Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
3-D reconstruction and microstructural characterization of neutron-irradiated U-10Zr fuel using FIB-SEM serial sectioning

Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy serial sectioning was applied to characterize the three-dimensional (3-D) porosity and phase regions of a neutron-irradiated U-10 wt% Zr fuel. The specimen was removed from an intermediate radial region of a fuel pin irradiated to 5.7 at. % burn-up. Backscattered electron imaging and energy-dispersive spectroscopy were performed on each serial section, allowing for the characterization of microstructural morphology and composition. Porosity size followed a lognormal distribution, ranging from 1.46 × 10^–4 to 25.58 μm^3 with a total porosity volume fraction of 13.02%. Distinctive microstructural regions were identified by composition and porosity: (1) a Zr-rich region with an average composition of 28.4 wt% Zr and a local porosity fraction of 6.88%, and (2) a U-rich region with an average composition of 97.0 wt% U and a local porosity fraction of 14.11%; subdivided into U-rich—high porosity (16.68%) and U-rich—low porosity (8.04%) regions. The detailed 3-D compositional and porosity regions can improve nuclear fuel performance codes. Graphical abstract
Darwin translated into Turkish with a Marxist agenda: a sociological inquiry into the agents of translation

ABSTRACT This paper studies the agents of translation who introduced Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871) into Turkish more than one hundred years after their original publication in England. Elaborating on the agents’ motives for translating and publishing Darwin’s works in the Turkish (leftist) publication field, the study considers translator Öner Ünalan (1935–2011) and publisher Muzaffer İlhan Erdost (1932–2020), within the framework of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of action. The findings of the study epitomize the ‘two-way relationship’ between the habituses of the agents of translation and the social dynamics of the field(s) in which they operate. The article demonstrates that Ünalan and Erdost’s translatorial interest in Darwin’s works was closely linked to the strong influence of Marxism on their social dispositions and to the dynamics of the Turkish publication field between the 1960s and 1980s. As a result, Ünalan and Erdost’s Darwin translations contributed to an increase in the scientific and social distinction of both the Marxist movement and the Turkish leftist publication field during a period of growing tension between right – and left-wing ideologies in Turkey.
Lactoferrin Restores the Deoxynivalenol-Impaired Spermatogenesis and Blood–Testis Barrier Integrity via Improving the Antioxidant Capacity and Modifying the Cell Adhesion and Inflammatory Response

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is among the most prevalent contaminants in cereal crops and has been demonstrated to impair male spermatogenesis and induce oxidative stress, testicular apoptosis, and disruption of the blood–testis barrier (BTB). Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein with multifunctions including anti-inflammation and antioxidation. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of LF on the spermatogenesis and integrity of the BTB in DON-exposed mice. Thirty-two male mice were allotted to four groups for a 35-day feeding period: vehicle (basal diet), DON (12 mg/kg), LF (10 mg/d, p.o.), and DON + LF. The results showed that DON induced vacuolization of the spermatogenic epithelium, broke the adhesion junction between Sertoli cells and spermatids established by N-cadherin and induced testicular oxidative stress. LF administration restored sperm production, attenuated the DON-induced oxidative stress and reduced the breakages in adhesion junction. DON exposure enhanced the protein expression of occludin. Transcriptional profiling of the testis observed a disturbance in the expression profiles of cell adhesion and inflammatory response genes, and LF administration reversed these gene expressions. Furthermore, down-regulated signaling pathways, including the apical junction, TNFα signaling via NF-κB, and TGF-β in the DON group were observed. These were restored by LF. Enrichment analysis between DON + LF group and vehicle also confirmed the absence of these pathways. These findings indicated that LF eliminated the DON-induced detriment to spermatogenesis and cell connections between Sertoli cells and spermatids via improving antioxidant capacity and modifying the inflammatory response and cell adhesion genes.
Specific Alteration of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Profile in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrinopathies in reproductive age women; it is a complex health issue with numerous comorbidities. Attention has recently been drawn to amino acids as they are molecules essential to maintain homeostasis. The aim of the study was to investigate the branch chain amino acid (BCAA) profile in women with PCOS. A total of 326 women, 208 diagnosed with PCOS and 118 healthy controls, participated in the study; all the patients were between 18 and 40 years old. Anthropometrical, biochemical and hormonal parameters were assessed. Gas-liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry was used to investigate BCAA levels. Statistical analysis showed significantly higher plasma levels of BCAAs (540.59 ± 97.23 nmol/mL vs. 501.09 ± 85.33 nmol/mL; p < 0.001) in women with PCOS. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between BCAA and BMI, HOMA-IR, waist circumference and total testosterone levels. In the analysis of individuals with abdominal obesity, there were significant differences between PCOS and controls in BCAA (558.13 ± 100.51 vs. 514.22 ± 79.76 nmol/mL) and the concentrations of all the analyzed amino acids were higher in the PCOS patients. Hyperandrogenemia in PCOS patients was associated with significantly higher leucine, isoleucine and total BCAA levels. The increase of BCAA levels among PCOS patients in comparison to healthy controls might be an early sign of metabolic alteration and a predictive factor for other disturbances.
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depression Among Frontline Nurses in Wuhan 6 Months After the Outbreak of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline nurses have experienced psychological problems. However, the depression of frontline nurses in Wuhan 6 months after the outbreak of COVID-19 has not been studied adequately. The purpose of this study was to investigate the depression of frontline nurses in Wuhan 6 months after the COVID-19 outbreak and to analyze possible risk and protective factors. Material/Methods Data were collected through Wenjuanxing from 612 frontline nurses in Wuhan national COVID-19-designated hospitals between July 27, 2020, and August 12, 2020. The levels of depression, family functioning, and psychological resilience were assessed among frontline nurses in Wuhan with a depression scale, family function scale, and 10-item psychological resilience scale, respectively. The factors associated with depressive symptoms were identified using the chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 126 respondents were included in the study. The overall prevalence of depression was 25.2%. The need for mental health services was a potential risk factor for depressive symptoms, while family functioning and psychological resilience were potential protective factors. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a major challenge to the depressive symptoms of frontline nursing in Wuhan, highlighting the need for all frontline nurses in Wuhan to be screened for depression regularly for timely intervention. Conclusions To mitigate the impact of the pandemic on depression, psychological interventions for frontline nurses need to be implemented to preserve their mental health.
Evidence for 4.4 hour periodic dips in the X-ray flux from 4U 1755 - 33

On rapporte la decouverte faite par l'observatoire EXOSAT de trois creux egalement espaces dans le flux de 4U 1755-33, qui montre que la periode de ce systeme est de 4,4 h. La duree de chaque creux est de l'ordre de 30 min. avec une variabilite considerable a l'interieur de chaque evenement sur des echelles de temps de 30 a 600 s. Ils peuvent etre dus a l'occultation reguliere de la source RX par une region epaissie d'un disque d'accretion au point ou il est alimente par l'ecoulement gazeux d'une etoile compagnon
Energy efficiency of adiabatic superconductor logic

Adiabatic superconductor logic (ASL), including adiabatic quantum-flux-parametron (AQFP) logic, exhibits high energy efficiency because its bit energy can be decreased below the thermal energy through adiabatic switching operations. In the present paper, we present the general scaling laws of ASL and compare the energy efficiency of ASL with those of other energy-efficient logics. Also, we discuss the minimum energy-delay product (EDP) of ASL at finite temperature. Our study shows that there is a maximum temperature at which the EDP can reach the quantum limit given by ħ/2, which is dependent on the superconductor material and the Josephson junction quality, and that it is reasonable to operate ASL at cryogenic temperatures in order to achieve an EDP that approaches ħ/2.
Intraday high-frequency pairs trading strategies for energy futures: evidence from China

ABSTRACT We investigate the performance of pairs trading strategies based on Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process with jump-diffusion and regime-switching using minute-level data for five Chinese energy futures from 2 January 2020 to 30 November 2021 and compare them with traditional pairs trading strategies. Our results indicate that OU models can obtain an average return of 50.62% per annum and a Sharpe ratio of 2.63, which significantly exceed those of traditional pairs trading strategies. However, none of them could ‘win’ in every subperiod with diverse market conditions. Meanwhile, we find that introducing jump-diffusion indeed improves the performance (additional 25.37% annualized return and 1.12 Sharpe ratio). In contrast, considering more regimes does not always bring additional benefits. Robustness checks show that the superior performance of three-regime switching OU model (3RS-OUM) persists even under harsh trading conditions.
Reflection of a Wave by a Cylindrical Mirror

The question of the reflection of a wave by a cylindrical mirror is of interest in a number of fields. It is a problem in which it is difficult to obtain an expression for the reflected or scattered field without recourse to physical assumptions which are sometimes somewhat dubious. An attempt was made by Sommerfeld to solve the problem of a plane wave incident upon such a perfectly conducting mirror by means of what he termed the “Non-Final Determination of Coefficients”. Unfortunately, a close examination of the problem renders it doubtful whether the method can be legitimately employed. It is possible, however, to solve the problem by expressing the scattered field in terms of the currents produced in the mirror, and finding the current generated in the mirror by an arbitrary incident field. The problem which we shall consider is the following two- dimensional one.
Development of a TaqMan-Probe-Based Multiplex Real-Time PCR for the Simultaneous Detection of Porcine Circovirus 2, 3, and 4 in East China from 2020 to 2022

Simple Summary Porcine circovirus (PCV) is widespread in the world and causes huge economic losses to the pig industry. Recently, the infection rates of PCV2 and PCV3 have been increasing year by year in China, and a new type of virus, PCV4, discovered in 2019, was found to result in complex pathogenic infection. In this study, a TaqMan-probe-based multiplex real-time PCR (qPCR) assay was developed for the differential detection of PCV2, -3, and -4. A total of 535 clinical samples from Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces, East China, were included in the analyses to evaluate the application of multiplex qPCR. The resulting data showed that the individual positive rates of PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 were 35.33%, 40.37%, and 33.08%, respectively; the mixed infection rates of PCV2 and PCV3, PCV2 and PCV4, and PCV3 and PCV4 were 31.03%, 30.09%, and 30.84%, respectively; the mixed infection rate of the three viruses was 28.22%. The developed assay showed extreme specificity, high sensitivity, and excellent reproducibility for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of three porcine circovirus types. Abstract Porcine circovirus disease (PCVD) caused by porcine circovirus (PCV) is an important swine disease that is characterized by porcine dermatitis, nephropathy syndrome, and reproductive disorders in sows. However, disease caused by PCV2, PCV3, or PCV4 is hard to distinguish, so a rapid and sensitive detection method is urgently needed to differentiate these three types. In this study, four pairs of specific primers and the corresponding probes for PCV 2, -3, and -4, and porcine endogenous gene β-Actin as the positive internal reference index, were designed to establish a TaqMan multiplex real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for the simultaneous differential diagnosis of different types of viruses. The results showed that this assay has good specificity and no cross-reactivity with other important porcine viral pathogens. Furthermore, it has high sensitivity, with a detection limit of 101 copies/μL, and good reproducibility, with intra- and inter-group coefficients of variation below 2%. Subsequently, 535 clinical samples of suspected sow reproductive disorders collected from Shandong, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces from 2020 to 2022 were analyzed using the established assay. The results showed that the individual positive rates of PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 were 31.03%, 30.09%, and 30.84%, respectively; the mixed infection rates of PCV2 and PCV3, PCV2 and PCV4, and PCV3 and PCV4 were 31.03%, 30.09%, and 30.84%, respectively; the mixed infection rate of PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 was 28.22%. This indicated that this assay provides a convenient tool for the rapid detection and differentiation of PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 in pig farms in East China. Our findings highlight that there are different types of porcine circovirus infection in pig farms in East China, which makes pig disease prevention and control difficult.
Hindcasting global temperature by evolutionary computation

Interpretation of changes of global temperature is important for our understanding of the climate system and for our confidence in projections for the future. Massive efforts have been devoted to improve the accuracy of reproducing the global temperature by the available climate models, but the hindcasts are still inaccurate. Notwithstanding the need to further advance climate models, one may consider data-driven approaches, providing practically useful results in a simpler and faster way. Without assuming any prior knowledge about physics and without imposing a model structure that encapsulates the existing knowledge about the underlying processes, we hindcast global temperature by automatically identified evolutionary computation models. We use 60 years of records of global temperature and climate drivers, with training and testing periods being 1950–1999 and 2000–2009, respectively. This paper demonstrates that the global temperature observed in the past is mimicked with reasonably good accuracy. Evolutionary computation holds promise for modeling the global climate system, which looks hopelessly complex in classical perspective.
The Influence of Daily Temperature Fluctuation on the Efficacy of Bioinsecticides on Spotted Wing Drosophila Larvae

Simple Summary The main purpose of this work was to evaluate the possible influence of daily temperature variations on the interaction between entomopathogens and the target insect Drosophila suzukii. Drosophila suzukii is an invasive alien species whose spread in non-native areas has increased in recent years due to global warming and which could be controlled by bioinsecticides such as nematodes and bacteria. The effectiveness of both nematodes and bacteria was evaluated by interaction assays performed under controlled conditions. The selected temperature ranges simulated the day/night temperature fluctuations detected during the main breeding periods of this dipteran in temperate regions. The results obtained show that the influence of temperature fluctuations is rather drastic on nematodes, while the efficacy of bacteria does not change significantly. From an application point of view, studying the effects of environmental temperature changes on entomopathogens used in biological control is extremely important to improve their effectiveness in controlling insect pests. Abstract Global climate change is allowing the invasion of insect pests into new areas without natural competitors and/or predators. The dipteran Drosophila suzukii has invaded both the Americas and Europe, becoming a serious problem for fruit crops. Control methods for this pest are still based on the use of pesticides, but less invasive and more sustainable methods, such as biocontrol, are needed. Variations in environmental conditions can affect the efficacy of bioinsecticides influencing their behavior and physiology besides that of the target insects. In this work, we developed a system that simulates the daily temperature fluctuations (DTFs) detected in the environment, with the aim of studying the influence of temperature on biocontrol processes. We investigated the effects of DTFs on the efficacy of four bioinsecticides. Results showed that DTFs modify the efficacy of some entomopathogens while they are ineffective on others. Specifically, the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is the most effective bioinsecticide under all conditions tested, i.e., low DTF (11–22 °C) and high DTF (17–33 °C) compared to constant temperature (25 °C). In contrast, nematodes are more sensitive to changes in temperature: Steinernema carpocapsae loses efficacy at low DTF, while Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora are not effective in controlling the target dipteran. This work provides a basis for reviewing biological control methods against invasive species in the current context of climate change.
Artificial Pancreas: A Review of Meal Detection and Carbohydrates Counting Techniques

OBJECTIVE The development of an artificial pancreas is an open research problem that faces the challenge of creating a control algorithm capable of dosing insulin automatically and driving blood glucose to healthy levels. Many of these approaches, including artificial intelligence, are based on techniques that could result in and undesirable outcome because most of them include neither detect meal intake or meal size information. To overcome that issue, some meal count-detection algorithms reported in scientific publications have shown not only a good performance on blood glucose regulation but fewer hypoglicemia and hyperglycemia events too. METHODS We reviewed the most relevant authors and publications and main databases (particularly SCOPUS and Google Scholar), focusing on algorithms of detection and estimation of meal intake from multiple approaches. RESULTS A wide range of approaches and proposals have been found. The majority of them include trials on in silico patients rather than in vivo ones. Most of procedures require as inputs glucose samples from continuous glucose monitoring devices as basal insulin and bolus as well. Most of approaches could be grouped by 2 categories: mathematical model based and not model based. CONCLUSION A combination of methods seems to reach better results.
Research on Human Gait Phase Recognition Algorithm Based on Multi-Source Information Fusion

Gait phase detection is of great significance in the field of motion analysis and exoskeleton-assisted walking, and can realize the accurate control of exoskeleton robots. Therefore, in order to obtain accurate gait information and ensure good gait phase detection accuracy, a gait recognition framework based on the New Hidden Markov Model (NHMM) is proposed to improve the accuracy of gait phase detection. A multi-sensor gait data acquisition system was developed and used to collect the training data of eight healthy subjects to measure the acceleration and plantar pressure of the human body. Accuracy of the recognition framework, filtering algorithm and window selection, and the missing validation of the generalization performance of the method were evaluated. The experimental results show that the overall accuracy of NHMM is 94.7%, which is better than all other algorithms. The generalization of the performance is 84.3%. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the design and control of the exoskeleton.
Subacute Ruminal Acidosis as a Potential Factor that Induces Endometrium Injury in Sheep

The demand for economic benefits has led to an increase in the proportion of high-concentrate (HC) feed in the ruminant diet, resulting in an increased incidence of subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA). During SARA, a high concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) translocated in the rumen induces a systemic inflammatory response. Inflammatory diseases, such as endometritis and mastitis, are often associated with SARA; however, in sheep, the mechanism of the effect of SARA on the endometrium has rarely been reported. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the influence of LPS translocation on endometrial tight junctions (TJs) during SARA in sheep. The results showed that LPS and TNFα levels in the ruminal fluid, serum, and endometrial tissue supernatant during SARA increased, transcription levels of TLR4, NFκB, and TNFα in the endometrium increased, the protein expression level of claudin-1 in the endometrium increased, and the protein expression level of occludin decreased. 17β-estradiol (E2) inhibits claudin-1 protein expression and promotes occludin expression, and progesterone (P4) promotes claudin-1 protein expression and inhibits occludin protein expression. E2 and P4 regulate claudin-1 and occludin protein expression through their receptor pathways. Here, we found that LPS hindered the regulatory effect of E2 and P4 on endometrial TJs by inhibiting their receptor expression. The results of this study indicate that HC feeding can cause SARA-induced LPS translocation in sheep, increase susceptibility to systemic inflammation, induce the endometrial inflammatory response, and cause endometrial epithelial TJ damage directly and/or by obstructing E2 and P4 function. LPS translocation caused by SARA has also been suggested to induce an endometrial inflammatory response, resulting in endometrial epithelial barrier damage and physiological dysfunction, which seriously affects ruminant production. Therefore, this study provides new evidence that SARA is a potential factor that induces systemic inflammation in ruminants. It provides theoretical support for research on the prevention of endometritis in ruminants.