Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dry Powder Inhalation for Lung Delivery in Cystic Fibrosis

Pulmonary drug delivery has long been used for local and systemic administration of different medications used in acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Certain lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, rely heavily on chronic treatments, including targeted lung delivery. Pulmonary drug delivery possesses various physiological advantages compared to other delivery methods and is also convenient for the patient to use. However, the formulation of dry powder for pulmonary delivery proves challenging due to aerodynamic restrictions and the lower tolerance of the lung. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the respiratory tract structure in patients with cystic fibrosis, including during acute and chronic lung infections and exacerbations. Furthermore, this review discusses the advantages of targeted lung delivery, including the physicochemical properties of dry powder and factors affecting clinical efficacy. Current inhalable drug treatments and drugs currently under development will also be discussed.
Validation of TRMM and Other Rainfall Estimates with a High-Density Gauge Dataset for West Africa. Part I: Validation of GPCC Rainfall Product and Pre-TRMM Satellite and Blended Products

Gauge data over North Africa are used to provide an assessment of satellite and blended rainfall products for 1988‐94 and for 1998. A comparison is also made with the Global Precipitation Climatology Center (GPCC) gauge dataset. For the 1988‐94 period, mean fields and latitudinal transects for the June‐July‐August season are presented, based on a 515-station gauge dataset, the GPCC gauge data, the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) blended data, the infrared-based Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite precipitation index (GPI), and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) microwave estimates. Error calculations are also presented. The mean fields derived from the dense gauge network, the GPCC gauge-only analysis, and the GPCP are remarkably similar. The bias, with reference to the seasonal rainfall field based on the denser network, is about 3%‐4% for either GPCC or GPCP. Agreement is relatively good, even in individual years. The rms error associated with these datasets is 12% for seasonal rainfall totals; thus, the error is largely random. In contrast, there are large systematic errors in the satellite-only analyses of GPI and SSM/I, with biases of 20% and 40% for the mean rain field as a whole and much larger biases in individual years. The rms errors are nearly 2 times as great. For 1998, a 920-station gauge dataset was available for a smaller section of West Africa. The comparison confirmed the superior performance of GPCP and demonstrated the lower level of performance of both GPCP and GPCC at the monthly scale as compared with the seasonal scale. Overall, the results of this study underscore the continued need for extensive gauge networks to describe adequately the large-scale precipitation field over Africa.
Nitrogen Abundances in Early-Type Be Stars

A sample of 26 Be stars from the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) spectroscopic survey are analyzed for their photospheric nitrogen abunda nces in an e ffort to detect rotational mixing in the Be stars. Be stars are massive stars, between 3 and 20 times the mass of the Sun, that are surrounded by a thin, equatorial disk of gas tha t produces emission lines in their optical and near-infrared spectra. Be stars are the most rapi dly-rotating stellar population on the main sequence, where stars produce energy by core hydrog en burning. New, non-LTE line transfer calculations are performed for the N ii ion, the dominant ionization stage in the photospheres of the B stars, and an extensive error analysis is performed via Monte Carlo simulation to determine the achievable accuracy of nitroge n abundances among these stars. To analyze the measured N ii equivalent widths from the MiMeS survey, the e ffects of both gravitational darkening, due to the rapid rotation of the ce ntral B star, and the veiling e ffect of emission from the Be star circumstellar disk are considered. Both of these e ffects are found to be small for the sample population, a ffecting the final nitrogen abundances at the level ≈ ±0.1 dex. The final, average nitrogen abundance for the MiMeS sam ple, AMiMeS N = 7.78, has a value in good agreement with the solar abundance, A◦N = 7.83, and recent, high-precision abundance measurements for main sequence B stars. Neverthe less, the MiMeS sample standard deviation is over a factor of two larger than that of the obser ved nitrogen abundances in the atmospheres of B stars in the solar neighbourhood, with many low abundance objects and a few high abundance objects. No discernible trend of the nitr ogen abundance can be seen with stellar gravity, logg (as a proxy for stellar age), or stellar equatorial velocity in the MiMeS survey. It is suggested that possible disk emission in the N ii line transitions may explain the lower abundance objects, and this will be the subject of futu re work.
Safety and Efficacy of 2D Brachytherapy vs. 3D Image-Guided Adaptive Brachytherapy for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer—A Single Institution Retrospective Study

Background: The treatment paradigm for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) has shifted from two-dimensional-brachytherapy (2D-BT) to three-dimensional-image-guided adaptive BT (3D-IGABT). In this retrospective study, we report our experience with the change from 2D-BT to 3D-IGABT. Methods: We reviewed 146 LACC patients (98 3D-IGABT and 48 2D-BT) who received chemoradiation between 2004 and 2019. The multivariable odds ratio (OR) for treatment-related toxicities and hazard ratios (HR) for locoregional control (LRC), distant control (DC), failure-free survival (FFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) are reported. Results: The median follow-up was 50.3 months. There was a significant decrease in overall late toxicities in the 3D-IGABT group compared to the 2D-BT group (OR 0.22[0.10–0.52]), late gastrointestinal (OR 0.31[0.10–0.93]), genitourinary (OR 0.31[0.09–1.01]) and vaginal toxicities (0% vs. 29.6%). Grade ≥ 3 toxicity was low in both groups (2D-BT: 8.2% acute, 13.3% late vs. 3D-IGABT: 6.3% acute, 4.4% late, NS). The five-year LRC, DC, FFS, CSS and OS for 3D-IGABT were 92.0%, 63.4%, 61.7%, 75.4% and 73.6%, compared to 87.3%, 71.8%, 63.7%, 76.3% and 70.8% for 2D-BT (NS). Conclusions: 3D-IGABT for the treatment of LACC is associated with a decrease in overall late gastrointestinal, genitourinary and vaginal toxicities. The disease control or survival outcomes were comparable to contemporary 3D-IGABT studies.
A Multiport Current-Fed IIOS Dual-Half-Bridge Converter for Distributed Photovoltaic MVDC Integration System

The input-independent output-series (IIOS) dc–dc converter structure possesses the capability to achieve high voltage gain, single-stage power conversion, and multiport independent control, which is suitable for distributed photovoltaic (PV) power collection system. However, if the multiport input powers are different, the output voltage of each submodule (SM) will be uneven, which might lead to power degradation and device damage. In order to address SM output voltage imbalance problem, in this article, a voltage self-balancing output-series dual-half-bridge (OSDHB) converter based on multiwinding coupled inductor is developed. By multiplexing the SM secondary-side switches in OSDHB, the unbalanced power between SMs can be directly transmitted to the target SM, without the requisition for transmission one by one. And all power switches possess zero-voltage switching characteristic. Therefore, the proposed IIOS-DHB features high efficiency, low cost, simple control, and more adaptive to distributed PV power generation system. The topological configuration, operating principle, and self-balancing performance are presented. Finally, the full-scale simulations and three SMs down-scale experimental hardware platform have been conducted to verify the theoretical analysis of the proposed IIOS-DHB.
Seasonality, dispersal modes, and optimal germination times modulate the fruiting of tropical tree species

Abstract We investigated the associations of seasonality, dispersal modes and seed germination speeds with the fruiting of Clusia nemorosa, Pleroma fissinervium, and Vochysia pyramidalis in a gallery forest, Chapada Diamantina, Brazil. Observations of mature fruits with dispersing seeds were carried out from 2003 to 2006. Cross-correlation and circular statistics were performed to test the relationships among fruiting and abiotic factors, and phenological seasonality. Dispersion syndromes were defined and germination experiments were performed after seed collection (n =100/species), using four replicates. The species evidenced seasonal fruiting. Clusia nemorosa produced zoochoric seeds and V. pyramidalis anemochoric seeds, which were dispersed during the rainy season and positively correlated with precipitation; P. fissinervium produced autochoric seeds, released during the dry season to early rainy season, being positively correlated with insolation and negatively with humidity. The rotating wing seeds of V. pyramidalis were released in the rainy season and aided floating in watercourses, characterizing hydrochory. Clusia nemorosa and V. pyramidalis germinated (2-6 days) more rapidly than P. fissinervium (9 days). Seasonality, dispersal modes, and optimal germination conditions modulated the fruiting of the species examined, whose reproductive strategies responded to environmental drivers such as precipitation, favoring germination during the rainy season.
Examining the Role of Social Media Marketing on Brand Love and Its Impact on Brand Centrality: The Study of Local Fashion Brands for the Millennials

Purpose: Local fashion brands are an important issue for millennial consumers. To create their love of local fashion brands, social media marketing is necessary. The study also examines brand love's effects on local fashion brands' centrality. This study also investigates brand love and centrality’s impact on the repurchase intention. Design/ Methodology/Approach: The data were taken using survey methods with questionnaires developed by previous researchers. A partial least squares regression was used to test the hypotheses. Findings: This study shows that social media marketing can create conditions for consumers to develop brand love, but brand love still needs to be able to develop brand centrality. This study also shows that although brand love has yet to create brand centrality, the concept of brand love can influence the repurchase intention. At the same time, brand centrality also affects the repurchase intention. Originality/value: This is the first study analyzing millennials’ brand love toward fashion clothing brands and the analysis of the influence of social media marketing on brand love and its impact on brand centrality.
Autophagy-Modulated Biomaterial: A Robust Weapon for Modulating the Wound Environment to Promote Skin Wound Healing

Abstract Autophagy, a self-renewal mechanism, can help to maintain the stability of the intracellular environment of organisms. Autophagy can also regulate several cellular functions and is strongly related to the onset and progression of several diseases. Wound healing is a biological process that is coregulated by different types of cells. However, it is troublesome owing to prolonged treatment duration and poor recovery. In recent years, biomaterials have been reported to influence the skin wound healing process by finely regulating autophagy. Biomaterials that regulate autophagy in various cells involved in skin wound healing to regulate the differentiation, proliferation and migration of cells, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress and formation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) have emerged as a key method for improving the tissue regeneration ability of biomaterials. During the inflammatory phase, autophagy enhances the clearance of pathogens from the wound site and leads to macrophage polarization from the M1 to the M2 phenotype, thus preventing enhanced inflammation that can lead to further tissue damage. Autophagy plays important roles in facilitating the formation of extracellular matrix (ECM) during the proliferative phase, removing excess intracellular ROS, and promoting the proliferation and differentiation of endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and keratinocytes. This review summarizes the close association between autophagy and skin wound healing and discusses the role of biomaterial-based autophagy in tissue regeneration. The applications of recent biomaterials designed to target autophagy are highlighted, including polymeric materials, cellular materials, metal nanomaterials, and carbon-based materials. A better understanding of biomaterial-regulated autophagy and skin regeneration and the underlying molecular mechanisms may open new possibilities for promoting skin regeneration. Moreover, this can lay the foundation for the development of more effective therapeutic approaches and novel biomaterials for clinical applications.
Automatic laser alignment for multifocal microscopy using a LCOS SLM and a 32×32 pixel CMOS SPAD array

Alignment of a laser to a point source detector for confocal microscopy can be a time-consuming task. The problem is further exacerbated when multiple laser excitation spots are used in conjunction with a multiple pixel single photon detector; in addition to X, Y and Z positioning, pixels in a 2D array detector can also be misaligned in roll, pitch and yaw with respect to each other, causing magnification, rotation and focus variation across the array. We present a technique for automated multiple point laser alignment to overcome these issues using closed-loop feedback between a laser illuminated computer controlled Liquid Crystal on Silicon Spatial Light Modulator (LCOS-SLM) acting as the excitation source and a 32×32 pixel CMOS Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array as the multiple pixel detection element. The alignment procedure is discussed and simulated to prove its feasibility before being implemented and tested in a practical optical system. We show that it is possible to align each independent laser point in a sub-second time scale, significantly simplifying and speeding up experimental set-up times. The approach provides a solution to the difficulties associated with multiple point confocal laser alignment to multiple point detector arrays, paving the way for further advances in applications such as Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM).
Large Language Models: The Next Frontier for Variable Discovery within Metamorphic Testing?

Metamorphic testing involves reasoning on necessary properties that a program under test should exhibit regarding multiple input and output variables. A general approach consists of extracting metamorphic relations from auxiliary artifacts such as user manuals or documentation, a strategy particularly fitting to testing scientific software. However, such software typically has large input-output spaces, and the fundamental prerequisite – extracting variables of interest – is an arduous and non-scalable process when performed manually. To this end, we devise a workflow around an autoregressive transformer-based Large Language Model (LLM) towards the extraction of variables from user manuals of scientific software. Our end-to-end approach, besides a prompt specification consisting of few-shot examples by a human user, is fully automated, in contrast to current practice requiring human intervention. We showcase our LLM workflow over a real case, and compare variables extracted to ground truth manually labelled by experts. Our preliminary results show that our LLM-based workflow achieves an accuracy of 0.87, while successfully deriving 61.8% of variables as partial matches and 34.7% as exact matches.
Nonparametric Identification of Causal Effects under Temporal Dependence

Social scientists routinely address temporal dependence by adopting a simple technical fix. However, the correct identification strategy for a causal effect depends on causal assumptions. These need to be explicated and justified; almost no studies do so. This article addresses this shortcoming by offering a precise general statement of the (nonparametric) causal assumptions required to identify causal effects under temporal dependence. In particular, this article clarifies when one should condition or not condition on lagged dependent variables (LDVs) to identify causal effects: one should not condition on LDVs, if there is no reverse causation and no outcome autocausation; one should condition on LDVs if there are no unobserved common causes of treatment and the lagged outcome, or no unobserved persistent causes of the outcome. When only one of these is true (with one exception), the incorrect decision will induce bias. Absent a well-justified identification strategy, inferences should be appropriately qualified.
Exploring the Outer Planets with SLS

The recently released decadal survey for planetary sciences and astrobiology serves to determine priorities for science missions encompassing the upcoming decade. Both novel and continuing “Outer Planet” missions were discussed and analyzed to determine which missions best set precedent in pushing boundaries in the advancement of science. Amongst all considerations, the Uranus Orbiter and Probe took highest priority as this decade's “Flagship Mission,” followed by the Enceladus Orbilander. Additionally, while Neptune and Pluto were not high priority destinations, their potential for exploration is likely to escalate over time. Currently, few launch vehicles have the means to complete these missions, and even fewer possess both the necessary design maturity and payload capability. However, amongst the few reliable vehicles is NASA's SLS, which is currently a top contender in both aforementioned categories. The SLS can deliver payload to these far-off destinations in fractions of typically estimated times. Furthermore, within the bounds of SLS's capabilities are the co-manifestation of kick-stages, the addition of which potentially shortens mission time further. Thus, SLS serves as a vessel wherein lies hope and potential for not only nearby missions to the Moon, and Mars, but also missions to the vastly unexplored outer planets of our solar system.
Dominant modes of precipitation over Africa, and their associated atmospheric circulations from observations

This study uses the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis to identify and describe continental‐scale seasonal (MAM, JJA, SON and DJF) precipitation modes over Africa based on observation (Global Precipitation Climatology Centre; GPCC) and reanalysis (ERA5) data from 1982 to 2014. Using composite analysis, we attempt to identify the atmospheric circulations (wind and relative humidity) associated with each precipitation mode. Precipitation from ERA5 has a good agreement with that of GPCC, as observed in the good spatial congruence in the EOF analysis and precipitation composites. The EOF results for each season show that the loading patterns of Mode 1 (variance >20% for all seasons) match the long‐term mean precipitation distribution. Atmospheric conditions across the continent are primarily driven by the four main high‐pressure systems (Azores, St. Helena, Arabian and Mascarene High) that influence moisture distribution and subsequently modulate the seasonal rain belt distribution. Modes 2 (variance >11% for all seasons) and 3 (variance >10% for all seasons) are deviations of the leading mode associated with smaller‐scale atmospheric systems. However, large‐scale factors still dominate the overall precipitation pattern by modulating the seasonal energy transfer between the hemispheres. The results provide a comprehensive understanding of the continental‐wide African seasonal precipitation modes and the associated atmospheric circulation from observations. The findings can be used as a reference for future work using model data for historical and projection studies.
Development and Characterization of an Origami-Based Vacuum-Driven Bending Actuator for Soft Gripping

Soft robotics is a novel disruptor that has at-tracted the interest of robotic developers, allowing them to leverage the use of soft materials and compliant mechanisms to interact better with soft objects. This paper presents the development and characterization of a vacuum-driven soft-bending actuator that utilizes an origami skeletal structure. The proposed actuator comprises a skeleton from an origami folded thin polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet and a pouch made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coated polyester fabric. The developed actuator is experimentally evaluated to characterize its bending angle, blocked force, and holding force performance. The actuator has a maximum bending angle of 84°, a maximum lifting force of 7 N, and a maximum tip blocking force of 1.8 N at 40 kPa (abs). The developed soft bending actuator is integrated into a three-finger gripper to evaluate its gripping performance. The developed gripper successfully handled several irregularly shaped daily objects and soft food items. The gripper could withstand a pulling force of up to 18.35 N.
A Modified ADMM Approach for Blind Deblurring of Color Medical Images

An efficient and flexible tool that optimizes inverse problems like image reconstruction and image restoration is alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM)with the knowledge of blur,later ADMM is modified to perform blind image deblurring (BID)of unknown blur on original image by some function of regularization. But in real world deblurring problems the prior knowledge of blurring filter has significant importance. In this paper estimates of image and blurring operator are obtained by considering significant image edges. An ADMM iteration criterion is based on whiteness measurement which includes auto variance, auto correlation and auto covariance estimation. In the proposed approach RGB medical image of heart under different degradation conditions are considered to estimate the performance and to bring a conclusions on the degradation process and restoration on composite and component processing of the input image.
Comparative Analysis of Parameter Estimating Methods of Pearson Type- III Distribution

Several common parameter estimating methods in China's hydrologic frequency caculation of Pearson Type- Ⅲ distribution were introduced,focusing on the updated method of Liner moments.Through the statistically comparative analysis of these methods,it comes to a conclusion that the unbias and robustness of liner moments are better than the others'.
Stability of cnoidal waves

This paper is concerned with the stability of periodic trave- lling-wave solutions of the Korteweg-de Vries equation ut + uux + uxxx =0 . Here, u is a real-valued function of the two variables x, t ∈ R and subscripts connote partial differentiation. These special solutions were termed cnoidal waves by Korteweg and de Vries. They also appear in earlier work of Boussinesq. It is shown that these solutions are stable to small, periodic perturbations in the context of the initial-value problem. The approach is that of the modern theory of stability of solitary waves, but adapted to the periodic context. The theory has prospects for the study of periodic travelling-wave solutions of other partial differential equations.
Dielectric Thickness and Fin Width Dependent OFF-State Degradation in AlGaN/GaN SLCFETs

Accelerated OFF -State stressing of multichannel AlGaN/GaN Superlattice Castellated Field Effect Transistors (SLCFET) with varying dielectric thickness $(d_{i})$ and fin-width $(W_{fi n})$ was studied using noise measurements. As $d_{i}$ increased, the failure mechanism changed from an abrupt breakdown to gradual time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB). Smaller $W_{fi n}$ is found to extend lifetime compared to wider $W_{fi n}$ under such stressing condition. Percolation theory and associated trap generation during stressing can explain the observed behavior.