Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WAND-PIC: A three-dimensional quasi-static particle-in-cell code with parallel multigrid solver and without predictor-corrector

We introduce the first quasi-static particle-in-cell (PIC) code: WAND-PIC which doesn't require the commonly used predictor-corrector method in solving electromagnetic fields. We derive the field equations under quasi-static approximation and find the explicit form of the "time" derivative of transverse plasma current. After that, equations for the magnetic fields can be solved exactly without predicting the future quantities. Algorithm design and code structure are greatly simplified. With the help of explicit quasi-static equations and our adaptive step size, plasma bubbles driven by the large beam charges can be simulated efficiently without suffering from the numerical instabilities associated with the predictor-corrector method. In addition, WAND-PIC is able to simulate the sophisticated interactions between high-frequency laser fields and beam particles through the method of sub-cycling. Comparisons between the WAND-PIC and a first-principle full PIC code (VLPL) is presented. WAND-PIC is open-source [1], fully three-dimensional and parallelized with the in-house multigrid solver. Scalability, time complexity, and parallelization efficiency up to thousands of cores are also discussed in this work.
Linear programming estimates for Cesàro and Abel limits of optimal values in optimal control problems

We consider infinite horizon optimal control problems with time averaging and time discounting criteria and give estimates for the Cesaro and Abel limits of their optimal values in the case when they depend on the initial conditions. We establish that these limits are bounded from above by the optimal value of a certain infinite dimensional (ID) linear programming (LP) problem and that they are bounded from below by the optimal value of the corresponding dual problem. (These estimates imply, in particular, that the Cesaro and Abel limits exist and are equal to each other if there is no duality gap). In addition, we obtain IDLP-based optimality conditions for the long run average optimal control problem, and we illustrate these conditions by an example.
The delay time distribution of Type-Ia supernovae in galaxy clusters: the impact of extended star-formation histories

The delay time distribution (DTD) of Type-Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is the rate of SNe Ia, as a function of time, that explode in a hypothetical stellar population of unit mass, formed in a brief burst at time $t=0$, and is important for understanding chemical evolution, SN Ia progenitors, and SN Ia physics. Past estimates of the DTD in galaxy clusters have been deduced from SN Ia rates measured in cluster samples observed at various redshifts, corresponding to different time intervals after a presumed initial brief burst of star formation. Recently, Friedmann and Maoz analysed a cluster sample at $z=1.13-1.75$ and confirmed indications from previous studies of lower-redshift clusters, that the DTD has a power-law form whose normalisation is at least several times higher than measured in field-galaxy environments, implying that SNe Ia are produced in larger numbers by the stellar populations in clusters. This conclusion, however, could have been affected by the implicit assumption that the stars were formed in a single brief starburst at high $z$. Here, we re-derive the DTD from the cluster SN Ia data, but now relax the single-burst assumption. Instead, we allow for a range of star-formation histories and dust extinctions for each cluster. Via MCMC modeling, we simultaneously fit, using stellar population synthesis models and DTD models, the integrated galaxy-light photometry in several bands and the SN Ia numbers discovered in each cluster. With these more-realistic assumptions, we find a best-fit DTD with power-law index $\alpha=-1. 09_{-0.12}^{+0.15}$, and amplitude, at delay $t=1~\rm Gyr$, $R_1=0. 41_{-0.10}^{+0.12}\times 10^{-12}~{\rm yr}^{-1}{\rm M}_\odot^{-1}$. The derived cluster-environment DTD remains higher (at $3.8\sigma$ significance) than the field-galaxy DTD, by a factor $\sim 2-3$. Cluster and field DTDs both have consistent slopes of $\alpha\approx -1.1$.
MAVIDH Score: A COVID-19 Severity Scoring using Chest X-Ray Pathology Features

The application of computer vision for COVID-19 diagnosis is complex and challenging, given the risks associated with patient misclassifications. Arguably, the primary value of medical imaging for COVID-19 lies rather on patient prognosis. Radiological images can guide physicians assessing the severity of the disease, and a series of images from the same patient at different stages can help to gauge disease progression. Based on these premises, a simple method based on lung-pathology features for scoring disease severity from Chest X-rays is proposed here. As the primary contribution, this method shows to be correlated to patient severity in different stages of disease progression comparatively well when contrasted with other existing methods. An original approach for data selection is also proposed, allowing the simple model to learn the severity-related features. It is hypothesized that the resulting competitive performance presented here is related to the method being feature-based rather than reliant on lung involvement or compromise as others in the literature. The fact that it is simpler and interpretable than other end-to-end, more complex models, also sets aside this work. As the data set is small, bias-inducing artifacts that could lead to overfitting are minimized through an image normalization and lung segmentation step at the learning phase. A second contribution comes from the validation of the results, conceptualized as the scoring of patients groups from different stages of the disease. Besides performing such validation on an independent data set, the results were also compared with other proposed scoring methods in the literature. The expressive results show that although imaging alone is not sufficient for assessing severity as a whole, there is a strong correlation with the scoring system, termed as MAVIDH score, with patient outcome.
A celestial matryoshka: dynamical and spectroscopic analysis of the Albireo system

We present a spectroscopic characterisation and a new orbital solution for the binary system beta Cyg Aa/Ac (MCA 55), the primary component (beta Cyg A) of the well-known wide double star Albireo. By matching evolutionary tracks to the physical parameters of all three Albireo stars (beta Cyg Aa, Ac and B) as obtained from a spectroscopic analysis of TIGRE and IUE spectra, we confirm that they are likely coeval. Our final orbit solution is based on radial-velocity measurements taken over a baseline exceeding $120$ years, combined with relative astrometry from speckle interferometric observations and the absolute astrometry from the Hipparcos and Gaia missions. Our final orbit solution has a period of $121.65^{+3.34}_{-2.90}$ years with an eccentricity of $0.20^{+0.01}_{-0.02}$. Thanks to the inclusion of the absolute astrometry, we find a mass ratio of $q = 1.25^{+0.19}_{-0.17}$, and a total mass of $9. 47_{-3.24}^{+5.88}$ M$_\odot$, indicating that the secondary (Ac) is the more massive of the pair. These results strongly suggest the presence of a fourth, unseen, member of the Albireo system. Given the current photometric data it is likely that beta Cyg A is itself a hierarchical triple. We also derive the systemic proper motion, line-of-sight velocity, and an orbital parallax of the beta Cyg A system, allowing us to quantitatively assess the hypothesis that Albireo A and B form a physically bound and genealogically connected system. Finally, we find four potential members of a common proper motion group with Albireo, though none anywhere as close by as the Albireo components A to B.
Magnetic phases and phase diagram of spin-1 condensate with quadrupole degrees of freedom

We obtain and justify a many-body Hamiltonian of pairwise interacting spin-1 atoms, which includes eight generators of the SU(3) group associated with spin and quadrupole degrees of freedom. It is shown that this Hamiltonian is valid for non-local interaction potential, whereas for local interaction specified by s-wave scattering length, the Hamiltonian should be bilinear in spin operators only (of the Heisenberg type). We apply the obtained Hamiltonian to study the ground-state properties and single-particle excitations of a weakly interacting gas of spin-1 atoms with Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) taking into account the quadrupole degrees of freedom. It is shown that the system under consideration can be in ferromagnetic, quadrupole, and paramagnetic phases. The corresponding phase diagram is constructed and discussed. The main characteristics such as the density of the grand thermodynamic potential, condensate density, and single-particle excitation spectra modified by quadrupole degrees of freedom are determined in different phases.
Learning to Characterize Matching Experts

Matching is a task at the heart of any data integration process, aimed at identifying correspondences among data elements. Matching problems were traditionally solved in a semi-automatic manner, with correspondences being generated by matching algorithms and outcomes subsequently validated by human experts. Human-in-the-loop data integration has been recently challenged by the introduction of big data and recent studies have analyzed obstacles to effective human matching and validation. In this work we characterize human matching experts, those humans whose proposed correspondences can mostly be trusted to be valid. We provide a novel framework for characterizing matching experts that, accompanied with a novel set of features, can be used to identify reliable and valuable human experts. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach using an extensive empirical evaluation. In particular, we show that our approach can improve matching results by filtering out inexpert matchers.
Layer- and gate-tunable spin-orbit coupling in a high-mobility few-layer semiconductor

Rashba spin-orbit coupling in atomically thin InSe is varied layer by layer and by tuning out-of-plane electric field. Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is a relativistic effect, where an electron moving in an electric field experiences an effective magnetic field in its rest frame. In crystals without inversion symmetry, it lifts the spin degeneracy and leads to many magnetic, spintronic, and topological phenomena and applications. In bulk materials, SOC strength is a constant. Here, we demonstrate SOC and intrinsic spin splitting in atomically thin InSe, which can be modified over a broad range. From quantum oscillations, we establish that the SOC parameter α is thickness dependent; it can be continuously modulated by an out-of-plane electric field, achieving intrinsic spin splitting tunable between 0 and 20 meV. Unexpectedly, α could be enhanced by an order of magnitude in some devices, suggesting that SOC can be further manipulated. Our work highlights the extraordinary tunability of SOC in 2D materials, which can be harnessed for in operando spintronic and topological devices and applications.
Response of layer hens to different densities in cages and dietary energy levels

Harco Sex Link layers were used to evaluate the effects of three population densities in cages (DPJ; 600, 480, and 450 cm 2/hen) using cages of three sizes (30 x 40, 36 x 40, and 45 x 30 cm), in which were housed 2, 3, and 3 birds/cage, resulting in 15, 12, and 15 cm of lineal feeder space per bird, respectively; and two levels of dietary energy (NED; 2 600 and 2 800 kcal ME/kg) and their interaction, on feed consumption (ConA), laying percentage (PP), weight per egg (PH), and feed conversion (CA), in a 12-wk trial conducted at La Tuquerena Farm. A completely randomized design was used, with a factorial arrangement (3 x 2) and six replications per treatment. DPJ exerted effects (P < 0.05) on ConA and PP, the highest values (128.9 g/day and 65.4%) corresponding to the 600 cm2 density, whereas PH and CA were not affected. NED did not affect (P < 0.05) ConA (although trend was to higher consumption at the lower NED) nor PP and PH; the higher NED gave better (P < 0.05) efficiency in CA (expressed as 2.36 vs. 2.59 kg feed/dozen eggs or 1.91 vs. 1.96 kg/kg). The DPJ–NED interaction affected (P < 0.05) ConA, PP and CA, but not PH (treatment means of which varied only between 64.2 and 62.3 g). Highest ConA (130.4 g/day) and PP (64.6%) were obtained with the combination 600 cm 2/bird and 2 600 kcal/kg, lowest ConA (114.5 g) with 480–2 800 and lowest PP (52.1%) with 480–2 600. The best CA (kg/dozen) were 2.30 for 450–2 800 and 2.34 for 480–2 800 and the worst 2.67 (480–2 600) and 2.64 (450–2 600). The 2 600 energy level was satisfactory for use with the 600 cm 2/hen density, but at the higher densities its use resulted in lower PP and poorer CA than the 2 800 kcal/kg level.
Structure-Enhanced Mechanically Robust Graphite Foam with Ultrahigh MnO2 Loading for Supercapacitors

With the fast bloom of flexible electronics and green vehicles, it is vitally important to rationally design and facilely construct customized functional materials with excellent mechanical properties as well as high electrochemical performance. Herein, by utilizing two modern industrial techniques, digital light processing (DLP) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a unique 3D hollow graphite foam (HGF) is demonstrated, which shows a periodic porous structure and robust mechanical properties. Finite element analysis (FEA) results confirm that the properly designed gyroidal porous structure provides a uniform stress area and mitigates potential structural failure caused by stress concentrations. A typical HGF can show a high Young's modulus of 3.18 MPa at a low density of 48.2 mg cm−3. The porous HGF is further covered by active MnO2 material with a high mass loading of 28.2 mg cm−2 (141 mg cm−3), and the MnO2/HGF electrode still achieves a satisfactory specific capacitance of 260 F g−1, corresponding to a high areal capacitance of 7.35 F cm−2 and a high volumetric capacitance of 36.75 F cm−3. Furthermore, the assembled quasi-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor also shows remarkable mechanical properties as well as electrochemical performance.
Who Misses Appointments Made Online? Retrospective Analysis of the Outpatient Department of a General Hospital in Jinan, Shandong Province, China

Purpose Missed appointments in outpatient registration pose challenges for hospital administrators, especially in the context of China’s shortage of medical resources. Previous studies have identified factors that affect healthcare access via traditional appointment systems. Few studies, however, have specifically investigated Internet appointment systems. Therefore, this study explored the key factors related to missed appointments made on the Internet appointment system of a general hospital in Jinan, Shandong Province. Methods Online appointment data were collected from the outpatient department of a general hospital in Jinan from September 2017 to February 2018. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relative importance of eight variables: gender, age, interval between scheduling and appointment, day of the week, physician’s academic rank, appointment fee, previous missed appointments, and clinical department. Results A total of 48,777 online appointment records were collected, which included a 15% no-show rate. The key factors associated with no-shows included age, interval between scheduling and appointment, previous missed appointments, and clinical department. No significant relationships were found between no-shows and gender, day of the week, and appointment fee. Conclusion No-show rates were influenced by many factors. Based on this study’s findings, targeted measures can be taken to decrease no-show frequency and improve medical efficiency.
Reported Low Uptake of HCV Testing among People Who Inject Drugs in Urban Vietnam

Background HCV testing is an important first step for treatment and prevention, particularly for those who are highly vulnerable to HCV infection such as people who inject drugs (PWID). In settings where direct-acting antiretroviral medicines are becoming more available, limited information exists about who and where to target to increase the prevalence of HCV testing among PWID. This study is aimed at understanding the prevalence of HCV testing uptake and its determinants of medical services and risk behaviors. Methods From February 2016 to April 2017, a sample of 509 PWID was interviewed using a structured questionnaire on their history of HCV testing, confirmation, services using in the previous year as well as HCV-related knowledge, and risk behaviors. Multiple logistic regression identified factors associated with ever being tested for HCV before enrollment in the program. Results Approximately 33% reported ever testing for HCV. Most cited sources of testing are public hospitals and general clinics (68.9%) and outpatient clinics (18.9%). Having ever tested for HCV was positively associated with accessing health services within the prior 12 months (aOR = 2.25; 95% CI 1.11-4.58), being currently enrolled in a methadone treatment program (aOR = 2.35; 95% CI 1.34-4.08), and/or on ART treatment (aOR = 2.30; 95% CI 1.30-4.08). Those who ever delayed in seeking healthcare services for any reason were less likely to get tested for HCV (aOR = 0.54; 95% CI 0.35-0.84). Conclusion HCV testing prevalence is low among PWID in Hanoi despite a very high prevalence of HCV infection. To improve the cascade of HCV testing, it is critical that intervention programs scale up linkages among methadone, outpatient clinics, and HCV services, take steps to reduce stigma and discrimination in both community and, especially, in health care settings, and increase awareness of HCV for PWID by integrating HCV into routine counseling at health care services.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast with distant metastasis to the liver and spleen: a case report

Abstract Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the breast is a rare malignancy, accounting for 0.1–1% of breast cancers. Histologically breast ACC is similar to ACC’s found in salivary tissue and is a triple-negative breast cancer with an uncharacteristically favorable prognosis and low incidence of metastasis. Most cases present as a painful, palpable mass; however, asymptomatic cases found on screening mammograms have also been noted. Core needle biopsy or excisional biopsy is necessary for definitive diagnosis of breast ACC. Immunohistochemistry of these cancers can differentiate breast ACC from masses with similar histology, such as invasive cribriform carcinoma and collagenous spherulosis. There is no well-established treatment guideline for ACC; however, it has been noted that reoccurrence and metastasis are noted more in cases of local resection than mastectomy.
Mitochondrial-Protective Effects of R-Phenibut after Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury

Altered neuronal Ca2+ homeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction play a central role in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). R-Phenibut ((3R)-phenyl-4-aminobutyric acid) is an antagonist of the α2δ subunit of voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCC) and an agonist of gamma-aminobutyric acid B (GABA-B) receptors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of R-phenibut following the lateral fluid percussion injury (latFPI) model of TBI in mice and the impact of R- and S-phenibut on mitochondrial functionality in vitro. By determining the bioavailability of R-phenibut in the mouse brain tissue and plasma, we found that R-phenibut (50 mg/kg) reached the brain tissue 15 min after intraperitoneal (i.p.) and peroral (p.o.) injections. The maximal concentration of R-phenibut in the brain tissues was 0.6 μg/g and 0.2 μg/g tissue after i.p. and p.o. administration, respectively. Male Swiss-Webster mice received i.p. injections of R-phenibut at doses of 10 or 50 mg/kg 2 h after TBI and then once daily for 7 days. R-Phenibut treatment at the dose of 50 mg/kg significantly ameliorated functional deficits after TBI on postinjury days 1, 4, and 7. Seven days after TBI, the number of Nissl-stained dark neurons (N-DNs) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) expression in the cerebral neocortex in the area of cortical impact were reduced. Moreover, the addition of R- and S-phenibut at a concentration of 0.5 μg/ml inhibited calcium-induced mitochondrial swelling in the brain homogenate and prevented anoxia-reoxygenation-induced increases in mitochondrial H2O2 production and the H2O2/O ratio. Taken together, these results suggest that R-phenibut could serve as a neuroprotective agent and promising drug candidate for treating TBI.
The Identification of a Novel Thiopurine S-Methyltransferase Allele, TPMT*45, in Korean Patient with Crohn’s Disease

Abstract Pediatric Crohn’s disease (CD) carries a higher genetic susceptibility and an increased risk of a more aggressive disease course than adult CD. Treatment of CD is based on immunomodulatory drugs, such as thiopurines. The enzyme mainly involved in drug metabolism is thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT). An increased concentration of drug metabolites can cause adverse drug effects, such as myelosuppression and hepatotoxicity; therefore, assessing the activity of TPMT is essential both before and during treatment. TPMT genotyping result is not affected by previous thiopurine dose and currently is the primary component of TPMT activity and disease monitoring. Until now, more than 40 allelic variants of the TPMT gene have been reported, with most of them having an uncertain or no enzyme function. In this article, we report the first case of a novel TPMT allele, TPMT*45, that was identified in a Korean girl with CD whose findings suggested decreased TPMT activity. This newly observed variant is caused by a single nucleotide polymorphism resulting in nonsense mutation (c.676C>T, p.R226*) and the partial loss of amino acids in the TPMT protein. Initially, the patient began azathioprine at a standard dosage (1.5 mg/kg/day), and her laboratory results, including red blood cell (RBC) TPMT activity (6-methylmercaptopurine 2.68 nmol/mL/h and 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside 4.82 nmol/mL/h) along with thiopurine metabolite levels (6-thioguanine nucleotides 479.3 pmol/8×108 RBC), suggested an enzyme deficiency. The thiopurine dose was reduced to half (0.7 mg/kg/day), and the follow-up metabolite results as well as the associated inflammatory markers were continuously within reference ranges. Along with an improvement in the patient’s subjective reports and clinical symptoms, the patient demonstrated a good treatment response to the adjusted dose. The results of our report illustrate the importance of TPMT genotyping and pharmacogenetic-based thiopurine dose adjustment. Further research should focus on the functional characterization and impact on this novel allele’s treatment effect.