cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Effects of Access to Safe Drinking Water on Children’s Nutritional Status in Indonesia
Creators: name: Nakamura, Ryota
name: Kondo, Takumi
name: Nakamura, Ryota
name: Kondo, Takumi
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety
subject: child nutrition
subject: water resources
subject: management
subject: rural development
subject: impact evaluation

description: This study analyzed the effects of access to safe drinking water on the nutritional status of children under the age of 59 months in urban and rural areas in Indonesia using the Indonesian Family Life Survey 5. Both piped water and packaged water were considered safe to drink. The descriptive statistics show that children in rural areas typically had insufficient access to safe drinking water and children who consumed safe drinking water had higher short- and long-term nutrition levels. To mitigate selection bias due to the non-random distribution of access to safe drinking water, a matching estimation was used to quantitatively determine the effects of access to safe drinking water on child nutrition. The provision of safe drinking water improved the short- and long-term nutritional status of children in rural areas but had no significant effect to that of children in urban areas. A simulation of this effect on child nutrition shows that in rural areas, improved access to safe drinking water decreases the stunting ratio by 13 percentage points and the wasting ratio by 6.1 percentage points. Additionally, both household income levels and community drinking water prices are important determinants of access to safe drinking water. Therefore, access to safe drinking water is necessary to improve the nutritional status of children in rural Indonesia, and community characteristics contribute to access.
title: Detection of low-level contamination in NGS data for clinical applications
Creators: name: McElroy, Daniel Patrick
Publisher: name: University of Glasgow
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: contamination detection, HLA, human leukocyte antigen, genomics, NGS, next-generation sequencing

description: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has led to advances in cancer research including the developing field of precision oncology. Generating large volumes of data that are computationally intensive to analyse, precision oncology has a translation gap between research bioinformatics and the application of genomic tools in the clinic. Ideally one NGS library would be prepared and sequenced per patient, with multiple tests carried out in silico to minimise the use of scarce resources. Another important consideration is that FFPE is the most common sample preservation and DNA source for clinical cancer research, but is prone to cross-individual contamination. Firstly, I used a literature review of in silico NGS HLA typing tool comparison papers to identify a freely available and accurate tool suitable for the clinical research context. OptiType was found to be the most suitable tool, and was validated for targeted sequencing panel capture libraries that include classical HLA class I genes only using cell lines with published genotypes (n = 5) and two sets of multiple within-patient samples (n = 41 from 5 patients, n = 30 from 15 patients). The workflow for OptiType was then optimised to minimise processing time and memory usage whilst maintaining high HLA read coverage. The chosen workflow was also shown to be robust to low read coverage. Secondly, I developed a novel method for the detection of cross-individual contamination in NGS data. This metric was effective at identifying contamination in samples that had been cross-contaminated using both in silico and in vitro methods. It also confirmed contamination in four samples suspected of cross-individual contamination by orthogonal methods, and in three Horizon Discovery reference samples that are mixtures of cell lines. This novel method could be applied to existing datasets and built into precision oncology pipelines as it is a robust and complementary tool for inferring contamination.
Getting tough on corporate crime? Enron and a year of corporate financial scandals
Creators: name: Leighton, Paul
name: Reiman, Jeffrey
Publisher: name: American University (Washington, D.C.)
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 4402
subject: Criminology
subject: FOS: Law

description: This essay is published by Allyn & Bacon, and distributed as a supplement to Jeffrey Reiman's The Rich Get Richer & the Poor Get Prison, 6th ed (2001) starting in Winter 2003.
On the infrared divergence and global colour in N=4 Yang-Mills theory
Creators: name: Ding, Su Yu
name: Karczmarek, Joanna
name: Semenoff, Gordon W.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: 81T13

description: The N=4 superconformal Yang-Mills theory on flat four-dimensional Minkowski space is a de-confined gauge theory in the sense that the string tension for fundamental representation coloured quarks vanishes. In fact, static fundamental representation quarks which lie in certain half-BPS super-multiplets do not interact at all. An interesting question asks whether such quarks would carry a well-defined global colour charge which, when the gauge is fixed, should have the status of an internal symmetry. We shall present a simple paradigmatic model which suggests that the answer to this question lies in the way in which infrared divergences are dealt with.
description: 28 pages, 2 figures, typos fixed and some clarification added
Superconducting Puddles and "Colossal'' Effects in Underdoped Cuprates
Creators: name: Alvarez, G.
name: Mayr, M.
name: Moreo, A.
name: Dagotto, E.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2004
Subjects: subject: Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Phenomenological models for the antiferromagnetic (AF) vs. d-wave superconductivity competition in cuprates are studied using conventional Monte Carlo techniques. The analysis suggests that cuprates may show a variety of different behaviors in the very underdoped regime: local coexistence or first-order transitions among the competing orders, stripes, or glassy states with nanoscale superconducting (SC) puddles. The transition from AF to SC does not seem universal. In particular, the glassy state leads to the possibility of "colossal'' effects in some cuprates, analog of those in manganites. Under suitable conditions, non-superconducting Cu-oxides could rapidly become superconducting by the influence of weak perturbations that align the randomly oriented phases of the SC puddles in the mixed state. Consequences of these ideas for thin-film and photoemission experiments are discussed.
description: RevTeX 4, revised expanded version, 8 pages, 8 figures
Effective Dynamic Range in Measurements with Flash Analog-to-Digital Convertor
Creators: name: Yue, Q.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2003
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Flash Analog to Digital Convertor (FADC) is frequently used in nuclear and particle physics experiments, often as the major component in big multi-channel systems. The large data volume makes the optimization of operating parameters necessary. This article reports a study of a method to extend the dynamic range of an 8-bit FADC from the nominal $\rm{2^8}$ value. By comparing the integrated pulse area with that of a reference profile, good energy reconstruction and event identification can be achieved on saturated events from CsI(Tl) crystal scintillators. The effective dynamic range can be extended by at least 4 more bits. The algorithm is generic and is expected to be applicable to other detector systems with FADC readout.
description: 19 pages, 1 table, 10 figures
Getting tough on corporate crime? Enron and a year of corporate financial scandals
Creators: name: Leighton, Paul
name: Reiman, Jeffrey
Publisher: name: American University
Year: 2023

description: This essay is published by Allyn & Bacon, and distributed as a supplement to Jeffrey Reiman's The Rich Get Richer & the Poor Get Prison, 6th ed (2001) starting in Winter 2003.
The value of FGF9 as a novel biomarker in the diagnosis of prostate cancer
Creators: name: Genggang Cui
name: Mingming Shao
name: Xingzhou Gu
name: Hongbo Guo
name: Shiqing Zhang
name: Jianlei Lu
name: Hongbin Ma
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Medicine
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: 19999 Mathematical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: Cancer

description: Background:Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) is reported to be associated with the pathogenesis of cancers. However, its clinic significance in prostate cancer (PCa) had not yet to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of FGF9 in PCa. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot analyses were used to detect the expression of serum FGF9 at mRNA and protein level in 90 PCa patients, 48 prostatic benign diseases (PBD) patients and 30 normal individuals. The association between FGF9 and clinicopathological features was determined by Chi-square test. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) was established to evaluate the diagnostic performance of FGF9 and PSA. Results: Serum FGF9 expression was significantly elevated in PCa patients (p p FGF9 expression was also associated with lymph node metastasis (p = .010). The diagnostic value of FGF9 was higher than the conventional tumor marker PSA with a AUC of 0.846 combined with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 81.1%. Conclusions: Serum FGF9 may be employed as a potential diagnostic biomarker of PCa.
VLTI-PIONIER imaging of the red supergiant V602 Carinae
Creators: name: Climent, J. B.
name: Wittkowski, M.
name: Chiavassa, A.
name: Baron, F.
name: Marcaide, J. M.
name: Guirado, J. C.
name: Freytag, B.
name: Höfner, S.
name: Haubois, X.
name: Woillez, J.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Context. Red supergiant stars possess surface features and extended molecular atmospheres. Photospheric convection may be a crucial factor of the levitation of the outer atmospheric layers. However, the mechanism responsible is still poorly understood. Aims. We image the stellar surface of V602 Carinae (V602 Car) to constrain the morphology and contrast of the surface features and of the extended atmospheric layers. Methods. We observed V602 Car with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) PIONIER instrument (1.53-1.78 $\mathrmμ$m) between May and July 2016, and April and July 2019 with different telescope configurations. We compared the image reconstructions with 81 temporal snapshots of 3D radiative-hydrodynamics (RHD) CO$^5$BOLD simulations in terms of contrast and morphology, using the Structural Similarity Index. Results. The interferometric data are compatible with an overall spherical disk of angular diameter 4.4$\pm$0.2 mas, and an extended molecular layer. In 2016, the reconstructed image reveals a bright arc-like feature toward the northern rim of the photospheric surface. In 2019, an arc-like feature is seen at a different orientation and a new peak of emission is detected on the opposite side. The contrasts of the reconstructed surface images are 11%$\pm$2% and 9%$\pm$2% for 2016 and 2019, respectively. The morphology and contrast of the two images are consistent with 3D RHD simulations, within our achieved spatial resolution and dynamic range. The extended molecular layer contributes 10--13% of the total flux with an angular diameter of 6--8 mas. It is present but not clearly visible in the reconstructed images because it is close to the limits of the achieved dynamic range. The presence of the molecular layer is not reproduced by the 3D RHD simulations. Conclusions...
description: 16 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Factoriality of Bozejko-Speicher von Neumann algebras
Creators: name: Sniady, Piotr
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2003
Subjects: subject: Operator Algebras (math.OA)
subject: Quantum Algebra (math.QA)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 46L10; 46L65; 81S05

description: We study the von Neumann algebra generated by q--deformed Gaussian elements l_i+l_i^* where operators l_i fulfill the q--deformed canonical commutation relations l_i l_j^*-q l_j^* l_i=delta_{ij} for -1
description: 8 pages. NEW IN VERSION 2: considered factors do not have the property Gamma
Application of Mutual Agreement Procedure Article under the Multilateral Instrument to Covered Tax Agreements
Creators: name: Chan, Alfred
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: 140215 Public Economics- Taxation and Revenue
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: The author traces the development of the mutual agreement procedure article and the reservations for the MAP article under the multilateral instrument. With examples drawn from some selected contracting jurisdictions holding different positions on the MLI, he illustrates how the MAP article is applied to the respective covered tax agreements and offers his comments accordingly.
CNOT gate by adiabatic passage with an optical cavity
Creators: name: Sangouard, N.
name: Lacour, X.
name: Guerin, S.
name: Jauslin, H. R.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2005
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We propose a scheme for the construction of a CNOT gate by adiabatic passage in an optical cavity. In opposition to a previously proposed method, the technique is not based on fractional adiabatic passage, which requires the control of the ratio of two pulse amplitudes. Moreover, the technique constitutes a decoherence-free method in the sense that spontaneous emission and cavity damping are avoided since the dynamics follows dark states.
description: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to EPJD
The Elusive Bose Metal
Creators: name: Phillips, Philip
name: Dalidovich, Denis
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2003
Subjects: subject: Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
subject: Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The conventional theory of metals is in crisis. In the last 15 years, there has been an unexpected sprouting of metallic states in low dimensional systems directly contradicting conventional wisdom. For example, bosons are thought to exist in one of two ground states: condensed in a superconductor or localized in an insulator. However, several experiments on thin metal alloy films have observed that a metallic phase disrupts the direct transition between the superconductor and the insulator. We analyze the experiments on the insulator-superconductor transition and argue that the intervening metallic phase is bosonic. All relevant theoretical proposals for the Bose metal are discussed, particularly the recent idea that the metallic phase is glassy. The implications for the putative vortex glass state in the copper-oxide superconductors are examined.
description: Double-spaced with five .eps files at end of text
Master equation for multilevel interference in a superradiant medium
Creators: name: Konovalov, Aleksei
name: Morigi, Giovanna
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We derive a master equation for a superradiant medium which includes multilevel interference betwen the individual scatterers. The derivation relies on the Born-Markov approximation and implements the coarse graining formalism. The master equation fulfils the Lindblad form and contains terms describing single-atom multilevel interference, multi-atom interference between identical transitions, and multi-atom interference between different electronic transitions with parallel dipoles. This formalism is then applied to determine the excitation spectrum of two emitters using the parameters of the Hydrogen transitions 2S$_{1/2}\,\to$4P$_{1/2}$ and 2S$_{1/2}\,\to$4P$_{3/2}$, where the gap between the parallel dipoles is of the order of GHz. The distortion of the signal due to the interplay of multilevel and multi-emitter interference is analysed as a function of their distance. These results suggest that interference between parallel dipolar transition can significantly affect the spectroscopic properties of optically dense media.
description: 13 pages, 8 figures. Version accepted for publication in Physical Review A
Sex as a biological variable : Drug use and abuse
Creators: name: Riley, Anthony
name: Hempel, Briana Janel
name: Clasen, Matthew M.
Publisher: name: American University
Year: 2023

description: The study of sex as a biological variable is a necessary emphasis across a wide array of endpoints, including basic neuroscience, medicine, mental health, physiology and behavior. The present review summarizes work from clinical and preclinical populations on sex differences in drug use and abuse, ranging from initiation to escalation/dysregulation and from drug cessation/abstinence to relapse. These differences are analyzed in the context of the addiction cycle conceptualization of Koob and his colleagues and address patterns of drug use (binge/intoxication), motivation underlying its use (withdrawal/negative affect) and likelihood and causes of craving and relapse of drug taking (preoccupation/anticipation). Following this overview, an assessment of the basis for the reported sex differences is discussed in the context of the affective (rewarding and aversive) properties of drugs of abuse and how such properties and their balance vary with sex and contribute to drug intake. Finally, the interaction of sex with several experiential (drug history) and subject (age) factors and how these interactions affect reward and aversion are discussed to highlight the importance of understanding such interactions in predicting drug use and abuse. We note that sex as a biological variable remains one of critical evaluation and that such investigations of sex differences in drug use and abuse continue and be expanded to assess all facets of their mediation, including these affective properties, how their balance may be impacted by the multiple conditions under which drugs are taken and how this overall balance affects drug use and addiction vulnerability.
Macro- and Microscale Properties of the Vitreous Humor to Inform Substitute Design and Intravitreal Biotransport
Creators: name: Nguyen K. Tram
name: Maxwell, Courtney J.
name: Swindle-Reilly, Katelyn E.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Space Science
subject: Medicine
subject: Physiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Evolutionary Biology
subject: 59999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
subject: 39999 Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: 20199 Astronomical and Space Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Developmental Biology
subject: Cancer
subject: 111714 Mental Health
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: Research on the vitreous humor and development of hydrogel vitreous substitutes have gained a rapid increase in interest within the past two decades. However, the properties of the vitreous humor and vitreous substitutes have yet to be consolidated. In this paper, the mechanical properties of the vitreous humor and hydrogel vitreous substitutes were systematically reviewed. The number of publications on the vitreous humor and vitreous substitutes over the years, as well as their respective testing conditions and testing techniques were analyzed. The mechanical properties of the human vitreous were found to be most similar to the vitreous of pigs and rabbits. The storage and loss moduli of the hydrogel vitreous substitutes developed were found to be orders of magnitude higher in comparison to the native human vitreous. However, the reported modulus for human vitreous, which was most commonly tested in vitro, has been hypothesized to be different in vivo. Future studies should focus on testing the mechanical properties of the vitreous in situ or in vivo. In addition to its mechanical properties, the vitreous humor has other biotransport mechanisms and biochemical functions that establish a redox balance and maintain an oxygen gradient inside the vitreous chamber to protect intraocular tissues from oxidative damage. Biomimetic hydrogel vitreous substitutes have the potential to provide ophthalmologists with additional avenues for treating and controlling vitreoretinal diseases while preventing complications after vitrectomy. Due to the proximity and interconnectedness of the vitreous humor to other ocular tissues, particularly the lens and the retina, more interest has been placed on understanding the properties of the vitreous humor in recent years. A better understanding of the properties of the vitreous humor will aid in improving the design of biomimetic vitreous substitutes and enhancing intravitreal biotransport.
Sex as a biological variable : Drug use and abuse
Creators: name: Riley, Anthony
name: Hempel, Briana Janel
name: Clasen, Matthew M.
Publisher: name: Physiology & Behavior
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 52
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology

description: The study of sex as a biological variable is a necessary emphasis across a wide array of endpoints, including basic neuroscience, medicine, mental health, physiology and behavior. The present review summarizes work from clinical and preclinical populations on sex differences in drug use and abuse, ranging from initiation to escalation/dysregulation and from drug cessation/abstinence to relapse. These differences are analyzed in the context of the addiction cycle conceptualization of Koob and his colleagues and address patterns of drug use (binge/intoxication), motivation underlying its use (withdrawal/negative affect) and likelihood and causes of craving and relapse of drug taking (preoccupation/anticipation). Following this overview, an assessment of the basis for the reported sex differences is discussed in the context of the affective (rewarding and aversive) properties of drugs of abuse and how such properties and their balance vary with sex and contribute to drug intake. Finally, the interaction of sex with several experiential (drug history) and subject (age) factors and how these interactions affect reward and aversion are discussed to highlight the importance of understanding such interactions in predicting drug use and abuse. We note that sex as a biological variable remains one of critical evaluation and that such investigations of sex differences in drug use and abuse continue and be expanded to assess all facets of their mediation, including these affective properties, how their balance may be impacted by the multiple conditions under which drugs are taken and how this overall balance affects drug use and addiction vulnerability.
Conceptual Problems of the Standard Cosmological Model
Creators: name: Baryshev, Yurij
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2005
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The physics of the expansion of the universe is still a poorly studied subject of the standard cosmological model. This because the concept of expanding space can not be tested in the laboratory and because ``expansion'' means continuous creation of space, something that leads to several paradoxes. We re-consider and expand here the discussion of conceptual problems, already noted in the literature, linked to the expansion of space. In particular we discuss the problem of the violation of energy conservation for local comoving volumes, the exact Newtonian form of the Friedmann equations, the receding velocity of galaxies being greater than the speed of light, and the Hubble law inside inhomogeneous galaxy distribution. Recent discussion by Kiang, Davis \& Lineweaver, and Whiting of the non-Doppler nature of the Lemaitre cosmological redshift in the standard model is just a particular consequence of the paradoxes mentioned above. The common cause of these paradoxes is the geometrical description of gravity (general relativity), where there is not a well defined concept of the energy-momentum tensor for the gravitational field and hence no energy-momentum conservation for matter plus gravity.
description: 13 pages, to be published in the Proceedings of the 1st Crisis in Cosmology Conference, AIP proc. series
From population to HIV : The organizational and structural determinants of HIV outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa
Creators: name: Robinson, Rachel
Publisher: name: American University
Year: 2023

description: BACKGROUND: There exists no consistent explanation for why some countries are successful in combating HIV/AIDS and others are not, and we need such an explanation in order to design effective policies and programmes. Research evaluating HIV interventions from a biomedical or public health perspective does not always take full account of the historical and organizational characteristics of countries likely to influence HIV outcomes. The analysis in this paper addresses this shortcoming by testing the impact of organizational and structural factors, particularly those resulting from population interventions, on HIV outcomes at the country level in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: The primary independent variables are factors that originated from efforts to slow population growth: whether a country has a long-time affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and whether a country has a population policy. Additional structural factors likely to impact HIV outcomes include the level of wealth, the level of cultural fractionalization, and the former colonial power. The present study uses multivariate regression techniques with countries in sub-Saharan Africa as the unit of analysis, and four measures of success in addressing HIV: the change in prevalence between 2001 and 2009; the change in incidence between 2001 and 2009; the level of overall antiretroviral coverage in 2009; and the level of antiretroviral coverage for prevention of vertical transmission in 2009. RESULTS: Countries with the greatest declines in HIV prevalence and incidence had older International Planned Parenthood Federation affiliates and had adopted population policies, even after controlling for age of epidemic, level of antiretroviral coverage, and funding for HIV. Population policies are also important predictors of levels of overall antiretroviral coverage and of coverage of HIV-positive pregnant women to prevent vertical transmission. Structural factors with significant impacts include wealth, cultural fractionalization and former colonial power. CONCLUSIONS: The organizational and structural context of African countries is strongly predictive of HIV outcomes. This finding implies that policy and programmatic efforts should be put towards strengthening existing organizations and perhaps even creating new ones. The fact that cultural fractionalization also influences HIV outcomes suggests that efforts must be put towards identifying ways to reach political consensus in diverse societies.
RhoA Activation Decreases Phagocytosis of Trabecular Meshwork Cells
Creators: name: Fujimoto, Tomokazu
name: Sato-Ohira, Saori
name: Hidenobu Tanihara
name: Inoue, Toshihiro
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Microbiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Physiology
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Developmental Biology
subject: Cancer
subject: Hematology
subject: 110309 Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: RhoA signaling is important for the regulation of intraocular pressure through the trabecular meshwork (TM). However, the relationship between RhoA signaling and phagocytosis in TM cells is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of RhoA signaling on the phagocytosis of TM cells. TM cells were isolated from enucleated porcine eyes and treated with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) or calpeptin to activate RhoA to determine phagocytic activity. To assess phagocytic activity, TM cells were incubated with pHrodo® Red S. aureus bioparticles, and the fluorescence intensity was measured using a cell sorter. The phagocytic activity of RhoA knockdown TM cells was also assessed using small interfering RNA (siRNA). To resolve the effects of dexamethasone on phagocytosis, TM cells were treated with dexamethasone for 72 h. The immunocytochemistry of vinculin and F-actin were evaluated in LPA- and dexamethasone-treated TM cells. RhoA activities after treatment with 10 µM LPA and 100 µM calpeptin were 1.38 ± 0.026-fold and 1.47 ± 0.070-fold higher, respectively, compared with the control. The phagocytic activity was reduced by LPA (0.67 ± 0.099) and calpeptin (0.57 ± 0.016), compared with the control. C3 transferase (Rho inhibitor) and Y-27632 (Rho-associated kinase inhibitor) prevented the effects of LPA on phagocytosis, and C3 partially inhibited the effects of calpeptin on phagocytosis. Knockdown of RhoA prevented the effect of LPA on phagocytosis. By immunostaining, LPA-induced stress fiber and focal adhesion formation was prevented by C3 and Y-27632 treatment. Moreover, RhoA knockdown prevented the effects of LPA on F-actin and focal adhesion. Dexamethasone treatment decreased phagocytic activity and increased stress fiber and focal adhesion. Y-27632 prevented the effects of dexamethasone on phagocytosis, and on stress fiber and focal adhesion fomation. These results suggest that the RhoA signal pathway regulates the phagocytic activity of TM cells. Abbreviations: TM: trabecular meshwork; LPA: lysophosphatidic acid; C3: C3 transferase; ROCK: Rho-associated kinase; siRNA: small interfering RNA.
Efficient neural-network based variational Monte Carlo scheme for direct optimization of excited energy states in frustrated quantum systems
Creators: name: Duric, Tanja
name: Seva, Tomislav
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We examine applicability of the valence bond basis correlator product state ansatz, equivalent to the restricted Boltzmann machine quantum artificial neural network ansatz, and variational Monte Carlo method for direct optimization of excited energy states to study properties of strongly correlated and frustrated quantum systems. The energy eigenstates are found by stochastic minimization of the variational function for the energy eigenstates which allows direct optimization of particular energy state without knowledge of the lower energy states. This approach combined with numerous tensor network or artificial neural network ansatz wavefunctions then allows further insight into quantum phases and phase transitions in various strongly correlated models by considering properties of these systems beyond the ground state properties. Also, the method is in general applicable to any dimension and has no sign instability. An example that we consider is the square lattice J1-J2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model. The model is one of the most studied models in frustrated quantum magnetism since it is closely related to the disappearance of the antiferromagnetic order in the high-Tc superconducting materials and there is still no agreement about the properties of the system in the highly frustrated regime near J2/J1 = 0.5. For J1-J2 model we write the variational ansatz in terms of the two site correlators and in the valence bond basis and calculate lowest energy eigenstates in the highly frustrated regime near J2/J1 = 0.5 where the system has a paramagnetic phase. We find that our results are in good agreement with previously obtained results which confirms applicability of the method to study frustrated spin systems.
description: 9 pages and 6 figures
From population to HIV : The organizational and structural determinants of HIV outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa
Creators: name: Robinson, Rachel
Publisher: name: Journal of the International AIDS Society
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: BACKGROUND: There exists no consistent explanation for why some countries are successful in combating HIV/AIDS and others are not, and we need such an explanation in order to design effective policies and programmes. Research evaluating HIV interventions from a biomedical or public health perspective does not always take full account of the historical and organizational characteristics of countries likely to influence HIV outcomes. The analysis in this paper addresses this shortcoming by testing the impact of organizational and structural factors, particularly those resulting from population interventions, on HIV outcomes at the country level in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: The primary independent variables are factors that originated from efforts to slow population growth: whether a country has a long-time affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and whether a country has a population policy. Additional structural factors likely to impact HIV outcomes include the level of wealth, the level of cultural fractionalization, and the former colonial power. The present study uses multivariate regression techniques with countries in sub-Saharan Africa as the unit of analysis, and four measures of success in addressing HIV: the change in prevalence between 2001 and 2009; the change in incidence between 2001 and 2009; the level of overall antiretroviral coverage in 2009; and the level of antiretroviral coverage for prevention of vertical transmission in 2009. RESULTS: Countries with the greatest declines in HIV prevalence and incidence had older International Planned Parenthood Federation affiliates and had adopted population policies, even after controlling for age of epidemic, level of antiretroviral coverage, and funding for HIV. Population policies are also important predictors of levels of overall antiretroviral coverage and of coverage of HIV-positive pregnant women to prevent vertical transmission. Structural factors with significant impacts include wealth, cultural fractionalization and former colonial power. CONCLUSIONS: The organizational and structural context of African countries is strongly predictive of HIV outcomes. This finding implies that policy and programmatic efforts should be put towards strengthening existing organizations and perhaps even creating new ones. The fact that cultural fractionalization also influences HIV outcomes suggests that efforts must be put towards identifying ways to reach political consensus in diverse societies.
Adem relations in the Dyer-Lashof algebra and modular invariants
Creators: name: Kechagias, Nondas E.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2004
Subjects: subject: Algebraic Topology (math.AT)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 55S10, 13F20, 55P10

description: This work deals with Adem relations in the Dyer-Lashof algebra from a modular invariant point of view. The main result is to provide an algorithm which has two effects: Firstly, to calculate the hom-dual of an element in the Dyer-Lashof algebra; and secondly, to find the image of a non-admissible element after applying Adem relations. The advantage of our method is that one has to deal with polynomials instead of homology operations. A moderate explanation of the complexity of Adem relations is given.
description: Published by Algebraic and Geometric Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/agt/AGTVol4/agt-4-13.abs.html
An investigation of inspirational public art
Creators: name: Koo, John
name: Harris, Cameron
name: Zoeunko, Antonina
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2012

description: A new Student Union Building (SUB) at the UBC Vancouver Campus is currently being designed and is expected to be finished construction by 2014. It is designed to become an icon and an inspiration in sustainable design practice throughout the lower mainland. The Design Committee is considering commissioning a piece of art for the Atrium that would be aesthetically pleasing and inspire building users and visitors. This report investigates and analyzes two possible artworks that could be implemented in the new SUB: sustainable paintings and sustainable work bench. The investigation concludes by recommending the concept that is the most suitable for the new SUB based on social, economic, environmental, and other various factors Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”
Systematic Convergence of Nonlinear Stochastic Estimators on the Special Orthogonal Group SO(3)
Creators: name: Hashim, Hashim A.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Systems and Control (eess.SY)
subject: FOS: Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering

description: This paper introduces two novel nonlinear stochastic attitude estimators developed on the Special Orthogonal Group \mathbb{SO}\left(3\right) with the tracking error of the normalized Euclidean distance meeting predefined transient and steady-state characteristics. The tracking error is confined to initially start within a predetermined large set such that the transient performance is guaranteed to obey dynamically reducing boundaries and decrease smoothly and asymptotically to the origin in probability from almost any initial condition. The proposed estimators produce accurate attitude estimates with remarkable convergence properties using measurements obtained from low-cost inertial measurement units. Unit-quaternion representation of the proposed filters are presented. The estimators proposed in continuous form are complemented by their discrete versions for the implementation purposes. The simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed estimators against uncertain measurements and large initialization error, whether in continuous or discrete form. Keywods: Attitude estimates, transient, steady-state error, nonlinear filter, special orthogonal group, SO(3), stochastic system, stochastic differential equations, Ito, Stratonovich, asymptotic stability, Wong-Zakai, inertial measurment unit, IMU, prescribed performance function, Euler Angles, roll, bitch, yaw, color noise, white noise, Nonlinear attitude filter, Nonlinear attitude observer, Orientation, nonlinear stochastic attitude filter on SO(3), unit-quaternion based nonlinear stochastic attitude filter, discrete stochastic attitude filter.
description: International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control
Fibroblasts from Retinoblastoma Patients Show Radiosensitivity Linked to Abnormal Localization of the ATM Protein
Creators: name: Ismahane Moulay Lakhdar
name: Ferlazzo, Mélanie L.
name: Choboq, Joelle Al
name: Berthel, Elise
name: Sonzogni, Laurène
name: Devic, Clément
name: Granzotto, Adeline
name: Thariat, Juliette
name: Foray, Nicolas
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Biochemistry
subject: 29999 Physical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: Medicine
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Physiology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Developmental Biology
subject: Cancer
subject: 60506 Virology

description: Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a rare form of pediatric cancer that develops from retina cells. Bilateral and some unilateral forms of Rb are associated with heterozygous germline mutations of the (retinoblastoma 1) RB1 gene. RB1 mutations are also associated with a significant risk of secondary malignancy like head and neck tumors. Hence, to date, even if Rb patients are less subjected to radiotherapy to treat their primary ocular tumors, their healthy tissues may be exposed to significant doses of ionizing radiation during the treatment against their secondary malignancies with a significant risk of adverse tissue reactions (radiosensitivity) and/or radiation-induced cancer (radiosusceptibility). However, the biological role of the Rb protein in response to radiation remains misunderstood. Since the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein is a key protein of radiation response and since untransformed skin fibroblasts are a current model to quantify cellular radiosensitivity, we investigated here for the first time the functionality of the ATM-dependent signaling and repair pathway of the radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) in irradiated skin fibroblasts derived from Rb patients The major biomarkers of the DSB repair and signaling, namely clonogenic cell survival, micronuclei, nuclear foci of the phosphorylated forms of the X variant of the H2A histone (γH2AX), the phosphorylated forms of the ATM protein (pATM) and the meiotic recombination 11 nuclease (MRE11) were assessed in untransformed skin fibroblasts derived from three Rb patients. Skin fibroblasts from Rb patients showed significant cellular radiosensitivity, incomplete DSB recognition, delay in the ATM nucleo-shuttling and exacerbated MRE11 nuclease activity. Treatment with statin and bisphosphonates led to significant complementation of these impairments. Our findings strongly suggest the involvement of the ATM kinase in the radiosensitivity/radiosusceptibility phenotype observed in Rb cases.
Spontaneous violation of the energy conditions
Creators: name: Whinnett, A. W.
name: Torres, Diego F.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2004
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: A decade ago, it was shown that a wide class of scalar-tensor theories can pass very restrictive weak field tests of gravity and yet exhibit non-perturbative strong field deviations away from General Relativity. This phenomenon was called `Spontaneous Scalarization' and causes the (Einstein frame) scalar field inside a neutron star to rapidly become inhomogeneous once the star's mass increases above some critical value. For a star whose mass is below the threshold, the field is instead nearly uniform (a state which minimises the star's energy) and the configuration is similar to the General Relativity one. Here, we show that the spontaneous scalarization phenomenon is linked to another strong field effect: a spontaneous violation of the weak energy condition.
description: 10 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Population policy adoption in sub-Saharan Africa : An interplay of global and local forces
Creators: name: Robinson, Rachel
Publisher: name: American University
Year: 2023

description: Sub-Saharan African countries have the highest population growth rates in the world, and are also the poorest. In response to a variety of global and local forces, during the 1980s and 1990s two thirds of subSaharan African countries adopted national population policies to reduce population growth. Drawing from existing research and using the texts of population policies to illustrate key points, this article summarises the factors that drove population policy adoption in the region. Globally, powerful donors with significant leverage promoted population policies as a solution to lagging socioeconomic development while international organizations spread norms about women’s rights and reproductive health. Locally, technocrats working within relevant ministries backed efforts to increase contraceptive prevalence, and population policies furthered political projects unrelated to population. The interplay of global and local forces led to governments adopting population policies. Ultimately, continued high desired fertility and limited implementation capacity have prevented population policies from significantly lowering fertility, but these policies have likely increased the availability of contraception, created important discursive space related to gender and sexuality, and provided countries with an opportunity to test procedures and approaches for policy-making on sensitive issues.
Equilibrium states for the Bose gas
Creators: name: Vandevenne, L.
name: Verbeure, A.
name: Zagrebnov, V. A.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2003
Subjects: subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The generating functional of the cyclic representation of the CCR (Canonical Commutation Relations) representation for the thermodynamic limit of the grand canonical ensemble of the free Bose gas with attractive boundary conditions is rigorously computed. We use it to study the condensate localization as a function of the homothety point for the thermodynamic limit using a sequence of growing convex containers. The Kac function is explicitly obtained proving non-equivalence of ensembles in the condensate region in spite of the condensate density being zero locally.
description: 21 pages, no figures
Population policy adoption in sub-Saharan Africa : An interplay of global and local forces
Creators: name: Robinson, Rachel
Publisher: name: Population Horizons
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 44
subject: Human society

description: Sub-Saharan African countries have the highest population growth rates in the world, and are also the poorest. In response to a variety of global and local forces, during the 1980s and 1990s two thirds of subSaharan African countries adopted national population policies to reduce population growth. Drawing from existing research and using the texts of population policies to illustrate key points, this article summarises the factors that drove population policy adoption in the region. Globally, powerful donors with significant leverage promoted population policies as a solution to lagging socioeconomic development while international organizations spread norms about women’s rights and reproductive health. Locally, technocrats working within relevant ministries backed efforts to increase contraceptive prevalence, and population policies furthered political projects unrelated to population. The interplay of global and local forces led to governments adopting population policies. Ultimately, continued high desired fertility and limited implementation capacity have prevented population policies from significantly lowering fertility, but these policies have likely increased the availability of contraception, created important discursive space related to gender and sexuality, and provided countries with an opportunity to test procedures and approaches for policy-making on sensitive issues.