Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The removal of shear-ellipticity correlations from the cosmic shear signal

Cosmic shear is regarded one of the most powerful probes to reveal the properties of dark matter and dark energy. To fully utilize its potential, one has to be able to control systematic effects down to below the level of the statistical parameter errors. Particularly worrisome in this respect is intrinsic alignment, causing considerable parameter biases via correlations between the intrinsic ellipticities of galaxies and the gravitational shear, which mimic lensing. In an earlier work we have proposed a nulling technique that downweights this systematic, only making use of its well-known redshift dependence. We assess the practicability of nulling, given realistic conditions on photometric redshift information. For several simplified intrinsic alignment models and a wide range of photometric redshift characteristics we calculate an average bias before and after nulling. Modifications of the technique are introduced to optimize the bias removal and minimize the information loss by nulling. We demonstrate that one of the presented versions is close to optimal in terms of bias removal, given high quality of photometric redshifts. For excellent photometric redshift information, i.e. at least 10 bins with a small dispersion, a negligible fraction of catastrophic outliers, and precise knowledge about the redshift distributions, one version of nulling is capable of reducing the shear-intrinsic ellipticity contamination by at least a factor of 100. Alternatively, we describe a robust nulling variant which suppresses the systematic signal by about 10 for a very broad range of photometric redshift configurations. Irrespective of the photometric redshift quality, a loss of statistical power is inherent to nulling, which amounts to a decrease of the order 50% in terms of our figure of merit.
Scheduling fixed-priority tasks with preemption threshold

In the context of fixed-priority scheduling, feasibility of a task set with non-preemptive scheduling does not imply the feasibility with preemptive scheduling and vice versa. We use the notion of preemption threshold, first introduced by Express Logic, in their ThreadX real-time operating system, to develop a scheduling model that subsumes both preemptive and non-preemptive fixed priority scheduling. Preemption threshold allows a task to only disable preemption of tasks up to a specified threshold priority. Tasks having priorities higher than the threshold are still allowed to preempt. With this new scheduling model, we show that schedulability is improved as compared to both the preemptive and nonpreemptive scheduling models. We develop the equations for computing the worst-case response times, using the concept of level-i busy period. Some useful results about the generalized model are presented and an algorithm for optimal assignment of priority and preemption threshold is designed based on these results.
Pipe Whip: In-plane whipping of bent cantilever pipes

The dynamic elastic-plastic behavior of a bent cantilever pipe subjected to an in-plane force pulse at its tip is described. A theoretical model based on a large deflection formulation of dynamic beam theory is described. This takes into account the plastic hardening-softening behavior which is characteristic of a pipe when it is subjected to large changes in curvature. This beam model was first formulated and applied by Reid et al. (1995b, 1996), who demonstrated that it was able to describe quite accurately the characteristics of freely whipping, straight cantilever pipes. The present paper extends this model to enable it to be applied to bent cantilever pipes and covers cases in which the bend angle is opened or closed. Previous attempts ( Wang, 1991) to analyze these problems using a rigid, perfectly plastic model were not completely successful due to the inability to identify admissible modes of deformation for all circumstances. A systematic program of pipe whip tests has been carried out in UMIST on right-angled bent pipes. To illustrate the validity and use of the theoretical model, two typical cases are considered and the results compared with the experimental data extracted from high-speed films of the tests. Excellent agreement between the two is demonstrated.
Lethal fetal abnormalities: how to approach perinatal palliative care?

Abstract Objective: Some of the antenatally diagnosed fetal pathologies are unlikely to get compatible with life. Still some women choose to continue with pregnancy. Subsequently, perinatal palliative care (PPC) has become a constructive demarche in such situations. Our study, based on a multicentric survey, reports some cases of fetal pathologies considered as lethal according to perinatal professionals and reveals the decisional process in each case. Methods: We sent by emails a questionnaire to 434 maternal–fetal medicine specialists and fetal care pediatric specialists at 48 multidisciplinary centers for prenatal diagnosis. Results: The participation rate was 49.3%. In total, 61 obstetric–gynecologists and 68 neonatologists completed the survey. The results showed that 35.4% of the pregnant women asked for the continuation of pregnancy and 24.7% asked for the termination of pregnancy. More than half of professionals (52.9%) took the initiative of informing women about the options for birth support (including PPC), while 32.7% of obstetric gynecologists did not take this initiative versus 10.2% of neonatologists (p < 0.01). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the absolute need to provide PPC training for professionals and to standardize its practices.
Multi-aspect Sentiment Analysis with Topic Models

We investigate the efficacy of topic model based approaches to two multi-aspect sentiment analysis tasks: multi-aspect sentence labeling and multi-aspect rating prediction. For sentence labeling, we propose a weakly-supervised approach that utilizes only minimal prior knowledge -- in the form of seed words -- to enforce a direct correspondence between topics and aspects. This correspondence is used to label sentences with performance that approaches a fully supervised baseline. For multi-aspect rating prediction, we find that overall ratings can be used in conjunction with our sentence labelings to achieve reasonable performance compared to a fully supervised baseline. When gold-standard aspect-ratings are available, we find that topic model based features can be used to improve unsophisticated supervised baseline performance, in agreement with previous multi-aspect rating prediction work. This improvement is diminished, however, when topic model features are paired with a more competitive supervised baseline -- a finding not acknowledged in previous work.
Evaluating Languages and Environments for Novice Programmers

Although debate rages strongly over which programming language is the best for any particular application (especially for teaching introductory programming), there is a lack of objective data informing the discussions. There is a similar lack of data on appropriate development environments for introductory programming courses. This paper discusses an existing method of comparing and evaluating programming languages, and how that method can be adapted to compare and evaluate integrated development environments, with a particular focus on environments for novice programmers.
Alleviating Hidden and Exposed Nodes in High-Throughput Wireless Mesh Networks

This paper proposes an opportunistic approach to mitigating the hidden and exposed node problem in a high-throughput mesh network, by exploiting the frame aggregation and block acknowledgment (BACK) capabilities of IEEE 802.11n/ac wireless networking standard. Hidden nodes significantly drop down the throughput of a wireless mesh network by increasing data loss due to collision, whereas exposed nodes cause under-utilization of the achievable network capacity. The problem becomes worse in IEEE 802.11n/ac supported high-throughput mesh networks, due to the large physical layer frame size and prolonged channel reservation from frame aggregation. The proposed approach uses the standard carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) technology along with an opportunistic collision avoidance (OCA) method that blocks the communication for hidden nodes and opportunistically allows exposed nodes to communicate with the peers. The performance of the proposed CSMA/OCA mechanism for high throughput mesh networks is studied using the results from an IEEE 802.11n+s wireless mesh networking testbed, and the scalability of the scheme has been analyzed using simulation results.
Peer victimization and school disaffection: exploring the moderation effect of social support and the mediation effect of depression.

BACKGROUND Peer victimization is associated with increased internalizing problems and reduced school adjustment. Research into the main effect and the buffering effect of social support on these internalizing problems has produced inconsistent findings, and none has tested the buffering effect of social support on school adjustment. Moreover, recent studies have underlined the importance of taking various sources of social support into account. AIMS This study aims to test the relationships between peer victimization and school disaffection, the moderation effect of parental, peer and teacher social support, and the mediation effect of depression. SAMPLE Four hundred seventh and eighth graders participated in this study. METHOD Students filled out a questionnaire assessing peer victimization, depression, academic self-efficacy, school disaffection, and perceived social support from parents, peers, and teachers. RESULTS Peer victimization was negatively associated with self-efficacy and positively associated with school disaffection. Regression analyses showed a main negative effect of social support (especially teacher support) on depression and school disaffection and a positive effect on self-efficacy. No significant interactions emerged between victimization and social support or between sources of social support. Path analyses indicated that the effects of victimization on self-efficacy and school disaffection were fully mediated by depression, but that the effects of social support are partially independent of depression. Multigroup analyses indicated that these relationships were parallel among boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study are consistent with the main effect model of social support. They also highlight the importance of teacher support for school adjustment.
Molecular Evolution of Large Virulence Plasmid inShigella Clones and EnteroinvasiveEscherichia coli

ABSTRACT Three genes, ipgD, mxiC, and mxiA,all in the invasion region of the Shigella virulence plasmid, were sequenced from strains representing a range ofShigella serotypes and from two enteroinvasiveEscherichia coli (EIEC) isolates. The plasmids can be classified into two relatively homogeneous sequence forms which are quite distinct. pINV A plasmids are found in Shigella flexneri strains F6 and F6A, S. boydii strains B1, B4, B9, B10, B14, and B15, S. dysenteriae strains D3, D4, D6, D8, D9, D10, and D13, and the two EIEC strains (M519 and M520). pINV B plasmids are present in S. flexneristrains F1A, F2A, F3A, F3C, F4A, and FY, two S. boydiistrains (B11 and B12), and S. sonnei. The D1 pINV plasmid is a recombinant with ipgD gene more closely related to those of pINV A but with mxiA andmxiC genes more closely related to those of pINV B. The phylogenetic relationships of the plasmid and those of the chromosomal genes of Shigella strains are largely consistent. The cluster 1 and cluster 3 strains tested (G.M. Pupo, R. Lan, and P. R. Reeves, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:10567–10572, 2000) have pINV A and pINV B plasmids, respectively. However, of the three cluster 2 strains (B9, B11, and B15), B9 and B15 have pINV A while B11 has a pINV B plasmid. Those Shigella (D8 and D10 and S. sonnei) and EIEC strains which do not group with the main body of Shigella strains based on chromosomal genes were found to have plasmids belonging to one or the other of the two types and must have acquired these by lateral transfer.
A General Energy Analysis of Fabric Mechanics Using Optimal Control Theory

A general energy analysis has been formulated and applied to the study of fabric mechanics with the aid of computer programs. The analysis is chiefly concerned with the elastic or recoverable mechanisms of fabric rheology. The com puter programs can be readily adapted to provide a solution for various fabric structures and deformations simply changing the boundary conditions. The energy analysis is based on the fundamental principle that elastic structures alway s assume a confguration of minimum strain energy, regardless of the deformation applied. The resulting minimization problem is solved with the use of a specific optimization technique -i.e., it is treated as an optimal control problem. In particular, the total yarn strain encrgy (consisting of the sum of the individual yarn bending. torsion, lateral compression, and longitudinal extension strain energies) is minimized, subject to certain constraints which give rise to internal forces and couples acting within the fabric structure itself. The constraints lead to the necessity of optimizing the "total" energy, or the sum of the potential energy due to the internal forces of constraint, and the yarn strain energy comprising the bending, torsion, and extension energies.
Barriers to continuity in the pathway toward occupational engagement among ethnic minorities with mental illness

Abstract Ethnic minorities have particular needs and difficulties in terms of support for meaningful occupations, lack of access to and use of occupation-based rehabilitation services. They are not established in the labour market and are seldom in paid employment. This study aimed to investigate how mentally ill ethnic minority clients experience, feel and think about participation in occupation-based rehabilitation, and potential barriers they might encounter. Nine participants experiencing mental illness and receiving occupation-based rehabilitation were interviewed. Grounded theory methods were used in order to collect and analyze data. One core category, “barriers for a continuous path towards enriched and meaningful occupation” described the participants’ experiences of a variety of barriers related to personal, occupational and system factors that hindered participation in occupation-based rehabilitation and influenced their need for occupational development and growth. The core category was composed of; personal-related barriers, occupational-related barriers, and system-related barriers as well as six related sub-categories. These barriers interacted continually across time and space in ways that increased the participants’ sense of occupational deprivation and alienation. The findings also suggested that the issues of paid employment for ethnic minorities with mental illness should feature on the agenda of local, regional and state politicians and professionals involved in occupational rehabilitation.
Associations of estimated Δ-5-desaturase and Δ-6-desaturase activities with stroke risk factors and risk of stroke: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study

Abstract Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The role of PUFA in reducing the risk of stroke is uncertain. The concentrations of PUFA in the human body are determined both by dietary intake and by activities of desaturase enzymes. Desaturase enzymes have been associated with chronic diseases, but little is known about their association with stroke risk. We investigated the associations of Δ-6-desaturase (D6D) and Δ-5-desaturase (D5D) activities with stroke risk factors and risk of stroke among 1842 men from the prospective, population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, aged 42–60 years and free of CVD at baseline in 1984–1989. ANCOVA and Cox regression models were used for the analyses. Whole serum desaturase activities were estimated as product:precursor ratios – γ-linolenic acid:linoleic acid for D6D and arachidonic acid:dihomo-γ-linolenic acid for D5D. Higher D6D activity was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, BMI, serum insulin and TAG concentrations and worse homoeostatic model assessment (HOMA) indices. In contrast, higher D5D activity was associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, BMI, serum insulin, LDL-cholesterol, TAG and C-reactive protein concentrations, higher HDL-cholesterol concentration, and better HOMA indices. During the mean follow-up of 21·2 years, 202 stroke cases occurred. Neither D6D activity (multivariable-adjusted extreme-quartile hazard ratios (HR) 1·18; 95 % CI 0·80, 1·74) nor D5D activity (HR 1·06; 95 % CI 0·70, 1·60) were associated with stroke risk. In conclusion, higher D5D activity was favourably associated and higher D6D activity unfavourably associated with several stroke risk factors, but not with the risk of incident stroke.
An Extension of ATL with Strategy Interaction

We propose an extension to <i>ATL</i> (<i>alternating-time temporal logic</i>), called <i>BSIL</i> (<i>basic strategy-interaction logic</i>), for specifying collaboration among agents in a multiagent system. We show that BSIL is strictly more expressive than ATL<sup>+</sup> but incomparable with ATL<sup>*</sup>, <i>GL</i> (<i>game logic</i>), and <i>AMC</i> (<i>alternating μ-calculus</i>) in expressiveness. We show that a memoryful strategy is necessary for fulfilling a specification in BSIL. We establish that the BSIL model-checking problem is PSPACE-complete. However, BSIL model checking can be performed in time quadratic in the model for fixed formulas. The BSIL (and hence ATL<sup>+</sup>) satisfiability is 2EXPTIME-complete. Finally, we report our experiment with a model checker for BSIL.
Performance Impact Analysis of Two Generic Group Communication APIs

This paper presents an analysis of the performance impact of two generic group communication APIs, namely Hedera and jGCS. The analysis was carried out in a four-node cluster by comparing the performance of different configurations of two well-known group communication middleware systems (i.e., JGroups and Spread), under different message sizes, both in standalone mode and when used as plug-ins for the two generic APIs. The results show that there are significant variations in the performance overhead imposed by each generic API on both JGroups and Spread, and that those differences are strongly related to variations in message size and the way each generic API is implemented. The paper also discusses whether it would be worth migrating from a standalone group communication implementation to a generic API.
Calculi in a Female Urethral Diverticulum

Urinary stones are rarely seen in the urethra and are usually encountered in men with urethral stricture or diverticulum. The case of a 52-year-old woman presented, who consulted for weak stream associated with repeated urinary infections. The diverticulum was approached via vaginal route and the extraction was successful. The patient has been well, with no dysuria, dyspareunia, incontinence for 3-month follow-ups.
The Behavior-Physiology Nexus: Behavioral and Physiological Compensation Are Relied on to Different Extents between Seasons

Environmental variability occurring at different timescales can significantly reduce performance, resulting in evolutionary fitness costs. Shifts in thermoregulatory behavior, metabolism, and water loss via phenotypic plasticity can compensate for thermal variation, but the relative contribution of each mechanism and how they may influence each other are largely unknown. Here, we take an ecologically relevant experimental approach to dissect these potential responses at two temporal scales: weather transients and seasons. Using acclimation to cold, average, or warm conditions in summer and winter, we measure the direction and magnitude of plasticity of resting metabolic rate (RMR), water loss rate (WLR), and preferred body temperature (Tpref) in the lizard Cordylus oelofseni within and between seasons. In summer, lizards selected lower Tpref when acclimated to warm versus cold but had no plasticity of either RMR or WLR. By contrast, winter lizards showed partial compensation of RMR but no behavioral compensation. Between seasons, both behavioral and physiological shifts took place. By integrating ecological reality into laboratory assays, we demonstrate that behavioral and physiological responses of C. oelofseni can be contrasting, depending on the timescale investigated. Incorporating ecologically relevant scenarios and the plasticity of multiple traits is thus essential when attempting to forecast extinction risk to climate change.
Fatigue in myasthenia gravis: risk factors and impact on quality of life

Emerging evidence suggests that fatigue in myasthenia gravis (MG) is a relevant problem that negatively impacts activities of daily living (ADL). The relationship between fatigue and quality of life (QoL) has never been systematically explored in MG patients. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of fatigue and its relation to ADL and QoL as well as to identify factors associated with fatigue in MG.
A Study of Cement and Concrete Correlation

American specifications for portland cement require the crushing of mortar cubes for compressive strength of cement and the breaking of cylinder specimens for compressive strength of concrete. It has been assumed that there is a reasonable correlation of mortar and concrete strengths. This has been questioned. A preliminary study of sixty samples showed a significant correlation but indicated a very low order of confidence. A more extensive research was undertaken, which is reported in this paper. This research involved 42 job cement samples and twelve repetitions of a monitor cement. Each of the cements in mortar was subjected to the standard 3, 7, and 28-day strength tests, a repeat of the 28-day test, and two accelerated strength tests. The corresponding cements were tested in cylinders of ready-mixed concrete, sampled at both the batching plant and at the job site. Test specimens of these concretes were broken at seven days and at 28 days. Concrete from the job site was also tested after autogenous curing for two days. The same cements were used in two additional concrete batches at the research laboratory, the first using job mix proportions and the second using a standard formulation. Both batches for each cement used job sand and gravel. These latter concretes were tested after standard curing for 7 and 28 days, and other cylinders after accelerated curing under two different sets of conditions. Much information was obtained concerning the cements, the five mortar tests, the five concrete tests, and their many relationships—mortar/mortar, concrete/concrete, and mortar/concrete. Results were subjected to recognized statistical analysis. The paper includes 25 tables of data, 13 tables of processed information, and 18 figures. An evaluation of the testing laboratories indicated an acceptable level of competency; an analysis of the cement and concrete variations showed normal good levels of operation. These two factors provided limitations but also gave validity to the conclusions that have been drawn from the research.