Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An analysis of stellar populations in globular clusters

This thesis is composed of three chapters, as well as an introduction, which describe three distinct projects. In Chapter 2 we present new measurements of the centers for 65 Milky Way globular clusters. Centers were determined by fitting ellipses to the density distribution as well as the symmetry of the clusters. All of the determinations were done with stellar positions derived from a combination of two single-orbit Advanced Camera for Surveys images of the core of the cluster. We find that the ellipsefitting method provides remarkable accuracy over a wide range of core sizes and density distributions, while the symmetry method is difficult to use on clusters with very large cores, or low density, requiring a larger field, or a very sharply peaked density distribution. Chapter 3 deals with a re-analysis of previous work on white dwarf natal kicks, and expands on this to analyze the radial distributions of stellar populations in globular clusters at earlier stages of stellar evolution (earlier referring to pre-white dwarf). The effects of stellar incompleteness, and a method to account for this are discussed. Finally, the results of a statistical analysis of completeness corrected radial distributions in 56 globular clusters are presented. No significant evidence of kicks is found, however multiple clusters show evidence that stars along the horizontal branch have not relaxed since undergoing mass loss after leaving the main sequence. In Chapter 4, we present a novel method for determining the distance to a star cluster by fitting spectral energy models to the spectral energy distributions of cluster white dwarfs in multiple filters. The statistics of our fitting method are discussed in detail. This approach results in a true distance modulus of (m−M)0 =
Flow generated by oscillatory uniform heating of a rarefied gas in a channel

Kinetic theory provides a rigorous foundation to explore the unsteady (oscillatory) flow of a dilute gas, which is often generated by nanomechanical devices. Recently, formal asymptotic analyses of unsteady (oscillatory) flows at small Knudsen numbers have been derived from the linearised Boltzmann–Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (Boltzmann–BGK) equation, in both the low- and high-frequency limits (Nassios & Sader, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 708, 2012, pp. 197–249 and vol. 729, 2013, pp. 1–46; Takata & Hattori, J. Stat. Phys., vol. 147, 2012, pp. 1182–1215). These asymptotic theories predict that unsteadiness can couple strongly with heat transport to dramatically modify the overall gas flow. Here, we study the gas flow generated between two parallel plane walls whose temperatures vary sinusoidally in time. Predictions of the asymptotic theories are compared to direct numerical solutions, which are valid for all Knudsen numbers and normalised frequencies. Excellent agreement is observed, providing the first numerical validation of the asymptotic theories. The asymptotic analyses also provide critical insight into the physical mechanisms underlying these flow phenomena, establishing that mass conservation (not momentum or energy) drives the flows – this explains the identical results obtained using different previous theoretical treatments of these linear thermal flows. This study highlights the unique gas flows that can be generated under oscillatory non-isothermal conditions and the importance of both numerical and asymptotic analyses in explaining the underlying mechanisms.
Construction de bases d'ondelettes de $L^2[0,1]$ et estimation du paramètre de longue mémoire par la méthode des ondelettes.

Cette these est consacree a l'utilisation des ondelettes dans deux domaines a savoir la construction de bases sur l'intervalle et l'estimation du parametre de longue memoire par transformee (discrete) d'ondelettes. Dans un premier volet Nous presentons des constructions generales d'analyses multiresolution orthogonales (par une methode directe) et biorthogonale sur l'intervalle (par la methode d'integration et de derivation) . Comme applications, on etudie les espaces de Sobolev $H^{s}([0,1])$ et $H^{s}_{0}([0,1])$ pour $s\in\mathbb{N}$ . Le second volet est consacre a l'estimation du parametre de longues ondelettes (non issues d'une analyse multiresolution) dans un cadre semi parametrique. Les processus stationnaires a longue memoire consideres sont du type gaussien puis lineaire. Pour chaque type de processus, on construit un estimateur adaptatif verifiant un theoreme limite central a vitesse de convergence au sens du minimax (a un logarithme pres). Les qualites statistiques de ces estimateurs (robustesses et consistances) sont verifiees par des simulations et enfin un test d'adequation est etabli (considere comme un test de longue memoire dans le cas lineaire).
What Is the Efficacy of Intra-articular Injections in the Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis? A Systematic Review

Abstract Background Ankle osteoarthritis (OA) is painful and can impact a patient’s physical and mental quality of life. Although intra-articular injections are commonly used to alleviate symptoms, there is conflicting evidence concerning their efficacy. Therefore, an updated systematic review would be informative. Question/purpose In this systematic review, we asked: Are there clinically important benefits or harms associated with the use of intra-articular injections in the treatment of ankle OA? Methods We used PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to search for randomized controlled trials on intra-articular injections for the treatment of ankle OA in June 2021, and updated the search in January 2022; eligible dates were from the date of inception of each database through January 2022. Reference lists of eligible studies and previous reviews were manually screened. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for eligibility. We included seven studies. Three compared hyaluronic acid (HA) with saline, one compared HA with exercise, one compared four different regimens of HA [34], one compared platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with saline, and one compared botulinum toxin Type A (BoNT-A) with HA. A total of 340 patients were included: 141 in the HA arms, 48 in the PRP arm, 38 in the BoNT-A arm, and 113 in the saline arms. Across all studies, the mean age was 52 ± 21 years, and 35% were women (119 of 340 patients). Methodologic quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. Of the included studies, the risk of bias was low in two studies, presented some concerns in one study, and was high in four studies. According to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology, the level of evidence was very low for HA, moderate for PRP, and very low for BoNT-A. The level of heterogeneity was high, and we opted to perform a systematic review rather than a meta-analysis. A clinically relevant difference was based on whether the between-group difference surpassed the cutoff point determined as the minimum clinically important difference. Results No clinically relevant differences were found among HA, PRP, and BoNT-A and their control groups at 3, 6, or 12 months. No studies reported any serious adverse events in any treatment group. Conclusion Given the lack of observed efficacy in this systematic review, these treatments should not be used in practice until or unless future high-quality studies find evidence of efficacy. Level of Evidence Level III, therapeutic study.
Motion-Compensated Predictive RAHT for Dynamic Point Clouds

We study the use of predictive approaches alongside the region-adaptive hierarchical transform (RAHT) in attribute compression of dynamic point clouds. The use of intra-frame prediction with RAHT was shown to improve attribute compression performance over pure RAHT and represents the state-of-the-art in attribute compression of point clouds, being part of MPEG’s geometry-based test model. We studied a combination of inter-frame and intra-frame prediction for RAHT for the compression of dynamic point clouds. An adaptive zero-motion-vector (ZMV) scheme and an adaptive motion-compensated scheme are developed. The simple adaptive ZMV approach is able to achieve sizable gains over pure RAHT and over the intra-frame predictive RAHT (I-RAHT) for point clouds with little or no motion while ensuring similar compression performance to I-RAHT for point clouds with intense motion. The motion-compensated approach, more complex and more powerful, is able to achieve large gains across all of the tested dynamic point clouds.
Dealing with big data: comparing dimension reduction and shrinkage regression methods

ABSTRACT In the past decades, the number of variables explaining observations in different practical applications increased gradually. This has led to heavy computational tasks, despite of widely using provisional variable selection methods in data processing. Therefore, more methodological techniques have appeared to reduce the number of explanatory variables without losing much of the information. In these techniques, two distinct approaches are apparent: ‘shrinkage regression’ and ‘sufficient dimension reduction’. Surprisingly, there has not been any communication or comparison between these two methodological categories, and it is not clear when each of these two approaches are appropriate. In this paper, we fill some of this gap by first reviewing each category in brief, paying special attention to the most commonly used methods in each category. We then compare commonly used methods from both categories based on their accuracy, computation time, and their ability to select effective variables. A simulation study on the performance of the methods in each category is generated as well. The selected methods are concurrently tested on two sets of real data which allows us to recommend conditions under which one approach is more appropriate to be applied to high-dimensional data.
Photochemical Reaction Mechanism of Intramolecular H Transfer Reaction of H2C3O+• Radical Cation.

The photochemical reaction mechanism underlying the intramolecular H-transfer of the H2C3O+• radical cation to the H2CCCO+• methylene ketene cation was elucidated using time-dependent density functional theory and high-level ab initio methods. Once the D1 state of H2C3O+• is populated, the reaction proceeds to form an intermediate (IM) in the D1 state (IM4D1). The molecular structure of the conical intersection (CI) was optimized using a multiconfigurational ab initio method. The CI is readily accessible because it lies slightly above the IM4D1 in energy. In addition, the gradient difference vector of the CI is almost parallel to the intramolecular H-transfer reaction coordinate. Once the vibration mode of IM4D1 which is parallel to the reaction coordinate is populated, the degeneracy of the CI is readily lifted and H2CCCO+• was formed via a relaxation pathway in the D0 state. Our calculated results clearly describe the photochemical intramolecular H transfer reaction reported in a recent study.
Nationwide survey of internal medicine hospitalists in Korea: motivation and sustainability of a hospitalist career

Background/Aims Although a management fee for hospitalist service was established in Korea, the number of hospitalists required for the system to run remains outmatched. Methods In January 2020 and February 2022, before and after the establishment of the hospitalist fee system respectively, cross-sectional online surveys were conducted among internal medicine board-certified hospitalists. Results There were 59 and 64 respondents in the 2020 and 2022 surveys, respectively. The percentage of respondents who cited financial benefits as a motive for becoming a hospitalist was higher in the 2022 survey than in the 2020 survey (34.4% vs. 10.2%; p = 0.001). The annual salary of respondents was also higher in the 2022 survey than in the 2020 survey (mean, 182.9 vs. 163.0 million in South Korean Won; p = 0.006). A total of 81.3% of the respondents were willing to continue a hospitalist career in the 2022 survey. In multivariate regression analysis, the possibility of being appointed as a professor was found to be an independent predictive factor of continuing a hospitalist career (odds ratio, 4.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–14.75; p = 0.037). Conclusions Since the establishment of the hospitalist fee system, monetary compensation has improved for hospitalists. The possibility of being appointed as a professor could predict long-term work as hospitalists.
Reconstruction of partial auricular skin cancer defects: a review of current techniques

Purpose of review To discuss the principles of auricular reconstruction and review recently published literature in the field. Recent findings Auricular reconstruction poses several challenges to the surgeon aiming to restore form and function following skin cancer resection. Various techniques have been described in the literature with many modifications also reported to address their shortcomings. An algorithmic approach based on the location and composition of the defect is recommended. In many instances, more than one technique can be used, and the operating surgeon should be familiar with these to determine the optimal approach for the individual patient. Summary This review highlights the updates in well established techniques as well as modern modifications. Furthermore, a framework for decision-making in auricular reconstruction is presented.
Surface modification of ureteral stents: development history, classification, function, and future developments

ABSTRACT Introduction Ureteral stents are commonly used in urology but are frequently associated with hematuria, abdominal discomfort, urinary tract infection, stent displacement, and stent encrustation. Surface modification of ureteral stents is beneficial to solve the problem, and these can be divided into coated stents and drug-eluting stents according to the modification method. Coated stents can be divided into hydrophilic coatings, antibacterial coatings, and anti-encrustation coatings. Drug-eluting stents can be divided into antimicrobial drug-eluting, antispasmodic analgesic drug-eluting, anti-ureteral stricture drug-eluting, and anti-tumor drug-eluting. Surface modification of ureteral stents can not only reduce complications related to ureteral stents but also strengthen the treatment of certain urologic diseases, which has a high clinical application value. Areas covered This review focuses on highlighting and summarizing the latest research progress about surface modification of ureteral stents, ureteral stent development history, classification, functions, and future development prospects. Expert Opinion The purpose of this article is to discuss surface modification of ureteral stents to reduce stent-related complications and potential research directions for the treatment of urinary tract tumors are also briefly discussed, to help guide further innovation in ureteral stent coatings, which contribute to the future progress of ureteral stents surface modification.
Pterostilbene could alleviate diabetic cognitive impairment by suppressing TLR4/NF‐кB pathway through microbiota‐gut‐brain axis

Diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI) is a serious neurodegenerative disorder caused by diabetes, with chronic inflammation being a crucial factor in its pathogenesis. Pterostilbene is a well‐known natural stilbene derivative that has excellent anti‐inflammatory activity, suggesting its potential medicinal advantages for treating DCI. Therefore, this study is to explore the beneficial effects of pterostilbene for improving cognitive dysfunction in DCI mice. A diabetic model was induced by a high‐fat diet plus streptozotocin (40 mg·kg−1) for consecutive 5 days. After the animals were confirmed to be in a diabetic state, they were treated with pterostilbene (20 or 60 mg·kg−1, i.g.) for 10 weeks. Pharmacological evaluation showed pterostilbene could ameliorate cognitive dysfunction, regulate glycolipid metabolism disorders, improve neuronal damage, and reduce the accumulation of β‐amyloid in DCI mice. Pterostilbene alleviated neuroinflammation by suppressing oxidative stress and carbonyl stress damage, astrocyte and microglia activation, and dopaminergic neuronal loss. Further investigations showed that pterostilbene reduced the level of lipopolysaccharide, modulated colon and brain TLR4/NF‐κB signaling pathways, and decreased the release of inflammatory factors, which in turn inhibited intestinal inflammation and neuroinflammation. Furthermore, pterostilbene could also improve the homeostasis of intestinal microbiota, increase the levels of short‐chain fatty acids and their receptors, and suppress the loss of intestinal tight junction proteins. In addition, the results of plasma non‐targeted metabolomics revealed that pterostilbene could modulate differential metabolites and metabolic pathways associated with inflammation, thereby suppressing systemic inflammation in DCI mice. Collectively, our study found for the first time that pterostilbene could alleviate diabetic cognitive dysfunction by inhibiting the TLR4/NF‐κB pathway through the microbiota‐gut‐brain axis, which may be one of the potential mechanisms for its neuroprotective effects.
Spatial variations and determinants of malnutrition among under-five children in Nigeria: A population-based cross-sectional study

Childhood undernutrition is a major public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria. Determinants of child malnutrition may have substantial spatial heterogeneity. Failure to account for these small area spatial variations may cause child malnutrition intervention programs and policies to exclude some sub-populations and reduce the effectiveness of such interventions. This study uses the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) and a geo-additive regression model to investigate Nigeria’s prevalence and risk factors of childhood undernutrition. The geo-additive model permits a flexible, joint estimation of linear, non-linear, and spatial effects of some risk factors on the nutritional status of under-five children in Nigeria. We draw on data from the most recent Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2018). While the socioeconomic and environmental determinants generally support literature findings, distinct spatial patterns were observed. In particular, we found CIAF hotspots in the northwestern and northeastern districts. Some child-related factors (Male gender: OR = 1.315; 95% Credible Interval (CrI): 1.205, 1.437) and having diarrhoea: OR = 1.256; 95% CrI: 1.098, 1.431) were associated with higher odds of CIAF. Regarding household and maternal characteristics, media exposure was associated with lower odds of CIAF (OR = 0.858; 95% CrI: 0.777, 0.946). Obese maternal BMI was associated with lower odds of CIAF (OR = 0.691; 95% CrI: 0.621, 0.772), whereas, mothers classified as thin were associated with higher odds of CIAF (OR = 1.216; 95% CrI: 1.055, 1.411). Anthropometric failure is highly prevalent in Nigeria and spatially distributed. Therefore, localised interventions that aim to improve the nutritional status of under-five children should be considered to avoid the under-coverage of the regions that deserve more attention.
Investigation of the mutual coupling between apertures on doubly curved convex surfaces: theory and measurements

A hybrid method of high-frequency approximation (UTD) and method of moments is used to calculate the mutual coupling between circular apertures on a doubly curved surface. This requires that the geodesics on doubly curved surfaces be found. To represent the aperture fields, a single waveguide mode approximation is used. In order to verify the theoretical results, a general paraboloid of revolution with circular waveguide-fed apertures was built at Ericsson Microwave Systems AB, Molndal, Sweden. This has given a possibility to verify the theoretical model for a general doubly curved surface against measurements. To the authors' knowledge, no such verification is available in the literature. It was found that measured and theoretical results in terms of mutual coupling agree very well for copolar coupling. As expected, the mutual coupling results are very dependent on the polarization. In fact, the definition of polarization directions and the need for polarization control are important issues for doubly curved conformal array antennas.
Testosterone treatment combined with exercise to improve muscle strength, physical function and quality of life in men affected by inclusion body myositis: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial

Introduction Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the most commonly acquired skeletal muscle disease of older adults involving both autoimmune attack and muscle degeneration. As exercise training can improve outcomes in IBM, this study assessed whether a combination of testosterone supplementation and exercise training would improve muscle strength, physical function and quality of life in men affected by IBM, more than exercise alone. Methods This pilot study was a single site randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Testosterone (exercise and testosterone cream) and placebo (exercise and placebo cream) were each delivered for 12 weeks, with a two-week wash-out between the two periods. The primary outcome measure was improvement in quadriceps isokinetic muscle strength. Secondary outcomes included assessment of isokinetic peak flexion force, walk capacity and patient reported outcomes, and other tests, comparing results between the placebo and testosterone arms. A 12-month Open Label Extension (OLE) was offered using the same outcome measures collected at 6 and 12-months. Results 14 men completed the trial. There were no significant improvements in quadriceps extension strength or lean body mass, nor any of the secondary outcomes. Improvement in the RAND Short Form 36 patient reported outcome questionnaire ‘emotional wellbeing’ sub-category was reported during the testosterone arm compared to the placebo arm (mean difference [95% CI]: 6.0 points, [95% CI 1.7,10.3]). The OLE demonstrated relative disease stability over the 12-month period but with a higher number of testosterone-related adverse events. Conclusions Adding testosterone supplementation to exercise training did not significantly improve muscle strength or physical function over a 12-week intervention period, compared to exercise alone. However, the combination improved emotional well-being over this period, and relative stabilisation of disease was found during the 12-month OLE. A longer duration trial involving a larger group of participants is warranted.
Supervisors’ ethical leadership and graduate students’ attitudes toward academic misconduct

Graduate students’ academic misconduct has received increasing attention. Although past literature has emphasized university faculty as an important influencing factor on students’ moral behaviors, the mechanisms must be further disclosed. We investigated how supervisors’ ethical leadership influenced graduate students’ attitudes toward academic misconduct. We explained why and how supervisor gender affects post-graduate students’ social learning process by integrating social cognitive theory and role congruity theory. Study 1 used a sample of 301 graduate students in 60 academic teams in four Chinese business schools. Study 2 used experimental vignette methodology to enhance the findings’ internal and external validity and provided evidence of causality. Based on the two complementary studies, we found that supervisors’ ethical leadership significantly inhibited students’ acceptance of academic misconduct through students’ moral efficacy and the ethical climate of the academic team. The indirect effect via moral efficacy was more significant s for female supervisors. Implications for ethical leadership, academic misconduct, gender differences in leadership, and moral education were discussed.