Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coupled effects of oil spill and hurricane on saltmarsh terrestrial arthropods

Terrestrial arthropods play an important role in saltmarsh ecosystems, mainly affecting the saltmarsh’s primary production as the main consumers of terrestrial primary production and decomposition. Some of these arthropods, including selected insects and spiders, can be used as ecological indicators of overall marsh environmental health, as they are differentially sensitive to ecological stressors, such as land loss, erosion, oil spills, and tropical storms. In the present study, we used terrestrial arthropods collected from seven (three lightly-oiled, four heavily-oiled) sites in Barataria Bay and from three unoiled reference sites in Delacroix, Louisiana, to determine the impacts of the distribution and re-distribution of Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil on these saltmarsh ecosystems. A total of 9,476 and 12,256 insects were collected in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The results show that the terrestrial arthropods were negatively affected by the re-distribution of DWH oil by Hurricane Isaac in 2012, although the level of impacts varied among the arthropod groups. Moreover, the mean diversity index was higher (>1.5) in 2014 than in 2013 (<1.5) for all sites, suggesting a recovery trajectory of the saltmarsh arthropod population. The higher taxonomic richness observed in the reference sites compared to the oiled sites for both years also indicated long-term impacts of DWH oil to the saltmarsh arthropod community. Whereas a slow recovery of certain terrestrial arthropods was observed, long-term monitoring of arthropod communities would help better understand the recovery and succession of the marsh ecosystems.
Dietary patterns within educational groups and their association with CHD and stroke in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Netherlands cohort

Abstract Higher-educated people often have healthier diets, but it is unclear whether specific dietary patterns exist within educational groups. We therefore aimed to derive dietary patterns in the total population and by educational level and to investigate whether these patterns differed in their composition and associations with the incidence of fatal and non-fatal CHD and stroke. Patterns were derived using principal components analysis in 36 418 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Netherlands cohort. Self-reported educational level was used to create three educational groups. Dietary intake was estimated using a validated semi-quantitative FFQ. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox Proportional Hazard analysis after a mean follow-up of 16 years. In the three educational groups, similar ‘Western’, ‘prudent’ and ‘traditional’ patterns were derived as in the total population. However, with higher educational level a lower population-derived score for the ‘Western’ and ‘traditional’ patterns and a higher score on the ‘prudent’ pattern were observed. These differences in distribution of the factor scores illustrate the association between education and food consumption. After adjustments, no differences in associations between population-derived dietary patterns and the incidence of CHD or stroke were found between the educational groups (P interaction between 0·21 and 0·98). In conclusion, although in general population and educational groups-derived dietary patterns did not differ, small differences between educational groups existed in the consumption of food groups in participants considered adherent to the population-derived patterns (Q4). This did not result in different associations with incident CHD or stroke between educational groups.
Semiparametric Regression in Size‐Biased Sampling

Summary Size‐biased sampling arises when a positive‐valued outcome variable is sampled with selection probability proportional to its size. In this article, we propose a semiparametric linear regression model to analyze size‐biased outcomes. In our proposed model, the regression parameters of covariates are of major interest, while the distribution of random errors is unspecified. Under the proposed model, we discover that regression parameters are invariant regardless of size‐biased sampling. Following this invariance property, we develop a simple estimation procedure for inferences. Our proposed methods are evaluated in simulation studies and applied to two real data analyses.
Effect of Climate and Land Use on the Spatio-Temporal Variability of Tick-Borne Bacteria in Europe

The incidence of tick-borne diseases caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. has been rising in Europe in recent decades. Early pre-assessment of acarological hazard still represents a complex challenge. The aim of this study was to model Ixodes ricinus questing nymph density and its infection rate with B. burgdorferi s.l. , A. phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. in five European countries (Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) in various land cover types differing in use and anthropisation (agricultural, urban and natural) with climatic and environmental factors (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Land Surface Temperature (LST) and precipitation). We show that the relative abundance of questing nymphs was significantly associated with climatic conditions, such as higher values of NDVI recorded in the sampling period, while no differences were observed among land use categories. However, the density of infected nymphs (DIN) also depended on the pathogen considered and land use. These results contribute to a better understanding of the variation in acarological hazard for Ixodes ricinus transmitted pathogens in Central Europe and provide the basis for more focused ecological studies aimed at assessing the effect of land use in different sites on tick–host pathogens interaction.
Effectiveness of Positive Thinking Skills Training on the Hope and Quality of Life of Drug-Dependent People

Background The increase of hope and quality of life (QOL) can play a significant role in improving the mental health of drug addicts. Accordingly, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of positive thinking skills training on hope and QOL of drug-dependent people. Methods The present study is a quasi-experimental research with pre- and post-test design with the control group. The study population consisted of all men dependent on drugs who visited addiction treatment centers in Tehran, Iran, in 2016. Thirty subjects were selected using cluster sampling and were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The results were analyzed using SPSS. Findings The mean scores of pre-test and post-test for hope were 31.67 ± 6.47 and 49.68 ± 10.69, for physical fitness were 17.01 ± 4.21 and 22.84 ± 4.98, for psychological health were 15.36 ± 3.45 and 20.98 ± 3.32, for social relations were 7.80 ± 2.34 and 10.96 ± 2.64, and for environmental health were 20.47 ± 4.36 and 27.50 ± 4.80, respectively, in experimental group (P < 0.050). Conclusion It is recommended that addiction treatment centers teach positive thinking skills to drug-dependent people in order to increase their hope and QOL.
Optimal Simple and Implementable Monetary and Fiscal Rules

This paper computes welfare-maximizing monetary and fiscal policy rules in a real business cycle model augmented with sticky prices, a demand for money, taxation, and stochastic government consumption. We consider simple feedback rules whereby the nominal interest rate is set as a function of output and inflation, and taxes are set as a function of total government liabilities. We implement a second-order accurate solution to the model. Our main findings are: First, the size of the inflation coefficient in the interest-rate rule plays a minor role for welfare. It matters only insofar as it affects the determinacy of equilibrium. Second, optimal monetary policy features a muted response to output. More importantly, interest rate rules that feature a positive response to output can lead to significant welfare losses. Third, the welfare gains from interest-rate smoothing are negligible. Fourth, optimal fiscal policy is passive. Finally, the optimal monetary and fiscal rule combination attains virtually the same level of welfare as the Ramsey optimal policy.
The 'yielding transition' in crystal plasticity - discrete dislocations and continuum models

On mesoscopic and microscopic scales, plastic deformation of crystalline solids is characterized by large intrinsic spatio-temporal fluctuations with s cale-invariant characteristics: In time, deformation proceeds through intermittent bursts with power-law size distributions; in space, deformation patterns and deformation-induced surface morphology are characterized by long-range correlations, self-similarity and/or self-affine roughne ss. We discuss this scale-invariant behavior in terms of robust scaling associated with a non-equilibriu m critical point (’yielding transition’). The properties of this transition are studied using two conc eptually different models which, however, are shown to yield qualitatively and quantitatively s imilar results.
Interaction-induced adiabatic cooling for antiferromagnetism in optical lattices

In the experimental context of cold-fermion optical lattices, we discuss the possibilities to approach the pseudogap or ordered phases by manipulating the scattering length or the strength of the laser-induced lattice potential. Using the two-particle self-consistent approach, as well as quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we provide isentropic curves for the two- and three-dimensional Hubbard models at half-filling. These quantitative results are important for practical attempts to reach the ordered antiferromagnetic phase in experiments on optical lattices of two-component fermions. We find that adiabatically turning on the interaction in two dimensions to cool the system is not very effective. In three dimensions, adiabatic cooling to the antiferromagnetic phase can be achieved in such a manner, although the cooling efficiency is not as high as initially suggested by dynamical mean-field theory. Adiabatic cooling by turning off the repulsion beginning at strong coupling is possible in certain cases.
Robust stabilization using a sampled-data strategy of uncertain neutral state-delayed systems subject to input limitations

Abstract Stabilization of neutral systems with state delay is considered in the presence of uncertainty and input limitations in magnitude. The proposed solution is based on simultaneously characterizing a set of stabilizing controllers and the associated admissible initial conditions through the use of a free weighting matrix approach. From this mathematical characterization, state feedback gains that ensure a large set of admissible initial conditions are calculated by solving an optimization problem with LMI constraints. Some examples are presented to compare the results with previous approaches in the literature.
Hate Lingo: A Target-based Linguistic Analysis of Hate Speech in Social Media

While social media empowers freedom of expression and individual voices, it also enables anti-social behavior, online harassment, cyberbullying, and hate speech. In this paper, we deepen our understanding of online hate speech by focusing on a largely neglected but crucial aspect of hate speech -- its target: either directed towards a specific person or entity, or generalized towards a group of people sharing a common protected characteristic. We perform the first linguistic and psycholinguistic analysis of these two forms of hate speech and reveal the presence of interesting markers that distinguish these types of hate speech. Our analysis reveals that Directed hate speech, in addition to being more personal and directed, is more informal, angrier, and often explicitly attacks the target (via name calling) with fewer analytic words and more words suggesting authority and influence. Generalized hate speech, on the other hand, is dominated by religious hate, is characterized by the use of lethal words such as murder, exterminate, and kill; and quantity words such as million and many. Altogether, our work provides a data-driven analysis of the nuances of online-hate speech that enables not only a deepened understanding of hate speech and its social implications, but also its detection.
Temporal and spatial changes in ion homeostasis, antioxidant defense and accumulation of flavonoids and glycolipid in a halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L.

Salinity is an important environmental constraint limiting plant productivity. Understanding adaptive responses of halophytes to high saline environments may offer clues to manage and improve salt stress in crop plants. We have studied physiological, biochemical and metabolic changes in a perennial, fast growing halophyte, Sesuvium portulacastrum under 0 mM (control), 150 mM (low salt, LS) and 500 mM (high salt, HS) NaCl treatments. The changes in growth, relative water content, cation, osmolyte accumulation, H2O2 and antioxidant enzyme activity (SOD, CAT and APX) were observed under different treatment conditions. A positive correlation was revealed for sodium ion accumulation with malondialdehyde (r2 = 0.77), proline (r2 = 0.88) and chlorophyll content (r2 = 0.82) under salt treatment while a negative correlation was observed with relative tissue water content (r2 = -0.73). The roots and leaves showed contrasting accumulation of potassium and sodium ions under LS treatment. Temporal and spatial study of sodium and potassium ion content indicated differential accumulation pattern in roots and leaves, and, high potassium levels in root. Higher H2O2 content was recorded in roots than leaves and the antioxidant enzyme activities also showed significant induction under salt treatment conditions. Gene expression profiling of sodium transporters, Sodium proton exchanger (NHX3), Vacuolar ATPase (vATPase) and Salt overly sensitive1 (SOS1) showed up regulation under salt stress after 6–24 hr of NaCl treatment. Metabolite changes in the salt stressed leaves showed increased accumulation of flavonoids (3,5-dihydroxy-6,4’-dimethoxy-flavone-7-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside], and3,5-dihydroxy-6,3’,4’-trimethoxy-flavone-7-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside] in both LS and HS treatments, while a glycolipid, 1-O-linolenyl-2-O-(palmitoyl)-3-O-galactopyranosyl glycerol, accumulated more in LS over HS treatments and control. The results suggest that differential spatial and temporal cation levels in roots and leaves, and accumulation of flavanoid and glycolipid could be responsible for salt adaptation of S. portulacastrum.
Employment effects of payroll taxes - an empirical test for Germany

This study tests to what degree the incidence of payroll taxes in Germany is on employment and whether in consequence payroll taxes, in particular social insurance contributions, are the culprit behind the growing unemployment problem. Using industry level data for 18 years (1977–1994) a system of five dynamic factor demand equations is estimated. Various simulations indicate that the employment effects of payroll taxes are minimal.
Pervasive mutations of JAK-STAT pathway genes in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

Dissecting the pathogenesis of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), a common cancer in young adults, remains challenging because of the rarity of tumor cells in involved tissues (usually <5%). Here, we analyzed the coding genome of cHL by microdissecting tumor and normal cells from 34 patient biopsies for a total of ∼50 000 singly isolated lymphoma cells. We uncovered several recurrently mutated genes, namely, STAT6 (32% of cases), GNA13 (24%), XPO1 (18%), and ITPKB (16%), and document the functional role of mutant STAT6 in sustaining tumor cell viability. Mutations of STAT6 genetically and functionally cooperated with disruption of SOCS1, a JAK-STAT pathway inhibitor, to promote cHL growth. Overall, 87% of cases showed dysregulation of the JAK-STAT pathway by genetic alterations in multiple genes (also including STAT3, STAT5B, JAK1, JAK2, and PTPN1), attesting to the pivotal role of this pathway in cHL pathogenesis and highlighting its potential as a new therapeutic target in this disease.
Phytase supplementation in diets rich in fiber from rapeseed enhances phosphorus and calcium digestibility but not retention in broiler chickens

&NA; Two experiments were conducted on broilers to assess the effect of dietary fiber from 00‐rapeseed meal (RSM) on phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and retention (AR) during the growing (Exp1: 10 to 21 d) or finishing period (Exp2: 21 to 31 d) in diets supplemented or not with microbial phytase. Each experiment involved 144 male Cobb 500 fed one of 8 diets. Fiber content was modulated by incorporating whole RSM, RSM from dehulled rapeseeds, either raw or supplemented with 2 levels of defatted rapeseed hulls. Diets were supplemented or not with 750 phytase units of microbial phytase per kg. Excreta were collected from d 14 to d 17 (Exp1) and from d 27 to d 30 (Exp2) to measure AR. At the end of experiments, digestive tracts were sampled and weighed. The distal ileum and tibias were collected to measure AID and bone mineralization, respectively. Age did not significantly alter the response of birds to the addition of dietary fiber. Inclusion of hulls decreased growth performance (P < 0.05). The weight of the proventriculus‐gizzard (PG) increased with the dietary fiber content in Exp1: The decreased weight observed using dehulled RSM was reversed following the inclusion of hulls. In both trials, while the presence of phytase increased the AID of P (P < 0.001) but not Ca, the inclusion of hulls with phytase improved the AID of P and Ca [linear (Lin), P < 0.05]. This effect could depend on the effect of fiber on PG development and physiology. Hulls decreased the moisture content of excreta (P < 0.01), suggesting higher water retention or lower water consumption with fiber. The AR of P was lower than AID of P with hulls, contrary to Ca, suggesting a metabolic imbalance. The decrease of AR together with the decrease of bone characteristics indicates a lack of Ca in diets with hulls and suggests that P and Ca provision should be adapted to the level and the origin of fiber inclusion.
Supplemental Oxygen Improves In Vivo Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation Flux in Sedentary Obese Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is associated with impaired exercise capacity. Alterations in both muscle perfusion and mitochondrial function can contribute to exercise impairment. We hypothesized that impaired muscle mitochondrial function in type 2 diabetes is mediated, in part, by decreased tissue oxygen delivery and would improve with oxygen supplementation. Ex vivo muscle mitochondrial content and respiration assessed from biopsy samples demonstrated expected differences in obese individuals with (n = 18) and without (n = 17) diabetes. Similarly, in vivo mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation capacity measured in the gastrocnemius muscle via 31P-MRS indicated an impairment in the rate of ADP depletion with rest (27 ± 6 s [diabetes], 21 ± 7 s [control subjects]; P = 0.008) and oxidative phosphorylation (P = 0.046) in type 2 diabetes after isometric calf exercise compared with control subjects. Importantly, the in vivo impairment in oxidative capacity resolved with oxygen supplementation in adults with diabetes (ADP depletion rate 5.0 s faster, P = 0.012; oxidative phosphorylation 0.046 ± 0.079 mmol/L/s faster, P = 0.027). Multiple in vivo mitochondrial measures related to HbA1c. These data suggest that oxygen availability is rate limiting for in vivo mitochondrial oxidative exercise recovery measured with 31P-MRS in individuals with uncomplicated diabetes. Targeting muscle oxygenation could improve exercise function in type 2 diabetes.
Predicting stress distributions in fold‐and‐thrust belts and accretionary wedges by optimization

[1] The objective is to demonstrate that the equilibrium element method (EEM) provides the stress distribution in geometrical models of folds, relevant to fold-and-thrust belts as well as accretionary wedges. The core of the method, inherited from limit analysis, is the search for an optimum stress field that (1) is in equilibrium, (2) remains everywhere below or equal to the maximum strength of the rock, and (3) balances the largest possible applied tectonic force. This force and the associated stress field are interpreted as those at the onset of rupture. The method makes no appeal to the rock rheology nor to its elasticity, except for its maximum strength described here with the Coulomb criterion. The stress fields are discretized by elements covering the whole domain and allowing for discontinuities. The example chosen to illustrate the potential of the EEM and to validate our implementation is the thrusting of a rectangular sheet over a flat and weak decollement. The EEM reproduces the solution proposed by Hafner (1951) on the basis of linear elasticity, as long as the strength limit is not reached in the bulk of the domain. The EEM shows in addition that failure in the bulk prevents the activation of the decollement. The EEM is then applied to two fault-bend folds, with known ramp and flat decollement, with and without relief buildup. It is shown that the transition from the flat to the ramp hanging walls occurs through a narrow fan defining the back thrust. The predicted dip of this back thrust decreases with increase in the ramp friction angle, the relief buildup, as well as the ramp curvature. A sharp increase and then a sharp decrease in the magnitudes of the equivalent shear stress and of the mean stress are observed as one moves from the lower flat, through the back thrust up the ramp. If the ramp friction angle is too large, or the relief too important, the EEM predicts the initiation of a new thrust rooting at the back wall, instead of activating the proposed ramp. The application to detect the incipient thrust system within the toe of Nankai's accretionary wedge, southeast coast of Japan, is proposed in the auxiliary material.
Impaired Hematologic Status in Relation to Clinical Outcomes among HIV-Infected Adults from Uganda: A Prospective Cohort Study

Impaired hematologic status (IHS) was investigated as a determinant of immune function defined as cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) T-helper cell count, quality of life (QOL) weight and hospitalization/mortality over 18-months among 398 adult persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on anti-retroviral therapy. IHS was defined as having anemia at baseline (Hemoglobin: <12 g/dL for women and <13 g/dL for men), time-updated anemia or having low (<30 μg/L) or high (>200 μg/L for men and >150 μg/L for women) ferritin levels at baseline. Months-to-hospitalization/death or study-end (if no event) was calculated from enrollment. Multivariable linear-mixed models quantified associations between IHS and changes in CD4 cell-count, weight gain and QOL. Cox proportional hazards models calculated hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for IHS-related differences in time-to-hospitalization/death. The prevalences of anemia and high and low ferritin levels at baseline were 48.7% (n = 194), 40.5% (n = 161) and 17% (n = 68), respectively. Most patients (63.4%, n = 123) remained anemic during follow-up. Weight gained (ferritin-time interaction, p < 0.01) and QOL (anemia-time interaction, p = 0.05; ferritin-time interaction, p = 0.01) were lower for PLWHA with versus without IHS. Relative to anemia-free/normal ferritin, the risk of hospitalization/death was elevated for PLWHA with anemia (HR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.2–3.6), low or high ferritin (HR: 1.8–1.9, 95% CI: 0.9–4.1) and those that developed new/persistent/progressive anemia (HR: 2.3–6.7, 95% CI: 1.0–12.7). Among PLWHA, IHS predicted deficits in QOL, low weight gain and a high risk of hospitalization/death. Intervention to mitigate persistent IHS may be warranted among PLWHA on long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to improve health outcomes.