Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prior information: How to circumvent the standard joint-measurement uncertainty relation

The principle of complementarity is quantified in two ways: by a universal uncertainty relation valid for arbitrary joint estimates of any two observables from a given measurement setup and by a general uncertainty relation valid for the optimal estimates of the same two observables when the state of the system prior to measurement is known. A formula is given for the optimal estimate of any given observable, based on arbitrary measurement data and prior information about the state of the system, which generalizes and provides a more robust interpretation of previous formulas for 'local expectations' and 'weak values' of quantum observables. As an example, the canonical joint measurement of position X and momentum P corresponds to measuring the commuting operators X{sub J}=X+X{sup '} and P{sub J}=P-P{sup '}, where the primed variables refer to an auxiliary system in a minimum-uncertainty state. It is well known that {delta}X{sub J}{delta}P{sub J}{>=}({Dirac_h}/2{pi}). Here it is shown that given the same physical experimental setup and knowledge of the system density operator prior to measurement, one can make improved joint estimates X{sub opt} and P{sub opt} of X and P. These improved estimates are not only statistically closer to X and P but further satisfy {delta}X{submore » opt}{delta}P{sub opt}{>=}({Dirac_h}/2{pi})/4, where equality can be achieved in certain cases. Thus one can do up to four times better than the standard lower bound (where the latter corresponds to the limit of no prior information). Other applications include the heterodyne detection of orthogonal quadratures of a single-mode optical field and joint measurements based on Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations. « less
EXAMINING DUST GRAIN MODELS USING THE REDDENING AND X-RAY DUST HALO OF TERZAN 2

We use the X-ray dust halo of the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1724−307, located in the globular cluster Terzan 2, to probe the interstellar medium along this line of sight (LOS). The X-ray dust halo arises from X-rays scattering off of interstellar dust grains. Using a low optical depth sight line to determine the Chandra ACIS point-spread function, we extracted the radial profile as a function of energy and used it to determine the H column density (NH) and cloud location along the LOS for several dust grain models, including the commonly-used models of MRN and WD. The resulting NH values were used to determine the reddening E(B − V), which was then compared with the average E(B − V) for this sight line found by other workers. We found that for this LOS, only the ZDA BARE-AC-S, BARE-GR-FG, and BARE-GR-S models yield reddenings within 1σ of the literature average.
Supersymmetric low-energy theory and renormalization group for a clean Fermi gas with a repulsion in arbitrary dimensions.

We suggest a method of calculations for a clean Fermi gas with a repulsion in any dimension. This method is based on writing equations for quasiclassical Green functions and reducing them to equations for collective spin and charge excitations. The spin excitations interact with each other, and this leads to nontrivial physics. Writing the solution of the equations and the partition function in terms of a functional integral over supervectors and averaging over fluctuating fields we come to an effective field theory describing the spin excitations. In some respects, the theory is similar to bosonization but also includes the ``ghost'' excitations, which prevents overcounting of the degrees of freedom. Expansion in the interaction reveals logarithmic in temperature corrections. This enables us to suggest a renormalization group scheme and derive renormalization group equations. Solving these equations and using their solutions for calculating thermodynamic quantities we obtain explicit expression for the specific heat containing only an effective amplitude of the backward scattering. This amplitude has a complicated dependence on the logarithm of temperature, which leads to a nontrivial temperature dependence of the specific heat.
An Exploration of Spatial Radiomic Features in Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a rare, multi-systemic, inflammatory disease, primarily affecting the lungs. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) scans are used to clinically characterize pulmonary sarcoidosis. In the medical imaging field, there is growing recognition to switch from visual examination of CT images to more rapid, objective assessments of the abnormalities. In this work, we explore the usefulness of various objective measures of spatial heterogeneity---fractal dimension, Moran's I, and Geary's C ---for distinguishing between abnormal sarcoidosis and normal lung parenchyma. CT data for N=58 sarcoidosis subjects enrolled at National Jewish Health were obtained from the GRADS study. CT data for N=101 control patients were obtained from the COPDGene study. Radiomic measures were computed for each two-dimensional slice of a given scan, in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. Functional regression was applied to identify lung regions where CT nodules tend to proliferate. Moran's I, Geary's C and fractal dimension significantly differentiate between subjects with and without sarcoidosis throughout the majority of the lung, with disease abnormalities most apparent in the top axial, middle coronal, and outer sagittal regions. A trend appeared across Scadding stages, with CT scans from patients with Scadding stages I and III appearing the healthiest, and Scadding stage IV appearing the least healthy. The radiomic measures and techniques presented herein successfully characterize CT images in sarcoidosis by objectively and efficiently approximating what we know about the pathology of sarcoidosis.
The Size and Scattering Coefficient of Urban Aerosol Particles at Washington, DC as a Function of Relative Humidity.

Abstract The relative humidity dependence of the size and scattering coefficient of atmospheric aerosol particles was measured at Washington, DC during the period 26–31 July 1979. Particle growth curves (i.e., curves of the ratio r/r0, of particle radius to particle dry radius, versus relative humidity) were calculated using measured values of the particle composition parameter B ≡ ν¯ϕϵMwρ0/ρwMs, where ρ0 is the density of the particle in dry state, ρw and Mw the density and molecular weight of water, ϵ the mass fraction of soluble material in the particle. Ms the molecular weight of the soluble material, ν¯ the mean number of moles of ions per mole of solute, and ϕ¯ the mean value of the practical osmotic coefficient. To determine B, a mobility analyzer was used to transmit dry particles of nearly uniform size to a thermal gradient diffusion cloud chamber where the supersaturation (Sc,) necessary to activate the particles was measured. Then, a relationship between Sc, r0 and B was employed to determine.
A Systematic Review of the Effects of Aquatic Therapy on Motor Functions in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Background. Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common childhood disorders. Different treatment strategies are used to improve quality of life. Aim. To systematically review the recent articles and investigate the effects of aquatic therapy on motor functions in children with cerebral palsy. Methods. Studies between 2012–2022 were selected investigating the effects of aquatic therapy on motor functions in CP children. The databases Google Scholar, PubMed and PEDRO were used. Selection criteria included diagnosis as CP, use of aquatic intervention, participants aged until 18 years, use of validated outcome measure, published in English, and study design as a randomized control trial/pilot study/case study. Results. Out of 11 studies selected for this review, 6 of them were randomized control trials, 2 were quasi experimental studies, 2 were comparative studies and one was case series. Aquatic exercises, Halliwick concept, Watsu and water immersion therapy, swimming exercises were used as aquatic interventions in the studies. Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) was the most commonly used tool for recording motor functions. About 64% of studies showed that aquatic interventions can provide significantly beneficial effects on motor functions of children with CP when compared to conventional therapy or no intervention. Conclusions. Aquatic therapy provides beneficial effects on motor functions in children with cerebral palsy. Keywords: cerebral palsy, aquatic therapy, aquatic exercises, swimming program, motor functions.
Effective Capacitance from Equivalent Electrical Circuit as a Tool for Monitoring Non-Adherent Cell Suspensions at Low Frequencies

Analyzing the electrical double layer (EDL) in electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement at low frequencies remains a challenging task for sensing purposes. In this work, we propose two approaches to deal with the EDL in measuring impedance for particles and non-adherent cells in an electrolytic suspension. The first approach is a simple procedure to compute a normalized electrical impedance spectrum named dispersed medium index (DMi). The second is the EIS modeling through an equivalent electric circuit based on the so-called effective capacitance (Cef), which unifies the EDL phenomena. Firstly, as an experiment under controlled conditions, we examine polymer particles of 6, 15, and 48 μm in diameter suspended in a 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Subsequently, we used K-562 cells and leukocytes suspended in a culture medium (RPMI-1640 supplemented) for a biological assay. As the main result, the DMi is a function of the particle concentration. In addition, it shows a tendency with the particle size; regardless, it is limited to a volume fraction of 0.03 × 10−4 to 58 × 10−4. The DMi is not significantly different between K-562 cells and leukocytes for most concentrations. On the other hand, the Cef exhibits high applicability to retrieve a function that describes the concentration for each particle size, the K-562 cells, and leukocytes. The Cef also shows a tendency with the particle size without limitation within the range tested, and it allows distinction between the K-562 and leukocytes in the 25 cells/µL to 400 cells/µL range. We achieved a simple method for determining an Cef by unifying the parameters of an equivalent electrical circuit from data obtained with a conventional potentiostat. This simple approach is affordable for characterizing the population of non-adherent cells suspended in a cell culture medium.
Flavonoids Modulate Aspergillus flavus Proliferation and Aflatoxin Production

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus. They contaminate major food crops, particularly corn, and pose a worldwide health concern. Flavonoid production has been correlated to resistance to aflatoxin accumulation in corn. The effects of flavonoids on fungal proliferation and aflatoxin production are not well understood. In this study, we performed bioassays, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, and total antioxidant analysis to determine the effects of three flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, and quercetin) on proliferation and aflatoxin production in A. flavus NRRL 3357. Results showed that concentrations of apigenin and luteolin modulated fungal proliferation and aflatoxin production in a dose-dependent manner, leading to inhibition or promotion of proliferation and toxin production. Microscopy studies of fungi exposed to flavonoids showed mycelial cell wall disruption, abnormal cell wall invaginations, and tears. Fluorescent enhancement of apigenin and luteolin using Naturstoff reagent A showed that these chemicals localized in sphere-like structures on the mycelia surface. Fungi exposed to low concentrations of apigenin, luteolin, and quercetin lowered the total antioxidant capacity in the environment compared to controls. Our results indicate that flavonoids disrupt cell wall integrity and may localize in vesicle-like structures. We hypothesize that flavonoids could act as potential signaling molecules at low concentrations and change the oxidative state of the microenvironment, either or both of which may lead to reduction of fungal proliferation and aflatoxin production.
Testing for general dynamical stationarity with a symbolic data compression technique

We construct a hypothesis test for examining the stationarity of the evolution law for a time series of discrete symbols: whether two data streams appear to originate from the same underlying, but unknown, dynamical system. Based on techniques from the theory of data compression, our method intelligently accounts for the substantial serial correlation and nonlinearity found in realistic dynamical data. We demonstrate the method on a number of realistic experimental datasets.
Toward a Quantitative Model for Simulation and Forecast of Solar Energetic Particle Production during Gradual Events. I. Magnetohydrodynamic Background Coupled to the SEP Model

Solar energetic particles (SEPs) are an important aspect of space weather. SEP events possess a high destructive potential, since they may cause disruptions of communication systems on Earth and be fatal to crew members on board spacecraft and, in extreme cases, harmful to people on board high-altitude flights. However, currently the research community lacks efficient tools to predict such a hazardous threat and its potential impacts. Such a tool is a first step for mankind to improve its preparedness for SEP events and ultimately to be able to mitigate their effects. The main goal of the presented research effort is to develop a computational tool that will have the forecasting capability and can serve as an operational system that will provide live information on the current potential threats posed by SEP based on the observations of the Sun. In the present paper we discuss the fundamentals of magnetohydrodynamical simulations to be employed as a critical part of the desired forecasting system.
The Application of Stochastic Processes in Options Pricing Model

Since English botanist Brown first observed the inconsistent mobility of pollen floating in liquid in 1827, stochastic motion has become one of the primary research topics today, and the use of stochastic processes in financial markets has never stopped [1]. The change in the process in any time interval do not affect the change in any other time intervals that do not overlap with of Brownian Motion, which possesses stationary independent increments. Therefore, this paper obtains the Black-Scholes Merton formula from the stochastic process through layers of derivation and analyses its limitations in terms of its existence. Therefore, this paper will derive the BSM formula and the logical relationships between them, step by step, starting from the stochastic process and discuss the problems and limitations of the BSM formula. The experiential results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve better performance.
Ranking Risk Factors in Financial Losses From Railroad Incidents: A Machine Learning Approach

The reported financial losses from railroad accidents since 2009 have been more than US$4.11 billion dollars. This considerable loss is a major concern for the industry, society, and the government. Therefore, identifying and ranking the factors that contribute to financial losses from railroad accidents would inform strategies to minimize them. To achieve that goal, this paper evaluates and compares the results of applying different non-parametric statistical and regression methods to 15 years of railroad Class I freight train accident data. The models compared are random forest, k-nearest neighbors, support vector machines, stochastic gradient boosting, extreme gradient boosting, and stepwise linear regression. The results indicate that these methods are all suitable for analyzing non-linear and heterogeneous railroad incident data. However, the extreme gradient boosting method provided the best performance. Therefore, the analysis used that model to identify and rank factors that contribute to financial losses, based on the gain percentage of the prediction accuracy. The number of derailed freight cars and the absence of territory signalization dominated as contributing factors in more than 57% and 20% of the accidents, respectively. Partial-dependence plots further explore the complex non-linear dependencies of each factor to better visualize and interpret the results.
Probing light mediators at ultralow threshold energies with coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering

Light neutral mediators, with mass $\lesssim 1$ GeV, are common features of extensions to the Standard Model (SM). Current astrophysical and terrestrial experiments have constrained the model parameter space, and planned experiments around the world promise continued improvement in sensitivity. In this paper we study the prospects for probing light neutral mediators using terrestrial stopped pion and reactor sources in combination with ultra-low threshold nuclear and electron recoil detectors. We show that the coherent neutrino-nucleus and neutrino-electron scattering channels provide complementary sensitivity to light mediators. With low threshold detectors, we show that most stringent bounds on models arise from the nuclear scattering process, improving upon previous bounds from electron scattering of solar neutrinos by nearly an order of magnitude for mediator masses $\gtrsim 0.1$ GeV.
Price Setting Before and During the Pandemic: Evidence from Swiss Consumer Prices

We provide new evidence on price rigidity at the product level based on microdata underlying the Swiss consumer price index from 2008 to 2020. We find that the frequency of price changes has increased over the pre - pandemic period, particularly among products where collection switched to online prices, reflecting the rise of e - commerce. Furthermore, price changes tend to be synchronized within rather than across stores. Time variations in inflation can be attributed mainly to variations in the frequencies of price increases and price decreases. In the first year of the pandemic, the frequency of price adjustments changed little on average, while the frequency of temporary sales responded countercyclically to the respective demand conditions across sectors.
Survey of Research Progress on Three Dimensional Topological Data Structure

Topology is one of the mechanisms to describe relationships between spatial objects and it is the basis for many spatial operations. The paper gives a survey of current main three dimensional topological data structures. Three dimensional topological data structures can be divided into manifold data structure and non-manifold data structure. Manifold data structure includes Winged-edge data structure, Half-edge data structure, Quad-edge data structure and so on. Non-manifold data structure includes facet-edge data structure, radial edge data structure and so on. The paper gives on overview of fundamental principles of these data structure. On this basis, advantages and disadvantages of these models are compared from more aspects. Through this research, we can provide theoretical basis and technical support for 3D building modeling, 3D cadastre modeling and other 3D fields.
Burnout among physicians and caregivers in oncology: the Moroccan experience

Purpose Caregivers in radiation oncology are exposed to a high risk of burnout which sometimes causes serious consequences for their health, which can in turn affect patient care. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of burnout and its psychological impact on health professionals and determined the factors that predispose to the risk of burnout. Methods and materials A cross-sectional survey was conducted with descriptive and analytical purposes among the different teams within the oncology and radiotherapy departments in different hospitals (CHU and regional hospitals) in Morocco, through an online self-questionnaire composed of sociodemographic data, professional data, working conditions, an assessment of interfering factors, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale. Results One hundred and eighteen caregivers participated in this evaluation. 62.7% were physicians, 75.4% worked in university hospitals and 53.4% were in radiotherapy departments. Analysis of the three dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) score found high scores in the dimensions of emotional exhaustion (81.4%) and depersonalisation (79.7%), and low scores in decreased personal accomplishment (46.6%). The evaluation of the impacts of burnout in the latter found a mean of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at 12.45 + 7.84 and the mean of the GAD-7 at 9.73 + 5.98. Conclusion Our results are in line with those found in the literature, hence the need for screening and active prevention of burnout among radiation oncology caregivers.
Quantum state diffusion and time correlation functions

Abstract In computing the spectra of quantum mechanical systems one encounters the Fourier transforms of time correlation functions, as given by the quantum regression theorem for systems described by master equations. Quantum state diffusion (QSD) gives a useful method of solving these problems by unravelling the master equation into stochastic trajectories; but there is no generally accepted definition of a time correlation function for a single QSD trajectory. In this paper we show how QSD can be used to calculate these spectra directly; by formally solving the equations which arise, we arrive at a natural definition for a two-time correlation function in QSD, which depends explicitly on the stochastic noise of the particular trajectory, and which agrees in the mean with the ensemble average definition of correlation functions.
Gravitational waves from bubble dynamics: beyond the envelope

We study gravitational-wave production from bubble dynamics (bubble collisions and sound waves) during a cosmic first-order phase transition with an analytic approach. We first propose modeling the system with the thin-wall approximation but without the envelope approximation often adopted in the literature, in order to take bubble propagation after collisions into account. The bubble walls in our setup are considered as modeling the scalar field configuration and/or the bulk motion of the fluid. We next write down analytic expressions for the gravitational-wave spectrum, and evaluate them with numerical methods. It is found that, in the long-lasting limit of the collided bubble walls, the spectrum grows from ∝ f3 to ∝ f1 in low frequencies, showing a significant enhancement compared to the one with the envelope approximation. It is also found that the spectrum saturates in the same limit, indicating a decrease in the correlation of the energy-momentum tensor at late times. We also discuss the implications of our results to gravitational-wave production both from bubble collisions (scalar dynamics) and sound waves (fluid dynamics).
Proper identification of RR Lyrae stars brighter than 12.5 mag

RR Lyrae stars are of great importance for investigations of Galactic structure. However, a complete compendium of all RR-Lyraes in the solar neighbourhood with accurate classifications and coordinates does not exist to this day. Here we present a catalogue of 561 local RR-Lyrae stars ($V_{\rm max} \leq 12.5$ mag) according to the magnitudes given in the Combined General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS) and 16 fainter ones. The Tycho2 catalogue contains $\simeq$100 RR Lyr stars. However, many objects have inaccurate coordinates in the GCVS, the primary source of variable star information, so that a reliable cross-identification is difficult. We identified RR Lyrae from both catalogues based on an intensive literature search. In dubious cases we carried out photometry of fields to identify the variable. Mennessier & Colome (2002, A&A, 390, 173) have published a paper with Tyc2-GCVS identifications, but we found that many of their identifications are wrong.