Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The albedo of fractal stratocumulus clouds

Abstract An increase in the planetary albedo of the earth-atmosphere system by only 10% can decrease the equilibrium surface temperature to that of the last ice age. Nevertheless, albedo biases of 10% or greater would be introduced into large regions of current climate models if clouds were given their observed liquid water amounts, because of the treatment of clouds as plane parallel. Past work has addressed the effect of cloud shape on albedo; here the focus is on the within-cloud variability of the vertically integrated liquid water. The main result is an estimate of the “plane-parallel albedo bias” using the “independent pixel approximation,” which ignores net horizontal photon transport, from a simple fractal model of marine stratocumulus clouds that ignores the cloud shape. The use of the independent pixel approximation in this context will be justified in a separate Monte Carlo study. The focus on marine stratocumulus clouds is due to their important role in cloud radiative forcing and also that, o.
Aperture synthesis observations of the circumnuclear ring in the Galactic center

Aperture synthesis observations with the Hat Creek millimeter-wave interferometer have been used to study the circumnuclear neutral gas ring in the Galactic center at high spatial and spectral resolution. The resulting data demonstrate the existence of a highly inclined, thin, and clumpy ring or disk of molecular material centered on IRS 16 and the radio point source. The molecular gas is dynamically coupled to ionized gas in the central cavity. The dominant large-scale velocity pattern of most of the molecular gas in the inner 5 pc is rotation. The rotation appears to be perturbed by a large local velocity dispersion, by warping of the structure, and by at least one cloud probably located in the ring but not participating in the rotation.
A detailed X-ray study of the cooling intracluster gas in A496

X-ray observations of the galaxy cluster A496 are presented. Imaging and spectral data, together with the presence of optical filaments, show that radiative cooling is occurring in the cluster core and indicates a mass flow rate of about 200 solar masses per year on to the central galaxy. The gas temperature and density profiles within the core are similar to those in the Perseus cluster (A426) despite a six-fold difference in total X-ray luminosity. This is consistent with the model of Fabian and Nulsen (1977, 1979) for steady flows caused by cooling. The evolution of cooling flows is discussed and it is shown that thermal conduction is suppressed to well below the Spitzer rate.
Minimum Repair Bandwidth LDPC Codes for Distributed Storage Systems

In distributed storage systems (DSS), an optimal code design must meet the requirements of efficient local data regeneration in addition to reliable data retention. Recently, low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes have been proposed as a promising candidate that can secure high data rates as well as low repair bandwidth while maintaining low complexity in data reconstruction. The main objective of this study is to optimize the repair bandwidth characteristics of LDPC code families for a DSS application while meeting the data reliability requirements. First, a data access scenario in which nodes contact other available nodes randomly to download data is examined. Later, a minimum-bandwidth protocol is considered in which nodes make their selections based on the degree numbers of check nodes. Through formulating optimization problems for both protocols, a fundamental trade-off between the decoding threshold and the repair bandwidth is established for a given code rate. Finally, conclusions are confirmed by numerical results showing that irregular constructions have a large potential for establishing optimized LDPC code families for DSS applications.
Treatments for resectable esophageal cancer: from traditional systemic therapy to immunotherapy

Abstract Esophageal cancer (EC) has a high incidence and poor prognosis. The two major histological types, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, differ in their epidemiology and treatment options. Patients with locally advanced EC benefit from multimodal therapy concepts including neoadjuvant chemotherapy, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, and perioperative chemotherapy. Currently, immunotherapy for the solid tumor is a hot spot. Treatment with adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is the first immunotherapy for resectable EC listed in the latest National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for the Esophageal and Esophagogastric Junction Cancers. Recent clinical trials have established ICIs for three treatment models of resectable EC. Their short-term results demonstrated ideal efficacy and tolerable toxicity, though some concerns remain. This review summarizes the novel data on the ICIs for resectable EC and lists the registered related clinical trials. Hopefully, this review can provide a reference for ongoing research on the treatment options for resectable EC.
An iterative rounding search-based algorithm for the disjunctively constrained knapsack problem

This article proposes an iterative rounding search-based algorithm for approximately solving the disjunctively constrained knapsack problem. The problem can be viewed as a variant of the well-known knapsack problem with some sets of incompatible items. The algorithm considers two key features: a rounding strategy applied to the fractional variables of a linear relaxation and a neighbouring strategy used for improving the quality of the solutions at hand. Both strategies are iterated into a process based on adding a series of (i) valid cardinality constraints and (ii) lower bounds used for bounding the objective function. The proposed algorithm is analysed computationally on a set of benchmark instances of the literature. The proposed algorithm outperforms the Cplex solver and the results obtained improve on most existing solutions.
How Do Primary Care Providers Respond to Reimbursement Cuts? Evidence From the Termination of the Primary Care Incentive Program

The Primary Care Incentive Payment Program (PCIP) provided a 10% bonus payment for Evaluation and Management (E&M) visits for eligible primary care providers (PCPs) from 2011 to 2015. Using a 2012 to 2017 sample of continuously eligible PCPs (the treatment group) and ineligible specialists with historically similar provision of billed services (the control group), this study is the first to examine how PCPs responded to the program’s termination. Using inverse probability of treatment weighted difference-in-differences models that control for inter-temporal changes in provider-specific beneficiary characteristics, individual provider fixed effects, and zip code by year fixed effects, it finds that providers responded to the removal of the 10% bonus payments by increasing their billing of bonus payment eligible E&M relative value units (RVUs) by 3.7%. This response is consistent with supplier-induced demand and suggests a 46% offsetting response consistent with actuarial assumptions by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services when assessing reimbursement reductions.
Timing of bevacizumab administration after biopsy for unresectable newly diagnosed glioblastoma

Background: Recent studies have revealed that bevacizumab (BEV) can improve the survival of patients with newly diagnosed unresectable glioblastoma (GBM) with poor performance status. For patients who develop early clinical deterioration, early initiation of BEV would be beneficial. However, the safety and feasibility of early initiation of BEV remain to be determined because of the lack of studies addressing adverse events associated with BEV initiation <28 days after surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze the risks and benefits of early BEV administration after biopsy in patients with newly diagnosed GBM. Methods: Thirty-one consecutive patients with newly diagnosed GBM who underwent biopsy followed by BEV administration were investigated. The relationships between the timing of BEV administration and treatment response, survival outcome, and adverse events were analyzed. Results: Response rates based on the RANO criteria and overall survival times were similar between the early and standard BEV groups. No wound dehiscence was observed in the early BEV group, and only one case was observed in the standard BEV group. Patients in the early BEV group were more likely to have undergone biopsy with a smaller skin incision than those in the standard BEV group. Equivalent treatment effects of BEV were achieved in patients who developed early clinical deterioration and those without clinical deterioration. Conclusion: Early BEV administration is effective in controlling early clinical deterioration and does not increase the risk of wound-healing complications. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to validate our results.
EXPRESSION OF THE PRODUCTIVITY OF SOME VARIETIES OF DIOIC HEMP (CANNABIS SATIVA L.), IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE BANAT PLAIN

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), first mentioned in China, is widely grown around the world, being a plant with a wide utility. It is a sustainable industrial crop with a high yield, the products obtained from hemp being biodegradable, recyclable and reusable. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the production of stems in some varieties of dioic hemp in the climatic conditions specific to the Banat plain. In the research field of the hemp breeding laboratory (Cannabis sativa L.), from Agricultural Research and Development Station Lovrin, Timiş county, an experiment with 10 varieties of dioic hemp of different origins was placed, and has been cultivated for the production of the experimental years 2016 - 2018. The experiment was organized according to the method of randomized blocks, with a distance between rows of 12.5 cm ensuring 45 seeds per square meter. From the analysis of the production results for ten varieties of hemp for stems, it can be concluded that the production of stems was different both from one year to another and between varieties. In 2016, the maximum production of stems was 16055 kg.ha-1 registered by the Silvana variety, and six hemp varieties (Armanca, Fibramulta, Carmagniola, Hungary, Felina, Kuban) fall into the production class of 15000 - 16000 kg.ha-1. In 2017, the highest production was 12635 kg.ha-1 obtained by the Kuban variety along with four other varieties of hemp for stems (Lovrin 110, Silvana, Felina, Tyumen -85) in the range of values between 12000 - 13000 kg.ha-1. In 2018, the maximum production value was registered for the Fibramulta 151 variety of 15083 kg.ha-1, which far exceeded the production of the varieties included in the range of 11000 - 12000 kg.ha-1 (Armanca, Carmagniola, Hungary 139, Felina, Tiumen -85). The most stable productions were recorded for the Lovrin 110 variety in all experimental years. For the other varieties, the yields varied according to the experimental year.
Spontaneous Breathing and Pendelluft in Patients with Acute Lung Injury: A Narrative Review

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by acute-onset rapid-deteriorating inflammatory lung injury. Although the preservation of spontaneous breathing may have physiological benefits in oxygenation, increasing evidence shows that vigorous spontaneous breathing may aggravate lung injury (i.e., patient self-inflicted lung injury). Increased lung stress and pendelluft, which is defined as intrapulmonary gas redistribution without a significant change in tidal volume, are important mechanisms of patient self-inflicted lung injury. The presence of pendelluft may be considered a surrogate marker of vigorous inspiratory effort, which can cause the dependent lung to overstretch. In this review, we summarized three major methods for electrical impedance tomography–based pendelluft monitoring. Future studies are warranted to compare and validate the different methods of pendelluft estimation in patients with ARDS.
Nonparabolic tendency of electron effective mass estimated by confined states in In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As multi-quantum-well structures

Abstract We observed that a series of peaks, which were clearly extracted from a photocurrent difference spectrum, corresponded to interband optical transitions of an In0.53Ga0. 47As /In0.52Al0. 48As multi-quantum wells structure. The nonparabolic tendency of the electron effective mass was suggested from eigenenergies of conduction subbands. The effective mass estimated in a direction normal to the InGaAs quantum well plane was heavier than the effective mass of the bulk band edge and was 0.07 m0at the top of a quantum potential well.
SEED PATHOGENS INCIDENCE IN EIGHT MAIZE HYBRIDS (Zea mays L.) CULTIVATED IN TRANSYLVANIAN PLAIN

Maize is one of the most cultivated cereals worldwide and in Romania. Phytosanitary condition of maize seeds can affect the quantity and quality of the yield, while infected or contaminated grains pose a concern for human and animal health. Most industries have threshold standards and quality specifications of maize gains, due to safety reasons. Aim of this study was to screen seeds from maize crops growing in Transylvanian Plain, for germination and fungal infection incidence. Eight hybrids from several breeders: ARDS Turda (Turda 200, Turda 201, Turda Favorit), Dekalb (DKC 3939), Pioneer (P9357, P9241), Caussade (Basmati CS, Portile CS) are among the most cultivated by Romanian farmers in local conditions, and for this reason were tested by blotter paper method for seed mycosis susceptibility. Thirty seeds in three replicates were placed for germination for each variant. Determinations were conducted after four days of incubation. Results indicated that average germination rate was 95.62% and average infection of maize seeds was 27.81%. Microscopic analysis revealed that on average Cladosporium sp. accounted for 21.41% infected seeds, Fusarium sp. for 5.75% and Penicillium sp. for 7.43%. Because control of the fungal disease through agronomic and chemical approaches can increase the production cost or can range in effectiveness, achieving genetic resistance seems the most promising approach and more efforts shall be directed towards this aspect.
Stereoelectroencephalography followed by combined electrode removal and MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy or open resection: a single-center series in pediatric patients with medically refractory epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) have emerged as safe, effective, and less invasive alternatives to subdural grid placement and open resection, respectively, for the localization and treatment of medically refractory epilepsy (MRE) in children. Reported pediatric experience combining these complementary techniques is limited, with traditional workflows separating electrode removal and ablation/resection. The authors describe the largest reported series of pediatric epilepsy patients who underwent MRgLITT following SEEG contrasted with a cohort that underwent craniotomy following SEEG, combining ablation/resection with electrode explantation as standard practice. METHODS The medical records of all patients with MRE who had undergone SEEG followed by MRgLITT or open resection/disconnection at Boston Children's Hospital between November 2015 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Primary outcome variables included surgical complication rates, length of hospital stay following treatment, and Engel classification at the last follow-up. RESULTS Of 74 SEEG patients, 27 (median age 12.1 years, 63% female) underwent MRgLITT and 47 (median age 12.1 years, 49% female) underwent craniotomy. Seventy patients (95%) underwent SEEG followed by combined electrode removal and treatment. Eight MRgLITT cases (30%) and no open cases targeted the insula (p < 0.001). Complication rates did not differ, although trends toward more subdural/epidural hematomas, infarcts, and permanent unanticipated neurological deficits were evident following craniotomy, whereas a trend toward more temporary unanticipated neurological deficits was seen following MRgLITT. The median duration of hospitalization after treatment was 3 and 5 days for MRgLITT and open cases, respectively (p = 0.078). Seizure outcomes were similar between the cohorts, with 74% of MRgLITT and craniotomy patients attaining Engel class I or II outcomes (p = 0.386) at the last follow-up (median 1.1 and 1.9 years, respectively). CONCLUSIONS MRgLITT and open resection following SEEG can both effectively treat MRE in pediatric patients and generally can be performed in a two-surgery workflow during a single hospitalization. In appropriately selected patients, MRgLITT tended to be associated with shorter hospitalizations and fewer complications following treatment and may be best suited for focal deep-seated targets associated with relatively challenging open surgical approaches.
Effect of Surface Termination on Superlow Friction of Diamond Film: A Theoretical Study

We have applied molecular dynamics simulation and density functional theory calculations to analyze the effects of H and OH terminations on the frictional properties of diamond films at the atomistic and electronic levels. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out for H-, OH-, and non-terminated diamond surfaces against an iron surface. Results of molecular dynamics simulations show that the frictional force is clearly decreased by the H or OH termination on the diamond surfaces. Moreover, results of density functional calculations show that a covalent bond is formed between Fe and C, while H- or OH-terminated diamond surfaces interact repulsively with an iron surface owing to antibonding interactions. We concluded that this interaction change between iron and diamond surfaces is the major contributing factor for achieving a low friction in H- or OH-terminated diamond.
Strain and charge contributions to the magnetoelectric coupling in Fe3O4/PMN-PT artificial multiferroic heterostructures

The quest to realize new kinds of data storage devices has motivated recent studies in the field of magnetoelectric heterostructures. One of the most commonly investigated systems is Fe3O4/[Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3) O3]0.7–[PbTiO3]0.3 (PMN-PT), however, the interplay between different coupling mechanisms is not yet well understood. To disentangle the role of strain and polarisation influence in Fe3O4/PMN-PT, we report on magnetoelectric coupling measurements for different orientations of the applied magnetic field and for two different substrate cuts, PMN-PT(001) and PMN-PT(011). For Fe3O4/PMN-PT(011), having the sample aligned such that the magnetic field is parallel to the [01 1‾ ] easy axis leads to a remanent increase of the magnetisation for each electric field cycle. On the other hand, for the magnetic field along the [100] hard axis, the magnetisation follows a butterfly-like loop characteristic of strain coupling imparted by the substrate. For Fe3O4/PMN-PT(001), the magnetoelectric effect is a superposition of the observed behaviour of both in-plane directions in Fe3O4/PMN-PT(011). The magnetisation shows an initial remanent increase followed by a butterfly like loop. Polarised neutron reflectometry measurements on Fe3O4/PMN-PT(011) shows no difference between the behaviour at the interface and the bulk of the film and no decline of the interaction further away from the shared interface. Our results demonstrate the role of strain and polarisation on the magnetisation of the Fe3O4 layer and provide a clear step towards the design of future magnetoelectric systems.
Multiplex detection of meningitis and encephalitis pathogens: A study from laboratory to clinic

Introduction Infectious meningitis and encephalitis (ME) are life-threatening conditions are caused by various pathogens. Conventional laboratory tests with low sensitivity and specificity cannot help with early diagnosis. Methods A prospective study using the novel multiplex PCR detection for 18 pathogens of ME (MME-18) was conducted to investigate the clinical utilization and the epidemiology characteristics of ME in southwestern China. Patients with suspected intracranial infection were recruited between May and October 2019 at West China Hospital of Sichuan University. The MME-18 was used to detect cerebrospinal fluid, and conventional experiments including cryptococcal capsular antigen detection, GeneXpert, real-time PCR, and clinical feedback were used to verify the result of MME-18. Results Among 581 tested patients, 139 eligible individuals were enrolled in the study. Among them, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was the most common pathogen in mono-infection. Viruses and Cryptococcus neoformans were also frequently detected. Of 139 infected patients, 12 cases were diagnosed by MME-18 only, 57 patients by conventional testing only, and 70 cases by both comparator tests and MME-18. There were 96.3% (79/82) diagnoses made by MME-18 had a favorable outcome, and two of twelve diagnoses, made solely by MME-18, had a likely unclear clinical significance. Discussion The MME-18 showed satisfactory consistency with expert clinical consensus for patients presenting with ME. Combined with conventional testing and clinical suspicion, MME-18 may help clinicians with the early identification of pathogens.
Effects of a plasma jet on electrochemical properties of silk fibroin hydrogel doped with graphene oxide

This study modified hydrogels prepared from silk fibroinand graphene oxideby injecting plasma into the silk. The SF-GO hydrogels, modified by plasma jet with different discharge time (30, 90, and 150 s) and working gases (argon, air, helium), undergo electrochemical AC impedance spectrum tests. After hydrogel modification with the plasma of any working gas, the impedance in the very low frequency (10−2∼100 Hz) decreased with a longer plasma discharge time. In the very low frequency, the sequence of impedance change is Ar group <air group ≈ He group <empty. The electric capacity of the hydrogel showed an increasing trend with those modified by argon plasma and a decreasing trend for those hydrogels modified by air and helium plasma. The sequence of electric capacity change is Ar group >empty >air group >He group. Fourier transform infrared spectrum, and X-ray diffraction spectrum showed a reduction of β-fold structure and graphene oxide content in SF-GO hydrogels modified by plasma.
Perancangan Pendeteksi Sinyal EMG pada Gerak Lengan menggunakan Wavelet Transform

Electromyogram (EMG) adalah salah satu contoh Human-Computer Interface (HCI). Sebuah alat yang membaca sinyal biopotensial otot yang kemudian direkam dan dapat diproses. Sudah banyak rancangan susunan rangkaian dan komponen EMG dengan tujuan dan hasil keluaran yang berbeda. Seperti yang telah dilakukan oleh Yaping Yu dan Zhaojie Ju. Dari rancangan – rancangan tersebut terdapat beberapa rangkaian dan komponen yang penting untuk EMG yaitu Instrumentation Amplifier, Bandpass Filter, Gain Amplifier, dan Elektroda. Dari keempat komponen tersebut sinyal yang dihasilkan dari gerakan lengan sudah dapat diproses dan diindentifikasikan dengan Wavelet Transform (WT) yang dapat mengeluarkan informasi sinyal pada time-frequency domain terutama Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), WT yang dirancangkan khusus untuk digital signal processing. Pengujian rangkaian telah dilakukan. Keluaran dari rangkaian diproses dengan DWT menggunakan 5 mother wavelet menghasilkan informasi sinyal EMG yang dapat mengidentifikasikan sebagai gerakan lengan telah didapatkan.