Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental demonstration of the plasma electron density diagnostics using the single-shot THz detection method

We report the first experimental demonstration of a novel plasma diagnostics method using the single-shot THz detection method. In this experiment, a broadband single THz pulse is generated by focusing two-color (400 nm and 800 nm in wavelength) laser pulses in air and the THz pulse is sent through an inductively-coupled plasma with a density of 1013–1014 cm−3 which is in the modern tokamak plasma density range. Phase shift of the THz pulse is measured by the single-shot THz detection method and the instant plasma density information is obtained from the phase shift. The result is compared with that of the existing THz time domain spectroscopy method and it is found that both results are in good agreement. It implies that the proposed method in this paper can provide a new plasma diagnostics tool which can be used for dynamically changing plasmas.
Global trade networks determine the distribution of invasive non‐native species

Aim: Although global trade is implicated in biological invasions, the assumption that trade networks explain the large-scale distributions of non-native species remains largely untested. We addressed this by analysing relationships between global trade networks and plant pest invasion. Location: Forty-eight countries in Europe and the Mediterranean. Time period: Current. Major taxa studied: Four hundred and twenty-two non-native plant pests (173 invertebrates, 166 pathogens, 83 plants). Methods: Ten types of connectivity index were developed, representing potential roles of trade networks, air transport links, geographical proximity, climatic similarity and source country wealth in facilitating invasion. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) identified the connectivity index that best explained both historical and recent invasion. Then, more complex GLMMs were developed including connectivity through trade networks for multiple commodities relevant for pests (live plants, forest products, fruit and vegetables and seeds) and species’ transport associations with those commodities. Results: Total import volumes, species’ global prevalence and connectivity measures based on air transport, geographical distance or climate did not explain invasion as well as connectivity through global trade networks. Invasion was strongly promoted by agricultural imports from countries in which the focal species was present and that were climatically similar to the importing country. However, live plant imports from nearby countries provided a better explanation of the most recent invasions. Connectivity through multiple trade networks predicted invasion better than total agricultural trade, and there was support for our hypothesis that species known to be transported with a particular network had greater sensitivity to its connectivity. Main conclusions: Our findings show that patterns of invasion are governed to a large extent by global trade networks connecting source areas for non-native species and the dispersal of those species through multiple trade networks. This enhances potential for developing a predictive framework to improve risk assessment, biosecurity and surveillance for invasions.
Learning from invention failure among research organizations: the role of top management team founding experiences and exposure to US culture

ABSTRACT Building on organisational failure learning and upper echelons theory, we examine the link between top management team (TMT) prior experiences and invention failure learning among research organisations. Specifically, we develop theoretical arguments to suggest that TMT founding experience and exposure to US culture facilitate organisational learning from failure. We test our theoretical reasoning using a longitudinal data set comprising 550 organisation-year observations of the patenting activities conducted by 39 research institutes in Germany. In support of our theoretical arguments, we find that TMT founding experience and TMT exposure to US culture positively moderate the link between prior invention failure and subsequent invention performance. Pointing to TMT experiences as a crucial contingency for whether organisations learn from failure, the present study contributes to the literature on organisational failure learning and upper echelons.
Detecting and Genotyping of Human Bocavirus among Children with Gastroenteritis in Diyala Governorate

Human Bocavirus a newly detected parvovirus initially described as a respiratory pathogen, to be a possible causative agent of gastroenteritis in children. This cross-sectional study was carried out for patients with acute gastroenteritis who present in the Emergency Department of Pediatrics in Al-Batool Teaching Hospital for Maternity and Children in Baqubah city, during the period from July 2019 to March 2020. The study population consists of 100 children with diarrhea collected from children less than five years old (58 males, 42 females) to detect human Bocavirus by conventional polymerase chain reaction. Human Bocavirus was detected in 9 samples (9%), high infection observed in males (66.66%) and in age group 6-12 months (55.55%). Most infection occur in children whose mothers were illiterates and primary education with equal percentage (44.44%). The genetic analysis of the sequence of four samples (4 out of 9 positive case) showed three of them belong to HBoV-3,whereas the fourth belong to HBoV-2.
Prediction of Ocean Weather Based on Denoising AutoEncoder and Convolutional LSTM

The path planning of a ship requires much information, and one of the essential factors is predicting the ocean environment. Ocean weather can generally be gathered from forecasting information provided by weather centers. However, these data are difficult to obtain when satellite communication is unstable during voyages, or there are cases where forecast data for a more extended period of time are needed for the operation of the fleet. Therefore, shipping companies and classification societies have attempted to establish a model for predicting the ocean weather on its own. Historically, ocean weather has been primarily predicted using empirical and numerical methods. Recently, a method for predicting ocean weather using deep learning has emerged. In this study, a deep learning model combining a denoising AutoEncoder and convolutional long short-term memory (LSTM) was proposed to predict the ocean weather worldwide. The denoising AutoEncoder is effective for removing noise that hinders the training of deep learning models. While the LSTM could be used as time-series inputs at specific points, the convolutional LSTM can use time-series images as inputs, making them suitable for predicting a wide range of ocean weather. Herein, using the proposed model, eight parameters of ocean weather were predicted. The proposed learning model predicted ocean weather after one week, showing an average error of 6.7%. The results show the applicability of the proposed learning model for predicting ocean weather.
Associations between students’ bystander behavior and individual and classroom collective moral disengagement

Abstract This study examined whether students’ bystander behaviours in peer victimisation were associated with individual (IMD) and classroom collective moral disengagement (CMD). Self-report survey data were analysed from 1577 Swedish students in fifth grade. Multilevel analyses revealed that, when witnessing peer victimisation, students more often sided with the victimisers if they belonged to classrooms high in CMD, especially if they simultaneously were high in IMD. Furthermore, staying passive was associated with higher levels of IMD and CMD, whereas defending the victims was associated with lower levels of IMD and CMD. Taken together, our findings suggest that moral disengagement beliefs both at the individual and at the classroom-level contribute to explain variability in students’ bystander behaviours, which has potential implications for prevention and intervention work.
Past, present and future refugia for Tasmania's palaeoendemic flora

Refugia under past climates have been important in structuring current patterns in diversity, while refugia under anthropogenic climate change will likely be important in retaining this diversity and shaping new patterns. However, few studies have examined the congruence of past, present and future refugia, or the spatiotemporal connectivity of these refugia. Our aim was to test the extent of overlap of refugia under Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), present (2015) and likely future climates (2100), for Tasmania's palaeoendemic flora. We then aimed to identify areas of high spatiotemporal refugia connectivity, as priority areas for conservation and management.
Polynomial-Based Smoothing Estimation for a Semiparametric Accelerated Failure Time Partial Linear Model

The accelerated failure time partial linear model allows the functional form of the effect of covariates to be possibly nonlinear and unknown. We propose to approximate the nonparametric component by cubic B-splines and construct a Gehan estimating function similar to that under the AFT model. Due to its non-smoothness, which will lead to computational challenge in estimating standard error, we propose a polynomial-based smoothing Gehan estimating function and compute the estimate of the parameters involved using the limited memory Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno algorithm. Asymptotic properties of the resulting estimators are established. The proposed method presents a good performance in the simulation studies and is applied to two real data sets.
New Strategy Treating Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infection: A Review of HBV Infection Biology

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects 240 million people worldwide and represents a significant burden on public health. Current antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis B mainly focuses on inhibiting viral replication. A main deficiency of the current treatment is unable to protect uninfected liver cells or hepatocytes that cleared HBV from next rounds of infection. HBV infection biology shows that natural clearance of HBV cccDNA from infected cells frequently occurs, HBV infection including chronic HBV infection is established and maintained by multiround infection, and the course of HBV infection is largely determined by the number of round of infection. Thus, an effective treatment of HBV infection must block new rounds of infection. A proposed new strategy for treating chronic HBV infection aims to immediately interrupt infection course and to achieve HbsAg seroconversion as early as possible. Under this strategy, a main target of antiviral treatment is extracellular viruses, and an effective therapeutics is specific neutralizing (anti-HBs) antibodies. A difference in tempo and efficiency of treating HBV infection between current antivirals and neutralizing antibody is that the antivirals inhibit viral infection only after cells are virus infected while the neutralizing antibody clears viruses before the infection of cells takes place.
The effects of estrogens and phytoestrogens on the metabolism and oxidation of plasma lipoproteins / Alice Jane Owen.

The aim of this thesis was to examine the effects of estrogens and phytoestrogens, on plasma lipoprotein levels and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including the oxidisability of low density lipoprotein (LDL). Hepatic LDL receptor activity plays an important role in the regulation of plasma LDL levels. In vitro studies presented here in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 revealed that of the three major human estrogens, only estradiol was able to upregulate LDL receptor activity at 5OpM. The phytoestrogens, daidzein, biochanin A, formononetin and coumestrol were all able to upregulate LDL receptor activity invitro. Comparison of the effects of the two lignan phytoestrogens suggested that estrogenicity is an important determinant of their LDL receptor activity regulation. ln an in vivo study of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women, it was found that estrogen and progestin did not cause significant upregulation of mononuclear cell LDL receptor activity, despite there being noted a reduction in plasma LDL cholesterol. A reduction in the level of the atherogenic lipoprotein(a) was found following three months of HRT, however there was no significant effect of HRT on the parameters of ex vivo LDL oxidation. Ground flaxseed (lOg/d), which is rich in phytoestrogenic lignans and o-linolenic acid, was found to increase the levels of Lp(a) in men, while there was no effect noted in
Retinoschisis in Coats Disease: Clinical Picture, Therapeutic Considerations, and Management Outcomes

Purpose: Retinoschisis in inflammatory and exudative retinopathy is a known but rare entity. We describe the presentation and clinical and surgical outcomes of a series of patients with retinoschisis in the setting of Coats disease. Methods: This retrospective case series of patients with Coats disease recorded visual acuity and the number and type of treatments (eg, angiography-guided photocoagulation, intravitreal bevacizumab, sub-Tenon triamcinolone, or vitreoretinal surgery). Results: Eighteen of 133 patients with Coats disease were diagnosed with retinoschisis by color imaging. All (100%) of the areas of schisis or macrocyst were associated with dense subretinal exudation, whereas only 7 (38.8%) were associated with exudative retinal detachment. Initial best-corrected visual acuity in the schisis cohort was 1.14 ± 1.19 (Snellen equivalent, 20/276) vs 1.42 ± 1.40 (Snellen, 20/526) in those without (P = .56). Final best-corrected visual acuity was 1.76 ± 1.37 (Snellen, 20/1150) and 1.45 ± 1.44 (Snellen, 20/563), respectively (P = .43). The mean number of treatments in individuals with schisis was 4.8 ± 2.9 for angiography-guided photocoagulation, 4.5 ± 2.9 for intravitreal bevacizumab, and 1.7±1.2 for sub-Tenon triamcinolone. Intraocular surgery was required in 39% (7 of 18) of patients with schisis vs 22% (25 of 115) for patients without schisis (P = .14). One eye required enucleation, and histopathology of the schisis pocket was obtained. Conclusions: The pathophysiology of retinoschisis in Coats disease is not completely understood. We propose that telangiectatic leakage, hypoxia, and toxicity to the retinal pigment epithelial cells play a role in cavity development, and therefore may represent a clinical feature of advanced or uncontrolled disease.
In Vitro Propagation of Rhododendron tomentosum – an Endangered Essential Oil Bearing Plant from Peatland

Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja (formerly Ledum palustre L.) is a medicinal peat bog plant native to northern Europe, Asia and North America. This plant has a distinctive aroma thanks to the presence of essential oil, to which it also owes its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial and insecticidal properties. However, in Europe R. tomentosum is classified as an endangered species, mainly due to degradation of peatlands. In the present work, the micropropagation protocol for R. tomentosum was established for the first time, providing both an ex situ conservation tool and a means of continuous production of in vivo and in vitro plant material for further studies. R. tomentosum microshoots were initiated from leaf explants and further multiplied using Schenk-Hildebrandt (SH) medium supplemented with 9.84 μM 2iP and 1.00 μM TDZ. The shoots were elongated on the SH medium supplemented with 24.6 μM 2iP and subsequently rooted using the perlite substrate saturated with half-strength Woody Plant medium supplemented with 1.0% sucrose and 4.92 μM IBA. The regenerated plants were hardened on the phytohormone-free SH medium and acclimatized using 3:1:1 deacidified peat:perlite:gravel substrate. The identity of the mother plant was confirmed at morphological and molecular levels and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method was implemented to assess the genetic fidelity of the regenerants. The essential oil content of the maternal plant, in vitro shoots and the regenerants was determined by steam-distillation, and the obtained volatile fractions were analyzed by GC/MS.
A Rigorous Interlaboratory Examination of the Need to Confirm NGS-Detected Variants with an Orthogonal Method in Clinical Genetic Testing

Orthogonal confirmation of NGS-detected germline variants has been standard practice, although published studies have suggested that confirmation of the highest quality calls may not always be necessary. The key question is how laboratories can establish criteria that consistently identify those NGS calls that require confirmation. Most prior studies addressing this question have limitations: These studies are generally small, omit statistical justification, and explore limited aspects of the underlying data. The rigorous definition of criteria that separate high-accuracy NGS calls from those that may or may not be true remains a critical issue. We analyzed five reference samples and over 80,000 patient specimens from two laboratories. We examined quality metrics for approximately 200,000 NGS calls with orthogonal data, including 1662 false positives. A classification algorithm used these data to identify a battery of criteria that flag 100% of false positives as requiring confirmation (CI lower bound: 98.5–99.8% depending on variant type) while minimizing the number of flagged true positives. These criteria identify false positives that the previously published criteria miss. Sampling analysis showed that smaller datasets resulted in less effective criteria. Our methodology for determining test and laboratory-specific criteria can be generalized into a practical approach that can be used by many laboratories to help reduce the cost and time burden of confirmation without impacting clinical accuracy.
Getting to the root of restoration: considering root traits for improved restoration outcomes under drought and competition

A foundational goal of trait‐based ecology, including trait‐based restoration, is to link specific traits to community assembly, biodiversity, and ecosystem function. Despite a growing awareness of the importance of belowground traits for ecological processes, a synthesis of how root traits can inform restoration of terrestrial plant communities is lacking. We reviewed and summarized existing literature focused on root traits in relation to plant performance measures (i.e. survival, establishment, productivity) in the contexts of drought and competition (including invasion). Root traits related to belowground resource acquisition (e.g. high specific root length, deep roots) are frequently related to drought avoidance (i.e. a plant strategy based on optimizing water uptake to maintain function), whereas studies relating root traits to drought tolerance (i.e. a plant strategy that allows plants to withstand low hydration) remain limited. More studies have linked root traits to plant competitive effects (i.e. the influence a plant has on neighbors) than to competitive responses (i.e. a plant's ability to resist the effects of neighbors). Because plants with acquisitive traits decrease resources to the detriment of neighbors, root traits associated with rapid resource acquisition (e.g. high specific root length) may be important for understanding competitive effects. Albeit more limited, research suggests root traits associated with resource conservation or stress tolerance (e.g. high root tissue density, high root diameter) may elucidate mechanisms related to competitive responses. Re‐vegetation outcomes may be improved by considering root traits, but only if clear links are made between traits and plant performance in varied contexts.
CH4 and N2O fluctuations during the penultimate deglaciation

Abstract. Deglaciations are characterized by the largest natural changes in methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations of the past 800 thousand years. Reconstructions of millennial to centennial-scale variability within these periods are mostly restricted to the last deglaciation. In this study, we present composite records of CH4 and N2O concentrations from the EPICA Dome C ice core covering the penultimate deglaciation at temporal resolutions of about ~ 100 years. Our data permit the identification of centennial-scale fluctuations standing out of the overall transition to interglacial levels. These features occurred in concert with reinvigorations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and northward shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The abrupt CH4 and N2O rises at about ~ 134 and ~ 128 thousand of years before present (hereafter ka BP) are assimilated to the fluctuations accompanying the Dansgaard–Oeschger events of the last glacial period, while rising N2O levels at ~ 130.5 ka BP are assimilated to a pattern of increasing N2O concentrations that characterized the end of Heinrich stadials. We suggest the 130.5-ka event to be driven by a partial reinvigoration of the AMOC. Overall, the CH4 and N2O fluctuations during the penultimate deglaciation exhibit modes of variability that are also found during the last deglaciation. However, trace gas responses may differ for similar type of climatic events, as exemplified by the reduced amplitude and duration of the 134-ka event compared to the fluctuations of the Bølling–Allerød during the last deglaciation.
Public Sector Workers’ Mental Health in Argentina: Comparative Psychometrics of the Perceived Stress Scale

Objectives Given that Argentinian public-sector workers are highly exposed to stressful conditions, and that the psychometric properties of the widely used Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) should be evaluated in different settings, this work aimed to compare the psychometric properties of the Latin American Spanish PSS-10 and PSS-4 and to identify the optimal scale for stress assessment. Methods A sample of 535 participants was randomly divided into 2 groups to evaluate dimensionality by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The reliability of both scales was also evaluated. Convergent validity was estimated using the Executive Complaints Questionnaire, the average variance extracted, and the composite reliability. Discriminant validity was based on the correlation with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the phi-square correlation between the components. Results The factor analyses supported bidimensionality of the PSS-10 (stress and coping), which showed a better fit than the PSS-4. Moreover, the reliability of the PSS-10 was higher, whereas the PSS-4 did not achieve adequate values of internal consistency. The PSS-10 was also correlated significantly with all validation scales, and presented proper internal convergent and divergent validity. Conclusions The PSS-10 is a reliable and structurally valid instrument to measure perceived stress and coping in a Latin American Spanish-speaking population with high work demands, and the findings of this study expand our knowledge on the geographical and sociocultural applicability of the PSS.
On the solution of linear differential equations in Lie groups

The subject matter of this paper is the solution of the linear differential equation y′ = a(t)y, y(0) = y0, where y0 ∈ G, a(.): R+ → g and g is a Lie algebra of the Lie group G. By building upon an earlier work of Wilhelm Magnus, we represent the solution as an infinite series whose terms are indexed by binary trees. This relationship between the infinite series and binary trees leads both to a convergence proof and to a constructive computational algorithm. This numerical method requires the evaluation of a large number of multivariate integrals, but this can be accomplished in a tractable manner by using quadrature schemes in a novel manner and by exploiting the structure of the Lie algebra.