Twisted characteristic pp zeta functions

We propose a "twisted" variation of zeta functions introduced by David Goss in 1979

Special functions and twisted LL-series

We introduce a generalization of the Anderson-Thakur special function, and we prove a rationality result for several variable twisted $L$-series associated to shtuka functions

Hopf algebras and alternating multiple zeta values in positive characteristic

In \cite{IKLNDP23} we presented a systematic study of algebra structures of multiple zeta values in positive characteristic introduced by Thakur as analogues of classical multiple zeta values of Euler. In this paper we construct algebra and Hopf algebra structures of alternating multiple zeta values introduced by Harada, extending our previous work. Our results could be considered as an analogue of those of Hoffman \cite{Hof00} and Racinet \cite{Rac02} in the classical setting. The proof is based on two new ingredients: the first one is a direct and explicit construction of the shuffle Hopf algebra structure, and the second one is the notion of horizontal maps.Comment: 37 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2301.0590

Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma genitalium detection and sperm quality: A cross-sectional study in Vietnam

Background: Ureaplasma urealyticum (U. urealyticum) and Mycoplasma genitalium (M. genitalium) may colonize the male genital tract. However, the negative effects of these bacteria on overall sperm quality, including semen pH, sperm concentration, motility, morphology, and total sperm count remain unclear. Objective: This study aimed to determine the presence of genital U. urealyticum and M. genitalium in semen and evaluate the effect of these organisms on sperm quality. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 380 men from infertile couples at a tertiary university hospital from July 2017 to June 2018. Semen quality was analyzed according to the World Health Organization 2010 standard, and U. urealyticum and M. genitalium were detected in the semen samples using polymerase chain reaction. Results: 338 men (88.9%) presented with at least one abnormal semen parameter. The detection rates of U. urealyticum and M. genitalium were 16.05% and 0.79%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the Ureaplasma-positive group and the Ureaplasma-negative group in terms of sperm characteristics. Sperm motility and sperm vitality in the Mycoplasma-positive group were much lower than those in the Mycoplasma-negative group (p = 0.02 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The presence of U. urealyticum in the semen of infertile men did not affect the sperm characteristics. Although the positive rate of M. genitalium was low, colonization by these bacteria was more likely to negatively affect sperm quality. Key words: Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma genitalium, Infertility, Spermatozoa

Hygrothermal behaviour of hemp concrete; experimental evidences and modelling

This paper presents experimental hygrothermal data of an hemp concrete wall of dimensions 0.9×0.9×0.1 [m3]. The wall is instrumented with sensors to monitor temperature, relative humidity at the middle of the wall and incoming heat flows at the external surfaces. It is placed in a double climatic chamber that allows the regulation of temperature and relative humidity on each side of the wall, independently to each other. The experimental results leads to a clear identification of the coupling between the variation of the relative humidity inside the wall and its temperature. The validity of the commonly adopted assumptions for hygrothermal simulation are finally analyzed in the light of these experimental results. The material parameters used for the simulations are measured separately on decimetric samples of the same hemp concrete, which comes from the same mix and with the same apparent density

Okapi: Instruction-tuned Large Language Models in Multiple Languages with Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback

A key technology for the development of large language models (LLMs) involves instruction tuning that helps align the models' responses with human expectations to realize impressive learning abilities. Two major approaches for instruction tuning characterize supervised fine-tuning (SFT) and reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), which are currently applied to produce the best commercial LLMs (e.g., ChatGPT). To improve the accessibility of LLMs for research and development efforts, various instruction-tuned open-source LLMs have also been introduced recently, e.g., Alpaca, Vicuna, to name a few. However, existing open-source LLMs have only been instruction-tuned for English and a few popular languages, thus hindering their impacts and accessibility to many other languages in the world. Among a few very recent work to explore instruction tuning for LLMs in multiple languages, SFT has been used as the only approach to instruction-tune LLMs for multiple languages. This has left a significant gap for fine-tuned LLMs based on RLHF in diverse languages and raised important questions on how RLHF can boost the performance of multilingual instruction tuning. To overcome this issue, we present Okapi, the first system with instruction-tuned LLMs based on RLHF for multiple languages. Okapi introduces instruction and response-ranked data in 26 diverse languages to facilitate the experiments and development of future multilingual LLM research. We also present benchmark datasets to enable the evaluation of generative LLMs in multiple languages. Our experiments demonstrate the advantages of RLHF for multilingual instruction over SFT for different base models and datasets. Our framework and resources are released at https://github.com/nlp-uoregon/Okapi

Geology, Pb and S Isotope Geochemistry, and Genesis of the Na Bop-Pu Sap Lead-Zinc Deposit in the Cho Don area, Northeastern Vietnam

The Na Bop-Pu Sap Pb-Zn ore bodies represent a typical vein-type lead-zinc deposit situated in the Cho Don area and are currently being extracted for their lead and zinc resources. This deposit is characterized by its significant scale and quality and is considered one of the prominent lead-zinc deposits in the Cho Don area. Despite its significance, this deposit has not received adequate attention, resulting in limited knowledge of its geology, mineralization, and deposit genesis model. To address this knowledge gap, our study utilized several methodologies, including field surveying, ore mineral analysis under a microscope, and S and Pb isotopic geochemistry. By employing these approaches, we were able to obtain specific insights into the origin of mineralization and the deposit model. Our field survey suggests that the ore deposits are formed as Pb-Zn-bearing veins along Devonian shale, claystone, and limestone faults. Microscopic analyses of the veins reveal the presence of galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, and pyrrhotite as ore minerals, and quartz, calcite, dolomite, and chalcedony as gangue minerals. Sulfur-isotope values (δ34SCDT) of galena 5.3 to 0.1‰ (average 2.8‰), sphalerite 6.8 to 2.5‰ (average 5.3‰), and pyrite 5.8 to 4.1‰ (average 4.9‰) indicate that the sulfide mineralization may be related to a deep source, possibly originating from magmatic activity in the region and contaminated by carbonate-bearing marine sedimentary rocks. Lead-isotope studies indicate a model age of 598-424 Ma for the lead reservoir, consistent with the possible presence of local source rocks containing sulfur. The lead and sulfur in the ore veins were probably contaminated by Devonian carbonate-bearing marine sedimentary rocks and leached from Neoproterozoic to Cambrian magmatic activity. The lead-zinc deposits in Na Bop-Pu Sap do not display any Mississippi valley-type (MVT) or Sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) lead-zinc deposit characteristics, as they appear to be related to shear zone-hosted lead-zinc deposits