Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Applicability and Limitations of Selected Optical Scattering Instruments for PMMass Measurement

Two optical scattering instruments for particle mass measurement the Thermo Personal Data RAM (PDR-1500), the TSI Environmental DustTrak DRX (Model 8543) were evaluated by 1) using polyand mono-disperse test aerosol in the laboratory, and 2) sampling ambient aerosol. The responses of these optical scattering instruments to different particle characteristics (size, composition, concentration) were compared with responses from reference instruments. A Mie scattering calculation was used to explain the 10 dependence of the optical instruments’ response to aerosol size and composition. Concurrently, the detection efficiency of one Alphasense Optical Particle Counter (OPC-N2) was evaluated in the laboratory as well. The relationship between aerosol mass concentration and optical scattering was determined to be strongly dependent on aerosol size, and to a lesser extent on aerosol composition (as reflected in the refractive indices of the materials tested) based on ambient measurements. This confirms that there is no simple way to use 15 optical scattering instruments over a wide range of conditions without adjustments based on knowledge of aerosol size and composition. In particular, a test period measuring ambient aerosol with optical scattering instruments and a mass based method (an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer) determined that roughly two thirds of the variance (R2 = 0.64) of the optical to mass signal ratio is explained by the aerosol mass median diameter alone. These observations and calculations help evaluate the applicability and limitations of these 20 optical scattering instruments, and provide guidance to designing suitable applications for each instrument by considering aerosol sources and aerosol size.
New Class of Efficient Terahertz Generators: Effective Terahertz Spectral Filling by Complementary Tandem Configuration of Nonlinear Organic Crystals

Intense table‐top terahertz (THz) sources, which have progressed tremendously in the last decade, are becoming more important for advanced THz science to study light–matter interactions and subsequent applications. Nonlinear optical organic crystals exhibit great potential for intense broadband THz wave generation due to their large nonlinearities and advantageous phase‐matching characteristics. However, the phonon‐induced absorption of most organic crystals in the THz region leads to undesired modulation of the spectrum and limits the THz output efficiency. To overcome such drawbacks, phonon‐mode engineering by modification of molecular structures is suggested, but intrinsic limitations still remain. Here, an efficient alternative approach has been recently proposed for generating intense broadband THz waves based on a tandem configuration that combines two complementary nonlinear organic crystals. Such configuration compensates for the spectral gap of the generated THz waves mainly caused by phonon absorption and additionally enhances the optical‐to‐THz conversion efficiency. The proposed organic tandem generator indicates a substantial enhancement of the peak‐to‐peak THz electric field due to effective spectral filling at phonon absorption gaps. As a result, such tandem configuration provides a versatile platform to generate gapless broadband THz spectra with suppressed phonon absorption and contributes to advancing the development of intense broadband coherent THz sources.
Uses, Revisions, and the Future of Validated Assessments in Computing Education: A Case Study of the FCS1 and SCS1

Validated instruments of knowledge are important for creating an accepted and shared measurement for the most important part of education – student learning. The Force Concept of Inventory from Physics Education Research has had a significant impact across STEM education. The Foundational CS1 (FCS1) and Second CS1 (SCS1) assessments were created and validated to further computing education research. Now, ten years after the publication of the FCS1 assessment and five years after the release of the SCS1 assessment, we can trace the use and the impact that these validated instruments have had on the needs and knowledge of the computing education community. In this paper, we examine how the FCS1 and SCS1 assessments have been used and adapted. We use this discussion to guide a comparison between our field and physics education to give a sense of direction to future research. In looking back on the use of these validated instruments, we can better understand our needs in computing education research and about our future needs in assessment.
Comment on bg-2021-34

For many of the siderophore ligands the purity of commercial sources is not 100% and for desferrioxamine B it is typically 90-95% depending on the manufacturer and lot/batch number. Earlier works also suggested that some siderophores were not stable in solution as they were easily degraded, though other studies have shown that solutions can be stable for days to weeks (Hayes et al., 1994). It is important then to obtain an independent determination of the model ligand concentration, rather than simply assume 100% and using the mass weighed out initially. This is frequently done using ASV in clean KCl or NaCl solutions and titrating with Cu, as then there should be no interferences. In the current work there is no information on how the ligand concentration was assayed prior to analysis.
Assessment of Trophic Responses of a Reservoir to Seasonal and Annual Variations in Monsoon

The variations in water quality parameters and trophic status of a multipurpose reservoir in response to changing intensity of monsoon rain was investigated by applying a trophic state index deviation (TSID) analysis and an empirical regression model to the data collected in two periods from 2014 to 2017. The reservoir in general maintained mesotrophic conditions, and Carlson’s trophic state index (TSIc) was affected most by TSITP. Nutrient concentrations, particularly phosphorus, did not show strong correlations with precipitation, particularly in the period with weak monsoon, and a significant increase in total phosphorus (TP) was observed in Spring 2015, indicating the possibility of internal phosphorus loading under decreased depth and stability of water body due to a lack of precipitation. TSIChl was higher than TSISD in most data in period 1 when a negligible increase in precipitation was observed in the monsoon season while a significant fraction in period 2 showed the opposite trend. Phytoplankton growth was not limited by nutrient limitation although nutrient ratios (N/P) of most samples were significantly higher than 20, indicating phosphorus-limited condition. TSID and regression analysis indicated that phytoplankton growth was limited by zooplankton grazing in the Spring, and that cell concentrations and community structure in the monsoon and post-monsoon season were controlled by the changing intensity of the monsoon, as evidenced by the positive and negative relationships between community size and cyanobacterial population with the amount of precipitation in the Summer, respectively. The possibility of contribution from internal loading and an increase in cyanobacterial population associated with weak monsoon, in addition to potential for nutrient enrichment in the post-monsoon season, implies a need for the application of more stringent water quality management in the reservoir that can handle all potential scenarios
Morphological Transformation of SDS Aggregates in a Deep Eutectic Solvent Above the Fracto-eutectogel to Fluid Transition Temperature

Understanding surfactant self-assembly in deep eutectic solvents (DES) is important to their potential use in industrial formulations. We have recently reported the formation of a fractoeutectogel comprising SDS fractal aggregates at a concentration as low as 1.6 wt% in glyceline (a DES comprising glycerol and choline chloride) at room temperature. The building units of the fractals consisted of multilayers of self-assembled SDS lamellae arranged in a dendritic pattern. Here we report that this fractal phase transitions into a fluid phase above a critical gelation temperature, TCG ~ 45 oC, evident from polarized light microscopy (PLM) observations. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) reveals that this phase transition is underpinned by the nanoscopic morphological transformation of the SDS lamellae into cylindrical micelles at T > TGC. Fitting SANS profiles confirms that the morphology of the micelles is SDS-concentration (cSDS) dependent at T > TGC: cylindrical at cSDS > 0.6 wt% and spherical at cSDS = 0.6 wt%. At cSDS < 0.6 wt%, only isotropic scattering was observed in the SANS profiles. Such SDS self-assembly behaviors contrast with those we have previously observed in glycerol, which we attribute to the presence of ions (i.e. choline chloride) in glyceline. Our findings have general implications to surfactant self-assembly in DES, solvents that are rich in hydrogen bonding and ions.
Digital Innovations and Water Services in Cities of the Global South: A Systematic Literature Review

: Increasing implementation of digital water innovations in cities of the Global South has been accompanied by a growth in research on this topic. This paper presents a first systematic literature review of this domain, analysing a total of 43 papers using a range of thematic categorisations. Overall profiling finds literature to be recent, limited in its engagement with theorisation or methodology, and with some disciplinary, geographic and method gaps. Research has been conservative with regards to the technologies covered, with a provider-centric, rather than a user-or government-centric leaning. Impact findings are skewed towards benefits more than disbenefits, and towards impacts on providers and users rather than towards the broader socio-environmental impacts. The paper ends by laying out a future research agenda that particularly emphasises the value of more contextualised sociotechnical and sociopolitical research.
Running Head: PARENTS’ INFLUENCE IN SCIENCE AND RELIGION Parents’ beliefs about their influence on children’s scientific and religious views: Perspectives from Iran, China and the United States

Parents in Iran, China and the United States were asked 1) about their potential influence on their children's religious and scientific views and 2) to consider a situation in which their children expressed dissent. The Iranian and US parents endorsed their influence on children's beliefs in both domains. By contrast, Chinese parents claimed more influence in the domain of science than religion. Most parents spoke of influencing their children via Parent-only mechanisms in each domain (e.g., discussion, teaching), although US parents did spontaneously note Multiple sources for the transmission of religious views (e.g., church, other influential adults). Parents proposed a similar stance towards children’s dissenting religious and scientific views. Chinese and US parents were more likely to express Supportive approaches and Iranian parents were more likely to express a Directive approach by comparison. The present research informs our understanding of the cultural transmission of views about science and religion.
Elasto-optic properties and internal stress analysis for monoclinic and trigonal crystals

We study the elasto-optic behaviour of monoclinic and trigonal crystals. The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the dielectric impermeability tensor under stress are evaluated by the means of the approximated formulae obtained by Sirotin. The parameters which characterize Bertin's surfaces and fringe patterns in conoscopic observation are determined as functions of either residual or applied stress. Later, the photoelastic constants, and the rotation of the optic plane and optic axes bisector are estimated in order to allow for the evaluation of the residual or applied stress by conoscopic measurements. Finally, we obtain the dependence of the refraction indices on the stress. The knowledge of these crystal properties is mandatory for applications in high physics energy, security, geological prospection and in crystals for photonics and medical applications. The evaluated photoelastic constants allow the development of methodologies for an easy and fast quality control via stress distribution detections by means of conoscopic observation, even for strongly anisotropic crystals. As a case study we apply these results to the cases of monoclinic Lu2(1-x)Y2xSiO5(LYSO) and trigonal LiNbO3 (Lithium Niobate).
Is Face Recognition Biased by Unintentional Recognition of Distracting Information

Research highlights that we are not as skilful in controlling our memory as we may believe. Instead, our everyday intentional recognition judgments are often biased by what we unintentionally recognise in the same context. So far, it has been demonstrated that the unintentional recognition of image distractors can bias the intentional recognition of word targets, in the form of a familiarity (old/new) congruency bias. This bias reflects improved recognition performance for targets when the distractor/context upon which it is present at test is of the same memory status (also old or new). However, this effect has not yet been explored using face stimuli, despite faces varying in pre-existing familiarity and often being encountered in different familiar or unfamiliar contexts in everyday life. Furthermore, the distractor stimuli used in past literature have often been limited to simple drawings. Past designs have also typically relied on the use of working memory load or divided-attention tasks, or healthy aging to magnify distractibility, which is arguably not ecological valid nor generalisable. Consequently, this research investigated whether distractor-induced congruency biases found for words also apply to faces, using a new database of up-to-date face stimuli and without secondary manipulations of distractibility. I also attempted to replicate these results in an alternative sample and compared effects between target types (words vs faces). Results show novel evidence for the idea that faces are also biased by distracting stimuli in the same manner that has been found in relation to words. In turn, providing evidence for specific cognitive theories (e.g. Perceptual load theory) while questioning others (face processing modularity). Lastly, the study also provides future direction for neurocognitive research to answer questions regarding the underlying mechanisms of distractor bias, based on past research findings of dissociating event-related potentials (ERPs) in relation to unintentional and intentional recognition.
Risk Factors and Treatment Needs of Batterer Intervention Program Participants with Substance Abuse Problems

The aim of the present study was to identify the main risk factors and treatment needs of batterer intervention program (BIP) participants with alcohol and drug abuse problems (ADAPs), beyond issues strictly related to their substance abuse, taking into account four sets of variables: sociodemographic (i.e., age, educational level, income, employment, and immigrant status); personality disorders and psychological adjustment (i.e., clinical symptomatology, personality disorders, anger, impulsivity, and self-esteem); social-relational variables (i.e., community support, intimate support, stressful life events, and perceived social rejection); and violence-related variables (i.e., family violence exposure, perceived severity of intimate partner violence against women [IPVAW], ambivalent sexism, risk of future violence, physical and psychological intimate partner violence, motivation to change, and stage of change). The study was based on a sample of 1,039 male IPVAW offenders court-mandated to a community-based BIP. Results from comparisons between BIP participants with and without ADAPs were interpreted in terms of effect sizes to highlight the most salient differences. Differences with moderate effect sizes were found for clinical symptomatology, anger trait, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, stressful life events, motivation to change and stage of change. Differences with large effect sizes were found for impulsivity, antisocial disorder, borderline disorder, and aggressive disorder. Several intervention strategies are proposed to guide and adjust interventions to risk factors and treatment needs of BIP participants with ADAPs. Los factores de riesgo y las necesidades de tratamiento de los participantes en los programas de intervención con maltratadores con problemas de abuso de substancias
JMIR Serious Games

Background: Organizations have used simulation games for health promotion and communication. To evaluate how simulation games can foster collaboration among stakeholders, this paper develops two social network measures. Objective: The paper aims to initiate two specific measures that facilitate organizations and researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of Web-based simulation games in fostering collaboration. Methods: The two measures are: (1) network density and (2) network diversity. They measure the level of connectedness and communication evenness within social networks. To illustrate how these measures may be used, a hypothetical game about health policy is outlined. Results: Web-based games can serve as an effective platform to engage stakeholders because interaction among them is quite convenient. Yet, systematic evaluation and planning are necessary to realize the benefits of these games. The paper suggests directions for testing how the social network dimension of Web-based games can augment individual-level benefits that stakeholders can obtain from playing simulation games. Conclusions: While this paper focuses on measuring the structural properties of social networks in Web-based games, further research should focus more attention on the appropriateness of game contents. In addition, empirical research should cover different geographical areas, such as East Asian countries where video games are very popular. (JMIR Serious Games 2014;2(1):e1) doi:10.2196/games.3178
Decomposing camera and object motion for an improved video sequence prediction

We propose a novel deep learning framework that focuses on decomposing the motion or the ﬂow of the pixels from the background for an improved and longer prediction of video sequences. We propose to generate multi-timestep pixel level prediction using a framework that is trained to learn the temporal and spatial dependencies encoded in the video data separately. The proposed framework, called Velocity Acceleration Network or VANet, is capable of predicting long term video frames for a static scenario, where the camera is stationary, as well as in dynamic partially observable cases, where the camera is mounted on a moving platform (cars or robots). This framework decomposes the ﬂow of the image sequences into velocity and acceleration maps and learns the temporal transformations using a convolutional LSTM network. Our detailed empirical study on three diﬀerent datasets (BAIR, KTH and KITTI) shows that conditioning recurrent networks like LSTMs with higher order optical ﬂow maps results in improved inference capabilities for videos.
Against the Resilience of High-Grade Gliomas: Gene Therapies (Part II)

Introduction: High-grade gliomas (HGGs) still have a high rate of recurrence and lethality. Gene therapies were projected to overcome the therapeutic resilience of HGGs, due to the intrinsic genetic heterogenicity and immune evasion pathways. The present literature review strives to provide an updated overview of the novel gene therapies for HGGs treatment, highlighting evidence from clinical trials, molecular mechanisms, and future perspectives. Methods: An extensive literature review was conducted through PubMed/Medline and ClinicalTrials.gov databases, using the keywords “high-grade glioma,” “glioblastoma,” and “malignant brain tumor”, combined with “gene therapy,” “oncolytic viruses,” “suicide gene therapies,” “tumor suppressor genes,” “immunomodulatory genes,” and “gene target therapies”. Only articles in English and published in the last 15 years were chosen, further screened based on best relevance. Data were analyzed and described according to the PRISMA guidelines. Results: Viruses were the most vehicles employed for their feasibility and transduction efficiency. Apart from liposomes, other viral vehicles remain largely still experimental. Oncolytic viruses and suicide gene therapies proved great results in phase I, II preclinical, and clinical trials. Tumor suppressor, immunomodulatory, and target genes were widely tested, showing encouraging results especially for recurrent HGGs. Conclusions: Oncolytic virotherapy and suicide genes strategies are valuable second-line treatment options for relapsing HGGs. Immunomodulatory approaches, tumor suppressor, and target genes therapies may implement and upgrade standard chemoradiotherapy. Future research aims to improve safety profile and prolonging therapeutic effectiveness. Further clinical trials are needed to assess the efficacy of gene-based therapies.
Anisotropic Cosmological Model in a Modified Theory of Gravitation

Current observations indicate that, on a large enough scale, the universe is homogeneous and isotropic. However, this does not preclude the possibility of some anisotropy having occurred during the early stages of the evolution of the universe, which could then have been damped out later. This idea has aroused interest in the Bianchi models, which are homogeneous but anisotropic. Secondly, there is much interest in modified gravity these days due to the problems that the usual ΛCDM model faces in general relativity. Hence, in this paper, a study was conducted on the Bianchi type-I cosmological model in f(R,T)-modified gravity. Following some ideas from cosmography, a specific form of the deceleration parameter was assumed, leading to a model that exhibited a transition from early deceleration to late-time acceleration. The derived model approached isotropy at late times. The physical properties of the model were discussed, and expressions for the various parameters of the model were derived. It is also possible to make progress towards solving the cosmological constant problem, since in this model in f(R,T) gravity, a variable cosmological-type parameter arose, which was large early on but decreased to a constant value in later times.