Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Shouting into the Void”: Experiences of Virtual Sex Educators during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Virtual sexuality education has become increasingly significant since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This research seeks to investigate the common challenges and successes, professional resources, and online tools among sexuality educators teaching virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Curriculum adaptation, engagement, trust/connection, and professional support were the most common areas of concern for educators; lack of available online tools seemed unproblematic; technological access presented a significant barrier for rural and marginalized students; and experiences of success did not fall into a clearly defined “best practices” strategy but rather responded to the specific needs of the classroom context. These findings join pre-COVID discussions around sexuality websites and best practices for curriculum adaptation, and suggest a refocus of professional discussion away from listing online tools and toward discussions around strategies for adapting material, promoting engagement, increasing student access, and building trust.
STELLAR VELOCITY DISPERSION IN DISSIPATIVE GALAXY MERGERS WITH STAR FORMATION

In order to better understand stellar dynamics in merging systems, such as NGC 6240, we examine the evolution of central stellar velocity dispersion (σ*) in dissipative galaxy mergers using a suite of binary disk merger simulations that include feedback from stellar formation and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We find that σ* undergoes the same general stages of evolution that were observed in our previous dissipationless simulations: coherent oscillation, then phase mixing, followed by dynamical equilibrium. We also find that measurements of σ* that are based only upon the youngest stars in simulations consistently yield lower values than measurements based upon the total stellar population. This finding appears to be consistent with the so-called “σ* discrepancy,” observed in real galaxies. We note that quasar-level AGN activity is much more likely to occur when σ* is near its equilibrium value rather than during periods of extreme σ*. Finally, we provide estimates of the scatter inherent in measuring σ* in ongoing mergers.
Satellite kinematics – III. Halo masses of central galaxies in SDSS

We use the kinematics of satellite galaxies that orbit around the central galaxy in a dark matter halo to infer the scaling relations between halo mass and central galaxy properties. Using galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we investigate the halo mass-luminosity relation (MLR) and the halo mass-stellar mass relation (MSR) of central galaxies. In particular, we focus on the dependence of these scaling relations on the colour of the central galaxy. We find that red central galaxies on average occupy more massive haloes than blue central galaxies of the same luminosity. However, at fixed stellar mass there is no appreciable difference in the average halo mass of red and blue centrals, especially for M-* less than or similar to 1010.5 h-2 M-circle dot. This indicates that stellar mass is a better indicator of halo mass than luminosity. Nevertheless, we find that the scatter in halo masses at fixed stellar mass is non-negligible for both red and blue centrals. It increases as a function of stellar mass for red centrals but shows a fairly constant behaviour for blue centrals. We compare the scaling relations obtained in this paper with results from other independent studies of satellite kinematics, with results from a SDSS galaxy group catalog, from galaxy-galaxy weak lensing measurements and from subhalo abundance matching studies. Overall, these different techniques yield MLRs and MSRs in fairly good agreement with each other (typically within a factor of 2), indicating that we are converging on an accurate and reliable description of the galaxy-dark matter connection. We briefly discuss some of the remaining discrepancies among the various methods.
Thermalization, Error-Correction, and Memory Lifetime for Ising Anyon Systems

We consider two-dimensional lattice models that support Ising anyonic excitations and are coupled to a thermal bath. We propose a phenomenological model for the resulting short-time dynamics that includes pair-creation, hopping, braiding, and fusion of anyons. By explicitly constructing topological quantum error-correcting codes for this class of system, we use our thermalization model to estimate the lifetime of the quantum information stored in the encoded spaces. To decode and correct errors in these codes, we adapt several existing topological decoders to the non-Abelian setting. We perform large-scale numerical simulations of these two-dimensional Ising anyon systems and find that the thresholds of these models range between 13% to 25%. To our knowledge, these are the first numerical threshold estimates for quantum codes without explicit additive structure.
The imprint of carbon combustion on a superburst from the accreting neutron star 4U 1636−536

Superbursts are hours-long X-ray flares attributed to the thermonuclear runaway burning of carbon-rich material in the envelope of accreting neutron stars. By studying the details of the X-ray light curve, properties of carbon combustion can be determined. In particular, we show that the shape of the rise of the light curve is set by the the slope of the temperature profile left behind by the carbon flame. We analyse RXTE/PCA observations of 4U 1636-536 and separate the direct neutron star emission from evolving photoionized reflection and persistent spectral components. This procedure results in the highest quality light curve ever produced for the superburst rise and peak, and interesting behaviour is found in the tail. The rising light curve between 100 and 1000 seconds is inconsistent with the idea that the fuel burned locally and instantaneously everywhere, as assumed in some previous models. By fitting improved cooling models, we measure for the first time the radial temperature profile of the superbursting layer. We find $d\ln T/d\ln P=1/4$. Furthermore, 20% of the fuel may be left unburned. This gives a new constraint on models of carbon burning and propagation in superbursts.
PROPERTIES OF A CLASS OF ANALYTIC FUNCTIONS INVOLVING A LINEAR OPERATOR

(1 .1) / ( ζ ) = ζ + Σ α η ζ η n=2 which are analytic in the open unit disc Ε = {ζ € C : \z\ < 1}. Let <S, S*(a) and K. (a) (0 < a < 1) denote the subclasses of functions in A which are respectively univalent, starlike of order α and convex of order a in E. We denote <S*(0) = S* and /C(0) = K. For given arbitrary numbers A, Β satisfying 1 < Β < A < 1, let P(A,B) be the class of functions of the form
A Study of the Functional Outcome of Supplementation of Hamstring Graft With Anterior Half of the Peroneus Longus Tendon in Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Introduction: The present study was done to analyze the functional outcome, donor site morbidities, and associated parameters when using the anterior half of the peroneus longus for augmentation of an inadequate hamstring graft when performing arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods: Thirty patients with complete ACL tears were operated on. In all these patients, the thickness or length of the hamstring graft taken was found to be inadequate (less than 8 mm and 7.5 cm, respectively). So, additionally, the anterior half of the peroneus longus tendon (AHPLT) graft was harvested to reach an optimum size of the final graft. Functional outcome was assessed using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score at six weeks, three months, and six months. The Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) score at six months was used to assess ankle stability. Results: The mean age in our study was 28.8 years with male predominance (73.33%). The mean operative time was 86.4 minutes. The mean hamstring graft thickness in our study was 6.5 mm, which improved to 9.12 mm after augmentation. The mean graft length after AHPLT augmentation was 9.38 cm. The mean IKDC score at six months was 87.35. At the end of six months, FADI scores were found within normal limits (range: 135-136) in all the patients. No complications were noted in any of the patients. Conclusion: The AHPLT graft was always found to be sufficient enough for augmenting the hamstring graft to reach an acceptable thickness and length. There was no graft site morbidity and the ankle functional levels remained the same as preoperative levels, making it an excellent choice for augmentation of inadequate hamstring grafts.
An updated analytic model for attenuation by the intergalactic medium

We present an updated version of the so-called Madau model for the attenuation by the intergalactic neutral hydrogen against the radiation from distant objects. First, we derive a distribution function of the intergalactic absorbers from the latest observational statistics of the Ly$\alpha$ forest, Lyman limit systems, and damped Ly$\alpha$ systems. The distribution function excellently reproduces the observed redshift evolutions of the Ly$\alpha$ depression and of the mean-free-path of the Lyman continuum simultaneously. Then, we derive a set of the analytic functions which describe the mean intergalactic attenuation curve for objects at $z>0.5$. The new model predicts less (or more) Ly$\alpha$ attenuation for $z\simeq3$--5 ($z>6$) sources through usual broad-band filters relative to the original Madau model. This may cause a systematic difference in the photometric redshift estimates, which is, however, still as small as about 0.05. Finally, we find a more than 0.5 mag overestimation of the Lyman continuum attenuation in the original Madau model at $z>3$, which causes a significant overcorrection against direct observations of the Lyman continuum of galaxies.
Controlling and probing molecular motion with optical lattices

This thesis describes the further improvement of an already developed by our group laser system capable of delivering high energy, frequency agile, flat-top pulses and its uses in non-resonant molecular scattering diagnostics in the form of coherent Rayleigh-Brillouin scattering, as well as for optical Stark deceleration of neutral H2 molecules. This laser system is capable of delivering two computer controlled flat-top pulses of variable duration (20~1000 ns) with energies up to 700 mJ per pulse and with linearly chirped frequencies up to 1.5 GHz. With the use of constant velocity lattices driven by this system we were able to accurately obtain coherent Brillouin scattering spectra of purified air in the hydrodynamic regime where, for the first time, we observed additional spectral peaks to the main Brillouin peak, as well as up to 40% reduction of the peak due to the interaction of the laser driven electrostrictive grating with the acoustic which was launched in the gas due to its thermalisation by the optical field. Furthermore, by utilising chirped frequency optical lattices, we were able to obtain accurate coherent Rayleigh-Brillouin spectra with signal-to-noise ratios in excess of 100, in a single laser shot ( 140ns) thus reducing the acquisition times needed for such spectra by ten orders of magnitude, rendering the technique ideal for combustion and transient flow diagnostics. Finally, we report on the use of this laser system as a tool for optical Stark deceleration of neutral H2 molecules, where through a Raman tagging scheme of the interacting molecules we are proposing an efficient way to monitor the interactions occurring within the decelerating optical lattice. We hope that this technique will pave the way for the production of narrow velocity spread molecular ensembles to be used in cold collisional studies as well as sympathetic cooling.
Complex saddle points in QCD at finite temperature and density

The sign problem in QCD at finite temperature and density leads naturally to the consideration of complex saddle points of the action or effective action. The global symmetry CK of the finite-density action, where C is charge conjugation and K is complex conjugation, constrains the eigenvalues of the Polyakov loop operator P at a saddle point in such a way that the action is real at a saddle point, and net color charge is zero. The values of TrFP and TrFP dagger at the saddle point are real but not identical, indicating the different free energy cost associated with inserting a heavy quark versus an antiquark into the system. At such complex saddle points, the mass matrix associated with Polyakov loops may have complex eigenvalues, reflecting oscillatory behavior in color-charge densities. We illustrate these properties with a simple model which includes the one-loop contribution of gluons and two flavors of massless quarks moving in a constant Polyakov loop background. Confinement-deconfinement effects are modeled phenomenologically via an added potential term depending on the Polyakov loop eigenvalues. For sufficiently large temperature T and quark chemical potential mu, the results obtained reduce to those of perturbation theory at the complex saddle point. These results may be experimentally relevant for the compressed baryonic matter experiment at FAIR.
New insights of liquid biopsy in ovarian cancer

Through the development of new analysis technologies, many issues regarding the approach to tumoral diseases have been elucidated. With analytical assays developed in the last years, various omics technologies have evolved in such a manner that the characteristics of tumor cells and products can be evaluated (assessed) in the bloodstream of cancer patients at different times. Ovarian Cancer (OC) is one of the most difficult to diagnose umors, with low survival rates due to the high heterogeneity of these diseases that are distinct in terms of etiology and molecular characteristics, but which simply share an anatomical appearance. Recent findings have indicated that several types of ovarian cancer classified into different histotypes are in fact derived from non-ovarian issues and share few molecular similarities. Within this context, ovarian cancer screening and diagnosis can be made through the evaluation of circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood using liquid biopsy technologies. Advances in the study of various molecules analyzed by liquid biopsy have shown that elucidation of intratumoural and intertumoural heterogeneity and spatial and temporal tumor evolution could be traced by serial blood tests rather than by histopathological analyses of tissue samples from a primary tumor. Therefore, evaluation of some molecules such as circulating tumor cells (CTC), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating cell-free RNA (non-coding and mRNA, extracellular vesicles), tumor-educated platelets or different miRNAs using liquid biopsy could lead to improvement of patient management.
Unification of different views of decoherence and discord

Macroscopic behavior such as the lack of interference patterns has been attributed to "decoherence", a word with several possible definitions such as (1) the loss of off-diagonal density matrix elements, (2) the flow of information to the environment, (3) the loss of complementary information, and (4) the loss of the ability to create entanglement in a measurement. In this article, we attempt to unify these distinct definitions by providing general quantitative connections between them, valid for all finite-dimensional quantum systems or quantum processes. The most important application of our results is to the understanding of quantum discord, a measure of the non-classicality of the correlations between quantum systems. We show that some popular measures of discord measure the information missing from the purifying system and hence quantify security, which can be stated operationally in terms of distillable secure bits. The results also give some strategies for constructing discord measures.
Imaging Extrasolar Giant Planets

High-contrast adaptive optics (AO) imaging is a powerful technique to probe the architectures of planetary systems from the outside-in and survey the atmospheres of self-luminous giant planets. Direct imaging has rapidly matured over the past decade and especially the last few years with the advent of high-order AO systems, dedicated planet-finding instruments with specialized coronagraphs, and innovative observing and post-processing strategies to suppress speckle noise. This review summarizes recent progress in high-contrast imaging with particular emphasis on observational results, discoveries near and below the deuterium-burning limit, and a practical overview of large-scale surveys and dedicated instruments. I conclude with a statistical meta-analysis of deep imaging surveys in the literature. Based on observations of 384 unique and single young (≈5–300 Myr) stars spanning stellar masses between 0.1 and 3.0 M⊙, the overall occurrence rate of 5–13 MJup companions at orbital distances of 30–300 au is 0.6 − 0.5 + 0.7 % assuming hot-start evolutionary models. The most massive giant planets regularly accessible to direct imaging are about as rare as hot Jupiters are around Sun-like stars. Dividing this sample into individual stellar mass bins does not reveal any statistically significant trend in planet frequency with host mass: giant planets are found around 2.8 − 2.3 + 3.7 % of BA stars, <4.1% of FGK stars, and <3.9% of M dwarfs. Looking forward, extreme AO systems and the next generation of ground- and space-based telescopes with smaller inner working angles and deeper detection limits will increase the pace of discovery to ultimately map the demographics, composition, evolution, and origin of planets spanning a broad range of masses and ages.
Reconstruction of the rheological parameters in a sea ice model with viscoplastic rheology

We analyzed the feasibility of the reconstruction of the spatially varying rheological parameters through the 4-dimensional variational data assimilation of the sea ice velocity, thickness and concentration into the Visco-Plastic (VP) sea ice model. The feasibility is assessed via idealized variational data assimilation experiments with synthetic observations configured for a 1-day data assimilation window in a 50 x 40 rectangular basin forced by the open boundaries, winds and ocean currents and should be viewed as a first step in the developing the similar algorithms which can be applied for the more advanced sea ice models. It is found that “true” spatial variability (~5.8 kN/m2) of the internal maximum ice strength parameter P* can be retrieved from observations with reasonable accuracy of 2.3-5.3 kN/m2, when an observation of the sea ice state is available daily in each grid point. Similar relative accuracy was achieved for the reconstruction of the compactness strength parameter α. The yield curve eccentricity e is found to be controlled by the data with less efficiency but the spatial mean value of e could be still reconstructed with a similar degree of confidence. The accuracy of P*, α and e retrievals is found to increase in regions of stronger ice velocity convergence, providing prospects for better processing of the observations collected during the recent MOSAiC experiment. The accuracy of the retrievals strongly depends on the number of the control variables characterizing the rheological parameter fields.
Removal of Apixaban during Emergency Cardiac Surgery Using Hemoadsorption with a Porous Polymer Bead Sorbent

Background: Patients on direct oral anticoagulants are at high risk of perioperative bleeding complications. We analyzed the results of intraoperative hemoadsorption (HA) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery who were also on concurrent therapy with apixaban. Methods: we included 25 consecutive patients on apixaban who underwent cardiac surgery with the use of cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) at three sites. The first 12 patients underwent surgery without hemoadsorption (controls), while the next 13 consecutive patients were operated with the Cytosorb® (Princeton, NJ, USA) device integrated into the CPB circuit (HA group). The primary outcome was perioperative bleeding assessed by the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) definition and secondary outcomes included 24 h chest-tube-drainage (CTD) and need for 1-deamino-8-d-arginine-vasopressin (desmopressin (DDAVP)) administration to achieve hemostasis. Results: Preoperative mean daily dose of apixaban was higher in the HA group (8.5 ± 2.4 vs. 5.6 ± 2.2 mg, p = 0.005), while time since last apixaban dose was longer in the controls (1.3 ± 0.9 vs. 0.6 ± 1.2 days, p < 0.001). No BARC-4 bleeding events and no repeat-thoracotomies occurred in the HA group compared with 3 and 1, respectively, in the controls. Postoperative 24 h CTD volume was significantly lower in the HA group (510 ± 152 vs. 893 ± 579 mL, p = 0.03) and there was no need for DDAVP compared to controls, who received an average of 10 ± 13.6 mg (p = 0.01). Conclusions: In patients on apixaban undergoing emergent cardiac surgery, the intraoperative use of hemoadsorption was feasible and safe. Compared to patients operated on without hemoadsorption, BARC-4 bleeding complications did not occur and the need for 24 h CTD and DDAVP was significantly lower.
Key questions on the evolution and biogeography of New Zealand alpine insects

ABSTRACT New Zealand alpine environments host a diverse assemblage of insect lineages, with virtually every major insect group represented. The modern mountain ranges of New Zealand are relatively young and large areas of habitat above the tree line have only been in continual existence for the past one million years. We discuss the geological history and physical characteristics of New Zealand alpine environments and the resulting selective pressures placed on insect species. Some notable alpine taxa and previous faunistic research is highlighted. We discuss examples where single lineages have colonised the alpine zone and contrast these with larger radiations of alpine species which in some cases are the result of multiple colonisation events. The age of most alpine lineages is consistent with the young geological age of the mountains, nevertheless there are some much older alpine lineages of uncertain evolutionary history. We show that alpine species have employed a very broad range of morphological, physiological, and behavioural adaptations to survive in the alpine zone, and new studies are starting to unpick their genomic basis. Finally, we look to the future and assess threats to the unique New Zealand alpine insect fauna.
Suppression of Swirl in a Conical Diffuser by Use of J-Groove

In order to control and suppress a draft tube surge in a Francis tutbine, a new passive device (cid:631)sing shallow grooves machined on a casing wall is proposed. To reveal the possibility and the effect of the pre(cid:631)ent(cid:631)device on controlling and reducing the swirl strength of a runner outlet flow, a steady rotational flow in a conical diffuser of divergent angle of 30' is studied experimentally. The results show that the shallow grooves with adequate dimensions can reduce the swirl rate of the mairL flow by about 850/0 of the inlet swirl rate. The additional hydraulic loss is negligible and the static pressure becomes much uniform over the whole outlet section, though the ran*'e of the forced vortex core with reverse flow becomes larger around the center axis. The above considerable effect of shallow grooves is caused by the groove flow which is driven by the pressure gradient ofthe main flow. The flow loses the angular momentum when entering into the groove, and absorbs the angular momentum of the main flow by mixing when leaving from the groove.