Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dependence on age of interference with phoneme perception by first- and second-language speech maskers

This study investigated the differences in first-language-based (L1-based) phonetic processing for second language (L2) phonemes among different age groups of adults. A speech-in-speech masking paradigm was utilized to examine the contribution of the L1-based processing. A phoneme identification task in one language was conducted in the presence or absence of an interferer of a masker of the same or a different language. The degree of interference (i.e., the decrease in identification performance) was postulated to increase as the similarity of underlying processes for the target and masker increases. Experiment 1 was conducted to test the effectiveness of the paradigm. As expected, the interference increased as the similarity of underlying processes for the target and masker increased. Experiment 2 examined the perception of English /r/–/l/ and other phonetic contrasts by Japanese listeners in various adult age groups, to examine whether the degree of interference differs depending on the putative degrees of L1-based processing and on age. The results demonstrated such differences and showed that the L1-based processing can be estimated from the decrease in the identification performance. They also suggested that the perception of /r/–/l/ in the initial singleton and initial cluster positions was high L1-based in older adults.
Turbulent boundary layer at low Reynolds number

The results of an experimental investigation of a turbulent boundary layer with zero‐pressure gradient directed toward extending the data base at low Reynolds numbers are presented. The data obtained are concerned primarily with mean‐velocity distributions, skin‐friction coefficients, and distributions of intensity of the longitudinal‐component of the turbulent‐velocity fluctuations for Reynolds numbers based on momentum thickness as low as 465. The validity, at low Reynolds numbers, of the semi‐empirical laws characterizing the inner and outer regions of the boundary layer is examined.
A Low-Profile Design for the Noncontact Ultrasonically Levitated Stage

In this paper, we propose a new low-profile design for a linear bearing based on Near-Field Acoustic Levitation (NFAL). Two flat beams at a 45° angle are used as a guide rail, and a slider is levitated by ultrasonic bending vibrations excited along the beams. The beams are excited by a pair of Langevin transducers with “+”-shaped vibration direction converters (L-L converters) to install the transducers in the same plane of the beam and to lower the total height of the setup. First, the design of the vibration converter is described. Then, a two-phase driving system to excite a traveling wave is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The levitation characteristics and the sliding performance of the prototype stage are measured and discussed.
LANDAU LEVELS AND CYCLOTRON RESONANCE IN GRAPHITE

Landau levels and their eigenfunctions are calculated for the band model of Slonczewsky and Weiss by using Kohn-Luttinger's method. Owing to the interband effect, the energy levels do not agree with semiclassical energy levels. The theory of cyclotron resonance absorption is developed on the basis of obtained energy levels and eigenfunctions. Taking into account the incompleteness of circular polarization of microwave in the experiment done by Galt, Yager and Dail, an alternative interpretation of cyclotron resonance experiment is presented. It is shown that the values of k z which give absorption peaks are k z =0 for holes and E 2 = E 3 for electrons, instead of Nozieres's interpretation. The values γ 0 2 /γ 1 =31 eV and γ 0 2 / E f =317 eV are obtained for band parameters to fit the experimental data. The possibility of determining γ 1 directly from magneto-optical effect is also discussed.
Fitting the Generalized Pareto Distribution to Data

Abstract The generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) was introduced by Pickands to model exceedances over a threshold. It has since been used by many authors to model data in several fields. The GPD has a scale parameter ([sgrave] > 0) and a shape parameter (−∞ 1, the maximum likelihood estimates do not exist, and when k is between 1/2 and 1, they may have problems. Furthermore, for k ≤ −1/2, second and higher moments do not exist, and hence both the method-of-moments (MOM) and the probability-weighted moments (PWM) estimates do not exist. Another and perhaps more serious problem with the MOM and PWM methods is that they can produce nonsensical estimates (i.e., estimates inconsistent with the observed data). In this article we propose a method for estimating the parameters and quantiles of the GPD. The estimators are well defined for all parameter values. They are also easy to compute. Some asymptotic results are provide.
Zero-crossings in turbulent signals

A primary motivation for this work arises from the contradictory results obtained in some recent measurements of the zero-crossing frequency of turbulent fluctuations in shear flows. A systematic study of the various factors involved in zero-crossing measurements shows that the dynamic range of the signal, the discriminator characteristics, filter frequency and noise contamination have a strong bearing on the results obtained. These effects are analysed, and explicit corrections for noise contamination have been worked out. New measurements of the zero-crossing frequency N0 have been made for the longitudinal velocity fluctuation in boundary layers and a wake, for wall shear stress in a channel, and for temperature derivatives in a heated boundary layer. All these measurements show that a zero-crossing microscale, defined as Λ = (2πN0)−1, is always nearly equal to the well-known Taylor microscale λ (in time). These measurements, as well as a brief analysis, show that even strong departures from Gaussianity do not necessarily yield values appreciably different from unity for the ratio Λ/λ. Further, the variation of N0/N0 max across the boundary layer is found to correlate with the familiar wall and outer coordinates; the outer scaling for N0 max is totally inappropriate, and the inner scaling shows only a weak Reynolds-number dependence. It is also found that the distribution of the interval between successive zero-crossings can be approximated by a combination of a lognormal and an exponential, or (if the shortest intervals are ignored) even of two exponentials, one of which characterizes crossings whose duration is of the order of the wall-variable timescale ν/U2*, while the other characterizes crossings whose duration is of the order of the large-eddy timescale δ/U∞. The significance of these results is discussed, and it is particularly argued that the pulse frequency of Rao, Narasimha & Badri Narayanan (1971) is appreciably less than the zero-crossing rate.
Reflecting Brownian Motions and Comparison Theorems for Neumann Heat Kernels

We consider the challenging problem of Chavel′s conjecture on the domain monotonicity of the fundamental solution of the Neumann problem. It says that if D ⊂ D are open convex domains and if pt(x, y) and pt(x, y) denote the corresponding parabolic heat kernels for the respective Neumann problems, then: pt(x, y) ≥ pt(x, y) ∀x, y ∈ D, ∀t > 0. The quantities pt(x, y) and pt(x, y) can be interpreted as the transition densities of the reflecting Brownian motions Xt and Xt in D and D, respectively. The conjecture can be restated as a comparison problem for Brownian motions with reflecting boundary conditions. We give a detailed analysis of the small time asymptotics of the Brownian paths reflected on the boundary of a polyhedron and we give a probabilistic proof of Chavel′s conjecture for small time t uniformly for all x and y in D when the closure of D is contained in D. An interesting by-product of our proof is that it does not require the large domain to be convex.
Parallel algorithms for nonlinear problems

Multi-splittings of a matrix are used to generate parallel algorithms to approximate the solutions of nonlinear algebraic systems. A parallel nonlinear Gauss–Seidel algorithm for approximating the solution of $Au + \phi ( u ) = f$ where A is an M-matrix is introduced and studied. Also, a parallel Newton–SOR method is defined for the problem $F ( u ) = 0$ where $F' ( u ) = $ the Jacobian is an M-matrix. An illustration and comparison of these methods with their serial versions is given. The speed-up on the Denelcor HEP parallel processing computer is also recorded.
Duality and best constant for a Trudinger–Moser inequality involving probability measures

 e ) P(dα), where  is a two-dimensional Riemannian surface without boundary, v ∈ H 1(), ∫  v = 0, I = [−1, 1], P is a Borel probability measure on I and λ > 0. The functional Jλ arises in the statistical mechanics description of equilibrium turbulence, under the assumption that the intensity and the orientation of the vortices are determined by P . We formulate a Toland nonconvex duality principle for Jλ and we compute the optimal value of λ for which Jλ is bounded from below.
Statistics of energy transfer in high-resolution direct numerical simulation of turbulence in a periodic box

The statistics of energy transfer is studied by using the data of a series of high-resolution direct numerical simulations of incompressible homogeneous turbulence in a periodic box with the Taylor micro-scale Reynolds number R λ and grid points up to approximately 1130 and 4096 3 , respectively. The data show that the energy transfer T across the wave number k is highly intermittent and the skewness S and flatness F of T increase with k approximately as S ∝( k L ) α S , F ∝( k L ) α F in the inertial subrange, where α S ∼2/3, α F ∼1 and L the characteristic length scale of energy containing eddies. The comparison between the statistics of T , the energy dissipation rate e and its average e r over a domain of scale r shows that T is less intermittent than e, while there is a certain similarity between the probability distribution functions of T and e r .
Cooling fermionic atoms in optical lattices by shaping the confinement

We propose an experimental procedure to cool fermionic atoms loaded into an optical lattice. The central idea is to spatially divide the system into entropy-rich and -poor regions by shaping the confining potential profile. Atoms in regions of high entropy per particle are subsequently isolated from the system. We discuss how to experimentally carry out this proposal and perform a quantitative study of its efficiency. We find that the entropy per particle, $s$, can typically be reduced by a factor of 10 such that entropies lower than $s/{k}_{B}\ensuremath{\sim}0.2$ can be reached. Cooling into highly sought-after quantum phases (such as an antiferromagnet) can thus be achieved. We show that this procedure is robust against variations of the experimental conditions.
Evidence for a warm interstellar medium in the Fornax dwarf ellipticals FCC046 and FCC207

We present Hα+[N II] narrow-band imaging of FCC046 and FCC207, two dwarf ellipticals (dES) in the Fornax cluster. B-R and B-I colour maps clearly show signs of dust absorption in FCC207. FCC046 has a very bright blue nucleus, offset by about 1.1 arcsec with respect to the outer isophotes. FCC046 was classified as a non-nucleated dE4 so the presence of its nucleus came as a surprise. Moreover, FCC046 shows a pronounced lopsided shape. Given that FCC046 is an isolated galaxy, it is unlikely that an encounter caused this asymmetry. The emitting regions differ considerably between the two galaxies. Whereas FCC207 has only one central emission region, FCC046 also contains fainter emission regions. Based on broadband colours, its disturbed shape and its very bright nucleus, FCC046 is akin to the class of amorphous dwarfs. The central emission regions of both galaxies are barely resolved under seeing conditions of FWHM 0.8 arcsec and we estimate their diameters at about 60 pc. Their Ha luminosities can be explained as photoionization by post asymptotic giant branch stars in an old population. Some of the fainter extended emission regions in FCC046 are resolved and have diameters of the order of 50-150 pc and Ha luminosities of the order of 10 3 0 W, comparable to supernova remnants or nebulae around Wolf-Rayet stars. Hence, FCC046 is clearly undergoing star formation while for FCC207 the case is not as clear-cut. We estimate the mass of the H II gas in FCC046 at M H I I = 40-150 M O . (for T = 10 4 K, N e = 1000 cm - 3 ). The ionized-gas content of FCC207 is somewhat higher: M H I I = 60-190 M O .
Redundant versus non-redundant apertures for exoplanet detection

Using simplificative assumptions, we show that a redundant configuration of diluted apertures should permit an easier exoplanet detection than a non-redundant one. This result assumes that after coronagraphy the planet appears over an uniform background whose statistical fluctuation is the unique source of noise. The detection is made using a matched filter, cross-correlating the observed image with the telescope array PSF. In that case, the relevant parameter appears to be the integral of the modulus squared of the aperture MTF.
Numerical Simulation of Particle Dispersion in the Wake of a Circular Cylinder

In this article, numerical simulation of the Navier-Stokes equations was performed for the large-scale structures of a two-dimensional temporally developing cylinder flow and the associated dispersion patterns of particles were simulated. The time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations were integrated in time using a mixed explicit-implicit operator splitting rules. The spatial discretization was processed using spectral-element method. Non-reflecting conditions were employed at the outflow boundary. Particles with different Stokes numbers were traced by the Lagrangian approach based on one-way coupling between the continuous and the dispersed phases. The simulation results of the flow field agree well with experimental data. Due to the effects of the coherent structures, the particles demonstrate a more organized dispersion process in the space and a periodic dispersion characteristic in the time. Particle dispersion increases with the flow Reynolds number and so does for particle concentration, which is independent of particle size. However, for particles at different Stokes numbers, the dispersion patterns are different. The particles at smaller Stokes number congregate mainly in the vortex core regions and the particles at larger Stokes number disperse much less along the lateral direction with the even distribution. The higher density distribution at the outer boundary of large-scale vortex structure characterizes the dispersion pattern of particles at the Stokes numbers of order of unity. Furthermore, these particles disperse largely along the lateral direction and show the nonuniform distribution of concentration.
Banded frequency structure from linear mode conversion in inhomogeneous plasmas

Linear mode conversion of unmagnetized Langmuir waves into transverse electromagnetic waves in an inhomogeneous plasma is investigated numerically. It is shown that the presence of a tunneling region and density well near the mode conversion region can significantly influence the mode conversion efficiency. The density cavity acts as a resonator, such that the mode conversion efficiency shifts from zero to a local maximum (up to 100% efficiency) with variation of the cavity width on scales of order the Langmuir wavelength. In this way, Langmuir waves with a smooth (structureless) frequency dependence can be selectively mode converted to produce narrow frequency bands of electromagnetic radiation. Applications are discussed to banded frequency fine structure in electromagnetic emissions at the electron plasma frequency in Earth’s foreshock and the solar wind, type III solar radio bursts, and lower ionospheric auroral roar emissions.
Multidecadal change in the dissolved inorganic carbon in a long‐term ocean state estimation

By using a four‐dimensional variational data assimilation system capable of estimating physical and biogeochemical variables for the global ocean, we investigated multidecadal changes in the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the ocean. The system was newly constructed with a pelagic ecosystem model and an oceanic general circulation model to integrate available ocean observations obtained with a wide range of observation tools. The distribution of estimated DIC was by and large consistent with previous reports. We validated the changes in DIC along the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) Hydrographic Program sections. The correlation coefficients of the modeled versus observed decadal difference patterns of DIC ranged from 0.25 to 0.51 in the Pacific Ocean, from 0.36 to 0.62 in the Atlantic Ocean, and from 0.23 to 0.57 in the Indian Ocean, and were significant at the 95% confidence level. Thus, at basin scale, the reproducibility of long‐term climate change was similar. Estimation of vertical DIC fluxes in each basin showed that the fluxes changed on a multidecadal time scale in our system. These changes were possibly due to changes in the dynamical state of CO2 absorption and to changes in ocean circulation. Our integrated data set on the basis of a dynamically self‐consistent ocean state is a promising tool for examining long‐term changes in the ocean carbon cycle.
Discovery of Linear “Building Blocks” of Water Masers Shaping Linear/Arcuate Microstructures in Cepheus A

We report three epochs of VLBA water maser observations toward the radio jet Cepheus A HW2. The VLBA data show that some of the masers detected previously with the VLA unfold into unexpected and remarkable linear/arcuate "microstructures," revealing, in particular three filaments (R1, R2, R3) with length sizes ≃3-25 mas (2-18 AU) and unresolved in the perpendicular direction (≲0.1 AU), an arcuate structure (R4-A) of ≃20 mas size (15 AU), and a curved chain of masers (R5; which we have previously reported) of ≃100 mas size (≃72 AU). Some of these structures unfold into even smaller linear "building blocks" (down to scales of 0.4 AU) shaping the "larger" structures. The flattened appearance of these small pieces argues strongly for a shock nature. Both the morphology and the observed proper motions found in these water maser structures have allowed us to identify at least three different centers of star formation activity in a region of ≃300 mas (200 AU) projected radius, unknown previously, and that could constitute a triple star system. We suggest that R1, R2, and R3, which are located close to the HW2 radio jet but offset by ≃200 mas with respect to its axis, could originate at the shocked walls of an inner cavity excavated by the HW2 wind in the circumstellar molecular gas. The presence of a wide-angle wind associated with the central HW2 object is implied. We also propose that the arcuate structure R4-A corresponds to a bow-shock structure produced by the wind of an undetected protostar (which we predict to be located toward the southeast of R4-A, ≃200 mas south from HW2). Finally, the third energy source of this small region could be that one exciting the arc R5, which, as we have previously reported, is expanding and related to an unidentified protostar located ≃600 mas south of HW2. The flux density of the water masers of the R5 arc excited by this unknown protostar (~500 Jy) represents an important fraction (~50%) of the total flux density of the maser emission in the entire Cepheus A star-forming region, suggesting that the exciting object could be a high-mass star. Furthermore, we find that the center of the circle, which fit the R5 arc structure for each epoch, is moving with a velocity of ~6 km s-1. This could be caused by proper motions of the associated protostar because of relative orbital motions within the triple star system formed by HW2 and the energy sources of the R4-A and R5 structures.
Gas flows caused by evaporation and condensation on two parallel condensed phases and the negative temperature gradient: Numerical analysis by using a nonlinear kinetic equation

A rarefied gas between its two parallel plane condensed phases with different temperatures is considered, and the steady gas flows caused by evaporation and condensation on the condensed phases are investigated numerically by using the (nonlinear) Boltzmann–Krook–Welander equation. The flow properties are clarified for a wide range of the parameters (the Knudsen number, the ratio of the temperatures of the condensed phases, and the ratio of the saturation gas pressures at these temperatures). In particular, the phenomenon of the negative temperature gradient, which has extensively been studied for weak evaporation and condensation, is confirmed to occur also for nonweak evaporation and condensation. In the course of the numerical analysis, it is demonstrated that the linearized Boltzmann equation does not give the correct description of the problem for very small Knudsen numbers (i.e., Knudsen numbers comparable to or smaller than the flow Mach number), however weak the evaporation and condensation may be.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Melanoma Diagnosis: Increased Breslow Thickness in Primary Melanomas—A Single Center Experience

Early melanoma diagnosis plays a key role in ensuring best prognosis with good survival rates. The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted global and national healthcare systems, thus making it a real challenge. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on diagnostic delay in melanoma patients in Serbia. In this retrospective study, we included patients treated at the university hospital in Serbia’s capitol over a period of five years and three months. We compared the prepandemic (01/JAN/17-14/MAR/20) and pandemic periods (15/MAR/20-31/MAR/22) by evaluating patient demographic data, melanoma subtype, Breslow thickness, Clark level, ulceration status, mitotic index rate and pT staging. We observed a significant reduction in the number of diagnosed patients (86.3 vs. 13.7%; p = 0.036), with melanomas having an increased median Breslow thickness (1.80 vs. 3.00; p = 0.010), a higher percentage of Clark IV–V level lesions (44.0% vs. 63.0%; p = 0.009), an increase in median mitotic index rate (2 vs. 5; p < 0.001) and a trend of increase in lesions thicker than 2 mm (37.8% vs. 53.7%; p = 0.026). We believe that this study can be a useful scenario guide for future similar events, highlighting the importance of preventive measures and timely diagnosis for the best patient outcomes.
Do Self-Efficacy and Moral Intelligence have a Role in the Formation of Sportsmanship Behavior?

The present study is aimed to investigate the effect of empathy, conscience, self-control, kindness and self-efficacy on sportsmanship behaviors, since there is no study that investigated the effects of self-efficacy and moral intelligence on sportsmanship behaviors. For this purpose, the study was carried out according to the relational screening design, which is one of the quantitative research designs. 397 students studying at the faculty of sports sciences participated in the research. "Yakut-Moral Intelligence Scale", "Athlete Self Efficacy Scale" and "Investigation of Sportsmanship Behaviors Scale" were used to carry out the study. Statistical analyzes were made in SPSS 25 program and Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were used. As a result of the analysis, sportsmanship has been determined that it has a significant relationship with empathy, conscience, self-control, kindness and self-efficacy. As another result of the study, while self-efficacy alone explains 13.4% of sportsmanship, self-efficacy, empathy, self-control and kindness together explain 48% of sportsmanship. It was determined that the sub-dimension of conscience did not have a significant effect on sportsmanship. According to these results, in displaying sportsmanship behaviors; Having a high level of self-efficacy, ability to empathize, power to control behaviors and kindness have an important and powerful effect.