Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nototribic Pollination Reduces Heterospecific Pollen Deposition and Dampens Its Negative Impact on Seed Production in Calceolaria Species

Premise of research. Nototriby has evolved independently many times in different plant families, possibly for the advantage in the prevention of heterospecific pollen contact in pollinator-sharing environments. However, differences in pollen deposition and their consequences have received little attention, especially in highly specialized systems. Methodology. A systematic stigma collection was performed to estimate the proportion of heterospecific and conspecific pollen in two Calceolaria species with different pollination modes (i.e., nototribic and sternotribic) inhabiting a high mountain valley in Chile. Then, with the previous information, a manipulative pollen donor-receipt experiment was conducted to determine the impact of heterospecific pollen deposition in female reproductive success in both species (seed production). Pivotal results. The two Calceolaria species were prone to receive pollen from some plants of the surrounding community, mainly Adesmia emarginata. However, in the nototribic species (C. filicaulis), only 10% of the total pollen deposition belonged to heterospecific plant species, while in the sternotribic species (C. cavanillesii), more than 60% was heterospecific. Concomitant with this, the hand cross-pollination experiment showed that seed production of C. cavanillesii was more affected by A. emarginata pollen deposition than C. filicaulis pollen. Conclusions. Nototribic morphology can be an effective prepollination barrier to the deposition of heterospecific pollen. However, when this barrier is overcome, its impact may be affected by different factors, such as the foraging behavior of their main pollinator species and a rejection or tolerance mechanism to foreign pollen receipt developed by plant species. Future studies should consider assays to determine the mechanisms behind these findings and their generality to other species of the genus Calceolaria.
Effects of Lockdown for COVID-19 Pandemic on Chronic Kidney Disease Progression in Children with Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract: A Retrospective Pilot Study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic changed adults and children’s lifestyle. We focused our attention on children affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to congenital abnormalities of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) and their behavior during the lockdown. Our aims were to evaluate the incidence of CKD progression within 6 months after the end of the first Italian lockdown and the factors associated to it. CKD progression was defined by the transition to higher CKD stage or by the drop in estimated glomerular filtration rate by a 25% or more for patients belonging to CKD stages 1 and 2. We retrospectively selected 21 children with CAKUT and CKD ≥ stage 1 observed within 3 months before and 6 months after the first Italian lockdown. We called them by phone and asked them about their lifestyle before and during lockdown focusing on physical activity, screen time, sweet/candies/sugar-sweetened beverages eaten/drunk and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) (through KIDMED questionnaire). We calculated and analyzed the delta between the pre- and post- lockdown observation of all collected parameters (clinical and biochemical parameters and questionnaires scores). Analyzing the overall cohort, we found significantly increased mean BMI and mean screen time and significantly lower mean physical activity time in post- compared with pre-lockdown observations. Eleven out of twenty-one patients (52.4%) had a worsening of CKD. These patients presented higher delta of levels of uric acid and microalbuminuria and showed minor adherence to the MD and declared to have consumed more sweets or candies or sugar-sweetened beverages/week during the lockdown with a tendentially major increment of BMI compared with patients not presenting CKD progression. In conclusion, the lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic determined increase of BMI in all enrolled patients due to a “forced” negative lifestyle. About half of these patients presented CKD progression. This progression was associated to less adherence to the MD and major consumption of sweets or candies or sugar-sweetened beverages.
Virtual Stiffness: A Novel Biomechanical Approach to Estimate Limb Stiffness of a Multi-Muscle and Multi-Joint System

In recent years, different groups have developed algorithms to control the stiffness of a robotic device through the electromyographic activity collected from a human operator. However, the approaches proposed so far require an initial calibration, have a complex subject-specific muscle model, or consider the activity of only a few pairs of antagonist muscles. This study described and tested an approach based on a biomechanical model to estimate the limb stiffness of a multi-joint, multi-muscle system from muscle activations. The “virtual stiffness” method approximates the generated stiffness as the stiffness due to the component of the muscle-activation vector that does not generate any endpoint force. Such a component is calculated by projecting the vector of muscle activations, estimated from the electromyographic signals, onto the null space of the linear mapping of muscle activations onto the endpoint force. The proposed method was tested by using an upper-limb model made of two joints and six Hill-type muscles and data collected during an isometric force-generation task performed with the upper limb. The null-space projection of the muscle-activation vector approximated the major axis of the stiffness ellipse or ellipsoid. The model provides a good approximation of the voluntary stiffening performed by participants that could be directly implemented in wearable myoelectric controlled devices that estimate, in real-time, the endpoint forces, or endpoint movement, from the mapping between muscle activation and force, without any additional calibrations.
Calculations of phonon frequencies and dielectric constants of alkali hydrides via the density functional method

A convenient method for calculating phonon frequencies at q=0 and macroscopic dielectric constants in cubic insulators is developed in the framework of the density functional method: it is applicable to the case of both local and non-local pseudopotentials. The equilibrium unit-cell volume, bulk modulus, equation of state, optical vibration frequencies and static dielectric constants are calculated for LiH and NaH.
Continual Unsupervised Domain Adaptation in Data-Constrained Environments

Domain adaptation (DA) techniques aim to overcome the domain shift between the source domain used for training and the target domain where testing takes place. However, current DA methods assume that the entire target domain is available during adaptation, which may not hold in practice. We introduce a new, data-constrained DA paradigm where unlabeled target samples are received in batches and adaptation is performed continually. We propose a novel source-free method for continual unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) that utilizes a buffer for selective replay of previously seen samples. In our continual DA framework, we selectively mix samples from incoming batches with data stored in a buffer using buffer management strategies and use the combination to incrementally update our model. We evaluate and compare the classification performance of the continual DA approach with state-of-the-art (SOTA) DA methods based on the entire target domain. Our results on three popular DA datasets demonstrate the benefits of our method when operating in data constrained environments. We further extend our experiments to adapting over multiple target domains and our method performs favorably with the SOTA methods.
A Spectral Method for the Equal Width Equation

A spectral discretization of the equal width equation (EWE) is presented. The method is shown to be convergent and nonlinearly stable. Time-stepping is performed with high-order Adams methods. The spectral accuracy of the scheme reveals some features of the EWE that the methods previously used could not bare out properly. For instance, we may now study the changes in amplitude and velocity of solitary waves after collisions.
Correction of earthquake location estimation in a small-seismic-array system

An array of regularly spaced seismic stations can estimate the location of a distant earthquake using arrival times at the stations of seismic waves generated by the earthquakes. However, the accuracy decreases as the distance to the epicentre of the earthquake from the array increases. This paper is concerned with the modification of the estimated location by removing its bias which is locally systematic but globally complex, reflecting the structure of the Earth's interior. Spline surfaces are used to model such biases. Then a Bayesian procedure is carried out not only to tune the smoothness constraints but also to select the best combination among various sums of squares of differently weighted residuals and various roughness penalties for the smoothing. Using the estimated splines of the posterior mode, the newly determined epicentre locations are transformed to confirm its practical utility. Residual distributions show that our procedure improves the modification by the conventional procedure. A spatial pattern of the residuals reveals some geophysical characteristics.
Improved Laboratory Transition Parameters forEu II and Application to the Solar Europium Elemental and Isotopic Composition

New radiative lifetime measurements using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence are reported for the lowest six even-parity levels of Eu II. Branching fractions, measured from Fourier transform spectra, are combined with these lifetimes to determine atomic transition probabilities for the strongest blue-UV lines and additional yellow-red lines of Eu II. These results are compared with published data, and generally good agreement is found. Recommended hyperfine structure constants and isotopic shifts for these lines are also assembled from the literature and supplemented, as needed, using results from nonlinear least-squares fits of line profiles in Fourier transform spectra. These laboratory data are applied in a new determination of the solar Eu elemental abundance, yielding ⟨log10 ε(Eu)⟩ = 0.52 ± 0.01, with ±0.04 estimated for each of internal (scatter) and external (systematic) uncertainties. From analysis of the profiles of three Eu II lines, primarily λ4129, isotopic fractions of 151Eu and 153Eu are shown to be consistent with their values in meteoritic material.
First-order wall curvature effects upon the Stokes resistance of a spherical particle moving in close proximity to a solid wall

A method for calculating the effect of the curvature of a solid wall bounding a viscous fluid upon the quasi-static Stokes force F and torque T experienced by a spherical particle performing arbitrarily directed translational and rotational motions in close proximity to the wall is given. The results presented herein are valid for values of the ratio κ = a/d (a = sphere radius, d = shortest perpendicular distance from the sphere centre to the wall) over the entire range 0 [les ] κ [les ] 1, provided that β = a/R0 [Lt ] 1 and, simultaneously, d/R0 ≡ β/κ [Lt ] 1 (R0 = characteristic radius of curvature of the wall). Unlike existing wall-effect theories, our results are valud for κ = O(1). It is shown that to the first-order in β (and, concomitantly, in d/R0, wall curvature effects upon F and T depend linearly upon two scalar principal curvature coefficients of the wall at the foot of the shortest normal to the wall from the sphere centre. This single-particle analysis is used to resolve a ‘paradox’ relating to macroscopic slip boundary conditions prevailing at a wall bounding a dilute ferrofluid suspension undergoing rotation relative to a magnetic field.
Observation of a surface alloying-to-dealloying transition during growth of Bi on Ag(111)

The atomic structures that develop as a function of coverage during deposition of Bi on Ag(111) have been studied using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and ab initio calculations. The growth process involves two sequential stages. At low coverage, Bi atoms are incorporated into the topmost layer of Ag(111), resulting in the formation of an Ag${}_{2}$Bi alloy confined to the surface and ordered ($\sqrt{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\sqrt{3}$)$R$30\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} Ag${}_{2}$Bi islands supported on Ag(111). This mode of accommodation of Bi was found to be energetically favorable based on ab initio total-energy calculations. At coverage above a critical value of 0.55 monolayers, the Ag${}_{2}$Bi alloy phase gradually converts into an ordered Bi ($p\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\sqrt{3}$) overlayer structure supported on Ag(111). We postulate that the dealloying transition is likely driven by compressive strain induced by incorporation of large-size Bi atoms into Ag at a high coverage and the subsequent lack of miscibility of Ag and Bi bulk phases. After completion of the dealloying process, Bi(110) thin films can be grown epitaxially on top of Ag(111) with a chemically abrupt interface.
Morphologic and Genetic Characterization of Ilheus Virus, a Potential Emergent Flavivirus in the Americas

Ilheus virus (ILHV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus circulating throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean. It has been detected in several mosquito genera including Aedes and Culex, and birds are thought to be its primary amplifying and reservoir host. Here, we describe the genomic and morphologic characterization of ten ILHV strains. Our analyses revealed a high conservation of both the 5′- and 3′-untranslated regions but considerable divergence within the open reading frame. We also showed that ILHV displays a typical flavivirus structural and genomic organization. Our work lays the foundation for subsequent ILHV studies to better understand its transmission cycles, pathogenicity, and emergence potential.
Improving Vibration Performance of Electric Vehicles Based on In-Wheel Motor-Active Suspension System via Robust Finite Frequency Control

This paper presents a robust finite frequency <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H} _{\infty }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> control strategy for improving vibration performance and ride comfort of electric vehicles through in-wheel motor-active suspension system(IWM-ASS). Since the human body is much sensitive to the vertical vibration of 4 -8 Hz, the main objective is dedicated to deal with the vibration challenge that matches the characteristics of the human body by applying the finite-frequency technique. Firstly, the uncertain quarter-vehicle active suspension model with dynamic damping in-wheel motor driven system is established, in which in-wheel motor is suspended as dynamic vibration absorber(DVA) to isolate the force transmitted to motor bearing in IWM-ASS. Based on the framework of generalized Kalman–Yakubovich–Popov lemma and stability theory, then the performance index of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H} _{\infty }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> norm from external disturbance to controlled output for IWM-ASS is attenuated within the concerned frequency range while other system requirements such as parameter uncertainty, suspension deflection constraint and actuator saturation are also guaranteed in controller design. The resulting robust finite frequency state feedback <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H} _{\infty }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> controller is finally designed utilizing two new theorems, and solved via a set of linear matrix inequalities. Simulations for frequency-domain and time-domain responses are implemented and compared with the entire frequency control method to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. It can be concluded from the results that the developed control strategy can effectively attenuate the negative vibration and enhance ride comfort and road-holding ability for electric vehicles of IWM-ASS.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR THE CREATION OF AORTIC HEART VALVE

The concept of tissue-engineered heart valves offers an alternative to current heart valve replacements that is capable of addressing shortcomings such as life-long administration of anticoagulants, inadequate durability, and inability to grow. Since tissue engineering is a multifaceted area, studies conducted have focused on different aspects such as hemodynamics, cellular interactions and mechanisms, scaffold designs, and mechanical characteristics in the form of both in vitro and in vivo investigations. This review concentrates on the advancements of scaffold materials and manufacturing processes, and on cell–scaffold interactions. Aside from the commonly used materials, polyglycolic acid and polylactic acid, novel polymers such as hydrogels and trimethylene carbonate-based polymers are being developed to simulate the natural mechanical characteristics of heart valves. Electrospinning has been examined as a new manufacturing technique that has the potential to facilitate tissue formation via increased surface area. The type of cells utilized for seeding onto the scaffolds is another factor to take into consideration; currently, stem cells are of great interest because of their potential to differentiate into various types of cells. Although extensive studies have been conducted, the creation of a fully functional heart valve that is clinically applicable still requires further investigation due to the complexity and intricacies of the heart valve.
Pregnancy and birth complications associations with long-term adverse maternal mental health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Background Existing studies have established an association between pregnancy, birth complications, and mental health in the first few weeks postpartum. However, there is no clear understanding of whether pregnancy and birth complications increase the risk of adverse maternal mental outcomes in the longer term. Research on maternal adverse mental health outcomes following pregnancy and birth complications beyond 12 months postpartum is scarce, and findings are inconsistent. Objective This systematic review and meta-analysis will examine the available evidence on the association between pregnancy and birth complications and long-term adverse maternal mental health outcomes. Methods and analysis We will include cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies in which a diagnosis of pregnancy and/or birth complication (preeclampsia, pregnancy loss, caesarean section, preterm birth, perineal laceration, neonatal intensive care unit admission, major obstetric haemorrhage, and birth injury/trauma) was reported and maternal mental disorders (depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, psychosis, and schizophrenia) after 12 months postpartum were the outcomes. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science will be conducted following a detailed search strategy until August 2022. Three authors will independently review titles and abstracts of all eligible studies, extract data using pre-defined standardised data extraction and assess the quality of each study using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We will use random-effects meta-analysis for each exposure and outcome variable to calculate overall pooled estimates using the generic inverse variance method. This systematic review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Ethical consideration The proposed systematic review and meta-analysis is based on published data; ethics approval is not required. The results will be presented at scientific meetings and publish in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO registration CRD42022359017
Bayes Analysis and Comparison of Accelerated Weibull and Accelerated Birnbaum–Saunders Models

Several models are proposed in the literature for modeling fatigue data resulting from materials subject to cyclic stress and strain. Accelerated Weibull and accelerated Birnbaum–Saunders distributions are most commonly used models. Whereas the accelerated Weibull model is easier compared to accelerated Birnbaum–Saunders, it fails to represent the situation equally well. The present article focuses on Bayes analysis of the two models and provides a comparison based on some important Bayesian tools. Model compatibility study using predictive simulation ideas is preceded by the said comparison. Throughout, the posterior simulations are carried out by Markov chain Monte Carlo procedure.
Health literacy and fatigue, anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma from West China: A cross‐sectional study

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients are associated with excellent prognosis but impaired health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) by initial and subsequent therapy. Health literacy plays a pivotal role in public health and medical settings, but data on its relationship with DTC patients' HRQOL are insufficient and equivocal. This study was designed to explore the relationship between health literacy and HRQOL in patients with DTC from West China areas.
Child characteristics associated with comorbidities among children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Background More than half of children who are diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were reported to have one or more comorbid psychiatric disorder. Our aim is to assess different comorbidities in children diagnosed with ADHD and to explore the association between the presence of such comorbidities and the characteristics of both the child and the family. Patients and methods The study included 48 children with ADHD who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The diagnosis of ADHD was made by semistructured clinical interview for both parents and child according to psychiatric sheet of Psychiatry Department of Zagazig University hospitals. Confirmation of diagnosis, severity, and subtype was done by revision and evaluation of child’s presentation according to DSM-5 criteria and the Conner’s Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales (parent’s version). Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) was used to assess psychiatric comorbidities among children with ADHD. Results Approximately 77.1% of children with ADHD had at least one psychiatric comorbidity. Overall, 41.7% of the population of this study had externalizing disorders (disruptive behavior disorders), whereas 52.1% had internalizing disorder, including mood disorders (25%) and anxiety disorders (29.1%). In addition, neurodevelopmental disorders were comorbid in 27.1% of the population sample. Statistically significant differences between different groups of comorbidities regarding academic performance and ADHD subtype and severity were found. Conclusion Most children with ADHD have one or more comorbid psychiatric disorders. Children with ADHD and comorbidities are more prone to low academic performance and increased severity of ADHD.