Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recognizing, Fast and Slow: Complex Emotion Recognition With Facial Expression Detection and Remote Physiological Measurement

Complex emotion is an aggregate of two or more others which has highly variable appearances, inter-dependence, and affective dynamics.These properties make the recognition hard to handle via existing recognition techniques like action units or valence-arousal detection. In this study, we propose a bionic two-system structure for complex emotion recognition. The structure mimics the working theory of the human brain responding to problems decision-making. System I is a fast compound sensing module. System II is a slower cognitive decision module that processes data more integratively. System I contains one branch for facial expression feature representation including basic emotion, action units, and valence arousal detection and one for physiological measurement which is an image-only implementation for practicality. In System II, a decision module with segmentation is employed to ensure the chosen period including the emotion occurrence and iteratively optimize the emotion information in a given segment via reinforcement learning. The proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art on emotion recognition tasks with an accuracy of 94.15% in basic emotion recognition on the BP4D and an accuracy of 68.75% for binary valence arousal classification on the DEAP. For a subset of complex emotions, the recognition accuracy exceeds 70% on both databases, that is a significant improvement.
Low-Baseline PD1+ Granulocytes Predict Responses to Atezolizumab–Bevacizumab in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Simple Summary Immune check point inhibitors (ICPIs) are one of the treatment options for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). No biomarker is currently available to upfront select patients to be addressed to one or another drug. We have tested a prospective series of patients with advanced HCC treated with atezolizumab–bevacizumab combination with the aim of identifying biomarkers of response by using a simple cytofluorimetric test on peripheral blood. Due to the relevant role of granulocyte in the immune response, here we have focused on granulocyte immunophenotype by investigating PD1 and PD-L1 expression on their surface by using a simple cytofluorimetric test on peripheral blood. A low baseline PD1+ granulocyte percentage identified patients likely to benefit from atezolizumab–bevacizumab. Our findings warrant to validate this cheap and immediate cytofluorimetric test in larger cohorts, to verify whether the individual accuracy could be informative for the clinical practice. Abstract Introduction: Immune check point inhibitors have recently entered the armamentarium of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. Among them, the combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab has pushed it a step forward; however, a number of patients still present primary non-responses without any biomarker to predict responses to different options. Here, we aimed to identify a putative baseline biomarker to predict the response to atezolizumab–bevacizumab, by investigating whether baseline PD1+ and PD-L1+ peripheral granulocyte percentages might offer a non-invasive, cheap, and easily feasible assay. Methods: A prospective Italian cohort of 34 patients treated by atezolizumab–bevacizumab was tested to assay the baseline percentage of peripheral granulocytes and their PD1 and PD-L1 expression. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was also considered, and all data were compared with the clinical course of patients. Results: A low-baseline PD1+ peripheral granulocyte percentage turned out to predict responder patients (mean ±SD of PD1+ granulocyte percentage in responders versus non-responders: 9.9 ± 9.1 vs. 29.2 ± 17.6; student’s t-test, p < 0.01). In line, patients identified by a low PD1+ granulocyte percentage displayed a longer TTP (log-rank test, p < 0.0001). A lower granulocyte percentage on total white blood cells, irrespective of PD1 or PD-L1 expression, is also associated with responses to atezolizumab–bevacizumab (log-rank test, p < 0.05). No predictive value was observed for either the PD-L1+ granulocyte percentage or NLR. Conclusions: A low-baseline PD1+ peripheral granulocyte percentage is associated with responses to atezolizumab–bevacizumab treatment in advanced HCC. These findings encourage evaluating this minimally invasive, cheap, and easy test in further independent cohorts and outlining the relevance of innate immunity in the response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors.
Optical carrier linewidth broadening in a traveling wave semiconductor laser amplifier

The powerful spectral densities of the phase, intensity, and electron density noise derived in a previous paper are used to calculate the linewidth broadening of an optical carrier as it propagates through a traveling-wave semiconductor laser amplifier. It is found that the amount of broadening is dependent upon the input linewidth as well as amplifier parameters. The effect of saturation due to high input power is considered, as well as the operational regime where intensity, rather than phase, noise determines the amplifier output line shape. An example system calculation is used to demonstrate the impact of amplifier line broadening on system design. >
Modest Reduction in CAG Repeat Length Rescues Motor Deficits but Not Purkinje Cell Pathology and Gliosis in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 Mice

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is a fatal, dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of CAG repeats in the Ataxin-1 (ATXN1) gene. SCA1 is characterized by the early and prominent pathology of the cerebellar Purkinje cells that results in balance and coordination deficits. We previously demonstrated that cerebellar astrocytes contribute to SCA1 pathogenesis in a biphasic, stage of disease-dependent manner. We found that pro-inflammatory transcriptional regulator nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling in astrocytes has a neuroprotective role during early-stage SCA1. Here, we sought to examine whether further inducing NF-κB activation in astrocytes of SCA1 model mice at an early stage of the disease has therapeutic benefits. To perform this task, we created a novel Slc1a3-CreERT/IKKβCA/ATXN1[82Q] triple transgenic mouse model in which TMX injection at 4 weeks of age results in the expression of constitutively active inhibitor of kB kinase beta (IKKβCA), the main activator of NF-κB signaling. As we evaluated SCA1-like phenotypes, we noticed that ATXN1[82Q] mice did not exhibit motor deficits anymore, even at very late stages of the disease. We sequenced the mutant ATXN1 gene and discovered that the CAG repeat number had decreased from 82 to 71. However, despite the loss of motor phenotype, other well-characterized SCA1-changes, including atrophy of Purkinje cell dendrites, hallmarks of cerebellar astrogliosis and microgliosis, and Purkinje cell disease-associated gene expression changes, were still detectable in ATXN1[71Q] mice. We found delayed PC atrophy and calbindin reduction in SCA1 mice expressing IKKβCA in astrocytes implicating beneficial effects of increased NF-κB signaling on Purkinje cell pathology. The change in the motor phenotype of SCA1 mice with CAG reduction prevented us from evaluating the neuroprotective potential of IKKβCA on motor deficits in these mice.
Collagen VI in the Musculoskeletal System

Collagen VI exerts several functions in the tissues in which it is expressed, including mechanical roles, cytoprotective functions with the inhibition of apoptosis and oxidative damage, and the promotion of tumor growth and progression by the regulation of cell differentiation and autophagic mechanisms. Mutations in the genes encoding collagen VI main chains, COL6A1, COL6A2 and COL6A3, are responsible for a spectrum of congenital muscular disorders, namely Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD), Bethlem myopathy (BM) and myosclerosis myopathy (MM), which show a variable combination of muscle wasting and weakness, joint contractures, distal laxity, and respiratory compromise. No effective therapeutic strategy is available so far for these diseases; moreover, the effects of collagen VI mutations on other tissues is poorly investigated. The aim of this review is to outline the role of collagen VI in the musculoskeletal system and to give an update about the tissue-specific functions revealed by studies on animal models and from patients’ derived samples in order to fill the knowledge gap between scientists and the clinicians who daily manage patients affected by collagen VI-related myopathies.
Effects of polymer stresses on eddy structures in drag-reduced turbulent channel flow

The effects of polymer stresses on near-wall turbulent structures are examined by using direct numerical simulation of fully developed turbulent channel flows with and without polymer stress. The Reynolds number based on friction velocity and half-channel height is 395, and the stresses created by adding polymer are modelled by a finite extensible nonlinear elastic, dumbbell model. Both low- (18%) and high-drag reduction (61%) cases are investigated. Linear stochastic estimation is employed to compute the conditional averages of the near-wall eddies. The conditionally averaged flow fields for Reynolds-stress-maximizing Q2 events show that the near-wall vortical structures are weakened and elongated in the streamwise direction by polymer stresses in a manner similar to that found by Stone et al. (2004) for low-Reynolds-number quasi-streamwise vortices (‘exact coherent states: ECS’). The conditionally averaged fields for the events with large contribution to the polymer work are also examined. The vortical structures in drag-reduced turbulence are very similar to those for the Q2 events, i.e. counter-rotating streamwise vortices near the wall and hairpin vortices above the buffer layer. The three-dimensional distributions of conditionally averaged polymer force around these vortical structures show that the polymer force components oppose the vortical motion. More fundamentally, the torques due to polymer stress are shown to oppose the rotation of the vortices, thereby accounting for their weakening. The observations also extend concepts of the vortex retardation by viscoelastic counter-torques to the heads of hairpins above the buffer layer, and offer an explanation of the mechanism of drag reduction in the outer region of wall turbulence, as well as in the buffer layer.
Using Species Knowledge to Promote Pro-Environmental Attitudes? The Association among Species Knowledge, Environmental System Knowledge and Attitude towards the Environment in Secondary School Students

Simple Summary The Earth’s biodiversity is currently declining rapidly. To counteract this loss, it is important to create awareness of nature and the environment in society. According to scientists and conservationists, the basis of such awareness is knowledge of animal and plant species. This study investigated the level of species knowledge of students and the relationship between species knowledge and environmental knowledge as well as attitudes towards the environment. The study concludes that students know more vertebrate species than invertebrate species and that high species knowledge has a positive effect on environmental knowledge and attitude towards the environment. Promoting species knowledge is therefore one way to create more awareness about biodiversity. Abstract Scientists and conservationists suggest species knowledge as a possible starting point when it comes to creating deeper knowledge and awareness of nature, the environment, and biodiversity. The aim of this work was to analyze secondary school students’ species knowledge of vertebrates and invertebrates. This is one of the first studies that also draws on invertebrates. Furthermore, we investigated whether knowledge of species forms a basis for the formation of environmental knowledge and attitude towards the environment. For this purpose, a questionnaire on species knowledge was developed. In addition, a questionnaire was used to measure environmental system knowledge, and the 2-MEV Attitude Scale to measure attitude towards the environment. The questionnaires were completed by 103 seventh and eighth-grade (age: 12–13) students of a secondary German school (Gymnasium, highest stratification level). The students identified more vertebrates than invertebrates (50.15% vs. 36.7%). The structural equation model with the latent variables species knowledge, environmental system knowledge, and attitude towards the environment showed that species knowledge has a highly significant influence on the two other latent variables. More precisely species knowledge explained 28% of the variance in environmental systems knowledge and 17% of the variance in attitude towards the environment. This study can therefore draw attention to the relevance of teaching species knowledge in the sense of Education for Sustainable Development, in order not to promote decreasing biodiversity through dwindling species knowledge.
Complementary elliptic curve for cryptographic use

Elliptic curve cryptography is known for its complexity due to its discrete logarithm problem, and this gives advantage to the system used since the formula developed using this concept is hard to break, therefore this criteria has given mathematicians a courage to explore this area of research. In this paper a new method for imbedding plaintexts using complementary curve is proposed. By applying this method, we will eventually enlarge the block of message of elliptic curve cryptosystems and this resulted in faster communication and processing time and at the same time the security level remain tight.
Developing Shared Ways of Seeing Data: The Perils and Possibilities of Achieving Intercoder Agreement

All research, e.g., qualitative or quantitative, is concerned with the extent to which analyses can adequately describe the phenomena it seeks to describe. In qualitative research, we use internal validity checks like intercoder agreement to measure the extent to which independent researchers observe the same phenomena in data. Researchers report indices of agreement to serve as evidence of consistency and dependability of interpretations, and we do so to make claims about the trustworthiness of our research accounts. However, few studies report the methods of how multiple analysts developed alignment in their interpretation of data, a process that undergirds accounts of consistency, dependability, and trustworthiness. In this article, we review the issues and options around achieving intercoder agreement. Drawing on our experience from a longitudinal, team-based research project that required rapid cycles of qualitative data analysis, we reflect on the challenges we had achieving high intercoder agreement (which refer to as the perils). It was through these challenges that we developed a method that helps to foster shared ways of seeing data, and thus alignment in our interpretations of phenomena in data. In this article, we present this method as a tool for dyadic and team-based qualitative data analysis to facilitate reliable and consistent high-inference interpretations of data with multiple analysts.
Experiment Study on the Effect of Aluminum Sulfate-Based Alkali-Free Accelerator and the w/c on Cement Hydration and Leaching

The alkali-free accelerator based on aluminum sulfate is widely used in shotcrete in tunnels. Long-term Ca-leaching of shotcrete may adversely affect the tunnels in a water-rich mountain. It is necessary to examine further the impact of the AS accelerator and w/c on cement hydration and leaching. In this study, all the cement pastes were cured in the environment with R.H. > 95% and 20 ± 1 °C for 60 days and leached in a running water test with 6 M NH4Cl at 1 cm/s. The hydration kinetics was characterized by isothermal calorimetry. Additionally, the microstructural and mineralogical alterations were characterized by XRD, SEM, MIP, and N2 absorption. The results show that (1) the AS accelerator affected the hydration kinetics of cement by stimulating early hydration and delaying the late silicate hydration, resulting in AS-accelerated cement pastes with rougher pore structure. As a result, the higher the dose of AS accelerator, the faster the cement pastes will leach. (2) Hydration kinetics of the accelerated cement are not affected by the w/c. The AS-accelerated cement pastes with lower w/c have a denser pore structure. So, the reduction in the w/c contributes to leaching resistance.
A new planar microtransformer for use in micro-switching converters

A planar microtransformer for use in microswitching converters of portable equipment is described. This microtransformer, consisting of planar coils and CoZrRe amorphous magnetic layers on a Si substrate, is fabricated by a dry process. It is about 0.3-mm thick, and 3*4 mm/sup 2/. Its coils provide a relatively high inductance of 33 nH/mm/sup 2/. This microtransformer is implemented in a forward converter, which operates well at 32 MHz. >
Teachers’ post-pandemic outlook on the role of Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge in coping with burnout under adverse conditions: How a job demand transformed into a job resource

Introduction The sudden change of instructional mode from face-to-face to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers to develop their ICT skills and knowledge to cope with newly imposed job pressures. The imbalance between job demands and resources in this context led to teachers’ severe burnout. This retrospective study utilized a mixed methods approach to examine teachers’ coping mechanisms, Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), and job burnout amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Data were gathered from 307 teachers on their experience of emergency remote teaching (ERT) at the time they returned to school in the Spring of 2022. Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the mediating role of TPACK in the relationship between coping strategies and burnout. Results The results revealed direct effects in the pathways of avoidant, active positive, and evasive coping to burnout highlighting the role of avoidant strategies in harming teachers’ well-being and problem-focused strategies in promoting teachers’ mental health. Also, indirect effects of active positive coping to burnout through TPACK, as a constructive approach to fighting back the crisis, were verified. Further, the direct effect of TPACK on burnout as a hindrance was significant, showing that higher levels of TPACK guaranteed lower job burnout and emotional drain. Analyzing interviews with 31 teachers revealed that TPACK functioned as a stressor at the outset of the pandemic and a resource for overcoming the strain and resolving the challenges in the midst of the crisis till schools reopened. Discussion The findings underscore the significant role of teachers’ updated knowledge base in reducing their job pressure and taking proper decisions to cope well with unforeseen circumstances. The study has practical implications for policymakers, teacher educators, and school administrators to pay immediate attention to collective wisdom, organizational support, and technological infrastructures for improving teachers’ well-being and professional success.
Editorial: Hybrid or mixed myelodyplastic/myeloproliferative disorders: Current trends in diagnosis and treatment

COPYRIGHT © 2023 Symeonidis and Germing. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. TYPE Editorial PUBLISHED 08 March 2023 DOI 10.3389/fonc.2023. 1166163
Tidal radii and masses of open clusters

Context. In a previous paper we obtained King’s parameters for 236 of 650 Galactic open clusters identified in the ASCC-2.5. Aims. Estimating tidal radii by use of observable parameters available for all clusters. Bias-free results are required. Methods. We use methods of stellar statistics and develop a semi-empirical model of open clusters. Results. We check two effects impacting the determination of tidal radii from a fitting of King’s profiles to the observed density distribution, i.e., ellipticity of open clusters and a bias depending on distances. Though a typical cluster has an elliptical form, the effect is rather weak to produce a prominent bias in the resulting tidal radii. In contrast, a distance dependent bias is not negligible and can cause a systematic underestimation of tidal radii computed with ASCC-2.5 data by a factor of two for the most distant clusters of our sample. This finding is used to correct the original results for 236 clusters and to extend the system of tidal radii and masses to all 650 clusters. We found that the semi-major axis of the projected distribution of cluster members on the sky is a parameter suited to estimate tidal radii of open clusters of our sample. No systematic differences are found between measured and calibrated tidal radii. From the comparison with mass estimates based on star counts and on the assumption of the Salpeter IMF, empirical evidence is obtained for an evolution of cluster mass functions starting in young clusters. Conclusions. The set of homogeneous parameters available for all clusters of our sample is extended by tidal radius and mass. Within 850 pc where our sample is complete, the distributions of tidal radii and masses peak at rt ≈ 6p c and logMc/m� ≈ 2.5, respectively. In young open clusters, the mass distributions show differences to the Salpeter IMF, and this discrepancy increases with cluster age.
“Working Together”: Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals in Providing Virtual Care to Youth with Chronic Pain during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The onset of the coronavirus disease in 2019 necessitated a rapid transition to virtual care for chronic pain treatment. Methods: A mixed methods design was implemented using qualitative interviews and quantitative satisfaction surveys. Interviews were conducted in February 2021 with a sample of healthcare professionals (HCPs; n = 6) who had provided multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) through an outpatient hospital pediatric chronic pain program. Satisfaction surveys were distributed to all MDT professionals employed by the clinic in April 2021 (n = 13 of 20 eligible; 65% response rate). Participants represented medicine, rehabilitation, and mental health professionals. Results: Analysis of interviews generated five themes: (1) adaptation to virtual care, (2) benefits of virtual care, (3) limitations of virtual care, (4) shifting stance on virtual care over time, and (5) considerations for implementing virtual care. The satisfaction survey data revealed that respondents were able to effectively provide appropriate diagnoses, recommendations, and/or care plans for pediatric chronic pain via virtual care (n = 12, 92.3%). Detailed survey responses are presented by discipline. Conclusions: This study provides a rich exploration of HCPs’ experiences in providing MDT for pediatric chronic pain within a virtual care model. The current results may contribute to the future development of guidelines for virtual care delivery with pediatric chronic pain populations.