True Forms Research Articles

Suppression of Strong Cultural Noise in Magnetotelluric Signals Using Particle Swarm Optimization-Optimized Variational Mode Decomposition

To effectively separate strong cultural noise in Magnetotelluric (MT) signals under strong interference conditions and restore the true forms of apparent resistivity and phase curves, this paper proposes an improved method for suppressing strong cultural noise based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD). First, the effects of two initial parameters, the decomposition scale K and penalty factor α, on the performance of variational mode decomposition are studied. Subsequently, using the PSO algorithm, the optimal combination of influential parameters in the VMD is determined. This optimal parameter set is applied to decompose electromagnetic signals, and Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) are selected for signal reconstruction based on correlation coefficients, resulting in denoised electromagnetic signals. The simulation results show that, compared to traditional algorithms such as Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD), Intrinsic Time Decomposition (ITD), and VMD, the Normalized Cross-Correlation (NCC) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the PSO-optimized VMD method for suppressing strong cultural noise increased by 0.024, 0.035, 0.019, and 2.225, 2.446, 1.964, respectively. The processing of field data confirms that this method effectively suppresses strong cultural noise in strongly interfering environments, leading to significant improvements in the apparent resistivity and phase curve data, thereby enhancing the authenticity and reliability of underground electrical structure interpretations.

Results of round robin form measurements of optical aspheres and freeform surfaces

High-quality aspherical and freeform surfaces are in high demand, and the high-accuracy form measurement of such surfaces is a challenging task. To explore the current status of form measurement systems for complex surfaces such as aspheres and freeforms, interlaboratory comparison measurements are performed. This study presents the pseudonymized results obtained using three different surfaces (metal asphere, glass asphere, toroidal surface) in a total of six different round robins. These results were taken from a total of 13 different measurement instruments based on 9 different measurement principles and operated at 12 different laboratories. They were analyzed using a sophisticated procedure that was first developed in 2018 and then refined and tested on simulated data in 2022 to address the challenges of such a comparison at this level of accuracy. In the current study, we applied these refined methods to data acquired from tactile and optical point measurements as well as from optical areal measurements. As there are no absolutely measured and very well characterized reference standard aspherical and freeform surfaces available at the accuracy level of a few tens of nanometers root-mean-square, the approximated true forms of the surfaces were derived from the measurements and indicate the manufacturing accuracy of the surface forms. Then, the measurement’s differences to the approximated true forms were analyzed, which directly indicate the systematic measurement errors of the instruments. By also comparing the approximated true forms from the two different round robins for each surface, additional insights into the reliability and stability of these so-called virtual reference topographies were gained.

Dwarf cornulitid tubeworms from the Hirnantian (Late Ordovician) of Estonia

ABSTRACT Four species of Conchicolites and two species of Cornulites occur in the Hirnantian of Estonia. Two new cornulitids Conchicolites corbalengus sp. nov. and Cornulites levigatus sp. nov. have been described from the Siuge Member. This Hirnantian cornulitid tubeworm association is dominated by species of Conchicolites. Most likely, the studied tubeworms represent true dwarf forms among the cornulitids. It is possible that local waters above the organic rich mud on the seafloor were especially rich in nutrients and allowed cornulitid tubeworms to flourish. The Hirnantian fauna of small cornulitids resembles very much that of late Katian of Estonia and shows no decline in the diversity. It appears that the Late Ordovician mass extinction did not immediately affect small cornulitids, if it did at all.

Implementation of Guessing The Picture For Increase The English Vocabulary of Students


 English is the language of communication in the international world, even in the fields of development, technology, economics, and education. Being CPNS (Civil Servant Candidates), work in companies with high salaries, and one of the true forms of getting a scholarship is that many universities require a TOEFL or IELTS as a requirement for graduation. Vocabulary is the most important component that youngsters must master in order to be able to utilize the language effectively. The aim of this article is to present results from research on guessing photographs using paper targeted to students, as well as as an additional tool, namely students must use a dictionary when the picture is shown and the English vocabulary from the picture is unknown to them. An experimental strategy is used in this study procedure. Researchers employ the Quasi Experimental Design technique, in which the first stage is orientation or school observation, followed by the selection of the sample and population to be used as research material. The team gave a favorable response from step one through step three based on the results of the checklist and field notes examined during the study process, indicating that the team had improved. According to the data, playing the photo guessing game enhanced effective vocabulary. The number of participants in the experimental class increased after the post-test phase, whereas the number of participants in the control class did not. The experimental class's post-test scores can be seen in the post-test results to confirm it. 

Fractional Polynomial Models as Special Cases of Bayesian Generalized Nonlinear Models

We propose a framework for fitting multivariable fractional polynomial models as special cases of Bayesian generalized nonlinear models, applying an adapted version of the genetically modified mode jumping Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. The universality of the Bayesian generalized nonlinear models allows us to employ a Bayesian version of fractional polynomials in any supervised learning task, including regression, classification, and time-to-event data analysis. We show through a simulation study that our novel approach performs similarly to the classical frequentist multivariable fractional polynomials approach in terms of variable selection, identification of the true functional forms, and prediction ability, while naturally providing, in contrast to its frequentist version, a coherent inference framework. Real-data examples provide further evidence in favor of our approach and show its flexibility.

The Character of ‘Passive Hero’ in the Narrative Structures of Korea’s Premodern Literature

This article examines the figure of the passive hero first in the Korean literature of origins, and then in classical Korean literature of the Koryŏ and Chosŏn periods. After a general introductory section, in which the worldwide literary archetype of the hero and its evolution over time are examined, the author, specifically examining Korean literature, analyzes in part one the passive heroes of four short historical/mythological stories variously set in an era between the second and eighth centuries, and then part two of the article analyzes three passive hero figures as protagonists of one 14th-century tale and two 18th-century classic novels. The author thus shows how the narrative of the passive hero has undergone a significant transformation in Korea, passing from a mythical/spiritual state (which often does not even admit the figure of an antagonist) to a decidedly secular, materialist and politicized condition where the protagonists find themselves facing cultural superstructures which, in addition to generating antagonists, push passive heroes towards true forms of defensive fundamentalism.

Role of global sphericity index in evaluation of fetal cardiac remodeling in late onset fetal growth restriction and small for gestational age fetuses

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) fetuses develop cardiovascular remodeling and dysfunction and, in this process, heart first compensates by changing its shape from ellipsoid to spherical and then cardiac dysfunction follows. Our aim was to evaluate global sphericity index (GSI) after 32 weeks of gestation to evaluate this change in cardiac shape and correlate GSI changes associated with fetal growth abnormalities. This was a prospective study conducted at 32-38 weeks of gestation. Women were classified into three groups-Appropriate for gestational age (AGA), small for gestational age (SGA), late onset FGR (LO FGR) and GSI was measured and perinatal outcome studied. Out of 217 women, 131 were of AGA, 31 were SGA, 55 were of late onset FGR. SGA and late onset FGR groups had low GSI compared to AGA group. There was no significant difference in mean GSI between late onset FGR and SGA groups. Neonatal morbidity, adverse perinatal outcomes did not significantly differ with GSI in SGA and late onset FGR groups. This study showed that late gestation small fetuses develop early stages of cardiovascular remodeling as shown by GSI changes. These changes were independent of Doppler changes. This supports the concept that atleast a proportion of them are not constitutionally small but are true forms of FGR.

New advances in research on pre- and proto-historic settlement of Argi and Letti, Upper Nubia

New fieldwork in Argi and Letti (Southern Dongola Reach) has produced unique data on early Holocene settlement and burial practices. New surveys, backed by GIS data, shed light on true forms and preservation of settlements dating from the Paleolithic to the Kerma periods, providing an absolute chronology as well as exciting future directions.

Probabilistic Estimation of Instantaneous Frequencies of Chirp Signals

We present a continuous-time probabilistic approach for estimating the chirp signal and its instantaneous frequency function when the true forms of these functions are not accessible. Our model represents these functions by non-linearly cascaded Gaussian processes represented as non-linear stochastic differential equations. The posterior distribution of the functions is then estimated with stochastic filters and smoothers. We compute a (posterior) Cramér–Rao lower bound for the Gaussian process model, and derive a theoretical upper bound for the estimation error in the mean squared sense. The experiments show that the proposed method outperforms a number of state-of-the-art methods on a synthetic data. We also show that the method works out-of-the-box for two real-world datasets.

Study of the Physicochemical and Biological Properties of the Lipid Complex of Marine Microalgae Isolated from the Coastal Areas of the Eastern Water Area of the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea algae species composition includes marine euryhaline, freshwater euryhaline, and true brackish water forms. This study aimed to isolate a lipid–pigment complex from microalgae of the Baltic Sea (Kaliningrad region) and investigate its antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Microalgae were sampled using a box-shaped bottom sampler. Sequencing was used for identification. Spectroscopy and chromatography with mass spectroscopy were used to study the properties of microalgae. Antibiotic activity was determined by the disc diffusion test. Lipids were extracted using the Folch method. Analysis of the results demonstrated the presence of antimicrobial activity of the lipid–pigment complex of microalgae against E. coli (the zone diameter was 17.0 ± 0.47 mm and 17.0 ± 0.21 mm in Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis, respectively) and Bacillus pumilus (maximum inhibition diameter 16.0 ± 0.27 mm in C. vulgaris and 16.0 ± 0.22 mm in A. platensis). The cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of the lipid complexes of microalgae C. vulgaris and A. platensis were established and their physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition were studied. The results demonstrated that the lipid–pigment complex under experimental conditions was the most effective against P. pentosaceus among Gram-positive bacteria. Antimicrobial activity is directly related to the concentration of the lipid–pigment complex. The presence of antibacterial activity in microalgae lipid–pigment complexes opens the door to the development of alternative natural preparations for the prevention of microbial contamination of feed. Because of their biological activity, Baltic Sea microalgae can be used as an alternative to banned antibiotics in a variety of fields, including agriculture, medicine, cosmetology, and food preservation.

ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE BARBIZON SCHOOL OF PAINTING ON THE WORK OF I.S. TURGENEV

The article considers the influence of the Barbizon school of painting on the work of I. S. Turgenev in the 1870s. The subject of the research attention was the late stories: «Stuchit!» ("Knocking!") , «Zhivye moshchi» ("Living Relics"), «Son» ("Dream"). The writing of these stories coincided in time with the collection of pictorial paintings. During this period, the writer got acquainted with the Barbizon school of painting and acquired paintings by such artists as S.-F. Daubigny, H. Francais, S.-E. Jacques, F.-O. Jeanron, T. Rousseau and others. According to the author’s article, landscape painting by French artists had a significant impact on the formation of the Turgenev landscape. The reflection of the true forms of nature, attention to details, shades and transitional states, fixation of the light-and-air environment, an attempt to reveal the hidden existence of the surrounding world - all this brought together the aesthetic worldview of the writer and Barbizon artists who anticipated Impressionism.

Personalized Public Policy Analysis in Social Sciences Using Causal-Graphical Normalizing Flows

Structural Equation/Causal Models (SEMs/SCMs) are widely used in epidemiology and social sciences to identify and analyze the average causal effect (ACE) and conditional ACE (CACE). Traditional causal effect estimation methods such as Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW) and more recently Regression-With-Residuals (RWR) are widely used - as they avoid the challenging task of identifying the SCM parameters - to estimate ACE and CACE. However, much work remains before traditional estimation methods can be used for counterfactual inference, and for the benefit of Personalized Public Policy Analysis (P3A) in the social sciences. While doctors rely on personalized medicine to tailor treatments to patients in laboratory settings (relatively closed systems), P3A draws inspiration from such tailoring but adapts it for open social systems. In this article, we develop a method for counterfactual inference that we name causal-Graphical Normalizing Flow (c-GNF), facilitating P3A. A major advantage of c-GNF is that it suits the open system in which P3A is conducted. First, we show how c-GNF captures the underlying SCM without making any assumption about functional forms. This capturing capability is enabled by the deep neural networks that model the underlying SCM via observational data likelihood maximization using gradient descent. Second, we propose a novel dequantization trick to deal with discrete variables, which is a limitation of normalizing flows in general. Third, we demonstrate in experiments that c-GNF performs on-par with IPW and RWR in terms of bias and variance for estimating the ATE, when the true functional forms are known, and better when they are unknown. Fourth and most importantly, we conduct counterfactual inference with c-GNFs, demonstrating promising empirical performance. Because IPW and RWR, like other traditional methods, lack the capability of counterfactual inference, c-GNFs will likely play a major role in tailoring personalized treatment, facilitating P3A, optimizing social interventions - in contrast to the current `one-size-fits-all' approach of existing methods.

Outcomes of 53 thoracic outlet syndrome cases with confirmed neurological deficit

IntroductionNeurogenic thoracic outlet syndromes (TOS) are dominated by the nonspecific forms. This study focuses only on the rarer true forms related to proximal nerve compression in the thoracic outlet, with the presence of motor (atrophy of the hand's intrinsic muscles) and/or sensory (hypoesthesia in the territory of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve) deficits. The objectives of this study were to define the clinical characteristics, anatomical causes and surgical results of this condition. Patients and methodsSingle-center retrospective study of 53 consecutive cases in 50 patients with an objective clinical deficit confirmed by nerve conduction studies. The population consisted of 47 adults and 3 children, 9 males and 41 females, with a mean age of 39 years (9-80 years), diagnosed between July 1994 and December 2019. An objective motor deficit was present in 50 cases, with the remaining 3 having a sensory deficit only. Forty cases underwent surgery, most often via the supraclavicular approach, while 13 cases did not undergo surgery because their deficit was longstanding and non-progressive. ResultsOne operated patient was lost in follow-up. An analysis of the medical records of 18 cases, including 15 operated cases found complete recovery in 4 cases, significant improvement in 9 cases and small improvement in 2 cases at a mean follow-up of 53 months (1-162 months). Thirty-four cases were reviewed in person, including 24 operated cases and evaluated with a mean follow-up of 135 months (36-284 months): the pain had disappeared in 21 cases, thenar atrophy persisted in 17 cases, which was associated with a claw-hand deformity in 3 cases, while 2 cases had an isolated claw-hand deformity. The patients were very satisfied with the procedure in 15 cases and satisfied in 9 cases. They evaluated the benefit of surgery at 87% and their upper limb function increased from 38% (10-60%) preoperatively to 77% (60-100%) at the review. ConclusionFew studies in the literature have focused on true neurogenic TOS cases. The treatment is surgical in progressive cases; an anatomical anomaly is always present. Surgical treatment eliminates the pain and helps to stabilize or even partially resolve the deficit. Despite a moderate objective gain, the patients’ feeling of functional improvement is important with a high satisfaction rate. Level of evidenceIV, retrospective.

A Paradise for Rare Species: Tanaidacean Fauna of the West African Continental Margin

The benthic ecology of the Gulf of Guinea is critically understudied, and knowledge about the composition and biodiversity of the tanaidacean communities remains lacking. Our analysis of tanaidacean collection from 270 quantitative samples collected using 0.1 m2van Veen grab along the Ghanaian coast (nine transects, six stations at each transect, 25–1,000 m depth range) reveals a high species richness and very low abundance. The mean density of Tanaidacea across all the samples equals only 0.03 ± 0.55 ind./0.1 m2. A total of 87 tanaidacean species were recorded, of which only three were known for science (3.4%), emphasizing the need for intensified taxonomic effort in this region.Circa40% of the species were singletons, 98% of the species had a total abundance lower than 10 individuals, and approximately half of the species were found only in one sample. The highest species richness was recorded in the slope (500–1,000 m), despite the elevated levels of barium and hydrocarbons at those depths. This area was also characterized by the most unique species composition. Species accumulation curves did not reach an asymptote, suggesting an undersampling of the area and a great rarity of the species. Results of the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and cluster analysis demonstrated a positive influence of oxygen concentration and fluorescence, particularly in the shallow shelf sites (25–50 m), which were characterized by a higher abundance of Tanaidacea. Depth zonation of tanaidacean communities with a division between shallow-water taxa (Leptocheliidae Lang, 1973 and Kalliapseudidae Lang, 1956) through families with wide bathymetric range (Pseudotanaidae Sieg, 1976, Apseudidae Leach, 1814) to the true deep-sea forms (Paranarthrurellidae Błażewicz, Jóźwiak and Frutos, 2019) is also evident. We further discuss the problems associated with multivariate analysis of highly speciose but less abundant taxa.

Hidden Afrotropical Bat Diversity in Nigeria: Ten New Country Records from a Biodiversity Hotspot

Knowledge of Afrotropical bat diversity is hindered by hidden diversity because of inefficient sampling techniques, limited survey effort, and taxonomic description. With 90 bat species recorded, Nigeria supports almost a third of the bat diversity known to occur in Africa, yet the country remains relatively under-sampled. Southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon are predicted to be the largest of six bat diversity hotspots in Africa, with the Cameroonian side receiving more sampling effort. This area is also recognized to support hyperdiverse mammalian assemblages and endemic species. Notwithstanding, two major protected areas on the Nigerian part of this bat diversity hotspot were hitherto not sampled, raising the likelihood of discovering new country records in these conservation priority forests. We conducted an intensive survey using harp traps and mist nets in forests of Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary and Cross River National Park (Okwangwo Division). We also recorded echolocation calls of captured individuals to create the first in-country call library. We captured 36 bat species of which 10 are new country records raising the number of bat species known from Nigeria to 100. Harp trap captures represented 99% of forest understory bats sampled with 15 out of 18 species caught exclusively in traps. Rarefaction curves of captures suggest near-complete sampling with harp traps but incomplete sampling with mist nets. Eight of the 10 new country records were captured exclusively in harp traps, demonstrating the value of contemporary techniques for frequently missed species — here referred to as methodological blind-spot diversity. We report the re-identification of two museum specimens that were previously identified as Rhinolophus hillorum (R. cf. hillorum) and Miniopterus inflatus (M. villiersi) thus, our captures of the true forms confirm the presence of both species in Nigeria for the first time. We also provide noteworthy taxonomic comments on other species. To improve the efficiency of future Afrotropical bat surveys we recommend the deployment of complementary trapping techniques in identified diversity hotspots, especially sites that have been under-sampled.

To the Question of Terminology, Expert Criteria for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Antiangiogenic Therapy and the Prevalence of Refractory Forms of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Review

The authors presented a review of studies aimed at assessing the effectiveness of antiangiogenic therapy in patients with neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration. The purpose of this review was to clarify the prevalence of true refractory forms of WMD on literary data. The vast majority of experts consider the marker of “refractory” the exit of the dye from the vessels on fluorescent angiography (FAG), fibrovascular detachment of pigment epithelium with intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid on optical coherent tomography, an increase in hemorrhage on the eye compared to the initial level of post-loading phase therapy. The analysis showed a wide corridor of indicators, due to different approaches and timing of the assessment of the respondent’s status, as well as expert criteria for the effectiveness of antiangiogenic therapy. In addition, the authors drew attention to the different understanding of the terms tahiphylaxis and tolerance, presented by the researchers. Many papers are replacing these perceptions. The our work presents the fundamental differences of these biological phenomena in the clinic and morphometric data, as well as the timing of development. Meanwhile, overcoming resistance involves an accurate diagnosis of the pharmacological cause and a subsequent differentiated approach to solving the problem. An overview of the work on overcoming refractory to antiangiogenic drugs in various ways is presented.

A partial least squares approach for function-on-function interaction regression

A partial least squares regression is proposed for estimating the function-on-function regression model where a functional response and multiple functional predictors consist of random curves with quadratic and interaction effects. The direct estimation of a function-on-function regression model is usually an ill-posed problem. To overcome this difficulty, in practice, the functional data that belong to the infinite-dimensional space are generally projected into a finite-dimensional space of basis functions. The function-on-function regression model is converted to a multivariate regression model of the basis expansion coefficients. In the estimation phase of the proposed method, the functional variables are approximated by a finite-dimensional basis function expansion method. We show that the partial least squares regression constructed via a functional response, multiple functional predictors, and quadratic/interaction terms of the functional predictors is equivalent to the partial least squares regression constructed using basis expansions of functional variables. From the partial least squares regression of the basis expansions of functional variables, we provide an explicit formula for the partial least squares estimate of the coefficient function of the function-on-function regression model. Because the true forms of the models are generally unspecified, we propose a forward procedure for model selection. The finite sample performance of the proposed method is examined using several Monte Carlo experiments and two empirical data analyses, and the results were found to compare favorably with an existing method.

Big Data as a Tool to Monitor and Deter Environmental Offenders in the Global South: A Multiple Case Study

While prior research has looked at big data’s role in strengthening the environmental justice movement, scholars rarely examine the contexts, mechanisms and processes associated with the use of big data in monitoring and deterring environmental offenders, especially in the Global South. As such, this research aims to substitute for this academic gap through the use of multiple case studies of environmental offenders’ engagement in illegal deforestation, as well as legal deforestation followed by fire. Specifically, we have chosen four cases from three economies in the Global South: Indonesia, Peru and Brazil. We demonstrate how the data utilized by environmental activists in these four cases qualify as true forms of big data, as they have searched and aggregated data from various sources and employed them to achieve their goals. The article shows how big data from various sources, mainly from satellite imagery, can help discern the true extent of environmental destruction caused by various offenders and present convincing evidence. The article also discusses how a rich satellite imagery archive is suitable for analyzing chronological events in order to establish a cause-effect chain. In all of the cases studied, such evidentiary provisions have been used by environmental activists to oblige policy makers to take necessary actions to counter environmental offenses.

Ultrasound, clinical and laboratory diagnostics of the true morphological forms of acute cholecystitis: the need to change the classification

Aim . To compare clinical, ultrasound and morphological data in the treatment of patients with acute cholecystitis based on the recent recommendations and personal experience in the treatment of acute cholecystitis. Materials and methods . For 18 months 2019—2020 of 219 patients with acute cholecystitis, 118 (53.8%) underwent surgical treatment. There were 36.4% of men, 63.6% of women; age ranged from 23 to 82 years. Patients of employment age accounted for 61.8%. According to generally accepted recommendations, all patients were divided into groups according to the severity of the disease. The severity of the disease was G1 in 66 patients, G2 — in 52. A retrospective expert assessment of clinical, ultrasound and morphological data was carried out. The histopathological assessment of inflammatory and destructive changes was performed according to the national and international classification, taking into account the depth of the lesion of the gallbladder wall (A.1, A.2). Results . In 118 operated patients G1 and G2, the coincidence of clinical, anamnestic and morphological data according to the classification of A.1 and A.2, excluding ultrasonography data, was observed in 58 (49.2%) patients: A.1 (necrosis of the gallbladder mucosa) was revealed in 34 patients, A.2 (necrosis of all walls) — in 24. The addition of ultrasonography results in the expert assessment of the “depth” of necrosis made it possible to confirm the data on mucosal necrosis (A.1) in 57 (86.4%) patients and destruction of a deeper muscle-serous layer (A.2) in 31 (59.6%). The modern diagnosis, taking into account clinical and laboratory data and ultrasonography results, should combination of the definition of the disease, the etiological factor (calculous, emphysematous and acalculous), the severity of the course (G1—G3) and the depth of histopathological changes (A.1—A.2). Conclusion . The results of palpation, the duration of the disease, the level of leukocytosis and the nature of body temperature in acute cholecystitis make it possible to establish the severity of the course of the disease (G1—G3). Ultrasonography in acute cholecystitis can confirm the diagnosis with a high probability of determining the depth of destruction (inflammation) of the gallbladder wall (A.1, A.2). Histopathological examination of the gallbladder in acute cholecystitis should reflect the depth of destruction (inflammation) of the gallbladder wall A.1 or A.2. The terms “catarrhal”, “phlegmonous”, “gangrenous”, “perforated” are not fully determine the essence of the pathological process. To determine the treatment tactics, the diagnosis should include the severity of the disease (G1—G3) and the depth of destruction (inflammation) of the organ wall.

Цитокіновий профіль у хворих на істинну та інфекційну (мікробну) екзему

Цитокіновий профіль у хворих на істинну та інфекційну (мікробну) екзему