Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparing polarization grating based on polarization holography

Polarization grating (PG) divides the incident wave into the left- and right-handed circularly polarized waves, the intensities of two waves depending on the state of polarization of incident wave. Large deflection angle of the commercial PG is usually made by the grating cascade due to the limit of grating period. While using the tensor polarization holography theory, arbitrary deflection angles of PGs have been designed, where the polarization-sensitive material phenanthraquinone-doped polymethyl methacrylate (PQ/PMMA) is utilized as the recording medium in our experiments. We have made PG with the deflection angle of 40°.
Microseismic data denoising using a 3C group sparsity constrained time-frequency transform

Noise contamination is an important problem in microseismic data processing, due to the low magnitude of the seismic events induced during fluid injection. In this study, a noncoherent noise attenuation technique based on a constrained time-frequency transform is presented. When applied to 1C data, the transform corresponds to a sparse representation of the microseismic signal in terms of a dictionary of complex Ricker wavelets. The use of complex wavelets possesses the advantage that signals with arbitrary phase can be represented with enhanced sparsity. A synthetic example illustrates the superior performance of the sparse constraint for denoising objectives when compared to the standard least-squares regularization. As the arrival time and frequency content of any wavefront are equivalent in the three components of a single receiver, the extension of the sparse transform to 3C data is accomplished when the three components are considered to share the same sparsity pattern in the time-frequency plane. A.
Asymptotic stability of impulsive stochastic switched system with double state-dependent delays and application to neural networks and neural network-based lecture skills assessment of normal students

This article investigates the stability problem of impulsive stochastic switched systems with double state-dependent delays. In the designed system, unstable and stable impulses are taken into consideration, respectively, and they do not need to function simultaneously with switching behavior. Additionally, two new ideas, i.e., mode-dependent switching density and mode-dependent impulsive density, are developed. Based on the Lyapunov function method and comparison principle, the asymptotic stability criteria for an impulsive stochastic switched system with state-dependent delays are given. Moreover, the application of theoretical results to neural networks and the neural network-based lecture skills assessment of normal students is analyzed. Finally, two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness and reliability of the theoretical criteria.
Bounded rationality in structured density estimation

Learning to accurately represent environmental uncertainty is crucial for adaptive and optimal behaviors in various cognitive tasks. However, it remains unclear how the human brain, constrained by finite cognitive resources, internalise the highly structured environmental uncertainty. In this study, we explore how these learned distributions deviate from the ground truth, resulting in observable inconsistency in a novel structured density estimation task. During each trial, human participants were asked to learn and report the latent probability distribution functions underlying sequentially presented independent observations. As the number of observations increased, the reported predictive density became closer to the ground truth. Nevertheless, we observed an intriguing inconsistency in human structure estimation, specifically a large error in the number of reported clusters. Such inconsistency is invariant to the scale of the distribution and persists across stimulus modalities. We modeled uncertainty learning as approximate Bayesian inference in a nonparametric mixture prior of distributions. Human reports were best explained under resource rationality embodied in a decaying tendency towards model expansion. Our study offers insights into human cognitive processes under uncertainty and lays the groundwork for further exploration of resource-rational representations in the brain under more complex tasks.
Retail Indicators Forecasting and Planning

We present a methodology to handle the problem of planning sales goals. The methodology supports the retail manager to carry out simulations to find the most plausible goals for the future. One of the novel aspects of this methodology is that the analysis is based not on current sales levels, as most previous works do, but on those in the future, making a more precise and accurate analysis of the situation. The work presents the solution for a scenario using three sales performance indicators: foot traffic, conversion rate and ticket mean value for sales, but it explains how it can be generalized to more indicators. The contribution of this work is in the first place a framework, which consists of a methodology for performing sales planning, then, an algorithm, which finds the best prediction model for a particular store, and finally, a tool, which helps sales planners to set realistic sales goals based on the predicted sales. First we present the method to choose the best indicator prediction model for each retail store and then we present a tool which allows the retail manager estimate the improvements on the indicators in order to attain a desired sales goal level; the managers may then perform several simulations for various scenarios in a fast and efficient way. The developed tool implementing this methodology was validated by experts in the subject of administration of retail stores yielding good results.
STOCHASTIC MODELS OF PRICE ADJUSTMENT*

Some models of siochastic approximation are presented which seek to explain how several sellers in a single market adjust their prices and quantities in disequilibrium and when the demand for their product is imperfectly known. These adjustment schemes have the known property that they permit sellers to simultaneously learn their demand function more accurately and to search for more satisfactory price levels with little computation. Some subtle effects of stochastic environments are discovered which have escaped informal discussions of the problem.
Arabic Handwritten Text Recognition Systems Challenges and Opportunities

: Arabic handwritten text recognition faces significant challenges despite the large number of Arabic speakers. A critical review paper has analyzed previous research in this field, identifying problem areas and challenges faced by researchers. The paper focuses on trends in offline handwriting recognition systems and the unique characteristics of the Arabic language that pose technical challenges. The analysis involved comparing and contrasting previous research methods and performances to summarize critical problems and enumerate issues that must be addressed. The paper highlights several Arabic datasets that can be utilized as benchmarks for training, testing, and comparisons. These datasets are essential for evaluating the performance of Arabic handwriting recognition systems. Additionally, the paper concludes with a fundamental comparison and discussion of remaining open problems and trends in the field. It identifies several unresolved technical issues, such as the need for improved feature extraction and modeling techniques, as well as the need for large-scale, diverse datasets to facilitate better training and testing of Arabic handwriting recognition systems. Overall, the paper provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and issues facing Arabic handwriting recognition and highlights areas where further research is needed.
Novel Pathogen–Plant Host Interaction: Colletotrichum jiangxiense and Fraxinus americana L. (White Ash) in a Sentinel Garden in China

Fraxinus americana L. (white ash), a native North American tree commonly cultivated for its ornamental qualities, displayed symptoms of leaf spot disease in a sentinel garden located in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, in 2022. This disease led to premature leaf shedding, adversely affecting the plant’s growth and substantially diminishing its ornamental value. Potential fungal pathogens were isolated from the diseased leaves and the subsequent application of Koch’s postulates confirmed the pathogenicity of the fungal isolates (BL-1, BL-2). Through a combination of multi-locus phylogenetic analysis, including ITS, ACT, ApMat, CAL, CHS-1, GAPDH, and TUB2, alongside morphological assessments, the fungus was conclusively identified as Colletotrichum jiangxiense. This represents the first record of C. jiangxiense affecting white ash, highlighting the important role of sentinel gardens in uncovering novel pathogen–plant host interactions.
Long-term trend in Black Carbon mass concentration over Central IGP location: Understanding the implied change in radiative forcing

Black carbon (BC) has several direct, indirect, semi-direct, and microphysical eﬀects on the Earth’s climate system. Analyses of the decade-long measurement of BC aerosols at Varanasi (from 2009 to 2021) was done to understand its impact on radiative balance. General studies suggest that the daily BC mass concentration (mean of 9.18 ± 6.53 μ g m–3) ranges from 0.07 to 46.23 μ g m–3 and show a strong interannual and intra-annual variation over the 13-year study period. Trend analyses suggest that the interannual variability of BC shows signiﬁcant decreasing trend (-0.47 μ g m–3 yr-1) over the station. The decreasing trend is maximum during the post-monsoon (-1.86 μ g m–3 yr-1) and minimum during the pre-monsoon season (-0.31 μ g m–3 yr-1). The radiative forcing caused speciﬁcally by BC (BC-ARF) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), surface (SUR), and within the atmosphere (ATM) is found to be 10.3 ± 6.4, -30.1 ± 18.9, and 40.5 ± 25.2 Wm-2, respectively. BC-ARF shows strong interannual variability with a decreasing trend at the TOA (–0.47 Wm–2 yr-1) and ATM ((–1.94 Wm–2 yr-1) forcing, while it showed an increasing trend at the SUR (1.33 Wm–2 yr-1). To identify the potential source sectors and the transport pathways of BC aerosols, concentrated weighted trajectories (CWT) and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analyses have been conducted over the station. These analyses revealed that the primary source of pollution at Varanasi originate from the upper IGP, lower IGP, and central India.
The Distributive Effects of Administrative Burdens on Decision-Making

: Administrative burdens may discourage people, especially vulnerable groups, from acting in their own best interest. Most survey experiments focus on attitudes around burdens, while case studies and field interventions analyse specific policies. We test the distributive effects of administrative burdens on decision-making, using a pre-registered survey experiment with a diverse UK sample (n = 2,243). Participants are shown two scenarios, claiming a government benefit and a phone bill refund. They are randomly assigned to low or high-burden versions of each scenario. High-burden versions involve a lengthy process or an unpleasant interaction for the benefit claim. For the refund claim, they involve added complexity or delays. Participants report being significantly less likely to complete a claim when the burden is high. Older participants, those with health issues, and those with low financial well-being are more likely than others to complete the low-burden benefit task, but they are more negatively affected by higher burdens (though not always significantly so). This study shows that administrative burdens negatively impact decisions, even in hypothetical scenarios which may under-estimate effects; that some groups may be especially affected; and that survey experiments can be used to pre-test policies by assessing potential burdens and their distributive impact.
Balitoraanlongensis, the first cavefish species of the genus Balitora (Teleostei, Balitoridae) from Guizhou Province, southwest China

﻿Abstract This work describes a new species, Balitoraanlongensissp. nov., collected from a cave at Xinglong Town, Anlong County, Guzihou, China. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed based on two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes show that the new species represents an independent evolutionary lineage with large genetic differences, 7.1%–12.0% in mitochondrial gene cytochrome b and 9.2%–12.1% in cytochrome oxidase subunit 1, from congeners. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from the 18 species currently assigned to the genus Balitora by a combination of characters, most clearly by having two pairs of maxillary barbels; 8½ branched dorsal-fin rays; 5½ branched anal-fin rays; pectoral fin not reaching pelvic fin origin; dorsal-fin origin in front of pelvic fin origin; eye small (eye diameter approximately equal to outer maxillary barbel length); and fins lacking pigment in live fish. The new species represents the first record of Balitora inhabiting caves in China and increases the number of species in the genus Balitora in its present concept from 18 to 19. The study suggests that more evidence is needed to further clarify the taxonomic composition of the genus Balitora.
Caught in the act: new stakeholders, decentralization and water management processes in Zimbabwe

One of the responses to the global policy thrust of 'integrated water management' has been the establishment of catchment councils. Zimbabwe has not been an exception, and following the water reforms of the 1990s, a number of catchment councils were created. This paper looks at the functioning of the Save Catchment Council, and the institutional functioning of decentralised catchment management. With access to resources defined through the issuing of a permit, potentially many more water users can gain access to water resources for livelihoods than under the previous policy regime. However, what emerges from the study is that despite the neat design of catchment approaches, their operation is very much based on who can negotiate most effectively. In practice, those who already have high levels of water access (in Zimbabwe, often larger-scale commercial farmers) are most likely to benefit, as they both dominate the council membership and are more effective at articulating their demands. Different conceptions of rights and entitlement to resources also affect how debates within catchment councils are carried out. The unequal playing field of water resource access and use, and the politics this inequality implies, therefore affect fundamentally the functioning of such new institutions, which are ostensibly designed to be participatory, inclusionary, and pro poor.
ScholarWorks ScholarWorks

While research has established that men tend to exhibit greater levels of DFM than women, little research has examined the relation between DFM and other forms of disordered eating and exercise behaviors. Study 1 examined the influence of disordered eating and obligatory exercise on DFM in male and female college students. In women, DFM was related to eating concern and obligatory exercise; whereas in men, DFM was related to obligatory exercise and shape concern. Study 2 examined the influence of exercise motivations and body dissatisfaction on DFM in male and female college students. In women, DFM was predicted by personal goal achievement exercise motives, exercising to cope, and dissatisfaction with specific body areas. In men, DFM was predicted by appearance orientation, personal goal achievement, affiliation, and recognition exercise motives.
A network community structure similarity index for weighted networks

Identification of communities in complex systems is an essential part of network analysis. Accordingly, measuring similarities between communities is a fundamental part of analysing community structure in different, yet related, networks. Commonly used methods for quantifying network community similarity fail to consider the effects of edge weights. Existing methods remain limited when the two networks being compared have different numbers of nodes. In this study, we address these issues by proposing a novel network community structure similarity index (NCSSI) based on the edit distance concept. NCSSI is proposed as a similarity index for comparing network communities. The NCSSI incorporates both community labels and edge weights. The NCSSI can also be employed to assess the similarity between two communities with varying numbers of nodes. We test the proposed method using simulated data and case-study analysis of New York Yellow Taxi flows and compare the results with that of other commonly used methods (i.e., mutual information and the Jaccard index). Our results highlight how NCSSI effectively captures the impact of both label and edge weight changes and their impacts on community structure, which are not captured in existing approaches. In conclusion, NCSSI offers a new approach that incorporates both label and weight variations for community similarity measurement in complex networks.
Clinical Outcomes of Adolescents With Anterior Shoulder Instability and Glenolabral Articular Disruption Lesions Compared With Isolated Bankart Lesions

Background: Glenolabral articular disruption (GLAD) lesions may occur in adolescents with anterior shoulder instability, resulting in articular cartilage loss and reduced functional glenoid surface area. Purpose/Hypothesis: To compare failure rates and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between adolescents with versus without GLAD lesions who were treated for anterior shoulder instability with arthroscopic stabilization. It was hypothesized that the comparison would yield no significant differences. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Patients aged ≤18 years who were treated for anterior shoulder instability with arthroscopic stabilization between 2010 and 2021 were retrospectively identified. Those patients with a GLAD lesion identified at the time of surgery were compared with patients with >2 years of retrospective follow-up who were matched to the no-GLAD cohort according to pathology and management. Demographic and patient characteristics including recurrent instability, complications, and reoperations were recorded. All patients in the GLAD cohort were contacted to obtain PRO data, including the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation; the shortened version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire; and the Pediatric Adolescent Shoulder Survey. Patients were also asked about recurrent instability and additional shoulder problems. Results: Of 35 included patients (mean age, 15.4 ± 1.6 years; 80% male), 15 patients (43%) with GLAD lesions and 26 patients without GLAD lesions were identified. Both cohorts had similar patient characteristics, number of anchors, and anchor constructs; the mean follow-up period was significantly different (GLAD vs no-GLAD, 6.9 ± 3.3 vs 3.4 ± 1.2 years, respectively; P < .001). Seven of 15 GLAD patients (46.7%) underwent loose body removal; 4 of 15 GLAD patients (26.6%) and 9 of 26 no-GLAD patients (34.6%) had recurrent subjective instability (P = .7). No significant group differences were found in PRO scores, reoperation rates (15% no-GLAD vs 20% GLAD), or percentage of patients with recurrent instability between cohorts (P > .05). Conclusion: Adolescent patients with and without GLAD lesions treated arthroscopically for anterior shoulder instability had similar PROs and failure rates at intermediate duration of follow-up. GLAD lesions may be managed in a similar surgical manner as isolated Bankart tears in teenagers, with expectations of similar outcomes.
The effects of temporal cues, point-light displays, and faces on speech identification and listening effort

Among the most robust findings in speech research is that the presence of a talking face improves the intelligibility of spoken language. Talking faces supplement the auditory signal by providing fine phonetic cues based on the placement of the articulators, as well as temporal cues to when speech is occurring. In this study, we varied the amount of information contained in the visual signal, ranging from temporal information alone to a natural talking face. Participants were presented with spoken sentences in energetic or informational masking in four different visual conditions: audio-only, a modulating circle providing temporal cues to salient features of the speech, a digitally rendered point-light display showing lip movement, and a natural talking face. We assessed both sentence identification accuracy and self-reported listening effort. Audiovisual benefit for intelligibility was observed for the natural face in both informational and energetic masking, but the digitally rendered point-light display only provided benefit in energetic masking. Intelligibility for speech accompanied by the modulating circle did not differ from the audio-only conditions in either masker type. Thus, the temporal cues used here were insufficient to improve speech intelligibility in noise, but some types of digital point-light displays may contain enough phonetic detail to produce modest improvements in speech identification in noise.
The spectrum of B cells in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapeutic applications of immunoglobulin G4‐related disease

Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)‐related disease is a chronic fibroinflammatory disease mediated by immune disorders. Given the challenging clinical diagnosis and treatment, knowledge of the pathogenesis of IgG4‐related disease is important. The typical elevation of serum IgG4 concentrations and infiltration of IgG4‐positive plasma cells in the involved tissues indicate the involvement of B lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of IgG4‐related disease. Mass production of autoantibodies reflects abnormal activation of B cells, which causes tissue damage. Circulating plasmablasts are recently discovered markers that correlate with serum IgG4 concentration, the extent of organ involvement and disease activity. B‐cell depletion therapy is an emerging curative strategy that can significantly alleviate clinical manifestations and achieve remission in patients with IgG4‐related disease. These findings highlight the potential role of B cells in IgG4‐related disease. In this review, we discuss the pathogenic impact of B lymphocytes on IgG4‐related disease and describe novel therapies targeting B cells.