Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Competent Witnesses: How Penitentiary Workers Explain the Violence in Italian Prisons during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, in the Italian prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere (SMCV), prison police repressed a riot with extreme violence, bringing the state of prisons and the conditions of prisoners back to the attention of the Italian public opinion. Objective: This exploratory study aimed to collect the experiences and the competent opinions of the social and health personnel of Italian prisons regarding the episode of violence that happened in SMCV; the general state of health of the Italian prison system was explored, too, together with the collection of proposals for interventions aimed at the eradication of violence in prison. Method: The study employed a qualitative research design. Eighteen social-health workers from 12 Italian prisons were interviewed using in-depth interviews of ~60 min each that were conducted and recorded via Skype video calls. The interview transcripts were analyzed with qualitative reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) to identify the most relevant and recursive themes. Results: Four themes were identified: (1) reactions and thoughts about the events of SMCV; (2) structural problems of Italian prison police; (3) Italian prison system; and (4) reform proposals. Conclusions: A new and deeper awareness of the suffering of the current Italian penitentiary system emerged, together with courageous reform proposals that can restore dignity and centrality to the re-education of the detainees, preventing further future violence.
Temperature measurement using surface skimming bulk waves

Acoustic temperature sensors have the advantages of high-resolution, frequency output, and ease of integration with other acoustic sensors but require hermetic packaging to prevent sensor contamination. This slows sensor response time and increases cost. Surface skimming bulk wave (SSBW) devices have been found to be much less sensitive to surface contamination than other acoustic devices however they have not been studied as temperature sensors. The objectives of this work were to study the contamination sensitivity of a 124 MHz quartz SSBW device as a temperature sensor, as well as calibration methods. The SSBW device had over an order of magnitude less sensitivity to mass loading than a similar SAW device. The temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) was 32 PPM/°C with a deviation from a second order curve fit of ±0.22°C over a 78°C temperature range.
Pro-l fundamental groups of generically ordinary semi-stable fibrations with low slope

Let k be an algebraically closed field of characteristic p > 0 and l a prime that is distinct from p. Let f : S \rightarrow C be a generically ordinary, semi-stable fibration of a projective smooth surface S to a projective smooth curve C over k. Let F be a general fibre of f, which is a smooth curve of genus g \geq 2. We assume that f is generically strongly l-ordinary, by which we mean that every cyclic etale covering of degree l of the generic fibre of f is ordinary. Suppose that f is not locally trivial and is relatively minimal. Then deg f*\omegaS/C > 0, where \omegaS/C is the sheaf associated to the relative canonical divisor KS/C = KS − f*KC. Hence the slope of f,\lambda( f ) = K2 S/C/deg f*\omegaS/C is well-defined. Consider the push-out square \pi1(F) \rightarrow \pi1(S) \rightarrow \Pi(C) \rightarrow 1 \downarrow \Pi where \pi1 is the algebraic fundamental group and \pil1 is the pro-l fundamental group. When f is non-hyperelliptic and \lambda(f) < 4, we show that the morphism \pil1(F)\rightarrow /alpha\Pi is trivial.
Object Detection: Custom Trained Models for Quality Monitoring of Fused Filament Fabrication Process

Process reliability and quality output are critical indicators for the upscaling potential of a fabrication process on an industrial level. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a versatile additive manufacturing (AM) technology that provides viable and cost-effective solutions for prototyping applications and low-volume manufacturing of high-performance functional parts, yet is defect-prone due to the inherent aspect of parametrization. A systematic yet parametric workflow for quality inspection is therefore required. The work presented describes a versatile and reliable framework for automatic defect detection during the FFF process, enabled by artificial intelligence-based computer vision. Specifically, state-of-the-art deep learning models are developed for in-line inspection of individual thermoplastic strands’ surface morphology and weld quality, thus defining acceptable limits for FFF process parameter values. We examine the capabilities of an NVIDIA Jetson Nano, a low-power, high-performance computer with an integrated graphical processing unit (GPU). The developed deep learning models used in this analysis use a pre-trained model combined with manual configurations in order to efficiently identify the thermoplastic strands’ surface morphology. The proposed methodology aims to facilitate process parameter selection and the early identification of critical defects, toward an overall improvement in process reliability with reduced operator intervention.
Testing non-minimally coupled inflation with CMB data: a Bayesian analysis

We use the most recent cosmic microwave background (CMB) data to perform a Bayesian statistical analysis and discuss the observational viability of inflationary models with a non-minimal coupling, ξ, between the inflaton field and the Ricci scalar. We particularize our analysis to two examples of small and large field inflationary models, namely, the Coleman-Weinberg and the chaotic quartic potentials. We find that (i) the ξ parameter is closely correlated with the primordial amplitude ; (ii) although improving the agreement with the CMB data in the r − ns plane, where r is the tensor-to-scalar ratio and ns the primordial spectral index, a non-null coupling is strongly disfavoured with respect to the minimally coupled standard ΛCDM model, since the upper bounds of the Bayes factor (odds) for ξ parameter are greater than 150:1.
Quantifying dimensionality: Bayesian cosmological model complexities

We demonstrate a measure for the effective number of parameters constrained by a posterior distribution in the context of cosmology. In the same way that the mean of the Shannon information (i.e. the Kullback-Leibler divergence) provides a measure of the strength of constraint between prior and posterior, we show that the variance of the Shannon information gives a measure of dimensionality of constraint. We examine this quantity in a cosmological context, applying it to likelihoods derived from Cosmic Microwave Background, large scale structure and supernovae data. We show that this measure of Bayesian model dimensionality compares favourably both analytically and numerically in a cosmological context with the existing measure of model complexity used in the literature.
Entanglement and Correlations in Cold Atomic Systems

This thesis is devoted to the theoretical characterization and generation of strongly correlated many-body states from the perspective of quantum information theory. We first study the entanglement properties of general many-body states and define a new measure for multipartite entanglement, the "Localizable Entanglement (LE)". It quantifies the maximal entanglement that can be localized, on average, between two parties by performing local measurements on the other parties. This measure provides knowledge of the "entanglement length", which is of particular importance in the context of quantum repeaters for long-distance quantum communication. We prove upper and lower bounds on LE in terms of two-body correlation functions and develop a method for the numerical computation of LE in one-dimensional spin systems. We analyze the localizable entanglement in various spin systems and observe characteristic features for a quantum phase transition such as a diverging entanglement length. In the second part of the thesis we focus on a specific many-body system: ultra-cold atoms in an optical lattice. This system is a promising candidate for the first physical realization of a "quantum simulator", but the temperature in current experiments is still too high. We propose, analyze and compare several schemes to cool the atoms close to the ground state of the strong interaction regime. In particular, we devise an algorithmic cooling protocol that combines occupation number filtering with spin-dependent lattice shifts. In addition, we propose two different physical realizations of filtering and also design protocols that generate an ensemble of quantum registers for quantum computation. In the third part we propose how to create entanglement in small atomic clouds by deforming and rotating the harmonic trapping potential. The resulting states are entangled in their motional degrees of freedom and can be identified with strongly correlated fractional quantum Hall states. For the case of two, three and four atoms we show how to adiabatically transform the unentangled ground state into the desired entangled state. We further discuss characteristic features of these states and propose how to create and detect them experimentally using an optical lattice setup.
Dynamic renormalization-group approach to diffusive flow in heterogeneous systems

Conventional methods for the simulation of diffusive systems are quite slow when applied to strongly inhomogeneous systems. We present a new hierarchical approach based on dynamic renormalization-group ideas and on the Walsh transform (or Haar wavelet) of signal-processing theory. The method is very efficient for simulation of petroleum reservoirs or other strongly inhomogeneous diffusive or pressure-driven flow systems. In a test case, the hierarchical method is found to achieve 1.5% accuracy roughly 25 times faster than conventional finite difference methods.
Quantum Monte Carlo modeling of the spherically averaged structure factor of a many-electron system

The interaction and exchange-correlation contributions to the ground-state energy of an arbitrary many-electron system can be obtained from a spherical average of the wave-vector-dependent diagonal structure factor (SF). We model the continuous-k spherically averaged SF using quantum Monte Carlo calculations in finite simulation cells. We thus derive a method that allows us to substantially reduce the troublesome Coulomb finite-size errors that are usually present in ground-state energy calculations. To demonstrate this, we perform variational Monte Carlo calculations of the interaction energy of the homogeneous electron gas. The method is, however, equally applicable to arbitrary inhomogeneous systems.
ZIF-67-Metal–Organic-Framework-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Self-Powered Devices

Energy harvesting from the ambient environment can be a beneficial and promising source for powering micro- and nanodevices. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology has been proved to be a simple and cost-effective method to harness ambient mechanical energy. The performance of the TENG device mainly depends on the careful selection of the material pair. So far, metals and polymer materials have dominated TENG technology. Recently, there have been few reports on metal–organic framework (MoF)-based TENGs. MoFs are very interesting and offer excellent chemical and thermal stability, besides their unique properties, such as tunable pore size and high surface area. Herein, we report a zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-67)-based TENG device for self-powered device applications. We used ZIF-67 as one tribolayer, and PET and PMMA as opposite tribolayers. The output performance of the TENG device fabricated with the PMMA/ZIF-67 pair showed values of 300 V, 47.5 µA, and 593 mW/m2 of open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and power density, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these are the highest reported values so far for ZIF-67-based TENG devices. The fabricated TENG device lit up 250 LEDs and was employed to explore different self-powered device applications.
HC3N observations of nearby galaxies

Aims. We aim to systematically study the properties of the different transitions of the dense molecular gas tracer HC3N in galaxies. Methods. We have conducted single-dish observations of HC3N emission lines towards a sample of nearby gas-rich galaxies. HC3N(J = 2-1) was observed in 20 galaxies with the Effelsberg 100-m telescope. HC3N(J = 24-23) was observed in nine galaxies with the 10-m Submillimeter Telescope (SMT). Results. HC3N 2-1 is detected in three galaxies: IC 342, M 66, and NGC 660 (>3 sigma). HC3N 24-23 is detected in three galaxies: IC 342, NGC 1068, and IC 694. These are the first measurements of HC3N 2-1 in a relatively large sample of external galaxies, although the detection rate is low. For the HC3N 2-1 non-detections, upper limits (2 sigma) are derived for each galaxy, and stacking the non-detections is attempted to recover the weak signal of HC3N. The stacked spectrum, however, does not show any significant signs of HC3N 2-1 emission. The results are also compared with other transitions of HC3N observed in galaxies. Conclusions. The low detection rate of both transitions suggests low abundance of HC3N in galaxies, which is consistent with other observational studies. The comparison between HC3N and HCN or HCO+ shows a large diversity in the ratios between HC3N and HCN or HCO+. More observations are needed to interpret the behavior of HC3N in different types of galaxies.
Single-Crystal Growth and Extremely High Hc2 of 12442-Type Fe-Based Superconductor KCa2Fe4As4F2

The 12442-type Fe-based superconductor is the only system that possesses two FeAs layers between neighboring insulating layers, which is worth the in-depth investigations. In this work, millimeter-sized single crystals of KCa2Fe4As4F2 were grown using a self-flux method. The chemical compositions and crystal structure were characterized carefully. Superconductivity with the critical transition Tc = 33.5 K was confirmed by both the resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Moreover, the upper critical field Hc2 was studied by the resistivity measurements under different magnetic fields, where an anisotropy of 8 was revealed near the superconducting transition. Importantly, a rather steep increase for the in-plane Hc2ab with cooling, dμ0Hc2ab/dT|Tc = −50.9 T/K, was observed. This value is several times higher than that of other systems of Fe-based superconductor and indicates an extremely high upper critical field. Possible origins for this behavior were discussed. The finding in our work is a g.
Design of an Optically Transparent Microwave Absorber Based on Coding Metasurface

In this paper, a metamaterial absorber with a checkerboard patterned ITO (indium tin oxide) film as the surface is obtained by using flexible and optically transparent wave-absorbing material ITO–PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and a coding arrangement of two basic coding units based on the APS-PSO (Array Pattern Synthesis -Particle Swarm Optimization) algorithm. The surface structure of the absorber consists of ITO rectangular patch structures and ITO circular patch structures (110 Ω/sq). The ITO rectangular patch structures and ITO circular patch structures are symmetrical. The middle layer is made up of two layers of PET and one layer of PMMA, and the bottom surface is covered with a layer of low square resistance ITO film (8 Ω/sq). The experimental results, which are consistent with the simulation results, show that the absorber has superior performance: over 90% absorptance in the 5.06–9.01 GHz band, high transmittance, and a −10 dBsm RCS (radar cross-section) reduction in the 5.3–8.7 GHz band. This design also has polarization insensitivity and angular stability.
Exclusivity principle and unphysicality of the Garg-Mermin correlation

The question concerning the physical realizability of a probability distribution is of quite importance in Quantum foundations. Specker first pointed out that this question cannot be answered from Kolmogorov's axioms alone. Lately, this observation of Specker has motivated simple principles (exclusivity principle/ local orthogonality principle) that can explain quantum limit regarding the possible sets of experimental probabilities in various nonlocality and contextuality experiments. We study Specker's observation in the simplest scenario involving three inputs each with two outputs. Then using only linear constraints imposed on joint probabilities by this principle, we reveal unphysical nature of Garg-Mermin (GM) correlation. Interestingly, GM correlation was proposed to falsify the following suggestion by Fine: if the inequalities of Clauser and Horne (CH) holds, then there exists a deterministic local hidden-variable model for a spin-1/2 correlation experiment of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen type, even when more than two observables are involved on each side. Our result establishes that, unlike in the CH scenario, the local orthogonality principle at single copy level is not equivalent to the no-signaling condition in the GM scenario.
Review of the Existing Translational Pharmacokinetics Modeling Approaches Specific to Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) to Support the First-In-Human (FIH) Dose Selection

The interest in therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has continuously growing in several diseases. However, their pharmacokinetics (PK) is complex due to their target-mediated drug disposition (TMDD) profiles which can induce a non-linear PK. This point is particularly challenging during the pre-clinical and translational development of a new mAb. This article reviews and describes the existing PK modeling approaches used to translate the mAbs PK from animal to human for intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) administration routes. Several approaches are presented, from the most empirical models to full physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models, with a focus on the population PK methods (compartmental and minimal PBPK models). They include the translational approaches for the linear part of the PK and the TMDD mechanism of mAbs. The objective of this article is to provide an up-to-date overview and future perspectives of the translational PK approaches for mAbs during a model-informed drug development (MIDD), since the field of PK modeling has gained recently significant interest for guiding mAbs drug development.
Universal continuous-variable quantum computation: Requirement of optical nonlinearity for photon counting

Although universal continuous-variable quantum computation cannot be achieved via linear optics (including squeezing), homodyne detection, and feed-forward, inclusion of ideal photon-counting measurements overcomes this obstacle. These measurements are sometimes described by arrays of beam splitters to distribute the photons across several modes. We show that such a scheme cannot be used to implement ideal photon counting and that such measurements necessarily involve nonlinear evolution. However, this requirement of nonlinearity can be moved ``off-line,'' thereby permitting universal continuous-variable quantum computation with linear optics.
Physiological Response, Oxidative Stress Assessment and Aquaporin Genes Expression of Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Exposed to Hyper-Harmonized Fullerene Water Complex

The rapid production and numerous applications of nanomaterials warrant the necessity and importance of examining nanoparticles in terms to their environmental and biological effects and implications. In this study, the effects of a water-soluble hyper-harmonized hydroxyl-modified fullerene (3HFWC) on cherry tomato seed germination, seedlings growth, physiological response and fruiting was evaluated. Changes in the photosynthetic pigments content, oxidative stress assessment, and aquaporin genes expression in cherry tomato plants were studied after during short- and long-term continuous exposure to 3HFWC nanosubstance (200 mg/L). Increased levels of photosynthetic pigments in leaves, lycopene in fruits, decreased levels of hydrogen peroxide content, activation of cellular antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase and increased aquaporin gene expression (PIP1;3, PIP1;5 and PIP2;4) were observed in 3HFWC nanosubstance-exposed plants in comparison to control, untreated cherry tomato plants. The 3HFWC nanosubstance showed positive effects on cherry tomato seed germination, plantlet growth and lycopene content in fruits and may be considered as a promising nanofertilizer.
Biophysical Characterization of Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors Using Ion-Exchange Chromatography Coupled to Light Scattering Detectors

Ion-exchange chromatography coupled to light scattering detectors represents a fast and simple analytical method for the assessment of multiple critical quality attributes (CQA) in one single measurement. The determination of CQAs play a crucial role in Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV)-based gene therapies and their applications in humans. Today, several different analytical techniques, including size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), qPCR or ELISA, are commonly used to characterize the gene therapy product regarding capsid titer, packaging efficiency, vector genome integrity, aggregation content and other process-related impurities. However, no universal method for the simultaneous determination of multiple CQAs is currently available. Here, we present a novel robust ion-exchange chromatography method coupled to multi-angle light scattering detectors (IEC-MALS) for the comprehensive characterization of empty and filled AAVs concerning capsid titer, full-to-total ratio, absolute molar mass of the protein and nucleic acid, and the size and polydispersity without baseline-separation of both species prior to data analysis. We demonstrate that the developed IEC-MALS assay is applicable to different serotypes and can be used as an orthogonal method to other established analytical techniques.
Revisiting Stephan's Quintet with deep optical images

Stephan's Quintet, a compact group of galaxies, is often used as a laboratory to study a number of phenomena, including physical processes in the interstellar medium, star formation, galaxy evolution, and the formation of fossil groups. As such, it has been subject to intensive multi-wavelength observation campaigns. Yet, models lack constrains to pin down the role of each galaxy in the assembly of the group. We revisit here this system with multi-band deep optical images obtained with MegaCam on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), focusing on the detection of low surface brightness (LSB) structures. They reveal a number of extended LSB features, some new, and some already visible in published images but not discussed before. An extended diffuse, reddish, lopsided, halo is detected towards the early-type galaxy NGC 7317, the role of which had so far been ignored in models. The presence of this halo made of old stars may indicate that the group formed earlier than previously thought. Finally, a number of additional diffuse filaments are visible, some close to the foreground galaxy NGC 7331 located in the same field. Their structure and association with mid--IR emission suggest contamination by emission from Galactic cirrus.