Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of COVID-19 on Blood Pressure Profile and Oxygen Pulse during and after the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test in Healthy Adults

Several reports have shown the impact of COVID-19 history on exercise capacity. This study compared the blood pressure (BP) response and oxygen pulse (O2 pulse) characteristics in normotensive patients with and without a history of COVID-19 during the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and post-exercise recovery. This cross-sectional study involved 130 healthy Caucasian adult volunteers (71 participants with a history of COVID-19). All patients underwent the CPET with blood pressure measurements during exercise and post-exercise recovery. The post-COVID group had significantly higher systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure after 9 min of recovery and achieved a significantly lower max O2 pulse (2.02 mL/beat on average) than the controls. It should be noted that the COVID group tended to have higher blood pressure values in all steps, with no differences in heart rate, pulse pressure, and saturation at any step. The COVID-19 outbreak was associated with a higher blood pressure response, significantly, in post-exercise recovery, a lower maximum O2 pulse, and a lower maximum load achievement. Future studies are needed to determine if these abnormalities during the CPET and the blood pressure variation have prognostic value.
Logic as a Tool for Developing Critical Thinking

A characteristic feature of modern society is the ever-expanding information space. Hidden information attacks harm the lives of individuals and society in general. In this regard, studies of critical thinking seem particularly important to us. Therefore, critical thinking is interpreted in the academic discourse mainly in connection with the effort to cope with the growing amount of misinformation and hate speech. While teachers and policymakers consider critical thinking an important educational goal, many are unclear about developing this competency in a school setting. For many key competencies, the question is whether and how they can be acquired through planned educational courses/programs. Although there are specific training programs for critical thinking as a core competency, their design and effectiveness are scientifically controversial. Instruction in critical thinking becomes extremely important because it allows individuals to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the information they encounter and promotes good decision-making and problem-solving in real-world applications. Despite the ambiguity of the term critical thinking, its close connection with logical culture is evident. Logical culture is the culture of thinking manifested in the culture of written and oral speech. The starting point for developing critical thinking skills should be logic. Logic as a science of correct thinking is the basis on which the program for developing critical thinking is based. The paper’s main aim is to identify the status of critical thinking as an independent discipline. A partial aim of the paper is to define the relationship between critical thinking and logic. The paper is divided into six parts, while the main findings are summarised in conclusions. In its purest form, logic does not teach how to work with a changing context or apply it to the subject realities of various disciplines, but such characteristics as precision, clarity, provability, and persuasiveness are key for this science. It is through logic that the basic principles of thinking, which we call critical, are revealed, the rules of argumentation and definitions are explained, and misconceptions and errors are displayed. Logic is distinguished from other sciences by the fundamentality of the discussed problems. Logic is the only science that combines mathematics, computer science and humanities education. We believe that modern logic is only the beginning of the first of the sciences of a new generation, which will be invited to combine the analyticity of the scientific method with the synthetics of perception of the humanitarian point of view. Therefore, we believe that the development of critical thinking skills appears to be productive in combination with the study of logic and is a priority in the modern educational process. It is difficult to imagine the formation of critical thinking in isolation from the building of the logical culture of the individual, which gives him a solid foundation for understanding the essence of critical thinking.
Optimizing Multiple Beam Patterns for 5G mmWave Phased Array Applications

In this paper, a new technique for shaping multiple beam patterns antenna arrays for 5G and beyond wireless massive MIMO communication systems is introduced. The technique aims to concentrate the radio energy in specific coverage areas with a desired shape by optimizing the excitation amplitudes and phases of the array elements. To assess the proposed technique, both genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization are utilized to optimize the excitation amplitudes and phases of the array elements such that the required number of the beams, their shapes, their directions, their power magnitudes, and the desired sidelobe pattern can be achieved. Simulation results fully confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technique in generating optimized shaped patterns that can be suitably used for distributing the radiation powers over the coverage areas in the mobile communication base stations.
Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tear: How Far Have We Come and What Remains?

Medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMRTs), defined as tears or avulsions that occur within 1 cm of the tibial attachment of the medial meniscus posterior root, lead to biomechanically detrimental knee conditions by creating a functionally meniscal-deficient status. Given their biomechanical significance, MMRTs have recently been gaining increasing interest. Accordingly, numerous studies have been conducted on the anatomy, biomechanics, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of MMRTs, and extensive knowledge has been accumulated. Although a consensus has not yet been reached on several issues, such as surgical indications, surgical techniques, and rehabilitation protocols, this article aimed to comprehensively review the current knowledge on MMRTs and to introduce the author’s treatment strategies.
Neurotrophin signalling in the human nervous system

This review focuses on neurotrophins and their tyrosine kinase receptors, with an emphasis on their relevance to the function and dysfunction in the human nervous system. It also deals with measurements of BDNF levels and highlights recent findings from our laboratory on TrkB and TrkC signalling in human neurons. These include ligand selectivity and Trk activation by neurotrophins and non-neurotrophin ligands. The ligand-induced down-regulation and re-activation of Trk receptors is also discussed.
Improved Adaptive 
 H∞ Controller Synthesis of Piecewise‐Affine Systems

This paper considers the adaptive H∞ control problem for piecewise affine systems (PWS), a novel synthesis framework is presented based on the piecewise quadratic Lyapunov function (PQLF) instead of the common quadratic Lyapunov function to achieve the less conservatism. First, by designing the projection‐type piecewise adaptive law, the problem of the adaptive H∞ control of PWS can be reduced to the H∞ control problem of augmented piecewise systems. Then, we construct the piecewise affine control law for augmented piecewise systems in such a way that the PQLF can be employed to establish the stability and H∞ performance. In particular, the Reciprocal Projection Lemma is employed to formulate the synthesis condition as linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which enables the proposed PQLF approach to be numerically solvable. Finally, an engineering example is shown to illustrate the synthesis results.
Validation of the stoning method by numerical and experimental investigation of outer panels with and without surface deflections

Surface deflections have a negative effect on the appearance of exterior body panels in the automotive industry. They occur during springback and depend on part geometry and stress states. To detect whether a produced part has surface deflections, inspection methods, such as stoning, are applied. If the part has surface deflections, the tool geometry is modified in an iterative process until no more surface deflections are detected on the produced part. Besides stoning of physical parts, surface deflections can also be detected in post-processing of a finite element simulation by use of a numerical stoning method. The advantage is that the design of the tool can be modified before it is manufactured. However, the appearance of detected surface deflections depends on the software used and its settings. Therefore, the accuracy of surface deflections detected in simulations is worth investigating. This paper describes surface deflections detected by stoning method in experiments and compares them with the numerical results from AutoForm. In doing so, the influence of the numerical settings on the appearance of the surface deflections is analyzed. For this study, various parts with door handle pockets are produced. By changing the shape of the blank, and as a consequence, also the stress state, it is possible to generate parts with surface deflections of different sizes or parts without surface deflections. A blank of AA6016 with a sheet thickness of 1.0 mm is used. The results show that it is possible to detect surface deflections in simulations accurately if suitable settings are chosen. The meshing has a significant influence on the detected surface deflection whereas the draw bead model has less of an effect.
Conversion of contours to cartesian grids

A robust and efficient method of calculating a cartesian grid of heights or roughnesses from contour line maps is developed. The purpose of the grids is to serve as input for atmospheric flow solvers such as WAsP Engineering or EllipSys3D. The method builds on Delaunay triangulation constrained to include all contour segments in the triangulation. It is furthermore refined to avoid spurious flat areas produced by the Delaunay triangulation. Robust ways to extrapolate beyond the convex hull of the map points are provided
Thermosensitive hydrogel‐based GPR124 delivery strategy for rebuilding blood‐spinal cord barrier

Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes blood‐spinal cord barrier (BSCB) disruption, leading to secondary damage, such as hemorrhagic infiltration, inflammatory response, and neuronal cell death. It is of great significance to rebuild the BSCB at the early stage of SCI to alleviate the secondary injury for better prognosis. Yet, current research involved in the reconstruction of BSCB is insufficient. Accordingly, we provide a thermosensitive hydrogel‐based G protein‐coupled receptor 124 (GPR124) delivery strategy for rebuilding BSCB. Herein, we firstly found that the expression of GPR124 decreased post‐SCI and demonstrated that treatment with recombinant GPR124 could partially alleviate the disruption of BSCB post‐SCI by restoring tight junctions (TJs) and promoting migration and tube formation of endothelial cells. Interestingly, GPR124 could also boost the energy metabolism of endothelial cells. However, the absence of physicochemical stability restricted the wide usage of GPR124. Hence, we fabricated a thermosensitive heparin‐poloxamer (HP) hydrogel that demonstrated sustained GPR124 production and maintained the bioactivity of GPR124 (HP@124) for rebuilding the BSCB and eventually enhancing functional motor recovery post‐SCI. HP@124 hydrogel can encapsulate GPR124 at the lesion site by injection, providing prolonged release, preserving wounded tissues, and filling injured tissue cavities. Consequently, it induces synergistically efficient integrated regulation by blocking BSCB rupture, decreasing fibrotic scar formation, minimizing inflammatory response, boosting remyelination, and regenerating axons. Mechanistically, giving GPR124 activates energy metabolism via elevating the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 (PCK2), and eventually restores the poor state of endothelial cells. This research demonstrated that early intervention by combining GPR124 with bioactive multifunctional hydrogel may have tremendous promise for restoring locomotor recovery in patients with central nervous system disorders, in addition to a translational approach for the medical therapy of SCI.
ON THE NUMBER OF VERTICES OF INTEGER CONVEX POLYTOPES

The aim of this paper is to propose a polynomial that we call ''characteristic polynomial'' of an integer convex polytope of dimension $d$ $(d\geq1)$. This polynomial makes it possible to count the number of vertices of an integer convex polytope without using the Schl\"afli symbol. We give after that the algebraic characteristics of this polynomial.
Prescribed‐time robust control of nonlinear time‐delay systems with known and unknown disturbance bound

This paper investigates the prescribed‐time robust control problem of a class of nonlinear time‐delay systems, and proposes some new prescribed‐time robust stabilization results. First, by applying the full decomposition method based on the delay term, the paper obtains an equivalent model of original system and promotes existing prescribed‐time stability criterion of delay‐free system to delay one. Based on these, when the bound of the disturbance is known, we design the corresponding prescribed‐time stabilization and robust stabilization controller. On the basis, we further give several robust stabilization results for the unknown disturbance by designing a new prescribed‐time controller. Finally, the study of two illustrative examples shows that the results obtained of the paper work well in the prescribed‐time robust stabilization the nonlinear delay systems. It is well worth pointing out that, different from existing infinite‐time and finite‐time asymptotical results of nonlinear delay system, the closed‐loop system under the prescribed‐time controller can reach the desired position within the specified time, and has stronger anti‐interference ability.
Semiclassical Theory of Fermions

Author(s): Florentino Ribeiro, Raphael | Advisor(s): Burke, Kieron | Abstract: A blend of non-perturbative semiclassical techniques is employed to systematically construct approximations to noninteracting many-fermion systems (coupled to some external potential mimicking the Kohn-Sham potential of density functional theory). In particular, uniform asymptotic approximations are obtained for the particle and kinetic energy density in terms of the external potential acting on the fermions and the Fermi energy. Dominant corrections to the classical limit of quantum mechanics are shown to be captured by the semiclassical approximation everywhere in configuration space. As opposed to previous treatments, no singular behavior arising from inappropriate choice of representation ever arises. Such convenient properties allow us to derive a number of universal limits for the particle density and kinetic and potential energies in the semiclassical limit. Additionally, we study the performance of the semiclassical approximations in a variety of one-dimensional potentials.In the second part of this thesis, a Dyson-like equation is derived relating the Green's function of an isolated subsystem satisfying Dirichlet boundary conditions with that of an associated infinite coupled system. We explain the relation to the Landauer model and quantum transport. In particular an analytical form for the self-energy operator is obtained for a simple model. The developed framework is illustrated with a semiclassical calculation.
Victims of Violence, How a Trauma Center and Family Justice Center Can Provide Continued Care After Initial Hospitalization

Background: Intentional injuries are the second leading cause of death in the U.S. between the ages of 1 and 44. Each traumatic event is approached best with a multiagency and multidisciplinary approach. Family Justice Centers (FJCs) are structured as one-stop centers for victims of all forms of violence to provide services. Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe trauma patients evaluated in an FJC and determine the effect of the referrals on injury-related hospital recidivism. Method: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study of traumatically injured patients that were evaluated in an adult level II trauma center for 3 years and were referred to Ventura County’s FJC. Results: There were 415 trauma admissions for intentional injuries, which accounted for 10.4% of the total trauma-related hospital admissions. Of these patients, 203 (49%) were evaluated in Ventura County’s FJC. The remaining 212 (51%) had an open judicial case, thus, were not processed through the FJC due to conflict of interest. The mechanisms of injuries of patients that were evaluated at the FJC (N = 203) were mostly assaults (83%). Majority of the patients were of the Hispanic race (70%), males (69%), English speaking (77%), and aged 18-59 (84%). 573 individual services were provided to these patients. The patients evaluated through the FJC (N = 203) had zero recidivism, while those with open cases had a 1% recidivism rate (P = NS). Conclusion: By collaborating with FJCs, trauma center outcomes contribute to a pathway for healing and may prevent future acts of intentional injuries.
Effect of plant spacing and weeding frequency on weed infestation, yield components and yield of mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] at Kosokol, Bench Sheko zone, South Western Ethiopia

Improper spacing and weed competition are one of the important production constraints that cause reduction in potential yield of mung bean. Therefore, an experiment was conducted at Bench Sheko Zone, South Western Ethiopia, during the 2019 main cropping season to evaluate the effect of plant spacing and frequency of weeding on weeds, yield components and yield of mung bean. There were 18 treatments comprising combination of three plant spacing (30 cm x 10 cm, 30 cm x 15 cm and 40 cm x 10 cm) and six weeding frequency [one hand weeding and hoeing at 2 weeks after crop emergence (WAE), one hand weeding and hoeing at 3 WAE, one hand weeding and hoeing at 4 WAE, two hand weeding and hoeing at 2 and 5 WAE, weed free check and weedy check]. The treatments were arranged in factorial combination in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed the highest weed control efficiency obtained from interaction of 30cm x 10cm plant spacing and twice hand weeding and hoeing at 2 and 5 WAE. Significantly higher number of pods per plant (20.38) and seeds per pod (11.68) was obtained from weed free check. The highest grain yield 1412.9 kg ha -1 and harvest index 42.94% were obtained from weed free check. However, the economic analysis revealed that the highest net benefit of 34965.2 ETB ha -1 were obtained from combined use of 30 cm × 10 cm plant spacing and twice hand weeding and hoeing at 2 and 5 WAE. Thus, it is suggested that planting Rasa variety of mung bean at 30 cm x 10 cm plant spacing and weeding the crop by hand-hoeing twice at two and five weeks after crop emergence resulted in optimum growth and grain yield of the crop at study area.
Acoustic impact of the glottal chink on the production of fricatives: A numerical study

The paper presents a numerical study about the acoustic impact of the glottal chink opening on the production of fricatives. Sustained fricatives are simulated by using classic lumped circuit element methods to compute the propagation of the acoustic wave along the vocal tract. A recent glottis model is connected to the wave solver to simulate a partial abduction of the vocal folds during their self-oscillating cycles. Area functions of fricatives at the three places of articulation of French (palato-alveolar, alveolar, and labiodental) have been extracted from static MRI acquisitions. Simulations highlight the existence of three distinct regimes, named A, B, and C, depending on the chink opening. They are characterized by the frication noise level: A exhibits a low frication noise level, B is a mixed noise/voice signal, and C contains only frication noise. They have significant impacts on the first spectral moments. Boundaries of these regimes are defined in terms of minimal abduction of the vocal folds, and simulations show that they depend on articulatory and glottal configurations. Regime B is shown to be unstable: it requires very specific configurations in comparison with other regimes, and acoustic features are very sensitive in this regime.
Predictors of Consanguinity Marriage Decision in Saudi Arabia: A Pilot Study

Consanguineous marriages are common in Saudi Arabia, increasing the risk of genetic blood disorders in offspring. This pilot study assessed the knowledge and perceived threats regarding genetic blood disorders, norms, and premarital screening for consanguineous marriage among unmarried university students in Saudi Arabia as a predictor of marriage decisions. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 22 January through 22 April 2022. In total, 400 unmarried students at Saudi Arabian universities were recruited using the non-probability convenience sampling technique. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. The results showed that the majority of participants had poor knowledge of genetic blood disorders. Most of the participants had a favorable attitude toward consanguineous marriage, while perceived threats towards genetic blood disorders were perceived as neutral by the participants. Moreover, their norms regarding consanguineous marriage also showed neutral results. A multinomial regression shows that participants with poor attitudes were significantly 22.3 times more likely to have poor marriage decisions (95% CI: 4.9–101.7, p < 0.001). However, participants with good and neutral norms regarding consanguinity marriage were significantly protective factors against poor marriage decisions with an RRR ratio of 0.165 (95% CI:0.030–0.918, p = 0.04) and 0.238 (95% CI: 0.071–0.797, p = 0.02), respectively. To mitigate the risk of genetic blood disorders in future generations, there is a need for targeted awareness campaigns about genetic blood disorders and the risks of consanguineous marriages by integrating this education into university curricula, and premarital counseling. It is also important to address societal norms, promoting informed decision-making, and provide premarital consultation to couples who carry the same mutated genes and are at risk of transmitting the disease to their offspring. Furthermore, there is a need for further research to assess the effectiveness of campaigns in this regard.