Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Bayesian method for combining theoretical and simulated covariance matrices for large-scale structure surveys

Accurate and precise covariance matrices will be important in enabling planned cosmological surveys to detect new physics. Standard methods imply either the need for many N-body simulations in order to obtain an accurate estimate, or a precise theoretical model. We combine these approaches by constructing a likelihood function conditioned on simulated and theoretical covariances, consistently propagating noise from the finite number of simulations and uncertainty in the theoretical model itself using an informative Inverse-Wishart prior. Unlike standard methods, our approach allows the required number of simulations to be less than the number of summary statistics. We recover the linear 'shrinkage' covariance estimator in the context of a Bayesian data model, and test our marginal likelihood on simulated mock power spectrum estimates. We conduct a thorough investigation into the impact of prior confidence in different choices of covariance models on the quality of model fits and parameter variances. In a simplified setting we find that the number of simulations required can be reduced if one is willing to accept a mild degradation in the quality of model fits, finding that even weakly informative priors can help to reduce the simulation requirements. We identify the correlation matrix of the summary statistics as a key quantity requiring careful modelling. Our approach can be easily generalized to any covariance model or set of summary statistics, and elucidates the role of hybrid estimators in cosmological inference.
The Mass Distribution of CL0939+4713 obtained from a `Weak' Lensing Analysis of a WFPC2 image

The image distortions of high-redshift galaxies caused by gravitational light deflection of foreground clusters of galaxies can be used to reconstruct the two-dimensional surface mass density of these clusters. We apply an unbiased parameter-free reconstruction technique to the cluster CL0939+4713 (Abell 851), observed with the WFPC2 on board of the HST. We demonstrate that a single deep WFPC2 observation can be used for cluster mass reconstruction despite its small field of view and the irregular shape of the data field (especially for distant clusters). For CL0939, we find a strong correlation between the reconstructed mass distribution and the bright cluster galaxies indicating that mass follows light on average. The detected anti-correlation between the faint galaxies and the reconstructed mass is most likely an effect of the magnification (anti) bias, which was detected previously in the cluster A1689. Because of the high redshift of CL0939 (z_d=0.41), the redshift distribution of the lensed, faint galaxies has to be accounted for in the reconstruction technique. We derive an approximate global transformation for the surface mass density which leaves the mean image ellipticities invariant, resulting in an uncertainty in the normalization of the mass. From the non-negativity of the surface mass density, we derive lower limits on the mass inside the observed field. We can break the invariance transformation for the mass using the magnification effect on the observed number density of the background galaxies. Assuming a mean redshift of 0.8 and a fraction of 15 % (20 %) of cluster galaxies in the observed galaxy sample with 23
Analytic formula for the geometric phase of an asymmetric top

The motion of a handle spinning in space has an odd behavior. It seems to unexpectedly flip back and forth in a periodic manner as seen in a popular YouTube video. As an asymmetrical top, its motion is completely described by the Euler equations and the equations of motion have been known for more than a century. However, recent concepts of the geometric phase have allowed a new perspective on this classical problem. Here we explicitly use the equations of motion to find a closed form expression for total phase and hence the geometric phase of the force-free asymmetric top and explore some consequences of this formula with the particular example of the spinning handle for demonstration purposes. As one of the simplest dynamical systems, the asymmetric top should be a canonical example to explore the classical analog of Berry phase.
Heat Bath Algorithmic Cooled Quantum Otto Engines

We suggest alternative quantum Otto engines, using heat bath algorithmic cooling with partner pairing algorithm instead of isochoric cooling. Liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance systems in one entropy sink are considered as working fluids. Then, the extractable work and thermal efficiency are analyzed in detail for four-stroke and two-stroke type of quantum Otto engines. The role of heat bath algorithmic cooling in these cycles is to use a single entropy sink instead of two. Also, this cooling algorithm increases the power of engines reducing the time required for one cycle.
The Spin Period of EX Hydrae

We show that the spin period of the white dwarf in the magnetic CV EX Hydrae represents an equilibrium state in which the corotation radius is comparable with the distance from the white dwarf to the inner Lagrange point. We also show that a continuum of spin equilibria exists at which Pspin is significantly longer than� 0.1Porb. Most systems occupying these equilibrium states should have orbital periods below the CV period gap, as observed.
Engineering the Lateral Optical Guiding in Gallium Nitride-Based Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser Cavities to Reach the Lowest Threshold Gain

In order to improve the current injection in GaN-based blue vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) a dielectric aperture is generally used in combination with an indium–tin-oxide (ITO) layer on the top intracavity p-contact layer. The most straightforward way to realize this introduces a depression of the structure near the optical axis and we show, by using a two-dimensional (2D) effective index method and a three-dimensional (3D) coupled-cavity beam propagation method, that this typically results in optically anti-guided structures with associated high optical losses and thus very high threshold gains. Remarkably, the threshold gain reduces with increased negative guiding, which is due to improved lateral confinement and reduction of lateral leakage. Still, moderately positively guided designs should be preferred to avoid the detrimental effect of lateral leakage and high diffraction loss. To ensure positive index guiding, we propose to planarize the structure or introduce an elevation near the optical axis by additional processing, with an associated reduction in threshold material gain from 6000 to 2000 cm-1 for the studied structures.
Image measurement of micro-hole with linear CCD

It is difficult to measure micro-hole by means of project or light-sectioning. Irradiated by the collimated laser beam, a hole less than 0.5mm will result in an Airy spot because of diffraction, the Airy spot is measured by linear array CCD. A solution was given to define the diffusion state of diffraction image's edge, and two mathematical methods was presented to calculate inspection results in this paper. The first method is to integrate optoelectric signals from scanning sample spots, and the other is to calculate digital data with least square method by computer. Thus, the detection accuracy has been improved obviously.
Noncontact heat transfer between two metamaterials

Dispersive metamaterials are artificial composite media with magnetodielectric losses so that they naturally radiate in their surrounding. Here we theoretically investigate both radiative and nonradiative heat exchanges between two metamataterials. We show that the presence of magnetic surface modes and the ferromagnetic behavior of materials close to their magnetic resonance yield novel channels for energy transfer. These results pave the way to the design of innovative structures to manage the noncontact heat exchanges.
SDSS-IV MaNGA: Inside-out versus Outside-in Quenching of Galaxies in Different Local Environments

The large Integral Field Spectroscopy surveys have allowed the classification of ionizing sources of emission lines on sub-kiloparsec scales. In this work, we define two non-parametric parameters, quiescence (Fq) and its concentration (Cq), to quantify the strength and the spatial distribution of the quenched areas, respectively, traced by the LI(N)ER regions with low EW(Hα). With these two measurements, we classify MaNGA galaxies into inside-out and outside-in quenching types according to their locations on the Fq versus Cq plane and we measure the fraction of inside-out (outside-in) quenching galaxies as a function of halo mass. We find that the fraction of galaxies showing inside-out quenching increases with halo mass, irrespective of stellar mass or galaxy type (satellites versus centrals). In addition, high-stellar-mass galaxies exhibit a greater fraction of inside-out quenching compared to low-stellar-mass ones in all environments. In contrast, the fraction of outside-in quenching does not depend on halo mass. Our results suggest that morphological quenching may be responsible for the inside-out quenching seen in all environments. On the other hand, the flat dependence of the outside-in quenching on halo mass could be a mixed result of ram pressure stripping and galaxy mergers. Nevertheless, for a given environment and stellar mass, the fraction of inside-out quenching is systematically greater than that of outside-in quenching, suggesting that inside-out quenching is the dominant quenching mode in all environments.
The influence of obstructive sleep apnea on self-perceived dental aesthetics and need for orthodontic treatment among the general population in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of obstructive sleep apnea on self-perceived dental appearance and need for orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was used in a random sample of a general adult population in Makkah region, Saudi Arabia. A total of 1014 participants completed the questionnaires, which included the STOP-BANG questionnaire, Oral Aesthetics Subjective Impact Score questionnaire, and Aesthetic Component of Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to compare differences between the groups. RESULTS: Overall, 6.5% (66/1014) of the participants were classified as being at high risk of OSA of which 71.2% were males and 28.8% were females (P < 0.001), 57.6% were >50 years of age, 90.9% had obesity, and 81.8% had an enlarged neck circumference. But only 10.1% of the participants reported that they snore loudly. A positive self-perception of dental esthetics was found in 42 (6.2%) and 518 (76.6%) participants at high and low risk of OSA, respectively. Furthermore, of the participants in the high- and low-risk groups, 4.2% and 66.7% considered themselves in need of orthodontic treatment, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rate of people at intermediate to high risk of OSA was 26% of the general population and being at high risk of OSA had no influence on self-perceived dental esthetics and need for orthodontic treatment.
An Approximate Analytic Model of a Star Cluster with Potential Escapers

In the context of a star cluster moving on a circular galactic orbit, a "potential escaper" is a cluster star that has orbital energy greater than the escape energy, and yet is confined within the Jacobi radius of the stellar system. On the other hand analytic models of stellar clusters typically have a truncation energy equal to the cluster escape energy, and therefore explicitly exclude these energetically unbound stars. Starting from the landmark analysis performed by Henon of periodic orbits of the circular Hill equations, we present a numerical exploration of the population of "non-escapers", defined here as those stars which remain within two Jacobi radii for several galactic periods, with energy above the escape energy. We show that they can be characterised by the Jacobi integral and two further approximate integrals, which are based on perturbation theory and ideas drawn from Lidov-Kozai theory. Finally we use these results to construct an approximate analytic model that includes a phase space description of a population resembling that of potential escapers, in addition to the usual bound population.
Efficacy and safety of laser-assisted delivery of tranexamic acid for the treatment of melasma: a systematic review and meta‑analysis

ABSTRACT Laser-assisted drug delivery (LADD) is a new treatment for delivering drugs within the skin. This meta-analysis investigates the effectiveness and safety of the laser-assisted delivery of tranexamic acid (TXA) to treat melasma. A literature review was conducted by searching publication platforms to search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared laser-assisted delivery of TXA with laser-alone or topical TXA-alone treatment. The Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases were searched, and Melasma Area Severity Index (MASI)/modified MASI (mMASI) scores used as the clinical improvement outcomes. All statistical analyses were performed using the RevMan software (Review Manager, V.5.3). The standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the results. Five RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. These studies used ablative fractional photothermolysis and nonablative dermal remodeling laser modalities. The results showed that both laser modalities combined with TXA significantly decreased the MASI/mMASI scores (P = .0003). Furthermore, no serious adverse events were observed, except mild erythema and burning pain. The meta-analysis found that the laser-assisted delivery of TXA is a new effective and safe treatment option for melasma treatment.
Carotid Baroreceptor Magnetic Activation and Beat‐to‐Beat Blood Pressure Variability, Implications to Treat Abrupt Blood Pressure Elevation in Labile Hypertension

Mounting evidence suggests enhanced blood pressure (BP) variability (BPV) independent role in cardiovascular (CV) damage. The goal was to estimate the effect of the carotid baroreceptor (CB) magnetic stimulation on sudden high BP elevation. Mean femoral arterial BP (MAP), heart rate (HR), baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and ear lobe skin microcirculatory blood flow, by microphotoelectric plethysmography (MPPG), were simultaneously recorded in conscious rabbits sedated by pentobarbital intravenous (i.v.) infusion (5 mg/kg/h) after 40 min CB exposure to 350 mT static magnetic field (SMF), by Nd2‐Fe14‐B magnets (n = 14), or sham magnets exposure (n = 14). BRS was assessed from HR and MAP responses to abrupt hypotension induced by i.v. bolus injections of nitroprusside (Ni) and abrupt MAP elevation (MAPAE) by i.v. bolus of phenylephrine (Ph). Beat‐to‐beat BPV was estimated by MAP standard deviation. SMF CB exposure significantly increased BRSNi (74.5 ± 17.8%, P < 0.001) and microcirculation (23.8% ± 11.0%, P = 0.039); decreased MAP (−5.7 ± 1.7%, P < 0.014) and phenylephrine‐induced MAPAE (−19.1%, P = 0.043). MAPAE positively correlated with resting MAP (r = 0.342, P = 0.0383) and MAP SD (r = 0.383, P = 0.0194), and inversely with BRSPh (r = −0.47, P = 0.0156). SMF CB exposure enhanced the nitroprusside, which acts by releasing nitric oxide (NO), vasodilatory effect. This indicates arterial baroreflex to improve vessel sensitivity to NO, which is a new physiology with BP buffering effect. A positive correlation of MAP SD to phenylephrine BP ramps suggests a causal relationship and BPV prognostic significance to forecast abrupt BP elevation. Mechano/baroreceptor magneto‐sensing property proposed to be the basic physiology by which SMFs boost CV autonomic regulation with potential implementation in high CV risk labile arterial hypertensive disease. © 2022 Bioelectromagnetics Society.
A Generic Normal Form for ZX-Diagrams and Application to the Rational Angle Completeness

Recent completeness results on the ZX-calculus used a third-party language, namely the ZW-Calculus. As a consequence, these proofs are elegant, but sadly non-constructive. We address this issue in the following. To do so, we first describe a generic normal form for ZX-diagrams in any fragment that contains $\mathbf{Clifford}+\mathbf{T}$ quantum mechanics. We give sufficient conditions for an axiomatisation to be complete, and an algorithm to reach the normal form. Finally, we apply these results to the $\mathbf{Clifford}+\mathbf{T}$ fragment and the general ZX-calculus - for which we already know the completeness-, but also for any fragment of rational angles: we show that the axiomatisation for $\mathbf{Clifford}+\mathbf{T}$ is also complete for any fragment of dyadic angles, and that a simple new rule (called cancellation) is necessary and sufficient otherwise.
Natural Inflation a

We reexamine the model of natural inflation, in which the inflaton potential is flat due to shift symmetries. The original version of the model, where the inflaton is a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson with potential of the form V({phi})={lambda}{sup 4}[1{+-}cos({phi}/f)], is studied in light of recent data. We find that the model is alive and well. Successful inflation as well as data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe require f>0.6m{sub Pl} (where m{sub Pl}=1.22x10{sup 19} GeV) and {lambda}{approx}m{sub GUT} (where m{sub GUT}{approx}10{sup 16} GeV), scales which can be accommodated in particle physics models. The detectability of tensor modes from natural inflation in upcoming microwave background experiments is discussed. We find that natural inflation predicts a tensor/scalar ratio within reach of future observations.
Effort avoidance as a core mechanism of apathy in frontotemporal dementia.

Apathy is a core symptom in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). It is defined by the observable reduction in goal-directed behavior, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. According to decision theory, engagement in goal-directed behavior depends on a cost-benefit optimization trading off the estimated effort (related to the behavior) against the expected reward (related to the goal). In this framework, apathy would thus result from either a decreased appetence for reward, or from an increased aversion to effort. Here, we phenotyped the motivational state of 21 bvFTD patients and 40 matched healthy controls, using computational analyses of behavioral responses in a comprehensive series of behavioral tasks, involving both expression of preference (comparing reward value and effort cost) and optimization of performance (adjusting effort production to the reward at stake). The primary finding was an elevated aversion to effort, consistent across preference and performance tasks, in bvFTD patients compared to controls. Within the bvFTD group, effort avoidance was correlated to cortical atrophy in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and to apathy score measured on a clinical scale. Thus, our results highlight elevated effort aversion (not reduced reward appetence) as a core dysfunction that might generate apathy in bvFTD patients. More broadly, they provide novel behavioral tests and computational tools to identify the dysfunctional mechanisms producing motivation deficits in patients with brain damage.
Reconstruction of aortic sinus using patches in patients with acute type A aortic dissection

Acute type A aortic dissection involving the aortic sinus is often combined with varying degrees of aortic regurgitation, while the structure of the aortic valve is often undamaged. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effects of reconstruction of the aortic sinus using patches in patients with acute type A aortic dissection.
Advancing mycorrhizal trait‐based ecology using both pure cultures and community‐level traits

Traits are the intermediate by which species respond to environmental filters and influence ecosystem functions. With the myriad of biogeochemical processes controlled by fungi, the past decade has witnessed a rising interest in applying trait‐based approaches, core to the toolkit of plant and animal ecophysiologists, to fungi. One of the first challenges to tackle when working on fungal ecophysiology is to circumscribe the very definition of what we consider a fungal trait. Traits are characteristics/features possessed by an individual that can influence how it interacts with its environment. Here, the individual scale is both important, and problematic. Important because the very goal of comparative ecology is to measure traits on individuals belonging to known species. This allows us to populate trait databases, and syntheses of such databases can reveal key trade‐offs and trait syndromes that govern species' life‐histories. The scale of the individual is problematic, however, because it is hard to define for soil fungi, and because a rare minority of fungi can be sampled at the individual scale in the environment (e.g., macroscopic sporocarps, ectomycorrhizal root tips, lichen thalli). Beyond this minority, the individual organisms can only be accessed/sampled through establishing fungal cultures, which probably represents one of the main bottlenecks in the development of fungal trait databases. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Zhang et al. (2022) show how interesting insights in fungal trait‐based ecology can be gained by working at the community level.
Toward a computational model of expression in music performance: The GERM model

This article presents a computational model of expression in music performance: the GERM model. The purpose of the GERM model is to (a) describe the principal sources of variability in music performance, (b) emphasize the need to integrate different aspects of performance in a common model, and (c) provide some preliminaries (germ = a basis from which a thing may develop) for a computational model that simulates the different aspects. Drawing on previous research on performance, we propose that performance expression derives from four main sources of variability: (1) Generative Rules, which function to convey the generative structure in a musical manner (e.g., Clarke, 1988; Sundberg, 1988); (2) Emotional Expression, which is governed by the performer's expressive intention (e.g., Juslin, 1997a); (3) Random Variations, which reflect internal timekeeper variance and motor delay variance (e.g., Gilden, 2001; Wing and Kristofferson, 1973); and (4) Movement Principles, which prescribe that certain features of the performance are shaped in accordance with biological motion (e.g., Shove and Repp, 1995). A preliminary version of the GERM model was implemented by means of computer synthesis. Synthesized performances were evaluated by musically trained participants in a listening test. The results from the test support a decomposition of expression in terms of the GERM model. Implications for future research on music performance are discussed.