Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain Injury Is Prevalent and Precedes Tobacco Use among Youth and Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness

70%+ of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness (YYEH; 14–24 years old) smoke combustible tobacco. Little is known about the prevalence of acquired brain injury (ABI) among youth and young adult smokers experiencing homelessness (YYSEH) and its impact on tobacco use progression—the aim of our study. Through an interviewer-administered survey, YYSEH were asked about timing of tobacco use; exposure to causes of ABI; including brain oxygen deprivation (BOD; strangulation; accidental; choking games) and blunt force head trauma (BFHT; intentional; shaken violently; accidental); and perpetrators of intentional assault. Participants (n = 96) were on average 22 years old and from populations who experience structural disparities; including those minoritized by race (84.4%) and gender/sexual orientation (26.0%). In total, 87% of participants reported at least one exposure to BFHT and 65% to BOD. Intentional injury was more common than accidental. Furthermore, 60.4% of participants (n = 59) were classified as having ABI using the Brain Injury Severity Assessment. A significant proportion of YYSEH living with ABI were exposed to both BFHT and BOD prior to trying (68.5%, p = 0.002) and to first regular use (82.8%, p < 0.001) of tobacco. Among YYSEH with ABI; injury exposure occurred a median of 1 and 5 years before age of first regular tobacco use, dependent on injury mechanism. ABI from intentional violence is prevalent and precedes tobacco use among YYSEH.
A new genus of Zalmoxoidea from Colombia (Arachnida: Opiliones: Grassatores)

Abstract. A new genus and species of Neotropical Grassatores, Hevelia crucis gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on material of both sexes from Colombia. After comparison with the greater groups in Zalmoxoidea, especially the putative early derivative families Guasiniidae and Icaleptidae, this new taxon is considered a Zalmoxoidea incertae sedis, and seems to be related with Trypophobica Cruz-López et al., 2021 (currently in Icaleptidae, but which should be removed from this family) and Costabrimma Goodnight & Goodnight, 1983 (currently in Zalmoxoidea incertae sedis), both from Central America. Two species currently included in the zalmoxid genus Stygnoleptes Banks, 1913 from El Salvador are transferred to Trypophobica, creating the new combinations T. gibbera (Roewer, 1954) and T. sellata (Roewer, 1954). Two morphological structures for Zalmoxoidea are named here: mons cribellatus (sexually dimorphic porous prosomal and/or abdominal dorsal hillock) and elbow-spade (lanceolate blade apical in the truncus penis).
Automata for Modeling Reversible Probabilistic Processes

This paper presents a construction of an automaton that aids the modeling of probabilistic processes which exhibit reversibility during their computations. A probabilistic process defines a probability distribution over the uncertainties of its computations. This characteristic also makes them distinct from nondeterministic processes. But, uncertainties hinder the assurance about the quality of such systems gained by the traditional testing methods. Further, reversibility acts as a catalyst in such scenarios by raising the possibility of achieving the states which were inaccessible in past. Thus, the verification of such systems is necessary and this requires the system to be formally specified. In this respect, proposed work provides the constructs for modeling probabilistic environments and reversibility. Former is achieved by the introduction of discrete probabilities in classical automata theory, and later is implemented by giving the constructs of memory. It also provides the constructs for representing non-determinism by specifying the choices over several probability mass functions for a state.
Lumped parameter outflow models for 1-D blood flow simulations: Effect on pulse waves and parameter estimation

Several lumped parameter, or zero-dimensional (0-D), models of the microcirculation are coupled in the time domain to the nonlinear, one-dimensional (1-D) equations of blood flow in large arteries. A linear analysis of the coupled system, together with in vivo observations, shows that: (i) an inflow resistance that matches the characteristic impedance of the terminal arteries is required to avoid non-physiological wave reflections; (ii) periodic mean pressures and flow distributions in large arteries depend on arterial and peripheral resistances, but not on the compliances and inertias of the system, which only affect instantaneous pressure and flow waveforms; (iii) peripheral inertias have a minor effect on pulse waveforms under normal conditions; and (iv) the time constant of the diastolic pressure decay is the same in any 1-D model artery, if viscous dissipation can be neglected in these arteries, and it depends on all the peripheral compliances and resistances of the system. Following this analysis, we propose an algorithm to accurately estimate peripheral resistances and compliances from in vivo data. This algorithm is verified against numerical data simulated using a 1-D model network of the 55 largest human arteries, in which the parameters of the peripheral windkessel outflow models are known a priori. Pressure and flow waveforms in the aorta and the first generation of bifurcations are reproduced with relative root-mean-square errors smaller than 3%. AMS subject classifications: 92C35, 35L45
A local observer for linearly observable nonlinear mechanical systems subject to impacts

An asymptotic observer for nonlinear mechanical systems subject to non-smooth impacts is proposed, which can be applied to n-degrees-of-freedom systems with just one scalar measured output, whose linearization about a given equilibrium point is observable. The proposed observer, whose state is subject to jumps at the impact times, guarantees local exponential stability of the estimation error dynamics.
A localized beam representation of high‐frequency wave fields using a Wilson basis

A rigorous orthogonal basis is described for the representation of high‐frequency wave fields using beam superpositions parameterized by both spatial position and spatial direction of each beam. This representation has many desirable features not found in conventional phase‐space‐based expansions such as the discrete or continuous Gabor schemes. The representation is highly efficient in the geometrical optics limit, that is, when it is strongly localized in the phase‐space.
LIBS system with compact fiber spectrometer, head mounted spectra display and hand held eye-safe erbium glass laser gun

LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) systems are capable of real-time chemical analysis with little or no sample preparation. A Q-switched laser is configured such that laser induced plasma is produced on targeted material. Chemical element line spectra are created, collected and analyzed by a fiber spectrometer. Line spectra emission data is instantly viewed on a head mounted display. "Eye-safe" Class I erbium glass lasers provide for insitu LIBS applications without the need for eye-protection goggles. This is due to the fact that Megawatt peak power Q-switched lasers operating in the narrow spectral window between 1.5um and 1.6um are approximately 8000 times more "eye-safe" than other laser devices operating in the UV, visible and near infrared. In this work we construct and demonstrate a LIBS system that includes a hand held eye-safe laser gun. The laser gun is fitted with a micro-integrating sphere in-situ target interface and is designed to facilitate chemical analysis in remote locations. The laser power supply, battery pack, computer controller and spectrophotometer components are packaged into a utility belt. A head mounted display is employed for "hands free" viewing of the emitted line spectra. The system demonstrates that instant qualitative and semi-quantitative chemical analyses may be performed in remote locations utilizing lightweight commercially available system components ergonomically fitted to the operator.
Ultrafast spatiotemporal dynamics of a charge-density wave using femtosecond dark-field momentum microscopy

Understanding phase competition and phase separation in quantum materials requires access to the spatiotemporal dynamics of electronic ordering phenomena on a micro- to nanometer length- and femtosecond timescale. While time- and angle-resolved photoemission (trARPES) experiments provide sensitivity to the femtosecond dynamics of electronic ordering, they typically lack the required spatial resolution. Here, we demonstrate ultrafast dark-field photoemission microscopy (PEEM) using a momentum microscope, providing access to ultrafast electronic order on the microscale. We investigate the prototypical Charge-Density Wave (CDW) compound TbTe3 in the vicinity of a buried crystal defect, demonstrating real- and reciprocal-space configurations combined with a pump-probe approach. We find CDW order to be suppressed in the region covered by the crystal defect, most likely due to locally imposed strain. Comparing the ultrafast dynamics in different areas of the sample reveals a substantially smaller response to optical excitation and faster relaxation of excited carriers in the defect area, which we attribute to enhanced particle-hole scattering and defect-induced relaxation channels.
Clinical Features of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients with Hypoesthesia as an Initial Symptom

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who experienced hypoesthesia as the initial symptom. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 176 hospitalized AIS patients who met our inclusion and exclusion criteria and evaluated their clinical features and MRI findings. Among this cohort, 20 (11%) patients presented with hypoesthesia as the initial symptom. MRI scans of these 20 patients identified lesions in the thalamus or pontine tegmentum in 14 and brain lesions at other sites in 6. The 20 hypoesthesia patients had higher systolic (p = 0.031) and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.037) on admission, and a higher rate of small-vessel occlusion (p < 0.001) than patients without hypoesthesia. The patients with hypoesthesia had a significantly shorter average hospital stay (p = 0.007) but did not differ significantly from those without hypoesthesia in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores on admission (p = 0.182) or the modified Rankin Scale scores for neurologic disability on discharge (p = 0.319). In the patients with acute onset hypoesthesia, high blood pressure, and neurological deficits were more likely to be due to AIS than other causes. Since most of the lesions in AIS patients with hypoesthesia as the initial symptom were found to be small, we recommend performing MRI scans with such patients to confirm AIS.
Changes of gut microbiota and tricarboxylic acid metabolites may be helpful in early diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis: A pilot study

Purpose We aimed to explore the value of gut microbiota and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) metabolites in early diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) among infants with abdominal manifestations. Methods Thirty-two preterm infants with abdominal manifestations at gestational age ≤ 34 weeks were included in the study and were divided into non-NEC (n = 16) and NEC (n = 16) groups. Faecal samples were collected when the infants were enrolled. The gut microbiota was analysed with high-throughput sequencing, and TCA metabolites were measured with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) targeted metabolomics. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to explore the predictive value of the obtained data. Results There was no significant difference in alpha diversity or beta diversity between the two groups (p > 0.05). At the phylum level, Proteobacteria increased, and Actinomycetota decreased in the NEC group (p < 0.05). At the genus level, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillaceae decreased significantly, and at the species level, unclassified Staphylococcus, Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis decreased in the NEC group (p < 0.05). Further Linear discriminant analysis effect sizes (LEfSe) analysis showed that the change in Proteobacteria at the phylum level and Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacterium at the genus level scored higher than 4. The concentrations of succinate, L-malic acid and oxaloacetate in the NEC group significantly increased (p < 0.05), and the areas under the ROC curve for these metabolites were 0.6641, 0.7617, and 0.7344, respectively. Conclusion Decreased unclassified Staphylococcus, Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis at the species level as well as the increase in the contents of some TCA metabolites, including succinate, L-malic acid and oxaloacetate, have potential value for the early diagnosis of NEC.
The relative value of labeled and unlabeled samples in pattern recognition

We attempt to discover the role and relative value of labeled and unlabeled samples in reducing the probability of error of the classification of a sample based on the previous observation of labeled and unlabeled data. We assume that the underlying densities belong to a regular family that generates identifiable mixtures. The unlabeled observations, under the above conditions, carry information about the statistical model and therefore can be effectively used to construct a decision rule. When the training set contains an infinite number of unlabeled samples, the first labeled observation reduces the probability of error to within a factor of two of the Bayes risk. Moreover subsequent labeled samples yield exponential convergence of the probability of classification error to the Bayes risk. We argue that labeled samples are exponentially more valuable than unlabeled samples and identify the (exponent as the Bhatthacharyya distance.
An Approximate Markov Blanket Feature Selection Algorithm

Feature selection (FS) can effectively improve the speed and accuracy of classification. The traditional FS approaches usually score a single feature, do not evaluate feature subset. Based on the research in feature relevance, features can be further divided into four categories: Strong relevance, weak relevance, irrelevance and redundancy. The paper proposes a forward selection algorithm — An approximate Markov Blanket (MB) feature selection by theory of MB and Chi-Square test, which obtain an approximate optimal feature subset. Experiments on the datasets suggest that, compared with original feature set, the feature subset obtained by the proposed approach is much less than original feature set and performance on actual classification is better than or as good as that by original feature set. Meanwhile, when used in high dimension feature space such as text categorization, compared with other traditional feature selection approaches: OCFS, DF, CHI, IG, the performance obtained by the proposed method is obviously superior to that of others on 20 Newsgroup dataset.
Magnetic Particle Imaging in Vascular Imaging, Immunotherapy, Cell Tracking, and Noninvasive Diagnosis

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new tracer-based imaging modality that is useful in diagnosing various pathophysiology related to the vascular system and for sensitive tracking of cytotherapies. MPI uses nonradioactive and easily assimilated nanometer-sized iron oxide particles as tracers. MPI images the nonlinear Langevin behavior of the iron oxide particles and has allowed for the sensitive detection of iron oxide-labeled therapeutic cells in the body. This review will provide an overview of MPI technology, the tracer, and its use in vascular imaging and cytotherapies using molecular targets.
Phosphorylation controls the oligomeric state of She2 and mRNA localization in yeast

Messenger RNA (mRNA) localization is an important mechanism controlling local protein synthesis. In budding yeast, asymmetric localization of transcripts such as ASH1 mRNA to the bud tip depends on the She2 RNA-binding protein. She2 assembles as a tetramer to bind RNA, but the regulation of this process as part of the mRNA locasome is still unclear. Here, we performed a phosphoproteomic analysis of She2 in vivo and identified new phosphosites, several of which are located at the dimerization or tetramerization interfaces of She2. Remarkably, phosphomimetic mutations at these residues disrupt the capacity of She2 to promote Ash1 asymmetric accumulation. A detailed analysis of one of these residues, T109, shows that a T109D mutation inhibits She2 oligomerization and its interaction with She3 and the importin-α Srp1. She2 proteins harboring the T109D mutation also display reduced expression. More importantly, this phosphomimetic mutation strongly impairs the capacity of She2 to bind RNA and disrupts ASH1 mRNA localization. These results demonstrate that the control of She2 oligomerization by phosphorylation constitutes an important regulatory step in the mRNA localization pathway.
A modified adaptive sign algorithm used on the hybrid norm error criterion

In this paper a modified adaptive sign (MSA) algorithm based on the hybrid norm error criterion is described. The hybrid norm error criterion to be minimized is built as a combined convex function of the mean-absolute error and the mean-absolute error to the third power. Under a set of mild assumptions, the nonlinear evolution equations that characterize the statistical mean and mean-squared behavior of the algorithm are derived. Computer simulations are carried out to verify the validity of our derivations.
Prevalence of Cognitive Decline in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Real-World Cross-Sectional Study in Mysuru, India

The goal of this research is to study the prevalence of cognitive impairment in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients and establish the necessity of detecting and treating it early in these patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Mysuru for 4 months examined diabetic patients (test) and nondiabetic subjects (control) for cognitive decline using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool. Cognitive functions such as visuospatial/executive function, naming, attention, language, abstraction, delayed recall, and orientation were assessed in both groups. The diabetic group showed a significantly lower total MoCA score than the non-diabetic group (18.99 ± 0.48 and 26.21 ± 0.46, respectively; p < 0.001). Assessment of scores in diabetic patients demonstrated the significant influence of age demographics on cognitive impairment (p-value < 0.001). Furthermore, a higher proportion of diabetic patients displayed cognitive impairment despite a higher score in a single subdomain, making it evident that diabetes is diverse and multifactorial in origin, where oxidative stress and inflammatory responses play a predominant role. This study suggested that the local T2DM population residing in Mysuru (India) has a high prevalence of cognitive impairment, evident from poor performance in almost all cognitive domains assessed by MoCA. Future studies could examine the generalizability of cognitive function findings in diabetic patients across diverse geographic regions and ethnic groups, as well as investigate interventions such as lifestyle modifications and medication to prevent or delay cognitive decline in those with diabetes.
Two-photon imaging of GABAergic and non-GABAergic neuronal calcium activity induced by infrared neural stimulation in awake mouse cortex

Infrared neural stimulation (INS, 1875 nm) is an emerging neuromodulation technology that holds promise for clinical application. However, little is known about its effect on excitatory and inhibitory cell types in the cerebral cortex. Here, using two-photon calcium imaging in the awake mouse somatosensory cortex, we have examined the effect of INS pulse train application on non-GABAergic (hSyn) excitatory neurons and GABAergic (mDlx) inhibitory neurons tagged with GCaMP6s. We find that each INS pulse train reliably induces a robust response in both excitatory and inhibitory neurons characterized by an initial decrease in intracellular calcium signal followed by a positive rebound; cessation of the several pulse trains leads to a large positive rebound, most prominently seen in non-GABAergic neurons. Quantification using indices of correlation, oscillation amplitude, and size of post-stimulation rebound illustrates responses are intensity-dependent and distance-dependent. Estimates of summed population response timecourses provide a potential basis for neural and hemodynamic signals described in other studies.
Enhancement in ordering of FePt films by magnetic field annealing

Effect of magnetic field annealing on chemical ordering of FePt films has been investigated. It is found that the ordering rate in FePt films is enhanced by applying a magnetic field during postdeposition annealing. Measurements of the structure and magnetic properties of FePt films reveal that the disorder–order transformation starts at or below 450°C when the film is annealed in a magnetic field of 40kOe. The possible reason for the enhancement in the ordering of FePt films by magnetic field annealing is discussed.
Direct and low-loss connection between a hollow-core optical fiber and a dispersion compensating fiber for dispersion-free delivery of short optical pulses in hollow-core fiber

Hollow-core fibers (HCFs) have been under intense research interest thanks to their many advantages including low latency, low nonlinearity, and temperature insensitivity. The most recent progress on the double nested antiresonant nodeless fiber (DNANF) demonstrated fiber losses of only 0.174 dB/km. Transmission of ultra-short, high-peak-power pulses can greatly benefit from low nonlinearity of HCFs. However, the waveguide dispersion in HCFs such as DNANF is typically 2-3 ps/(nm·km) in the low-loss transmission region, still causing unwanted pulses broadening. Here, we demonstrate a low-loss interconnection between HCF and a dispersion-compensating fiber (DCF), enabling to obtain HCF+DCF link with zero-net dispersion. To adapt the relatively small mode-filed diameter (MFD) of DCF (4.9 μm) to the MFD of the HCF, we first splice a short segment of graded-index (GRIN) multi-mode fiber on the DCF. The GRIN fiber is then polished to a specific length to obtain an optimal MFD adaptation to our HCF, which was a nested antiresonant nodeless fiber (NANF) with 26.3 μm MFD at 1550 nm. We obtained a loss of only 0.55 dB for the whole DCF-GRIN-NANF component. By depositing an anti-reflective coating on the mode-field adapter end-face, the interconnection loss can be further reduced to 0.39 dB.
Marker Displacement Method Used in Vision-Based Tactile Sensors—From 2-D to 3-D: A Review

The vision-based tactile sensor has been proven to be a promising device for sensing tactile information. Among such sensors, the marker displacement method (MDM) is the most common method used in such sensors for representing and extracting contact information. It uses the position field and displacement field of a marker array to characterize the original tactile information and further achieves multimodal tactile perception through original information processing. This article is the first to classify MDM into three typical categories based on the dimensionality perspective: 2-D MDM, 2.5-D MDM, and 3-D MDM. A comparison study is presented with a focus on the principles, characteristics, applications, and distinctions of these three methods. The latest literature has also been researched as the arguments. Finally, a summary of these three categories is presented as a helpful reference.