Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation on thermal behavior of resonant waveguide-grating mirrors in an Yb:YAG thin-disk laser

We present the experimental investigations of different designs of resonant waveguide-grating mirrors (RWG) which are used as intracavity folding mirror in an Yb:YAG thin-disk laser. The studied mirrors combine structured fused silica substrates, a thin-layer waveguide (Ta2O5), a buffer layer (SiO2) and partial reflectors. The grating period was chosen to be 510 nm to allow resonances at an angle of incidence of ~10° for TE polarization. The waveguide layer has a thickness of 236 nm. It is followed by the buffer layer with a thickness of 580 nm and the subsequent alternating Ta2O5/SiO2 layers. The exact coating sequence depends on the two design approaches which were investigated in this work: either introducing different partial reflectors, i.e. stacks of quarter-wave layers on top of the waveguide while keeping the groove depth of the grating constant, or increasing the grating depth, while keeping an identical partial reflector. The investigation was focused on the rise of the surface temperature due to the coupling of the incident radiation to a waveguide mode, as well as on the laser efficiency, polarization and wavelength selectivity. It is found that, when compared to the simplest RWG design which consists of only a single Ta2O5 waveguide layer, damage threshold as well as laser efficiency can be significantly increased, while the laser performances in terms of polarization- and wavelength selectivity are maintained. So far, the presented RWG allow the generation of linear polarization with a narrow spectral linewidth down to 25 pm FWHM in a fundamental mode Yb:YAG thin-disk laser. Damage thresholds of 60kW/cm2 have been reached where only 63K of surface temperature increase was observed. This shows that the improved mirrors are suitable for the generation of kW-class narrow linewidth, linearly polarized Yb:YAG thin-disk lasers.
Long-term Efficacy of Satralizumab in AQP4-IgG–Seropositive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder From SAkuraSky and SAkuraStar

Background and Objectives Satralizumab, an interleukin 6 receptor inhibitor, reduced the risk of protocol-defined relapse (PDR) vs placebo in 2 independent, double-blind studies in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). We assessed the long-term efficacy of satralizumab in patients with aquaporin-4-immunoglobulin G (IgG)–seropositive (AQP4-IgG+) NMOSD. Methods Following the double-blind periods of SAkuraSky (satralizumab + baseline immunosuppressive treatment [IST]) and SAkuraStar (satralizumab monotherapy), patients could enter the open-label extension (OLE, satralizumab 120 mg Q4W ± IST). This analysis included all AQP4-IgG+ patients who received ≥1 dose of satralizumab in the double-blind and/or OLE periods, from patients' first dose to the data cutoff (February 22, 2021). PDR in the OLE period was determined by the investigator without external adjudication. We evaluated time to first investigator-reported PDR (iPDR), severe iPDR (≥2 point increase in the Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score), and sustained EDSS worsening (EDSS score increase of ≥2, ≥1, or ≥0.5 points for patients with baseline scores of 0, 1–5, or ≥5.5, respectively, confirmed ≥24 weeks post–initial worsening), plus the annualized iPDR rate (ARR). Results Forty-six of 55 AQP4-IgG+ patients (84%) in SAkuraSky and 57/64 patients in SAkuraStar (89%) continued from the double-blind periods into the OLEs. In total, 111 AQP4-IgG+ patients received ≥1 dose of satralizumab in the double-blind and/or OLE periods and were included in these analyses (SAkuraSky: 49; SAkuraStar: 62). The median (range) duration of satralizumab exposure was 4.4 (0.1–7.0) years in SAkuraSky and 4.0 (0.1–6.0) years in SAkuraStar, with a combined 440.1 patient-years of treatment. Seventy-one of 111 patients (64%) received satralizumab for ≥192 weeks (3.7 years). At this time point, 71% (SAkuraSky) and 73% (SAkuraStar) of satralizumab-treated patients were free from iPDR, 91% (SAkuraSky) and 90% (SAkuraStar) were free from severe iPDR, and 90% (SAkuraSky) and 86% (SAkuraStar) had no sustained EDSS worsening. The overall adjusted ARR (95% CI) was 0.12 (0.08–0.18) in SAkuraSky and 0.08 (0.05–0.13) in SAkuraStar and remained stable over time. Discussion These long-term results from the OLE periods of the SAkura studies demonstrate the continued efficacy of satralizumab over more than 3.5 years of treatment. High proportions of patients remained free from relapse, severe relapse, or worsening disease, with a consistently low ARR. Trial Registration Information ClinicalTrials.gov registration numbers: NCT02028884 (SAkuraSky) and NCT02073279 (SAkuraStar). Classification of Evidence This study provides Class II evidence that satralizumab reduces the risk of relapse in patients with AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD beyond the first 96 weeks of treatment.
The Bernoulli sieve

The Bernoulli sieve is a recursive construction of a random composition (ordered partition) of an integer n. This composition can be induced by sampling from a random discrete distribution which has frequencies equal to the sizes of components of a stick-breaking interval partition of (0, 1). We exploit the Markov property of the composition and its renewal representation to study the number of its parts. We derive asymptotics of the moments and prove a central limit theorem.
The effect of oblateness and gravity darkening on the radiation driving in winds from rapidly rotating B stars

We calculate the radiative driving force for winds around rapidly rotating oblate B stars, and we estimate the impact these forces should have on the production of a wind compressed disk. The effects of limb darkening, gravity darkening, oblateness, and an arbitrary wind velocity field are included in the computation of vector 'oblate finite disk' (OFD) factors, which depend on both radius and colatitude in the wind. The impact of limb darkening alone, with or without rotation, can increase the mass loss by as much as 10% over values computed using the standard uniformly bright spherical finite disk factor. For rapidly rotating stars, limb darkening makes 'sub-stellar' gravity darkening the dominant effect in the radial and latitudinal OFD factors, and lessens the impact of gravity darkening at other visible latitudes (nearer to the oblate limb). Thus, the radial radiative driving is generally stronger over the poles and weaker over the equator, following the gravity darkening at these latitudes. The nonradial radiative driving is considerably smaller in magnitude than the radial component, but is directed both away from the equatorial plane and in a retrograde azimuthal direction, acting to decrease the effective stellar rotation velocity. These forces thus weaken the equatorward wind compression compared to wind models computed with nonrotating finite disk factors.
Radio signatures of the origin and propagation of coronal mass ejections through the solar corona and interplanetary medium

During a 16-day period from February 5 to 20, 2000, a series of decametric-to-kilometric wavelength type II and type III radio events was observed by the WAVES radio experiment on board the Wind spacecraft. These radio events were related to observed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their associated flares. Each of the solar eruptive events was initiated by an intense, complex type III radio burst, which occurred within minutes of the liftoff on the CME. Some of the CMEs produced decametric-hectometric (D-H) type II radio emissions, which, when their frequency drift rates were sufficiently well defined, were used to provide a speed estimate. The complex type III and D-H type II radio emissions gave an indication of the presence of a CME well before the CME was first observed in the coronagraph images. This series of CMEs also generated interplanetary (kilometric) type II radio emissions that tracked the CME-associated shock through the interplanetary medium and established the terrestrial connection. Thus the various radio emissions associated with these solar eruptive events provided a global view of each entire Sun-Earth connection event, from the initiation and liftoff of the CME at the Sun, to the propagation of the CME-associated shock through the solar corona and interplanetary medium, to its arrival at 1 AU. Finally, we show that simultaneous Wind/Ulysses observations of the interplanetary type II radio emissions on February 9–10 provide important information on the nature of the type II emission, on the type II source locations, and on the radiation characteristics of the type II emissions. For example, these simultaneous observations clearly indicate that the sporadic nature of the type II radiation was intrinsic to the radio source region.
Exploring Highly Conserved Regions of SARS-CoV-2 Spike S2 Subunit as Targets for Fusion Inhibition Using Chimeric Proteins

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, considerable efforts have been made to develop protective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, immunity tends to decline within a few months, and new virus variants are emerging with increased transmissibility and capacity to evade natural or vaccine-acquired immunity. Therefore, new robust strategies are needed to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection. The viral spike composed of S1 and S2 subunits mediates viral attachment and membrane fusion to infect the host cell. In this process, interaction between the highly conserved heptad repeat 1 and 2 regions (HR1 and HR2) of S2 is crucial and for this reason; these regions are promising targets to fight SARS-CoV-2. Here, we describe the design and characterization of chimeric proteins that structurally imitate the S2 HR1 region in a trimeric coiled-coil conformation. We biophysically characterized the proteins and determined their capacity to bind the HR2 region, as well as their inhibitory activity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. HR1 mimetic proteins showed conformational heterogeneity and a propensity to form oligomers. Moreover, their structure is composed of subdomains with varied stability. Interestingly, the full HR1 proteins showed high affinity for HR2-derived peptides and SARS-CoV-2 inhibitory activity, whereas smaller proteins mimicking HR1 subdomains had a decreased affinity for their complementary HR2 region and did not inhibit the virus. The results provide insight into effective strategies to create mimetic proteins with broad inhibitory activity and therapeutic potential against SARS-CoV-2.
Identifying Overturns in CTD Profiles

Abstract The authors propose a scheme to test whether inversions in CTD density profiles are caused by overturning motions (from which mixing rates may be inferred) or by measurement noise. Following a common practice, possible overturning regions are found by comparing the observed profile ρ(z) and an imaginary profile ˆρ(z) constructed by reordering ρ(z) to make. it gravitationally stable. The resulting “reordering regions” are subjected to two tests. • The “Thorpe fluctuation” profile ρ′(z) = ρ(z) − ˆρ(z) is examined for “runs” of adjacent positive or negative values. The probability density function (PDF) of the run length is compared with the corresponding PDF of random noise. This yields a threshold value for rms run length within individual reordering regions that must be exceeded for adequate resolution of overturns, taking into account both CTD characteristics and local hydrographic properties. • Temperature and salinity covariations with respect to density are screened for systematic CTD errors .
A Linear Operator and Associated Families of Meromorphically Multivalent Functions

Making use of a linear operator, which is defined here by means of the Hadamard product (or convolution), the authors introduce (and investigate the various properties and characteristics of) two novel families of meromorphically multivalent functions. They also extend the familiar concept of neighborhoods of analytic functions to these subclasses of meromorphically multivalent functions.
Effects of a concurrent training, respiratory muscle exercise, and self-management recommendations on recovery from post-COVID-19 conditions: the RECOVE trial

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of physical exercise, respiratory muscle training, and the self-management World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations leaflet on the recovery of physical fitness, quality of life, and symptom status in people with post-COVID-19 conditions. Eighty nonhospitalized adults with a post-COVID-19 condition were randomly assigned to one of four 8-wk parallel intervention groups: 1) multicomponent exercise program based on concurrent training (CT, number of subjects (n) = 20; 3 resistance and endurance supervised sessions per week at low-moderate intensity); 2) inspiratory muscle training (RM, n = 17; 2 standardized daily sessions); 3) a combination of both of the above (CTRM, n = 23); and 4) control group (CON, n = 20; following the WHO guidelines for post-COVID-19-related illness rehabilitation). No significant differences between groups were detected at baseline. Although no significant differences between interventions were detected in the V̇o2max, significant individual improvements were identified in the CT (7.5%; effect size, ES = 0.28) and CTRM (7.8%; ES = 0.36) groups. Lower body muscle strength significantly improved in the CT and CTRM (14.5%-32.6%; ES = 0.27-1.13) groups compared with RM and CON (-0.3% to 11.3%; ES = 0.10-0.19). The CT and CTRM groups improved significantly for dyspnea and fatigue, as did the health status. In addition, significant differences between interventions were described in fatigue and depression scales favoring CT and CTRM interventions. An individualized and supervised concurrent training with or without inspiratory muscle training was safe and more effective than self-care recommendations and inspiratory muscle training alone, to regain cardiovascular and muscular fitness, improve symptom severity, and health status in outpatients with post-COVID-19 conditions.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Eight weeks of concurrent training, with or without inspiratory muscle exercise, was better than WHO "Support for Rehabilitation: Self-Management after COVID-19-Related Illness" recommendations or inspiratory muscle training alone to improve cardiopulmonary fitness, strength, and symptom severity, in a safe and effective manner. The RECOVE trial proved the benefits and utility of a supervised exercise program in people with post-COVID-19 conditions after mild COVID-19 in an ambulatory setting.
SDO AIA and EVE observations and modelling of solar flare loops

We present imaging and spectroscopic observations of an isolated C1-class solar flare, obtained with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We obtain excellent agreement between the peak flare temperatures estimated using the EVE spectra with those obtained from GOES and, most importantly, from the ratio of the 94 A and 131 A AIA channels, which are found to be dominated by Fe xviii and Fe xxi . T hese results confirm that these two AIA bands can be reliably used to provide temperature diagnostics for the peak and gradual phases of solar flares. The flare kernels, probable sources of chromospheric evaporation, are seen as strong localised emission in the AIA bands at the footpoints of flare loops. The flare loops are close to isothermal during the gradual phase. We have run several hydrodynamic simulations (using the HYDRAD code) to study the cooling of the flare loops. We find good overall agreement between observed and predicted electron temperatures and densities when a gradual increase and decrease of the heating is assumed.
Convergence of the Ishikawa Iteration Process for Nonexpansive Mappings

LetDbe a subset of a normed spaceXandT:D→Xbe a nonexpansive mapping. Given a sequence {xn} inDand two real sequences {tn} and {sn} satisfying (i) 0≤tn≤t<1 and ∑∞n=1tn=∞, (ii) 0≤sn≤1 and ∑∞n=1sn<∞, (iii)xn+1=tnT(snTxn+(1−sn)xn)+(1−tn)xn,n=1, 2, 3,…, we prove that if {xn} is bounded, then limn→∞ ‖Txn−xn‖=0. The conditions onD,X, andTare shown which guarantee the weak and strong convergence of the Ishikawa iteration process to a fixed point ofT.
Improving Budget Transparency to Achieve Effective and Sustainable Governance

Purpose: The sustainable development concept implies the involvement of citizens in the budgetary process. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences have confirmed the importance of citizens’ involvement also in the future, the purpose of the paper is to assess the level of interest in budgetary issues as well as the reasons for budget transparency stagnation as reported for Slovenia by the Open Budget Index (OBI). Design/methodology/approach: The study relies on a combination of desk research and survey carried out among employees directly or indirectly connected to public finance issues in public sector organisations. The statistical analysis is based on 251 fully completed surveys.Findings: The results confirm the lack of political will as the main obstacle to budget transparency and the stagnation reported by the Open Budget Index for the past years, suggesting that the stronger the interest in budget transparency expressed by the respondents, the more likely they see political will as an important barrier.Academic contribution to the field: The findings of the paper contribute to the isolation and potential further development of the factors that influence the transparency of the central budget.Originality: The paper is a pioneer attempt to study central budget transparency in Slovenia, offering results that can be compared to other EU countries
Propagation of Love waves in a transversely isotropic fluid-saturated porous layered half-space

The dispersion equation for Love wave propagation in a layer lying over a half-space is derived. Both media are assumed to be transversely isotropic fluid-saturated poroelastic solids with principal axes perpendicular to the surface. The analysis is based on the Biot’s theory. The dissipation due to fluid viscosity is considered and therefore the dispersion equation is complex and intractable analytically. An iterative procedure is developed to solve this equation. Two situations are discussed in detail: (i) an elastic layer overlying a poroelastic half-space and (ii) a poroelastic layer lying over an elastic half-space. Dispersion curves and attenuation curves of Love waves are plotted for these two cases. In addition, the upper and lower bounds of Love wave speeds are also explored.
Evidence for the effectiveness of stress coatings in improving the magnetic properties of high permeability 3% Si-Fe

Application of a stress coating to high permeability 3% Si-Fe imparts a biaxial tensile stress to the material with the greatest component of strain in the rolling direction. Depending upon material quality, the tensile stress can lead to lower core loss values and to improved magnetostriction characteristics. The response of a material to either uniaxial or biaxial tensile stresses is strongly related to permeability (μ at 10 Oe.) and not quite as strongly to grain size. Compressive stresses can be inadvertantly introduced into 3% Si-Fe at a number of stages during its production and subsequent fabrication into transformer cores. The application of a stress coating to oriented 3% Si-Fe reduces the deterioration of magnetostriction and core loss which occurs due to compressive stresses. This reduction in deterioration has been studied for both high permeability and conventional permeability 3% Si-Fe.
The Structural and Functional Differences between Three Species of Fish Scale Gelatin and Pigskin Gelatin

In this paper, gelatin was extracted from the scales of Coregonus peled, Carp and Bighead carp by the acid method, and the structure and functional properties of the obtained scale gelatin and food-grade pigskin gelatin (FG) were compared. The results showed that all gelatins exhibited relatively high protein (86.81–93.61%), and low lipid (0.13–0.39%) and ash (0.37–1.99%) contents. FG had the highest gel strength, probably because of its high proline content (11.96%) and high average molecular weight distribution. Low β-antiparallel was beneficial to the stability of emulsion, which led FG to have the best emulsifying property. The high content of hydrophobic amino acids may be one of the reasons for the superior foaming property of Bighead carp scales gelatin (BCG). The gel strength of Carp scales gelatin (CG) and BCG, the ESI of Coregonus peled scales gelatin (CPG) and the foaming property of BCG indicate that fish gelatin has the potential to be used in food industry as a substitute for pig skin gelatin.
Next Stop: Europe? Aspirations for Secondary Migration Among Syrian Refugees in Jordan

Refugees who seek protection in neighboring countries (first safe countries of refuge) often have weak economic ties to their current place of residence. Refugees in these first safe countries also often have much to gain economically if they move on to Europe or other wealthier countries, as their refugee status opens doors that are closed to many other migrant groups. Still, far from all refugees in first safe countries aspire to move on to other locations. This article examines migration aspirations among Syrian refugees in Jordan and asks what characterizes refugees who aspire to move on to Europe. Building on theories of migration aspirations originally developed to study labor migration, it draws on a representative survey of 7,632 Syrian refugees in Jordan, conducted during the winter of 2017/2018. We show that religious and cultural preferences (preferences for living in a Muslim country and attitudes toward female labor market participation), as well as perceptions of when return to Syria will be possible, were more important in explaining variance in migration aspirations among Syrian refugees in Jordan than economic factors such as poverty or lack of jobs. These findings suggest that selection effects shape Syrian refugee migration to Europe and that refugees who go to Europe differ from those who remain in that they put less value on traditional gender roles and on living in Muslim societies. As such, the article contributes to the literature on how cultural ties and value preferences shape migration aspirations and influence the composition of migrant populations.
Progress of radiological-pathological workflows in the differential diagnosis between primary central nervous system lymphoma and high-grade glioma

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and high-grade glioma (HGG) are distinct entities of the CNS with completely distinct treatments. The treatment of PCNSL is chemotherapy-based, while surgery is the first choice for HGG. However, the clinical features of the two entities often overlap, and a clear pathological diagnosis is important for subsequent management, especially for the management of PCNSL. Stereotactic biopsy is recognized as one of the minimally invasive alternatives for evaluating the involvement of the CNS. However, in the case of limited tissue materials, the differential diagnosis between the two entities is still difficult. In addition, some patients are too ill to tolerate a needle biopsy. Therefore, combining imaging, histopathology and laboratory examinations is essential in order to make a clear diagnosis as soon as possible. The present study reviews the progress of comparative research on both imaging and laboratory tests based on the pathophysiological changes of the two entities, and proposes an integrative and optimized diagnostic process, with the purpose of building a better understanding for neurologists, hematologists, radiologists and pathologists.