Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image Statistical Analysis Procedures for Spray Morphology Investigation

A methodology of image statistical analysis to investigate spray shadowgrams is presented. Due to the peculiar morphology of the images of jets in crossflow a purposely-defined criterion for proper binarization is proposed. Such methodology is applied to an extensive set of sprays shadowgrams, obtained by crossflow injection. Jet leading edge and centerline could be determined using the proposed procedure, along with the progressive divergence of the two curves, representing the spray aperture angle. Results indicate that the ruling parameter for liquid placement and dispersion is the momentum flux ratio, with further influence of nozzle diameter and surface tension
ENVIRONMENT SENSITIVE PROBES BASED ON SQUARIC ACID SCAFFOLDS

Environment-sensitive probes are desirable molecules due to their ability to respond to changes in media. These responses can be measured via photophysical properties such as absorbance and emission, as factors such as polarity and viscosity change. In this project, we investigated how functionalized squaric acid scaffolds, specifically with 8-aminoquinoline moieties, would serve as probes measuring changes in the local media. Four squaric acid derivatives were synthesized, however it was found that only the 1,3-disubstituted squaric acid derivative was a probe sensitive to both polarity and viscosity.
Paternal Work Stress and the Mental Health of Fathers and Children: A Role for Urban and Rural Migration Patterns

how paternal influences interact with community factors to determine adolescent mental health is cur-rently not well understood. in the current study we present a unique analysis of how paternal work stress, mental health, ethnicity, work history, and migration patterns between rural and urban communities (or vice versa) are associated with mental health outcomes among 2,342 adolescents. path analyses revealed that fathers’ relocation was associated with less paternal work stress, and fewer mental health problems both in adolescents and their fathers. these findings contribute to our understanding of how family-level variables interplay with community characteristics to promote or hinder mental health among youth
Management of low and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions during pregnancy

Despite significant advances regarding screening and treatment of cervical dysplasia, cervical cancer in fertile age is becoming more and more common in the last two decades1. Cervical cancer screening ideally detects preinvasive lesions that can be eradicated or early stage cervical cancer that can be successfully treated. Cervical cancer screening was previously limited to cervical cytology. However, during the past decade, High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (HR HPV) testing has also become an important screening tool2. The incidence of cervical cancer in pregnancy is estimated to be 1-10/10000 pregnancies3, while abnormal cervical cytology is at least as high as reported for nonpregnant women4. Among dysplasia cases diagnosed during pregnancy, 10%-70% regress and sometimes even disappear postpartum, while persistence in the severity of cervical neoplasia is reported in 25%-47% and progression occurs in 3%-30%. However, adequate follow-up and definitive management in the postpartum period is important3. There are various strategies in different countries whether to perform cervical screening in pregnancy. Differences depend on variables such as local incidence of cervical cancer, presence of organized screening in each country, population coverage by screening, social awareness of the disease, etc. However, there are no medical reasons why screening should not be performed during pregnancy. The objective of this review is to assess proper management of Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (SIL) during pregnancy. Screening tolls Cervical cytology Cervical cytology became the standard screening test for cervical cancer and premalignant cervical lesions with the introduction of the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear in 19415. Liquid-based, thin-layer preparation of cervical cytology specimens was a subsequent modification of this technique. Both test modalities detect most cases of cervical neoplasia during the typically prolonged premalignant or early occult invasive phases, when treatment outcomes are optimal. Both of them are considered equally acceptable for screening6. Terminology for reporting cervical cytology was standardized by the Bethesda System in 19887. This system has been revised several times, and the current system was deHJOG An Obstetrics and Gynecology International Journal
DNA Sequence is Critically Involved in the Compact Assembly of Chromatin Arrays

The organization of the nucleosome array is a critical component of chromatin assembly as well as its function. Here we investigated the contribution of DNA sequence and internucleosomal interactions to the organization of nucleosomal arrays using Atomic Force Microscopy. We assembled nucleosomes on DNA substrates allowing for the formation of tetranucleosomes. We found that nucleosomes are capable of forming constructs with no discernible space between them, even in the case of dinucleosomes. Simulated assembly of tetranucleosomes by random placement revealed that array compaction is promoted by internucleosomal interactions. We developed a theoretical model to account for the role of DNA sequence and internucleosomal interactions in the formation of nucleosome structures. These findings suggest that the affinity of nucleosomes to the DNA sequence and the strengths of internucleosomal interactions are the two major factors defining the compactness of chromatin.
High power fiber lasers: current status and future perspectives [Invited]

The rise in output power from rare-earth-doped fiber sources over the past decade, via the use of cladding-pumped fiber architectures, has been dramatic, leading to a range of fiber-based devices with outstanding performance in terms of output power, beam quality, overall efficiency, and flexibility with regard to operating wavelength and radiation format. This success in the high-power arena is largely due to the fiber’s geometry, which provides considerable resilience to the effects of heat generation in the core, and facilitates efficient conversion from relatively low-brightness diode pump radiation to high-brightness laser output. In this paper we review the current state of the art in terms of continuous-wave and pulsed performance of ytterbium-doped fiber lasers, the current fiber gain medium of choice, and by far the most developed in terms of high-power performance. We then review the current status and challenges of extending the technology to other rare-earth dopants and associated wavelengths of operation. Throughout we identify the key factors currently limiting fiber laser performance in different operating regimes—in particular thermal management, optical nonlinearity, and damage. Finally, we speculate as to the likely developments in pump laser technology, fiber design and fabrication, architectural approaches, and functionality that lie ahead in the coming decade and the implications they have on fiber laser performance and industrial/scientific adoption.
CHT+NSYSU SOUND EVENT DETECTION SYSTEM WITH DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRETRAINED MODELS FOR DCASE 2022 TASK 4 Technical Report

In this technical report, we describe our submission system for DCASE 2022 Task4: sound event detection in domestic environments. We proposed two kinds of systems. One is trained by combining the mean teacher framework and knowledge distillation (one student model and two teacher models) without external data. While training this system, we first trained a mean teacher model to be a pretrained model. Our next step is to select the better one, the teacher or student model, to be the trained model for knowledge distillation. Afterword, we trained another mean teacher model with a different architecture using knowledge distillation. Finally, we repeat the select model step and knowledge distillation several times. The mean teacher model in the final round is composed of a VGG block, selective kernels and a clip level consistency branch. Comparing to the PSDS-scenario1 of 35.1% and PSDS-scenario2 of 55.2% of the baseline system trained without external data, the ensemble of this kind of system can achieve 43.7% and 68.0%, respectively. Theother system can be separated into two parts. The first part is the top three layers of pretrained PANNs, while the second part is a similar system to baseline with only three convolution blocks. Then we trained the whole system (included PANNs) with DESED data. Ensembleing this system, the PSDS-scenario1 and 2 of 46.5% and 76.7% outperforms the baseline system (trained with AST embedding) of 31.3% and 72.2%.
TESTING FOR EFFICIENT MARKET HYPOTHESIS ON MALAYSIAN’S STOCK MARKET: DOES CRISIS REGIME MATTER?

In the context of the recent financial crisis, there has been growing questions about improving the efficiency of the stock market through liberalization. Although many researchers have studied the empirical effects of financial liberalization on stock market efficiency, consistent conclusions remain elusive. This paper aims to study the long and short-run relationship between financial liberalization and stock market efficiency before and after the global crisis strike in Malaysia. Specifically, Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) is the main econometric technique applied to explore this study. This study uses quarterly time series data over the period from 1998Q1 to 2020Q4. The findings revealed that financial openness and trade openness affect the stock market positively in the short and long term. In conclusion, these results indirectly support the efficient market hypothesis in Malaysia. Findings provide some policy implications in which the country should reinforce the prerequisites of openness to avoid the potential of initial crisis by equipping in an appropriate manner to minimize the short-term costs of liberalization to achieve long-term benefits
Decentralization and Earmarked Funding in Humanitarian Logistics for Relief and Development

International Humanitarian Organizations (IHO) often implement relief and development programs simultaneously. With headquarters in Europe or USA and programs (operations) in developing countries, IHO are frequently decentralized. Moreover, IHO program delivery is funded by donors and funding is typically earmarked for speciﬁc programs increasing even more the decentralization levels. Using system dynamics methodology we study the IHO dual mission of relief and development in stochastic operations with diﬀerent levels of earmarked funding. Focusing on metrics of equity and eﬃciency we ﬁnd that earmarked funding and relief programs aﬀect operations in counter-intuitive ways. First, our analysis focuses only on development programs. Second, we add relief operations to better understand the impact of the dual mission. Finally, we study the impact of earmarking. Due to the interaction of dual mission and earmarked funding, a system with local procurement and a short lead time may consistently take longer to supply transportation for disaster response (relief) than a system with global procurement and high lead time. Our results have important implications for humanitarian ﬂeet management practice. Speciﬁcally, what organizational structure to adopt in diﬀerent organizational environments.
USE OF INSTAGRAM, BODY IMAGE SATISFACTION AND SELF-ESTEEM IN YOUNG WOMEN

The aim was to assess the impact of Instagram's usage on young women's satisfaction with their body image and self-esteem. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study. A total of 329 women using Instagram, aged 18-24, answered this online survey. The data collection was through the RedCap platform. The research was published on social networks and was requested that other people would share on theirs. The method used was a non-probabilistic sample in order to reach as many participants as possible. The results showed that those who reported access to inspirational fitness content most frequently and compared themselves to other users showed decreased body satisfaction and self-esteem. Those who spend more than 2 hours per day on Instagram increased subjective feelings of salience and body fat perception.
Controllability, Observability and Eigenvalue Assignment on Isolated Time Scales

Abstract In this paper, some theoretical results on controllability, observability and duality for isolated time scales systems are given. It is also shown that eigenvalue assignment via a state feedback (output injection) controller on isolated time scales yields desired system behavior of a continuous system. Furthermore, a method for designing such a controller is introduced.
Finite frequency H ∞ control of 2-D continuous systems in Roesser model

This paper investigates the ﬁnite frequency (FF) H ∞ control problem of two-dimensional (2-D) continuous systems in Roesser Model. Our attention is focused on designing state feedback controllers guaranteeing the bounded-input-bounded-output stability and FF H ∞ performance of the corresponding closed-loop system. A generalized 2-D Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov (KYP) lemma is presented for 2-D continuous systems. By the generalized2-DKYPlemma,theexistenceconditionsof H ∞ controllersareobtainedinterms of linear matrix inequalities. Two examples are given to validate the proposed methods.
Skin colour correction and faces detection techniques based on HSL and R colour components

Human face detection is the first step towards face recognition, video surveillance and bioinformatics applications. The first step in faces detection is skin colour detection. Skincolour detection in visible spectrum is a very challenging task as the skin colour in an image is sensitive to various factors such as sensor characteristics, illumination, optics and ethnicity. Many researchers emphasise that there is a relationship between surface colours and illumination which is closely related problem of colour constancy. Colour correction stage should come first before applying skin colour detection to get better recognition rate. In this paper, a new approach Illumination Reflection Problem (IRP) has been proposed to correct the skin colour in the image that suffers from illumination reflection problem. IRP approach succeeded to correct the colour of 95% of affected pixels from illumination reflection problem. Also, a new approach to solve colour constancy problem is proposed named MMCrCb (Mean of Medians of Cr Cb). The purpose of this correction approach is to prepare the image prior to applying skin detection technique. Its methodology based on transforming the image to YCbCr then correcting the values of Y, Cb and Cr. After doing correction, transform the image back to RGB. Images from Caltech Image Database that suffer from colour constancy problem were used to test the MMCrCb approach. Also nine skin colour detection techniques were investigated and compared with a new proposed technique for skin detection using HSL and R colour components. The data base used for testing that approach was the MUCT database. The MUCT database provides more diversity of lighting, age and ethnicity. The testing results proved that the proposed skin detection technique using HSL and R is the best among techniques in the literature. In addition to that, the use of MMCrCb colour constancy correction approach with the proposed skin detection technique increases the skin colour pixels classification rate of unbalanced colour images by 20%.
The rate of stellar collapses in the galaxy

The expected rate of stellar collapses is evaluated by integrating the initial mass function for mass greater than five solar masses over the distribution of stars in the thin disk. Rates of 1.0 + 1.5 or - 0.6 stellar collapses per century for assumed supernova progenitor masses greater than 8 solar masses and 5 solar masses, respectively. These values are consistent with the observed Galactic supernova rate of 2.2 + or - 1.3 per century. They disagree, however, with a previous estimate of roughly 11 + 5 or - 2 stellar collapses per century obtained by Bahcall and Piran (1983). The reasons for this discrepancy are explored in the text. 33 refs.
Excellent repigmentation was observed in the treatment of refractory vitiligo with autologous cultured epithelium grafting: a real-world retrospective cohort study

Surgical interventions are mainstream therapies for refractory vitiligo that are resistant to conventional approaches. This clinical trial is a single center retrospective cohort study. 726 vitiligo patients treated with ACEG were collected from January 2015 to June 2019 in China. The patient characteristics such as gender, age, clinical type, lesion sites, course of the disease, and disease stable period were recorded. In 2118 pieces of skin lesions from 726 patients received ACEG, the total effective rate was 82.81% (1754/2118) ACEG can increase the number of melanocytes and KRT6C+ keratinocytes in skin lesions, thereby restoring a skin microenvironment suitable for melanocyte survival. ACEG is a promising therapeutic agent for refractory vitiligo. Age, clinical type, lesion site, and lesion stable period before surgery have significant impacts on repigmentation in ACEG. ACEG can increase the number of melanocytes, cytokine secretion keratinocyte and KRT6C+ keratinocytes in skin lesions, thereby restoring a skin microenvironment suitable for melanocyte survival.
Genetic Underpinnings and Audiological Characteristics in Children with Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objective: Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss is a condition commonly encountered in otolaryngology clinics. However, its molecular pathogenesis remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the genetic underpinnings of childhood unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and analyze the associated audiological features. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively recruited cohort Setting: Tertiary referral center Methods: We enrolled 38 children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and performed physical, audiological, imaging, and congenital cytomegalovirus examinations as well as genetic testing using next-generation sequencing targeting 30 deafness genes. The audiological results were compared across different etiologies. Results: Causative genetic variants were identified in eight (21.1%) patients, including five with GJB2 variants, two with PAX3 variants, and one with EDNRB variant. GJB2 variants were associated with mild-to-moderate unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in various audiogram configurations, whereas PAX3 and EDNRB variants were associated with profound unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in flat audiogram configurations. In addition, whole genome sequencing and extended next-generation sequencing targeting 213 deafness genes were performed in two multiplex families compatible with autosomal recessive inheritance; yet no definite causative variants were identified. Cochlear nerve deficiency and congenital cytomegalovirus infection were observed in nine and two patients without definite genetic diagnoses. Conclusion: Genetic underpinnings can contribute to approximately 20% of childhood unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and different genotypes are associated with various audiological features. These findings highlight the utility of genetic examinations in guiding the diagnosis, counseling, and treatment of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in children.
Turbulent Energy Transfer and Proton–Electron Heating in Collisionless Plasmas

Despite decades of study of high-temperature weakly collisional plasmas, a complete understanding of how energy is transferred between particles and fields in turbulent plasmas remains elusive. Two major questions in this regard are how fluid-scale energy transfer rates, associated with turbulence, connect with kinetic-scale dissipation, and what controls the fraction of dissipation on different charged species. Although the rate of cascade has long been recognized as a limiting factor in the heating rate at kinetic scales, there has not been direct evidence correlating the heating rate with MHD-scale cascade rates. Using kinetic simulations and in situ spacecraft data, we show that the fluid-scale energy flux indeed accounts for the total energy dissipated at kinetic scales. A phenomenology, based on disruption of proton gyromotion by fluctuating electric fields that are produced in turbulence at proton scales, argues that the proton versus electron heating is controlled by the ratio of the nonlinear timescale to the proton cyclotron time and by the plasma beta. The proposed scalings are supported by the simulations and observations.
A Candid Assessment of Standard Cosmology

Modern cosmology is broadly based on the Cosmological principle, which assumes homogeneity and isotropy as its foundational pillars. Thus, there is not much debate about the metric (i.e., Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker; FLRW) one should use to describe the cosmic spacetime. But Einstein’s equations do not unilaterally constrain the constituents in the cosmic fluid, which directly determine the expansion factor appearing in the metric coefficients. As its name suggests, ΛCDM posits that the energy density is dominated by a blend of dark energy (typically a cosmological constant, Λ), cold dark matter (and a “contamination” of baryonic matter) and radiation. Many would assert that we have now reached the age of “precision” cosmology, in which measurements are made merely to refine the excessively large number of free parameters characterizing its empirical underpinnings. But this mantra glosses over a growing body of embarrassingly significant failings, not just “tension” as is sometimes described, as if to somehow imply that a resolution will eventually be found. In this paper, we take a candid look at some of the most glaring conflicts between the standard model, the observations, and several foundational principles in quantum mechanics, general relativity and particle physics. One cannot avoid the conclusion that the standard model needs a complete overhaul in order to survive.
Mechanisms for the Generation of Mesoscale Vorticity Features in Tropical Cyclone Rainbands

A high-resolution tropical cyclone model with explicit cloud microphysics has been used to investigate the dynamics and energetics of tropical cyclone rainbands. Analysis of the vorticity interactions that occur within the simulated rainbands demonstrates that couplets of cyclonic–anticyclonic mesovortices can be produced in outer bands. The primary source of this vorticity is the upward tilting of system-generated horizontal vorticity by diabatic heating gradients. The vertical heating gradient in the stratiform cloud also creates a potential vorticity (PV) dipole that accelerates the tangential flow and develops a midlevel jet. The strength of the jet is enhanced by the vortex pair that is oriented radially across the rainband. The Fourier decomposition of the absolute vorticity field shows two counterpropagating vortex Rossby waves associated with the rainband. The wave located on the inner side of the band transports energy toward the vortex center. The outer wave is made up of high wavenumbers and uses the vorticity gradients generated by the rainband. The results support the hypothesis that the heating profile in the stratiform regions of rainbands generates cyclonic PV across the freezing level, which develops a midlevel jet. This mechanism creates a vorticity gradient that enables the propagation of vortex Rossby waves that could allow the rainbands to interact with the mean flow and potentially influence the evolution of the storm by contributing to the symmetric component of vorticity and the development of secondary eyewalls.