Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A universal symmetry structure in open string theory

In this paper, we arrive from different starting points at the conclusion that the symmetry given by an action of the Grothendieck-Teichmueller group GT on the so called extended moduli space of string theory can not be physical - in the sense that it does not survive the inclusion of general nonperturbative vacua given by boundary conditions on the level of two dimensional conformal field theory - but has to be extended to a quantum symmetry given by a self-dual, noncommutative, and noncocommutative Hopf algebra. First, we show that a class of two dimensional boundary conformal field theories always uniquely defines a trialgebra and find the above mentioned Hopf algebra as the universal symmetry of such trialgebras (in analogy to the definition of GT as the universal symmetry of quasi-triangular quasi-Hopf algebras). Second, we argue in a more heuristic approach that this Hopf algebra symmetry can also be found in a more geometric picture using the language of gerbes.
Standardization of Epidemiological Surveillance of Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis

Abstract Pharyngitis, more commonly known as sore throat, is caused by viral and/or bacterial infections. Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) is the most common bacterial cause of pharyngitis. Strep A pharyngitis is an acute, self-limiting disease but if undertreated can lead to suppurative complications, nonsuppurative poststreptococcal immune-mediated diseases, and toxigenic presentations. We present a standardized surveillance protocol, including case definitions for pharyngitis and Strep A pharyngitis, as well as case classifications that can be used to differentiate between suspected, probable, and confirmed cases. We discuss the current tests used to detect Strep A among persons with pharyngitis, including throat culture and point-of-care tests. The type of surveillance methodology depends on the resources available and the objectives of surveillance. Active surveillance and laboratory confirmation is the preferred method for case detection. Participant eligibility, the surveillance population and additional considerations for surveillance of pharyngitis are addressed, including baseline sampling, community engagement, frequency of screening and season. Finally, we discuss the core elements of case report forms for pharyngitis and provide guidance for the recording of severity and pain associated with the course of an episode.
Influenza A (N1-N9) and Influenza B (B/Victoria and B/Yamagata) Neuraminidase Pseudotypes as Tools for Pandemic Preparedness and Improved Influenza Vaccine Design

To better understand how inhibition of the influenza neuraminidase (NA) protein contributes to protection against influenza, we produced lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with an avian H11 hemagglutinin (HA) and the NA of all influenza A (N1–N9) subtypes and influenza B (B/Victoria and B/Yamagata). These NA viral pseudotypes (PV) possess stable NA activity and can be utilized as target antigens in in vitro assays to assess vaccine immunogenicity. Employing these NA PV, we developed an enzyme-linked lectin assay (pELLA) for routine serology to measure neuraminidase inhibition (NI) titers of reference antisera, monoclonal antibodies and post-vaccination sera with various influenza antigens. We also show that the pELLA is more sensitive than the commercially available NA-Fluor™ in detecting NA inhibition in these samples. Our studies may lead to establishing the protective NA titer that contributes to NA-based immunity. This will aid in the design of superior, longer lasting and more broadly protective vaccines that can be employed together with HA-targeted vaccines in a pre-pandemic approach.
Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Oviposition on the Coast of Paraná, Brazil, a Recent Area of Dengue Virus Transmission

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are considered the most important vectors of arboviruses in the world. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue, urban yellow fever, chikungunya and zika in Brazil, and Ae. albopictus is considered a potential vector. Distribution patterns and the influence of climatic variables on the oviposition of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were evaluated in Morretes, a tourist city in the coastal area of Paraná State, Brazil, which has recently been experiencing cases of dengue fever. Eggs were collected using ovitraps over a period of one year (September 2017 to September 2018) and reared from hatching until the emergence of the adults. Both Aedes species were found in anthropized areas with a high human density index. Findings suggest that the monthly average temperature (LRT = 16.65, p = 0.001) had significant positive influences on the oviposition of the Aedes species. Considering the wide distribution of DENV around the Paraná coast and the presence of Ae. albopictus alongside Ae. aegypti, studies on natural arbovirus infection patterns and seasonality are recommended in the region.
The Athletic Identity Measurement Scale: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis from 1993 to 2021

Sport psychology embraced the study of athletic identity in the 1990s. The Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) is at the forefront of athletic identity measurement. This quantitative review examined two hypotheses: individual who are most engaged in sports identify most as athletes and thus score higher on the AIMS, and athletic identity relates to positive (e.g., intrinsic motivation) and negative (negative emotions) factors. In addition to our two hypotheses, we explored whether the AIMS subscales influenced our two hypotheses. After completing a systematic search of SPORTDiscus, APA PsycINFO, ERIC, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection APA within the EBSCOhost platform along with some hand searching, 101 articles published between 1993 and our end date of August 2021 met the inclusion criteria. The included studies investigated 20,498 athletes competing in a variety of sports from the following continents: Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America. We based all analyses on random- and mixed-effects statistics. Higher-achieving athletes, as expected, self-reported a higher degree of athletic identity. The differences between athlete groups were significant (p < 0.001) and meaningful (g values ranged from 1.55 to 1.93). The AIMS total score correlations with positive and negative factors (correlates) were small in magnitude (r = 0.22 and 0.17). However, the relationships differed across correlate subcategories (e.g., intrinsic motivation/commitment, r = 0.51, and body issues, r = 0.14). Minimal AIMS subscale reporting occurred across the 101 studies; thus, we could not assess their importance with certainty. In conclusion, a higher degree of athletic identity related to valued sport correlates such as intrinsic motivation/commitment and the mastery goal orientation. These correlations were small in relation to negative or less desirable factors in sport such as body disorder issues and negative emotions. We recommend future research of greater complexity and the reporting of athletes’ competitive backgrounds to understand athletic identity. In addition, researchers should report AIMS subscale data.
Milk Tea Consumption and Short-Term Heart Rate Variability in College Students

: Background: The aim of this study was to explore the association between the frequency of milk tea consumption and HRV among college students. Methods: A total of 313 healthy college students (124 males and 189 females) participated in this cross-sectional study. The frequency of milk tea consumption was assessed using a questionnaire, and the participants were divided into three groups: <1 drink/month, 1-3 drinks/month, and >4 drinks/month. The 5-minute electrocardiogram signals of all subjects were collected in the sitting state and analysed for the HRV frequency domain parameters (VLF, LF, HF, TP, LF/HF) Results For male college students, some HRV frequency domain parameters were significantly different among the groups (P < 0.05). After adjusting for age, body mass index, and mean heart rate, the VLF, HF, and TP for male college students in the >4 drinks/month group were still significantly higher than those for male college students in the <1 drink/month group. The LF/HF in the <1 drink/month group was still significantly higher than that in the 1-3 drinks/month group. There was no significant difference in any HRV frequency domain parameter among female college students (P > 0.05) Conclusions The male students who consume more milk tea have higher HRV and female college students with different frequencies of milk tea consumption have no significant difference in HRV. There may be sex differences in the effect of milk tea consumption on HRV among college students
Does sports success increase government support? Voter (ir)rationality in a multiparty context

A growing number of studies discuss the impact of non-political factors on the political success of incumbents. Theoretically, this literature addresses core ideas about electoral accountability and voter rationality. Scholars have explored factors such as shark attacks, weather, natural disasters, and sports results. So far, the evidence has been inconclusive and almost exclusively from majoritarian contexts, where government accountability is easy for voters to assign. We contribute with an analysis of whether nationally important sports success, such as Olympic gold medals, affect support for coalition governments in a multiparty context. We use monthly polling from Finland for a 28-year period from Jan 1994 to Dec 2021, which we combine with data on sports success. Our analysis shows that nationally important sports success has no impact on government popularity. The finding holds while controlling for traditional drivers of government popularity and across different operationalizations of government support and sports success. With this finding, the study joins several previous analyses, which have been supportive of voter rationality.
Effects of chromium (VI) on the toxicity of benzo[z]pyrene in 16HBE cells

Contamination of human habitats with complex mixtures of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is an important environmental and industrial health problem. Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and benzo(a)pyrene (B[a] P) are typical of the two, respectively. In recent decades, a great deal of research has focused on their carcinogenicity and mechanisms of action. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate their combined effects on humans and cells, which has important implications for overall understanding of their toxicity and interaction. In the current study, the combined toxic effects of B[a] P and Cr(VI) were studied in human bronchial epithelial cells (16 HBE). We measured the genotoxic activity and epigenetic changes of these two toxicants alone and in combination on these cells and analyzed the difference between their single and combined toxicity. The results showed that B[a]P caused DNA damage in 16HBE cells in a concentration-dependent manner, while the presence of Cr(VI) showed a sharp decrease in DNA damage, and it inhibited the expression of genes related to base excision repair induced by B[a]P. In addition, Cr(VI) also reduced B[a]P-triggered epigenetic changes in 16HBE cells. In conclusion, the combined effect of B[a]P and Cr(VI) on 16HBE cells was less toxic than single B[a]P exposure, indicating that the combined toxicity of the two toxicants is partially antagonistic. Further research is required to explore the mechanism of this antagonism.
Accurate Real-Life Chinese Dish Recognition

Deep learning is a new research direction in the field of machine learning, which was introduced into machine learning to bring it closer to its original goal. Accurate dish recognition becomes increasingly important in the multimedia community since it can help cuisine recommendation, calorie management, service improvement, and other food computing tasks. Many novel approaches have been developed on web recipes and menu pictures, while few are concerned real-life dish image analysis. In this study, a deep learning-based prototype system is deployed in a Chinese canteen, and 28 dish types, 16,904 images, and 45,061 instances have been collected. Specifically, in the prototype system, three practical issues are explored, including the backbone network selection, the training strategy determination, and the minimum number of samples for model upgrading. Experimental results suggest that fine-tuned Faster-RCNN can serve as the backbone network of the prototype system since it outperforms the other four fine-tuned networks on dish recognition (accuracy, 98.10%; recall, 97.20%; MAP (mean average precession), 98.30%) and satisfies real-time requirement (0.15 second per image). Meanwhile, the transferred backbone network achieves superior results (MAP, 96.48%) over the same architecture trained from image scratches (MAP, 87.84%). On model upgrading, a good (MAP, 91.34%) to better (MAP, 96.48%) outcome is obtained when the training size is increased from 50 to 200 samples per dish type, and 150 and more instances should be annotated if a new dish type is added to the system’s recognition list. Conclusively, the real-life deployment and evaluation of the prototype system indicate that deep learning is full of potential to enhance customer experience through accurate daily dish recognition.
An inverse modeling approach to investigate deep ocean ventilation from radiocarbon records

The goal of this project is to investigate the relationship between paleoceanographic radiocarbon records and the ventilation history of deep oceanic basins during the last 40 kyrs. Deep ocean ventilation changes, especially changes in Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), are often invoked to explain the deglacial rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration as inferred from ice core records. Much of our current understanding regarding ventilation of the deep ocean during the deglaciation comes from records of the radiocarbon concentration of benthic foraminifera and deep-sea corals (paleo-14C data). Here, we combine a global compilation of paleo-14C data for the past 40 kyrs with a 16-box model of the world ocean (except the Arctic Ocean) to address two key questions: (1) To what extent can the paleo-14C data be explained by atmospheric 14C variations when deep ventilation rates are fixed to modern ocean estimates? and (2) To what extent can the paleo-14C data be explained by atmospheric 14C variations when the ventilation rates are allowed to vary? To address these questions, the box model is fitted to the paleo-14C data using the following sequential methods of optimal estimation theory: the linear Kalman filter, the Extended Kalman Filter, the Rauch-Tung-Striebel (RTS) smoother, and a linearized RTS smoother. We find that 62–76% (depending on the assumptions made about air-sea 14CO2 exchange) of the paleo-14C data for the past 40 kyrs can be explained by the modern flow rates as represented in the box model, if the model is forced with the IntCal20 reconstruction of atmospheric 14C. When the flow rates in the model are allowed to vary with time, 74-89% of the data can be explained by the model. Here, the range in data that can be explained reflects the different assumptions about the errors in the air-sea 14CO2 exchange and in the random walk used to model the temporal evolution of flow rates. It is concluded that changes in deep ocean ventilation may have occurred from 20 and 10 ka, thereby contributing to the deglacial CO2 rise, but that the spatial pattern of ventilation changes may have been complex, with a strengthening of the downwelling branch of the AMOC and a weakening of its deep southward branch during this time.
Hemostasis System and Plasminogen Activity in Retrochorial Hematoma in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

(1) Background: The components of the fibrinolytic system and its main component, plasminogen, play a key role in the first months of pregnancy. The effect of autoantibodies interacting with plasminogen in the formation of retrochorial hematoma is unknown. The aim of our study was to determine the role of plasminogen and IgA, IgM, and IgG, which bind to plasminogen, in retrochorial hematoma. (2) Methods: Prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), partial activated thromboplastin time (aPTT), soluble fibrin-monomer complex (SFMC), D-dimer, plasminogen activity (%Plg), plasminogen concentration (Plg), and the levels of IgG (IgG-Plg), IgM (IgM-Plg), IgA (IgA-Plg) interacting with plasminogen were determined in plasma samples of 57 women with normal pregnancy and 16 with retrochorial hematoma. (3) Results: %Plg in plasma samples from women with retrochorial hematoma was significantly lower than in plasma samples from women with normal pregnancy. The diagnostic significance of %Plg in the ROC analysis was AUC = 0.85. A direct correlation was found between aPTT and the level of autologous IgM interacting with plasminogen. (4) Conclusions: A decrease in the activity of plasminogen in the blood serum of women in the first trimester of pregnancy may indicate disturbances in the hemostasis system and the formation of retrochorial hematoma. According to the results of the study, it is possible to recommend the determination of plasminogen activity in the management of pregnant women in gynecological practice.
Conserved N- and C-terminal motifs of PAD-1 are required to inhibit extracellular vesicle release

Cells release extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying cargos that can influence development and disease, but the mechanisms that govern EV release by plasma membrane budding are poorly understood. We previously showed that the Dopey protein PAD-1 inhibits EV release from the plasma membrane in C. elegans . However, PAD-1 is large, and the domains required to regulate EV release were unknown. Here, we reveal that the conserved N-terminal EWAD motif and C-terminal leucine zippers are required to inhibit EV release from the plasma membrane. Revealing a role for these domains is an important first step to identifying how EV release is regulated.
Vernacular architecture in Brazilian semiarid region: survey and memory in the state of Sergipe

Buildings with earth in their composition have been common since the beginning of the Brazilian territory’s settlement. Until this day, wattle-and-daub homes are frequent in the Northeast region of the country. This technique uses a structural cage made of the weft of woods whose interlocking voids are covered with thrown wet clay. Due to the current association of these buildings as shelters for insects that may contain Trypanosoma cruzi (which transmits the Chagas disease) numerous public policies guide eradication and replacement of these buildings by others built with masonry. Due to the destruction of these buildings, built with vernacular earthen techniques, this research aims to survey buildings that still resist in the semiarid region of Sergipe state. Therefore, literature review was carried out on architecture in the semiarid region and building investigation techniques using digital tools. Considering Sars-Cov-2 pandemic as a prohibitive condition that caused difficulties in collecting data in the field, it was necessary to seek out methods that could be used for a remote survey. Furthermore, an exploratory analysis was carried out with digitally available tools in which it was possible to observe popular buildings built with earth in the legal semi-arid region. Initially, data was collected from the latest demographic censuses carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), as well as the socioeconomic data of Brazilian families in poverty situations registered with the government. This initial data, however, did not present information on geographic positioning of the dwellings, making it necessary to conduct a survey through Google Street View software, allowing the visualization of images at ground level, being effective on searching for wattle-and-daub residences. From these data, a catalog of the constructions found was generated and, by georeferencing these dwellings, the documentation produced may contribute to the preservation of vernacular constructive memory of this study’s location object.
One-Put Ferula-Mediated Synthesis of Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles with More Antimicrobial Effect and Promising Human Cell Biocompatibility

The biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles has recently attracted more attention to counter microbial resistance, which has been one of the medical concerns in the last decade. This research expresses the biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles utilizing Ferula assafoetida aqueous extract (Fer@AgNP) as a reducing and capping agent. The total parts of the plant were extracted from an aqueous solution (FerEX) and characterized using GC/MS apparatus. The Fer@AgNP and chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were characterized using UV-vis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, field emission-scanning transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The impacts of nanoparticles and FerEX were evaluated against four pathogenic bacterial strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Enterococcus faecalis, using the microdilution method. The biocompatibility of compounds was also evaluated on human cell line L-929 using MTT and human blood cells using the hemolytic assay. The major compounds found in FerEX were sulfur-containing compounds such as butyl disulfides (45.36%) and monoterpenes such as α-pinene (25.66%), β-pinene (16.31%), and ocimene (7.26%). The characterizations of materials confirmed the hexagonal structure of AgNPs. The sizes of cAgNP and Fer@AgNP were about 42.7 nm and 22.5 nm. The antimicrobial activity of Fer@AgNP was considerably developed and reached MIC values ranging from 10 to 50 μg/mL compared to AgNP, which showed MIC values ranging from 50 to 100 μg/mL. The biocompatibility assessment showed that the Fer@AgNP was improved compared to AgNP and had a minimal toxic impact on the normal fibroblast cell line. The Fer@AgNP also indicated outstanding compatibility with human RBCs. The results illustrated that biosynthesized Fer@AgNPs have improved antimicrobial efficacy against Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria with promising biocompatibility and can be used as potential antibacterial agents.
Computationally efficient methods for the quantification of uncertainties in groundwater modelling

When conservative decisions have to be made in water management questions, the quantification of uncertainties is necessary. Monte Carlo techniques are suited for this analysis but usually require a huge computational effort. An alternative and computationally efficient approach is the First Order Second Moment (FOSM) method which directly propagates the uncertainty originating from parameter uncertainty into the result. We apply the FOSM method to both the groundwater flow and solute transport equations. It is shown how calibration on the basis of measured heads and concentrations yield the Principle of Interdependent Uncertainty that correlates the uncertainties of feasible transmissivities and recharge rates. The method is used to compute the uncertainty of steady state heads and of steady state solute concentrations. The method is illustrated by application to the Palla Road aquifer in semiarid Botswana, for which the quantification of the uncertainty range of groundwater recharge is of prime interest. The uncertainty bounds obtained by the FOSM method correspond well with the results obtained by the Monte Carlo method. It is shown that at the planned abstraction rate the probability of exceeding the natural replenishment of the Palla Road aquifer by overpumping is 30%.