Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sediment resuspension enhances nutrient exchange in intertidal mudflats

Intertidal coastal sediments are important centers for nutrient transformation, regeneration, and storage. Sediment resuspension, due to wave action or tidal currents, can induce nutrient release to the water column and fuel primary production. Storms and extreme weather events are expected to increase due to climate change in coastal areas, but little is known about their effect on nutrient release from coastal sediments. We have conducted in-situ sediment resuspension experiments, in which erosion was simulated by a stepwise increase in current velocities, while measuring nutrient uptake or release in field flumes positioned on intertidal areas of a tidal bay (Eastern Scheldt) and an estuary (Western Scheldt). In both systems, the water column concentration of ammonium (NH4 +) and nitrite (NO2 −) increased predictably with greater erosion as estimated from pore water dilution and erosion depth. In contrast, the phosphate (PO4 3−) dynamics were different between systems, and those of nitrate (NO3 −) were small and variable. Notably, sediment resuspension caused a decrease in the overlying water PO4 3− concentration in the tidal bay, while an increase was observed in the estuarine sediments. Our observations showed that the concentration of PO4 3− in the water column was more intensely affected by resuspension than that of NH4 + and NO2 −. The present study highlights the differential effect of sediment resuspension on nutrient exchange in two contrasting tidal coastal environments.
Two-stage bias correction estimators based on generalized partitioning estimation method†

The generalized partitioning estimation method, which is well known in tho literature (for example, Lainiotis 1976), is applied to solve the bias correction filtering, predicting and amoothing problems for a linear continuous.time system with undisturbable bias subsystem. With tho aid of an initial dependent-type partitioning approach, it is shown that the Friedland (1969) elemental results con be readily extended to the more general case where the bias and the original states are mutually dependent at the initial time, and that two-stage bias correction predictors and smoothers can also be developed. Finally, the dual set of Chandrasekhar algorithms, which alleviates the computation burden for a bias correction fixed-interval smoother evolving forwards in time, is presented.
Lorentzian loop quantum gravity vertex amplitude

We generalize a model recently proposed for Euclidean quantum gravity to the case of Lorentzian signature. The main features of the Euclidean model are preserved in the Lorentzian one. In particular, the boundary Hilbert space matches the one of SU(2) loop quantum gravity. As in the Euclidean case, the model can be obtained from the Lorentzian Barrett–Crane model from a flipping of the Poisson structure, or alternatively, by adding a topological term to the action and taking the small Barbero–Immirzi parameter limit.
Diagnostic Evaluation Using Salivary Gland Ultrasonography in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome

The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical manifestations in patients with early primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) based on the severity score found by salivary gland ultrasonography. Thirty-five newly diagnosed patients with early pSS were enrolled and divided into mild (score 0–1) and severe (score 2–3) groups according to the salivary gland ultrasonography grade (SGUS) scores at baseline. Clinical evaluation, ESSPRI and ESSDAI index values, sicca symptoms of the mouth, salivary capacity, and serum autoantibodies and cytokines were investigated. The mean age of pSS patients at diagnosis was 49.9 ± 11.9 years, and the mean duration of sicca symptoms was 0.58 years. ESSPRI (EULAR Sjögren’s syndrome patient report index) and ESSDAI (EULAR Sjögren’s syndrome disease index) scores were 15.97 and 4.77, respectively. Clinical manifestations, including the low production of saliva and autoantibody production, such as antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, and anti-SSA antibody, were found. A higher prevalence of rheumatoid factor (p = 0.0365) and antinuclear antibody (p = 0.0063) and a higher elevation of total IgG (p = 0.0365) were found in the severe group than in the mild group. In addition, the elevated titer of IL-25 was detected in the severe group than in the mild group. This observation indicated that salivary gland ultrasonography grade (SGUS) scans may help physicians diagnose pSS and the elevated titer of IL-25 in patients may be implicated in the pathogenesis of pSS.
Bright and multicolor luminescent colloidal Si nanocrystals prepared by pulsed laser irradiation in liquid

We reported the preparation of bright and multicolor luminescent colloidal Si nanocrystal (Si-nc) by pulsed UV laser irradiation to porous Si (PSi) in an organic solvent. The different-luminescence-color (different-sized) colloidal Si-nc was produced by the pulsed laser-induced fragmentation of different-sized porous nanostructures. The colloidal Si-nc samples were found to have higher photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (20%–23%) than the PSi samples (1%–3%). The brighter emission of the colloidal Si-nc was attributed to an enhanced radiative band-to-band transition rate due to the presence of a surface organic layer formed by UV laser-induced hydrosilylation.
Near Field Zones of Quiet

Abstract This paper examines the consequences of driving a single secondary loudspeaker to cancel the pressure due to some primary source at a point in its near field. This simple technique has been applied to the sound field in a highly reverberant room to produce zones of quiet in the vicinity of the loudspeaker, which have diameters that are typically equal to one-tenth of the acoustic wavelength, within which the sound pressure level is attenuated by at least 10 dB. The principal advantage gained with this strategy over other active techniques for controlling the sound field in rooms is that the sound pressure level well away from the control point is largely unaffected, an increase of only a small fraction of one dB being typical. Such a loudspeaker-microphone configuration could be located, for example, in the head rests of cars or aeroplanes, or indeed anywhere where the listener is seated for significant lengths of time and subjected to high ambient noise levels such that auditory comfort may be disturbed. Measurements are presented of the near field quiet zone in a reverberant room at frequencies well above the Schroeder frequency. These experimental findings, which represent a space averaged result over source position, indicate good agreement with the simple theory developed in this paper. It is demonstrated theoretically that the diameter of the quiet zone formed at any arbitrary point and direction in the near field of the loudspeaker is numerically proportional to the specific acoustic impedance at that point and direction. In general terms, the 10 dB quiet zone is observed to increase as the diameter of the secondary loudspeaker increases and the microphone is moved increasingly further from the loudspeaker. Close to the loudspeaker the pressure due to the secondary source is predominantly governed by the directly radiated near field and so the quiet zone formed in this region is therefore insensitive to the nature of the primary sound field. This important feature makes it highly suitable for producing reductions in the sound pressure level within enclosed spaces at frequencies where the modal density is high such that global control strategies are rendered ineffective.
From limits of quantum operations to multicopy entanglement witnesses and state-spectrum estimation

Limits of state transformations in quantum mechanics are studied. Impossibility of physical implementation of the transformation Q O × n . →Q n in quantum mechanics is proved. The most natural notions of structural completely positive approximation and structural physical approximations of nonphysical map are introduced. It is shown that these always exist for linear Hermitian maps and can be optimized under natural conditions. It is pointed out that it is physically possible to measure in a simple way the traces of nth power of quantum state Tr( n ) if only joint measurements on n copies of the system are allowed. This gives the interpretation of Tsallis entropies as values of "multicopy" observables. Following this observations, the notion of multicopy entanglement witnesses is defined and examples are provided. Finally, using notion of multicopy observable, a simple method of spectrum state estimation is discussed.
Rates of convergence of posterior distributions

We compute the rate at which the posterior distribution concentrates around the true parameter value. The spaces we work in are quite general and include infinite dimensional cases. The rates are driven by two quantities: the size of the space, as measured by bracketing entropy, and the degree to which the prior concentrates in a small ball around the true parameter. We consider two examples.
Turning Back the Clock: A Retrospective Single-Blind Study on Brain Age Change in Response to Nutraceuticals Supplementation vs. Lifestyle Modifications

Background: There is a growing consensus that chronological age (CA) is not an accurate indicator of the aging process and that biological age (BA) instead is a better measure of an individual’s risk of age-related outcomes and a more accurate predictor of mortality than actual CA. In this context, BA measures the “true” age, which is an integrated result of an individual’s level of damage accumulation across all levels of biological organization, along with preserved resources. The BA is plastic and depends upon epigenetics. Brain state is an important factor contributing to health- and lifespan. Methods and Objective: Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG)-derived brain BA (BBA) is a suitable and promising measure of brain aging. In the present study, we aimed to show that BBA can be decelerated or even reversed in humans (N = 89) by using customized programs of nutraceutical compounds or lifestyle changes (mean duration = 13 months). Results: We observed that BBA was younger than CA in both groups at the end of the intervention. Furthermore, the BBA of the participants in the nutraceuticals group was 2.83 years younger at the endpoint of the intervention compared with their BBA score at the beginning of the intervention, while the BBA of the participants in the lifestyle group was only 0.02 years younger at the end of the intervention. These results were accompanied by improvements in mental–physical health comorbidities in both groups. The pre-intervention BBA score and the sex of the participants were considered confounding factors and analyzed separately. Conclusions: Overall, the obtained results support the feasibility of the goal of this study and also provide the first robust evidence that halting and reversal of brain aging are possible in humans within a reasonable (practical) timeframe of approximately one year.
Framework for adaptive interoperability of manufacturing enterprises (FAIME): a case study

In todays global economy, manufacturing industries require to connect disparate applications seamlessly. They require not only to exchange data and transactions, but present a single business process image to their employees in the office, headquarters, and on the plant floor. Also, it is imperative that small and medium size manufacturing companies deploy manufacturing execution systems applications in conjunction with modern enterprise resource programs for cycle time reduction and better quality. This paper presents the experiences and reflections on a project that created a tool set to assist the above be accomplished not only in a shorter cycle time, with a better predictable quality, and with an object oriented framework, but also a tool set that allows the manufacturer to still use legacy applications. This framework has the capability of plug-and- play so that future migrations and re-engineering of processes are more productive.
The Market for Privacy: Understanding How Consumers Trade Off Privacy Practices

In recent years, firms’ privacy practices have received increasing attention from consumers. While firms largely see this development as a threat, as consumers might prohibit collection or use of data, we suggest that it can also represent an opportunity for firms. On the “market for privacy,” firms can gain a competitive advantage by differentiating and actively promoting preferred privacy practices. In this context, the authors study how consumers trade off five privacy elements, three relating to distributive fairness (i.e., information collection, storage, use) and two relating to procedural fairness (i.e., transparency, control). Moreover, they analyze how the impact of these elements differs among four industries that vary in information sensitivity and interaction intensity. By using discrete choice experiments, the authors show that all privacy elements matter to consumers, even when in a trade-off with price. In highly sensitive industries, differences in information collection and use matter more, while storage matters less, for differentiation. When consumers have less frequent interactions with companies, they require more transparency about their privacy practices. The authors demonstrate empirically that optimizing privacy practices can lead to robust changes in market shares (Study 1) and higher revenues in equilibrium (Study 2) when firms embrace the market for privacy.
An algorithm for edge-coloring of multigraphs

Soit d(G) le degre maximum d'un multigraphe G et soit t(G) le nombre maximum de bords dans le sous-graphe induit par les 3 sommets d'un triangle. Aussi, soit q(G)=max {t(G), [5d(G)/4+1/2]}. Alors, on presente un algorithme COLOR, qui colore les bores d'un multigraphe arbitraire G=(V, E) avec au plus q(G) couleurs. Le temps de calcul de COLOR est de O(|E|(d(G)+|V|)) et la memoire necessaire est de O(|E|)
Identification of Clinical Response Predictors of Tocilizumab Treatment in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Based on Single-Center Experience

Hyperinflammation in COVID-19 plays a crucial role in pathogenesis and severity; thus, many immunomodulatory agents are applied in its treatment. We aimed to identify good clinical response predictors of tocilizumab (TCZ) treatment in severe COVID-19, among clinical, laboratory, and radiological variables. We conducted a prospective, observational study with 120 patients with severe COVID-19 not improving despite dexamethasone (DEX) treatment. We used parametric and non-parametric statistics, univariate logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and nonlinear factors tertile analysis. In total, 86 (71.7%) patients achieved the primary outcome of a good clinical response to TCZ. We identified forty-nine predictive factors with potential utility in patient selection and treatment monitoring. The strongest included time from symptom onset between 9 and 12 days, less than 70% of estimated radiological lung involvement, and lower activity of lactate dehydrogenase. Additional predictors were associated with respiratory function, vitamin D concentration, comorbidities, and inflammatory/organ damage biomarkers. Adverse events analysis proved the safety of such a regimen. Our study confirmed that using TCZ early in the hyperinflammatory phase, before severe respiratory failure development, is most beneficial. Considering the described predictive factors, employing simple and widely available laboratory, radiological, and clinical tools can optimize patient selection for immunomodulatory treatment with TCZ.
Puumala Hantavirus Infections Show Extensive Variation in Clinical Outcome

The clinical outcome of Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infection shows extensive variation, ranging from inapparent subclinical infection (70–80%) to severe hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), with about 0.1% of cases being fatal. Most hospitalized patients experience acute kidney injury (AKI), histologically known as acute hemorrhagic tubulointerstitial nephritis. Why this variation? There is no evidence that there would be more virulent and less virulent variants infecting humans, although this has not been extensively studied. Individuals with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles B*08 and DRB1*0301 are likely to have a severe form of the PUUV infection, and those with B*27 are likely to have a benign clinical course. Other genetic factors, related to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene and the C4A component of the complement system, may be involved. Various autoimmune phenomena and Epstein-Barr virus infection are associated with PUUV infection, but hantavirus-neutralizing antibodies are not associated with lower disease severity in PUUV HFRS. Wide individual differences occur in ocular and central nervous system (CNS) manifestations and in the long-term consequences of nephropathia epidemica (NE). Numerous biomarkers have been detected, and some are clinically used to assess and predict the severity of PUUV infection. A new addition is the plasma glucose concentration associated with the severity of both capillary leakage, thrombocytopenia, inflammation, and AKI in PUUV infection. Our question, “Why this variation? ” remains largely unanswered.
16S-rRNA-Based Metagenomic Profiling of the Bacterial Communities in Traditional Bulgarian Sourdoughs

Sourdoughs (SDs) are spontaneously formed microbial ecosystems composed of various species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and acid-tolerant yeasts in food matrices of cereal flours mixed with water. To date, more than 90 LAB species have been isolated, significantly impacting the organoleptic characteristics, shelf life, and health properties of bakery products. To learn more about the unique bacterial communities involved in creating regional Bulgarian sourdoughs, we examined the metacommunities of five sourdoughs produced by spontaneous fermentation and maintained by backslopping in bakeries from three geographic locations. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that the former genus Lactobacillus was predominant in the studied sourdoughs (51.0–78.9%). Weissella (0.9–42.8%), Herbaspirillum (1.6–3.8%), Serratia (0.1–11.7%), Pediococcus (0.2–7.5%), Bacteroides (0.1–1.3%), and Sphingomonas (0.1–0.5%) were also found in all 5 samples. Genera Leuconostoc, Enterococcus, Bacillus, and Asaia were sample-specific. It is interesting to note that the genus Weissella was more abundant in wholegrain samples. The greatest diversity at the species level was found in the former genus Lactobacillus, presented in the sourdough samples with 13 species. The UPGMA cluster analysis clearly demonstrated similarity in species’ relative abundance between samples from the same location. In addition, we can conclude that the presence of two main clusters—one including samples from mountainous places (the cities of Smolyan and Bansko) and the other including samples from the city of Ruse (the banks of the Danube River)—may indicate the impact of climate and geographic location (e.g., terrain, elevation, land use, and nearby water bodies and their streams) on the abundance of microbiome taxa. As the bacterial population is crucial for bread standardization, we expect the local bakery sector to be interested in the relationship between process variables and their effect on bacterial dynamics described in this research study.
Zero-subject Resolution by Probabilistic Model

主語のない日本語文 に対 し,確 率モデル を用いて 自動的にゼロ主語を補完す る手法 に ついて述べ る. こ れは,日 英機械翻訳の前処理 としての 自動短文分割の後で適用 され るものである. 確 率モデル を用いる方法 として,従 来(1)多 次元正規分布 に基づ くモ デル を利用す るものが あった. 本 稿 では,新 たに3種 類のゼ ロ主語補完のためのモデ ル を提案す る. そ れ らは,連 続分布 に対 して,(2)正 規分布 に基づ くGram-Charlier 展開を多次元 に拡張 した分布(疑 似正規分布)に 基づ くモデル,離 散分布 に対 しては, (3)1次 対数線形分布,(4)2次 対数線形分布に基づ くモデルである. こ れ ら4種 の確 率モデルについて,補 完精度 を比較 する実験 を行った. そ の結果,(1)~(4)の 精度は, 順 に, 7 3%, 7 8%, 7 8%, 8 1%で あ り,2次 対数線形分布 を用 いる方法が最 も精度が高かった. ま た,補 完 を誤 った事例 について考察 を加 えた結果,主 語 と述語 の意味的整合性 をよ り正確 に計算す る必要が あることなどがわかった.
Academic women’s negotiation of gender identities in non-elite Chinese universities

Introduction This study employs Butler’s concept of identity to unpack how non-elite Chinese university academic women negotiate gender identities under the influence of the wider social discourses around gender in their institutional context. Methods The study includes two empirical investigations of (i) semi-structured interviews and (ii) photovoice interviews with six women academics from six different non-elite Chinese universities. Results and Discussion We found that most interviewees tended to value their teacher identity and meanwhile downplay their researcher identity in the professional field; while in the private field, they paid more attention to their mother identity at the cost of downplaying their career development. The study also reveals that, in the process of gender negotiation, the interviewees commonly adopted two strategies: (i) creating space and time for identity performance, and (ii) persuading with selves to accept multiple identities. This article contributes to the understanding of Chinese academic women in non-elite public universities from a Butlerian perspective.
Evaporation and Precipitation Surface Effects in Local Mass Continuity Laws of Moist Air

Abstract The local mass balance equations of cloudy air are formulated for a model system composed of dry air, water vapor, and four categories of water condensate particles, as typically adopted for numerical weather prediction and climate models. The choice of the barycentric velocity as reference motion provides the most convenient form of the total mass continuity equation. Mass transfer across the earth’s surface due to precipitation and evaporation causes a nonvanishing barycentric vertical velocity ws and is proportional to the local difference between evaporation rate and rain plus snow rate. Hence ws vanishes only in the special situation that evaporation and precipitation balance exactly. Alternative concepts related to different reference motions are reviewed. However, the choice of the barycentric velocity turns out to be advantageous for several reasons. The implication of the nonvanishing total mass transport across the earth’s surface is estimated from model simulations for two extreme weat.
Masking important information to assess the robustness of a multimodal classifier for emotion recognition

Deep neural networks have been proven effective in classifying human interactions into emotions, especially by encoding multiple input modalities. In this work, we assess the robustness of a transformer-based multimodal audio-text classifier for emotion recognition, by perturbing the input at inference time using attacks which we design specifically to corrupt information deemed important for emotion recognition. To measure the impact of the attacks on the classifier, we compare between the accuracy of the classifier on the perturbed input and on the original, unperturbed input. Our results show that the multimodal classifier is more resilient to perturbation attacks than the equivalent unimodal classifiers, suggesting that the two modalities are encoded in a way that allows the classifier to benefit from one modality even when the other one is slightly damaged.