Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autonomous Robotic System for Breast Biopsy With Deformation Compensation

Image-guided biopsy is the most common technique for breast cancer diagnosis. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the highest sensitivity in breast lesion detection, ultrasound (US) biopsy guidance is generally preferred due to its non-invasiveness and real-time image feedback during the insertion. In this work, we propose an autonomous robotic system for US-guided biopsy of breast lesions identified on pre-operative MRI. After initial MRI to breast registration, the US probe attached to the robotic manipulator compresses the breast tissues until a pre-determined force level is reached. This technique, known as preloading, will allow to minimize lesion displacement during the needle insertion. Our workflow integrates a deformation compensation strategy based on patient-specific biomechanical model to update the US probe orientation keeping the target lesion on the US image plane during compression. By relying on a deformation model, the proposed system does not require lesion visibility on US. Experimental evaluation is performed to assess the performance of the system on a realistic breast phantom with 15 internal lesions, considering different preloading forces. The deformation compensation strategy allows to improve localization accuracy, and as a consequence final probe positioning, for all considered lesions. Median lesion localization error is 3.3 mm, which is lower than the median lesion radius, when applying a preloading of 2 N, which guarantees both minimal needle insertion error and tissue stress.
Charge trapping instabilities in amorphous silicon‐silicon nitride thin‐film transistors

The most important instability mechanism in amorphous silicon‐silicon nitride thin‐film transistors is charge trapping in the silicon nitride layer, which leads to a threshold voltage shift (ΔVT). We have measured the time, temperature, and gate voltage dependence of ΔVT and conclude that the rate limiting process, in the charge transfer from semiconductor to insulator, is the conduction in the nitride by variable‐range hopping. The threshold shift (under positive bias) is temperature dependent with an activation energy of 0.3 eV. This activation energy is identified with the mean hop energy required to inject charge deep into the silicon nitride at the low applied fields appropriate to transistor operation.
On the Potential for Optical Detection of Microplastics in the Ocean

Since the advent of industrial manufacturing of petroleum-​based plastics, their use in everyday products has become ubiquitous due to their durability, moldability, low weight, and affordability. Consequently, plastics have quickly become one of the largest components of solid waste pollution on the planet and can now be found in marine sediment, coastal waters, surface waters of oceanic gyres, and marine organisms. However, the extent of this problem has yet to be fully understood, in part due to the challenges associated with discrete water sampling in the vast global ocean. Optical detection of microplastics is one promising approach with the potential to circumnavigate the temporal and spatial limitations of discrete water sampling, though methodological techniques are still in their infancy and libraries of inherent optical properties (IOPs) of microplastics are sparse.
Binary pulsars studies with multiwavelength sky surveys - I. Companion star identification

The identiﬁcation of the stellar companions to binary pulsars is key to studying the evolution of the binary system and how this is inﬂuenced by the interactions between the two stars. For only a fraction of the known binary pulsars, the stellar companions have been identiﬁed. Here, we used 11 source catalogues available from multiwavelength (ultraviolet, optical, infrared) imaging sky surveys to search for the stellar companions of a sample of 144 ﬁeld binary pulsars (i.e. not in globular clusters) selected from the Australia Telescope National Facility data base (version 1.48) and from the public list of γ -ray pulsars detected by Fermi . We found positional associations in at least one source catalogue for 22 pulsars, of which 10 are detected in γ -rays by Fermi , including 15 millisecond pulsars. For six pulsars in our compilation, we conﬁrm their identiﬁcations. For another seven pulsars that had yet not been identiﬁed, we examine potential identiﬁcations. In particular, we identiﬁed a likely companion star candidate to PSR J2317 + 1439, whereas for both PSR B1953 + 29 and PSR J1935 + 1726 the companion star identiﬁcation is more uncertain. Follow-up observations of these three pulsars are needed to settle the proposed identiﬁcations. For the remaining nine pulsars that had been already identiﬁed, we provide additional spectral information in at least one of the surveys’ spectral bands, which we will use to better constrain the stars’ spectral energy distributions.
Trichoderma Species: Our Best Fungal Allies in the Biocontrol of Plant Diseases—A Review

Biocontrol agents (BCA) have been an important tool in agriculture to prevent crop losses due to plant pathogens infections and to increase plant food production globally, diminishing the necessity for chemical pesticides and fertilizers and offering a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option. Fungi from the genus Trichoderma are among the most used and studied microorganisms as BCA due to the variety of biocontrol traits, such as parasitism, antibiosis, secondary metabolites (SM) production, and plant defense system induction. Several Trichoderma species are well-known mycoparasites. However, some of those species can antagonize other organisms such as nematodes and plant pests, making this fungus a very versatile BCA. Trichoderma has been used in agriculture as part of innovative bioformulations, either just Trichoderma species or in combination with other plant-beneficial microbes, such as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). Here, we review the most recent literature regarding the biocontrol studies about six of the most used Trichoderma species, T. atroviride, T. harzianum, T. asperellum, T. virens, T. longibrachiatum, and T. viride, highlighting their biocontrol traits and the use of these fungal genera in Trichoderma-based formulations to control or prevent plant diseases, and their importance as a substitute for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Differentiability of probability function

Basic results on differentiability of probability functions are reviewed and systematically presented. Strict mathematical statements are formulated, some basic theorems are informally proved and illustrated with examples. Probability function, from formal point of view, is an expectation of an indicator function or an integral over the domain depending upon the parameter. Gradient of probability function is represented in different forms (integral over the surface, volume, or sum of surface and volume integrals). These results can be used for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of stochastic models, reliability analysis, Probabilistic Risk Analysis, optimization of the stochastic systems, and other applications involving uncertainties in parameters.
Strichartz inequalities and the nonlinear Schrödinger equation on compact manifolds

kklWe prove Strichartz estimates with fractional loss of derivatives for the Schrodinger equation on any Riemannian compact manifold. As a consequence we infer low regularity local well-posedness results in any dimension, as well as global existence results for the Cauchy problem of nonlinear Schrodinger equations on surfaces in the case of defocusing polynomial nonlinearities, and on three-manifolds in the case of cubic defocusing nonlinearities. We also discuss the optimality of these Strichartz estimates on spheres.
Detectable Lipidomes and Metabolomes by Different Plasma Exosome Isolation Methods in Healthy Controls and Patients with Advanced Prostate and Lung Cancer

Circulating exosomes in the blood are promising tools for biomarker discovery in cancer. Due to their heterogeneity, different isolation methods may enrich distinct exosome cargos generating different omic profiles. In this study, we evaluated the effects of plasma exosome isolation methods on detectable multi-omic profiles in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and healthy controls, and developed an algorithm to quantify exosome enrichment. Plasma exosomes were isolated from CRPC (n = 10), NSCLC (n = 14), and healthy controls (n = 10) using three different methods: size exclusion chromatography (SEC), lectin binding, and T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-containing protein 4 (TIM4) binding. Molecular profiles were determined by mass spectrometry of extracted exosome fractions. Enrichment analysis of uniquely detected molecules was performed for each method with MetaboAnalyst. The exosome enrichment index (EEI) scores methods based on top differential molecules between patient groups. The lipidomic analysis detected 949 lipids using exosomes from SEC, followed by 246 from lectin binding and 226 from TIM4 binding. The detectable metabolites showed SEC identifying 191 while lectin binding and TIM4 binding identified 100 and 107, respectively. When comparing uniquely detected molecules, different methods showed preferential enrichment of different sets of molecules with SEC enriching the greatest diversity. Compared to controls, SEC identified 28 lipids showing significant difference in NSCLC, while only 1 metabolite in NSCLC and 5 metabolites in CRPC were considered statistically significant (FDR < 0.1). Neither lectin-binding- nor TIM4-binding-derived exosome lipids or metabolites demonstrated significant differences between patient groups. We observed the highest EEI from SEC in lipids (NSCLC: 871.33) which was also noted in metabolites. These results support that the size exclusion method of exosome extraction implemented by SBI captures more heterogeneous exosome populations. In contrast, lectin-binding and TIM4-binding methods bind surface glycans or phosphatidylserine moieties of the exosomes. Overall, these findings suggest that specific isolation methods select subpopulations which may significantly impact cancer biomarker discovery.
Multi-instrumentation observations of a transpolar arc in the northern hemisphere

A transpolar arc was imaged by the FUV instru- ment on the IMAGE spacecraft during a 3-h interval on 5 February 2002. Observations indicate that a burst of recon- nection in the geomagnetic tail, which was not associated with a substorm, was responsible for the formation of the arc. The arc initially formed across the central polar cap, extend- ing from near midnight to noon such that the polar cap was approximately divided in half. The subsequent motion of the arc was controlled by the amount of open flux being added to the dawn sector cap from a magnetopause reconnection site on the post-noon side of the magnetosphere. The dayside re- connection happened during a period when the IMFBy com- ponent was dominant, although the Bz component initially remained positive, and resulted in strong westward azimuthal flows in the noon sector. The arc continued to move towards the duskside auroral oval after the IMF Bz turned southward. A keogram of the FUV/WIC auroral observations along the dawn-dusk meridian provides further evidence of the ex- pansion and contraction of the polar cap during the period in which different IMF orientations occurred. Furthermore, comparing images from IMAGE and ionospheric convection flow from SuperDARN measurements, vortical convection flows occurred exactly at the time and location of the forma- tion of the transpolar arc and subsequently followed the head of the transpolar arc as it moved across the polar cap. The observations are consistent with the prediction of a recent model for the formation of the transpolar cap by the closure of open flux in the geomagnetic tail, and its subsequent mo- tion through changes in the open flux distribution within the polar cap.
Chemical composition of essential oils of Citrus limon peel from three Moroccan regions and their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and dermatoprotective properties

Introduction: The current study aimed to explore the in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and dermatoprotective properties of lemon peel essential oil (EO). Methods: The chemical composition of lemon EOs extracted from the lemon of three cities in Morocco was investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The antioxidant property was estimated by two complementary tests: Ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by the inhibition of albumin denaturation and proteinase. Inhibitory properties of α-glucosidase and α-amylase were used to reveal the antidiabetic activity of lemon peel EOs. Dermatoprotective property was evaluated by the tyrosinase inhibition method. Results: In addition to high amounts of polyphenols and flavonoids, GC-MS analysis of lemon peel EOs demonstrated the presence of D-limonene, β–pinene, and γ-terpinene as the main compounds in the three samples studied. Lemon peel EOs exhibited significant antioxidant activities by IC50 values ranging from 40.57 µg/mL to 100.22 µg/mL and 113.63 µg/mL to 180.90 µg/mL obtained by DPPH and FRAP tests, respectively. in vitro inhibition of enzymes involved in inflammatory response revealed that lemon peel EOs presented remarkable inhibitory activities against albumin denaturation (230.48 µg/mL>IC50<341.13 µg/mL) and proteinase (199.70 µg/mL>IC50<307.05 µg/mL). Moreover, lemon peel EOs demonstrated powerful inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase with various IC50 values (1689.06 µg/ mL>IC50>4000 µg/mL and 1021.58 µg/mL>C50<2467.62 µg/mL), respectively. These EOs also revealed significant inhibition of tyrosinase with IC50 values ranging from 248.42 μg/ mL to 378.02 μg/mL. Conclusion: These results revealed that lemon peel EOs might constitute a new product with beneficial biological abilities against the mentioned complications.
Image Evaluation by Spot Diagram Using A Computer

The development of electronic computers has brought greater possibilities in evaluation methods for lens systems, and the theory of transfer functions is now being applied to practical lens design. In this paper, the evaluation by spot diagrams is discussed. A method of plotting spot diagrams is proposed, utilizing the line printer of a computer as the X-Y plotter. The geometrical optical intensity distribution Ig (x,y) given by the spot diagram is expressed in the form Ig(x,y)=N-1∑i=1Nδ(x-xi,y-yi). The convolution t (x,y) with the turbidity r (x,y) of the image receiver, the total impulse response, is given by t(x,y)=N-1∑i=1Nr(x-xi,y-yi). Intensity distributions calculated by the computer are compared with the measured ones for an actual lens, and the agreement is satisfactory. This procedure can also be applied to the case of the transfer function. The Strehl definition t (0,0) is calculated for several cases of primary and secondary spherical aberrations, and it is confirmed that there are two extremum positions of the spot diagram in some cases.
Design and investigation of semiconductor waveguide structures with grating couplers used as all-optical switches

Waveguides with a bulk semiconductor guide and grating coupler have been designed to operate as all-optical switches as they are easy to grow and to optimize. Investigation of the linear optical properties of a GaAs sample grown on a Bragg mirror has shown discrepancies between its nominal and real parameters. Nonlinear operation of such a non-optimized device exhibits fast and well contrasted switchings but no bistability. Modelling the optical linear and nonlinear properties of the film allows us to describe observations and suggest improvements: observed switchings are mainly due to thermal phenomena, which could be reduced by preserving the nonlinear film quality during the grating etching process, by reducing the incident beam spot-size and by improving the thermal conductivity currently limited by the Bragg reflector. Such an optimized device should be a competitive all-optical switch.
The evolution of round zero-net-mass-flux jets

This paper reports on an experimental investigation to determine the structure and mean flow quantities of round zero-net-mass-flux (ZNMF) jets. These jets are generated by a piston oscillating in a cavity behind a circular orifice. Several different flow patterns were observed with dye flow visualization and a parameter map of these was generated. Cross-correlation digital particle image velocimetry was used to measure instantaneous two-dimensional in-plane velocity fields in a plane containing the orifice axis. These velocity fields are used to investigate the existence of a self-preserving velocity profile in the far field of the ZNMF jet. The mean flow quantities and turbulent statistics of the ZNMF jets were compared with measurements for ‘equivalent’ continuous jets in the same apparatus. Phase-averaged velocity measurements were obtained in the near field of the ZNMF jets and were used to determine the radial entrainment. The out-of-plane vorticity fields were also investigated to gain an understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the difference in spreading rate of ZNMF jets compared to conventional continuous jets. A conceptual model of the ZNMF jet structure in the near field for Strouhal numbers much less than one is proposed that explains the observed behaviour of these ZNMF jets.
Connectivity Maximization in Non-Orthogonal Network Slicing Enabled Industrial Internet-of-Things With Multiple Services

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a technological revolution that is profoundly reshaping the visage of industry. Facing the explosively increasing number of multi-service devices, traditional industrial network technology is no longer applicable. The advent of the fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks brings unprecedented possibilities for deploying the anticipated IIoT. To address the two main issues, i.e., connection density and multi-service requirements, in 5G empowered IIoT, we consider the non-orthogonal network slicing in this work. In particular, we jointly utilize network slicing to incorporate different types of services and exploit non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) to enhance the connection density. We formulate the connectivity maximization problem with joint sub-carrier association and power allocation as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP). To tackle the intractable MINLP, we first transform it into a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) and then simplify the MILP into an integer linear programming (ILP) by developing a simple yet effective pairing guideline. In order to further reduce the computational complexity, we then propose the alternating selection best-effort pairing (AS-BEP) algorithm with low complexity to solve the ILP effectively. Our analyses are supplemented by comprehensive simulation results that illustrate the performance superiority of the proposed algorithms to the benchmark schemes.
Enhanced Emission of Tellurite Glass Doped with Pr3+/Ho3+ and Their Applications

The shielding and spectroscopic properties of Pr+3 and Pr3+/Ho3+-codoped tellurite glass were investigated. The intensity parameters (Ω2 = 3.24-, Ω4 = 1.64-, Ω6 = 1.10 × 10−20 cm2) as well as the radiative lifetimes of 3F4 + 5S2 and 5I6 excited states of Ho3+ ions were equal to 301 μs and 3.0 μs, respectively. The former value appears to be much higher than that obtained from the lifetime measurement, indicating the presence of various energy transfer processes. The NIR spectrum of Pr3+/Ho3+-co-doped tellurite glass is dominated by strong Ho3+: 5I6 emission at around 1200 nm, being the result of the energy transfer from Pr3+ to Ho3+ ions. The shielding effectiveness of the prepared glasses showed good performance against high-energy photons. These findings suggest that the prepared glasses could be used in laser technology such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment procedures and as shielding for radiation protection.
The efficacy of thoracic radiotherapy in extensive stage small cell lung cancer with baseline brain metastases: a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study

Background Thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) had been shown to improve overall survival (OS) in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) patients. However, approximately one fourth of SCLC harbored baseline brain metastases (BMs) and were excluded from previous TRT trials. Thus, the role of TRT in this sub-cohort of ES-SCLC requires elucidation. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of TRT in ES-SCLC patients with clinically controlled baseline BMs. Methods In this retrospective, multi-institutional cohort study, 49 patients fully staged as ES-SCLC with baseline BM, had their disease controlled at all sites with no BM symptoms for three months since treatment initiation were included. The patients were allocated to TRT or no-TRT groups according to whether they received consolidative TRT before progression. Their baseline characteristics were compared using the χ2 test. OS was selected as the primary observational endpoint. Survival and the incidence of cumulative progression between the groups were compared using log-rank analysis, and the interaction between TRT and selected factors was assessed via Cox proportional hazard analysis. Subgroup analysis was performed in oligo-metastasis patients (defined as five or fewer metastatic lesions in two or fewer organs). Results Seventeen (34.7%) patients received TRT, with a median dose of 54 Gy. The failure pattern analysis revealed initial intrathoracic progression in 31.3% and 66.7% of patients in the TRT no-TRT groups, respectively. Also, the TRT group had a significantly longer OS than the no-TRT group [hazard ratio (HR) 0.426, P=0.011]. Clinical covariates including age, gender, performance status, smoking, metastatic state, response after chemotherapy, and TRT, were included in multivariate regression analysis. TRT remained significantly correlated with better OS (HR 0.430, P=0.029). Twenty-three (46.9%) patients had oligo-metastasis at baseline. Subgroup analyses showed that TRT was significantly correlated with better OS in oligo-metastatic patients but not in non-oligo metastatic patients. Conclusions TRT improved the prognosis of select ES-SCLC patients with baseline BMs and should be considered in this sub-cohort, which has not been covered by previous randomized trials.
Long distance coupling of lower hybrid waves in JET plasmas with edge and core transport barriers

Efficient coupling of lower hybrid (LH) waves in conditions close to those foreseen in ITER has been obtained in advanced scenario plasmas in the JET tokamak. Up to 3 MW of lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) power has been coupled at a distance between the separatrix and the launcher of 11 cm, in the presence of edge localized mode activity. The key to the improved LH wave coupling is local control of the Scrape-Off-Layer (SOL) density through gas injection in the region magnetically connected to the launcher. This increases the electron density in front of the launcher so as to improve the coupling of the LH waves, i.e. reduce the reflected power in the launcher. The average power reflection coefficient was 5.7% with gas injection, at 11 cm distance between the separatrix and the launcher. A change in the gas injection design has made the gas puffing more efficient, making the use of D2 injection possible as an alternative to CD4. At similar injected electrons/s rates, D2 gives higher electron density in the SOL than CD4, resulting in better LH coupling with D2. The possibility of using D2 instead of the earlier used CD4 is an encouraging result in view of ITER operation, as CD4 may not be compatible in ITER due to the problem of tritium retention in deposited carbon layers.