobacteria increased with OF application. A high correlation coefficient was found when comparing RA of Acidobacteria based upon QPCR vs. sequence analysis, yet poor correlations were found for the α- and β- Proteobacteria, highlighting the caution required when interpreting these molecular data. In total, crop, fertilization scheme and plant developmental stage all influenced soil microbial community structure, but not total levels of alpha diversity.