Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GALAXY-SCALE STRONG-LENSING TESTS OF GRAVITY AND GEOMETRIC COSMOLOGY: CONSTRAINTS AND SYSTEMATIC LIMITATIONS

Galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses with measured stellar velocity dispersions allow a test of the weak-field metric on kiloparsec scales and a geometric measurement of the cosmological distance–redshift relation, provided that the mass-dynamical structure of the lensing galaxies can be independently constrained to a sufficient degree. We combine data on 53 galaxy-scale strong lenses from the Sloan Lens ACS Survey with a well-motivated fiducial set of lens-galaxy parameters to find (1) a constraint on the post-Newtonian parameter γ = 1.01 ± 0.05, and (2) a determination of ΩΛ = 0.75 ± 0.17 under the assumption of a flat universe. These constraints assume that the underlying observations and priors are free of systematic error. We evaluate the sensitivity of these results to systematic uncertainties in (1) total mass-profile shape, (2) velocity anisotropy, (3) light-profile shape, and (4) stellar velocity dispersion. Based on these sensitivities, we conclude that while such strong-lens samples can, in principle, provide an important tool for testing general relativity and cosmology, they are unlikely to yield precision measurements of γ and ΩΛ unless the properties of the lensing galaxies are independently constrained with substantially greater accuracy than at present.
Recent Developments in CAD/analysis Integration

For linear elastic problems, it is well-known that mesh generation dominates the total analysis time. Different types of methods have been proposed to directly or indirectly alleviate this burden associated with mesh generation. We review in this paper a subset of such methods centred on tighter coupling between computer aided design (CAD) and analysis (finite element or boundary element methods). We focus specifically on frameworks which rely on constructing a discretisation directly from the functions used to describe the geometry of the object in CAD. Examples include B-spline subdivision surfaces, isogeometric analysis, NURBS-enhanced FEM and parametric-based implicit boundary definitions. We review recent advances in these methods and compare them to other paradigms which also aim at alleviating the burden of mesh generation in computational mechanics.
Comparison of INTEGRATION , TSIS / CORSIM and WATSim in Replicating Volumes and Speeds on Three Small Networks

INTRODUCTION TSIS/CORSIM and WATSim are microscopic, integrated, simulation models. INTEGRATION, on the other hand, models only the aggregate speed-volume interactions of traffic and not the details of a vehicle's lane-changing and car-following behavior; thus, it is commonly classified as a mesoscopic integrated simulation model. INTEGRATION is a routing-oriented model for mixed networks (1,2); vehicles' trip origins, destinations and departure times are specified external to the model. INTEGRATION has been applied to several projects (e.g., 3,4,5), and the model itself is under continuous improvement. Version 2.0 (6) was used in our tests. TSIS/CORSIM (7) is a combination of two microscopic models, NETSIM and FRESIM. Within the earlier integrated traffic simulation system (TRAF), the freeway/urban street system, ABSTRACT INTEGRATION, TSIS/CORSIM, and WATSim can simulate traffic operations on arterials and freeways in an integrated fashion. This paper presents comparisons using three small networks in Honolulu for which detailed and simultaneous flow conditions are known from surveillance tapes. The models produced reasonable and comparable results on most of the tested network links. Of the three software, only INTEGRATION can simulate U-turns, but it also is least able to model complex signal operations. TSIS/CORSIM is best at replicating lane-changing behavior, but its percentile input for off-ramps is both inconvenient and inaccurate. WATSim needed the least calibration for producing good results, but its animation is inferior and its universal car-following parameters are undesirable. The experiments also revealed that in no case did the default parameters offer satisfactory results. 3 simulated with the combination of NETSIM and FRESIM, were composite rather than integrated networks. A Windows version of TSIS (Traffic Software Integrated System) was developed to provide an integrated, user-friendly, graphical user interface and environment for executing CORSIM. The authors participated in the TSIS/CORSIM beta-testing and this paper includes parts of the tests undertaken (the results are with the version released to the public in June 1997). NETSIM's applicability to freeway and ramp operations. Features include those in TRAF-NETSIM plus HOV configurations, light rail vehicles, toll plazas, path tracing, ramp metering, and real time simulation and animation (8). This paper presents comparisons of these models based on results from three small networks. Simulated throughputs were compared with actual volumes and speeds. Selected specifications for the data are given below. (1) Freeway volumes were counted from videotapes by using AUTOSCOPE and by manually checking selected ramps and mainline segments. All freeway data used in the analyses are from …
On the Number of Perfect Matchings in Random Lifts

Let G be a fixed connected multigraph with no loops. A random n-lift of G is obtained by replacing each vertex of G by a set of n vertices (where these sets are pairwise disjoint) and replacing each edge by a randomly chosen perfect matching between the n-sets corresponding to the endpoints of the edge. Let XG be the number of perfect matchings in a random lift of G. We study the distribution of XG in the limit as n tends to infinity, using the small subgraph conditioning method. We present several results including an asymptotic formula for the expectation of XG when G is d-regular, d ≥ 3. The interaction of perfect matchings with short cycles in random lifts of regular multigraphs is also analysed. Partial calculations are performed for the second moment of XG, with full details given for two example multigraphs, including the complete graph K4. To assist in our calculations we provide a theorem for estimating a summation over multiple dimensions using Laplace's method. This result is phrased as a summation over lattice points, and may prove useful in future applications.
Physical Height in Pedophilic and Hebephilic Sexual Offenders

Adult men’s height reflects, not only their genetic endowment, but also the conditions that were present during their development in utero and in childhood. We compared the adult heights of men who committed one or more sexual offenses and who were erotically interested in prepubescent children (pedophilic sexual offenders; n = 223), those who were erotically interested in pubescent children (hebephilic sexual offenders; n = 615), and those who were erotically interested in adults (teleiophilic sexual offenders; n = 187), as well as men who had no known sexual offenses and who were erotically interested in adults (teleiophilic nonoffender controls; n = 156). The pedophilic and the hebephilic sexual offenders were significantly shorter than the teleiophilic nonoffender controls. The teleiophilic sexual offenders were intermediate in height between the nonoffenders and the pedophilic and hebephilic sexual offenders and not significantly different from any of the other groups. This suggests that—regardless of whatever psychological sequelae might also have followed from the conditions present during early development—pedophilic and hebephilic sexual offenders were subject to conditions capable of affecting their physiological development.
Brain edema formation after brain injury, shock, and resuscitation: effects of venous and arterial pressure.

BACKGROUND Recent work suggests that increased intracranial pressure (ICP) following brain injury and shock is related to increased central venous pressure (CVP) following resuscitation. OBJECTIVE To analyze the relationship of intravascular pressures to edema formation and ICP in an experimental model. METHODS In a porcine model of cryogenic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock, we studied CVP, mean arterial pressure (MAP), ICP, and cortical water content (CWC, as cortical specific gravity) at baseline (BL), 45 minutes after shock (H45), and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours (H) after resuscitation. Group 1 was the control group, group 2 brain injury only, group 3 shock only, and group 4 brain injury and shock. RESULTS Brain injury significantly increased ICP and CWC. Mean arterial pressure significantly correlated with ICP (r = 0.54, p = 0.02) and with CWC (r = -0.48, p = 0.03) in group 4 at 24H but not in the other groups at any time period. There was no significant correlation between CVP and ICP or CWC in any group at any time interval. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that brain edema formation in the injured hemisphere is related to MAP and not CVP, but variability in MAP accounts for only 29% of the variability in CWC and ICP, suggesting the importance of factors other than hydrostatic pressure in determining the amount of edema and the ICP after brain injury. Previous work demonstrating the significant correlation of polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration with ICP (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) and with CWC (r = -0.63, p < 0.001) suggests that inflammation may be one of these factors.
Sumoylation of LAP1 is involved in the HDAC4-mediated repression of COX-2 transcription

CEBPB, one of the CEBP family members, is a crucial regulator of gene expression during innate immunity, inflammatory responses and adipogenesis. In this study, the EGF-induced increase of CEBPB mRNA is shown to be coincident with the decrease of COX-2 mRNA. We identified that all of the individual CEBPB isoforms, LAP1, LAP2 and LIP, attenuate EGF-induced COX-2 promoter activity. Although increased sumoylation of both LAP1 and LAP2 is observed during the lagging stage of EGF treatment, only the sumoylated LAP1, but not the sumoylated LAP2, is responsible for COX-2 gene repression. In addition, EGF treatment can regulate the nucleocytoplasmic redistribution of HDAC4 and SUMO1. We further demonstrated by loss-of- and gain-of-function approaches that HDAC4 can be a negative regulator while inactivating COX-2 transcription. The sumoylation mutant LAP1, LAP1K174A, exhibits an attenuated ability to interact with HDAC4, and increased COX-2 promoter activity. Furthermore, the in vivo DNA binding assay demonstrated that LAP1K174A and CEBPDK120A, sumoylation-defective CEBPD mutants, attenuate the binding of HDAC4 on the COX-2 promoter. In light of the above, our data suggest that the suCEBPD and suLAP1 are involved in the repression of COX-2 transcription through the recruitment of HDAC4.
Dynamics of adherens junctions in epithelial establishment, maintenance, and remodeling

The epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin)–catenin complex binds to cytoskeletal components and regulatory and signaling molecules to form a mature adherens junction (AJ). This dynamic structure physically connects neighboring epithelial cells, couples intercellular adhesive contacts to the cytoskeleton, and helps define each cell’s apical–basal axis. Together these activities coordinate the form, polarity, and function of all cells in an epithelium. Several molecules regulate AJ formation and integrity, including Rho family GTPases and Par polarity proteins. However, only recently, with the development of live-cell imaging, has the extent to which E-cadherin is actively turned over at junctions begun to be appreciated. This turnover contributes to junction formation and to the maintenance of epithelial integrity during tissue homeostasis and remodeling.
Chordoid Glioma: Ten Years of a Low-Grade Tumor with High Morbidity

We report two new cases of chordoid glioma of the third ventricle and review all previously published cases of this rare tumor with regard to presentation, optimum management, and outcome. Two new cases are reported with the radiological and histopathologic findings. We searched and cross-referenced PubMed and published reports of this tumor to retrieve an additional 51 cases of this tumor, which were then analyzed according to a proforma. Chordoid glioma has consistent radiological features, although some atypical elements including a cystic component are well described. The insidious presentation and morbidity of attempted surgical resection combine to give high overall morbidity. There is a high incidence of postoperative thromboembolic disturbance. Adjuvant radiosurgery has a promising role. The morbidity of this condition is likely to remain high but may be minimized by a less aggressive surgical approach together with surveillance and early use of radiosurgery.
False-Positive Results in Mammographic Screening for Breast Cancer in Europe: A Literature Review and Survey of Service Screening Programmes

Objective To estimate the cumulative risk of a false-positive screening result in European mammographic screening programmes, and examine the rates and procedures of further assessment. Methods A literature review was conducted to identify studies of the cumulative risk of a false-positive result in European screening programmes (390,000 women). We then examined aggregate data, cross-sectional information about further assessment procedures among women with positive results in 20 mammographic screening programmes from 17 countries (1.7 million initial screens, 5.9 million subsequent screens), collected by the European Network for Information on Cancer project (EUNICE). Results The estimated cumulative risk of a false-positive screening result in women aged 50–69 undergoing 10 biennial screening tests varied from 8% to 21% in the three studies examined (pooled estimate 19.7%). The cumulative risk of an invasive procedure with benign outcome ranged from 1.8% to 6.3% (pooled estimate 2.9%). The risk of undergoing surgical intervention with benign outcome was 0.9% (one study only). From the EUNICE project, the proportions of all screening examinations in the programmes resulting in needle biopsy were 2.2% and 1.1% for initial and subsequent screens, respectively, though the rates differed between countries; the corresponding rates of surgical interventions among women without breast cancer were 0.19% and 0.07%. Conclusion The specific investigative procedures following a recall should be considered when examining the cumulative risk of a false-positive screening result. Most women with a positive screening test undergo a non-invasive assessment procedure. Only a small proportion of recalled women undergo needle biopsy, and even fewer undergo surgical intervention.
Influence of HLA-DRB1 and TNF microsatellite polymorphisms on the expression of extraarticular manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis patients from northwest Spain.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether extraarticular manifestations (EAM) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from northwest (NW) Spain are associated with particular HLA-DRB1 alleles and/or TNF microsatellite polymorphisms. METHODS The frequencies of HLA-DRB1 alleles and TNF microsatellite polymorphisms were compared between RA patients with and without extraarticular disease in a population from Lugo, NW Spain. HLA-DRB1 and TNF typing were carried out using molecular based methods on 181 clinic-based RA patients and 145 healthy controls. Associations were investigated using Chi-square analyses or Fisher's exact test. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate independent and interactive effects of HLA and TNF alleles. RESULTS The frequencies of HLA-DRB1 and TNF microsatellite polymorphisms in patients with EAM were not significantly different from those without extraarticular disease, although an association between HLA-DRB1*0101 and nodular disease approached significance (p = 0.054). There was no evidence for an increased frequency of homozygous or heterozygous combinations of disease associated DRB1 alleles in RA patients with EAM. The TNF a8 microsatellite allele was found at a higher frequency (6.9%) in patients with EAM compared to those without EAM (1.8%), and controls (1.5%) (p = 0.03 and 0.02, respectively). However significance was lost after correction for multiple testing. No evidence was foundfor an interaction between HLA-DRB1 and TNF alleles being associated with the expression of EAM. CONCLUSION In an RA population from NW Spain the frequencies of HLA-DRB1 and TNF microsatellite alleles in patients with extra-articular manifestations were not significantly different to those without extraarticular disease, although there was a trend towards increased frequency of HLA-DRB1*0101 in patients with nodular disease. There was no evidence for an interaction between HLA-DRB1 and TNF alleles in relation to the expression of EAM.
Multi-agent traffic simulation with CUDA

Today's graphics processing units (GPU) have tremendous resources when it comes to raw computing power. The simulation of large groups of agents in transport simulation has a huge demand of computation time. Therefore it seems reasonable to try to harvest this computing power for traffic simulation. Unfortunately simulating a network of traffic is inherently connected with random memory access. This is not a domain that the SIMD (single instruction, multiple data) architecture of GPUs is known to work well with. In this paper the authors will try to achieve a speedup by computing multi-agent traffic simulations on the graphics device using NVIDIA's CUDA framework.
Probabilistic planning vs replanning

A theoretical comparison of probabilistic planning and replanning techniques, in the context of the planning competition. Our main contribution is a baseline test for probabilistic interestingness, along with some examples of its application. We also attempt an analysis of the latest probabilistic competition problems, and suggest some improvements that could be made for future instances of the competition.
Monoclonal antibodies that recognize the P fimbriae F71, F72, F9, and F11 from uropathogenic Escherichia coli

The Escherichia coli P fimbriae F71, F72, F9, and F11 from four cloned strains were purified, and polyclonal antisera were raised in rabbits. Cross-reactions of these antisera with eight different cloned and purified fimbriae were measured in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These antisera showed a reaction with the homologous fimbriae and also with most heterologous fimbriae. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against the same four native fimbriae were produced by the fusion of spleen cells from immunized BALB/c mice with SP2/0 myeloma cells. The resulting four series of MAbs were also screened in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with eight different cloned and purified fimbriae. Four different F71 hybridomas produced MAbs which recognized only epitopes on F71 fimbriae. Two F72 MAbs recognized epitopes on F72 and F9 fimbriae, whereas another F72 MAb recognized an epitope on only F72 fimbriae. Three MAbs raised against F9 reacted only with epitopes on F9 fimbriae. Six MAbs against F11 fimbriae could be divided into two groups: on the one hand two MAbs recognizing F11, pyelonephritis-associated pilus, Pap, and F72 fimbriae and on the other hand four MAbs recognizing F11 and "Clegg" fimbriae. None of the MAbs reacted with 1A or 1C fimbriae. In a hemagglutination inhibition assay it was shown that none of the MAbs produced inhibited the adhesive properties of homologous cloned strains.
Tethered bone morphogenetic protein-2 onto sulfonated-polyrotaxane based surfaces promotes osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells

Abstract Sulfonated-polyrotaxane (PRX)-coated surfaces with tethered bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) were designed for inducing osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells (preosteoblasts). Sulfonated-PRX triblock copolymers composed of sulfopropyl ether-modified α-cyclodextrins (α-CDs) threaded onto a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain as a PRX segment and poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PBzMA) at both terminals of the PEG as anchoring segments were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. BMP-2 tethering on the PRX surfaces with a large number of threaded α-CDs was suitable for the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells, regardless of the presence or absence of sulfopropyl groups. However, the differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells according to mineralization assays and the gene expression levels of runt-related transcription factor 2, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin was markedly enhanced by BMP-2 tethering on the sulfonated-PRX surface. These results suggest that sulfonated-PRX surfaces can effectively promote the proliferation and induce the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells by the number of threaded α-CDs and tethered-BMP-2 using electrostatic interactions with sulfopropyl groups.
Smoldering medullary thyroid carcinoma liver metastasis 37 years after resection of an organ‐confined tumor

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is an uncommon thyroid tumor that usually behaves aggressively. After resection, serological surveillance for calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is used to prompt a radiographic search for metastatic disease. We report a case of a 65‐year‐old woman who presented with a large liver metastasis 37 years after she underwent thyroidectomy for organ‐confined MTC. Her clinical course over that time showed a smoldering pattern in which she was symptom free until presentation even though her serum calcitonin and CEA concentrations were elevated for 17 years, and a small equivocal radiographic lesion in the liver was detected 10 years prior to presentation. Cytopathology from an ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration of the hepatic lesion was diagnostic for metastatic MTC. This case highlights the ability for smoldering residual MTC to suddenly transform to aggressive biological behavior after a long period of clinical remission. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2015;43:45–48. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.