Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Natural Lifetimes and Hyperfine Structure for K39 in the 5p2P3/2 and 6p2P3/2 Levels of the KI Spectrum by Resonance Scattering of Light

The hyperfine coupling constants and the natural radiative lifetimes of the 5 p 2 P 3/2 and 6 p 2 P 3/2 levels of K 39 were determined in a level crossing experiment on an enriched K 39 sample in a sealed-off resonance cell. The following results were obtained: ----- -- a (5 p 2 P 3/2 ) = 1.973 (12) MHz -- a (6 p 2 P 3/2 ) = 0.886 (8) MHz ----- -- b (5 p 2 P 3/2 ) = 0.870 (18) MHz -- b (6 p 2 P 3/2 ) = 0.370 (15) MHz ----- -- I(5 p 2 P 3/2 ) = 133 (3) ns -- I(6 p 2 P 3/2 ) = 310 (15) ns ----- Considering the influence of core polarization on the magnetic hyperfine interaction and applying a Sternheimer correction, fairly consistent values of the electric quadrupole moment Q are obtained from the first three levels of the np 2 P 3/2 sequence. We find Q (K 39 ) = +0.059 (6) barn.
The role of spermatozoa-zona pellucida interaction in selecting fertilization-competent spermatozoa in humans

Human fertilization begins when a capacitated spermatozoon binds to the zona pellucida (ZP) surrounding a mature oocyte. Defective spermatozoa-ZP interaction contributes to male infertility and is a leading cause of reduced fertilization rates in assisted reproduction treatments (ARTs). Human ejaculate contains millions of spermatozoa with varying degrees of fertilization potential and genetic quality, of which only thousands of motile spermatozoa can bind to the ZP at the fertilization site. This observation suggests that human ZP selectively interacts with competitively superior spermatozoa characterized by high fertilizing capability and genetic integrity. However, direct evidence for ZP-mediated sperm selection process is lacking. This study aims to demonstrate that spermatozoa-ZP interaction represents a crucial step in selecting fertilization-competent spermatozoa in humans. ZP-bound and unbound spermatozoa were respectively collected by a spermatozoa-ZP coincubation assay. The time-course data demonstrated that ZP interacted with a small proportion of motile spermatozoa. Heat shock 70 kDa protein 2 (HSPA2) and sperm acrosome associated 3 (SPACA 3) are two protein markers associated with the sperm ZP-binding ability. Immunofluorescent staining indicated that the ZP-bound spermatozoa had significantly higher expression levels of HSPA2 and SPACA3 than the unbound spermatozoa. ZP-bound spermatozoa had a significantly higher level of normal morphology, DNA integrity, chromatin integrity, protamination and global methylation when compared to the unbound spermatozoa. The results validated the possibility of applying spermatozoa-ZP interaction to select fertilization-competent spermatozoa in ART. This highly selective interaction might also provide diagnostic information regarding the fertilization potential and genetic qualities of spermatozoa independent of those derived from the standard semen analysis.
Explaining Novice Nurses’ Experience of Weak Professional Confidence: A Qualitative Study

Introduction The majority of newly graduated nurses are not prepared to work at the bedside; therefore, they may not have the appropriate self-confidence. Objective(s) The present qualitative study aimed to explain the novice nurses’ experience of weak professional confidence. Design This qualitative study was performed using a content analysis method. Methods Content analysis was utilized to identify themes from interview transcripts. They were included in the study by purposeful sampling. Participants were interviewed through face-to-face and unstructured interviews. All data were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed based on the Graneheim and Lundman method. Results Thirteen nurses participated in interviews. After data collection, all interviews were implemented and reviewed and the categories and subcategories were extracted. Three main categories containing turbulence in working life, unpleasant interactions, and lack of knowledge were extracted. Conclusion According to the study findings, most novice nurses experienced turbulence in their working life, unpleasant interactions, and a lack of knowledge that affected their self-confidence. Therefore, educational and support programs are suggested to improve novice nurses’ professional confidence. Relevance to Clinical Practice According to the results of the study, the lack of self-confidence in novice nurses reduces the quality of care. Therefore, taking into account the experiences of the participants, nursing education managers should plan in such a way as to improve the self-confidence of the graduates. In addition, novice nurses need to be supported by their managers and colleagues to develop their professional confidence to provide more effective care.
Evolutionary approach to construct robust codes for DNA-based data storage

DNA is a practical storage medium with high density, durability, and capacity to accommodate exponentially growing data volumes. A DNA sequence structure is a biocomputing problem that requires satisfying bioconstraints to design robust sequences. Existing evolutionary approaches to DNA sequences result in errors during the encoding process that reduces the lower bounds of DNA coding sets used for molecular hybridization. Additionally, the disordered DNA strand forms a secondary structure, which is susceptible to errors during decoding. This paper proposes a computational evolutionary approach based on a synergistic moth-flame optimizer by Levy flight and opposition-based learning mutation strategies to optimize these problems by constructing reverse-complement constraints. The MFOS aims to attain optimal global solutions with robust convergence and balanced search capabilities to improve DNA code lower bounds and coding rates for DNA storage. The ability of the MFOS to construct DNA coding sets is demonstrated through various experiments that use 19 state-of-the-art functions. Compared with the existing studies, the proposed approach with three different bioconstraints substantially improves the lower bounds of the DNA codes by 12–28% and significantly reduces errors.
The utility of serum amyloid A and other acute-phase reactants determination in ambulatory care COVID-19 patients

Background The unpredictable course of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) is making good severity assessment tools crucial. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of serum amyloid A (SAA) and other acute-phase reactants (APRs) in ambulatory care COVID-19 patients and identified relationships between these markers and disease outcomes. Methods From August to November 2020, patients seen in the outpatient department of the Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Belgrade, Serbia) with confirmed COVID-19 were included. Patients were classified into mild, moderate, and severe disease groups based on World Health Organization criteria. SAA, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), ferritin, fibrinogen, D-dimer, albumin, and transferrin were measured. The median values of all APRs were compared between COVID-19 severity groups, hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients, and survivors and non-survivors. The Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used for the classification characteristics assessment of individual APRs for the severity of illness, hospitalization, and survival.
Geostrophic adjustment with gyroscopic waves: stably neutrally stratified fluid without the traditional approximation

Abstract We examine nonlinear geostrophic adjustment in a rapidly rotating (small Rossby number Ro) stably neutrally stratified (SNS) fluid consisting of a stratified upper layer with $N>f$ ( $N$ is the buoyancy frequency, $f$ the Coriolis parameter) and a homogeneous lower layer, the density and other fields being continuous at the interface between the layers. The angular speed of rotation is non-parallel to gravity; the traditional and hydrostatic approximations are not used. The wave spectrum in the model consists of internal and gyroscopic waves. During the adjustment an arbitrary long-wave perturbation is split in a unique way into slow quasi-geostrophic (QG) and fast ageostrophic components with typical time scales $(Ro\, f)^{-1}$ and $f^{-1}$ , respectively. The QG flow is governed by two coupled nonlinear equations of conservation of QG potential vorticity (PV) in the layers. The fast component is a sum of internal waves and inertial oscillations (long gyroscopic waves) confined to the homogeneous layer and modulated by an amplitude depending on coordinates and slow time. On times $t\sim (\, f\, Ro)^{-1}$ the slow component is not influenced by the fast one but the inertial oscillations amplitude is coupled to the QG flow and obeys an equation practically coinciding with that in the barotropic case (Reznik, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 743, 2014, pp. 585–605). A non-stationary boundary layer with large vertical gradients of horizontal velocity develops in the stratified layer near the interface to prevent penetration of the inertial oscillations into the stratified fluid; an analogous weaker boundary layer arises near the upper rigid lid. At large times the internal waves gradually decay because of dispersion and the resulting motion consists of the slow QG component and inertial oscillations confined to the barotropic lower layer.
Immune Activation following Irbesartan Treatment in a Colorectal Cancer Patient: A Case Study

Colorectal cancers are one of the most prevalent tumour types worldwide and, despite the emergence of targeted and biologic therapies, have among the highest mortality rates. The Personalized OncoGenomics (POG) program at BC Cancer performs whole genome and transcriptome analysis (WGTA) to identify specific alterations in an individual’s cancer that may be most effectively targeted. Informed using WGTA, a patient with advanced mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancer was treated with the antihypertensive drug irbesartan and experienced a profound and durable response. We describe the subsequent relapse of this patient and potential mechanisms of response using WGTA and multiplex immunohistochemistry (m-IHC) profiling of biopsies before and after treatment from the same metastatic site of the L3 spine. We did not observe marked differences in the genomic landscape before and after treatment. Analyses revealed an increase in immune signalling and infiltrating immune cells, particularly CD8+ T cells, in the relapsed tumour. These results indicate that the observed anti-tumour response to irbesartan may have been due to an activated immune response. Determining whether there may be other cancer contexts in which irbesartan may be similarly valuable will require additional studies.
Gut Microbiome-Host Metabolome Homeostasis upon Exposure to PFOS and GenX in Male Mice

Alterations of the normal gut microbiota can cause various human health concerns. Environmental chemicals are one of the drivers of such disturbances. The aim of our study was to examine the effects of exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—specifically, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy) propanoic acid (GenX)—on the microbiome of the small intestine and colon, as well as on liver metabolism. Male CD-1 mice were exposed to PFOS and GenX in different concentrations and compared to controls. GenX and PFOS were found to have different effects on the bacterial community in both the small intestine and colon based on 16S rRNA profiles. High GenX doses predominantly led to increases in the abundance of Clostridium sensu stricto, Alistipes, and Ruminococcus, while PFOS generally altered Lactobacillus, Limosilactobacillus, Parabacteroides, Staphylococcus, and Ligilactobacillus. These treatments were associated with alterations in several important microbial metabolic pathways in both the small intestine and colon. Untargeted LC-MS/MS metabolomic analysis of the liver, small intestine, and colon yielded a set of compounds significantly altered by PFOS and GenX. In the liver, these metabolites were associated with the important host metabolic pathways implicated in the synthesis of lipids, steroidogenesis, and in the metabolism of amino acids, nitrogen, and bile acids. Collectively, our results suggest that PFOS and GenX exposure can cause major perturbations in the gastrointestinal tract, aggravating microbiome toxicity, hepatotoxicity, and metabolic disorders.
Ameliorating LSB Using Piecewise Linear Chaotic Map and One-Time Pad for Superlative Capacity, Imperceptibility and Secure Audio Steganography

Audio steganography hides a secret message into an audio. Existing techniques are lacking in achieving high payload, imperceptibility in addition to robustness at the same time. They also suffer from choosing the samples and even LSBs in an unpredictable fashion. Moreover, few adaptive techniques exist, besides not many embed in higher LSBs. Hence, a novel LSB $_{PWLCM}$ method that ameliorates LSB audio steganography is proposed. It uses piecewise linear chaotic map (PWLCM) to embed a secret message in random samples, besides selecting one of the 4-LSBs in an unsystematic way. It is noteworthy that each time a distinct sample and hence a differed 4-LSB is chosen as per different generated PWLCM. At first, Huffman coding is used to lessen the secret message size. Thereafter, to ameliorate the security of the one-time pad, random numbers are generated using PWLCM as an input key. This gives the proposed method a dual protection by amalgamating steganography with enhanced secure one-time pad. MATLAB is used to implement the proposed LSB $_{PWLCM}$ method and evaluate the imperceptibility between cover and stego audios against standard parameters viz. Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) and Perceptual Evaluation of Audio Quality (PEAQ). Furthermore, its imperceptibility was tested using Mean Square Error, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio, Signal-to-Noise Ratio, Percentage Root Mean Square Difference and Audio Fidelity. Exhaustive experiments on vastly used metrics affirm that the proposed method LSB $_{PWLCM}$ excel prevailing methods regarding hiding capacity and imperceptibility. Furthermore, it is resistant to brute force attacks having a large key space besides its dependency on the secret message size. In addition, it effectively withstood statistical analysis, specifically histogram attack and fourth first moments. Albeit it was vigorous towards re-sampling attacks, yet it was not very robust against LSB attacks nor noise. Assuredly, it prevails over existing methods and beyond comparison when juxtaposed with them affirming its efficacy.
Critical thinking in primary science through a guided inquiry pedagogy: A semiotic perspective

ABSTRACT Although education research in critical thinking is a rapidly emerging field, how teachers can facilitate, monitor, and support critical thinking in primary science remains a challenge. This paper builds on recent semiotics mediated scientific reasoning research to present a fresh perspective of critical thinking in primary science. Analysis of student and teacher interactions in an innovated semiotics grounded learning design and pedagogy demonstrates a recursive process of collaborative construction, reviewing and refinement of representational systems and models. The multimodal epistemic practices of the discipline, involving the generation, evaluation and refinement of the semiotic systems that frame scientific ideas and practices are presented to both stimulate and support generative critical thinking. How semiotic systems in primary science can provide a focus, stimulus, and tool, for not only students’ generative critical thinking but also teacher monitoring and support is presented.
Potentials of saponins-based adjuvants for nasal vaccines

Respiratory infections are a major public health concern caused by pathogens that colonize and invade the respiratory mucosal surface. Nasal vaccines have the advantage of providing protection at the primary site of pathogen infection, as they induce higher levels of mucosal secretory IgA antibodies and antigen-specific T and B cell responses. Adjuvants are crucial components of vaccine formulation that enhance the immunogenicity of the antigen to confer long-term and effective protection. Saponins, natural glycosides derived from plants, shown potential as vaccine adjuvants, as they can activate the mammalian immune system. Several licensed human vaccines containing saponins-based adjuvants administrated through intramuscular injection have demonstrated good efficacy and safety. Increasing evidence suggests that saponins can also be used as adjuvants for nasal vaccines, owing to their safety profile and potential to augment immune response. In this review, we will discuss the structure-activity-relationship of saponins, their important role in nasal vaccines, and future prospects for improving their efficacy and application in nasal vaccine for respiratory infection.
The Survival Outcomes of Patients Requiring Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation

Background and objectives: Patients who require prolonged mechanical ventilation typically experience poor long-term survival outcomes. However, there have been few studies conducted to investigate the five-year survival rate of these patients. This study aims to determine the factors that affect the five-year survival rate of patients who require prolonged mechanical ventilation, with the goal of improving their survival outcomes. Materials and Methods: The current retrospective, single-center study included all patients who required prolonged mechanical ventilation over a period of six years. We collected data on their age, sex, causes of acute respiratory failure leading to prolonged mechanical ventilation, comorbidities, receipt of a tracheostomy or not, weaning status, discharge conditions, and long-term outcomes. Results: The study examined the long-term outcomes of 403 patients who required prolonged mechanical ventilation until December 2018. Of the study population, 157 patients were successfully weaned from prolonged mechanical ventilation and discharged, 186 patients passed away in the hospital, and 60 patients remained ventilator-dependent. For all 403 patients receiving prolonged mechanical ventilation, the one-year and five-year survival rates were 24.3% and 14.6%, respectively. Among the 243 patients who were successfully weaned from prolonged mechanical ventilation, the corresponding rates were 32.6% and 21.0%. For the 157 discharged prolonged mechanical ventilation patients, the one-year and five-year survival rates were 50.3% and 32.6%, respectively. For the 60 ventilator-dependent patients, the one-year and five-year survival rates were 31.7% and 13.2%, respectively. The study revealed that successfully weaned from invasive mechanical ventilation and the receipt of a tracheostomy were influential factors in the five-year survival rate of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. Conclusions: Patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation may experience poor survival outcomes. Nevertheless, two key factors that can improve their long-term survival are successfully weaned from invasive mechanical ventilation and receipt of a tracheostomy.
Existence results to a nonlinear p(x)-Laplace equation with degenerate coercivity and zero-order term: renormalized and entropy solutions

This paper is devoted to the study of a nonlinear elliptic equation with degenerate coercivity, zero-order term and L1 datum in the setting of variable exponent Sobolev space. The authors obtain the existence of renormalized solution and entropy solution via strong convergence of truncation. They also get some a priori estimates to the solution and the generalized gradient of the solution in the Marcinkiewicz space with variable exponent.
Flow phenomena and separation over delta wings with trailing-edge flaps at Mach 6.

The hypersonic flowfield over highly swept delta wings with various types of separation is investigated. Heat-transfer rates, pressure distributions, and several flow-visualization techniques were used to experimentally examine the flow over a large angle-of-attack range. It was found that, where the boundary-layer type differs across the span prior to separation, complex and unusual flow phenomena develop. When the boundary layer is turbulent over the span of the wing prior to separation, the surface heating and pressures can be estimated by two-dimensional calculations over the wing and flap. At small angles of attack, separation can occur on the lee surface either inboard of, or at the leading edge depending on vehicle geometry and test conditions. By means of several flow-visualization techniques, the separated flow is found to form coiled vortices in a manner similar to that found at subsonic speeds but with several significant differences. Nomenclature A = planform area b — flap semispan c = root chord Ch = flap hinge-moment coefficient based on flap dimensions M = Mach number Nstm = local Stanton number based on freestream conditions
EFFECT OF HIGH-ENERGY RESONANCES ON THE 18O(p, α)15N REACTION RATE AT AGB AND POST-AGB RELEVANT TEMPERATURES

The 18O(p, α)15N reaction is of great importance in several astrophysical scenarios, as it influences the production of key isotopes such as 19F, 18O, and 15N. Fluorine is synthesized in the intershell region of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, together with s-elements, by α radiative capture on 15N, which in turn is produced in the 18O proton-induced destruction. Peculiar 18O abundances are observed in R-Coronae Borealis stars, having 16O/18O ≲ 1, hundreds of times smaller than the galactic value. Finally, there is no definite explanation of the 14N/15N ratio in pre-solar grains formed in the outer layers of AGB stars. Again, such an isotopic ratio is influenced by the 18O(p, α)15N reaction. In this work, a high accuracy 18O(p, α)15N reaction rate is proposed, based on the simultaneous fit of direct measurements and of the results of a new Trojan Horse experiment. Indeed, current determinations are uncertain because of the poor knowledge of the resonance parameters of key levels of 19F. In particular, we have focused on the study of the broad 660 keV 1/2+ resonance corresponding to the 8.65 MeV level of 19F. Since Γ ∼ 100–300 keV, it determines the low-energy tail of the resonant contribution to the cross section and dominates the cross section at higher energies. Here, we provide a reaction rate that is a factor of two larger above T ∼ 0.5 109 K based on our new improved determination of its resonance parameters, which could strongly influence present-day astrophysical model predictions.
Experimental verification of the temperature effects on Sader’s model for multilayered cantilevers immersed in an aqueous medium

Recently, Sader [J. Appl. Phys. 84, 64 (1998)] and Green and Sader [J. Appl. Phys. 92, 6262 (2002)] developed a theory predicting thermally driven frequency responses of a microcantilever immersed in a fluid. This letter presents an experimental investigation of the temperature effects on Sader’s model using three cantilevers, with aspect ratios (AR=cantilever length/cantilever width) <4, for temperatures ranging from 10to70°C. It is shown that liquid viscosity is primarily responsible for variations in the frequency response to liquid temperature. Two cantilevers, with AR∼3.0, verify Sader’s predictions for the tested temperature range, while the third cantilever with AR∼2.0 shows gradual deviations with increasing temperature.