Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring pain and nociception: Through the glasses of a computational scientist. Transdisciplinary overview of methods

In a healthy state, pain plays an important role in natural biofeedback loops and helps to detect and prevent potentially harmful stimuli and situations. However, pain can become chronic and as such a pathological condition, losing its informative and adaptive function. Efficient pain treatment remains a largely unmet clinical need. One promising route to improve the characterization of pain, and with that the potential for more effective pain therapies, is the integration of different data modalities through cutting edge computational methods. Using these methods, multiscale, complex, and network models of pain signaling can be created and utilized for the benefit of patients. Such models require collaborative work of experts from different research domains such as medicine, biology, physiology, psychology as well as mathematics and data science. Efficient work of collaborative teams requires developing of a common language and common level of understanding as a prerequisite. One of ways to meet this need is to provide easy to comprehend overviews of certain topics within the pain research domain. Here, we propose such an overview on the topic of pain assessment in humans for computational researchers. Quantifications related to pain are necessary for building computational models. However, as defined by the International Association of the Study of Pain (IASP), pain is a sensory and emotional experience and thus, it cannot be measured and quantified objectively. This results in a need for clear distinctions between nociception, pain and correlates of pain. Therefore, here we review methods to assess pain as a percept and nociception as a biological basis for this percept in humans, with the goal of creating a roadmap of modelling options.
Current Therapeutic Modalities for the Management of Chronic Diabetic Wounds of the Foot

Impaired wound healing is common in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Different therapeutic modalities including wound debridement and dressing, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), nanomedicine, shockwave therapy, hyperbaric (HBOT) and topical (TOT) oxygen therapy, and photobiomodulation (PBM) have been used in the management of chronic diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The selection of a suitable treatment method for DFUs depends on the hosts' physiological status including the intricacy and wound type. Effective wound care is considered a critical component of chronic diabetic wound management. This review discusses the causes of diabetic wounds and current therapeutic modalities for the management of DFUs, specifically wound debridement and dressing, TENS, nanomedicine, shockwave therapy, HBOT, TOT, and PBM.
On field representations in terms of leaky modes or Eigenmodes

Solutions to source-excited field problems are frequently represented as superpositions of source-free field solutions. The latter are in general of two types: eigenmodes and noneigenmodes which are related to the zeros of the total impedance or alternatively the poles of the scattering coefficient of a system. The eigenmodes are everywhere finite and comprise a complete orthogonal set. The noneigenmodes become infinite in the infitely remote spatial limits of a region and are not in general members of a complete orthogonal set; examples are "radio-active states," "damped resonances," and "leaky waves. " Despite their physically singular behavior, the nonmodal solutions can be employed to represent field solutions in certain ranges.
A catalog of pre-main-sequence emission-line stars with IRAS source associations

To aid in finding premain-sequence (PMS) emission-line stars that might have dusty circumstellar environments, 361 PMS stars that are associated with 304 separate IRAS sources were identified. These stars include 200 classical T Tauri stars, 25 weak-lined (naked) T Tauri stars, 56 Herbig Ae/Be stars, six FU Orionis stars, and two SU Aurigae stars. All six of the FU Orionis stars surveyed by IRAS were detected. Of the PMS-IRAS Point Source Catalog (PSC) associations, 90 are new and are not noted in the PSC. The other 271 entries include 104 that are correctly identified in the PSC but have not yet appeared in the literature, 56 more that can be found in both the PSC and in the published and unpublished iterature, and 111 that are in the literature but not in the PSC. Spectral slope diagrams constructed from the 12-, 25-, and 60-micron flux densities reveal unique distributions for the different PMS subclasses; these diagrams may help identify the best candidate PMS stars for observations of circumstellar dust. 30 refs.
ON A FAMILY OF CONTRASTS FOR PARAMETRIC INFERENCE IN DEGENERATE ARCH MODELS

In this paper, we introduce a family of contrasts for parametric inference in ARCH models the volatility of which exhibits some degeneracy. We focus specifically on ARCH processes with a linear volatility (called LARCH processes), for which the Gaussian quasi-likelihood estimator may be inconsistent. Our approach generalizes that of Beran and Schützner (2009) and gives an interesting alternative to the WLSE used by Francq and Zakoïan (2010) for an autoregressive process with LARCH errors. The family of contrasts is indexed by a single parameter that controls the smoothness of an approximated quasi-likelihood function. Under mild conditions, the resulting estimators are shown to be strongly consistent and asymptotically normal. The optimal asymptotic variance is also given. For LARCH processes, an atypical result is obtained: under assumptions, we show that the limiting distribution of the estimators can be arbitrarily close to a Gaussian distribution supported on a line. Extensions to multivariate processes are also discussed.
Design of motor cable artificial muscle (MC-AM) with tendon sheath–pulley system (TSPS) for musculoskeletal robot

Abstract In an unstructured environment, the arm can perform complicated tasks with rapidity, flexibility, and robustness. It is difficult to configure multiple artificial muscles similar to an arm in the compact space of a robotic arm. When muscle tension is transferred, mechanisms like tendon-sheath/tendon-pulley may be installed in a compact space to develop musculoskeletal robots that are closer to the arm. However, handling variable frictional nonlinearity and elastic cable deformation is necessary for transmission stability. In this study, the modular artificial muscle system (MAMS), including motor cable artificial muscle and tendon sheath–pulley system (TSPS), that can be installed remotely and transmit muscle tension in narrow paths, is designed. The feed-forward multi-layer neural network (FF-MNN) approach is utilized to discuss the relationship between the measurable input tension of TSPS and the unmeasurable output tension and cable elongation. Subsequently, the lightweight musculoskeletal arm (LM-Arm) is built to verify the validity of MAMS. Through trials, the experiments of MAMS after friction compensating and the LM-Arm’s end-point 3D trajectory tracking are investigated. The results show that average errors of the active and passive muscles tension are 3.87 N and 3.51 N, respectively, under conditions of larger load and higher contraction velocity. The average muscle length error of trajectory tracking is 0.00078 m (0.72%). The suggested MAMS may successfully build a musculoskeletal robot that has similar flexibility and morphology to the arm. It can also be utilized to power various pieces of machinery, such as rescue robot, invasive surgical robots, dexterous hands, and wearable exoskeletons.
The O/H Distribution in NGC 7479: Evidence for a Minor Merger Event

Results of emission-line spectrophotometry of 68 H II regions in the strongly barred spiral galaxy NGC 7479 obtained with the Multi-Object Spectrograph at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope are presented. The average nebular extinction across the galaxy disk is Av ~ 1.1 mag. There is a radial trend (-0.042 ± 0.010 mag kpc-1) in the values of reddening suggesting a global difference of about 1.1 mag between the inner and outer parts of the galaxy. All the H II regions fall within the well-defined sequences of normal H II regions in the standard diagnostic diagrams [O III]/Hβ versus [N II]/Hα, and [O III]/Hβ versus [O I]/Hα. The values of excitation ([O III]/Hβ) of the regions located in the western arm are higher by about 0.4 dex compared to those of the eastern arm and central regions. There is evidence that the ionization parameter is higher and the electronic density lower in these regions. The global O/H abundance gradient is shallow (~-0.025 ± 0.005 dex kpc-1), in agreement with what is found for galaxies with a strong bar. No break is seen in the O/H radial gradient. The azimuthal O/H variations in the disk are small at less than 0.3 dex. These results are discussed in the framework of a merger in which NGC 7479 captured a small galaxy about 3 × 108 yr ago.
The Effect of fibre position and gauge lengths along the length of enset bundle fibres on physical and mechanical properties: Application of statistics analysis

ABSTRACT In this study, the Enset fibers were equally divided lengthwise from bottom to top into four portions explicitly 0–300 mm (EV-I),300–600 mm (EV-II), 600–900 mm (EV-III), and 900–1200 mm (EV-IV), and the physio-mechanical properties were investigated at three different GL (Gauge length). The distribution of the physical properties of the mass, cross-sectional area, linear density, and diameter was decreased along the fibers portion from bottom to top at three different tests GL. In terms of mechanical property distributions, the Enset fiber’s tensile strength grew considerably at around the height of over 25% of the portion along the length (EV-300) from the bottom and reduced marginally at its top places in each test GL. Regarding the significance of tensile properties, the overall ANOVA has no significant difference while the interaction between the locations along the length of enset fiber has a significant difference, and this variation is also confirmed by the Weibull distribution. The current study looks into the physical and mechanical properties of Enset fibers, which are controlled by the position of the leave sheath, which is used as an input to optimize its variation for unidirectional composite applications.
Principal curve classifier-a nonlinear approach to pattern classification

Presents a general nonlinear approach to pattern classification using principal curves. Principal curves are nonparametric, nonlinear generalizations of the first principal component, and may also be regarded as continuous versions of 1-D self-organizing maps. The new classification technique, principal curve classifier (PCC), involves a novel way of computing a principal curve for each class using the class-labeled training data. An unlabeled test point is given the class-label of the principal curve that is closest to it in Euclidean distance. Preliminary experiments comparing the PCC with established classification methods, using selected datasets from the Elena and Proben1 benchmarks, highlight the merits and limitations of this algorithm.
The effect of mindfulness intervention on internet negative news perception and processing: An implicit and explicit approach

The internet facilitates the formation of the information society while also accelerating the viral spread of negative news and negative emotions, increasing public uncertainty and depression and impeding consensus, especially in the post-pandemic period. Mindfulness intervention, which has a positive effect on attention focus, self-regulation, and subjective wellbeing, is proven to mitigate negative emotional effects, and even alter mind patterns. The study aimed to give insight into the effect of mindfulness in the new media field, concerning trait mindfulness improvement, emotional arousal and regulation, and implicit attitudes from the perspective of intra-personal communication and positive communication. The study conducted a randomized pre-test–post-test control group design, with 3 (condition groups: mindfulness vs. placebo vs. control) × 2 (test times: pre vs. post). Participants who were exposed to negative news coverage with negative emotional arousal received 14 consecutive days of intervention. The results showed that mindfulness training can improve trait mindfulness effectively on the whole, especially in facets of describing, acting awareness, and non-judgment, and mitigate the negative effect from bad information coverage, while mindfulness intervention on mind patterns and expectations on controversial issues still awaited future empirical research. The present study intended to bridge the bonding between positive psychology and new media studies by focusing on individual attention improvement and negative emotion regulation, in the expectation that trait mindfulness can be beneficial in individual infodemic syndromes such as judgment bias and information exhaustion, and avoidance.
On the enhanced electron mobility in strained-silicon inversion layers

The recently reported large enhancement of the electron mobility in strained-Si inversion layers at large carrier concentrations cannot be easily explained: The strong carrier confinement in inversion layers removes the sixfold degeneracy of the conduction-band minima, much as tensile in-plane strain does, so that the effect of strain should become irrelevant at large sheet carrier densities. The problem is studied by calculating the electron mobility accounting for scattering with phonons and interface roughness. Surprisingly, the latter process is found to be significantly stronger in strained layers for a given interface roughness. Only the ad hoc assumption of increasingly smoother interfaces with increasing strain seems to explain the data.
On the Remote Drivers of Rainfall Variability in Australia

Abstract This work identifies and documents a suite of large-scale drivers of rainfall variability in the Australian region. The key driver in terms of broad influence and impact on rainfall is the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO is related to rainfall over much of the continent at different times, particularly in the north and east, with the regions of influence shifting with the seasons. The Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) is particularly important in the June–October period, which spans much of the wet season in the southwest and southeast where IOD has an influence. ENSO interacts with the IOD in this period such that their separate regions of influence cover the entire continent. Atmospheric blocking also becomes most important during this period and has an influence on rainfall across the southern half of the continent. The Madden–Julian oscillation can influence rainfall in different parts of the continent in different seasons, but its impact is strongest on the monsoonal rains in the north. Th.
Immune Functions of Astrocytes in Viral Neuroinfections

Neuroinfections of the central nervous system (CNS) can be triggered by various pathogens. Viruses are the most widespread and have the potential to induce long-term neurologic symptoms with potentially lethal outcomes. In addition to directly affecting their host cells and inducing immediate changes in a plethora of cellular processes, viral infections of the CNS also trigger an intense immune response. Regulation of the innate immune response in the CNS depends not only on microglia, which are fundamental immune cells of the CNS, but also on astrocytes. These cells align blood vessels and ventricle cavities, and consequently, they are one of the first cell types to become infected after the virus breaches the CNS. Moreover, astrocytes are increasingly recognized as a potential viral reservoir in the CNS; therefore, the immune response initiated by the presence of intracellular virus particles may have a profound effect on cellular and tissue physiology and morphology. These changes should be addressed in terms of persisting infections because they may contribute to recurring neurologic sequelae. To date, infections of astrocytes with different viruses originating from genetically distinct families, including Flaviviridae, Coronaviridae, Retroviridae, Togaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Picomaviridae, Rhabdoviridae, and Herpesviridae, have been confirmed. Astrocytes express a plethora of receptors that detect viral particles and trigger signaling cascades, leading to an innate immune response. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on virus receptors that initiate the release of inflammatory cytokines from astrocytes and depict the involvement of astrocytes in immune functions of the CNS.
The disability employment quota, between social policy and antidiscrimination

Many countries worldwide resort to quotas in order to favour the employment of disabled people. Yet, the quota as a policy tool has an ambivalent meaning: while it has been conceived as an advanced form of antidiscrimination policy tool in domains such as gender and racial inequalities, in the sector of disability, it has tended to be theorized as an outdated measure, belonging to a social welfare perspective opposed to the more recent equalitarian policy frame. This article revisits this theoretical debate on the disability employment quota by shifting the focus from a normative discussion to an empirical investigation of the meanings policymakers have endowed it with. I draw on the case of France, where the quota scheme is a cornerstone of disability employment policy: post–World War I provisions were at the origin of a series of reforms extending and reinforcing the quota, in 1957, 1987 and 2005 – leading to the current 6% disabled worker quota imposed to private and public organizations of 20 employees or more. Tracing the historical trajectory of this policy tool and its uses by means of parliamentary debates and secondary sources, I show how quotas in France have had more complex meanings than what the social welfare versus antidiscrimination dichotomy suggests. Before the rise of antidiscrimination policy, they were thought of as a progressive form of social policy, as opposed to more segregative interventions such as pensions or sheltered employment. The adoption of antidiscrimination provisions in 2005 then led to a hybridization between quotas and antidiscrimination policy.
The Resonant Excitation of Baroclinic Waves by the Divergent Circulation of Recurving Tropical Cyclones

Abstract This paper explores the hypothesis that a tropical cyclone (TC) may produce baroclinic waves through the divergent circulation that arises from its low-level inflow and upper-level outflow. The model setting is a quasigeostrophic (QG) two-layer fluid in which the effect of the tropical cyclone is parameterized through a source term on the QG potential vorticity equation. Equations predicting the spectral subset of baroclinic waves that are excited through linear resonance are derived. The near-TC pattern of the baroclinic waves in the streamfunction field typically takes the form of a ridge–trough couplet whose phase with respect to the TC varies with the speed and direction of the TCs motion vector. The predictions from the linearized theory are verified in two ways: 1) fully nonlinear simulations are shown and 2) comparison is made to the observed upper-level ridge–trough couplets produced by recurving TCs in the Navy’s Operational Global Prediction System (NOGAPS). The implications of this wor.
Computational fluid dynamics modelling of fire

An overview of a methodology for simulating fires and other thermally-driven, low-speed flows is presented. The model employs a number of simplifications of the governing equations that allow for relatively fast simulations of practical fire scenarios. The hydrodynamic model consists of the low Mach number large-eddy simulation subgrid closure with either a constant or dynamic coefficient eddy diffusivity. Combustion is typically treated as a mixing-controlled, single-step reaction of fuel and oxygen. The radiation transport equation is written in terms of a spectrally-averaged grey gas. Applications of the model include the design of fire protection systems in buildings and the reconstruction of actual fires.
Localization cues of sound sources in the upper hemisphere.

The results of two localization tests of sound sources support our hypothesis that if a direction of a sound source in the upper hemisphere is expressed by two angles α and β, instead of the azimuth angle ψ and the elevation angle θ, the localization accuracy can be explained by two mutually independent cues. One is a binaural disparity cue which determines the angle α, and the other is a spectral cue which determines the angle β. The angle α is the angle between the aural axis and a straight line connecting a sound source with the center of a subject's head. The angle β is the angle between the horizontal plane and the perpendicular from a sound source to the aural axis. The data indicate that the “directional band” shown by Blauert can occur in any plane parallel to the median plane.
Magnetic cloud collision fronts

The equivalent of jump conditions or conservation equations for cloud collision fronts are derived, and the time evolution of such fronts that move at constant velocity is studied. Parameters that specify the state of the gas in the front, such as the space density of clouds, the cloud-cloud velocity dispersion, the magnetic field strength, and the extent of molecular self-shielding are derived. Various applications to interstellar clouds are considered. 72 references.
The application of piezoelectric ceramics in diagnostic ultrasound transducers

Since the middle of the 1970's, significant progress has been made in ultrasound diagnostic systems resulting in their widespread adoption by the medical profession. Most of the ultrasound transducers currently used in ultrasound diagnostic systems utilize piezoelectric ceramics as their vibrator materials.This article first briefly surveys the working principles of ultrasound diagnostic systems and describes the role and basic configuration of their ultrasound transducers. The transducers are classified into two groups, single element transducers and array transducers. The application of the former can be represented by transducers for mechanical scanning ultrasound diagnostic systems, and the latter by transducers for electronic scanning ultrasound diagnostic systems which have made the most substantial contribution to progress in the adoption of these systems. The article briefly describes the basic structure common to these two types of transducers and covers their development history. It then introdu.
Determination of lattice plane curvature and dislocation Burgers vector density in crystals by rocking curve imaging technique

In the present work the lattice plane curvature of a nearly dislocation free S:doped InP and a semi-insulating GaAs wafer crystals has been investigated using the method of X-ray rocking curve imaging based on the FRELON CCD area detector with a pixel resolution from 10 to 40 μm at the ID19 ESRF beamline. The geometry of the experiment is based on a vertical Si (111) monochromator and a horizontal sample scattering planes in the Bragg geometry (σ-π geometry). To determine the local lattice inclination, the effect of such dispersive setup on the measured local diffraction peak position has been accurately determined and the equations to determine the lattice plane curvature of the crystals under the condition of isotropic distribution of dislocation Burgers vectors are obtained. The analysis of the data showed that the shift of the Bragg condition is almost completely due to the lattice tilt rather than to the lattice parameter variation. Lattice displacements from the ideal lattice as large as 200 μm are found at the edges of the InP crystal. Non random distributions of dislocation Burgers vectors are observed in both samples.