Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensory properties of 6- and 18-month-stored wines made with pectinase-producing non-Saccharomyces yeasts.

Recently, the use and commercial availability of non-Saccharomyces yeasts (NSY) in winemaking to reduce alcohol content have increased. However, research exploring the influence on sensory quality of the wine, particularly during storage, is limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the sensory profiles of Merlot and Chardonnay wines made with pectinase-producing NSY, with added substrate, that is, pectin. Apple pectin (0 or 0.5 g/L) was added to Merlot and Chardonnay grape musts after inoculation with (a) only Saccharomyces cerevisiae or (b) a three species mixture of NSY; after 3 days, S. cerevisiae was added. Addition of NSY with added pectin resulted in higher concentrations of d-galacturonic acid and glycerol concentration in the wines after 6 months of aging. However, mouthfeel (viscosity or weight) of wines with or without added pectin as determined by a sensory evaluation panel was not altered by the presence of these yeasts. Significant interactions among the yeast utilized, pectin addition, and 6-month aging affected some flavors (solvent) of Merlot, while addition of NSY increased other attributes (cherry) during aging. No sensory differences were perceived among Chardonnay samples due to NSY; however, aging from 6 to 18 months increased the intensity of 40 sensory attributes. Though mouthfeel was not specifically affected, the utilization of NSY may be a useful tool to alter wine quality in Merlot by increasing specific aromas during storage. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: We found that must fermented with pectinase-producing non-Saccharomyces yeasts (NSY) modified the chemical composition of the final young wine. After one additional year of aging, an increase in cherry flavor was observed in Merlot wines made with NSY, which may increase perceived quality. Thus, the use of these pectinase-producing NSY may be a useful tool for winemakers.
Underwater Target Detection Algorithm Based on YOLO and Swin Transformer for Sonar Images

To detect the underwater target more effectively, the paper optimizes the one-stage detection algorithm YOLO with combining Swin Transformer blocks and layers. Due to the special underwater environmental conditions, the task mainly focuses on acoustic detection methods based on sonar images. Deep learning neural network replacing the traditional detection algorithm is introduced to be the detection framework. It has been verified in the paper that the combination of lightweight network YOLO and well-performed network Swin Transformer can achieve more accurate detection precision and meanwhile meet the requirements of real-time detection using Autonomous Underwater Vehicle(AUV)’s available hardware.
Changes in Liver and Splenic Stiffness after Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis C: A Single-Centre, Prospective, Observational Study

Background. Liver and spleen stiffness measured by shear-wave elastography have been demonstrated to correlate well with liver fibrosis and hepatic venous pressure gradient, respectively. Aim. To investigate the long-term effect of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) on liver and splenic stiffness in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods. We conducted a single-centre prospective observational study including 129 chronic hepatitis C patients who achieved a sustained virological response (SVR) with DAA treatment. Liver and spleen stiffness were measured by point shear-wave elastography at pretreatment, end of treatment (EOT), and 48 and 96 weeks after EOT (SVR48 and SVR96, respectively). Results. Liver stiffness measurements (LSM) continued to decline to SVR96, whereas there was no change in spleen stiffness measurements (SSM). Stratified analysis at the SSM 3.2 m/s, which was estimated as the cut-off value of clinically significant portal hypertension, showed that SSM did not change in the low SSM group (SSM <3.2 m/s, n =81), whereas in the high SSM group (SSM ≥3.2 m/s, n =48), the SSM decreased significantly between pretreatment and EOT but did not change thereafter. Moreover, multivariate analysis of risk factors for the SSM remaining in the range of SSM ≥3.2 m/s at SVR96 in the high SSM group revealed that LSM ≥1.93 m/s was a significant factor (p =0.019). Conclusion. These results suggest that DAA treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients may improve liver fibrosis in the long term and some patients with advanced liver fibrosis may not expect an improvement of portal hypertension even if an SVR is achieved.
Direct molding of nanopatterned polymeric films: Resolution and errors

The capability of the direct polymer molding method to transfer ordered nanopatterns from a surface-modified silicon template to polymeric materials, such as polystyrene (PS) and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) is investigated by tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). The lateral resolution of the method for both materials is 54±1 nm while the vertical resolution is 5±1 nm and 3±1 nm, for PS and HIPS, respectively. This difference is explained by considering the different nanomechanical properties of the polymers. In contrast, HIPS surfaces are more resistant to the wear induced by the repetitive “reading” of the surface structure with the AFM tip.
A Convolutional Neural Network for Emotion Assessment and Recognition

With the vast and rapid expansion of the digital age, artificial intelligence is becoming a key factor in the technological realm. As humans become more immersed into technology, computer scientists and researchers are innovating increasingly complex machine and deep learning algorithms to match consumer need. These programs have a broad range of applications, not limited to computer vision, fraud detection, auto-correction, and more. An additional application - and the focus of this research - is emotion recognition and assess-ment. The concept of creating an emotion recognition system is one that has been researched heavily since the late 1990s. Monitoring emotional disorders in everyday environments such as a classroom or a hospital could be done in an almost fully automated manner with the correct improvements on emotion recognition algorithms. They can also be used to help assess and provide solutions for rectifying or managing unwanted emotional behavior. An emotion assessment system can be realistically built by following well-documented machine and deep learning principles, and error analysis as well as precision readings can be performed with acceptable accuracy. The focal point of this research is to create a Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) model that categorizes 7 different human facial emotions. The model is trained, tested, and validated using the preprocessed FER-2013 dataset.
Control of soliton train transmission, storage, and clock recovery by cw light injection

The Gordon–Haus time jitter and the soliton–soliton interactions in a soliton fiber loop memory or in a transmission link may be suppressed by the periodic injection of a weak cw control beam. In the case of a fiber ring cavity cw injection may also permit clock regeneration from a randomly modulated soliton train.
GRPU: An Efficient Graph-based Cross-Rack Parallel Update Scheme for Cloud Storage Systems

Erasure coding (EC) has been widely used in cloud storage systems to provide both high reliability and low storage cost. Previous literatures show that the cross-rack update operations are prevalent for many applications in erasure-coded cloud storage systems, which introduces significant I/O amplification, load imbalance and high latency. Several existing methods have been proposed to mitigate these problems. However, they ignore the correlations among chunks when performing data placement. Thus numerous stripes and racks participate in the update leading to extra I/Os and cross-rack traffic. Moreover, they don’t take into account the parallelism of network transmission which loses the potential update performance gains.To address the issues, we propose a novel Graph-based cross-Rack Parallel Update (GRPU) scheme to improve the update performance for erasure-coded cloud storage systems. The key idea of GRPU is to place the correlated chunks in the same stripe and rack, and transmit the chunks in parallel based on the network distance. The data placement and transmission paths selection are guided by two kinds of graphs. To demonstrate the effectiveness of GRPU, we conduct several experiments in a local cluster. The results show that, compared to the state-of-the-art methods, GRPU reduces the cross-rack traffic by up to 34.66% and the average response time by up to 61.69%, respectively.
VIRUS-W A fiber based integral field unit spectrograph for the study of galaxy bulges

Abstract We presented the design for a fiber based integral field unit spectrograph for the new two meter class Wendelstein telescope in Bavaria, Germany. The proposed spectrograph will feature a fiberhead consisting of 246 individual optical fibers and a field of view of approximately 1′ × 2′ and two different spectral resolution modes optimized for the study of bulges of local late-type galaxies.
Piezoelectric Effects in Collagen

The direct and converse piezoelectric effects have been observed in the Achilles tendon of ox and horse, which consists of collagen fibers in which the collagen molecules are highly orientated and crystallized. The matrix of piezoelectric constant is concordant with that derived for and unidirectionally oriented system of crystallites of collagen with a hexagonal symmetry. The magnitude of piezoelectric constant is: -d14=d25=8.0×10-8, d15=d24=4.2×10-8, d31=d32=0.26×10-8, d33=0.2×10-8 c.g. s.e. s.u. respectively, which are the largest values observed in the crystalline polymers. The origin of the effect is supposed due to the polarization or displacement of hydrogen bonds being formed in the polypeptide chains of collagen crystals. The gramophone pick-up can be made by using the thin sheet of tendon as an electromechanical transducer.
Masculinity and Leadership Effectiveness (Self-)Perceptions: The Case of Lesbian Leaders

In line with the gay glass ceiling effect, sexual minorities are often target of discrimination within work-related contexts, thus potentially undermining their wellbeing at work. For gay men, discrimination may partially be attributed to gay men’s stereotypical feminine perception, which does not fit with the stereotypically masculine traits required for leadership positions. Yet, when considering lesbian women, the masculine stereotypical view associated with them may come to represent an advantage in work-related contexts, especially when compared to heterosexual women. In Study 1, N = 303 heterosexual participants rated a lesbian vs. a heterosexual woman as a job candidate on stereotypical gender (masculine vs. feminine) traits as well as leadership effectiveness. Results showed that being lesbian was associated with higher levels of masculinity (but not femininity), which in turn was related to high leadership effectiveness. In Study 2, N = 268 lesbian and heterosexual women rated themselves on the same measures. Results showed that both groups associated masculine traits with enhanced leadership effectiveness. These studies provide a better comprehension regarding how lesbian women may be perceived in work-related contexts and shed light on the role played by gender stereotypical perceptions in shaping both heterosexual and lesbian perceptions of leadership effectiveness.
Do Mesenchymal Stem Cells Influence Keloid Recurrence?

Introduction Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been postulated by a number of authors to be the precursor cells of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in keloids. They have been seen as a regenerative pool that ensures a steady supply of cells. The objective of our study was to determine MSCs in keloids and normal skin as a determinant of keloid recurrence. Methods This was a longitudinal prospective study in which patients with keloid excisions of their specimens analyzed for MSC. A control group of patients matched for age, sex, and body-mass index (BMI) with no history of keloids admitted for elective surgical procedures had their skin samples taken and also analyzed for MSCs. Data collected were analyzed and compared using Student’s t, x2, and Fisher’s exact t tests. Results A total of 61 patients with keloids and a control group of 32 patients were recruited. The male:female ratio was 1:2 and mean age 29.5 and 29.7 years for keloids and controls, respectively. Patients with recurrent keloids had a mean density of 841.4 MSCs/g compared to 578 MSCs/g of tissue for those with no recurrence and 580 MSCs/g for patients with normal skin. Recurrent keloids had a significantly higher percentage of MSCs than those without. Conclusion Keloids compared to normal skin had a higher percentage of MSCs, with recurrent keloids demonstrating an even higher count, a possible indicator that MSCs might correlate with severity of keloid disease and recurrence.
Comparing the effects of face-to-face versus phone counseling based on cognitive-behavioral therapy for vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial

Purpose Menopause is associated with complications that may affect quality of life, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. This study aimed to compare the effects of phone versus face-to-face counseling based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women. Methods In this study, 40 eligible postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to face-to-face (n = 20) and phone counseling methods (n = 20). Six counseling sessions were held weekly for each person, and the women were requested to record their hot flashes (HF) and night sweats (NS) in a diary. HF and NS were measured at baseline, and 6 and 8 weeks after the completion of intervention. Data were analyzed using χ2, repeated measures ANCOVA, and independent t-test. Results Means of weekly hot flashes and night sweats decreased after intervention in both groups (face-to-face group: HF frequency from 31.92 ± 7.98 to 18.83 ± 7.35, HF severity from 2.24 ± 0.28 to 1.21 ± 0.23, HF duration from 4.22 ± 1.17 min to 2.79 ± 0.91 min, NS frequency from 2.34 ± 0.31 to 1.21 ± 0.24 and NS severity from 1.70 ± 0.34 to 1.03 ± 0.29; and also in the phone counseling group: HF frequency from 33.32 ± 7.77 to 19.53 ± 7.7, HF severity from 2.23 ± 0.24 to 1.20 ± 0.18, HF duration from 4.29 ± 1.23 min to 2.68 ± 0.95 min, NS frequency from 2.33 ± 0.31 to 1.14 ± 0.16 and NS severity from 1.59 ± 0.34 to 1.01 ± 0.30). Although the differences within each group were significant (p < 0.001), there was no significant difference between the groups after the intervention in terms of HF frequency, severity, and duration, as well as NS frequency and severity (p > 0.05). Conclusions Face-to-face and phone counseling methods based on CBT had a similar effect on reducing hot flashes and night sweats. Both methods can be used for women with postmenopausal complications such as hot flashes and night sweats.
Understanding the Effects of Constraint and Predictability in ERP

Abstract Intuitively, strongly constraining contexts should lead to stronger probabilistic representations of sentences in memory. Encountering unexpected words could therefore be expected to trigger costlier shifts in these representations than expected words. However, psycholinguistic measures commonly used to study probabilistic processing, such as the N400 event-related potential (ERP) component, are sensitive to word predictability but not to contextual constraint. Some research suggests that constraint-related processing cost may be measurable via an ERP positivity following the N400, known as the anterior post-N400 positivity (PNP). The PNP is argued to reflect update of a sentence representation and to be distinct from the posterior P600, which reflects conflict detection and reanalysis. However, constraint-related PNP findings are inconsistent. We sought to conceptually replicate Federmeier et al. (2007) and Kuperberg et al. (2020), who observed that the PNP, but not the N400 or the P600, was affected by constraint at unexpected but plausible words. Using a pre-registered design and statistical approach maximising power, we demonstrated a dissociated effect of predictability and constraint: strong evidence for predictability but not constraint in the N400 window, and strong evidence for constraint but not predictability in the later window. However, the constraint effect was consistent with a P600 and not a PNP, suggesting increased conflict between a strong representation and unexpected input rather than greater update of the representation. We conclude that either a simple strong/weak constraint design is not always sufficient to elicit the PNP, or that previous PNP constraint findings could be an artifact of smaller sample size.
The circular plate condenser at small separations

Abstract The problem considered is the oppositely charged, circular disk condenser when the disks are very close together. An integral equation due to Love(5) is used as the governing equation of the problem. This equation is solved asymptotically for small separations by splitting the field into regions, one being an annulus containing the edges, the other being the rest of the domain, and combining these solutions. Bounds for the error in the solution of the integral equation are obtained rigorously; the error is shown to approach zero as the separation approaches zero. The capacity of the system is deduced from this solution. The problem of finding the capacity has previously been attempted by various authors, whose results have differed. The present treatment establishes which of these results is correct.
Statistical system identification and applications to seismic response of structures

A pragmatic and versatile statistical system identification framework is presented and applied to seismic response records of structures. The framework is based on the interpretation of probability as a measure of plausibility and on Bayesian statistical inference. Various classical system identification techniques can be derived and viewed as the special cases of the framework. However, the framework can provide a more informative interpretation of the identified optimal model. When the number of sampled input and output data from structures is large, useful asymptotic approximations of the analytical results are available. These asymptotic approximations are incorporated into the framework by introducing the definitions of system identifiability and model identifiability. New asymptotic approximation results are derived for the system un-identifiable case. From the viewpoint of asymptotic approximations, the system identification problem is a non-trivial global optimization problem. Two generalized trajectory methods, the homotopy scheme and the relaxation scheme, are presented which can be combined to provide a very robust numerical procedure for global optimization. Both methods can also be applied to find the roots of a set of nonlinear algebraic equations. Structural model updating is useful because it can be applied to structural health monitoring and is also desirable since the theoretically based stiffness matrix of a structure can be improved by using the measured structural response data. However, no well-accepted solution to this difficult problem has emerged primarily because it is an ill-conditioned and non-unique inverse problem. A single-stage structural model updating approach using the least-squares prediction-error system identification method and a substructuring technique is proposed and applied to simulated and real structural response data.
Experimental realization of ‘universal homodyne tomography’ with a single local oscillator

We report preliminary experimental measurement of the twin-beam quantum state via optical homodyne tomography using a single local oscillator. The experiment is a realization of the recently reported ‘universal homodyne tomography’ technique. The results agree well with theoretical predictions and reveal the non-classical photon-number correlation between the signal and idler photons of the twin-beam state.
Virtual‐force‐guided intraoperative ultrasound scanning with online lesion location prediction: A phantom study

In ultrasound‐guided minimally invasive surgery (MIS) of tumours, it is crucial to discover the optimal scanning plane (OSP) and organise the MIS scalpel work trajectory in this plane. The OSP can be altered and is challenging to track when the scalpel interacts with deformed tissues. Therefore, tracking the OSP becomes critical in MIS. In master‐slave control, virtual force (VF) is used to assist the operator in completing the task. However, most literature assumes that the environment is sufficiently stable. No specific method focuses on tracking the OSP of the lesion within largely deformed tissues.
Characterization and In Vitro Biocompatibility of Two New Bioglasses for Application in Dental Medicine—A Preliminary Study

Bioactive glasses (BGs), also known as bioglasses, are very attractive and versatile materials that are increasingly being used in dentistry. For this study, two new bioglasses—one with boron (BG1) and another with boron and vanadium (BG2)—were synthesized, characterized, and tested on human dysplastic keratinocytes. The in vitro biological properties were evaluated through pH and zeta potential measurement, weight loss, Ca2+ ions released after immersion in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Furthermore, biocompatibility was evaluated through quantification of lactate dehydrogenase activity, oxidative stress, transcription factors, and DNA lesions. The results indicate that both BGs presented the same behavior in simulated fluids, characterized by high degradation, fast release of calcium and boron in the environment (especially from BG1), and increased pH and zeta potential. Both BGs reacted with the fluid, particularly BG2, with irregular deposits covering the glass surface. In vitro studies demonstrated that normal doses of the BGs were not cytotoxic to DOK, while high doses reduced cell viability. Both BGs induced oxidative stress and cell membrane damage and enhanced NFkB activation, especially BG1. The BGs down-regulated the expression of NFkB and diminished the DNA damage, suggesting the protective effects of the BGs on cell death and efficacy of DNA repair mechanisms.
Response of Bacteria Isolated from Spent Engine Oil Contaminated Soil to Hydrocarbons, Metals and Antibiotics

ABSTRACT Automobile Mechanic Workshops (AMWs) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) contribute to the problem of soil contamination with petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic heavy metals as a result of indiscriminate disposal of spent engine oil (SEO). Such contaminated soil ecosystems can serve as reservoirs of bacteria harboring adaptive tolerance to metals and hydrocarbons as well as resistance to antibiotics. This study investigated the growth response of bacteria isolated from spent engine oil contaminated soils collected from AMWs in South-West, Nigeria to different concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb and their mixture) and clinically relevant antibiotics. Sixty percent of the bacterial isolates (n = 192) from the hydrocarbon contaminated soil samples possess the unique ability to metabolize various hydrocarbons, tolerate heavy metals and resist at least one of the tested antibiotics. The isolates were identified as members of the Genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Burkholderia, Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Actinomycetes, Citrobacter and Serratia. Significant correlation (p < .05) was observed between hydrocarbon utilization and antibiotic resistance. Results showed SEO contamination plays a role in the development and spread of antibiotic resistance in the soil ecosystem. Thus, it is necessary to enforce stricter regulations on the disposal of SEO and other petroleum hydrocarbons to limit their human and environment associated hazards.