Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Octenyl Succinic Anhydride-Modified Starch Attenuates Body Weight Gain and Changes Intestinal Environment of High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Effects of octenylsuccinate (OS) starch on body composition and intestinal environment in high-fat diet-fed mice were investigated. C57BL/6J mice were treated with a regular-fat (RF) diet, a high-fat (HF) diet, or a high-fat diet supplemented with OS starch (HFOSS). Fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were quantified using gas chromatography, and the fecal microbiota profile was analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing. One-way ANOVA and metastats analysis were performed for statistical analysis. After 22 weeks of feeding, mice in the HFOSS group had significantly lower body weight, body fat, liver weight, and cumulative food intake than those in the HF group but higher than that of the RF group. Fecal total SCFA, acetic, propionic, and butyric acid concentrations were significantly higher in the HFOSS group than that in the HF and RF groups. OS starch intervention increased the relative abundance of Parabacteroides, Alistipes, and Ruminiclostridium_5 and decreased that of Tyzzerella, Oscillibacter, Desulfovibrio, and Anaerotruncus compared with the RF and HF groups. The relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006 in the HFOSS group was lower than that in the HF group but higher than that in the RF group. In conclusion, OS starch prevents fat accumulation in high-fat diet-fed mice and might provide potential health benefits due to its fermentability in the gut and its ability to regulate gut microbial community structure.
A Co-evolutionary Algorithm-Based Malware Adversarial Sample Generation Method

The study of adversarial attacks on malicious code detection models will help identify and improve the flaws of detection models, improve the detection ability of adversarial attacks, and enhance the security of AI (Artificial Intelligent) algorithm-based applications. To address the problems of low efficiency, long time, and low evasion rate in generating adversarial samples, we propose a co-evolutionary algorithm-based adversarial sample generation method. We decompose the adversarial sample generation problem into three sub-problems, which are minimizing the number of modification actions, injecting less content, and being detected as benign by the target model. The two sub-problems of injecting less content and being detected as benign by the target model can be completed by minimizing the fitness function through the cooperation of two populations in coevolution. Minimizing the number of actions is achieved by a selection operation in the evolutionary process. We perform attack experiments on static malicious detection models and commercial detection engines. The experimental results show the generated adversarial samples can improve the evasion rate of some detection engines while ensuring the minimum number of modification actions and injecting less content. On the two static malicious detection models, our approach achieves more than an 80% evasion rate with fewer modification actions and injected content. The evasion rate on three commercial detection engines can reach 58.9%. Uploading the generated adversarial samples to the VirusTotal platform can evade an average of 54.0% of the anti-virus programs on the platform. Our approach is also compared with the adversarial attack approach based on an evolutionary algorithm to verify the necessity of minimizing the number of modification actions and injecting less content in adversarial sample generation.
DIFFUSION OF SOLAR MAGNETIC ELEMENTS UP TO SUPERGRANULAR SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALES

The study of spatial and temporal scales on which small magnetic structures (magnetic elements) are organized in the quiet Sun may be approached by determining how they are transported on the solar photosphere by convective motions. The process involved is diffusion. Taking advantage of Hinode high spatial resolution magnetograms of a quiet-Sun region at the disk center, we tracked 20,145 magnetic elements. The large field of view (∼50 Mm) and the long duration of the observations (over 25 hr without interruption at a cadence of 90 s) allowed us to investigate the turbulent flows at unprecedented large spatial and temporal scales. In the field of view an entire supergranule is clearly recognizable. The magnetic element displacement spectrum shows a double-regime behavior: superdiffusive (γ = 1.34 ± 0.02) up to granular spatial scales (∼1500 km) and slightly superdiffusive (γ = 1.20 ± 0.05) up to supergranular scales.
The colours of BL Lac objects: a new approach to their classification

We selected a sample of 437 BL Lac objects, taken from the RomaBZCat catalogue, for which spectroscopic information and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry are available. We propose a new classification of BL Lacs in which the sources’ type is not defined only on the basis of the peak frequency of the synchrotron component in their spectral energy distribution (types L and H), but also on the relevance of this component with respect to the brightness of the host galaxy (types N and G, for nucleus- or galaxy-dominated sources). We found that the SDSS colour index u−r = 1.4 is a good separator between these two types. We used multiband colour–colour plots to study the properties of the BL Lac classes and found that in the X-ray to radio flux ratio versus u−r plot most of the N (blue) sources are located in a rather narrow strip, while the G (red) sources are spread in a large area, and most of them are located in galaxy clusters or interacting systems, suggesting that their X-ray emission is not from a genuine BL Lac nucleus but it is related to their environment. Of the about 135 sources detected in the γ rays by Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, nearly all belong to the N-type, indicating that only this type of sources should be considered as genuine BL Lac nuclei. The J−H, H−K plot of sources detected in the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) catalogue is consistent with that of the ‘bona fide’ BL Lac objects, independently of their N or G classification from the optical indices, indicating the existence in G-type sources of a K-band excess possibly due to a steep, low frequency peaked emission which deserves further investigations. We propose to use these colour plots as a further tool for searching candidate counterparts of newly discovered high-energy sources.
Adaptive Spatiotemporal Transformer Graph Network for Traffic Flow Forecasting by IoT Loop Detectors

Extensive traffic flow data are received from the loop detector networks every second, which requires us to develop an effective and efficient algorithm to predict future traffic flow. However, dynamic traffic conditions on a road are not just influenced by sequential patterns in the temporal dimension, but also by other roadways in the spatial dimension. Although many successful models have been developed in previous studies to forecast future traffic flows, most of them have shortcomings in modeling spatial and temporal dependencies. In this article, we focus on spatial-temporal factors and propose a new adaptive spatial-temporal transformer graph network (ASTTGN) to improve the accuracy of traffic forecasting by jointly modeling the spatial-temporal information of road networks. Specifically, we propose an adaptive spatial-temporal transformer module, which contains two developed adaptive transformer modules for capturing dynamic spatial dependence and temporal dependence across multiple time steps, respectively. Finally, feature fusion is performed through a gated feature aggregation layer to simulate the effect of complex spatial-temporal factors on traffic conditions. In particular, the multihead attention mechanism employed by the transformer can effectively explore the potential spatial-temporal dependence patterns in different subspaces. Experimental results on two real-world traffic data sets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model compared to existing techniques.
GWAS provides new insights into the genetic mechanisms of phytochemicals production and red skin colour in apple

Abstract Understanding the genetic architecture of apple phytochemicals, and their interplay with conventional selection traits, is critical for the development of new apple cultivars with enhanced health benefits. Apple accessions (n = 344) used for this genome-wide association study (GWAS) represented the wide diversity of metabolic profiles in the domesticated and wild Malus genepools. Fruit samples were phenotyped for 34 metabolites, including a stable vitamin C glycoside “ascorbic acid 2-β-glucoside” (AA-2βG), and the accessions were genotyped using the Apple 20 K SNP Array. Several fruit quality traits, including red skin over-colour (OCOL), were also assessed. Wild Malus accessions showed at least 2-fold higher average content of several metabolites (e.g. ascorbic acid, chlorogenic acid, phloridzin, and trilobatin) than Malus domestica accessions. Several new genomic regions and potential candidate genes underpinning the genetic diversity of apple phytochemicals were identified. The percentage of phenotypic variance explained by the best SNP ranged between 3% and 21% for the different metabolites. Novel association signals for OCOL in the syntenic regions on chromosomes 13 and 16 suggested that whole genome duplication has played a role in the evolution of apple red skin colour. Genetic correlations between phytochemicals and sensory traits were moderate. This study will assist in the selection of Malus accessions with specific phytochemical profiles to establish innovative genomics-based breeding strategies for the development of apple cultivars with enhanced nutritional value.
Performance of a 229Thorium solid-state nuclear clock

The 7.8 eV nuclear isomer transition in 229thorium has been suggested as a clock transition in a new type of optical frequency standard. Here we discuss the construction of a ‘solid-state nuclear clock’ from thorium nuclei implanted into single crystals transparent in the vacuum ultraviolet range. We investigate crystal-induced line shifts and broadening effects for the specific system of calcium fluoride. At liquid nitrogen temperatures, the clock performance will be limited by decoherence due to magnetic coupling of the thorium nuclei to neighboring nuclear moments, ruling out the commonly used Rabi or Ramsey interrogation schemes. We propose clock stabilization based on a fluorescence spectroscopy method and present optimized operation parameters. Taking advantage of the large number of quantum oscillators under continuous interrogation, a fractional instability level of 10−19 might be reached within the solid-state approach.
Spin-½ amplitudes in black-hole evaporation

In recent papers, we have studied the quantum-mechanical decay of a Schwarzschild-like black hole, formed by gravitational collapse, into almost-flat spacetime and weak radiation at a very late time. In this recent work, we have been concerned with evaluating quantum amplitudes (not just probabilities) for transitions from initial to final states. In a general asymptotically flat context, one may specify a quantum amplitude by posing boundary data on (say) an initial space-like hypersurface ΣI and a final space-like hypersurface ΣF. To complete the specification, one must also give the Lorentzian proper-time interval between the two boundary surfaces, as measured near spatial infinity. We have assumed that the Lagrangian contains Einstein gravity coupled to a massless scalar field ϕ, plus possible additional fields; there is taken to be a ‘background’ spherically symmetric solution (γμν, Φ) of the classical Einstein/scalar field equations. For bosonic fields, the gravitational and scalar boundary data can be taken to be gij and ϕ on the two hypersurfaces, where gij (i, j = 1, 2, 3) gives the intrinsic 3-metric on the boundary, and the 4-metric is gμν (μ, ν = 0, 1, 2, 3), the boundary being taken locally in the form {x0 = const}. The classical boundary value problem, corresponding to the calculation of this quantum amplitude, is badly posed, being a boundary value problem for a wave-like (hyperbolic) set of equations. Following Feynman's +iϵ prescription, one makes the problem well-posed by rotating the asymptotic time interval T into the complex: T → ∣T ∣ exp(−iθ), with 0 < θ ⩽ π/2. After calculating the amplitude for θ > 0, one then takes the ‘Lorentzian limit’ θ → 0+. Such quantum amplitudes have been calculated for weak s = 0 (scalar), s = 1 (photon) and s = 2 (graviton) anisotropic final data, propagating on the approximately Vaidya-like background geometry, in the region containing radially outgoing black-hole radiation. In this paper, we treat quantum amplitudes for the case of fermionic massless spin-½ (neutrino) final boundary data. Making use of boundary conditions originally developed for local supersymmetry, we find that this fermionic case can be treated in a way which parallels the bosonic case. In particular, we calculate the classical action as a functional of the fermionic data on the late-time surface ΣF; the quantum amplitude follows straightforwardly from this.
The Crosstalk between Microbiome and Immunotherapeutics: Myth or Reality

Simple Summary The gut microbiota can mediate the balance between human health and disease, making the microbiome a critical organ. The gut microbiota can locally and systemically regulate the host’s immune system. Cancer immunotherapy has evolved as an essential method for treating cancer patients. Rapidly evolving data suggest that the microbiota influences the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, the specific effect of the gut microbiota on immunotherapy-treated malignancies remains unclear, and multiple reports have been released with conflicting results. The association between the gut microbiota with cancer immunology and immunotherapy is discussed here, with an emphasis on the relationship with immunotherapy outcomes. Abstract The gut microbiome refers to microorganisms and their genetic material influencing local and systemic inflammation. Inflammation is known to contribute to cancer development, progression, and treatment. Evidence suggests that modulating the gut microbiome may affect responses to various cancer therapies. The gut microbiota has been suggested to have an impact on immunotherapy efficacy, especially the currently widely used immune checkpoint inhibitors in various malignancies. Microbial interventions like fecal microbiota transplantation, various probiotics, or even antibiotics can increase or decrease the tumor’s sensitivity to immunotherapy. However, not all tumors react in the same manner, highlighting the tumor microenvironment heterogeneity across tumor types and the influence this has on the crosstalk between the microbiome and therapy outcomes. In this study, we intend to review the association between the gut microbiota and immunotherapy response in cancer patients and the factors regulating this interaction.
VOLATILITY SWAPS VALUATION UNDER A MODIFIED RISK-NEUTRALIZED HESTON MODEL WITH A STOCHASTIC LONG-RUN VARIANCE LEVEL

Abstract We consider the pricing of discretely sampled volatility swaps under a modified Heston model, whose risk-neutralized volatility process contains a stochastic long-run variance level. We derive an analytical forward characteristic function under this model, which has never been presented in the literature before. Based on this, we further obtain an analytical pricing formula for volatility swaps which can guarantee the computational accuracy and efficiency. We also demonstrate the significant impact of the introduced stochastic long-run variance level on volatility swap prices with synthetic as well as calibrated parameters.
Cascade Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy observer design for nonlinear uncertain systems with unknown inputs: A sliding mode approach

This article investigates the design of Takagi–Sugeno (TS) fuzzy model‐based observers for nonlinear systems with parametric uncertainties and unknown inputs. To address this challenging problem, two observers are constructed in cascade. Based on the sliding mode technique, the first observer allows to examine a new system whose both state and output equations are subject to uncertainties but without unknown inputs. The second Luenberger‐type observer is designed for the new system where the effects of uncertainties on the estimation error can be canceled. The TS fuzzy observer design is recast as optimization problems under linear matrix inequalities, which can be effectively solved using convex optimization technique. The new cascade observer structure enables a simultaneous estimation of the system states, the unknown inputs and the uncertainties of the original nonlinear system. The effectiveness and advantage of the proposed estimation method is demonstrated via two numerical examples including a nonlinear vehicle application.
Effective Whitney theorem for complex polynomial mappings of the plane

We give an exact formula for the number of cusps of a general polynomial mapping $F=(f, g):\Bbb C^2\to\Bbb C^2. $ Namely, if deg $f=d_1$ and deg $g=d_2$ and $F$ is general, then $F$ has exactly $d_1^2+d_2^2+3d_1d_2-6d_1-6d_2+7$ simple cusps. Moreover, if $d_1>1$ or $d_2>1$, then the set $C(F)$ of critical points of $F$ is a smooth connected curve, which is topologically equivalent to a sphere with $g=\frac{(d_1+d_2-3)(d_1+d_2-4)}{2}$ handles with $d_1+d_2-2$ points removed. Finally let $F=(f, g):\Bbb C^2\to\Bbb C^2$ be arbitrary polynomial mapping with deg $f\le d_1$ and deg $g\le d_2. $ Assume that $F$ has generalized cusps at points $a_1,. , a_r. $ Then $\sum^r_{i=1} \mu_{a_i}\le d_1^2+d_2^2+3d_1d_2-6d_1-6d_2+7$ (here $\mu_{a_i}$ denotes the index of a generalized cusp at the point $a_i$).
Computation of the structure of a magnetized strange quark star

We have calculated some properties of spin polarized strange quark matter (SQM) in a strong magnetic field at zero temperature using the MIT bag model. We showed that the equation of state of spin polarized SQM is stiffer than that for un- polarized cases. We have also computed the structural properties of a spin polarized strange quark star (SQS) and found that the presence of a magnetic field leads to a more stable SQS when compared to the structural properties of an unpolarized SQS.
Genomic Diversity, Competition, and Toxin Production by Group I and II Clostridium botulinum Strains Used in Food Challenge Studies

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum are the causative agent of human and animal botulism, a rare but serious and potentially deadly intoxication. Foodborne botulism is caused by the consumption of foods containing BoNTs, which results from contamination of foods with C. botulinum spores and toxin production by the bacteria during growth within the food. Validation of the safety of food products is essential in preventing foodborne botulism, however, limited guidance and standards exist for the selection of strains used in C. botulinum food challenge studies. Sequencing and genomics studies have revealed that C. botulinum is a large, diverse, and polyphyletic species, with physiologic and growth characteristics studied only in a few representatives. Little is known about potential growth competition or effects on toxin production between C. botulinum strains. In this study, we investigated an applied cocktail of ten C. botulinum strains, seven Group I and three Group II. Whole genome SNP alignments revealed that this strain cocktail encompasses the major clades of the Group I and II C. botulinum species. While growth competition appears to exist between several of the strains, the cocktail as a whole resulted in high levels of BoNT production.
A method for reconstructing the PDF of a 3D turbulent density field from 2D observations

We introduce a method for calculating the probability density function (PDF) of a turbulent density field in three dimensions using only information contained in the projected two-dimensional column density field. We test the method by applying it to numerical simulations of hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in molecular clouds. To a good approximation, the PDF of log(normalized column density) is a compressed, shifted version of the PDF of log(normalized density). The degree of compression can be determined observationally from the column density power spectrum, under the assumption of statistical isotropy of the turbulence.
Examining Relationships among Chinese Preschool Children’s Meeting 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and Fundamental Movement Skills

Background: Few studies have investigated associations between meeting 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and preschool children’s fundamental movement skills (FMS). This study aimed to investigate the associations between Chinese preschoolers meeting various combinations of the Guidelines and FMS, as well as examining gender differences across those outcomes. Methods: A total of 322 preschool children (181 boys and 141 girls) aged 3–6 years old were recruited from five early-childhood education and care services in China. Children’s 7-day physical activity (PA) was assessed using accelerometry, and screen time (ST) and sleep duration were reported by their parents. FMS were assessed by Test of Gross Motor Development 3. Descriptive statistics and gender differences in children’s meeting the Guidelines and FMS were calculated using t-tests for continuous variables and Chi-square tests for categorical variables. Results: Most preschoolers met the sleep and ST guidelines, but only 22.3% met the PA guidelines; 4% of preschoolers did not meet any of the recommendations, while 9.3% met all three recommendations. Boys reported significantly higher compliance with all combined recommendations. There were positive associations between meeting the PA guidelines and both locomotor (β = 0.49; p < 0.001) and object control skills (β = 0.21; p < 0.001). A significantly positive relationship was identified between meeting PA + sleep guidelines and locomotor skills (β = −0.16; p = 0.02). A significantly negative association was observed between preschoolers’ meeting sleep + ST guidelines and locomotor skills (β = 0.31; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Few preschoolers met all three movement behavior guidelines. The findings suggest that PA levels, especially MVPA, are important for the promotion of FMS. Meanwhile, the impacts of ST and sleep on motor development cannot be neglected.