Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Review on Predicting Ground PM2.5 Concentration Using Satellite Aerosol Optical Depth

This study reviewed the prediction of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) and summarized the advantages and limitations of these predicting models. A total of 116 articles were included from 1436 records retrieved. The number of such studies has been increasing since 2003. Among these studies, four predicting models were widely used: Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) (25 articles), Mixed-Effect Model (MEM) (23 articles), Chemical Transport Model (CTM) (16 articles) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) (10 articles). We found that there is no so-called best model among them and each has both advantages and limitations. Regarding the prediction accuracy, MEM performs the best, while MLR performs worst. CTM predicts PM2.5 better on a global scale, while GWR tends to perform well on a regional level. Moreover, prediction performance can be significantly improved by combining meteorological variables with land use factors of each region, instead of only considering meteorological variables. In addition, MEM has advantages in dealing with the AOD data with missing values. We recommend that with the help of higher resolution AOD data, future works could be focused on developing satellite-based predicting models for the prediction of historical PM2.5 and other air pollutants.
Differential expansion and retention patterns of LRR‐RLK genes across plant evolution

To maximize overall fitness, plants must accurately respond to a host of growth, developmental, and environmental signals throughout their life. Many of these internal and external signals are perceived by the leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases, which play roles in regulating growth, development, and immunity. This largest family of receptor kinases in plants can be divided into subfamilies based on conservation of the kinase domain, which demonstrates that shared evolutionary history often indicates shared molecular function. Here we investigate the evolutionary history of this family across the evolution of 112 plant species. We identify lineage-specific expansions of the malectin-domain containing subfamily LRR subfamily I primarily in the Brassicales and bryophytes. Most other plant lineages instead show a large expansion in LRR subfamily XII, which in Arabidopsis is known to contain key receptors in pathogen perception. This striking asymmetric expansion may reveal a dichotomy in the evolutionary history and adaptation strategies employed by plants. A greater understanding of the evolutionary pressures and adaptation strategies acting on members of this receptor family offers a way to improve functional predictions for orphan receptors and simplify identification of novel stress related receptors.
A genomic exploration of the possible de-extirpation of the Zanzibar leopard

The recently extirpated Zanzibar leopard was the only known African leopard (Panthera pardus spp.) population restricted exclusively to a major island habitat. Although its demise was driven through habitat change and conflict with humans, given its role as a keystone species for the Zanzibar Archipelago, its potential reintroduction might offer a means for helping preserve the natural biodiversity of its former habitat. Whether this is feasible, however, would be contingent on both whether closely related source populations can be identified on mainland Africa, and whether the Zanzibar form exhibited any special adaptations that might need to be considered when choosing such a source. In light of these questions, we genomically profiled two of the six known historic specimens, to explore whether they represent a realistic candidate for de-extirpation through reintroduction. Our analyses indicate that despite its geographic separation, the Zanzibar leopard shared a close genetic relationship with mainland East African individuals. Furthermore, although its uniqueness as an island population was emphasised by genomic signatures of high inbreeding and increased mutation load, the latter similar to the level of the critically endangered Amur leopard (P. p. orientalis), we find no evidence of positive selection unique to Zanzibar. We therefore conclude that should attempts to restore leopards to Zanzibar be planned, then mainland East African leopards would provide a suitable gene pool, whether using genetic engineering or conventional rewilding approaches.
Exome capture of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) for cost effective population genetics of historical collections

Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba) is a pivotal keystone species in the Southern Ocean ecosystem, with immense ecological and commercial significance. However, its vulnerability to climate change necessitates urgent investigation of its population genetics and adaptive responses. Historical spirit collections of Antarctic krill from the early 20th century represent an ideal opportunity for genomic research, to investigate how krill have changed over time and been impacted by predation, fishing and climate change. In this study, we assessed the utility of shotgun sequencing and exome capture for genomic analyses with historical spirit collections of Antarctic krill. Because the krill genome is very large (48Gb) two full-length transcriptomes were generated and used to identify putative targets for targeted resequencing. Skim genome sequencing allowed sample and library quality control. By comparing genome to exome resequencing of the same libraries we calculate enrichment and variant calling metrics. Full-length mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal sequences were successfully assembled from genomic data demonstrating that endogenous DNA sequences could be assembled from historical collections. We find that exome capture provided enrichment of on-target sequence data, with increased depth and higher variant quality for targeted loci. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of extracting genomic information from historical krill samples, despite the challenges of fragmented DNA and huge genome size unlocking such collections to provide valuable insights into past and present krill diversity, resilience, and adaptability to climate change. This approach unlocks the potential for broader genomic studies in similar samples, and for enhancing conservation efforts and fisheries management in the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
Novel centriolar defects underlie a primary ciliary dyskinesia phenotype in an adenylate kinase 7 deficient ciliated epithelium

The skin of Xenopus embryos contains numerous multiciliated cells (MCCs), which collectively generate a directed fluid flow across the epithelial surface essential for distributing the overlaying mucous. MCCs develop into highly specialized cells to generate this flow, containing approximately 150 evenly spaced centrioles that give rise to motile cilia. MCC-driven fluid flow can be impaired when ciliary dysfunction occurs, resulting in primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) in humans. Mutations in a large number of genes (∼50) have been found to be causative to PCD. Recently, studies have linked low levels of Adenylate Kinase 7 (AK7) gene expression to patients with PCD; however, the mechanism for this link remains unclear. Additionally, AK7 mutations have been linked to multiple PCD patients. Adenylate kinases modulate ATP production and consumption, with AK7 explicitly associated with motile cilia. Here we reproduce an AK7 PCD-like phenotype in Xenopus and describe the cellular consequences that occur with manipulation of AK7 levels. We show that AK7 localizes throughout the cilia in a DPY30 domain-dependent manner, suggesting a ciliary function. Additionally, we find that AK7 overexpression increases centriole number, suggesting a role in regulating centriole biogenesis. We find that in AK7-depleted embryos, cilia number, length, and beat frequency are all reduced, which in turn, significantly decreases the tissue-wide mucociliary flow. Additionally, we find a decrease in centriole number and an increase in sub-apical centrioles, implying that AK7 influences both centriole biogenesis and docking, which we propose underlie its defect in ciliogenesis. We propose that AK7 plays a role in PCD by impacting centriole biogenesis and apical docking, ultimately leading to ciliogenesis defects that impair mucociliary clearance.
Aub, Vasa and Armi localization to phase separated nuage is dispensable for piRNA biogenesis and transposon silencing in Drosophila

From nematodes to placental mammals, key components of the germline transposon silencing piRNAs pathway localize to phase separated perinuclear granules. In Drosophila, the PIWI protein Aub, DEAD box protein Vasa and helicase Armi localize to nuage granules and are required for ping-pong piRNA amplification and phased piRNA processing. Drosophila piRNA mutants lead to genome instability and Chk2 kinase DNA damage signaling. By systematically analyzing piRNA pathway organization, small RNA production, and long RNA expression in single piRNA mutants and corresponding chk2/mnk double mutants, we show that Chk2 activation disrupts nuage localization of Aub and Vasa, and that the HP1 homolog Rhino, which drives piRNA precursor transcription, is required for Aub, Vasa, and Armi localization to nuage. However, these studies also show that ping-pong amplification and phased piRNA biogenesis are independent of nuage localization of Vasa, Aub and Armi. Dispersed cytoplasmic proteins thus appear to mediate these essential piRNA pathway functions.
Redox-dependent condensation and cytoplasmic granulation by human ssDNA binding protein 1 delineate roles in oxidative stress response

Human single-stranded DNA binding protein 1 (hSSB1/NABP2/OBFC2B) plays central roles in the repair of DNA breaks and oxidized DNA lesions. Here we show that hSSB1 undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) that is redox-dependent and requires the presence of single-stranded DNA or RNA, features that are distinct from those of LLPS by bacterial SSB. hSSB1 nucleoprotein droplets form under physiological ionic conditions, in response to treatment resulting in cellular oxidative stress. hSSB1’s intrinsically disordered region (IDR) is indispensable for LLPS, whereas all three cysteine residues of the oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) fold are necessary to maintain redox-sensitive droplet formation. Proteins interacting with hSSB1 show selective enrichment inside hSSB1 droplets, suggesting tight content control and recruitment functions for the condensates. While these features appear instrumental for genome repair, we also detected hSSB1 condensates in the cytoplasm in response to oxidative stress in various cell lines. hSSB1 condensates colocalize with stress granules, implying unexplored extranuclear roles in cellular stress response. Our results suggest novel, condensation-linked roles for hSSB1, linking genome repair and cytoplasmic defense.
The brain hierarchically represents the past and future during multistep anticipation

Memory for temporal structure enables both planning of future events and retrospection of past events. We investigated how the brain flexibly represents extended temporal sequences into the past and future during anticipation. Participants learned sequences of environments in immersive virtual reality. Pairs of sequences had the same environments in a different order, enabling context-specific learning. During fMRI, participants anticipated upcoming environments multiple steps into the future in a given sequence. Temporal structure was represented in the hippocampus and across visual regions (1) bidirectionally, with graded representations into the past and future and (2) hierarchically, with further events into the past and future represented in successively more anterior brain regions. Further, context-specific predictions were prioritized in the forward but not backward direction. Together, this work sheds light on how we flexibly represent sequential structure to enable planning over multiple timescales.
Distributed Lyapunov‐based model predictive control for collision avoidance of multi‐agent formation

This study addresses the problem of distributed formation control for a multi-agent system with collision avoidance between agents and with obstacles, in the presence of various constraints. The authors proposed solution incorporates a control Lyapunov function (CLF) into a distributed model predictive control scheme, which inherits the strong stability property of the CLF and optimises the formation performance. For each agent, the formation tracking objective is formulated through the CLF, while the collision avoidance objective being explicitly considered as constraints. A relaxation parameter is introduced into the CLF condition to make the trade-off between the two conflicting objectives. The terminal constraint is constructed based on the concept of velocity obstacle, which characterises the set of states that lead to collisions. They show that the terminal constraint together with the relaxed CLF-based constraint guarantees the recursive feasibility and stability of the multi-agent system for almost any prediction horizon. Furthermore, the theoretical effectiveness and advantageous implementation properties are demonstrated through simulation for multi-agent formation control with several obstacles.
Stabilising the tetrahedral defect configuration in nematic shells

ABSTRACT Monte Carlo simulations are used to investigate the director configurations and the arrangements of the disclination lines that form in nematic shells surrounding interior spherical and polyhedral particles. For nematic shells formed around an interior spherical particle, a tetrahedral arrangement of the disclination lines is observed but this arrangement is lost if the interior sphere is shifted from the centre. The simulations indicate that a narrower angular distribution is observed for interior tetrahedral particles and, for non-centrosymmetric shells, the distribution is significantly less broadened compared to similar spherical inclusions. Other shape polyhedral particles are shown to give disclination geometries of different symmetries. Graphical Abstract
Linear matrix inequality-based model matching H2 output feedback control of a new leak tightness machine working based on hydrostatic pressure aging method

Fluid leaks owing to broken pipes can be a serious problem for any hydraulic system. The main reasons for pipe breakage are spontaneously changing hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure values inside the pipe or faults occurring during the pipe manufacturing process. Therefore, different kinds of leak tightness tests are required in many standards for approval of the pipes used in both academic researches and industrial applications. Hydrostatic pressure aging is the most common method among leak tightness test procedures. However, conventional test machines cannot reach above 700 bar owing to their mechanical specifications. In this study, the design of a new leak tightness test machine that can reach above 1200 bar and its Linear matrix inequality-based model matching H2 output feedback control have been achieved. The efficacy of the test machine and proposed controller have been shown with both simulation and experimental results.
Measuring the carrier lifetime by using a quasi-optical millimeter- and THz-wave system

The existing method for contactless measurement of the photoconductivity decay time is limited in terms of sample selection according to the injection level or doping density. To solve this problem and improve the measurement sensitivity, we developed a quasi-optical photoconductivity decay (QO-PCD) technique based on millimeter- and terahertz-wave technology. A semi-insulating silicon (Si) wafer was used in a proof-of-concept experiment with the proposed QO-PCD system to find the initial excess carrier density and carrier lifetime based on the Drude–Zener model with a single decay function. The initial excess carrier density and carrier lifetime were measured to be 1.5 × 1015 cm−3 and 30.6 μs, respectively, in semi-insulating Si wafer (460 μm thickness). A 2D areal measurement of the decay time of the Si wafer was experimentally obtained. The proposed QO-PCD technique can provide more reliable and sensitive carrier lifetime measurement data for semiconductor wafers, which may impact the fields of photovo.
Toward multicontrollable metasurfaces

Multicontrollability is just beginning to emerge as an engineering paradigm. It is necessary for fault-tolerant operation because multiple agents become available to perform a specific function. This built-in redundancy promotes seamless operation in variable conditions. Inspired by biological multicontrollability, multicontrollable metasurfaces have been conceptualized for terahertz applications. Comprising electrically small elements called MetaAtoms made of diverse pixels each of which is variously controlled, a metasurface could be either homogeneous or graded on the wavelength scale. As an example, terahertz transmission of a normally incident plane wave through a metasurface with subwavelength MetaAtoms containing diverse pixels of magnetostatically controllable material (InAs) and thermally controllable material (CdTe) was analyzed. The co-polarized transmission coefficients were found to exhibit stopbands that shift by switching on/off the magnetostatic field and/or increasing/decreasing the temperature.
Semiparametric second order e-cient estimation of the period of a signal and applications

We consider the problem of estimating the period of an unknown periodic function in Gaussian white noise. We construct a class of estimators of the period by a penalized maximum likelihood method. We obtain a second order asymptotic expansion of the risk of such estimators and construct a second order e‐cient estimator when the unknown function belongs to some known class. From a practical point of view, we show how this helps us to construct an adaptive estimator of the period which does better than the existing ones.
Design Method for a Total Internal Reflection LED Lens with Double Freeform Surfaces for Narrow and Uniform Illumination

In this paper, we propose a novel differential equation method for designing a total internal reflection (TIR) LED lens with double freeform surfaces. A complete set of simultaneous differential equations for the method is derived from the condition for minimizing the Fresnel loss, illumination models, Snell's Law of ray propagation, and a new constraint on the incident angle of a ray on the light-exiting surface of the lens. The last constraint is essential to complete the set of simultaneous differential equations. By adopting the TIR structure and applying the condition for minimizing the Fresnel loss, it is expected that the proposed TIR LED lens can have a high luminous flux efficiency, even though its beam-spread angle is narrow. To validate the proposed method, three TIR LED lenses with beam-spread angles of less than 22.6° have been designed, and their performances evaluated by ray tracing. Their luminous flux efficiencies could be obviously increased by at least 35% and 5%, compared to conventional LED lenses with a single freeform surface and with double freeform surfaces, respectively.
Condition-based maintenance of magnetic resonance imaging systems

Failures in MRI systems are highly undesirable. In order to ensure the reliability of an MRI system, an effective maintenance strategy is required that typically takes into account two key aspects: failure diagnostics and prognostics. Diagnostics is the undertaking of classifying and identifying the root cause of a failure when it occurs, whereas prognostics goes even further by predicting future failures. This thesis investigates how error log data can support these two aspects of maintenance. The problem of failure diagnostics is modeled as a classification problem. We study feature selection methods that extract relevant features from the error log data and classification methods that perform the failure classification. The effectiveness of these methods are validated by an artificially generated classification problem. Furthermore, they are applied to a real-life use case. With regard to failure prognostics, we propose two probabilistic models: the proportional hazard model and the semi-Markov model. Failure prediction is done by estimating the conditional probability of surviving given the history of observed errors. For the proportional hazard model, we mainly review results of the survival probability from the literature, whereas for the semi-Markov model we review literature and also derive analytical results. Furthermore, the proportional hazard model and the semi-Markov model are compared by means of simulations.
Local Piston Theory with Viscous Correction and Its Application

This paper introduces a local piston theory with viscous correction for the prediction of hypersonic unsteady aerodynamic loads at high attitudes and large Mach numbers. A semi-empirical relation accounting for the viscous interaction effects to determine the effective shape is proposed. The method is validated by applying to thin airfoils at various Mach numbers, angles of attack, and operating altitudes. Sample two- and three-dimensional aerodynamic forces calculations are conducted demonstrating this method. Furthermore, flutter boundary predictions for a two-dimensional airfoil and pitching-in-damping derivative evaluations for a three-dimensional waverider configuration are performed with this unsteady aerodynamic model. Compared with the Euler-based local piston theory, this model performs much better at high altitudes for a wide range of Mach numbers, angles of attack, and shapes. Results suggest the feasibility of using the effective shape of hypersonic vehicles to efficiently and accurately obtai.
UV–Vis Light-induced Aging of Titan’s Haze and Ice

The study of the photochemical aging of aerosols is an important tool for understanding Titan’s stratosphere/troposphere composition and evolution, particularly the haze. Laboratory simulations of the photoreactivity of the haze aerosol analogs provide insight into the photochemical evolution of Titan’s atmosphere at and below the haze layers. Here we use experimental simulations to investigate the evolution of the laboratory analogs of these organic aerosols under ultraviolet (UV)–visible (Vis) photons, which make it through the haze layers during their sedimentation process. We present experimental results for the aging of Titan’s aerosol analogs obtained from two dominant nitrogen-containing organics, HC3N and HCN, under simulated Titan atmospheric conditions (photons and temperature). We report that volatile nitriles condensed on haze particles could be incorporated through photochemistry and provide one such sink mechanism for nitrile compounds. We provide laboratory evidence that the organic aerosols could photochemically evolve during their sedimentation through Titan’s atmosphere.