Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reconstructing the emergence of a lethal infectious disease of wildlife supports a key role for spread through translocations by humans

There have been few reconstructions of wildlife disease emergences, despite their extensive impact on biodiversity and human health. This is in large part attributable to the lack of structured and robust spatio-temporal datasets. We overcame logistical problems of obtaining suitable information by using data from a citizen science project and formulating spatio-temporal models of the spread of a wildlife pathogen (genus Ranavirus, infecting amphibians). We evaluated three main hypotheses for the rapid increase in disease reports in the UK: that outbreaks were being reported more frequently, that climate change had altered the interaction between hosts and a previously widespread pathogen, and that disease was emerging due to spatial spread of a novel pathogen. Our analysis characterized localized spread from nearby ponds, consistent with amphibian dispersal, but also revealed a highly significant trend for elevated rates of additional outbreaks in localities with higher human population density—pointing to human activities in also spreading the virus. Phylogenetic analyses of pathogen genomes support the inference of at least two independent introductions into the UK. Together these results point strongly to humans repeatedly translocating ranaviruses into the UK from other countries and between UK ponds, and therefore suggest potential control measures.
Dyscalculia: neuroscience and education

Background: Developmental dyscalculia is a heterogeneous disorder with largely dissociable performance profiles. Though our current understanding of the neurofunctional foundations of (adult) numerical cognition has increased considerably during the past two decades, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the developmental pathways of numerical cognition. Most studies on developmental dyscalculia are based upon adult calculation models which may not provide an adequate theoretical framework for understanding and investigating developing calculation systems. Furthermore, the applicability of neuroscience research to pedagogy has, so far, been limited. Purpose: After providing an overview of current conceptualisations of numerical cognition and developmental dyscalculia, the present paper (1) reviews recent research findings that are suggestive of a neurofunctional link between fingers (finger gnosis, finger-based counting and calculation) and number processing, and (2) takes the latter findings as an example to discuss how neuroscience findings may impact on educational understanding and classroom interventions. Sources of evidence: Finger-based number representations and finger-based calculation have deep roots in human ontology and phylogeny. Recently, accumulating empirical evidence supporting the hypothesis of a neurofunctional link between fingers and numbers has emerged from both behavioural and brain imaging studies. Main argument: Preliminary but converging research supports the notion that finger gnosis and finger use seem to be related to calculation proficiency in elementary school children. Finger-based counting and calculation may facilitate the establishment of mental number representations (possibly by fostering the mapping from concrete non-symbolic to abstract symbolic number magnitudes), which in turn seem to be the foundations for successful arithmetic achievement. Conclusions: Based on the findings illustrated here, it is plausible to assume that finger use might be an important and complementary aid (to more traditional pedagogical methods) to establish mental number representations and/or to facilitate learning to count and calculate. Clearly, future prospective studies are needed to investigate whether the explicit use of fingers in early mathematics teaching might prove to be beneficial for typically developing children and/or might support the mapping from concrete to abstract number representations in children with and without developmental dyscalculia.
Aerosol retrieval over snow using RemoTAP

In order to conduct accurate aerosol retrieval over snow, the Remote Sensing of Trace Gases and Aerosol Products (RemoTAP) algorithm developed by SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research is extended with a Bi-directional Reflection Distribution Function (BRDF) for snow surfaces. The capability of the extended algorithm is validated with both synthetic measurements and real satellite measurements from PARASOL and a comparison has been made to retrievals with the baseline RemoTAP (without snow kernel). For retrievals on real PARASOL observations, we use pixels over AERONET 10 stations for validation and we use the MODIS snow cover products to identify pixels over snow. We evaluate the retrieved aerosol optical thickness (AOT) at 550 nm ( 𝜏𝜏 550 ), single-scattering albedo (SSA) at 550 nm ( 𝜔𝜔 550 ), and Angstrom exponent (AE) for 440 nm – 870 nm ( AE 440−870 ). Both the experiments with synthetic-and real data show that the extended RemoTAP maintains capability on snow-free pixels and has obvious advantages on accuracy and fraction of successful retrievals for retrieval over snow, especially over surfaces with snow cover > 75% . According to the real data experiment, we find that the 15 retrieval algorithm has difficulty in fitting the PARASOL 1020 nm band, where snow reflectance is significantly lower than that for the visible bands. When we perform a 4-band retrieval (490 nm, 565 nm, 670 nm, 865 nm) with the extended RemoTAP, we obtain a good retrieval result for 𝜏𝜏 550 , 𝜔𝜔 550 and AE 440−870 . Therefore, the 4-band retrieval with the extended RemoTAP is recommended for aerosol retrieval over snow.
Analysis of ultrafast material processing using flexible beam delivery

Flexible beam delivery can significantly simplify the necessary effort to connect a laser source to an application. While already a standard in high power cw-applications, ultrashort pulse applications in the ps to fs regime mainly relies on free space beam delivery to date. In the last years we have introduced and characterized a modular beam delivery system for ultrashort high energy pulses [1]. It is based on micro structured hollow core fibers that confine the light into a hollow core and thereby allow pulse delivery way above the damage threshold of silica with minimal influence on the pulse. Ultrafast pulses with pulse energies of several 100 μJ and average powers of several 100 W can be transmitted with high single mode beam quality. Additionally, nonlinear effects inside the fiber can be actively used to adjust pulse parameters on the fly, e.g. an effective pulse compression which increases the peak power even further. Here we show the analysis of short pulse material processing using the flexible beam delivery. Results for sensitive processes as well as the active use of nonlinear spectral broadening are shown.
Fast Adaptation to New Environments via Policy-Dynamics Value Functions

Encoders: The encoders consist of one layer composed of two sublayers, followed by another fully connected layer. The first sublayer, is a single-head self-attention mechanism, and the second is a simple fully connected feed-forward network. We employ a residual connection around each of the two sub-layers, followed by layer normalization and dropout. We use a dropout of 0.1 for all experiments. To facilitate these residual connections, all sublayers in the model, as well as the embedding layers, produce outputs of dimension dmodel = 64. The second layer of the encoder projects the output of the first layer into the embedding space (from dmodel to demb). The policy encoder takes as input a set of state-action pairs (st, at) from an full trajectory and outputs an embedding for the policy.
Weakly Supervised Object Localization with Progressive Domain Adaptation Supplementary Material

In this supplementary material, we present three additional results to complement the paper. First, we report detailed quantitative evaluation on the PASCAL VOC and ILSVRC object detection datasets. Second, we show additional qualitative detection results on the VOC 2007 dataset. Third, we analyze the errors of three variants of the proposed approach and show relative contributions from each component.
An Investigation Of The Relation Between Corporate Governance And Liquidity: Empirical Evidence From France

This study investigates the impact of corporate governance effectiveness on the market stock liquidity. It is innovative, since we study, on an order driven market, the global effect of corporate governance and the effect of specific governance sub-indexes. Drawing on a sample of 287 French firms from 2007 to 2012, we find that corporate governance is a significant determinant of stock liquidity. Indeed, companies with an effective corporate governance have a narrower spreads. That’s mean that corporate governance may alleviate information asymmetry and improve the market stock liquidity of French companies. Our results are remarkably robust to other set of measures of liquidity as the effective spread measure and illiquidity ratio. These results suggest that firms may improve stock market liquidity by adopting best practices of corporate governance that mitigate informational asymmetries.
An effective members-adding method for truss topology optimization based on principal stress trajectories

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an effective members-adding method for truss topology optimization in plastic design. Design/methodology/approach With the help of the distribution of principal stress trajectories, obtained by finite element analysis of the design domain, ineffective zones for force transmission paths can be found, namely, areas whose nodes may have ersatz nodal displacements. Members connected by these nodes are eliminated and the reduced ground structure is used for optimization. Adding members in short to long order and limiting the number of members properly with the most strained ones added, large-scale truss problems in one load case and multiple-load cases are optimized. Findings Inefficient members (i.e. bars that fulfil the adding criterion but make no contribution to the optimal structure) added to the ground structure in each iterative step are reduced. Fewer members are used for optimization than before; therefore, faster solution convergence and less computation time are achieved with the optimized result unchanged. Originality/value The proposed members-adding method in the paper can alleviate the phenomenon of ersatz nodal displacements, enhance computational efficiency and save calculating resources effectively.
On Errors in Stratified Randomization

ABSTRACT Stratified randomization is widely used in clinical trials to achieve balance of the treatment assignment with regard to important prognostic factors. Sometimes the prognostic or stratification factor is concerned with patient medical and medication history, for which accurate information may not be available at the time of randomization. Therefore, the value of the stratification factor provided at randomization may later be identified to be incorrect. When such errors occur, patients may be allocated into strata they do not belong to. The intended treatment balance regarding the stratification factors may be disrupted. We evaluated the impact of such errors in stratification on the intended balance. We further investigated the analysis options in presence of stratification errors under both randomization and population models. Some simulations were performed to evaluate the treatment balance and properties of analysis approaches. We also provided experience with some real clinical trials.
Health Savings Accounts: Consumer Contribution Strategies and Policy Implications

Background. Health savings accounts (HSAs) are tax-advantaged savings accounts available only to households with high-deductible health insurance. This article provides initial answers to two questions: 1) How should a household budget for its annual HSA contributions? 2) Do current contribution limits provide households with the flexibility to use HSAs efficiently? To answer these questions, we formulate the household’s problem as one of determining a contribution strategy for minimizing total expected discounted medical costs. Methods. We use the 2002–2014 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to develop a novel data-driven model for forecasting a household’s health care costs based on its current cost percentile and other characteristics. A dynamic policy, in which the contribution each year brings the HSA balance up to a household-specific threshold, is derived. This is compared to a simpler static policy in which the target HSA balance is simply the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum, with contributions in any year capped by a limit. Results. We find that: 1) the dynamic policy can save a household up to 19% in costs compared to the static one that is a proxy for typical contribution behavior; and 2) the recommended contribution amounts for 9% to 11% of households in a given year materially exceed what is currently allowed by the federal government. Conclusions. The dynamic policy derived from our data-analytic framework is able to unlock significant tax savings for health care consumers. To allow all households to use HSAs in a tax-efficient manner, a two-tiered contribution policy is needed: Allow unlimited contributions up to some balance, and then impose restrictions thereafter. The resulting impact on overall tax receipts is estimated to be well below what is currently allowed by legislation.
Predicting digital asset market based on blockchain activity data

Blockchain technology shows significant results and huge potential for serving as an interweaving fabric that goes through every industry and market, allowing decentralized and secure value exchange, thus connecting our civilization like never before. The standard approach for asset value predictions is based on market analysis with an LSTM neural network. Blockchain technologies, however, give us access to vast amounts of public data, such as the executed transactions and the account balance distribution. We explore whether analyzing this data with modern Deep Leaning techniques results in higher accuracies than the standard approach. During a series of experiments on the Ethereum blockchain, we achieved $4$ times error reduction with blockchain data than an LSTM approach with trade volume data. By utilizing blockchain account distribution histograms, spatial dataset modeling, and a Convolutional architecture, the error was reduced further by 26\%. The proposed methodologies are implemented in an open source cryptocurrency prediction framework, allowing them to be used in other analysis contexts.
CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIFUNGAL, ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL, AND CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITIES OF Talinum paniculatum

SUMMARY In this study, the bioactivity of Talinum paniculatum was evaluated, a plant widely used in folk medicine. The extract from the T. paniculatum leaves (LE) was obtained by percolation with ethanol-water and then subjecting it to liquid-liquid partitions, yielding hexane (HX), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), butanol (BuOH), and aqueous (Aq) fractions. Screening for antimicrobial activity of the LE and its fractions was evaluated in vitro through broth microdilution method, against thirteen pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms, and the antimycobacterial activity was performed through agar diffusion assay. The cytotoxic concentrations (CC90) for LE, HX, and EtOAc were obtained on BHK-21 cells by using MTT reduction assay. The LE showed activity against Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of 250 and 500 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, HX demonstrated outstanding activity against Micrococcus luteusand Candida albicans with a MIC of 31.2 µg/mL in both cases. The MIC for EtOAc also was 31.2 µg/mL against Escherichia coli. Conversely, BuOH and Aq were inactive against all tested microorganisms and LE proved inactive against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis as well. Campesterol, stigmasterol, and sitosterol were the proposed structures as main compounds present in the EF and HX/EtOAc fractions, evidenced by mass spectrometry. Therefore, LE, HX, and EtOAc from T. paniculatum showed potential as possible sources of antimicrobial compounds, mainly HX, for presenting low toxicity on BHK-21 cells with excellent Selectivity Index (SI = CC90/MIC) of 17.72 against C. albicans.
Erratum: “Modeling the Thermodynamic Evolution of Coronal Mass Ejections Using Their Kinematics” (2018, ApJ, 865, 50)

In the published article ( hereafter referred to as Paper I ) , we improved a self-similar ﬂ ux-rope internal state ( FRIS ) model for understanding the evolution of various internal dynamic ( Lorentz, thermal, and centrifugal forces ) and thermodynamic parameters ( polytropic index, heating rate, etc. ) of a coronal mass ejection ( CME ) . We implemented the FRIS model to a CME that occurred on 2008 December 12. Although the physical basis and methods of building the analytical FRIS model have no errors in Paper I, we recently discovered an initial miscalculation in the expression of the Lorentz force ( Equation ( 23 ) in Paper I ) , resulting in systematic errors in calculating several other parameters. The miscalculation did not signi ﬁ cantly alter the general trends of the derived internal state parameters of the CME but affected the absolute or scaled magnitude of the derived parameters. In this erratum, we present a detailed account of the modi ﬁ cations made in the equations. We redo the analysis keeping our methodology exactly the same as in Paper I and provide updated ﬁ gures of the derived dynamic and thermodynamic parameters. With corrections incorporated, the notable changes in the equations of Paper I are as follows. Equation ( 23 ) of Paper I will be revised as
Key success factor in the innovative transformation of state-owned roller enterprises in China

The state-owned enterprises based iron and steel industry in China encountered the sharply decreasing business performance of large steel works resulted from the reform in 1990. Delphi Method is utilized for analyzing the strategies and approaches of innovative business model, and the MEFAS model is proposed for innovation management in roller industry, including material breakthrough, experience sales, focus marketing, corporate network alliance, real-time supply chain, reorganization, and innovative enterprise culture. Beijing Shougang Jingshun Rolls Co., Ltd. is sampled for the case study. Total 250 copies of questionnaires are distributed, and 178 valid copies are retrieved, with the retrieval rate 71%. The result shows that Material R&D Innovation, weighted 0.208, about 20.8% of overall weight, is mostly emphasized, followed by Local Supply Chain Innovation (weighted 0.174), Construction of Innovative Culture (weighted 0.168), Reorganization (weighted 0.142), Marketing Innovation (weighted 0.129), Organizational Network Innovation (weighted 0.116), and Sales Innovation (weighted 0.063).
Convergence and density results for parabolic quasi-linear Venttsel' problems in fractal domains

In this paper we study a quasi-linear evolution equation with nonlinear dynamical boundary conditions in a three dimensional fractal cylindrical domain \begin{document} $Q$ \end{document} , whose lateral boundary is a fractal surface \begin{document} $S$ \end{document} . We consider suitable approximating pre-fractal problems in the corresponding pre-fractal varying domains. After proving existence and uniqueness results via standard semigroup approach, we prove density results for the domains of energy functionals defined on \begin{document} $Q$ \end{document} and \begin{document} $S$ \end{document} . Then we prove that the pre-fractal solutions converge in a suitable sense to the limit fractal one via the Mosco convergence of the energy functionals.
Window of Opportunity: War and the Origins of Parliament

Two important puzzles characterize the development of pre-modern Eurasian polities. First, most rulers convened councils of nobles, but only European monarchs expanded them to create parliaments. Second, war was common throughout Eurasia, but only in Europe did it correlate with the formation of parliaments. We advance a new argument about the emergence of parliaments that accounts for both stylized facts while integrating the literature highlighting the rulers' need to finance wars with that emphasizing the importance of the medieval communal revolution. Using novel data, we document a ‘no communes, no parliaments’ rule: monarchs established parliaments only after they had fostered the creation of self-governing towns (aka communes). We also show that war was a significant predictor of parliamentary births across medieval Europe – but only during a window of opportunity that opened after a polity had experienced the communal revolution.
Secondary scintillation properties of multi-layer THGEMs operated in low-pressure CF4 and Ar/5%Xe

We present a measurement of the secondary scintillation yield produced by two-layer Thick Gas Electron Multipliers (M-THGEMs) in pure Tetrafluoromethane (CF4) gas and in Ar mixed with 5% Xe in low-pressures down to 20 Torr. The detector was irradiated with 5.49 MeV alpha particles from a low-rate 241-Am source. The secondary scintillation light generated during the gas avalanche process was read out by a Hamamatsu photomultiplier tube (model R8520-406), sensitive to a broad wavelength range (160–650 nm). The avalanche charge was collected on the bottom electrode of M-THGEM and correlated to the scintillation light on an event-by-event basis. We observed that, for both gas types, the value of the photon to electron production ratio (0.4 ph/el in CF4 and 0.1 ph/el in Ar/5%Xe) increases with the thickness of the M-THGEM electrodes and varies significantly with the pressure, being higher at lower values. The decrease in electroluminescence yield at higher pressures is much more pronounced in the Ar/Xe mixture. In addition, because of a larger gas avalanche volume, the electroluminescence light yield is larger in thicker M-THGEM structures. Presented results are particularly useful for designing the next generation of Optical-readout Time Projection Chambers (O-TPCs) operated at low-pressure CF4; applications include experimental nuclear physics with rare isotope beams, dark matter detection with directional sensitivity and observation of the Migdal effect in a low-pressure Optical TPC.
Robust inference for non‐linear regression models from the Tsallis score: Application to coronavirus disease 2019 contagion in Italy

We discuss an approach of robust fitting on non‐linear regression models, in both frequentist and Bayesian approaches, which can be employed to model and predict the contagion dynamics of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) in Italy. The focus is on the analysis of epidemic data using robust dose–response curves, but the functionality is applicable to arbitrary non‐linear regression models.
High Accuracy Face Geometry Capture using a Smartphone Video - Supplementary material

Beeler et al. [1] proposed using a high-pass filtered version of the texture to emboss a mesh with fine details, such as wrinkled and pores. The recent work of Sela et al. [3] proposed using the mesh itself to obtain the high frequency component of the texture, using heat flow to model a low pass filterer version of the texture. In their results, this modification allows them to capture more medium-to-fine scale details, such as the nasolabial folds. However, we observed that their method also tends to distort the mesh, and also pick up on other high frequency noise such as sensor noise that is not desirable. We thus propose to augment our reconstructions as follows: For a mesh with per vertex texture mapping τv , we calculate a low-pass filtered version of the texture as :