Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Symmetric symplectic homotopy K3 surfaces

A study on the relation between the smooth structure of a symplectic homotopy K3 surface and its symplectic symmetries is initiated. A measurement of exoticness of a symplectic homotopy K3 surface is introduced, and the influence of an effective action of a K3 group via symplectic symmetries is investigated. It is shown that an effective action by various maximal symplectic K3 groups forces the corresponding homotopy K3 surface to be minimally exotic with respect to our measure. (However, the standard K3 is the only known example of such minimally exotic homotopy K3 surfaces.) The possible structure of a finite group of symplectic symmetries of a minimally exotic homotopy K3 surface is determined and future research directions are indicated.
Effects of small, Fijian community-based marine protected areas on exploited reef fishes

No-take marine protected areas (MPAs) are commonly applied in community-based management schemes to sustain and enhance coral-reef fisheries. However, many MPAs in Fiji and the South Pacific are relatively small ("641 km2), and few data exist regarding the effects of these MPAs on populations of exploited species. We used hook-and-line fishing surveys to assess whether 4 relatively small (<1 km2) community-based MPAs in Fiji (3 current, 1 former) were providing any commonly sought benefits to exploited reef-fish stocks. All of the MPAs had maintained no-take status for over 4 yr, although the former MPA was opened to fishing 4 mo before this study. The current MPAs exhibited significantly greater catch and biomass per unit effort, individual fish biomass, and/or percentage of reproductive-size fish than paired, adjacent fished areas, while this was not the case with the former MPA. Sites with intact MPAs also exhibited greater catch diversity than the former MPA site. Additionally, tag and recapture data from the 17 recaptured of 2650 tagged fish suggest site fidelity of these fishes, although fishes initially captured in the MPA at all 4 sites were later caught in fished areas, indicating that there is movement of fishes from the MPAs to fished areas. While the combination of these findings supports the utility of even relatively small MPAs as effective tools for the conservation of certain target species, it also suggests that MPA benefits may be quickly depleted and that even closures of extended duration may be insufficient for long-term fisheries management if the MPAs are not maintained.
Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health and Perceived Unmet Needs for Healthcare among the Elderly in Germany

Research into health inequalities in the elderly population of Germany is relatively scarce. This study examines socioeconomic inequalities in health and perceived unmet needs for healthcare and explores the dynamics of health inequalities with age among elderly people in Germany. Data were derived from the Robert Koch Institute’s cross-sectional German Health Update study. The sample was restricted to participants aged 50–85 years (n = 11,811). Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured based on education, (former) occupation, and income. Odds ratios and prevalence differences were estimated using logistic regression and linear probability models, respectively. Our results show that self-reported health problems were more prevalent among men and women with lower SES. The extent of SES-related health inequalities decreased at older ages, predominantly among men. Although the prevalence of perceived unmet needs for healthcare was low overall, low SES was associated with higher perceptions of unmet needs in both sexes and for several kinds of health services. In conclusion, socioeconomic inequalities in health exist in a late working age and early retirement but may narrow at older ages, particularly among men. Socially disadvantaged elderly people perceive greater barriers to accessing healthcare services than those who are better off.
Independent Risk Factors for Postpartum Haemorrhage

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality. To evaluate the possibility that antepartum fibrinogen is associated with risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Methods and Findings: Retrospective analysis was performed among 949 women with vaginal deliveries of singletons at gestational week (GW) ≥ 36 to examine associations of PPH, defined as estimated blood loss (EBL) ≥ 700 mL, with antepartum blood fibrinogen, platelet count, and hemoglobin levels within 7 days prior to delivery and demographic characteristics, including, parity, maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, duration of labor, instrumental delivery, and birthweight. Logistic multiple regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors and odds ratios (OR). PPH occurred in 127 (13%) women and was less frequent as levels of fibrinogen increased with OR (confidence interval) 0.97 (0.95 – 0.99) for 1.0 g/L increase in fibrinogen level by logistic multiple regression analysis. The other independent risk factors for PPH included nulliparity,1.08 (1.03 – 1.12) and increased birthweight 1.02 (1.01 – 1.03) for each 100 g increase in birthweight. PPH was more common in nulliparous than multiparous women (16% [77/474] vs. 11% [50/475]) and in women with instrumental deliveries (27% [8/30] vs. 13% [119/919]). EBL was significantly negatively correlated with fibrinogen and hemoglobin levels and positively with GW at delivery and infant birthweight. Conclusions: Antepartum fibrinogen level was an independent risk factor for PPH, and each 1.0 g/L decrease of antenatal fibrinogen level increased the risk of PPH by 2.9% independent of other factors.
Natural history and morphology of the hoverfly Pseudomicrodon biluminiferus and its parasitic relationship with ants nesting in bromeliads

Abstract The syrphid subfamily Microdontinae is characterized by myrmecophily of their immature stages, i.e., they develop in ant nests. Data on natural history of microdontines are scarce, especially in the Neotropics. Based on fieldwork in southern Brazil, this study provided new data on development and ecology of the hoverfly Pseudomicrodon biluminiferus (Hull) (Diptera: Syrphidae) as well as the first morphological descriptions of male genitalia, larvae, and pupa. Immature specimens were specifically found in colonies of the ant species Crematogaster limata Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) found in rosettes of the bromeliad species Aechmea lindenii (E. Morren) Baker (Poales: Bromeliaceae) and A. nudicaulis (L.) Grisebach. Third instar larvae were observed preying on ant larvae, revealing the parasitic nature of P. biluminiferus. In this and several other aspects, the natural history of P. biluminiferus is similar to that of Holarctic microdontine species. Exceptions include: (i) indications that adults of P. biluminiferus outlast the winter months (in contrast to 3rd instar larvae in Holarctic species) and (ii) P. biluminiferus' relationship with bromeliads. The importance of bromeliads for this host-parasite system is evaluated in this paper. The single occurrence of another, unidentified microdontine species' pupae in a nest of the ant species Camponotus melanoticus Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is reported.
Attributing Authorship in the Noisy Digitized Correspondence of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

This article presents the results of a multidisciplinary project aimed at better understanding the impact of different digitization strategies in computational text analysis. More specifically, it describes an effort to automatically discern the authorship of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in a body of uncorrected correspondence processed by HTR (Handwritten Text Recognition) and OCR (Optical Character Recognition), reporting on the effect this noise has on the analyses necessary to computationally identify the different writing style of the two brothers. In summary, our findings show that OCR digitization serves as a reliable proxy for the more painstaking process of manual digitization, at least when it comes to authorship attribution. Our results suggest that attribution is viable even when using training and test sets from different digitization pipelines. With regard to HTR, this research demonstrates that even though automated transcription significantly increases risk of text misclassification when compared to OCR, a cleanliness above ≈ 20% is already sufficient to achieve a higher-than-chance probability of correct binary attribution.
Atrial fibrillation detection and ECG classification based on convolutional recurrent neural network

The aim of the 2017 PhysioNet/CinC Challenge [1] is to classify short ECG signals (between 30 seconds and 60 seconds length), as Normal sinus rhythm (N), Atrial Fibrillation (AF), an alternative rhythm (O), or as too noisy to be classified. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) as classifiers have recently shown improved performances compared to methods established in various sound recognition tasks [2] and interesting result in tasks such as the 2016 Physionet Challenge for the classification of heart sound [3]. Our approach is based on a convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN), involving two independent CNNs, to extract relevant patterns, one from the ECG and the other from the heart rate, which are then merged into a RNN accounting for the sequence of the extracted patterns. The final decision is then evaluated through a Support Vector Machine (SVM).
Foreign Competition and Domestic Innovation: Evidence from U.S. Patents

Manufacturing accounts for more than three-quarters of US corporate patents. The competitive shock to this sector emanating from China’s economic ascent could in theory either augment or stifle US innovation. Using three decades of US patents matched to corporate owners, we quantify how foreign competition affects domestic innovation. Rising import exposure intensifies competitive pressure, reducing sales, profitability, and R&D expenditure at US firms. Accounting for confounding sectoral patenting trends, we find that US patent production declines in sectors facing greater import competition. This adverse effect is larger among initially less profitable and less capital-intensive firms. (JEL F14, L11, L60, O19, O31, O34, P33)
Stress-Strain Behavior of Concrete Confined by Overlapping Hoops at Low and High Strain Rates

An experimental investigation into the behavior of short reinforced concrete columns is described. Twenty-five concrete units, each 450 mm (17.7 in.) square by 1200 mm (47.2 in.) high, containing either 8 or 12 longitudinal steel bars and different arrangements of square or octagonal steel hoops, were subjected to concentric or eccentric loads to failure at different strain rates. Results presented include an assessment of the effect of eccentricity of load, strain rate, amount and distribution of longitudinal steel, and amount and dis­ tribution of transverse steel. A stress-strain curve for concrete con­ fined by hoop reinforcement and loaded at a high strain rate (com­ parable with seismic loading) is proposed and compared with an existing curve based on previous tests conducted at low strain rates. The available ultimate compressive strain for concrete confined by hoop reinforcement is also discussed.
Fate of Transgenic DNA from Orally Administered Bt MON810 Maize and Effects on Immune Response and Growth in Pigs

We assessed the effect of short-term feeding of genetically modified (GM: Bt MON810) maize on immune responses and growth in weanling pigs and determined the fate of the transgenic DNA and protein in-vivo. Pigs were fed a diet containing 38.9% GM or non-GM isogenic parent line maize for 31 days. We observed that IL-12 and IFNγ production from mitogenic stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells decreased (P<0.10) following 31 days of GM maize exposure. While Cry1Ab-specific IgG and IgA were not detected in the plasma of GM maize-fed pigs, the detection of the cry1Ab gene and protein was limited to the gastrointestinal digesta and was not found in the kidneys, liver, spleen, muscle, heart or blood. Feeding GM maize to weanling pigs had no effect on growth performance or body weight. IL-6 and IL-4 production from isolated splenocytes were increased (P<0.05) in response to feeding GM maize while the proportion of CD4+ T cells in the spleen decreased. In the ileum, the proportion of B cells and macrophages decreased while the proportion of CD4+ T cells increased in GM maize-fed pigs. IL-8 and IL-4 production from isolated intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes were also increased (P<0.05) in response to feeding GM maize. In conclusion, there was no evidence of cry1Ab gene or protein translocation to the organs and blood of weaning pigs. The growth of pigs was not affected by feeding GM maize. Alterations in immune responses were detected; however, their biologic relevance is questionable.
ReST-Net: Diverse Activation Modules and Parallel Subnets-Based CNN for Spatial Image Steganalysis

Recent steganalytic schemes reveal embedding traces in a promising way by using convolutional neural networks (CNNs). However, further improvements, such as exploring complementary data processing operations and using wider structures, were not extensively studied so far. In this letter, we design a new CNN in these aspects in order to better capture embedding artifacts. Specifically, on the one hand, we propose to process information diversely with a module called diverse activation module. On the other hand, we build a wide structure with parallel subnets using several filter groups for preprocessing. To accelerate the training process, we pretrain the subnets independently. Extensive experiments show that the proposed method is effective in detecting content-adaptive steganographic schemes.
Serologic Cross-Reactivity of Human IgM and IgG Antibodies to Five Species of Ebola Virus

Five species of Ebola virus (EBOV) have been identified, with nucleotide differences of 30–45% between species. Four of these species have been shown to cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) in humans and a fifth species (Reston ebolavirus) is capable of causing a similar disease in non-human primates. While examining potential serologic cross-reactivity between EBOV species is important for diagnostic assays as well as putative vaccines, the nature of cross-reactive antibodies following EBOV infection has not been thoroughly characterized. In order to examine cross-reactivity of human serologic responses to EBOV, we developed antigen preparations for all five EBOV species, and compared serologic responses by IgM capture and IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in groups of convalescent diagnostic sera from outbreaks in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo (n = 24), Gulu, Uganda (n = 20), Bundibugyo, Uganda (n = 33), and the Philippines (n = 18), which represent outbreaks due to four different EBOV species. For groups of samples from Kikwit, Gulu, and Bundibugyo, some limited IgM cross-reactivity was noted between heterologous sera-antigen pairs, however, IgM responses were largely stronger against autologous antigen. In some instances IgG responses were higher to autologous antigen than heterologous antigen, however, in contrast to IgM responses, we observed strong cross-reactive IgG antibody responses to heterologous antigens among all sets of samples. Finally, we examined autologous IgM and IgG antibody levels, relative to time following EHF onset, and observed early peaking and declining IgM antibody levels (by 80 days) and early development and persistence of IgG antibodies among all samples, implying a consistent pattern of antibody kinetics, regardless of EBOV species. Our findings demonstrate limited cross-reactivity of IgM antibodies to EBOV, however, the stronger tendency for cross-reactive IgG antibody responses can largely circumvent limitations in the utility of heterologous antigen for diagnostic assays and may assist in the development of antibody-mediated vaccines to EBOV.
International variation in absence from work attributed to musculoskeletal illness: findings from the CUPID study

Objectives To quantify the variation in rates of absence due to musculoskeletal pain across 47 occupational groups (mostly nurses and office workers) from 18 countries, and to explore personal and group-level risk factors that might explain observed differences. Methods A standardised questionnaire was used to obtain information about musculoskeletal pain, sickness absence and possible risk factors in a cross-sectional survey of 12 416 workers (92–1017 per occupational group). Additionally, group-level data on socioeconomic variables, such as sick pay and unemployment rates, were assembled by members of the study team in each country. Associations of sickness absence with risk factors were examined by Poisson regression. Results Overall, there were more than 30-fold differences between occupational groups in the 12-month prevalence of prolonged musculoskeletal sickness absence, and even among office workers carrying out similar occupational tasks, the variation was more than tenfold. Personal risk factors included older age, lower educational level, tendency to somatise, physical loading at work and prolonged absence for non-musculoskeletal illness. However, these explained little of the variation between occupational groups. After adjustment for individual characteristics, prolonged musculoskeletal sickness absence was more frequent in groups with greater time pressure at work, lower job control and more adverse beliefs about the work-relatedness of musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusions Musculoskeletal sickness absence might be reduced by eliminating excessive time pressures in work, maximising employees’ responsibility and control and providing flexibility of duties for those with disabling symptoms. Care should be taken not to overstate work as a cause of musculoskeletal injury.
THE HIGH-DENSITY IONIZED GAS IN THE CENTRAL PARSEC OF THE GALAXY

We report a study of the H30α line emission at 1.3 mm from the region around Sgr A* made with the Submillimeter Array at a resolution of 2″ over a field of 60″ (2 pc) and a velocity range of –360 to +345 km s−1. This field encompasses most of the Galactic center's “minispiral. ” With an isothermal homogeneous H ii model, we determined the physical conditions of the ionized gas at specific locations in the Northern and Eastern Arms from the H30α line data along with Very Large Array data from the H92α line at 3.6 cm and from the radio continuum emission at 1.3 cm. The typical electron density and kinetic temperature in the minispiral arms are 3–21×104 cm−3 and 5000–13,000 K, respectively. The H30α and H92α line profiles are broadened due to the large velocity shear within and along the beam produced by dynamical motions in the strong gravitational field near Sgr A*. We constructed a three-dimensional model of the minispiral using the orbital parameters derived under the assumptions that the gas flows are in Keplerian motion. The gas in the Eastern Arm appears to collide with the Northern Arm flow in the “Bar” region, which is located 0.1–0.2 pc south of and behind Sgr A*. Finally, a total Lyman continuum flux of 3 × 1050 photons s−1 is inferred from the assumption that the gas is photoionized and the ionizing photons for the high-density gas in the minispiral arms are from external sources, which is equivalent to ∼250 O9-type zero-age-main-sequence stars.
Effects of bamboo bundles treated with fine fluffing and carbonized treatment on the properties of bamboo scrimber

This study explored novel bamboo scrimber fabricated using fine fiber bundles and phenolic resins via hotpressing process. The mechanical properties,water resistance and dimensional stability of novel bamboo scrimber were investigated,and the results were compared with commercial bamboo scrimber made from control and carbonized bamboo bundles and bamboo-based fiber composites. The results showed that fine fluffing treatment and high temperature thermal treatment showed good technological properties with improved water absorption and dimensional stability. However,the mechanical properties of bamboo scrimber were obviously decreased by high-temperature thermal treatment with 45% decrease of MOR comparing with that of control. The fine fluffing treatment would improve bamboo scrimber dimensional stability while maintains its mechanical properties with 67% decrease of thickness swelling and 75% decrease of water absorption comparing with that of control. The water resistance and dimensional stability of bamboo scrimber made from bamboo bundles with fine fluffing was close to that of the bamboo-based fiber composites.
Power Doppler Quantification in Assessing Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia

Abstract Purpose The FIGO score cannot accurately stratify low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) patients who develop chemoresistance to single agent methotrexate chemotherapy. Tumour vascularisation is a key risk factor and its quantification may provide non-invasive way of complementing risk assessment. Materials and Methods 187 FIGO-staged, low-risk GTN patients were prospectively recruited. Power Doppler ultrasound was analysed using a quantification program. Four diagnostic indicators were obtained comprising the number of colour pixels (NCP), mean dB, power Doppler quantification (PDQ), and percentage of colour pixels (%CP). Each indicator performance was assessed to determine if they could distinguish the subset of low-risk patients who became chemoresistant. Results There were 111 non-resistant and 76 resistant patients. NCP performed best at distinguishing these two groups where the non-resistant group had an average 3435 (± 2060) pixels and the resistant group 6151 (± 3192) pixels (p < 0.001). PDQ and %CP showed significant differences (p < 0.001) but had poorer performance (area under ROC curves were 72 % and 67 % respectively compared with 75 % for NCP). The mean dB index was not significantly different (p = 0.133). Conclusion Power Doppler ultrasound quantification shows potential for non-invasive assessment of tumour vascularity and can distinguish low-risk GTN patients who become chemoresistant from those who have an uncomplicated course with first line treatment.
Destruction‐and‐diffraction by X‐ray free‐electron laser

It is common knowledge that macromolecular crystals are damaged by the X‐rays they are exposed to during conventional data collection. One of the claims made about the crystallographic data collection now being collected using X‐ray free‐electron lasers (XFEL) is that they are unaffected by radiation damage. XFEL data sets are assembled by merging data obtained from a very large number of crystals, each of which is exposed to a single femtosecond pulse of radiation, the duration of which is so short that diffraction occurs before the damage done to the crystal has time to become manifest, i.e. “diffraction‐before‐destruction. ” However, recent theoretical studies have shown that many of the elemental electronic processes that ultimately result in the destruction of such crystals occur during a single pulse. It is predicted that the amplitudes of atomic scattering factor could be reduced by as much as 75% within the first 5 femtoseconds of such pulses, and that different atoms will respond in different ways. Experimental evidence is provided here that these predictions are correct.
Effect of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor on liver function tests in Japanese patients with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus

No pharmacological therapies have been established for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2I) was developed for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the efficacy of SGLT2I in NAFLD patients with T2DM.