Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING IMPACTS ON ENDURANCE OF VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS

ABSTRACT Introduction: The high-intensity interval training method is believed to improve sports endurance in volleyball players due to its characteristic of alternating short periods of intense aerobic exercise and recovery. Objective: Analyze the impact of high-intensity interval training on sports endurance in volleyball players aged 18 to 19 years old. Methods: We selected 16 male volleyball athletes, and divided them into control and experimental groups. A high-intensity interval training protocol was added to the experimental group, while the control group remained with standard training. The indices of the effect of intensive interval training were measured through the sports endurance test in the athletes, comparing the results before and after the intervention. Results: The exercise index on oblique plates for 30 seconds in the experimental group increased from 58.51±1.06 to 61.17±1.44; there was a change in the 800-meter run from 2.39±0.02 to 2.33±0.02 minutes after the experiment, and the 30kg supine weightlifting in 30 seconds was from 49.93±1.99 to 53.58±1.79. However, the control group data did not change significantly. Conclusion: Long-term appropriate high-intensity interval training played an evident role in improving the endurance of volleyball players. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.
On a conjecture about repdigits in k-generalized Fibonacci sequences

For an integer k ≥ 2, we consider the k−generalized Fibonacci sequence (F (k) n )n which starts with 0, . , 0, 1 (k terms) and each term afterwards is the sum of the k preceding terms. F. Luca [2] in 2000 and recently D. Marques [3] proved that 55 and 44 are the largest numbers with only one distinct digit (so called repdigits) in the sequences (F (2) n )n and (F (3) n )n, respectively. Further, Marques conjectured that there are no repdigits having at least 2 digits in a k−generalized Fibonacci sequence for any k > 3. In this talk, we report about some arithmetic properties of (F (k) n )n and confirm the conjecture raised by Marques. This is a joint work with Florian Luca.
The detection of the rich p-mode spectrum and asteroseismology of Przybylski's star

Aims. We investigate the oscillation spectrum of the most chemically-peculiar star in the sky, the rapidly-oscillating magnetic (roAp) star HD 101065. Methods. High-precision radial velocity (RV) measurements, spanning four consecutive nights on 3–6 March, 2004, were obtained with the HARPS echelle-spectrometer at the ESO 3.6-m telescope, and photometric data were acquired during 6 nights of observations at the 24-inch telescope of Siding Spring Observatory. The RVs were measured using all spectral lines in the wavelength range 4400–5100 A. Results. We detected a rich spectrum of oscillation modes with semi-amplitudes ranging between 217 m s −1 and 1.6 m s −1 . T hese belong to the complete spectrum of high-order, low � = 0–2 modes, having a large spacing of Δν = 64.07 ± 0.9 μHz. We calculated the nonadiabatic frequencies of axisymmetric high-order p-modes for main-sequence models with dipole magnetic fields of two chemical compositions (X,Z) = (0.7, 0.02) and (X,Z) = (0.695, 0.025). The former composition provided the best fit model and yielded stellar parameters of mass, M = 1.525 ± 0.025 M� ,a ge= (1.5 ± 0.1) × 10 9 yr, effective temperature log Te = 3.821 ± 0.006, luminosity logL/L� = 0.797 ± 0.026, surface gravity log g = 4.06 ± 0.04, and polar magnetic field strength, Bp = 8.7 ± 0. 3k G. We are able to identify the modes of all detected oscillation frequencies. The photometric U and B light curves have maxima that precede the RV maximum by 0.16–0.19 in phase.
Production of edible flowers: irrigation and biotechnology

Garden pansy is a versatile gardening plant – it produces beautiful colorful edible-flowers with high value in gourmet cuisine. The use of irrigation and biotechnology in garden pansy cultivation can provide gains in flower productivity and nutritional value. The goal of this study was to evaluate the growth and edible flower production in garden pansy plants, submitted to different levels of irrigation and mycorrhizal inoculation. The experiment was conducted in randomized blocks in the 2 x 5 factorial design, with the presence and absence of mycorrhizal inoculation in combination with 5 levels of irrigation with 6 replicates, in a greenhouse. There was no significant interaction between the factors mycorrhizal inoculation and irrigation levels by the F test. Under the tested conditions, the mycorrhizal inoculation was unable to provide significant changes in the growth, development and flowering of garden pansy plants. It was concluded that no symbiotic efficiency was pointed out between the mycorrhizal fungus used and garden pansy plants. The best growth and yield results for cultivating and producing edible flowers of garden pansy were obtained at the 100% replenishment level of water evaporation.
Pulmonary Ultrasonography in Systemic Sclerosis-Induced Interstitial Lung Disease—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The aim of the current systematic review was to summarize and evaluate the overall advantages of lung ultrasonography (LUS) examination using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) as a reference standard in assessing the presence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. Methods: Databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for studies evaluating LUSs in ILD assessments including SSc patients on 1 February 2023. In assessing risk of bias and applicability, the Revised Tool for the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) was used. A meta-analysis was performed and the mean specificity, sensitivity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were obtained. In addition, in a bivariate meta-analysis, the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve area was additionally calculated. Results: Nine studies with a total of 888 participants entered the meta-analysis. A meta-analysis was also performed without one study that used pleural irregularity to assess the diagnostic accuracy of LUSs using B-lines (with a total of 868 participants). Overall sensitivity and specificity did not differ significantly, with only the analysis of the B-lines having a specificity of 0.61 (95% CI 0.44–0.85) and a sensitivity of 0.93 (95% CI 0.89–0.98). The diagnostic odds ratio of univariate analysis of the eight studies using the B-lines as a criterion for ILD diagnosis was 45.32 (95% CI 17.88–114.89). The AUC value of the SROC curve was 0.912 (and 0.917 in consideration of all nine studies), which indicates high sensitivity and a low false-positive rate for the majority of the included studies. Conclusions: LUS examination proved to be a valuable tool in discerning which SSc patients should receive additional HRCT scans to detect ILD and therefore reduces the doses of ionizing radiation exposure in SSc patients. However, further studies are needed to achieve consensus in scoring and the evaluation methodology of LUS examination.
Unsteady aerodynamics of reverse flow dynamic stall on an oscillating blade section

Wind tunnel experiments were performed on a sinusoidally oscillating NACA 0012 blade section in reverse flow. Time-resolved particle image velocimetry and unsteady surface pressure measurements were used to characterize the evolution of reverse flow dynamic stall and its sensitivity to pitch and flow parameters. The effects of a sharp aerodynamic leading edge on the fundamental flow physics of reverse flow dynamic stall are explored in depth. Reynolds number was varied up to Re = 5 × 105, reduced frequency was varied up to k = 0.511, mean pitch angle was varied up to 15∘, and two pitch amplitudes of 5∘ and 10∘ were studied. It was found that reverse flow dynamic stall of the NACA 0012 airfoil is weakly sensitive to the Reynolds numbers tested due to flow separation at the sharp aerodynamic leading edge. Reduced frequency strongly affects the onset and persistence of dynamic stall vortices. The type of dynamic stall observed (i.e., number of vortex structures) increases with a decrease in reduced frequency.
‘Will I be able to see my family ever again?’ Tales from the Indian diaspora in times of COVID-19 in Singapore

ABSTRACT The novel coronavirus began spreading worldwide since 2020 leaving behind hundreds of thousands of Indian Diaspora stranded. Indian diasporas are heterogeneous, diverse and are perceived as wealthy, dynamic and generally thriving, especially in highly developed countries. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light both strengths and weaknesses of these diasporas. Thus, this paper explores the various ways in which COVID-19 has impacted the lives of the high-skilled Indian diaspora in Singapore. In explaining their varied experiences, I used the concept of commonality. Through a qualitative study, collected data shows their struggles of commonalities embraced by COVID-19. In spite of living an affluent lifestyle in Singapore, they confront uncertainty, pain, fear of losing the loved ones back home. They are nevertheless happy and content, and are very grateful for the ways in which their Singapore have supported them during troubled times.
Minimizing Energy Cost in PV Battery Storage Systems Using Reinforcement Learning

This article addresses the development and tuning of an energy management for a photovoltaic (PV) battery storage system for the cost-optimized use of PV energy using reinforcement learning (RL). An innovative energy management concept based on the Proximal Policy Optimization algorithm in combination with recurrent Long Short-Term Memory neural networks is developed for data-based policy learning, a concept that has been rarely addressed in the literature so far. As a reference system for the simulation-based investigations, a PV battery storage system is modelled, parametrized and implemented with an interface for the RL algorithm. To demonstrate the generalization capability of the learned energy management, 98 training and 12 evaluation episodes, each with a length of one year, are generated from an empirical dataset of global radiation and load power time series. To improve the convergence speed and stability of the RL algorithm as well as the learned policy with regards to techno-economic metrics, an extensive hyperparameter study is conducted by training 216 control policies with different hyperparameter configurations. A simulation-based evaluation of the learned energy management against conventional rule-based and model-predictive energy managements shows that the RL-based concept can achieve slightly better results in terms of energy costs and the amount of energy fed into the grid than the commonly used model-predictive method.
An Analysis of Gravity Wave Spectral Characteristics in Moist Baroclinic Jet–Front Systems

AbstractThis study investigates gravity wave spectral characteristics based on high-resolution mesoscale simulations of idealized moist baroclinic jet–front systems with varying degrees of convective instability, with the intent of improving nonorographic gravity wave parameterizations. In all experiments, there is a clear dominance of negative vertical flux of zonal momentum. The westward momentum flux is distributed around the estimated ground-based baroclinic wave phase velocity along the zonal direction, while strong moist runs indicate a dipole structure pattern with stronger westward momentum flux centers at slower phase velocity and weaker eastward momentum flux centers at faster phase velocity. The spectral properties of short-scale wave components (50–200 km) generally differ from those of medium-scale ones (200–600 km). Compared to the medium-scale wave components, the momentum flux phase speed spectra for the short-scale ones appear to be more sensitive to the increasing initial moisture conten.
Preparation of Nanostructured Sn/Ti Oxide Hybrid Films with Terpineol/PEG-Based Nanofluids: Perovskite Solar Cell Applications

Tin oxide (SnO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) are recognized as attractive energy materials applicable for lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Sintering is one of the effective strategies for improving the carrier transport of semiconductor nanomaterials. Using the alternative metal-oxide-based ETL, nanoparticles are often used in a way that they are dispersed in a precursor liquid prior to their thin-film deposition. Currently, the creation of PSCs using nanostructured Sn/Ti oxide thin-film ETL is one of the topical issues for the development of high-efficiency PSCs. Here, we demonstrate the preparation of terpineol/PEG-based fluid containing both tin and titanium compounds that can be utilized for the formation of a hybrid Sn/Ti oxide ETL on a conductive substrate (F-doped SnO2 glass substrate: FTO). We also pay attention to the structural analysis of the Sn/Ti metal oxide formation at the nanoscale using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM). The variation of the nanofluid composition, i.e., the concentration of tin and titanium sources, was examined to obtain a uniform transparent thin film by spin-coating and sintering processes. The maximum power conversion efficiency was obtained for the concentration condition of [SnCl2·2H2O]/[titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP)] = 25:75 in the terpineol/PEG-based precursor solution. Our method for preparing the ETL nanomaterials provides useful guidance for the creation of high-performance PSCs using the sintering method.
Trap-Based Beam Formation Mechanisms and the Development of an Ultra-High-Energy-Resolution Cryogenic Positron Beam

Author(s): Natisin, Michael Ryan | Advisor(s): Surko, Clifford M | Abstract: The focus of this dissertation is the development of a positron beam with significantly improved energy resolution over any beam resolution previously available. While positron interactions with matter are important in a variety of contexts, the range of experimental data available regarding fundamental positron-matter interactions is severely limited as compared to analogous electron-matter processes. This difference is due largely to the difficulties encountered in creating positron beams with narrow energy spreads. Described here is a detailed investigation into the physical processes operative during positron cooling and beam formation in state-of-the-art, trap-based beam systems. These beams rely on buffer gas traps (BGTs), in which positrons are trapped and cooled to the ambient temperature (300~K) through interactions with a molecular gas, and subsequently ejected as a high resolution pulsed beam. Experimental measurements, analytic models, and simulation results are used to understand the creation and characterization of these beams, with a focus on the mechanisms responsible for setting beam energy resolution. The information gained from these experimental and theoretical studies was then used to design, construct, and operate a next-generation high-energy-resolution beam system. In this new system, the pulsed beam from the BGT is magnetically guided into a new apparatus which re-traps the positrons, cools them to 50~K, and re-emits them as a pulsed beam with superior beam characteristics. Using these techniques, positron beams with total energy spreads as low as 6.9~meV FWHM are produced. This represents a factor of $\sim 5$ improvement over the previous state-of-the-art, making it the largest increase in positron beam energy resolution since the development of advanced moderator techniques in the early 1980's. These beams also have temporal spreads of $0.9~\mu$s FWHM and radial spreads of 1~mm FWHM. This represents improvements by factors of $\sim 2$ and $10$, respectively, over those of the previous beam resolutions. Future experimental applications of this new technology are also discussed.
Hidden Pool of Cardiac Adenine Nucleotides That Controls Adenosine Production

Myocardial ischemic adenosine production decreases in subsequent events that may blunt its protective functions. To test the relation between total or mitochondrial cardiac adenine nucleotide pool (TAN) on the energy status with adenosine production, Langendorff perfused rat hearts were subjected to three protocols: 1 min ischemia at 40 min, 10 min ischemia at 50 min, and 1 min ischemia at 85 min in Group I; additional infusion of adenosine (30 µM) for 15 min after 10 min ischemia in Group I-Ado, and 1 min ischemia at 40 and 85 min in the controls (Group No I). A 31P NMR and an HPLC were used for the analysis of nucleotide and catabolite concentrations in the heart and coronary effluent. Cardiac adenosine production in Group I measured after 1 min ischemia at 85 min decreased to less than 15% of that at 40 min in Group I, accompanied by a decrease in cardiac ATP and TAN to 65% of the initial results. Adenosine production at 85 min was restored to 45% of that at 40 min in Group I-Ado, accompanied by a rebound of ATP and TAN by 10% vs. Group I. Mitochondrial TAN and free AMP concentrations paralleled that of total cardiac TAN. Changes in energy equilibrium or mitochondrial function were minor. This study highlights that only a fraction of the cardiac adenine nucleotide pool is available for adenosine production, but further studies are necessary to clarify its nature.
A Virus Genetic System to Analyze the Fusogenicity of Human Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein B Variants

Viruses can induce the fusion of infected and neighboring cells, leading to the formation of syncytia. Cell–cell fusion is mediated by viral fusion proteins on the plasma membrane of infected cells that interact with cellular receptors on neighboring cells. Viruses use this mechanism to spread rapidly to adjacent cells or escape host immunity. For some viruses, syncytium formation is a hallmark of infection and a known pathogenicity factor. For others, the role of syncytium formation in viral dissemination and pathogenicity remains poorly understood. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in transplant patients and the leading cause of congenital infections. Clinical HCMV isolates have broad cell tropism but differ in their ability to induce cell–cell fusions, and little is known about the molecular determinants. We developed a system to analyze HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) variants in a defined genetic background. HCMV strains TB40/E and TR were used as vectors to compare the fusogenicity of six gB variants from congenitally infected fetuses with those from three laboratory strains. Five of them conferred the ability to induce the fusion of MRC-5 human embryonic lung fibroblasts to one or both backbone strains, as determined by a split GFP–luciferase reporter system. The same gB variants were not sufficient to induce syncytia in infected ARPE-19 epithelial cells, suggesting that additional factors are involved. The system described here allows a systematic comparison of the fusogenicity of viral envelope glycoproteins and may help to clarify whether fusion-promoting variants are associated with increased pathogenicity.
SARS-CoV-2: Immunity, Challenges with Current Vaccines, and a Novel Perspective on Mucosal Vaccines

The global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has played a critical role in reducing pandemic spread, disease severity, hospitalizations, and deaths. However, the first-generation vaccines failed to block severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and transmission, partially due to the limited induction of mucosal immunity, leading to the continuous emergence of variants of concern (VOC) and breakthrough infections. To meet the challenges from VOC, limited durability, and lack of mucosal immune response of first-generation vaccines, novel approaches are being investigated. Herein, we have discussed the current knowledge pertaining to natural and vaccine-induced immunity, and the role of the mucosal immune response in controlling SARS-CoV2 infection. We have also presented the current status of the novel approaches aimed at eliciting both mucosal and systemic immunity. Finally, we have presented a novel adjuvant-free approach to elicit effective mucosal immunity against SARS-CoV-2, which lacks the safety concerns associated with live-attenuated vaccine platforms.
Having Less Than Others is Physically Painful: Income Rank and Pain Around the World

Physical pain is a pressing issue for scientists and policymakers. Yet evidence on the psychosocial factors of pain is limited. Using data from 146 countries (N = 1.3 million individuals), this article documents the role of income comparisons on physical pain. Specifically, this study shows that income rank (i.e., the ordinal position of a person’s income within a comparison group) is linked to physical pain above and beyond absolute income. This effect is identical in rich and poor nations. The negative emotions that result from a disadvantaged relative standing in the income hierarchy may explain these findings. This article documents a new kind of evidence on the power of income comparisons and highlights the role that psychosocial factors may play in physical pain.
Streptococcus parasuis, an Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen, Possesses the Capacity to Induce Cerebral Inflammatory Responses

To date, three Streptococcus parasuis strains, BS26, BS27, and NN1, have been isolated from the blood cultures of patients with peritonitis, pneumonia, and arthritis, indicating that S. parasuis is an emerging threat to susceptible people. There is thus an urgent need to further evaluate the pathogenesis of S. parasuis clinical strains in order to design efficient anti-inflammatory strategies. Our previous study demonstrated the capacity of S. parasuis clinical strains to enter the central nervous system (CNS) of infected mice. However, the characteristics and inflammatory mechanism of CNS infections caused by S. parasuis are still non-available. In the present study, we investigated the proportion and time of two clinical S. parasuis strains NN1 and BS26 infected mice that developed neurological symptoms. The characteristics of histopathological changes and the cerebral immune response in mice with neurological symptoms were analyzed. Furthermore, we evaluated the roles of microglia and astrocytes in the S. parasuis clinical strain-induced cerebral inflammation. Our data indicated that S. parasuis clinical strains possess a high potential to induce cerebral inflammation in susceptible people at the early phase of infection. Our study contributes to increasing the understanding of the pathogenicity of S. parasuis and the inflammatory mechanisms of the brain against infection caused by S. parasuis.
Numerical solution of quadratic Riccati differential equation by neural network

In this paper, a novel hybrid method based on neural network is proposed to solve quadratic differential equation. Here neural network is considered as a part of large field called neural computing or soft computing. The model finds the approximated solution of Riccati differential equation inside its domain for the close enough neighborhood of the initial point. This method, in comparison with existing numerical methods, shows that the use of neural networks provides