Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Womb at Work: The Missing Impact of Maternal Employment on Newborn Health

Parental leave policies across the globe have become much more generous than they used to be. This is also true for prenatal maternal leave. While this may be costly in the short run, little is known about the effect of maternal employment during pregnancy on newborn health. In this paper, I exploit three sharp policy changes on the duration of paid parental leave in Austria that strongly affected the share of mothers who work up to the 32nd week of pregnancy. I use administrative data from Austria on the working history of women linked to the full Austrian birth register and coupled with a regression discontinuity framework to identify the effect of prenatal employment on their offspring. Maternal employment during pregnancy with the second child reacts strongly to these policy changes. The share of employed mothers sharply declined in 1990 by 19.1 percentage points, increased in 1996 by 7.2 percentage points and declined again by 6.4 percentage points in 2000. None of these changes in prenatal employment translated into effects on newborn health measured via birth weight, gestational length, and Apgar scores. This result holds true for mothers of different socioeconomic backgrounds and across industries. The effect is precisely estimated, which suggests that prenatal employment prior to the 32nd week of pregnancy does not causally affect the fetus for measures visible at birth.
Phylogenetic inference using non‐redundant coding of dependent characters versus alternative approaches for protein‐coding genes

Contemporary molecular phylogenetic analyses often encompass a broad range of taxonomic diversity while maintaining high levels of sampling within each major taxon. To help maximize phylogenetic signal in such studies, one may analyse multiple levels of characters simultaneously. We test the performance of both the original and the modified versions of non‐redundant coding of dependent characters (NRCDC) relative to commonly applied alternative character‐sampling strategies using codon‐based simulations under a range of conditions. Both original and modified NRCDC generally outperformed other character‐sampling strategies that only sampled characters at one level (nucleotides or amino acids) over a broader range of simulation parameters than any of the alternative character‐sampling strategies with respect to both overall success of resolution and averaged overall success of resolution in the parsimony‐based analyses. Based on theoretical considerations and the results of our simulations, we encourage application and further testing of modified NRCDC in parsimony‐based molecular phylogenetic analyses that sample exons of protein‐coding genes. We expect that modified NRCDC will generally increase both accuracy and branch‐support over commonly applied alternative character‐sampling strategies when analysed using the same phylogenetic inference method, particularly in studies that sample both closely and distantly related taxa with clades representing both ancient and recent divergences.
Development and validation of Fluid Structure Interaction Methods for an Oscillating Wave Surge Converter

: The term fatigue loads on the Oyster Oscillating Wave Surge Converter is used to describe hydrostatic loads due to water surface elevation with quasi-static changes of state. Therefore a procedure to implement hydrostatic pressure distributions into ﬁnite element analysis of the structure is desired. Currently available experimental methods enable one to measure time variant water surface elevation at discrete locations either on or around the body of the scale model during tank tests. This paper discusses the development of a ﬁnite element analysis procedure to implement time variant, spatially distributed hydrostatic pressure derived from discretely measured water surface elevation. The developed method can process differently resolved (temporal and spatial) input data and approximate the elevation over the ﬂap faces with user deﬁned properties. The structural loads, namely the forces and moments on the body can then be investigated by post processing the numerical results. This method offers the possibility to process surface elevation or hydrostatic pressure data from computational ﬂuid dynamics simulations and can thus be seen as a ﬁrst step to a ﬂuid-structure interaction model.
Artifact removal from EEG data with empirical mode decomposition

In the paper we propose the novel method for dealing with the physiological artifacts caused by intensive activity of facial and neck muscles and other movements in experimental human EEG recordings. The method is based on analysis of EEG signals with empirical mode decomposition (Hilbert-Huang transform). We introduce the mathematical algorithm of the method with following steps: empirical mode decomposition of EEG signal, choosing of empirical modes with artifacts, removing empirical modes with artifacts, reconstruction of the initial EEG signal. We test the method on filtration of experimental human EEG signals from movement artifacts and show high efficiency of the method.
THERMAL EXPANSION BEHAVIOR OF CO-EXTRUDED WOOD-PLASTIC COMPOSITES WITH GLASS-FIBER REINFORCED SHELLS

Coextruded wood-plastic composites (WPCs) with glass-fiber (GF) filled shells were manufactured, and their thermal expansion behavior was studied. A three-dimensional finite element model (FEM) considering differential properties of both shell and core layers was developed to predict the linear coefficient of thermal expansion (LCTE) of the material. It was shown that the LCTE values varied with composite structure and composition (i.e., core-shell thicknesses and materials). The use of GF-filled shells helped lower overall composite LCTE values. The imbalance of shell and core LCTE, and their moduli led to complex stress fields within a given composite system. The FEM predicted a trend of LCTE change with varying composite structures, which was in good agreement with the experimental data. This study provides for the first time a finite element modeling technique to optimize raw material composition and composite structure for optimizing thermal expansion behavior of co-extruded WPCs.
Synthesis, physicochemical and antibacterial properties of some mixed ligand metal(II) complexes of Niacin and m-Toluic acid

Metal(II) complexes of mixed ligands, Niacin (HL) and m-Toluic(HL 1 ), have been synthesized and characterized by percentage metal, infrared and electronic spectroscopies, room temperature magnetic moments, melting points and conductance measurements. The metal analysis shows that the complexes analyze mostly as [M(HL)(HL 1 )X]. nH 2O, where M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Fe, Zn and X= Cl 2, (NO 3)2, SO 4. Infrared spectra data confirm that coordination is via the Niacin’s hydroxy oxygen and nitrogen atoms; and Toluic acid’s carboxylate oxyge n atoms. The room temperature magnetic moment and electronic spectra data indicat e that the metal(II) complexes are all octahedral and magnetically dilute with the e xception of the Cu(II) complex which is antiferromagnetic with a room temperature magnetic moment of 1.69 B.M. The molar conductances of the metal(II) complexes in DMSO show that the complexes are covalent. Interestingly, the in-vitro antibacterial studies on these metal(II) complexes , Niacin and m-Toluic acid against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella oxytoca and Staphylococcus aureus show that the Co(II) and the Ni(II) complexes have broad-spectrum antibacterial activities against these bacteria, just like streptomycin, with inhib itory zone range of 21.0-49.0 mm and 21.0-37.0 mm, respectively.
Using periodic energy to enrich acoustic representations of pitch in speech: A demonstration

This paper aims to strengthen the link between acoustic and perceptual representations of intonation, a link that has been weakened by the over-reliance on the F0 trajectory, which can only be interpreted in relation to landmarks in the segmental string, placed manually or semi-automatically at a separate stage in the analysis. Only then can F0 events be identified as linguistically relevant (e.g. early, medial or late peaks, accentual tones or edge tones etc.). We provide an analysis and visualization of two acoustic dimensions contributing towards the perceived pitch contour, F0 over time and, crucially, periodic energy. Periodic energy reflects the degree to which pitch is intelligible, a higher value representing a stronger F0 signal that is consequently more easily perceived. A representation of F0 that includes periodic energy is thus able to flag portions of the speech signal that are relevant for the analysis of intonation, without the need for a separate segmentation of the signal into phones and syllables.
Forecasting Ventricular Deviation in Monitoring of Live ECG Signal

Number of coronary artery disease cases and ventricular arrhythmias has been increasing in India. One of the common forms of cardiac disorder is Ventricular Tachycardia(VT). Due to improper electrical activities in the ventricles, consistent and rapid heart rate occurs, which produces Ventricular Tachycardia disorder. Short time period may not lead to severe heart problem, but the longer duration increases it may be a severe heart issue. In this disorder,for short durations it is possible that there may not be any symptoms or few symptoms with palpitations(increase / decrease in heart beats), dizziness or pain in chest. This disorder may result in cardiac arrest. This may also results into ventricular fibrillation. initially it was found that near about 7% of people in cardiac arrest are caused by Ventricular Tachycardia. In this work, a novel platform for real time diagnosis of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia with the help of a portable Single lead ECG device is proposed. The gateway for signal analysis and combined edge and cloud based processing for the diagnosis is used. The biosignal captured by the device in LEAD II configuration is pushed to a cloud based diagnosis API through a mobile gateway. An algorithm in the cloud analyses this signal and finds out P, Q, R, S, T, their amplitude positions, onset and offset. From the onset and offset ST segment slope, elevation, depression, S morphology and ST segment variation statistics is captured and classified using rule based classifier. The work evaluates the performance of the classifier with Physionet dataset. The accuracy of the system was found to be 90% with accuracy of detecting normal ECG being 100% where as the accuracy of detection of VT being 80%. Results shows that the system is extremely efficient in detecting Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia and many related cardio vascular diseases.
Tracking of Human Sperm in Time-Lapse Images

Human sperm motility analysis is a key method in assessing male fertility. It was suggested that performance of automatic sperm motility analysis systems can be enhanced by adopting multi-target tracking algorithms developed originally for radar technology. We review and appraise several target tracking algorithms operating on synthetic and actual sperm images and compare their performance. Simulations and observations of images of real sperm cells suggest that the joint probability data association filter with track-coalescence-avoiding (JPDA*) outperforms other evaluated algorithms. This is also the result obtained on images of swimming tadpoles.
A COHERENT SEQUENCE IN Lp G Σ ( R )

Suppose (P ,Σ) is a hod pair such that Σ has branch condensation (here P is countable). We work under the assumption AD+Θ = ΘΣ + MC(Σ). Under this assumption, V = Lp GΣ(R), where Lp GΣ(R) is the stack of countably iterable Θ-g-organized premice over R that project to R as defined in [4]. A proof of this fact can be found in [1]. The construction of the coherent sequence here is heavily based on the construction of κ sequences in L[E] models done in [3], though much complexity that appears in [3] due to the existence of pluripotent L[E] levels that gives rise to protomice does not occur in our situation. Before stating our main result, let us fix some notation. Let C = {τ < Θ | LpGΣ(R)|τ ZF− and there are no R-cardinals in LpGΣ(R)|τ}. 1 Notice that C is a club in Θ by reflection and the fact that Lp GΣ(R)|Θ ZF−. For each τ ∈ C, let Nτ be the least segment of Lp GΣ(R) such that there is an n < ω such that ρτ n ≥ τ and ρτ n+1 = R. Notice that o(Nτ ) > τ and τ = Θτ . Furthermore, τ is a strong cutpoint of Nτ , that is τ is not measurable in Nτ and there are no extenders on the sequence of Nτ that overlap τ . Now, we’re ready to state our main result.
Rice miR 394 suppresses leaf inclination through targeting an F-box gene , LEAF INCLINATION 4 Running Title : miR 394-LC 4 regulates rice leaf inclination

Rice leaf inclination is an important agronomic trait, closely related to plant architecture and yield. Identification of genes controlling leaf inclination would assist in crop improvement. Although various factors, including the plant hormones auxin and brassinosteroids, have been shown to regulate lamina joint development, the role of microRNAs in regulating leaf inclination remains largely unknown. Here, we functionally characterize the role of rice miR394 and its target, LEAF INCLINCATION 4 (LC4), which encodes an F-box protein, in the regulation of leaf inclination. We show that miR394 and LC4 work, antagonistically, to regulate leaf lamina joint development and rice architecture, by modulating expansion and elongation of adaxial parenchyma cells. Suppressed expression of miR394, or enhanced expression of LC4, results in enlarged leaf angles, whereas reducing LC4 expression by CRISPR/Cas9 leads to reduced leaf inclination, suggesting LC4 as candidate for use in rice architecture improvement. LC4 interacts with SKP1, a component of the SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, and transcription of both miR394 and LC4 are regulated by auxin. Rice plants with altered expression of miR394 or LC4 have altered auxin responses, indicating that the miR394-LC4 module mediates auxin effects important for determining rice leaf inclination and architecture.
Delimitation of the Segregate Genera of Maytenus s. l. (Celastraceae) Based on Morphological and Molecular Characters

Abstract Maytenus s. l. (including Gymnosporia) is a morphologically diverse genus of about 300 species that is widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics of both the Old and New Worlds. Its delimitation has been extensively debated and despite the segregation of Gymnosporia, Maytenus s. s. remains a heterogeneous, polyphyletic group. To delimit natural segregate genera we increased taxon sampling and generated sequences from two nuclear gene regions (ITS and 26S rDNA) and two plastid loci (matK and trnL-F) to analyze together with morphological characters. Both Moya and Tricerma were found to be nested within the New World Maytenus and are recognized as synonyms of Maytenus s. s. In contrast, the three New World species of Gymnosporia are recognized as a new genus that is closely related to Gyminda. Haydenia is erected for these three species: H. gentryi, H. haberiana , and H. urbaniana . One or more previously proposed or novel genera are required to accommodate the systematically difficult African Maytenus. Putterlickia, and most likely Gloveria, are nested within Gymnosporia and should be synonymized with that genus. New binomials are required for four Chinese and one Rapan species of Gymnosporia that have been previously treated only as Maytenus: Gymnosporia austroyunnanensis, G. confertiflora, G. dongfangensis, G. guangxiensis , and G. pertinax . Austral-Pacific Maytenus are transferred to Denhamia, requiring eight new binomials: Denhamia bilocularis, D. cunninghamii, D. cupularis, D. disperma, D. fasciculiflora, D. ferdinandii, D. fournieri , and D. silvestris . Existing intrageneric classifications of Gymnosporia and Maytenus s. s. were not supported in their entirety. Gymnosporia is inferred to have had an African origin followed by dispersals to Madagascar, southeast Asia and the Austral-Pacific.
SLC30A8 Gene rs13266634 C/T Polymorphism in Type 1 Diabetes Children of Tamil Nadu, India

Objective: Zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) is a multi-trans membrane protein situated in the insulin secretory granule of the islets of β-cells and is identified as a novel un c rre cte d roo f auto-antigen in Type 1 diabetes (T1D). The gene coding for ZnT8 (solute carrier family 30 member 8; SLC30A8) is located in Chromosome 8q24.11. In this work it is aimed to identify the association of SLC30A8 rs13266634 C/T gene polymorphism with T1D in chosen children of Tamil Nadu, India. Methods: The family based study is made on 121 T1D patients and 214 of their family members as control. The SLC30A8 gene rs13266634 C/T polymorphism is evaluated by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR– RFLP). Results: No significant differences was observed in allele (OR=0.92; CI=0.33 2.58; p=0.88) and genotype (CC: p=0.74; CT: p=0.82; TT: p=0.80) frequencies of rs13266634 C/T between T1D patients and controls. Transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) has identified over-transmission of mutant T allele from parents to affected children (T: U = 9:7) without statistical significance. Metaanalysis on the overall effects of rs13266634 C allele frequency was not different (p=0.10 and P heterogeneity = 0.99) in T1D patients upon comparison with control. Conclusion: The present study along with the meta-analysis does not show any substantial association of the rs13266634 C/T polymorphism with T1D development.
The Amino-Terminal Region of Hepatitis E Virus ORF1 Containing a Methyltransferase (Met) and a Papain-Like Cysteine Protease (PCP) Domain Counteracts Type I Interferon Response

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is responsible for large waterborne epidemics of hepatitis in endemic countries and is an emerging zoonotic pathogen worldwide. In endemic regions, HEV-1 or HEV-2 genotypes are frequently associated with fulminant hepatitis in pregnant women, while with zoonotic HEV (HEV-3 and HEV-4), chronic cases of hepatitis and severe neurological disorders are reported. Hence, it is important to characterize the interactions between HEV and its host. Here, we investigated the ability of the nonstructural polyprotein encoded by the first open reading frame (ORF1) of HEV to modulate the host early antiviral response and, in particular, the type I interferon (IFN-I) system. We found that the amino-terminal region of HEV-3 ORF1 (MetYPCP), containing a putative methyltransferase (Met) and a papain-like cysteine protease (PCP) functional domain, inhibited IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) promoter activation and the expression of several IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) in response to IFN-I. We showed that the MetYPCP domain interfered with the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of the transcription protein (STAT) signalling pathway by inhibiting STAT1 nuclear translocation and phosphorylation after IFN-I treatment. In contrast, MetYPCP had no effect on STAT2 phosphorylation and a limited impact on the activation of the JAK/STAT pathway after IFN-II stimulation. This inhibitory function seemed to be genotype-dependent, as MetYPCP from HEV-1 had no significant effect on the JAK/STAT pathway. Overall, this study provides evidence that the predicted MetYPCP domain of HEV ORF1 antagonises STAT1 activation to modulate the IFN response.
The Capillary Breakup Extensional Rheometer ( C A BER TM )

Introduction The recent advances in the development of filament stretching extensional rheometers has generated new enthusiasm for measurements of the extensional properties of polymer solutions and melts (Tirtaatmadja & Sridhar, 1993; Spiegelberg et al. 1996a,b). The prevalence of extensional flows in most processing methods, coupled with the inability to discern the extensional properties from shear rheometry experiments, emphasizes the need to perform extensional rheometry in order to accurately monitor variations in product uniformity (QC/QA), and predict processing characteristics such as conditions for onset of rate-dependent flow instabilities, and optimal processing conditions.
Thermodynamics of pyrope-majorite , Mg Al Si O 3 2 3 12-Mg Si 4 4 O 12 , solid solution from atomistic model calculations

Static lattice energy calculations, based on empirical pair potentials have been performed for a large set of different structures with compositions between pyrope and majorite, and with different states of order of octahedral cations. The energies have been cluster expanded using pair and quaternary terms. The derived ordering constants have been used to constrain Monte Carlo simulations of temperature-dependent properties in the ranges of 1073 – 3673 K and 0 – 20 GPa. The free energies of mixing have been calculated using the method of thermodynamic integration. At zero pressure the cubic/tetragonal transition is predicted for pure majorite at 3300 K. The transition temperature decreases with the increase of the pyrope mole fraction. A miscibility gap associated with the transition starts to develop at about 2000 K and xmaj=0.8, and widens with the decrease in temperature and the increase in pressure. Activity-composition relations in the range of 0-20 GPa and 10732673 K are described with the help of a high-order Redlich-Kister polynomial.
Unlimited Release Printed Month and Year Large Core Highly Doped Fiber Amplifiers

We have demonstrated amplification of nanosecond optical pulses to the millijoule level using ytterbium-doped phosphate glass fibers. Fibers with 35 um and 49 um diameter cores produced up to 700 uJ and 2.25 mJ pulses, respectively, with pulse durations less than 10 ns. By tapering the diameter of the fiber from single-mode to multi-mode, we were able to produce output with a nearly lowest-order-mode spatial profile in 35 um-core fibers that were inherently multimode. We report on progress in five areas of amplifier development: (1) pulse energy, (2) fundamental mode propagation in multi-mode fibers, (3) phosphate glass fiber processing, (4) highly doped gain fiber modeling, and (5) amplification of single-frequency pulses at 2 um wavelength.