Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regularized Newton methods for simultaneous Radon inversion and phase retrieval in phase contrast tomography

Promoted by the advent of coherent synchrotron light sources, phase contrast tomography allows to resolve three-dimensional variations of an unknown sample's complex refractive index from scattering intensities recorded at different incident angles of an X-ray beam. By diffractive free-space propagation of the transmitted wave field, this method is sensitive not only to absorption but also to refractive phase shifts induced by the specimen, permitting three-dimensional nanoscale imaging of quasi-transparent samples such as biological cells. However, the reconstruction of the specimen structure from the observed data constitutes an algorithmically challenging nonlinear ill-posed inverse problem, mainly due to the characteristic loss of phase information in the detection of the wave field. In this work, regularized Newton methods are developed for the solution of this tomographic phase retrieval problem, based on a detailed analysis of its mathematical structure. We consider both the near-field- or Fresnel regime characterized by a moderate propagation length between sample and detector and the far-field limit of large detector distances, where propagation is governed by the Fourier transform. In the former setting, excellent numerical reconstructions are obtained via the chosen Newton-type approach, supplemented by novel theoretical results stating that measurements from a single detector distance are sufficient to uniquely recover both refraction and absorption of a sample. The proposed algorithm simultaneously performs tomographic- and phase reconstruction, which is found to stabilize the latter by exploiting correlations between the diffraction patterns recorded under different incident angles.
Lymphocyte Subpopulations Associated with Neutralizing Antibody Levels of SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19 Vaccination

The comprehensive knowledge regarding the immune response during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is limited. The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate not only the dynamic changes of peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations and cytokine levels but parallel changes of antibody levels against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Blood samples of 20 healthcare workers with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine were prospectively collected. The percentages of lymphocyte subpopulations from peripheral blood and cytokine production in lymphocytes with in vitro stimulation were assessed using eight-color flow cytometry. SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies (anti-S Abs) and functional neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) were also measured. The relation between pre- and post-vaccination immunity was analyzed. There are 7 men and 13 women with a median age of 44.0 years (range: 25.7–59.5 years). The individuals had an increased percentage of lymphocytes at post-vaccination with statistical significance post first dose (p = 0.031). The levels of transitional cells (p = 0.001), such as plasmablasts (p < 0.001) and plasma cells (p = 0.031), were increased compared with pre-vaccination. Recent thymic emigrants of CD4+ T cells subsets were significantly higher at post-vaccination than those at pre-vaccination (p = 0.029). Intracellular levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-21, transforming growth factor-beta and IL-17 produced by CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and natural killer cells were increased. All individual samples showed reactivity to anti-S Abs and the levels of nAbs were elevated after vaccination. The magnitude of adaptive immunity was associated with vaccine types and doses. Alterations of total memory B cells (p < 0.001), non-switched memory B cells (p = 0.016), and memory Treg cells (p < 0.001) were independent predictors for nAb levels. These findings might be helpful in elucidating the immune response of COVID-19 vaccination and in developing new strategies for immunization.
A graphical tool to compare groups of subjects on categorical variables

This paper proposes a graphical statistical tool easy to interpret that can be used to compare the behaviour of different groups of subjects (individuals or organizations) with respect to categorical variables. The construction of the proposed graph is based on the combination of ( i ) an unusual application of the Nonlinear Principal Components Analysis, oriented to quantify categorical variables and focused on the so-called Projected Centroid Plot, ( ii) the Inferential Confidence Intervals, and (iii) a nonparametric bootstrap study. An application investigates the quality of work in social cooperatives by exploring the relations between quality of work and characteristics of workers (gender, age, education, membership) and cooperatives (area, type – A or B, dimension – in terms of number of workers). Results easily show how the groups of workers behave on the categorical variables of quality of work.
The transformational analytical solution for nonlinear convection in the presence of two-way rotation

Steady two-dimensional finite amplitude solutions are obtained for the problem of convection in a horizontal fluid layer heated from below and rotated about its vertical axis. The flow is assumed to be laminar and two-dimensional. The density variation is taken into account by the Boussinesq approximation. Different boundaries with prescribed constant temperature are assumed and the solutions are obtained. The transform for summing the variables, which reduce the nonlinear partial differential equation into ordinary differential equation of the high order, is used. The existence of steady subcritical finite amplitude solutions is demonstrated for different Prandtl numbers. A strong reduction in the domain of stable rolls that occurs as the rotation rate is increases. Convection driven by thermal buoyancy in the presence of the Coriolis force occurs in planetary atmospheres and interiors. Asymptotic expressions for the onset of convection in a horizontal fluid layer of finite extent heated from below and rotating about a vertical axis are derived in the limit of large rotation rates in the case of stress-free upper and lower boundaries. In the presence of the vertical sidewalls the critical Rayleigh number R c is much lower than the classical value of the infinity extended layer.
Temporal Changes in the Faecal Microbiota of Beef Cattle on Feedlot Placement

Simple Summary Microorganisms inhabiting the gut influence the health and productivity of livestock. Studies in ruminants including beef cattle show that ruminal microorganisms can help convert poor-quality or indigestible feed into nutrients, thereby influencing economically important traits like feed conversion efficiency and meat quality (e.g., marbling), and also interact with receptors on intestinal epithelial cells to regulate a variety of physiological processes including immune responses. Studies have also shown that the proportions of different groups of microorganisms in the gut are influenced by exposure to stress. In beef cattle, given that most cattle are finished on feedlots, induction into feedlots can expose cattle to stress due to transportation, change in diet and change in the handling and management of animals. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to characterise how gut microorganisms change over time when cattle are inducted into feedlots. The results indicate that there are significant changes in the profiles of gut microorganisms in cattle that are visible soon after feedlot placement. These changes primarily include a reduced diversity of microorganisms within the gut of individual cattle and increased differences in the types of microorganisms that inhabit the gut of different cattle. Abstract The microbial communities that inhabit the intestinal tract play an important role in modulating health and productivity. Environmental stressors can impact microbial communities, which can significantly influence host physiology. Cattle are subjected to several environmental stressors when placed on feedlots, such as transportation stress, exposure to feedlot environments and change in diet and management. Exposure to these stressors could influence host gut microbiota, which in turn, could potentially influence host health and performance. The aim of the current study was to characterise the temporal changes that occur in intestinal microbiota as a consequence of feedlot placement by profiling 16s rRNA sequences in rectal faecal samples. When faecal microbiome profiles were compared in terms of relative abundances and alpha diversity metrics, the results showed significant, observable changes in profiles 2 days post-feedlot induction. Furthermore, beta-diversity analysis indicated that the phylogenetic similarity between samples significantly decreased on day 2 (PERMANOVA, p < 0.001). These trends were suggestive of a short-term reduction in microbial diversity coupled with decreased similarity between animals. These changes warrant further investigation and could provide opportunities for improved performance, health and even welfare of feedlot cattle in future.
Analyzing compound pendulum data

The period T of an undamped compound pendulum depends on just three variables, the rotation axis to center of mass distance a, the gyradius k of the pendulum about its center of mass and the gravitational acceleration g. The extraction of these parameters from typical undergraduate measurements of the pendulum period Tx as a function of the axis position x is presented. Measurement of just two periods and the pivot displacement Δx allows any two of the parameters to be measured. Three period measurements at pivot displacements b and c allow all three parameters a, k and g to be determined, without any knowledge of the pendulum properties.
The Use of Research-based Learning Management in Mathematics Teacher Education: A Work-Integrated Learning Study

The purposes of the study were 1) to investigate the effects of research-based learning management in a work-integrated curriculum on student teachers’ learning management abilities and to investigate the effectiveness of research-based learning management in a work-integrated curriculum on students’ teachers’ research skills. The samples were 30 mathematics student teachers in the faculty of education, Mahasarakham University, Thailand. Purposive sampling was employed in participant selection. The instruments were a research-based learning management plan, a learning management ability evaluation form, and a research skill evaluation form. The study was conducted in a quantitative method. The statistics used in analyzing the effects of the treatment on learning management abilities were percentage, mean score, standard deviation, and Orthogonal Polynomials. Meanwhile, a one-sample t-test with the criterion of 75 was used to analyze the participants’ research skills. The results of the studies reveal a linear trend in student teachers’ development of learning management abilities. Moreover, an expected outcome was reached in terms of developing the participants' research skills.
A Quantitative Analysis of Valuation Disclosure in Published Business Rescue Plans

Purpose: Given the importance of valuations in business rescue and the vague guidance provided by the Companies Act 71 of 2008, the study analyses valuation-related disclosure in published business rescue plans (PPs) in South Africa (SA). The main objective of the paper, in addition to being exploratory of actual practices, was to highlight a need for improvements in the Companies Act legislation to support more consistent practices. Design: A quantitative content analysis was done of 55 PPs between 2013 and 2018, using descriptive content analysis and inferential statistical techniques. Findings: Primarily, the list of material assets were disclosed at accounting book values in PPs, and liquidation values were mostly independently determined. PPs described various risks relating to the implementation of the PP; however, the PPs mostly lacked calculations of how the risk will affect the business rescue value. On average, the business rescue value exceeded the liquidation value with 36.4 cents for concurrent creditors compared to 33.7 and 21.2 cents for preferent and secured creditors, respectively. Notably, when the PP included a sale of the business, offers received were, on average, 2.5 times the liquidation value and represented 57% of the book value of the company’s assets at the time. Practical implications: The study suggests improvements to the Companies Act to support more consistent valuation-related disclosure in PPs in SA, in particular, the disclosure of the valuation basis used, the average business rescue premium and offers relative to asset values. Such disclosure would provide evidence to investors on the sound potential of investing in a financially distressed company in SA but, at the same time, set realistic sale expectations for both creditors, BRPs and shareholders. Originality: In view of limited empirical evidence on business rescue prices, the article presents the results of original research in this field.
Digital Twin-Driven Vehicular Task Offloading and IRS Configuration in the Internet of Vehicles

Digital mymargin Twin (DT) and Intelligent Reflective Surface (IRS), the most two promising technologies of 6G make the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) more adaptive. However, future autonomous driving needs powerful networking resources and high-quality wireless communications to guarantee the Quality of Service (QoS). Especially considering the time-varying physical operating environments of IoV, it is extremely urgent to improve resource utilization and wireless channel quality. In this work, we propose a Digital Twin-Driven Vehicular Task Offloading and IRS Configuration Framework (DTVIF) to efficiently monitor, learn, and manage the IoV. Specifically, we adopt Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) and IRS to provide augmented computing capacities for vehicles and improve transmission performance when vehicles communicate to MEC servers. DT is employed to achieve real-time data collection and digital representation of physical operating environments of IoV to better support decisions making. In order to reduce the overall delay and energy consumption of DTVIF, we propose a Two-Stage Optimization for Jointly Optimizing Task Offloading and IRS Configuration (TSJTI) algorithm based on Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) and Transfer Learning (TFL). In the first stage, we introduce Double Deep $Q$ -learning Networks (DDQN) to find the optimal offloading decision. In the second stage, based on the parameters learned from the first stage, we migrate the parameters from the first stage to find the optimal IRS configuration based on the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) method. The simulations demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the processing latency of task offloading and reduce the average energy consumption in DTVIF.
Multi-Functional Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains and Antimicrobial Effects in Minimally Processed Pomegranate (Punica granatum L. cv Jolly Red) Arils

This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of both cells, and cell-free supernatants (CFS) of 7 selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains belonging to Limosilactobacillus fermentum (4 strains), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (1 strain), Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (1 strain), and Enterococcus faecium (1 strain) species, against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, by both the agar-well diffusion and co-culture methods. In addition, probiotic and safety traits were also detected. Great variability was detected on antimicrobial effects, whereas all tested strains were found sensitive to most of the tested antibiotics, and without any DNase, gelatinase, or hemolytic activity. Moreover, strains showed excellent survival in acidic conditions and exhibited tolerance to pepsin and bile salts. Based on the in vitro results, the CFSs of two selected L. fermentum strains were applied, in a mixed solution, as bio-preservative into minimally processed pomegranate arils, inoculated with a cocktail of L. monocytogenes and E. coli. Samples, packaged in an ordinary atmosphere, were analyzed during refrigerated storage, for up to 12 days, for physicochemical (as weight loss, texture, color, pH, total soluble solids and organic acid content) and for microbiological traits. Results revealed the effectiveness of CFS, up to 12 days, in reducing weight loss and microbial growth, without any significant effect on texture, total soluble solid content and color, found comparable to the acid citric treatment, highlighting the multi-functional potential of selected probiotic strains.
CONSTRAINTS TO YAM (DIOSCOREA SPP) PRICE FORMATION IN THE URBAN AND RURAL MARKETS OF THE CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL ZONE OF NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Price formation of yam in the urban and rural markets of the Western agricultural zone of Nassarawa State, Nigeria has been an issue as many factors has been found to be contributing factors in the formation of yam price in the study area. Well-structured questionnaire was used to source for data from 141 hundred randomly selected yam marketers from the urban and rural markets in the zone, the rural markets were Andaha, Anguwan Zaria, Sabon Gida and Gudi while the urban markets includes Garaku, Akwanga, Nassarawa Eggon and Wamba. Descriptive statistic such as frequency, mean, and percentages was used to analyze the data. The result obtained revealed that majority (60%) and (62.5%) were male in the urban and rural markets respectively, with the mean ages of 47 years and 43.9 years respectively. The mean household size was 7 and 6 members for the urban and the rural households respectively. The average yam prices in ₦/kg in the urban /rural markets shows that the highest price was recorded in the urban market (Nassarawa Eggon) and the least price recorded in the rural market (Andaha), the Jarque-Bera test of normality shows that the prices of yam were normally distributed, of all the constraints to yam price formation, poor feeder roads, few number of buyers ranked most in the urban while poor feeder roads, and inadequate access to credit facilities ranked topmost in rural markets. Therefore the research suggests a deliberate government policy towards rehabilitation of roads linking the rural and urban markets, and this may enhance trade between urban and rural markets.
Half-metallicity and Gilbert damping constant in Co2FexMn1−xSi Heusler alloys depending on the film composition

Transport properties in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with Co2FexMn1−xSi (CFMS, x=0–1.0)/Al–O/Co75Fe25 structure and Gilbert damping constant in the epitaxial CFMS films were investigated. The tunnel magnetoresistance ratio is as high as 75% in MTJs with x=0.6 at room temperature. The Gilbert damping constant is minimal at x=0.4. Relations between half-metallicity and the Gilbert damping constant in CFMS films were examined, revealing that the damping constant is small in half-metallic CFMS films.
The Role of Nature-Based Solutions in Supporting Social-Ecological Resilience for Climate Change Adaptation

Social-ecological systems underpinning nature-based solutions (NbS) must be resilient to changing conditions if they are to contribute to long-term climate change adaptation. We develop a two-part conceptual framework linking social-ecological resilience to adaptation outcomes in NbS. Part one determines the potential of NbS to support resilience based on assessing whether NbS affect key mechanisms known to enable resilience. Examples include social-ecological diversity, connectivity, and inclusive decision-making. Part two includes adaptation outcomes that building social-ecological resilience can sustain, known as nature's contributions to adaptation (NCAs). We apply the framework to a global dataset of NbS in forests. We find evidence that NbS may be supporting resilience by influencing many enabling mechanisms. NbS also deliver many NCAs such as flood and drought mitigation. However, there is less evidence for some mechanisms and NCAs critical for resilience to long-term uncertainty. We present future research questions to ensure NbS can continue to support people and nature in a changing world. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Volume 47 is October 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews. org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
EVIDENCE FOR EVAPORATION-INCOMPLETE CONDENSATION CYCLES IN WARM SOLAR CORONAL LOOPS

Quasi-constant heating at the footpoints of loops leads to evaporation and condensation cycles of the plasma: thermal non-equilibrium (TNE). This phenomenon is believed to play a role in the formation of prominences and coronal rain. However, it is often discounted as being involved in the heating of warm loops because the models do not reproduce observations. Recent simulations have shown that these inconsistencies with observations may be due to oversimplifications of the geometries of the models. In addition, our recent observations reveal that long-period intensity pulsations (several hours) are common in solar coronal loops. These periods are consistent with those expected from TNE. The aim of this paper is to derive characteristic physical properties of the plasma for some of these events to test the potential role of TNE in loop heating. We analyzed three events in detail using the six EUV coronal channels of the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly. We performed both a differential emission measure (DEM) and a time-lag analysis, including a new method to isolate the relevant signal from the foreground and background emission. For the three events, the DEM undergoes long-period pulsations, which is a signature of periodic heating even though the loops are captured in their cooling phase, as is the bulk of the active regions. We link long-period intensity pulsations to new signatures of loop heating with strong evidence for evaporation and condensation cycles. We thus simultaneously witness widespread cooling and TNE. Finally, we discuss the implications of our new observations for both static and impulsive heating models.
Trois problèmes sur les sommes trigonométriques

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A cross-sectional study on under-emphasized sex determining parameters of femur -

Background: There have been researches done based on using ‘Maximum length’ of femur for sex determination. We, the authors of the present study, formulated an index including both (maximum length & girth) and named it as Femoral Girth Index (FGI). An attempt has been made by the authors, with this study, to arrive at appropriate conclusions regarding sex determination using dry femurs representing South-Eastern India (Kancheepuram district region) using three parameters namely, ‘Maximum length’, ‘Maximum girth’ and FGI. Methods: FGI was calculated using the observed values of ‘Maximum length’ and ‘Maximum girth’ of the femurs. Formula used for calculating the FGI was, “Maximum girth of shaft of femur/Maximum length of femur x 100”. Statistical analysis was done using three parameters, namely, maximal length of femur (L), maximum girth of femur (G) and FGI. Significance of the results was assessed implementing unpaired t test. Results: The results were very significant with the application of unpaired t test in relation to the three parameters, maximal length of femur, maximum girth of femur and femoral girth index. Conclusions: We believe that the study results can be reliably used for dry, fully ossified femurs of southern India. FGI, when more than 19.57, is indicative of males and when less than 19.57, is indicative of females.