Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fishlike rheotaxis

Fish rheotaxis, or alignment into flow currents, results from intertwined sensory, neural and actuation mechanisms, all coupled with hydrodynamics to produce a behaviour that is critical for upstream migration and position holding in oncoming flows. Among several sensory modalities, the lateral-line sensory system is thought to play a major role in the fish ability to sense minute water motions in their vicinity and, thus, in their rheotactic behaviour. Here, we propose a theoretical model consisting of a fishlike body equipped with lateral pressure sensors in oncoming uniform flows. We compute the optimal sensor locations that maximize the sensory output. Our results confirm recent experimental findings that correlate the layout of the lateral-line sensors with the distribution of hydrodynamic information at the fish surface. We then examine the behavioural response of the fishlike model as a function of its orientation and swimming speed relative to the background flow. Our working hypothesis is that fish respond to sensory information by adjusting their orientation according to the perceived difference in pressure. We find that, as in fish rheotaxis, the fishlike body responds by aligning into the oncoming flow. These findings may have significant implications on understanding the interplay between the sensory output and fish behaviour.
Developing a codebook for qualitative data analysis: insights from a study on learning transfer between university and the workplace

ABSTRACT The use of codebooks to categorise qualitative data and to increase consistency in coding between multiple researchers is a well-established strategy in qualitative research. However, due to the focus on team-based research projects, the possibilities for the use of codebooks by individual researchers are rarely discussed. With the aim of adding to current literature and practices on the use of codebooks, this article describes, following a personal narrative style, the process and explores the benefits and challenges of developing a codebook for the analysis of qualitative data by an individual researcher. Starting from a set of transcripts from interviews with undergraduate students completing a one-year work-placement, it describes how developing and using a codebook was instrumental in improving the rigour of data analysis, and in supporting data theorisation and reflection on a research project exploring transfer of learning between university and the workplace. The approach and discussions presented here will be useful to qualitative researchers looking for a systematic method for the development of a codebook, but also for researchers working independently on the analysis of qualitative data.
Error Recognition in Calculus Problems: What Characterizes Expertise?

Previous research in the area of expert-novice comparisons of mathematical problem solving has focused on the differences in categorization of and performance on math problems. These studies have led to the conclusion that while solving or categorizing problems, experts focus on deep processing and novices focus on surface structure. Other research dealing with true/false multiplication equations has shown that adults (considered experts in multiplication) can reject false answers before processing the equation. This study attempts to extend these findings by looking at the differences between experts and novices in the recognition of errors in true/false calculus verification expressions. The participants were professors (experts) and students (novices). The experiment consisted of participants answering 68 true/false calculus expressions (equations or conditionals) at three levels of difficulty. Reaction time, accuracy, and level of confidence were recorded. Experts were found to be quicker and more accurate overall. The experts were not able to reject the false problems more quickly than accepting the true ones. However, there was still some support for the hypothesis that experts are not only quantitatively better at task performance, but qualitatively different from novices in the type of processing they employ.
Electric-field-driven phase transition in vanadium dioxide

We report on local probe measurements of current-voltage and electrostatic force-voltage characteristics of electric-field-induced insulator to metal transition in VO2 thin film. In conducting AFM mode, switching from the insulating to metallic state occurs for electric-field threshold E~6.5\times10^7 Vm-1 at 300K. Upon lifting the tip above the sample surface, we find that the transition can also be observed through a change in electrostatic force and in tunneling current. In this noncontact regime, the transition is characterized by random telegraphic noise. These results show that electric field alone is sufficient to induce the transition; however, the electronic current provides a positive feedback effect that amplifies the phenomena.
Intranight optical variability of radio-quiet weak emission line quasars

We report an extension of our program to search for radio-quiet BL Lac candidates using intra-night optical variability (INOV) as a probe. The present INOV observations cover a well-defined representative set of 10 `radio-quiet weak-emission-line quasars' (RQWLQs), selected from a newly published sample of 46 such sources, derived from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (Data release 7). Intra-night CCD monitoring of the 10 RQWLQs was carried out in 18 sessions lasting at least 3.5 hours. For each session, differential light curves (DLCs) of the target RQWLQ were derived relative to two steady comparison stars monitored simultaneously. Combining these new data with those already published by us for 15 RQWLQs monitored in 30 sessions, we estimate an INOV duty cycle of $\sim 3\%$ for the RQWLQs, which appears inconsistent with BL Lacs. However, the observed INOV events (which occurred in just two of the sessions) are strong (with a fractional variability amplitude $\psi >$ 10\%), hence blazar-like. We briefly point out the prospects of an appreciable rise in the estimated INOV duty cycle for RQWLQs with a relatively modest increase in sensitivity for monitoring these rather faint objects.
Environmental Adaptability and Organic Pollutant Degradation Capacity of a Novel Rhodococcus Species Derived from Soil in the Uninhabited Area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is known for extreme natural environments and, surprisingly, has been reported to contain widespread organic pollutants. Rhodococcus can survive a variety of extreme environments and degrade many organic contaminants. Here, we isolated a Rhodococcus strain (FXJ9.536 = CGMCC 4.7853) from a soil sample collected in the QTP. Phylogenomic analysis indicated that the strain represents a novel Rhodococcus species, for which the name Rhodococcus tibetensis sp. nov. is proposed. Interestingly, R. tibetensis FXJ9.536 maintained a fast growth rate and degraded 6.2% of p-nitrophenol (4-NP) and 50.0% of malathion even at 10 °C. It could degrade 53.6% of 4-NP and 99.9% of malathion at a moderate temperature. The genome of R. tibetensis FXJ9.536 contains 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-monoxygenase and carboxylesterase genes, which are likely associated with the degradation of 4-NP and malathion, respectively. Further genomic analysis revealed that the strain might employ multiple strategies to adapt to the harsh QTP environment. These include synthesizing cold shock proteins, compatible solutes, secondary metabolites, and storage compounds, utilizing inorganic compounds as energy and nutrition sources, as well as degrading a range of organic pollutants. Overall, our study reveals the potential of a QTP-derived new actinobacterial species for environmental adaptation and remediation in cold regions.
Self-Balancing Dictionary Learning for Relaxed Collaborative Representation of Hyperspectral Image Classification

Supervised dictionary learning and representation (S-DLR) learning framework has demonstrated its superiority for hyperspectral image classification. Relaxed collaborative representation (RCR) has also been acknowledged as an effective method in balancing the similarity and difference between features. In this article, a new dictionary learning method is introduced to balance the discrimination and reconstruction of training samples. In the dictionary learning stage, two new indicators are designed to measure the discriminability of items and can be improved by optimizing coding coefficients. The imposed $l_{2}$ -norm between the independent item and the mean of class-specific samples constrains the similarity, and the calculated weights measure the difference. In the label determination stage, considering that the residuals of RCR are adversely affected by the significant difference of features, a new classification approach is introduced. Class labels are assigned without calculating the reconstruction errors but calculating the levels of comprehensive contribution from all training samples instead. Since the effectiveness will be degraded when dealing with more complex circumstances, a region-based version is further introduced. It can further improve the discrimination of dictionary items due to the reduced categories in each subimage and reduce the computation cost. The experimental results on several hyperspectral datasets demonstrate that our methods can effectively improve the classification performance.
Health At Every Size intervention® under real-world conditions: the rights and wrongs of program implementation

ABSTRACT Implementation integrity is known to be critical to the success of interventions. The Health At Every Size® (HAES®) approach is deemed to be a sustainable intervention on weight-related issues. However, no study in the field has yet investigated the effects of implementation on outcomes in a real-world setting. Objective This study aims to explore to what extent does implementation integrity moderate program outcomes across multiple sites. Methods One hundred sixty-two women nested in 21 health facilities across the province of Québec (Canada) were part of a HAES® intervention and completed questionnaires at baseline and after the intervention. Participant responsiveness (e.g. home practice completion) along with other implementation dimensions (dosage, adherence, adaptations) and providers’ characteristics (n = 45) were assessed using a mix of qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Adaptations to the program curriculum were categorized as either acceptable or unacceptable. Multilevel linear modeling was performed with participant responsiveness and other implementation dimensions predictors. Intervention outcomes were intuitive eating and body esteem. Results Unacceptable adaptations were significantly associated with providers’ self-efficacy (rs (23) = . 59, p = . 003) and past experience with facilitating the intervention (r(23) = . 47, p = . 03). Participant responsiveness showed a significant interaction between time and home practice completion (B = .07, p < .05) on intuitive eating scores. Conclusion Except for participant responsiveness, other implementation dimensions did not moderate outcomes. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Affinity of new anticancer agent, 7-trimethylsilyl-ethyl-10-amino-camptothecin, to membranes and HSA determined by fluorescence spectroscopy methods

The application of fluorescence anisotropy measurements in determining the properties of camptothecin analogue 7-trimethylsilylethyl-10-amino-camptothecin ‐ a promising anticancer agent ‐ is described in this paper. The fluorescence anisotropy measurements provide useful information about binding of camptothecins to membranes and proteins, including human serum albumin (HSA). Knowledge of these properties is important for potential clinica l applications of these agents, and permits to sele ct from camptothecin analogues only those which exhibit desirable properties. An active lactone form of camptothecin in fluids at pH 7.4 hydrolyses and con verts into an inactive carboxylate form. The carboxylate form of camptothecin binds easily and irre versibly to HSA. Only free carboxylate form can transform back into lactone, then in the presence o f HSA one direction transition occurs (from lactone to carboxylate); therefore in HSA solution, after a bout two hours, the lactone form almost totaly deca ys. On the other hand, the camptothecins bound to membranes do not hydrolyse. Fluorescence anisotropy measurements prove that 7-trimethylsilylethyl-10-amino-camptothecin exhibits desirable properties: high affinity of its lactone form to membranes and low affinity of its carboxylate form to HSA. Such properties should ensure high stability of this dru g in physiological fluids, including blood.
Space Microbiology: Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Microorganisms in Space

Biological Weighting of Radiation Environmental Radiation and Life Terrestrial Radiation Environment The Radiation Environment of Space Effects of Cosmic Radiation on Microorganisms Responses to Combined Action of Space Radiation and Microgravity Chances of Interplanetary Transfer of Life Environmental Radiation and Putative Habitats on Mars Keywords: extreme environments; ionizing radiation; radiation; space microbiology
Meson fluctuations and thermodynamics of the Polyakov-loop-extended quark-meson model

Thermodynamics of the Polyakov-loop-extended two-flavor chiral quark-meson model (PQM) is explored. The analysis of the PQM model is based on the functional renormalization group method. An appropriate truncation of the effective action with quarks coupled to background gluonic fields is introduced. Within this scheme, we derive the renormalization group flow equation for the scale-dependent thermodynamic potential at finite temperature and density in the presence of a symmetry breaking external field. The influence of fluctuations and of the background gluon field on the properties of net-quark number density fluctuations and their higher moments is explored. We study the dependence of the kurtosis of quark-number fluctuations on the pion mass and show that, in the presence of a symmetry-breaking term, the fluctuations lead to a smoothing of observables near the crossover transition.
The Classification of Solutions of Quadratic Riemann Problems. I.

Abstract : We are interested in classifying the solutions of Riemann problems for the 2 x 2 conservation laws which have homogeneous quadratic flux functions. Such flux functions approximate an arbitrary 2 x 2 system in a neighborhood of an isolated point where strict hyperbolicity fails. This problem was motivated by Marchesin and Paes-Leme who discovered such a singularity in a system of equations arising in oil reservoir simulation. Schaeffer, Shearer, Marchesin and Paes-Leme solved the Riemann problem for this system in a neighborhood of the singular point. Isaacson and Temple outlined a program for classifying such singularities by means of locating normal forms for the equivalence classes of equations generated by linear changes in dependent variables. A 2-parameter family of such normal forms were found by Plohr. In the important work of Schaeffer and Shearer a new normal form was found which reduced the classification of integral curves to a theorem of Darboux on the classification of umbilic points for homogeneous cubic equations. The integral curves fall into four isomorphism classes, called Regions I-IV. In this paper we give the solution of the Riemann problem for the systems in Region IV which exhibit up-down symmetry. A presentation of the solutions of the corresponding systems in Regions II and III will follow.
Endoscopic Findings and Treatment of Gastric Neoplasms in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis

Purpose Gastric neoplasia is a common manifestation of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). This study aimed to elucidate the clinical characteristics, endoscopic features including fundic gland polyposis (FGPsis), and treatment outcomes of gastric neoplasms (GNs) in patients with FAP. Materials and Methods A total of 35 patients diagnosed with FAP, including nine patients from four pedigrees who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), were investigated regarding patient characteristics, GN morphology, and treatment outcomes. Results Twenty-one patients (60.0%) had 38 GNs; 33 (86.8%) and 5 (13.2%) were histologically diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and adenoma, respectively. There were no specific patient characteristics related to GNs. Nodule-type GNs were more prevalent in patients with FGP than without (52.2% vs. 0.0%, P=0.002) in the upper body of the stomach. Conversely, depressed-type GNs were fewer in patients with FGPsis than in those without (13.0% vs. 73.3%, P<0.001). Slightly elevated-type GNs were observed in both groups (34.8% vs. 20.0%, P=0.538). Even within pedigrees, the background gastric mucosa and types of GNs varied. In total, 24 GNs were treated with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and eight with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). EMR was selected for GNs with FGPsis because of the technical difficulty of ESD, resulting in a lower en bloc resection rate (62.5% vs. 100%, P=0.014). Conclusions Our study indicates the necessity of routine EGD surveillance in patients diagnosed with FAP. Notably, the morphology and location of GNs differed between patients with and without FGPsis. Endoscopic treatment and outcomes require more attention in cases of FGPsis.
Einstein–Yang-Mills–Chern-Simons solutions inD=2n+1dimensions

We investigate finite energy solutions of the Einstein--Yang-Mills--Chern-Simons system in odd spacetime dimensions, D=2n+1, with n>1. Our configurations are static and spherically symmetric, approaching at infinity a Minkowski spacetime background. In contrast with the Abelian case, the contribution of the Chern-Simons term is nontrivial already in the static, spherically symmetric limit. Both globally regular, particle-like solutions and black holes are constructed numerically for several values of D. These solutions carry a nonzero electric charge and have finite mass. For globally regular solutions, the value of the electric charge is fixed by the Chern-Simons coupling constant. The black holes can be thought as non-linear superpositions of Reissner-Nordstrom and non-Abelian configurations. A systematic discussion of the solutions is given for D=5, in which case the Reissner-Nordstrom black hole becomes unstable and develops non-Abelian hair. We show that some of these non-Abelian configurations are stable under linear, spherically symmetric perturbations. A detailed discussion of an exact D=5 solution describing extremal black holes and solitons is also provided.
Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Eight Diurnal Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae): New Insights into the Origin and Evolution of Diurnalism in Sphingids

Simple Summary We newly sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of 22 species from three subfamilies in the family Sphingidae. The mitogenomes of six diurnal species were newly sequenced, assembled, and annotated in this study (Hemaris radians, Macroglossum bombylans, Macroglossum fritzei, Macroglossum pyrrhosticta, Neogurelca himachala, and Sataspes xylocoparis) and, together with those of two previously reported diurnal hawkmoths (Cephonodes hylas and Macroglossum stellatarum), were analyzed in terms of sequence length, nucleotide composition, relative synonymous codon usage, non-synonymous/synonymous substitution ratio, gene spacing, and repeat sequences. The phylogenetic relationships among the subfamilies of Sphingidae were analyzed to explore the origin, divergence time, and evolutionary status of diurnal sphingids. In addition, we performed divergence time estimation and reconstruction of ancestral characters. Diurnal behavior of hawkmoths first originated 29.19 million years ago (Mya) and may have been influenced by the combination of herbaceous flourishing, which occurred 26–28 Mya, the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, and the large-scale evolution of bats in the Oligocene to Pre-Miocene. Moreover, diurnalism in hawkmoths had multiple independent origins. Abstract In this study, the mitochondrial genomes of 22 species from three subfamilies in the Sphingidae were sequenced, assembled, and annotated. Eight diurnal hawkmoths were included, of which six were newly sequenced (Hemaris radians, Macroglossum bombylans, M. fritzei, M. pyrrhosticta, Neogurelca himachala, and Sataspes xylocoparis) and two were previously published (Cephonodes hylas and Macroglossum stellatarum). The mitochondrial genomes of these eight diurnal hawkmoths were comparatively analyzed in terms of sequence length, nucleotide composition, relative synonymous codon usage, non-synonymous/synonymous substitution ratio, gene spacing, and repeat sequences. The mitogenomes of the eight species, ranging in length from 15,201 to 15,461 bp, encode the complete set of 37 genes usually found in animal mitogenomes. The base composition of the mitochondrial genomes showed A+T bias. The most commonly used codons were UUA (Leu), AUU (Ile), UUU (Phe), AUA (Met), and AAU (Asn), whereas GCG (Ala) and CCG (Pro) were rarely used. A phylogenetic tree of Sphingidae was constructed based on both maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. We verified the monophyly of the four current subfamilies of Sphingidae, all of which had high support. In addition, we performed divergence time estimation and ancestral character reconstruction analyses. Diurnal behavior in hawkmoths originated 29.19 million years ago (Mya). It may have been influenced by the combination of herbaceous flourishing, which occurred 26–28 Mya, the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, and the large-scale evolution of bats in the Oligocene to Pre-Miocene. Moreover, diurnalism in hawkmoths had multiple independent origins in Sphingidae.
Advanced biped gait generator using NARX-MLP neural model optimized by enhanced evolutionary algorithm

A novel biped walking pattern combining robust zero-moment-point ZMP technique and pre-determined foot-lifting value is proposed in this paper. The implementation of suggested approach contains following stages. Initially, a one-step ZMP curve for a small-sized humanoid is created using the 3rd-order interpolating equation, with pre-determined velocity responding the ZMP concept. The next step, biped gait planning is modeled as a non-linear MIMO plant including ten degree-of-freedom DOF. Then, the installation of a biped walking pattern generator (WPG) based on the new hybrid Neural-NARX model is completed. Eventually, the novel Enhanced Differential Evolution (EDE) technique is applied to optimally identify the weights of the hybrid Neural-NARX structure, for ensuring robust robot walking in terms of desired ZMP trajectories and pre-determined foot-lifting value. All case studies confirm that it is surely provide a biped WPG satisfying both of the effectiveness and high robustness. The verification of the newly proposed WPG is adequately tested via both simulation and experiment results.
Net flow rates versus roll rates as non-performing consumer loans forecasting methodologies

Roll rates and net flow rates can be seen as the evolution of ageing of accounts receivable and Markov chains. They are accepted methodologies to model the behavior of non-performing consumer loans by buckets and to predict losses, but we find that quite often they are wrongly used as interchangeable concepts, although roll rates track individual accounts across buckets in consecutive months and net flow rates just compare consecutive buckets in consecutive months. We determine their matrices of transition probabilities and analyze them in both stationary and steady-state conditions. Net flow rates have many advantages over roll rates, but a quite important finding for financial institutions and supervisors is that historical flow rates are not conservative for forecasting: when the level of new delinquencies soars, contemporary flow rates will tend to be lower than they would be in steady-state conditions, creating a feeling of false confidence and leading to the underestimation of future losses.