Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bounds in spaces of Morrey under Chicco type conditions

In the present paper we consider Morrey spaces in unbounded domains and study elliptic equations in nondivergence form with discontinuous coefficients when the class of discontinuities is of Chicco type. In particular we state some local and non local a priori bounds for solutions of Dirichlet problem and study the dependence of the constants in the estimates. The idea is to approximate the principal coefficients by functions with derivatives which belong locally to the space Ls , 2 < s n , while the coefficients of lower terms in the differential operator belong to Morrey spaces. Our results are based on embedding theorems which allow us to require a summability lower than n for the coefficients of the operator L . Mathematics subject classification (2000): 35J25, 46E35.
The literary oeuvre of KPD Maphalla: a thematic analysis

KPD Maphalla won several accolades for his literary achievements and was prolific in all literary genres, but his forté was poetry. This article investigates the prominent themes of his thirteen novels by employing biographical literary criticism as the theoretical framework, which connects the content of texts, or parts thereof, to the author’s life. The article concludes that biographical literary criticism enhances one’s understanding of a literary text and functions as a useful literary tool in the examination of Maphalla’s fictional texts.
A Single Step Acid Assisted Microwave Digestion Method for the Complete Dissolution of Bauxite and Quantitation of its Composition (Al2O3, Fe2O3, SiO2, TiO2, Cr2O3, MgO, MnO and V2O5) by ICP‐AES

An acid assisted microwave‐based method for the complete dissolution of bauxite using mixture of H2SO4, H3PO4 and HF acids in a single step was developed for the determination of various analytes (Al2O3, Fe2O3, SiO2, TiO2, Cr2O3, MgO, MnO and V2O5) using ICP‐AES. The method was validated with respect to ruggedness, linearity, trueness, precision, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), working range and measurement uncertainties by analysing a bauxite reference material (Alcan BXT‐12) and four certified reference materials (IPT‐131, BXBA‐4, NIST SRM 600, NIST SRM 697). The expanded uncertainties obtained for Al2O3 (40.0%), Fe2O3 (17.0%), SiO2 (20.3%), TiO2 (1.31%), Cr2O3 (0.024%), MgO (0.05), MnO (0.013), and V2O5 (0.60%), were 0.80, 0.40, 0.50, 0.033, 0.0008, 0.002, 0.0007 and 0.002 respectively, which are fit for the intended use to characterise bauxite. The developed method was also evaluated through participation in an interlaboratory comparison exercise organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), Nagpur, India, using bauxite sample (BXT‐JNA), with satisfactory z‐scores achieved.
Automatic Auditory Streaming Restores Missing Temporal Modulations in Echoic Speech

Human listeners can reliably recognize speech in adverse listening environments, and previous studies have identified that reliable neural encoding of slow temporal modulations in speech is essential for speech recognition. Recent behavioral studies demonstrate that long-delay echoes, which are rare in physical environments but common during online conferencing, can eliminate critical temporal modulations. These echoes, however, barely affect speech intelligibility, and here we investigate the underlying neural mechanisms. MEG experiments demonstrate that cortical activity can effectively track the temporal modulations eliminated by an echo, which cannot be explained by basic neural adaptation mechanisms such as synaptic depression, gain control, and adaptive filtering. Instead, the cortical response to echoic speech is better explained by a model that segregates speech from its echo than a model that encodes echoic speech as a whole. The speech segregation effect is observed even when attention is diverted, but disappears when speech segregation cues in the spectro-temporal fine structure are degraded. Altogether, these results strongly suggest that the auditory system can automatically segregate speech and its echo and encode them as two auditory streams, providing a potential neural basis for reliable speech recognition in echoic environments.
Dopamine-independent state inference mediates expert reward guided decision making

Rewards are thought to influence future choices through dopaminergic reward prediction errors (RPEs) updating stored value estimates. However, accumulating evidence suggests that inference about hidden states of the environment may underlie much adaptive behaviour, and it is unclear how these two accounts of reward-guided decision-making should be integrated. Using a two-step task for mice, we show that dopamine reports RPEs using value information inferred from task structure knowledge, alongside information about recent reward rate and movement. Nonetheless, although rewards strongly influenced choices and dopamine, neither activating nor inhibiting dopamine neurons at trial outcome affected future choice. These data were recapitulated by a neural network model in which frontal cortex learned to track hidden task states by predicting observations, while basal ganglia learned corresponding values and actions via dopaminergic RPEs. Together, this two-process account reconciles how dopamine-independent state inference and dopamine-mediated reinforcement learning interact on different timescales to determine reward-guided choices.
Narrow band pass filter using birefringence film and quarter-wave film

While a pixel in a color image has three colorimetric information of RGB, that in a spectral image contains full spectral information, several tens times more information compared to the color image. Hence, the spectral image is widely applicable in biology, material science, and environmental science. Although several methods for spectral image acquisition have been suggested to date, those methods are expensive, bulky, or slow in actual device. In this work, we designed a novel type of tunable narrow band-pass filter using rotatable polarizer, quarter-wave plate, and birefringence films. Different from the conventional Lyot-Ohman type filter, we do not use a liquid crystal layer. The selection of wavelength is made by rotating the polarizer in our filter set, and adopted a piezoelectric rotational actuator for that. We simulated to find the optimal conditions of the filter set, and finally, fabricated a filter module. The minimum band width was 5 nm, which is suitable for usual spectral imaging and can be reduced further if necessary, and the wavelength of light passing through the filter set was continuously selectable. After setting the filter in a microscope, we obtained a spectral image set for a bio sample that contained full spectrum information in each pixel. Using image processing, we could demonstrate to read out the spectral information for any selected position.
Torsion of the heart tube by shortage of progenitor cells : identification of Greb1l as a genetic determinant of criss-cross hearts in mice

Despite their burden and impact, most congenital defects remain poorly understood by lack of knowledge of the embryological mechanisms. Here, we identify Greb1l mutants as the first mouse model of criss-cross heart. Based on 3D quantifications of shape changes, we demonstrate that torsion of the atrioventricular canal occurs together with supero-inferior ventricles at E10.5, after heart looping. Mutants phenocopy specific features of partial deficiency in retinoic acid signalling, suggesting that GREB1L is a novel modulator of this signalling. Spatio-temporal gene mapping and cross-correlated transcriptomic analyses further reveal the role of Greb1l in maintaining a pool of precursor cells during heart tube elongation, by controlling ribosome biogenesis and cell differentiation. Growth arrest and malposition of the outflow tract are predictive of abnormal tube remodelling in mutants. Our work on a rare cardiac malformation opens novel perspectives on the origin of a broader spectrum of congenital defects associated with GREB1L in humans. Highlights Greb1l inactivation is the first model of criss-cross heart Growth arrest of the outflow tract and reduced pole distance are predictive of the torsion of the atrioventricular canal, and also account for associated defects of supero-inferior ventricles and malposition of the great vessels Ventricle position needs to be maintained after heart looping GREB1L, which is associated in humans with a spectrum of congenital defects, is required to maintain precursor cells, by promoting ribosome biogenesis and restricting cell differentiation. GREB1L is a novel factor involved in retinoic acid signalling. In Brief GREB1L is associated with a spectrum of congenital defects in humans. Bernheim et al now uncover its function in maintaining a reservoir of precursor cells. Inactivation of Greb1l in the mouse impairs the elongation of the heart tube leading to criss-cross heart with supero-inferior ventricles.
High-speed TIRF and 2D super-resolution structured illumination microscopy with large field of view based on fiber optic components

Super-resolved structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) is among the most flexible, fast, and least perturbing fluorescence microscopy techniques capable of surpassing the optical diffraction limit. Current custom-built instruments are easily able to deliver two-fold resolution enhancement at video-rate frame rates, but the cost of the instruments is still relatively high, and the physical size of the instruments based on the implementation of their optics is still rather large. Here, we present our latest results towards realizing a new generation of compact, cost-efficient, and high-speed SR-SIM instruments. Tight integration of the fiber-based structured illumination microscope capable of multi-color 2D- and TIRF-SIM imaging, allows us to demonstrate SR-SIM with a field of view of up to 150 × 150 μm2 and imaging rates of up to 44 Hz while maintaining highest spatiotemporal resolution of less than 100 nm. We discuss the overall integration of optics, electronics, and software that allowed us to achieve this, and then present the fiberSIM imaging capabilities by visualizing the intracellular structure of rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, in particular by resolving the structure of their trans-cellular nanopores called fenestrations.
Attention drives visual processing and audiovisual integration during multimodal communication

During communication in real-life settings, our brain often needs to integrate auditory and visual information, and at the same time actively focus on the relevant sources of information, while ignoring interference from irrelevant events. The interaction between integration and attention processes remains poorly understood. Here, we use rapid invisible frequency tagging (RIFT) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate how attention affects auditory and visual information processing and integration, during multimodal communication. We presented human participants (male and female) with videos of an actress uttering action verbs (auditory; tagged at 58 Hz) accompanied by two movie clips of hand gestures on both sides of fixation (attended stimulus tagged at 65 Hz; unattended stimulus tagged at 63 Hz). Integration difficulty was manipulated by a lower-order auditory factor (clear/degraded speech) and a higher-order visual semantic factor (matching/mismatching gesture). We observed an enhanced neural response to the attended visual information during degraded speech compared to clear speech. For the unattended information, the neural response to mismatching gestures was enhanced compared to matching gestures. Furthermore, signal power at the intermodulation frequencies of the frequency tags, indexing non-linear signal interactions, was enhanced in left frontotemporal and frontal regions. Focusing on LIFG, this enhancement was specific for the attended information, for those trials that benefitted from integration with a matching gesture. Higher power at this intermodulation frequency was related to faster reaction times. Together, our results suggest that attention modulates the strength and speed of audiovisual processing and interaction, depending on the congruence and quality of the sensory input.
THE KUPYNA HASH FUNCTION CRYPTANALYSIS WITH MERKLE TRESS SIGNATURE SCHEMES

In the modern world, digital signatures (DSAs) have become a crucial element in any cryptographic system. Their usage is not limited only by enterprise or banking systems. The application happens to be huger than thought. The «MUST HAVE» feature of every modern CRM or ERP system. The most widely used systems are based on the asymmetric pair cryptography. With the development of quantum computing a new problem appears for existing signatures. Some are based on the asymmetric transformation, mostly in GF or EC. Thus, quantum algorithms can solve Discrete logarithm tasks or factorization in seemingly short time and memory which makes existing schemes vulnerable. To gain enough strength either a key size must be increased, or a signature run timing, that would result to insufficiency of the signatures. Since late 70’s other schemes were developed. One of them is hash-based signatures. But the machine capabilities did not allow to use them rather than RSA or DSAs. Modern hardware lacks such problems, as well as new algorithms were developed. The signature schemes can be divided into OTS (Lamport, Winternitz, etc.) and FTS (Merkle trees, etc.). Since the large scaling of systems, the later are more preferred. The main goal of this paper is to analyze the security of Merkle Tree Signature Schemes and the national standard application to it.
Self-concept explains gender differences in mental rotation performance after stereotype activation

Introduction Mental rotation is an ability that usually displays robust and large gender differences in favor of boys and men. When participants are told that males outperform females, it can result in worse performance for females (stereotype threat effect) and better performance for males (stereotype lift effect). Because various studies show different results for the effect of stereotype activation, the present study aimed to investigate whether adolescents’ self-concept would moderate stereotype activation effects. Methods 127 adolescents (61 male, 66 female) between 10 and 18 years (M = 13.54, SD = 1.99) solved the mental rotation test and filled out a questionnaire about their perceived performance, stereotype beliefs, and self-concept. Results Results showed that self-concept and stereotype activation affected male and female adolescents’ actual and perceived performance differently. For males, a better self-concept was associated with better performance in adolescents with stereotype activation and with lower performance in those without the activation. This interaction was only marginally significant. For females, an increasing self-concept was associated with worse performance in adolescents with stereotype activation and with better performance in those without activation. Furthermore, a better self-concept was associated with higher perceived performance in male adolescents with stereotype activation and with lower perceived performance without the activation. Discussion Reasons for these results could be the (in)congruence between males’ own perception of their abilities (self-concept) and the instruction of the activation.
“The most important thing is that those closest to you, understand you”: a nested qualitative study of persons with psychotic disorders’ experiences with family involvement

Introduction Family interventions constitute effective treatment for persons with psychotic disorders. However, the active ingredients and beneficial processes of these interventions are insufficiently examined, and qualitative explorations of patients` experiences are lacking. This study was nested in a cluster randomised trial that implemented national guidelines on family involvement in Norwegian community mental health centres, including family psychoeducation and basic family involvement and support. The aim of this sub-study was to explore how patients with psychotic disorders experience systematic family involvement, and its significance. Methods We conducted semi-structured, individual interviews with 13 persons with a psychotic disorder after systematic family involvement. The participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Qualitative content analysis guided the analysis. Results Participants reported overall positive experiences with systematic family involvement. It was significant that the relatives increasingly understood more about psychosis and their situation, while they themselves also gained more insight into the relatives` situation. The participants emphasised the need to enable both patients and relatives to safely share experiences in a containing space, led by professionals. Shared understanding and awareness of each other’s situation further improved communication, coping with the illness, reduced stress, and stimulated a more caring family environment. The therapist seemed crucial to facilitate these beneficial communication processes, and also to provide continuous support to the relatives. Reported challenges included that the participants felt vulnerable in the initial phase, a need for tailored approaches, and too late start-up. Conclusion Findings from this study suggest that persons with psychotic disorders may benefit greatly from participating in systematic family involvement. This study also gives new insight into possible mediators of positive outcomes both for the patients and the relatives. Systematic family involvement should be implemented a standard approach in the early phase of the disease, using a step-wise and tailored process.
Taking a nuanced look at adolescent technology use and negative affect: the protective role of preparedness

Adolescents are online more than any other age group, with the majority of their time on social media. Increases in technology use among adolescents have heightened conversations regarding its effects on their negative affect. There have been mixed findings regarding the relationship between technology use and adolescent negative affect; some studies present a negative association or no association, and some show a positive association. To clarify this relationship, we propose moving away from asking only how much adolescents use technology to asking how and what they use it for. We employed the Multidimensional Healthy Technology Use and Social Media Habits Scale (MTECH) and adapted forms of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in a sample of 7,234 middle and high school students to assess the extent to which students feel prepared to use technology safely and successfully and whether this impacts the association between the amount of various types of technology they use and their negative affect. We conducted eight moderated regression analyses that, in some models, revealed preparedness had a protective role in the association between technology use and negative affect. In these models, at all levels of technology use, adolescents with higher levels of preparedness experienced lower levels of negative affect than their peers; however, in some instances, this effect was diminished for those using technology with high frequency. These findings support the notion that the association between technology and negative affect is not best modeled as a direct relationship, and instead that we must consider important moderators of this complex association.
Comprehensive genomic and immunohistochemical profiles and outcomes of immunotherapy in patients with recurrent or advanced cervical cancer

Purpose This study aimed to investigate genomic and immunohistochemical (IHC) profiles and immunotherapy outcomes in patients with cervical cancer. Methods Patients with recurrent cervical cancer who underwent tumor next-generation sequencing (NGS) with the TruSight Oncology 500 panel at Yonsei Cancer Center between June 2019 and February 2022, were identified. Patients who received treatment with checkpoint inhibitors during the same period were also identified. Clinical information, including histology, stage, human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype, IHCs profile, and therapy outcome, was reviewed. Results We identified 115 patients treated for recurrent cervical cancer, including 74 patients who underwent tumor NGS. Most of these 74 patients were initially diagnosed with advanced stage (63.6%) and had squamous cell histology (52.7%), and high-risk HPV (76.9%). Based on IHC analysis, the programmed death-ligand 1 combined positive score (PD-L1 CPS) was higher in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than in those with adeno or mucinous types (P=0.020). HER2 receptor expression of 2+ and 3+ were identified in 5 and 1 patients, respectively, and significantly varied based on histology (p=0.002). Among the 74 patients, single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and copy number variations (CNVs) were identified in 60 (81.1%) and 13 patients (17.6%), respectively. The most common SNVs were PIK3CA, TP53, STK11, FAT1, and FBXW7 mutations. Mutations in PIK3CA, with two hotspot mutations, were frequently observed in patients with SCC histology, whereas mutations in TP53 were frequently observed in patients with non-SCC histology. Additionally, variations in FAT1 were exclusively identified in patients with SCC histology. Mutations in homologous recombination repair-associated genes were identified in 18 patients (24.3%). The most frequent CNV alteration was CCNE1 amplification. Moreover, among the 36 patients who underwent NGS and received immunotherapy, the tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability were significantly correlated with immunotherapy duration. During this timeframe, 73 patients received pembrolizumab monotherapy, among whom a small portion showed a durable response. Conclusion Comprehensive genomic and IHC profiling may help identify potential candidates for targeted immunotherapy in patients with cervical cancer.
Pathological pathway analysis in an experimental rheumatoid arthritis model and the tissue repair effect of acupuncture at ST36

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that generally affects the joints. In the face of inflammation-induced cartilage and bone damage, RA treatment remains insufficient. While research evidence indicates that acupuncture can exert anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, improve the joint function of RA patients, and delay the disease, data on whether it can promote RA repair are lacking. Findings from the present work demonstrated that both the antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) models can simulate joint swelling of RA. The AIA model was more stable than the CIA model, with a higher incidence of successful arthritis modeling. Moreover, the AIA mice model could simulate the signal molecules and related pathological processes of the autoimmune response in RA, as well as major pathways related to RA and antigen immune response mechanisms. Manual acupuncture (MA) at Zusanli (ST36) significantly improved paw redness and swelling, pain, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the joints in AIA mice. The therapeutic effect of MA on AIA is achieved primarily through the regulation of steroid hormone biosynthesis, cell metabolism, and tissue repair processes. MA at ST36 can increase the gene contents of tissue repair growth factors, including PEG3, GADD45A, GDF5, FGF5, SOX2, and ATP6V1C2 in the inflammatory side joints of AIA mice, as well as the gene expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. In conclusion, acupuncture may alleviate RA in the joints via modulating the tissue healing process.