Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Black hole -- galaxy co-evolution in FIRE: the importance of black hole location and mergers.

The co-evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with their host galaxies remains to be fully explored, especially at high redshift. While often understood as a consequence of self-regulation via AGN feedback, it may also be explained by alternative SMBH accretion models. Here, we expand on previous work by studying the growth of SMBHs with the help of a large suite of cosmological zoom-in simulations (\textsc{\small{MassiveFIRE}}) that are part of the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. The growth of SMBHs is modeled in post-processing with different accretion models, placements, and merger treatments, and validated by comparing to on-the-fly calculations. Scaling relations predicted by the gravitational torque driven accretion (GTDA) model agree with observations at low redshift \emph{without} the need for AGN feedback, in contrast to models in which the accretion rate depends strongly on SMBH mass. At high redshift, we find deviations from the local scaling relations in line with previous results. In particular, SMBHs are under-massive, presumably due to stellar feedback, but start to grow efficiently once their host galaxies reach $M_* \sim 10^{10} M_{\odot}$. We analyze and explain these findings in the context of a simple analytic model. Finally, we show that the predicted scaling relations depend sensitively on the efficiency of SMBH merging. These findings highlight the relevance of understanding the evolution of SMBH-galaxy scaling relations to predict the rate of gravitational wave signals from SMBH mergers across cosmic history.
Temporal and spatial variation in the nitrite-oxidizing bacterial community of a grassland soil

The temporal and spatial distribution of the nitrite-oxidizing community of a non-fertilized, semi-natural grassland soil was studied to obtain more insight into the possible variation in nitrate production in this soil throughout the year. Data describing the size, potential nitrite-oxidizing activity and serotype composition of the nitrite-oxidizing community are reported. In addition, several abiotic soil parameters potentially related to the activity of this community were measured. Whereas numbers and potential activities largely varied with time and place, the specific affinity for nitrite oxidation, defined as the ratio Vmax/Km, was relatively constant. The serotypes Nitrobacter agilis, N. winogradskyi and N. hamburgensis were all present in the top 5-cm soil in every 500-g sample examined, showing that these species co-exist in this soil.
CULTURE OF THE TERRESTRIAL CYANOBACTERIUM, NOSTOC FLAGELLIFORME (CYANOPHYCEAE), UNDER AQUATIC CONDITIONS 1

Both colonies and free‐living cells of the terrestrial cyanobacterium, Nostoc flagelliforme (Berk. & Curtis) Bornet & Flahault, were cultured under aquatic conditions to develop the techniques for the cultivation and restoration of this endangered resource. The colonial filaments disintegrated with their sheaths ruptured in about 2 days without any desiccating treatments. Periodic desiccation played an important role in preventing the alga from decomposing, with greater delays to sheath rupture with a higher frequency of exposure to air. The bacterial numbers in the culture treated with seven periods of desiccation per day were about 50% less compared with the cultures without the desiccation treatment. When bacteria in the culture were controlled, the colonial filaments did not disintegrate and maintained the integrity of their sheath for about 20 days even without the desiccation treatments, indicating the importance of desiccation for N. flagelliforme to prevent them from being disintegrated by bacteria. On the other hand, when free‐living cells obtained from crushed colonial filaments were cultured in liquid medium, they developed into single filaments with sheaths, within which multiple filaments were formed later on as a colony. Such colonial filaments were developed at 15, 25, and 30° C at either 20 or 60 μmol photons·m−2·s−1; colonies did not develop at 180 μmol photons·m−2·s−1, though this light level resulted in the most rapid growth of the cells. Conditions of 60 μmol photons·m−2·s−1 and 25° C appeared to result in the best colonial development and faster growth of the sheath‐held colonies of N. flagelliforme when cultured indoor under aquatic conditions.
McKean-Vlasov SDEs in nonlinear filtering

Various particle filters have been proposed over the last couple of decades with the common feature that the update step is governed by a type of control law. This feature makes them an attractive alternative to traditional sequential Monte Carlo which scales poorly with the state dimension due to weight degeneracy. This article proposes a unifying framework that allows to systematically derive the McKean-Vlasov representations of these filters for the discrete time and continuous time observation case, taking inspiration from the smooth approximation of the data considered in Crisan & Xiong (2010) and Clark & Crisan (2005). We consider three filters that have been proposed in the literature and use this framework to derive Ito representations of their limiting forms as the approximation parameter $\delta \rightarrow 0$. All filters require the solution of a Poisson equation defined on $\mathbb{R}^{d}$, for which existence and uniqueness of solutions can be a non-trivial issue. We additionally establish conditions on the signal-observation system that ensures well-posedness of the weighted Poisson equation arising in one of the filters.
Invasion‐resistance in experimental grassland communities: species richness or species identity?

The question as to why some communities are more invasible than others has pro-found implications for conservation biology and land management. The theoretical issues involved go right to the heart of our understanding of species coexistence and community assembly. The experiment reported here indicates that for productive, small-scale grassland plots, species identity matters more than species richness in determining both the number of invading species and the total biomass of invasives.
Effect of thyroid dysfunction on disease activity of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune systemic inflammatory multisystem disease of unknown cause that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints, primarily affecting the peripheral joints in a symmetrical pattern. The pathology of the disease process often leads to destruction of articular cartilage. It is the commonest inflammatory arthropathy worldwide with a gender predilection towards women. Prevalence of RA in the adult general population is approximately 1%. An association between RA and thyroid dysfunction with or without autoimmune origin has been reported in 6% to 34% of patients with RA. On the contrary, when presence of thyroid antibodies is considered, despite normal thyroid function, the prevalence can rise up to about 38%. These rates are significantly greater when compared with the general population.Methods: RA patients who were diagnosed according to the new 2010 EULAR/ACR criteria and thyroid function tests were done and patients with thyroid dysfunction were identified and then patients were divided into two groups based on presence of thyroid dysfunction with rheumatoid arthritis and disease activity was illustrated in both groups based on different scales.Results: In all, 250 patients 215 (86.8%) were females and 33 (13.2%) were males. ESR was elevated in 85 (34%) patients while as it was normal in 165(66%) patients. CRP was positive in 127 (52.7%) negative in 123 (47.3%) patients. Although subclinical hypothyroidism was the most frequent abnormality observed in 38.3% patients, only 30% had concomitant anti-TPO raised and 71.4% patients of overt hypothyroidism had raised anti-TPO antibody. Disease activity parameters were significantly higher in patients of RA with hypothyroidism as compared to other group. Although most of parameters of disease activity showed a higher frequency in the group having patients with thyroid disorder but the swollen joint count was comparable in both the groups and was not statistically significant.Conclusions: Presence of thyroid disorders in RA patients is suggestive of a more aggressive disease. To diagnose concurrent thyroid disorders at an earlier stage, routine measurement of serum thyroid- stimulating hormone is recommended in all RA patients at the time of diagnosis and with yearly interval thereafter.
Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of Network Formation for Cooperatives in South Africa

Since inception, modern cooperatives have been instrumental in uplifting the social and economic conditions of people. As an economic model that seeks to advance the collective interest of its members, the cooperative movement has come to be viewed as an invaluable tool for human and economic development. Over the years, a number of challenges (such as the lack of knowledge about the purpose and functions of cooperatives, information, marketing skills and financial resources) have precluded cooperatives in developing countries, like South Africa, from actualizing these esteemed ideals. In some countries, there has been a growing emphasis on network formation by cooperatives as a strategy to overcome some of these challenges. Consequently, the past two decades have witnessed an emerging body of literature on cooperative networks. The bulk of studies on networks have largely focused on how resources and capabilities influence inter-organizational linkages that facilitate access to resources embedded in a network. Such resources include information, financial resources, new technologies and a variety of social capital. This article reviews the literature on network formation by cooperatives and identifies the attendant challenges and benefits. The article also reflects on the lessons that South African cooperatives could learn from these experiences to facilitate the development of a vibrant cooperative sector. Key word s: Cooperatives, networks, economic development, social capital
Tolerability, assessment, and prediction of psilocybin-induced altered states of consciousness

Since the early 1990s, hallucinogenic drugs, such as psilocybin, have been increasingly used to investigate the neuronal basis of altered states of consciousness and psychosis. Furthermore, renewed interest has emerged in using these drugs as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Nevertheless, the therapeutic and experimental use of these substances is still controversial due to fears of potential harm. Although the experience of many in- vestigators suggests that potential risks are minimal when these drugs are administered in a carefully monitored clinical or research environment, the subjective tolerability of these drugs under these conditions has not yet been evaluated in large samples. The revival of hallucinogen research during the past 20 years has also greatly increased the need for well-validated instruments assessing the the acute subjective effects of these drugs. Although Adolf Dittrich’s questionnaires for the assessment of altered states of consciousness (ASCs) were frequently used for this purpose, especially in Europe, the factorial structure of these questionnaires is not clearly established because previ- ous psychometric investigations have serious methodological limitations. Finally, the effects of hallucinogens are believed to be critically dependent on non-pharmacological variables (e.g., the user’s personality, current mood state and environment), but few empirical studies have investigated several of these predictor variables at a time. Thus, little is known about the order of importance of these variables. To solve these problems, three empirical studies were conducted, all of which were based on pooled data from Prof. Vollenweider’s research group at the University Hospital of Psychiatry in Zurich. Vollenweider’s group was one on the ﬁrst to restart human hallucinogen research in the early 1990s and since then has collected an amount of data that is unrivaled in the world. In the ﬁrst study, acute, subacute, and long-term subjective effects of psilocybin were investigated by analyzing the pooled data of eight double-blind placebo-controlled experimental studies. The sample included 110 healthy subjects who had received 1-4 oral doses of psilocybin in a dose range of 45-315 μg/kg body weight. It was found that the effects of psilocybin were generally well tolerated. Most subjects described the experience as pleasurable, enriching, and non-threatening. Strong anxiety and/or dysphoria occurred only in the two highest dose conditions in a relatively small proportion of subjects and in all cases resolved by providing emotional support and without pharmacological intervention. Complaints 24 h after drug intake were mild and mostly included headache and fatigue. Furthermore, follow-up interviews conducted 8-16 months after the psilocybin sessions indicated that all of the subjects were healthy and that none of them had experienced any of the most feared negative consequences of hallucinogen exposure, that is, ﬂashbacks, prolonged psychosis, or subsequent drug abuse.
The root-nodule bacteria as factors in clover establishment in the red basaltic soils of the Lismore district, NSW. I. A survey of "Native" strains.

Tests of 84 cultures of root-nodule bacteria isolated from four species of clover growing in the Lismore district of New South Wales (three soil types, 18 localities) showed them to be generally effective in association with white and red clovers, but almost always parasitic on subterranean and crimson clovers. Successful seed inoculation with beneficial strains of rhizobia is, therefore, essential to the introduction of subterranean and crimson clovers in these soils. Field observations have also demonstrated the need to inoculate seed of Medicago species, cowpea, and vetch.
RW Aur B: a modest UX Ori-type companion of the famous primary

The secondary of the famous young binary RW Aur is much less studied than the primary. To compensate this shortcoming, we present here the results of UBVRIJHK photometric, VRI polarimetric and optical spectral observations of RW Aur B. The star demonstrates chaotic brightness variations in the optical band with irregular short (~ 1 day) dimmings with an amplitude $\Delta V$ up to $1.3^{\rm m}. $ The dimmings are accompanied with an increase in the linear polarization (up to 3 per cent in the I band), presumably due to the scattering of the stellar radiation by dust in the circumstellar disc that means that RW Aur B can be classified as a UX Ori type star. We concluded that the observed excess emission at $\lambda \lesssim 0.45$ $\mu$m and longward $\approx$ 2 $\mu$m as well as a variability of fluxes and profiles of HI, HeI and NaI D emission lines are due to the accretion process. At the same time, emission components of Ca II lines indicate that RW Aur B has a powerful chromosphere. Assuming the solar elemental abundances, we found the following parameters of the star: $T_{\rm eff} = 4100-4200$ K, $A_{\rm V}=0.6 \pm 0.1$ (out of the dimming events), $L_* \approx 0.6$ $L_\odot,$ $R_* \approx 1.5$ $R_\odot,$ $M\approx 0.85$ M$_\odot,$ $\dot M_{\rm acc}<5\times 10^{-9}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}. $ Finally, we discuss possible reasons for the different levels of the accretion activity of RW Aur binary components and present arguments in favour of the fact that they are gravitationally bound.
MurTree: Optimal Decision Trees via Dynamic Programming and Search

Decision tree learning is a widely used approach in machine learning, favoured in applications that require concise and interpretable models. Heuristic methods are traditionally used to quickly produce models with reasonably high accuracy. A commonly criticised point, however, is that the resulting trees may not necessarily be the best representation of the data in terms of accuracy and size. In recent years, this motivated the development of optimal classification tree algorithms that globally optimise the decision tree in contrast to heuristic methods that perform a sequence of locally optimal decisions. We follow this line of work and provide a novel algorithm for learning optimal classification trees based on dynamic programming and search. Our algorithm supports constraints on the depth of the tree and number of nodes. The success of our approach is attributed to a series of specialised techniques that exploit properties unique to classification trees. Whereas algorithms for optimal classification trees have traditionally been plagued by high runtimes and limited scalability, we show in a detailed experimental study that our approach uses only a fraction of the time required by the state-of-the-art and can handle datasets with tens of thousands of instances, providing several orders of magnitude improvements and notably contributing towards the practical realisation of optimal decision trees.
Out-of-Plane Magnetic Anisotropy in Ordered Ensembles of FeyN Nanocrystals Embedded in GaN

Phase-separated semiconductors containing magnetic nanostructures are relevant systems for the realization of high-density recording media. Here, the controlled strain engineering of GaδFeN layers with FeyN embedded nanocrystals (NCs) via AlxGa1−xN buffers with different Al concentration 0<xAl<41% is presented. Through the addition of Al to the buffer, the formation of predominantly prolate-shaped ε-Fe3N NCs takes place. Already at an Al concentration xAl≈ 5% the structural properties—phase, shape, orientation—as well as the spatial distribution of the embedded NCs are modified in comparison to those grown on a GaN buffer. Although the magnetic easy axis of the cubic γ’-GayFe4−yN nanocrystals in the layer on the xAl=0% buffer lies in-plane, the easy axis of the ε-Fe3N NCs in all samples with AlxGa1−xN buffers coincides with the [0001] growth direction, leading to a sizeable out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy and opening wide perspectives for perpendicular recording based on nitride-based magnetic nanocrystals.
Molecular Cloud Cores with a High Deuterium Fraction: Nobeyama Single-pointing Survey

We present the results of a single-pointing survey of 207 dense cores embedded in Planck Galactic Cold Clumps distributed in five different environments (λ Orionis, Orion A, Orion B, the Galactic plane, and high latitudes) to identify dense cores on the verge of star formation for the study of the initial conditions of star formation. We observed these cores in eight molecular lines at 76–94 GHz using the Nobeyama 45 m telescope. We find that early-type molecules (e.g., CCS) have low detection rates and that late-type molecules (e.g., N2H+ and c-C3H2) and deuterated molecules (e.g., N2D+ and DNC) have high detection rates, suggesting that most of the cores are chemically evolved. The deuterium fraction (D/H) is found to decrease with increasing distance, indicating that it suffers from differential beam dilution between the D/H pair of lines for distant cores (>1 kpc). For λ Orionis, Orion A, and Orion B located at similar distances, D/H is not significantly different, suggesting that there is no systematic difference in the observed chemical properties among these three regions. We identify at least eight high-D/H cores in the Orion region and two at high latitudes, which are most likely to be close to the onset of star formation. There is no clear evidence of the evolutionary change in turbulence during the starless phase, suggesting that the dissipation of turbulence is not a major mechanism for the beginning of star formation as judged from observations with a beam size of 0.04 pc.
Rabi-oscillation spectroscopy of the hyperfine structure of muonium atoms

A new spectroscopic analysis method is developed and described. Instead of determining the transition energy from the center frequency of the resonance curve, in this method, it is directly obtained from the time evolution of the transition signal utilizing the Rabi oscillation. This new method fully uses the time information without the Fourier transformation, yielding a precise determination of the resonance frequency. The Rabi-oscillation spectroscopic analysis was applied to the hyperfine transition of the ground state of the muonium atom and its frequency was determined as ${\nu}_{\rm HFS}$ = 4 463 301.61 $\pm$ 0.71 kHz.
Towards Improving the Performance of BFT Consensus For Future Permissioned Blockchains

Permissioned Blockchains are increasingly considered in enterprise use-cases, many of which do not require geo-distribution, or even disallow it due to legislation. Examples include country-wide networks, such as Alastria, or those deployed using cloud-based platforms such as IBM Blockchain Platform. We expect these blockchains to eventually run in environments with high bandwidth and low latency modern networks, as well as, advanced programmable hardware accelerators in servers. Even though there is renewed interest in BFT consensus algorithms with various proposals targeting Permissioned Blockchains, related work does not optimize for fast networks and does not incorporate hardware accelerators -- we make the case that doing so will pay off in the long run. To this end, we re-implemented the seminal PBFT algorithm in a way that allows us to measure different configurations of the protocol. Through this we explore the benefits of various common optimization strategies and show that the protocol is unlikely to saturate more than 10Gbps networks without relying on specialized hardware-based offloading. We discuss two concrete ways in which the cost of consensus in Permissioned Blockchains could be reduced in high speed networking environments, namely, offloading to SmartNICs and implementing the protocol on standalone FPGAs.
COVID TV-UNet: Segmenting COVID-19 Chest CT Images Using Connectivity Imposed U-Net

The novel corona-virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a major outbreak in more than 200 countries around the world, leading to a severe impact on the health and life of many people globally. As of mid-July 2020, more than 12 million people were infected, and more than 570,000 death were reported. Computed Tomography (CT) images can be used as an alternative to the time-consuming RT-PCR test, to detect COVID-19. In this work we propose a segmentation framework to detect chest regions in CT images, which are infected by COVID-19. We use an architecture similar to U-Net model, and train it to detect ground glass regions, on pixel level. As the infected regions tend to form a connected component (rather than randomly distributed pixels), we add a suitable regularization term to the loss function, to promote connectivity of the segmentation map for COVID-19 pixels. 2D-anisotropic total-variation is used for this purpose, and therefore the proposed model is called "TV-UNet". Through experimental results on a relatively large-scale CT segmentation dataset of around 900 images, we show that adding this new regularization term leads to 2\% gain on overall segmentation performance compared to the U-Net model. Our experimental analysis, ranging from visual evaluation of the predicted segmentation results to quantitative assessment of segmentation performance (precision, recall, Dice score, and mIoU) demonstrated great ability to identify COVID-19 associated regions of the lungs, achieving a mIoU rate of over 99\%, and a Dice score of around 86\%.