Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plastics and the Ocean

The ecological and toxicological effects of plastic in the marine environment are generally discussed or modeled as if they were “pure” polymers (Cole et al. 2015; Kaiser et al. 2019; Yin et al. 2018); yet, no plastic that exists in the waste stream today is manufactured without additives or as a “barefoot” formulation. Every piece of plastic is made up of a unique combination of the host polymer, with some residual monomers or catalysts, as well as chemical additives added during processing of the plastic (Hahladakis et al. 2018; Hermabessiere et al. 2017). A staggering amount of different kinds of additives are used in plastic formulations and each of them plays a distinct role in delivering/enhancing the functional properties, performance, or appearance of a plastic product (Marturano et al. 2016). Depending on the formulation, plastics may contain anywhere from <1 to 50% or more by weight of plasticizers (Chaudhary et al. 2016; Marturano et al. 2016). Typically, plasticizers, fillers, and flame retardants (FRs) are used at high weight fractions in plastic formulations and, therefore, account for about threequarters of all additives produced. Other additives, such as antioxidants and light stabilizers, are used at much lower loadings. Despite the popular conception that plastics last forever, they are organic materials that undergo significant degradation when exposed to processing or environmental conditions, including high temperatures, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, oxygen in the atmosphere, and water (see Chapter 8). The durability and performance that is expected from thermoplastics would not be possible without these intentionally added chemical compounds. The production and use of plastics (and, therefore, plastic additives) has continued to increase exponentially since the mid20th century (Binetti et al. 2008). If current production rates continue, a total of 2000 million metric tons of additives will have been produced by the end of 2050 (Geyer et al. 2017). This is based on an estimate of plastics containing on average 7% additives by mass (Geyer et al. 2017). It has been estimated that at least 190 metric tons of additive chemicals entered the ocean in 2015 alone, a rate that is expected to double by 2025 (De Frond et al. 2019). The decades’ worth of plastics already in the ocean was formulated without consideration for marine disposal. This chapter aims to introduce plastic additives with a focus on their chemistry and function, transport and fate, detection in marine environments, and toxicities. The extensive list of additives can be simplified by dividing the types of additives into three groups: functional additives, colorants, and 2
Comparison of the Therapeutic Effect of the Mini-Open Incision and Conventional Open Neurolysis of the Median Nerve for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effects of the mini-open incision and conventional open surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Methods The clinical data of 52 patients with CTS treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China from October 2020 to February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the conventional open surgery group (28 cases) and the mini-open incision group (24 cases) according to different surgical incisions applied. The incision length, operation time, time until postoperative return to work, and complications were observed in the two groups. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain at one day, one month, and three months after surgery and the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire scores before, at one month, and at three months after surgery were compared between the two groups. Results The incision length, operation time, and time until return to work in the mini-open incision group were all shorter than those in the conventional open surgery group (2.58 ± 0.35 vs. 7.32 ± 0.61 cm, 18.67 ± 2.62 vs. 29.46 ± 3.42 min, and 5.33 ± 1.40 vs. 13.86 ± 2.70 d, respectively), and differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05 in all). The VAS scores in the mini-open incision group were lower than those in the conventional open surgery group at one day and one month after surgery, while the difference in the VAS scores at three months after surgery was not statistically significant between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in neurological recovery between the two groups at postoperative follow-ups (P > 0.05). The incidences of postoperative scar hyperplasia and scar pain were higher in the conventional open surgery group than those in the mini-open incision group, and differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05 in both). Conclusion Mini-open incision surgery for CTS was a safe and reliable procedure with a precise therapeutic effect, minimal surgical trauma, and high postoperative comfort for patients and could achieve enhanced recovery. Trial Registration. This trial is registered with ChiCTR2200064631.
ALIGNMENTS OF DARK MATTER HALOS WITH LARGE-SCALE TIDAL FIELDS: MASS AND REDSHIFT DEPENDENCE

Large-scale tidal fields estimated directly from the distribution of dark matter halos are used to investigate how halo shapes and spin vectors are aligned with the cosmic web. The major, intermediate, and minor axes of halos are aligned with the corresponding tidal axes, and halo spin axes tend to be parallel with the intermediate axes and perpendicular to the major axes of the tidal field. The strengths of these alignments generally increase with halo mass and redshift, but the dependence is only on the peak height, . The scaling relations of the alignment strengths with the value of ν indicate that the alignment strengths remain roughly constant when the structures within which the halos reside are still in a quasi-linear regime, but decreases as nonlinear evolution becomes more important. We also calculate the alignments in projection so that our results can be compared directly with observations. Finally, we investigate the alignments of tidal tensors on large scales, and use the results to understand alignments of halo pairs separated at various distances. Our results suggest that the coherent structure of the tidal field is the underlying reason for the alignments of halos and galaxies seen in numerical simulations and in observations.
THE COSMOLOGICAL IMPACT OF LUMINOUS TeV BLAZARS. I. IMPLICATIONS OF PLASMA INSTABILITIES FOR THE INTERGALACTIC MAGNETIC FIELD AND EXTRAGALACTIC GAMMA-RAY BACKGROUND

Inverse Compton cascades (ICCs) initiated by energetic gamma rays (E ≳ 100 GeV) enhance the GeV emission from bright, extragalactic TeV sources. The absence of this emission from bright TeV blazars has been used to constrain the intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF), and the stringent limits placed on the unresolved extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGRB) by Fermi have been used to argue against a large number of such objects at high redshifts. However, these are predicated on the assumption that inverse Compton scattering is the primary energy-loss mechanism for the ultrarelativistic pairs produced by the annihilation of the energetic gamma rays on extragalactic background light photons. Here, we show that for sufficiently bright TeV sources (isotropic-equivalent luminosities ≳ 1042 erg s−1) plasma beam instabilities, specifically the “oblique” instability, present a plausible mechanism by which the energy of these pairs can be dissipated locally, heating the intergalactic medium. Since these instabilities typically grow on timescales short in comparison to the inverse Compton cooling rate, they necessarily suppress the ICCs. As a consequence, this places a severe constraint on efforts to limit the IGMF from the lack of a discernible GeV bump in TeV sources. Similarly, it considerably weakens the Fermi limits on the evolution of blazar populations. Specifically, we construct a TeV-blazar luminosity function from those objects currently observed and find that it is very well described by the quasar luminosity function at z ∼ 0.1, shifted to lower luminosities and number densities, suggesting that both classes of sources are regulated by similar processes. Extending this relationship to higher redshifts, we show that the magnitude and shape of the EGRB above ∼10 GeV are naturally reproduced with this particular example of a rapidly evolving TeV-blazar luminosity function.
Clay-Alginate Beads Loaded with Ionic Liquids: Potential Adsorbents for the Efficient Extraction of Oil from Produced Water

Produced water (PW) generated from the petroleum industry, during the extraction of oil and gas, has harmful impacts on human health and aquatic life, due to its complex nature. Therefore, it is necessary to treat it before discharging it into the environment in order to avoid serious environmental concerns. In this research, oil adsorption from PW was investigated using clay-alginate beads loaded with ionic liquids (ILs), as the adsorbent material. The effects of several process parameters, such as the initial concentration of oil, contact time, pH, and temperature on the removal efficiency of the beads, were analyzed and optimized. Different characterization methods, such as the Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), were used to investigate the surface morphology, the chemical bond structure and functional group, and the thermal stability of the ILs-based beads. The results revealed that the clay-alginate-ILs beads indicated a removal efficiency of 71.8% at the optimum conditions (600 ppm initial oil concentration, 70 min contact time, 10 pH, and at room temperature) with an adsorption capacity of 431 mg/g. The FTIR analysis confirmed the successful chemical bond interaction of the oil with the beads. The SEM analysis verified that the beads have a porous and rough surface, which is appropriate for the adsorption of oil onto the bead’s surface. The TGA analysis provides the thermal degradation profile for the clay-alginate-ILs. The beads used in the adsorption process were regenerated and used for up to four cycles.
Cosmological shock waves: clues to the formation history of haloes

Shock waves developed during the formation and evolution of cosmic structures encode crucial information on the hierarchical formation of the Universe. We analyze an Eulerian AMR hydro + N-body simulation in a $\Lambda$CDM cosmology focused on the study of cosmological shock waves. The combination of a shock-capturing algorithm together with the use of a halo finder allows us to study the morphological structures of the shock patterns, the statistical properties of shocked cells, and the correlations between the cosmological shock waves appearing at different scales and the properties of the haloes harbouring them. The shocks in the simulation can be split into two broad classes: internal weak shocks related with evolutionary events within haloes, and external strong shocks associated with large-scale events. The shock distribution function contains information on the abundances and strength of the different shocks, and it can be fitted by a double power law with a break in the slope around a Mach number of 20. We introduce a generalised scaling relation that correlates the average Mach numbers within the virial radius of haloes and their virial masses. In this plane, haloes occupy different areas according to their early evolutionary histories: those with a quiet evolution have an almost constant Mach number independently of their masses, whereas haloes undergoing significant merger events very early in their evolution show a linear dependence with their masses. At high redshift, the halo distribution in this scaling relation forms a L-like pattern that changes due to the evolution of the haloes. The analysis of the propagation speed and size of the shock waves around haloes could give some hints on the formation time and main features of the haloes. (Abridged)
Discontinuous Feedback and Nonlinear Systems

This tutorial paper is devoted to the controllability and stability of control systems that are nonlinear, and for which, for whatever reason, linearization fails. We begin by motivating the need for two seemingly exotic tools: nonsmooth control-Lyapunov functions, and discontinuous feedbacks. Then, after a (very) short course on nonsmooth analysis, we build a theory around these tools. We proceed to apply it in various contexts, focusing principally on the design of discontinuous stabilizing feedbacks.
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: The Effects of Common Ownership on Corporate Social Responsibility

Common owners face an incredible investment challenge: managing systematic risk. Because common owners hold shares in multiple firms across an industry, an action (or inaction) by one firm that affects industry peers is felt more severely by common owners than by non-common owners. Research has largely focused on common owners’ role in orchestrating competitive dynamics among their portfolio firms, with almost no empirical investigation of how common owners manage systematic risk. Drawing on research showing that one firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) can produce positive spillovers for peer firms and that its irresponsibility can harm its peers, we argue that common owners increase firms’ CSR to produce spillovers that reduce systematic risk and multiply their investment returns. Consistent with our theory, we find that common ownership is positively associated with firm CSR. Unpacking that relationship, we find that increases in CSR are driven by common owners with long-term orientations and are concentrated in stakeholder sensitive industries, in which CSR spillovers are most economically impactful. We also find that common owners focus their efforts on financially material CSR over financially immaterial CSR. We use a natural experiment with a quasi-exogenous shock to rule out alternative explanations. Our study contributes to literatures on the antecedents of CSR and outcomes of common ownership, providing a new perspective on how common owners shape corporate strategic behavior.
A comparison of elk‐vehicle collision patterns with demographic and abundance data in the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains

Wildlife‐vehicle collisions are a widespread phenomenon that are influenced by species behavior, abundance, and road and landscape interactions. The mortality rate of different age and sex classes can buffer or exacerbate how the population responds to vehicle collisions. We evaluated the demographic‐specific patterns of elk‐vehicle collisions in the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains. More females and adults were involved in collisions, but when compared to the sex and age of the population, males and subadults were more prone to collisions in the fall. The fat marrow content (condition) of elk was greater for road‐ and rail‐kill than predator‐killed elk indicating that vehicle collisions are an additive source of mortality. As traffic volumes increased elk collisions decreased because elk declined over the study period. Evaluation of long‐term datasets can assist in designing mitigation that target the most vulnerable demographics of a population. For example, larger more open wildlife crossing structures have shown to be more suitable for vulnerable demographics such as female grizzly bears, male ungulates, and female ungulates traveling with young. When crossing structures are not practical, demographic‐specific information can inform outreach and awareness programs that strive to elicit a favorable response from motorists ultimately avoiding collisions with animals on roads.
Constraining the dark energy and smoothness parameter with supernovae

The presence of inhomogeneities modifies the cosmic distances through the gravitational lensing effect, and, indirectly, must affect the main cosmological tests. Assuming that the dark energy is a smooth component, the simplest way to account for the influence of clustering is to suppose that the average evolution of the expanding Universe is governed by the total matter-energy density whereas the focusing of light is only affected by a fraction of the total matter density quantified by the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ Dyer-Roeder parameter. By using two different samples of SNe type Ia data, the ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{m}$ and $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ parameters are constrained by applying the Zeldovich-Kantowski-Dyer-Roeder luminosity distance-redshift relation for a flat ($\ensuremath{\Lambda}\mathrm{CDM}$) model. A ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{2}$-analysis using the 115 SNe Ia data of the Astier et al. sample (2006) constrains the density parameter to be ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{m}={0.26}_{\ensuremath{-}0.07}^{+0.17}$ ($2\ensuremath{\sigma}$) while the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ parameter is weakly limited (all the values $\ensuremath{\in}[0,1]$ are allowed even at $1\ensuremath{\sigma}$). However, a similar analysis based the 182 SNe Ia data of Riess et al. (2007) constrains the pair of parameters to be ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{m}={0.33}_{\ensuremath{-}0.07}^{+0.09}$ and $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\ge}0.42$ ($2\ensuremath{\sigma}$). Basically, this occurs because the Riess et al. sample extends to appreciably higher redshifts. As a general result, even considering the existence of inhomogeneities as described by the smoothness $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ parameter, the Einstein-de Sitter model is ruled out by the two samples with a high degree of statistical confidence ($11.5\ensuremath{\sigma}$ and $9.9\ensuremath{\sigma}$, respectively). The inhomogeneous Hubble-Sandage diagram discussed here highlights the necessity of the dark energy, and a transition deceleration/accelerating phase at $z\ensuremath{\sim}0.5$ is also required.
Trends in Self-Rated Oral Health and Its Associations with Oral Health Status and Oral Health Behaviors in Japanese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from 2011 to 2019

Self-rated oral health (SROH) is a valid, comprehensive indicator of oral health status. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to analyze how oral health behaviors and clinical oral status were associated with SROH and how they had changed over the course of nine years in Japanese university students. Data were obtained from 17,996 students who underwent oral examinations and completed self-questionnaires from 2011 to 2019. Oral status was assessed using the decayed and filled teeth scores, bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth, the Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S), oral health behaviors, and related factors. SROH improved from 2011 to 2019. The logistic regression model showed that university students who were female and had a high daily frequency of tooth brushing, no BOP, no decayed teeth, no filled teeth, and a low OHI-S score and were significantly more likely to report very good, good, or fair SROH. An interaction effect was observed between survey year and regular dental check-ups (year × regular dental check-ups). The improvement trend in SROH might be associated with changes in oral health behaviors and oral health status.
Molecular Symmetry of Permethylated β-Cyclodextrins upon Complexation

The Cn molecular symmetry implicated by the schemes with which cyclodextrins (CDs), the well-known cyclic oligosaccharides, are introduced in the literature, is not valid. Numerous studies have shown that CDs are rather flexible with their macrocycle adopting various conformations that enable the inclusion complexation of guest molecules of various shapes. In this work, the loss and gain of the C7 symmetry of the heptakis (2, 3, 6-tri-O-methyl)-β-CD (TM-β-CD) is investigated by means of its conformation geometrical features in its hydrated form and upon complexation with molecules of different shapes. For this, the crystal structure of the inclusion complex of a bulky guest molecule (giberellic acid) in TM-β-CD is presented for the first time and compared with the previously determined crystal structures of monohydrated TM-β-CD and the inclusion complex of a linear monoterpenoid (geraniol) in TM-β-CD. The structural investigation was complemented by molecular dynamics simulations in an explicit solvent, based on the crystallographically determined models. The crucial role of the guest, in the symmetry gain of the host, reveals a pronounced induced-fit complexation mechanism for permethylated CDs.
Cosmology with velocity dispersion counts: an alternative to measuring cluster halo masses

The evolution of galaxy cluster counts is a powerful probe of several fundamental cosmological parameters. A number of recent studies using this probe have claimed tension with the cosmology preferred by the analysis of the Planck primary CMB data, in the sense that there are fewer clusters observed than predicted based on the primary CMB cosmology. One possible resolution to this problem is systematic errors in the absolute halo mass calibration in cluster studies, which is required to convert the standard theoretical prediction (the halo mass function) into counts as a function of the observable (e.g., X-ray luminosity, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich flux, optical richness). Here we propose an alternative strategy, which is to directly compare predicted and observed cluster counts as a function of the one-dimensional velocity dispersion of the cluster galaxies. We argue that the velocity dispersion of groups/clusters can be theoretically predicted as robustly as mass but, unlike mass, it can also be directly observed, thus circumventing the main systematic bias in traditional cluster counts studies. With the aid of the BAHAMAS suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, we demonstrate the potential of the velocity dispersion counts for discriminating even similar lambda CDM models. These predictions can be compared with the results from redshift surveys such as the highly complete Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey.
UNMATING OF RATIONAL MAPS, SUFFICIENT CRITERIA AND EXAMPLES

Douady and Hubbard introduced the operation of mating of poly- nomials. This identifies two filled Julia sets and the dynamics on them via external rays. In many cases one obtains a rational map. Here the opposite question is tackled. Namely we ask when a given (postcritically finite) rational map f arises as a mating. A sufficient condition when this is possible is given. If this condition is satisfied, we present a simple explicit algorithm to unmate the rational map. This means we decompose f into polynomials, that when mated yield f. Several examples of unmatings are presented.
Non-Traditional Pro-Inflammatory and Pro-Atherosclerotic Risk Factors Related to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the leading causes of high mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The Framingham risk score and other traditional risk factors do not fully reflect the CVD risk in SLE patients. Therefore, in order to stratify these high-risk patients, additional biomarkers for subclinical CVD are needed. The mechanisms of atherogenesis in SLE are still being investigated. During the past decades, many reports recognized that inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis. The aim of this report is to present novel proinflammatory and pro-atherosclerotic risk factors that are closely related to SLE inflammation and which determine an increased risk for the occurrence of early cardiovascular events.