Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
3DAEFA-Based Thunderstorm Prediction System With Higher Performance

This article presents a thunderstorm prediction system with a 3-D atmospheric electric field (AEF) apparatus (3DAEFA), wherein the data source is the high-resolution 3-D AEF (3DAEF) values. The system is mainly composed of 3DAEF sensor design and calibration, 3DAEF acquisition and processing, and thunderstorm prediction, localization, and imaging. First, a self-made single-axis rotary vane 3DAEFA is employed to measure 3DAEFs. Second, a calibration device is developed to calibrate 3DAEF directions while completing intensity calibration. Considering that the AEF signal (AEFS) is disturbed by low-frequency noises, full-frequency-domain AEFS denoising is conducted through Savitzky–Golay (SG) filtering, and baseline estimation and denoising with sparsity (BEADS). A prediction model is built based on the bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) network. After inputting denoised AEFS spatial features into the model, which is extracted by a convolutional neural network (CNN), a CNN-BiLSTM model is formed. The proposed system is assessed in different weathers. There is a significant improvement in AEFS’s signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measured by this system, especially in thunderstorm weather, compared with the original AEFS (OAEFS). Meanwhile, determining coefficients are more than 95%, showing better prediction effects. The deviation between predicted values and real values is smaller than that of OAEFS, which makes it easier to analyze AEFS characteristics. Comparisons with radar charts demonstrate that the proposed system can effectively predict thunderstorms.
Dust Deposition and Associated Heavy Metal Contamination in the Neighborhood of a Cement Production Plant at Konongo, Ghana

The release of harmful particles from industries is one of the important sources of environmental pollution worldwide. The goal of this study was to determine the amounts of dust deposition and heavy metal pollution in the soils surrounding a cement mill in Konongo, Ghana. Topsoils (0-10 cm) were sampled at the four geographical axes of the factory within a radius of 400 m, while at the same time, about 500 g of cement was sampled with a hand trowel. A Frisbee dust sampler was used to examine the levels of dust depositions at the various geographical axes of the factory. The heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) were measured in a total of 20 soil samples using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The results obtained for climatic elements such as wind speed and direction, temperature, and relative humidity were 2.25, 25.7, and 49.5 m3/s, respectively. The average deposition of dust within the study period using the geographical axis indicated that the southern axis recorded the highest dust accumulation with a mean of 60.2 g/m2 per month. The mean concentrations of metals at the various axes were 1.04 mg/kg, 4.78 mg/kg, 8.95 mg/kg, 9.30 mg/kg, and 18.4 mg/kg for Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb, respectively. The concentration of chemical components investigated in the soil was below the WHO/FAO standard, except for Cd. The spatial distribution pattern of the examined heavy metals showed that Cd, Cr, and Cu represent possible sources of soil contaminants. According to the conclusions of this research, this paper suggests an approach to investigate the areas contaminated with heavy metals to call out the attention of local authorities to take action.
An investigation of nonlinear aeroelasticity in aircfaft wings

The investigation involved exploring the properties of the nonlinear spring models for aircraft wings. The theory which leads to the set of differential equations govering the motion of the aircraft wing was then described. A previous student had already made a program called wforce.f. The Runge­Kutta­Fehlberg method used in this program was described and the program was validated using examples made in past references. These were found to correspond to the results for the pro­ gram. Finally an investigation was made into the effect of changing the cubic spring on the ampli­ tude of motion of the wing after a perturbation. A harder cubic spring was found to reduce the amplitude of the limit cycle in which the wing oscillated.
Oncocytic Cell Carcinoma of the Thyroid: A Case Report and an Overview of the Diagnosis, Treatment Modalities, and Prognosis

Cancers of the thyroid gland are uncommon, accounting for 1% of malignant tumors. Oncocytic carcinoma of the thyroid (OCA), previously known as “Hürthle cell” carcinomas, make up 3% to 5% of all thyroid cancers and are extremely rare. In the United States, the incidence of thyroid cancer is approximately 12 per 100,000 per year and increases with age. The prevalence of thyroid cancers in women is estimated to be twice that in men, with the male gender correlating with a worse prognosis. A definitive diagnosis of OCA is confirmed after complete excision and histopathological examination. OCA is an aggressive tumor with an exceedingly low incidence, a high risk of metastasis, and a poor prognosis. The mainstay of therapy for OCA is surgery. In order to recognize and treat the disease as early as possible, healthcare providers must consider the probability of OCA in patients presenting with a thyroid mass. We hereby present a case of OCA identified incidentally status post tracheostomy and subsequent biopsy. We have an opportunity to review this disease with the hope of improving outcomes by raising awareness and with early recognition.
Physician–Medical Manufacturing Industry Relationships: Perceptions of Malaysians

The relations between physicians and the medical manufacturing industry(MMI) which includes pharmaceutical, medical device or implants or life science industry, etc., are well known. To promote better physician–patient relationship and to safeguard patients’ interest, it has been proposed to make physician–industry financial relations transparent and accessible to public. This study aimed to explore Malaysian public’s perceptions towards these relationships. A survey questionnaire was specifically prepared to meet the objective of the study after a review of the existing literature. Statements describing various types of physician–industry financial interactions were formulated based on previous research. The participants were instructed to mark their response to each statement based on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. More than half (57.1%) of the participants were aware of the relationships between physicians and MMI and online database was noted to be the most preferred type of disclosure. Age, gender, race, education status, annual income and subjective health influenced the perceptions. Since consumers (patients) are the key stakeholders of the healthcare industry, their opinions are important. It is hoped that disclosing the financial relationships will help them to make a better-informed decision while choosing their healthcare provider.
Numerical solutions of atmospheric flow over semielliptical simulated hills

Atmospheric motion over obstacles on plane surfaces to compute simulated wind fields over terrain features was studied. Semielliptical, two dimensional geometry and numerical simulation of flow over rectangular geometries is also discussed. The partial differential equations for the vorticity, stream function, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence length scale were solved by a finite difference technique. The mechanism of flow separation induced by a semiellipse is the same as flow over a gradually sloping surface for which the flow separation is caused by the interaction between the viscous force, the pressure force, and the turbulence level. For flow over bluff bodies, a downstream recirculation bubble is created which increases the aspect ratio and/or the turbulence level results in flow reattachment close behind the obstacle.
Density distributions of outflow-driven turbulence

Protostellar jets and outflows are signatures of star formation and promising mechanisms for driving supersonic turbulence in molecular clouds. We quantify outflow-driven turbulence through three-dimensional numerical simulations using an isothermal version of the robust total variation diminishing code. We drive turbulence in real-space using a simplified spherical outflow model, analyse the data through density probability distribution functions (PDF), and investigate the Core Formation Rate per free-fall time (CFR_ff). The real-space turbulence driving method produces a negatively skewed density PDF possessing an enhanced tail on the low-density side. It deviates from the log-normal distributions typically obtained from Fourier-space turbulence driving at low densities, but can provide a good fit at high-densities, particularly in terms of mass weighted rather than volume weighted density PDF. Due to this fact, we suggest that the CFR_ff determined from a Fourier-driven turbulence model could be comparable to that of our particular real-space driving model, which has a ratio of solenoidal to compressional components from the resulting turbulence velocity fields of ~0.6.
Indo-Pacific variability on seasonal to multidecadal timescales. Part I: Intrinsic SST modes in models and observations

The variability of Indo-Pacific SST on seasonal to multidecadal timescales is investigated using a recently introduced technique called nonlinear Laplacian spectral analysis (NLSA). Through this technique, drawbacks associated with ad hoc pre-filtering of the input data are avoided, enabling recovery of low-frequency and intermittent modes not previously accessible via classical approaches. Here, a multiscale hierarchy of spatiotemporal modes is identified for Indo-Pacific SST in millennial control runs of CCSM4 and CM3 and in HadISST data. On interannual timescales, a mode with spatiotemporal patterns corresponding to the fundamental component of ENSO emerges, along with ENSO-modulated annual modes consistent with combination mode theory. The ENSO combination modes also feature prominent activity in the Indian Ocean, explaining significant fraction of the SST variance in regions associated with the Indian Ocean dipole. A pattern resembling the tropospheric biennial oscillation emerges in addition to ENSO and the associated combination modes. On multidecadal timescales, the dominant NLSA mode in the model data is predominantly active in the western tropical Pacific. The interdecadal Pacific oscillation also emerges as a distinct NLSA mode, though with smaller explained variance than the western Pacific multidecadal mode. Analogous modes on interannual and decadal timescales are also identified in HadISST data for the industrial era, as well as in model data of comparable timespan, though decadal modes are either absent or of degraded quality in these datasets.
Vud from Nuclear Decays

The current value of Vud is determined from superallowed beta-decay experiments. Other methods, briefly summarised here, have to overcome specific experimental hurdles before they are competitive. However, the nuclear results do depend on a nuclear-structure calculation of isospin-symmetry breaking, which is often a cause of some concern. We show here, by adopting the Conserved Vector Current (CVC) hypothesis, that these theoretical corrections can be tested for consistency. In this test, calculations based on the shell model with Saxon-Woods radial functions perform the best.
Eﬀective digital loyalty strategies in services during COVID-19 pandemic: does digital adoption matter?

E-consumer Behaviour is a shifting fast as more and more consumers migrate from physical to digital stores to limit physical interaction. This research explores the effectiveness of digital loyalty strategies in services’ industry under the light of the ongoing pandemic and the respective increase in terms of Digital Adoption (DA) within the industry. In addition, this study investigates the direct effects of perceived in-store infection threat (SIT). To collect data, online self-administered survey was utilized in Greece, where 235 adult consumers participated. Findings revealed that SIT benefits Repurchase Intentions (RI) of digital services, since it exerted positive direct effects in using digital channels. Moreover, DA moderates the effectiveness of loyalty strategies. As a result, marketing strategies and practices are proposed sensitive to digital adoption or frequency of use.
Distinct subpopulations of DN1 thymocytes exhibit preferential γδ T lineage potential

The αβ and γδ T cell lineages are both are thought to differentiate in the thymus from common uncommitted progenitors. The earliest stage of T cell development is known as known as CD4-CD8- double negative 1 (DN1). These thymocytes have previously been revealed to be a heterogenous mixture of cells, which of only the CD117+ fraction have been proposed to be true T cell progenitors that progress to the DN2 and DN3 thymocyte stages, at which point the development of the αβ and γδ T cell lineages diverge. However, recently, it has been shown that at least some γδ T cells are actually derived from a subset of CD117- DN thymocytes. Along with other ambiguities, this suggests that T cell development may not be as straightforward as previously thought. To better understand early T cell development, particularly the heterogeneity of DN1 thymocytes, we performed single cell RNA sequence (scRNAseq) of mouse DN and γδ thymocytes and show that the various DN stages are indeed comprised of transcriptionally diverse subpopulations of cells. We also show that multiple subpopulations of DN1 thymocytes exhibit preferential development towards the γδ lineage. Furthermore, specific γδ-primed DN1 subpopulations preferentially develop into IL-17 or IFNγ-producing γδ T cells. We show that DN1 subpopulations that only give rise to IL-17-producing γδ T cells already express many of the transcription factors associated with type 17 immune cell differentiation, while the DN1 subpopulations that can give rise to IFNγ-producing γδ T cell already express transcription factors associated with type 1 immune cell differentiation.
Electrophysiological population dynamics reveal context dependencies during decision making in human frontal cortex

During economic choice, evidence from monkeys and humans suggest that activity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) encodes the subjective values of options under consideration. Monkey data further suggests that value representations in the OFC are context dependent, representing subjective value in a way influenced by the decision makers’ recent experience. Using stereo electroencephalography (sEEG) in human subjects, we investigated the neural representations of both past and present subjective values in the OFC, insula, cingulate and parietal cortices, amygdala, hippocampus and striatum. Patients with epilepsy (n=20) reported their willingness to pay—a measure of subjective value—for snack food items in a Becker-DeGroot-Marschack (BDM) auction task. We found that the high frequency power (gamma and high-gamma bands) in the OFC positively correlated with the current subjective value but negatively correlated with the subjective value of the good offered on the last trial – a kind of temporal context dependency not yet observed in humans. These representations were observed at both the group level (across electrode contacts and subjects) and at the level of individual contacts. Noticeably, the majority of significant contacts represented either the present or past subjective value, but not both. A dynamic dimensionality-reduction analysis of OFC population trajectories suggested that the past trial begin to influence activity early in the current trial after the current offer was revealed, and that these two properties—current and past subjective values—dominate the electrophysiological signals. Together, these findings indicate that information about the value of the past and present rewards are simultaneously represented in the human OFC, and offer insights into the algorithmic structure of context-dependent computation during human economic choice.
Enhancing Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cell Function and Expansion with Human Selective Serum

Abstract Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are promising innate-like lymphocytes with potential for use in anti-tumor immunotherapy. Existing MAIT cell expansion protocols are associated with potentially decremental phenotypic changes, including increased frequency of CD4+ MAIT cells and higher inhibitory receptor expression. In this study, we compared the effect on expansion of human MAIT cells of a serum replacement, Physiologix XF SR (Phx), with traditional serum FBS for supplementing RPMI 1640 media. Using flow cytometry, we found that Phx supported a significantly higher proliferative capacity for MAIT cells and resulted in a lower frequency of CD4+ MAIT cells, which have been associated with reduced Th1 effector and cytolytic functions. We saw that culturing MAIT cells in Phx led to better survival of MAIT cells and lower frequency of PD-1+ MAIT cells than FBS-supplemented media. Functionally, we saw that Phx supplementation was associated with a higher frequency of IFN-γ+ MAIT cells after stimulation with Escherichia coli than FBS-supplemented RPMI. In conclusion, we show that MAIT cells cultured in Phx have higher proliferative capacity, lower expression of inhibitory receptors, and higher capacity to produce IFN-γ after E. coli stimulation than FBS-supplemented RPMI. This work shows that expanding MAIT cells with Phx compared with FBS-supplemented RPMI results in a more functionally desirable MAIT cell for future anti-tumor immunotherapy.
Transient dynamics in plant-pollinator networks: Fewer but higher quality of pollinator visits determines plant invasion success

Invasive plants often use mutualisms to establish in their new habitats and tend to be visited by resident pollinators similarly or more frequently than native plants. The quality and resulting reproductive success of those visits, however, have rarely been studied in a network context. Here, we use a dynamic model to evaluate the invasion success and impacts on natives of various types of non-native plant species introduced into thousands of plant-pollinator networks of varying structure. We found that network structure properties did not predict invasion success, but non-native traits and interactions did. Specifically, non-native plants producing high amounts of floral rewards but visited by few pollinators at the moment of their introduction were the only plant species able to invade the networks. This result is determined by the transient dynamics occurring right after the plant introduction. Successful invasions increased the abundance of pollinators that visited the invader, but the reallocation of the pollinators’ foraging effort from native plants to the invader reduced the quantity and quality of visits received by native plants and made the networks slightly more modular and nested. The positive and negative effects of the invader on pollinator and plant abundance, respectively, were buffered by plant richness. Our results call for evaluating the impact of invasive plants not only on visitation rates and network structure, but also on processes beyond pollination including seed production and recruitment of native plants.
THE INCLINATION ANGLE AND EVOLUTION OF THE BRAKING INDEX OF PULSARS WITH PLASMA-FILLED MAGNETOSPHERE: APPLICATION TO THE HIGH BRAKING INDEX OF PSR J1640–4631

The recently discovered rotationally powered pulsar PSR J1640–4631 is the first to have a braking index measured, with high enough precision, that is greater than 3. An inclined magnetic rotator in vacuum or plasma would be subject not only to spin-down but also to an alignment torque. The vacuum model can address the braking index only for an almost orthogonal rotator, which is incompatible with the single-peaked pulse profile. The magnetic dipole model with the corotating plasma predicts braking indices between 3 and 3.25. We find that the braking index of 3.15 is consistent with two different inclination angles, 18. °5 ± 3° and 56° ± 4°. The smaller angle is preferred given that the pulse profile has a single peak and the radio output of the source is weak. We infer the change in the inclination angle to be at the rate −0. °23 per century, three times smaller in absolute value than the rate recently observed for the Crab pulsar.
Intraoperative electrical stimulation of the human dorsal spinal cord reveals a map of arm and hand muscle responses

While epidural stimulation of the lumbar spinal cord has emerged as a powerful modality for recovery of movement, how it should be targeted to the cervical spinal cord to activate arm and hand muscles is not well-understood, particularly in humans. We sought to map muscle responses to posterior epidural cervical spinal cord stimulation in humans. We hypothesized that lateral stimulation over the dorsal root entry zone would be most effective, and responses would be strongest in the muscles innervated by the stimulated segment. Twenty-five people undergoing clinically indicated cervical spine surgery were consented to map motor responses. During surgery, stimulation was performed in midline and lateral positions at multiple exposed segments; six arm and three leg muscles were recorded on each side of the body. Across all segments and muscles tested, lateral stimulation produced stronger muscle responses than midline despite similar latency and shape of responses. Muscles innervated at a cervical segment had the largest responses from stimulation at that segment, but responses were also observed in muscles innervated at other cervical segments and in leg muscles. The cervical responses were clustered in rostral (C4-C6) and caudal (C7-T1) cervical segments. Strong responses to lateral stimulation are likely due to the proximity of stimulation to afferent axons. Small changes in response sizes to stimulation of adjacent cervical segments argues for local circuit integration, and distant muscle responses suggest activation of long propriospinal connections. This map can help guide cervical stimulation to improve arm and hand function. New and noteworthy A map of muscle responses to cervical epidural stimulation during clinically indicated surgery revealed strongest activation when stimulating laterally compared to midline, and differences to be weaker than expected across different segments. In contrast, waveform shapes and latencies were most similar when stimulating midline and laterally indicating activation of overlapping circuitry. Thus, a map of the cervical spinal cord reveals organization and may help guide stimulation to activate arm and hand muscles strongly and selectively. Graphical abstract