Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combined analysis of weak lensing and X-ray blind surveys

We present a joint weak lensing and X-ray analysis of 4 deg^2 from the CFHTLS and XMMLSS surveys. Our weak lensing analysis is the first analysis of a real survey using shapelets, a new generation weak lensing analysis method. We create projected mass maps of the images, and extract six weak-lensing-detected clusters of galaxies. We show that their counts can be used to constrain the power-spectrum normalization σ8 = 0.92^(+0.26)_(−0.30) for Ωm = 0.24. We show that despite the large scatter generally observed in the mass–temperature (M–T) relation derived from lensing masses, tight constraints on both its slope and normalization M∗ can be obtained with a moderate number of sources provided that the covered mass range is large enough. Adding clusters given by Bardeau et al. to our sample, we measure M∗ =2.71^(+0.79)_(−0.61) × 10^(14) h^(−1) Mסּ. Although they are dominated by shot noise and sample variance, our measurements are consistent with currently favoured values, and set the stage for future surveys. We thus investigate the dependence of those estimates on survey size, depth and integration time, for joint weak lensing and X-ray surveys. We show that deep surveys should be dedicated to the study of the physics of clusters and groups of galaxies. For a given exposure time, wide surveys provide a larger number of detected clusters and are therefore preferred for the measurement of cosmological parameters, such as σ8 and M∗. We show that a wide survey of a few hundred square degrees is needed to improve upon current measurements of these parameters. More ambitious surveys covering 7000 deg^2 will provide the 1 per cent accuracy in the estimation of the power-spectrum and the M–T relation normalizations.
Anatomical Study of Schlemm's Canal and Aqueous Veins by means of Neoprene Casts *

IN previous studies of this region (Ashton 1951, 1952), it has been shown that the canal of Schlemm and its efferent connections may be clearly demonstrated by Neoprene latex casts, prepared by direct injection of the canal followed by enzyme digestion of the ocular tissues. Over 200 casts have now been studied by this technique and while the preparations in the main confirm the anatomical accounts of earlier workers, who used serial sections or injections of ink and gelatin followed by clearing, they have the advantage of showing the exact anatomy of the canal in its entirety and in a stereoscopic way that can be readily appreciated. The study has revealed some minor but important deviations from the classical descriptions and these will be discussed in a subsequent communication dealing in detail with the structure and connections of the canal itself. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the arterial relationships of Schlemm's canal as observed in cast preparations. The vessels involved are the anterior ciliary and the long posterior ciliary arteries which originate indirectly from the ophthalmic artery and meet again at the major circle of the iris, the anterior having pursued a mainly extraocular and the posterior a mainly intra-ocular course. According to the classical description of Leber (1903), anterior ciliary arteries run forward on the tendons of the rectus muscles; there are usually two on each of the recti, except the lateral on which there is only one. Uncommonly one of the arteries may be derived from the vessels in the eyelid. As the vessels approach the limbus, they divide and subdivide into smaller and smaller branches. The larger divisions pass into the eye through perforating scleral channels to join the arterial circle of the iris. The smallest remain in the episclera and pass forward to the limbus, where they loop backward to contribute to the anterior conjunctival arteries, while others dip down through the sclera to reach the deeper parts of the corneal limbus immediately external to the canal, or extend more deeply towards the canal itself. The further destination of these latter arterial twigs is a matter of great interest and considerable controversy. According to Maggiore (1917) and Dvorak-Theobald (1934) they tend to run in a circular fashion, accompanying the canal to form an incomplete arterial circle in close association with it, so close, in fact, that they may cause irregularities in the canal wall; indeed, Wolff (1945) has depicted a small artery apparently lying within its lumen.
The subdwarf B star SB 290 – A fast rotator on the extreme horizontal branch

Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are evolved core helium-burning stars with very thin hydrogen envelopes. To form an sdB, the progenitor has to lose almost all of its hydrogen envelope right at the tip of the red giant branch. In close binary systems, mass transfer to the companion provides the extraordinary mass loss required for their formation. However, apparently single sdBs exist as well, and their formation has been unclear for decades. The merger of helium white dwarfs leading to an ignition of core helium-burning or the merger of a helium core and a low-mass star during the common envelope phase have been proposed. Here we report the discovery of SB 290 as the first apparently single, fast-rotating sdB star located on the extreme horizontal branch, indicating that those stars may form from mergers.
Cell- and Tissue-Based Approaches for Cartilage Repair

Damage and degeneration of articular joints is a major healthcare concern, due to the association of joint disease with ageing, the current strong demographic changes in the proportion of elderly in the population, and the increased incidence of trauma in a sports-active younger population. These joints are biomechanical organs that transmit load between bones in our skeleton, and the articular cartilage forms a load-bearing surface that covers the bone within the joints. All the forces across the joints are thus transmitted through the cartilage, and it therefore makes an important biomechanical contribution to joint function. The cartilage is particularly prone to damage, and has limited capacity for natural repair. Although joint replacement is successful, it is less so in younger patients. For these patients, there is currently great interest in developing cell-based treatments for the biological repair of articular cartilage.
Coping and its importance for quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse whether problem-focused coping, coping focused on getting support and coping focused on stopping unpleasant emotions and thoughts are associated with different levels of physical and mental quality of life (PCS, MCS), controlling for gender, age and disease severity among MS patients. Method: The sample consisted of 113 consecutive MS patients (response rate: 79.6%; 77.0% women; mean age 40.8 ± 9.2). Patients completed the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE). Disability was assessed by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The associations between CSE and PCS and MCS were analysed using linear regression. Results: EDSS and age were significantly associated only with PCS. The regression model for problem-focused coping, coping focused on getting support and coping focused on stopping unpleasant emotions and thoughts explained 29%, 24% and 35% of the variance in MCS, respectively. In PCS coping was not significant. Conclusions: Coping is significantly associated with MCS, but not with PCS. Stopping unpleasant emotions and thoughts seems to be the most important type of coping in MS patients. Thus, patients, their caregivers and their physicians should be educated about this type of coping and its positive association with MCS. Implications for Rehabilitation All types of coping are associated positively with mental component of Quality of life. Coping focused on stopping negative emotions and thoughts seems to be very adaptive for patients with MS. This type of coping can help patients with chronic conditions when problem-focused coping can not effectively solve the problem.
Properties of Thylakoid Membranes of the Mangroves, Avicennia germinans and Avicennia marina, and the Sugar Beet, Beta vulgaris, Grown under Different Salinity Conditions.

Properties of thylakoids isolated from leaves of three salt tolerant species, Avicennia germinans L. , Avicennia marina var resinifera, and Beta vulgaris L. , were not affected by the salinity in which the plants were grown. With increase in the growth salinity from 50 to 500 millimolar NaCl, there were no major effects on the per chlorophyll concentrations of lipids or proteins, or on the rates of uncoupled electron transport per chlorophyll mediated by either the whole chain or the partial reactions of photosystems I and II. Responses of the partial and whole chain reactions to variation in the sorbitol and NaCl concentrations in the assay media were independent of the salinity experienced during leaf growth and not substantially different from those of a salt-sensitive species, Cucurbita sativus L. Uncoupled rates of electron flow from water to p-benzoquinone mediated by photosystem II were insensitive to the NaCl concentration unless thylakoids were rendered Cl(-) deficient by treatment with uncoupler under alkaline conditions. Loss of 65% to 85% of the photosystem II activity in these Cl(-)-deficient thylakoids was restored by addition of 10 to 20 millimolar Cl(-).
Online structured learning for real-time computer vision gaming applications

In recent years computer vision has played an increasingly important role in the development of computer games, and it now features as one of the core technologies for many gaming platforms. The work in this thesis addresses three problems in real-time computer vision, all of which are motivated by their potential application to computer games. We first present an approach for real-time 2D tracking of arbitrary objects. In common with recent research in this area we incorporate online learning to provide an appearance model which is able to adapt to the target object and its surrounding background during tracking. However, our approach moves beyond the standard framework of tracking using binary classification and instead integrates tracking and learning in a more principled way through the use of structured learning. As well as providing a more powerful framework for adaptive visual object tracking, our approach also outperforms state-of-the-art tracking algorithms on standard datasets. Next we consider the task of keypoint-based object tracking. We take the traditional pipeline of matching keypoints followed by geometric verification and show how this can be embedded into a structured learning framework in order to provide principled adaptivity to a given environment. We also propose an approximation method allowing us to take advantage of recently developed binary image descriptors, meaning our approach is suitable for real-time application even on low-powered portable devices. Experimentally, we clearly see the benefit that online adaptation using structured learning can bring to this problem. Finally, we present an approach for approximately recovering the dense 3D structure of a scene which has been mapped by a simultaneous localisation and mapping system. Our approach is guided by the constraints of the low-powered portable hardware we are targeting, and we develop a system which coarsely models the scene using a small number of planes. To achieve this, we frame the task as a structured prediction problem and introduce online learning into our approach to provide adaptivity to a given scene. This allows us to use relatively simple multi-view information coupled with online learning of appearance to efficiently produce coarse reconstructions of a scene.
Preparation and characterization of nanocomposites based on COOH functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and on poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) nanocomposites containing COOH functionalized multi-walled nanotubes were synthesized with in situ polymerization method. The microstructure of the nanocomposites was studied by SEM, in terms of the dispersion state of the nanotubes and the polymer-nanotube interface. The thermal behaviour, mechanical properties and conductivity of these resultant PTT/MWCNTs nanocomposites were studied. The effect of the presence of MWCNTs on cold crystallization of PTT was monitored by dielectric spectroscopy. From thermal analysis study, it is found that the melting temperature and glass transition temperature are not significantly affected by the addition of MWCNTs. The crys- tallization temperature of PTT matrix is affected by the presence of CNTs. Nanocomposites have slightly higher degree of crystallinity than neat PTT and their thermo-oxidative stability is not significantly affected by the addition of MWCNTs. The study of the isothermal cold crystallization of amorphous PTT and its nanocomposites monitored by dielectric spec- troscopy reveals that the presence of MWCNTs have influence on crystallization rate, especially at higher concentration (0.3 wt%). In comparison with neat PTT, the MWCNTs reinforced nanocomposites posses higher tensile strength and Young's modulus at low MWCNTs loading (0.05-0.3 wt%). In addition, all nanocomposites show reduction of brittleness as compared to the neat PTT. The electrical percolation threshold was found between 0.3 and 0.4 wt% loading of MWC- NTs.
Isoniazid hepatotoxicity in renal transplant recipients.

Tuberculosis occurs at higher rates in renal transplant recipients than in the general population. It would be desirable to use isoniazid prophylaxis in renal transplant recipients at risk for reactivation of tuberculosis; yet many transplant centers do not routinely employ INH prophylaxis because they perceive transplant recipients to be an enhanced risk of hepatotoxicity from isoniazid. Data on the risk of isoniazid in renal transplant patients receiving cyclosporine-based immunosuppression are limited. We retrospectively studied 83 renal transplant recipients (mean age 39.1 +/- 11.7 yr) who had received INH prophylaxis between 1985 and 1994. Eight patients had laboratory evidence of chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C infection. The mean duration of INH therapy was 344 +/- 163 d. The mean serum glutamate oxalacetic transferase (SGOT) at the start of INH therapy was 24.1 +/- 10.9 I.U. , and 10% of patients had mildly elevated SGOTs. Mean peak SGOT during therapy was 36.4 +/- 15.3 I.U. (p < 0.001 compared to start (SGOT). In follow up, 31% of patients had an abnormal SGOT (> 40 I.U.); however, the elevations were small (the highest SGOT was 88.I.U.) and never necessitated discontinuation of INH. No patient had jaundice or other evidence of clinical hepatotoxicity. The 95% confidence interval for the observed frequency of clinical hepatitis was 0% to 4.3%. At the end of INH therapy the mean SGOT was 22.7 +/- 6.2 I.U. (p > 0.2, compared with start SGOT) and only one patient had an abnormal SGOT. In conclusion, it appears that the risk of renal transplant recipients developing serious hepatotoxicity with the administration of INH is low and not different from normal individuals.
Counseling : A Retention Initiative in Open University Malaysia

Learner support services play a pivotal role in the retention and success of learners in any higher education institution. One particular area of such a service is academic advising and counseling. In Open University Malaysia (OUM), the Counseling Unit which operates under the Centre for Student Affairs plays a key role in encouraging learners to participate fully in their academic life and going through a holistic experience while they grow both intellectually and emotionally. One of the strategic thrusts of OUM for 2005 is learner retention. Presently, the overall learner retention rate stands at approximately 80%. Though the figure is reasonably high, OUM should strive to take proactive measures in minimizing the barriers to learner retention and increase academic interests. OUM pays particular attention to “at- risk” (with a CGPA < 2.0) learners by providing counseling services to help them cope better in their studies, until completion or graduation. The counseling unit conducts learning skills workshops for “at- risk” learners with a view of improving academic performance. The paper reports on (i) the findings of the workshop with respect to the factors that purportedly affect academic performance; (ii) the modules developed to help learners overcome their problems; and (iii) the overall effectiveness of the counseling workshops. The results show that the workshops have been beneficial to “at-risk” learners and have helped them improve their academic performance. (Author's abstract)
Identification of novel GCK and HNF1A/TCF1 mutations and polymorphisms in German families with maturity‐onset diabetes of the young (MODY)

Maturity‐onset diabetes of the young is a genetically heterogenous autosomal dominant form of diabetes mellitus, characterized by an early age at onset and a primary defect in beta‐cell function. Forty families with a clinical presentation suggestive of MODY were screened for the most common MODY subtypes caused by mutations in the genes encoding glucokinase (GCK, MODY2) and hepatocyte nuclear 1‐alpha (HNF1A/TCF1, MODY3). Overall, 14 mutations were found (35%) giving a relative frequency of 22.5% and 12.5% for MODY2 and MODY3, respectively. Five of the nine GCK mutations identified were novel and included two deletions, two nonsense, and one splice site mutation. The GCK splice donor mutation was shown to result in an aberrant transcript owing to the recruitment of a cryptic splice site. The translated protein is predicted to contain an in frame insertion of nine amino acids. Among the five HNF1A mutations identified, three were novel comprising one missense mutation, one deletion, and one insertion. In addition, several novel polymorphisms within GCK were identified and their allele frequencies estimated. Knowledge of the genetic cause of MODY has significant impact on therapeutic decision making and may help to identify family members at risk for diabetes. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Potent low dose platelet inhibitory effects of clopidogrel and aspirin on coronary thrombus formation in an animal model of acute unstable angina

Summary Application of clopidogrel before percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute coronary syndrome reduces the risk of cardiac events. Clopidogrel administration before surgery increases bleeding complications after CABG. Therefore, the antithrombotic effect of the low-dose combination of clopidogrel and aspirin was investigated in an in vivo pig model of coronary artery thrombus formation with cyclic flow reductions. The platelet inhibitory effect was determined by platelet aggregation and CFR, according to the methodology described by Folts. CFR were initiated by endothelial damage and placement of a constrictor around the LAD. 30 min after CFR were established, clopidogrel (0.1 mg/kg or5 mg/kg), aspirin (1 mg/kg or 7 mg/kg) or LDC (0.1 mg/kg clopidogrel and 1 mg/kg aspirin) were administered orally. CFR-frequency was determined for further 240 min. CFR-frequency (CFR/30 min) was significantly reduced at 60 min in response to aspirin (7 mg/kg, −48%, p<0.05), and at 120 min in response to clopidogrel (5 mg/kg, −65%, p<0.05) but not at low doses of either compound. In contrast, LDC of clopidogrel (0.1 mg/kg) plus aspirin (1 mg/kg) resulted in a complete and rapid abrogation of CFR at 90 min (−70%, p<0.05). Furthermore, LDC led to reduction of platelet aggregation when CFR-frequency was already significantly decreased. In contrast, high dose groups presented a significant reduction of platelet aggregation prior to CFR-frequency decrease. Low dose combination of clopidogrel plus aspirin demonstrates a potent over additive anti-thrombotic effect in vivo with a significant reduction in thrombus formation early after drug application. The effect occurs before inhibition of platelet aggregation is detectable.
Nurses' supervisors, learning options and organisational commitment: Australia, Brazil and England.

AIM To examine the relationships between leader-member exchange (LMX), workplace learning options (teamwork, training and development), empowerment and organisational commitment, for nurses in Australia, England and Brazil. BACKGROUND The supervisor-employee relationship is fundamental to management theory and practice within the work context of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. METHODS Survey-based, self-report data were collected from 1350 nurses in 23 acute-care hospitals during 2011. RESULTS Significant relationships were found between key Social Exchange Theory antecedents (LMX and teamwork) and outcomes (organisational commitment) for nurses in Australia and England, but not in Brazil. As expected, the path between teamwork and organisational commitment was significant in the three countries. CONCLUSIONS The findings affirm the importance of LMX as a management tool affecting employee outcomes in OECD countries. In contrast, LMX cannot be assumed to play an important role within a context that operates a dual employment structure coupled with a culture accepting of 'Jeitinho' workplace relationships. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Informal workplace relationships - 'Jeitinho' (similar to the Chinese 'guanxi') may be worthy of examination within BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries such as Brazil.
Variations in Dental Anxiety among Middle-aged and Elderly Women in Sweden: A Longitudinal Study between 1968 and 1996

Cross-sectional studies have shown that older individuals are significantly less dentally anxious than younger ones. However, research has not been able to show if this is a cohort effect or an effect of fear declining with age. If it is a cohort effect, dental anxiety among the elderly may pose a greater-than-expected problem for the providers of dental services. With the exception of longitudinal studies in children and a three-year follow-up on adults, no truly longitudinal epidemiological studies concerning dental anxiety have been performed. The aim of this project was to investigate how dental anxiety changes with aging. In a longitudinal population study of women in Goteborg, Sweden, starting in 1968, 1462 women aged 38 to 54 participated. A representative subsample of 778 women took part in a psychiatric examination where an investigation of dental anxiety was included. The same questions were also included when these women were re-examined in 1974,1992, and 1996. Three hundred seventy-five women were still eligible for investigation in 1996. In 1968-69, 48 (12.8%) of the participating women assessed themselves as "very afraid" or "terrified" when visiting the dentist, and in 1996 the frequency was 21 (5.6%) among the same women. In 1968-69, 180 women (48%) reported no dental anxiety when visiting the dentist, and 28 years later the frequency was 230 (61%). In the three youngest age groups, dental anxiety decreased significantly (p < 0.001) over the 28-year period. Older compared with younger women reported significantly less dental anxiety, and this was an age effect rather than a cohort effect. Thus, this longitudinal study supported the hypothesis that dental fear, like many other general and specific phobias, declines with age.