Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contradiction between strong lensing statistics and a feedback solution to the cusp/core problem

Standard cosmology has many successes on large scales, but faces some fundamental difficulties on small, galactic scales. One such difficulty is the cusp/core problem. High resolution observations of the rotation curves for dark matter dominated low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies imply that galactic dark matter halos have a density profile with a flat central core, whereas N-body structure formation simulations predict a divergent (cuspy) density profile at the center. It has been proposed that this problem can be resolved by stellar feedback driving turbulent gas motion that erases the initial cusp. However, strong gravitational lensing prefers a cuspy density profile for galactic halos. In this paper, we use the most recent high resolution observations of the rotation curves of LSB galaxies to fit the core size as a function of halo mass, and compare the resultant lensing probability to the observational results for the well defined combined sample of the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey (CLASS) and Jodrell Bank/Very Large Array Astrometric Survey (JVAS). The lensing probabilities based on such density profiles are too low to match the observed lensing in CLASS/JVAS. High baryon densities in the galaxies that dominate the lensing statistics can reconcile this discrepancy, but only if they steepen the mass profile rather than making it more shallow. This places contradictory demands upon the effects of baryons on the central mass profiles of galaxies.
Three Novell Analog-Domain Algorithms for Motion Detection in Video Surveillance

As to reduce processing load for video surveillance embedded systems, three low-level motion detection algorithms to be implemented on an analog CMOS image sensor are presented. Allowing on-chip segmentation of moving targets, these algorithms are both robust and compliant to various environments while being power efficient. They feature different trade-offs between detection performance and number of a priori choices. Detailed processing steps are presented for each of these algorithms and a comparative study is proposed with respect to some reference algorithms. Depending on the application, the best algorithm choice is then discussed.
Do Unblinded Assessors Bias Muscle Strength Outcomes in Randomized Controlled Trials of Progressive Resistance Strength Training in Older Adults?

Objective: Knowledge of treatment assignment and failing to analyze results by randomized treatment groups-an intention-to-treat analysis-may cause bias in the treatment effect estimate in randomized controlled trials. This study was undertaken to determine the difference in lower limb muscle strength measured by blinded vs. by unblinded outcome assessors in 73 progressive resistance strength training trials conducted in older adults. Design: Retrospective analysis of randomized controlled trials published before 2007. Results: Meta-regression analyses showed that trials that used blinded assessors (n = 18) tend to report smaller effect sizes than do those that used unblinded assessors (n = 55), with a difference of −0.80 (95% confidence interval, −1.35 to −0.25). This result still holds even after adjusting for the use of an intention-to-treat analysis, with an adjusted difference of −0.65 (95% confidence interval, −1.26 to −0.04). The reported effects were exaggerated in trials that used unblinded assessors. Conclusions: This study suggests that assessor blinding is important and is a safeguard to the internal validity of exercise trials in older adults.
Label confidence based AdaBoost algorithm

AdaBoost is a well-known simple and effective boosting algorithm for classification. It, however, suffers from the overfitting problem in the case of overlapping class distributions and is very sensitive to label noise. To tackle both problems simultaneously, we consider the conditional risk as the modified loss function. This modification leads to two advantages: it is able to directly take into account label uncertainty with an associated label confidence; it introduces a “trustworthiness” measure on training samples via the Bayesian risk rule, hence the resulting classifier tends to have superior finite sample performance than the original AdaBoost when there is a large overlap between class conditional distributions. We scrutinize the re-weighting procedure and classifier combination rule to show its adaptive ability on the mitigation of class noise and overfitting. Extensive experimental results using synthetic data and real-world data sets from UCI machine learning repository are provided. The empirical study shows high competitiveness of the proposed method in predication accuracy and robustness when compared with the original AdaBoost and several existing robust AdaBoost algorithms.
Computation of Constants in the Strengthened Cauchy Inequality for Elliptic Bilinear Forms with Anisotropy

Numerical results are presented that give dependence of the constants in the strengthened Cauchy inequality, which is a basic tool for constructing two-level and multilevel preconditioning matrices on the anisotropy of second-order elliptic bilinear forms for a number of finite element piecewise polynomial spaces over triangular and rectangular elements.
Syndecan‐1 expression suppresses the level of myeloma matrix metalloproteinase‐9

ARH‐77 human myeloma cells invade into type I collagen gels but become non‐invasive when engineered to express syndecan‐1, a heparan sulphate proteoglycan that promotes cell adhesion to collagen. To determine if syndecan‐1 expression influences the activity of proteases that may facilitate invasion, we analysed media harvested from syndecan‐1 expressing and non‐expressing cells. High levels of a 92 kD gelatinase accumulated in serum‐free growth medium of both parental and control‐transfected ARH‐77, but much less 92 kD gelatinase accumulated in the medium of ARH‐77 transfectants expressing syndecan‐1. The gelatinase was identified as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐9 because its activity was immunoprecipitated with a MMP‐9‐specific monoclonal antibody. Gelatinase activity and Western blot analyses revealed 2–3‐fold less MMP‐9 in medium from syndecan‐1 transfected cells than in medium from parental cells. Decreased MMP‐9 was not due to increased association of MMP‐9 with cells expressing syndecan‐1. An inverse correlation between the syndecan‐1 level and the level of MMP‐9 accumulation in the media was observed using a panel of ARH‐77 transfectants expressing syndecan‐1. Investigation of six unrelated human myeloma cell lines confirmed that high gelatinase levels were recovered from conditioned media of those that did not express syndecan‐1 (ARH‐77, Mer and Col) and one line that expressed a low level of syndecan‐1 (RPMI‐8226), but low gelatinase levels were recovered from media of lines that expressed high levels of syndecan‐1 (ARK and clone 2+). Therefore syndecan‐1 may play a dual role in inhibiting the metastasis of tumour cells by promoting cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix and suppressing the proteolytic activity needed for invasion.
Chronic stress-induced oxidative damage and hyperlipidemia are accompanied by atherosclerotic development in rats

Although stress-induced hyperlipidemia and increased oxidative stress have been reported and implicated in etiology of atherosclerosis, experimental evidence for stress-induced atherosclerotic development concomitant with these alterations is lacking. In this study, exposure of adult male albino Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) to restraint for 1 h and after a gap of 4 h to forced swimming for 15 min every day for 2, 4, or 24 weeks resulted in a duration of exposure-dependent hyperlipidemia as shown by significant increases in concentrations of blood cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, and triglycerides and decrease in high-density lipoprotein concomitant with increased oxidative stress as indicated by decrease in hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities and increase in lipid peroxidation in the liver, kidney, and heart. These alterations were accompanied by development of fibrous layer, formation of foam cells, reduction in elastic fibers, and accumulation of Oil-Red-O-positive lipid droplets in the intima of thoracic aorta following 24 weeks of stress exposure, but not after 4 weeks. The study demonstrates for the first time that (i) chronic stress-induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative damage are coupled with atherosclerotic development in rats fed with normal diet and (ii) chronic stress effects prevail even after the cessation of stress exposure as indicated by high concentration of blood cholesterol and reduced hepatic superoxide dismutase activity 20 weeks after 2 or 4 weeks of stress. This study exemplifies long-term allostatic regulation leading to a pathological state, with long-term hyperlipidemia and oxidative damage from chronic stress resulting in atherosclerosis.
A selection of parts distribution center location using cash flow analysis

Warehouse or distribution center location is one of the key success factors in supply chain management which specify the optimal location position. It could support the efficient financial statement of the company and gain competitive position. XYZ Company is. trying to study the feasibility of relocating its distribution center for service parts. in order to reduce inbound transportatfon cost. The purpose of this research is to enhance the knowledge and awareness in applying financial techniques to find the appropriate parts distribution center location of XYZ Company between its current location at Bang Plee, Samutprakam, and a new location at Pluak Daeng, Rayong. The inbound transportation cost reduction is implemented by studying the new parts distribution center location which is close to the source of supply. Then the financial results between the current and the new location will be compared to select the appropriate location. The financial techniques that are used for finding the results are net present value (NPV), internal rate ofreturn (IRR), and profitability index (PI). This research also identifies the problems of the current parts distribution center location and its advantages and disadvantages. Then the results of the data analysis and the cash flows analysis for both locations will be presented. The calculation results using financial techniques show that the new location of parts distribution center at Pluak Daeng, Rayong, is preferred as the appropriate location because it could provide a higher cash flow to company. Lastly, the researcher provides guidelines and recommendations for future research in order to find another appropriate locati.on of parts distribution center by considering the company's benefits as well as the service level to its customers.
Area based indoor tracking algorithm based on sequence detection and maximum likelihood metrics

This paper introduces a new sequence-detection method with maximum-likelihood-metrics for user movement tracking. Our new algorithm utilizes reference data and measured received signal strength indicator (RSSI) data to search for the most likely movement paths represented as sequences of indoor zones. We demonstrate that the proposed modification can bring about a significant improvement of user movement path estimation compared to our original method.
Rewarding Top Managers for Company's Success

Most companies tie their senior managers' annual raises and bonuses to their annual profit levels. A study of 112 corporations revealed that only 45 per cent of them had any explicit mention of rewarding their key managers for their strategic (long-term) contributions [1,3]. Another study established that 79 per cent of the corporations rewarded their top executives on pretax profits, and only 42 per cent of companies offered some sort of incentive plans based on certain long-term measures [2,3] .
Are multifocal motor neuropathy patients underdiagnosed? An epidemiological survey in Japan

Introduction: Our objective was to do an epidemiologic survey of patients with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) in comparison with those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Japan. Methods: In this retrospective study, we examined 46 patients with MMN and 1,051 patients with ALS from major neuromuscular centers in Japan from 2005 to 2009. Diagnosis was based on the European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society (EFNS/PNS) and the revised El Escorial criteria. The efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) was also taken into consideration in the diagnosis of MMN. Results: The ratio of MMN to ALS patients (0–0.10) varied among the centers, but mostly converged to 0.05. The prevalence was estimated to be 0.29 MMN patients and 6.63 ALS patients per 100,000 population. Conclusions: The frequency of MMN patients was around 1 out of 20 ALS patients, and MMN was possibly underdiagnosed in some centers. Muscle Nerve 49:357–361, 2014
Does Delayed Testing of Urea Breath Test Samples Effect Results?

results of UBT testing from test session 1 with UBT samples collected 15 days later on the same 36 children and tested within 3 days of sample collection (test session 2). Testing was performed according to the manufacturer’s specifi cations with a positive test based on a urea hydrolysis rate 1 10 from the delta over baseline for 13 CO 2 after adjusting for weight, height, and gender. Among the 36 participants, 19 (53%) were female, median age was 10.5 years (range 7.9–12.8 years). Test session 1 (median of 9 days between breath test collection and testing) revealed 19 positive and 17 H. pylori -negative samples. Test session 2 (median of 2 days between breath test collection and testing) revealed 20 positive and 16 negative tests. Test results between the two sample sets were concordant for all but one person (97% of all tests) (Kappa = 0.94). A In a randomized treatment trial for Helicobacter pylori infection among 690 children in rural Alaska, 36 urea breath test (UBT) samples were lost in the mail. We recovered the samples 9–10 days later and tested them using the standard method (test session 1). Specimens were collected during the Fall season in Alaska during which the average temperature in the region was 44 °F (range 35–53) and were transported in uninsulated cardboard boxes and fl own as air cargo. Conditions under which the lost bags were stored are not known. The manufacturer of the UBT kits (Meretek, Lafayette, Colo., USA) recommends testing of breath test samples within 7 days of specimen collection to ensure a valid test result. Therefore, this set of test results was deemed questionable and all 36 participants were retested using the UBT. We compared the Published online: July 12, 2005
Chapter 1 The Molecular Frame of Pancreatic Carcinogenesis

Annually, approximately 43,140 people are diagnosed (incidence 10-12/100000) with pancre‐ atic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in the United States and the mortality rate of 36800 almost equals this number [1]. PDAC ranks fourth on the list of cancer-related causes of death and despite extensive scientific and clinical effort, the prognosis of this exceptionally lethal disease has not improved significantly over the past decades [2]. Surgical resection, for which only a minority (less than 20%) of the patients qualify due to late diagnosis in advanced stages, is currently the only chance of cure, improving 5-year survival rates from <4% if left untreated to 20-30% after resection [3]. Unresectable tumors are characterized by early invasion and metastases as well as by an extreme chemoresistance. Despite subtle progress over the years in terms of therapeutic strategies in many malignancies, no major conventional treatment options have come forward from numerous clinical trials in pancreatic cancer.
On Network Change

Because networks affect a variety of important firm outcomes, understanding the drivers of network change is fundamental. Research has focused only on two mechanisms by which networks change: tie additions and deletions. Yet these represent a fraction of the six mechanisms by which interorganizational networks can change. Firms also merge, divest, enter industries, and exit industries. From a networks perspective, these events cause nodes to ‘collapse’, ‘split’, ‘appear’, and ‘disappear’. These actions have potentially dramatic effects on the structural position occupied by the focal firm as well as that of other firms whose ties are indirectly affected by the event. We systematically explore how this full set of change mechanisms affects important network outcomes such as openness, closure, and status. Through a simulation, we find that each mechanism has a distinct effect on each outcome, and that the effect depends on whether the action is taken with or without network outcomes in mind. We observe dire.
Rectal Cancer Patients’ Quality of Life With a Temporary Stoma: Shifting Perspectives

BACKGROUND: Patients with rectal cancer who have a temporary ostomy report good quality of life despite identifying a number of stoma-related difficulties. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to qualitatively explore the experiences of patients with rectal cancer who have a temporary ileostomy to better understand the discordant findings of previous quantitative quality-of-life studies. DESIGN/SETTING: We conducted in–depth qualitative interviews with patients with stage I to III rectal cancer who underwent sphincter-preserving surgery that resulted in a temporary ileostomy. PATIENTS: Twenty-six patients (54% male, median age 54) participated. Sixty-five percent had stage III disease, and 88% received neoadjuvant therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Interviews examined preoperative expectations, overall experience, and stoma impact on quality of life. With the use of grounded theory, 2 investigators independently performed line-by-line content analysis to identify key themes. Analysis continued until data saturation. RESULTS: Two major themes were identified: stoma-related difficulties and perceived response shift. Patients reported difficulty in exercise, sleep, social activities, sexuality, and clothing. Patients’ perception of quality of life with a temporary stoma appears to have undergone a response shift through recalibration of their standards for measuring quality of life (internal measurement scale altered by side effects of neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatment, temporary nature of stoma, and accommodation to stoma) and reconceptualization of what “good quality of life” is (stoma difficulties were felt to be less important in comparison with cancer-related mortality). LIMITATIONS: Although qualitative research is, by design, not generalizable, these data support our previous quantitative work. This convergence of findings suggests that our data may be representative. CONCLUSIONS: A temporary ileostomy represents significant difficulties for patients with rectal cancer. However, because of response shift, these difficulties may not be perceived as important to overall quality of life when considered within the context of the cancer experience. Our results can inform preoperative consultations with patients who have rectal cancer to assist in aligning patient expectations of what life with a temporary ileostomy may be like.
Control of proliferative enteropathy in growing/fattening pigs using growth promoters.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different antibiotics used as growth promoters on the control of porcine intestinal adenomatosis when administered in weaning, growing and fattening pig diets, according to Annex I of the European Union directive (70/524/EEC and its subsequent amendments to date) for the use of feed additives. On a farm with a previous history of proliferative enteropathy outbreaks, 648 weaned piglets (23 days old) were divided into nine experimental groups according to bodyweight and sex ratio, each group comprising four pens with 18 pigs in each pen. One group served the trial as a negative (unmedicated) control: another (the positive control) received monensin via feed at 100 p.p.m. up to the end of the growing phase (107 days old) and 50 p.p.m. up to slaughter age (156 days old). The remaining seven groups were offered feed with the addition of the following antibiotics: virginia-mycin (50-20 p.p.m.), avilamycin (40-20 p.p.m.), spiramycin (50-20 p.p.m.), zinc bacitracin (50-10 p.p.m.), avoparcin (40-20 p.p.m.), tylosin (40-20 p.p.m.) and salinomycin (60-30 p.p.m.), respectively. The performance of the pigs in the positive control group was very satisfying and among the highest in the trial, verifying earlier field studies. As a general conclusion it seems that all tested growth promoters had a beneficial effect compared with the untreated control, indicated by the decrease of mortality rate, the elimination of diarrhoeal incidence and the enhancement of growth performance, although the proliferative enteropathy control achieved by each substance was not always satisfactory. More specifically, the antibiotic growth promoters tested can be scaled according to their total efficacy as follows: 1. Salinomycin, tylosin, spiramycin; 2. Virginiamycin, zinc bacitracin, avilamycin; and 3. Avoparcin. Finally, it is considered that part of the growth promotion efficacy of the tested substances is due to their potential capacity to control porcine intestinal adenomatosis; thus, in future growth performance trials, the disease background of the trial farms must be examined, especially for porcine enteropathy challenges.
Risk factors associated with sperm DNA fragmentation

Dr. Franco (1) in his commentary in response to the practice recommendations by Agarwal et al . (2) provides information on several important aspects of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), especially the impact of paternal age, overweight and varicocele; and finally the author concluded by listing the current limitations of SDF tests.