pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Competing in a globalising world : international ranking of South African universities

Rankings of higher education institutions are important for students, research administrations, industry and academics. A number of rankings are published internationally, most of which aim to identify the top universities in the world.
Developing countries are also interested for relevant rankings that could assist them to develop appropriate higher education policies.
In this article we develop a ranking approach based on citations received for articles produced by universities in a variety of scientific disciplines. The approach is relatively simple and has the potential to guide policy.
In this context this article identifies the international standing of the South African universities in the various scientific
disciplines, compares them with their standing over time and elaborates on the consequences relevant to higher education and science and technology policy
Confronting lepton flavor universality violation in B decays with high-pT tau lepton searches at LHC

AbstractWe confront the indications of lepton flavor universality (LFU) violation observed in semi-tauonic B meson decays with new physics (NP) searches using high pT tau leptons at the LHC. Using effective field theory arguments we correlate possible non-standard contributions to semi-tauonic charged currents with the τ+τ− signature at high energy hadron colliders. Several representative standard model extensions put forward to explain the anomaly are examined in detail: (i) weak triplet of color-neutral vector resonances, (ii) second Higgs doublet and (iii) scalar or (iv) vector leptoquark. We find that, in general, τ+τ− searches pose a serious challenge to NP explanations of the LFU anomaly. Recasting existing 8 TeV and 13 TeV LHC analyses, stringent limits are set on all considered simplified models. Future projections of the τ+τ− constraints as well as caveats in interpreting them within more elaborate models are also discussed
Genome-wide RNAi Screen Reveals a Role for Multipass Membrane Proteins in Endosome-to-Golgi Retrieval

SummaryEndosome-to-Golgi retrieval is an essential membrane trafficking pathway required for many important physiological processes and linked to neurodegenerative disease and infection by bacterial and viral pathogens. The prototypical cargo protein for this pathway is the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CIMPR), which delivers lysosomal hydrolases to endosomes. Efficient retrieval of CIMPR to the Golgi requires the retromer complex, but other aspects of the endosome-to-Golgi retrieval pathway are poorly understood. Employing an image-based antibody-uptake assay, we conducted a genome-wide RNAi loss-of-function screen for novel regulators of this trafficking pathway and report ∼90 genes that are required for endosome-to-Golgi retrieval of a CD8-CIMPR reporter protein. Among these regulators of endosome-to-Golgi retrieval are a number of multipass membrane-spanning proteins, a class of proteins often overlooked with respect to a role in membrane trafficking. We further demonstrate a role for three multipass membrane proteins, SFT2D2, ZDHHC5, and GRINA, in endosome-to-Golgi retrieval
A search for inverse magnetic catalysis in thermal quark–meson models

AbstractWe explore the parameter space of the two-flavor thermal quark–meson model and its Polyakov loop-extended version under the influence of a constant external magnetic field B. We investigate the behavior of the pseudo critical temperature for chiral symmetry breaking taking into account the likely dependence of two parameters on the magnetic field: the Yukawa quark–meson coupling and the parameter T0 of the Polyakov loop potential. Under the constraints that magnetic catalysis is realized at zero temperature and the chiral transition at B=0 is a crossover, we find that the quark–meson model leads to thermal magnetic catalysis for the whole allowed parameter space, in contrast to the present picture stemming from lattice QCD
Defining and Distinguishing Traditional and Religious Terrorism

The article of record may be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23296151.2016.1239978thus offering few if any policy options for counterterrorism measures. This assumption about religious terrorism stems from two challenges in the literature: disproportionate attention to apocalyptic terrorism, and a lack of distinction between religious terrorism and its secular counterpart. This article, therefore, aims to do four things: define and differentiate religiously motivated terrorism from traditional terrorism; investigate three goals of religious terrorism (fomenting the apocalypse, creating a religious government, and establishing a religiously pure state); consider the role of leadership and target selection of religious terrorists; and, finally, suggest a range of counterterrorism strategies based on these observations
Fission fragment angular distribution measurements of U-235 and U-238 at CERN n_TOF facility

Neutron-induced fission cross sections of U-238 and U-235 are used as standards in the fast neutron region up to 200 MeV. A high accuracy of the standards is relevant to experimentally determine other neutron reaction cross sections. Therefore, the detection efficiency should be corrected by using the angular distribution of the fission fragments (FFAD), which are barely known above 20 MeV. In addition, the angular distribution of the fragments produced in the fission of highly excited and deformed nuclei is an important observable to investigate the nuclear fission process. \ud
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In order to measure the FFAD of neutron-induced reactions, a fission detection setup based on parallel-plate avalanche counters (PPACs) has been developed and successfully used at the CERN-n_TOF facility. In this work, we present the preliminary results on the analysis of new U-235(n,f) and U-238(n,f) data in the extended energy range up to 200 MeV compared to the existing experimental data.Postprint (published version
Effective Use of Ground Source Heat Pump System in Traditional Japanese ‘Kyo-machiya’ Residences in Winter

AbstractToday, promoting the use of abundant renewable energy such as underground heat has become imperative. The preservation of the traditional wooden dwellings unique to Kyoto called Kyo-machiya has recently become a priority policy in Kyoto. However, owing to the poor airtightness and thermal insulation of Kyo-machiya, these dwellings require considerable energy to heat during winter. However, most Kyo-machiya are equipped with a well, and this study employs experiment and analysis to examine the practicablity of installing simple ground-sourced heat pump systems in the existing wells of Kyo-machiya. The efficient operation of the heat pump system is also investigated
Determining the chromatic number of triangle-free 2P3-free graphs in polynomial time

AbstractLet 2P3 denote the disjoint union of two paths on three vertices. A graph G that has no subgraph isomorphic to a graph H is called H-free. The Vertex Coloring problem is the problem to determine the chromatic number of a graph. Its computational complexity for triangle-free H-free graphs has been classified for every fixed graph H on at most 6 vertices except for the case H=2P3. This remaining case is posed as an open problem by Dabrowski, Lozin, Raman and Ries. We solve their open problem by showing polynomial-time solvability
Brain Area-Specific Effect of TGF-β Signaling on Wnt-Dependent Neural Stem Cell Expansion

SummaryRegulating the choice between neural stem cell maintenance versus differentiation determines growth and size of the developing brain. Here we identify TGF-β signaling as a crucial factor controlling these processes. At early developmental stages, TGF-β signal activity is localized close to the ventricular surface of the neuroepithelium. In the midbrain, but not in the forebrain, Tgfbr2 ablation results in ectopic expression of Wnt1/β-catenin and FGF8, activation of Wnt target genes, and increased proliferation and horizontal expansion of neuroepithelial cells due to shortened cell-cycle length and decreased cell-cycle exit. Consistent with this phenotype, self-renewal of mutant neuroepithelial stem cells is enhanced in the presence of FGF and requires Wnt signaling. Moreover, TGF-β signal activation counteracts Wnt-induced proliferation of midbrain neuroepithelial cells. Thus, TGF-β signaling controls the size of a specific brain area, the dorsal midbrain, by antagonizing canonical Wnt signaling and negatively regulating self-renewal of neuroepithelial stem cells
The effect of “pre-formed” hadron potentials on the dynamics of heavy ion collisions and the HBT puzzle

AbstractThe nuclear stopping, the elliptic flow, and the HBT interferometry are calculated by the UrQMD transport model, in which potentials for “pre-formed” particles (string fragments) from color fluxtube fragmentation as well as for confined particles are considered. This description provides stronger pressure at the early stage and describes these observables better than the default cascade mode (where the “pre-formed” particles from string fragmentation are treated to be free-streaming). It should be stressed that the inclusion of potential interactions pushes down the calculated HBT radius RO and pulls up the RS so that the HBT time-related puzzle disappears throughout the energies from AGS, SPS, to RHIC
Exploring correlations in the stochastic Yang–Mills vacuum

AbstractThe correlation lengths of nonperturbative-nonconfining and confining stochastic background Yang–Mills fields are obtained by means of a direct analytic path-integral evaluation of the Green functions of the so-called one- and two-gluon gluelumps. Numerically, these lengths turn out to be in a good agreement with those known from the earlier, Hamiltonian, treatment of such Green functions. It is also demonstrated that the correlation function of nonperturbative-nonconfining fields decreases with the deviation of the path in this correlation function from the straight-line one
CysMap and CysJoin: Database and tools for protein disulphides localisation

AbstractWe have developed a computer program able to make user-customised databases derived from the public PIR non-redundant reference protein database. When the database of interest has been created, the user will generate the map of all the possible linear peptides containing one and two cysteines for each protein and combine them to calculate the mass of all the possible clusters of linear peptides linked by a disulphide bridge with a cysteine pair. It is also possible to create selected maps corresponding to peptides formed by the action of specific proteases. In this way, mass spectrometric data obtained from the hydrolysis of proteins of unknown sequence can be related to that contained in the database for quick disulphide assignment and protein identification. To confirm signal attribution, the program will also furnish the expected mass of cluster peptides after performing a cycle of Edman degradation. The utility of the program is discussed and examples of application are given
The incidence rate of prostate cancer in Saudi Arabia: an observational descriptive epidemiological analysis of data from the Saudi Cancer Registry 2001–2008

BackgroundThis study presents descriptive epidemiological data related to prostate cancer cases diagnosed from 2001 to 2008 among Saudi men, including the frequency and percentage of cases, the crude incidence rate (CIR) and the age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR) adjusted by region and year of diagnosis.MethodsThis is a retrospective descriptive epidemiological analysis of all Saudi prostate cancer cases recorded in the Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR) between January 2001 and December 2008. Statistical analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics, the Poisson regression model, a simple linear regression model and analysis of variance with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0 (SPSS).ResultsA total of 1739 cases were registered in the SCR between January 2001 and December 2008. The eastern region of Saudi Arabia had the highest overall ASIR at 10.1 per 100,000 men, followed by Riyadh at 7.1 and Makkah at 5.2, while Jizan and Najran had the lowest average ASIRs at 1.4 and at 2.0, respectively. The Poisson regression model for the region of Jizan shows that the incidence rate ratio (IRR) was significantly higher (p<0.001); for the regions of Riyadh at 3.43 times (95% CI, 3.13–3.73), followed by Makkah at 2.56 (95% CI, 2.38–2.74) and the eastern province at 1.93 (95% CI, 1.64–2.23). The annual prediction of the CIR of prostate cancer in Saudi Arabia could be defined by the equation 1.53+(0.094×Years), and the prediction of the ASIR could be defined by the equation 2.98+(0.182×Years).ConclusionThere was a steady increase in the CIRs and ASIRs for prostate cancer between 2001 and 2008. The eastern region, Riyadh and Makkah had the highest overall ASIR in Saudi Arabia. Further effective screening programmes and active treatment measures are needed to control prostate cancer disease among Saudi men
A lookahead algorithm for the solution of block toeplitz systems

AbstractWe give a weakly stable algorithm to solve a block Toeplitz system of linear equations. If the lookahead steps taken to compute the parameters of the inversion formula for the block Toeplitz matrix are small compared to the order n of the matrix, the algorithm requires O(n2) floating-point operations. The parameters of the inversion formula are interpreted and computed in a recursive way as solutions of certain interpolation problems given the formal Laurent series based on the data of the block Toeplitz matrix
An extension of Bochner’s problem: Exceptional invariant subspaces

AbstractWe prove an extension of Bochner’s classical result that characterizes the classical polynomial families as eigenfunctions of a second-order differential operator with polynomial coefficients. The extended result involves considering differential operators with rational coefficients and the requirement is that they have a numerable sequence of polynomial eigenfunctions p1,p2,… of all degrees except for degree zero. The main theorem of the paper provides a characterization of all such differential operators. The existence of such differential operators and polynomial sequences is based on the concept of exceptional polynomial subspaces, and the converse part of the main theorem rests on the classification of codimension one exceptional subspaces under projective transformations, which is performed in this paper
Experimental analysis on membrane wrinkling under biaxial load – Comparison with bifurcation analysis

AbstractThis paper presents a detailed experimental study of the formation and evolution of the wrinkle pattern that form in flat elastic and isotropic membranes under the action of in-plane tension. The experiments were carried out on a cruciform specimen stretched along two uncoupled axes using various loading paths. The wrinkled shapes of the membrane were digitized by using a full-field measurement based on the fringe analysis method.Over this experiment, several phenomena were observed: the mechanism of wrinkle division, the influence of the membrane thickness on the wrinkle pattern, and the reproducibility of a kinematic configuration of wrinkles.The main result is that non-unique wrinkle shapes have been observed over repeated experiments for nominally identical boundary conditions. The uncertainty of the experimental wrinkle shape has been explained using comparison with the results of a post-buckling finite element analysis
Shot through with voices: Dissociation mediates the relationship between varieties of inner speech and auditory hallucination proneness

AbstractInner speech is a commonly experienced but poorly understood phenomenon. The Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ; McCarthy-Jones & Fernyhough, 2011) assesses four characteristics of inner speech: dialogicality, evaluative/motivational content, condensation, and the presence of other people. Prior findings have linked anxiety and proneness to auditory hallucinations (AH) to these types of inner speech. This study extends that work by examining how inner speech relates to self-esteem and dissociation, and their combined impact upon AH-proneness. 156 students completed the VISQ and measures of self-esteem, dissociation and AH-proneness. Correlational analyses indicated that evaluative inner speech and other people in inner speech were associated with lower self-esteem and greater frequency of dissociative experiences. Dissociation and VISQ scores, but not self-esteem, predicted AH-proneness. Structural equation modelling supported a mediating role for dissociation between specific components of inner speech (evaluative and other people) and AH-proneness. Implications for the development of “hearing voices” are discussed
Friendly fire: Engineering a fort wall in the Iron Age

AbstractThere is widespread evidence that the walls of Iron Age forts across Europe were set on fire, causing partial melting of the stonework followed by either recrystallization or glass formation on cooling – a process termed “vitrification”. The motivation for fort wall firing has remained speculative since its first description in 1777. Since the suggestion of MacKie (1969) that fort vitrification might destabilize fort walls, the debate as to motives has focused on combative or destructive intentions. Here, a multidisciplinary analysis of experimental fort wall samples shows that in fact vitrification results in strengthening, not weakening. The strengthening involves diffusive and viscous sintering of material aggregates and size-dependent heat transfer. These new results support a long-since-dismissed idea that Iron Age fort walls were intentionally set ablaze in order to fortify the walls
Atomistic investigation on the structure–property relationship during thermal spray nanoparticle impact

AbstractDuring thermal spraying, hot particles impact on a colder substrate. This interaction of crystalline copper nanoparticles and copper substrate is modeled, using MD simulation. The quantitative results of the impacts at different velocities and temperatures are evaluated using a newly defined flattening aspect ratio. This ratio between the maximum diameter after the impact and the height of the splat increases with increasing Reynolds numbers until a critical value is reached. At higher Reynolds numbers the flattening aspect ratio decreases again, as the kinetic energy of the particle leads to increasing substrate temperature and, therefore, decreases the substrate resistance. Thus, the particle penetrates into the substrate and deforms less
A CRISPR/Cas9 mediated point mutation in the alpha 6 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor confers resistance to spinosad in Drosophila melanogaster

AbstractSpinosad, a widely used and economically important insecticide, targets the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChRs) of the insect nervous system. Several studies have associated loss of function mutations in the insect nAChR α6 subunit with resistance to spinosad, and in the process identified this particular subunit as the specific target site. More recently a single non-synonymous point mutation, that does not result in loss of function, was identified in spinosad resistant strains of three insect species that results in an amino acid substitution (G275E) of the nAChR α6 subunit. The causal role of this mutation has been called into question as, to date, functional evidence proving its involvement in resistance has been limited to the study of vertebrate receptors. Here we use the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing platform to introduce the G275E mutation into the nAChR α6 subunit of Drosophila melanogaster. Reverse transcriptase-PCR and sequencing confirmed the presence of the mutation in Dα6 transcripts of mutant flies and verified that it does not disrupt the normal splicing of the two exons in close vicinity to the mutation site. A marked decrease in sensitivity to spinosad (66-fold) was observed in flies with the mutation compared to flies of the same genetic background minus the mutation, clearly demonstrating the functional role of this amino acid substitution in resistance to spinosad. Although the resistance levels observed are 4.7-fold lower than exhibited by a fly strain with a null mutation of Dα6, they are nevertheless predicated to be sufficient to result in resistance to spinosad at recommended field rates. Reciprocal crossings with susceptible fly strains followed by spinosad bioassays revealed G275E is inherited as an incompletely recessive trait, thus resembling the mode of inheritance described for this mutation in the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis. This study both resolves a debate on the functional significance of a target-site mutation and provides an example of how recent advances in genome editing can be harnessed to study insecticide resistance
Features and functions of nonlinear spatial integration by retinal ganglion cells

AbstractGanglion cells in the vertebrate retina integrate visual information over their receptive fields. They do so by pooling presynaptic excitatory inputs from typically many bipolar cells, which themselves collect inputs from several photoreceptors. In addition, inhibitory interactions mediated by horizontal cells and amacrine cells modulate the structure of the receptive field. In many models, this spatial integration is assumed to occur in a linear fashion. Yet, it has long been known that spatial integration by retinal ganglion cells also incurs nonlinear phenomena. Moreover, several recent examples have shown that nonlinear spatial integration is tightly connected to specific visual functions performed by different types of retinal ganglion cells. This work discusses these advances in understanding the role of nonlinear spatial integration and reviews recent efforts to quantitatively study the nature and mechanisms underlying spatial nonlinearities. These new insights point towards a critical role of nonlinearities within ganglion cell receptive fields for capturing responses of the cells to natural and behaviorally relevant visual stimuli. In the long run, nonlinear phenomena of spatial integration may also prove important for implementing the actual neural code of retinal neurons when designing visual prostheses for the eye
Antarctic ice rises and rumples: Their properties and significance for ice-sheet dynamics and evolution

ABSTRACTLocally grounded features in ice shelves, called ice rises and rumples, play a key role buttressing discharge from the Antarctic Ice Sheet and regulating its contribution to sea level. Ice rises typically rise several hundreds of meters above the surrounding ice shelf; shelf flow is diverted around them. On the other hand, shelf ice flows across ice rumples, which typically rise only a few tens of meters above the ice shelf. Ice rises contain rich histories of deglaciation and climate that extend back over timescales ranging from a few millennia to beyond the last glacial maximum. Numerical model results have shown that the buttressing effects of ice rises and rumples are significant, but details of processes and how they evolve remain poorly understood. Fundamental information about the conditions and processes that cause transitions between floating ice shelves, ice rises and ice rumples is needed in order to assess their impact on ice-sheet behavior. Targeted high-resolution observational data are needed to evaluate and improve prognostic numerical models and parameterizations of the effects of small-scale pinning points on grounding-zone dynamics