Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement of the Velocity Gradient Tensor in Turbulent Flows

This article reviews the principal experimental methods currently available to simultaneously measure all the terms of the velocity gradient tensor of turbulent flows. These methods have been available only for a little more than 20 years. They have provided access to the most fundamental and defining properties of turbulence. The methods include small, multisensor, hot-wire probes that provide single-location, time-resolved measurements of the tensor and various optical arrangements, most of which provide the tensor information over a larger spatial extent but, in most cases, without resolution in time. Data-reduction algorithms, spatial-resolution issues, and the use of Taylor's hypothesis are addressed in evaluating the accuracy of the various methods.
Sequencing of the Pituitary Transcriptome after GnRH Treatment Uncovers the Involvement of lncRNA-m23b/miR-23b-3p/CAMK2D in FSH Synthesis and Secretion

The pituitary gland is a key participant in the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, as it secretes a variety of hormones and plays an important role in mammalian reproduction. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone(GnRH) signaling molecules can bind to GnRH receptors on the surfaces of adenohypophysis gonadotropin cells and regulate the expression of follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH) and luteinizing hormone(LH) through various pathways. An increasing number of studies have shown that noncoding RNAs mediate the regulation of GnRH signaling molecules in the adenohypophysis. However, the expression changes and underlying mechanisms of genes and noncoding RNAs in the adenohypophysis under the action of GnRH remain unclear. In the present study, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of the rat adenohypophysis before and after GnRH treatment to identify differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs. We found 385 mRNAs, 704 lncRNAs, and 20 miRNAs that were significantly differentially expressed in the rat adenohypophysis. Then, we used a software to predict the regulatory roles of lncRNAs as molecular sponges that compete with mRNAs to bind miRNAs, and construct a GnRH-mediated ceRNA regulatory network. Finally, we enriched the differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNA target genes, and ceRNA regulatory networks to analyze their potential roles. Based on the sequencing results, we verified that GnRH could affect FSH synthesis and secretion by promoting the competitive binding of lncRNA-m23b to miR-23b-3p to regulate the expression of Calcium/Calmodulin Dependent Protein Kinase II Delta(CAMK2D). Our findings provide strong data to support exploration of the physiological processes in the rat adenohypophysis under the action of GnRH. Furthermore, our profile of lncRNA expression in the rat adenohypophysis provides a theoretical basis for research on the roles of lncRNAs in the adenohypophysis.
An efficient single crystal BSE detector in SEM

Using the optical modifications described, the signal of the wide-angle BSE detector can be increased 3.7-fold compared with the detector type illustrated in Figure 1. The increase was achieved by more fully exploiting the optical phenomena of diffusion, reflection at the critical angle and antireflection, and especially that of their combined effects. A higher photon energy transfer was obtained by specific optical modifications to the scintillator and the light guide. Based on the current modifications, it can be estimated that about 75% of the generated light reaches the PMT. It is necessary, therefore, to revise all values previously published of the DQE coefficient of the YAG scintillator. A general value of DQE is of very limited use depending as it does on the specific conditions under which light emerges from the YAG scintillator. The DQE, therefore, does not permit sufficiently accurate comparison with other scintillation materials. The DQE can be evaluated only for a completed detector configuration in which the laws of geometrical optics apply, or it can be used for making comparisons of scintillation materials used in the same detector configuration.
Polymeric Carbon Nitrides for Photoelectrochemical Applications: Ring Opening-Induced Degradation

Active and stable materials that utilize solar radiation for promoting different reactions are critical for emerging technologies. Two of the most common polymeric carbon nitrides were prepared by the thermal polycondensation of melamine. The scope of this work is to investigate possible structural degradation before and after photoelectrochemical testing. The materials were characterized using synchrotron radiation and lab-based techniques, and subsequently degraded photoelectrochemically, followed by post-mortem analysis. Post-mortem investigations reveal: (1) carbon atoms bonded to three nitrogen atoms change into carbon atoms bonded to two nitrogen atoms and (2) the presence of methylene terminals in post-mortem materials. The study concludes that polymeric carbon nitrides are susceptible to photoelectrochemical degradation via ring opening.
EVALUATION OF THE RTDOSEPLAN TREATMENT PLANNING SYSTEM USING RADIOCHROMIC FILM AND MONTE CARLO SIMULATION

Introduction: GafChromic EBT films are one of the self-developing and modern films commercially available for dosimetric verification of treatment planning systems (TPSs). Their high spatial resolution, low energy dependence and near-tissue equivalence make them suitable for verification of dose distributions in radiation therapy. This study was designed to evaluate the dosimetric parameters of the RtDosePlan TPS such as PDD curves, lateral beam profiles, and isodose curves measured in a water phantom using EBT Radiochromic film and EGSnrc Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. Methods and Materials: A Microtek color scanner was used as the film scanning system, where the response in the red color channel was extracted and used for the analyses. A calibration curve was measured using pieces of irradiated films to specific doses. The film was mounted inside the phantom parallel to the beam's central axis and was irradiated in a standard setup (SSD = 80 cm, FS = 10×10 cm2) with a 60Co machine. The BEAMnrc and the DOSXYZnrc codes were used to simulate the Co-60 machine and extracting the voxel-based phantom. The phantom's acquired CT data were transferred to the TPS using DICOM files. Results: Distance-To-Agreement (DTA) and Dose Difference (DD) among the TPS predictions, measurements and MC calculations were all within the acceptance criteria (DD=3%, DTA=3 mm). Conclusion: This study shows that EBT film is an appropriate tool for verification of 2D dose distribution predicted by a TPS system. In addition, it is concluded that MC simulation with the BEAMnrc code has a suitable potential for verifying dose distributions.
Sequential Change-Point Analysis Based on Weighted Moving Averages

Ziel der sequentiellen Change-Point Analyse ist es, geeignete Methoden zum Auffinden struktureller Bruche in stochastischen Prozessen bereitzustellen. Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit nicht-parametrischen Verfahren auf der Basis gewichteter, gleitender Durchschnitte. Es werden bekannte Prozeduren diskutiert und neue Testverfahren vorgestellt. Die Hauptresultate dieser Arbeit, der PWMA-Test (polynomially weighted moving average) und der FWMA-Test (fractionally weighted moving average), sind Erweiterungen des CUSUM-Tests. Weiterhin werden in dieser Dissertation die Grenzverteilungen der bedingten Stoppzeiten des MOSUM-Tests bestimmt und zur Konstruktion asymptotischer Konfidenzintervalle fur den Zeitpunkt eines Strukturbruches eingesetzt.
Thermomechanical instability of viscoelastic friction materials in automotive disk clutches and brake pads

Abstract The objective of this study is to develop a mathematical model to aid in predicting the onset of instability in automotive disk brakes and clutches when using viscoelastic friction materials. The model is derived from and expands upon the fundamental of Burton’s model for thermoelasticity in pure elastic materials. In this investigation, three physical material parameters are considered: relaxation time, elasticity, and thermal conductivity. Prior to this parametric study, the effects of these material properties in relation to thermoelasticity were yet to be fully understood. Therefore, a finite element analysis is developed and used to validate the mathematical model by comparing the variation of the critical speed as a function of thermal conductivity. The results reveal that an increase in the relaxation time significantly reduces the critical sliding speed. Changing the elastic parameter further increases the effect of relaxation time by also reducing the critical sliding speed. However, increasing the thermal conductivity parameter dampens the effect of the elastic parameter and relaxation time on the critical speed. The study concludes there is a critical value of the relaxation time and elastic parameter above which the system stability is improved, meanwhile thermal conductivity attempts to counter the stability gained from other material properties. The study is instrumental in understanding the influence of viscoelastic parameters in sliding systems and provides an intuitive means of predicting the onset of thermomechanical instability.
Viscoelastic Properties of Zona Pellucida of Oocytes Characterized by Transient Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy

The success rate in vitro fertilization is significantly linked to the quality of the oocytes. The oocyte’s membrane is encapsulated by a shell of gelatinous extracellular matrix, called zona pellucida, which undergoes dynamic changes throughout the reproduction cycle. During the window of highest fertility, the zona pellucida exhibits a softening phase, while it remains rigid during oocyte maturation and again after fertilization. These variations in mechanical properties facilitate or inhibit sperm penetration. Since successful fertilization considerably depends on the state of the zona pellucida, monitoring of the hardening process of the zona pellucida is vital. In this study, we scrutinized two distinct genetic mouse models, namely, fetuin-B wild-type and fetuin-B/ovastacin double deficient with normal and super-soft zona pellucida, respectively. We evaluated the hardening with the help of a microfluidic aspiration-assisted electrical impedance spectroscopy system. An oocyte was trapped by a microhole connected to a microfluidic channel by applying suction pressure. Transient electrical impedance spectra were taken by microelectrodes surrounding the microhole. The time-depending recovery of zona pellucida deflections to equilibrium was used to calculate the Young’s modulus and, for the first time, absolute viscosity values. The values were obtained by fitting the curves with an equivalent mechanical circuit consisting of a network of dashpots and springs. The observer-independent electrical readout in combination with a fitting algorithm for the calculation of the viscoelastic properties demonstrates a step toward a more user-friendly and easy-to-use tool for the characterizing and better understanding of the rheological properties of oocytes.
Machine learning, meaning making: On reading computer science texts

Computer science tends to foreclose the reading of its texts by social science and humanities scholars – via code and scale, mathematics, black box opacities, secret or proprietary models. Yet, when computer science papers are read in order to better understand what machine learning means for societies, a form of reading is brought to bear that is not primarily about excavating the hidden meaning of a text or exposing underlying truths about science. Not strictly reading to make sense or to discern definitive meaning of computer science texts, reading is an engagement with the sense-making and meaning-making that takes place. We propose a strategy for reading computer science that is attentive to the act of reading itself, that stays close to the difficulty involved in all forms of reading, and that works with the text as already properly belonging to the ethico-politics that this difficulty engenders. Addressing a series of three “reading problems” – genre, readability, and meaning – we discuss machine learning textbooks and papers as sites where today's algorithmic models are actively giving accounts of their paradigmatic worldview. Much more than matters of technical definition or proof of concept, texts are sites where concepts are forged and contested. In our times, when the political application of AI and machine learning is so commonly geared to settle or predict difficult societal problems in advance, a reading strategy must open the gaps and difficulties of that which cannot be settled or resolved.
The Impact of Covid-19 on youth employment in Russia

Young people have enormous potential for labour market development of every country. The purpose of this research is to examine the ways in which the Covid-pandemic affected youth employment in Russia by assessing the relevant indicators of the past decade and describing the relationship between the crucial characteristics of three subcategories of youth and the changes in employment patterns in response to the pandemic shock. It also identifies the specific factors that determined the transformation of the Russian labour market during the pandemic. The results can provide policy-makers with guidance on how to cope with youth employment risks and help the young people assess their prospects for employment and manage their career paths.
A Central Asian Food Dataset for Personalized Dietary Interventions

Nowadays, it is common for people to take photographs of every beverage, snack, or meal they eat and then post these photographs on social media platforms. Leveraging these social trends, real-time food recognition and reliable classification of these captured food images can potentially help replace some of the tedious recording and coding of food diaries to enable personalized dietary interventions. Although Central Asian cuisine is culturally and historically distinct, there has been little published data on the food and dietary habits of people in this region. To fill this gap, we aim to create a reliable dataset of regional foods that is easily accessible to both public consumers and researchers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work on the creation of a Central Asian Food Dataset (CAFD). The final dataset contains 42 food categories and over 16,000 images of national dishes unique to this region. We achieved a classification accuracy of 88.70% (42 classes) on the CAFD using the ResNet152 neural network model. The food recognition models trained on the CAFD demonstrate the effectiveness and high accuracy of computer vision for dietary assessment.
Design and Optimization of Metamaterial-Based 5G Millimeter Wave Antenna for Gain Enhancement

In this brief, a low profile, broadband, high-gain antenna array based on optimized metamaterials (MMs) with dual-beam radiation is reported for 5G millimeters wave (mm-wave) applications. The design is a simple bow tie operating at a 5G band of 28 GHz. It consists of two bow ties with substrate integrated waveguide (SIW)-based power splitter. A broad impedance bandwidth of 26.3-29.8 GHz is obtained by appropriately combining the resonances of the bow ties and the SIW. Further, the antenna exhibits symmetrical dual-beam radiation at ±25° over a broad bandwidth in the end-fire direction due to the arrangement of the two radiators. A MM array has been etched in the same substrate shared with the antenna to improve the gain performance while preserving compact size. The trust-region (TR) gradient-based algorithm is used to optimize the structure dimensions and to achieve a maximum gain of 12.2 dB at 29 GHz. The developed MM-based antenna is validated experimentally with a good matching between the simulated and measured data. The system features a small size, low profile, high gain, broad bandwidth, and dual-beam in the E-plane, demonstrating its suitability for 5G mm-wave indoor scenarios.
Coronal heating by the phase mixing of individual pulses propagating in coronal holes

The propagation of Alfvénic pulses into an inhomogeneous model of a coronal hole is investigated. It is demonstrated that the standard exponential damping of a harmonically generated wavetrain, due to phase mixing, is replaced by a slower algebraic damping when individual pulses are considered, suggesting that pulses will transport energy higher into the corona than a wavetrain. In addition, the initial shape of the pulse is rapidly transformed into a travelling Gaussian pulse. When two pulses of opposite sign travelling in the same direction are generated, the pulses diffuse into each other and the decay of the amplitude is faster, although still algebraic.
Ageing and Loneliness in Times of Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Society is immersed in a process of demographic transformation of great relevance: the ageing of the population. During the ageing stage, relevant changes occur, such as age-related losses, lack of formal and informal support or changes in social roles, which can cause situations of isolation or loneliness in older people. After the Spanish government decreed a state of alarm throughout the national territory in response to the arrival of SARS-CoV2, the confinement of the entire population was established, and only essential services and authorized persons could continue to carry out their daily activities and professional tasks. In addition, since the beginning of the pandemic, older people were considered high-risk people, a circumstance that increased their isolation situation. Objective: Understand, organize and systematically analyse the scientific evidence generated in relation to the impact that the COVID−19 pandemic has had on the processes and feelings of isolation and loneliness of the elderly population, from the beginning of the health crisis until the date of search. Materials and methods: a scoping review was conducted using the methodology of Arksey and O’Malley, which included a review of the studies available in the online databases Proquest, Scopus and WOS. From the search, information related to the isolation and collective of elderly people during the pandemic was extracted. Results: a total of 32 articles were included, from which three fundamental areas of analysis emerged and three issues emerged: older people and institutionalisation during the pandemic, ageism and hospitalisation of the elderly during the pandemic, and loneliness and isolation of older people throughout the pandemic. Discussion: the lack of material resources and infrastructures to be able to face the problem of isolation in institutions was evident. The importance of acquiring, on the part of the elderly, competences, knowledge and skills in new technologies in order to continue with contact with their peer group and family was also observed. Conclusions: this study identifies areas already understood, as well as knowledge gaps, that allow for determining opportunities for future research and thus the ability to improve in situations similar to the one that occurred.
Analytical Hybrid Flux Switching Permanent Magnet Machines Model.

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A new species of the highly polytypic South American rodent Ctenomys increases the diversity of the magellanicus clade

The subterranean rodent Ctenomys is the most polytypic South American mammal genus and one of the most speciose and rapidly diversifying mammal genera in the world. Its systematics is unstable due to the underlying accelerated diversification processes that give rise to evolutionary lineages at different stages of differentiation and to remarkable morphological homogeneity even among long-differentiated species. As a result, species boundaries are often difficult to define. Diversity of this genus in the coastal area of central Argentina has been extensively studied, with two independent lineages currently recognized while a distinct third population had not been previously detected. Through a phylogenetic analysis based on combined morphological and molecular evidence, Bayesian estimates of divergence times, and morphometric and morphological assessments, we recognize this third population as an independently evolving lineage. The new species, Ctenomys pulcersp. nov., is here described for both the living fauna and the fossil record of the Pampean region of central Argentina. According to phylogenetic results, Ctenomys pulcersp. nov. belongs to the essentially Patagonian magellanicus clade, and would have diverged from its sister species, Ctenomys bidaui, during the middle Pleistocene (ca. 0.4 Ma). Its current distribution in the fixed and semifixed dunes of the coastal Pampean region is assumed to represent a relict of a wider and continuous distribution of potentially suitable environments during the late Pleistocene. Ctenomys pulcersp. nov. occurs in a particularly fragile natural system subjected to profound disturbances caused by diverse anthropic actions and therefore measures for the conservation of its habitat will be indispensable.
Effects of Snow Cover on Spring Vegetation Phenology Vary With Temperature Gradient Across the Pan‐Arctic

Extensive and complex changes in spring vegetation phenology have occurred in the Pan‐Arctic over the last several decades. However, the role of snow cover at the start of the growing season (SOS) under different climatic conditions remains unclear. Therefore, we compare the effects of four snow indicators on SOS from 1982 to 2015 based on long‐term remote sensing data and found that snow cover end date (SCED) is the main snow indicator affecting SOS, with SOS advancing 0.56 days for each 1‐day advance in SCED, explaining 12%–90% of SOS variability in 63% of the Pan‐Arctic region. The results also demonstrate that SCED is the dominant factor on SOS in 13% of the Pan‐Arctic region and the effects of SCED on SOS vary with temperature gradient rather than precipitation gradient. In cold areas, the positive effect of SCED on SOS diminished with increasing temperature, while in warm areas, the positive effect of SCED on SOS increased with increasing temperature. As the climate warms, the impact of SCED on SOS is expected to weaken in cold areas and increase in warm areas. The findings have crucial implications for understanding future vegetation phenological responses to climate change across the Pan‐Arctic.