Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanoparticles for Antimicrobial Agents Delivery—An Up-to-Date Review

Infectious diseases constitute an increasing threat to public health and medical systems worldwide. Particularly, the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens has left the pharmaceutical arsenal unarmed to fight against such severe microbial infections. Thus, the context has called for a paradigm shift in managing bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections, leading to the collision of medicine with nanotechnology. As a result, renewed research interest has been noted in utilizing various nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles, aiming to overcome the limitations of current treatment options. In more detail, numerous studies have loaded natural and synthetic antimicrobial agents into different inorganic, lipid, and polymeric-based nanomaterials and tested them against clinically relevant pathogens. In this respect, this paper reviews the most recently reported successfully fabricated nanoformulations that demonstrated a great potential against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites of interest for human medicine.
Regularity and spectral methods for two-sided fractional diffusion equations with a low-order term

We study regularity and numerical methods for two-sided fractional diffusion equations with a lower-order term. We show that the regularity of the solution in weighted Sobolev spaces can be greatly improved compared to that in standard Sobolev spaces. With this regularity, we improve higher-order convergence of a spectral Galerkin method. We present a spectral Petrov-Galerkin method and provide an optimal error estimate for the Petrov-Galerkin method. Numerical results are presented to verify our theoretical convergence orders.
Magnetic Fields on Cool Stars

Magnetic fields are an important ingredient to cool star physics, and there is great interest in measuring fields and their geometry in order to understand stellar dynamos and their influence on star formation and stellar evolution. During the last few years, a large number of magnetic field measurements became available. Two main approaches are being followed to measure the Zeeman effect in cool stars; 1) the measurement of polarized light, for example to produce magnetic maps, and 2) the measurement of integrated Zeeman broadening to measure the average magnetic field strength on the stellar surface. This article briefly reviews the two methods and compares results between them that are now available for about a dozen M-type stars. It seems that we see a great variety of magnetic geometries and field strengths with typical average fields of a few kG in active M-type stars. The interpretation of geometries, however, has not yet led to a clear picture of magnetic dynamos and field configuration, and work is needed on more observational data but also on the fundamental understanding of our measurements.
Blockade of prostaglandin E2 receptor 4 ameliorates peritoneal dialysis-associated peritoneal fibrosis

Inflammatory responses in the peritoneum contribute to peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritoneal fibrosis. Results of our previous study showed that increased microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1-mediated production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) contributed to peritoneal fibrosis. However, the role of its downstream receptor in the progression of peritoneal fibrosis has not been established. Here, we examined the role of PGE2 receptor 4 (EP4) in the development of peritoneal fibrosis. EP4 was significantly upregulated in peritoneal tissues of PD patients with ultrafiltration failure, along with the presence of an enhanced inflammatory response. In vitro experiments showed that exposure to high glucose concentrations enhanced EP4 expression in rat peritoneal mesothelial cells (RPMCs). High-glucose–induced expression of inflammatory cytokines (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, tumour necrosis factor α, and interleukin 1β) was significantly reduced in RPMCs treated with ONO-AE3-208, an EP4 receptor antagonist. ONO-AE3-208 also significantly decreased the expression of extracellular matrix proteins induced by high glucose concentrations. Furthermore, ONO-AE3-208 blunted activation of the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) (p-p65). To further investigate the functional role of EP4, ONO-AE3-208 was administrated for 4 weeks in a rat model of PD, the results of which showed that ONO-AE3-208 inhibited peritoneal fibrosis and improved peritoneal dysfunction. Additionally, inflammatory cytokines in the peritoneum of PD rats treated with ONO-AE3-208 were downregulated, in line with inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB phosphorylation. In conclusion, an EP4 antagonist reduced the development of peritoneal fibrosis, possibly by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome- and p-p65–mediated inflammatory responses. Our findings suggest that an EP4 antagonist may be therapeutically beneficial for PD-associated peritoneal fibrosis.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Depression Prevalence amongst Nigerian Students Pursuing Higher Education

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders currently going undiagnosed in many developing countries, including Nigeria. Stigma-tization, inadequate financial resources, poor healthcare infrastructure for accurate diagnosis, and low research attention are contributing factors to the prevalence of depression among youths in West Africa. This study estimated the prevalence of depression among higher education students in Nigeria. Data was extracted and examined from 1225 publications by three independent re-viewers. To minimize bias, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality guidelines was used to assess the data. Pooling of logit-transformed data was done using a generalized linear mixed-effects model, while restricted maximum likelihood was used to estimate between-study variance (τ 2 ). Knapp-Hartung adjustments were included for calculating the confidence intervals around pooled effects, and R was used to calculate pooled estimates of depression prevalence. The risk factors of depression were examined by subgroup analyses and random-effect meta-regression models. Egger’s regression was used to check for publication bias in small-sampled studies with high prevalence estimates. Mean age of students across the 18 studies ranged from 19.09 to 26.3 years, with sample sizes ranging from 81 to 1482 participants. The pooled depression prevalence across studies was 26% (95% CI 0.18, 0.36) with high heterogeneity (I 2 = 97%, τ 2 = 0.9512). The subgroup analyses showed that higher education students in the Northwestern region of Nigeria have the highest depression prevalence (45.9%), followed by the South-South region (33%), Sou-theastern (22.1%), and Southwestern region (18.1%). Our findings show that depression among higher education students in Nigeria is highly prevalent. A significant proportion of higher education students in Nigeria are depressed. The
Quantitative reliability study of the Migdal-Eliashberg theory for strong electron-phonon coupling in superconductors

We reassess the validity of the Migdal-Eliashberg (ME) theory for coupled electron-phonon systems for large couplings $\ensuremath{\lambda}$. Although model calculations have found that the ME theory breaks down for $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\sim}0.5$, it is routinely applied for $\ensuremath{\lambda}g1$ to strong-coupling superconductors. To resolve this discrepancy, it is important to distinguish between bare parameters, used as input in models, and effective parameters, derived from experiments. We show explicitly that ME gives accurate results for the critical temperature and the spectral gap for large effective $\ensuremath{\lambda}$. This provides quantitative theoretical support for the applicability of the ME theory to strong-coupling conventional superconductors.
Critical COVID-19 and neurological dysfunction - a direct comparative analysis between SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious pathogens

Objective To evaluate whether critical SARS-CoV-2 infection is more frequently associated with signs of corticospinal tract dysfunction and other neurological signs, symptoms, and syndromes, than other infectious pathogens. Methods This was a prospective cohort study with consecutive inclusion of patients admitted to intensive care units due to primary infectious acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring invasive mechanical ventilation > 48 hours. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to three investigators for clinical evaluation, which encompassed the examination of signs of corticospinal tract dysfunction. Clinical data, including other neurological complications and possible predictors, were independently obtained from clinical records. Results We consecutively included 54 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, 27 due to SARS-CoV-2 and 27 due to other infectious pathogens. The groups were comparable in most characteristics. COVID-19 patients presented a significantly higher risk of neurological complications (RR = 1.98; 95%CI 1.23 - 3.26). Signs of corticospinal tract dysfunction tended to be more prevalent in COVID-19 patients (RR = 1.62; 95%CI 0.72 - 3.44). Conclusion Our study is the first comparative analysis between SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious pathogens, in an intensive care unit setting, assessing neurological dysfunction. We report a significantly higher risk of neurological dysfunction among COVID-19 patients. As such, we suggest systematic screening for neurological complications in severe COVID-19 patients.
Image dehazing with hybrid total variation–L0 regularization

Abstract. We propose a dehazing problem model with hybrid regularization and design an effective algorithm to restore the latent image and transmission map simultaneously. In the proposed dehazing problem model, we use the total variation (TV) to regularize the latent image and adopt the hybrid TV and L0-norm (TV–L0) regularization to model the transmission map. In the proposed optimization algorithm, we first use the dark channel prior to achieve an initial guess of the global atmospheric light and transmission map. Then we convert the original problem into two subproblems: one aims to update the latent image based on TV regularization, whereas the other estimates the transmission map with hybrid TV–L0 regularization. Both of the subproblems can be solved efficiently with variable splitting and penalty technology, and the minimizer is reached by alternately solving the two subproblems. Experimental results show that our approach can achieve a high-quality restored image that is comparable to some state-of-the-art methods.
On quantum mechanical transport coefficients in nonequilibrium nuclear processes with application to heavy-ion collisions

The elements of the quantum mechanical Markovian diffusion matrix leading to a Gibbs equilibrium state for a set of N coupled quantum harmonic oscillators are derived within Lindblad's axiomatic approach. Consequences of the fundamental constraints on the quantum friction coefficients are discussed. We derive the equations of motion for the expectation values and variances, and we solve them analytically. We apply our results to the description of the charge and mass asymmetry coordinates in heavy-ion collisions, and we investigate the effect of dissipation on tunneling in sub-barrier processes.
Lipschitz Shadowing for Flows

Let $\phi$ be the flow generated by a smooth vector field $X$ on a smooth closed manifold. We show that the Lipschitz shadowing property of $\phi$ is equivalent to the structural stability of $X$ and that the Lipschitz periodic shadowing property of $\phi$ is equivalent to the $\Omega$-stability of $X$.
Aspects of noncommutativity in field theory, strings and membranes

We study certain aspects of noncommutativity in field theory, strings and membranes. We analyse the dynamics of an open membrane whose boundary is attached to p-branes. Noncommutative features of the boundary string coordinates are revealed by algebraic consistency arguments. Next, we derive Seiberg-Witten-type maps relating currents and their divergences in nonabelian U(N) noncommutative gauge theory with the corresponding expressions in the ordinary (commutative) description. We then exploit these maps to obtain the O(\theta) structure of the commutator anomalies in noncommutative electrodynamics. Finally, we discuss the issue of violation of Lorentz invariance in noncommutative gauge theories by explicitly deriving, following a Noether-like approach, the criteria for preserving Poincare invariance. We also study general (deformed) conformal-Poincare (Galilean) symmetries consistent with relativistic (nonrelativistic) canonical noncommutative spaces.
Lane and object detection algorithm based on deep learning

Lane and object detection are important tasks in autonomous driving environment awareness system, and also the basis of vehicle path planning, decision making and control. Convolution neural networks are widely used in various visual detection tasks, providing a new approach for intelligent vehicle visual perception system. Based on deep learning technology, this paper designs a feature fusion module: Cross Convolution module, which is used to improve the accuracy of lane detection. In this paper, a multi-task convolution neural network is proposed to realize lane detection and object detection simultaneously. The network has the characteristics of small number of parameters and low computational cost. Real road images are collected by real vehicles to train the algorithm. Compared with single-task network, the overall detection speed of the model is improved by 61.77% when mAP decreases by 0.83%.
On the excitation of f modes and torsional modes by magnetar giant flares

Magnetar giant flares may excite vibrational modes of neutron stars. Here we compute an estimate of initial post-flare amplitudes both of the torsional modes in the magnetar’s crust and of the global f modes. We show that while the torsional crustal modes can be strongly excited, only a small fraction of the flare’s energy is converted directly into the lowest order f modes. For a conventional model of a magnetar, with the external magnetic field of ∼1015 G, the gravitational wave detection of these f modes with Advanced LIGO is unlikely.
Mass Deformed L-BLG Theory From ABJ Theory

We construct mass deformed SU(N) L-BLG theory together with U(M −N)k Chern-Simons theory. This mass deformed L-BLG theory is a low energy world volume theory of a stack of N number of M2-brane far away from C/Z k singularity. We carry out this by defining a special scaling limit of the fields of this theory and simultaneously sending the Chern-Simons level to infinity.
A Large Catalogue of Ultraluminous X-ray Source Candidates in Nearby Galaxies

Since their discovery, Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) have attracted attention due to their combination of extreme luminosities and extra-nuclear locations. However, they are a fairly rare phenomenon, and attempts to investigate the general properties of the population have been hindered by a relative lack of known sources. Here, we present a large catalogue of ULX candidates including 655 detections of 475 discrete sources, based on the 2XMM Serendipitous Survey. To demonstrate the potential of such a resource, we present some scientific analysis of this population, focusing on the spectral turnover seen, often at ∼6 keV, in the highest quality ULX data. We also demonstrate how the recent reflection and Comptonisation interpretations of this feature may be distinguished observationally in the future, specifically using NGC 4517 ULX1, a previously unanalysed source with high quality data, as an example case. c
Products of Lindel\"of spaces with points $G_\delta$

We show that if CH holds and either (i) there exists an $\omega_1$-Kurepa tree, or (ii) $\square(\omega_2)$ holds, then there are regular $T_1$ Lindel\"of spaces $X_0$ and $X_1$ with points $G_\delta$ such that $e(X_0 \times X_1)>2^\omega$.
Stabilization and time resolved measurement of the frequency evolution of a modulated diode laser for chirped pulse generation

We have developed experimental methods for the generation of chirped laser pulses of controlled frequency evolution in the nanosecond pulse length range for coherent atomic interaction studies. The pulses are sliced from the radiation of a cw external cavity diode laser while its drive current, and consequently its frequency, are sinusoidally modulated. By the proper choice of the modulation parameters, as well as of the timing of pulse slicing, we can produce a wide variety of frequency sweep ranges during the pulse. In order to obtain the required frequency chirp, we need to stabilize the center frequency of the modulated laser and to measure the resulting frequency evolution with appropriate temporal resolution. These tasks have been solved by creating a beat signal with a reference laser locked to an atomic transition frequency. The beat signal is then analyzed, as well as its spectral sideband peaks are fed back to the electronics of the frequency stabilization of the modulated laser. This method is simple and it has the possibility for high speed frequency sweep with narrow linewidth that is appropriate, for example, for selective manipulation of atomic states in a magneto-optical trap.
The Circumstellar Disk and Asymmetric Outflow of the EX Lup Outburst System

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations at 0. ″3 resolution of EX Lup, the prototype of the EXor class of outbursting pre-main-sequence stars. The circumstellar disk of EX Lup is resolved for the first time in 1.3 mm continuum emission and in the J = 2–1 spectral line of three isotopologues of CO. At the spatial resolution and sensitivity achieved, the compact dust continuum disk shows no indications of clumps, fragments, or asymmetries above the 5σ level. Radiative transfer modeling constrains the characteristic radius of the dust disk to 23 au and the total dust mass to 1.0 × 10−4 M⊙ (33 M⊕), similar to other EXor sources. The 13CO and C18O line emissions trace the disk rotation and are used to constrain the disk geometry, kinematics, and a total gas disk mass of 5.1 × 10−4 M⊙. The 12CO emission extends out to a radius of 200 au and is asymmetric, with one side deviating from Keplerian rotation. We detect blueshifted, 12CO arc-like emission located 0. ″8 to the northwest and spatially disconnected from the disk emission. We interpret this extended structure as the brightened walls of a cavity excavated by an outflow, which are more commonly seen in FUor sources. Such outflows have also been seen in the borderline FU/EXor object V1647 Ori, but not toward EXor objects. Our detection provides evidence that the outflow phenomenon persists into the EXor phase, suggesting that FUor and EXor objects are a continuous population in which outflow activity declines with age, with transitional objects such as EX Lup and V1647 Ori.
DIFFUSE INTERSTELLAR BANDS AND THE ULTRAVIOLET EXTINCTION CURVES: THE MISSING LINK REVISITED

A large number of interstellar absorption features at ∼4000 Å–1.8 μm, known as the “diffuse interstellar bands” (DIBs), remains unidentified. Most recent works relate them to large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules or ultrasmall carbonaceous grains which are also thought to be responsible for the extinction bump and/or the far-ultraviolet (UV) extinction rise at . Therefore, one might expect some relation between UV extinction and DIBs. Such a relationship, if established, could put important constraints on the carrier of DIBs. Over the past four decades, whether DIBs are related to the shape of the UV extinction curves has been extensively investigated. However, the results are often inconsistent, partly due to the inconsistencies in characterizing UV extinction. Here we re-examine the connection between the UV extinction curve and DIBs. We compile the extinction curves and the equivalent widths of 40 DIBs along 97 sightlines. We decompose the extinction curve into three Drude-like functions composed of the visible/near-infrared component, the bump, and the far-UV (FUV) extinction at . We argue that the wavelength-integrated FUV extinction derived from this decomposition technique best measures the strength of the FUV extinction. No correlation is found between the FUV extinction and most (∼90%) of the DIBs. We have also shown that the color excess , the extinction difference at 1300 and often used to measure the strength of the FUV extinction, does not correlate with DIBs. Finally, we confirm the earlier findings of no correlation between the bump and DIBs or between the bump and the FUV extinction.
ORBITS OF SUBSYSTEMS IN FOUR HIERARCHICAL MULTIPLE STARS

Seven spectroscopic orbits in nearby solar-type multiple stars are presented. The primary of the chromospherically active star HIP 9642 is a 4.8 day double-lined pair; the outer 420 year visual orbit is updated, but remains poorly constrained. HIP 12780 is a quadruple system consisting of the resolved 6.7 year pair FIN 379 Aa,Ab, for which the combined orbit, masses, and orbital parallax are determined here, and the single-lined binary Ba,Bb with a period of 27.8 days. HIP 28790 is a young quintuple system composed of two close binaries, Aa,Ab and Ba,Bb, with periods of 221 and 13 days, respectively, and a single distant component C. Its subsystem Ba,Bb is peculiar, having a spectroscopic mass ratio of 0.89 but a magnitude difference of ∼2.2 mag. HIP 64478 also contains five stars: the A-component is a 29 year visual pair with a previously known 4 day twin subsystem, while the B-component is a contact binary with a period of 5.8 hr, seen nearly pole-on.
The Influence of Point Cloud Accuracy from Image Matching on Automatic Preparation of Training Datasets for Object Detection in UAV Images

The dynamic development of deep learning methods in recent years has prompted the widespread application of these algorithms in the field of photogrammetry and remote sensing, especially in the areas of image recognition, classification, and object detection. Still, one of the biggest challenges in this field is the low availability of training datasets, especially regarding applications of oblique aerial imagery and UAV data. The process of acquiring such databases is labor-intensive. The solution to the problem of the unavailability of datasets and the need for manual annotation is to automate the process of generating annotations for images. One such approach is used in the following work. The proposed methodology for semi-automating the creation of training datasets was applied to detect objects on nadir and oblique images acquired from UAV. The methodology includes the following steps: (1) the generation of a dense 3D point cloud by two different methods: UAV photogrammetry and TLS (terrestrial laser scanning); (2) data processing, including clipping to objects and filtering of point clouds; (3) the projection of cloud points onto aerial images; and (4) the generation of bounding boxes bounding the objects of interest. In addition, the experiments performed are designed to test the accuracy and quality of the training datasets acquired in the proposed way. The effect of the accuracy of the point cloud extracted from dense UAV image matching on the resulting bounding boxes extracted by the proposed method was evaluated.
Transiting planets as a precision clock to constrain the time variation of the gravitational constant

Analysis of transit times in exoplanetary systems accurately provides an instantaneous orbital period, $P(t)$, of their member planets. A long-term monitoring of those transiting planetary systems puts limits on the variability of $P(t)$, which are translated into the constraints on the time variation of the gravitational constant $G$. We apply this analysis to $10$ transiting systems observed by the Kepler spacecraft, and find that $\Delta G/G\lesssim 5\times10^{-6}$ for 2009-2013, or $\dot{G}/G \lesssim 10^{-6}\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ if $\dot{G}$ is constant. While the derived limit is weaker than those from other analyses, it is complementary to them and can be improved by analyzing numerous transiting systems that are continuously monitored.