Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Weak Lensing Masses of Filaments between Luminous Red Galaxies

In the standard model of non-linear structure formation, a cosmic web of dark-matter dominated filaments connects dark matter halos. In this paper, we stack the weak lensing signal of an ensemble of filaments between groups and clusters of galaxies. Specifically, we detect the weak lensing signal, using CFHTLenS galaxy ellipticities, from stacked filaments between SDSS-III/BOSS luminous red galaxies (LRGs). As a control, we compare the physical LRG pairs with projected LRG pairs that are more widely separated in redshift space. We detect the excess filament mass density in the projected pairs at the $5\sigma$ level, finding a mass of $(1.6 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{13} M_{\odot}$ for a stacked filament region 7.1 $h^{-1}$ Mpc long and 2.5 $h^{-1}$ Mpc wide. This filament signal is compared with a model based on the three-point galaxy-galaxy-convergence correlation function, as developed in Clampitt, Jain & Takada (2014), yielding reasonable agreement.
Adaptive space-time-frequency coding schemes for MIMO OFDM

In this paper, some novel results on adaptive space-time-frequency (STF) coding schemes for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) OFDM systems are illustrated. Such schemes result from the concatenation of conventional channel codes with orthogonal space-time block codes (STBCs). In the proposed channel codes, adaptivity can be implemented by adjusting the constellation/energy of the inner STBC code on a subcarrier by subcarrier basis via a space-frequency water-filling procedure and/or modifying some parameters, like the code rate and codeword size, of the outer code. Numerical results show that, in a MIMO OFDM systems with one or two receive antennas, using Alamouti's STBC, and without outer coding, STBC adaptivity can yield an appreciable energy gain over an unloaded system operating at the some data rate. The use of an additional outer code can provide a further substantial gain, at least for high signal-to-noise ratios.
Ein Beschleunigungstraining Bewegungsgeschwindigkeit bei älteren Frauen

Ergebnisse: Nach 24 Wochen erhöhte sich die isometrische und dynamische Kraft der Beinstrecker in der PP-Gruppe um + 15,0 % bzw. 16,1 % Gruppe konnten ebenfalls statistisch signifikante Verbesserungen festgestellt werden (+ 18,4 % bzw. 13,9 %). signifikante Steigerung der Bewegungs geschwindigkeit der Kniestrecker konnte bei geringen Widerständen nur in der Gruppe festgestellt werden (+ 7,4 % bzw. + 6,3 %). Die Sprunghöhe beim CMJ (Sprung mit Ausholbewegung) konnte in der PP-Gruppe um 19,4 % und in der Gruppe um 12,9 % gesteigert werden.
Constrained adaptation algorithms employing Householder transformation

This paper presents a tutorial-like detailed explanation of linearly constrained minimum-variance filtering in order to introduce an efficient implementation that utilizes Householder transformation (HT). Through a graphical description of the algorithms, further insight on linearly constrained adaptive filters was made possible, and the main differences among several algorithms were highlighted. The method proposed herein, based on the HT, allows direct application of any unconstrained adaptation algorithm as in a generalized sidelobe canceller (GSC), but unlike the GSC, the HT-based approach always renders efficient implementations. A complete and detailed comparison with the GSC model and a thorough discussion of the advantages of the HT-based approach are also given. Simulations were run in a beamforming application where a linear array of 12 sensors was used. It was verified that not only the HT approach yields efficient implementation of constrained adaptive filters, but in addition, the beampatterns achieved with this method were much closer to the optimal solution than the beampatterns obtained with GSC models with similar computational complexity.
An Affine Projection Algorithm With Dynamic Selection of Input Vectors

We present a novel affine projection algorithm (APA) which dynamically selects input vectors in order to improve convergence performance. The optimum selection of the input vectors is derived by the largest decrease of the mean-square deviation. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has a fast convergence speed and a small steady-state error compared to the conventional APA. In addition, the proposed algorithm retains a low overall computational complexity.
Finger-Vein Image Enhancement Using a Fuzzy-Based Fusion Method with Gabor and Retinex Filtering

Because of the advantages of finger-vein recognition systems such as live detection and usage as bio-cryptography systems, they can be used to authenticate individual people. However, images of finger-vein patterns are typically unclear because of light scattering by the skin, optical blurring, and motion blurring, which can degrade the performance of finger-vein recognition systems. In response to these issues, a new enhancement method for finger-vein images is proposed. Our method is novel compared with previous approaches in four respects. First, the local and global features of the vein lines of an input image are amplified using Gabor filters in four directions and Retinex filtering, respectively. Second, the means and standard deviations in the local windows of the images produced after Gabor and Retinex filtering are used as inputs for the fuzzy rule and fuzzy membership function, respectively. Third, the optimal weights required to combine the two Gabor and Retinex filtered images are determined using a defuzzification method. Fourth, the use of a fuzzy-based method means that image enhancement does not require additional training data to determine the optimal weights. Experimental results using two finger-vein databases showed that the proposed method enhanced the accuracy of finger-vein recognition compared with previous methods.
Parents' views and experiences when their preschool child is identified as overweight: a qualitative study in primary care.

BACKGROUND Prevalence of overweight in children has increased significantly in many countries in the past decades. Few parents identify their own children as overweight, especially very young children. Motivating parents is difficult, and interventions to attain normal weight often fail. OBJECTIVE To explore parents' views and experiences when health professionals identify their preschool child as overweight. METHODS In-depth interviews were held with parents of 10 overweight children aged 2.5-5.5 years. Parents were recruited at well child clinics in rural parts of eastern Norway. Interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. RESULTS Parents presented themselves and their toddlers as vulnerable. To protect their child from developing low self-esteem and eating disorders, some parents preferred their child not to be present when discussing overweight. Growth charts were looked upon as objective and useful. Parents talked readily about their own weight experiences. Being overweight themselves represented both a barrier to, and motivation for, dealing with their toddler's overweight. Parents appreciated support from professionals in kindergarten, but grandparents often undermined the parents' effort to make changes. CONCLUSIONS Early childhood overweight should be addressed in a sensitive and respectful manner and should consider whether the index child should be present during discussion. It may be helpful for clinicians to discuss parents' own weight and dieting experiences and concerns about eating disorders. All the child's caretakers should be considered a target for intervention, and grandparents and kindergarten professionals should be included.
Spatial Bridges and the Spread of Chlamydia: The Case of a County in Sweden

Objectives: The so-called small-world effect can have a great impact on efforts to control the incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections. This is because a small number of so-called spatial bridgers (individuals who, through sexual contacts, interconnect geographically distant areas) can drastically lower the average path length in the sexual network and, as a result, make locally based intervention programs much less effective. The objectives of this study were to analyze the sociodemographic characteristics of these bridgers and to compare the result with the remaining study population. The purpose was to determine whether it is possible to identify them for targeted intervention programs. Study Design: During 2001, contact tracing was performed in approximately 98% of all cases with positive test results in Värmland County. The sexual networks obtained constituted a study population of 851 individuals. Statistical analysis was used to characterize individuals engaged in spatial bridging behavior. Results: Approximately 8% of the study population was characterized as spatial bridgers. Using multivariate analysis, we found almost no significant differences between these individuals and the rest of the study population when it came to sociodemographic variables, including education, economy, and ethnicity. Conclusion: The number of spatial bridgers is high enough to create a small-world network with links that can fuel the endemic chlamydia in Värmland County. Sociodemographic information could not be used to characterize spatial bridgers. In interventions against chlamydia, spatial bridgers shall be considered as potentially important for sustaining the disease.
Cell association method for multiband heterogeneous networks

In traditional heterogeneous cellular networks (Het-Net), base stations (BS) basically associate users based on received signal power. However, in the case of multiband HetNet, in which macro BSs and smallcell BSs use different frequency bands, this conventional cell association method is not effective because there is no interference between macro BSs and smallcell BSs. Additionally, there are huge differences in coverage and available bandwidth. These differences cause inefficient association which causes the imbalance between achievable rate and traffic demand. In order to overcome this problem, we propose a novel cell association method based on the combinatorial optimization. The proposed method considers achievable rates, traffic demands and the number of users belonging to each BSs simultaneously. Numerical simulation results show that the proposed association method achieves system rate gain twice as high as the conventional one.
Transgender, Transsexual, and Gender Queer Individuals with a Christian Upbringing: The Process of Resolving Conflict Between Gender Identity and Faith

Individuals who identify as transgender, transsexual, or gender queer and Christian can face a unique set of challenges in attempting to integrate their faith and gender identity. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the process by which individuals with a Christian upbringing resolve conflict between their gender identity and religious beliefs. Analysis of interview transcripts revealed a model with the following fluid stages: experiencing gender socialization, having conflicts between views of self and socialized gender, defying gender norms, exploring gender and religious identities, and continually resolving issues as they arise. The article concludes with theoretical and practical implications.
CarbAcineto NP Test for Rapid Detection of Carbapenemase-Producing Acinetobacter spp

ABSTRACT Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates, particularly those that produce carbapenemases, are increasingly reported worldwide. The biochemically based Carba NP test, extensively validated for the detection of carbapenemase producers among Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. , has been modified to detect carbapenemase production in Acinetobacter spp. A collection of 151 carbapenemase-producing and 69 non-carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter spp. were tested using the Carba NP test and a modified Carba NP protocol (the CarbAcineto NP test) in this study. The CarbAcineto NP test requires modified lysis conditions and an increased bacterial inoculum compared to those of the original Carba NP test. The Carba NP test detects metallo-β-lactamase producers but failed to detect the production of other carbapenemase types among Acinetobacter spp. In contrast, the newly designed CarbAcineto NP test, which is rapid and reproducible, detects all types of carbapenemases with a sensitivity of 94.7% and a specificity of 100%. This cost-effective technique offers a reliable and affordable technique for identifying carbapenemase production in Acinetobacter spp. , which is a marker of multidrug resistance in those species. Its use will facilitate the recognition of these carbapenemases and prevent their spread.
Are Conciliatory Views of Disagreement Self-Defeating?

Conciliatory views of disagreement are an intuitive class of views on the epistemic significance of disagreement. Such views claim that making conciliation is often required upon discovering that another disagrees with you. One of the chief objections to these views of the epistemic significance of disagreement is that they are self-defeating. Since, there are disagreements about the epistemic significance of disagreement, such views can be turned on themselves, and this has been thought to be problematic. In this paper, I examine several different incarnations of this objection and defend conciliatory views of disagreement from each of them, while making a modification regarding how such views should be understood.
Role of Family Background, Student Behaviors, and School-Related Beliefs in Predicting High School Dropout

ABSTRACT The authors' purpose was to test a parsimonious model derived from social cognitive career theory (R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994) and expectancy value theory (J. S. Eccles & A. Wigfield, 2002) that integrates groups of variables (demographic background, student behaviors, and school-related beliefs) with the goal of predicting high school dropout in a nationally representative sample of 15,753 high school students. Structural equation modeling was used to test the effect of the various predictors on students' dropout status 2 years later. The model fit the data very well, and the results indicated that socioeconomic status, academic performance, parental involvement, and absenteeism were most predictive of high school dropout. In contrast, social cognitive constructs (self-efficacy and subjective task value) added little explanatory power. Implications for high school dropout prevention programs are discussed.
A Memory Fuzzy Learning for Uncertainty Management in Disassembly

Disassembly is of increasing importance in material and product recovery. However, this process is fraught with many uncertainties (e.g., variations in product structure and condition). In our previous work, such dynamics in disassembly process planning were addressed through an adaptive fuzzy system and associated algorithms. Building upon the work, this paper presents an enhanced fuzzy learning algorithm with variable memory length to ensure the robustness of the adaptation procedure. The proposed methodology and algorithm are illustrated via the disassembly of a batch of flashlights in a prototypical disassembly system
Endothelial Keratoplasty: The Influence of Preoperative Donor Endothelial Cell Densities on Dislocation, Primary Graft Failure, and 1-Year Cell Counts

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if an association exists between preoperative donor central endothelial cell density (ECD) and the complications of donor dislocation, iatrogenic primary graft failure (IPGF), and endothelial survival at 1 year after endothelial keratoplasty (EK) surgery. Methods: A prospective, nonrandomized, interventional case study was conducted evaluating 629 consecutive EK procedures. The preoperative donor ECD was recorded for each case. The mean preoperative ECD of the group of EK cases with postoperative donor dislocation was compared with the mean ECD of the group of EK cases that did not suffer donor dislocation. The subset of eyes that underwent Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) was also evaluated for dislocation, IPGF, and ECD at 1 year. Results: There were 31 eyes that suffered a dislocation in the overall group of 629 eyes (4.9% dislocation rate). The mean preoperative ECD of the donor tissue in this dislocation group was 2769 cells per square millimeter (range = 2147-3454 cells/mm2). The mean preoperative ECD of the donor tissue in the group that did not dislocate (n = 598) was 2818 cells per square millimeter (range = 2110-4209 cells/mm2). There was no significant difference in preoperative ECD between these groups (P = 0.428). There was a subset of 350 cases of DSAEK, of which 9 cases dislocated (2.6% dislocation rate). The mean preoperative ECD of the donor tissue in this dislocation group was 2604 cells per square millimeter (range = 2323-3175 cells/mm2), with 5 of the 9 dislocation donors with a preoperative ECD above 2500 cells per square millimeter. The mean preoperative ECD of the donor tissue in the group that did not dislocate (n = 341) was 2825 cells per square millimeter (range = 2110-4209 cells/mm2). There was no significant difference in preoperative ECD between these groups (P = 0.069). There was no significant correlation between preoperative ECD and the ECD at 1 year after DSAEK (n = 90; Pearson correlation = 0.184; P = 0.082). There were no IPGFs in the entire series of 350 consecutive DSAEK cases, and therefore, no statistical analysis is possible for IPGF. Conclusions: Preoperative donor ECD was not associated with donor dislocation for any form of EK surgery. Tissue with donor cell counts below 2500 cells per square millimeter can attach, and tissue with donor cell counts above 2500 cells per square millimeter can detach. Higher preoperative donor ECD was not correlated with higher ECD at 1 year postoperatively. Surgeons' requests for donor tissue with an ECD above 2500 cells per square millimeter for DSAEK surgery for the purpose of avoiding dislocations, IPGF, or improving 1-year ECD are not supported by this data.
A Diastereoselective Synthesis of Dispiro[oxindole-cyclohexanone]pyrrolidines by 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition

For the first time, arylmethylidene cyclohexanones that are non-symmetrical due to the presence of peripheral substituents were studied in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions. It is shown that the interaction with the azomethine ylide generated from sarcosine proceeds regio- and diastereoselectively, with the participation of two non-equivalent parts of the dipolarophile. Also for the first time, β-amino ketones (Mannich bases) were used as dipolarophile equivalents of unsaturated ketones. It was found that cycloaddition occurs diastereoselectively at the generated center.
Raising the Regional Leviathan: A Relational‐Materialist Conceptualization of Regions‐in‐Becoming as Publics‐in‐Stabilization

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the understanding of how spatial entities in general - and those spatial entities that are defined as 'regions' in particular - form, evolve and sometimes stabilize. Inspired by the scholarship of Noortje Marres, the article explores how regions-in-becoming may be gainfully conceptualized as publics-in-stabilization. In the article it is argued that some of the mechanisms involved in such processes pertain to how territorially framed issues sometimes become formulated as loosely articulated propositions for regionalization. These can, with time, generate emergent stakeholder communities, which in turn may become stabilized and delegated to more durable forms and materials which can eventually become naturalized as recognized regions. A suggested conceptual model is utilized to perform an analysis of empirical material from three contemporary processes of regionalization in Northern Europe with the purpose of examining and discussing some of the potential merits and shortcomings of the conceptual model. It is concluded that adopting the proposed perspective can enable scholars to highlight some of the mechanisms whereby vague and non-coherent propositions for regionalization within time may be singularized and stabilized to such a degree that they become taken for granted as naturalized spatialities.
Understanding risk factors for internalising and externalising symptoms in institution reared children in Saudi Arabia

This research utilised a multi-method approach to investigate risk factors that could lead to the development of psychopathology in institutionalised children in Saudi Arabia. Chapter 1 provided a cultural context for understanding reasons that lead to institutionalisation and attitudes towards these children. Chapter 2 outlined previous research that considered the negative impact of institutionalisation on development and Chapter 3 considered several frameworks that could explain adverse outcomes in this population. Chapter 4 presented a qualitative study that highlighted, following interviews with institutionalised children and their carers, that symptoms linked to externalising and internalising difficulties, as well as reports of behaviours to conceal their social status, were evident in children. The subsequent empirical chapters explored the presence of symptoms of psychopathology in institutionalised children compared to non-institutionalised peers, after having translated key questionnaires (linked to measurements of externalising and internalising symptoms, as well as self-concept, shame, stigma, and aggressive behaviours (Chapter 5). Chapter 6 found some evidence for perceptions of stigma in children, their carers, their teachers, and other teachers who had less familiarity of working with these groups of children. Chapters 7 and 8 used theoretical frameworks to demonstrate that children’s reported perceptions of stigma were associated with symptoms of depression and anger, and that this relationship was mediated for depression and anger by children’s reports of their feelings of shame (Chapter 7). In addition, it showed that social information processing models had some utility in understanding links between elevated reports of aggressive behaviours in children with endorsements of hostile behavioural response to hypothetical peers via increased interpretations of ambiguous (benign/hostile) hypothetical actions as hostile (Chapter 8). Chapter 9 summarised how these findings fit with and extend previous research. In addition, it suggested how the findings could be used to intervene to deliver educational interventions to reduce the negative attitudes towards the institutionalised children and to provide specialised training for individuals who work with children and adolescents in institutional care, and society more broadly.
Influence of childhood adversities and defense styles on the 1-year follow-up of psychosomatic- psychotherapeutic inpatient treatment

Abstract The current study explores the connection between reported sexual abuse and physical maltreatment during childhood and immature defense styles as affecting the 1-year follow-up of inpatients who had undergone psychodynamic group therapy. Early traumatization was assessed using a structured patient interview and the defense styles by means of the questionnaire on defense styles. Reduction in psychological distress and improvement in health-related quality of life formed the parameters against which success of treatment was measured. At the 1-year follow-up, the entire sample showed a distinct improvement. The effect sizes for health-related quality of life ranged from 0.82 to 1.21, and that for psychological distress was 0.81. Patients with early traumatization were significantly more impaired both before treatment and at follow-up; yet they profited from treatment to an extent comparable to patients without early traumatization. The quality of life among patients with highly immature defense styles compared with those with fewer immature defense styles was significantly lower, especially before the start of treatment; however, the former profited from treatment to a significantly higher degree.