Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Six-year longitudinal prospective comparative study between preoperative and postoperative heart rate variability indices in congenital craniovertebral junction anomalies

Background: Craniovertebral junction (CVJ) anomalies involve mosaic interaction of multifaceted neurovascular and bony elements. Most of them present late in the course of illness usually as acute presentations following trivial trauma. Knowing subclinical autonomic dysfunction in such anomalies when managed medically can not only indicate progression but also provide en route to early intervention for better outcomes, especially in relatively asymptomatic patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a 6-year longitudinal prospective study including 40 consecutive patients of CVJ anomalies with clinical, radiological, and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters and found their correlation in preoperative and follow-up period. Results: Twenty-eight patients were male and the rest were female. The mean age was 32 years with the least age being 8 years and maximum age being 75 years old. Mean Nurick's grade and Barthel's index were 1.8 and 83.75, respectively. 38% had severe-to-moderate compression. The mean follow-up was 17.4 months. Both sympathetic and parasympathetic oscillator HRV indices were significantly affected in the preoperative period (P ≤ 0.001) with no association with Nurick's grade or degree of compression although there was association with grade of Barthel's index. Poincare plots showed “fan,” “complex,” or “torpedo” patterns in 36 patients. Forty patients had both preoperative and follow-up clinical grade whereas 22 patients HRV tests in the above periods. None of the HRV indices showed significant improvement at follow-up. Nonetheless both sympathetic and parasympathetic did improve at follow-up with sympathetic tone registering better scores. Poincare plots showed improvement toward “comet” patterns in all patients. Conclusion: HRV indices not only help in prognosticating but may also help in predicting outcomes.
Identification of cyclone‐track regimes in the North Atlantic

A Langrangian‐type climatology of North Atlantic cyclones is established based on the high‐resolution European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts data‐set of the 1000 hPa height‐field. First, an algorithm is introduced to identify mid‐latitude cyclones and cyclone paths with as few constraints as possible. Cluster analysis of relative cyclone displacements yields three types of cyclone tracks characterizing stationary‐, north‐eastward‐and zonally‐travelling storms. the internal Lagrangian statistics of these cyclone‐track types reveal representative life‐cycles for central pressure and geopotential‐height gradients and a power‐law scaling behaviour of cyclone displacements. Finally, a basic climatology of North Atlantic cyclone‐track regimes is deduced in terms of a time‐series and circulation statistics.
Broadband Self Noise from Loaded Fan Blades

An experimental investigation and analytical modeling were conducted of the broadband self-noise radiated by an industrial cambered airfoil embedded in an homogeneous flow at low Mach number. The instrumented airfoil is placed at the exit of an open jet anechoic wind tunnel. Sound is measured in the far field at the same time as the statistical properties of the wall pressure fluctuations close to the trailing edge. Three different flows with different statistical behaviors are investigated by changing the angle of attack, namely, the turbulent boundary layer initiated by a leading-edge separation, the nearly separated boundary layer with vortex shedding at the trailing edge, and the laminar boundary layer with Tollmien‐Schlichting waves. The far-field spectrum is related to the spectrum and spanwise correlation length of the wall pressure fluctuations. Simple statistical models based on Howe’s theory and on an extension of the original Amiet’s theory show a good agreement with the experimental results. They provide helpful tools to predict the self-noise from subsonic fans in an industrial context.
Feature-based block matching algorithm using integral projections

A fast block matching algorithm using integral projections for the estimation of motion vectors is proposed. In the calculation of the cost function, the proposed algorithm using integral projections as features can reduce the motion estimation computations by a factor of 3 by converting the operations of two-dimensional arrays into those of onedimensional arrays. Also, the proposed method is not sensitive to additive noise. Simulation results based on the sequence of original image and the sequences of noisy image with different standard deviation are presented.
Growth mindset matters: Influences of socioeconomic status on Chinese secondary vocational students’ learning engagement

Two studies carried out in China examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and learning engagement and explored the roles of psychological needs satisfaction and growth mindset in this relationship. Study 1 investigated the relationship between socioeconomic status and learning engagement among 280 secondary vocational students by manipulating their perceptions of their relative socioeconomic rank. We found that Chinese secondary vocational students primed with high socioeconomic status scored significantly higher in learning engagement measurements than did those primed with low socioeconomic status. Study 2 consisted of 1,146 secondary vocational students (686 boys and 460 girls) who completed questionnaires assessing socioeconomic status, growth mindset, psychological needs satisfaction, and learning engagement. The results showed that psychological needs satisfaction mediated whereas growth mindset moderated the positive relationship between socioeconomic status and learning engagement. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Phase behaviour of mixtures of hard ellipses: a scaled particle density functional study

We present a scaled particle density functional study of two-dimensional binary mixtures of hard convex particles with one or both species being ellipses. In particular, we divide our study into two parts. The first part is devoted to the calculation of phase diagrams of mixtures with the same elliptical shapes, but with (i) different aspect ratios and equal particle areas, (ii) equal aspect ratios and different particle areas and (iii) with the former and the latter being different. In the second study we obtain the phase diagrams corresponding to crossed-mixtures of particles with species having elliptical and rectangular shapes. We compare the phase diagram topologies and explain their main features from the entropic nature of particle interactions directly related to the anisotropies, areas and shapes of species. The results obtained can be corroborated by experiments on granular rods where the entropic forces are very important in the stabilisation of liquid-crystal textures at the stationary states.
Observation of Surface Micro-Structures by Micro-Probe Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction

A new micro-probe reflection high-energy electron diffraction technique has been developed for observing micro-structures on crystal surfaces. In this technique, an electron beam of diameter 20 nm at a beam current of 8 nA and a beam angular divergence of 2 mrad has been achieved by using a field emission gun, making it possible to obtain bright, sharp diffraction patterns from surface micro-areas. A diffraction spot on a fluorescent screen is focused on an apperture by an optical lens; and part of the intensity is used as a signal to produce a scanning electron microscope image. This image is very sensitive to changes in surface crystallographic orientation, and can show areas in which the orientation change is of the order of 0.1 mrad. When the technique was used to observe Si(111) surfaces and metal-deposited Si(111) surfaces, image contrasts caused by screw dislocations, atomic steps and domain structures on the surfaces were obtained.
High-Resolution, Wide-Field Imaging of the HL Tauri Environment in 13CO (1-0)

We present a high-resolution image of the region near HL Tau in 13CO (1-0) over a region of 3' made with the BIMA array, supplemented by data from the NRAO 12 m telescope to include emission structures with low spatial frequencies. We find evidence for a shell of dimensions ~2′ × 1. ′5 (~0.08 × 0.06 pc), with XZ Tau being the closest known source to its center. The 13CO map is consistent with an expanding bubble that has blown out on the far side from earth. Portions of the bubble wall are seen in optical scattered light. HL Tau is situated in the bubble wall; the evacuated region corresponds to the truncation in the reflection nebula northeast of HL Tau. Although it is thought that a remnant protostellar envelope is still infalling onto HL Tau, the existence of the expanding bubble makes it difficult to interpret the geometry and kinematics of the HL Tau circumstellar material. Our results demonstrate the importance of including low-spatial frequency emission for the interpretation of interferometer maps.
High-Dimension, Low–Sample Size Perspectives in Constrained Statistical Inference

High-dimensional categorical data models, often with inadequately large sample sizes, crop up in many fields of application. The SARS epidemic, originating in southern China in 2002, had an identified single-stranded and positive-sense RNA virus with large genome size and moderate mutation rate. The present genomic study is used as a prime illustration for motivating appropriate statistical methodology for comprehending the genomic variation in such high-dimensional categorical data models. Because of underlying restraints, a pseudomarginal approach based on Hamming distance is considered in a constrained statistical inference setup. The union-intersection principle and jackknifing methods are incorporated in exploring appropriate statistical procedures.
A Systematic Review of Virtual Reality and Robot Therapy as Recent Rehabilitation Technologies Using EEG-Brain–Computer Interface Based on Movement-Related Cortical Potentials

To enhance the treatment of motor function impairment, patients’ brain signals for self-control as an external tool may be an extraordinarily hopeful option. For the past 10 years, researchers and clinicians in the brain–computer interface (BCI) field have been using movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) as a control signal in neurorehabilitation applications to induce plasticity by monitoring the intention of action and feedback. Here, we reviewed the research on robot therapy (RT) and virtual reality (VR)-MRCP-based BCI rehabilitation technologies as recent advancements in human healthcare. A list of 18 full-text studies suitable for qualitative review out of 322 articles published between 2000 and 2022 was identified based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. We used PRISMA guidelines for the systematic review, while the PEDro scale was used for quality evaluation. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using the VOSviewer software to identify the relationship and trends of key items. In this review, 4 studies used VR-MRCP, while 14 used RT-MRCP-based BCI neurorehabilitation approaches. The total number of subjects in all identified studies was 107, whereby 4.375 ± 6.3627 were patient subjects and 6.5455 ± 3.0855 were healthy subjects. The type of electrodes, the epoch, classifiers, and the performance information that are being used in the RT- and VR-MRCP-based BCI rehabilitation application are provided in this review. Furthermore, this review also describes the challenges facing this field, solutions, and future directions of these smart human health rehabilitation technologies. By key items relationship and trends analysis, we found that motor control, rehabilitation, and upper limb are important key items in the MRCP-based BCI field. Despite the potential of these rehabilitation technologies, there is a great scarcity of literature related to RT and VR-MRCP-based BCI. However, the information on these rehabilitation methods can be beneficial in developing RT and VR-MRCP-based BCI rehabilitation devices to induce brain plasticity and restore motor impairment. Therefore, this review will provide the basis and references of the MRCP-based BCI used in rehabilitation applications for further clinical and research development.
Controlled growth of vertical ZnO nanowires on copper substrate

We present an approach for diameter control of vertically aligned ZnO nanowires (NWs) grown directly on copper substrates. Vapor-solid growth was done at 550 °C with solid Zn precursor under Ar/O2 flow, and the resulting nanowires with in situ-controllable diameters ranged between 50 to 500 nm. The nanowires were observed to elongate in tip growth and diameters were directly controlled by varying the oxygen concentration. Direct growth of vertical wires on metal substrates is expected to be useful to construct piezoelectric devices and applications involving sensors and detectors.
CIRCKLHL2 KNOCKDOWN ALLEVIATES SEPSIS-INDUCED ACUTE LUNG INJURY BY REGULATING MIR-29B-3P MEDIATED ROCK1 EXPRESSION DOWN-REGULATION

ABSTRACT Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) induced by sepsis is distinguished by an inflammatory progression. Herein, we investigated the action of circular RNA kelch like family member 2 (circKlhl2) in sepsis-induced ALI. Methods: The animal or cell model of sepsis ALI was established by LPS stimulation. The contents of circKlhl2, microRNA-29b-3p (miR-29b-3p), rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1), CyclinD1, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and cleaved-caspase 3 (C-caspase-3) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot, respectively. Cell viability was assessed by cell counting kit 8 assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. The abundances of proinflammatory cytokines were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Besides, the targeted relationship between miR-29b-3p and circKlhl2 or ROCK1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation assay and RNA pull-down assay. Results: Loss of circKlhl2 mitigated lung injury and proinflammatory cytokine expression in sepsis-ALI mice model and alleviated LPS-induced apoptosis and inflammatory response in microvascular endothelial cell (MPVECs) in vitro. The abundances of circKlhl2 and ROCK1 were boosted, while the miR-29b-3p level was diminished in the animal or cell model of sepsis-ALI. MiR-29b-3p inhibition abrogated circKlhl2 knockdown-mediated effects on MPVECs injury. Moreover, miR-29b-3p overexpression promoted cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis and inflammation in LPS-treated MPVECs, while ROCK1 enhancement reversed these effects. Conclusion: CircKlhl2 expedited the sepsis-induced ALI by adjusting miR-29b-3p/ROCK1 axis.
Comparative RNA-Sequencing Analysis Reveals High Complexity and Heterogeneity of Transcriptomic and Immune Profiles in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumors of Viral (HBV, HCV) and Non-Viral Etiology

Background and Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer, is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. It arises and progresses against fibrotic or cirrhotic backgrounds mainly due to infection with hepatitis viruses B (HBV) or C (HCV) or non-viral causes that lead to chronic inflammation and genomic changes. A better understanding of molecular and immune mechanisms in HCC subtypes is needed. Materials and Methods: To identify transcriptional changes in primary HCC tumors with or without hepatitis viral etiology, we analyzed the transcriptomes of 24 patients by next-generation sequencing. Results: We identified common and unique differentially expressed genes for each etiological tumor group and analyzed the expression of SLC, ATP binding cassette, cytochrome 450, cancer testis, and heat shock protein genes. Metascape functional enrichment analysis showed mainly upregulated cell-cycle pathways in HBV and HCV and upregulated cell response to stress in non-viral infection. GeneWalk analysis identified regulator, hub, and moonlighting genes and highlighted CCNB1, ACTN2, BRCA1, IGF1, CDK1, AURKA, AURKB, and TOP2A in the HCV group and HSF1, HSPA1A, HSP90AA1, HSPB1, HSPA5, PTK2, and AURKB in the group without viral infection as hub genes. Immune infiltrate analysis showed that T cell, cytotoxic, and natural killer cell markers were significantly more highly expressed in HCV than in non-viral tumors. Genes associated with monocyte activation had the highest expression levels in HBV, while high expression of genes involved in primary adaptive immune response and complement receptor activity characterized tumors without viral infection. Conclusions: Our comprehensive study underlines the high degree of complexity of immune profiles in the analyzed groups, which adds to the heterogeneous HCC genomic landscape. The biomarkers identified in each HCC group might serve as therapeutic targets.
THERMAL OXIDE GROWTH AT CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITED SIO2/SI INTERFACE DURING ANNEALING EVALUATED BY DIFFERENCE X-RAY REFLECTIVITY

The x-ray interference technique has been applied to evaluate the structural changes of high temperature grown chemical vapor deposited (CVD) SiO2 film under several post annealing conditions. In annealing above 800 °C in O2 ambient, a thermal oxide growth has been found at the CVD SiO2/Si interface, and its precise thicknesses have been determined. The estimated diffusion coefficient of the oxidant in CVD film was about three times larger compared to that of thermal oxide. A threshold voltage shift in the oxide was found to strongly correlate to the thickness of the thermal oxide rather than to thermal modifications of the CVD SiO2 itself.
Prediction of Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation Post-ablation Based on Atrial Fibrosis Seen on Late Gadolinium Enhancement MRI: A Meta-analysis

Objectives This meta-analysis aims to investigate the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) post-ablation based on the various stages of fibrosis seen in the late gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (LGE-MRI). Methods Electronic databases were searched using specific terms and identified nine studies that met the inclusion criteria. A total of 1,787 patients underwent LGE-MRI to assess atrial fibrosis before catheter ablation for AF. We performed three analyses: first, we compared stage IV versus stage I (reference group). The second set examined the combined stages III and IV versus stages I and II (reference group). The third set compared stage IV versus combined stages I, II, and III. The metanalysis relied on a random-effects model to pool the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using the DerSimonian and Laird method. The data was analyzed using StatsDirect software in England. Results The study showed a higher rate of AF recurrence after ablation in stage IV atrial fibrosis than in stage I (OR, 9.54; 95% CI, 3.81 to 28.89; P<00001). Also, in patients with combined stages III & IV of atrial fibrosis, AF recurrence was significantly higher after ablation than in stages I & II groups (OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.61 to 3.50; P<00001). Similarly, compared to combined stages I, II, and III, patients with stage IV have higher odds of recurrence post-ablation (OR, 4.24; 95% CI, 2.39- 7.52, P < 0.001). Conclusion This metanalysis demonstrates the strong association between left atrial fibrosis in LGE-MRI and AF post-ablation recurrence. The finding of this study will further assist clinicians in predicting the recurrence rate of AF based on the amount of fibrosis and tailor therapeutic decisions for further management.
Simple design rules for single-lobe operation of (evanescently coupled) index-guided phase-locked arrays of diode lasers

The author presents both a simple yet very accurate Gaussian beamwaist approximation for the fundamental mode of the symmetric slab waveguide as well as simple design criteria for virtual, sing-lobe operation of phase-locked arrays of diode lasers. Closed-form analytic expressions, involving all parameters characteristic of index-guided, uniform arrays, are determined for the condition that at least 80% of the emitted energy is contained in the main lobe when all emitters are in phase. The effects of the various array parameters on the single-lobe condition are discussed. >
Optical Characteristics of Sheetless LCD Backlight Using Micro Reverse-pyramid Array

The structure of an LCD backlight unit (BLU) was simplified by installing a micro reverse-pyramid array (MRPA) or a micro reverse-cone array (MRCA) on the top surface of the light guide panel (LGP) in order to eliminate the conventional diffuser sheet and the prism sheet. The optimum conditions of the MRPA and the MRCA in the new light guide panel were obtained through optical simulation. The change of the luminance and view angle that depend on the side angle, the height, and the length at the top of the MRPA and MRCA were studied. The optimized side angle and the view angle of the MRPA and MRCA were 59 and 57 degrees for the side angles and 68 and 64 degrees for the view angles, respectively.
A New Early Warning Method for Human-Computer Interaction of Alzheimer's Disease Patients Based on Deep Learning

Alzheimer's disease (AD), an incurable disease, poses a major health problem. It is important to identify patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early AD. Clock rendering test (CDT) is an effect way to screen AD patients quickly in the community. However, the current CDT methods require specific equipment to collect features, and the existing prediction models are inefficient in early warning of MCI. To solve the problem, this paper replaces digital pen with fingertip interaction, and proposes an early warning model for AD early dCDT images based on ResNet50. The dCDT tests were carried out on normal cognitive elderly, MCI patients and mild AD patients, and the results were used to verify the analysis and classification ability of the ResNet50-based early AD prediction model, in contrast to the clock score-based early AD prediction model. The comparison shows that the ResNet50-based early AD prediction model is efficient in early warning than the other model, and is suitable for large-scale screening of AD patients in the community, in the absence of doctors.
Theoretical investigation of a 2 kA DC nitrogen arc in a supersonic nozzle

The arc conservation equations based on laminar flow and on the boundary layer assumption have been solved for a 2 kA DC nitrogen arc burning in a supersonic nozzle at a stagnation pressure of 23 atm. An approximate radiation transport model is used to account for the emission and absorption of radiation. The computed results are in good agreement with experiments. A hybrid approach (i.e. a combination of integral and differential methods) is used to predict the pressure in the nozzle in the presence of the arc. It has been found that isothermal external flow provides the best agreement between the calculated and the measured pressures. The relative importance of radiation transport, convection (both enthalpy and kinetic energy) and thermal conduction is discussed. It has also been found that in the region upstream of the nozzle throat there is a radial inflow heated up by strong radiation absorption while in the supersonic region this flow changes its direction. The outward radial flow provides the energy source for the arc to expand axially in the thermal layer. Viscous stresses play a very small role in momentum balance and axial velocity profiles are typical of those of inviscid fluid flows.