Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On shallow‐water potential‐vorticity inversion by Rossby‐number expansions

For the f‐plane shallow water (SW) equations, the basic properties of formal Rossby‐number expansions and potential vorticity (PV) inversion by the implied asymptotic balance conditions are re‐examined. An indeterminacy inherent in conventional expansions beyond leading‐order geostrophic balance is highlighted. The indeterminacy gives us the freedom to define, in principle, infinite sets of ‘balance conditions’ relating inertia–gravity modes to Rossby modes. Examples discussed include balance conditions that are obtained when one of the variables, linearized PV, vorticity, or perturbation height is regarded purely as a leading‐order geostrophic quantity.
Breast cancer patients’ visual attention to information in hospital report cards: An eye-tracking study on differences between younger and older female patients

To (1) explore how women visually attend to a hospital report card (HRC), (2) explore whether visual attention of younger and older women (patients and non-patients) differs. Eye-tracking study with a short survey. Participants (N = 37) were provided with a hypothetical realistic HRC. Total dwell times and fixation counts were measured while participants viewed the information. Overall, no differences existed between younger and older women. Visual attention to the hospital of choice (vs not of choice) and to indicators perceived as most important (vs least important) did not differ. However, women with higher health literacy looked longer at the HRC than women with lower health literacy. Also, per fixation, older patients (vs younger patients) looked longer at the hospital of choice and at indicators perceived most important. Pre-existing conceptions of what information is relevant might result in more in-depth information processing among older patients than younger patients. In general, differences in level of health literacy, rather than (chronological) age, seem to be relevant to take into account when designing and/or updating HRCs.
Prognostic role of three‐dimensional speckle‐tracking echocardiography‐derived left ventricular global longitudinal strain in cardiac amyloidosis: Insights from the MAGYAR‐Path Study

Systemic amyloidosis is an uncommon disorder in which amyloid fibrils deposit extracellularly. Three‐dimensional speckle‐tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) is a novel method able to assess left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS). Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic impact of 3DSTE‐derived LV‐GLS in patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA).
Fluid Flow Templating of Polymeric Soft Matter with Diverse Morphologies

It is challenging to find a conventional nanofabrication technique that can consistently produce soft polymeric matter of high surface area and nanoscale morphology in a way that is scalable, versatile, and easily tunable. Here, the capabilities of a universal method for fabricating diverse nano‐ and micro‐scale morphologies based on polymer precipitation templated by the fluid streamlines in multiphasic flow are explored. It is shown that while the procedure is operationally simple, various combinations of its intertwined mechanisms can controllably and reproducibly lead to the formation of an extraordinary wide range of colloidal morphologies. By systematically investigating the process conditions, 12 distinct classes of polymer micro‐ and nano‐structures including particles, rods, ribbons, nanosheets, and soft dendritic colloids (dendricolloids) are identified. The outcomes are interpreted by delineating the physical processes into three stages: hydrodynamic shear, capillary and mechanical breakup, and polymer precipitation rate. The insights into the underlying fundamental mechanisms provide guidance toward developing a versatile and scalable nanofabrication platform. It is verified that the liquid shear‐based technique is versatile and works well with many chemically diverse polymers and biopolymers, showing potential as a universal tool for simple and scalable nanofabrication of many morphologically distinct soft matter classes.
Preparation of a Convertible Spacer Containing a Disulfide Group for Versatile Functionalization of Oligonucleotides

The protocols described in this article provide details regarding the synthesis and characterization of a disulfide containing linker phosphoramidite for terminal functionalization of synthetic oligonucleotides. The linker is first synthesized from 6‐mercaptohexanol in two steps and is incorporated at the 5′ end of short DNA oligonucleotides using automated solid‐phase synthesis. The linker contains a terminal tosylate group which is post‐synthetically displaced by altering the deprotection conditions to yield a variety of functional handles (N3, NH2, OMe, SH) or alternatively, the tosylate can be displaced directly with primary amines such as tert‐butylamine. The linker system is also compatible with RNA oligonucleotides enabling the introduction of various functional handles (N3, NH2). The protocol outlined in this procedure provides access to a versatile linker for the terminal functionalization of oligonucleotides containing a disulfide bond which may serve useful in the synthesis of reduction‐responsive oligonucleotide conjugates. As a proof of concept, in this protocol the linker is used to modify a dT10 oligonucleotide and then conjugated by copper(I)‐mediated azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) to an alkyne‐modified poly(ethylene glycol) which shows concentration dependent release of the oligonucleotide upon treatment with 1,4‐dithiothreitol, a reducing agent. © 2023 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Cross-cultural Differences in Hallucinations

these characteristics in nonclinical samples. Study Design : We compared lifetime prevalence, age of onset, and phenomenology of hallucinations as assessed with the Questionnaire for Psychotic Experiences between samples of nonclinical participants used from the Netherlands ( N = 2999) and Qatar ( N = 2999). While participant recruitment differed between the 2 countries, the samples were relatively equal in terms of demographic factors. Study Results : Our findings indicate that the lifetime prevalence of tactile and olfactory hallucinations are the same across countries. However, the prevalence of auditory hallucinations (AH) and visual hallucinations (VH) were twice as high in the Dutch sample. The reported age of onset for auditory and tactile hallucin-ations was younger for the Dutch sample. Findings from the measurement invariance supported cross-cultural comparisons with exception for duration, distress, and insight. Qatar’s and Dutch participants reported similar valence and extent of interaction with AH and VH. However, compared to those in the Netherlands, participants from Qatar reported significantly more impact on daily functioning and a higher prevalence of receiving commands from hallucinations in the past week. Conclusions : While AH and VH were more often reported in the Dutch sample, participants in Qatar generally had higher mean factor scores for past week AH and VH than in the Netherlands. The phenomenology of hallucinations in the Qatar sample was of greater clinical relevance, with potentially important implications for early screening and prevention.
A Non‐stationary Cox Model

The purpose of this paper is to consider the problem of statistical inference about a hazard rate function that is specified as the product of a parametric regression part and a non‐parametric baseline hazard. Unlike Cox's proportional hazard model, the baseline hazard not only depends on the duration variable, but also on the starting date of the phenomenon of interest. We propose a new estimator of the regression parameter which allows for non‐stationarity in the hazard rate. We show that it is asymptotically normal at root‐n and that its asymptotic variance attains the information bound for estimation of the regression coefficient. We also consider an estimator of the integrated baseline hazard, and determine its asymptotic properties. The finite sample performance of our estimators are studied.
Patterns and drivers of anaerobic nitrogen transformations in sediments of thermokarst lakes

Significant attention has been given to the way in which the soil nitrogen (N) cycle responds to permafrost thaw in recent years, yet little is known about anaerobic N transformations in thermokarst lakes, which account for more than one‐third of thermokarst landforms across permafrost regions. Based on the N isotope dilution and tracing technique, combined with qPCR and high‐throughput sequencing, we presented large‐scale measurements of anaerobic N transformations of sediments across 30 thermokarst lakes over the Tibetan alpine permafrost region. Our results showed that gross N mineralization, ammonium immobilization, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction rates in thermokarst lakes were higher in the eastern part of our study area than in the west. Denitrification dominated in the dissimilatory nitrate reduction processes, being two and one orders of magnitude higher than anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), respectively. The abundances of the dissimilatory nitrate reduction genes (nirK, nirS, hzsB, and nrfA) exhibited patterns consistent with sediment N transformation rates, while α diversity did not. The inter‐lake variability in gross N mineralization and ammonium immobilization was dominantly driven by microbial biomass, while the variability in anammox and DNRA was driven by substrate supply and organic carbon content, respectively. Denitrification was jointly affected by nirS abundance and organic carbon content. Overall, the patterns and drivers of anaerobic N transformation rates detected in this study provide a new perspective on potential N release, retention, and removal upon the formation and development of thermokarst lakes.
Biological potential of polysaccharides extracted from Nostoc colonies for film production –  Physical and biological properties

Cyanobacteria of the Nostoc genus secrete a number of biologically active compounds, including polysaccharides, which may exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti‐inflammatory properties. The aim of the study was to investigate the biological properties of Nostoc polysaccharides (NPs) (antioxidative and antimicrobial) and the possibility of using NPs addition in the production of biofoils. Our results allow to indicate that NPs were compatible with the used biopolymer matrix (furcellaran and chitosan) and showed antioxidant properties. The tested polysaccharide extracts (0.14%) exhibited the ability to neutralize free radicals – 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) at a level of 4.46% and 10.14%, respectively. NP extracts demonstrated reducing properties of 15.35 and 30.07 mg Trolox equivalents (FRAP and CUPRAC methods, respectively) and 2.64 mg chlorogenic acid equivalents (tested with Folin's reagent). NP extracts showed: a growth‐stimulating effect (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae), no effect (Penicillum sp.), or a slight inhibitory effect (Streptomyces sp.) on the tested microorganisms. The enrichment of the film with NPs influenced the physic‐chemical properties of the obtained biofoils. The addition of polysaccharides to furcellaran and chitosan films decreased their water solubility (by approximately 40% and 9%, respectively, compared to the control) and, at the same time increased, their water absorption.
Local balance and cross-scale flux of available potential energy

Gravitational available potential energy is a central concept in an energy analysis of flows in which buoyancy effects are dynamically important. These include, but are not limited to, most geophysical flows with persistently stable density stratification. The volume-integrated available potential energy ap is defined as the difference between the gravitational potential energy of the system and the potential energy of a reference state with the lowest potential energy that can be reached by adiabatic material rearrangement; ap determines how much energy is available for conservative dynamical exchange with kinetic energy k. In this paper we introduce new techniques for computing the local available potential energy density Eap in numerical simulations that allow for a more accurate and complete analysis of the available potential energy and its dynamical balances as part of the complete energy cycle of a flow. In particular, the definition of Eap and an associated gravitation disturbance field permit us to make a spectral decomposition of its dynamical balance and examine the cross-scale energy flux. Several examples illustrate the spatial structure of Eap and its evolutionary influences. The greatest attention is given to an analysis of a turbulent-equilibrium simulation Eady-like vertical-shear flow with rotation and stable stratification. In this regime Eap exhibits a vigorous forward energy cascade from the mesoscale through the submesoscale range – first in a scale range dominated by frontogenesis and positive buoyancy-flux conversion from ap to k and then, after strong frontal instability and frontogenetic arrest, in a coupled kinetic-potential energy inertial-cascade range with negative buoyancy-flux conversion – en route to fine-scale dissipation of both energy components.
Pelvic mapping to explore patterns of chronic pelvic pain

Chronic pelvic pain syndromes (CPPS) are commonly encountered by urologists and urogynecologists and pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Body maps have been helpful adjuncts to verbal descriptions of pain and may serve a role in phenotyping what is known to be a heterogeneous patient population. The aim of this study was to assess whether patterns of pain as marked on a body map of the pelvis exist among common CPPS diagnoses. The secondary aim was to investigate the association between the total number of pain locations marked on the map and clinical indices in patients with 1 to 3 CPPS diagnoses.
Screening microbiota for effects on host tissues

The assembly and function of microbial communities depends on many factors including the local environment and the metabolic properties of the colonizing organisms. Chemical communications or other secreted factors also play a role and are used by different microbial strains both cooperatively and competitively. The spectrum of microbial secretions have various effects on the microbe's respective hosts, both positive and negative. Thus, characterizing the roles of microbial community members and their secretions can yield key mechanistic insights into microbiome function and can lead to new intervention strategies. Focusing on the simple, yet important functional impact of toxicity, we quantify supernatant dosage responses with image data and examine the morphological effects of microbial secretions on skin‐associated host cells. Since the diversity of microbial communities, coupled with the multiplicity of host tissues requires scalable methods, we develop and demonstrate a microfluidic device that enables high‐content screening of microbial secretion effects on adherent cell types.
Wavelets and edge localization in real images

We present in the following work a family of wavelets which never delocalizes edge detection. This result is obtained by considering a new model introducing a close edge. The mutual inlfuence induced by the close edge is discussed. Two properties for the regularization filter are proposed to avoid edge delocalization. The edge detector which never delocalizes is selected to generate a family of wavelets. Each wavelet has n vanishing moments and will be very useful depending on the application. This work is overall conducted in the discrete domain.
Clump 2: an inner spiral arm?

Etude du complexe de nuages moleculaires «Clump 2» proche du centre galactique dans les transitions rotationnelles J=1→0 de 12 CO et 13 CO et dans la transition J=2→1 de CS. Le gaz moleculaire est distribue dans un complexe de 16 cœurs emetteurs individuels CS, chacun ayant des densites depassant 2×10 4 cm −3 et une masse superieure a 5×10 5 M ○.
Structural insights into the binding of bS1 to the ribosome

Abstract The multidomain ribosomal protein bS1 is the biggest and the most flexible and dynamic protein in the 30S small subunit. Despite being essential for mRNA recruitment and its primary role in the accommodation of the start codon within the decoding centre, there has not yet been a high-resolution description of its structure. Here, we present a 3D atomic model of OB1 and OB2, bS1’s first two N-terminal domains, bound to an elongation-competent 70S ribosome. Our structure reveals that, as previously reported, bS1 is anchored both by a π-stacking to the 30S subunit and via a salt bridge with the Zn2+ pocket of bS1. These contacts are further stabilized by other interactions with additional residues on OB1. Our model also shows a new conformation of OB2, interacting with the Shine–Dalgarno portion of the mRNA. This study confirms that OB1 plays an anchoring role, but also highlights a novel function for OB2, which is directly involved in the modulation and support of mRNA binding and accommodation on the ribosome.
Force, Mathematics, and Physics in Newton's Principia: A New Approach to Enduring Issues

Argument This paper investigates the conceptual treatment and mathematical modeling of force in Newton's Principia. It argues that, contrary to currently dominant views, Newton's concept of force is best understood as a physico-mathematical construct with theoretical underpinnings rather than a “mathematical construct” or an ontologically “neutral” concept. It uses various philosophical and historical frameworks to clarify interdisciplinary issues in the history of science and draws upon the distinction between axiomatic systems in mathematics and physics, as well as discovery patterns in science. It also dwells on Newton's “philosophy” of mathematics, described here in terms of mathematical naturalism. This philosophy considers mathematical quantities to be physically significant quantities whose motions are best mapped by geometry. It then shows that to understand the epistemic status of force in the Principia, it is important to scrutinize both Newton's mathematical justificatory strategies and his background assumptions about force – without constructing, however, an overarching metaphysical framework for his science. Finally, the paper studies scientific attempts to redefine or eliminate force from science during the period between Newton and Laplace. From a philosophical standpoint, the paper implicitly suggests that questions about the reality of force be distinguished from questions about the validity of force, and that both sets of questions be distinguished from questions about the utility of the concept of force in science.
Sex-based differences in placental DNA methylation profiles related to gestational age: an NIH ECHO meta-analysis

ABSTRACT The placenta undergoes many changes throughout gestation to support the evolving needs of the foetus. There is also a growing appreciation that male and female foetuses develop differently in utero, with unique epigenetic changes in placental tissue. Here, we report meta-analysed sex-specific associations between gestational age and placental DNA methylation from four cohorts in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Programme (355 females/419 males, gestational ages 23–42 weeks). We identified 407 cytosine-guanine dinucleotides (CpGs) in females and 794 in males where placental methylation levels were associated with gestational age. After cell-type adjustment, 55 CpGs in females and 826 in males were significant. These were enriched for biological processes critical to the immune system in females and transmembrane transport in males. Our findings are distinct between the sexes: in females, associations with gestational age are largely explained by differences in placental cellular composition, whereas in males, gestational age is directly associated with numerous alterations in methylation levels.
Continuous blood pressure monitoring by photoplethysmography - signal preprocessing requirements based on blood flow modelling

Objective. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of the signal sampling frequency and low-pass filtering on the accuracy of the localisation of the fiducial points of the photoplethysmographic signal (PPG), and thus on the estimation of the blood pressure (i.e. the accuracy of the estimation). Approach. Statistical analysis was performed on 3,799 data samples taken from a publicly available database. Four PPG fiducial points of each sample signal were examined in the study. Main results. Simulation suggests that for noise-free data, cubic spline interpolation causes the sampling frequency (in the considered range of 62.5–500 Hz) to have only limited influence on localisation of the fiducial point. Better results were obtained for the pulse transit time (PTT) than pulse arrival time (PAT) approach. The acceptable filter band depends on the selected fiducial point and PAT or PTT approach. The best results were obtained for the tangent fiducial point. Significance. The presented results make it possible to estimate the minimum requirements for the sampling frequency and filtering of the PPG signal in order to obtain a reliable estimation of blood pressure.
Thermal expansion of ionic materials at high temperatures

A simple and straightforward method for evaluating and predicting the high temperature volume thermal expansion of ionic materials is developed based on the approximations that at high temperature the temperature derivative of the work done by thermal pressure approaches a constant and the isothermal bulk modulus is linearly dependent on temperature. The reasonableness of the two approximations is strongly supported by the investigations presented by Wang and Reeber [e.g., J. Mater. Res. 11, 1800 (1996); High Temp. Mater. Sci. 35, 181 (1996)]. The tests on NaCl, KCl, MgO, and CaO demonstrate that the agreement between the calculated results obtained from the present method and the corresponding experimental data are very good.
Development of the Korean Firefighter Performance Battery

This study (feasibility, reliability, establishment of evaluation criteria) proved that KFPB is similar to CPAT, and KFPB has much smaller space (1/100 of CPAT), less cost (1/30 of CPAT) and equipment movement compared to CPAT. This is possible and can fit anywhere. Objective The Candidate Physical Capability Test (CPAT) has been used in many countries to assess the fitness levels of firefighters, but it requires a special facility with a space of at least 900 square m2 and expensive equipment. Because it can be difficult to have both money and space at smaller gas stations, we have developed the Korean Firefighter Performance Battery (KFPB). Methods To verify the validity and reliability of the developed KFPB, this study consists of three parts, a validation test, reliability test, and evaluation criterion. Results As a result of the analysis, the KFPB met all of the criteria as a valid evaluation. Furthermore, the KFPB seems to compensate for the shortcomings of CPAT. Conclusions In locations where the CPAT is difficult to administer, the KFPB is expected to be used as a firefighting job–related physical fitness evaluation.