Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finite-sample properties of the adjusted empirical likelihood

Empirical likelihood-based confidence intervals for the population mean have many interesting properties [Owen, A.B. (1988), ‘Empirical Likelihood Ratio Confidence Intervals for a Single Functional’, Biometrika, 75, 237–249]. Calibrated by χ2 limiting distribution, however, their coverage probabilities are often lower than the nominal when the sample size is small and/or the dimension of the data is high. The application of adjusted empirical likelihood (AEL) is one of the many ways to achieve a more accurate coverage probability. In this paper, we study the finite-sample properties of the AEL. We find that the AEL ratio function decreases when the level of adjustment increases. Thus, the AEL confidence region has higher coverage probabilities when the level of adjustment increases. We also prove that the AEL ratio function increases when the putative population mean moves away from the sample mean. In addition, we show that the AEL confidence region for the population mean is convex. Finally, computer simulations are conducted to further investigate the precision of the coverage probabilities and the sizes of the confidence regions. An application example is also included.
Polymorphism and Ligand Binding Modulate Fast Dynamics of Human Telomeric G-Quadruplexes

Telomeric G-quadruplexes (G4s) are promising targets in the design and development of anticancer drugs. Their actual topology depends on several factors, resulting in structural polymorphism. In this study, we investigate how the fast dynamics of the telomeric sequence AG3(TTAG3)3 (Tel22) depends on the conformation. By using Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy, we show that, in the hydrated powder state, Tel22 adopts parallel and mixed antiparallel/parallel topologies in the presence of K+ and Na+ ions, respectively. These conformational differences are reflected in the reduced mobility of Tel22 in Na+ environment in the sub-nanosecond timescale, as probed by elastic incoherent neutron scattering. These findings are consistent with the G4 antiparallel conformation being more stable than the parallel one, possibly due to the presence of ordered hydration water networks. In addition, we study the effect of Tel22 complexation with BRACO19 ligand. Despite the quite similar conformation in the complexed and uncomplexed state, the fast dynamics of Tel22-BRACO19 is enhanced compared to that of Tel22 alone, independently of the ions. We ascribe this effect to the preferential binding of water molecules to Tel22 against the ligand. The present results suggest that the effect of polymorphism and complexation on the G4 fast dynamics is mediated by hydration water.
Behaviour of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 ceramics in the A.C. electric field

Abstract The dielectric dispersion and influence of a.c. electric field strength on electric permittivity as well as the hysteresis loops for Na0.5Bi0. 5TiO3 ceramics were investigated. The dipolar relaxation of Cole—Cole type below 1 MHz is observed. This relaxation significantly evolves with temperature and is connected with dynamics of polar regions. The increasing strength of a.c. electric field shifts the electric permittivity characteristic towards lower temperatures. This effect can be associated with the reactivation and reversal of the polar regions and mechanical stresses rising because of external field action. Examination of the low-frequency hysteresis loops reveals the occurrence of usual ferroelectric properties below 200°C. The occurrence of deformed hysteresis loops above 200°C is discussed in terms of electro-mechanical interaction between polar regions and nonpolar matrix.
Asymptotic stability of systems with saturation constraints

In the present paper we establish new sufficient conditions for the global asymptotic stability of linear systems operating on the unit hypercube in R/sup n/ and of linear systems with partial state saturation constraints. We also determine a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for the global asymptotic stability of second order linear systems with saturation constraints on both states using the above results. Systems of the type considered herein are widely used in several areas of application, including control systems, signal processing, and artificial neural networks.
A new approach to optimum design in thermoelectric cooling systems

A thermoelectric cooling system usually consists of a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and heat exchangers at the cold side and the hot side. Heat exchangers in TEC systems are designed to minimize their thermal resistance under restrictions such as the size of the system and heat transfer method, because as the thermal resistances of heat exchangers increase, the performance of TEC systems decreases. In the TEC system in which thermal resistance of heat exchangers is minimized, the optimum TEC is analyzed to maximize the coefficient of performance (COP) and the exergetic efficiency in absorbing a given heat load. The effects of the thermal resistance of heat exchangers on the performance of the TEC system and the design parameters of that system are also investigated. To discuss these matters, dimensionless entropy flow equations of the TEC system are introduced, and the COP and the exergetic efficiency are expressed as a function of dimensionless quantities by using these dimensionless equations.
Merging Young Clusters in the Shapley Supercluster

We present the ASCA spectral diagnostics of the X-ray-emitting gas of five clusters of galaxies in the Shapley concentration. X-rays from two rich clusters, A3562 and A3558, nicely follow the standard LX-kBT relation, while the X-ray luminosity of a poor cluster, A3556, comes below the relation line. The X-ray spectrum of another poor cluster, SC 1329-313, is found to be peculiar; the gas temperature is higher than that estimated from the velocity dispersion of its member galaxies. The energy of the iron Kα line is also higher than that expected from the temperature of the plasma considered in ionization equilibrium and hence is attributable to a plasma in the recombination-dominant phase. We infer that high-temperature gas and highly ionized iron are relics of past major merger events in the formation phase of poor clusters at several times 108 yr ago. The putative merger heated the gas to high temperature by the associated shock and produced highly ionized iron as well. The high-temperature gas is gradually cooled down by adiabatic expansion, but the temperature is presently still higher than that expected from the velocity dispersion of galaxies. Iron atoms in the plasma, on the other hand, remain in highly ionized states with irregularities in the temperature distribution. We propose a dynamical sequence of clusters in the Shaply concentration; SC 1329-313 is an ongoing merger, A3556 is a candidate for postmerger, SC 1327-312 is a relaxed poor cluster, while A3562 and A3558 are already developed and rich clusters even with some mergers in succession. The Shapley concentration thus can be called a kindergarten of clusters of galaxies.
Analysis of the PML equations in general convex geometry

In this work, we study a mesh termination scheme in acoustic scattering, known as the perfectly matched layer (PML) method. The main result of the paper is the following. Assume that the scatterer is contained in a bounded and strictly convex artificial domain. We surround this domain by a PML of constant thickness. On the peripheral boundary of this layer, a homogenous Dirichlet condition is imposed. We show in this paper that the resulting boundary-value problem for the scattered field is uniquely solvable for all wavenumbers and the solution within the artificial domain converges exponentially fast toward the full-space scattering solution when the layer thickness is increased. The proof is based on the idea of interpreting the PML medium as a complex stretching of the coordinates in Rn and on the use of complexified layer potential techniques.
Slow oscillations in an ocean of varying depth Part 1. Abrupt topography

This paper is part of a study of quasigeostrophic waves, which depend on the topography of the ocean floor and the curvature of the earth. In a homogeneous, β-plane ocean, motion of the fluid across contours of constant f/h releases relative vorticity (f is the Coriolis parameter and h the depth). This well-known effect provides a restoring tendency for either Rossby waves (with h constant) or topographic waves over a slope. The long waves in general obey an elliptic partial differential equation in two space variables. Because the equation has been integrated in the vertical direction, the exact inviscid bottom boundary condition appears in variable coefficients. When the depth varies in only one direction the equation is separable at the lowest order in ω, the frequency upon f. With a simple slope, |[xdtri ]h/h| = constant, the transition from Rossby to topographic waves occurs at |[xdtri ]h| ∼ h/Re, where Re is the radius of the earth. Isolated topographic features are considered in §2. It is found that a step of fractional height δ on an otherwise flat ocean floor reflects the majority of incident Rossby waves when δ > 2ω. In the ocean ω is usually small, due to continental barriers, so even slight depth variations are important. A narrow ridge does not act as a great obstruction but calculations show, for example, that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is broad enough to reflect all but the lowest mode Rossby waves in the North Atlantic. Besides isolating oceanic plains from one another, steps and ridges support trapped topographic waves of greatest frequency ∼ δ/2, analogous to the potential well solutions in quantum mechanics. These waves cannot carry energy along abrupt topography, but they disperse more rapidly over broader slopes; the phase and group speeds may be hundreds of cm/sec. The continentalshelf waves found by Robinson are an example of the latter case. There are many such wave guides, where the f/h contours are crowded, in the deep ocean. The theory suggests that measurement of Rossby waves will rarely be possible at the coast of a continent.
The involvement of spontaneous brain activity in natural recovery from internet gaming disorder: A resting-state fMRI study

Objective Internet gaming disorder (IGD) can seriously impair an individual’s physical and mental health. However, unlike the majority of those suffering from substance addiction, individuals with IGD may recover without any professional intervention. Understanding the brain mechanisms of natural recovery from IGD may provide new insight into how to prevent addiction and implement more targeted interventions. Methods Sixty individuals with IGD were scanned by using a resting-state fMRI to assess brain region changes associated with IGD. After 1 year, 19 individuals with IGD no longer met the IGD criteria and were considered recovered (RE-IGD), 23 individuals still met the IGD criteria (PER-IGD), and 18 individuals left the study. The brain activity in resting state between 19 RE-IGD individuals and 23 PER-IGD individuals was compared by using regional homogeneity (ReHo). Additionally, brain structure and cue-craving functional MRIs were collected to further support the results in the resting-state. Results The resting-state fMRI results revealed that activity in brain regions responsible for reward and inhibitory control [including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the precuneus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)] was decreased in the PER-IGD individuals compared to RE-IGD individuals. In addition, significant positive correlations were found between mean ReHo values in the precuneus and self-reported craving scores for gaming, whether among the PER-IGD individuals or the RE-IGD individuals. Furthermore, we found similar results in that brain structure and cue-craving differences exist between the PER-IGD individuals and RE-IGD individuals, specifically in the brain regions associated with reward processing and inhibitory control (including the DLPFC, anterior cingulate gyrus, insula, OFC, precuneus, and superior frontal gyrus). Conclusion These findings indicate that the brain regions responsible for reward processing and inhibitory control are different in PER-IGD individuals, which may have consequences on natural recovery. Our present study provides neuroimaging evidence that spontaneous brain activity may influence natural recovery from IGD.
PENGARUH LINGKUNGAN SEKOLAH DAN MANAJEMEN KELAS TERHADAP MOTIVASI BELAJAR SISWA

ABSTRAKTujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui bahwa pengaruh lingkungan sekolah dan manajemen kelas terhadap motivasi belajar siswa. Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh lingkungan sekolah dan manajemen kelas yang kurang kondusif serta kurangnya motivasi belajar pada siswa. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan metode survei. Adapun pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan penyebaran angket. Penelitian ini dilakukan di SDN Karang Tengah 10 pada siswa kelas tinggi, yaitu kelas IVa, Va, dan VIa. Penelitian ini menggunakan uji regresi sederhana untuk mencari pengaruh variabel X terhadap variabel Y dan uji regresi berganda untuk mencari pengaruh variabel X1 dan X2 terhadap variabel Y dengan teknik pengambilan sampel yaitu random sampling. Analisis data menggunakan uji regresi dengan taraf signifikan 0,05 (5%) dengan jumlah sampel 70 responden. Berdasarkan analisis data yang dilakukan dapat disimpulkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh lingkungan sekolah terhadap motivasi belajar siswa sebesar 28,4%. Terdapat pengaruh manajemen kelas terhadap motivasi belajar siswa sebesar 33,2%. Dan terdapat pengaruh lingkungan sekolah dan manajemen kelas terhadap motivasi belajar siswa sebesar 37,4% Kata kunci: lingkungan sekolah, manajemen kelas, motivasi belajar
Recent Metal Nanotheranostics for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy: A Review

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in using nanoparticles in the medical sciences. Today, metal nanoparticles have many applications in medicine for tumor visualization, drug delivery, and early diagnosis, with different modalities such as X-ray imaging, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), etc., and treatment with radiation. This paper reviews recent findings of recent metal nanotheranostics in medical imaging and therapy. The study offers some critical insights into using different types of metal nanoparticles in medicine for cancer detection and treatment purposes. The data of this review study were gathered from multiple scientific citation websites such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up through the end of January 2023. In the literature, many metal nanoparticles are used for medical applications. However, due to their high abundance, low price, and high performance for visualization and treatment, nanoparticles such as gold, bismuth, tungsten, tantalum, ytterbium, gadolinium, silver, iron, platinum, and lead have been investigated in this review study. This paper has highlighted the importance of gold, gadolinium, and iron-based metal nanoparticles in different forms for tumor visualization and treatment in medical applications due to their ease of functionalization, low toxicity, and superior biocompatibility.
Genome-wide in silico and in vitro mining to develop a novel cyclotide-based marker system in plants

Abstract Cyclotides are cysteine-rich cyclic peptides that have various activities and applications. Mining at the whole-genome scale facilitates the profiling and development of cyclotide-based markers. However, the characterization of cyclotide subfamilies at a genome-scale in plants is an untapped area that needs more studies. Here we developed four degenerate cyclotide subfamily-specific (CSS) markers based on their subfamily’s semi-conserved sequence for identifying each subfamily separately. Initially, an in silico cyclotide mining analysis was performed on 15 plant genomes/transcriptomes. The in silico PCR produced 476 amplicons in the Bracelet, Moebius, Hybrid and Trypsin Inhibitor (TI) subfamilies. In silico profiling results identified 903 cyclotide mature domains (CMDs) in the analyzed genomes/transcriptomes for the four subfamilies. In addition, the prevalence of each subfamily correlated positively with the genome size, particularly in Hybrid, followed by TI and Bracelet subfamilies. The CSS markers were validated in vitro on 19 genotypes/cultivars. The CSS markers generated a total of 175 bands, with a polymorphic percentage of 98%–100%. Cluster analysis showed distinct clusters for cultivars/genotypes of each plant species. The marker efficiency parameters demonstrated the capability of CSS markers to determine the genetic diversity among the studied plant species. This study represents the first report to perform genome/transcriptome-wide mining to characterize the Cyclotide subfamilies in plants. This study proposed potential applications of the novel CSS markers as an effective system for screening cyclotide subfamilies across multiple plant species with no prior sequencing knowledge requirement. Additionally, it proposes an innovative approach for identifying the appropriate cyclotide subfamily used in drug design.
Biofilm-Forming Bacteria Implicated in Complex Otitis Media in Children in the Post-Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV7) Era

Background: Chronic media with effusion (COME) and recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) are closely related clinical entities that affect childhood. The aims of the study were to investigate the microbiological profile of otitis-prone children in the post-PCV7 era and, to examine the biofilm-forming ability in association with clinical history and outcome during a two-year post-operative follow-up. Methods: In this prospective study, pathogens from patients with COME and RAOM were isolated and studied in vitro for their biofilm-forming ability. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of both the planktonic and the sessile forms were compared. The outcome of the therapeutic method used in each case and patient history were correlated with the pathogens and their ability to form biofilms. Results: Haemophilus influenzae was the leading pathogen (35% in COME and 40% in RAOM), and Streptococcus pneumoniae ranked second (12% in COME and 24% in RAOM). Polymicrobial infections were identified in 5% of COME and 19% of RAOM cases. Of the isolated otopathogens, 94% were positive for biofilm formation. Conclusions: This is the first Greek research studying biofilm formation in complex otitis media-prone children population in the post-PCV7 era. High rates of polymicrobial infections, along with treatment failure in biofilms, may explain the lack of antimicrobial efficacy in otitis-prone children.
Axial profile of grating coupled radiation from second-order DFB lasers with phase shifts

Axial profiles of the grating-coupled radiation field emitted in a direction normal to the surface of distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers with phase-shifted second-order corrugation are theoretically analyzed. The profiles are calculated for nonreflecting DFB lasers with the following phase shifts: lambda /4 shift, two lambda /8 shifts, and two 3 lambda /8 shifts. It is demonstrated that the radiation field can be controlled by changing the phase shifts. This result suggests a new method for modulating the surface emission of a DFB laser. >
Food Insecurity and Micronutrient Deficiency in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Food insecurity is a public health problem as it affects a wide array of individuals in the population. It can be characterized by food deprivation, lack of essential nutrition, lack of dietary education, lack of adequate storage conditions, poor absorption, and poor overall nutrition. The relationship between food insecurity and micronutrient deficiency requires more effort to deepen and discuss the relationship. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the association between food insecurity and micronutrient deficiency in adults. The research was conducted according to PRISMA using the Medline/Pubmed, Lilacs/BVS, Embase, Web of Science, and Cinahl databases. Studies carried out with male and female adults were included, which investigated the correlation or association between food insecurity and the nutritional status of micronutrients. There were no publication year, country, or language restrictions. A total of 1148 articles were found, and 18 of these were included, carried out mainly on the American continent and with women. The most evaluated micronutrients were iron and vitamin A. Food insecurity was associated with nutrient deficiency in 89% (n = 16) of the studies. As a result of the meta-analysis, it was observed that there is a greater chance of anemia and low levels of ferritin among food insecure individuals. It is concluded that food insecurity is associated with micronutrient deficiency. Understanding these problems allows the creation of public policies capable of contributing to changes. Protocol registration: This review was registered on the PROSPERO-International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews database—CRD42021257443.
Radar-Based Monitoring of Vital Signs: A Tutorial Overview

In the last years, substantial attention has been paid to the use of radar systems in health monitoring, due to the availability of both low-cost radar devices and computationally efficient algorithms for processing their measurements. In this article, a tutorial overview of radar-based monitoring of vital signs is provided. More specifically, we first focus on the available radar technologies and the signal processing algorithms developed for the estimation of vital signs. Then, we provide some useful guidelines that should be followed in the selection of radar devices for vital sign monitoring and in their use. Finally, we illustrate various specific applications of radar systems to health monitoring and some relevant research trends in this field.
Experience-dependent plasticity in the olfactory system of Drosophila melanogaster and other insects

It is long known that the nervous system of vertebrates can be shaped by internal and external factors. On the other hand, the nervous system of insects was long assumed to be stereotypic, although evidence for plasticity effects accumulated for several decades. To cover the topic comprehensively, this review recapitulates the establishment of the term “plasticity” in neuroscience and introduces its original meaning. We describe the basic composition of the insect olfactory system using Drosophila melanogaster as a representative example and outline experience-dependent plasticity effects observed in this part of the brain in a variety of insects, including hymenopterans, lepidopterans, locusts, and flies. In particular, we highlight recent advances in the study of experience-dependent plasticity effects in the olfactory system of D. melanogaster, as it is the most accessible olfactory system of all insect species due to the genetic tools available. The partly contradictory results demonstrate that morphological, physiological and behavioral changes in response to long-term olfactory stimulation are more complex than previously thought. Different molecular mechanisms leading to these changes were unveiled in the past and are likely responsible for this complexity. We discuss common problems in the study of experience-dependent plasticity, ways to overcome them, and future directions in this area of research. In addition, we critically examine the transferability of laboratory data to natural systems to address the topic as holistically as possible. As a mechanism that allows organisms to adapt to new environmental conditions, experience-dependent plasticity contributes to an animal’s resilience and is therefore a crucial topic for future research, especially in an era of rapid environmental changes.