Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reconstruction of a reflectivity field from line integrals over circular paths

When a broadband acoustic pulse is emitted from an omnidirectional source into a two‐dimensional reflecting medium and the resultant backscattered echoes are recorded as a function of time at a point coinciding with the source, measurements of line integrals of the acoustic reflectivity are obtained over concentric arcs centered at the source point. Sufficient line‐integral data can be generated in this fashion, by translating the omnidirectional source–receiver point over a suitable aperture, to reconstruct the unknown reflectivity function. A closed‐form solution to this image reconstruction problem is derived, and on the basis of this solution, computer reconstructions of a point reflecting object from simulated echo data are presented. Finally, the closed‐form reconstruction formula is shown to be expressible as the sum of two terms, where the first term corresponds to a simple delay‐and‐sum operation applied to the echo data recorded over the aperture; the second term is new and represents a correcti.
Minimum contrast estimators on sieves: exponential bounds and rates of convergence

This paper, which we dedicate to Lucien Le Cam for his seventieth birthday, has been written in the spirit of his pioneering works on the relationships between the metric structure of the parameter space and the rate of convergence of optimal estimators. It has been written in his honour as a contribution to his theory. It contains further developments of the theory of minimum contrast estimators elaborated in a previous paper. We focus on minimum contrast estimators on sieves. By a `sieve' we mean some approximating space of the set of parameters. The sieves which are commonly used in practice are Ddimensional linear spaces generated by some basis: piecewise polynomials, wavelets, Fourier, etc. It was recently pointed out that nonlinear sieves should also be considered since they provide better spatial adaptation (think of histograms built from any partition of D subintervals of [0, 1] as a typical example). We introduce some metric assumptions which are closely related to the notion of ®nitedimensional metric space in the sense of Le Cam. These assumptions are satis®ed by the examples of practical interest and allow us to compute sharp rates of convergence for minimum contrast estimators.
An Ultrasound–Fenton Process for the Degradation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT), one of the main compounds in ammunition wastewater, is harmful to the environment. In this study, the treatment efficiency of 2,4,6-TNT by different treatment processes, including ferrous ion (Fe2+), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), Fenton, ultrasound (US) irradiation, US + Fe2+, US + H2O2 and US–Fenton process, was compared. The results showed that US–Fenton was the most effective among all methods studied. The effects of initial pH, reaction time and H2O2 to Fe2+ molar ratio were investigated. The results showed that the removal of TNT, TOC and COD was maximum at an initial pH of 3.0 and H2O2 to Fe2+ molar ratio of 10:1. TNT, TOC and COD removal was fast in the first 30 min, reaching 83%, 57% and 50%, then increased gradually to 99%, 67% and 87% until 300 min, respectively. Semi-batch mode operation increased the removal of TNT and TOC by approximately 5% and 10% at 60 min, respectively. The average carbon oxidation number (ACON) was increased from −1.7 at 30 min to a steady-state value of 0.4, indicating the mineralization of TNT. Based on GC-MS analysis, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene acid, 3,5-dinitrobenznamine and 3,5-dinitro-p-toluidine were the major byproducts from the US–Fenton process. The TNT degradation pathway was proposed, which involved methyl group oxidation, decarboxylation, aromatic ring cleavage and hydrolysis.
Latitudinal variation in soil nematode communities under climate warming‐related range‐expanding and native plants

Current climate change has led to latitudinal and altitudinal range expansions of numerous species. During such range expansions, plant species are expected to experience changes in interactions with other organisms, especially with belowground biota that have a limited dispersal capacity. Nematodes form a key component of the belowground food web as they include bacterivores, fungivores, omnivores and root herbivores. However, their community composition under climate change‐driven intracontinental range‐expanding plants has been studied almost exclusively under controlled conditions, whereas little is known about actual patterns in the field. Here, we use novel molecular sequencing techniques combined with morphological quantification in order to examine nematode communities in the rhizospheres of four range‐expanding and four congeneric native species along a 2,000 km latitudinal transect from South‐Eastern to North‐Western Europe. We tested the hypotheses that latitudinal shifts in nematode community composition are stronger in range‐expanding plant species than in congeneric natives and that in their new range, range‐expanding plant species accumulate fewest root‐feeding nematodes. Our results show latitudinal variation in nematode community composition of both range expanders and native plant species, while operational taxonomic unit richness remained the same across ranges. Therefore, range‐expanding plant species face different nematode communities at higher latitudes, but this is also the case for widespread native plant species. Only one of the four range‐expanding plant species showed a stronger shift in nematode community composition than its congeneric native and accumulated fewer root‐feeding nematodes in its new range. We conclude that variation in nematode community composition with increasing latitude occurs for both range‐expanding and native plant species and that some range‐expanding plant species may become released from root‐feeding nematodes in the new range.
Enzymatic Synthesis Process of EPA- and DHA-Enriched Structured Acylglycerols at the sn-2 Position Starting from Commercial Salmon Oil and Concentrated by Response Surface Methodology under Supercritical Conditions

The bioavailability of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs) has shown to be greatly influenced by their location in the triacylglycerol backbone. Therefore, the synthesis of structured acylglycerols (SAcyl), which include eicosapentaenoic acids (EPAs) or docosahexaenoic acids (DHAs) at the sn-2 position, has attracted a great interest. The objective of this study was to optimize the synthesis process of a SAcyl from commercial refined salmon oil and an EPA/DHA concentrate in order to enhance the positioning of EPA and DHA in the sn-2 location of the glycerol moiety. For this purpose, immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica (nonspecific) was used for the acidolysis process under the CO2 supercritical condition. As a result of carrying out a Draper-Lin composite design through the response surface methodology of 18 experiments, an optimized extraction including SAcyl compounds was obtained. Mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) analysis was employed to identify the EPA/DHA location at the sn-2 position in the resulting glycerol moiety. In the fraction obtained, an increase in the EPA and DHA content at the sn-2 position was detected. Remarkably, the optimized SAcyl obtained after 6 h, 82 bar, and 60 °C led to the highest EPA/DHA yield at the sn-2 position in the resulting molecule.
Temporal and Spatial Gene Expression Profile of Stroke Recovery Genes in Mice

Stroke patients show some degree of spontaneous functional recovery, but this is not sufficient to prevent long-term disability. One promising approach is to characterize the dynamics of stroke recovery genes in the lesion and distant areas. We induced sensorimotor cortex lesions in adult C57BL/6J mice using photothrombosis and performed qPCR on selected brain areas at 14, 28, and 56 days post-stroke (P14-56). Based on the grid walk and rotating beam test, the mice were classified into two groups. The expression of cAMP pathway genes Adora2a, Pde10a, and Drd2, was higher in poor- compared to well-recovered mice in contralesional primary motor cortex (cl-MOp) at P14&56 and cl-thalamus (cl-TH), but lower in cl-striatum (cl-Str) at P14 and cl-primary somatosensory cortex (cl-SSp) at P28. Plasticity and axonal sprouting genes, Lingo1 and BDNF, were decreased in cl-MOp at P14 and cl-Str at P28 and increased in cl-SSp at P28 and cl-Str at P14, respectively. In the cl-TH, Lingo1 was increased, and BDNF decreased at P14. Atrx, also involved in axonal sprouting, was only increased in poor-recovered mice in cl-MOp at P28. The results underline the gene expression dynamics and spatial variability and challenge existing theories of restricted neural plasticity.
Back to the future: Climate change effects on habitat suitability of Parnassius apollo throughout the Quaternary glacial cycles

Alpine grasslands above the treeline are severely threatened by climate change, mainly due to forest expansion driven by warmer conditions. Analogous lowland grasslands experience severe reductions due to land‐use abandonment and forest encroachment. To address how climate change impacted open‐areas insects, we used Parnassius apollo as a model, a butterfly with wide Palearctic distribution inhabiting both alpine and low‐altitude steppe grasslands. We modelled upper Pleistocene range changes from the Last Interglacial (130 Kya) to the present and future (2050/2070), using medium and high greenhouse gas emission rates for the latter. We combined bioclimatic variables (Worldclim, Paleoclim, Chelsa) with distribution records of P. apollo and two of its most often used larval host plants (Sedum album; Hylotelephium telephium) to formulate species distribution models (SDMs) via the Maximum entropy method. We estimated a substantial range expansion during cold periods (last glacial maximum, 22 Kya) and contractions in warmer periods. Including the host plants in the models brought reduced suitable areas estimate, possibly due to differences in climatic requirements of hosts and the butterfly. Future projections of the extent of suitable climates are surprisingly better than would be expected from a warming climate, likely because the current distribution, especially at lower elevations, is probably restricted by habitat loss due to land abandonment and afforestation. We recommend preventing afforestation in critical habitats across Europe and Asia, and increasing survey activities to perform more accurate SDMs.
Re-Measurement of Agriculture Green Total Factor Productivity in China from a Carbon Sink Perspective

Accurate measurement of agricultural total factor productivity (AGTFP) is crucial to measure the level of sustainable agricultural development, and agricultural carbon sink is an important element to leverage the development of green transformation. Few studies have incorporated agricultural carbon sink into the measurement framework of AGTFP, and the evolutionary dynamics and related spatial effects of Chinese AGTFP from the perspective of carbon sinks are unclear. On this basis, the paper used a provincial-level agricultural panel data set of China from 2000 to 2019 to measure the provincial indicators of agricultural carbon sinks, CO2 emissions and agricultural non-point source pollution. Then, we incorporated these environmental factors into the measurement framework of AGTFP and used the SBM-DEA model to calculate the Chinese AGTFP from the perspective of carbon sinks. We further analyzed the spatial and temporal divergence and convergence of AGTFP in China using Moran’I and spatial econometric models. We found that after measuring AGTFP, including agricultural carbon sinks, 28 out of 30 Chinese provinces showed an increased trend, but the development gap between regions was obvious. The spatial econometric model showed a significantly positive spatial correlation between the AGTFP of each province and did not have absolute α-convergence and absolute β-convergence characteristics. After adding the control variables of resource endowment of each province, it showed conditional β-convergence characteristics, and the spatial spillover effect of China’s AGTFP was increasing. Finally, the paper proposed policy recommendations for the sustainable and coordinated development of China’s agricultural regions in response to the research findings.
Phase-resolved emission spectroscopy of a hydrogen rf discharge for the determination of quenching coefficients

Collisional effects can have strong influences on the population densities of excited states in gas discharges at elevated pressure. The knowledge of the pertinent collisional coefficient describing the depopulation of a specific level (quenching coefficient) is, therefore, important for plasma diagnostics and simulations. Phase-resolved optical emission spectroscopy (PROES) applied to a capacitively coupled rf discharge excited with a frequency of 13.56 MHz in hydrogen allows the measurement of quenching coefficients for emitting states of various species, particularly of noble gases, with molecular hydrogen as a collision partner. Quenching coefficients can be determined subsequent to electron-impact excitation during the short field reversal phase within the sheath region from the time behavior of the fluorescence. The PROES technique based on electron-impact excitation is not limited--in contrast to laser techniques--by optical selection rules and the energy gap between the ground state and the upper level of the observed transition. Measurements of quenching coefficients and natural fluorescence lifetimes are presented for several helium (3 {sup 1}S,4 {sup 1}S,3 {sup 3}S,3 {sup 3}P,4 {sup 3}S), neon (2p{sub 1},2p{sub 2},2p{sub 4},2p{sub 6}), argon (3d{sub 2},3d{sub 4},3d{sub 1}{sup '} and 3d{sub 3}), and krypton (2p{sub 1},2p{sub 5}) states as well as for some states of the tripletmore » system of molecular hydrogen. « less
Ultrahigh-average-power diode-pumped Nd:YAG and Yb:YAG lasers

Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) possesses thermal and mechanical properties that vary significantly with temperature. We show that when temperature variations are accounted for the simple scaling relationships traditionally used for high-average-power performance predictions fail. We have also found that for room temperature and below, and with uniform heat deposition in a rod, nonquadratic radial temperature profiles result and the magnitude of the thermally induced stresses are seriously underestimated. New nonlinear scaling relationships are presented that properly account for YAG materials property variations with temperature. These results are applied to diode-pumped Nd:YAG and Yb:YAG lasers operating at room temperature and 77 K; we show that significant increases in average power output are possible by operating Nd:YAG and Yb:YAG lasers at 77 K.
Thermally induced stresses in an optical glass fiber soldered into a ferrule

An analytical model is developed for the evaluation of the thermally induced stresses in the midportion of an optical glass fiber soldered into a ferrule. The purpose of the analysis is to select the appropriate solder material and the geometry of the solder joint. We show that the ferrule has the major effect on the stresses in the glass and the solder, and that, for conventional solders, low expansion ferrules (Invar) result in high-tensile radial and tangential stresses in both the glass and the solder. On the other hand, high-expansion ferrules (aluminum, nickel) result in excessive compressive stresses and therefore should also be avoided. However, ferrule materials of moderate expansion (Kovar) lead to low stresses and are recommended, We show also that high-modulus solders, such as gold-tin, result in substantially higher stresses than low modulus solders, such as silver-tin, and that thinner solder layers lead to lower stresses in the glass, but to higher tangential and axial stresses in the solder. We conclude that the appropriate solder material and the thickness of the solder ring can be established, based on the developed stress model, depending on the material and thickness of the ferrule, and the characteristics of the solder itself. >
Aboveground biomass estimation of tropical forest from Envisat advanced synthetic aperture radar data using modeling approach

Abstract. Retrieval of the aboveground forest biomass (AGB), especially in high biomass forests ( > 100 t / ha ), remains a challenging task for the researchers worldwide. The retrieval of AGB over a tropical forest area in India using Envisat advanced synthetic aperture radar C-band backscatter, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) coherence and semi-empirical models viz., water cloud model (WCM) and interferometric water cloud model (IWCM), is studied. In process, the model parameters, i.e., backscatter from vegetation and ground, two-way tree transmissivity, and coherence from vegetation and ground were retrieved. The model training procedure to retrieve the model parameters consisted of an iterative regression of WCM and IWCM. High AGB accuracy ( R 2 = 0.73 ) with low root mean square error ( RMSE = 53.76 t / ha ) was achieved through multidate weighted averaging using RMSE-based weighting coefficients and WCM. Multidate data and InSAR coherence images showed better results ( R 2 = 0.90 , RMSE = 35.92 t / ha ) compared to individual coherence images. The InSAR coherence was found to be better for AGB retrieval than SAR backscatter as the former did not saturate for high AGB values.
Forecasting the Occurrence of Rainfall in Selected Weather Stations in the Wet and Dry Zones of Sri Lanka

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:. 0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Two models were developed based on the Markov method to predict the occurrence of rainfall. Daily rainfall data from 9 meteorology stations in Sri Lanka namely, Colombo, Ratnapura, Kandy, Galle, Hambanthota, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Badulla and Trincomalee were analysed using these models. The results show that the models can forecast the status of a given day at an average of 73%. Higher agreement is seen for stations in the dry zone of Sri Lanka when compared with those in the wet zone. No significant difference was observed between the results obtained using the 1 st order Markov process and the 2 nd order Markov process. The models were not sensitive to the range of data used or the short-term fluctuations. doi:10.4038/sljp.v3i0. 184 Sri Lankan Journal of Physics, Vol.3 (2002) 39-52
Nucleotide‐Binding Oligomerization Domain (NOD)-Like Receptor Subfamily C (NLRC) as a Prognostic Biomarker for Glioblastoma Multiforme Linked to Tumor Microenvironment: A Bioinformatics, Immunohistochemistry, and Machine Learning-Based Study

Purpose Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains the deadliest primary brain tumor. We aimed to illuminate the role of nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor subfamily C (NLRC) in GBM. Patients and Methods Based on public database data (mainly The Cancer Genome Atlas [TCGA]), we performed bioinformatics analysis to visually evaluate the role and mechanism of NLRCs in GBM. Then, we validated our findings in a glioma tissue microarray (TMA) by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and the prognostic value of NOD1 was assessed via random forest (RF) models. Results In GBM tissues, the expression of NLRC members was significantly increased, which was related to the low survival rate of GBM. Additionally, Cox regression analysis revealed that the expression of NOD1 (among NLRCs) served as an independent prognostic marker. A nomogram based on multivariate analysis proved the effective predictive performance of NOD1 in GBM. Enrichment analysis showed that high expression of NOD1 could regulate extracellular structure, cell adhesion, and immune response to promote tumor progression. Then, immune infiltration analysis showed that NOD1 overexpression correlated with an enhanced immune response. Then, in a glioma TMA, the results of IHC revealed that the increase in NOD1 expression indicated high recurrence and poor prognosis of human glioma. Furthermore, the expression level of NOD1 showed good prognostic value in the TMA cohort via RF. Conclusion The value of NOD1 as a biomarker for GBM was demonstrated. The possible mechanisms may lie in the regulatory role of NLRC-related pathways in the tumor microenvironment.
Multiwavelength observations of GRB afterglows

Abstract Multiwavelength observations of gamma-ray burst afterglows are presented, in particular those in the optical and millimetre wavelengths. I will focus on the observations mostly carried out at Spanish ground-based observatories (mainly the 10.4m GTC) and at the Plateau de Bure Interferometer in the French Alps. The importance of global networks of robotic telescopes (like BOOTES, established worldwide) for early time observations in order to put constraints on the physical mechanisms of the GRB early time emission phase is also discussed. The overall observational efforts provide additional clues for a better understanding of the reverse and forward shock. Finally I will report on the Lomonosov/UFFO-p capabilities taking into account its launch in 2012.
Landslide tsunamis propagating around a conical island

An analytical forced two-horizontal-dimension model is derived to investigate landslide tsunamis propagating around a conical island lying on a flat continental platform. Separation of variables and Laplace transform are used to obtain the free-surface elevation in the whole domain and the runup at the shoreline in terms of confluent Heun functions. The main properties of these functions and their asymptotic behaviour for large parameters are investigated. Expression of the transient leading wave travelling offshore is also derived. The distinguishing physical features of landslide tsunamis propagating in a round geometry are then pointed out and compared with those of landslide tsunamis propagating along a straight coast. Analytical results satisfactorily agree with available experimental data.