Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Self-Consistent Model for the Broad-band Spectrum of Sgr A East at the Galactic Center

Sgr A East is a very prominent elongated shell structure surrounding (though off-centered from) the Galactic nucleus. Its energetics (∼ 4 × 10 ergs), based on the power required to carve out the radio synchrotron remnant within the surrounding dense molecular cloud, appear to be extreme compared to the total energy (∼ 10 ergs) released in a typical supernova (SN) explosion. Yet it shares several characteristics in common with SN remnants (SNRs), the most significant of which is the ∼ 0.1 − 10 GeV γ-ray spectrum measured by EGRET, if we associate the Galactic center source 2EGJ1746-2852 with this nonthermal shell. We here show that the highest-energy component in Sgr A East’s spectrum, like that of SNRs, can be fitted with the γ-rays produced in π decays. Further, we demonstrate in a self-consistent manner that the leptons released in the associated π decays produce an e distribution that can mimic a power-law with index ∼ 3, like that inferred from the VLA data for this source. These relativistic electrons and positrons also radiate by bremsstrahlung, and inverse Compton scattering with the intense IR and UV fields from the nucleus. We show that the overall emissivity calculated in this way may account for Sgr A East’s broadband spectrum ranging from GHz frequencies all the way to TeV energies, where Whipple has thus far set an upper limit to the flux corresponding to a 2. 5σ signal above the noise. Subject headings: acceleration of particles—cosmic rays—Galaxy: center—galaxies: nuclei—radiation mechanisms: nonthermal—supernova remnants
Online Measurement of Real-Time Cytotoxic Responses Induced by Multi-Component Matrices, such as Natural Products, through Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS)

Natural products are complex matrices of compounds that are prone to interfere with the label-dependent methods that are typically used for cytotoxicity screenings. Here, we developed a label-free Electric Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS)-based cytotoxicity assay that can be applied in the assessment of the cytotoxicity of natural extracts. The conditions to measure the impedance using ECIS were first optimized in mice immortalized hypothalamic neurons GT1-7 cells. The performance of four natural extracts when tested using three conventional cytotoxicity assays in GT1-7 cells, was studied. Betula pendula (silver birch tree) was found to interfere with all of the cytotoxicity assays in which labels were applied. The silver birch extract was also proven to be cytotoxic and, thus, served as a proof-of-concept for the use of ECIS. The extract was fractionated and the ECIS method permitted the distinction of specific kinetic patterns of cytotoxicity on the fractions as well as the extract’s pure constituents. This study offers evidence that ECIS is an excellent tool for real-time monitoring of the cytotoxicity of complex extracts that are difficult to work with using conventional (label-based) assays. Altogether, it offers a very suitable cytotoxicity-screening assay making the work with natural products less challenging within the drug discovery workflow.
Differences in the endometrial transcript profile during the receptive period between women who were refractory to implantation and those who achieved pregnancy.

BACKGROUND Gene expression profiling of normal receptive endometrium has been characterized, but intrinsic defects in endometrial gene expression associated with implantation failure have not been reported. METHODS Women who had previously participated as recipients in oocyte donation cycles and repeatedly exhibited implantation failure (Group A, study group) or had at least one successful cycle (Group B, control group) and spontaneously fertile women (Group C, normal fertility group) were recruited. All were treated with exogenous estradiol and progesterone to induce an endometrial cycle, and an endometrial biopsy was taken on the seventh day of progesterone administration. RNA from each sample was analysed by cDNA microarrays to identify differentially expressed genes between groups. RESULTS 63 transcripts were differentially expressed (>or=2-fold) between Groups A and B, of which 16 were subjected to real time RT-PCR. Eleven of these were significantly decreased in Group A with regard to Groups B and C. Among the dysregulated genes were MMP-7, CXCR4, PAEP and C4BPA. CONCLUSIONS Repeated implantation failure in some oocyte recipients is associated with an intrinsic defect in the expression of multiple genes in their endometrium. Significantly decreased levels of several transcripts in endometria without manifest abnormalities is demonstrated for the first time and shown to be associated with implantation failure.
The Self-Reported Clinical Practice Behaviors of Australian Optometrists as Related to Smoking, Diet and Nutritional Supplementation

Objective The primary aim of this study was to examine the self-reported, routine clinical practice behaviors of Australian optometrists with respect to advice regarding smoking, diet and nutritional supplementation. The study also sought to assess the potential influence of practitioner age, gender, practice location (major city versus regional), therapeutic-endorsement status and personal nutritional supplementation habits upon management practices in these areas. Methods A survey was electronically distributed to Australian optometrists (n = 4,242). Respondents anonymously provided information about their personal demographics and lifestyle behaviors (i.e., age, gender, practice location, therapeutic-endorsement status, smoking status, nutritional supplement intake) and routine patient management practices with respect to advice across three domains: smoking, diet and nutritional supplementation. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess for potential effects of the listed factors on practitioner behavior. Results A total of 283 completed surveys were received (completed survey response rate: 6.7%). Fewer than half of respondents indicated routinely asking their patients about smoking status. Younger practitioners were significantly (p < 0.05) less likely to enquire about patients’ smoking behaviors, but this did not extend to counseling for smoking cessation. Almost two-thirds of respondents indicated routinely counseling patients about diet. About half of practitioners specified routinely asking their patients about nutritional supplement intake; this form of questioning was significantly more likely if the respondent was female (p < 0.05). Practitioners who recommended nutritional supplements most commonly did so for age-related macular degeneration (91.2%) and dry eye disease (63.9%). The primary source of evidence used to guide practitioners’ nutrition-related patient management was reported to be peer-reviewed publications. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that there are no clear predictors of practitioner behavior across the three domains. Overall, this study suggests that there is scope for Australian optometrists to improve their routine engagement by questioning patients, as well as providing evidence-based clinical advice, about smoking status, diet and nutritional supplement behaviors, being key modifiable lifestyle risk factors with long-term implications for eye health.
Aging and Verbal Memory Span: a Meta-analysis Memory Span Memory Span and Aging: Developmental Theory

Using Brinley plots, this meta-analysis provides a quantitative examination of age differences in eight verbal span tasks. The main conclusions are these: (a) there are age differences in all verbal span tasks; (b) the data support the conclusion that working memory span is more age sensitive than short-term memory span; and (c) there is a linear relationship between span of younger adults and span of older adults. A linear model indicates the presence of three distinct functions, in increasing order of size of age effects: simple storage span; backward digit span; and working memory span. I N THIS article, we provide a meta-analysis of the effects of adult age on verbal short-term memory and verbal working memory span tasks, using graphical analysis on the original span metric. Span tasks are a popular measure in cognitive psychology and neuropsychological testing. Two types of tasks can be distinguished: short-term memory span and working memory span. Measures of short-term memory include forward digit span In each of these a series of stimuli (digits, letters, or words, respectively) is presented, visually or auditorily, typically at the rate of one stimulus per second. The task of the participant is to repeat the stimuli in the order they were presented. Testing usually begins with a series length of two stimuli and increases by one after two trials. Testing ends when a participant is incorrect on two trials of the same length. Span can be calculated in a number of ways, including the total number of words recalled, proportion of words per set, number of words in correct trials, or as the longest series correctly recalled. The current study includes both the final scoring method, because this is the method most frequently used overall, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Revised Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS–WAIS-R) method for scoring, which is frequently used in digit span measures. (Note that, in the Results section, we explicitly test for differences between these methods to ascertain that method effects do not influence the results.) Beginning in the 1980s, working memory span measures were introduced into the literature. Working memory refers to the dynamic relationship between passive storage and active manipulation or transformation of information held in memory An important feature of the model is the system's limited capacity, which forces the resources to be shared between storage and processing. between concurrent storage and online processing. Reading span requires …
Psychophysical comparisons of single- and dual-band fused imagery

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a dual- band sensor fused image improves visual performance compared to a single-band image. Specifically, we compared behavioral performance using images from an uncooled LIMIRS long-wave infrared sensor and a Fairchild image intensified low-light CCD, against these same images after they had been 'fused' by combining both spectral bands into a two-dimensional color space. Human performance was assessed in two experiments. The first experiment required observers to detect target objects presented against naturalistic backgrounds and then identify whether those detected targets were vehicles or persons. The second experiment measured observers' situational awareness by asking them to rapidly discern whether an image was upright or inverted. Performance in both tasks, as measured by reaction times and error rates, was generally best with the sensor- fused images, although in some instances performance with the single band images was as good as performance using the sensor-fused images. Results suggest that sensor fusion may facilitate human performance both by facilitating target detection and recognition, and by enabling higher levels of more general situational awareness and scene comprehension.
‘Home and Away’: The Cross-Fertilisation between ‘Colonial’ and ‘British’ Policing, 1921–85

Considering the material links between empire and metropole, we examine the way that the movement of police officers interacted with developing police ethos, culture and expertise. Although British policing was represented as consensual and Imperial policing, following the Irish pattern, as punitive, in the inter-war period British chief constables were recruited in significant numbers from Ireland. Barriers to the large-scale repatriation of colonial police during decolonisation were created by the ‘officer-class’ nature of the ‘European’ members of these forces, and British racism which prevented non-white rank-and-file from transferring from force to force. Interaction was characterised by the deployment of ‘home’ police, most significantly to Cyprus. Senior British police officers also played the role of technocratic consultants. British and Imperial models of policing converged, and by the 1980s the expertise of returned ex-colonial police was being replaced by training selected senior British police in the haut police role at the Royal College of Defence Studies.
Complexity of Earliest Query Answering with Streaming Tree Automata

We investigate the complexity of earliest query answering for n-ary node selection queries defined by streaming tree automata (STAs). We elaborate an algorithm that selects query answers upon reception of the shortest relevant prefix of the input tree on the stream. For queries defined by deterministic STAs, our algorithm runs in polynomial time combined complexity. In the general case, we show that earliest query answering is DEXPTIME-hard (even for n=0) and thus DEXPTIME-complete.
The Rise of Islamic insurgency in Iraq

The insurgency that has grown in Iraq since the downfall of the regime of Saddam Hussein and Allied occupation in April 2003, has gripped the country in a spiral of lawlessness and anarchy.1 Despite the presence of over 150,000 Allied forces and the training of thousands of local Iraqi police and security forces, Iraq is still dominated by armed insurgents who are weakening and sabotaging post-war reconstruction in the areas of law and order, oil production, and road infrastructure. In this article I will contend that the most serious dimension of this insurgency is Islamic in manifestation and examine its importance not merely to the internal political dynamic of the country but the wider American objective of the war on terrorism and the discourses that surround it. These discourses include radical Islamism, contemporary facets of foreign occupation, and the Muslim prohibition to avoid civil conflict (fitna). In the latter part of the article I examine the dimensions of Islamist interpretation, support, and objective to the current insurgency. This includes analysis of both Sunni and Shi'a elements of insurgency that have arisen in the Iraqi context as well a wider explanation of Muslim revolt against perceived Western domination of the political, economic, and cultural landscape of contemporary Islamism and its resurgence in Iraq.
Training Older Adults to Use Tablet Computers: Does It Enhance Cognitive Function?

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Recent evidence shows that engaging in learning new skills improves episodic memory in older adults. In this study, older adults who were computer novices were trained to use a tablet computer and associated software applications. We hypothesize that sustained engagement in this mentally challenging training would yield a dual benefit of improved cognition and enhancement of everyday function by introducing useful skills. DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 54 older adults (age 60-90) committed 15 hr/week for 3 months. Eighteen participants received extensive iPad training, learning a broad range of practical applications. The iPad group was compared with 2 separate controls: a Placebo group that engaged in passive tasks requiring little new learning; and a Social group that had regular social interaction, but no active skill acquisition. All participants completed the same cognitive battery pre- and post-engagement. RESULTS Compared with both controls, the iPad group showed greater improvements in episodic memory and processing speed but did not differ in mental control or visuospatial processing. IMPLICATIONS iPad training improved cognition relative to engaging in social or nonchallenging activities. Mastering relevant technological devices have the added advantage of providing older adults with technological skills useful in facilitating everyday activities (e.g., banking). This work informs the selection of targeted activities for future interventions and community programs.
Influence of enterococci and lactobacilli on Listeria.

A collection of lactic acid bacteria (38 Enterococcus and 41 Lactobacillus strains) was tested for the antilisterial activity against 15 Listeria spp. strains (two L. monocytogenes, one L. ivanovii and 12 L. innocua strains) using agar spot method. Out of all 79 bacteria only six Enterococcus strains (1/3A, 3/3A, 6/4D, 6/1A, 1282 and EN3) exhibited antilisterial activity against almost all used indicator strains, when their live cells were tested. When their cell free neutralised supernatants (CFNS) were tested against four selected indicator strains (L. innocua Ln-03, Ln-06, Ln-10 and L. monocytogenes CCM5576) only two Enterococcus spp. strains were active - E. faecalis 6/1A strain from raw cow milk of minor interest due to the activity of its CFNS only against L. innocua Ln-06 and thermolability of the compound and E. mundtii 1282 strain from goat raw milk with CFNS active against 13 Listeria spp. strains including L. monocytogenes. E. mundtii 1282 strain produced probably a bacteriocin, because it completely lost the activity after treatment CFNS with proteinase K.
Increased interleukin‐8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 concentrations in mechanically ventilated preterm infants with pulmonary hemorrhage

Pulmonary hemorrhage (PH) is a serious complication causing acute respiratory distress in the premature infant, and it is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. The role of inflammatory mediators in this condition is largely undefined. Serial tracheal aspirates (TA) were obtained at intervals from 65 mechanically ventilated infants with birth weights less than 1,250 g during the first 21 days of life. Clinically significant PH developed in 15 infants. TA concentrations of interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Characterising the structural brain changes in Huntington’s disease using translational neuroimaging

This thesis examined the macro-structural and micro-structural changes in Huntington’s disease (HD) in order to improve understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of neurodegeneration, and the functional relevance of these changes. Translational techniques were employed using genetic mouse models of HD in combination with a patient cohort to examine grey and white matter changes with a particular focus on white matter microstructure. In the patient cohort, the cognitive profile was examined using a cognitive battery not before applied in HD. Specific deficits were found in set-shifting and flexibility, verbal reasoning, working memory and paired associate learning, along with subtle differences in response inhibition that were sensitive to disease burden. A composite cognitive score was produced to examine the relationship between cognitive function and brain structure. A multi-modal examination of white matter tract-specific microstructural measurements revealed abnormalities in the corpus callosum and cingulum bundle that were sensitive to disease burden (chapter 4). In chapter 5, multiple analysis techniques converged to reveal tissue macrostructure abnormalities that were also sensitive to disease burden in HD. Cortical changes were less consistent, and unlike the microstructure findings, white matter macrostructural abnormalities were not related to disease burden. In chapters 6 and 7, genetic mouse models of HD were used to examine changes across the disease course, and to pilot an interventional design. In vivo diffusion MRI and T2-weighted MRI sequences were acquired at 2 different time points in the HdhQ150 knock-in model of HD and imaging data is presented alongside behavioural results and immunohistochemistry. In chapter 7, an environmental modification regime was tested in the YAC128 mouse model using in vivo MRI. Environmental intervention reduced the degree of disease-related atrophy, altered tissue microstructure and improve motor but not cognitive performance in YAC128 mice.
La debilidad de las mujeres

Cuanta verdad estan diciendo las mujeres en sus biografias? En el mejor de los casos, las biografias revelan, principalmente, superficialidades. Es curioso que los seres humanos sepan tan poco de si mismos. Casi nunca nos destrozamos a nosotros mismos para ver como las partes trabajan juntas. Es mucho mas facil destrozar a los demas. Desde la infancia aprendemos a culpar por nuestros fracasos a los padres, el hogar, los asociados, las condiciones economicas. Si logramos superarlas debe ser por alguna virtud innata, instintiva, que no sera abatida por la adversidad. Todo esto sale en las biografias. Uno es golpeado por el fracaso de parte de casi todas las mujeres para rendir tributo a las adversidades del ambiente. A decir verdad, casi todas ellas se quejan de cuan magnificadas son sus penas. “Que desperdicio”, dice el conductista que cree que todos los individuos se hace, no nacen, “las tribulaciones y tristezas por las que pasaron estas mujeres fueron estimulos condicionantes que las forzaron a seguir un cierto camino. ” Probablemente, bajo lo que hubieran considerado un ambiente favorable la mayoria de ella hubiera alcanzado la edad de la gordura, los cuarenta, y de ella nunca se hubiera escuchado nada —hablo con cierta libertad, pues no conozco a ninguna de las damas.
Semantic Caching for Service Oriented Architectures

This document presents an overview of a proposed PhD thesis on semantic caching for increasing the efficiency of web-based serviceoriented architectures. Such systems aim at dynamically detecting and executing Web services for solving client requests. For real world applications, there will be a very large number of Web services available on the Internet. The bottleneck that hampers efficiency and scalability of such architectures is service detection, i.e. finding those Web services out of the available ones that can be used to solve a particular request. The proposed works develops a novel technique that captures service detection results for goals (formalized client requests) and uses this for performing service detection for semantically similar requests. In comparison to other approaches, this caching mechanism allows to achieve the highest possible efficiency under certain constellations between the provided Web services and requests for these. The working hypothesis is that the constellations with a better efficiency comply with the most common situations in real-world e-business applications, which is verified by empirical analysis.
Persistent Cryptococcal Brain Infection despite Prolonged Immunorecovery in an HIV-Positive Patient

Background. HIV-positive people starting combined antiretroviral therapy may develop immune reconstitution to latent or treated opportunistic infections. Immune reconstitution to cerebral Cryptococcus is poorly understood and can be fatal. Case Presentation. A 33-year-old Zimbabwean female presented with cryptococcal meningitis and newly diagnosed HIV with a CD4 count of 51 cells/μL (4%). She was treated with amphotericin and flucytosine. Combined antiretroviral therapy was started four weeks later and she showed early improvement. However, over the ensuing 18 months, her clinical course was marked by periodic worsening with symptoms resembling cryptococcal meningitis despite having achieved CD4 counts ≥400 cells/μL. Although initially treated for relapsing cryptococcal immune reconstitution syndrome, a brain biopsy taken 17 months after initial presentation showed budding Cryptococci. Conclusion. This unusually protracted case highlights the difficulties in differentiating relapsing cryptococcal meningitis from immune reconstitution and raises questions concerning the optimum timing of initiation of combined antiretroviral therapy in such patients.