Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanosynthesis by atmospheric arc discharges excited with pulsed-DC power: a review

Plasma technology is actively used for nanoparticle synthesis and modification. All plasma techniques share the ambition of providing high quality, nanostructured materials with full control over their crystalline state and functional properties. Pulsed-DC physical/chemical vapour deposition, high power impulse magnetron sputtering, and pulsed cathodic arc are consolidated low-temperature plasma processes for the synthesis of high-quality nanocomposite films in vacuum environment. However, atmospheric arc discharge stands out thanks to the high throughput, wide variety, and excellent quality of obtained stand-alone nanomaterials, mainly core–shell nanoparticles, transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, and carbon-based nanostructures, like graphene and carbon nanotubes. Unique capabilities of this arc technique are due to its flexibility and wide range of plasma parameters achievable by modulation of the frequency, duty cycle, and amplitude of pulse waveform. The many possibilities offered by pulsed arc discharges applied on synthesis of low-dimensional materials are reviewed here. Periodical variations in temperature and density of the pulsing arc plasma enable nanosynthesis with a more rational use of the supplied power. Parameters such as plasma composition, consumed power, process stability, material properties, and economical aspects, are discussed. Finally, a brief outlook towards future tendencies of nanomaterial preparation is proposed. Atmospheric pulsed arcs constitute promising, clean processes providing ecological and sustainable development in the production of nanomaterials both in industry and research laboratories.
Prevalence of polypharmacy in community-dwelling older adults from seven centres in five European countries: a cross-sectional study of DO-HEALTH

Objective To investigate the prevalence of polypharmacy and characteristics associated with polypharmacy in older adults from seven European cities. Design Cross-sectional study of baseline data from DO-HEALTH. Setting and participants DO-HEALTH enrolled 2157 community-dwelling adults age 70 and older from seven centres in Europe. Participants were excluded if they had major health problems or Mini-Mental State Examination Score <24 at baseline. Primary outcome measures Extensive information on prescription and over-the-counter medications were recorded. Polypharmacy was defined as the concomitant use of five or more medications, excluding vitamins or dietary supplements. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to test the association of sociodemographic factors (age, sex, years of education, living situation and city) and health-related indicators (number of comorbidities, cognitive function, frailty status, body mass index (BMI), prior fall, self-rated health and smoking status) with polypharmacy. Results 27.2% of participants reported polypharmacy ranging from 16.4% in Geneva to 60.8% in Coimbra. In the multivariable logistic regression analyses, older age (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.10), greater BMI (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.12) and increased number of comorbidities (OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.92 to 2.36) were associated with polypharmacy. Women were less likely to report polypharmacy than men (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.84). In comparison to participants from Zurich, participants from Coimbra were more likely to report polypharmacy (OR 2.36; 95% CI 1.56 to 3.55), while participants from Geneva or Toulouse were less likely to report polypharmacy ((OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.22 to 0.59 and OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.96), respectively). Living situation, smoking status, years of education, prior fall, cognitive function, self-rated health and frailty status were not significantly associated with polypharmacy. Conclusion Polypharmacy is common among relatively healthy older adults, with moderate variability across seven European cities. Independent of several confounders, being a woman, older age, greater BMI and greater number of comorbidities were associated with increased odds for polypharmacy. Trial registration number NCT01745263.
Aircraft Path Planning under Adverse Weather Conditions

In recent years, flight safety is still one of the main issues for all airlines. En route civil airplanes may encounter adverse weather conditions. Some fatal airplane accidents happened because of the weather disturbance. Moreover, we should also design path to avoid the prohibited area. Therefore a good path planning algorithm plays an increasingly important role in air traffic management. An efficient path planning algorithm can help the plane to avoid severe weather conditions, restricted areas and moving obstacles to ensure the safety of the cabin crews and passengers. Here, we build our algorithm based on the A* search algorithm. Moreover, our algorithm can also find the path with least energy costs. As a result, our algorithm can improve the safety operation of the airplanes and reduce the workload of pilots and air traffic controllers.
On the mobility of joist floors and periodic rib-stiffened plates

This paper presents measured and predicted mobilities for two types of point-excited periodic structures. The first is constructed from an isotropic material (Plexiglas) and the connection between the rib and plate reasonably approximates a line (over the frequencies of interest). The second is a real joist floor where the orthotropic wood products forming the sheathing and ribs are point-connected (over much of the frequency range of interest). The paper begins by showing for both structures there is significant variation in the drive point mobility with position, and that the drive point mobility is bounded. An infinite plate defines the upper bound while a beam of infinite length defines the lower bound. Additionally, when the drive point is above a rib the location relative to the adjacent screws becomes an important factor. Thus, ordinary mobilities for an infinite plate and beam are inadequate to accurately model the system. The plate rib structure is also modelled using the analytical formulation for an assembly of finite-sized plate strips coupled at a series of parallel junctions. There is good agreement between the predicted drive point mobility and measurements in the frequency range where the plate rib junctions approximate a line connection. In wood framed buildings floors are formed by fastening orthotropic wood sheathing to a series of joists spaced at a regular interval. The sheathing is typically fastened to the joist using only screws so the resulting system is a complex periodic orthotropic point-connected plate/rib structure. Being able to accurately estimate the power injected by mechanical sources, and the resulting vibration response of the floor, is critical to predict flanking transmission for sources of structural excitation, such as footfalls, washers, dryers, etc. This paper begins by examining how location of the drive point affects the real part of the mobility (which is the component associated with power injection) for two rib-stiffened structures having different properties and construction details. Later a model is presented and measured and predicted results are compared. In this paper the portion of the plate between the ribs will be referred to as being the “bay”. 2 EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP Two structures were evaluated. First was a well-defined structure constructed from a homogeneous and isotropic material with well-known material properties – Plexiglas. Second, was a joist floor constructed from typical wood materials – chipboard sheathing and
The Association Between Adolescent Active Commuting to School and Parent Walking Behavior: The FLASHE Study

Purpose To examine the relationship between adolescent active commuting to school (ACS; walking or biking to/from school) and parent walking activity. Design Cross-sectional Setting US nationwide online surveys Sample 1367 parent-adolescent (12-17 years) dyads among the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) study participants (29.4% response rate) Measures Online surveys asked about adolescent ACS and parent walking activity in the past week. Adolescents who reported ACS at least once in the past week were categorized as engaging in ACS. Parent walking frequency was categorized into 0-2, 3-5, and 6-7 days. Analysis Logistic regression analysis was conducted to compare the probability of adolescent ACS by parent walking activity, adjusted for sociodemographic factors and adolescent-, parent-, and neighborhood-level covariates. Results 28.5% of adolescents engaged in ACS at least once in the past week. Compared to 0-2 days/week of parent walking activity, ORs for adolescent ACS for 3-5 and 6-7 days/week of parent walking activity were 1.98 (95% CI=1.38-2.87) and 1.81 (1.23-2.68), respectively. In stratified analyses by parent and adolescent sex, father-son dyads presented the strongest association between adolescent ACS and parent walking 3-5 and 6-7 days/week (ORs=4.17 [1.46-11.91] and 3.95 [1.45-10.77], respectively). Conclusions Adolescents with parents who engaged in walking activity ≥3 days/week were more likely to actively commute to school. Parent walking activity may have positive intergenerational effects on adolescent ACS and physical activity.
Axonal transport of late endosomes and amphisomes is selectively modulated by local Ca2+ efflux and disrupted by PSEN1 loss of function

Dysfunction and mistrafficking of organelles in autophagy- and endosomal-lysosomal pathways are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we reveal selective vulnerability of maturing degradative organelles (late endosomes/amphisomes) to disease-relevant local calcium dysregulation. These organelles undergo exclusive retrograde transport in axons, with occasional pauses triggered by regulated calcium efflux from agonist-evoked transient receptor potential cation channel mucolipin subfamily member 1 (TRPML1) channels—an effect greatly exaggerated by exogenous agonist mucolipin synthetic agonist 1 (ML-SA1). Deacidification of degradative organelles, as seen after Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) loss of function, induced pathological constitutive “inside-out” TRPML1 hyperactivation, slowing their transport comparably to ML-SA1 and causing accumulation in dystrophic axons. The mechanism involved calcium-mediated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, which hyperphosphorylated dynein intermediate chain (DIC), reducing dynein activity. Blocking TRPML1 activation, JNK activity, or DIC1B serine-80 phosphorylation reversed transport deficits in PSEN1 knockout neurons. Our results, including features demonstrated in Alzheimer-mutant PSEN1 knockin mice, define a mechanism linking dysfunction and mistrafficking in lysosomal pathways to neuritic dystrophy under neurodegenerative conditions.
Physical activity promotion by GPs: a cross-sectional survey in England

Background Physical activity (PA) contributes to the prevention and management of many health conditions. Primary care practitioners have an important role to play in supporting people to be physically active. Aim This study had the following three aims: 1) to explore GPs‘ awareness and knowledge of the PA guidelines; 2) to assess GPs’ confidence in promoting PA; and 3) to explore factors that influence PA promotion among GPs. Design & setting Cross-sectional survey, using secondary analysis. Method UK-based GPs were invited to take part in an online survey in January 2021. Demographic questions were followed by nine multiple choice questions. Categorical data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and open-ended data were analysed using content analysis and inductive coding. Results In total, 839 GPs based in England completed the survey. Most GP responders (98.9%) believed that PA was important, yet only 35.7% reported being at least ‘somewhat familiar’ with current PA guidance. Despite this, 74.1% of GPs reported feeling confident raising the topic of PA with their patients. Barriers included lack of time, perceptions of patient attitude and risk, language issues, and COVID-19. Key facilitators were identified and ‘Couch to 5k’ and the ‘parkrun practice’ initiatives were the most widely used support tools. Conclusion GPs value PA yet well-known barriers exist to embedding promotion into primary care. As primary care reconfigures, there is an opportunity to embed PA into systems, services, and processes.
Offline and Online Social Support and Short-Form Video Addiction Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Emotion Suppression and Relatedness Needs

Short-form video applications have gained worldwide popularity in recent years. Although short-form video applications encourage communication over the Internet, their popularity encourages adolescents to overindulge in them. This study aimed to explore the effects of offline and online social support (SS) for short-form video addiction (SVA), and the mediating role of emotion regulation and basic psychological needs. A total of 490 junior middle school students from China participated in the study. Structural equation modeling using a bootstrap procedure revealed that (a) offline SS and relatedness needs negatively predicted SVA, (b) pursuit of online SS and emotion suppression positively predicted SVA, (c) emotion suppression and relatedness needs were mediators between offline SS and SVA, and (d) emotion suppression was a mediator between the pursuit of online SS and SVA. These findings provide valuable insight into SVA and will help develop effective strategies for the prevention of SVA.
Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and the American Diet: Effects of Fat Content on Blow Fly Development

Abstract Forensic entomology is an important field of forensic science that utilizes insect evidence in criminal investigations. Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are among the first colonizers of remains and are frequently used in determining the minimum postmortem interval (mPMI). Blow fly development is influenced by a variety of factors including temperature and feeding substrate. Unfortunately, dietary fat content remains an understudied factor in the development process, which is problematic given the high rates of obesity in the United States. To study the effects of fat content on blow flies we investigated survivorship, adult weight, and development time (overall and by sex) of Lucilia sericata (Meigen) and Phormia regina (Meigen) on ground beef with 10%, 20%, or 27% fat. As fat content increased, survivorship decreased across both species with significant impact to P. regina. While P. regina adults were generally larger than L. sericata across all fat levels, only L. sericata demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) difference in weight by sex. Overall development times did not vary by fat content, excluding 27% for P. regina. Additionally, development times did not vary by sex for P. regina but did differ (P < 0.05) for L. sericata with females taking longer to develop. These findings provide insight into the effect of fat content on blow fly development, a factor that should be considered when estimating an mPMI. By understanding how fat levels affect the survivorship and development of the species studied here, we can begin improving the practice of insect evidence analysis in casework.
Investigating associations of delay discounting with brain structure, working memory, and episodic memory

Abstract Introduction Delay discounting (DD), the preference for smaller and sooner rewards over larger and later ones, is an important behavioural phenomenon for daily functioning of increasing interest within psychopathology. The neurobiological mechanisms behind DD are not well understood and the literature on structural correlates of DD shows inconsistencies. Methods Here we leveraged a large openly available dataset (n = 1196) to investigate associations with memory performance and gray and white matter correlates of DD using linked independent component analysis. Results Greater DD was related to smaller anterior temporal gray matter volume. Associations of DD with total cortical volume, subcortical volumes, markers of white matter microscopic organization, working memory, and episodic memory scores were not significant after controlling for education and income. Conclusion Effects of size comparable to the one we identified would be unlikely to be replicated with sample sizes common in many previous studies in this domain, which may explain the incongruities in the literature. The paucity and small size of the effects detected in our data underscore the importance of using large samples together with methods that accommodate their statistical structure and appropriate control for confounders, as well as the need to devise paradigms with improved task parameter reliability in studies relating brain structure and cognitive abilities with DD.
Primary syphilis of the finger: report of four cases

Although primary syphilis generally involves the genitalia, literature reports that 12% of chancres are extragenital, with the anus and oral cavity as the most frequent locations. We present hereby a case series of four chancres of the finger observed at the sexually transmitted infection centre of Milan between 2010 and 2021.
A frozen decade: 10 years outcome after cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation

Cryoballoon (CB) ablation has emerged as an established gold standard for PVI. Since its introduction into clinical practice, more than one million patients worldwide suffering from symptomatic AF have been treated with different versions of this first real single-shot device. High acute and midterm clinical success, a very beneficial safety profile, short learning curves and high procedural reproducibility are strongly associated with CB guided PVI. Though there is a great amount of data on acute efficacy and short- as well as midterm clinical outcome available, studies reporting on long-term arrhythmia-free survival and on long-term safety of CB-PVI is lacking. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Package ‘KnowBR’

Discriminating Spatial Description It uses species accumulation curves and diverse estimators to as-sess, at the same time, the levels of survey coverage in multiple geographic cells of a size deﬁned by the user or polygons. It also enables the geographical depiction of observed species richness, survey effort and completeness values including a background with administrative areas.
Facilitating Independence for Photo Taking and Browsing by Blind Persons

Photography is a visual way to capture a moment in time, used for artistic expression, and to document significant events. Even though photography is an inherently visual endeavor, several studies, supported by our own investigations, have shown that many people in the blind community take pleasure and find use in photography.Because taking, organizing and sharing photos traditionally requires visual information, people with no or limited sight can have problems with these activities. People without sight must process chunks of information sequentially as opposed to globally (as is the case with sighted people). This nuance in information process adds to the difficulty of processing a photo album for people without sight.Previous work has made photo capturing without sight easier, such as Bigham’s work with VizWiz, and Jayant et al’s work with photography among people who are blind [12,23]. These researchers design systems to help someone who is blind aim a camera and capture a “good” photograph. But there is little work that makes photo browsing and sharing accessible for people who are blind. My dissertation research aims to facilitate independence for blind persons to locate and browse photos in a sequential manner, as opposed to global. This is done through user-centered development of a smartphone application that can be used without sight.The work begins with an investigation of current practices of blind persons in these activities, by conducting an in-depth survey and interviews among people who are blind, investigating their current photography preferences and practices. The survey and interviews informed the design of an iPhone app, called VizSnap, which is a blind-friendly app to help photographers sequentially organize a photo album by attaching time, date, location, and audio to the photographs to enhance memory retrieval of the photographs.VizSnap was distributed among 13 blind people for two months; their usage of VizSnap was monitored by gathering their photos and the photos’ accompanying metadata (time, date, location, audio recordings). A user study was also conducted every two weeks with each participant. The photos taken by the participants were analyzed for type of photo and quality of photo. The participants’ usage of VizSnap was also analyzed to determine the viability of attaching audio, time, date, and location to a photograph, in a sequentially organized photo album, to enhance memory retrieval of the moment in which the photograph was taken.The ultimate goal of this research is to encourage and challenge modern developers to create their technology with Universal Access at the forefront of each stage of development. VizSnap attempts to achieve Universal Access by appealing to both people who are blind and sighted people. This will greatly improve the overall design and general enjoyment of the product by all members of the community. Not all people use technology in the same way, and without thoughtful design, certain groups may be excluded from using mainstream technology when their usage is not considered.
Review of current state of knowledge on durability tests performed on electromagnetic shakers

This work provides an overview of the research, which uses electromagnetic shakers for durability tests. The application spectrum is relatively wide as the variety of sample components is large. Such research are carried out for the needs of many industries from automotive, heavy industry to the aerospace industry. Element of the research may be representative geometry or the real component. Interesting examples are the studies carried out on samples loaded with extra weight or fatigue tests of flare dispenser on AH-1W helicopter. The use of electromagnetic shakers for fatigue tests operative to derive results a much larger ranges of cycles (above 109) while reducing test time. Moreover, the possibility of testing real components cannot be overestimated, since it reduces the errors associated with the simplification of the geometry.
Implementation of a Direct Link between the LHC Beam Interlock System and the LHC Beam Dumping System Re-triggering Lines

To avoid damage of accelerator equipment due to impacting beam, the controlled removal of the LHC beams from the collider rings towards the dump blocks must be guaranteed at all times. When a beam dump is demanded, the Beam Interlock System communicates this request to the Trigger Synchronisation and Distribution System of the LHC Beam Dumping System. Both systems were built according to high reliability standards. To further reduce the risk of incapability to dump the beams in case of correlated failures in the Trigger Synchronisation and Distribution System, a new direct link from the Beam Interlock System to the re-triggering lines of the LHC Beam Dumping System will be implemented for the start-up with beam in 2015. The link represents a diverse redundancy to the current implementation, which should neither significantly increase the risk for so-called asynchronous beam dumps nor compromise machine availability. This paper describes the implementation choices of this link. Furthermore the results of a reliability analysis to quantify its impact on LHC machine availability are presented.