Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectroscopic Signature of Dynamical Instability of the Aqueous Complex in the Brown‐Ring Nitrate Test

Abstract The chemistry of the brown‐ring test has been investigated for nearly a century. Though recent studies have focused on solid state structure determination and measurement of spectra, mechanistic details and kinetics, the aspects of solution structure and dynamics remain unknown. We have studied structural fluctuations of the brown‐ring complex in aqueous solution with ab‐initio molecular dynamics simulations, from which we identified that the classically established pseudo‐octahedral [Fe(H2O)5(NO)]2+ complex is present along with a square‐pyramidal [Fe(H2O)4(NO)]2+ complex. Based on the inability in multi‐reference calculations to reproduce the experimental UV‐vis spectra in aqueous solution by inclusion of thermal fluctuations of the [Fe(H2O)5(NO)]2+ complex alone, we propose the existence of an equilibrium between pseudo‐octahedral and square‐pyramidal complexes. Despite challenges in constructing models reproducing the solid‐state UV‐vis spectrum, the advanced spectrum simulation tool motivates us to challenge the established picture of a sole pseudo‐octahedral complex in solution.
Cannabis use and risks of respiratory and all-cause morbidity and mortality: a population-based, data-linkage, cohort study

Introduction Although cannabis is frequently used worldwide, its impact on respiratory health is characterised by controversy. Objective To evaluate the association between cannabis use and respiratory-related emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalisations. Methods A retrospective, population-based, cohort study was carried out, linking health survey and health administrative data for residents of Ontario, Canada, aged 12–65 years, between January 2009 and December 2015. Individuals self-reporting cannabis use within the past year were matched to control individuals (people who reported never using cannabis, or used cannabis only once, and more than 12 months ago) in upwards of a 1:3 ratio on 31 different variables, using propensity score matching methods. Respiratory-related and all-cause ER visits or hospitalisations, and all-cause mortality, were evaluated up to 12 months following the index date. Results We identified 35 114 individuals who had either used cannabis in the past year or were controls, of whom 6425 (18.3%) used cannabis in the past year. From this group, 4807 (74.8%) were propensity-score matched to 10 395 control individuals. In the propensity score matched cohort, there was no significant difference in odds of respiratory-related ER visit or hospitalisation between cannabis users and the control group (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.09). Compared with control individuals, cannabis users had significantly increased odds of all-cause ER visit or hospitalisation (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.31) and there was no significant difference with respect to all-cause mortality (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.49 to 2.02). Conclusions Although no significant association was observed between cannabis use and respiratory-related ER visits or hospitalisations, the risk of an equally important morbidity outcome, all-cause ER visit or hospitalisation, was significantly greater among cannabis users than among control individuals. Therefore, cannabis use is associated with increased risk for serious adverse health events and its recreational consumption is not benign.
Seam or swing? Identifying the most effective type of bowling variation for fast bowlers in men’s international 50-over cricket

ABSTRACT In this study, 13,176 balls bowled by international level fast bowlers were analysed in order to investigate the relationship between the types of delivery and their effectiveness. The results of Chi-Squared analyses revealed significant associations between the type of delivery and runs conceded (p < 0.001) as well as wickets taken (p < 0.001). Seam movement was revealed to be more effective than swing bowling at both producing dot balls and taking wickets. Specifically, balls that ‘seam-away” were revealed to be the most effective for bowling dots and “seam-in” for taking wickets. The “away-swinger” resulted in significantly greater than expected dot balls as did the “in-swinger” but only the in-swinger resulted in significantly greater than expected wickets. Both the “off-cutter” and “slower-balls” were revealed to result in significantly fewer than expected dot balls but significantly greater than expected wickets, implying bowlers must assess for themselves the risk versus reward of these two types of variation. Balls with no-movement were revealed to have no significant relationship with runs conceded, but did result in significantly fewer than expected wickets. Evidence suggests that lateral movement is crucial to bowling success with seam movement revealed to be more effective than swing.
68Ga‐nitroimidazole PET/CT imaging of hypoxia in tuberculosis: A case series

Tuberculosis (TB) lesions in humans have been proven to be severely hypoxic with hypoxia leading to latency and dormancy of disease. Dormant TB lesions become less susceptible to standard TB treatment regimens with varying responses to treatment but may have increased susceptibility to nitroimidazole drugs. This in turn implies that positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging with radiolabelled nitroimidazoles may identify patients who will benefit from treatment with antimicrobial agents that are active against anaerobic bacteria. This case series aims to highlight the hypoxic uptake and retention of a novel 68Ga‐labelled hypoxia‐seeking agent in TB lesions at different time points during anti‐TB therapy using PET/CT imaging. Patients with confirmed TB underwent whole‐body PET/CT after administration of a 68Ga‐nitroimidazole derivative at baseline and follow‐up. Images were analysed both qualitatively and semi‐quantitatively. Hypoxic uptake and change in uptake over time were analysed using lesion‐to‐muscle ratio (LMR) and lesion‐to‐blood ratio (LBR). 68Ga‐nitroimidazole avid lesions were demonstrated most frequently in the upper lobes of the lung. Low‐grade hypoxic uptake was visualised in areas of consolidation, cavitation, nodules and lymph nodes. From baseline to follow‐up imaging, the LMR increased with persistent hypoxic load despite morphologic improvement. This case series highlights the dynamic hypoxic microenvironment in TB lesions. From these initial data, it appears that 68Ga‐nitroimidazole is a promising candidate for monitoring hypoxic load in patients diagnosed with TB. Such imaging could identify patients who would benefit from individualised therapy targeting other mechanisms in the TB microenvironment with the intention to predict or improve treatment response.
Artificial Urdu Text Detection and Localization from Individual Video Frames

In current era of technology, information acquisition from images and videos become most important task due to the rapid development of data mining and machine learning.The information can be either textual, visual, or combination of these. Text appearing in images or videos is a significant source of information and plays a vital role to perceive it. Developing a unified method to detect the text is hard, as textual properties (i.e. font, size, color, illumination, orientation, etc.) may vary with the complex background. So far, multimedia and computer vision community unable yet to standardize any ideal approach to extract the text smoothly. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to detect and localize artificial Urdu text in individual video frames. Firstly, Sobel and Canny edge detection operators are applied to input frame and are merged with MSER (Maximally Stable Extremal Region) detected regions. Next, geometric constraints are applied to eliminate obvious non-text regions with large and small variations. Further refining of non-text regions is achieved by stroke width transform. SVM (Support Vector Machine) classifier is trained to classify text and non-text objects. Finally, bounding boxes are used to localize the text.Experimental results show that the proposed method is robust and efficient than state-of-the-art methods.
Comparison of five convolutional neural networks for predicting osteoporosis based on mandibular cortical index on panoramic radiographs.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to compare five convolutional neural networks for predicting osteoporosis based on mandibular cortical index (MCI) on panoramic radiographs. METHODS Panoramic radiographs of 744 female patients over 50 years of age were labeled as C1, C2, and C3 depending on the MCI. The data of the present study were reviewed in different categories including (C1, C2, C3), (C1, C2), (C1, C3), and (C1, (C2 +C3)) as two-class and three-class predictions. The data were separated randomly as 20% test data, and the remaining data were used for training and validation with 5-fold cross-validation. AlexNET, GoogleNET, ResNET-50, SqueezeNET, and ShuffleNET deep learning models were trained through the transfer learning method. The results were evaluated by performance criteria including accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1-score, AUC, and training duration. The Gradient-Weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) method was applied for visual interpretation of where deep learning algorithms gather the feature from image regions. RESULTS The dataset (C1, C2, C3) has an accuracy rate of 81.14% with AlexNET; the dataset (C1, C2) has an accuracy rate of 88.94% with GoogleNET; the dataset (C1, C3) has an accuracy rate of 98.56% with AlexNET; and the dataset (C1,(C2 +C3)) has an accuracy rate of 92.79% with GoogleNET. CONCLUSION The highest accuracy was obtained in the differentiation of C3 and C1 where osseous structure characteristics change significantly. Since the C2 score represent the intermediate stage (osteopenia), structural characteristics of the bone present behaviors closer to C1 and C3 scores. Therefore, the data set including the C2 score provided relatively lower accuracy results.
Awake extracorporeal life support and physiotherapy in adult patients: A systematic review of the literature

Objective The Awake Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) practice combined with physiotherapy is increasing. However, available evidence for this approach is limited, with unclear indications on timing, management, and protocols. This review summarizes available literature regarding Awake ECLS and physiotherapy application rates, practices, and outcomes in adults, providing indications for future investigations. Methods Four databases were screened from inception to February 2021, for studies reporting adult Awake ECLS with/without physiotherapy. Primary outcome was hospital discharge survival, followed by Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) duration, extubation, Intensive Care Unit stay. Results Twenty-nine observational studies and one randomized study were selected, including 1,157 patients (males n = 611/691, 88.4%) undergoing Awake ECLS. Support type was reported in 1,089 patients: Veno-Arterial ECMO (V-A = 39.6%), Veno-Venous ECMO (V-V = 56.8%), other ECLS (3.6%). Exclusive upper body cannulation and femoral cannulation were applied in 31% versus 69% reported cases (n = 931). Extubation was successful in 63.5% (n = 522/822) patients during ECLS. Physiotherapy details were given for 676 patients: exercises confined in bed for 47.9% (n = 324) patients, mobilization until standing in 9.3% (n = 63) cases, ambulation performed in 42.7% (n = 289) patients. Femoral cannulation, extubation and V-A ECMO were mostly correlated to complications. Hospital discharge survival observed in 70.8% (n = 789/1114). Conclusion Awake ECLS strategy associated with physiotherapy is performed regardless of cannulation approach. Ambulation, as main objective, is achieved in almost half the population examined. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate safety and efficacy of physiotherapy during Awake ECLS, and suitable patient selection. Guidelines are required to identify appropriate assessment/evaluation tools for Awake ECLS patients monitoring. Graphical Abstract
Bereaved UK military families: A mixed methods study on the provision of practical and emotional support

Abstract Traumatic deaths of military personnel can have tragic consequences for the lives and health of bereaved significant others. To mitigate the effects, the UK Armed Forces enhanced the support for bereaved military families. However, little is known about whether the support has been satisfactory. The present research applied mixed methods to explore the experiences of bereaved UK military families (N = 264) with different types of support and how it historically changed over time. The findings suggest that although support has improved, further improvements are required in the provision of financial information, administrative support, and access to psychological support for all bereaved family members.
A Wide-angle VIMOS Survey of the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

Using VIMOS in imaging and spectroscopy modes and FLAMES spectroscopy data, we have mapped the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph) photometrically and spectroscopically over eight fields along the galaxy minor and major axes. We have found, for the first time, striking evidence of multiple populations in the peripheral zones of this near companion of the Milky Way. These data, together with previous analyses of the Sgr dSph core and streams, supply a detailed picture of this galaxy, and will give us the opportunity to reconstruct the history of this object and its influence on the evolution of the Milky Way.
The psychological impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy: The moderating role of gender and emotion regulation

Abstract Many researchers suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may have more negative effects on women than men. Accordingly, we hypothesized that women would experience greater COVID-19 related distress and more psychopathological symptoms than men during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Moreover, we expected emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, as protective and risk factors respectively) to interact with gender in shaping psychological health. We administered an online questionnaire to 1519 participants during the first national COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. As predicted, women reported greater COVID-19 related distress and more psychopathological symptoms than men. Furthermore, women who made greater use of reappraisal reported lower levels of distress and fewer psychopathological symptoms. Suppression was associated with more psychopathological symptoms, but there were no interaction effects with gender. Our findings have implications for policymakers wishing to sustain women’s health during stressful situations such as the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond.
the Application of Institutionalism Towards Financial

Abstract The main purpose behind this empirical investigation was to establish a relationship between institutional factors and economic growth. For this purpose, a sample of 40 countries belonging to Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is utilized. Panel data for the period 2002-2018 is collected from internationally reliable sources and suitable econometric tools are employed for the estimation purpose. Results revealed that indeed institutional factors matter for achieving economic growth. Control of corruption is found to be the main driving forces behind the economic growth of OIC countries. Similarly, constrains both executive and political are detrimental for economic growth. Rule of law and government effectiveness have played a positive role in the growth process; however, they are insignificant statistically. The control variables such as trade openness and mean years of schooling have played their expected positive role in economic growth. Moreover, employment level of the labor force and capital stock have impacted economic growth of these countries positively but insignificantly. The study recommends that countries belonging to the OIC shall move towards control corruption and relax constrains related to both executive and political regime and bring improvement in government and rule of law in order to speed up the process of economic growth. This study has provided detailed understanding about the role of institutions in economic growth both empirically and theoretically for OIC member countries for the first time.
Residential Demand Response: Generation, Storage, and Load Management

Author(s): Ahmed, Nadia | Advisor(s): Levorato, Marco; Li, GP | Abstract: An Energy Management System (EMS) control framework driven by resident behavior patterns is developed. Using hidden Markov modeling techniques, the EMS detects consumer behavior from real-time aggregate consumption and a pre-built dictionary of reference models. These models capture variations in consumer habits as a function of daily living activity sequence. Following a training period, the system identifies the best fit model which is used to estimate the current state of the resident. When a request to activate a time-shiftable appliance is made, the control agent compares grid signals, user convenience constraints, and the current consumer state estimate to predict the likelihood that the future aggregate load exceeds a consumption threshold during the operating cycle of the requested device. Based on the outcome, the control agent initiates or defers the activation request. Using three consumer reference models, a case study assessing EMS performance with respect to model detection, state estimation, and control as a function of consumer comfort and grid-informed consumption constraints is presented. A tradeoff analysis between comfort, consumption threshold, and appliance activation delay is demonstrated. The EMS system is then extended to include the residential distributed energy management system (DER). In this cyber-physical system, the consumer home generates and stores energy for utilization by the load to decrease peaks in demand on the power grid. Using historical irradiance datasets a solar irradiance model based on weather forecast data is built to predict the potential future harvested energy of the system in addition to the load profile. The harvested energy and the load are used to assess the amount of energy that may be stored in the energy storage unit of a household. Based on the cost associated with the power rate and the degradation of the battery during the charge discharge cycle, a control policy based on a Markov decision process framework is assessed. A case study for Boulder, CO is presented. Results using the rain flow counting method illustrate a significant reduction in material damage to the battery bank.
A novel wideband Minkowski fractal antenna with assistance of triangular dielectric resonator elements

This article concentrates on the design and analysis of a novel Minkowski fractal‐based antenna design with the aid of triangular dielectric resonator (TDR) elements for wideband wireless applications. TM101z mode is excited inside equilateral TDR antenna with the help of coaxial probe feed. Wide impedance bandwidth has been achieved by reducing the quality factor with the help of increasing surface area‐to‐volume ratio of radiating structure. Another important feature of this article is that recurrence formulas are derived to calculate the fraction of surface area to volume of proposed fractal antenna up to nth iteration. The proposed antenna design is fabricated and measured up to third iteration to verify its simulated outcomes. Practically measured outcome confirms that the proposed antenna design operates over the frequency range, that is, 2.23‐3.1 GHz with the maximum gain of 3.62 dBi. These features make it appropriate for wireless LAN (2.4 GHz) and WiMAX (2.5 GHz) applications.
On the effect of electrode finiteness in small-scale electrical resistivity imaging

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles including finite steel-rod electrodes have been widely used in assuming a surface-node current injection for inversion. This hypothesis was shown by others to be safe for ratios of electrode embedment to electrode spacing smaller than 20%. Relying on the conductive cell model (CCM), we took into account the complete electrodes in the DC forward problem. We found that an electrode effect is included in resistivity sections inverted with a surface point electrode model. Several synthetic examples indicated that this unwanted effect is particularly developed when the electrode spacing does not meet a double constraint from the characteristic size of a shallow heterogeneity and from the electrode embedment. This effect deserved correction. A point approximation for a finite electrode referred to as the equivalent electrode point (EEP) was sought by placing a point-source current in the ground along the electrode length. The appropriate EEP depth was the one for which the CCM and a buried point source minimized a systematic geometric error; i.e., the relative change of the geometric factors obtained with the CCM and with an EEP. An EEP placed at 73% of the electrode length was declared as a suitable point approximation for an electrode. Use of this point assumption for inversion remedied efficiently the electrode effect subject to conditions. More precisely, the electrode spacing should stay within a lower bound equal to twice the electrode embedment and an upper bound equal to the shallow heterogeneity characteristic size divided by 0.75. The interest of such a metrological appraisal of the suitable acquisition layout to be used on the field was illustrated by a small-scale ERT field survey. This case study permitted us to understand more reliably the impact from fires upon a centimetric shallow layer in a calcareous wall.
The Superconducting Radio-Frequency Linear Accelerator Components for the European Spallation Source: First Test Results

The European Spallation Source requires a pulsed linac with an average beam power on the target of 5 MW, which is about five times higher than the most powerful spallation source in operation today. Over 97 % of the acceleration occurs in superconducting cavities. ESS will be the first accelerator to employ double spoke cavities to accelerate beam. Accelerating gradients of 9 MV/meter is required in the spoke section. The spoke section will be followed by 36 elliptical 704 MHz cavities with a geometrical E of 0.67 and elliptical 704 MHz cavities with a geometrical E of 0.86. Accelerating gradients of 16.7 and 20 MV/m are required in the medium and high-E elliptical cavities, respectively. Initial gradient test results will be presented in which results exceed expected requirements. (Less)
THE POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETY, SCIENCE AND PROFESSIONS THE POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETY, SCIENCE AND PROFESSIONS

Information society, postindustrial society, knowledge society: these are the titles of our times which have rooted strongly in the language when we talk about current situation. Perhaps this is the result of the need of our mind to know where we are, to find our here and now or to define ourselves somehow in order to know us. Maybe these terms are just resulting from modernist efforts to constantly supersede something, aiming forward. From industrialism to postindustrialism and after even further to another “post” which we will find in our way through history.
A 470‐990 MHz digital‐controlled VCO with temperature compensation

A 470‐990 MHz ring oscillator with 10‐bit digital control is implemented using 0.18 μm CMOS technology. A complementary to absolute temperature (CTAT) current bias is employed to achieve temperature compensation. Operating from a 1.8 V supply, the oscillator consumes the currents of 5.41 mA and 15.15 mA at 470 MHz and 990 MHz, respectively. Measurement results show that the frequency drift of the oscillator is within 1% from−10 to 80°C.