Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and Performance Evaluation of a Novel Spiral Head-Stem Trunnion for Hip Implants Using Finite Element Analysis

With an expectation of an increased number of revision surgeries and patients receiving orthopedic implants in the coming years, the focus of joint replacement research needs to be on improving the mechanical properties of implants. Head-stem trunnion fixation provides superior load support and implant stability. Fretting wear is formed at the trunnion because of the dynamic load activities of patients, and this eventually causes the total hip implant system to fail. To optimize the design, multiple experiments with various trunnion geometries have been performed by researchers to examine the wear rate and associated mechanical performance characteristics of the existing head-stem trunnion. The objective of this work is to quantify and evaluate the performance parameters of smooth and novel spiral head-stem trunnion types under dynamic loading situations. This study proposes a finite element method for estimating head-stem trunnion performance characteristics, namely contact pressure and sliding distance, for both trunnion types under walking and jogging dynamic loading conditions. The wear rate for both trunnion types was computed using the Archard wear model for a standard number of gait cycles. The experimental results indicated that the spiral trunnion with a uniform contact pressure distribution achieved more fixation than the smooth trunnion. However, the average contact pressure distribution was nearly the same for both trunnion types. The maximum and average sliding distances were both shorter for the spiral trunnion; hence, the summed sliding distance was approximately 10% shorter for spiral trunnions than that of the smooth trunnion over a complete gait cycle. Owing to a lower sliding ability, hip implants with spiral trunnions achieved more stability than those with smooth trunnions. The anticipated wear rate for spiral trunnions was 0.039 mm3, which was approximately 10% lower than the smooth trunnion wear rate of 0.048 mm3 per million loading cycles. The spiral trunnion achieved superior fixation stability with a shorter sliding distance and a lower wear rate than the smooth trunnion; therefore, the spiral trunnion can be recommended for future hip implant systems.
Polarization modulation dynamics of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with an extended cavity

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are known to exhibit a small birefringence and dichroism whose axes are directed along the crystal axes of the quantum wells and which fix the polarization of the oscillating light. In this paper, we consider the dynamics of the polarization of light in such a laser, extended by means of a quarter-wavelength plate in an external cavity. Periodic variations are experimentally observed. A theoretical analysis and numerical results are proposed, using a recent model which includes the carriers' spin interaction. A good match is found between experimental and numerical results.
Investigation of Errors of Pitot Tubes

In late years some hydraulic engineers have come to distrust the pitot tube as an accurate instrument for measuring the flow of water in pipes. It has been found that some pitot tubes do not have the same coefficient for all conditions of flow. There is, therefore, general disagreement as to the coefficient which must be applied for a particular set of conditions to obtain the velocity within 1 per cent or less of the true value. The following experiments were made in an effort to find the reasons for this variation of the coefficient. Tests made on an 84-ft rotating boom in still water showed the coefficient of the impact tip to be unity. The pitot deflection was balanced against a centrifugal head. A method of measuring the angularity of turbulent flow in pipes by use of the law of probability was devised. The measurements made in pipes 12, 40, and 78 in. in diameter check the Prandtl and von Kármán theories of turbulent flow closely and show the mean angularity to be about 2 deg. The effect of the pitot support rod on the reading of the pressure-head piezometers and impact tip was determined. Tests were also made to determine the effect of pulsations. Tests made to determine the effect of the pitot support rod showed that the support rod did not cause an error in the impact-tip reading, but did affect the pressure measured by the wall piezometer. The rod was also found to affect the reading of the pressure orifice of the pitot-static tube. It follows that any form of combined type of pitot tube in which the error could be determined by calibration of the instrument alone would give accurate results. The average magnitude of pulsations was found to be too small to cause an error in reading of the pitot tube. The conclusions drawn from these tests were that the impact tip correctly registered the true dynamic head whether the flow was smooth or turbulent, but that the pressure piezometers were likely to be in error. Since the pressure piezometer of the pitot-static tube was a part of the instrument and calibrated with it, this instrument was considered more reliable than the simple pitot tube using wall piezometers.
High spatial resolution spectrometry of rafting macroalgae (Sargassum)

Data with 0.4-m spatial resolution acquired ~2 km off the southeast Florida coast using the airborne Portable Hyperspectral Imager for Low-Light Spectroscopy (PHILLS) have been analyzed with the objective of identifying drifting surface macroalgae (Sargassum) through its spectral signature in at-sensor radiance. The observed spectral features of Sargassum include a peak at a wavelength of ~0.570 μm and a photosynthetic 'red edge' between 0.673 and 0.699 μm. Sargassum also exhibits high radiance in the reflected near-infrared but is impacted by the atmospheric absorption bands of water vapor at 0.720 μm and oxygen at 0.756 μm. The spectral signature is clearest and largest in amplitude where the Sargassum occurs as small surface aggregations, or rafts, which tend to lie at the downwind ends of narrow Sargassum windrows. The quantity of floating Sargassum was estimated within a single pixel by linearly mixing a spectrum of Sargassum-free water with varying percentages of a spectrum from a pixel assumed completely filled with floating plants. For our study site about 2.3% of the ocean area is classified as having some Sargassum coverage, with pixels completely filled with Sargassum being rare (only 0.2% of the classified Sargassum pixels) and pixels with the least-resolvable amount of Sargassum (~10% filled) being the most common.
A NOTE ON THE CONVERGENCE OF NONPARAMETRIC DEA ESTIMATORS FOR PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY SCORES

Efficiency scores of production units are measured by their distance to an estimated production frontier. Nonparametric data envelopment analysis estimators are based on a finite sample of observed production units, and radial distances are considered. We investigate the consistency and the speed of convergence of these estimated efficiency scores (or of the radial distances) in the very general setup of a multi-output and multi-input case. It is shown that the speed of convergence relies on the smoothness of the unknown frontier and on the number of inputs and outputs. Furthermore, one has to distinguish between the output- and the input-oriented cases.
The Harmonic Development of the Tide-Generating Potential

The harmonic development of the tide-generating potential is the basis of most work on tidal observations, and since 1883 the development given by Sir G. H. Darwin has been universally used and has been of remarkable value. But discrepancies between prediction and observation are serious and have been attributed to faulty “harmonic constants”; it has been assumed that if these were improved better predictions would be obtained, and it has also been tacitly assumed that it is only necessary to consider the harmonic constituents as given by Darwin. Recent work, however, especially at the Tidal Institute, has shown that when all the “Darwinian constituents” are removed from the tidal height there is a residue composed of constituents which are not included in his schedules. These are such that any slight improvements possible in the “constants” usually obtained are comparatively negligible. The obvious course, therefore, was to make a more thorough development of the potential, and in view of the unknown nature of the residues great accuracy was obviously desirable, especially as the possibility of resonance has always to be considered. The development given in this paper, even if it proves to be needlessly thorough for practical tidal work, will cover the needs of research work, since it includes all terms whose coefficients (relatively to the greatest coefficient) are greater than 0·00010.
Into the Robotic Depths: Analysis and Insights from the DARPA Subterranean Challenge

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Subterranean Challenge represented a multiyear (2018–2021), competition-based initiative to inspire and shape the future of field robotics, specifically in advancing integrated technologies for operating in complex underground environments. Bringing together robotics researchers and innovators from around the world to compete in physical and simulated contests, it spotlighted significant opportunities to incentivize and extract high-value technical results and insights to inform future advances. This article captures and quantifies these results, extracts relevant insights, and offers lessons learned and recommendations for further work. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems, Volume 14 is May 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews. org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
An Experimental Study of Effective Thermal Conductivity of High Temperature Insulations

An experimental apparatus was designed and fabricated to measure the effective thermal conductivities and simulate the temperature and pressure history of reentry of a launch vehicle into a planetary atmosphere with a maximum temperature of 1600°C. An improved testing method was used to test the thermal conductivities of an alumina fibrous insulation at environmental pressures from 0.03 Pa to 10 5 Pa with the average temperature of the sample increased to 864°C and its density being 128 kg/m 3 . A method based on temperature difference is used to compute the in-plane effective thermal conductivity, and the result shows that the in-plane thermal conductivity along the y axis is 1.47 times that along the x axis. The influences of temperature and pressure on the contribution of three heat transfer mechanisms to the effective thermal conductivities were compared.
Practical considerations for a TB controlled human infection model (TB-CHIM); the case for TB-CHIM in Africa, a systematic review of the literature and report of 2 workshop discussions in UK and Malawi

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major challenge in many domains including diagnosis, pathogenesis, prevention, treatment, drug resistance and long-term protection of the public health by vaccination. A controlled human infection model (CHIM) could potentially facilitate breakthroughs in each of these domains but has so far been considered impossible owing to technical and safety concerns. Methods: A systematic review of mycobacterial human challenge studies was carried out to evaluate progress to date, best possible ways forward and challenges to be overcome. We searched MEDLINE (1946 to current) and CINAHL (1984 to current) databases; and Google Scholar to search citations in selected manuscripts. The final search was conducted 3 rd February 2022. Inclusion criteria: adults ≥18 years old; administration of live mycobacteria; and interventional trials or cohort studies with immune and/or microbiological endpoints. Exclusion criteria: animal studies; studies with no primary data; no administration of live mycobacteria; retrospective cohort studies; case-series; and case-reports. Relevant tools (Cochrane Collaboration for RCTs and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for non-randomised studies) were used to assess risk of bias and present a narrative synthesis of our findings. Results: The search identified 1,388 titles for review; of these 90 were reviewed for inclusion; and 27 were included. Of these, 15 were randomised controlled trials and 12 were prospective cohort studies. We focussed on administration route, challenge agent and dose administered for data extraction. Overall, BCG studies including fluorescent BCG show the most immediate utility, and genetically modified Mycobacteria tuberculosis is the most tantalising prospect of discovery breakthrough. Conclusions: The TB-CHIM development group met in 2019 and 2022 to consider the results of the systematic review, to hear presentations from many of the senior authors whose work had been reviewed and to consider best ways forward. This paper reports both the systematic review and the deliberations. Registration: PROSPERO ( CRD42022302785; 21 January 2022).
A systematic review and meta-analysis of environmental, lifestyle and health factors associated with DNA methylation age.

DNA methylation (DNAm) algorithms of biological age provide a robust estimate of an individual's chronological age, and can predict of their risk of age-related disease and mortality. This study reviewed the evidence that environmental, lifestyle and health factors are associated with the Horvath and Hannum epigenetic clocks. A systematic search identified 61 studies. Chronological age was correlated with DNAm age in blood (median 0.83, range 0.13-0.99). DNAm age was positively associated with frailty (three studies, n=3,093), and education was negatively associated with the Hannum estimate of DNAm age specifically (four studies, n=13,955). For most other exposures, findings were too inconsistent to draw conclusions. In a meta-analysis BMI was associated with increased DNAm age (Hannum β: 0.07, 95%CI 0.04 to 0.10; Horvath β:0.06, 95%CI 0.02 to 0.10), but there was no association with smoking (Hannum β:0.12, 95%CI -0.50 to 0.73; Horvath β:0.18, 95%CI -0.10 to 0.46). In conclusion, BMI were positively associated with biological ageing measured using DNAm, with some evidence that frailty also increased ageing. More research is needed to provide conclusive evidence regarding other exposures. This field of research has the potential to provide further insights into how to promote slower biological aging and ultimately prolong healthy life.
Rheology and spatially resolved structure of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide wormlike micelles through the shear banding transition

We present the first combined study of spatially resolved structure and shear rheology for a model shear banding fluid comprised of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide wormlike micelles. Combining conventional rheometry, velocimetry, flow birefringence, and flow-small angle neutron scattering (flow-SANS) in the 1–2 (flow-gradient) plane of shear completely characterizes shear banding in the system and enables comparison of local flow kinematics to local segmental orientation and alignment within the bands. The Giesekus constitutive equation with stress diffusion is shown to successfully model the viscoelasticity, steady shear viscosity, and shear banding kinematics. Flow-SANS measurements in the 1–2 plane exhibit a critical alignment and orientation required for shear banding, followed by a first order orientational transition to a paranematic state in the high-shear band. Master curves of the segmental orientation and alignment are constructed by comparing the local structural features to the locally observed.
Gene–Environment Interactions in Repeat Expansion Diseases: Mechanisms of Environmentally Induced Repeat Instability

Short tandem repeats (STRs) are units of 1–6 base pairs that occur in tandem repetition to form a repeat tract. STRs exhibit repeat instability, which generates expansions or contractions of the repeat tract. Over 50 diseases, primarily affecting the central nervous system and muscles, are characterized by repeat instability. Longer repeat tracts are typically associated with earlier age of onset and increased disease severity. Environmental exposures are suspected to play a role in the pathogenesis of repeat expansion diseases. Here, we review the current knowledge of mechanisms of environmentally induced repeat instability in repeat expansion diseases. The current evidence demonstrates that environmental factors modulate repeat instability via DNA damage and induction of DNA repair pathways, with distinct mechanisms for repeat expansion and contraction. Of particular note, oxidative stress is a key mediator of environmentally induced repeat instability. The preliminary evidence suggests epigenetic modifications as potential mediators of environmentally induced repeat instability. Future research incorporating an array of environmental exposures, new human cohorts, and improved model systems, with a continued focus on cell-types, tissues, and critical windows, will aid in identifying mechanisms of environmentally induced repeat instability. Identifying environmental modulators of repeat instability and their mechanisms of action will inform preventions, therapies, and public health measures.
Application of an Artificial Neural Network to Identify the Factors Influencing Neurorehabilitation Outcomes of Patients with Ischemic Stroke Treated with Thrombolysis

The administration of thrombolysis usually reduces the risk of death and the consequences of stroke in the acute phase. However, having received thrombolysis administration is not a prognostic factor for neurorehabilitation outcome in the subacute phase of stroke. It is conceivably due to the complex intertwining of many clinical factors. An artificial neural network (ANN) analysis could be helpful in identifying the prognostic factors of neurorehabilitation outcomes and assigning a weight to each of the factors considered. This study hypothesizes that the prognostic factors could be different between patients who received and those who did not receive thrombolytic treatment, even if thrombolysis is not a prognostic factor per se. In a sample of 862 patients with ischemic stroke, the tested ANN identified some common factors (such as disability at admission, age, unilateral spatial neglect), some factors with higher weight in patients who received thrombolysis (hypertension, epilepsy, aphasia, obesity), and some other factors with higher weight in the other patients (dysphagia, malnutrition, total arterial circulatory infarction). Despite the fact that thrombolysis is not an independent prognostic factor for neurorehabilitation, it seems to modify the relative importance of other clinical factors in predicting which patients will better respond to neurorehabilitation.
The Relationship between the Socio-Economic Status and Students’ Speaking Anxiety: A Study of Saudi EFL Students

Speaking is a complex production process involving several socio-psycho-cognitive factors and studying how these factors impact students' performance in English-speaking courses might lead to recommendations to enhance their speaking ability. Therefore, the objectives of the study are to examine the level of Saudi EFL learners’ speaking anxiety and to investigate the relationship between speaking anxiety and the socio-economic status of Saudi Arabian students. Multiple regression was used to analyze the data in a quantitative research design to achieve those objectives. A questionnaire was used as the main tool for gathering data from 118 students at Betterjee Medical College in Jeddah. The results revealed that most Saudi EFL students experience a common problem of speaking anxiety in their English language classes. Another striking finding that has been found in this study was the significant and negative relationship between speaking and the student's socio-economic status which means that socio-economic status could be a crucial factor in speaking anxiety. The study’s findings have some implications for EFL practitioners who work with and facilitate EFL students’ efforts to overcome speaking anxiety particularly in a setting where the students are from varied socio-economic backgrounds.
Characterization of muscle mass, strength and mobility of critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: Distribution by sex, age, days on mechanical ventilation, and muscle weakness

Objective: Quantify and categorize by sex, age, and time spent on mechanical ventilation (MV), the decline in skeletal muscle mass, strength and mobility in critically ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and requiring mechanical ventilation while at intensive care unit (ICU). Design: Prospective observational study including participants recruited between June 2020 and February 2021 at Hospital Clínico Herminda Martin (HCHM), Chillán, Chile. The thickness of the quadriceps muscle was evaluated by ultrasonography (US) at intensive care unit admission and awakening. Muscle strength and mobility were assessed, respectively, through the Medical Research Council Sum Score (MRC-SS) and the Functional Status Score for the Intensive Care Unit Scale (FSS-ICU) both at awakening and at ICU discharge. Results were categorized by sex (female or male), age (<60 years old or ≥60 years old) and time spent on MV (≤10 days or >10 days). Setting: Intensive care unit in a public hospital. Participants: 132 participants aged 18 years old or above (women n = 49, 60 ± 13 years; men n = 85, 59 ± 12 years) admitted to intensive care unit with a confirmed diagnosis of severe SARS-CoV-2 and requiring MV for more than 48 h were included in the study. Patients with previous physical and or cognitive disorders were excluded. Interventions: Not applicable. Results: Muscle thickness have significantly decreased during intensive care unit stay, vastus intermedius (−11%; p = 0.025), rectus femoris (−20%; p < 0.001) and total quadriceps (−16%; p < 0.001). Muscle strength and mobility were improved at intensive care unit discharge when compared with measurements at awakening in intensive care unit (time effect, p < 0.001). Patients ≥60 years old or on MV for >10 days presented greater muscle loss, alongside with lower muscle strength and mobility. Conclusion: Critically ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and requiring MV presented decreased muscle mass, strength, and mobility during their intensive care unit stay. Factors associated with muscle mass, such as age >60 years and >10 days of MV, exacerbated the critical condition and impaired recovery.
A New Water Vapor Megamaser

We report on the detection of a new megamaser, the 31, 3-22, 0 H2O line (ν0 = 183.310 GHz) in Arp 220, using the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) 30 m telescope. The line is about 350 km s-1 wide with a total luminosity of ~2.5 × 108 K km s-1 pc2. Although OH megamasers were first discovered in this source, no emission is seen in the 61, 6-52, 3 H2O transition (ν0 = 22.235 GHz), a line otherwise detected as a megamaser in about 50 sources to date. This fact puts interesting constraints on the physical conditions of the central region of Arp 220 that are further strengthened by the HCN and HNC J = 3-2 and J = 1-0 luminosities [in the range (1.5-10) × 108 K km s-1 pc2]. A scenario with ~106 star-forming cores similar to those found in Sgr B2 in the central kiloparsec of Arp 220 would be compatible with these data and would explain the lack of 22 GHz H2O emission. This result opens up the possibility of using the 183 GHz H2O line as an additional tool to explore the physical conditions in luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs and ULIRGs, respectively) and their starburst or active galactic nucleus (AGN) nature, with a potential interest for high angular resolution observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA).