Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RADIATION MECHANISMS AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GeV–TeV BL Lac OBJECTS

BL Lac objects are the best candidates to study the jet properties since their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are less contaminated by the emission from the accretion disk and external Compton processes. We compile the broadband SEDs observed with Fermi/LAT and other instruments from literature for 24 TeV BL Lac objects. Two SEDs, which are identified as a low or high state according to its flux density at 1 TeV, are available for each of 10 objects. These SEDs can be explained well with the synchrotron+synchrotron-self-Compton model. We constrain the magnetic field strength (B) and the Doppler factor (δ) of the radiation region by incorporating the χ2-minimization technique and the γ-ray transparency condition. Twenty-four out of the 34 SEDs can constrain B and δ in the 1σ significance level, and others only present the limits for both B and δ. The typical values of B and δ are 0.1–0.6 G and 10–35, respectively. The derived values of γb are significantly different among sources and even among the low and high states of a given source. Prominent flux variations with a clear spectral shift are observed, and a tentative correlation between the ratio of the flux density at 1 TeV and the ratio of γb in the low and high states is presented, likely indicating that the relativistic shocks for the electron acceleration may be responsible for the flux variations and the spectral shift. A weak anti-correlation between the jet power and the mass of the central black hole is observed, i.e., Pjet∝M−1BH, which disfavors the scenario of a pure accretion-driven jet. Implications for the blazar sequence and the intergalactic magnetic field from our results are also briefly discussed.
The COHERENT Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source

The COHERENT collaboration's primary objective is to measure coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) using the unique, high-quality source of tens-of-MeV neutrinos provided by the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In spite of its large cross section, the CEvNS process has never been observed, due to tiny energies of the resulting nuclear recoils which are out of reach for standard neutrino detectors. The measurement of CEvNS has now become feasible, thanks to the development of ultra-sensitive technology for rare decay and weakly-interacting massive particle (dark matter) searches. The CEvNS cross section is cleanly predicted in the standard model; hence its measurement provides a standard model test. It is relevant for supernova physics and supernova-neutrino detection, and enables validation of dark-matter detector background and detector-response models. In the long term, precision measurement of CEvNS will address questions of nuclear structure. COHERENT will deploy multiple detector technologies in a phased approach: a 14-kg CsI[Na] scintillating crystal, 15 kg of p-type point-contact germanium detectors, and 100 kg of liquid xenon in a two-phase time projection chamber. Following an extensive background measurement campaign, a location in the SNS basement has proven to be neutron-quiet and suitable for deployment of the COHERENT detector suite. The simultaneous deployment of the three COHERENT detector subsystems will test the $N^2$ dependence of the cross section and ensure an unambiguous discovery of CEvNS. This document describes concisely the COHERENT physics motivations, sensitivity and plans for measurements at the SNS to be accomplished on a four-year timescale.
The novel visual cycle inhibitor (±)-RPE65-61 protects retinal photoreceptors from light-induced degeneration

The visual cycle refers to a series of biochemical reactions of retinoids in ocular tissues and supports the vision in vertebrates. The visual cycle regenerates visual pigments chromophore, 11-cis-retinal, and eliminates its toxic byproducts from the retina, supporting visual function and retinal neuron survival. Unfortunately, during the visual cycle, when 11-cis-retinal is being regenerated in the retina, toxic byproducts, such as all-trans-retinal and bis-retinoid is N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E), are produced, which are proposed to contribute to the pathogenesis of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The primary biochemical defect in Stargardt disease (STGD1) is the accelerated synthesis of cytotoxic lipofuscin bisretinoids, such as A2E, in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) due to mutations in the ABCA4 gene. To prevent all-trans-retinal—and bisretinoid-mediated retinal degeneration, slowing down the retinoid flow by modulating the visual cycle with a small molecule has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy. The present study describes RPE65-61, a novel, non-retinoid compound, as an inhibitor of RPE65 (a key enzyme in the visual cycle), intended to modulate the excessive activity of the visual cycle to protect the retina from harm degenerative diseases. Our data demonstrated that (±)-RPE65-61 selectively inhibited retinoid isomerase activity of RPE65, with an IC50 of 80 nM. Furthermore, (±)-RPE65-61 inhibited RPE65 via an uncompetitive mechanism. Systemic administration of (±)-RPE65-61 in mice resulted in slower chromophore regeneration after light bleach, confirming in vivo target engagement and visual cycle modulation. Concomitant protection of the mouse retina from high-intensity light damage was also observed. Furthermore, RPE65-61 down-regulated the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway, decreased the inflammatory factor, and attenuated retinal apoptosis caused by light-induced retinal damage (LIRD), which led to the preservation of the retinal function. Taken together, (±)-RPE65-61 is a potent visual cycle modulator that may provide a neuroprotective therapeutic benefit for patients with STGD and AMD.
Predicting the long-term after-effects of rTMS in autism spectrum disorder using temporal variability analysis of scalp EEG

Objective. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) emerges as a useful therapy for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) clinically. Whereas the mechanisms of action of rTMS on ASD are not fully understood, and no biomarkers until now are available to reliably predict the follow-up rTMS efficacy in clinical practice. Approach. In the current work, the temporal variability was investigated in resting-state electroencephalogram of ASD patients, and the nonlinear complexity of related time-varying networks was accordingly evaluated by fuzzy entropy. Main results. The results showed the hyper-variability in the resting-state networks of ASD patients, while three week rTMS treatment alleviates the hyper fluctuations occurring in the frontal-parietal and frontal-occipital connectivity and further contributes to the ameliorative ASD symptoms. In addition, the changes in variability network properties are closely correlated with clinical scores, which further serve as potential predictors to reliably track the long-term rTMS efficacy for ASD. Significance. The findings consistently demonstrated that the temporal variability of time-varying networks of ASD patients could be modulated by rTMS, and related variability properties also help predict follow-up rTMS efficacy, which provides the potential for formulating individualized treatment strategies for ASD (ChiCTR2000033586).
Predictors of college women's disclosure of sexual assault prior to and during college.

Talking to others about experiences of sexual assault can facilitate recovery. The present study explored associations between assault characteristics, attitudes, coping strategies, social support, and the college women's disclosure of adolescent sexual victimization (N = 134), as well as sexual victimization over a 7-month interim during college (N = 67). A sample of first-year college women completed pencil and paper assessments of sexual victimization, assault characteristics, tendency to disclose, self-concealment, attributions of blame, likelihood to report sexual victimization, social support. , and coping strategies. A series of bivariate and multivariate analyses examined predictors of sexual assault disclosure. Whereas acknowledgment of the sexual assault as victimization predicted disclosure of adolescent sexual assault, less acquaintance with the perpetrator and strong social attachments predicted disclosure of sexual assault occurring during women's first year of college. Data suggest that the factors that influence disclosure of sexual assault may vary across periods of adolescent and young adult development.
Elevated Neutrophil Counts, Triglycerides, Monocyte/High-Density Lipoprotein Ratios, and Lower High-Density Lipoprotein in Patients with Retinal Vein Occlusion

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate associations of peripheral blood immune cells and blood lipid profile levels with retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Methods: This retrospective study included 127 patients with RVO and 108 controls. Patients with RVO were divided into branch RVO (BRVO), central RVO (CRVO), ischemic RVO, or nonischemic RVO groups. Medical records were collected and analyzed. Results: The RVO group had higher mean neutrophil, triglyceride (TG), and monocyte/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (MHR) levels and lower HDL levels (p = 0.037, p < 0.001, p = 0.004, and p = 0.002, respectively). TG and MHR levels were significantly higher in the BRVO and CRVO groups compared with the control group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.016, respectively), but there was no difference in BRVO and CRVO group (p = 0.972 and p = 0.916, respectively). Mean HDL levels were significantly lower in the BRVO and CRVO groups than in the control group (p = 0.005), but the difference between the BRVO group and CRVO group was not significant (p = 0.290). Neutrophils, TG, and MHR were independent risk factors for RVO. HDL was an independent protective factor for RVO. Age was an independent risk factor for ischemic RVO. Conclusions: Lower HDL, and higher neutrophil, TG, and MHR levels are associated with RVO. Age is an independent risk factor for ischemic RVO.
Knee joint prototype based on cam mechanism – design and video analysis

Abstract The paper is focused on a design of mechanism accurately reproducing a complex motion in the sagittal plane of a human knee joint. The desired movement is modelled by applying specially designed shapes of cooperating cam elements based on the fixed and moving centroids of knee joint’s instantaneous centre of rotation. The mechanism’s CAD model and prototype are built using 3D printed elements, providing the possibility of interchanging the elements with cam profiles and adjusting the mechanism’s movement to individual needs. The mechanism movement is measured by analysing a video in Matlab and tracking colour markers on the prototype.
Prevalence and predictors of oral rehydration therapy, zinc, and other treatments for diarrhoea among children under-five in sub-Saharan Africa

Background Despite the evidence-based effectiveness of diarrhoea treatment in preventing diarrhoea-related child mortality, the accessibility and utilization of diarrhoea treatments remain low in sub-Saharan Africa, even though these treatments are available. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of diarrhoea treatment among under-five children in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods This study involved cross-sectional analyses of secondary data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys of 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Percentages with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to summarise the prevalence of diarrhoea treatment. A multivariable multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the predictors of diarrhoea treatment among children under five years in sub-Saharan Africa. The regression results were presented using adjusted odds ratio with their accompanying 95% confidence intervals. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Stata software version 16.0 was used for the analyses. Results The overall prevalence of diarrhoea treatment among under-five children in sub-Saharan Africa was 49.07% (95% CI = 44.50–53.64). The prevalence of diarrhoea treatment ranged from 23.93% (95% CI = 20.92–26.94) in Zimbabwe to 66.32% (95% CI = 61.67–70.97) in Liberia. Children aged 1 to 4 years, those whose mothers had at least primary education, those whose mothers had postnatal care visits, those whose mothers believed that permission to go and get medical help for self was a big problem, and those whose mothers’ partners had at least primary education were more likely to undergo diarrhoea treatment as compared to their counterparts. The odds of diarrhoea treatment increased with increasing wealth index with the highest odds among those in the richest quintile. Also, the odds of diarrhoea treatment was higher in the Central, Eastern, and Western geographical subregions compared to those in the Southern geographical subregion. However, children whose mothers were cohabiting, those whose mothers were exposed to watching television, and those living in female-headed households were less likely to undergo diarrhoea treatment. Conclusion The study found that the prevalence of diarrhoea treatment among children in sub-Saharan Africa was relatively low and varied across countries. The sub-regional estimates of diarrhoea treatment and identified associated factors can support country-specific needs assessments targeted at improving policy makers’ understanding of within-country disparities in diarrhoea treatment. Planned interventions (e.g., provision of quality and affordable supply of oral rehydration salts and zinc) should seek to scale up diarrhoea treatment uptake among under-five children in sub-Saharan Africa with much focus on the factors identified in this study.
Draft Genome Sequence of Cronobacter sakazakii H05, Sequence Type 156, Isolated from a Spiced Ground Beef Dish, Kitfo

Cronobacter sakazakii is a foodborne pathogen that causes severe illness in neonates and the elderly. Here, we present the genome sequence of C. sakazakii H05 sequence type 156 (ST156), CC21 strain from Kitfo, resulting in a genome size of 4,495,386 bp, with 4,340 coding sequences and a G+C content of 56.85% after assembly and annotation. ABSTRACT Cronobacter sakazakii is a foodborne pathogen that causes severe illness in neonates and the elderly. Here, we present the genome sequence of C. sakazakii H05 sequence type 156 (ST156), CC21 strain from Kitfo, resulting in a genome size of 4,495,386 bp, with 4,340 coding sequences and a G+C content of 56.85% after assembly and annotation.
BIPOLAR JETS LAUNCHED FROM MAGNETICALLY DIFFUSIVE ACCRETION DISKS. I. EJECTION EFFICIENCY VERSUS FIELD STRENGTH AND DIFFUSIVITY

We investigate the launching of jets and outflows from magnetically diffusive accretion disks. Using the PLUTO code, we solve the time-dependent resistive magnetohydrodynamic equations taking into account the disk and jet evolution simultaneously. The main question we address is which kind of disks launch jets and which kind of disks do not? In particular, we study how the magnitude and distribution of the (turbulent) magnetic diffusivity affect mass loading and jet acceleration. We apply a turbulent magnetic diffusivity based on α-prescription, but also investigate examples where the scale height of diffusivity is larger than that of the disk gas pressure. We further investigate how the ejection efficiency is governed by the magnetic field strength. Our simulations last for up to 5000 dynamical timescales corresponding to 900 orbital periods of the inner disk. As a general result, we observe a continuous and robust outflow launched from the inner part of the disk, expanding into a collimated jet of superfast-magnetosonic speed. For long timescales, the disk's internal dynamics change, as due to outflow ejection and disk accretion the disk mass decreases. For magnetocentrifugally driven jets, we find that for (1) less diffusive disks, (2) a stronger magnetic field, (3) a low poloidal diffusivity, or (4) a lower numerical diffusivity (resolution), the mass loading of the outflow is increased—resulting in more powerful jets with high-mass flux. For weak magnetization, the (weak) outflow is driven by the magnetic pressure gradient. We consider in detail the advection and diffusion of magnetic flux within the disk and we find that the disk and outflow magnetization may substantially change in time. This may have severe impact on the launching and formation process—an initially highly magnetized disk may evolve into a disk of weak magnetization which cannot drive strong outflows. We further investigate the jet asymptotic velocity and the jet rotational velocity in respect of the different launching scenarios. We find a lower degree of jet collimation than previous studies, most probably due to our revised outflow boundary condition.
Decomposition of Time Scales in Linear Systems and Markovian Decision Processes

Abstract : The presence of slow and fast dynamics in large scale systems has motivated the use of singular perturbations as a means of obtaining reduced order models for analysis and control law design. In this thesis the authors establish how system having this two-time-scale property can use singular perturbation modeling to make this property explicit enabling various reduced order analysis and design techniques to be applied. For deterministic linear time-invariant systems, various techniques for obtaining reduced order models are unified through left and right eigenspace decompositions. A general two stage control design procedure for separate fast and slow subsystems is developed which can be applied to both continuous and discrete time models. Finally, Markov chain models of stochastic systems with weak and strong transition probabilities lead to a singularly perturbed model from which is obtained the concept of the reduced order aggregate chain. For controlled Markov chains the aggregate model is used to develop decentralized optimization algorithms for the discounted and average cost per stage problems.
Drawing causal inferences from randomized controlled trials in psychotherapy research

Abstract Objective Randomized control trials (RCTs) have played a critical role in psychotherapy research. This article discusses RCTs in the context of the criteria for drawing causal inferences in psychotherapy and intervention research more generally. The article also highlights underused variations of RCTs and how they not only establish causal relations but also address critical questions that can improve our intervention portfolio and patient care. Conclusion Random assignment is discussed in terms of what it can and cannot do in relation to drawing conclusions about the effects of interventions. Finally, RCTs are examined in the context of multiple questions that can guide therapy research, improve patient care, and develop treatments that reach people in need of psychological services.
Hydrodynamic equation of a spinor dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate

We introduce equations of motion for spin dynamics in a ferromagnetic Bose-Einstein condensate with magnetic dipole-dipole interaction, written using a vector expressing the superfluid velocity and a complex scalar describing the magnetization. This simple hydrodynamical description extracts the dynamics of spin wave and affords a straightforward approach by which to investigate the spin dynamics of the condensate. To demonstrate the advantages of the description, we illustrate dynamical instability and magnetic fluctuation preference, which are expressed in analytical forms.
Geodesic-Based Bayesian Coherent Point Drift

Coherent point drift is a well-known algorithm for non-rigid registration, i.e., a procedure for deforming a shape to match another shape. Despite its prevalence, the algorithm has a major drawback that remains unsolved: It unnaturally deforms the different parts of a shape, e.g., human legs, when they are neighboring each other. The inappropriate deformations originate from a proximity-based deformation constraint, called motion coherence. This study proposes a non-rigid registration method that addresses the drawback. The key to solving the problem is to redefine the motion coherence using a geodesic, i.e., the shortest route between points on a shape's surface. We also propose the accelerated variant of the registration method. In numerical studies, we demonstrate that the algorithms can circumvent the drawback of coherent point drift. We also show that the accelerated algorithm can be applied to shapes comprising several millions of points.
Extended Wigner function formalism for the spatial propagation of particles with internal degrees of freedom

An extended Wigner function formalism is introduced for describing the quantum dynamics of particles with internal degrees of freedom in the presence of spatially inhomogeneous fields. The approach is used for quantitative simulations of molecular beam experiments involving space-spin entanglement, such as the Stern-Gerlach and the Rabi experiment. The formalism allows a graphical visualization of entanglement and decoherence processes.
Translating the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology (HiTOP) from potential to practice: Ten research questions.

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) is a novel diagnostic system grounded in empirical research into the architecture of mental illness. Its basic units are continuous dimensions-as opposed to categories-that are organized into a hierarchy according to patterns of symptom co-occurrence observed in quantitative studies. Previous HiTOP discussions have focused on existing evidence regarding the model's structure and ability to account for neurobiological, social, cultural, and clinical variation. The present article looks ahead to the next decade of applied research and clinical practice using the HiTOP rubric. We highlight 10 topics where HiTOP has the potential to make significant breakthroughs. Research areas include genetic influences, environmental contributions, neural mechanisms, real-time dynamics, and lifespan development of psychopathology. We also discuss development of novel assessments, forecasting methods, and treatments. Finally, we consider implications for clinicians and educators. For each of these domains, we propose directions for future research and venture hypotheses as to what HiTOP will reveal about psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Spatial dependence modeling of latent susceptibility and time to joint damage in psoriatic arthritis

Important scientific insights into chronic diseases affecting several organ systems can be gained from modeling spatial dependence of sites experiencing damage progression. We describe models and methods for studying spatial dependence of joint damage in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Since a large number of joints may remain unaffected even among individuals with a long disease history, spatial dependence is first modeled in latent joint‐specific indicators of susceptibility. Among susceptible joints, a Gaussian copula is adopted for dependence modeling of times to damage. Likelihood and composite likelihoods are developed for settings, where individuals are under intermittent observation and progression times are subject to type K interval censoring. Two‐stage estimation procedures help mitigate the computational burden arising when a large number of processes (i.e., joints) are under consideration. Simulation studies confirm that the proposed methods provide valid inference, and an application to the motivating data from the University of Toronto Psoriatic Arthritis Clinic yields important insights which can help physicians distinguish PsA from arthritic conditions with different dependence patterns.