Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homogeneity of early-type galaxies across clusters

We studied the scatter across clusters of the color of the red sequence in are presentative and large sample of clusters (more than 200) detected on the Early Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (EDR-SDSS) in the redshift range 0.06<z<0.34. We found an extreme degree of homogeneity in the color of the red sequence (the intrinsic scatter is about 0.02 to 0.03 mag)suggesting that either galaxies on the red sequence formed a long time ago (z>2) or else their star formation is universally delayed with preservation of a small spread in age formation. The latter possibility is ruled out by the mere existence of galaxies at high redshift. While the old age of ellipticals was already been claimed for a small heterogeneous collection of clusters, most of which are rich ones, we found that it holds for a ten to one hundred larger sample, representative of all clusters and groups detected on the EDR-SDSS. Hence, we claim the possible universality of the color of the galaxies on the red sequence. Furthermore, the sample includes a large number of very poor clusters (also called groups), not studied in previous works, for which the hierarchical and monolithic scenarios of elliptical formation predict different colors for the brightest ellipticals. The observed red sequence color does not depend on cluster/group richness at a level of 0.02 mag, while a 0.23 mag effect is expected according to the hierarchical prediction. Therefore, the stellar population of red sequence galaxies is similar in clusters and groups, in spite of different halo histories. Finally, since the observed rest-frame color of the red sequence does not depend on environment and redshift, it can be used as a distance indicator, with an error σz=0.018, a few times better than the precision achieved by other photometric redshift estimates and twice better than the precision of the Fundamental Plane for a single galaxy at the median redshift of the EDR-SDSS.
Higher response time moments for M/M/1 discriminatory processor sharing queues

Obtaining response time moments in processor sharing (PS) queues is difficult due to serving of multiple jobs. Egalitarian PS (EPS) queues are limited to one class of arriving jobs. Discriminatory PS (DPS) assigns weights to different job classes and offers more diverse modeling capabilities than EPS. It is known that response time is the representative metric for delay as specified in service level agreements (SLAs), which consider higher moments important. Hence, we build an automated numerical algorithm for calculating higher moments of response time in M/M/1-DPS queues for multiple job classes and test two different case studies.
Rational cohomology of the moduli space of genus 4 curves

We compute the mixed Hodge structure on the rational cohomology of the moduli space of smooth genus 4 curves. Specifically, we prove that its Poincaré–Serre polynomial is 1 + t2u2 + t4u4 + t5u6. We show this by producing a stratification of the space, such that all strata are geometric quotients of complements of discriminants.
DIFFERENTIAL OPERATORS AND SPECTRAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF INVARIANT ENSEMBLES FROM THE CLASSICAL ORTHOGONAL POLYNOMIALS: THE DISCRETE CASE

– We examine the Charlier, Meixner, Krawtchouk and Hahn discrete orthogonal polynomial ensembles, deeply investigated by K. Johansson, using integration by parts for the underlying Markov operators, di ﬀ erential equations on Laplace transforms and moment equations. As for the matrix ensembles, equilibrium measures are described as limits of empirical spectral distributions. In particular, a new description of the equilibrium measures as adapted mixtures of the universal arcsine law with an independent uniform distribution is emphasized. Factorial moment identities on mean spectral measures may be used towards small deviation inequalities on the rightmost charges at the rate given by the Tracy-Widom asymptotics.
Keating on Building Contracts

This work incorporates recent legislative changes and case law, updated commentary on the JCT Forms of Contract and the ICE Conditions of Contract, plus a revised and expanded chapter on the European Economic Community. This edition includes coverage of the House of Lords decision in Henderson v. Merret Syndicates; and the Court of Appeal decisions in Trafalgar House Construction v. General Surety, Perar BV v. General Surety and Guarantee Co, and Crown Estates Commissioners v. John Mowlem & Co.
Trimester Pattern of Change and Reference Ranges of Hematological Profile Among Sudanese Women with Normal Pregnancy

Trimester specific reference ranges of hematological indices were described in several populations; however, comparable reports among Sudanese women with normal pregnancy are lacking. To evaluate trimester pattern of change and reference ranges of hematological profile among Sudanese women with normal pregnancy, we followed 143 women with singleton gestation since early pregnancy until the third trimester in Saad Abu-Alela Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan, during the period of January-December 2015. Obstetrics and medical history was gathered using questionnaire and hematological profile was investigated using hemo-analyser. The first, second and third trimester mean (SD) [5th-95th centile] of hematological profile were as follow: RBC counts 4.30 (0.36) [3.69-4.93], 4.35 (0.36) [3.69-4.93], 4.08 (0.44) [3.44-4.78] ×106/mm3; hemoglobin concentration 10.81 (1.22) [8.92-12.74], 10.62 (0.93) [9.00-12.10], 10.83 (1.13) [8.82-12.60] g/dL; hematocrit 35.38 (3.52) [30.12-40.30], 34.43 (2.51) [30.58-38.23], 35.17 (3.18) 29.66-40.04] %; WBC counts 7.69 (1.96) [4.36-11.20], 8.45 (1.97) [5.48-12.13], 8.36 (2.11) [5.00-11.96] ×103/mm3; platelet counts 278.02 (66.93) [182.6-418.0], 251.96 (64.17) [163.8-381.8], 238.36 (57.10) [150.4-346.2] ×103/mm3. The present study is the first to establish trimester specific, reference range for hematological profile among Sudanese women with normal pregnancy. The trimester reference range of RBC, WBC and platelets and other hematological indices are mostly parallel to international records.
Is Democracy Being Consolidated in Bhutan

This article examines the early years of democratization in the small Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. Once a reclusive country, Bhutan embarked on a gradual path of socioeconomic modernization and opening up to the rest of the world. A most significant step on that path was the decision to democratize. The first national democratic elections were held in 2007–2008. In 2013, the second national elections took place and marked an appropriate moment to assess the progress of democratization in Bhutan. This article not only analyzes the electoral experience but also evaluates what has occurred in other areas of democratization including the rule of law, accountability of government, civil society, and freedom of expression. The article concludes that Bhutan has made good progress in democratization on many fronts but that its trajectory is unique, reflecting the particular context of Bhutan and the overriding concern with stability in political and social life.
Rediscovering Voluntary Action: The Beat of a Different Drum

1. Introduction: Why The Theory and Practice of Voluntary Action Need Rethinking PART I: THE CONTEXT 2. Revisiting the Roots of Voluntary Action 3. The Invention of the Voluntary Sector and its Consequences 4. The Invention of Voluntary Work and its Consequences PART II: PRESSURES AND INFLUENCES 5. A Perilous Partnership? Voluntary Action and the State 6. Selling Out? Voluntary Action and the Market 7. The Hegemony of the Bureaucratic Model 8. The Pressure from Within PART III: ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES 9. Ownership and Control 10. What Are Voluntary Organisations For? 11. The Fallacies of Managerialism 12. Towards a 'Round Earth' Map of Volunteering 13. Dissenting Voices: The Case of the National Coalition for Independent Action PART IV: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 14. The Paradox of Sectorisation 15. Towards An Alternative Paradigm 16. The Implications of Rethinking Voluntary Action
Stochastic Volatility Jump‐Diffusions for European Equity Index Dynamics

Major research on equity index dynamics has investigated only US indices (usually the S&P 500) and has provided contradictory results. In this paper a clarification and extension of that previous research is given. We find that European equity indices have quite different dynamics from the S&P 500. Each of the European indices considered may be satisfactorily modelled using either an affine model with price and volatility jumps or a GARCH volatility process without jumps. The S&P 500 dynamics are much more difficult to capture in a jump-diffusion framework.
Fluid intelligence loss linked to restricted regions of damage within frontal and parietal cortex

Tests of fluid intelligence predict success in a wide range of cognitive activities. Much uncertainty has surrounded brain lesions producing deficits in these tests, with standard group comparisons delivering no clear result. Based on findings from functional imaging, we propose that the uncertainty of lesion data may arise from the specificity and complexity of the relevant neural circuit. Fluid intelligence tests give a characteristic pattern of activity in posterolateral frontal, dorsomedial frontal, and midparietal cortex. To test the causal role of these regions, we examined fluid intelligence in 80 patients with focal cortical lesions. Damage to each of the proposed regions predicted fluid intelligence loss, whereas damage outside these regions was not predictive. The results suggest that coarse group comparisons (e.g., frontal vs. posterior) cannot show the neural underpinnings of fluid intelligence tests. Instead, deficits reflect the extent of damage to a restricted but complex brain circuit comprising specific regions within both frontal and posterior cortex.
Heterogeneous technology mapping for area reduction in FPGAs withembedded memory arrays

It has become clear that large embedded configurable memory arrays will be essential in future field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Embedded arrays provide high-density high-speed implementations of the storage parts of circuits, Unfortunately, they require the FPGA vendor to partition the device into memory and logic resources at manufacture-time. This leads to a waste of chip area for customers that do not use all of the storage provided. This chip area need not be wasted, and can in fact be used very efficiently, if the arrays are configured as multioutput ROMs, and used to implement logic, In this paper, we describe two versions of a new technology mapping algorithm that identifies parts of circuits that can be efficiently mapped to an embedded array and performs this mapping, The first version of the algorithm places no constraints on the depth of the final circuit; on a set of 29 sequential and combinational benchmarks, the tool is able to map, on average, 59.7 4-LUTs into a single 2-Kbit memory array, while increasing the critical path by 7%, The second version of the algorithm places a constraint on the depth of the final circuit; it maps, on average, 56.7 4-LUTs into the same memory array, while increasing the critical path by only 2.3%. This paper also considers the effect of the memory array architecture on the ability of the algorithm to pack logic into memory, It is shown that the algorithm performs best when each array has between 512 and 2048 bits, and has a word width that can be configured as 1, 2, 4, or 8.
Does Cutting Back the Public Sector Improve Efficiency? Some Evidence from 15 European Countries

The successful development of the welfare state that transpired for three decades after WWII in the developed countries, came to a halt around the end of the 1980s. Since then, the number of articles and books dedicated to the crisis of the welfare state has increased. We can now assert that at the turn of the century, almost all industrialized countries had cut at least “some” entitlements in their welfare program along with other expenditure items, and the trend continued in the first decade of this century. To defend the cuts and possibly to justify continuing cuts, several economic reasons, both theoretical and empirical, have been highlighted. From mention of Baumol’s disease to the fiscal crisis, the support for making such decisions by governments gained momentum, with their political inspiration changing during the same period in favor of more conservative, right-wing positions. The low productivity of the public sector and the high level of tax burden were the substantial arguments used to support cuts. The aim of this paper is to provide an empirical investigation into the impact of retrenchment of the public sector on the performance of 15 European countries. In particular, we aim to empirically test the view that “big government” reduces a country's efficiency. We have found that no such empirical support exists. We have also included analysis of the distribution of income through the Gini index and have found the standard trade-off relation between inequality and efficiency.
Matrix metalloproteinase 13‐containing exosomes promote nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is an endemic type of head and neck cancer with a high rate of cervical lymph node metastasis. Metastasis is the major cause of death in NPC patients. Increasing evidence indicates that exosomes play a pivotal role in promoting cancer metastasis by enhancing angiogenesis and ECM degradation. Matrix metalloproteinase 13 is an important kind of matrix proteinase that is often overexpressed in various tumors and increases the risk of metastasis. However, little is known about the potential role of MMP13‐containing exosomes in NPC. In this study, we found that MMP13 was overexpressed in NPC cells and exosomes purified from conditioned medium (CM) as well as NPC patients’ plasma. Transwell analysis revealed that MMP13‐containing exosomes facilitated the metastasis of NPC cells. Furthermore, siRNA inhibited the effect of MMP13‐containing exosomes on tumor cells metastasis as well as angiogenesis. The current findings provided novel insight into the vital role of MMP13‐containing exosomes in NPC progression which might offer unique insights for potential therapeutic strategies for NPC progressions.
DNA Priming for Seasonal Influenza Vaccine: A Phase 1b Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background The efficacy of current influenza vaccines is limited in vulnerable populations. DNA vaccines can be produced rapidly, and may offer a potential strategy to improve vaccine immunogenicity, indicated by studies with H5 influenza DNA vaccine prime followed by inactivated vaccine boost. Methods Four sites enrolled healthy adults, randomized to receive 2011/12 seasonal influenza DNA vaccine prime (n=65) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (n=66) administered intramuscularly with Biojector. All subjects received the 2012/13 seasonal inactivated influenza vaccine, trivalent (IIV3) 36 weeks after the priming injection. Vaccine safety and tolerability was the primary objective and measurement of antibody response by hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) was the secondary objective. Results The DNA vaccine prime-IIV3 boost regimen was safe and well tolerated. Significant differences in HAI responses between the DNA vaccine prime and the PBS prime groups were not detected in this study. Conclusion While DNA priming significantly improved the response to a conventional monovalent H5 vaccine in a previous study, it was not effective in adults using seasonal influenza strains, possibly due to pre-existing immunity to the prime, unmatched prime and boost antigens, or the lengthy 36 week boost interval. Careful optimization of the DNA prime-IIV3 boost regimen as related to antigen matching, interval between vaccinations, and pre-existing immune responses to influenza is likely to be needed in further evaluations of this vaccine strategy. In particular, testing this concept in younger age groups with less prior exposure to seasonal influenza strains may be informative. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01498718
Human resource development (HRD) for performance management: The case of Nepalese organizations

Purpose - A firm's competitiveness depends on its capacity to manage performance and improve the development of the skills and competencies of employees – creating a learning environment. Although the Nepalese economy has embraced an open market policy and is attempting to join the global market, competitive advantage is being hindered by a failure to address human resource development (HRD) and by poor performance management (PM) practices. This paper seeks to address this issue. Design/methodology/approach - The research article raises three research questions: What is the concept of PM – how does it relate to HRD? What is the PM and HRD context and what are the associated issues in Nepalese organizations? and How could new structure and roles improve HRD for PM? In order to answer these research questions Anglo-Saxon and Nepalese literature is reviewed. Findings - In order to manage PM in Nepalese organizations a clear link between organizational objectives and outcomes should be established by developing a human capital base in organizations. HRD professionals help to integrate HRD functions and organizational objectives by creating a learning environment. Research limitations/implications - The study is not survey-based and thus information is largely collected from published literature rather than perceptions of employees, management and labour unions and the authenticity of the prescribed four-column-model is yet to be tested. Originality/value - A four-column model comprising HRD and PM context, PM issues, HRD issues, and the new HRD structure and functions is developed and can be used as a framework for undertaking future research. This framework is the main contribution of the paper.
Food patterns associated with blood lipids are predictive of coronary heart disease: the Whitehall II study

Analysis of the epidemiological effects of overall dietary patterns offers an alternative approach to the investigation of the role of diet in CHD. We analysed the role of blood lipid-related dietary patterns using a two-step method to confirm the prospective association of dietary pattern with incident CHD. Analysis is based on 7314 participants of the Whitehall II study. Dietary intake was measured using a 127-item FFQ. Reduced rank regression (RRR) was used to derive dietary pattern scores using baseline serum total and HDL-cholesterol, and TAG levels as dependent variables. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to confirm the association between dietary patterns and incident CHD (n 243) over 15 years of follow-up. Increased CHD risk (hazard ratio (HR) for top quartile: 2·01 (95 % CI 1·41, 2·85) adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity and energy misreporting) was observed with a diet characterised by high consumption of white bread, fried potatoes, sugar in tea and coffee, burgers and sausages, soft drinks, and low consumption of French dressing and vegetables. The diet–CHD relationship was attenuated after adjustment for employment grade and health behaviours (HR for top quartile: 1·81; 95 % CI 1·26, 2·62), and further adjustment for blood pressure and BMI (HR for top quartile: 1·57; 95 % CI 1·08, 2·27). Dietary patterns are associated with serum lipids and predict CHD risk after adjustment for confounders. RRR identifies dietary patterns using prior knowledge and focuses on the pathways through which diet may influence disease. The present study adds to the evidence that diet is an important risk factor for CHD.
Epistasis and the Evolution of Antimicrobial Resistance

The fitness effects of a mutation can depend, sometimes dramatically, on genetic background; this phenomenon is often referred to as “epistasis. ” Epistasis can have important practical consequences in the context of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). For example, genetic background plays an important role in determining the costs of resistance, and hence in whether resistance will persist in the absence of antibiotic pressure. Furthermore, interactions between resistance mutations can have important implications for the evolution of multi-drug resistance. I argue that there is a need to better characterize the extent and nature of epistasis for mutations and horizontally transferred elements conferring AMR, particularly in clinical contexts. Furthermore, I suggest that epistasis should be an important consideration in attempts to slow or limit the evolution of AMR.
Regulatory mechanism of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate is mediated by nuclear factor-κB and inhibits neutrophil accumulation in ARDS mice

The aim of the present study was to investigate the regulatory mechanism of nuclear factor (NF)-κB on polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) accumulation and the inflammatory response in lung tissues with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as well as the therapeutic effect of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). Mouse models of ARDS were established by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). BALB/c mice were divided into control, LPS and PDTC + LPS groups. The expression of PMN adhesion molecules, CD11b/CD18 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), were detected by immunohistochemistry, while the protein expression levels of NF-κB p65 in the lung tissue were analyzed by western blot analysis. In addition, flow cytometry was used to investigate the apoptosis rate of PMNs in the bronchoalveolar fluid, and the expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were also determined. Following an intraperitoneal injection of LPS, alveolar septum rupture, pulmonary interstitial hyperemia and PMN infiltration in the alveolar was observed. The protein expression of p65 in the pulmonary cytoplasm decreased, while the expression of p65 in the nucleus increased. The levels of IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α increased and the high expression status was maintained for 24 h. As the time increased, CD11b/CD18 and ICAM-1 expression increased, as well as MPO activity, while the apoptosis of PMNs was delayed. Compared with the LPS group, the expression of p65 in the pulmonary cytoplasm and the PMN apoptosis rate increased following PDTC intervention, while the expression of p65 in the nucleus decreased, as well as the expression levels of the cytokines and MPO activity. Therefore, PDTC reduced the production of inflammatory cytokines via the NF-κB pathway, which reduced the activation of PMNs in the lung tissue and promoted PMN apoptosis.
On an efficient numerical method for modeling sea ice dynamics

A computationally efficient numerical method for the solution of nonlinear sea ice dynamics models employing viscous-plastic rheologies is presented. The method is based on a semi-implicit decoupling of the x and y ice momentum equations into a form having better convergence properties than the coupled equations. While this decoupled form also speeds up solutions employing point relaxation methods, a line successive overrelaxation technique combined with a tridiagonal matrix solver procedure was found to converge particularly rapidly. The procedure is also applicable to the ice dynamics equations in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates which are given in explicit form for the special case of spherical coordinates.