Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A generalized fractional-order elastodynamic theory for non-local attenuating media

This study presents a generalized elastodynamic theory, based on fractional-order operators, capable of modelling the propagation of elastic waves in non-local attenuating solids and across complex non-local interfaces. Classical elastodynamics cannot capture hybrid field transport processes that are characterized by simultaneous propagation and diffusion. The proposed continuum mechanics formulation, which combines fractional operators in both time and space, offers unparalleled capabilities to predict the most diverse combinations of multiscale, non-local, dissipative and attenuating elastic energy transport mechanisms. Despite the many features of this theory and the broad range of applications, this work focuses on the behaviour and modelling capabilities of the space-fractional term and on its effect on the elastodynamics of solids. We also derive a generalized fractional-order version of Snell’s Law of refraction and of the corresponding Fresnel’s coefficients. This formulation allows predicting the behaviour of fully coupled elastic waves interacting with non-local interfaces. The theoretical results are validated via direct numerical simulations.
The age of the Milky Way inner stellar spheroid from RR Lyrae population synthesis

The central kiloparsecs of the Milky Way are known to host an old, spheroidal stellar population, whose spatial and kinematical properties set it apart from the boxy-peanut structure that constitutes most of the central stellar mass. The nature of this spheroidal population, whether it is a small classical bulge, the innermost stellar halo, or a population of disk stars with large initial velocity dispersion, remains unclear. This structure is also a promising candidate to play host to some of the oldest stars in the Galaxy. Here we address the topic of the inner stellar spheroid age, using spectroscopic and photometric metallicities for a sample of 935 RR Lyrae stars that are constituents of this component. By means of stellar population synthesis, we derive an age-metallicity relation for RR Lyrae populations. We infer, for the RR Lyrae stars in the bulge spheroid, an extremely ancient age of 13.41 ± 0.54 Gyr and conclude they were among the first stars to form in what is now the Milky Way galaxy. Our age estimate for the central spheroid shows a remarkable agreement with the age profile that has been inferred for the Milky Way stellar halo, suggesting a connection between the two structures. However, we find mild evidence for a transition in the halo properties atrGC ∼ 5 kpc. We also investigate formation scenarios for metal-rich RR Lyrae stars, such as binarity and helium variations, and consider whether they can provide alternative explanations for the properties of our sample. We conclude that within our framework, the only viable alternative is to have younger, slightly helium-rich, RR Lyrae stars. This is a hypothesis that would open intriguing questions for the formation of the inner stellar spheroid.
Foraging trade‐offs and resource patchiness: theory and experiments with a freshwater snail community

Empirical results concerning a freshwater snail community are interpreted using a two-species consumer model that incorporates resource structure. Behavioural-scale measurements on a guild of five species of freshwater pond snails (Mollusca: Pulmonata) indicate a trade-off between the ability to utilize a patch’s resource and the ability to quickly find new resource patches. Community-level experiments demonstrate that both species richness and composition are affected by the patchiness of the environment. In particular, treatments with low patchiness are dominated by species best at exploiting local resources (diggers) whereas treatments with high patchiness are dominated by species best at finding new patches (grazers). Results from a controlled mesocosm experiment with two of the most common of these species, Helisoma trivolvis (a relative digger) and Physella gyrina (Physidae) (a relative grazer) show that the patchiness of the environment strongly influences the outcomes of interspecific competition among these two species: the digger performed much better in less patchy habitats, whereas the grazer performed better in more patchy habitats. A two-species model of diggers and grazers modified to incorporate behavioural aspects of patchiness produces this same pattern of competitive outcomes.
Coverage Path Planning With Track Spacing Adaptation for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

In this letter we address the mine countermeasures (MCM) search problem for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) surveying the seabed using a side-looking sonar. We propose a coverage path planning method that adapts the AUV track spacing with the objective of collecting better data. We achieve this by shifting the coverage overlap at the tail of the sensor range where the lowest data quality is expected. To assess the algorithm, we collected data from three at-sea experiments. The adaptive survey allowed the AUV to recover from a situation where the sensor range was overestimated and resulted in reducing area coverage gaps. In another experiment, the adaptive survey showed a 4.2% improvement in data quality for nearly 30% of the ‘worst’ data.
Possible CO2 concentrating mechanism in chloroplasts of C3 plants. Role of carbonic anhydrase.

The possibility of a specific C02 concentrating mechanism present in chloroplasts of C 3 plants is analyzed. Proton gradient between thylakoids and the stroma is assumed to be the driving force for this process. The possible C02 concentrating mechanisms are: 1. HC0 3 permeation into thylakoids, its de­ hydration there and diffusion of C02 formed into the stroma; 2. Dehydration of HCOf present in the stroma at the thylakoid surface in a reaction with H + leaving the thylakoids through: a) channels of membrane-boun d carbonic anhydrase; b) channels of the ATPase complex. A system of equations describ­ ing CO-Tand C02 diffusion as well as C02 assimilation and formation was used. The increase in photosynthesis rate, upon C02 diffusion being facilitated in the presence of carbonic anhydrase, and due to the action of C0 2 concentrating mechanisms, was numerically estimated. The C02 concentrating mechanism was shown to function effectively only with the entire chloroplast being the C02 concentrating zone. This is the case when the bulk of stromal carbonic anhy­ drase is localized near the inner chloroplast envelope. The existence of C0 2 concentrating mechanisms around a single granum or around thylakoids is hardly possible. Approaches enabling the detection of similar concentrating mechanisms are discussed.
KEAP1, a cysteine-based sensor and a drug target for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease

Redox imbalance and persistent inflammation are the underlying causes of most chronic diseases. Mammalian cells have evolved elaborate mechanisms for restoring redox homeostasis and resolving acute inflammatory responses. One prominent mechanism is that of inducing the expression of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other cytoprotective proteins, while also suppressing the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, through the activation of transcription factor nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (NRF2). At homeostatic conditions, NRF2 is a short-lived protein, which avidly binds to Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1). KEAP1 functions as (i) a substrate adaptor for a Cullin 3 (CUL3)-based E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets NRF2 for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, and (ii) a cysteine-based sensor for a myriad of physiological and pharmacological NRF2 activators. Here, we review the intricate molecular mechanisms by which KEAP1 senses electrophiles and oxidants. Chemical modification of specific cysteine sensors of KEAP1 results in loss of NRF2-repressor function and alterations in the expression of NRF2-target genes that encode large networks of diverse proteins, which collectively restore redox balance and resolve inflammation, thus ensuring a comprehensive cytoprotection. We focus on the cyclic cyanoenones, the most potent NRF2 activators, some of which are currently in clinical trials for various pathologies characterized by redox imbalance and inflammation.
K-CLASH: Strangulation and ram pressure stripping in galaxy cluster members at 0.3 < z < 0.6

Galaxy clusters have long been theorized to quench the star formation oftheir members. This study uses integral-field unit observations from theK-band MultiObject Spectrograph (KMOS) – Cluster Lensing AndSupernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) survey (K-CLASH) to search forevidence of quenching in massive galaxy clusters at redshifts 0.3 = 0.96 ± 0.09 compared to 1.22 ± 0.08 (smaller at a 98 percent credibility level). These values are uncorrected for the wavelengthdifference between H α emission and Rc-band stellarlight but implementing such a correction only reinforces our results. Wealso show that whilst the cluster and field samples followindistinguishable mass–metallicity (MZ) relations, the residualsaround the MZ relation of cluster members correlate with cluster-centricdistance; galaxies residing closer to the cluster centre tend to haveenhanced metallicities (significant at the 2.6σ level). Finally,in contrast to previous studies, we find no significant differences inelectron number density between the cluster and field galaxies. We usesimple chemical evolution models to conclude that the effects of discstrangulation and ram-pressure stripping can quantitatively explain ourobservations.
Disentangling by Subspace Diffusion

We present a novel nonparametric algorithm for symmetry-based disentangling of data manifolds, the Geometric Manifold Component Estimator (GEOMANCER). GEOMANCER provides a partial answer to the question posed by Higgins et al. (2018): is it possible to learn how to factorize a Lie group solely from observations of the orbit of an object it acts on? We show that fully unsupervised factorization of a data manifold is possible *if* the true metric of the manifold is known and each factor manifold has nontrivial holonomy -- for example, rotation in 3D. Our algorithm works by estimating the subspaces that are invariant under random walk diffusion, giving an approximation to the de Rham decomposition from differential geometry. We demonstrate the efficacy of GEOMANCER on several complex synthetic manifolds. Our work reduces the question of whether unsupervised disentangling is possible to the question of whether unsupervised metric learning is possible, providing a unifying insight into the geometric nature of representation learning.
Non-stationary normal forms for contracting extensions

We present the theory of non-stationary normal forms for uniformly contracting smooth extensions with sufficiently narrow Mather spectrum. We give coherent proofs of existence, (non)uniqueness, and a description of the centralizer results. As a corollary, we obtain corresponding results for normal forms along an invariant contracting foliation. The main improvements over the previous results in the narrow spectrum setting include explicit description of non-uniqueness and obtaining results in any regularity above the precise critical level, which is especially useful for the centralizer. In addition to sub-resonance normal form, we also prove corresponding results for resonance normal form, which is new in the narrow spectrum setting.
Herbs and herbal supplements, a novel nutritional approach in animal nutrition.

Livestock are an integral part of the agriculture sector and encompass a great impact on the national economy. An eco-friendly alternative to enhance production, prevent and treat disease conditions of animal is a great challenge for animal nutritionists. Keeping farm animals healthy is necessary to obtain healthy animal products. The use of naturally occurring compounds like herbs, herbal preparations and other botanicals are preferred over chemical compounds for enhancement of overall animal health and to satisfy consumer concerns as well. As herbal feed additives may be used drug (finely divided dry medicinal herbal raw materials), herbal extracts or herbal isolate (e.g. essential oil). Herbal drug is a whole or cut up, dry (occasionally raw) part of a plant, algae, fungi or lichen which is used for its medicinal properties. Herbs enhance and add flavors in animal feed and can therefore influence eating patterns, secretion of digestive fluids and total feed intake. The primary site of activity is the digestive tract. Due to the wide variety of active components, different herbs and spices affect digestion processes differently. Herbs, spices and their mixtures are also recognized as anti-inflammatory agents, and also act as antioxidants. Several in-vitro experiments have proved certain plant extract exhibit strong antimicrobial activity against Gram− and Gram+ bacteria. Herbs and their preparation have an affirmative impact on feed intake, growth, meat, milkand egg production. They also have known to enhance the quality and stability of animal products.
Calcium-Sensing Receptor Mediates β-Amyloid-Induced Synaptic Formation Impairment and Cognitive Deficits via Regulation of Cytosolic Phospholipase A2/Prostaglandin E2 Metabolic Pathway

Calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCRs). Soluble β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) is one of the orthosteric modulators of CaSR, while, the role and underlying mechanism of CaSR in cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is unclear. In this study, molecular technology such as live-cell imaging combined with behavioral tests were used to explore the role and the underlying mechanism of CaSR in the cognitive deficits in AD mice. The expression levels of CaSR were increased both in AD mice and Aβ1–42 (β-amyloid protein)-treated primary cultured neurons. Pharmacological inhibition of CaSR ameliorated recognitive and spatial memory deficits of Aβ1–42-oligomer-treated mice in a dose-dependent manner. Pharmacological inhibition of CaSR or down-regulation of the expression of CaSR by CaSR-shRNA-lentivirus prevented the impairment of filopodia, and the synapse induced by oligomeric Aβ1–42. The contents of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in hippocampal neurons and tissue were increased after treatment with Aβ1–42 oligomers. Inhibition or down-regulation of CaSR mediates Aβ-induced synapse formation and cognitive deficits partially, through the activation of the cPLA2/PGE2 pathway. This study provides novel insights on CaSR, which is a promising therapeutic target for AD.
Exogenous Cardiac Bridging Integrator 1 Benefits Mouse Hearts With Pre-existing Pressure Overload-Induced Heart Failure

Background: Cardiac bridging integrator 1 (cBIN1) organizes transverse tubule (t-tubule) membrane calcium handling microdomains required for normal beat-to-beat contractility. cBIN1 is transcriptionally reduced in heart failure (HF). We recently found that cBIN1 pretreatment can limit HF development in stressed mice. Here, we aim to explore whether cBIN1 replacement therapy can improve myocardial function in continuously stressed hearts with pre-existing HF. Methods: Adult male mice were subjected to sham or transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery at the age of 8–10 weeks old. Adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) transducing cBIN1-V5 or GFP-V5 (3 × 1010 vg) was administered through retro-orbital injection at 5 weeks post-TAC. Mice were followed by echocardiography to monitor cardiac function until 20 weeks after TAC. Overall survival, heart and lung weight (LW), and HF incidence were determined. In a second set of animals in which AAV9-cBIN1 pretreatment prevents HF, we recorded cardiac pressure-volume (PV) loops and obtained myocardial immunofluorescence imaging. Results: The overall Kaplan-Meir survival of AAV9-cBIN1 mice was 77.8%, indicating a significant partial rescue between AAV9-GFP (58.8%) and sham (100%) treated mice. In mice with ejection fraction (EF) ≥30% prior to AAV9 injection at 5 weeks post-TAC, AAV9-cBIN1 significantly increased survival to 93.3%, compared to 62.5% survival for AAV9-GFP treated mice. The effect of exogenous cBIN1 was to attenuate TAC-induced left ventricular (LV) dilation and prevent further HF development. Recovery of EF also occurs in AAV9-cBIN1-treated mice. We found that EF increases to a peak at 6–8 weeks post-viral injection. Furthermore, PV loop analysis identified that AAV9-cBIN1 increases both systolic and diastolic function of the post-TAC hearts. At the myocyte level, AAV9-cBIN1 normalizes cBIN1 expression, t-tubule membrane intensity, and intracellular distribution of Cav1.2 and ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Conclusions: In mice with pre-existing HF, exogenous cBIN1 can normalize t-tubule calcium handling microdomains, limit HF progression, rescue cardiac function, and improve survival.
Can you tell? SSNet - a Sagittal Stratum-inspired Neural Network Framework for Sentiment Analysis

When people try to understand nuanced language they typically process multiple input sensor modalities to complete this cognitive task. It turns out the human brain has even a specialized neuron formation, called sagittal stratum, to help us understand sarcasm. We use this biological formation as the inspiration for designing a neural network architecture that combines predictions of different models on the same text to construct a robust, accurate and computationally efficient classifier for sentiment analysis. Experimental results on representative benchmark datasets and comparisons to other methods1show the advantages of the new network architecture.
Characteristics of Piglets Born by Two Highly Prolific Sow Hybrids

High piglet mortality constitutes a welfare challenge in Danish organic pig production with almost one in three piglets dying before weaning. Piglet characteristics such as birth weight, rectal temperature and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) affect piglet survival. Due to differences in breeding goals, these characteristics may be expected to differ between sow hybrids. Thus, the aims of the present study were (1) to investigate piglet characteristics in two highly prolific sow hybrids and (2) to study to which extent the aforementioned characteristics affect piglet mortality. Forty-nine sows (22 DanBred and 27 Topigs Norsvin) were followed in their first two parities. Sows were housed outdoors and gave birth in huts. On day 1 postpartum (pp) piglets were individually marked, weighed, their rectal temperature was recorded and they were scored for IUGR. Weight and rectal temperature were recorded again 3 days pp. Principal component analyses were conducted to explore relationships among variables. Early piglet death grouped with IUGR, lower rectal temperature and weight on day 1 pp. Late mortality grouped with increasing litter size and DanBred hybrid. Whilst, Topigs Norsvin hybrid grouped with increasing rectal temperature day 3 pp, longer crown to rump length, higher weight and more teats on the sow. Results of the statistical analyses showed that Topigs Norsvin piglets were heavier 1 and 3 days pp (p < 0.001) compared to DanBred piglets. Furthermore, Topigs Norsvin piglets had a higher rectal temperature than DanBred on day 1 pp (p = 0.023). The risk of IUGR depended on an interaction between sow hybrid and parity (p = 0.023). DanBred sows gave birth to more piglets (18.2 ± 0.6) than Topigs Norsvin sows (15.7 ± 0.5, p = 0.003), however, DanBred sows had fewer teats than Topigs Norsvin sows. Weight on day 1 pp affected both the odds of stillbirth (p < 0.001) and live born death (p < 0.001). Lower rectal temperature day 1 pp (p < 0.001) increased the odds of live born death. In conclusion, the investigated hybrids differed in several piglet characteristics related to piglet mortality. Use of sows giving birth to heavier and fewer piglets in the litter may thus be a useful tool to reduce piglet mortality in pig production with outdoor farrowing.
Motivational Factors in the Typical Display of Humor and Creative Potential: The Case of Malevolent Creativity

Research is still disputing if an individual’s use of humor in everyday life is also indicative of his or her creative potential. To date, the focus has been mainly restricted to shared cognitive factors, while motivational aspects that may link the production of humor and of creative ideas have been largely neglected. Humor motivation implicates latent social goals the creator pursues through the use of humor. These goals can be benign or more malicious and manifest in an individual’s typical display of comic styles. While often overlooked, creativity often serves social functions as well, especially in common everyday situations. Similar to humor, creativity is typically regarded as beneficial for individuals and society. Yet, creative ideas may also originate from less prosocial goals. This is reflected in the concept of malevolent creativity, where novel ideas are generated to deliberately harm others. The present study investigated individuals’ typical display of humor, differentiated in eight distinct comic styles in relation to their productivity in a behavioral test for malevolent creativity and general creative potential (n = 106). Individuals with higher scores on comic styles that are affiliated with malicious interpersonal goals – such as hurting or upsetting others or demonstrating superiority over others – were more fluent in producing malevolent creative ideas in the malevolent creativity test. This finding shows that individual differences in humor motivation relate to the capacity of coming up with relevant creative ideas also outside the domain of humor. The pattern of relationships between humor motivation and general creative potential differed from that of malicious creativity and implied the comic style “wit” only, primarily adding to the notion of shared cognitive processes in the production of humor and creative ideas. The study offers a novel perspective for how the inclusion of motivational factors that are inherent to conceptualizations of humor may also benefit creativity research.
Provably Efficient Reinforcement Learning for Discounted MDPs with Feature Mapping

Modern tasks in reinforcement learning are always with large state and action spaces. To deal with them efficiently, one often uses predefined feature mapping to represents states and actions in a low dimensional space. In this paper, we study reinforcement learning with feature mapping for discounted Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). We propose a novel algorithm which makes use of the feature mapping and obtains a $\tilde O(d\sqrt{T}/(1-\gamma)^2)$ regret, where $d$ is the dimension of the feature space, $T$ is the time horizon and $\gamma$ is the discount factor of the MDP. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first polynomial regret bound without accessing to a generative model or making strong assumptions such as ergodicity of the MDP. By constructing a special class of MDPs, we also show that for any algorithms, the regret is lower bounded by $\Omega(d\sqrt{T}/(1-\gamma)^{1.5})$. Our upper and lower bound results together suggest that the proposed reinforcement learning algorithm is near-optimal up to a $(1-\gamma)^{-0.5}$ factor.