Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theory of adiabatic spinodal decomposition in binary fluids

A generalization of the Kawasaki, Ohta/Langer, Bar-on, Miller theory of early-stage spinodal decomposition in a near-critical binary fluid is presented. The theory accounts for experimental scenarios in which the system is quenched abruptly by changing the pressure and the subsequent phase separation occurs adiabatically. Equations of motion for the system volume and effective temperature are derived. It is shown that for this case the non-equilibrium decomposition process is well approximated as one of constant entropy, that is, as thermodynamically reversible. This generalized theory is compared, with no adjustable parameters, to experimental light scattering data of Bailey and Cannell. It is found that this adiabatic theory is in satisfactory agreement with this data throughout the early stage. It is also shown that at later times the Kawasaki and Ohta theory predicts that the peak wavevector $q_m$ of the structure factor scales with time as $t^{-a_q}$, with $a_q \approx 0.46$. The equilibrium static critical properties of the Langer, Bar-on, Miller theory are also examined, this discussion serving to justify some approximations in the adiabatic theory.
A Likelihood Approximation for Locally Stationary Processes

A new approximation to the Gaussian likelihood of a multivariate locally stationary process is introduced. It is based on an approximation of the inverse of the covariance matrix of such processes. The new quasi-likelihood is a generalisation of the classical Whittle-likelihood for stationary processes. For parametric models asymptotic normality and efficiency of the resulting estimator are proved. Since the likelihood has a special local structure it can be used for nonparametric inference as well. This is briefly sketched for different estimates.
Static quark anti-quark pair in SU(2) gauge theory.

We study singlet and triplet correlation functions of a static quark-antiquark pair defined through gauge invariant timelike Wilson loops and Polyakov loop correlators in finite temperature SU(2) gauge theory. We use the Luescher-Weisz multilevel algorithm, which allows us to calculate these correlators at very low temperatures. We observe that the naive separation of singlet and triplet states, in general, does not hold nonperturbatively; however, it is recovered in the limit of small separation, and the temperature dependence of the corresponding correlators is indeed very different.
Fly Ash from Lignite Combustion as a Filler for Rubber Mixes—Part II: Chemical Valorisation of Fly Ash

Fly ash (FA) fractions with a particle size of 63 µm < FA < 250 µm obtained by sieve fractionation were used as a partial carbon black (CB) replacement in a rubber mixture based on styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). In order to improve the interactions at the interface between rubber and fractionated ash, at the stage of preparing the rubber mixtures, two different vinyl silanes were added to the system: Vinyltrimethoxysilane (U-611) or Vinyl-tris (2-methoxy-ethoxy) silane (LUVOMAXX VTMOEO DL50), silane with epoxy groups: 3-(glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (U-50) or sulfur functionalized silanes: containing sulfide bridges: Bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)polysulfide silane (Si-266) or mercapto groups: Mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (Dynaslan MTMO). The conducted research confirmed the effectiveness of silanization with selected functional silanes, from the point of view of improving the processing and operational properties of vulcanizates, in which CB is partially replaced with the finest fractions of fly ash. The silanization generally increased the interaction at the rubber–ash interface, while improving the degree of filler dispersion in the rubber mixture. The results of TGA and FTIR analyses confirmed the presence of silanes chemically bonded to the surface of fly ash particles. SEM tests and determination of the bound rubber (BdR) content show that the introduction of the silanes to the mixture increases the degree of ash dispersion (DI) and the Payne effect, which is the greatest when mercaptosilane was used for modification. The highest increase in torque, which was recorded in the case of rubber mixtures containing sulfur silanes and silane with epoxy groups, may be due to their participation in the vulcanization process, which is confirmed by the results of vulcametric studies. The lowest values of mechanical strength, elongation at break, and the highest hardness of vulcanizates obtained in this case may be the result of the over-crosslinking of the rubber. The addition of sulfur-containing silanes significantly slowed down the vulcanization process, which is particularly visible (up to three times extension of the t90 parameter, compared to mixtures without silane) in the case of Si-266. The addition of silanes, except for Si-266 (with a polysulfide fragment), generally improved the abrasion resistance of vulcanizates. The Dynaslan MTMO silane (with mercapto groups) performs best in this respect. Proper selection of silane for the finest fraction of fly ash in the rubber mixtures tested allows for an increase in the mechanical strength of their vulcanizates from 9.1 to 17 MPa, elongation at break from 290 to 500%, hardness from 68 to 74 °ShA, and reduction in abrasion from 171 to 147 mm3.
Path integral Monte Carlo. Algorithms and applications to quantum fluids

Path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) is a method suitable for quantum liquid simulations at finite temperature. We present in this thesis a study of PIMC dealing with the theory and algorithms related to it, and then two applications of PIMC to current research problems of quantum fluids in the Bolzmann regime. The first part encompasses a study of the different ingredients of a PIMC code: action, sampling and physical property estimators. Particular attention has been paid to Li-Broughton's higher order approximation to the action. Regarding sampling, several collective movement methods have been derived, including the bisection algorithm, that has been thoroughly tested. We also include a study of estimators for different physical properties, such as, the energy (through the thermodynamic and virial estimators), the pair distribution function, the structure factor, and the momentum distribution. In relation to the momentum distribution, we have developed a novel algorithm for its estimation, the trail method. It surmounts some of the problems exposed by previous approaches, such as the open chain method or McMillan's algorithm.The Richardson extrapolation used within PIMC simulations, is another contribution of this thesis. Up until now, this extrapolation has not been used in this context. We present studies of the energy dependence on the number of "beads", along with the betterment provide by the Richardson extrapolation. Inasmuch as our goal is to perform research of quantum liquids at finite temperature, we have produced a library of codes, written from scratch, that implement most of the features theoretically developed. The most elaborated parts of these codes are included in some of the appendixes.The second part shows two different applications of the algorithms coded. We present results of a PIMC calculation of the momentum distribution of Ne and normal 4He at low temperatures. In the range of temperatures analysed, exchanges can be disregarded and both systems are considered Boltzmann quantum liquids. Their quantum character is well reflected in their momentum distributions witch show clear departures from the classical limit. The PIMC momentum distributions which show clear departures from the classical limit. The PIMC momentum distributions are sampled using the trail method. Kinetic energies of both systems, as a function of temperature and at a fixed density, are also reported. Finally, the solid-liquid neon phase transition along the 35 K isotherm has been characterized.While thermodynamic properties of the solid phase are well known the behaviour of some properties, such as the energy or the dessity, during the trasition presen6 some uncertainties For example, experimental data for the place diagram, which determines solid and liquid boundaries, present sizeable differences. The temperature chosen is high enough so that Bose or Fermi statistics corrections are small, although the system is strongly quantum mechanical. The results obtained show a discontinuity in the kinetic energy during the transition.
Quelques propri\'et\'es de stabilit\'e des vari\'et\'es sp\'eciales

We show that the general fibres of the Albanese morphism of a projective special manifold are special as well (a question raised by the first-named author). The main ingredient of the proof is a version (established by Birkar and Chen) with boundary of the famous conjecture of Iitaka on the subadditivity of the Kodaira dimension in an algebraic fibre space. Some consequences of our main result are discussed.
Effects of notch‐filtering on the ELF sferics and the physical parameters

For ELF stations using hardware notch‐filters to suppress power‐grid emissions, the amplitude and the phase of the recorded sferics will inevitably be distorted. The phase shift causes the event time to move and hinders cross‐comparing of events between different platforms. Notch‐filtering also create fictitious dips in the current moment spectrum of the ELF sferics that lead to error in deducing the charge moment change (CMC) of the source discharge. To alleviate the effects of notch‐filtering, we use an elementary signal processing method to reconstruct the source signals and use lab‐generated ELF‐like signals to check the limitations of the reconstruction. The results indicate that the delay of signals due to the notch‐filtering module can be reliably restored, while the amplitude is less; but the reconstruction does restore the low frequency components of the sferics that are important for the CMC determination. Using the corrected event time, 20 associated sprites recorded by the ISUAL/FORMOSAT‐2 experiment during June to September of 2008 were found. Comparing with the notch‐filtered sferics, the reconstructed sferics are found to increase the current moment amplitude Iods by 69 ± 55%, reduce the time constant τ by 52 ± 15%, and lowers the CMC by 22 ± 21%, respectively. From the linear‐correlation of the sprite brightness and the CMC of the sprite‐producing positive lightning, a threshold CMC of ∼900 C‐km for sprite initiation is inferred based on the reconstructed sferic data; this threshold value is also 25% lower than that inferred using the notch‐filtered sferics.
Efficacy of rituximab in anti‐myelin‐associated glycoprotein demyelinating polyneuropathy: Clinical, hematological and neurophysiological correlations during 2 years of follow‐up

We evaluated the clinical and neurophysiological efficacy of rituximab (RTX) in a neurophysiologically homogeneous group of patients with monoclonal gammopathy and immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti‐myelin‐associated glycoprotein antibody (anti‐MAG) demyelinating polyneuropathy.
A Randomized Trial of Enteral Glutamine for Treatment of Burn Injuries.

BACKGROUND Glutamine is thought to have beneficial effects on the metabolic and stress response to severe injury. Clinical trials involving patients with burns and other critically ill patients have shown conflicting results regarding the benefits and risks of glutamine supplementation. METHODS In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we assigned patients with deep second- or third-degree burns (affecting ≥10% to ≥20% of total body-surface area, depending on age) within 72 hours after hospital admission to receive 0.5 g per kilogram of body weight per day of enterally delivered glutamine or placebo. Trial agents were given every 4 hours through a feeding tube or three or four times a day by mouth until 7 days after the last skin grafting procedure, discharge from the acute care unit, or 3 months after admission, whichever came first. The primary outcome was the time to discharge alive from the hospital, with data censored at 90 days. We calculated subdistribution hazard ratios for discharge alive, which took into account death as a competing risk. RESULTS A total of 1209 patients with severe burns (mean burn size, 33% of total body-surface area) underwent randomization, and 1200 were included in the analysis (596 patients in the glutamine group and 604 in the placebo group). The median time to discharge alive from the hospital was 40 days (interquartile range, 24 to 87) in the glutamine group and 38 days (interquartile range, 22 to 75) in the placebo group (subdistribution hazard ratio for discharge alive, 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.04; P = 0.17). Mortality at 6 months was 17.2% in the glutamine group and 16.2% in the placebo group (hazard ratio for death, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.41). No substantial between-group differences in serious adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS In patients with severe burns, supplemental glutamine did not reduce the time to discharge alive from the hospital. (Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; RE-ENERGIZE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00985205.).
Neonatal antibiotics have long term sex‐dependent effects on the enteric nervous system

Infants and young children receive the highest exposures to antibiotics globally. Although there is building evidence that early life exposure to antibiotics increases susceptibility to various diseases including gut disorders later in life, the lasting impact of early life antibiotics on the physiology of the gut and its enteric nervous system (ENS) remains unclear. We treated neonatal mice with the antibiotic vancomycin during their first 10 postnatal days, then examined potential lasting effects of the antibiotic treatment on their colons during young adulthood (6 weeks old). We found that neonatal vancomycin treatment disrupted the gut functions of young adult female and male mice differently. Antibiotic‐exposed females had significantly longer whole gut transit while antibiotic‐treated males had significantly lower faecal weights compared to controls. Both male and female antibiotic‐treated mice had greater percentages of faecal water content. Neonatal vancomycin treatment also had sexually dimorphic impacts on the neurochemistry and Ca2+ activity of young adult myenteric and submucosal neurons. Myenteric neurons of male mice were more disrupted than those of females, while opposing changes in submucosal neurons were seen in each sex. Neonatal vancomycin also induced sustained changes in colonic microbiota and lasting depletion of mucosal serotonin (5‐HT) levels. Antibiotic impacts on microbiota and mucosal 5‐HT were not sex‐dependent, but we propose that the responses of the host to these changes are sex‐specific. This first demonstration of long‐term impacts of neonatal antibiotics on the ENS, gut microbiota and mucosal 5‐HT has important implications for gut function and other physiological systems of the host.
Skin inflammation and impaired adipogenesis in a mouse model of acid ceramidase deficiency

Acid ceramidase catalyzes the degradation of ceramide into sphingosine and a free fatty acid. Acid ceramidase deficiency results in lipid accumulation in many tissues and leads to the development of Farber disease (FD). Typical manifestations of classical FD include formation of subcutaneous nodules and joint contractures as well as the development of a hoarse voice. Healthy skin depends on a unique lipid profile to form a barrier that confers protection from pathogens, prevents excessive water loss, and mediates cell–cell communication. Ceramides comprise ~50% of total epidermis lipids and regulate cutaneous homeostasis and inflammation. Abnormal skin development including visual skin lesions has been reported in FD patients, but a detailed study of FD skin has not been performed. We conducted a pathophysiological study of the skin in our mouse model of FD. We observed altered lipid composition in FD skin dominated by accumulation of all studied ceramide species and buildup of abnormal storage structures affecting mainly the dermis. A deficiency of acid ceramidase activity also led to the activation of inflammatory IL‐6/JAK/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and noncanonical NF‐κB signaling pathways. Last, we report reduced proliferation of FD mouse fibroblasts and adipose‐derived stem/stromal cells (ASC) along with impaired differentiation of ASCs into mature adipocytes.
Elucidating Contributions of Anthropogenic Volatile Organic Compounds and Particulate Matter to Ozone Trends over China.

In China, emissions of ozone (O3)-producing pollutants have been targeted for mitigation to reduce O3 pollution. However, the observed O3 decrease is slower than/opposite to expectations affecting the health of millions of people. For a better understanding of this failure and its connection with anthropogenic emissions, we quantify the summer O3 trends that would have occurred had the weather stayed constant by applying a numerical tool that "de-weathers" observations across 31 urban regions (123 cities and 392 sites) over 8 years. O3 trends are significant (p < 0.05) over 234 sites after de-weathering, contrary to the directly observed trends (only 39 significant due to high meteorology-induced variability). The de-weathered data allow categorizing cities in China into four different groups regarding O3 mitigation, with group 1 exhibiting steady O3 reductions, while group 4 showing significant (p < 0.05) O3 increases. Analysis of the relationships between de-weathered odd oxygen and nitrogen oxides illustrates how the changes in NOx, in anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and reductions in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) affect the O3 trends differently in these groups. While this analysis suggests that VOC reductions are the main driver of O3 decreases in group 1, groups 3 and 4 are primarily affected by decreasing PM2.5, which results in enhanced O3 formation. Our analysis demonstrates both the importance of and possibility for isolating emission-driven changes from climate and weather for interpreting short-term air quality observations.
The catalog of nearby black hole candidates

Context. In order to study the association of the origin of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) with active galactic nuclei (AGN) at all levels of their activity we require an unbiased sample of black holes. Aims. Here we describe such a sample, of about 6 000 black holes, within the local Universe, inside the GZK (Greisen Zatsepin Kuzmin) limit, around 100 Mpc. Methods. The starting point is the 2 micron all sky survey, with the next steps as: test its com- pleteness down to low flux densities, confine it to redshifts z < 0.025, limit it to early Hubble type galaxies, test with B-V colors and with the FIR/Radio ratio the possible separation in classes of sources for the ultra high energy cosmic rays, use the spheroidal stellar component - black hole mass relationship to derive black hole masses, and test them with known black hole masses. Results. The statistics are consistent with the mass function of black hole masses, with a rel- atively flat distribution to about 10^8 Msol, and thereafter a very steep spectrum. Our sample cuts off just below 10^7 Msol, indicating a gap for lower masses, below somewhere near 10^6 Msol. We construct the sky distribution for all black holes above 10^7 Msol, 10^8 Msol, and 3 x 10^8 Msol, and also show the sky distribution for the five redshift ranges 0.0 - 0.005, 0.005 - 0.0010, 0.010 - 0.015, 0.015 - 0.020, and 0.020 to 0.025.
Impact of Cerebellar Injury on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Preterm Infants With Cerebral Palsy

Objective We aimed to analyze brain imaging findings and neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Design Brain magnetic resonance imaging of preterm infants born between 23 and 32 wks’ gestation and diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 2 yrs of corrected age were evaluated. Brain lesions were categorized as periventricular leukomalacia, intraventricular hemorrhage, and cerebellar hemorrhage and graded by the severity. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, at 18–24 mos corrected age, and the Korean Ages and Stages Questionnaire at 18 and 24 mos of corrected age. Results Cerebral palsy was found in 38 children (6.1%) among 618 survivors. Cerebellar injury of high-grade cerebellar hemorrhage and/or atrophy accounted for 25%. Among patients with supratentorial lesions, those having cerebellar injury showed significantly lower scores on each Korean Ages and Stages Questionnaire domain except gross motor than patients without cerebellar injury. They also revealed a high proportion of patients below the cutoff value of Korean Ages and Stages Questionnaire in language, fine motor, and problem-solving domains (P < 0.05) and lower Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, language composite scores (P = 0.038). Conclusions Poor neurodevelopmental outcomes other than motor function were associated with cerebellar injury. Evaluation of the cerebellum may help predict functional outcomes of patients with cerebral palsy.
How sanitary pads came to save the world: Knowing inclusive innovation through science and the marketplace

International development institutions, governments, and social entrepreneurs have become increasingly enthusiastic about ‘inclusive innovation’ which, to solve problems in low- and middle-income countries, focuses on the development of technologies for and by the poor. Inclusive innovation differs from previous development efforts by focusing on devices instead of infrastructure, claiming to be based on scientific evidence, and relying on market logics to achieve humanitarian ends. Proponents argue that, informed by grassroots efforts, these interventions have enormous potential to catalyze economic, social, and political change. How are the market and technological imperatives of inclusive innovation shaping the international development agenda? What do inclusion and innovation mean in this context? What can inclusive innovation tell us about the proliferation of initiatives that promote technology for public good, from responsible innovation to public interest technology? This article examines these questions through a case study of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) innovation in India. Rather than providing solutions to self-evident development problems, inclusive innovation shapes both development problems and solutions simultaneously, in areas where scientific and market ways of knowing converge. These ways of knowing claim to be legitimate because they are rooted in local knowledge and expertise. MHM in India became a problem, and low-cost disposable sanitary pads an inclusive innovative solution, because of the involvement of Indian researchers and innovators, and Indian girls and women as consumers and producers. However, in the process they reinforced narrow understandings of both inclusion and innovation in international development. Inclusion efforts may be wrapped up in political economies that shape and limit their transformational power by prioritizing scientific, technical, and market expertise.
Doubt truth to be a liar

I. TRUTH 1. Aristotle on the Law of Non-Contradiction 2. Theories of Truth 3. Trivialism II. NEGATION 4. Contradiction 5. Boolean Negation 6. Denial and Rejection III. RATIONALITY 7. Rational Belief 8. Belief Revision 9. Consistency and the Empirical Sciences IV. LOGIC 10. Logic and Revisability 11. Validity 12. Logical Pluralism