Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strain distribution in nitride quantum dot multilayers

Nitride quantum dots (QD’s) grown in the wurtzite phase present a strong vertical ordering along the (0001) direction when they are stacked in multilayers. This alignment results from a minimum of the elastic energy density at the surface of the AlN capping layer induced by the buried GaN dot underneath. The aim of this work is to investigate the strain distribution in a quantum dot multilayer using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and anomalous grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. This x-ray method is based on the strong sensitivity of the elastic scattering cross section to the Ga compounds for energies in the vicinity of the Ga absorption edge. It is observed that uncapped GaN dots are almost completely relaxed, while embedded quantum dots are compressively strained. In addition, a modulation of the in-plane lattice parameter in the AlN spacer layer is clearly identified, induced by the QD’s on the surrounding matrix which causes the vertical alignment.
Period Changes and Evolution in RV Tauri Stars

The period changes in two bright RV Tauri stars-U Mon and R Sct - have been investigated using visual data beginning in 1883 and 1843, respectively. The period of U Mon decreased abruptly from 46.117 to 45.814 days in 1957. Its mean magnitude varied with a period of 2475 days. The period of R Sct decreased abruptly from 70.95 to 70.0 days in 1941, though the period behavior in this star was more erratic and therefore more uncertain than in U Mon. The observed changes, averaged over the interval of observation, are in good agreement with predicted values but are abrupt rather than uniform. The cause of the abrupt changes, the cyclic oscillations in the periods of these and other RV Tauri stars, and the long-term variations in mean magnitude, are not known. 38 refs.
First wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Madrid: handling the unexpected in a tertiary hospital

Summary Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic was declared on March 11th, 2020. By the end of January, the first imported cases were detected in Spain and, by March, the number of cases was growing exponentially, causing the implementation of a national lockdown. Madrid has been one of the most affected regions in terms of both cases and deaths. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemic curve and the epidemiological features and outcomes of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in La Paz University Hospital, a tertiary hospital located in Madrid. Methods We included confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases admitted to our centre from February 26th to June 1st, 2020. We studied trends in hospitalization and ICU admissions using joinpoint regression analysis. Results A sample of 2970 patients was obtained. Median age was 70 years old (IQR 55-82) and 54.8% of them were male. ICU admission rate was 8.7% with a mortality rate of 45.7%. Global CFR was 21.8%. Median time from symptom onset to death was 14 days (IQR 9-22). Conclusions We detected an admissions peak on March 21st followed by a descending trend, matching national and regional data. Age and sex distribution were comparable to further series nationally and in western countries.
Chromatin Conformation Links Putative Enhancers in Intracranial Aneurysm–Associated Regions to Potential Candidate Genes

Background We previously showed that intracranial aneurysm (IA)–associated single‐nucleotide polymorphisms are enriched in promoters and putative enhancers identified in the human circle of Willis, on which IAs develop, suggesting a role for promoters and enhancers in IAs. We further investigated the role of putative enhancers in the pathogenesis of IA by identifying their potential target genes and validating their regulatory activity. Methods and Results Using our previously published circle of Willis chromatin immunoprecipitation and sequencing data, we selected 34 putative enhancers in IA‐associated regions from genome‐wide association studies. We then used a chromatin conformation capture technique to prioritize target genes and found that 15 putative enhancers interact with the promoters of 6 target genes: SOX17,CDKN2B,MTAP,CNNM2,RPEL1, and GATA6. Subsequently, we assessed the activity of these putative enhancers in vivo in zebrafish embryos and confirmed activity for 8 putative enhancers. Last, we found that all 6 target genes are expressed in the circle of Willis, on the basis of RNA sequencing data and in situ hybridization. Furthermore, in situ hybridization showed that these genes are expressed in multiple cell types in the circle of Willis. Conclusions In 4 of 6 IA‐associated genome‐wide association study regions, we identified 8 putative enhancers that are active in vivo and interact with 6 nearby genes, suggesting that these genes are regulated by the identified putative enhancers. These genes, SOX17,CDKN2B,MTAP,CNNM2,RPEL1, and GATA6, are therefore potential candidate genes involved in IA pathogenesis and should be studied using animal models in the future.
Cervical, oral and anal Human papillomavirus infection in women attending the Dermatology Unit of a regional reference hospital in Genoa, Italy: a prevalence study

Summary Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. In women with genital infection, the virus can be transmitted by sex to the oral cavity of their partners and then to their own oral cavity. The aim of the present study was to establish the prevalence of cervical/anal/oral HPV infection in women attending the Dermatology Unit of the Policlinico San Martino of Genoa, the regional reference hospital in Liguria, Italy. Methods Between January 2016 and December 2018, the female patients attending the STI center (cases) and those requiring a full body skin examination for skin cancer screening (“supposed” healthy population: controls) were recruited. Cervical/anal/oral samples were collected with ThinPrep liquid based cytology preparation system: polymerase chain reaction for HPV and cytological evaluation were performed. Overall, 85 cases and 31 controls were recruited. Results Cervical HPV infection was detected in 60% of the cases and 48% of the controls; anal HPV infection in 44% of the cases and 26% of the controls. Cervical and anal HPV infection resulted associated, especially in the control group. Moreover, 32% of the cases and 29% of the controls proved HPV positive in the oral cavity. In the cases of our series, prevalence of cervical, anal and oral HPV infection was higher compared with the controls. Conclusions The high prevalence of anal-oral infections and the frequent association between anal and cervical infections, provide reason to suggest HPV screening also in the anal and oral regions, which may represent HPV reservoirs and grounds for cancer development.
TC-Net: Dual coding network of Transformer and CNN for skin lesion segmentation

Skin lesion segmentation has become an essential recent direction in machine learning for medical applications. In a deep learning segmentation network, the convolutional neural network (CNN) uses convolution to capture local information for modeling. However, it ignores the relationship between pixels and still can not meet the precise segmentation requirements of some complex low contrast datasets. Transformer performs well in modeling global feature information, but their ability to extract fine-grained local feature patterns is weak. In this work, The dual coding fusion network architecture Transformer and CNN (TC-Net), as an architecture that can more accurately combine local feature information and global feature information, can improve the segmentation performance of skin images. The results of this work demonstrate that the combination of CNN and Transformer brings very significant improvement in global segmentation performance and allows outperformance as compared to the pure single network model. The experimental results and visual analysis of these three datasets quantitatively and qualitatively illustrate the robustness of TC-Net. Compared with Swin UNet, on the ISIC2018 dataset, it has increased by 2.46% in the dice index and about 4% in the JA index. On the ISBI2017 dataset, the dice and JA indices rose by about 4%.
Main Principles of Vitrectomy Using Intraocular Tamponades – A Basic Course in Surgery

Zusammenfassung In diesem Artikel sollen die Grundlagen zur Verwendung intraokularer Tamponaden in der Glaskörper-/Netzhautchirurgie bei Ablatio retinae und anderen Pathologien anhand zusätzlichen Videomaterials anschaulich dargestellt werden. Behandelt werden die verschiedenen Gase, Silikonöle und flüssigen Perfluorocarbone mit ihren Indikationen, ihrer Anwendung und insbesondere der intraoperativen Handhabung mit Fallstricken und Komplikationen. Charakteristische Animationen zeigen dabei nachvollziehbar die Prinzipien in der chirurgischen Handhabung. Seitens der beiden Erstautoren ist dieser Artikel ihrem Lehrer Herrn Prof. Dr. V. -P. Gabel gewidmet, der in den frühen 90er-Jahren die ersten Vitrektomiekurse für Augenärzte an der Universitäts-Augenklinik Regensburg erfolgreich im jährlichen Rhythmus etabliert hat und in denen viele heute noch netzhautchirurgisch tätige Kolleginnen und Kollegen ihre ersten Schritte in diesem Segment erlernt haben. Die weiteren Co-Autoren partizipierten unter seiner Leitung an jährlichen Vitrektomie-Wetlabs im Rahmen der Augenärztlichen Akademie Deutschlands. Abstract This article is intended to clearly present the basic principles for the use of intraocular tamponades in vitreous/retinal surgery in the event of retinal detachment and other pathologies using additional video footage. It examines the various gases, silicone oils and perfluorocarbon liquids with their indications, administration and in particular intraoperative handling including pitfalls and complications. Characteristic animations show the principles of use in surgery in a comprehensible way. The two lead authors dedicate this article to their teacher Prof. Dr. V. -P. Gabel, who in the early 1990s successfully established the first vitrectomy courses for ophthalmologists at Regensburg University Eye Clinic each year. Many colleagues who still work in retinal surgery today first started learning about this segment on these courses. The other coauthors participated under his supervision in annual vitrectomy wet labs run by the German Academy of Ophthalmology.
Wrapped M2/M5 duality

A microscopic accounting of the entropy of a generic 5D supersymmetric rotating black hole, arising from wrapped M2-branes in Calabi-Yau compactified M-theory, is an outstanding unsolved problem. In this paper we consider an expansion around the zero-entropy, zero-temperature, maximally rotating ground state for which the angular momentum JL and graviphoton charge Q are related by JL2 = Q3. At JL = 0 the near horizon geometry is AdS2 × S3. As JL2 → Q3 it becomes a singular quotient of AdS3 × S2: more precisely, a quotient of the near horizon geometry of an M5 wrapped on a 4-cycle whose self-intersection is the 2-cycle associated to the wrapped-M2 black hole. The singularity of the AdS3 quotient is identified as the usual one associated to the zero-temperature limit, suggesting that the (0,4) wrapped-M5 CFT is dual near maximality to the wrapped-M2 black hole. As evidence for this, the microscopic (0,4) CFT entropy and the macroscopic rotating black hole entropy are found to agree to leading order away from maximality.
When Is a Linear Control System Optimal

The purpose of this paper is to formulate, study, and (in certain cases) resolve the Inverse Problem of Optimal Control Theory, which is the following: Given a control law, find all performance indices for which this control law is optimal. Under the assumptions of (a) linear constant plant, (b) linear constant control law, (c) measurable state variables, (d) quadratic loss functions with constant coefficients, (e) single control variable, we give a complete analysis of this problem and obtain various explicit conditions for the optimality of a given control law. An interestingfeature of the analysis is the central role of frequency-domain concepts, which have been ignored in optimal control theory until very recently. The discussion is presented in rigorous mathematical form. The central conclusion is the following (Theorem 6): A stable control law is optimal if and only if the absolute value of the corresponding return difference is at least equal to one at all frequencies. This provides a beautifully simple connecting link between modern control theory and the classical point of view which regards feedback as a means of reducing component variations.
Phase Transition in the Number Partitioning Problem

Universit¨at Magdeburg, Institut fu¨r Theoretische Physik, Universit¨atsplatz 2, D-39106 Magdeburg, Germany(February 1, 2008)Number partitioning is an NP-complete problem of com-binatorial optimization. A statistical mechanics analysis re-veals the existence of a phase transition that separates theeasy from the hard to solve instances and that reﬂects thepseudo-polynomiality of number partitioning. The phase di-agram and the value of the typical ground state energy arecalculated.64. 60.Cn, 02.60. Pn, 02.70. Lq, 89.80+h
Discounting of Future Rewards and Punishments in Rats

Abstract Temporal reward discounting describes the decrease of value of a reward as a function of delay. Decision-making between future aversive outcomes is much less studied, and there is no clear decision pattern across studies; while some authors suggest that human and nonhuman animals prefer sooner over later painful shocks, others found the exact opposite. In a series of three experiments, Long–Evans rats chose between differently timed electric shocks and rewards in a T-maze. In experiment 1, rats chose between early and late painful shocks with identical, long reward delays; in experiment 2, they chose between early reward and early shocks, or late rewards and late shocks; in experiment 3, they chose between early and late rewards, with identical, short delays to the shock. We tested the predictions of two competing hypotheses: the aversive discounting theory assumes that future shocks are discounted, and, hence, less unpleasant than early shocks. The utility from anticipation theory implies that rats derive negative utility from waiting for the shock; late shocks should, hence, be more unpleasant than early shocks. We did not find unanimous evidence for either theory. Instead, our results are more consistent with the post hoc idea that shocks may have negative spill-over effects on reward values, the closer in time a shock is to a subsequent reward, the stronger the reward is devalued. Interestingly and consistent with our theory, we find that, depending on the temporal shock-reward contiguity, rats can be brought to prefer later over sooner rewards of identical magnitudes.
Estimating evaporation rates and contaminant air concentrations due to small spills of non-ideal aqueous organic solvent mixtures in a controlled environment

Abstract Although small spills of non-ideal organic solvent mixtures are ubiquitous undesirable events in occupational settings, the potential risk of exposure associated with such scenarios remains insufficiently investigated. This study aimed to examine the impact of non-ideality on evaporation rates and contaminant air concentrations resulting from small spills of organic solvent mixtures. Evaporation rate constants alphas (α) were experimentally measured for five pure solvents using a gravimetric approach during solvent evaporation tests designed to simulate small spills of solvents. Two equations were used for estimating contaminants’ evaporation rates from aqueous mixtures assuming either ideal or non-ideal behavior based on the pure-chemical alpha values. A spill model also known as the well-mixed room model with exponentially decreasing emission rate was used to predict air concentrations during various spill scenarios based on the two sets of estimated evaporation rates. Model predictive performance was evaluated by comparing the estimates against real-time concentrations measured for the same scenarios. Evaluations for 12 binary non-ideal aqueous mixtures found that the estimated evaporation rates accounting for the correction by the activity coefficients of the solvents (median = 0.0318 min−1) were higher than the evaporation rates estimated without the correction factor (median = 0.00632 min−1). Model estimates using the corrected evaporation rates reasonably agreed with the measured values, with a median predicted peak concentrations-to-measured peak concentrations ratio of 0.92 (0.81 to 1.32) and a median difference between the predicted and the measured peak times of −5 min. By contrast, when the non-corrected evaporation rates were used, the median predicted peak concentrations-to-measured peak concentrations ratio was 0.31 (0.08 to 0.75) and the median difference between the predicted and the measured peak times was +33 min. Results from this study demonstrate the importance of considering the non-ideality effect for accurately estimating evaporation rates and contaminant air concentrations generated by solvent mixtures. Moreover, this study is a step further in improving knowledge of modeling exposures related to small spills of organic solvent mixtures.
Risk factors associated with readmission within 30 days following stoma surgery: Development of a ‘traffic light’ prediction model

Patients undergoing stoma surgery have a higher risk for early readmission. Some patients may benefit from closer postdischarge surveillance to provide early detection of complications and timely intervention. However, there is a paucity of validated tools to identify those at higher risk of readmission. Here, we aim to determine the independent risk factors associated with readmission within 30 days of discharge following stoma surgery, attempt to validate previous predictive models and develop a novel prediction tool.
Effects of Dark Matter on the Stability of Supermassive Stars

Author(s): McLaughlin, GC; Fuller, GM | Abstract: The stability of nonrotating supermassive stars (M g 105 M⊙) in the presence of a small dark matter component is examined. We find that the destabilizing effects of first-order nonlinear corrections from general relativity can be neutralized when a significant amount of nonrelativistic dark matter is present. In this case, it is possible for supermassive stars to be stabilized through the hydrogen-burning stage. Significant mass loss in this epoch might result in the ejection of the nucleosynthesis products of hot hydrogen burning. Ultimately, however, the post-Newtonian instability can only be delayed. If this instability occurs after the hydrogen-burning epoch, collapse of the star to a black hole is guaranteed. Subject headings: dark matter - gravitation - instabilities nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances - relativity - stars: interiors © 1996. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Morphology of low-redshift compact galaxy clusters – I. Shapes and radial profiles

The morphology of clusters of galaxies may be described with a set of parameters which contain information concerning the formation and evolutionary history of these systems. In this paper we present a preliminary study of the morphological parameters of a sample of 28 compact Abell clusters extracted from Digitized Palomar Sky Survey data, measured with a procedure based on the use of the CIAO-SHERPA software, developed at the Centre for Astrophysics for X-ray data analysis. The morphology of galaxy clusters is parametrized by their apparent ellipticity, position angle of the major axis, centre coordinates, core radius and β-model power-law index. Our procedure provides estimates of these parameters (and of the related uncertainties) by simultaneously fitting them all, overcoming some of the difficulties induced by sparse data and low-number statistics typical of this kind of analysis. The cluster parameters were fitted in a 6 x 6 Mpc 2 region, measuring the background in a 4 < R < 5 Mpc annulus. We also explore the correlations between shape and profile parameters and other cluster properties. Our results can be summarized as follows: one-third of this compact cluster sample has core radii smaller than 100 kpc, i.e. near the limit that our data allow us to resolve, possibly consistent with cusped models. The remaining clusters span a broad range of core radii up to ∼1500 kpc, including some apparently regular clusters with well-resolved core radii. More than 80 per cent of this sample has ellipticity higher than 0.2. The alignment between the cluster and the major axis of the dominant galaxy is confirmed at a high significance level, while no correlation is observed with other bright cluster members. No significant correlation is found between cluster richness and ellipticity. Instead, cluster richness is found to correlate, albeit with large scatter, with the cluster core radius. Finally, in contrast to claims in previous works, a flat universe seems to be favoured, and in any case is not excluded, by the power-law index β of our number density profiles.
Effects of small‐scale dynamo and compressibility on the Λ effect

The Λ e ﬀ ect describes a rotation-induced non-di ﬀ usive contribution to the Reynolds stress. It is commonly held respon-sible for maintaining the observed di ﬀ erential rotation of the Sun and other late-type stars. Here the sensitivity of the Λ e ﬀ ect to small-scale magnetic ﬁelds and compressibility is studied by means of forced turbulence simulations either with anisotropic forcing in fully periodic cubes or in density-stratiﬁed domains with isotropic forcing. E ﬀ ects of small-scale magnetic ﬁelds are studied in cases where the magnetic ﬁelds are self-consistently generated by a small-scale dynamo. The results show that small-scale magnetic ﬁelds lead to a quenching of the Λ e ﬀ ect which is milder than in cases where also a large-scale ﬁeld is present. The e ﬀ ect of compressibility on the Λ e ﬀ ect is negligible in the range of Mach numbers from 0.015 to 0.8. Density stratiﬁcation induces a marked anisotropy in the turbulence and a vertical Λ e ﬀ ect if the forcing scale is roughly two times larger than the density scale height.
THE GYROKINETIC APPROXIMATION FOR THE VLASOV–POISSON SYSTEM

Consider a plasma in a strong constant magnetic field with self-consistent electric field. We present here the formal derivation that leads to the so-called guiding center approximation, and justify it in the case of a well-prepared initial density of particles. More precisely, we prove that the motion of the particles can be approximatively decomposed as the sum of a fast rotation on Larmor circles, an advection along the magnetic lines and a small drift orthogonal to both electric and magnetic fields.
Total electron emission yield measurement of insulator by a scanning small detector

Due to the injection of primary electrons and the emission of secondary electrons in the surface layer of insulating materials, the target surface will be negatively or positively charged. A method by injecting a single pulse beam and using a small current detector for the total electron emission yield measurement of insulating material is proposed, which can avoid the influence from charged surface. Using the developed system, the total electron emission yield of 25 μm thick polyimide film has been studied, as induced by a single 50 μs pulse of primary electrons with energy up to 2500 eV.