Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A wind tunnel experiment of sand transport and its comparison with the Werner model

[1] We carried out a wind tunnel experiment on aeolian transport of sand. Fluorescence-dyed grains of sand were embedded in the sand bed in a wind tunnel, and their dispersion was recorded by a video camera. Dispersion of colored sand both downwind and in the crosswind direction are examined. The concentration of colored sand decreases as an exponential function of the downwind distance y, Ae−κy, whereas the cross-sectional distribution is approximated by a Gaussian distribution with the standard deviation proportional to . The characteristic length scale is 1000 times greater in the downwind than in the crosswind direction. A simple stochastic model is proposed to explain these findings. We also found that our experimental results conform to the assumptions of the Werner model, which reproduces aeolian dune dynamics well. We derived conditions on the parameters of the Werner model from the experimental results and suggest the applicability of the Werner model to real problems such as sandy coasts, deserts, and regions whose surface is contaminated.
Accumulation conditions and resource potential of shale gas in Lower Cambrian Niutitang formation, northwestern Hunan

Based on comprehensive analysis of outcrops observation and sample testing, the formation condition of shale gas in Lower Cambrian Nititang formation dark shale of northwestern Hunan was analyzed, such as regional distribution, contents of organic matter and its maturity, reservoir characteristics of the dark shale. The results show that the lower Cambrian Niutitang formation shale in the study area is widely distributed, has great thickness, moderate burial, abundance of organic matter, high degree of thermal evolution, brittle mineral wealth, better physical properties, development of reservoir and flow space, possessed of advantageous geological conditions for shale gas accumulation.The most favorable area for shale gas accumulation in the Niutitang Formation shale is along Jishou— Huayuan—Longshan area, south slope belt of Sangzhi Shimen synclinorium. Estimation with the volumetric method shows that the shale gas volume in the Niutitang Formation is(0.5-2.1)×1012 m3,the median volume is 1.3×1012 m3.
Durable and dramatic response to checkpoint inhibition combined with COX‐2 inhibitor celecoxib in a patient with p16+ metastatic sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma: A case study

Abstract Background Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) is an exceedingly rare head and neck malignancy. No consensus exists on treatment for metastatic disease. Case A 56‐year‐old female was diagnosed with SNUC after endorsing sinus congestion, diplopia, and right orbital pain. Initially treated with surgery and radiation, she later developed significant metastatic disease. She demonstrated progression of her hepatic metastases under pembrolizumab therapy. However, the addition of ipilimumab and a COX‐2 inhibitor resulted in significant improvement in her lesions as well as an ongoing durable response. Her regimen was complicated by immune‐related adverse events successfully treated with steroids. Conclusion Dual checkpoint inhibition deserves consideration when treating metastatic SNUC, especially after single agent therapy has failed. The positive effect of this treatment may be augmented by IDO1 inhibition.
MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways are activated in adolescent and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background: The mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK signaling cascade and the phosphoinosytol‐3 phosphate/Akt (PI3K/Akt) pathways are involved in proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic cells. The frequency of PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathway activation in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) still need to be elucidated.
Multimodal feedback systems for smart laser osteotomy: Depth control and tissue differentiation

The study aimed to improve the safety and accuracy of laser osteotomy (bone surgery) by integrating optical feedback systems with an Er:YAG laser. Optical feedback consists of a real‐time visual feedback system that monitors and controls the depth of laser‐induced cuts and a tissue sensor differentiating tissue types based on their chemical composition. The developed multimodal feedback systems demonstrated the potential to enhance the safety and accuracy of laser surgery.
The Human Dimensions of Climate Change: Smallholder Perception and Adaptation in the Loess Plateau Region of China

Understanding how individuals perceive the process of adapting to climate change is critical to understanding adaptation decision making. Identifying the factors that cause an individual to have a low estimation of their ability or inhibit their intent to adapt to climate change may allow planned adaptations to address these perceived limitations and encourage adaptive behavior. Drawing on a household survey completed in the Loess Plateau region of China, we examine the factors that affect smallholder farmers’ perceptions of their ability to adapt to climate change and their stated intent to do so. A proportional odds ordered logistic regression model is applied to identify the role that identified objective determinants of adaptive capacity play in shaping smallholders’ perceived adaptive capacity and intentions to adapt to climate change. The results highlight that adaptation programs and policies need to address both the objective and subjective components of adaptive capacity if they are to facilitate adaptive actions.
Design of experiments approach on the compaction properties of co-amorphous tablets

Abstract Co-amorphous systems are an evolving strategy to stabilize the amorphous form of a drug molecule with the aim of overcoming its poor water-solubility. With research focussing on the molecular level of co-amorphous systems, little is known about their downstream processing. In this study, tablets of co-amorphous carvedilol and aspartic acid (CAR-ASP) with calcium hydrogen phosphate and croscarmellose sodium as excipients were produced using a compaction simulator. The amorphous form of spray dried CAR-ASP and the subsequently produced tablets was confirmed with XRPD. Over the storage time of 12 weeks, no recrystallization of the amorphous material was observed. A central composite face-centred design with three factors was set up to investigate the interplay of formulation and processing variables with the tablet characteristics elastic work, tensile strength and disintegration time. As a result, increasing the amount of co-amorphous material led to a decrease in elastic work and an increased tensile strength. These effects were beneficial for tablet properties, namely harder tablets and reduced elasticity. Disintegration time was prolonged by amounts of up to 25–30% co-amorphous material, while larger amounts induced faster tablet disintegration. While showing the feasibility of compacting co-amorphous material with calcium hydrogen phosphate, this study also gives insight into how tablet characteristics are affected by co-amorphous material and relevant process parameters. Graphical Abstract
Derivation of the eruption history of the prehistoric Ring Creek lava flow, Southern British Columbia

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.vi LIST OF FIGURES.xi LIST OF TABLES.xiv INTRODUCTION.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM.3 GEOLOGY OF THE MAMQUAM RIVER VALLEY.3 GLACIATION.4 QUATERNARY VOLCANISM.7 MODELING OF THE RING CREEK LAVA FLOW.9 METHODOLOGY.10 FIELD INVESTIGATIONS.10 CHEMISTRY.15 MICROSCOPY.18 DIGITAL ANALYSIS.18 CALCULATION OF INTENSIVE PARAMETERS.20 TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, AND WATER CONTENT.20 VISCOSITY.21 CALCULATION OF FLOW PROPERTIES.23 EXTRUSION RATE AND ERUPTION DURATION THERMAL AND SATTELITE.23
Interpretation of winter warming on Northern Hemisphere continents in 1977-94

Abstract Northern Hemisphere December–March near-surface temperature and pressure anomalies during 1977–94 relative to those during 1946–76 are considered. To a first approximation these anomalies can be decomposed into two components. The first one reaches its maximum during 1977–88. The main features of the anomalies of 1977–88 can be obtained as the atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) response to sea surface temperature anomalies observed during that period. The second component reaches its maximum in 1989–94. The main features of anomalies of 1989–94 relative to 1977–88 can be obtained as the AGCM response to lower-stratosphere ozone depletion observed in 1989–94.
Particulate Air Pollution and Blood Pressure: Signaling by the Arachidonate Metabolism

BACKGROUND: Short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) can raise blood pressure, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We explored whether arachidonate metabolites serve as biological intermediates in PM-associated prohypertensive changes. METHODS: This panel study recruited 110 adults aged 50 to 65 years living in Beijing, China. The participants’ blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and cardiac and endothelial function were measured up to 7 times. The serum concentrations of arachidonate metabolites were quantified by targeted lipidomics. Ambient concentrations of fine PM (PM2.5), black carbon, and accumulation mode particles were continuously monitored at a station and their associations with the health indicators were evaluated. RESULTS: Interquartile range increases in 25 to 96-hour-lag exposure to PM2.5, black carbon, and accumulation mode particles were associated with significant increases in systolic blood pressure (brachial: 0.8–3.2 mm Hg; central: 0.7–2.8 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (brachial, 0.5–1.5 mm Hg; central, 0.5–1.6 mm Hg). At least 1 pollutant was associated with increases in augmentation pressure and heart rate and decreases in reactive hyperemia index and ejection time. The serum concentrations of arachidonate were significantly increased by 3.3% to 14.6% in association with PM exposure, which mediated 9% of the PM-associated increases in blood pressure. The levels of eicosanoids from the cytochrome P450, cyclooxygenase, and lipoxygenase pathways changed with PM exposure, and those from the cytochrome pathway significantly mediated the association between PM exposure and blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term exposure to particulate air pollution was associated with a prohypertensive change in adults, which was in part mediated by alteration of arachidonate metabolism.
Time-related variations in viability of random pattern skin flaps: An experimental study in rats

ABSTRACT Chronobiological variations are in the fabric of life. The first ideas regarding the possible effects of circadian rhythm on surgical outcomes were published in the early 2000s. Some studies support and oppose this idea. The lack of experimental evidence in a controlled setting has led to this study. This study aimed to explore the chronobiological implications of surgical outcomes. The rats were divided into four groups. A random pattern dorsal skin flaps were elevated in all groups at six h intervals. Flap necrosis rates and melatonin, oxidant, and antioxidant factors were studied. Flap survival was better in the 06:00 h group. The flap necrosis was higher in the 18:00 h group. Some of the biochemical parameters displayed circadian variations. As an independent variable, the time of surgical intervention changed the flap survival rates. It should be noted that the study was held in a nocturnal animal model thus the pattern of flap survival can be in reversed fashion in a clinical scenario. This study is the first experimental evidence for “Chronosurgery” in a controlled setting. Further studies in all aspects of surgical disciplines are required.
Climate-driven change in Himalayan Rhododendron phenology

Responses by flowering plants to climate change are complex, and only beginning to be understood. Through analyses of 10,295 herbarium specimens of Himalayan Rhododendron collected by plant hunters and botanists since 1884, we were able to separate these responses into significant components. We found a lack of directional change in mean flowering time over the past 45 years of rapid warming. However, over the full 125 years of collections, mean flowering time shows a significant response to year-to-year changes in temperature, and this response varies with season of warming. Mean flowering advances with annual warming (2.27 days earlier/C° warming), and also is delayed with fall warming (2.54 days later/C° warming). Annual warming may advance flowering through positive effects upon overwintering bud formation, while fall warming may delay flowering through an impact on chilling requirements. The lack of a directional response suggests that contrasting phenological responses to temperature changes may obscure temperature sensitivity in plants. By drawing on large collections from multiple herbaria, made over more than a century, we show how these data may inform studies even of remote localities, and we highlight the increasing value of these and other natural history collections in understanding long-term change. Hart, Robbie. 2015. UMSL p. 2
Treatment of Hepatitis C Infection in an Internal Medicine Residency Continuity Clinic: Resident Perspectives and Patient Outcomes

Introduction Studies have demonstrated that primary care clinicians can achieve the same excellent outcomes in treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) infection as specialist physicians but there is a dearth of literature on experiences and outcomes of treatment of HCV infection in residency clinics. We sought to describe the perspectives of internal medicine resident physicians in one community-based residency program toward treating HCV infection before and after launching treatment of HCV infection within the residency clinic. Further, this study examined outcomes of patients treated by the resident physicians. Methods Treatment of HCV infection was initiated in 2019. Residents were invited to complete a baseline survey. Residents who treated at least one patient with HCV infection were invited to complete a subsequent survey. Comparative analysis was performed using Fisher’s Exact test. Sustained virologic response at least 12 weeks (SVR-12) after completion of treatment in patients initiated on therapy in the residency clinic was assessed. Results Residents (n = 12) who treated patients for HCV infection reported significantly greater knowledge in evaluating and treating patients with HCV infection and preparedness to provide this care after residency than residents (n = 34) who completed the baseline survey (p < 0.001). Twenty-six patients were initiated on direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. All 21 patients who were tested achieved SVR-12. Conclusions Training resident physicians to evaluate and treat HCV infection can improve outcomes for underserved patients in residency clinics while preparing a pool of physicians to provide this care after residency.
Pancreatic Cancer with a Skeletal Muscle Metastasis-A Case Presentation and Literature Review

One-half of patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer will have metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, mainly due to its non-specific initial clinical presentation which includes abdominal pain, dyspepsia, weight loss, bowel habit changes, jaundice and pruritus. The signs, symptoms and stage of the disease at initial diagnosis depends on the origin of the primary tumor, with tumors of the head presenting earlier with obstructive symptoms while tumors of the body/tail are often diagnosed at an advanced stage due to their non-specific presentation. The most common sites of metastasis are the lymph nodes, liver, lung, and peritoneum. The presence of metastatic disease in the skeletal muscles is a rare manifestation of pancreatic cancer and has been described in a limited number of cases. We report the case of a pancreatic cancer patient with a solitary muscle lesion as the only site of extra-nodal metastasis upon initial presentation.
The commensurate state and lock-in in a holographic model

We study a holographic model in which the striped structure of charge density is spontaneously formed over an ionic lattice which breaks the translational symmetry explicitly. The effect of commensurate lock-in between the spontaneous stripes and the ionic lattice is observed when the lattice amplitude is large enough. We investigate the optical conductivity as a function of frequency in commensurate state and compare its characteristics during the phase transition from metallic phase to insulating phase. Notably, we find that the DC resistivity in lock-in state increases algebraically with lowering temperature, which is in line with the phenomenon observed in the holographic model for simulating the experimental behavior of Mott insulator in [Nature Phys. 14, no.10, 1049-1055 (2018)]. Moreover, in unlock-in state we find that the system may undergo a transient unstable process in which the real part of the conductivity exhibits a behavior with small negative values, while in lock-in state we find this phenomenon disappears. In addition, at lower temperature the pseudogap is observed for both unlock-in and lock-in states. This holographic model successfully demonstrates the commensurate lock-in signatures, and provides more information for understanding the interplay between ionic lattices and electronic lattices by holography.
An overview of text-to-speech systems and media applications

Producing synthetic voice, similar to human-like sound, is an emerging novelty of modern interactive media systems. Text-To-Speech (TTS) systems try to generate synthetic and authentic voices via text input. Besides, well known and familiar dubbing, announcing and narrating voices, as valuable possessions of any media organization, can be kept forever by utilizing TTS and Voice Conversion (VC) algorithms . The emergence of deep learning approaches has made such TTS systems more accurate and accessible. To understand TTS systems better, this paper investigates the key components of such systems including text analysis, acoustic modelling and vocoding. The paper then provides details of important state-of-the-art TTS systems based on deep learning. Finally, a comparison is made between recently released systems in term of backbone architecture, type of input and conversion, vocoder used and subjective assessment (MOS). Accordingly, Tacotron 2, Transformer TTS, WaveNet and FastSpeech 1 are among the most successful TTS systems ever released. In the discussion section, some suggestions are made to develop a TTS system with regard to the intended application.
Mock Observations: Formation and Evolution of Diffuse Light in Galaxy Groups and Clusters in the IllustrisTNG Simulations

In this paper, by analyzing mock images from the IllustrisTNG100-1 simulation, we examine the properties of diffuse light and compare them to those of central and satellite galaxies. Our findings suggest that the majority of the diffuse light originates from satellites. This claim is supported by the similarity between the age and metallicity distributions of the diffuse light and those of the satellites. Notably, the color distribution of the diffuse light gradually evolves to resemble that of the centrals at lower redshifts, suggesting a coevolution or passive process. The radial profiles of the diffuse light reveal distinct trends, with the inner regions displaying a relatively flat distribution and the outer regions showing a descending pattern. This finding suggests that the formation of the diffuse light is influenced by both major mergers and stellar tidal stripping. Moreover, strong correlations are found between the stellar mass of the diffuse light and the overall stellar mass of the satellites, as well as between the stellar mass of the diffuse light and the number of satellites within groups or clusters. These relationships can be described by power-law and logarithmic functions. Overall, the diffuse light components predominantly originate from satellites with intermediate ages and metallicities. These satellites typically fall within the stellar mass range 8<log10(M⋆/M⊙)<10 and the color range −1 < [g − r]0.1 < 0. As the redshift decreases, the growth of the diffuse light is primarily influenced by the redder satellites, while the most massive and reddest satellites have minimal roles in its growth.
MeaeQ: Mount Model Extraction Attacks with Efficient Queries

We study model extraction attacks in natural language processing (NLP) where attackers aim to steal victim models by repeatedly querying the open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Recent works focus on limited-query budget settings and adopt random sampling or active learning-based sampling strategies on publicly available, unannotated data sources. However, these methods often result in selected queries that lack task relevance and data diversity, leading to limited success in achieving satisfactory results with low query costs. In this paper, we propose MeaeQ (Model extraction attack with efficient Queries), a straightforward yet effective method to address these issues. Specifically, we initially utilize a zero-shot sequence inference classifier, combined with API service information, to filter task-relevant data from a public text corpus instead of a problem domain-specific dataset. Furthermore, we employ a clustering-based data reduction technique to obtain representative data as queries for the attack. Extensive experiments conducted on four benchmark datasets demonstrate that MeaeQ achieves higher functional similarity to the victim model than baselines while requiring fewer queries. Our code is available at https://github.com/C-W-D/MeaeQ.
Evaluating sleep-stage classification: how age and early-late sleep affects classification performance

Sleep stage classification is a common method used by experts to monitor the quantity and quality of sleep in humans, but it is a time-consuming and labour-intensive task with high inter- and intra-observer variability. Using wavelets for feature extraction and random forest for classification, an automatic sleep-stage classification method was sought and assessed. The age of the subjects, as well as the moment of sleep (early-night and late-night), were confronted to the performance of the classifier. From this study, we observed that these variables do affect the automatic model performance, improving the classification of some sleep stages and worsening others.
SeLeP: Learning Based Semantic Prefetching for Exploratory Database Workloads

Prefetching is a crucial technique employed in traditional databases to enhance interactivity, particularly in the context of data exploitation. Data exploration is a query processing paradigm in which users search for insights buried in the data, often not knowing what exactly they are looking for. Data exploratory tools deal with multiple challenges such as the need for interactivity with no a priori knowledge being present to help with the system tuning. The state-of-the-art prefetchers are specifically designed for navigational workloads only, where the number of possible actions is limited. The prefetchers that work with SQL-based workloads, on the other hand, mainly rely on data logical addresses rather than the data semantics. They fail to predict complex access patterns in cases where the database size is substantial, resulting in an extensive address space, or when there is frequent co-accessing of data. In this paper, we propose SeLeP, a semantic prefetcher that makes prefetching decisions for both types of workloads, based on the encoding of the data values contained inside the accessed blocks. Following the popular path of using machine learning approaches to automatically learn the hidden patterns, we formulate the prefetching task as a time-series forecasting problem and use an encoder-decoder LSTM architecture to learn the data access pattern. Our extensive experiments, across real-life exploratory workloads, demonstrate that SeLeP improves the hit ratio up to 40% and reduces I/O time up to 45% compared to the state-of-the-art, attaining impressive 95% hit ratio and 80% I/O reduction on average.