Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiwavelength observations of a rich galaxy cluster at z ~ 1 - the HST/ACS colour–magnitude diagram

Context. XMMU J1229+0151 is a rich galaxy cluster with redshift z = 0.975 that was serendipitously detected in X-rays within the scope of the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project. Both HST/ACS observations in the i775 and z850 passbands and VLT/FORS2 spectroscopy were obtained, in addition to follow-up Near-Infrared (NIR) imaging in the J -a ndKs-bands with NTT/SOFI. Aims. We investigate the photometric, structural, and spectral properties of the early-type galaxies in the high-redshift cluster XMMU J1229+0151. Methods. Source detection and aperture photometry are performed in the optical and NIR imaging. Galaxy morphology is inspected visually and by means of Sersic profile fitting to the 21 spectroscopically confirmed cluster members in the ACS field of view. The i775 − z850 colour−magnitude relation (CMR) is derived with a method based on galaxy magnitudes obtained by fitting the surface brightness of the galaxies with Sersic models. Stellar masses and formation ages of the cluster galaxies are derived by fitting the observed spectral energy distributions (SED) with models developed by Bruzual & Charlot. Star-formation histories of the early-type galaxies are constrained by analysing the stacked spectrophotometric data. Results. The structural Sersic index n obtained by model fitting agrees with the visual morphological classification of the confirmed members, indicating a clear predominance of elliptical galaxies (15/21). The i775 −z850 colour−magnitude relation of the spectroscopic members shows a very tight red-sequence with a zero point of 0.86 ± 0.04 mag, and intrinsic scatter equal to 0.039 mag. The CMR obtained with the galaxy models has similar parameters. By fitting both the spectra and SED of the early-type population, we obtain a star-formation-weighted age of 4.3 Gyr for a median galaxy stellar-mass of 7.4 × 10 10 M� . Instead of identifying a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) unambiguously, we find three bright galaxies with a similar z850 magnitude, which are, in addition, the most massive cluster members, with ∼2 × 10 11 M� . Our results strengthen the current evidence of a lack of significant evolution in both the scatter and slope of the red-sequence out to z ∼ 1.
Epidemiology of hypertension and associated cardiovascular risk factors in a country in transition: a population based survey in Tirana City, Albania

Study objective: To describe the prevalence of hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors on the adult population of Tirana City (Albania). Design: Cross sectional survey. Setting: Tirana City in mid-2001. Participants: 1120 adults aged 25 years and over (response rate=72.7%). Main results: Overall, hypertension prevalence (blood pressure =140 and/or 90 mm Hg, or known hypertensive receiving anti-hypertensive treatment) was 31.8% (36.6% and 27.4% in men and women respectively). Age standardised prevalence of hypertension (adjusted to the adult population of Tirana) was 30.2% (99% confidence intervals 29.8% to 30.6%) in men and 22.7% (22.3% to 23.1%) in women. Men were significantly more likely to be hypertensive than women (p value=0.001). Of those who had been diagnosed with hypertension, 87% were receiving anti-hypertensive therapy and more than half of them (52%) were adequately controlled. The prevalence of hypertension increased with increasing age and was more common in the obese in both sexes. While the prevalence of hypertension matched that in other industrialised and transition countries, the combination of hypertension with other cardiovascular risk factors was rather less common. Conclusion: These findings provide important new evidence on the prevalence of hypertension and its association with other cardiovascular risk factors in Albania. Albania is in a state of rapid transition, with evidence that risk factors for non-communicable diseases have already increased considerably over the past two decades. These finding provide a unique baseline against which future change can be compared.
Temporal association tracts and the breakdown of episodic memory in mild cognitive impairment

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine the pattern of association between microstructure of temporal lobe connections and the breakdown of episodic memory that is a core feature of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: Twenty-five individuals with MCI and 20 matched controls underwent diffusion MRI and cognitive assessment. Three temporal pathways were reconstructed by tractography: fornix, parahippocampal cingulum (PHC), and uncinate fasciculus. Tissue volume fraction—a tract-specific measure of atrophy—and microstructural measures were derived for each tract. To test specificity of associations, a comparison tract (corticospinal tract) and control cognitive domains were also examined. Results: In MCI, tissue volume fraction was reduced in the fornix. Axial and radial diffusivity were increased in uncinate and PHC implying more subtle microstructural change. In controls, tissue volume fraction in the fornix was the predominant correlate of free recall. In contrast, in MCI, the strongest relationship was with left PHC. Microstructure of uncinate and PHC also correlated with recognition memory, and recognition confidence, in MCI. Conclusions: Episodic memory in MCI is related to the structure of multiple temporal association pathways. These associations are not confined to the fornix, as they are in healthy young and older adults. In MCI, because of a compromised fornix, alternative pathways may contribute disproportionally to episodic memory performance.
The Influence of Cross-sex Hormone Therapy on Brain Activation During the Stop Signal Task Measured with Ultrahigh-field 7T Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Acknowledgements This thesis project, as well as the experiences enjoyed and perspectives gained during its completion would not have been possible if it were not for the supportive, motivating and challenging environment provided by the Functional, Molecular and Translational Neuroimaging Lab team. I would like to express my thanks to Assoc. Excellence Team and, of course, the subjects who supported us with their participation. I would also like to thank my friends and family for their encouragement. This project is part of study entitled " Effects of steroid hormones on human brain function, structure and connectivity: A longitudinal study using 7 Tesla Ultrahigh-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging " that is financed by a grant awarded to Assoc.
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTION WITH PARITY VIOLATION

time the average efficiency of a scanner is 80%, therefore the results are strongly affected by the method and the quality of scanning. Thus, for example, as a result of carrying out a single scanning the existence of the maximum in the curve is not very pronounced. We have employed three fold scanning of the same volume of photographic emulsion in which 1three different scanners took part. This has greatly increased the efficiency of scanning and has lead to the discovery of a sharply pronounced maximum. The small depth at which the maximum in the transition effect of stars occurs may also explain the absence of a transition effect under unfavorable experimental conditions unfavorable absorber geometry, thick stacks of photographic emulsion, nearby massive objects, etc. The resulte1 obtained by us do not disagree with the results of other investigators. UNTIL the discovery of violation of parity it was assumed that the interact ion of an elementary particle of spin l with a weak electromagnetic field was completely described by three terms in the energy qcp, ! J. (aH), a divE= 47tap, where u is the spin, q the charge, ,. ,. the magneti1:: moment and the constant a characterizes the field of a spherical capacitor, equal to zero outside but interacting with a charge p inside. 1 In their well known article about nonconversation of parity, Lee and Yang2 indicate the possibility of an electrical dipole moment, i.e., an interaction d(a ·E). However, if, with parity violation, there is conservation of invariance with respect to combined inversion (and consequently, also with respect to reflection in time) then, as Landau 3 has shown, no dipole moment is possible. It is easiest to see this by noting that under time inversion u changes sign but E does not.
Distributed event-triggered control for output synchronization of dynamical networks with non-identical nodes

This paper studies the output synchronization problem of a dynamical network with event-based communication, where each node communicates to its neighbours only when an event-triggering condition is fulfilled. The network has non-identical nodes driven by identical exosystems. In order to achieve asymptotic output synchronization as well as to prevent the occurrence of Zeno behaviour, estimators are introduced into each node to estimate the states of the exosystems of its neighbours and its own. Then, a distributed event-triggering rule is designed, which only depends on the information that the node obtains from its neighbours and the states of introduced estimators. Finally, a numerical example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed control.
Predicting death in the nursing home: development and validation of the 6-month Minimum Data Set mortality risk index.

BACKGROUND Currently, 24% of all deaths nationally occur in nursing homes making this an important focus of care. However, many residents are not identified as dying and thus do not receive appropriate care in the last weeks and months of life. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a predictive model of 6-month mortality risk using functional, emotional, cognitive, and disease variables found in the Minimum Data Set. METHODS This retrospective cohort study developed and validated a clinical prediction model using stepwise logistic regression analysis. Our study sample included all Missouri long-term-care residents (43,510) who had a full Minimum Data Set assessment transmitted to the Federal database in calendar year 1999. Death was confirmed by death certificate data. RESULTS The validated predictive model with a c-statistic of.75 included the following predictors: a) demographics (age and male sex); b) diseases (cancer, congestive heart failure, renal failure, and dementia/Alzheimer's disease); c) clinical signs and symptoms (shortness of breath, deteriorating condition, weight loss, poor appetite, dehydration, increasing number of activities of daily living requiring assistance, and poor score on the cognitive performance scale); and d) adverse events (recent admission to the nursing home). A simple point system derived from the regression equation can be totaled to aid in predicting mortality. CONCLUSIONS A reasonably accurate, validated model has been produced, with clinical application through a scored point system, to assist clinicians, residents, and family members in defining good goals of care around end-of-life care.
Rényi entropy of angular spread for detection of architectural distortion in prior mammograms

This paper presents methods for the detection of architectural distortion in mammograms of interval-cancer cases taken prior to the diagnosis of breast cancer, using Rényi entropy. Initial candidates for sites of architectural distortion were detected using a bank of Gabor filters and phase portrait analysis. A total of 4,224 regions of interest (ROIs) were automatically obtained from 106 prior mammograms of 56 interval-cancer cases, including 301 true-positive ROIs, and from 52 mammograms of 13 normal cases. Each ROI was represented by the Rényi entropy of angular histograms composed with the Gabor magnitude response, angle, coherence, orientation strength, and the angular spread of power in the Fourier spectrum. Using the stepwise logistic regression and leave-one-image-out methods for feature selection, the best results achieved, in terms of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, are 0.72 with Fisher linear discriminant analysis and the Bayesian classifier, and 0.75 with an artificial neural network based on radial basis functions. Analysis of the free-response receiver operating characteristics indicated a sensitivity of 0.80 at 7.1 false positives per image.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Model PLC / PRF / 5 Tumor Angiogenesis , and Induces Tumor Cell Apoptosis in Sorafenib Blocks the RAF / MEK / ERK Pathway , Inhibits

Angiogenesis and signaling through the RAF/mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK)/ERK cascade have been reported to play important roles in the development of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Sorafenib (BAY 43-9006, Nexavar) is a multikinase inhibitor with activity against Raf kinase and several receptor tyrosine kinases, including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), FLT3, Ret, and c-Kit. In this study, we investigated the in vitro effects of sorafenib on PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2 HCC cells and the in vivo antitumor efficacy and mechanism of action on PLC/ PRF/5 human tumor xenografts in severe combined immunodeficient mice. Sorafenib inhibited the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK and down-regulated cyclin D1 levels in these two cell lines. Sorafenib also reduced the phosphorylation level of eIF4E and down-regulated the antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1 in a MEK/ ERK–independent manner. Consistent with the effects on both MEK/ERK–dependent and MEK/ERK–independent signaling pathways, sorafenib inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in both HCC cell lines. In the PLC/PRF/5 xenograft model, sorafenib tosylate dosed at 10 mg/kg inhibited tumor growth by 49%. At 30 mg/kg, sorafenib tosylate produced complete tumor growth inhibition. A dose of 100 mg/kg produced partial tumor regressions in 50% of the mice. In mechanism of action studies, sorafenib inhibited the phosphorylation of both ERK and eIF4E, reduced the microvessel area (assessed by CD34 immunohistochemistry), and induced tumor cell apoptosis (assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated nick end labeling) in PLC/PRF/5 tumor xenografts. These results suggest that the antitumor activity of sorafenib in HCC models may be attributed to inhibition of tumor angiogenesis (VEGFR and PDGFR) and direct effects on tumor cell proliferation/survival (Raf kinase signalingdependent and signaling-independent mechanisms). (Cancer Res 2006; 66(24): 11851-8)
Coupled personalization of cardiac electrophysiology models for prediction of ischaemic ventricular tachycardia

In order to translate the important progress in cardiac electrophysiology modelling of the last decades into clinical applications, there is a requirement to make macroscopic models that can be used for the planning and performance of the clinical procedures. This requires model personalization, i.e. estimation of patient-specific model parameters and computations compatible with clinical constraints. Simplified macroscopic models can allow a rapid estimation of the tissue conductivity, but are often unreliable to predict arrhythmias. Conversely, complex biophysical models are more complete and have mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis and arrhythmia sustainibility, but are computationally expensive and their predictions at the organ scale still have to be validated. We present a coupled personalization framework that combines the power of the two kinds of models while keeping the computational complexity tractable. A simple eikonal model is used to estimate the conductivity parameters, which are then used to set the parameters of a biophysical model, the Mitchell–Schaeffer (MS) model. Additional parameters related to action potential duration restitution curves for the tissue are further estimated for the MS model. This framework is applied to a clinical dataset derived from a hybrid X-ray/magnetic resonance imaging and non-contact mapping procedure on a patient with heart failure. This personalized MS model is then used to perform an in silico simulation of a ventricular tachycardia (VT) stimulation protocol to predict the induction of VT. This proof of concept opens up possibilities of using VT induction modelling in order to both assess the risk of VT for a given patient and also to plan a potential subsequent radio-frequency ablation strategy to treat VT.
INCOMES, DEBTS, AND REPAYMENT CAPACITIES OF RECENTLY DISCHARGED CHAPTER 7 DEBTORS

In December, 1998, the Executive Office for United States Trustees (Executive Office) completed the first stage of an ongoing study of chapter 7 consumer bankruptcies. The Executive Office is uniquely situated to do this work, in part because virtually all of the information associated with chapter 7 cases flows through the United States Trustees' offices throughout the country. Having reliable information is particularly important now, for two reasons. First, bankruptcy filings have increased substantially in recent years. Total consumer bankruptcy filings (filings under chapters 7 and 13) have exceeded one million per year each year since 1996. In 1998, nearly one million consumer chapter 7 cases and 400,000 chapter 13 cases will be filed. Second, the 105
Building Social Capital in Multicultural Communities: The Dyadic Process and Related Social Outcomes of Executive Leaders

This study elaborates a theoretical rationale for interracial dyad networks as a structural form of social capital that can facilitate interracial social capital formation and produce positive-sum outcomes across races. A purposeful sample of extreme cases of social capital developed between matched interracial pairs comprised of influential business and community leaders was used to obtain rich information on the interracial social capital formation phenomenon. The dyad interrelations were analyzed using a qualitative, phenomenological, multiple-case study approach. The study findings revealed a social capital formation process surrounding both the cultivation of interracial dyadic friendships and bridging networks across races, and specific related outcomes produced . Dyadic networks, social currency, interracial friendships, and network expansion were found to link quantifiable measures of social capital and related outcomes that provide both individual and social value. This study contributes to the knowledge base of both intergroup contact and social capital theories and offers a basis for the application of Blau’s (1977) diversity opportunity network theory. The results can be used towards building social capital in multi-cultural communities, community and economic development, race relations, and professional training that incorporates diversity initiatives. Programs seeking to foster leadership through deliberate intercultural competencies, ethnic and cultural sensitivity, diverse collaboration, and collective creativity competencies can also benefit from the findings. Future research is recommended to compare unsuccessful and/or mediocre outcomes of interracial contact and social capital formation to the results of this current study. Document Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Jeannine Dingus-Eason Second Supervisor Ruth Harris Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/education_etd/64 Building Social Capital in Multicultural Communities: The Dyadic Process and Related Social Outcomes of Executive Leaders
Analysis of microbial communities in the oil reservoir subjected to CO2-flooding by using functional genes as molecular biomarkers for microbial CO2 sequestration

Sequestration of CO2 in oil reservoirs is considered to be one of the feasible options for mitigating atmospheric CO2 building up and also for the in situ potential bioconversion of stored CO2 to methane. However, the information on these functional microbial communities and the impact of CO2 storage on them is hardly available. In this paper a comprehensive molecular survey was performed on microbial communities in production water samples from oil reservoirs experienced CO2-flooding by analysis of functional genes involved in the process, including cbbM, cbbL, fthfs, [FeFe]-hydrogenase, and mcrA. As a comparison, these functional genes in the production water samples from oil reservoir only experienced water-flooding in areas of the same oil bearing bed were also analyzed. It showed that these functional genes were all of rich diversity in these samples, and the functional microbial communities and their diversity were strongly affected by a long-term exposure to injected CO2. More interestingly, microorganisms affiliated with members of the genera Methanothemobacter, Acetobacterium, and Halothiobacillus as well as hydrogen producers in CO2 injected area either increased or remained unchanged in relative abundance compared to that in water-flooded area, which implied that these microorganisms could adapt to CO2 injection and, if so, demonstrated the potential for microbial fixation and conversion of CO2 into methane in subsurface oil reservoirs.
AF relaying for millimeter wave communication systems with hybrid RF/baseband MIMO processing

Due to the high cost and power consumption of radio frequency (RF) chains, millimeter wave (mm-wave) communication systems equipped with large antenna arrays typically employ less RF chains than the antenna elements. This leads to the use of a hybrid MIMO processor consisting of a RF beamformer and a baseband MIMO processor in mm-wave communications. In this paper, we consider amplify-and-forward (AF) relay-assisted mm-wave systems with the hybrid MIMO processors over frequency-selective channels. We develop an iterative algorithm for jointly designing the receive/transmit (Rx/Tx) RF/baseband processors of the relay based on the orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm for sparse approximation, while assuming orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signaling. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the conventional method that designs the baseband processor after steering the RF beams.
Analyzing Call Center Performance : A Data Mining Approach

Society is becoming more accustomed to toll-free numbers as an efficient way to request and receive services in all aspects of their lives. While a move can be observed to eliminate humans as handlers of most rudimentary customer requests, responding to telephone calls remains a top priority in customer service. Call centers are either managed in-house or contracted out and provide a variety of services. The performance of the call center depends on the performance of its customer service representatives and the call handling regulations. The research aims to apply some well-known data mining techniques such as neural networks, classification and regression trees, support vector machines and a hybrid decision tree – neural network approach to the problem of predicting the quality of service in call centers; based on the performance data actually collected in call centers of a large insurance company. We also applied the apriori association rule mining algorithm to find interesting features among the variables. We first compared the performance of models built using the above-mentioned techniques and then we analyzed the characteristics of the input sensitivity in order to better understand the relationship between the performance evaluation process and the actual performance to help improve management and performance of call centers.