Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radiomics in Head and Neck Cancer Outcome Predictions

Head and neck cancer has great regional anatomical complexity, as it can develop in different structures, exhibiting diverse tumour manifestations and high intratumoural heterogeneity, which is highly related to resistance to treatment, progression, the appearance of metastases, and tumour recurrences. Radiomics has the potential to address these obstacles by extracting quantitative, measurable, and extractable features from the region of interest in medical images. Medical imaging is a common source of information in clinical practice, presenting a potential alternative to biopsy, as it allows the extraction of a large number of features that, although not visible to the naked eye, may be relevant for tumour characterisation. Taking advantage of machine learning techniques, the set of features extracted when associated with biological parameters can be used for diagnosis, prognosis, and predictive accuracy valuable for clinical decision-making. Therefore, the main goal of this contribution was to determine to what extent the features extracted from Computed Tomography (CT) are related to cancer prognosis, namely Locoregional Recurrences (LRs), the development of Distant Metastases (DMs), and Overall Survival (OS). Through the set of tumour characteristics, predictive models were developed using machine learning techniques. The tumour was described by radiomic features, extracted from images, and by the clinical data of the patient. The performance of the models demonstrated that the most successful algorithm was XGBoost, and the inclusion of the patients’ clinical data was an asset for cancer prognosis. Under these conditions, models were created that can reliably predict the LR, DM, and OS status, with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values equal to 0.74, 0.84, and 0.91, respectively. In summary, the promising results obtained show the potential of radiomics, once the considered cancer prognosis can, in fact, be expressed through CT scans.
Orbital-free density functional theory study of the energetics of vacancy clustering and prismatic dislocation loop nucleation in aluminium

In the present work, we conduct large-scale orbital-free density functional theory calculations to study the energetics of vacancy clustering in aluminium from electronic structure calculations by accurately accounting for both the electronic structure and long-ranged elastic fields. Our results show positive binding energies for a range of vacancy clusters considered. However, the binding energies for the various quad-vacancy clusters considered in this study are vastly different, and only some of these clusters are found to be stable with respect to dissociation into divacancies. This suggests that, while vacancy clustering is an energetically feasible mechanism, this happens preferentially through the formation of certain vacancy clusters. Among the vacancy clusters considered in this study, the 19 vacancy hexagonal cluster lying in plane has a very large binding energy with the relaxed atomic structure representative of a prismatic dislocation loop. This suggests that vacancy prismatic loops as small as those formed from 19 vacancies are stable, thus providing insights into the nucleation sizes of these defects in aluminium.
Investigation of hs-TnI and sST-2 as Potential Predictors of Long-Term Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Survived Hospitalization for COVID-19 Pneumonia

Introduction: COVID-19 survivors reveal an increased long-term risk for cardiovascular disease. Biomarkers like troponins and sST-2 improve stratification of cardiovascular risk. Nevertheless, their prognostic value for identifying long-term cardiovascular risk after having survived COVID-19 has yet to be evaluated. Methods: In this single-center study, admission serum biomarkers of sST-2 and hs-TnI in a single cohort of 251 hospitalized COVID-19 survivors were evaluated. Concentrations were correlated with major cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as cardiovascular death and/or need for cardiovascular hospitalization during follow-up after hospital discharge [FU: 415 days (403; 422)]. Results: MACE was a frequent finding during FU with an incidence of 8.4% (cardiovascular death: 2.8% and/or need for cardiovascular hospitalization: 7.2%). Both biomarkers were reliable indicators of MACE (hs-TnI: sensitivity = 66.7% & specificity = 65.7%; sST-2: sensitivity = 33.3% & specificity = 97.4%). This was confirmed in a multivariate proportional-hazards analysis: besides age (HR = 1.047, 95% CI = 1.012–1.084, p = 0.009), hs-TnI (HR = 4.940, 95% CI = 1.904–12.816, p = 0.001) and sST-2 (HR = 10.901, 95% CI = 4.509–29.271, p < 0.001) were strong predictors of MACE. The predictive value of the model was further improved by combining both biomarkers with the factor age (concordance index hs-TnI + sST2 + age = 0.812). Conclusion: During long-term FU, hospitalized COVID-19 survivors, hs-TnI and sST-2 at admission, were strong predictors of MACE, indicating both proteins to be involved in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.
Correlations and fluctuations of the gauge topology at finite temperatures

Instanton-dyons are topological solitons -- solutions of Yang-Mills equations -- which appear at non-trivial expectation value of $A_0$ at nonzero temperatures. Using the ensembles of those, generated in our previous work, for 2-color and 2-flavor QCD, below and above the deconfinement-chiral phase transition, we study the correlations between them, as well as fluctuations of several global charges in the sub-volumes of the total volume. The determined correlation lengths are the finite-$T$ extension of hadronic masses, such as that of $\eta'$ meson.
DYNAMIC SCREENING CORRECTION FOR SOLAR p–p REACTION RATES

The solar abundance controversy inspires renewed investigations of the basic physics used to develop solar models. Here we examine the correction to the proton–proton reaction rate due to dynamic screening effects. Starting with the dynamic screening energy from the molecular-dynamic simulations of Mao et al., we compute a reaction-rate correction for dynamic screening. We find that, contrary to static screening theory, this dynamic screening does not significantly change the reaction rate from that of the bare Coulomb potential.
Reactive collisions of trapped anions with ultracold atoms

We present a scheme to embed molecular anions in a gas of ultracold rubidium atoms as a route towards the preparation of cold molecular ions by collisional cooling with ultracold atoms. Associative detachment as an important loss process in collisions between OH- molecules and rubidium atoms is studied. The density distribution of trapped negative ions in the multipole radiofrequency trap is measured by photodetachment tomography, which allows us to derive absolute rate coefficients for the process. We define a regime where translational and internal cooling of molecular ions embedded into the ultracold atomic cloud can be achieved.
VLA AND CARMA OBSERVATIONS OF PROTOSTARS IN THE CEPHEUS CLOUDS: SUB-ARCSECOND PROTO-BINARIES FORMED VIA DISK FRAGMENTATION

We present observations of three Class 0/I protostars (L1157-mm, CB230 IRS1, and L1165-SMM1) using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and observations of two (L1165-SMM1 and CB230 IRS1) with the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA). The VLA observations were taken at wavelengths of λ = 7.3 mm, 1.4 cm, 3.3 cm, 4.0 cm, and 6.5 cm with a best resolution of ∼0. ″06 (18 AU) at 7.3 mm. The L1165-SMM1 CARMA observations were taken at λ = 1.3 mm with a best resolution of ∼0. ″3 (100 AU) and the CB230 IRS1 observations were taken at λ = 3.4 mm with a best resolution of ∼3″ (900 AU). We find that L1165-SMM1 and CB230 IRS1 have probable binary companions at separations of ∼0. ″3 (100 AU) from detections of secondary peaks at multiple wavelengths. The position angles of these companions are nearly orthogonal to the direction of the observed bipolar outflows, consistent with the expected protostellar disk orientations. We suggest that these companions may have formed from disk fragmentation; turbulent fragmentation would not preferentially arrange the binary companions to be orthogonal to the outflow direction. For L1165-SMM1, both the 7.3 mm and 1.3 mm emission show evidence of a large (R > 100 AU) disk. For the L1165-SMM1 primary protostar and the CB230 IRS1 secondary protostar, the 7.3 mm emission is resolved into structures consistent with ∼20 AU radius disks. For the other protostars, including L1157-mm, the emission is unresolved, suggesting disks with radii <20 AU.
Boundary-induced effect on the spoke-like activity in E × B plasma

The spoke instability in an E × B Penning discharge is shown to be strongly affected by the boundary that is perpendicular to B field lines. The instability is the strongest when bounded by dielectric walls. With a conducting wall, biased to collect electron current from the plasma, the spoke becomes faster, less coherent, and localized closer to the axis. The corresponding anomalous cross-field transport is assessed via simultaneous time-resolved measurements of plasma potential and density. This shows a dominant large-scale E × B anomalous character of the electron cross-field current for dielectric walls reaching 40%–100% of the discharge current, with an effective Hall parameter βeff ∼ 10. The anomalous current is greatly reduced with the conducting boundary (characterized by βeff ∼ 102). These experimental measurements are shown to be qualitatively consistent with the decrease in the E field that triggers the collisionless Simon-Hoh instability.The spoke instability in an E × B Penning discharge is shown to be strongly affected by the boundary that is perpendicular to B field lines. The instability is the strongest when bounded by dielectric walls. With a conducting wall, biased to collect electron current from the plasma, the spoke becomes faster, less coherent, and localized closer to the axis. The corresponding anomalous cross-field transport is assessed via simultaneous time-resolved measurements of plasma potential and density. This shows a dominant large-scale E × B anomalous character of the electron cross-field current for dielectric walls reaching 40%–100% of the discharge current, with an effective Hall parameter βeff ∼ 10. The anomalous current is greatly reduced with the conducting boundary (characterized by βeff ∼ 102). These experimental measurements are shown to be qualitatively consistent with the decrease in the E field that triggers the collisionless Simon-Hoh instability.
Effect of supersonic relative motion between baryons and dark matter on collapsed objects

Great attention is given to the first star formation and the epoch of reionization as main targets of planned large radio interferometries (e.g. Square Kilometre Array). Recently, it is claimed that the supersonic relative velocity between baryons and cold dark matter can suppress the abundance of first stars and impact the cosmological reionization process. Therefore, in order to compare observed results with theoretical predictions it is important to examine the effect of the supersonic relative motion on the small-scale structure formation. In this paper, we investigate this effect on the nonlinear structure formation in the context of the spherical collapse model in order to understand the fundamental physics in a simple configuration. We show the evolution of the dark matter sphere with the relative velocity by both using N-body simulations and numerically calculating the equation of motion for the dark matter mass shell. The effects of the relative motion in the spherical collapse model appear as the delay of the collapse time of dark matter halos and the decrease of the baryon mass fraction within the dark matter sphere. Based on these results, we provide the fitting formula of the critical density contrast for collapses with the relative motion effect and calculate the mass function of dark matter halos in the Press-Schechter formalism. As a result, the relative velocity decreases the abundance of dark matter halos whose mass is smaller than ${10}^{8}{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}/h$.
Spectroscopic properties of a two-dimensional time-dependent Cepheid model I. Description and validation of the model

Standard spectroscopic analyses of Cepheid variables are based on hydrostatic one-dimensional model atmospheres, with convection treated using various formulations of mixing-length theory. This paper aims to carry out an investigation of the validity of the quasi-static approximation in the context of pulsating stars. We check the adequacy of a two-dimensional time-dependent model of a Cepheid-like variable with focus on its spectroscopic properties. With the radiation-hydrodynamics code CO5BOLD, we construct a two-dimensional time-dependent envelope model of a Cepheid with $T_\mathrm{eff}= 5600$ K, $\log g=2.0$, solar metallicity, and a 2.8-day pulsation period. Subsequently, we perform extensive spectral syntheses of a set of artificial iron lines in local thermodynamic equilibrium. The set of lines allows us to systematically study effects of line strength, ionization stage, and excitation potential. We evaluate the microturbulent velocity, line asymmetry, projection factor, and Doppler shifts. The mean Doppler shift is non-zero and negative, -1 km/s, after averaging over several full periods and lines. This residual line-of-sight velocity (related to the "K-term") is primarily caused by horizontal inhomogeneities, and consequently we interpret it as the familiar convective blueshift ubiquitously present in non-pulsating late-type stars. Limited statistics prevent firm conclusions on the line asymmetries. Our two-dimensional model provides a reasonably accurate representation of the spectroscopic properties of a short-period Cepheid-like variable star. Some properties are primarily controlled by convective inhomogeneities rather than by the Cepheid-defining pulsations.
Probing dark energy models with extreme pairwise velocities of galaxy clusters from the DEUS-FUR simulations

Observations of colliding galaxy clusters with high relative velocity probe the tail of the halo pairwise velocity distribution with the potential of providing a powerful test of cosmology. As an example it has been argued that the discovery of the Bullet Cluster challenges standard $\Lambda$CDM model predictions. Halo catalogs from N-body simulations have been used to estimate the probability of Bullet-like clusters. However, due to simulation volume effects previous studies had to rely on a Gaussian extrapolation of the pairwise velocity distribution to high velocities. Here, we perform a detail analysis using the halo catalogs from the Dark Energy Universe Simulation Full Universe Runs (DEUS-FUR), which enables us to resolve the high-velocity tail of the distribution and study its dependence on the halo mass definition, redshift and cosmology. Building upon these results we estimate the probability of Bullet-like systems in the framework of Extreme Value Statistics. We show that the tail of extreme pairwise velocities significantly deviates from that of a Gaussian, moreover it carries an imprint of the underlying cosmology. We find the Bullet Cluster probability to be two orders of magnitude larger than previous estimates, thus easing the tension with the $\Lambda$CDM model. Finally, the comparison of the inferred probabilities for the different DEUS-FUR cosmologies suggests that observations of extreme interacting clusters can provide constraints on dark energy models complementary to standard cosmological tests.
ROTATING BULLETS FROM A VARIABLE PROTOSTAR

We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) CO (2–1) observations toward the protostellar jet driven by SVS 13 A, a variable protostar in the NGC 1333 star-forming region. The SMA CO (2–1) images show an extremely high-velocity jet composed of a series of molecular “bullets. ” Based on the SMA CO observations, we discover clear and large systematic velocity gradients, perpendicular to the jet axis, in the blueshifted and redshifted bullets. After discussing several alternative interpretations, such as twin-jets, jet precession, warped disk, and internal helical shock, we suggest that the systematic velocity gradients observed in the bullets result from the rotation of the SVS 13 A jet. From the SMA CO images, the measured rotation velocities are 11.7–13.7 km s−1 for the blueshifted bullet and 4.7 ± 0.5 km s−1 for the redshifted bullet. The estimated specific angular momenta of the two bullets are comparable to those of dense cores, about 10 times larger than those of protostellar envelopes, and about 20 times larger than those of circumstellar disks. If the velocity gradients are due to the rotation of the SVS 13 A jet, the significant amount of specific angular momenta of the bullets indicates that the rotation of jets/outflows is a key mechanism to resolve the so-called “angular momentum problem” in the field of star formation. The kinematics of the bullets suggests that the jet launching footprint on the disk has a radius of ∼7.2–7.7 au, which appears to support the extended disk-wind model. We note that further observations are needed to comprehensively understand the kinematics of the SVS 13 A jet, in order to confirm the rotation nature of the bullets.
The new semi-analytic code GalICS 2.0 – reproducing the galaxy stellar mass function and the Tully–Fisher relation simultaneously

GalICS 2.0 is a new semianalytic code to model the formation and evolution of galaxies in a cosmological context. N-body simulations based on a Planck cosmology are used to construct halo merger trees, track subhaloes, compute spins and measure concentrations. The accretion of gas onto galaxies and the morphological evolution of galaxies are modelled with prescriptions derived from hydrodynamic simulations. Star formation and stellar feedback are described with phenomenological models (as in other semianalytic codes). GalICS 2.0 computes rotation speeds from the gravitational potential of the dark matter, the disc and the central bulge. As the rotation speed depends not only on the virial velocity but also on the ratio of baryons to dark matter within a galaxy, our calculation predicts a different Tully-Fisher relation from models in which the rotation speed is proportional to the virial velocity. This is why GalICS 2.0 is able to reproduce the galaxy stellar mass function and the Tully-Fisher relation simultaneously. Our results are also in agreement with halo masses from weak lensing and satellite kinematics, gas fractions, the relation between star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass, the evolution of the cosmic SFR density, bulge-to-disc ratios, disc sizes and the Faber-Jackson relation.
Unveiling multiple AGN activity in galaxy mergers

In this paper we present an overview of the MAGNA (Multiple AGN Activity) project aiming at a comprehensive study of multiple supemassive black hole systems. With the main goal to characterize the sources in merging systems at different stages of evolution, we selected a sample of objects optically classified as multiple systems on the basis of emission line diagnostics and started a massive multiband observational campaign. Here we report on the discovery of the exceptionally high AGN density compact group SDSS~J0959+1259. A multiband study suggests that strong interactions are taking place among its galaxies through tidal forces, therefore this system represents a case study for physical mechanisms that trigger nuclear activity and star formation. We also present a preliminary analysis of the multiple AGN system SDSS~J1038+3921. }
Ideas for Citizen Science in Astronomy

We review the expanding, internet-enabled, and rapidly evolving field of citizen astronomy, focusing on research projects in stellar, extragalactic, and planetary science that have benefited from the participation of members of the public. These volunteers contribute in various ways: making and analyzing new observations, visually classifying features in images and light curves, exploring models constrained by astronomical data sets, and initiating new scientific enquiries. The most productive citizen astronomy projects involve close collaboration between the professionals and amateurs involved and occupy scientific niches not easily filled by great observatories or machine learning methods: Citizen astronomers are motivated by being of service to science, as well as by their interest in the subject. We expect participation and productivity in citizen astronomy to increase, as data sets get larger and citizen science platforms become more efficient. Opportunities include engaging citizens in ever-more adv.
Modified dust and the small scale crisis in CDM

At large scales and for sufficiently early times, dark matter is described as a pressureless perfect fluid—dust— non-interacting with Standard Model fields. These features are captured by a simple model with two scalars: a Lagrange multiplier and another playing the role of the velocity potential. That model arises naturally in some gravitational frameworks, e.g., the mimetic dark matter scenario. We consider an extension of the model by means of higher derivative terms, such that the dust solutions are preserved at the background level, but there is a non-zero sound speed at the linear level. We associate this Modified Dust with dark matter, and study the linear evolution of cosmological perturbations in that picture. The most prominent effect is the suppression of their power spectrum for sufficiently large cosmological momenta. This can be relevant in view of the problems that cold dark matter faces at sub-galactic scales, e.g., the missing satellites problem. At even shorter scales, however, perturbations of Modified Dust are enhanced compared to the predictions of more common particle dark matter scenarios. This is a peculiarity of their evolution in radiation dominated background. We also briefly discuss clustering of Modified Dust. We write the system of equations in the Newtonian limit, and sketch the possible mechanism which could prevent the appearance of caustic singularities. The same mechanism may be relevant in light of the core-cusp problem.
Magnetic field dependence of the neutron spin resonance in CeB 6

In zero magnetic field, the famous neutron spin resonance in the f-electron superconductor CeCoIn5 is similar to the recently discovered exciton peak in the non-superconducting CeB6. Magnetic field splits the resonance in CeCoIn5 into two components, indicating that it is a doublet. Here we employ inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to scrutinize the field dependence of spin fluctuations in CeB6. The exciton shows a markedly different behavior without any field splitting. Instead, we observe a second field-induced magnon whose energy increases with field. At the ferromagnetic zone center, however, we find only a single mode with a non-monotonic field dependence. At low fields, it is initially suppressed to zero together with the antiferromagnetic order parameter, but then reappears at higher fields inside the hidden-order phase, following the energy of an electron spin resonance (ESR). This is a unique example of a ferromagnetic resonance in a heavy-fermion metal seen by both ESR and INS consistently over a broad range of magnetic fields.