Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Properties of galaxies with ring structures

Aims: We present a statistical analysis of different characteristics of ringed spiral galaxies with the aim of assessing the effects of rings on disk galaxy properties. Methods: We built a catalog of ringed galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 14 (SDSS-DR14). Via visual inspection of SDSS images, we classified the face-on spiral galaxies brighter than $g<16.0$ mag into galaxies with: an inner ring, an outer ring, a nuclear ring, both an inner and an outer ring, and a pseudo-ring. In addition to rings, we recorded morphological types and the existence of bars, lenses, and galaxy pair companions with or without interaction. With the goal of providing an appropriate quantification of the influence of rings on galaxy properties, we also constructed a suitable control sample of non-ringed galaxies with similar redshift, magnitude, morphology, and local density environment distributions to those of ringed ones. Results: We found 1868 ringed galaxies, accounting for 22% of the full sample of spiral galaxies. In addition, within galaxies with ringed structures, 46% have an inner ring, 10% an outer ring, 20% both an inner and an outer ring, 6% a nuclear ring, and 18% a partial ring. Moreover, 64% of the ringed galaxies present bars. We also found that ringed galaxies have both a lower efficiency of star formation activity and older stellar populations (as derived with the $D_n(4000)$ spectral index) with respect to non-ringed disk objects from the control sample. Galaxies with ringed structures present an excess of high metallicity values compared to non-ringed ones, which show a $12 + \rm Log (\rm O /\rm H)$ distribution toward lower values. These findings seem to indicate that rings are peculiar structures that produce an accelerating galactic evolution, strongly altering the physical properties of their host galaxies.
Theoretical analysis of the leptonic decays 
B→ℓℓℓ′ν¯ℓ′

We discuss the amplitude of the B → lllν decays and the differential decay rate dΓ/dqdq, q the momentum of the ll pair emitted from the electromagnetic vertex and q the momentum of the lν pair emitted from the weak vertex. For the relevant form factors, we construct dispersion representations in q which consistently take into account the Ward identity constraints at q = 0 and the contributions of light vector resonances. This allows a reliable description of the form factors in the range 0 < q ≤ 1 GeV that saturates around 99% of the decay rate. The differential decay rate behaves at small q as dΓ(B → lllν)/dq ∝ 1/q in the limit ml = 0, but contains also more singlular contribution of order m l /q , which we take into account. For the case ml ≤ ml, the latter may be neglected and one obtains a mild logarithmic dependence of Γ(B → lllν) on ml. For the case ml ≪ ml, however, the m l /q terms dominate the decay rate leading to Γ(B → lllν) ∼ m l /ml . Consequently, one finds the following features of the four-lepton Bdecays: (i) The decay rates Γ ( B → μμ(μνμ, eνe) )
Floquet vacuum engineering: Laser-driven chiral soliton lattice in the QCD vacuum

What happens to the QCD vacuum when a time-periodic circularly polarized laser field with a sufficiently large intensity and frequency is applied? Based on the Floquet formalism for periodically driven systems and the systematic low-energy effective theory of QCD, we show that for a sufficiently large frequency and above a critical intensity, the QCD vacuum is unstable against the chiral soliton lattice of pions; a crystalline structure of topological solitons that spontaneously breaks parity and continuous translational symmetries. Our work would pave the way for novel “Floquet vacuum engineering. ”
NeuSaver: Neural Adaptive Power Consumption Optimization for Mobile Video Streaming

Video streaming services strive to support high-quality videos at higher resolutions and frame rates to improve the quality of experience (QoE). However, high-quality videos consume considerable amounts of energy on mobile devices. This paper proposes NeuSaver, which reduces the power consumption of mobile devices when streaming videos by applying an adaptive frame rate to each video chunk without compromising the user experience. NeuSaver generates a policy that can determine the appropriate frame rate for each video chunk using reinforcement learning (RL). The RL model automatically learns the policy that optimizes the QoE goals based on previous observations. NeuSaver also uses an asynchronous advantage actor-critic algorithm to reinforce the RL model quickly and robustly. Streaming servers that support NeuSaver preprocess videos into segments with various frame rates, which is similar to the process of creating videos with multiple bit rates in dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP. NeuSaver utilizes the commonly used H.264 video codec. We evaluated NeuSaver in various experiments and a user study through four video categories along with the previously proposed model. Our experiments showed that NeuSaver effectively reduces the power consumption of mobile devices when streaming video by an average of 16.14% and up to 23.12% while maintaining high QoE.
Tinkering: A Way Towards Designing Transparent Algorithmic User Interfaces

With the widespread use of algorithms in interactive systems, it becomes inevitable for the users to apply these algorithms with caution. Algorithms are applied to make decisions in healthcare, hiring, the criminal justice system, and social media news feed among others. Thus, algorithmic systems impact human lives and society in significant ways. As a consequence, currently, the focus has been shifted toward designing transparent algorithmic user interfaces (UI’s) – to make the algorithmic aspects more explicit. Designing transparent algorithmic user interfaces requires the designer to bring the algorithmic aspects of control at the UI level without causing information overload. This research attempts to investigate this gap by proposing tinkering or playful experimentation as a means of designing transparent algorithmic UI’s. Tinkering is a cognitive style related to problem-solving, decision making, enables exploration with the interactive system. The proposed approach of combining tinkering with transparent UI’s serves two potential purposes: first, the exploratory nature of tinkering has the ability to make the algorithmic aspects transparent without hurting users experience (UX), while providing flexibility and sufficient control in the personalized interactive experience; second, it enables the designer to detect software inclusiveness issues in the design before they become part of the final software, by allowing us to measure how much algorithmic transparency is desired across different user groups.
Efficacy of pembrolizumab combined with anlotinib in 3 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is any type of epithelial lung cancer and accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, is approved to treat patients with advanced NSCLC. Anlotinib, a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is approved in China for treating patients with advanced NSCLC with progression or recurrence after ≥ 2 lines of systemic chemotherapy. Whether pembrolizumab combined with anlotinib has synergistic effects on treating advanced NSCLC patients remains unclear. Here we reported that three cases of patients with advanced NSCLC had a good response and a long time of PR to pembrolizumab combined with anlotinib treatment, indicating that combined administration of pembrolizumab and anlotinib can be optional management for advanced NSCLC.
Low Concentration of Etoposide Induces Enhanced Osteogenesis in MG63 Cells via Pin1 Activation

: This study aimed to examine whether a low concentration of etoposide can accelerate osteogenesis via the activation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 in human MG63 cells using a genetic knockdown approach. MG63 cells treated with 0.1 μM etoposide for 24 h showed neither reduction in cell viability nor induction of cellular senescence; however, there was a significant increase in the percentage of nuclear staining with γH2AX as compared with that in untreated control cells, indicating that 0.1 μM etoposide induces weak DNA damage response (DDR) in the cells. Treatment with 0.1 μM etoposide accelerates osteogenesis in osteogenic induction medium (OIM)-cultured MG63 cells, demonstrating increased expression of Runx2 and Osterix and intense alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, as compared with cells treated without etoposide. In addition to those osteogenic markers, Pin1 expression was upregulated in the etoposide-treated cells, suggesting that the weak DDR may provide an interaction between Pin1 activation and osteogenic markers. The RNA interfer -ence-mediated silencing of Pin1 suppressed the expression of osteogenic markers and ALP staining in the OIM-cultured cells pretreated with 0.1 μM etoposide. Based on these findings, we suggest that a low concentration of etoposide induces mild DDR to activate Pin1, eventually promoting OIM-induced osteogenesis in the MG63 cells.
VGG-CovidNet: Bi-Branched Dilated Convolutional Neural Network for Chest X-Ray-Based COVID-19 Predictions

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating impact on the health and welfare of the global population A key measure to combat COVID-19 has been the effective screening of infected patients A vital screening process is the chest radiograph Initial studies have shown irregularities in the chest radiographs of COVID-19 patients The use of the chest X-ray (CXR), a leading diagnostic technique, has been encouraged and driven by several ongoing projects to combat this disease because of its historical effectiveness in providing clinical insights on lung diseases This study introduces a dilated bi-branched convoluted neural network (CNN) architecture, VGG-COVIDNet, to detect COVID-19 cases from CXR images The front end of the VGG-COVIDNet consists of the first 10 layers of VGG-16, where the convolutional layers in these layers are reduced to two to minimize latency during the training phase The last two branches of the proposed architecture consist of dilated convolutional layers to reduce the model's computational complexity while retaining the feature maps' spatial information The simulation results show that the proposed architecture is superior to all the state-of-the-art architecture in accuracy and sensitivity The proposed architecture's accuracy and sensitivity are 96 5% and 96%, respectively, for each infection type © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4 0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
A Technical Framework for Selection of Autonomous UAV Navigation Technologies and Sensors

: The autonomous navigation of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) relies heavily on the navigation sensors. The UAV’s level of autonomy depends upon the various navigation systems, such as state measurement, mapping, and obstacle avoidance. Selecting the correct components is a critical part of the design process. However, this can be a particularly difficult task, especially for novices as there are several technologies and components available on the market, each with their own individual advantages and disadvantages. For example, satellite-based navigation components should be avoided when designing indoor UAVs. Incorporating them in the design brings no added value to the final product and will simply lead to increased cost and power consumption. Another issue is the number of vendors on the market, each trying to sell their hardware solutions which often incorporate similar technologies. The aim of this paper is to serve as a guide, proposing various methods to support the selection of fit-for-purpose technologies and components whilst avoiding system layout conflicts. The paper presents a study of the various navigation technologies and supports engineers in the selection of specific hardware solutions based on given requirements. The selection methods are based on easy-to-follow flow charts. A comparison of the various hardware components specifications is also included as part of this work.
Quantifying the effects of delisting wolves after the first state began lethal management

Predators and their protection are controversial worldwide. Gray wolves, Canis lupus, lost U.S. federal protection (delisting) and the State of Wisconsin began lethal management first among all states and tribes that regained authority over wolves. Here we evaluated the initial success of reaching the state’s explicit objective, “…to allow for a sustainable harvest that neither increases nor decreases the state’s wolf population…” We used official state figures for hunter-killed wolves, population estimates from April 2017–2020, and the latest peer-reviewed model of individual wolf survival to estimate additional deaths resulting from federal delisting. More than half of the additional deaths were predicted to be cryptic poaching under the assumption that this period resembled past periods of liberalized wolf-killing in Wisconsin. We used a precautionary approach to construct three conservative scenarios to predict the current status of this wolf population and a minimum estimate of population decline since April 2020. From our scenarios that vary in growth rates and additional mortality estimates, we expect a maximum of 695–751 wolves to be alive in Wisconsin by 15 April 2021, a minimum 27–33% decline in the preceding 12 months. This contradicts the state expectation of no change in the population size. We draw a conclusion about the adequacy of regulatory mechanisms under state control of wolves and discuss the particular governance conditions met in Wisconsin. We recommend greater rigor and independent review of the science used by agencies to plan wolf hunting quotas and methods. We recommend clearer division of duties between state wildlife agencies, legislatures, and courts. We recommend federal governments reconsider the practice of sudden deregulation of wolf management and instead recommend they consider protecting predators as non-game or transition more slowly to subnational authority, to avoid the need for emergency relisting.
Role of Venetoclax in the Treatment of Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Biomarker-driven targeted therapies have been an area of exploration for innovative therapeutic options in oncology. B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) protein is an anti-apoptotic protein expressed on the clonal plasma cells in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). MM subsets with t (11;14) have overexpression of BCL-2 and can benefit from venetoclax (VEN) when used either alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents with an overall response rate (ORR) ranging from 40% to 100%. The most commonly reported grade ≥ 3 adverse effects include cytopenias and gastrointestinal side effects. This review highlights the meaningful efficacy and tolerable safety of VEN monotherapy and its combination regimens in the treatment of relapsed refractory MM.
NLRP3 inflammasome activation mediates sleep deprivation-induced pyroptosis in mice

Background Sleep deprivation (SD) has many deleterious health effects, including cognitive decline, work ability decline, inadequate alertness, etc. Neuroinflammation plays an important role in sleep deprivation. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Methods In the present study, we detected the activation of microglia and apoptosis of nerve cells in sleep deprivation (SD) mice model using IHC, HE staining and TUNEL apoptosis assay. RT-PCR array data were used to detect the expression of inflammatory bodies in hippocampal CA1 region after sleep deprivation, to explore how NLRP3 inflammasome regulates neuronal apoptosis and how specific signaling pathways are involved in SD-induced activation of NLRP3/pyrosis axis. Results We found the number of microglia significantly increased in SD mice, while this effect was blocked by sleep recovery. RT-PCR array data suggested that NLRP3 inflammasome, but not other inflammasomes, was obviously increased in hippocampus CA1 region after sleep deprivation. Mechanistically, we found that NLRP3 mediated the pyroptosis of neurocyte through GSDMD-dependent way , and P38 and ERK-MAPK signaling pathway is involved in SD-induced activation of NLRP3/pyroptosis axis. All these results suggested that MAPK/NLRP3 axis mediated SD-induced pyroptosis. Conclusion NLRP3 plays an important role in SD-induced neuroinflammation. Thus, NLRP3 inflammasome is expected to be a potential therapeutic target for SD-induced neuroinflammation.
Differential Distributions of Myopia Severity in Younger and Older Individuals with Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

examination by a VR consultant using a 78 D condensing lens, three-mirror lens, and binocular indirect ophthalmoscope for both affected and fellow eye. Clinical diagnosis of RRD was confirmed by the presence of retinal detachment associated with retinal break. Myopia severity was determined by glasses prescription of the affected eye, refractive status of the fellow eye and further matched with the a-scan axial length of both eyes. We further categorized myopia severity as no myopia (<−0.50 D), low myopia (−0.50 to −3.00 D), moderate myopia (−3.0 to −6.00 D), and high myopia (≥−6.0 D). Our main analysis was distribution of myopia severity by age group using mean age as a cut-off: young adult (<48 years of age) and older adult (≥48 years of age).
Role of Polymeric Local Drug Delivery in Multimodal Treatment of Malignant Glioma: A Review

Abstract Malignant gliomas (MGs) are the most common and devastating primary brain tumor. At present, surgical interventions, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are only marginally effective in prolonging the life expectancy of patients with MGs. Inherent heterogeneity, aggressive invasion and infiltration, intact physical barriers, and the numerous mechanisms underlying chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance contribute to the poor prognosis for patients with MGs. Various studies have investigated methods to overcome these obstacles in MG treatment. In this review, we address difficulties in MG treatment and focus on promising polymeric local drug delivery systems. In contrast to most local delivery systems, which are directly implanted into the residual cavity after intratumoral injection or the surgical removal of a tumor, some rapidly developing and promising nanotechnological methods—including surface-decorated nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, and focused ultrasound assist transport—are administered through (systemic) intravascular injection. We also discuss further synergistic and multimodal strategies for heightening therapeutic efficacy. Finally, we outline the challenges and therapeutic potential of these polymeric drug delivery systems.
An Analysis of Usage of a Multi-Criteria Approach in an Athlete Evaluation: An Evidence of NHL Attackers

The presented research focuses on the commonly used Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), which is applied to an evaluation of a basic set of 581 national hockey league (NHL) players in the 2018/2019 season. This is used in combination with a number of objective methods for weighting indicators for identifying differences in their usage. A total of 11 indicators with their own testimonial values, including points, hits, blocked shots and more, are selected for this purpose. The selection of a method for weighting indicators has a major influence on the results obtained and the differences between them, and maintains the internal links within the ranked set of players. Of the evaluated methods, we prefer the Mean Weight method, and we recommend that the input indicators be considered equivalent when evaluating athletes.
Early Onset Neutropenia due to Rituximab Therapy in Mantle Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report

Cases of late onset neutropenia (LON) after rituximab therapy have been documented, but few cases have been documented of early onset neutropenia (EON). We present a case report of a patient with mantle cell lymphoma who presented with EON, only 6 days after initiation of rituximab therapy, notable for the shortest duration to EON ever reported in literature. Throughout this paper, we explore the potential pathogenesis and incidence of EON with the help of our unique case.
Enhancing the Separation Performance of Aqueous Phase Separation-Based Membranes through Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Coatings and Interfacial Polymerization

The aqueous phase separation (APS) technique allows membrane fabrication without use of unsustainable organic solvents, while at the same time, it provides extensive control over membrane pore size and morphology. Herein, we investigate if polyelectrolyte complexation-induced APS ultrafiltration membranes can be the basis for different types of nanofiltration membranes. We demonstrate that APS membranes can be used as support membranes for functional surface coatings like thin polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEMs) and interfacial polymerization (IP) coatings. Three different PEMs were fabricated on poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) APS ultrafiltration membranes, and only 4.5 bilayers were needed to create nanofiltration membranes with molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) values of 210–390 Da while maintaining a roughly constant water permeability (∼1.7 L·m–2·h–1·bar–1). The PEM-coated membranes showed excellent MgCl2 (∼98%), NaCl (∼70%), and organic micropollutant retention values (>90%). Similarly, fabricating thin polyamide layers on the ultrafiltration PSS-PAH APS membranes by IP resulted in nanofiltration membranes with MWCO values of ∼200 Da. This work shows for the first time that APS membranes can indeed be utilized as excellent support membranes for the application of functional coatings without requiring any form of pretreatment.
Remote testing for psychological and physiological acoustics: Initial report of the P&P Task Force on Remote Testing

Acoustics research involving human participants typically takes place in specialized laboratory settings. Lis-tening studies, for example, may present controlled sounds using calibrated transducers in sound-attenuating or anechoic chambers. In contrast, remote testing takes place away from the lab, in natural settings or in participants’ homes. Remote testing could provide greater access to participants, larger sample sizes, and enhanced ecological validity, at the cost of reduced acoustical control, less precise calibration, and incon-sistency of participant experiences. The ASA Technical Committee on Psychological and Physiological Acoustics (P&P) launched the Task Force on Remote Testing in May 2020, with goals of (1) surveying ap-proaches and platforms available to support remote testing by ASA members, (2) identifying challenges and considerations for prospective investigators, and (3) communicating this information via online resources, papers, and presentations. Longer-term goals include identifying best practices and providing resources for evaluating outcomes of remote testing, e.g. via peer review.