Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MMRate: inferring multi-aspect diffusion networks with multi-pattern cascades

Inferring diffusion networks from traces of cascades has been extensively studied to better understand information diffusion in many domains. A widely used assumption in previous work is that the diffusion network is homogenous and diffusion processes of cascades follow the same pattern. However, in social media, users may have various interests and the connections among them are usually multi-faceted. In addition, different cascades normally diffuse at different speeds and spread to diverse scales, and hence show various diffusion patterns. It is challenging for traditional models to capture the heterogeneous user interactions and diverse patterns of cascades in social media. In this paper, we investigate a novel problem of inferring multi-aspect diffusion networks with multi-pattern cascades. In particular, we study the effects of various diffusion patterns on the information diffusion process by analyzing users' retweeting behavior on a microblogging dataset. By incorporating aspect-level user interactions and various diffusion patterns, a new model for inferring Multi-aspect transmission Rates between users using Multi-pattern cascades (MMRate) is proposed. We also provide an Expectation Maximization algorithm to effectively estimate the parameters. Experimental results on both synthetic and microblogging datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our approach over the state-of-the-art methods in inferring multi-aspect diffusion networks.
Flavonols control pollen tube growth and integrity by regulating ROS homeostasis during high-temperature stress

Significance Plant sexual reproduction is required for seed and fruit production and is highly sensitive to elevated temperatures, suggesting that climate change may have profound agricultural impacts through inhibition of this process. During reproduction, pollen tubes must navigate long distances through floral tissues to fertilize ovules. We demonstrate that high-temperature stress increases levels of reactive oxygen species in pollen tubes, which inhibits pollen tube growth. We report that specialized metabolites of the flavonol class prevent reactive oxygen species from reaching inhibitory levels at normal and increased temperatures, thereby promoting pollen viability and pollen tube growth. These results indicate that flavonols enhance reproduction, particularly during heat stress, and could confer protection to plants against the negative effects of climate change. Plant reproduction requires long-distance growth of a pollen tube to fertilize the female gametophyte. Prior reports suggested that mutations altering synthesis of flavonoids, plant specialized metabolites that include flavonols and anthocyanins, impair pollen development in several species, but the mechanism by which flavonols enhanced fertility was not defined. Here, we used genetic approaches to demonstrate that flavonols enhanced pollen development by reducing the abundance of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We further showed that flavonols reduced high-temperature stress-induced ROS accumulation and inhibition of pollen tube growth. The anthocyanin reduced (are) tomato mutant had reduced flavonol accumulation in pollen grains and tubes. This mutant produced fewer pollen grains and had impaired pollen viability, germination, tube growth, and tube integrity, resulting in reduced seed set. Consistent with flavonols acting as ROS scavengers, are had elevated levels of ROS. The pollen viability, tube growth and integrity defects, and ROS accumulation in are were reversed by genetic complementation. Inhibition of ROS synthesis or scavenging of excess ROS with an exogenous antioxidant treatment also reversed the are phenotypes, indicating that flavonols function by reducing ROS levels. Heat stress resulted in increased ROS in pollen tubes and inhibited tube growth, with more pronounced effects in the are mutant that could be rescued by antioxidant treatment. These results are consistent with increased ROS inhibiting pollen tube growth and with flavonols preventing ROS from reaching damaging levels. These results reveal that flavonol metabolites regulate plant sexual reproduction at both normal and elevated temperatures by maintaining ROS homeostasis.
Energy efficient physiologic coupling of gait and respiration is altered in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Coupling between walking and breathing in humans is well established. In healthy systems, the ability to couple and uncouple leads to energy economization. It is unknown if physiologic efficiency is susceptible to alteration, particularly in individuals with airflow obstruction. The aim of this research was to determine if coupling was compromised in a disease characterized by abnormal airflow and dyspnoea, and if this was associated with reduced energy efficiency.
A framework to investigate the impact of topography and product characteristics on electronic cigarette emissions

Significance Protocols for testing and reporting emissions of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHCs) from electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are lacking. The premise of this study is that multi-path relationships may be developed to describe interactions between product characteristics, use behavior and emissions to develop appropriate protocols for tobacco product regulatory compliance testing. Methods This study proposes a framework consisting of three component terms: HPHC mass concentration, HPHC mass ratio and total particulate mass (TPM) concentration. The framework informs experiments to investigate dependence of aerosol emissions from five electronic cigarettes spanning several design generations and three e-liquids for six repeated trials at each of ten flow conditions. Results Results are reported for TPM concentration as a function of flow conditions spanning the range of natural environment topography observed in prior studies. An empirical correlation describing TPM concentration as a function of flow conditions and coil power setting (6, 7.5 and 10 watts) for the Innokin iTaste MVP 2.0 vaporizer with Innokin iClear 30 dual coil tank is presented. Additional results document the impact of flow conditions and wick and coil design on TPM concentration through comparison of the Innokin iClear 30 (upper coil, capillary action wick) and the Innokin iClear X.I (lower coil, gravity fed wick) operated at 7.5 watts. The impact of e-liquid on TPM concentration is illustrated by comparing emissions from an NJOY Vape Pen filled with AVAIL Arctic Blast, Tobacco Row, and Mardi Gras e-liquids. TPM concentration is shown to depend upon flow conditions across a range of e-cigarette product designs including cig-a-like, pen-style, box-mod and emergent disposable-cartridge style devices. Conclusions A framework provides a foundation for reporting emissions across a variety of e-cigs, e-liquids and research laboratories. The study demonstrates TPM concentration is a function of topography behavior (i.e. puff flow rate and puff duration) for varying device operating power and product characteristics.
Understanding Gender Equity in Author Order Assignment

Women remain underrepresented in many fields in computer science, particularly at higher levels. In academia, success and promotion are influenced by a researcher's publication record. In many fields, including computer science, multi-author papers are the norm. Evidence from other fields shows that author order norms can influence the assignment of credit. We conduct interviews of students and faculty in human-computer interaction (HCI) and machine learning (ML) to determine factors related to assignment of author order in collaborative publication. The outcomes of these interviews then informed metrics of interest for a bibliometric analysis of gender and collaboration in research papers published from 1996 to 2016 in three top HCI and ML conferences. Based on our findings, we make recommendations for assignment of credit in multi-author papers and interpretation of author order, particularly in regard to how this area affects women.
Analysis of bacteriological pollution and the detection of antibiotic resistance genes of prevailing bacteria emanating from pig farm seepage

Management and disposal of pig farm seepage constitute a serious environmental challenge, and seepage discharge from agricultural waste‐water is considered to be one of the greatest contributors of organic substances, bacterial pathogens, and antibiotic resistance genes into the environment. The objectives of this study were to assess the level of bacteriological pollution and to identify the resident antibiotic‐resistant genes of culturable bacteria from a studied pig farm seepage. Enumeration of the viable bacterial cell of plated bacteria suspensions (10−1 to 10−8 cfu/mL) was performed; also, identification of pure bacterial colonies was done using an API 20E bacterial identification kit. CLSI guidelines for antimicrobial susceptibility testing were adopted to determine the antibiotic susceptibility/resistance of the cultured bacterial isolates. Identification of resident‐resistant genes was done using molecular biology procedures. The results on viable cells in seepage samples ranged from 4.30 × 102 to 1.29 × 109 cfu/mL. Pseudomonas luteola, Enterococcus vulneris, Salmonella choleraesuis spp arizonae, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabillis etc. were isolated from the pig farm soil samples. Almost all of the cultured isolates were resistant to Penicillin G, Vancomycin, Oxytetracycline, Spectinomycin, and Lincomycin. The most frequent resistant genes detected in the isolates were Van A, Van B, InuA, aph (3”)‐llla, blaTEM, Otr A, and Otr B. It was inferred from the study that Pig farm seepage has the ability to cause bacterial pollution that may negatively impact the natural environment, by introducing bacteria pathogens that harbor antibiotic‐resistant genes.
Ergenlerin Okul Bırakma Kararı Üzerinde Ebeveynlik Özelliklerinin Etkisi

Literature gore ebeveyn bagi ve ebeveynlik stilleri basarili bir cocuk buyutme surecinde oldukca etkilidir. Buna bagli olarak otoriter, demokratik, izin verici ve reddedici olmak uzere dort ebeveynlik stili tanimlanmaktadir. Guncel calismalar ebeveynlik stillerinin akademik basari uzerindeki etkilerine odaklanirken, oz guven, davranissal ketlenme ve davranissal etkinlik gibi kavramlarin yani sira, ebeveynin cocukla kurdugu baga bagli olarak asri koruyucu, ihmalkâr, ideal ve reddedici ebeveyn tutumlarini da incelemislerdir. Bu calismayla birlikte literaturdeki bulgular bir adim daha ileri tasinarak, oz guven, guclu hedef belirleme, aile tutumu ve cocuk buyutme stillerinin ergenlerdeki okul birakma karari uzerindeki etkileri incelenmistir. Elde edilen bulgulara gore, izin verici ebeveynlik stili ile asiri koruyucu olmanin, ogrencilerin okula devam sureci uzerinde en etkin yordayicilardan oldugu gorulmustur. Ayrica okuldan ayrilma karari veren cocuklarin oz guven duzeyleriyle davranissal ketlenme ve davranissal etkinlik duzeylerinin diger katilimcilara gore daha dusuk oldugu gorulmustur.
Utilization of Health Care and Burden of Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure in Zimbabwe: Results from a National Household Survey

Abstract In the last decade, Zimbabwe has undertaken substantial changes and implemented new initiatives to improve health system performance and services delivery, including results-based financing in rural health facilities. This study aims to examine the utilization of health services and level of financial risk protection of Zimbabwe’s health system. Using a multistage sampling approach, 7,135 households with a total of 32,294 individuals were surveyed in early 2016 on utilization of health services, out-of-pocket (OOP) health expenditure, and household consumption (as a measure of living standards) in 2015. The study found that the outpatient visits were favorable to the poor but the poorest had less access to inpatient care. In 2015, household OOP expenditure accounted for about one quarter of total health expenditure in Zimbabwe and 7.6% of households incurred catastrophic health expenditure (CHE). The incidence of CHE was 13.4% in the poorest quintile in comparison with 2.8% in the richest. Additionally, 1.29% of households fell into poverty due to health care–related expenditures. The study suggests that there are inequalities in utilization of health services among different population groups. The poor seeking inpatient care are the most vulnerable to CHE.
Intersubject specific absorption rate variability analysis through construction of 23 realistic body models for prostate imaging at 7T

For ultrahigh field (UHF) MRI, the expected local specific absorption rate (SAR) distribution is usually calculated by numerical simulations using a limited number of generic body models and adding a safety margin to take into account intersubject variability. Assessment of this variability with a large model database would be desirable. In this study, a procedure to create such a database with accurate subject‐specific models is presented. Using 23 models, intersubject variability is investigated for prostate imaging at 7T with an 8‐channel fractionated dipole antenna array with 16 receive loops.
A Review of the Literature on IFRS Adoption From the Perspective of the Value Relevance

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)-based financial reporting has become widespread all around the world especially after its mandatory adoption in the European Union in 2005. There are several objectives of IFRS-based financial reporting, all of which depends on the idea of a single set of high-quality standards as frequently highlighted by promoters of IFRS. This literature review depicts a comprehensive picture of the archival research on the impact of IFRS-based reporting on capital markets from the perspective of the value relevance (VR) concept. First, the VR concept, as well as models employed to measure the VR, are described. Afterwards, selected studies of the archival research are grouped, summarized, and discussed. Finally, archival research is methodologically analyzed by considering different dimensions. All in all, this literature review provides information on IFRS adoption from the perspective of the VR.
Global soil nitrous oxide emissions since the preindustrial era estimated by an ensemble of terrestrial biosphere models: Magnitude, attribution, and uncertainty

Our understanding and quantification of global soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and the underlying processes remain largely uncertain. Here, we assessed the effects of multiple anthropogenic and natural factors, including nitrogen fertilizer (N) application, atmospheric N deposition, manure N application, land cover change, climate change, and rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, on global soil N2O emissions for the period 1861–2016 using a standard simulation protocol with seven process‐based terrestrial biosphere models. Results suggest global soil N2O emissions have increased from 6.3 ± 1.1 Tg N2O‐N/year in the preindustrial period (the 1860s) to 10.0 ± 2.0 Tg N2O‐N/year in the recent decade (2007–2016). Cropland soil emissions increased from 0.3 Tg N2O‐N/year to 3.3 Tg N2O‐N/year over the same period, accounting for 82% of the total increase. Regionally, China, South Asia, and Southeast Asia underwent rapid increases in cropland N2O emissions since the 1970s. However, US cropland N2O emissions had been relatively flat in magnitude since the 1980s, and EU cropland N2O emissions appear to have decreased by 14%. Soil N2O emissions from predominantly natural ecosystems accounted for 67% of the global soil emissions in the recent decade but showed only a relatively small increase of 0.7 ± 0.5 Tg N2O‐N/year (11%) since the 1860s. In the recent decade, N fertilizer application, N deposition, manure N application, and climate change contributed 54%, 26%, 15%, and 24%, respectively, to the total increase. Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration reduced soil N2O emissions by 10% through the enhanced plant N uptake, while land cover change played a minor role. Our estimation here does not account for indirect emissions from soils and the directed emissions from excreta of grazing livestock. To address uncertainties in estimating regional and global soil N2O emissions, this study recommends several critical strategies for improving the process‐based simulations.
Role of G-proteins and phosphorylation in the distribution of AGS3 to cell puncta

ABSTRACT Activator of G-protein signaling 3 (AGS3, also known as GPSM1) exhibits broad functional diversity and oscillates among different subcellular compartments in a regulated manner. AGS3 consists of a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain and a G-protein regulatory (GPR) domain. Here, we tested the hypothesis that phosphorylation of the AGS3 GPR domain regulates its subcellular distribution and functionality. In contrast to the cortical and/or diffuse non-homogeneous distribution of wild-type (WT) AGS3, an AGS3 construct lacking all 24 potential phosphorylation sites in the GPR domain localized to cytosolic puncta. This change in localization was revealed to be dependent upon phosphorylation of a single threonine amino acid (T602). The punctate distribution of AGS3-T602A was rescued by co-expression of Gαi and Gαo but not Gαs or Gαq. Following treatment with alkaline phosphatase, both AGS3-T602A and WT AGS3 exhibited a gel shift in SDS-PAGE as compared to untreated WT AGS3, consistent with a loss of protein phosphorylation. The punctate distribution of AGS3-T602A was lost in an AGS3-A602T conversion mutant, but was still present upon T602 mutation to glutamate or aspartate. These results implicate dynamic phosphorylation as a discrete mechanism to regulate the subcellular distribution of AGS3 and associated functionality. Summary: A single threonine residue in the G-protein regulatory domain of AGS3 is a determinant factor in the oscillation of AGS3 among different subcellular compartments and protein phase transitions.
Aging-Related Calcium Dysregulation in Rat Entorhinal Neurons Homologous with the Human Entorhinal Neurons in which Alzheimer’s Disease Neurofibrillary Tangles First Appear

Aging is the leading risk factor for idiopathic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), indicating that normal aging processes promote AD and likely are present in the neurons in which AD pathogenesis originates. In AD, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) appear first in entorhinal cortex, implying that aging processes in entorhinal neurons promote NFT pathogenesis. Using electrophysiology and immunohistochemistry, we find pronounced aging-related Ca2 + dysregulation in rat entorhinal neurons homologous with the human neurons in which NFTs originate. Considering that humans recapitulate many aspects of animal brain aging, these results support the hypothesis that aging-related Ca2 + dysregulation occurs in human entorhinal neurons and promotes NFT pathogenesis.
Physics-Informed Generative Adversarial Networks for Stochastic Differential Equations

We developed a new class of physics-informed generative adversarial networks (PI-GANs) to solve in a unified manner forward, inverse and mixed stochastic problems based on a limited number of scattered measurements. Unlike standard GANs relying only on data for training, here we encoded into the architecture of GANs the governing physical laws in the form of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) using automatic differentiation. In particular, we applied Wasserstein GANs with gradient penalty (WGAN-GP) for its enhanced stability compared to vanilla GANs. We first tested WGAN-GP in approximating Gaussian processes of different correlation lengths based on data realizations collected from simultaneous reads at sparsely placed sensors. We obtained good approximation of the generated stochastic processes to the target ones even for a mismatch between the input noise dimensionality and the effective dimensionality of the target stochastic processes. We also studied the overfitting issue for both the discriminator and generator, and we found that overfitting occurs also in the generator in addition to the discriminator as previously reported. Subsequently, we considered the solution of elliptic SDEs requiring approximations of three stochastic processes, namely the solution, the forcing, and the diffusion coefficient. We used three generators for the PI-GANs, two of them were feed forward deep neural networks (DNNs) while the other one was the neural network induced by the SDE. Depending on the data, we employed one or multiple feed forward DNNs as the discriminators in PI-GANs. Here, we have demonstrated the accuracy and effectiveness of PI-GANs in solving SDEs for up to 30 dimensions, but in principle, PI-GANs could tackle very high dimensional problems given more sensor data with low-polynomial growth in computational cost.
Convergent evolution of locomotor morphology but not performance in gymnotiform swimmers

Convergent evolution of a novel locomotor strategy implies that a fitness benefit may be associated with the new gait. Opportunities to study this phenomenon are often constrained by a lack of transitional taxa, but teleost fishes offer examples of extant species across such evolutionary shifts in gait. For instance, one species from Osteoglossiformes and the entire order of Gymnotiformes independently evolved a novel gait, gymnotiform locomotion, where thrust is produced by the undulation of an elongate anal fin. Here, we investigate whether this convergence in gait is also associated with similarities in shape, burst swimming abilities, and/or steady‐swimming energetics. Specifically, we measured body and fin morphology of fish within Gymnotiformes and Osteoglossiformes, along with closely related Siluriformes and Cypriniformes, to examine the link between gymnotiform locomotion and morphology in a phylogenetic context. Second, we tested the burst swimming capabilities and oxygen consumption during endurance swimming of a subset of the same gymnotiform, osteoglossiform, and cypriniform species, including “transitional” Osteoglossiformes that exhibit intermediate gaits, to determine whether the evolution of this specialized gait is associated with a change in either of these performance metrics. Our results suggest that convergence on the gymnotiform gait is associated with morphological convergence, but does not constrain a fish's maximum sprinting speeds or their energetic demands during steady swimming.