Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mid-infrared Extinction and Fresh Silicate Dust Toward the Galactic Center

We interpret the interstellar extinction observed toward the Galactic center (GC) in the wavelength range λ = 1–20 μm. Its main feature is the flat extinction at 3–8 μm whose explanation is still a problem for cosmic dust models. We search for the structure and chemical composition of dust grains that could explain the observed extinction. In contrast to earlier works, we use laboratory measured optical constants and consider particles of different structures. We show that a mixture of compact grains of aromatic carbon and of some silicate is better suited for reproducing the flat extinction in comparison with essentially porous grains or aliphatic carbon particles. Metallic iron should be located inside the particle, i.e., it cannot form layers on silicate grains as the extinction curves then become very peculiar. We find a model including aromatic carbonaceous particles and three-layered particles with an olivine-type silicate core, a thin, very porous layer and a thin envelope of magnetite that provides a good (but still not perfect) fit to the observational data. We suggest that such silicate dust should be fresh, i.e., recently formed in the atmospheres of late-type stars in the central region of the Galaxy. We assume that this region has a radius of about 1 kpc and produces about half of the observed extinction. The remaining part of extinction is caused by a “foreground” material being practically transparent at .
Multidistrict Host–Pathogen Interaction during COVID-19 and the Development Post-Infection Chronic Inflammation

Due to the presence of the ACE2 receptor in different tissues (nasopharynx, lung, nervous tissue, intestine, liver), the COVID-19 disease involves several organs in our bodies. SARS-CoV-2 is able to infect different cell types, spreading to different districts. In the host, an uncontrolled and altered immunological response is triggered, leading to cytokine storm, lymphopenia, and cellular exhaustion. Hence, respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and systemic multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) are established. This scenario is also reflected in the composition of the microbiota, the balance of which is regulated by the interaction with the immune system. A change in microbial diversity has been demonstrated in COVID-19 patients compared with healthy donors, with an increase in potentially pathogenic microbial genera. In addition to other symptoms, particularly neurological, the occurrence of dysbiosis persists after the SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterizing the post-acute COVID syndrome. This review will describe and contextualize the role of the immune system in unbalance and dysbiosis during SARS-CoV-2 infection, from the acute phase to the post-COVID-19 phase. Considering the tight relationship between the immune system and the gut–brain axis, the analysis of new, multidistrict parameters should be aimed at understanding and addressing chronic multisystem dysfunction related to COVID-19.
A GLOBAL THEORY OF CONFORMAL FINSLER GEOMETRY

The aim of the present paper is to establish a global investigation of conformal changes in Finsler geometry. Under this change, we obtain the relationships between some geometric objects associated to (M,L) and the corresponding objects associated to (M, ˜ L), e L = e σ(x) L being the Finsler conformal transformation. We have found explicit global expressions relating the two associated Cartan connections ∇ and e ∇, the two associated Berwald connections D and e D and the two associated Barthel connections Γ and e Γ. The relationships between the corresponding curvature tensors have been also found. The relations thus obtained lead in turn to several interesting results. Among the results obtained, is a characterization of conformal changes, a char- acterization of homotheties, some conformal invariants and conformal �-invariants. In addition, several useful identities have been found. Although our treatment is entirely global, the local expressions of the obtained results, when calculated, coincide with the existing classical local results. 1
Formal schemes and formal groups

We set up a framework for using algebraic geometry to study the generalised cohomology rings that occur in algebraic topology. This idea was probably first introduced by Quillen and it underlies much of our understanding of complex oriented cohomology theories, exemplified by the work of Morava. Most of the results have close and well-known analogues in the algebro-geometric literature, but with different definitions or technical assumptions that are often inconvenient for topological applications. We merely put everything together in a systematic and convenient way.
Differentiation in Microenterprises

Small unregistered firms contribute to a substantial proportion of global economic activity, particularly in developing regions. In explaining variation in productivity in these types of informal firms, research has focused primarily on the adoption of effective business practices and access to capital, with little focus on fundamental positioning. This article explores the nature of differentiation in microenterprises, introducing a text-based measure of differentiation using state-of-the-art sentence embeddings. Using a combined sample of nearly 10,000 microenterprises across eight developing countries, I estimate that a standard deviation increase in differentiation is associated with approximately an 11 percent increase in revenues and an eight percent increase in profit, relative to the sample mean. I show that the relationship between differentiation and performance is substantially stronger for male than for female microenterprise owners, and that the propensity to differentiate increases with years of education and decreases with age. Finally, I estimate the impact of common policy interventions on microenterprise differentiation. The results suggest that standard business skills training interventions have little effect on differentiation and that access to individualliability microfinance may actually decrease it.
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Outpatient Antibiotic Prescription Rates in Children and Adolescents—A Claims-Based Study in Germany

The aim of the study was to examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic had any effect on antibiotic prescription rates in children in Germany. Using the nationwide outpatient prescription data from the Statutory Health Insurance from 2010 to 2021, changes in the monthly prescriptions of systemic antibiotics dispensed to children aged 0–14 years were examined (n = 9,688,483 in 2021). Interrupted time series analysis was used to assess the effect of mitigation measures against SARS-COV-2, introduced in March and November 2020, on antibiotic prescription rates. In the pre-pandemic period, the antibiotic prescription rates displayed a linear decrease from 2010 to 2019 (mean annual decrease, –6%). In 2020, an immediate effect of mitigation measures on prescription rates was observed; in particular, the rate decreased steeply in April (RR 0.24, 95% CI: 0.14–0.41) and November 2020 (0.44, 0.27–0.73). The decrease was observed in all ages and for all antibiotic subgroups. However, this effect was temporary. Regionally, prescription rates were highly correlated between 2019 and 2020/2021. Substantial reductions in antibiotic prescription rates following the mitigation measures may indicate limited access to medical care, changes in care-seeking behavior and/or a decrease of respiratory infections. Despite an all-time low of antibiotic use, regional variations remained high and strongly correlated with pre-pandemic levels.
How Accurately Does the Information on Motor Development Collected During Health Checkups for Infants Predict the Diagnosis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders? – A Bayesian Network Model-Based Study

Purpose We investigated to what extent early motor development problems predict a future diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs)/Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Examinations (ESSENCE) by using a Bayesian network model (BN). Subjects and methods Subjects were the children who had participated in the 18- and 36-month checkups in two cities in Japan between April 2014 and March 2015. Their motor development data at the 4-, 10- and 18-month-checkups were collected with ethical consideration. The diagnosis was confirmed at the age of six, after regular assessment in all developmental areas at a neurodevelopmental clinic. The accuracy of prediction of NDD based on posterior probabilities determined using the BN was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The posterior probability (the optimal cut-off value) yielding the maximum Youden Index (sensitivity + specificity – 1) is determined with the ROC curve, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and utility index (UI) were computed. Results BN models showed associations between early motor items and developmental coordination disorders, borderline intelligence/intellectual disability, and speech and language disorder. The ROC curve for any NDD had an AUC of 0.735. The posterior probability with the maximal Youden Index was 0.138; at the optimal cut-off value, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, UI+, and UI- were 0.619, 0.761, 0.250, 0.940, 0.155 and 0.715, respectively. Conclusion We utilized a novel approach in detailing the associations between certain early motor problems and specific NDDs. We showed that the presence of motor development problems early in development increases the probability of a future diagnosis of any NDD. Still, the sensitivity of early motor development problems as a screening tool was not high enough to be the sole instrument for detecting NDDs. The need for a broad, holistic ESSENCE perspective when looking at the course of motor development problems was stressed.
Evaluation of Clinical Biomarkers Related to CD4 Recovery in HIV-Infected Patients—5-Year Observation

Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection leads to the impairment of immune system function. Even long-term antiretroviral therapy uncommonly leads to the normalization of CD4 count and CD4:CD8 ratio. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible clinical biomarkers which may be related to CD4 and CD4:CD8 ratio recovery among HIV-infected patients with long-term antiretroviral therapy. The study included 68 HIV-infected patients undergoing sustained antiretroviral treatment for a minimum of 5 years. Clinical biomarkers such as age, gender, advancement of HIV infection, coinfections, comorbidities and applied ART regimens were analyzed in relation to the rates of CD4 and CD4:CD8 increase and normalization rates. The results showed that higher rates of CD4 normalization are associated with younger age (p = 0.034), higher CD4 count (p = 0.034) and starting the therapy during acute HIV infection (p = 0.012). Higher rates of CD4:CD8 ratio normalization are correlated with higher CD4 cell count (p = 0.022), high HIV viral load (p = 0.006) and acute HIV infection (p = 0.013). We did not observe statistically significant differences in CD4 recovery depending on gender, HCV/HBV coinfections, comorbidities and opportunistic infections. The obtained results advocate for current recommendations of introducing antiretroviral therapy as soon as possible, preferably during acute HIV infection, since it increases the chances of sufficient immune reconstruction.
A comparison of selected heavy metals in soils mixed with domestic and industrial sludges and assessment of effects of the sludge pollutants on oxidative stress markers of the African kale (Brassica oleracea var acephala) grown using sewage sludge manure

Sewage sludge is used as fertiliser and contains nutrients required for plant growth. It also contains contaminants that can leach into crops. The effects of sewage sludge on kale plants were investigated. Mixture ratios of 50:50 and 20:80 for soil and sludge were prepared. The soil-sludge blends were analysed for selected metal residues. Kale seedlings of 10-13 cm were planted on the different soil-sludge combinations. Leaf lengths were measured 21 days post transplanting for four weeks. After sixty days, the leaves were analysed for metal residue levels and antioxidant enzyme activities. The results showed higher metal concentrations in soil blended with industrial sludge than in soil mixed with domestic sludge. The highest growth of plants was observed after 28 days in plants grown on 50% soil-industrial sludge mixtures. Superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were higher in plants grown on soil applied with sewage sludge when compared to enzyme activities in plants grown on sludge-free soil. The high levels of metals and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity observed were attributed to the contaminants in the sewage sludge. Preassessment of sewage sludge to be used as soil manure is recommended to safeguard the health of plants and, indirectly, humans who consume the crops. were added to 0.5% thiobarbituric acid made in 20% trichloroacetic acid, and the mixtures were heated at 95°C for 30 min. After rapid cooling on ice, the mixtures were centrifuged at 10,000 × g for 10 min. The absorbance of each sample was measured at 532 nm.
Surface productivity gradients govern changes in the viability of deep ocean prokaryotes across the tropical and subtropical Atlantic

Prokaryotes represent a major fraction of marine biomass and play a key role in the global carbon cycle. We studied the vertical profiles (0–3500 m) of abundance, viability, and activity of prokaryotic communities along a productivity gradient in the subtropical and tropical Atlantic to assess whether there is a vertical linkage between surface productivity regimes and deep ocean prokaryotic communities. We found that latitudinal changes in the vertical patterns of cytometric variables were coupled with surface productivity: higher prokaryotic abundances and viabilities, and smaller cell sizes were observed below highly productive surface waters, an effect reaching down to the bathypelagic layer. Leucine uptake rates in deep waters showed no clear relationship with surface productivity. Changes in resource and energy allocation to growth vs. maintenance in hostile environments, cell‐size‐dependent metabolic requirements, and variability in leucine‐to‐carbon conversion may all be part of the array of factors involved in controlling the prokaryotic activity patterns that were measured. Our work adds to the recent findings that highlight the importance of vertical connectivity for prokaryotic communities in the dark ocean and unveils a remarkable impact of surface conditions in the viability of deep ocean prokaryotes. This is a key aspect when considering metabolic rates of prokaryotic communities in the bathypelagic realm.
The Impact of Analyzing Correct versus Incorrect Student Work Samples on Students’ Learning Mathematics

The purposes of this study are to determine if learning differs when calculus learners analyze correct or incorrect work samples and to investigate students’ perceptions of the effect of analyzing work samples on their learning of mathematics. Calculus students were randomly assigned to two groups: one group analyzing correct work samples and one group analyzing incorrect work samples. Data from enrollees in 10 sections of Basic Calculus at a large university was analyzed using ANCOVA, independent-samples t-test, and inductive analysis (Hatch, 2002). Results suggest that when students analyze incorrect work samples of moderate difficulty, they are less likely to repeat the errors they have seen. Results also suggest that students perceive correct work samples as more beneficial to learning than incorrect work samples. However, both correct and incorrect work samples were found to challenge students’ thinking and promote student independence. These findings have implications for teacher practice and curriculum development.
MSNet: Multifunctional Feature-Sharing Network for Land-Cover Segmentation

In recent years, the resolution of remote sensing images, especially aerial images, has become higher and higher, and the spans of time and space have become larger and larger. The phenomenon in which one class of objects can produce several kinds of spectra may lead to more errors in detection methods that are based on spectra. For different convolution methods, downsampling can provide some advanced information, which will lead to rough detail extraction; too deep of a network will greatly increase the complexity and calculation time of a model. To solve these problems, a multifunctional feature extraction model called MSNet (multifunctional feature-sharing network) is proposed, which is improved on two levels: depth feature extraction and feature fusion. Firstly, a residual shuffle reorganization branch is proposed; secondly, linear index upsampling with different levels is proposed; finally, the proposed edge feature attention module allows the recovery of detailed features. The combination of the edge feature attention module and linear index upsampling can not only provide benefits in learning detailed information, but can also ensure the accuracy of deep feature extraction. The experiments showed that MSNet achieved 81.33% MIoU on the Landover dataset.
The Relation Between Gendered Racial Microaggressions and Traumatic Stress Among Highly Educated Black Women

This study examined the relations among gendered racial microaggressions, resilience, individual and collective self-esteem, and traumatic stress among Black women. Personal self-esteem significantly mediated the positive relation between gendered racial microaggressions and traumatic stress. Resilience was also directly negatively related to traumatic stress and positively related to personal and collective self-esteem. Resilience moderated the positive relation between gendered racial microaggressions and membership identity/esteem. That is, at high levels of resilience, membership identity/esteem remained high, regardless of the frequency of gendered racial microaggressions. However, at low and average levels of resilience, membership identity/esteem was higher when experiencing more frequent gendered racial microaggressions. Mental health providers are encouraged to consider the deleterious role of gendered racial microaggressions in Black women’s traumatic stress. In addition, mental health providers should also consider the role of resilience in potentially mitigating traumatic stress and fostering Black women’s personal and collective self-esteem.
Molecular and Genetic Events Determining the Softening of Fleshy Fruits: A Comprehensive Review

Fruit softening that occurs during fruit ripening and postharvest storage determines the fruit quality, shelf life and commercial value and makes fruits more attractive for seed dispersal. In addition, over-softening results in fruit eventual decay, render fruit susceptible to invasion by opportunistic pathogens. Many studies have been conducted to reveal how fruit softens and how to control softening. However, softening is a complex and delicate life process, including physiological, biochemical and metabolic changes, which are closely related to each other and are affected by environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and light. In this review, the current knowledge regarding fruit softening mechanisms is summarized from cell wall metabolism (cell wall structure changes and cell-wall-degrading enzymes), plant hormones (ETH, ABA, IAA and BR et al.), transcription factors (MADS-Box, AP2/ERF, NAC, MYB and BZR) and epigenetics (DNA methylation, histone demethylation and histone acetylation) and a diagram of the regulatory relationship between these factors is provided. It will provide reference for the cultivation of anti-softening fruits.
Non-Destructive Methods and Numerical Analysis Used for Monitoring and Analysis of Fibre Concrete Deformations

The aim of the research was to check the possibility of using the non-destructive method of acoustic emission to assess the condition of concrete without dispersed reinforcement and with various additions of curved steel fibres, during three-point bending. An important aspect of the research proposed in the article is the use of a hybrid method of analysis, which involves complementing the results of strength tests, the results of numerical calculations and the results of strain distributions recorded with a digital image correlation system (DIC System, in this research GOM Suite optical system). The operation of the concrete material under load, depending on the amount of fibres added, is reflected in the recorded acoustic emission (AE) signals. The differences concern the number of signals of individual classes and their distribution over time. The differences exist for both low and high load values, which confirms the possibility of using the acoustic emission method to monitor the condition of the material. It was shown that the numerically determined effective stress levels decreased as the proportion of steel fibres in the concrete increased, while the maximum levels of the first principal stresses increased. During the analyses, a preliminary comparison of the deformation results obtained using the finite element method and the DIC System was also carried out.
Anomalous Metamagnetism in the Low Carrier Density Kondo Lattice 
YbRh3Si7

We report complex metamagnetic transitions in single crystals of the new low carrier Kondo antiferromagnet YbRh3Si7. Electrical transport, magnetization, and specific heat measurements reveal antiferromagnetic order at T_N = 7.5 K. Neutron diffraction measurements show that the magnetic ground state of YbRh3Si7 is a collinear antiferromagnet where the moments are aligned in the ab plane. With such an ordered state, no metamagnetic transitions are expected when a magnetic field is applied along the c axis. It is therefore surprising that high field magnetization, torque, and resistivity measurements with H||c reveal two metamagnetic transitions at mu_0H_1 = 6.7 T and mu_0H_2 = 21 T. When the field is tilted away from the c axis, towards the ab plane, both metamagnetic transitions are shifted to higher fields. The first metamagnetic transition leads to an abrupt increase in the electrical resistivity, while the second transition is accompanied by a dramatic reduction in the electrical resistivity. Thus, the magnetic and electronic degrees of freedom in YbRh3Si7 are strongly coupled. We discuss the origin of the anomalous metamagnetism and conclude that it is related to competition between crystal electric field anisotropy and anisotropic exchange interactions.