Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Curved grid generation and DG computation for the DLR-F11 high lift configuration

The DLR-F11 high lift configuration previously considered at the 2nd AIAA High Lift Prediction workshop (HiLiftPW-2) consists of a wing-body configuration with a three-element high lift system including slat tracks and flap track fairings. This test case has been selected a ``computational/meshing challenge'' in the 4th International Workshop on High-Order CFD Methods due to its geometrical and computational complexity. In this article, we demonstrate the applicability of current grid generation technology (CENTAUR) to generate a quadratic curved mesh for this configuration. Furthermore, we employ a high-order Discontinuous Galerkin discretization for the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the Wilcox-kω turbulence model which is sufficiently stable to be applicable to this test case. Finally, a 3rd-order Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) flow solution is computed on the quadratic (3rd-order) computational mesh. The numerical results are compared to experimental data as well as to computational results published in the HiLiftPW-2.
Discrete Time-Dependent Wave Equations II. Semiclassical Fractional Klein-Gordon Equation

In this paper, we consider a semiclassical version of the fractional Klein-Gordon equation on the lattice, $h{\mathbb{Z}}^n. $ Contrary to the Euclidean case that was considered in [2], the discrete fractional Klein-Gordon equation is well-posed in $\ell^2(h{\mathbb{Z}}^n). $ However, we also recover the well-posedness results in the certain Sobolev spaces in the limit of the semiclassical parameter $h\rightarrow 0. $
Sulfasalazine exacerbates angiotensin II‐induced cardiac remodelling by activating Akt signal pathway

A thorough understanding of the pathological process underlying hypertension‐induced cardiac remodelling may help in prevention and treatment of heart failure. Angiotensin II (AngII) results in cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy partly through activation of inflammation, which increases the fibroblasts and promotes extracellular matrix production. Sulfasalazine (SASP) has evident anti‐inflammatory effects and pharmacological functions on autoimmune disease. The roles of SASP in the cardiac remodelling remain unknown. In this study, we established AngII‐induced cardiac remodelling mice model and then treated with SASP. Blood pressure, cardiac pump function and pathological changes of cardiac remodelling were analysed in these mice. To explore the mechanism, phosphorylated Akt was detected in vivo and vitro. In this study, we found that SASP aggravated cardiac dysfunction, hypertrophy and fibrosis after AngII infusion. In addition, SASP activated Akt in AngII‐remodelled mouse hearts and cardiac cells. Our findings indicate that independent of anti‐inflammatory property, SASP exacerbates AngII‐induced cardiac remodelling by activation of Akt signalling pathway.
Modeling, simulation and test of a three-level voltage source inverter with output LC filter and direct torque control

This paper presents the modeling, the detailed simulation and the test of an efficient medium voltage adjustable speed drive. The system consists of a three-level neutral-point clamped (NPC) inverter supplied by a 12-pulse rectifier. To achieve a motor-friendly supply, an LC filter is inserted between inverter output terminals and induction motor terminals. A direct torque control (DTC) tunes the inverter. The full power circuits and the digital control scheme have been implemented and simulated. Simulation results have been compared successfully with measurements, in steady state and transients.
Ultrasound-sensitive cRGD-modified liposomes as a novel drug delivery system

Abstract Targeted liposomes enable the delivery of encapsulated chemotherapeutics to tumours by targeting specific receptors overexpressed on the surfaces of cancer cells; this helps in reducing the systemic side effects associated with the cytotoxic agents. Upon reaching the targeted site, these liposomes can be triggered to release their payloads using internal or external triggers. In this study, we investigate the use of low-frequency ultrasound as an external modality to trigger the release of a model drug (calcein) from non-targeted and targeted pegylated liposomes modified with cyclic arginine–glycine–aspartate (cRGD). Liposomes were exposed to sonication at 20-kHz using three different power densities (6.2, 9, and 10 mW/cm2). Our results showed that increasing the power density increased calcein release from the sonicated liposomes. Moreover, cRGD conjugation to the surface of the liposomes rendered cRGD-liposomes more susceptible to ultrasound compared to the non-targeted liposomes. cRGD conjugation was also found to increase cellular uptake of calcein by human colorectal carcinoma (HCT116) cells which were further enhanced following sonicating the cells with low-frequency ultrasound (LFUS).
View-Dependent Deformation for 2.5-D Cartoon Models

Two-and-a-half-dimensional (2.5-D) cartoon models are popular methods used for simulating three-dimensional (3-D) movements, such as out-of-plane rotation, from two-dimensional (2-D) shapes in different views without 3-D models. However, cartoon objects and characters have several exaggerations that do not correspond to any real 3-D positions (e.g., Mickey Mouse’s ears), which implies that existing methods are unsuitable for designing such exaggerations. Hence, we incorporated view-dependent deformation (VDD) techniques, which have been proposed in the field of 3-D character animation, into 2.5-D cartoon models. The exaggerations in an arbitrary viewpoint are automatically obtained by blending the user-specified 2-D shapes of key views. Several examples demonstrated the robustness of our method over previous methods. In addition, we conducted a user study and confirmed that the proposed method is effective for animating classic cartoon characters.
Establishing a core outcome measure for life participation in patients receiving peritoneal dialysis: A Standardised Outcomes in Nephrology–Peritoneal Dialysis consensus workshop report

Background: Life participation is an outcome of critical importance to patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). However, there is no widely accepted or validated tool for measuring life participation in patients receiving PD. Methods: Online consensus workshop to identify the essential characteristics of life participation as a core outcome, with the goal of establishing a patient-reported outcome measure for use in all trials in patients receiving PD. Thematic analysis of transcripts was performed. Results: Fifty-six participants, including 17 patients and caregivers, from 15 countries convened via online videoconference. Four themes were identified: reconfiguring expectations of daily living (accepting day-to-day fluctuation as the norm, shifting thresholds of acceptability, preserving gains in flexibility and freedom), ensuring broad applicability and interpretability (establishing cross-cultural relevance, incorporating valued activities, distinguishing unmodifiable barriers to life participation), capturing transitions between modalities and how they affect life participation (responsive to trajectory towards stable, reflecting changes with dialysis transitions) and maximising feasibility of implementation (reducing completion burden, administrable with ease and flexibility). Conclusions: There is a need for a validated, generalisable outcome measure for life participation in patients receiving PD. Feasibility, including length of time to complete and flexible mode of delivery, are important to allow implementation in all trials that include patients receiving PD. Graphical Abstract This is a visual representation of the abstract.
Heat exposure limits for young unacclimatized males and females at low and high humidity

Abstract Little is known about the separate and combined influences of humidity conditions, sex, and aerobic fitness on heat tolerance in unacclimatized males and females. The purpose of the current study was to describe heat tolerance, in terms of critical WBGT (WBGTcrit), in unacclimatized young males and females in hot-dry (HD) and warm-humid (WH) environments. Eighteen subjects (9 M/9F; 21 ± 2 yr) were tested during exercise at 30% V̇O2max in a controlled environmental chamber. Progressive heat stress exposures were performed with either (1) constant dry-bulb temperature (Tdb) of 34 and 36 °C and increasing ambient water vapor pressure (Pa) (Pcrit trials; WH); or (2) constant Pa of 12 and 16 mmHg and increasing Tdb (Tcrit trials; HD). Chamber Tdb and Pa, and subject esophageal temperature (Tes), were continuously monitored throughout each trial. After a 30-min equilibration period, progressive heat stress continued until subject heat balance could no longer be maintained and a clear rise in Tes was observed. Absolute WBGTcrit and WBGTcrit adjusted to a metabolic rate of 300 W (WBGT300), and the difference between WBGTcrit and occupational exposure limits (OEL; ΔOEL) was assessed. WBGTcrit, WBGT300, and ΔOEL were higher in WH compared to HD (p < 0.0001) for females but were the same between environments for males (p ≥ 0.21). WBGTcrit was higher in females compared to males in WH (p < 0.0001) but was similar between sexes in HD (p = 0.44). When controlling for metabolic rate, WBGT300 and ΔOEL were higher in males compared to females in WH and HD (both p < 0.0001). When controlling for sex, V̇O2max was not associated with WBGT300 or ΔOEL for either sex (r ≤ 0.12, p ≥ 0.49). These findings suggest that WBGTcrit is higher in females compared to males in WH, but not HD, conditions. Additionally, the WBGTcrit is lower in females, but not males, in HD compared to WH conditions.
Promoting Achievement for Community College STEM Students through Equity-Minded Practices

Community colleges have an opportunity to promote achievement of more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and meet larger goals of scientific advancement and educational equity. Understanding community college students’ needs and backgrounds is key to increasing students’ success in STEM fields and realizing this potential. The objective of this paper is to use data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and other sources to characterize community college students and their academic achievement and to offer equity-based approaches to increase success, particularly in STEM. Here, I document that community college students, who constitute approximately one-third of U.S. undergraduates, are a unique population with greater proportions of underrepresented STEM minorities, parents, and students requiring developmental education. They are also more likely to be older, working, part-time, low-income, and first-generation students and more likely to differ demographically from faculty. I also found lower rates of academic achievement among community college students, including lower rates of retention and STEM degree attainment with evidence of even lower achievement for STEM underrepresented groups. The data point to the need for equity-based strategies to address achievement disparities for STEM community college students, including increasing community college faculty diversity and sensitivity to diverse students’ needs and experiences; adopting inclusive, active-learning pedagogies; and reforming developmental education.
An aggressive nonconsumptive effect mediates pest control and multipredator interactions in a coffee agroecosystem

Abstract Natural pest control is an alternative to pesticide use in agriculture, and may help to curb insect declines and promote crop production. Nonconsumptive interactions in natural pest control that historically have received far less attention than consumptive interactions, may have distinct impacts on pest damage suppression and may also mediate positive multipredator interactions. Additionally, when nonconsumptive effects are driven by natural enemy aggression, variation in alternative resources for enemies may impact the strength of pest control. Here we study control of the coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei, by a keystone arboreal ant species, Azteca sericeasur, which exhibits a nonconsumptive effect on CBB by throwing them off coffee plants. We conducted two experiments to investigate: (1) if the strength of this behavior is driven by spatial or temporal variability in scale insect density (an alternative resource that Azteca tends for honeydew), (2) if this behavior mediates positive interactions between Azteca and other ground‐foraging ants, and (3) the effect this behavior has on the overall suppression of CBB damage in multipredator scenarios. Our behavioral experiment showed that nearly all interactions between Azteca and CBB are nonconsumptive and that this behavior occurs more frequently in the dry season and with higher densities of scale insects on coffee branches. Our multipredator experiment revealed that borers thrown off coffee plants by Azteca can survive and potentially damage other nearby plants but may be suppressed by ground‐foraging ants. Although we found no non‐additive effects between Azteca and ground‐foraging ants on overall CBB damage, together, both species resulted in the lowest level of plant damage with the subsequent reduction in “spillover” damage caused by thrown CBB, indicating spatial complementarity between predators. These results present a unique case of natural pest control, in which damage suppression is driven almost exclusively by nonconsumptive natural enemy aggression, as opposed to consumption or prey behavioral changes. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the variability that may occur in nonconsumptive pest control interactions when natural enemy aggressive behavior is impacted by alternative resources, and also show how these nonconsumptive effects can mediate positive interactions between natural enemies to enhance overall crop damage reduction.
Improving Efficiency of Photovoltaic System by Using Neural Network MPPT and Predictive Control of Converter

This paper proposes a new method to extract maximum energy from Photovoltaic (PV) systems. The artificial neural network (ANN) is used to track the maximum power based on the irradiance level and temperature. By using this algorithm the current in which the PV operates at its maximum power is extracted. In addition to ANN, a predictive controller is used to maximize the efficiency of the boost converter. The simulation results verify the suitable performance of the proposed method and this method maximizes the photovoltaic system energy extraction.
Identification of a seven-cell cycle signature predicting overall survival for gastric cancer

While genetic alterations in several regulators of the cell cycle have a significant impact on the gastric carcinogenesis process, the prognostic role of them remains to be further elucidated. The TCGA-STAD training set were downloaded and the mRNA expression matrix of cell cycle genes was extracted and corrected for further analysis after taking the intersection with GSE84437 dataset. Differentially expressed mRNAs were identified between tumor and normal tissue samples in TCGA-STAD. Univariate Cox regression analysis and lasso Cox regression model established a novel seven-gene cell cycle signature (including GADD45B, TFDP1, CDC6, CDC25A, CDC7, SMC1A and MCM3) for GC prognosis prediction. Patients in the high-risk group shown significantly poorer survival than patients in the low-risk group. The signature was found to be an independent prognostic factor for GC survival. Nomogram including the signature shown some clinical net benefit for overall survival prediction. The signature was further validated in the GSE84437 dataset. In tissue microarray, CDC6 and MCM3 protein expression were significant differences by the immunohistochemistry-based H-score between tumor tissues and adjacent tissues, and CDC6 is an independent prognostic factor for GC. Interestingly, our GSEA revealed that low-risk patients were more related to cell cycle pathways and might benefit more from therapies targeting cell cycle. Our study identified a novel robust seven-gene cell cycle signature for GC prognosis prediction that may serve as a beneficial complement to clinicopathological staging. The signature might provide potential biomarkers for the application of cell cycle regulators to therapies and treatment response prediction.
Urea levels and cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease

ABSTRACT Background Elevated serum urea levels are common in moderate-to-advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Several studies have shown that urea is a direct and indirect uraemic toxin, especially with regard to cardiovascular disease. We sought to determine whether serum urea levels are associated with adverse cardiovascular events and death before renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients with CKD. Methods CKD-REIN is a prospective cohort of CKD nephrology outpatients not receiving maintenance dialysis. The 2507 patients included in the analysis were divided into three groups according to the baseline serum urea level (T1 <10.5, T2 10.5–15.1 and T3 ≥15.1 mmol/L). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for first atheromatous or non-atheromatous cardiovascular (CV) events and all-cause mortality before RRT. The models were adjusted for baseline comorbidities, laboratory data and medications. Findings Of the 2507 included patients {median [interquartile range (IQR)] age: 69 [61–77]; mean (standard deviation) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 33.5 (11.6) mL/min/1.73 m²}, 54% had a history of cardiovascular disease. After multiple adjustments for CV risk factors (including eGFR), patients in T3 had a higher risk of atheromatous and non-atheromatous CV events than patient in T1 (n events = 451, HR [95% CI]: 1.93 [1.39; 2.69]). The adjusted HRs for death before RRT (n events = 407) were 1.31 [0.97; 1.76] and 1.73 [1.22; 2.45] for patients T2 and those in T3, respectively. Interpretation Our data suggested that urea is a predictor of CV outcomes beyond CV risk factors including eGFR.
Venous Thromboembolism In Cancer Patients: “From Evidence to Care”

This article seeks to review the current status of treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) in cancer patients after the addition of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) to the therapeutic arsenal available. The suitability of DOAC use in complex clinical situations, poorly represented in clinical trials, is controversial and difficult for care activity, making the recommendations in clinical practice guidelines the focus of special attention in this area. Recently, several randomized trials have compared low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) to DOAC for the management of CAT. Potential drug interactions with DOACs or the increased risk of bleeding in intraluminal tumors require special precautions, as do metastatic or primary brain disease and comorbid conditions, such as renal or liver failure, which are not suitably represented in pivotal studies. Furthermore, few data are available for situations involving elevated bleeding risk, with thrombocytopenia levels below the inclusion criterion of clinical trials, or recurrence during active anticoagulant therapy. Similarly, it is less clear that patients and physicians accept the presumption that oral DOAC administration is more convenient than subcutaneous LMWH, particularly when drug absorption may be compromised. The non-inclusion or under-representation of patients at higher risk for complications with anticoagulation in randomized clinical trials, makes their use complex in certain situations in health care. This paper provides a practical review of current clinical guideline recommendations regarding LMWH and/ or DOAC to treat and prevent CAT, as well as the most controversial clinical conditions for their use.
Co-spray Drying Drugs with Aqueous Polymer Dispersions (APDs)—a Systematic Review

Aqueous colloidal dispersions of water-insoluble polymers (APDs) avoid hassles associated with the use of organic solvents and offer processing advantages related to their low viscosity and short processing times. Therefore, they became the main vehicle for pharmaceutical coating of tablets and multiparticulates, a process commonly employed using pan and fluidized-bed machinery. Another interesting although less common processing approach is co-spray drying APDs with drugs in aqueous systems. It enables the manufacture of capsule- and matrix-type microspheres with controllable size and improved processing characteristics in a single step. These microspheres can be further formulated into different dosage forms. This systematic review is based on published research articles and aims to highlight the applicability and opportunities of co-spray drying drugs with APDs in drug delivery.
Adaptive Dynamic Programming-Based Cooperative Motion/Force Control for Modular Reconfigurable Manipulators: A Joint Task Assignment Approach

This article develops a cooperative motion/force control (CMFC) scheme based on adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) for modular reconfigurable manipulators (MRMs) with the joint task assignment approach. By separating terms depending on local variables only, the dynamic model of the entire MRM system can be regarded as a set of joint modules interconnected by coupling torque. In addition, the Jacobian matrix, which reflects the interaction force of the MRM end-effector, can be mapped into each joint. Using this approach, both the motion and force tasks on the end-effector of the entire MRM system can be assigned to each joint module cooperatively. Then, by substituting the actual states of coupled joint modules with their desired ones, the norm-boundedness assumption on the interconnection of joint module can be relaxed. By using the measured input–output data of each joint module, a neural network (NN)-based robust decentralized observer, which guarantees the observation error to be asymptotically stable is established. An improved local value function is constructed for each joint module to reflect the interconnection. Then, the local Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation is solved by constructing a local critic NN with a nested learning structure. Hereafter, the ADP-based CMFC is obtained by the assistance of force feedback compensation. Based on the Lyapunov stability analysis, the closed-loop MRM system is guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded under the present ADP-based CMFC scheme. The simulation on a two-degree of freedom MRM system demonstrates the effectiveness of the present control approach.
Autophagic LC3+ calcified extracellular vesicles initiate cartilage calcification in osteoarthritis

Pathological cartilage calcification plays an important role in osteoarthritis progression but in which the origin of calcified extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their effects remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that pathological cartilage calcification occurs in the early stage of the osteoarthritis in which the calcified EVs are closely involved. Autophagosomes carrying the minerals are released in EVs, and calcification is induced by those autophagy-regulated calcified EVs. Autophagy-derived microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (LC3)–positive EVs are the major population of calcified EVs that initiate pathological calcification. Release of LC3-positive calcified EVs is caused by blockage of the autophagy flux resulted from histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6)–mediated microtubule destabilization. Inhibition of HDAC6 activity blocks the release of the LC3-positive calcified EVs by chondrocytes and effectively reverses the pathological calcification and degradation of cartilage. The present work discovers that calcified EVs derived from autophagosomes initiate pathological cartilage calcification in osteoarthritis, with potential therapeutic targeting implication.