Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep Reconstruction of 3D Smoke Densities from Artist Sketches

Creative processes of artists often start with hand‐drawn sketches illustrating an object. Pre‐visualizing these keyframes is especially challenging when applied to volumetric materials such as smoke. The authored 3D density volumes must capture realistic flow details and turbulent structures, which is highly non‐trivial and remains a manual and time‐consuming process. We therefore present a method to compute a 3D smoke density field directly from 2D artist sketches, bridging the gap between early‐stage prototyping of smoke keyframes and pre‐visualization. From the sketch inputs, we compute an initial volume estimate and optimize the density iteratively with an updater CNN. Our differentiable sketcher is embedded into the end‐to‐end training, which results in robust reconstructions. Our training data set and sketch augmentation strategy are designed such that it enables general applicability. We evaluate the method on synthetic inputs and sketches from artists depicting both realistic smoke volumes and highly non‐physical smoke shapes. The high computational performance and robustness of our method at test time allows interactive authoring sessions of volumetric density fields for rapid prototyping of ideas by novice users.
Turning and side motion of snake-like robot

With high adaptability to environments snake-like robots offer a variety of advantages over other mobile robots. Such a robot with passive wheels has quite different mechanism in locomotion from that of other locomotion systems. We have developed a snake-like robot for rescue applications. The unit composing the snake-like robot of Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) is a module including actuating system and control system. To let the snake-like robot perform turning motion and compensate offset and orientation errors of the robot, we propose an amplitude modulation method and a phase modulation method based on analysis of the serpenoid curve. The side motion of the snake-like robot can also be generated by the amplitude modulation. The tracking control method is also proposed based on sensor information. Computer simulations and experimental tests are performed to show the validity of the proposed methods.
The Institutional Limitations of Emancipation: The Inclusion of Disabled Employees in the Egyptian Public Context Post COVID-19

ABSTRACT Drawing on 26 semi-structured in-depth interviews with disabled employees, this paper explores the work environment of disabled individuals in Egyptian public organizations and how it affects their feelings of emancipation. The findings show that institutional limitations translated into poor public policy implementation by the state and discriminatory organizational practices constitute major hurdles to the inclusiveness and empowerment of disabled employees. Particularly, we find that the weak law enforcement capacity of the state has led to poor policy implementation, and to a lack of institutional infrastructure that can support law implementation. Furthermore, poor organizational practices, such as the unavailability of health and education resources, fair selection and/or merit-based recruiting, and speech-related harassment have further amplified the negative experiences that people with disability encounter in the workplace. All of these factors limited the emancipatory feelings of disabled employees. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed at the end of the paper.
Stress Granules and Acute Ischemic Stroke: Beyond mRNA Translation

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Following an ischemic insult, cells undergo endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which increases the ER’s protein-folding and degradative capacities and blocks the global synthesis of proteins by phosphorylating the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2-alpha (eIF2α). Phosphorylation of eIF2α is directly related to the dynamics of stress granules (SGs), which are membraneless organelles composed of RNA-binding proteins and mRNA. SGs play a critical role in mRNA metabolism and translational control. Other translation factors are also linked to cellular pathways, including SG dynamics following a stroke. Because the formation of SGs is closely connected to mRNA translation, it is interesting to study the relationship between SG dynamics and cellular outcome in cases of ischemic damage. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the role of SG dynamics during cerebral ischemia.
From the Lab to Real Life: Monitoring Cardiorespiratory Fitness during the COVID-19 Pandemic through Wearable Devices. An Exploratory Longitudinal Study on Healthy Participants

COVID-19 containment measures hampered population cardiorespiratory fitness (which can be quantified as peak oxygen consumption (V.O2peak)) and the possibility to assess it using laboratory-based techniques. Although it is useful to ascertain the V.O2peak recovery after lockdowns, the community and most scientific institutions were unable to evaluate it. Wearable devices may provide the opportunity to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness outside of the laboratory, without breaking self-isolation; herein, we explore the feasibility of this approach. Fifteen healthy participants were tested every 2 weeks for 10 weeks during a reduction of containment measures after a strict lockdown. Physical activity levels were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). V.O2peak was estimated through a previously validated test based on the speed of a 60 m sprint run, the baseline-to-peak heart rate (HR) variation, and the velocity of HR decay after the sprint, and measured through a wearable HR monitor. Participants increased physical activity from the end of lockdown (1833 [917–2594] MET-min/week; median [1st quartile–3rd quartile]) until the end of follow-up (2730 [1325–3380] MET-min/week). The estimated V.O2peak increased by 0.24 ± 0.19 mL/(min*kg*week) (regression coefficient ± standard error). Based on previous knowledge on the impact of inactivity on V.O2peak, our study indicates that a 10-week period of reducing the stringency of containment measures may not be sufficient to counteract the detrimental effects of the preceding lockdown.
Why was Leonhard Euler blind?

Leonhard Euler was one of the most eminent mathematicians of all time. In 1735, he developed right periocular swelling, partial loss of vision, and the onset of lifelong recurrent fevers from a heretofore-unknown affliction. Three years later, he developed an infection in the right eye area resulting in right eye blindness, a drooping right upper eyelid with a smaller right pupil, and a right vertical eye muscle imbalance. In 1771, complications from a left cataract operation rendered him almost totally blind now in both eyes. On 18 September 1783, Euler lost the remaining vision in his left eye, and later that day died suddenly from a presumed brain haemorrhage. For centuries, an essential part of the Russian diet had been raw milk, the consumption of which is a significant risk factor for brucellosis (undulant fever) which was endemic in Russia in the eighteenth century (and still is today). Given the history of an acute recurrent infectious febrile illness with ophthalmic and neurological complications and having the probable terminal event being a haemorrhagic stroke, Euler’s most likely posthumous diagnoses are ocular, systemic, and neuro-brucellosis with a cerebral haemorrhage from a ruptured Brucella-infected aneurysm.
Inventory Ship Routing and Cargo Stowage Planning on Chemical Tankers

Chemical tankers are a type of ocean carrier with multi-compartments to simultaneously carry various liquid chemicals in bulk and prevent their mixing. This paper discusses the difficulties chemical tanker managers experience when planning vessel routes and scheduling inventory maintenance because of chemical tankers’ unique characteristics and operational constraints. To date, no models have addressed chemical tankers’ inventory routing and scheduling needs while accounting for these challenges. Bridging the research gap, we propose a novel, integrated, mathematical model of inventory ship routing and stowage planning problem (ISRSPP) for chemical tankers. We seek to combine stowage planning, which is an operational problem, with inventory ship routing, which is a tactical problem, through integrated tactical planning. Our objective is to propose a solution with minimal total voyage costs. For this purpose, we formulate our problem in a mixed integer linear program. We build two scenarios to analyze the models applicability and performance, and we solve both of them using a commercial solver. Our results confirm that the stowage planning problem cannot be separated from the inventory ship routing problem for chemical tankers because such a separation could lead to fleet routes for which no feasible stowage plan is possible.
The Role of Chitooligosaccharidolytic β-N-Acetylglucosamindase in the Molting and Wing Development of the Silkworm Bombyx mori

The insect glycoside hydrolase family 20 β-N-acetylhexosaminidases (HEXs) are key enzymes involved in chitin degradation. In this study, nine HEX genes in Bombyx mori were identified by genome-wide analysis. Bioinformatic analysis based on the transcriptome database indicated that each gene had a distinct expression pattern. qRT-PCR was performed to detect the expression pattern of the chitooligosaccharidolytic β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (BmChiNAG). BmChiNAG was highly expressed in chitin-rich tissues, such as the epidermis. In the wing disc and epidermis, BmChiNAG has the highest expression level during the wandering stage. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated BmChiNAG deletion was used to study the function. In the BmChiNAG-knockout line, 39.2% of female heterozygotes had small and curly wings. The ultrastructure of a cross-section showed that the lack of BmChiNAG affected the stratification of the wing membrane and the formation of the correct wing vein structure. The molting process of the homozygotes was severely hindered during the larva to pupa transition. Epidermal sections showed that the endocuticle of the pupa was not degraded in the mutant. These results indicate that BmChiNAG is involved in chitin catabolism and plays an important role in the molting and wing development of the silkworm, which highlights the potential of BmChiNAG as a pest control target.
The Neuroprotection of Verbascoside in Alzheimer’s Disease Mediated through Mitigation of Neuroinflammation via Blocking NF-κB-p65 Signaling

Verbascoside (VB) is a phenylethanoid glycoside extracted from the herbaceous plant Verbascum sinuatum and plays a neuroprotective role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The goal of this study was to explore the neuroprotective mechanism of VB. Based on the proteomics analysis, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Western blot, and ELISA were utilized to explore the neuroprotective mechanism of VB in context of neuroinflammation in APP/PS1 mice, LPS-induced BV2 cells, and/or Aβ1-42-stimulated N2a cells. Proteomic analysis demonstrated that the neuroprotection of VB correlated closely to its anti-inflammatory effect. VB significantly blocked microglia and astrocyte against activation in brains of APP/PS1 mice, suppressed the generation of IL-1β as well as IL-6, and boosted that of IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β in vivo, which were analogous to results acquired in vitro. Furthermore, VB effectively restrained the phosphorylation of IKKα+β, IκBα, and NF-κB-p65 in APP/PS1 mice; LPS-induced BV2 cells, and Aβ1-42-stimulated N2a cells and lowered the tendency of NF-κB-p65 translocation towards nucleus in vitro. These results demonstrate that the neuroprotective effect of VB correlates to the modulation of neuroinflammation via NF-κB-p65 pathway, making VB as a hopeful candidate drug for the prevention and treatment of AD.
Is Alcohol Consumption Associated with a Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients Treated with Statins? An Observational Real-World Experience

Alcohol consumption has long been associated with cardiovascular (CV) benefit, but it also has adverse potential. Statins are currently widely used for CV prevention. We evaluated whether alcohol use is associated with lower CV risk in patients on statins. We searched Intermountain Medical Center cardiac catheterization laboratory medical records for patients with a prescription history of statin use or non-use and a self-report of alcohol use or non-use. Alcohol and statin prescription data were available together with long-term (mean [SD], 4.4 [2.4] years) major adverse CV events (MACE, including death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure hospitalizations) in 1701 patients at primary and 3266 patients at secondary CV risk. MACE rates were lower for primary prevention alcohol users than non-users not on statins (adjusted hazard ratio [adj-HR] 0.50 (95% CI 0.33, 0.78, p = 0.002), but not for those on statins (adj-HR 0.84, CI 0.54, 1.32, p = 0.45). MACE rates for secondary prevention were not reduced by alcohol consumption either in statin non-users or users (adj HR 1.18, CI 0.85, 1.64, p = 0.33; adj HR 1.08, CI 0.87, 1.35, p = 0.45, respectively). These findings, together with other recent supportive studies, can help inform personal choices in alcohol consumption and professional society recommendations for CV prevention.
Toll‐like receptor‐2 in cardiomyocytes and macrophages mediates isoproterenol‐induced cardiac inflammation and remodeling

Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Activation of the innate immune system initiates an inflammatory response during cardiac remodeling induced by isoproterenol (ISO). Here, we investigated whether Toll‐like receptor‐2 (TLR2) mediates ISO‐induced inflammation, hypertrophy, and fibrosis. TLR2 was found to be increased in the heart tissues of mouse with HF under ISO challenge. Further, cardiomyocytes and macrophages were identified as the main cellular sources of the increased TLR2 levels in the model under ISO stimulation. The effect of TLR2 deficiency on ISO‐induced cardiac remodeling was determined using TLR2 knockout mice and bone marrow transplantation models. In vitro studies involving ISO‐treated cultured cardiomyocytes and macrophages showed that TLR2 knockdown significantly decreased ISO‐induced cell inflammation and remodeling via MAPKs/NF‐κB signaling. Mechanistically, ISO significantly increased the TLR2‐MyD88 interaction in the above cells in a TLR1‐dependent manner. Finally, DAMPs, such as HSP70 and fibronectin 1 (FN1), were found to be released from the cells under ISO stimulation, which further activated TLR1/2‐Myd88 signaling and subsequently activated pro‐inflammatory cytokine expression and cardiac remodeling. In summary, our findings suggest that TLR2 may be a target for the alleviation of chronic adrenergic stimulation‐associated HF. In addition, this paper points out the possibility of TLR2 as a new target for heart failure under ISO stimulation.
Influence of a high-speed train passing through a tunnel on pantograph aerodynamics and pantograph–catenary interaction

Aerodynamics of trains running inside tunnels change more significantly in comparison with open air scenarios. It has been confirmed that the lateral vibration as well as the aerodynamic drag of the trains is increased and the micro-pressure wave is produced at the tunnel exit when the trains are passing through tunnels. The aim of this article is to explore the impact of a high-speed train passing through a tunnel on the pantograph aerodynamics and the dynamic behavior of the pantograph–catenary interaction. The aerodynamic forces acting on the pantograph are investigated thoroughly by extensive numerical simulations as well as systematic field tests. To investigate the effects of the aerodynamic forces of pantograph on the quality of current collection, the numerical simulations of the pantograph–catenary dynamic interaction are conducted with our proposed model, taking into consideration the action of the aerodynamic uplift forces obtained by the numerical simulations on the pantograph. Then, a series of numerical simulations are also carried out to analyze the effects of the train speed and the blockage ratio on the aerodynamic uplift forces of the pantograph, on the contact forces, as well as on the displacement of the contact wire, while the train is passing through a tunnel. The results reveal that compared with the open air scenarios, the aerodynamic drag and uplift forces of the pantograph, the mean value of the contact force and the displacement level of the registration arm can considerably increase as the train runs inside a tunnel. Moreover, the statistical values of the contact forces and the displacement level of the contact wire become larger while the train is passing through the tunnel at different speeds. On the other hand, the quality of current collection decreases with the increasing of the blockage ratio.
NEW INDUSTRIES AND WINDOWS OF LOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY A long-term analysis of Belgium With 1 figure and 2 tables

Summary: This article aims to set out a theoretical concept (the Window of Locational Opportunity concept), which provides a particular perspective with respect to the key problem in economic geography of how to explain the location of new industries. This WLO-concept describes the spatial formation of newly emerging industries in terms of indeterminacy, creativity and chance. In short, this theoretical concept holds the view that windows of locational opportunity tend to open up in the event of new industries: these are likely to provide opportunities of industrial development for both leading and backward regions. This is because the spatial formation of new industries during their initial stage of growth takes place rather independently of spatial structures and conditions laid down in the past. The impact of space is believed to be unpredictable and rather weak for several reasons: there is likely to be a poor match with the new requirements of new industries, their creative ability may safeguard their development in unfavourable places, while local conditions favourable to their development are likely to be of a generic nature. Following the principles behind this concept, we present a long-term spatial analysis of Belgium. First, we demonstrate empirically that the industrial history of Belgium in the last two centuries showed that newly emerging industries do not require a particular type of region in order to develop. As expected by the WLO-concept, new industries provide opportunities for both leading regions and lagging regions, and for both old industrial areas and backward regions. Secondly, a more in-depth analysis of a few selected new industries underlined the importance of creativity and chance at their initial stage of development. By doing so, we focus attention on questions whether the spatial formation of new industries goes along with the creation of essential inputs, whether this creative ability of new industries is influenced by particular conditions in the region concerned, and (if so) whether these local conditions can be considered unique to the region(s) concerned. Broadly speaking, this long-term analysis of Belgium provides evidence that some of the new
The Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation among University Students: A Survey

This study aims to determine the frequency and correlates of suicidal thoughts among students who are studying at a public university in Malaysia. A convenience sample strategy was used to recruit 371 undergraduate students for this survey research project. The respondents' information was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. According to the findings, a significant number of respondents scored positive for the emergence of suicidal ideation. The study also suggests that there is a strong link between suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety in this study. However, there is no notable link between suicidal ideation and substance use.
PCR Based Identification of Metarhizium anisopliae using Inter Transcribed Spacers (ITS)

The entomopathogenic fungi have been isolated from insects and used in fighting against number of pests by acting as biocontrol agent. They are safe for plants, animals and the environment as compared to conventional pesticides. Moreover, the entomopathogenic fungi genetic variability is thought as one of the chief control parameters for insects. In this study, inter transcribed spacers (ITS) region of M. anisopilae that has been implemented to play diverse role in armoring M. anisopilae against various pest was characterized using conventional polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. For this purpose, the genomic DNA of M. anisopilae was extracted and a 700bp fragment of ribosomal DNA (r-DNA) that was characterized as ITS was amplified using ITS specific primers. The results indicated that inter transcribed spacers (ITS) region is indispensable for Metarhizium anisopliae mediated biological control of insects. Further in-depth studies are required to evaluate factors such as the genetic variability and genetic diversity that are responsible for the conferring pesticidal effects in other fungal species.
Water–Energy–Food Nexus and Life Cycle Thinking: A New Approach to Environmental and Nutritional Assessment of Potato Chips

The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus has become a key concept to promote the cross-sectoral coordination toward sustainable development. In particular, understanding the interdependences of these pillars, as well as addressing a life cycle perspective, is essential when evaluating food production systems. This study explores the environmental impacts and nutritional quality of potato chips, addressing life cycle thinking and a WEF nexus approach. For this purpose, the combined application of life cycle assessment (LCA) and the Nutrient-Rich Food 9.3 (NRF9.3) index was considered to identify the main environmental hotspots and advanced opportunities. The results indicated a major contribution of the cultivation stage on water use, whereas the processing accounted for most of the impacts in energy-related indicators and eutrophication potentials. Improvement opportunities reside in the joint application of drip irrigation, allowing to achieve important water savings, as well as the use of natural gas or pellets instead of diesel, which constitute cleaner energy sources. On the other hand, a poor nutritional density of potato chips became evident from the quantification of the NRF9.3, which can be significantly improved if potatoes undergo a roasted process instead of frying.
Preparation of Visible-Light Active Oxygen-Rich TiO2 Coatings Using Low Pressure Cold Spraying

Visible-light active photocatalysts in the form of coatings that can be produced using large-scale methods have attracted considerable attention. Here we show a facile approach to deposit coatings using the low pressure cold spray (LPCS) from oxygen-rich amorphous titanium dioxide, which is a structurally-unconventional feedstock powder for LPCS. We synthesized amorphous TiO2, in which we introduced numerous defects, such as oxide groups (peroxy and superoxy) in volume and hydroxyl groups on the surface. Then we deposited as-prepared powder preserving the presence of active groups, which we demonstrated using Raman spectroscopy. To show the activity of the prepared coatings, we perform methylene blue degradation under visible light. Our research shows that it is worth considering the internal atomic structure and surface chemistry of the powders to be preserved after low pressure cold spraying.