Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Label‐free discrimination of extracellular vesicles from large lipoproteins

Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are increasingly gaining interest as biomarkers and therapeutics. Accurate sizing and quantification of EVs remain problematic, given their nanometre size range and small scattering cross‐sections. This is compounded by the fact that common EV isolation methods result in co‐isolation of particles with comparable features. Especially in blood plasma, similarly‐sized lipoproteins outnumber EVs to a great extent. Recently, interferometric nanoparticle tracking analysis (iNTA) was introduced as a particle analysis method that enables determining the size and refractive index of nanoparticles with high sensitivity and precision. In this work, we apply iNTA to differentiate between EVs and lipoproteins, and compare its performance to conventional nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). We show that iNTA can accurately quantify EVs in artificial EV‐lipoprotein mixtures and in plasma‐derived EV samples of varying complexity. Conventional NTA could not report on EV numbers, as it was not able to distinguish EVs from lipoproteins. iNTA has the potential to become a new standard for label‐free EV characterization in suspension.
Does Host Country Intellectual Property Protection Matter for Technology-Intensive Import Flows?

Using disaggregated industry level data for 1976-2019, we ﬁnd, unlike much of the received literature, that patent rights have a strong positive eﬀect on developing country knowledge-intensive imports. Using the new gravity model of Anderson-van Wincoop, there is strong evidence of a market expansion eﬀect across knowledge-intensive industries. The overall elasticity of knowledge-intensive imports w.r. t patent rights is 0.28, with considerable variation across industries, being 0.55 for electronics, 0.44 for rubber manufactures, and 0.32 for pharmaceuticals. This increase in imports appears to be (mainly) driven by quantity increases, not just price increases. Our results survive multiple robustness checks.
L-mode filament characteristics on MAST as a function of plasma current measured using visible imaging

Clear filamentary structures are observed at the edge of tokamak plasmas. These filaments are ejected out radially and carry plasma in the far scrape off layer (SOL) region, where they are responsible for producing most of the transport. A study has been performed of the characteristics of the filaments observed in L-mode plasma on MAST, using visible imaging. A comparison has then been made with the observed particle and power profiles obtained at the divertor as a function of the plasma current. The radial velocity and to a lesser extent the radial size of the filaments are found to decrease as the plasma current is increased at constant density and input power. The results obtained in this paper on the dependence of the average filament dynamics on plasma current are consistent with the idea that the filaments are responsible for determining the particle profiles at the divertor.
Probing temperature with lattice matched HgTe/CdTe core/shell nanoparticles

Studies of photoluminescence (PL) can provide fundamental insight into the optical properties of semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) but the same is being limited by NP size distribution and low luminescence yield. Inorganic semiconductor core/shell structures have added advantage of durability, high luminescence quantum yield (LQY), 10-80% in the visible range and useful in biological labeling, LED and luminescence thermometry application. However, luminescence thermometry requires narrow PL line width, intense luminescence and should change with temperature linearly and reversibly which are difficult to achieve from lattice mismatched (3.9%-10.6%) core/shell structures. Here, we report a lattice matched, durable and very small (2.8nm) HgTe/CdTe core/shell NPs whose optical activities are shown to be in the UV range and have yielded very high luminescence. The reversible change of PL with temperature of the core/shell NPs is used as an optical probe temperature sensor with resolution 0.32% per degree Kelvin which deemed to be one of the efficient luminescence thermometers reported till date.
Multi-State Multi-Resonator Spectral Signature Barcodes Implemented by Means of S-Shaped Split Ring Resonators (S-SRR)

 Abstract — Spectral signature barcodes functional at the S frequency band are presented in this paper. The barcodes are implemented by loading a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line by means of multiple S-shaped split ring resonators (S-SRRs), each one tuned to a different frequency. The main particularity of this work is the fact that more than two logic states (i.e., three or four, depending on the implementation) are assigned to each resonant element. By this means, the total number of bits of the barcode (for a given number of resonators) is increased, as compared to previous approaches based on two logic states per resonator. This multi-state functionality is achieved by rotating the S-SRRs. Such rotation modulates the line-to-resonator coupling intensity, and consequently the notch depth at the S-SRR fundamental resonance. Therefore, by considering three or four fixed rotation angles (or orientations) between the line axis and the S-SRR (for the tri- and four-state multi-resonator barcodes, respectively), intermediate levels between the maximum and minimum attenuation, are achieved. This multi-state strategy only exploits a single frequency per resonant element (the fundamental one). Therefore, the data capacity per bandwidth is improved as compared to two-state based barcodes or to multi-state barcodes that use two frequencies per resonant element. As illustrative examples, two different four-state multi-resonator barcodes with eight S-SRRs (providing 4 8 = 65.536 different codes, or 16 bits) and with nine S-SRRs (equivalent to 18 bits), occupying a spectral bandwidth of 1 GHz and less than 6.75 cm 2 and 8.2 cm 2 , respectively, are designed, fabricated and characterized.
The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a diagnostic marker for malignant thyroid diseases Malign tiroid hastaliklarinda tanisal belirteç olarak

Background: The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a good marker of malignant diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate NLR as a diagnostic marker of thyroid cancer in patients with malignant thyroid diseases compared to those with benign thyroid diseases. Methods: Two hundred and fifty three patients were divided into two groups: benign and malignant thyroid disease patients. Malignant thyroid disease group was not sub-grouped further into differentiated and undifferentiated. The preoperative complete blood count and biochemical parameters, including NLR, were evaluated. Results : The mean neutrophil count was found to be significantly higher, whereas the mean lymphocyte count was found to be significantly lower in the malignant group which includes 40 of the patients. As a result, NLR was significantly higher in the malignant group than in the benign group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This is the first study to show the value of NLR as a marker for malignant thyroid diseases including all subtypes.
Non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli with potential harmful profiles to humans are isolated from the faeces of calves in Uruguay

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections are responsible for acute illnesses and deaths in humans. Cattle and humans are exposed to STEC through faeces and contaminated food and water. The big six and O157 STEC serogroups are important food and water-borne human pathogens. Additionally, Stx1a, Stx2a and Stx2c subtypes are highly associated with the haemolytic uremic syndrome. This study aimed to determine Shiga toxin-subtypes, the presence of antigen 43 families, the genotypic and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, O-serogrouping, phylotypes and phylogenetic relatedness of STEC of calf origin. Sixteen STEC isolates from calf origin were analysed. PCR was performed to determine Stx subtypes, serogroups, the presence of ag43 I and II and phylotypes. The antimicrobial profile was evaluated and the presence of PMQR and fosfomycin genes was determined by PCR. The clonal relatedness of STEC was studied by PFGE. The genotypes stx1a+c, stx1a+ , stx1a+/stx2e+ , stx1a+c/stx2e and stx2a were detected. Ag43 II was the most prevalent among subfamilies. STEC isolates were serotyped as O103 ( n =5) and O111 ( n =6). Fifty per cent of the isolates were classified as B1 phylogroup, 4/16 as E, 1/16 as C, and 1/16 as F. Non-O157 STEC isolates showed a high level of diversity, independent of the geographical and farm-origin. Isolates were resistant to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and fosfomycin-trometamol. The gene fosA7 was detected in 1 isolate. The virulence profiles, including Shiga toxin-subtypes and serogroups, denote the potential harm of non-O157 STEC isolates to humans. We also confirmed that circulating non-O157 STEC from cattle present genetic heterogeneity and are susceptible to antibiotics.
ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Do Viruses Require the Cytoskeleton? Do Viruses Require the Cytoskeleton?

Background: It is generally thought that viruses require the cytoskeleton during their replication cycle. However, recent experiments in our laboratory with rubella virus, a member of the family Togaviridae (genus rubivirus), revealed that replication proceeded in the presence of drugs that inhibit microtubules. This study was done to expand on this observation. Findings: The replication of three diverse viruses, Sindbis virus (SINV; family Togaviridae family), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV; family Rhabdoviridae), and Herpes simplex virus (family Herpesviridae), was quantified by the titer (plaque forming units/ml; pfu/ml) produced in cells treated with one of three anti-microtubule drugs (colchicine, noscapine, or paclitaxel) or the anti-actin filament drug, cytochalasin D. None of these drugs affected the replication these viruses. Specific steps in the SINV infection cycle were examined during drug treatment to determine if alterations in specific steps in the virus replication cycle in the absence of a functional cytoskeletal system could be detected, i.e. redistribution of viral proteins and replication complexes or increases/decreases in their abundance. These investigations revealed that the observable impacts were a colchicine-mediated fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus and concomitant intracellular redistribution of the virion structural proteins, along with a reduction in viral genome and sub-genome RNA levels, but not double-stranded RNA or protein levels. Conclusions: The failure of poisons affecting the cytoskeleton to inhibit the replication of a diverse set of viruses strongly suggests that viruses do not require a functional cytoskeletal system for replication, either because they do not utilize it or are able to utilize alternate pathways when it is not available.
Hα to FUV ratios in resolved star-forming region populations of nearby spiral galaxies

We present a new study of H{\alpha}/FUV flux ratios of star forming regions within a sample of nearby spiral galaxies. We search for evidence of the existence of a cluster mass dependent truncation in the underlying stellar initial mass function (IMF). We use an automated approach to identification of extended objects based on the SExtractor algorithm to catalogue resolved Hii regions within a set of nearby spiral galaxies. Corrections due to dust attenuation effects are applied to avoid artificially boosted H{\alpha}/FUV values. We use the BPASS stellar population synthesis code of Eldridge & Stanway (2009) to create a benchmark population of star forming regions to act as a reference for our observations. Based on those models, we identify a zone of parameter space populated by regions that cannot be obtained with a cluster mass dependent truncation in the stellar IMF imposed. We find that the investigated galaxies display small subpopulations of star forming regions falling within our zone of interest, which appears to be inconsistent with imposing an IMF truncation at maximum stellar mass dependent on the total cluster mass. The presence of those regions is expected in models using both stochastic and sorted sampling of the full extent of the stellar IMF. This result persists after taking dust attenuation effects into account. We highlight the significance of stochastic effects in environments with low star formation activity and in studies describing systems associated with small physical scales.
EMITTING ELECTRONS SPECTRA AND ACCELERATION PROCESSES IN THE JET OF Mrk 421: FROM THE LOW STATE TO THE GIANT FLARE STATE

We investigate the electron energy distributions (EEDs) and the acceleration processes in the jet of Mrk 421 through fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in different active states in the frame of a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model. After assuming two possible EEDs formed in different acceleration models: the shock-accelerated power law with exponential cut-off (PLC) EED and the stochastic-turbulence-accelerated log–parabolic (LP) EED, we fit the observed SEDs of Mrk 421 in both low and giant flare states using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method which constrains the model parameters in a more efficient way. The results from our calculations indicate that (1) the PLC and LP models give comparably good fits for the SED in the low state, but the variations of model parameters from low state to flaring can be reasonably explained only in the case of the PLC in the low state; and (2) the LP model gives better fits compared to the PLC model for the SED in the flare state, and the intra-day/night variability observed at GeV–TeV bands can be accommodated only in the LP model. The giant flare may be attributed to the stochastic turbulence re-acceleration of the shock-accelerated electrons in the low state. Therefore, we may conclude that shock acceleration is dominant in the low state, while stochastic turbulence acceleration is dominant in the flare state. Moreover, our result shows that the extrapolated TeV spectra from the best-fit SEDs from optical through GeV with the two EEDs are different. It should be considered with caution when such extrapolated TeV spectra are used to constrain extragalactic background light models.
Organizational social commitment and employee well-being: illustrating a construct mining approach in R • Compromiso social organizacional y bienestar del empleado: ilustrando un enfoque de minería de constructos en R

How employees react to an organization’s ethical/social initiatives has little support in terms of empirical evidence. We examine employee perceptions about organizational social commitment (OSC) and its association with employee well-being (WB). The sample consists of 289 participants of a healthcare organization in Colombia. We use a comprehensive methodology for mining psychological/managerial constructs in R comprising six processes (observe, explore, confirm, explain, predict, and report). We provide information concerning the scales’ plausibility, reliability, convergent/discriminant validity, and equity. We contrast the relationship between OSC and WB by using structural equation modelling with bootstrap approaches. We examine the capability of OSC to predict WB by using machine learning methods. We found a positive relationship between the constructs, which shows that OSC is a valuable strategy for contributing to employee objectives from a ‘being well together’ perspective. The paper stimulates/facilitates future research and teaching-learning initiatives in latent variable analysis using the R language. Resumen La Este artículo las percepciones los empleados el compromiso social organizacional (OSC) y su con el bienestar de los empleados (WB). La muestra consta de 289 participantes de una organización de salud en Colombia. Se emplea una metodología integral para minar constructos psicológicos/gerenciales en R, la cual comprende seis procesos (observar, explorar, confirmar, explicar, predecir e informar). Se provee evidencia sobre plausibilidad, fiabilidad, validez convergente/discriminante y equidad de las escalas. Se contrasta la relación entre OSC y WB con uso de modelos de ecuaciones estructurales con Bootstrap. Se examina la capacidad de OSC para predecir WB usando métodos de aprendizaje automático. Se halla una relación positiva entre los constructos, lo que sugiere que el OSC es una estrategia valiosa para contribuir al bienestar de los empleados desde una perspectiva de 'estar bien juntos'. El artículo estimula/facilita futuras iniciativas de investigación y enseñanza-aprendizaje en el análisis de variables latentes usando lenguaje R. Palabras clave: compromiso social organizacional; bienestar del empleado; variables latentes; modelos de ecuaciones estructurales, minería de constructos.
The Hipparcos parallax for Polaris

This Letter follows a recent claim that the Hipparcos parallax for Polaris could be too small by 2.5 mas. It examines in detail the Hipparcos epoch astrometric data for Polaris, as well as the viability of other observations that were put forward to support a larger parallax. The Hipparcos determination of the Polaris parallax is shown to be su ciently robust to fully exclude a significantly larger parallax, and there is no observational support from other observations, such as a supposed presence of a cluster, either.
Limit theorems for iteration stable tessellations

The intent of this paper is to describe the large scale asymptotic geometry of iteration stable (STIT) tessellations in Rd, which form a rather new, rich and flexible class of random tessellations considered in stochastic geometry. For this purpose, martingale tools are combined with second-order formulas proved earlier to establish limit theorems for STIT tessellations. More precisely, a Gaussian functional central limit theorem for the surface increment process induced a by STIT tessellation relative to an initial time moment is shown. As second main result, a central limit theorem for the total edge length/facet surface is obtained, with a normal limit distribution in the planar case and, most interestingly, with a nonnormal limit showing up in all higher space dimensions.
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF PURDUE IMPROVED CROP STORAGE BAGS FOR MAIZE STORAGE AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN NORTHWEST

In Ethiopia, post-harvest losses caused by insects are a major challenge in crop production systems. Dried maize is particularly susceptible to insects during storage. Storage loss affects the livelihoods of small-scale farmers leading to food insecurity and loss of income. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the cost-benefit analysis of Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags on maize storage in Northwest Ethiopia. Cross-sectional data was collected from 392 randomly selected households from both users and non-users of PICS bags, using stratified sampling technique. A structured questionnaire, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, individual in-depth interviews, and field observations were used to gather the data. A cost-benefit analysis was computed to evaluate the viability of PICS bags for maize storage. The binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors that affect the use of PICS bags. Descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test and chi-square test) were employed to analyze the data. The benefit-to-cost ratios (BCRs) of insecticide with both ordinary and PICS bags were greater than one, but PICS bags resulted in more than two-fold higher values as compared to insecticide with ordinary bags. The net present value (NPV) at 15% discount rate in 2018 was 20.73 USD and 25.35 USD per 100 kilograms of stored maize when insecticide was applied to ordinary and PICS bags, respectively. Sensitivity analysis with a 10% cost increment and up to 50% price discount showed that both technologies would still be viable for maize storage. However, PICS bags had higher NPV and BCR; making the technology more viable than insecticide with ordinary bags. The results of binary logit model indicated that educational level, gender, awareness, training, accessibility of the technology, perception of the technology, involvement in leadership activities in the community, and total income of the household positively influenced farmers’ decisions to use PICS bags, whereas price negatively affected the use of the PICS bags. PICS bags had clear economic advantage over insecticide with ordinary bags for maize storage in Northwest Ethiopia. Efforts should be made to disseminate and improve access to PICS bags for strengthening food security and increasing incomes of maize farmers in Northwest Ethiopia.
RADIATION-DRIVEN FOUNTAIN AND ORIGIN OF TORUS AROUND ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

We propose a plausible mechanism to explain the formation of the so-called obscuring tori around active galactic nuclei (AGNs) based on three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations including radiative feedback from the central source. The X-ray heating and radiation pressure on the gas are explicitly calculated using a ray-tracing method. This radiation feedback drives a “fountain,” that is, a vertical circulation of gas in the central few to tens parsecs. Interaction between the non-steady outflows and inflows causes the formation of a geometrically thick torus with internal turbulent motion. As a result, the AGN is obscured for a wide range of solid angles. In a quasi-steady state, the opening angles for the column density toward a black hole <1023 cm−2 are approximately ±30° and ±50° for AGNs with 10% and 1% Eddington luminosity, respectively. Mass inflows through the torus coexist with the outflow and internal turbulent motion, and the average mass accretion rate to the central parsec region is 2 × 10−4 ∼ 10−3 M☉ yr−1; this is about 10 times smaller than accretion rate required to maintain the AGN luminosity. This implies that relatively luminous AGN activity is intrinsically intermittent or that there are other mechanisms, such as stellar energy feedback, that enhance the mass accretion to the center.
Investor Memory and Biased Beliefs: Evidence from the Field∗

We survey a large representative sample of retail investors to elicit their memories of stock market investment and return expectations. We then merge the survey data with administrative data of transactions to test a model in which investors selectively recall past experiences similar to the present cue and use them to form return expectations. Our analysis uncovers new stylized facts about investor memory and provides support for similarity-based recall as a key mechanism of belief formation. We document that market fluctuations affect investors’ recall process: when returns are high, investors tend to retrieve past episodes of rising markets and recall past performances more positively. Retrieved memories, in turn, have large explanatory power for cross-investor variation in beliefs: a single variable based on recalled performance has explanatory power for return expectations similar to that of a dozen individual characteristics combined. Recalled past returns also drive out the explanatory power of realized past returns for expected future returns, which provides a memory-based foundation for return extrapolation behaviors. ∗We are grateful for extensive feedback from Nick Barberis, Mike Kahana, Yueran Ma and Jessica Wachter during the survey design stage of this project. For helpful comments, we thank Nick Barberis, Pedro Bordalo, Nicola Gennaioli, Mike Kahana, Yueran Ma, Frederik Schwerter, Andrei Shleifer, and seminar participants at Booth Behavioral Decision Making Conference, LSE, Maastricht, and WEFIDEV. We thank the Shenzhen Stock Exchange for running the survey and for their collaboration. This study has received IRB approval or exemption from DePaul (IRB-2021-306), LSE (Reference No: 22757), and Northwestern (ID: STU00214866). †Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and NBER ‡Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen §London School of Economics and Political Science ¶DePaul University