Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implementation of a new urban energy budget scheme in the MetUM. Part I: Description and idealized simulations

This paper describes the formulation of a new urban scheme, MORUSES (Met Office–Reading Urban Surface Exchange Scheme) for use in the Met Office Unified Model. The implementation of the new scheme ensures that (1) the new scheme offers more flexibility in the parametrization of the building properties, and hence provides a more realistic representation of the fluxes; (2) the bulk outputs are in satisfactory agreement with previous observational studies; and (3) the impact of the new scheme on the energy balance fluxes is similar to the impact of the current urban scheme when set up to mimic it. As well as having a better physical basis, MORUSES also gains in flexibility in applications and adaptations to different urban materials as well as urban planning. The new scheme represents the urban area as a composition of two tiles, a canyon and a roof, using a simple 2D geometry. Sensitivity analysis to canyon geometry and thickness of the roof canopy emphasizes the gain in flexibility captured by the new scheme. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society and Crown Copyright
Comparison of assisted reproductive technology outcomes in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome: In vitro maturation, GnRH agonist, and GnRH antagonist cycles

Objective We compared the assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes among infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) treated with IVM, conventional IVF, GnRH agonist, and GnRH antagonist cycles. Methods The prospective study included a total of 67 cycles in 61 infertile women with PCOS. The women with PCOS were randomized into three IVF protocols: IVM/IVF with FSH and hCG priming with immature oocyte retrieval 38 hours later (group A, 14 cycles), GnRH agonist long protocol (group B, 14 cycles), and GnRH antagonist multi-dose flexible protocol (group C, 39 cycles). IVF outcomes, such as clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), implantation rate (IR), miscarriage rate (MR), and live birth rate (LBR), were compared among the three groups. Results Age, BMI, and basal FSH and LH levels did not differ among the three groups. The number of retrieved oocytes and 2 pronucleus embryos was significantly lower in group A compared with groups B and C. The CPR, IR, MR, and LBR per embryo transfer showed no differences among the three groups. There was no incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in group A. Conclusion The IR, MR, and LBR in the IVM cycles were comparable to those of the GnRH agonist and GnRH antagonist cycles. The IVM protocol, FSH and hCG priming with oocyte retrieval 38 hours later, is an effective ART option that is comparable with conventional IVF for infertile women with PCOS.
Effects of swelling agents on the crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of polyamide 6/clay nanocomposites

Montomorillonite was organically modified with three different swelling agents: n-dodecylamine, 12-aminolauric acid, and 1,12-diaminodecane. These organoclays and polyamide 6 (PA6) were blended in a formic acid solution. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the clay still retained its layer structure in the PA6/clay nanocomposite. Consequently, these materials were intercalated nanocomposites. The effects of the swelling agent and organoclay content on the crystallization behavior of the PA6/clay nanocomposites were studied with differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that the position and width of the exothermic peak of the PA6/clay nanocomposites were changed during the nonisothermal crystallization process. The clay behaved as a nucleating agent and enhanced the crystallization rate of PA6.The crystallinity of PA6 decreased with an increasing clay content. Different swelling agents also affected the crystallization behavior of PA6. The effects of the type and content of the swelling agent on the tensile and flexural properties of PA6/clay nanocomposites were also investigated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1686–1693, 2003
Acute Surgical Anemia Influences the Cardioprotective Effects of &bgr;-Blockade: A Single-center, Propensity-matched Cohort Study

Background:Despite decreasing cardiac events, perioperative &bgr;-blockade also increases perioperative stroke and mortality. Major bleeding and/or hypotension are independently associated with these outcomes. To investigate the hypothesis that &bgr;-blockade limits the cardiac reserve to compensate for acute surgical anemia, the authors examined the relationship between cardiac events and acute surgical anemia in patients with and without &bgr;-blockade. Methods:The records of all noncardiac, nontransplant surgical patients between March 2005 and June 2006 were retrospectively retrieved. The primary outcome was a composite that comprised myocardial infarction, nonfatal cardiac arrest, and in-hospital mortality (major adverse cardiac event). The lowest recorded hemoglobin in the first 3 days defined nadir hemoglobin. Propensity scores estimating the probability of receiving a perioperative &bgr;-blocker were used to match (1:1) patients who did or did not receive &bgr;-blockers postoperatively. The relationship between nadir hemoglobin and major adverse cardiac event was then assessed. Results:This analysis identified 4,387 patients in whom nadir hemoglobin could be calculated; 1,153 (26%) patients were administered &bgr;-blockers within the first 24 h of surgery. Propensity scores created 827 matched pairs that were well balanced for all measured confounders. Major adverse cardiac event occurred in 54 (6.5%) &bgr;-blocked patients and in 25 (3.0%) &bgr;-blocker naive patients (relative risk 2.38; 95% CI 1.43–3.96; P = 0.0009). The restricted cubic spline relationship demonstrated that this difference was restricted to those patients in whom the hemoglobin decrease exceeded 35% of the baseline value. Conclusions:&bgr;-Blocked patients do not seem to tolerate surgical anemia when compared with patients who are naive to &bgr;-blockers. Prospective studies are required to validate these findings.
The MHC class II antigen presentation pathway in human monocytes differs by subset and is regulated by cytokines

Monocytes play a critical role in the innate and adaptive immune systems, performing phagocytosis, presenting antigen, and producing cytokines. They are a heterogeneous population that has been divided in humans into classical, intermediate, and non-classical subsets, but the roles of these subsets are incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of MHC class II (MHCII) and associated molecules and find that the intermediate monocytes express the highest levels of the MHC molecules, HLA-DR (tested in n = 30 samples), HLA-DP (n = 30), and HLA-DQ (n = 10). HLA-DM (n = 30), which catalyzes the peptide exchange on the MHC molecules, is also expressed at the highest levels in intermediate monocytes. To measure HLA-DM function, we measured levels of MHCII-bound CLIP (class II invariant chain peptide, n = 23), which is exchanged for other peptides by HLA-DM. We calculated CLIP:MHCII ratios to normalize CLIP levels to MHCII levels, and found that intermediate monocytes have the lowest CLIP:MHCII ratio. We isolated the different monocyte subsets (in a total of 7 samples) and analyzed their responses to selected cytokines as model of monocyte activation: two M1-polarizing cytokines (IFNγ, GM-CSF), an M2-polarizing cytokine (IL-4) and IL-10. Classical monocytes exhibit the largest increases in class II pathway expression in response to stimulatory cytokines (IFNγ, GM-CSF, IL-4). All three subsets decrease HLA-DR levels after IL-10 exposure. Our findings argue that intermediate monocytes are the most efficient constitutive antigen presenting subset, that classical monocytes are recruited into an antigen presentation role during inflammatory responses and that IL-10 negatively regulates this function across all subsets.
Particle aggregation in microgravity: Informal experiments on the International Space Station

We conducted experiments in space to investigate the aggregation of millimeter‐ and submillimeter‐sized particles in microgravity, an important early step in planet formation. Particulate materials included salt (NaCl), sugar (sucrose), coffee, mica, ice, Bjurböle chondrules, ordinary and carbonaceous chondrite meteorite fragments, and acrylic and glass beads, all triply confined in clear plastic containers. Angular submillimeter particles rapidly and spontaneously formed clusters strong enough to survive turbulence in a protoplanetary nebula. Smaller particles generally aggregated more strongly and quickly than larger ones. We observed only a weak dependence of aggregation time on particle number density. We observed no strong dependence on composition. Round, smooth particles aggregated weakly or not at all. In a mixture of particle types, some phases aggregated more readily than others, creating selection effects that controlled the composition of the growing clumps. The physical process of aggregation appears to be electrostatic in nature.
Low levels of HIV test coverage in clinical settings in the UK: a systematic review of adherence to 2008 guidelines

Objectives To quantify the extent to which guideline recommendations for routine testing for HIV are adhered to outside of genitourinary medicine (GUM), sexual health (SH) and antenatal clinics. Methods A systematic review of published data on testing levels following publication of 2008 guidelines was undertaken. Medline, Embase and conference abstracts were searched according to a predefined protocol. We included studies reporting the number of HIV tests administered in those eligible for guideline recommended testing. We excluded reports of testing in settings with established testing surveillance (GUM/SH and antenatal clinics). A random effects meta-analysis was carried out to summarise level of HIV testing across the studies identified. Results Thirty studies were identified, most of which were retrospective studies or audits of testing practice. Results were heterogeneous. The overall pooled estimate of HIV test coverage was 27.2% (95% CI 22.4% to 32%). Test coverage was marginally higher in patients tested in settings where routine testing is recommended (29.5%) than in those with clinical indicator diseases (22.4%). Provider test offer was found to be lower (40.4%) than patient acceptance of testing (71.5%). Conclusions Adherence to 2008 national guidelines for HIV testing in the UK is poor outside of GUM/SH and antenatal clinics. Low levels of provider test offer appear to be a major contributor to this. Failure to adhere to testing guidelines is likely to be contributing to late diagnosis with implications for poorer clinical outcomes and continued onwards transmission of HIV. Improved surveillance of HIV testing outside of specialist settings may be useful in increasing adherence testing guidelines.
Respiratory syncytial virus detection by immunofluorescence in nasal secretions with monoclonal antibodies against selected surface and internal proteins

Specimens containing respiratory tract epithelial cells from infants and children with acute respiratory disease were evaluated by using an indirect immunofluorescence technique with two specific respiratory syncytial virus monoclonal antibodies. One (RS/HN 13-1) was directed against a cell surface viral antigen, and the other (RS/HN 25-2) was directed against viral antigen present in large cytoplasmic inclusions. The same results on presence or absence of respiratory syncytial virus were obtained by cell culture and immunofluorescence in 93% of 252 patients tested adequately by both methods. The sensitivity of indirect immunofluorescence was approximately equal to that of cell culture. A total of 84 specimens were positive for RSV by immunofluorescence; 82 of them were positive with both monoclones, and the remaining 2 were positive only with the monoclone directed against the internal protein. The fluorescence pattern of the latter monoclone was unique and easily recognized. Indirect immunofluorescence testing with monoclonal antibodies to respiratory syncytial virus proved to be a very useful diagnostic technique, and results could be obtained within 4 h of specimen collection.
Population-based service mammography screening: the Icelandic experience.

OBJECTIVE This study analyzes the efficacy of the Icelandic population-based service mammography screening. MATERIAL AND METHODS Women aged 40-69 were invited for screening at 2-year intervals starting in November 1987. The study evaluates: (A) attendance and other screened performance parameters during 1998-2010; (B) trends in age-standardized and age-specific incidence rates during 1969-2010 and mortality rates during 1969-2010; and (C) distribution of risk factors and disease specific death rates according to mode of detection. RESULTS (A) In the age group of 40-69, the average 2-year attendance was 62%, recall rate was 4.1%, needle biopsy rate was 1.3%, surgery rate was 0.6%, invasive cancer rate was 0.4%, and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) rate was 0.06%. (B) The linear incidence trend after the start of screening decreased significantly in the age group 40-49, increased significantly in the age group 50-69, but decreased non-significantly in the age group 70-79. The decreased age-specific incidence in the 70-79 age group was, however, greater than the increased age-specific incidence at the ages 50-69. The mortality rate decreased 41% for all age groups and the linear mortality trend decreased significantly at ages 40-49, 50-69, and 70-79. In the age group 40-74 years, the age-specific mortality decreased by 6.9 cases per 2000 during a 10-year period. (C) Screen-detected women had significantly smaller tumors, more favorable tumor grade, fewer axillary metastases and, after correction for other risk factors, the likelihood of dying from cancer decreased 54% (hazard ratio: 0.46; 95% confidence interval: 0.31-0.69) for these patients compared to cases of nonparticipators. CONCLUSION The study results confirm acceptable rates of recalls and referrals for further diagnosis and treatment, and significantly decreased breast cancer mortality rate after starting screening.
Designing highway access control system using multi-class M/G/C/C state dependent queueing model and cross-entropy method

In this paper, we consider a futuristic scenario where there exists a special lane in a segment of a highway; vehicles which wish to use the lane must send access requests ahead of time; and only the vehicles whose requests are accepted can use the lane. While some existing express lanes try to control traffic by dynamic pricing on the usage of the lanes based on consumer demand, we control traffic by accepting or rejecting access requests to the lane. Vehicle classes are defined by vehicle sizes and carry a different number of passengers. Our goal is to find an optimal allocation of the lane capacity among different vehicle classes which maximizes the long-run average passenger throughput. We use a multi-class M/G/C/C state dependent model to calculate the long-run average passenger throughput for a given allocation and use a cross-entropy method to find an optimal allocation among a large number of possible allocations. We briefly discuss how this problem formulation is applicable to general resource sharing problems and then discuss how to dynamically control acceptance/rejection of access requests to further enhance the real-time efficiency of our system.
Retrospective Study of Vitreous Tap Technique Using Needle Aspiration for Management of Shallow Anterior Chamber during Phacoemulsification

Purpose To evaluate the technique of vitreous tap using needle aspiration for management of anterior chamber shallowness during phacoemulsification. Methods A retrospective study included 26 eyes of 17 patients who underwent phacoemulsification in which vitreous tap was performed using a 27-gauge needle attached to a 5 ml syringe, inserted 3.5 mm from the limbus to aspirate 0.2 ml of liquefied vitreous if a cohesive (OVD) failed to sufficiently deepen the anterior chamber. Results Preoperative anterior chamber depth was 2.31 ± 0.26 mm, axial length was 21.7 ± 0.67 mm, lens thickness was 4.5 ± . 19 mm, and cataract grade was 3.77 ± 1.4. Preoperative CDVA in LogMAR units was 0.98 ± 0.75. Coexisting angle closure glaucoma was present in 7 patients (26.92%) preoperatively. Vitreous needle tap was successful in vitreous removal on the first attempt in 26 eyes (100%). Postoperative follow-up period was 22.88 ± 10.24 (4–39) months. The final postoperative CDVA in LogMAR units was 0.07 ± 0.1, while the final postoperative IOP was 16.54 ± 1.45 mmHg. No complications related to vitreous tap were noted. Conclusion Vitreous needle tap is a simple, cost-effective, and safe technique for management of shallow anterior chamber in phacoemulsification.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Common variants at 10 genomic loci influence hemoglobin A(C) levels via glycemic and nonglycemic pathways

OBJECTIVE— Glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ), used to monitor and diagnose diabetes, is inﬂuenced by average glycemia over a 2- to 3-month period. Genetic factors affecting expression, turn- over, and abnormal glycation of hemoglobin could also be associated with increased levels of HbA 1c . We aimed to identify such genetic factors and investigate the extent to which they inﬂuence diabetes classiﬁcation based on HbA 1c levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— We studied associa- tions with HbA 1c in up to 46,368 nondiabetic adults of European descent from 23 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and 8 cohorts with de novo genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We combined studies using inverse-variance meta-analysis and tested mediation by glycemia using conditional analyses. We estimated the global effect of HbA 1c loci using a multilocus risk score, and used net reclassiﬁcation to estimate genetic effects on diabetes screening. RESULTS— Ten loci reached genome-wide signiﬁcant associa- tion with HbA 1c , including six new loci near FN3K (lead SNP/ P value, rs1046896/ P (cid:1) 1.6 (cid:2) 10 (cid:3) 26 ), HFE (rs1800562/ P (cid:1) 2.6 (cid:2) and four We show that
Specific Heat Capacity of Wood

Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat that a kilogram of a given substance is required to absorb in order to increase its temperature by one degree. The temperature of a given substance can change either at constant pressure or at constant volume, so we differentiate between specific heat capacity at constant pressure (cp) and specific heat capacity at constant volume (cv). When doing research into the heat properties of wood, the quantity that most frequently remains constant is pressure, thus restricting our study on specific heat capacity to cp. This paper provides an overview of the research that has so far been carried out into the specific heat capacity of wood depending on the temperature and moisture content. An analytical and graphical comparison has been performed of the results published in the Wood Industry Manual (1967) (DIP), Wood Handbook (1999) (WH) and work published by Deliiski (2012) (DEL).
A system performance and economics analysis of IGCC with supercritical steam bottom cycle supplied with varying blends of coal and biomass feedstock

In recent years, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Technology (IGCC) has been gaining popularity for use in clean coal power operations with carbon capture and sequestration. Great efforts have been continuously spent on investigating ways to improve the efficiency and further reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of such plants. This study focuses on investigating two approaches to achieve these goals. First, replace the traditional subcritical Rankine cycle portion of the overall plant with a supercritical steam cycle. Second, add biomass as co‐feedstock to reduce carbon footprint as well as SOx and NOx emissions. In fact, plants that use biomass alone can be carbon neutral and even become carbon negative if CO2 is captured.
An accurate semi-analytical framework for full-chip TSV-induced stress modeling

TSV-induced stress is an important issue in 3D IC design since it leads to serious reliability problems and influences device performance. Existing finite element method can provide accurate analysis for the stress of simple TSV placement, but is not scalable to larger designs due to its expensive memory consumption and high run time. On the contrary, linear superposition method is efficient to analyze stress in full-chip scale, but sometimes it fails to provide an accurate estimation since it neglects the stress induced by interactions between TSVs. In this paper we propose an accurate two-stage semi-analytical framework for fullchip TSV-induced stress modeling. In addition to the linear superposition, we characterize the stress induced by interactions between TSVs to provide more accurate full-chip modeling. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework can significantly improve the accuracy of linear superposition method with reasonable overhead in run time.
A large sample of low surface brightness disc galaxies from the SDSS – I. The sample and the stellar populations

We present the properties of a large sample (12 282) of nearly face-on low surface brightness (LSB) disc galaxies selected from the main galaxy sample of SDSS-DR4. These properties include B-band central surface brightness μ 0 (B), scalelengths h, integrated magnitudes, colours and distances D. This sample has μ 0 (B) values from 22 to 24.5 mag arcsec -2 with a median value of 22.42 mag arcsec -2 , and disc scalelengths ranging from 2 to 19 kpc. They are quite bright with M B taking values from -18 to -23 mag with a median value of -20.08 mag. There exist clear correlations between log h and M B , log h and log D, log D and M B . However, no obvious correlations are found between μ 0 (B) and log h, colours, etc. The correlation between colours and log h is weak even though it exists. Both the optical-optical and optical-NIR colour-colour diagrams indicate that most of them have a mixture of young and old stellar populations. They also satisfy colour-magnitude relations, which indicate that brighter galaxies tend generally to be redder. The comparison between the LSBGs and a control sample of nearly face-on disc galaxies with higher surface brightness (HSB) with μ 0 (B) from 18.5 to 22 mag arcsec -2 show that, at a given luminosity or distance, the observed LSB galaxies tend to have larger scalelengths. These trends could be seen gradually by dividing both the LSBGs and HSBGs into two subgroups according to surface brightness. A volume-limited subsample was extracted to check the incompleteness of surface brightness. The only one of the property relations having an obvious change is the relation of log h versus μ 0 (B), which shows a correlation in this subsample.