Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Females Are More Aggressive Than Males towards Same- and Opposite-Sex Intruders in the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Simple Summary Animals use aggressive behaviour to gain access to resources such as food and mates, and protect their offspring. Individuals vary in the way they express aggression during a conflict. However, our understanding of female aggression is limited. In this study, we investigated male and female aggression towards opponents of the same and opposite sex in the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). Aggressive encounters were simulated during the egg-laying phase of the female using blue tit taxidermy mounts. For each sex, we identified behaviours used during aggressive encounters. We compared the intensity of same- and opposite-sex aggression and examined if individual aggression was consistent in both situations. Finally, we compared the intensity of aggression between males and females. Our results show that females are the more aggressive sex, even though both sexes showed similar behaviours during conflicts. Female and male aggression was mostly unaffected by the sex of the intruder, although males sang more from a distance when encountering a male intruder. We conclude that females might have evolved to be more aggressive as they have to compete for nesting sites, and have invested more resources into reproduction. Abstract During the breeding season, aggression is expressed to gain access to resources such as territories and mates and protect offspring. Female aggressiveness has received much less attention than male aggressiveness, and few studies have examined female and male aggressiveness towards intruders of both sexes in the same species. We compared female and male aggressiveness towards same- and opposite-sex intruders during the egg-laying period in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) using simulated territorial intrusions. For each sex, we examined the occurrence of different behavioural responses during agonistic encounters, and compared the intensity and individual consistency of intra- and inter-sexual aggression using same- and opposite-sex taxidermy mounts. Our results show that females are the more aggressive sex. Both sexes showed similar behaviours during simulated intrusions, although females were never observed singing and males never entered the nest box. In females, aggression was predominantly independent of the sex of the intruder, while males sang more from a distance during male–male encounters. The relative levels of aggression (pecking and perching on the mounts) during intra- and intersexual conflicts were consistent for females, but not for males. Females might be under stronger selection for aggressive phenotypes due to nest-hole competition and larger reproductive investments.
Parallel implementation of fourth order block backward differentiation formulas for solving system of stiff ordinary differential equations

Parallel implementation of fourth order Block Backward Differentiation Formulas (BBDF(4)) is presented for a numerical solution of first order stiff ordinary differential equations (ODEs). This method computes the numerical solution at two points concurrently in each block. The sequential and parallel codes are developed on Message Passing Interface (MPI) library and run on High Performance Computing (HPC). The performance of this new method is measured in terms of Speedup (Sp) and Efficiency (Ef). It is shown that the parallel implementation BBDF(4) produced a better speed up compared to the sequential timing.
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Burden and Its Attributable Risk Factors in China: Estimates and Forecasts from 1990 to 2050

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an uncommon and aggressive malignant head and neck cancer, which is highly prevalent in southern and southwestern provinces in China. The aim of this study was to examine the disease burden and risk factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in China from 1990 to 2019 and to predict the incidence trends from 2020 to 2049. All data were extracted from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort (APC) models were chosen to analyze prevalence trends. The temporal trends and age distribution of risk factors were also analyzed descriptively. Bayesian APC models were used to predict the prevalence from 2020 to 2049. The results indicate a higher disease burden in men and older adults. Their attributable risk factors are smoking, occupational exposure to formaldehyde, and alcohol use. We predict that the incidence will be on the rise in all age groups between 2020 and 2049, with the highest incidence in people aged 70 to 89 years. In 2049, the incidence rate is expected to reach 13.39 per 100,000 (50–54 years), 16.43 (55–59 years), 17.26 (60–64 years), 18.02 (65–69 years), 18.55 (70–74 years), 18.39 (75–79 years), 19.95 (80–84 years), 23.07 (85–89 years), 13.70 (90–94 years), and 6.68 (95+ years). The findings of this study might deserve consideration in China’s NPC prevention and control policy design.
Assessment of Inhibition of Biofilm Formation on Non-Thermal Plasma-Treated TiO2 Nanotubes

Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory disease similar to periodontitis, caused by biofilms formed on the surface of dental implants. This inflammation can spread to bone tissues and result in bone loss. Therefore, it is essential to inhibit the formation of biofilms on the surface of dental implants. Thus, this study examined the inhibition of biofilm formation by treating TiO2 nanotubes with heat and plasma. Commercially pure titanium specimens were anodized to form TiO2 nanotubes. Heat treatment was performed at 400 and 600 °C, and atmospheric pressure plasma was applied using a plasma generator (PGS-200, Expantech, Suwon, Republic of Korea). Contact angles, surface roughness, surface structure, crystal structure, and chemical compositions were measured to analyze the surface properties of the specimens. The inhibition of biofilm formation was assessed using two methods. The results of this study showed that the heat treatment of TiO2 nanotubes at 400 °C inhibited the adhesion of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), associated with initial biofilm formation, and that heat treatment of TiO2 nanotubes at 600 °C inhibited the adhesion of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), which causes peri-implantitis. Applying plasma to the TiO2 nanotubes heat-treated at 600 °C inhibited the adhesion of S. mutans and P. gingivalis.
Theory of noncontact dissipation force microscopy

The interaction between the tip of the noncontact atomic force microscope (nc-AFM) and a surface is analyzed using the Langevin equation approach. The existence of an intrinsically local energy dissipation mechanism is demonstrated. This mechanism fundamentally differs from that related to adhesion hysteresis between the tip and the surface. A scheme referred to as noncontact dissipation force microscopy is proposed for producing surface images in ultrahigh vacuum. Moreover, a prospect for scanning probe microscopy is raised, namely, the possibility of measuring nanomechanical surface properties. It is also shown how nc-AFM operated at large amplitude could be used in principle to measure profiles of both the tip-surface interaction force and its gradient.
Open-ocean modeling as an inverse problem: the primitive equations

Abstract The ill-posedness of regional primitive equation models is examined, using a regional shallow-water model. The ill-posedness is resolved by reformulation as a least-squares inverse problem, in the sense that the Euler-Lagrange or variational boundary conditions ensure unique solutions for the linearized problem. The inverses for nonlinear problems are calculated using variants of simulated annealing and massively parallel computing. Simple experiments compare the relative merits of pointwise measurements and path-integrated measurements in compensating for bad boundary data. Error statistics are calculated, despite the large dimension of the state space.
Multifractal analysis of dynamic infrared imaging of breast cancer

The wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) method was used in a multifractal analysis of skin breast temperature time-series recorded using dynamic infrared (IR) thermography. Multifractal scaling was found for healthy breasts as the signature of a continuous change in the shape of the probability density function (pdf) of temperature fluctuations across time scales from to 3 s. In contrast, temperature time-series from breasts with malignant tumors showed homogeneous monofractal temperature fluctuations statistics. These results highlight dynamic IR imaging as a very valuable non-invasive technique for preliminary screening in asymptomatic women to identify those with risk of breast cancer.
An accreting black hole in the nucleus of the bulgeless galaxy NGC 1042

Abstract Compact star clusters are commonly found in the centers of galaxies and may foster formation of intermediate-mass “seed” black holes that facilitate the growth of supermassive black holes in galaxy nuclei. Such star clusters can be studied with minimal background starlight contamination in bulgeless galaxies. We present new results that point to the presence of an accreting black hole associated with the central star cluster in the Sd galaxy NGC 1042, and discuss implications for the bulge-black hole connection.
Multifractal properties of brain neuron signals

Data (irregular spiking time-series) obtained in vivo from singular neurons belonging to brain's Red Nucleus are analyzed using multifractal tools and long-range correlations possessing scaling properties are found. A broad probability distribution (log-normal–like) is identified for generalized interspike intervals using the multifractal tools. A possibility of excessive utilization of stochastic resonance mechanism by genetically defined depressive brains has been briefly discussed in the light of the experimental results.
Multi Surface Electrodes Nerve Bundles Stimulation on the Wrist: Modified Location of Tactile Sensation on the Palm

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of nerve bundles, such as ulnar and median nerves, is a technique used to evoke tactile sensation on the hand. Considering this technique does not require electrodes to be attached to the hand, it can induce sensation without interrupting the interaction between the hand and environment. Although this technology has most commonly been explored for restoring sensory feedback in amputees, it can also be applied to tactile devices for non-disabled individuals to solve problems that recent tactile interfaces have been facing such as interference of the device with the interaction between the hand and environment. We propose TENS at the wrist with multi-electrode targeting the cutaneous nerve bundles as a method to induce tactile sensation with higher spacial resolution, and without unintended tactile sensation at the upper arm. In this study, we demonstrated through psychophysical experiments and finite element simulation that our method induces sensation only at the hand, and that it could control the location of induced tactile sensation in the circumference direction.
Learning 3D Bipedal Walking with Planned Footsteps and Fourier Series Periodic Gait Planning

Reinforcement learning provides a general framework for achieving autonomy and diversity in traditional robot motion control. Robots must walk dynamically to adapt to different ground environments in complex environments. To achieve walking ability similar to that of humans, robots must be able to perceive, understand and interact with the surrounding environment. In 3D environments, walking like humans on rugged terrain is a challenging task because it requires complex world model generation, motion planning and control algorithms and their integration. So, the learning of high-dimensional complex motions is still a hot topic in research. This paper proposes a deep reinforcement learning-based footstep tracking method, which tracks the robot’s footstep position by adding periodic and symmetrical information of bipedal walking to the reward function. The robot can achieve robot obstacle avoidance and omnidirectional walking, turning, standing and climbing stairs in complex environments. Experimental results show that reinforcement learning can be combined with real-time robot footstep planning, avoiding the learning of path-planning information in the model training process, so as to avoid the model learning unnecessary knowledge and thereby accelerate the training process.
Solutions for subquadratic fractional Hamiltonian systems without coercive conditions

In this paper, we are concerned with the existence of infinitely many solutions for the following fractional Hamiltonian systems FHS {tD∞α(−∞Dtαu(t))+L(t)u(t)=∇W(t,u(t)),u∈Hα(ℝ,ℝn), where α ∈ (1 ∕ 2,1), t∈R , u∈Rn , L∈CR,Rn2 is a symmetric and positive definite matrix for all t∈R , W∈C1R×Rn,R , and ∇ W is the gradient of W at u. The novelty of this paper is that, assuming L is bounded in the sense that there are constants 0 < τ1 < τ2 < + ∞ such that τ1 | u | 2 ≤ (L(t)u,u) ≤ τ2 | u | 2 for all (t,u)∈R×Rn and W is of subquadratic growth as | u | → + ∞ , we show that (FHS) possesses infinitely many solutions via the genus properties in the critical theory. Recent results in [Z. Zhang and R. Yuan, Variational approach to solutions for a class of fractional Hamiltonian systems, Math. Methods Appl. Sci., DOI:10.1002/mma.2941] are generalized and significantly improved. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pixelated Microfluidics for Drug Screening on Tumour Spheroids and Ex Vivo Microdissected Tumour Explants

Simple Summary A major challenge in the treatment of cancer is predicting patients’ responses to anticancer drugs. Thus, preclinical assays that reflect patients’ responses to treatments are of utmost importance in clinical oncology and in developing new drugs. 3D tumour models such as spheroids and ex vivo tumour explants are appropriate preclinical models. However, the short-term longevity and low throughput of these models limit their application. To address this, we present a computer-controlled drug screening platform that enables multiplexed delivery of several biochemical reagents such as cellular dyes to 3D tumour models. The platform enables testing up to nine distinct treatment conditions (i.e., nine different biochemical reagents) on more than a hundred 3D tumour models. Moreover, it is compatible with clinical histopathology practice for further manipulation and treatment response analyses of tumour models. Abstract Anticancer drugs have the lowest success rate of approval in drug development programs. Thus, preclinical assays that closely predict the clinical responses to drugs are of utmost importance in both clinical oncology and pharmaceutical research. 3D tumour models preserve the tumoral architecture and are cost- and time-efficient. However, the short-term longevity, limited throughput, and limitations of live imaging of these models have so far driven researchers towards less realistic tumour models such as monolayer cell cultures. Here, we present an open-space microfluidic drug screening platform that enables the formation, culture, and multiplexed delivery of several reagents to various 3D tumour models, namely cancer cell line spheroids and ex vivo primary tumour fragments. Our platform utilizes a microfluidic pixelated chemical display that creates isolated adjacent flow sub-units of reagents, which we refer to as fluidic ‘pixels’, over tumour models in a contact-free fashion. Up to nine different treatment conditions can be tested over 144 samples in a single experiment. We provide a proof-of-concept application by staining fixed and live tumour models with multiple cellular dyes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the response of the tumour models to biological stimuli can be assessed using the platform. Upscaling the microfluidic platform to larger areas can lead to higher throughputs, and thus will have a significant impact on developing treatments for cancer.
The Barriers of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus that Affect Self-Efficacy for Physical
Activity

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that targets organ systems like the renal, central, and cardiopulmonary systems. SLE is the number one leading cause of death among women due to the illness and its comorbidities. Lupus requires lifetime management and care. Physical activity is crucial for treating patients with lupus, as previous studies have shown improvements in fatigue, pain, and overall quality of life. However, there is still a lack of participation in physical activity among patients with lupus. Therefore, this study aims to discover the obstacles presented by living with lupus that affect individuals’ self-efficacy for physical activity. Data collection was done through semi-structured one-on-one interviews with 6 young adult women with lupus. Findings revealed that all participants experienced shock, fear, and uncertainty from their diagnosis due to a lack of guidance and information about the disease. A lack of energy, pain and mental barriers refrained these participants from engaging in physical activity. However, their support system and their desire to manage their lupus healthily served as a facilitator to participate in physical activities.
Limits on Energy Storage in the Crusts of Accreting Neutron Stars

We have carried out a systematic study of the storage of nuclear and gravitational energy in the crusts of old neutron stars that are slowly accreting matter from the interstellar medium or distant binary companion stars. We considered neutron-star masses, radii, and accretion rates ṁ in the ranges 0.1-2.8 M☉, 7-150 km, and 1010-1016 g s-1, respectively. We also investigated the effects of variations in ṁ resulting from periodic passages of the neutron star through the Galactic midplane and/or occasional encounters with molecular clouds. We found, consistent with earlier work, that pycnonuclear reactions lead to the development of density inversions in the crust; the strongest inversions (of order 2% in density), which occur at the interface between 16C and heavier nuclei, store ~1041 ergs of gravitational potential energy. If an instability can trigger the overturn of such an inversion, the released energy would ignite a powerful thermonuclear flash, and the resulting starquake might result in magnetospheric effects that lead to the emission of a γ-ray burst or other energetic astrophysical phenomenon. Although the isotropy of the distribution of γ-ray burst sources, as determined by the BATSE experiment, precludes the possibility that all γ-ray bursts are associated with neutron stars in the Galactic disk, it remains possible that a subset of the observed bursts have their origin in events of this type. From our calculations, we determined that the total nuclear energy that can be stored in the crust of a neutron star is limited by the 16C +16C pycnonuclear reaction, which converts the accreted material at a density of ~5 × 1010 g cm-3 into nuclei substantially closer to nuclear equilibrium. As a result, the total (nuclear plus gravitational) energy, Etot, that can be stored is quite generally limited to less than ~1046 ergs, irrespective of neutron-star mass, radius, mean ṁ, or variations in ṁ. For ṁ=1010 g s-1, it takes ~1010 yr for maximum energy storage to be achieved; for higher accretion rates, the required time decreases very nearly as ṁ−1. For ṁ≳3×1015 g s-1, thermonuclear flashes in the helium shell greatly reduce Etot. Irrespective of the γ-ray burst emission mechanism, the upper limit that we have obtained on Etot places a strong constraint on any model that ascribes a subset of γ-ray bursts to the emission of energy stored in the crusts of neutron stars. Our results are also relevant to any other energetic celestial phenomenon that might be associated with a Galactic-disk population of isolated neutron stars.
Remanence enhancement due to exchange coupling in multilayers of hard- and softmagnetic phases

Nd-Fe-B/Fe/Nd-Fe-B trilayers with individual layer thicknesses between 10 and 100 nm have been grown by sputter deposition. The aim of our study is to investigate remanence enhancement due to exchange coupling between the soft- and hard-magnetic layers as a function of the Fe-interlayer thickness d. It is shown that for decreasing d the remanence of the trilayer system is significantly increased due to exchange coupling. The coercivity of the trilayer is also increased for d<40 nm which can be explained with a higher nucleation field for magnetization reversal.
A TaqMan® Assay Allows an Accurate Detection and Quantification of Fusarium spp., the Causal Agents of Tomato Wilt and Rot Diseases

Simple Summary In tomato plants, Fusarium spp. have been increasingly associated with several wilt and rot diseases that are responsible for severe yield losses. In this context, a molecular-based tool was developed to increase the accuracy of detection and quantification of Fusarium spp. genomic DNA (gDNA) in tomato plants and to discriminate Fusarium spp. from other fungal species that affect tomato. This assay revealed to be highly specific and sensitive for Fusarium species. The used methodology also allowed the establishment of an absolute DNA quantification method. Finally, the effectiveness of the assay was successfully validated with the detection and quantification of Fusarium spp. in potentially infected tomato plants from an experimental field and in control plants grown under controlled conditions. The established methodology allows a reliable, sensitive, and reproducible estimation of Fusarium accumulation in infected tomato plants, gaining new insights for disease control and providing an additional tool in the screening of resistant plants. Abstract In tomato plants, Fusarium spp. have been increasingly associated with several wilt and rot diseases that are responsible for severe yield losses. Here, we present a real-time PCR TaqMan® MGB (Minor Groove Binder) assay to detect and discriminate Fusarium spp. from other fungal species that affect tomato plants. The methodology used is based on the selective amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of Fusarium spp. This assay revealed to be highly specific and sensitive for Fusarium species, targeting only the 29 Fusarium isolates from the 45 tested isolates associated to tomato diseases. Sensitivity was assessed with serial dilutions of Fusarium genomic DNA, with the limit of detection of 3.05 pg. An absolute DNA quantification method was also established, based on the determination of the absolute number of target copies. Finally, the effectiveness of the assay was successfully validated with the detection and quantification of Fusarium spp. in potentially infected tomato plants from an experimental field and in control plants grown under controlled conditions. The established methodology allows a reliable, sensitive, and reproducible estimation of Fusarium accumulation in infected tomato plants, gaining new insights for disease control and providing an additional tool in the screening of resistant plants.