Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Stochastic Matrices Associated with Certain Queuing Processes

We shall be concerned with an irreducible Markov chain, which we shall call "the system. " For simplicity we shall assume that the system is aperiodic, but this is not essential. The reader is referred to [1] for explanations of the terminology used. We first state some general theorems which provide criteria for determining whether the system is transient, recurrent-null or ergodic (recurrent-nonnull). These are then applied to the Markov chains associated with certain queuing processes recently studied by D. G. Kendall [4], [5]; most of the results have already been obtained by Kendall using direct methods, and the main purpose of the present paper is to illustrate the application of general theorems to this type of problem.
Ocular Trematodiasis in Children, Sri Lanka

Using histopathology and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 2 gene, we found >2 distinct trematode species that caused ocular trematode infections in children in Sri Lanka. Collaborations between clinicians and parasitologists and community awareness of water-related contamination hazards will promote diagnosis, control, and prevention of ocular trematode infections.
Investigation into the genetics of fetal congenital lymphatic anomalies

Congenital lymphatic anomalies (LAs) arise due to defects in lymphatic development and often present in utero as pleural effusion, chylothorax, nuchal and soft tissue edema, ascites, or hydrops. Many LAs are caused by single nucleotide variants, which are not detected on routine prenatal testing.
Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics Transient Growth in Exactly Counter-Rotating Couette – Taylor Flow

Transient growth due to non-normality is investigated for the Couette–Taylor problem with counter-rotating cylinders as a function of aspect ratio η and Reynolds number Re. For all Re ≤ 500, transient growth is enhanced by curvature, i.e. is greater for η < 1 than for η = 1, the plane Couette limit. For fixed Re > 130, it is found that the greatest transient growth is achieved for η on the linear stability boundary. Transient growth is approximately 20% higher near the Couette–Taylor linear stability boundary at Re = 310, η = 0.986 than at Re = 310, η = 1, near the threshold observed for transition in plane Couette flow. For 106 < Re < 130, the greatest transient growth occurs for a value of η between the linear stability boundary and one. For Re < 106, the flow is linearly stable and the greatest transient growth occurs for a value of η less than one. The energy in the optimal inputs is primarily meridional; that in the optimal outputs is primarily azimuthal. Pseudospectra are calculated for two contrasting cases.
Dielectric and spectral properties of DMAAS ferroelectric crystals doped with chromium

This paper presents the results of investigations of the dielectric and spectral properties of NH2(CH3)2Al(SO4)2 × 6 H2O crystals doped with chromium. In particular, it is shown that the dopant noticeably changes the temperature of ferroelectric phase transition and corresponding thermal dipole relaxation with a critical slowing-down at Tc1. The Cr3+ ions were used as a convenient probe for investigations of crystalline structure. On the basis of absorption and luminescence spectroscopy and resonance Raman scattering study it has been shown that the metal-hydrate complexes in the investigated crystals possess the considerably distorted octahedral shape. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Response to RL‐225Ac in prostate cancer: Effect of prior treatment with RL‐177Lu: A systematic review of the literature

Targeted radionuclide therapy with Actinium‐225‐labeled prostate‐specific membrane antigen agents (225Ac‐PSMA) is currently being studied in clinical trials for patients with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Compared to β‐emitting therapeutic radionuclides, alpha‐emitters (e.g., 225Ac) have a significantly higher linear energy transfer and significantly shorter range. As a result, alpha emitters could be expected to improve efficacy and reduce bystander toxicity. This systematic literature review was conducted to evaluate the impact of sequencing of 177Lu‐PSMA and 225Ac‐PSMA targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) in mCRPC.
The intersection of bee and flower sexes: pollen presence shapes sex-specific bee foraging associations in sunflower

Foraging preferences are known to differ among bee taxa, and can also differ between male and female bees of the same species. Similarly, bees can prefer a specific flower sex, particularly if only one sex provides pollen. Such variation in foraging preferences could lead to divergent bee communities visiting different flower sexes of a plant species. We sampled bees visiting sunflowers to characterize bee species richness, abundance, and sex ratios on pollen-fertile and pollen-sterile cultivars. We asked whether female or male bees were more abundant on sunflowers, whether female bees were more abundant on pollen-fertile or pollen-sterile cultivars, and whether pollen presence predicted the sex of sampled bees. We further asked whether the bee community differed between pollen-fertile and pollen-sterile cultivars. Females of most bee species were more abundant on sunflowers compared to males, and females were usually more abundant on pollen-fertile cultivars. In three bee species, pollen presence was predictive of a bee's sex, with females more abundant on pollen-fertile cultivars than males. Further, the bee community differed significantly between pollen-fertile and pollen-sterile cultivars, with two bee species functioning as indicators for pollen-fertile sunflowers. Our results demonstrate that a bee's sex shapes foraging associations on sunflowers and influences abundance between pollen-fertile and pollen-sterile cultivars, and that pollen-fertile and pollen-sterile cultivars are visited by different bee communities. Bee sexes and flower pollen presence may be under-appreciated factors shaping pollination services in both agricultural and natural ecosystems, and could be important considerations for pollination of crops with pollen-fertile and pollen-sterile flowers.
Psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Combining a web survey with experience sampling methodology

COVID-19-related regulations have impacted the economy and people’s well-being, highlighting the long-standing problem of inequality. This research explored how COVID-19-related restrictive policies, such as a lockdown or social distancing, affected people’s well-being. In Study 1, a cross-sectional online survey (N = 685), we examined the associations between socio-economic characteristics, the number of resources, their relative change, people’s stress levels, and their support of restrictive policies. We found that financial loss due to COVID-19, the number of children at home, and the intensity of restrictive measures were associated with higher stress by restrictive measures. The lower support for restrictive measures was observed among those who experienced financial loss due to COVID-19, had more children at home, less frequently accessed COVID-19-related information in the media, and did not perform self-isolation. Men were generally less supportive of restrictions than women, and the number of new COVID-19 cases was negatively related to the support. Lower stress and higher support for restrictive measures were positively associated with life satisfaction. In Study 2, an experience-sampling survey (Nparticipants = 46, Nresponses = 1112), the participants rated their well-being and level of available resources daily for one month. We observed that daily increases in well-being, characterized by higher life satisfaction and lower levels of stress and boredom, were positively associated with more social communication and being outdoors. In summary, the findings support the resource and demand framework, which states that people with access to resources can better cope with the demands of restrictive policies. Implications for policies and interventions to improve well-being are discussed.
Right thoracoscopic resection in the supine position for recurrent pretracheal lymph nodes after esophagectomy

Mediastinal lymph node recurrence is often observed following esophageal cancer surgery; however, no treatment has been established for the same. Surgical resection is often considered for cases of recurrence in a single lymph node region, although the procedures and approaches vary depending on the recurrence site. Right thoracoscopic resection is rarely opted for owing to its high surgical difficulty. Herein, we report a successful case of right thoracoscopic resection in the supine position for recurrent pretracheal lymph nodes following esophagectomy. The intraoperative findings revealed few adhesions around the recurrent lymph nodes due to the initial surgery, and the recurrent lymph nodes were safely resected within a short period. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 4 without any complications, and there was no recurrence after 20 months. Thus, right thoracoscopic resection may be a promising treatment option for recurrent pretracheal lymph nodes after esophagectomy.
Reconnexion of lines of force in rotating spheres and cylinders

A solid conducting sphere or cylinder begins to rotate suddenly from rest in an initially uniform magnetic field. An analytic solution for this problem is obtained and it is shown that lines of magnetic force reconnect to form closed loops during the transient phase. The general behaviour of the system is investigated for all conductivities. Numerical examples are given and approximate expressions derived in the limiting cases of large conductivity and time.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the postcentral gyrus reduces malevolent creative ideation

Abstract Malevolent creativity (MC) is defined as a manifestation in which people propose to materially, mentally or physically harm themselves or others in a novel manner. Malevolent creative ideation can be inhibited by high moral emotions (i.e. sympathy, guilt and shame) and low negative emotions, which promote prosocial behaviors. Given that the right postcentral gyrus (PCG) is involved in generating sympathy and emotional recognition for others and the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) is involved in emotional regulation, we suggest that the right PCG and right MFG may play important roles in malevolent creative ideation. In Study 1, we recruited 98 healthy and right-handed college participants (80 females, age = 21.11 ± 2.00 years) and examined the role of the right PCG in malevolent creative ideation using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The results showed that the accuracy of emotional recognition changed when the right PCG received electrical stimulation. Enhancing the activation of the right PCG reduced MC originality and fluency, whereas inhibiting it increased MC originality and fluency. In Study 2, we recruited 91 healthy and right-handed college participants (74 females, age = 21.22 ± 2.28 years) and examined the role of the right MFG in malevolent creative ideation using tDCS. The results showed no significant difference in malevolent creative performance between the pre- and post-test when electrical stimulation was applied over the right MFG. These findings indicate that enhancing the activation of the right PCG, which is closely correlated with emotional recognition, reduces an individual’s malevolent creative ideation.
Compact generation of superposed higher-order Bessel beams via composite diffractive optical elements

Abstract. Binary composite diffractive optical elements with the functions of a spiral phase plate (SPP), an axicon, and a Fresnel zone lens (FZL) were designed with different topological charges. The element was designed in two steps. In the first step, the function of an SPP was combined with that of an axicon by spiraling the periods of the axicon with respect to the phase of the SPP followed by a modulo-2π phase addition with the phase of an FZL in the second step. The higher-order Bessel beams generated by the binary phase spiral axicon are superposed at the FZL’s focal plane. Although location of the focal plane is wavelength dependent, the radius of the flower-like beams generated by the element was found to be independent of wavelength. The element was fabricated using electron-beam direct writing. The evaluation results matched well with the simulation results, generating flower-like beams at the focal plane of the FZL.
Porous Ferroelectric Ceramic as Gas Sensor Based on BaTiO3/SiO2

The present work aims to develop a gas sensor based on porous ferroelectric ceramics prepared with BaTiO3 and SiO2 which pore size and percentage of porosity were controlled. The sensors were prepared by the mixed oxide route. The characterization showed that an increment on SiO2 in the mixture produces an increment in pore size and percentage of porosity. The permittivity-temperature curve was also analyzed. When a gas flows across the pores, the air caught in the pores, is displaced. This process produces measurable permittivity changes. The relationship between sensitivity of sensor and its percentage of porosity were registered. The fabricated ceramics exhibited different sensitivities (permittivity changes) to: helium flow, oxygen flow, carbon dioxide and cigarette smoke.
Regional perception and multi-scale feature fusion network for cardiac segmentation

Objective. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a group of diseases affecting cardiac and blood vessels, and short-axis cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images are considered the gold standard for the diagnosis and assessment of CVD. In CMR images, accurate segmentation of cardiac structures (e.g. left ventricle) assists in the parametric quantification of cardiac function. However, the dynamic beating of the heart renders the location of the heart with respect to other tissues difficult to resolve, and the myocardium and its surrounding tissues are similar in grayscale. This makes it challenging to accurately segment the cardiac images. Our goal is to develop a more accurate CMR image segmentation approach. Approach. In this study, we propose a regional perception and multi-scale feature fusion network (RMFNet) for CMR image segmentation. We design two regional perception modules, a window selection transformer (WST) module and a grid extraction transformer (GET) module. The WST module introduces a window selection block to adaptively select the window of interest to perceive information, and a windowed transformer block to enhance global information extraction within each feature window. The WST module enhances the network performance by improving the window of interest. The GET module grids the feature maps to decrease the redundant information in the feature maps and enhances the extraction of latent feature information of the network. The RMFNet further introduces a novel multi-scale feature extraction module to improve the ability to retain detailed information. Main results. The RMFNet is validated with experiments on three cardiac data sets. The results show that the RMFNet outperforms other advanced methods in overall performance. The RMFNet is further validated for generalizability on a multi-organ data set. The results also show that the RMFNet surpasses other comparison methods. Significance. Accurate medical image segmentation can reduce the stress of radiologists and play an important role in image-guided clinical procedures.
Measurement of porous silicon thermal conductivity by micro-Raman scattering

We present a noncontact and nondestructive method to measure thermal conductivity in layered materials using micro-Raman scattering. This method was successfully applied to monocrystalline silicon whose thermal conductivity was found to be 63 W/m K at about 550 °C and then applied to porous silicon layers. For a 50 μm thick layer with 50% porosity, we found a thermal conductivity of 1 W/m K confirming the thermal insulating properties of this material.
Interaction forces of dielectric cylinders in electric fields

The electric field configuration and forces in a dielectric system of two long circular cylindrical bodies is studied in detail. The cylinders are parallel to each other and situated in a uniform transverse electric field. The cylinder bodies and surrounding medium have arbitrary and different permittivities. The origin of the forces in the piecewise-homogeneous material under study is polarization in the dielectrics. The local forces on the surfaces of the cylinders are examined. It is shown that the cylinders exert forces on each other. The total forces and torques depend on the dielectric materials, the geometric parameters of the system, and the orientation of the applied electric field. Under these conditions the problem has a complete analytic solution.
COMPOSITE KNOTS TRIVIALIZED BY TWISTING

Some composite knots are known to be trivialized by twisting. However, the bridge index of the prime factors in known examples is two. In this note, for any integer n ≥ 1 we will construct composite knots which can be trivialized by twisting and which consist of two prime factors with bridge index greater than n.
Laser-produced plasma source system development

This paper provides a review of development progress for a laser-produced-plasma (LPP) extreme-ultra-violet (EUV) source with performance goals targeted to meet joint requirements from all leading scanner manufacturers. Laser produced plasma systems have been developed as a viable approach for the EUV scanner light source for optical imaging of circuit features at sub-32nm and beyond nodes on the ITRS roadmap. Recent advances in the development of the system, its present average output power level and progress with various subcomponents is discussed. We present the latest results on peak EUV and average EUV power as well as stability of EUV output, measured in burst-mode operation at the nominal repetition rate of the light source. In addition, our progress in developing of critical components, such as normal-incidence EUV collector and liquid-target delivery system is described. We also report on dose stability, plasma position stability and EUV distribution at the output region of the source. This presentation reviews the experimental results obtained on systems with a focus on the topics most critical for an HVM source. The capability to scale LPP power by further development of the high power CO2 drive laser in order to increase duty cycle and duration of continuous light source operation is shown. Production systems with thermal management and capable of 5 sr light collection are being assembled and tested. A description of the development of a normal-incidence ellipsoidal collector is included. Improvements in substrate quality lead to increased EUV reflectance of the mirror. Results on the generation of liquid tin droplets as target material for efficient plasma generation are also described. The droplet generator serves as a key element in the precise and spatially stable delivery of small quantities of liquid tin at high repetition rates. We describe a protection module at the intermediate focus (IF) region of the source and imaging of the EUV distribution using a sub-aperture collector and a fluorescent screen. A path to meet requirements for production scanners planned well into the next decade is also presented.
Short-Term Neck Pain After Posterior Foraminotomy Compared with Anterior Discectomy with Fusion for Cervical Foraminal Radiculopathy

Background: Short-term neck pain after posterior cervical foraminotomy (posterior surgery) compared with anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (anterior surgery) treating cervical radiculopathy has only been assessed once, retrospectively, to our knowledge. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the course of neck pain for 6 weeks after both treatments. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the multicenter Foraminotomy ACDF Cost-Effectiveness Trial (FACET), conducted from January 2016 to May 2020. Of 389 patients who had single-level, 1-sided cervical radiculopathy and were screened for eligibility, 265 were randomly assigned to undergo posterior surgery (n = 132) or anterior surgery (n = 133). The primary outcome of the present analysis was neck pain, assessed weekly for 6 weeks using the visual analog scale (VAS), on a scale of 0 to 100. The secondary outcomes were arm pain, neck disability, work ability, quality of life, treatment satisfaction, motor and sensory changes, and hospital length of stay. Data were analyzed with mixed model analysis in intention-to-treat samples using 2-sided 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: In the first postoperative week, the mean VAS for neck pain was 56.2 mm (95% CI, 51.7 to 60.8 mm) after posterior surgery and 46.7 mm (95% CI, 42.2 to 51.2 mm) after anterior surgery. The mean between-group difference was 9.5 mm (95% CI, 3.3 to 15.7 mm), which gradually decreased to 2.3 mm (95% CI, −3.6 to 8.1 mm) at postoperative week 6. As of postoperative week 5, there was no significant difference between groups. Responder analyses confirmed this result. Secondary outcomes showed small differences between groups. Conclusions: Insight into the course of neck pain during the first 6 weeks after posterior compared with anterior surgery is provided. Despite initially more neck pain after posterior surgery, patients swiftly improved and, as of postoperative week 5, results similar to those after anterior surgery were observed. Our findings should enable improved patient counseling and enhanced shared decision-making between physicians and patients with cervical radiculopathy, where more neck pain in the first postoperative weeks should be balanced against the benefits of posterior surgery. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentration during pregnancy: a longitudinal study

A prospective longitudinal cohort study aimed to longitudinally examine the kinetics of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. Pregnant women with stored first-trimester serum samples were recruited at 24–28 weeks gestation during their gestational diabetes testing, where they provided an additional serum sample. The samples were analysed for AMH, oestradiol and progesterone concentrations. A decrease in serum AMH was observed in 40 out of 45 (88.9%) (95% CI: 75.9–96.3%) of the participants in this study. The median serum AMH concentration was 10.9 pmol/L in the first trimester and 6.5 pmol/L during the second trimester, with a significantly different distribution of the values between the first-trimester and the second-trimester AMH samples (P < 0.001). The median percentage of AMH difference of −39.8%. This study demonstrated a significant decrease in serum AMH levels from the first to the second trimester of pregnancy. The absolute decrease in AMH levels seems to be positively associated with first-trimester AMH levels, whereas the percentage of AMH difference is not. Further studies are required to elucidate the potential physiological mechanisms of this finding. Lay summary Anti-Müllerian hormone, also known as AMH, is produced by developing ovarian follicles in the ovary. The concentration of AMH in the serum is used as a marker of ovarian reserve. This marker has been shown to vary throughout the menstrual cycle and in women using hormonal contraception. This study examined this marker in women in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy to determine if it is variable throughout pregnancy. The study found that there was a significant decrease from the first to second trimester, with a larger decrease seen in women who had a higher first-trimester concentration of this marker. Further research is required to determine the physiological mechanism which causes the reduction of AMH in pregnancy.