Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Re-assessing the role of culture on the visual orientation perception of the rod and frame test

In recent research of culture and ethnicity in visual perception, some researchers have found support for the hypothesis that more collectivistic cultures tend to be more influenced by surrounding contextual visual information than more individualistic cultures. This hypothesis suggests that even low-level visual perception may not be universal and has great implications on how vision research should be conducted. The current study reexamines this hypothesis in the rod and frame task, which tests the influence of a tilted contextual frame on orientation perception of the rod. We found no difference between participants of East Asian and Western European descent in this task. Despite not finding the cultural effect, we found a well-reported gender effect in which women were more influenced by the tilt of the frame than men, helping to ensure the quality of the data collected. Our results suggest that contextual influence on visual perception does not affect East Asians and white Western Europeans differently.
Impact of dietary inclusion of Chenopodium quinoa on growth performance and survival of Hubbard chicken

The poultry sector is the most vibrant segment of the agriculture system plays a vital role in the supply of healthy meat products. Broiler production effectiveness is greatly associated with feed formulation. Although, broiler exhibits a relatively fast growth rate, the nutritional profile of its meat has been criticized under conventional human dietary regimes. In the current study, the dietary inclusion of quinoa was assessed to improve broiler growth performance, carcass quality, and health by analyzing different growth, hematological and biochemical, immunological parameters. In the present study, the chicken was fed with 50 g/kg, 100 g/kg, and 200 g/kg quinoa enriched diets in two different experimental groups during the growth phase or finisher phase while chicken fed with diet without quinoa were as control. The 50 g/kg quinoa supplemented chicken group revealed a substantial difference in growth performance in comparison with the control group. In addition, the examination of quinoa dietary supplementation on carcass quality exhibited variable behavior. Further, all the study groups fed with quinoa during the growth phase revealed no remarkable difference in the hematological profile in contrast to the control group except for the chicken group fed (50 g/Kg) during the finisher phase for hemoglobin levels. Likewise, all the quinoa enriched diet given chicken groups showed no significant difference in serum biochemical profile in contrast to the control group except for the 50 g/Kg quinoa fed chicken group during the finisher phase for total globulin levels. In addition, the examination of quinoa dietary supplementation on the broiler serum lipid profile was also assessed and birds exhibited variable behavior as the result of quinoa dietary supplementation. Evaluation of short-term immune response after quinoa supplementation assessed and birds exhibited no marked significance on expression outcomes of interleukin/cytokines (IL 1 beta, IL-6, IL-10) assessed by qRT-PCR analysis. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of broiler fed with quinoa seeds can enhance the growth performance and the carcass quality of broiler.
General framework for quantum search algorithms

Grover's quantum search algorithm drives a quantum computer from a prepared initial state to a desired final state by using selective transformations of these states. Here, we analyze a framework when one of the selective trasformations is replaced by a more general unitary transformation. Our framework encapsulates several previous generalizations of the Grover's algorithm. We show that the general quantum search algorithm can be improved by controlling the transformations through an ancilla qubit. As a special case of this improvement, we get a faster quantum algorithm for the two-dimensional spatial search.
The Smoluchowski-Kramers Approximation for Stochastic Differential Equations with Arbitrary State Dependent Friction

In this dissertation a class of stochastic differential equations is considered in the limit as mass tends to zero, called the Smoluchowski-Kramers limit. The SmoluchowskiKramers approximation is useful in simplifying the dynamics of a system. For example, the problems of calculating of rates of chemical reactions, describing dynamics of complex systems with noise, and measuring ultra small forces, are simplified using the Smoluchowski-Kramers approximation. In this study, we prove strong convergence in the small mass limit for a multi-dimensional system with arbitrary state-dependent friction and noise coefficients. The main result is proved using a theory of convergence of stochastic integrals developed by Kurtz and Protter. The framework of the main theorem is sufficiently arbitrary to include systems of stochastic differential equations driven by both white and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck colored noises.
Optimizing the composition of gelatin methacryloyl and hyaluronic acid methacryloyl hydrogels to maximize mechanical and transport properties using response surface methodology

Abstract Hydrogel materials are promising candidates in cartilage tissue engineering as they provide a 3D porous environment for cell proliferation and the development of new cartilage tissue. Both the mechanical and transport properties of hydrogel scaffolds influence the ability of encapsulated cells to produce neocartilage. In photocrosslinkable hydrogels, both of these material properties can be tuned by changing the crosslinking density. However, the interdependent nature of the structural, physical and biological properties of photocrosslinkable hydrogels means that optimizing composition is typically a complicated process, involving sequential and/or iterative steps of physiochemical and biological characterization. The combinational nature of the variables indicates that an exhaustive analysis of all reasonable concentration ranges would be impractical. Herein, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to efficiently optimize the composition of a hybrid of gelatin‐methacryloyl (GelMA) and hyaluronic acid methacryloyl (HAMA) with respect to both mechanical and transport properties. RSM was employed to investigate the effect of GelMA, HAMA, and photoinitiator concentration on the shear modulus and diffusion coefficient of the hydrogel membrane. Two mathematical models were fitted to the experimental data and used to predict the optimum hydrogel composition. Finally, the optimal composition was tested and compared with the predicted values.
Continuous-variable quantum cryptography with an untrusted relay: Detailed security analysis of the symmetric configuration

We consider the continuous-variable protocol of Pirandola et al. [Nature Photonics 9, 397-402 (2015), see also arXiv.1312. 4104] where the secret-key is established by the measurement of an untrusted relay. In this network protocol, two authorized parties are connected to an untrusted relay by insecure quantum links. Secret correlations are generated by a continuous-variable Bell detection performed on incoming coherent states. In the present work we provide a detailed study of the symmetric configuration, where the relay is midway between the parties. We analyze symmetric eavesdropping strategies against the quantum links explicitly showing that, at fixed transmissivity and thermal noise, two-mode coherent attacks are optimal, manifestly outperforming one-mode collective attacks based on independent entangling cloners. Such an advantage is shown both in terms of security threshold and secret-key rate.
Protect global values of the Southern Ocean ecosystem

Description Climate change and fishing present dual threats The Southern Ocean, which comprises ∼10% of the global ocean, is critically important to the homeostasis of the Earth system, exhibits distinctive marine biodiversity, and has tremendous scientific, diplomatic, and wilderness value. Yet, the region and its suite of global values are critically threatened by climate change, which is exacerbated by commercial fishing, an activity that provides value for relatively few industrial actors and compromises the greater values that the Southern Ocean ecosystem provides to the world. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the arm of the Antarctic Treaty System responsible for managing Southern Ocean marine living resources, meets in October–November 2022 and is under pressure to strengthen fisheries management, especially toward climate change resilience. We encourage improved management practices that account for the environmental externalities arising from trade-offs between fishing and the global contribution of the Southern Ocean ecosystem, including under a changing climate.
Endothelial cell autophagy in the context of disease development

Endothelial cells (EC) are the anatomical boundaries between the intravascular and extravascular space. Damage to ECs is catastrophic and induces endothelial cell dysfunction. The pathogenesis is multifactorial and involves dysregulation in the signaling pathways, membrane lipids ratio disturbance, cell-cell adhesion disturbance, unfolded protein response, lysosomal and mitochondrial stress, autophagy dysregulation, and oxidative stress. Autophagy is a lysosomal-dependent turnover of intracellular components. Autophagy was recognized early in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction. Autophagy is a remarkable patho (physiological) process in the cell homeostasis regulation including EC. Regulation of autophagy rate is disease-dependent and impaired with aging. Up-regulation of autophagy induces endothelial cell regeneration/differentiation and improves the function of impaired ones. The paper scrutinizes the molecular mechanisms and triggers of EC dysregulation and current perspectives for future therapeutic strategies by autophagy targeting.
Holographic Superconductors with various condensates in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

We study holographic superconductors in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We consider two particular backgrounds: a d-dimensional Gauss-Bonnet-AdS black hole and a Gauss-Bonnet-AdS soliton. We discuss in detail the effects that the mass of the scalar field, the Gauss-Bonnet coupling and the dimensionality of the AdS space have on the condensation formation and conductivity. We also study the ratio ω g /T c for various masses of the scalar field and Gauss-Bonnet couplings.
The application of multiple metrics in deformable image registration for target volume delineation of breast tumor bed

Abstract Background and purpose For postoperative breast cancer patients, deformable image registration (DIR) is challenged due to the large deformations and non‐correspondence caused by tumor resection and clip insertion. To deal with it, three metrics (fiducial‐, region‐, and intensity‐based) were jointly used in DIR algorithm for improved accuracy. Materials and methods Three types of metrics were combined to form a single‐objective function in DIR algorithm. Fiducial‐based metric was used to minimize the distance between the corresponding point sets of two images. Region‐based metric was used to improve the overlap between the corresponding areas of two images. Intensity‐based metric was used to maximize the correlation between the corresponding voxel intensities of two images. The two CT images, one before surgery and the other after surgery, were acquired from the same patient in the same radiotherapy treatment position. Twenty patients who underwent breast‐conserving surgery and postoperative radiotherapy were enrolled in this study. Results For target registration error, the difference between the proposed and the conventional registration methods was statistically significant for soft tissue (2.06 vs. 7.82, p = 0.00024 < 0.05) and body boundary (3.70 vs. 6.93, p = 0.021 < 0.05). For visual assessment, the proposed method achieved better matching result for soft tissue and body boundary. Conclusions Comparing to the conventional method, the registration accuracy of the proposed method was significantly improved. This method provided a feasible way for target volume delineation of tumor bed in postoperative radiotherapy of breast cancer patients.
Sex as a determinant of disease severity and clinical outcome in febrile children under five presenting to a regional referral hospital in Uganda

Sex and gender are well-established determinants of health in adult and adolescent populations in low resource settings. There are limited data on sex as a determinant of host response to disease and clinical outcome in febrile children in sub-Saharan Africa, where the risk of infection-related mortality is greatest. We examined sex differences and gender biases in health-seeking behavior, clinical care, biological response to infection, or outcome in a prospective observational cohort of febrile children under 5 years of age presenting to a regional referral hospital in Jinja, Uganda. Main outcomes (stratified by sex) were disease severity at presentation measured by clinical and biological parameters, clinical management (e.g., time to see a physician, treatment by diagnosis), and disease outcome (e.g., mortality). Clinical measures of disease severity included Lambaréné Organ Dysfunction Score (LODS), Signs of Inflammation in Children that Kill (SICK), and the Pediatric Early Death Index for Africa (PEDIA). Biological measures of disease severity were assessed using circulating markers of immune and endothelial activation associated with severe and fatal infections. Differences in outcome by sex were analyzed using bivariate analyses with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. In this cohort of febrile patients admitted to hospital (n = 2049), malaria infection was common (59.2%). 15.9% of children presented with severe disease (LODS score ≥ 2). 97 children (4.7%) died, and most deaths (n = 83) occurred within 48 hours of hospital admission. Clinical measures of disease severity at presentation, clinical management, and outcome (e.g., mortality) did not differ by sex in children under five years of age. Host response to infection, as determined by endothelial and inflammatory mediators (e.g., sTREM1, Ang-2) quantified at hospital presentation, did not differ by sex. In this cohort of children under the age of five, sex was not a principal determinant of disease severity at hospital presentation, clinical management, disease outcome, or biological response to infection (p-values not significant for all comparisons, after Bonferroni correction). The results suggest that health seeking behavior by caregivers and clinical care in the hospital setting did not reflect a gender bias in this cohort.
A Precision Determination of the Effect of Metallicity on Cepheid Absolute Magnitudes in VIJHK Bands from Magellanic Cloud Cepheids

Using high-quality observed period–luminosity (P–L) relations in both Magellanic Clouds in the VIJHKs bands and optical and near-infrared Wesenheit indices, we determine the effect of metallicity on Cepheid P–L relations by comparing the relative distance between the LMC and SMC as determined from the Cepheids to the difference in distance between the Clouds that has been derived with very high accuracy from late-type eclipsing binary systems. Within an uncertainty of 3%, which is dominated by the uncertainty on the mean difference in metallicity between the Cepheid populations in the LMC and SMC, we find metallicity effects smaller than 2% in all bands and in the Wesenheit indices, consistent with a zero metallicity effect. This result is valid for the metallicity range from −0.35 dex to −0.75 dex corresponding to the mean [Fe/H] values for classical Cepheids in the LMC and SMC, respectively. Yet most Cepheids in galaxies beyond the Local Group and located in the less crowded outer regions of these galaxies do fall into this metallicity regime, making our result important for applications to determine the distances to spiral galaxies well beyond the Local Group. Our result supports previous findings that indicated a very small metallicity effect on the near-infrared absolute magnitudes of classical Cepheids, and resolves the dispute about the size and sign of the metallicity effect in the optical spectral range. It also resolves one of the most pressing problems in the quest toward a measurement of the Hubble constant with an accuracy of 1% from the Cepheid–supernova Ia method.
Coupling mechanism between microscopic two-level system and superconducting qubits

We propose a scheme to clarify the coupling nature between superconducting Josephson qubits and microscopic two-level systems. Although dominant interest in studying two-level systems was in phase qubits previously, we find that the sensitivity of the generally used spectral method in phase qubits is not sufficient to evaluate the exact form of the coupling. On the contrary, our numerical calculation shows that the coupling strength changes remarkably with the flux bias for a flux qubit, providing a useful tool to investigate the coupling mechanism between the two-level systems and qubits.
Safety and Feasibility of a Sheath Cryoprobe for Bronchoscopic Transbronchial Biopsy: The FROSTBITE Trial

Background: Bronchoscopic lung biopsy is typically performed using transbronchial forceps. However, this method is limited by small sample size and presence of crush artifact. Cryobiopsy offers the potential to overcome these limitations with larger artifact-free samples but has not been widely adopted due to concerns over increased rates of bleeding and pneumothorax. A new, smaller 1.1-mm cryoprobe has been developed that operates in a similar fashion to forceps, though the safety profile of this cryoprobe has not yet been prospectively studied. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of transbronchial biopsy using a novel 1.1-mm cryoprobe. Methods: This prospective, single-arm study enrolled patients referred for transbronchial biopsy. All procedures were performed using the 1.1-mm cryoprobe with oversheath. The primary outcome was the composite of significant complications related to the cryobiopsy procedure (bleeding Grade ≥3, pneumothorax Grade ≥2, and respiratory failure). Bleeding and pneumothorax were graded according to previously published scales. Results: Fifty participants from two academic medical centers underwent transbronchial cryobiopsy. Indications for biopsy included evaluation of lung transplant allograft (50%), diffuse lung disease (44%), and pulmonary parenchymal lesion (6%). There were two pneumothoraces (4%), neither of which required aspiration or chest tube placement. There were no Grade 3 or 4 bleeding events. Mild bleeding (Grade ≤2) was observed in 25 cases (50%). No complications occurred that met the a priori primary outcome of bleeding Grade ≥3, pneumothorax Grade ≥2, and respiratory failure. Conclusions: Transbronchial cryobiopsy using a 1.1-mm cryoprobe is feasible with an acceptable safety profile.
Cosmic Web Type Dependence of Halo Clustering

We use the Millennium simulation to show that halo clustering varies significantly with cosmic web type. Halos are classified as node, filament, sheet and void halos based on the eigenvalue decomposition of the velocity shear tensor. This classification allows us to examine the clustering of halos as a function of web type in different mass ranges. We find that node halos show positive bias for all mass ranges probed, even for 10^11 and 10^12 Msun/h mass bins where the clustering of the entire halo sample is anti-biased. In all mass bins filament halos show negligible bias, whereas void and sheet halos are anti-biased. The zero-crossing of the void and sheet correlation functions occur at much smaller scales Mpc/h when compared to 5the same correlation functions for the entire halo sample. Our results suggest that the mass dependence of halo clustering is rooted in the composition of web types in the mass bin. The substantial fraction of node type halos for halo masses 2 x 10^13 Msun/h leads to positive bias. Filament type halos prevail at intermediate masses, 10^12-10^13 Msun/h, resulting in unbiased clustering. The large contribution of sheet type halos at low halo masses 10^12 Msun/h generates anti-biasing.
Stochastic dynamics of Type-I interferon responses

Interferon (IFN) activates the transcription of several hundred of IFN stimulated genes (ISGs) that constitute a highly effective antiviral defense program. Cell-to-cell variability in the induction of ISGs is well documented, but its source and effects are not completely understood. The molecular mechanisms behind this heterogeneity have been related to randomness in molecular events taking place during the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Here, we study the sources of variability in the induction of the IFN-alpha response by using MxA and IFIT1 activation as read-out. To this end, we integrate time-resolved flow cytometry data and stochastic modeling of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. The complexity of the IFN response was matched by fitting probability distributions to time-course flow cytometry snapshots. Both, experimental data and simulations confirmed that the MxA and IFIT1 induction circuits generate graded responses rather than all-or-none responses. Subsequently, we quantify the size of the intrinsic variability at different steps in the pathway. We found that stochastic effects are transiently strong during the ligand-receptor activation steps and the formation of the ISGF3 complex, but negligible for the final induction of the studied ISGs. We conclude that the JAK-STAT signaling pathway is a robust biological circuit that efficiently transmits information under stochastic environments.
Intrinsically disordered protein regions are required for cell wall homeostasis in Bacillus subtilis

In this study, Brunet et al. investigated the roles of intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDRs) in bacteria, and report that extracytoplasmic IDRs in Bacillus subtilis are required for cell wall homeostasis. Their data support a model in which the IDR on anti-σ factor RsgI senses gaps in the PG meshwork and activates σI, while the IDR on PBP1 directs the synthase to these sites to fortify them.