Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical tweezers-based microrheological measurements using a high-speed camera

Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, assembles into an extra-cellular fibrillar gel, which has both viscous and elastic properties. These properties can be determined by using optical tweezers to hold a micron-sized bead within the sample. Measurement of the bead’s thermally induced motion enables the determination of the frequency-dependent viscoelasticity. Rather than only probing response at a single location, holographic optical tweezers create multiple, independent traps, permitting simultaneous tracking of multiple embedded beads and characterization of their correlated motion. By using this technique in a collagen gel, we will be able to determine local and cross-correlated viscoelastic properties, which vary at different locations during its formation. Implications of this research lie in the fields of health and biomaterials. The aim of this work is to devise and validate protocols for using holographic optical tweezers to measure local and through-space viscoelasticity. Rather than using laser deflection to track particle motion, I use a high-speed camera and image analysis to track the simultaneous motion of multiple beads. This approach provides nanometer-scale resolution of particle position at sampling rates up to 2.5 kHz. I compare tracking data collected from the high-speed camera to those collected by the laser deflection method and find a discrepancy in the perceived motion of the bead. I perform many experimental tests to assess the root of this problem. Additionally, I numerically represent bead motion measurements if collected using both methods (laser-deflection method and high-speed camera method) and compare them to the idealized measurement results. In doing so, I learn about the limitations of each method, and how the viscous and elastic properties inferred from the data are affected by each measurement device. Finally, based on my numerical representations, I suggest a simple procedure to gain more accuracy in the viscous and elastic properties for both simple fluids (such as water) and complex fluids (such as collagen solutions) when using each method. This procedure can be used in future holographic optical tweezers-based experiments to obtain an accurate representation of the local and correlated properties of collagen.
Derived symplectic structures in generalized Donaldson-Thomas theory and categorification

Derived symplectic structures in generalized Donaldson–Thomas theory and categorification Vittoria Bussi University College, Oxford University A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Trinity 2014 This thesis presents a series of results obtained in [13, 18, 19, 23–25, 87]. In [19], we prove a Darboux theorem for derived schemes with symplectic forms of degree k < 0, in the sense of [142]. We use this to show that the classical scheme X = t0(X) has the structure of an algebraic d-critical locus, in the sense of Joyce [87]. Then, if (X, s) is an oriented d-critical locus, we prove in [18] that there is a natural perverse sheaf P • X,s on X, and in [25], we construct a natural motive MFX,s, in a certain quotient ring M μ̂ X of the μ̂-equivariant motivic Grothendieck ring Mμ̂X , and used in Kontsevich and Soibelman’s theory of motivic Donaldson–Thomas invariants [102]. In [13], we obtain similar results for k-shifted symplectic derived Artin stacks. We apply this theory to categorifying Donaldson–Thomas invariants of Calabi–Yau 3-folds, and to categorifying Lagrangian intersections in a complex symplectic manifold using perverse sheaves, and to prove the existence of natural motives on moduli schemes of coherent sheaves on a Calabi–Yau 3-fold equipped with ‘orientation data’, as required in Kontsevich and Soibelman’s motivic Donaldson–Thomas theory [102], and on intersections L∩M of oriented Lagrangians L,M in an algebraic symplectic manifold (S, ω). In [23] we show that if (S, ω) is a complex symplectic manifold, and L,M are complex Lagrangians in S, then the intersection X = L∩M, as a complex analytic subspace of S, extends naturally to a complex analytic d-critical locus (X, s) in the sense of Joyce [87]. If the canonical bundles KL,KM have square roots K 1/2 L ,K 1/2 M then (X, s) is oriented, and we provide a direct construction of a perverse sheaf P • L,M on X, which coincides with the one constructed in [18]. In [24] we have a more in depth investigation in generalized Donaldson–Thomas invariants D̄T(τ) defined by Joyce and Song [85]. We propose a new algebraic method to extend the theory to algebraically closed fields K of characteristic zero, rather than K = C, and we conjecture the extension of generalized Donaldson–Thomas theory to compactly supported coherent sheaves on noncompact quasi-projective Calabi–Yau 3-folds, and to complexes of coherent sheaves on Calabi–Yau 3-folds.
An ultraviolet fibre-cavity for strong ion-photon interaction

An ultraviolet fibre-cavity for strong ion-photon interaction Timothy George Ballance, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, 2016. We investigate the coupling of a single trapped ion to a miniature optical cavity operating in the ultraviolet. Our cavity provides a source of single photons at a high rate into a single spatial mode. Using our apparatus, we have demonstrated the highest atom-cavity coupling rate achieved with a single ion by an order of magnitude. When the ion is continuously excited, we observe phase-sensitive correlations between emission into free-space and into the cavity mode, which can be explained by a cavity induced back-action effect on a driven dipole. We demonstrate coherent manipulation of a hyperfine qubit and ultra-short optical π rotations, which are essential tools for creation and detection of spin-photon entanglement. To this end, we have developed optical fibre-based Fabry-Pérot cavities in the ultraviolet spectral range. These cavities operate near the primary dipole transition of Yb+ at 370 nm, and allow us to couple a pure atomic two-level system offered by a single trapped ion to the cavity mode. A new Paul trap apparatus in an ultra-high vacuum chamber has been built which allows for the integration of these cavities at very small ion-mirror separations. In order for independent operation of the trap, a compact system of diode lasers has been built which are stabilised to low-drift optical reference cavities. Coherent control of the hyperfine qubit in 171Yb+ is achieved through application of microwave radiation, and ultra-short optical π rotations are performed with resonant light pulses derived from a frequency-doubled mode-locked titaniumsapphire laser. The experiment is controlled through a system of hardware and software which has been developed in a modular fashion and will allow for efficient control on the nanosecond time-scale when several such systems are interconnected. The success of our system opens the door to future experiments with trapped ions which will reach the strong coupling regime with a single ion. Furthermore, when operated in the fastcavity regime, systems based on our approach will enable high-efficiency collection of photons from the ion into the single mode of an optical fibre. These systems will allow for the generation of distributed entanglement and will prove ideal as nodes in a larger quantum network of trapped ions.
The Removal of Pollutants from Wastewater Using Magnetic Biochar: A Scientometric and Visualization Analysis

In recent years, the use of magnetic biochar in wastewater treatment has shown significant effects and attracted scholars’ attention. However, due to the relatively short research time and the lack of systematic summaries, it is difficult to provide a more in-depth analysis. This study utilizes RStudio and CiteSpace software to comprehensively analyze the research trends and progress of magnetic biochar in wastewater treatment. The analysis of bibliometrics is performed on 551 relevant papers retrieved from the Web of Science, spanning the period between 2011 and 2022. The most influential countries, institutions, journals, disciplinary distribution, and top 10 authors and papers in this field have been identified. The latest dataset has been used for keyword clustering and burst analysis. The results indicated that: (1) Bin Gao is the most influential author in this field, and high-level journals such as Bioresource Technology are more inclined to publish articles in the field of magnetic biochar. (2) Research in this field has predominantly focused on the removal of heavy metals and organic compounds. Keyword burst analysis shows a shift in research direction towards the removal of complex organic pollutants recently. (3) For the future development of magnetic biochar, an environment-friendly approach, economic viability, and joint technology are the directions that need more exploration. Finally, this paper provides a summary of the various adsorption mechanisms of magnetic biochar and several common modification methods, aiming to assist scholars in their research endeavors.
Influence d'un champ acoustique dans la cinétique de dégradation thermochimique pendant la torréfaction de la biomasse

Consideree comme une forme douce de la pyrolyse, la torrefaction apparait comme une alternative au traitement thermique de la biomasse ou elle est chauffee a des temperatures de 200-300°C en absence partielle ou totale d'oxygene pour produire un combustible solide plus hydrophobe, homogene et de meilleure qualite par rapport a la matiere premiere. Plusieurs technologies de torrefaction ont deja ete developpees et mises en œuvre dans l'industrie. Le present travail a pour objectif principal d'approfondir les connaissances dans le processus de thermo-degradation de la biomasse pendant la torrefaction. Pour cela, un appareil experimental innovant a ete developpe visant a ameliorer le traitement thermique du bois en couplant un champ acoustique au facteur temperature. L'hypothese est qu'un champ acoustique dans un reacteur modifie le champ de pression et par consequent la vitesse des particules autour de l'echantillon en modifiant l'interaction entre l'environnement gazeux et les volatiles a la surface du bois, accelerant son processus de degradation. Avec cet objectif, un systeme acoustique a ete mis en place dans un reacteur. Une caracterisation et une cartographie du comportement acoustique envisageant la mesure du debit acoustique et de son intensite ont ete realisees. Les experiences physiques et chimiques de la torrefaction ont ete effectuees pour deux temperatures de traitement avec et sans influence de l'acoustique, fournissant le rendement massique, les courbes de temperature et les proprietes chimiques du materiau torrifie. Concomitamment, un modele numerique de la cinetique et de la composition elementaire a ete etabli pour la prediction du rendement en masse et de la composition en termes de carbone, d'hydrogene et d'oxygene au cours de la degradation. Les resultats experimentaux de la torrefaction, ainsi que l'analyse chimique et la pyrolyse du produit final ont fourni des preuves telles que: reduction du temps de sejour, augmentation de la temperature interne de l'echantillon et pouvoir calorifique superieur pour les echantillons traites sous l'influence de l'acoustique. Une derniere comparaison entre les resultats experimentaux et numeriques a permis d'evaluer la precision du modele pour le traitement de torrefaction et l'influence de l'acoustique sur la cinetique de degradation
Primal Heuristics for Branch and Price: The Assets of Diving Methods

Primal heuristics have become an essential component in mixed integer programming (MIP) solvers. Extending MIP based heuristics, our study outlines generic procedures to build primal solutions in the context of a branch-and-price approach and reports on their performance. Our heuristic decisions carry on variables of the Dantzig-Wolfe reformulation, the motivation being to take advantage of a tighter linear programming relaxation than that of the original compact formulation and to benefit from the combinatorial structure embedded in these variables. We focus on the so-called diving methods that use re-optimization after each LP rounding. We explore combinations with diversification- intensification paradigms such as limited discrepancy search , sub-MIPing, local branching, and strong branching. The dynamic generation of variables inherent to a column generation approach requires specific adaptation of heuristic paradigms. We manage to use simple strategies to get around these technical issues. Our numerical results on generalized assignment, cutting stock, and vertex coloring problems sets new benchmarks, highlighting the performance of diving heuristics as generic procedures in a column generation context and producing better solutions than state-of-the-art specialized heuristics in some cases.
Quantitative Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) imaging of Osteochondral Junction

MRI-based compositional imaging of cartilage has higher sensitivity to detect early changes in osteoarthritis. The osteochondral junction (OCJ) is of particular interest since it has been associated with early changes and progression of cartilage degeneration. However, conventional MRI sequences cannot differentiate with high contrast the OCJ region for quantification. Here we present quantification of T1, T1rho, T2*, and macromolecular fraction (MMF) of deep and superficial layers knee cartilage using 3D ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI cones sequences and correlate the values from the OCJ with the degree of cartilage degeneration according to the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Cartilage Score (MOAKS).
Body Mass Index and Its Influence on Chronic Low Back Pain in the Spanish Population: A Secondary Analysis from the European Health Survey (2020)

Risk factors such as obesity and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to the development of chronic low back pain. Purpose: To describe how body mass index (BMI) influences the prevalence of chronic low back pain in the general Spanish population and assess this influence given other factors as sex, age, physical occupational demands, and recreational physical activity. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional design was performed based on secondary data from the European Health Survey in Spain (2020). Data on age, gender, physical occupational demands, physical activity, BMI, and presence of chronic low back pain were extracted. Results: A total of 19,716 (52.2% women) subjects with a median age of 53 years old were analyzed. Of these, 18.3% had chronic low back pain, 39% were overweight, and 16.1% were obese. The adjusted generalized linear model showed that being obese increased the odds of chronic low back pain by 1.719 times (p < 0.001). Being a woman increased the odds by 1.683 times (p < 0.001). Performing occupational tasks requiring high physical demands increased the odds by 1.403 times (p < 0.001). Performing physical activity in leisure time several times a week decreased the odds by 0.598 times (p < 0.001). For every additional year of age, the odds of chronic low back pain increased by 3.3% (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Obesity is related with the presence of chronic low back pain in the general Spanish population. This association persists, being the more relevant factor, after adjusting the association of BMI and chronic low back pain with other factors such as sex, age, physical occupational demands, and recreational physical activity.
Statistical analysis of wind data using Weibull distribution for natural ventilation estimation

Incorporating natural ventilation in buildings can have significant benefits. Nevertheless, realistic wind conditions continually change. Airflow rate estimation methods that assume wind speed and direction as being constant are thus error-prone. To elucidate wind variability and its effect on airflow rate estimation, the Weibull distribution was used in the current study to represent high-resolution historical wind data, statistically, for a 1-year period. A preliminary investigation was carried out on categorizing the wind by its statistical characteristic, and two distinct wind speed distributions were found by applying the K-means algorithm in the categorization process. The yearly distribution of days in two different clusters showed seasonal changes. The wind data from the same clustering was grouped and utilized to estimate the airflow rate in the form of probability density. The results were in good agreement with the full-scale experiment measurements of a 10-day test in Austin, Texas. The proposed method could be used to characterize wind speed variances, especially with a small time step wind data and enables building designers to do a statistical analysis of airflow.
Effect of intravenous vitamin C on adult septic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background An increasing number of studies indicate that vitamin C (VC) reduces the mortality of adult septic patients, while some articles suggest otherwise. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to resolve the discrepancies in reported results concerning the efficacy of VC in septic patients. Methods We comprehensively searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of intravenous VC (IVVC) on adult septic patients published from inception to November 28, 2022. The quality of outcomes for eligible studies was assessed using the Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology. The results were analyzed using the pooled mean difference (MD) or risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Twenty-two studies (3,570 adult septic patients) were included. IVVC treatment did not improve 28-day mortality compared to the control group (RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.81–1.04; I2 = 26%; evidence risk, moderate). IVVC monotherapy decreased mortality (RR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.52–0.93; I2 = 57%), whereas combination therapy did not affect mortality (RR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.90–1.17; I2 =0%). IVVC had a trend to decrease the mortality of septic patients (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69–1.00; I2 = 33%) but did not affect septic shock patients (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.85–1.21; I2 = 18%). IVVC reduced the duration of vasopressor use (MD, −8.45; 95% CI, −15.43 to −1.47; evidence risk, very low) but did not influence the incidence of AKI, ICU length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation. Conclusions IVVC treatment did not improve the 28-day mortality in septic patients. Subgroup analysis indicated that VC had a trend to decrease the 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis but not septic shock. IVVC monotherapy, rather than combination therapy, decreased the 28-day mortality in septic patients. The findings imply that Hydrocortisone, Ascorbic acid, Thiamine (HAT) combination therapy is not superior to IVVC monotherapy for septic patients. These findings warrant further confirmation in future studies, which should also investigate the mechanisms underlying the enhanced efficacy of IVVC monotherapy in septic patients. Systematic review registration https://inplasy.com/.
Empirical mode with a variable spatial-temporal structure and the dynamics of superradiant lasers

An approach of the empirical modes with a variable spatial-temporal structure is proposed and developed for the analysis of non-stationary nonlinear dynamics of the multimode superradiant lasers with a low-Q cavity and a strong inhomogeneous broadening of lasing transition in an active medium. It is shown that the approach makes it possible to analyze a number of complicated dynamical phenomena in an ensemble of the strongly interacting centers which constitute the active medium and are exposed to CW pumping.
On the use of YOLOv5 for detecting common defects on existing RC bridges

Monitoring and maintaining the health state of existing bridges is a time-consuming and critical task. To reduce the time and effort required for a first screening to prioritize risks, deep-learning-based object detectors can be used. In detail, automatic defect and damage recognition on existing elements of existing bridges can be performed using single-stage detectors, such as YOLOv5. To this end, a database of typical defects was gathered and labeled by domain experts and YOLOv5 was trained, tested, and validated. Results showed good effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed methodology, opening new scenarios and the potentialities of artificial intelligence for automatic defect detection on bridges.
Understanding Multi-Modal Perception Using Behavioral Cloning for Peg-In-a-Hole Insertion Tasks /Author=Romeres, Diego; Liu, Yifang; Jha, Devesh K.; Nikovski, Daniel N. /CreationDate=July 22, 2020 /Subject=Machine Learning, Robotics

One of the main challenges in peg-in-a-hole (PiH)insertion tasks is in handling the uncertainty in the location of the target hole. In order to address it, high-dimensional sensor inputs from sensor modalities such as vision, force/torque sensing, and proprioception can be combined to learn control policies that are robust to this uncertainty in the target pose. Whereas deep learning has shown success in recognizing objects and making decisions with high-dimensional inputs, the learning procedure might damage the robot when applying directly trialand-error algorithms on the real system. At the same time, learning from Demonstration (LfD) methods have been shown to achieve compelling performance in real robotic systems by leveraging demonstration data provided by experts. In this paper, we investigate the merits of multiple sensor modalities such as vision, force/torque sensors, and proprioception when combined to learn a controller for real world assembly operation tasks using LfD techniques. The study is limited to PiH insertions; we plan to extend the study to more experiments in the future. Additionally, we propose a multi-step-ahead loss function to improve the performance of the behavioral cloning method. Experimental results on a real manipulator support our findings, and show the effectiveness of the proposed loss function. Robotics: Science and Systems c © 2020 MERL. This work may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part for any commercial purpose. Permission to copy in whole or in part without payment of fee is granted for nonprofit educational and research purposes provided that all such whole or partial copies include the following: a notice that such copying is by permission of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.; an acknowledgment of the authors and individual contributions to the work; and all applicable portions of the copyright notice. Copying, reproduction, or republishing for any other purpose shall require a license with payment of fee to Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. 201 Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Understanding Multi-Modal Perception Using Behavioral Cloning for Peg-In-a-Hole Insertion Tasks