Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling Methodology and Forecast Failure

We analyse by simulation the impact of model-selection strategies (sometimes called pre-testing) on forecast performance in both constant-and non-constant-parameter processes. Restricted, unrestricted and selected models are compared when either of the first two might generate the data. We find little evidence that strategies such as general-to-specific induce significant over-fitting, or thereby cause forecast-failure rejection rates to greatly exceed nominal sizes. Parameter non-constancies put a premium on correct specification, but in general, model-selection effects appear to be relatively small, and progressive research is able to detect the mis-specifications.
Meta-Modelling and Graph Transformation for the Definition of Multi-View Visual Languages

In this chapter, we present our approach for the definition of multi-view visual languages (MVVLs). These are languages made of a set of different diagram types, which are used to specify the different aspects of a system. A prominent example of this kind of languages is UML, which defines a set of diagrams for the description of the static and dynamic elements of software systems. In the multi-view approach, consistency checking is essential to verify that the combination of the various system views yields a consistent description of the system. We use two techniques to define environments for MVVLs: meta-modelling and graph transformation. The former is used to describe the syntax of the whole language. In addition, we define a meta-model for each diagram type of the language (that we call viewpoint) as a restriction of the complete MVVL meta-model. From this high-level description, we can generate a customized environment supporting the definition of multiple system views. Consistency between views is ensured by translating each one of them into a unique repository model, which is conformant to the meta-model of the whole language. The translation is performed by automatically generated graph transformation rules. Whenever a change is performed in a view, some rules are triggered to update the repository. These updates may trigger other rules to propagate the changes from the repository to the rest of the views. In our approach, graph transformation techniques are also used for other purposes such as model simulation, optimisation, and transformation into other formalisms. In this chapter, we also discuss the integration of these concepts in the AToM 3 tool, and show some illustrative examples by generating an environment for a small subset of UML.
Boundary layer leading-edge receptivity to sound at incidence angles

The leading-edge receptivity to acoustic waves of two-dimensional parabolic bodies was investigated using a spatial solution of the Navier–Stokes equations in vorticity/streamfunction form in parabolic coordinates. The free stream is composed of a uniform flow with a superposed periodic velocity fluctuation of small amplitude. The method follows that of Haddad & Corke (1998) in which the solution for the basic flow and linearized perturbation flow are solved separately. We primarily investigated the effect of frequency and angle of incidence (−180° [les ] α2 [les ] 180°) of the acoustic waves on the leading-edge receptivity. The results at α2 = 0° were found to be in quantitative agreement with those of Haddad & Corke (1998), and substantiated the Strouhal number scaling based on the nose radius. The results with sound waves at angles of incidence agreed qualitatively with the analysis of Hammerton & Kerschen (1996). These included a maximum receptivity at α2 = 90°, and an asymmetric variation in the receptivity with sound incidence angle, with minima at angles which were slightly less than α2 = 0° and α2 = 180°.
Laparoscopic endoscopic cooperative surgery for the duodenal neuroendocrine tumor: a single-center case series (How I Do It)

Background: Duodenal neuroendocrine tumors (D-NETs) are uncommon. The surgical treatment for D-NETs was in debate. Laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery (LECS) is a promising approach for treating gastrointestinal tumors. The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of LECS for D-NETs. Meanwhile, the authors described the details of the LECS technique. Methods: All patients diagnosed with D-NETs underwent LECS between September 2018 and April 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. The endoscopic procedures were performed with endoscopic full-thickness resection. The defect was manually closed under the surveillance of the laparoscopy. Results: A total of seven patients were enrolled, including three men and four women. The median age was 58 years (ranging from 39–65). Four tumors were located in the bulb and three in the second portion. All cases were diagnosed as NET with grade G1. The tumor depth was pT1 in two cases and pT2 in five cases. The median specimen size and the tumor size were 22 mm (ranging from 10–30) and 8.0 mm (ranging from 2.3–13.0), respectively. En-bloc resection and curative resection rates are 100 and 85.7%, respectively. There were no severe complications. Until 1 June 2022, there was no recurrence. The median follow-up was 9.5 months (range, 1.4–45.1). Conclusions: LECS with endoscopic full-thickness resection is a reliable surgical procedure. The minimally invasive advantages of LECS enable more individualized treatment options for a specific group. Limited by the length of observation, the long-term performance of LECS for D-NETs requires additional investigation.
Detection of partial volume effected lesions in dynamic positron emission tomograph images

Most existing partial volume tissue classification techniques estimate the constituents (or proportions) of mixture from multiple-channel observations under one hypothesized mixel model, assuming that each pixel (or voxel) is composed of all types of tissue in the field of view including lesions presented in the image. In this paper, the authors propose to test a pixel in a multi-frame positron emission tomography (PET) dynamic image sequence by two hypothesized mixel models: H/sub 0/ and H/sub 1/. It is assumed that the proportion of a lesion contributed to the mean of an observed time activity curve in the pixel is zero under H/sub 0/, but large than zero under H/sub 1/. A generalized maximum likelihood ratio GLR test is derived to distinguish which hypothesis holds for the given pixel. In order to estimate the constituents of mixture under the convexity constraint for each hypothesis, a recursive search algorithm is designed to find a global optimum, which yields a closed-form expression for the GLR test function. The performance of the GLR test is analyzed and tested using clinical PET dynamic data.
Finite-time L1 control for positive Markovian jump systems with constant time delay and partly known transition rates

The paper is concerned with finite-time L1 control for positive Markovian jump systems with constant time delay and partly known transition rates. By constructing appropriate co-positive type Lyapunov function, sufficient conditions for finite-time boundedness and L1 finite-time boundedness of the underlying system are firstly given. Based on the results obtained, a state feedback controller is designed such that the closed-loop Markovian jump system is positive and L1 finite-time bounded. All the proposed conditions are given in linear programming. Finally, an example is given to demonstrate the validity of the main results.
Fine structure and molecular characterization of two new parabasalid species that naturally colonize laboratory mice, Tritrichomonas musculus and Tritrichomonas casperi

Tritrichomonas muris is a common flagellated protist isolated from the cecum of wild rodents. This commensal protist has been shown previously to alter immune phenotypes in laboratory mice. Other trichomonads, referred to as Tritrichomonas musculis and Tritrichomonas rainier, also naturally colonize laboratory mice and cause immune alterations. This report formally describes two new trichomonads, Tritrichomonas musculus n. sp. , and Tritrichomonas casperi n. sp. , at the ultrastructural and molecular level. These two protists were isolated from laboratory mice and were differentiated by their size and the structure of their undulating membrane and posterior flagellum. Analysis at the 18S rRNA and trans‐ITS genetic loci supported their designation as distinct species, related to T. muris. To assess the true extent of parabasalid diversity infecting laboratory mice, 135 mice bred at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were screened using pan‐parabasalid primers that amplify the trans‐ITS region. Forty‐four percent of mice were positive for parabasalids, encompassing a total of eight distinct sequence types. Tritrichomonas casperi and Trichomitus‐like protists were dominant. T. musculus and T. rainier were also detected, but T. muris was not. Our work establishes a previously underappreciated diversity of commensal trichomonad flagellates that naturally colonize the enteric cavity of laboratory mice.
Underestimation of the spleen perfusion fraction by intravoxel incoherent motion MRI

weighted images is affected not only by the perfusion (fast diffusion) and the tissue diffusion (slow diffusion) but also by the biochemical composition of the tissues. 3 – 7 It has been noted that IVIM modeling of the perfusion component is constrained by the diffusion component, with a reduced D slow measure (i.e., tissue diffusion coefficient from the slope of signal decay over high b -values) leading to artificially higher PF and D fast measures. 4 – 6 Higher iron content in the liver can lead to lower IVIM-measured D slow and artificially higher PF. 5 Higher fat content in the liver can lead to an artificially higher PF. 6 Since liver has higher iron content than the spleen, we would expect that liver has lower D slow than the spleen; however, this is not the case for the measured result (Table 1, Figure 1B). Our DDVD analysis result does not indicate that the liver has much more tortuous micro-vasculature. Given the similar blood inflow per unit tissue per minute for the liver and for the spleen (Table 1), if the liver had a much more tortuous micro-vasculature (thus might be measured with a higher PF), then it is likely that liver DDVD would also be measured higher than the spleen DDVD. Unlike the measures of PF and D slow being mutually constrained, DDVD can offer independent measurement. For example, using DDVD, we demonstrated that liver microperfusion volume in healthy females starts to decrease even before menopause, which is consistent with histological observation. 4 On the other hand, the IVIM modeling derived results showed a paradoxical elevation of liver PF and D fast measures in older subjects (as compared with younger subjects). 4 We cannot fully explain why the spleen has lower IVIM-measured D slow and much lower PF compared with the liver. However, this could be associated with the fact that the spleen may be waterier than the liver, considering the longer T 1 and T 2 relaxation times of the spleen. The observations described in this letter support the notion that observed IVIM parameters may not represent the physiological measures. 7 Observed IVIM parameters, even when precisely measured using Equation (1), may still be organ specific. 7
Second-order finite-difference modeling of SH-wave propagation in laterally inhomogeneous media

Following a homogeneous formulation, a new finite-difference (FD) representation of the SH -wave field at first-order lateral discontinuities is introduced. The new scheme, in contrast to previous schemes, represents a consistent second-order approximation of the truncation error. By means of a new, generalized sufficient criterion of stability, the time increment can always be chosen so that the numerical errors of the new scheme remain bounded. Consequently, this FD approximation necessarily converges to the exact solution of the corresponding initial value problem. A numerical example of a Ricker wavelet, vertically incident on a basin structure, illustrates that the new FD scheme converges faster than previous schemes.
Rapid and effective synthesis of $\text{}^{40}\text{Ca}-\text{}^{27}\text{Al}$ ion pair towards quantum logic optical clock

High precision atomic clocks have been applied not only to very important technological problems such as synchronization and global navigation systems, but to the fundament precision measurement physics. Single $\text{}^{27}\text{Al}^+$ is one of the most attractions of selection system due to its very low blackbody radiation effect which dominates frequency shifts in other optical clock systems. Up to now, the $\text{}^{27}\text{Al}^+$ still could not be laser-cooled directly by reason that the absence of 167nm laser. Sympathetic cooling is a viable method to solve this problem. In this work, we used a single laser cooled $\text{}^{40}\text{Ca}^+$ to sympathetically cool one $\text{}^{27}\text{Al}^+$ in linear Paul trap. Comparing to laser ablation method we got a much lower velocity atoms sprayed from a home-made atom oven, which would make loading aluminum ion more efficient and the sympathetic cooling much easier. By the method of precisely measuring the secular frequency of the ion pair, finally we proved we obtained the $\text{}^{40}\text{Ca}-\text{}^{27}\text{Al}$ ion pair which could be used to quantum logic optical frequency standard.
Amphibian infection tolerance to chytridiomycosis

Animal defences against infection involve two distinct but complementary mechanisms: tolerance and resistance. Tolerance measures the animal's ability to limit detrimental effects from a given infection, whereas resistance is the ability to limit the intensity of that infection. Tolerance is a valuable defence for highly prevalent, persistent or endemic infections where mitigation strategies based on traditional resistance mechanisms are less effective or evolutionarily stable. Selective breeding of amphibians for enhanced tolerance to Batrachochytrium spp. has been suggested as a strategy for mitigating the impacts of the fungal disease, chytridiomycosis. Here, we define infection tolerance and resistance in the context of chytridiomycosis, present evidence for variation in tolerance to chytridiomycosis, and explore epidemiological, ecological and evolutionary implications of tolerance to chytridiomycosis. We found that exposure risk and environmental moderation of infection burdens are major confounders of resistance and tolerance, chytridiomycosis is primarily characterized by variation in constitutive rather than adaptive resistance, tolerance is epidemiologically important in driving pathogen spread and maintenance, heterogeneity of tolerance leads to ecological trade-offs, and natural selection for resistance and tolerance is likely to be dilute. Improving our understanding of infection tolerance broadens our capacity for mitigating the ongoing impacts of emerging infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Amphibian immunity: stress, disease and ecoimmunology’.
Testosterone immunomodulation in free-living and captive Rhinella icterica male toads

Testosterone (T) regulates immune function, with both immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive effects on several vertebrates. We investigated the covariation between plasma T and corticosterone (CORT) levels and immunity (plasma bacterial killing ability (BKA), and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR)) in free-living Rhinella icterica male toads inside and outside the reproductive season. We found an overall positive correlation between steroids and immune traits, with toads during the reproductive season displaying increased T, CORT and BKA. We also investigated the T transdermal application effects on T, CORT, phagocytosis of blood cells, BKA and NLR in captive toads. Toads were treated with T (1, 10 or 100 µg) or vehicle (sesame oil) for eight consecutive days. Animals were bled on the first and eighth days of treatment. Increased plasma T was observed on the first and last day of T-treatment, while increased BKA was observed following all T doses on the last day, with a positive correlation between T and BKA. Plasma CORT, NLR and phagocytosis increased on the last day for all T-treated and vehicle groups. Overall, we demonstrated a positive covariation between T and immune traits in the field and T-induced augmented BKA in captive toads, indicating a T immunoenhancing effect in R. icterica males. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Amphibian immunity: stress, disease and ecoimmunology’.
Non-financial reporting in non-profit organisations: the case of risk and governance disclosures in UK higher education institutions

ABSTRACT This paper investigates non-financial reporting in non-profit organisations. Specifically, it examines the extent to which UK higher education institutions (HEIs) make voluntary disclosures relating to risk management practices, and investigates whether composite governance quality index and senior management team characteristics can influence such risk disclosures. Using a sample of UK HEIs over a number of years and drawing insights from neo-institutional theory, our findings are three-fold. First, our baseline findings contribute to the literature by showing that the level of risk disclosure among HEIs in the UK is relatively low, especially when compared to the findings of prior studies that have been conducted on similar-sized publicly traded corporations. Second, we contribute to the literature by providing timely evidence on the impact of governance quality on risk disclosure. In particular, our evidence contributes to the existing literature by demonstrating that better-governed HEIs tend to engage in higher risk disclosures than their poorly-governed counterparts. Finally, our study contributes to the extant literature by providing new evidence that offers support for the “shared” governance model among UK HEIs. Specifically, our findings show that the positive governance quality–risk disclosure relationship is moderated/explained largely by the characteristics of the senior management team. Our findings are robust to controlling for endogeneities and alternative estimation techniques, with major implications for non-financial reporting. HIGHLIGHTS This paper examines non-financial reporting (NFR) in non-profit organisations, with specific focus on risk disclosures by UK higher education institutions (HEIs) We examine the effect of UK HEIs' governance quality on the level of risk disclosures; We investigate whether management team characteristics moderate the governance quality-risk disclosures nexus in UK HEIs We find that better-governed UK HEIs tend to engage in higher levels of risk disclosures We show further that the positive governance quality-risk disclosure relationship is moderated/explained largely by the characteristics of the senior management team
Microbiome time series data reveal predictable patterns of change

Background The gut microbiome is crucial for human health and disease. Longitudinal studies are gaining importance in understanding its dynamics over time, compared to cross-sectional approaches. Investigating the temporal dynamics of the microbiome, including individual bacterial species and clusters, is essential for comprehending its functionality and impact on health. This knowledge has implications for targeted therapeutic strategies, such as personalized diets and probiotic therapy. Results Here, by adopting a rigorous statistical approach, we aim to shed light on the temporal changes in the gut microbiome and unravel its intricate behavior over time. We leveraged four long and dense time series of the gut microbiome in generally healthy individuals examining how its composition evolves as a community and how individual bacterial species behave over time. We also explore whether specific clusters of bacteria exhibit similar fluctuations, which could provide insights into potential functional relationships and interactions within the microbiome Our study reveals that despite its high volatility, the human gut microbiome is stable in time and can be predicted based solely on its previous states. We characterize the unique temporal behavior of individual bacterial species and identify distinct longitudinal regimes in which bacteria exhibit specific patterns of behavior. Finally, through cluster analysis, we identify groups of bacteria that exhibit coordinated fluctuations over time. Conclusions Our findings contribute to our understanding of the dynamic nature of the gut microbiome and its potential implications for human health. The provided guidelines support scientists studying gut microbiome complex dynamics, promoting further research and advancements in microbiome analysis.
Social reward network connectivity differs between autistic and neurotypical youth during social interaction

A core feature of autism is difficulties with social interaction. Atypical social motivation is proposed to underlie these difficulties. However, prior work testing this hypothesis has shown mixed support and has been limited in its ability to understand real-world social-interactive processes in autism. We attempted to address these limitations by scanning neurotypical and autistic youth (n = 86) during a text-based reciprocal social interaction that mimics a “live” chat and elicits social reward processes. We focused on task-evoked functional connectivity (FC) of regions responsible for motivational-reward and mentalizing processes within the broader social reward circuitry. We found that task-evoked FC between these regions was significantly modulated by social interaction and receipt of social-interactive reward. Compared to neurotypical peers, autistic youth showed significantly greater task-evoked connectivity of core regions in the mentalizing network (e.g., posterior superior temporal sulcus) and the amygdala, a key node in the reward network. Furthermore, across groups, the connectivity strength between these mentalizing and reward regions was negatively correlated with self-reported social motivation and social reward during the scanner task. Our results highlight an important role of FC within the broader social reward circuitry for social-interactive reward. Specifically, greater context-dependent FC (i.e., differences between social engagement and non-social engagement) may indicate an increased “neural effort” during social reward and relate to differences in social motivation within autistic and neurotypical populations.
Navigation with minimal occupation volume for teleoperated snake-like surgical robots: MOVE

Master-Slave control is a common mode of operation for surgical robots as it ensures that surgeons are always in control and responsible for the procedure. Most teleoperated surgical systems use low degree-of-freedom (DOF) instruments, thus facilitating direct mapping of manipulator position to the instrument pose and tip location (tip-to-tip mapping). However, with the introduction of continuum and snake-like robots with much higher DOF supported by their inherent redundant architecture for navigating through curved anatomical pathways, there is a need for developing effective kinematic methods that can actuate all the joints in a controlled fashion. This paper introduces the concept of navigation with Minimal Occupation VolumE (MOVE), a teleoperation method that extends the concept of follow-the-leader navigation. It defines the path taken by the head while using all the available space surrounding the robot constrained by individual joint limits. The method was developed for the i 2 Snake robot and validated with detailed simulation and control experiments. The results validate key performance indices such as path following, body weights, path weights, fault tolerance and conservative motion. The MOVE solver can run in real-time on a standard computer at frequencies greater than 1 kHz.