Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Depletion and Thermal Balance in Dark Cloud Cores

We analyze the effects of molecular depletion on the thermal balance of well-shielded, quiescent dark cloud cores. Recent observations of the significant depletion of molecules from the gas phase onto grain surfaces in dark clouds suggest the possibility that the gas-phase cooling in these regions is greatly reduced and consequently that gas kinetic temperatures might be increased. We reexamine cooling and heating processes in light of possible molecular depletion, including the effect of coupling between the gas and the grains. At densities ≤103.5 cm-3, the gas temperature can be significantly increased by the depletion of coolant species without significantly affecting the dust temperature because of the relatively weak gas-dust coupling. At higher densities, this coupling becomes sufficiently rapid to overwhelm the effect of the reduced gas-phase cooling, and depletion has little effect on the gas temperature while raising the dust temperature ≃1 K. The result is that depletion at densities ≥104.5 cm-3 can proceed without being evident as an enhanced gas temperature or without self-limiting due to an increase in the dust temperature increasing the desorption rate. This is consistent with observations of depletion in cold, dense regions of quiescent molecular clouds. It also suggests that depletion in moderate density regions can increase the thermal gas pressure, effectively enhancing the confinement of denser portions of molecular clouds and possibly accelerating the collapse of cloud cores.
A Computationally Efficient IGBT Lifetime Prediction Method Based on Successive Initiation Technique by Iteratively Using Clech Algorithm

Thermal–mechanical coupled models built by finite-element analysis (FEA) software are attractive due to its excellent capability to calculate thermal/mechanical behaviors of the material interfaces inside the power module. However, these FEA-based approaches will consume enormous computational resources, resulting in unacceptably long simulation times. Here, a computationally efficient and accurate insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) lifetime prediction method enabling explicit emulation of solder layer degradation is proposed with the assistance of Clech algorithm. The variation of assembly stiffness <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and imposed strain <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D$ </tex-math></inline-formula> in the Clech algorithm with the geometrical variation during the solder layer degradation is particularly considered. A lookup table of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D$ </tex-math></inline-formula> changing with crack propagation is established to calculate viscoplastic strain energy density <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta W$ </tex-math></inline-formula> (VSED) of the critical elements across the crack path. This improved process is applied for lifetime consumption calculation of each successive run. It remarkably reduces the simulation costs compared to that based on FEA. Finally, two sets of experimental results verify high prediction accuracy and low time-consuming cost of the proposed method.
Influence of the physico-chemical bioink composition on the printability and cell biological properties in 3D-bioprinting of a liver tumor cell line

The selection of a suitable matrix material is crucial for the development of functional, biomimetic tissue and organ models. When these tissue models are fabricated with 3D-bioprinting technology, the requirements do not only include the biological functionality and physico-chemical properties, but also the printability. In our work, we therefore present a detailed study of seven different bioinks with the focus on a functional liver carcinoma model. Agarose, gelatin, collagen and their blends were selected as materials based on their benefits for 3D cell culture and Drop-on-Demand (DoD) bioprinting. The formulations were characterized for their mechanical (G’ of 10–350 Pa) and rheological (viscosity 2–200 Pa*s) properties as well as albumin diffusivity (8–50 μm2/s). The cellular behavior was exemplarily shown for HepG2 cells by monitoring viability, proliferation and morphology over 14 days, while the printability on a microvalve DoD printer was evaluated by drop volume monitoring in flight (100–250 nl), camera imaging of the wetting behavior and microscopy of the effective drop diameter (700 µm and more). We did not observe negative effects on cell viability or proliferation, which is due to the very low shear stresses inside the nozzle (200–500 Pa). With our method, we could identify the strengths and weaknesses of each material, resulting in a material portfolio. By specifically selecting certain materials or blends, cell migration and possible interaction with other cells can be directed as indicated by the results of our cellular experiments.
Investigating a neural language model’s replicability of psycholinguistic experiments: A case study of NPI licensing

The recent success of deep learning neural language models such as Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) has brought innovations to computational language research. The present study explores the possibility of using a language model in investigating human language processes, based on the case study of negative polarity items (NPIs). We first conducted an experiment with BERT to examine whether the model successfully captures the hierarchical structural relationship between an NPI and its licensor and whether it may lead to an error analogous to the grammatical illusion shown in the psycholinguistic experiment (Experiment 1). We also investigated whether the language model can capture the fine-grained semantic properties of NPI licensors and discriminate their subtle differences on the scale of licensing strengths (Experiment 2). The results of the two experiments suggest that overall, the neural language model is highly sensitive to both syntactic and semantic constraints in NPI processing. The model’s processing patterns and sensitivities are shown to be very close to humans, suggesting their role as a research tool or object in the study of language.
Investigation of Laminar Convective Heat Transfer of a Novel Tio2–Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Water-Based Nanofluid

The current study was conducted to investigate the convective heat transfer coefficient of a novel TiO2–CNT hybrid nanofluid through the shell-and-tube heat exchanger under a laminar flow and the effects of temperature and mass fraction on it. TiO2–CNT hybrid nanofluids were prepared using a new and modified hydrolysis technique. The thermal conductivity of the TiO2–CNT hybrid nanofluid and other thermo-physical properties were assessed. Results indicate that the effective thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient of the base fluid was influenced significantly and increased by the 0.2 wt% of this novel hybrid nanofluid in distilled water.
Top management team faultlines and corporate industrial diversification: The mediating role of strategic attentional breadth

Introduction Integrating faultline theory and the attention-based view, this paper explores the impact and process mechanisms of two types of faultlines (i.e., task-related faultlines and relationship-related faultlines) within top management teams (TMTs), specifically on corporate industrial diversification. Methods Based on the unbalanced panel data of Chinese A-share non-financial listed firms from 2008-2021, this study uses the fixed-effects model for hypothesis testing. Results First, task-related TMT faultlines promote corporate industrial diversification, while conversely, relationship-related TMT faultlines inhibit corporate industrial diversification. Second, task-related TMT faultlines promote firms’ strategic attentional breadth, while conversely, relationship-related TMT faultlines inhibit firms’ strategic attentional breadth. Third, strategic attentional breadth plays a partially-mediating role in the relationship between both types of TMT faultlines and firms’ industrial diversification. Discussion This study extends the research related to corporate industrial diversification based on micro-level explanatory mechanisms, and also provides implications and guidance for the rational allocation of TMT and firms’ industrial diversification management practices.
An Ensemble Learning Approach for Land Use/Land Cover Classification of Arid Regions for Climate Simulation: A Case Study of Xinjiang, Northwest China

Accurate classifications of land use/land cover (LULC) in arid regions are vital for analyzing changes in climate. We propose an ensemble learning approach for improving LULC classification accuracy in Xinjiang, northwest China. First, multisource geographical datasets were applied, and the study area was divided into Northern Xinjiang, Tianshan, and Southern Xinjiang. Second, five machine learning algorithms—k-nearest neighbor, support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), artificial neural network (ANN), and C4.5—were chosen to develop different ensemble learning strategies according to the climatic and topographic characteristics of each subregion. Third, stratified random sampling was used to obtain training samples and optimal parameters for each machine learning algorithm. Lastly, each derived approach was applied across Xinjiang, and subregion performance was evaluated. The results showed that the LULC classification accuracy achieved across Xinjiang via the proposed ensemble learning approach was improved by ≥6.85% compared with individual machine learning algorithms. By specific subregion, the accuracies for Northern Xinjiang, Tianshan, and Southern Xinjiang increased by ≥6.70%, 5.87%, and 6.86%, respectively. Moreover, the ensemble learning strategy combining four machine learning algorithms (i.e., SVM, RF, ANN, and C4.5) was superior across Xinjiang and Tianshan; whereas, the three-algorithm (i.e., SVM, RF, and ANN) strategy worked best for the Northern and Southern Xinjiang. The innovation of this study is to develop a novel ensemble learning approach to divide Xinjiang into different subregions, accurately classify land cover, and generate a new land cover product for simulating climate change in Xinjiang.
Experimental Investigation of Vapor Chamber Module Applied to High-Power Light-Emitting Diodes

This article experimentally investigates the thermal performance of the vapor chamber module applied to the high-power light-emitting diodes in natural convection. The flat-plate-type vapor chamber and the lamp-type vapor chamber are provided to solve the heat dissipation problem of the high-power light-emitting diodes. The results show that the spreading resistance and the corresponding temperature difference of the flat-plate-type vapor chamber at 30 W are lower than those of the copper plate by 34% and 4°C, respectively, and are lower than those of the aluminum plate by 56% and 6°C, respectively. Compared with the copper and aluminum plates, the lamp-type vapor chamber at 15 W is reduced about 8% and 12% for the total thermal resistance, respectively. In addition, it is also about 3°C and 5°C lower for the central wall temperature of the lighting side, respectively. This study provides a new thermal management method to solve the heat dissipation of the high-power light-emitting diodes. Furthermore, the vapor chamber can effectively lower the spreading resistance and diminish the hotspot effect.
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to cure sickle cell disease: A review

Sickle cell disease (SCD) had first been mentioned in the literature a century ago. Advancement in the molecular basis of the pathophysiology of the disease opens the door for various therapeutic options. Though life-extending treatments are available for treating patients with SCD, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only option as of yet. A major obstacle before HSCT to cure patients with SCD is the availability of donors. Matched sibling donors are available only for a small percentage of patients. To expand the donor pool, different contrasting approaches of allogeneic HSCT like T-cell replete and deplete have been tested. None of those tested approaches have been without the risk of GvHD and graft rejection. Other limitations such as transplantation-related infections and organ dysfunction caused by the harsh conditioning regimen need to be addressed on a priority basis. In this review, we will discuss available allogeneic HSCT approaches to cure SCD, as well as recent advancements to make the approach safer. The center of interest is using megadose T-cell-depleted bone marrow in conjugation with donor-derived CD8 veto T cells to achieve engraftment and tolerance across MHC barriers, under reduced intensity conditioning (RIC). This approach is in phase I/II clinical trial at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre and is open to patients with hemoglobinopathies.
Ages and metallicities of eight star clusters and their surrounding fields in the inner disc of the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present Washington system colour–magnitude diagrams for 8 star clusters and their surrounding fields which, with one exception, lie within the inner parts of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) disc. Careful attention is paid to separating out the cluster and field star distributions. Ages and metallicities are then determined in a consistent manner for both populations in two different ways. We first compare the colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) with new theoretical isochrones in the Washington system. We also derive ages using the magnitude difference between the red clump and the turnoff, and derive metallicities by comparing the giant branches to standard calibrating clusters. For this latter metallicity derivation, we present age-dependent metallicity corrections for intermediate age clusters (IACs) based on the new isochrones. The two methods for both age and metallicity determination are in good agreement with each other. All clusters are found to be IACs (1–3 Gyr), with [Fe/H] from −0.4 to −0.9. We find that the stellar population of each star cluster is generally quite similar to that of the field where it is embedded, sharing its mean age and metallicity. Combining the present sample with a revision of that of Bica et al. studied similarly, we find that our metallicities for IACs are intermediate in metallicity to those for clusters of similar age studied by Olszewski et al. and by Beasley, Hoyle & Sharples. A combined age–metallicity relation is presented which shows that LMC clusters formed between 1–3 Gyr ago with a mean metallicity (–0.5 dex) and metallicity spread (0.23 dex) independent of age. Good agreement is found with the bursting model of Pagel & Tautvaivienė. No evidence for a metallicity gradient is found.
Two differentially stable rDNA loci coexist on the same chromosome and form a single nucleolus

Significance Our work outlines an innovative approach to chromosome engineering that allowed a single-step relocation of over 1 megabase of DNA using CRISPR on a fused megachromosome in yeast. We deployed this technology to manipulate the position of the rDNA locus in an unprecedented configuration, wherein “twin” loci coexist on the same chromosomal arm, that reveals: i) exquisite rRNA homeostasis, unperturbed by the rDNA gene surplus, ii) dependency of rDNA-array stability on chromosome position, where their differential decay suggests an evolutionary preference for a centromere-proximal locus, and iii) that they form a single nucleolus. Overall, our work sheds light on the structural evolution of rDNA loci and provides tools to study the rDNA dosage effect on cellular metabolism.
Dilution and sparse coding in threshold-linear nets

The storage capacity of an autoassociative memory with extremely diluted connectivity and with threshold-linear elementary units is studied in its dependence on the graded structure and on the sparseness of the coding scheme, and on the form of the learning rule used. As the coding becomes sparse, more patterns can be stored, and the difference in capacity (measured for a given number of modifiable synapses per unit) between fully connected and highly diluted systems vanishes. Graded (non-binary) codings, especially when used with learning rules nonlinear in their post-synaptic factor, further increase the number of patterns that can be stored by making their retrieved representation even sparser.
CAR T Cell Therapy in Glioblastoma: Overcoming Challenges Related to Antigen Expression

Simple Summary Glioblastoma is the most common brain cancer, and prognosis remains dismal. Continued efforts to find better treatments have shown the promise of immunotherapy, whereby the immune response against a tumor is augmented. One particular immunotherapy, CAR T therapy, involves engineering a patient’s own T cells to express a receptor that specifically targets antigens on tumor cells. This therapy has shown promise in preclinical experiments but has not shown benefit in clinical studies to date. This review explores the potential limitations of this therapy and possible ways of improving its effectiveness in treating glioblastoma. Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor, yet prognosis remains dismal with current treatment. Immunotherapeutic strategies have had limited effectiveness to date in GBM, but recent advances hold promise. One such immunotherapeutic advance is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, where autologous T cells are extracted and engineered to express a specific receptor against a GBM antigen and are then infused back into the patient. There have been numerous preclinical studies showing promising results, and several of these CAR T cell therapies are being tested in clinical trials for GBM and other brain cancers. While results in tumors such as lymphomas and diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas have been encouraging, early results in GBM have not shown clinical benefit. Potential reasons for this are the limited number of specific antigens in GBM, their heterogenous expression, and their loss after initiating antigen-specific therapy due to immunoediting. Here, we review the current preclinical and clinical experiences with CAR T cell therapy in GBM and potential strategies to develop more effective CAR T cells for this indication.
Position Domain Synchronization Control of Multi-Degrees of Freedom Robotic Manipulator

In this paper, a new position domain synchronization control (PDSC) law is proposed for contour control of multi-DOF nonlinear robotic manipulators with the main goal of improving contour tracking performance. The robotic manipulator is treated as a masterslave motion system, where the position of the master motion is used as an independent reference via equidistant sampling, and the slave motions are described as functions of the master motion. To build this relationship, the dynamics of the original system is transformed from time domain to position domain. The new control introduces synchronization and coupled errors in the control law to further coordinate the master and slave motions. Stability analysis is performed based on the Lyapunov method for the proposed PDSC, and simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the developed control system. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4025755]
Clinical and Virological Features of SARS-CoV-2 Variants during the Four Waves of the Pandemic in the Mexican Southeast

We conducted a retrospective study using a population of patients who were hospitalized at Dr. Juan Graham Casasus Hospital in Villahermosa (Tabasco, Mexico) and had a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 between June 2020 and January 2022. We analyzed all medical records, including demographic data, SARS-CoV-2 exposure history, underlying comorbidities, symptoms, signs at admission, laboratory findings during the hospital stay, outcome, and whole-genome sequencing data. Finally, the data were analyzed in different sub-groups according to distribution during waves of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding Mexican reports from June 2020 to January 2022. Of the 200 patients who tested positive via PCR for SARS-CoV-2, only 197 had samples that could be sequenced. Of the samples, 58.9% (n = 116) were males and 41.1% (n = 81) females, with a median age of 61.7 ± 17.0 years. Comparisons between the waves of the pandemic revealed there were significant differences in the fourth wave: the age of patients was higher (p = 0.002); comorbidities such as obesity were lower (p = 0.000), while CKD was higher (p = 0.011); and hospital stays were shorter (p = 0.003). The SARS-CoV-2 sequences revealed the presence of 11 clades in the study population. Overall, we found that adult patients admitted to a third-level Mexican hospital had a wide range of clinical presentations. The current study provides evidence for the simultaneous circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants during the four pandemic waves.
Is fractal dispersion subdiffusive or superdiffusive? A theoretical investigation

A probabilistic approach is used to simulate particle tracking along a fractal path. The particle tracking is modelled as the sum of elementary steps with independent random variables. An exponential distribution is obtained for each elementary step and a Gamma distribution or probability density function is then deduced. The relationship between fractal dispersivity and the elementary step is given. It is theoretically demonstrated that the fractal dispersion is subdiffusive and that the linear dispersion coefficient and the linear dispersivity decrease with the mean travel distance. A review of some fractal models showing an increase of the linear dispersivity is given and an explanation that shows why these models may be not correct is proposed. It is shown that the results presented are in agreement with other studies relating to the application of the fractional calculus to diffusion transport. Lastly, a relation between the fractal dimension and the order of the fractional Langevin equation is proposed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enhanced optical performance of amber emitting quantum dots incorporated InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes with growth on UV-enhanced electrochemically etched nanoporous GaN

Phosphor-free amber light emitting quantum dots with bimodal size distribution have been effectively incorporated in InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs). With overgrowth of the LEDs structure on electrochemically etched nanoporous GaN templates, a reduction in density of threading dislocations and lower biaxial stress are achieved. A higher density of smaller quantum dots ∼4.5×109 cm−2 is incorporated in the multiple quantum well of LEDs on the nanoporous GaN template, generating higher energy emission, and enhanced light output by 1.45 times over LEDs grown on conventional GaN. The carrier capture kinetic by the bimodal distributed quantum dots is discussed with its energy band profile.
Emotion as a predictor of crisis communicative behaviors: examining information seeking and sharing during Hurricane Florence*

ABSTRACT Those affected by catastrophic events like hurricanes are burdened with the task of preparing for and responding to the threats of harm in addition to dealing with the emotionally taxing process of consuming and sharing disaster-related information. However, little is known about how threats and emotions during natural disasters impact media usage for information seeking and sharing. This study examined the relationship between the perceived threat of disasters (including disaster severity and involvement recognition), negative emotions, and information seeking and forwarding/sharing via different types of media. We surveyed over 600 adults in U.S. counties impacted by Hurricane Florence in 2018. Our findings show that negative crisis emotions mediated the relationship between threat appraisals and information seeking and sharing behaviors. In our discussion, we suggest how disaster/emergency communication professionals can prepare and respond to disasters by knowing how emotions influence individuals’ communicative behaviors.