Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance analysis of PNG laws for randomly maneuvering targets

The performance of the conventional proportional navigation guidance (PNG) law for a randomly maneuvering target is considered. By means of the Lyapunov method, it is proved that an ideal missile guided by the conventional PNG law can always intercept a target which maneuvers with time-varying normal acceleration provided that the navigation constant is sufficiently large. The authors also propose a modified PNG (MPNG) law which seems to improve the performance of the conventional PNG law at the final phase of pursuit. Simulation results demonstrate that the MPNG law demands less missile acceleration at the final phase of pursuit than the conventional PNG law. >
A grass–legume cover crop maintains nitrogen inputs and nitrous oxide fluxes from an organic agroecosystem

Legume cover crops are central to an ecological nutrient management approach that can reduce nitrogen (N) losses from agriculture. Diversifying cropping systems with a legume – grass cover crop mixture could further reduce N losses by increasing soil N assimilation and synchronizing N mineralization with N uptake by the following crop. We established four winter cover crop treatments (crimson clover, cereal rye, clover – rye mixture, and weedy fallow control) in an organic grain agroecosystem that had been managed for 30 years with a legume cover crop as the only external N source. We hypothesized that the legume – grass mixture would provide similar inputs of biologically fixed N 2 compared with the sole legume, while reducing N 2 O emissions during decomposition following tillage. We measured cover crop aboveground biomass C:N and clover N 2 fixation, soil inorganic N and N 2 O fluxes throughout the corn growing season following cover crop tillage, and corn N assimilation at harvest. Even with a reduced clover seeding rate in mixture, the clover and mixture treatments had similar fixed N inputs, litter N and C:N, and no differences in cumulative N 2 O emissions. During the first peak flux, N 2 O emissions were 2 – 5 times higher in clover and mixture relative to rye and fallow, with no differences between clover and mixture. There were no treatment differences at the second N 2 O peak, which followed the first major rain event. We contex-tualized these findings by calculating a 6-year
Characterizing the nonlinear propagation of femtosecond pulses in bulk media

Frequency-resolved optical gating is used to characterize the amplitude and phase of intense femtosecond pulses propagating in nonlinear dispersive media. The combined effects of group velocity dispersion (GVD) and third-order nonlinearity (nz) lead to rapid broadening and splitting of the pulses. We present measurements at 800 and 1200 nm and investigate the influence of the chirp of the input field. Measurements are compared with the predictions of one- and three-dimensional nonlinear Schrodinger equations. The influence of the Raman contribution to the nonlinear index of refraction is also examined theoretically.
Prevalence of insomnia and its association with quality of life among Macau residents shortly after the summer 2022 COVID-19 outbreak: A network analysis perspective

Background The latest wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Macau began on 18 June 2022 and was more serious than previous waves. Ensuing disruption from the wave is likely to have had a variety of negative mental health consequences for Macau residents including increased risk for insomnia. This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of insomnia among Macau residents during this wave as well as its association with quality of life (QoL) from a network analysis perspective. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between 26 July and 9 September 2022. Univariate and multivariate analyses explored correlates of insomnia. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) examined the relationship between insomnia and QoL. Network analysis assessed the structure of insomnia including “Expected influence” to identify central symptoms in the network, and the flow function to identify specific symptoms that were directly associated with QoL. Network stability was examined using a case-dropping bootstrap procedure. Results A total of 1,008 Macau residents were included in this study. The overall prevalence of insomnia was 49.0% (n = 494; 95% CI = 45.9–52.1%). A binary logistic regression analysis indicated people with insomnia were more likely to report depression (OR = 1.237; P < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.119; P < 0.001), as well as being quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic (OR = 1.172; P = 0.034). An ANCOVA found people with insomnia had lower QoL (F(1,1,008) = 17.45, P < 0.001). “Sleep maintenance” (ISI2), “Distress caused by the sleep difficulties” (ISI7) and “Interference with daytime functioning” (ISI5) were the most central symptoms in the insomnia network model, while “Sleep dissatisfaction” (ISI4), “Interference with daytime functioning” (ISI5), and “Distress caused by the sleep difficulties” (ISI7) had the strongest negative associations with QoL. Conclusion The high prevalence of insomnia among Macau residents during the COVID-19 pandemic warrants attention. Being quarantined during the pandemic and having psychiatric problems were correlates of insomnia. Future research should target central symptoms and symptoms linked to QoL observed in our network models to improve insomnia and QoL.
Shear-free turbulent boundary layers. Part 1. Physical insights into near-wall turbulence

Direct numerical simulation is used to examine the interaction of turbulence with a wall in the absence of mean shear. The influence of a solid wall on turbulence is analysed by first considering two ‘simpler’ types of boundaries. The first boundary is an idealized permeable wall. This boundary isolates and elucidates the viscous effects created by the wall. The second boundary is an idealized free surface. This boundary complements the first by allowing one to isolate and investigate the kinematic effects that occur near boundaries. The knowledge gained from these two simpler flows is then used to understand how turbulence is influenced by solid walls where both viscous and kinematic effects occur in combination. Examination of the instantaneous flow fields confirms the presence of previously hypothesized structures (splats), and reveals an additional class of structures (antisplats). Statistical analysis of the Reynolds stresses and Reynolds stress transport equations indicates the relative importance of dissipation, intercomponent energy transfer, and energy transport. It is found that it is not the structures themselves, but the imbalance between structures which leads to intercomponent energy transfer. Remarkably, this imbalance (and hence near-wall intercomponent energy transfer) is controlled by viscous processes such as dissipation and diffusion. The analysis presented herein is a departure from past notions of how boundaries influence turbulence. The efficacy of these qualitative physical concepts is demonstrated in Part 2 where improved near-wall turbulence models are derived based on these ideas.
Rainfall Variability over Mountainous and Adjacent Lake Areas: The Case of Lake Tana Basin at the Source of the Blue Nile River

Abstract The water resource of the Blue Nile River is of key regional importance to the northeastern African countries. However, little is known about the characteristics of the rainfall in the basin. In this paper, the authors presented the space–time variability of the rainfall in the vicinity of Lake Tana, which is the source of the Blue Nile River. The analysis was based on hourly rainfall data from a network of newly installed rain gauges, and cloud temperature indices from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG–2) Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) satellite sensor. The spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall were examined using not only statistical techniques such as exceedance probabilities, spatial correlation structure, harmonic analysis, and fractal analysis but also marginal statistics such as mean and standard deviation. In addition, a convective index was calculated from remote sensing images to infer the spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall. Heavy rainfall is frequen.
The source region of an interplanetary type II radio burst

We present the first observation of the source region of an interplanetary type II radio burst, using instruments on the Wind spacecraft. Type II radio emission tracks the motion of a CME‐driven interplanetary (IP) shock which encounters the spacecraft. Upstream of the IP shock backstreaming electrons are observed, first antiparallel to the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and then later parallel as well. Langmuir waves are observed concomitant with the shock‐accelerated electrons. The electron energy spectrum and Langmuir wave amplitudes are very similar to those observed in the terrestrial electron foreshock. From the connection times to the shock, we infer the existence and characteristic size of large scale structure on the shock front. The type II radio emission seems to be generated in a small bay upstream of the shock, and this may account for some splitting structure observed in the frequency spectrum of many type II bursts.
Investigation of Glazing Behavior in a Fire Environment Using a Spectral Discrete Ordinates Method for Radiative Heat Transfer

Radiative heat transfer plays a major role in the analysis of glazing behavior in fires, but its rigorous modeling has received little attention. In the present study, a spectral radiative heat transfer model, based on the discrete ordinates method (DOM), is developed and employed to analyze heat transfer and the transient temperature distribution in a glazing structure subjected to fire heat flux. Comparisons are made between model predictions and literature experimental data; acceptable agreements are found. The study also investigates the influence of the glass properties and geometry on the temperature and time to breakage.
Polymeric Heart Valves Will Displace Mechanical and Tissue Heart Valves: A New Era for the Medical Devices

The development of a novel artificial heart valve with outstanding durability and safety has remained a challenge since the first mechanical heart valve entered the market 65 years ago. Recent progress in high-molecular compounds opened new horizons in overcoming major drawbacks of mechanical and tissue heart valves (dysfunction and failure, tissue degradation, calcification, high immunogenic potential, and high risk of thrombosis), providing new insights into the development of an ideal artificial heart valve. Polymeric heart valves can best mimic the tissue-level mechanical behavior of the native valves. This review summarizes the evolution of polymeric heart valves and the state-of-the-art approaches to their development, fabrication, and manufacturing. The review discusses the biocompatibility and durability testing of previously investigated polymeric materials and presents the most recent developments, including the first human clinical trials of LifePolymer. New promising functional polymers, nanocomposite biomaterials, and valve designs are discussed in terms of their potential application in the development of an ideal polymeric heart valve. The superiority and inferiority of nanocomposite and hybrid materials to non-modified polymers are reported. The review proposes several concepts potentially suitable to address the above-mentioned challenges arising in the R&D of polymeric heart valves from the properties, structure, and surface of polymeric materials. Additive manufacturing, nanotechnology, anisotropy control, machine learning, and advanced modeling tools have given the green light to set new directions for polymeric heart valves.
Global structure, seasonal and interannual variability of the migrating semidiurnal tide seen in the SABER/TIMED temperatures (2002-2007)

Abstract. The present paper is focused on the global spatial (altitude and latitude) structure, seasonal and interannual variability of the migrating semidiurnal tide derived from the SABER/TIMED temperature measurements for 6 years (January 2002–December 2007). The tidal results are obtained by a new analysis method where the tides (migrating and nonmigrating) and the planetary waves (zonally travelling and stationary) are simultaneously extracted from the satellite data. The strongest migrating semidiurnal tide has been derived at tropical latitudes (±20–30°) where it revealed significant amplification between May and August in the lower thermosphere of both hemispheres. On the average, the semidiurnal temperature tide is stronger in the SH (32 K) than that in the NH (30 K) and the tidal amplitudes at 110 km height are nearly a factor of 5 larger than those at 90 km. The migrating semidiurnal tide in both hemispheres revealed remarkable seasonal behavior at the altitude where it maximizes, ~110 km in the NH and ~115 km in the SH, indicating repeatable each year maxima exactly in May–June and August. However, while the main maximum in the NH is that in August, in the SH it is that in May. The vertical wavelengths indicated seasonal variability being larger in summer (~38–50 km) than in winter (~25–35 km). The seasonal behavior of the semidiurnal tide in the middle latitudes (±40°) is dominated by annual variability with a winter maximum in the upper mesosphere (90 km) of both hemispheres and summer one in the lower thermosphere (110 km). The NH summer maximum (June and August peaks) is much stronger than that in the SH (November and March peaks) having amplitudes of ~23 K and ~13–15 K respectively. The vertical wavelengths at both hemispheres indicated slight seasonal changes and a mean vertical wavelength of ~35 km is observed during most of the year. The interannual variability of the semidiurnal tide in the midlatitude lower thermosphere is at least partly connected with the stratospheric QBO as this effect is stronger in the NH.
Radioluminescence Processes in Cerium-Doped Silica Glasses

Rare-earth (RE)-doped silica glasses are promising materials for ionizing radiation dosimetry. In this article, a bulk glassy silica doped with Ce ions was prepared via the sol–gel technique and drawn at about 2000 °C into a cylindrical capillary rod. Under X-rays, this sample presents a radioluminescence (RL) signal that can be exploited for dose rate real-time monitoring with remarkable linear response spanning six decimal orders of magnitude. In order to elucidate RL signal dynamics associated with free carriers trapping–detrapping and recombination during and after X-ray irradiation, we studied the obtained RL signals using a kinetic model involving one or several trapping states and one recombination center. With this model and using appropriate sets of trapping parameters, extracted from the thermoluminescence data, the RL signal was numerically simulated, along with the populations of the relevant traps and centers. Several experimentally observed characteristics of the RL signals were explained using the model.
Proteomics profiling of vitreous humor reveals complement and coagulation components, adhesion factors, and neurodegeneration markers as discriminatory biomarkers of vitreoretinal eye diseases

Introduction Diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are leading causes of visual impairment and blindness in people aged 50 years or older in middle-income and industrialized countries. Anti-VEGF therapies have improved the management of neovascular AMD (nAMD) and proliferative DR (PDR), no treatment options exist for the highly prevalent dry form of AMD. Methods To unravel the biological processes underlying these pathologies and to find new potential biomarkers, a label-free quantitative (LFQ) method was applied to analyze the vitreous proteome in PDR (n=4), AMD (n=4) compared to idiopathic epiretinal membranes (ERM) (n=4). Results and discussion Post-hoc tests revealed 96 proteins capable of differentiating among the different groups, whereas 118 proteins were found differentially regulated in PDR compared to ERM and 95 proteins in PDR compared to dry AMD. Pathway analysis indicates that mediators of complement, coagulation cascades and acute phase responses are enriched in PDR vitreous, whilst proteins highly correlated to the extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, platelet degranulation, lysosomal degradation, cell adhesion, and central nervous system development were found underexpressed. According to these results, 35 proteins were selected and monitored by MRM (multiple reaction monitoring) in a larger cohort of patients with ERM (n=21), DR/PDR (n=20), AMD (n=11), and retinal detachment (n=13). Of these, 26 proteins could differentiate between these vitreoretinal diseases. Based on Partial least squares discriminant and multivariate exploratory receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, a panel of 15 discriminatory biomarkers was defined, which includes complement and coagulation components (complement C2 and prothrombin), acute-phase mediators (alpha-1-antichymotrypsin), adhesion molecules (e.g., myocilin, galectin-3-binding protein), ECM components (opticin), and neurodegeneration biomarkers (beta-amyloid, amyloid-like protein 2).
Noise transmission and delay-induced stochastic oscillations in biochemical network motifs

With the aid of stochastic delayed-feedback differential equations, we derive an analytic expression for the power spectra of reacting molecules included in a generic biological network motif that is incorporated with a feedback mechanism and time delays in gene regulation. We systematically analyse the effects of time delays, the feedback mechanism, and biological stochasticity on the power spectra. It has been clarified that the time delays together with the feedback mechanism can induce stochastic oscillations at the molecular level and invalidate the noise addition rule for a modular description of the noise propagator. Delay-induced stochastic resonance can be expected, which is related to the stability loss of the reaction systems and Hopf bifurcation occurring for solutions of the corresponding deterministic reaction equations. Through the analysis of the power spectrum, a new approach is proposed to estimate the oscillation period.
The initial development of a jet caused by fluid, body and free surface interaction. part 3. an inclined accelerating plate

The free surface and flow field structure generated by the uniform acceleration of a rigid plate, inclined at an angle a ∈(0, π/2) U (π/2, π) to the exterior horizontal, as it advances into an initially stationary and horizontal strip of inviscid, incompressible fluid, are studied in the small-time limit via the method of matched asymptotic expansions. This work generalises the case of a uniformly accelerating vertical plate, when a = π/2, as studied in King and Needham (J. Fluid. Mech. 268 (1994)). Particular attention is devoted to the inner region in the vicinity of the intersection point between the plate and the free surface. It emerges that the angle a = π/2 is a bifurcation point in this local structure. For a ∈ (0, π/2), a weak jet rises up the plate when t = 0 + , with thickness 0(t 2 ) as t → 0 + , independent of a, with the free surface slope at the plate being O (t π α-2 ) as t → 0 + ; this slope is O(1/log(t)) as t → 0 + when a = π/2. However, when a ∈ (π/2, π), the jet becomes significantly stronger, with a highly nonlinear structure, and the thickness now depending on and increasing with a, being O (t γ ), where γ = (1-π/4α) -1 . In this case, moreover, a classical solution to the evolution problem is possible only when a ∈ (π/2, α c ], where α c ≈ 1.791 ≈ 102.6°. When a = α c , a 120° comer forms on the free surface when t = 0 + at the initial intersection point of the plate and free surface, and convects self-similarly into the inner region for 0 < t « 1. We conjecture that no classical solution exists when t = 0 + for plate angles a ∈(α c , π). In practice, surface tension allows a solution to exist in some finite neighbourhood of t = 0, a result that will be presented in a later paper.
Management and Orchestration of Edge Computing for IoT: A Comprehensive Survey

With the development of telecommunication technologies and the proliferation of network applications in the past decades, the traditional cloud network architecture becomes unable to accommodate such demands due to the heavy burden on the backhaul links and long latency. Therefore, edge computing, which brings network functions close to end-users by providing caching, computing and communication resources at network edges, turns into a promising paradigm. Benefit from its nature, edge computing enables emerging scenarios and use cases, such as augmented reality (AR) and Internet of Things (IowT). However, it also creates complexities to efficiently orchestrate heterogeneous services and manage distributed resources in the edge network. In this survey, we make a comprehensive review of the research efforts on service orchestration and resource management for edge computing. We first give an overview of edge computing, including architectures, advantages, enabling technologies and standardization. Next, a comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art techniques in the management and orchestration of edge computing is presented. Subsequently, the state-of-the-art research on the infrastructure of edge computing is discussed in various aspects. Finally, open research challenges and future directions are presented as well.
Introduction to the study of rolling friction

The introduction to rolling friction is studied in relation to the height that a ball attains rolling up an inclined track after rolling down a given height along another inclined track opposite from the first. The expressions obtained for a ball rolling down a rectangular inclined track and along a horizontal track are applied to the study of the distance run along two opposed inclined tracks. Different procedures are proposed to determine the coefficient of rolling friction of the ball with the track. The values calculated from the experimental data suggest their dependence with the ball radius.
Eating Frequency in European Children from 1 to 96 Months of Age: Results of the Childhood Obesity Project Study

We aimed to investigate the eating frequency (EF) in children over age, and examined the influence of country, sex, feeding mode and weight status on EF. We used the dietary data of the Childhood Obesity Project, which comprised European children from five countries. Dietary data of 3-days weighed and estimated records were available monthly from 1 to 9 and at 12-, 24-, 36-, 48-, 60-, 72- and 96-months old. Generalized additive mixed effects models were used to estimate EF trajectories with EF as outcome and applying age splines. Additionally, the models were further adjusted for country, feeding mode, sex or weight status. Data from 1244 children were analysed. EF was highest at 1 month with on average 7.3 ± 1.9 feeds per day, and fell to 5.1 ± 1.1 eating occasions at the age 96 months. Night feeding was similarly often than day feeding at 1 month but declined thereafter. Significant differences in EF were observed between countries (p < 0.05), with the highest EF in Poland, and between infant feeding modes, with a higher EF in breastfed than non-breastfed infants (p < 0.05). Sex and body weight were not associated with EF. Despite the importance of EF towards total energy intake, no association with weight status was found.