Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamical coherent states and physical solutions of quantum cosmological bounces

A new model is studied which describes the quantum behavior of transitions through an isotropic quantum cosmological bounce in loop quantum cosmology sourced by a free and massless scalar field. As an exactly solvable model even at the quantum level, it illustrates properties of dynamical coherent states and provides the basis for a systematic perturbation theory of loop quantum gravity. The detailed analysis is remarkably different from what is known for harmonic oscillator coherent states. Results are evaluated with regard to their implications in cosmology, including a demonstration that in general quantum fluctuations before and after the bounce are unrelated. Thus, even within this solvable model the condition of classicality at late times does not imply classicality at early times before the bounce without further assumptions. Nevertheless, the quantum state does evolve deterministically through the bounce.
The Status of Women in Corporate Governance in High–Growth, High–Potential Firms

Surveys of the largest U.S. corporations routinely demonstrate that the role of women in corporate governance is acutely limited. In this research we examine how high–growth entrepreneurial sectors of the economy compare to that standard. We posit that high demand labor markets, enhanced higher education of women, and dynamic industry and firm conditions could result in a greater participation of women executives in firms moving toward major corporate status through initial public offering. However, our study results show few significant differences between women's participation in high–growth, high–potential firms versus the Fortune 500. Several of the findings directly contradict our hypotheses, with lower rates of women as board directors and a greater likelihood of the executive team being composed exclusively of men in high–growth, high–potential firms. Women are not present in the top leadership spots of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Chair in either sector, and within high–growth firms are significantly less likely to be found on the boards of venture capital backed companies. The implications of these findings for companies, for policy, and for women and men planning careers in business are discussed.
Elimination of GRK2 from Cholinergic Neurons Reduces Behavioral Sensitivity to Muscarinic Receptor Activation

Although G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) is the most widely studied member of a family of kinases that has been shown to exert powerful influences on a variety of G-protein-coupled receptors, its role in the brain remains largely unknown. Here we report the localization of GRK2 in the mouse brain and generate novel conditional knock-out (KO) mice to assess the physiological importance of this kinase in cholinergic neurons. Mice with the selective deletion of GRK2 in this cell population (ChATIRES-creGrk2f/f KO mice) exhibit reduced behavioral responsiveness to challenge with oxotremorine-M (Oxo-M), a nonselective muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist. Specifically, Oxo-M-induced hypothermia, hypolocomotion, and salivation were markedly reduced in these animals, while analgesic responses were unaltered. In contrast, we found that GRK2 deficiency in cholinergic neurons does not alter cocaine-induced psychomotor activation, behavioral sensitization, or conditioned place preference. These results demonstrate that the elimination of GRK2 in cholinergic neurons reduces sensitivity to select muscarinic-mediated behaviors, while dopaminergic effects remain intact and further suggests that GRK2 may selectively impair muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated function in vivo.
Towards understanding the mass–metallicity relation of quasar absorbers: evidence for bimodality and consequences

One way to characterize and understand H i-selected galaxies is to study their metallicity properties. In particular, we show that the metallicity of absorbers is a bivariate function of the H i column density (NH i) and the Mg ii equivalent width (Wλ2796r). Thus, a selection upon Wλ2796r is not equivalent to a H i selection for intervening absorbers. A direct consequence for damped absorbers with log NH i > 20.3 that falls from the bivariate metallicity distribution is that any correlation between the metallicity [X/H] and velocity width (using Wλ2796r as a proxy) cannot be interpreted as a signature of the mass–metallicity relation akin to normal field galaxies. In other words, damped Lyα absorber (DLA) samples are intrinsically heterogeneous and the [X/H]–Wλ2796r or [X/H]–Δv correlation reported in the literature arises from the H i cut. On the other hand, a sample of Mg ii-selected absorbers, which are statistically dominated by lowest NH i systems (sub-DLAs) at each Wλ2796r, is found to have a more uniform metallicity distribution. We postulate that the bivariate distribution [[X/H](NH i, Wλ2796r)] can be explained by two different physical origins of absorbers, namely sight lines through the interstellar medium of small galaxies and sight lines through the out-flowing material. Several published results follow from the bivariate [X/H] distribution, namely (i) the properties of the two classes of DLAs, reported by Wolfe et al. and (ii) the constant dust-to-gas ratio for Mg ii absorbers.
Lopsided galaxies: the case of NGC 891

It has been known for a long time that a large fraction of disc galaxies are lopsided. We simulate three different mechanisms that can induce lopsidedness: flyby interactions, gas accretion from cosmological filaments and ram pressure from the intergalactic medium. Comparing the morphologies, H i spectrum, kinematics and m= 1 Fourier components, we find that all of these mechanisms can induce lopsidedness in galaxies, although in different degrees and with observable consequences. The time-scale over which lopsidedness persists suggests that flybys can contribute to ∼20 per cent of lopsided galaxies. We focus our detailed comparison on the case of NGC 891, a lopsided, edge-on galaxy with a nearby companion (UGC 1807). We find that the main properties of NGC 891 (morphology, H i spectrum, rotation curve, existence of a gaseous filament pointing towards UGC 1807) favour a flyby event for the origin of lopsidedness in this galaxy.
Knowledge Compilation using Horn Approximations

We present a new approach to developing fast and efficient knowledge representation systems. Previous approaches to the problem of tractable inference have used restricted languages or incomplete inference mechanisms -- problems include lack of expressive power, lack of inferential power, and/or lack of a formal characterization of what can and cannot be inferred. To overcome these disadvantages, we introduce a knowledge compilation method. We allow the user to enter statements in a general, unrestricted representation language, which the system compiles into a restricted language that allows for efficient inference. Since an exact translation into a tractable form is often impossible, the system searches for the best approximation of the original information. We will describe how the approximation can be used to speed up inference without giving up correctness or completeness. We illustrate our method by studying the approximation of logical theories by Horn theories. Following the formal definition of Horn approximation, we present "anytime" algorithms for generating such approximations. We subsequently discuss extensions to other useful classes of approximations.
Principles and properties of ion flow in P2X receptors

P2X receptors are a family of trimeric ion channels that are gated by extracellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP). These receptors have long been a subject of intense research interest by virtue of their vital role in mediating the rapid and direct effects of extracellular ATP on membrane potential and cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, which in turn underpin the ability of ATP to regulate a diverse range of clinically significant physiological functions, including those associated with the cardiovascular, sensory, and immune systems. An important aspect of an ion channel's function is, of course, the means by which it transports ions across the biological membrane. A concerted effort by investigators over the last two decades has culminated in significant advances in our understanding of how P2X receptors conduct the inward flux of Na+ and Ca2+ in response to binding by ATP. However, this work has relied heavily on results from current recordings of P2X receptors altered by site-directed mutagenesis. In the absence of a 3-dimensional channel structure, this prior work provided only a vague and indirect appreciation of the relationship between structure, ion selectivity and flux. The recent publication of the crystal structures for both the closed and open channel conformations of the zebrafish P2X4 receptor has thus proved a significant boon, and has provided an important opportunity to overview the amassed functional data in the context of a working 3-dimensional model of a P2X receptor. In this paper, we will attempt to reconcile the existing functional data regarding ion permeation through P2X receptors with the available crystal structure data, highlighting areas of concordance and discordance as appropriate.
Anomaly Cancellations in the Type I D9-anti-D9 System and the USp(32) String Theory

We check some consistency conditions for the D9-anti-D9 system in type I string theory. The gravitational anomaly and gauge anomaly for SO(n) x SO(m) gauge symmetry are shown to be cancelled when n-m=32. In addition, we find that a string theory with USp(n) x USp(m) gauge symmetry also satisfies the anomaly cancellation conditions. After tachyon condensation, the theory reduces to a tachyon-free USp(32) string theory, though there is no spacetime supersymmetry.
Rapid Detection of Rifampicin and Isoniazid Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using Genotype MTBDRplus Assay in Nepal

Rapid line probe assay (LPA) can be a practical and rapid alternative to the slow conventional phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) for detection of drug resistant tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of Genotype MTBDRplus, LPA for TB, and compare its performance with conventional DST. A total of 54 culture samples were analyzed for DST using both conventional proportion method and MTBDRplus, where conventional DST identified 43 isolates (79.6%) as drug resistant. Among these 43 drug resistant isolates, 30 isolates (69.7%) were found to be multidrug resistant (MDR). Of all observed mutations using MTBDRplus, codon 531 of rpoB gene and codon 315 of katG gene were found to have highest mutational frequency for RIF resistance (64.7%) and INH resistance (96.8%), respectively. In the present study, MTBDRplus assay was shown to have excellent specificity (100%) for both RIF and INH resistance while sensitivity of the assay was little lower with value of 89.4% for RIF resistance and 91.4% for INH resistance. Therefore, the assay can be a rapid, reliable, and promising molecular test for early detection of MDR-TB in Nepal.
Exploring the Experiences of Combat Veterans’ Degree Attainment in Online Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the essence of the experiences of combat veterans with significant combat exposure who successfully completed their bachelor’s degree through a private online program despite the presence of challenges related and unrelated to their combat exposure. For the purpose of this study, combat veteran was generally defined as a veteran of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or National Guard who served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), or Operation New Dawn (OND). In addition, significant combat exposure was indicated by a score of “light-moderate” to “heavy” on the Combat Exposure Scale (CES). Educational resilience cycle and posttraumatic growth (PTG) were the two theories that guided this study. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, focus-groups, and document analysis. This study sought to answer four research questions: (1) How do combat veterans with significant combat exposure describe the experience of attaining their bachelor’s degree through an online program? (2) What challenges, if any, do participants describe they encountered as they pursued their online bachelor’s degree? (3) How do participants describe the experience of overcoming the challenges they identify to subsequently attain their online bachelor’s degree? (4) How do participants describe the impact of their combat experience(s) on their degree attainment? Transcendental phenomenological analysis was utilized to reveal two major themes that emerged from the data: It was (1) A Challenging Journey, and (2) A Fulfilling Journey. In addition to study findings and limitations, implications for stakeholders and recommendations for future research are presented.
Clinical experience in ovarian squamous cell carcinoma arising from mature cystic teratoma: A rare entity

Objective We sought to investigate the clinicopathologic features of ovarian squamous cell carcinomas arising from mature cystic teratomas (MCT) and to report our clinical experience and lessons learned. Methods From January 1993 to November 2012, a total of 6,260 women with ovarian MCT were surgically treated at Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center. Among them, the cases with malignant transformation to squamous cell carcinoma were included in this analysis. Patient demographic characteristics, surgical findings, and prognosis were evaluated retrospectively. Results Of the 6,260 ovarian MCT patients, four (0.06%) had ovarian squamous cell carcinoma arising from MCT. The mean patient age was 43 years (range, 35-51 years), and the mean tumor size was 12 cm (range, 9-16 cm), with two patients in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I and the other two in stage III. Upon preoperative imaging, all cases were expected to be benign ovarian tumors, but the preoperative squamous cell carcinoma antigen level was elevated from 1.5 ng/mL in stage Ia to 11.3 ng/mL in stage IIIc, suggesting malignancy, while the CA-125 level was normal in two of the three patients who received the test. Optimal debulking surgery was performed and adjuvant chemotherapy was used in all patients, but death from the recurrence of disease occurred in one patient, whose overall survival was 10 months. Conclusion Ovarian squamous cell carcinoma arising from MCT is extremely rare, and it is rarely diagnosed preoperatively on imaging workups. Measuring the squamous cell carcinoma antigen level might be a useful diagnostic clue, and it might also be predictive of the tumor stage. An adequate staging surgery should be included in the standard treatment, but multicenter studies are needed to confirm this.
In the Space Between: Listening to Young People Who Have Encountered a Managed Move

In this research project, I listen to how young people who have encountered a managed move make sense of their experiences. Managed moves are typically presented as an alternative to permanent exclusion, whereby young people undertake a trial period in a new educational setting while remaining on roll at their original school. These young people could be seen to occupy a liminal space, between belonging and exclusion, and I explore the implications this may have for subjectivity, before considering how findings might inform practice. Research in this area is limited and few studies critically examine notions of subjectivity and power. This project adopts a narrative methodology that privileges the voices of young people and facilitates an exploration of individual sense-making, while highlighting wider social and political factors. I approach the research from a critical realist perspective, drawing on poststructuralist and psychoanalytic theory in an attempt to bridge the divide between the political and the psychic. I argue a case for practice that is rooted in an understanding of complex subjectivity, recognising the subject as both agentic and vulnerable. This is considered as an ethical imperative, demanding further reflection on how we engage with marginalised young people.
Norges Teknisk-naturvitenskapelige Universitet Going off Grid: Computationally Efficient Inference for Log-gaussian Cox Processes Going off Grid: Computationally Efficient Inference for Log-gaussian Cox Processes

In this paper we introduce a new method for performing computational inference on log-Gaussian Cox processes (LGCP). Contrary to current practice, we do not approximate by a counting process on a partition of the domain, but rather attack the point process likelihood directly. In order to do this, we use the continuously specified Markovian random fields introduced by Lindgren et al. (2011). The inference is performed using the R-INLA package of Rue et al. (2009), which allows us to perform fast approximate inference on quite complicated models. The new method is tested on a real point pattern data set as well as two interesting extensions to the classical LGCP framework. The first extension considers the very real problem of variable sampling effort throughout the observation window and implements the method of Chakraborty et al. (Submitted). The second extension moves beyond what is possible with current techniques and constructs a log-Gaussian Cox process on the world's oceans.
The Pain Catastrophizing Scale: Development and validation.

In Study 1, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) was administered to 425 undergraduates. Analyses yielded a three component solution comprising (a) rumination, (b) magnification, and (c) helplessness. In Study 2, 30 undergraduate participants were classified as catastrophizers (n = 15) or noncatastrophizers (n = 15) on the basis of their PCS scores and participated in an cold pressor procedure. Catastrophizers reported significantly more negative pain-related thoughts, greater emotional distress, and greater pain intensity than noncatastrophizers. Study 3 examined the relation between PCS scores, negative pain-related thoughts, and distress in 28 individuals undergoing an aversive electrodiagnostic medical procedure. Catastrophizers reported more negative pain-related thoughts, more emotional distress, and more pain than noncatastrophizers. Study 4 examined the relation between the PCS and measures of depression, trait anxiety, negative affectivity, and fear of pain. Analyses revealed moderate correlations among these measures, but only the PCS contributed significant unique variance t o the prediction of pain intensity.
Thymic and Postthymic Regulation of Naïve CD4+ T-Cell Lineage Fates in Humans and Mice Models

Our understanding of how thymocytes differentiate into many subtypes has been increased progressively in its complexity. At early life, the thymus provides a suitable microenvironment with specific combination of stromal cells, growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines to induce the bone marrow lymphoid progenitor T-cell precursors into single-positive CD4+ and CD8+ T effectors and CD4+CD25+ T-regulatory cells (Tregs). At postthymic compartments, the CD4+ T-cells acquire distinct phenotypes which include the classical T-helper 1 (Th1), T-helper 2 (Th2), T-helper 9 (Th9), T-helper 17 (Th17), follicular helper T-cell (Tfh), and induced T-regulatory cells (iTregs), such as the regulatory type 1 cells (Tr1) and transforming growth factor-β- (TGF-β-) producing CD4+ T-cells (Th3). Tregs represent only a small fraction, 5–10% in mice and 1-2% in humans, of the overall CD4+ T-cells in lymphoid tissues but are essential for immunoregulatory circuits mediating the inhibition and expansion of all lineages of T-cells. In this paper, we first provide an overview of the major cell-intrinsic developmental programs that regulate T-cell lineage fates in thymus and periphery. Next, we introduce the SV40 immortomouse as a relevant mice model for implementation of new approaches to investigate thymus organogenesis, CD4 and CD8 development, and thymus cells tumorogenesis.
PENGARUH MODEL DISCOVERY LEARNING TERHADAP PENINGKATAN KEMAMPUAN BERPIKIR KRITIS MATEMATIS DAN SELF-CONFIDENCE DITINJAU DARI KEMAMPUAN AWAL MATEMATIS SISWA SMA DI BOGOR TIMUR

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat pengaruh penerapan model discovery learning untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kritis matematis dan self-confidence siswa. Populasi penelitian ini adalah siswa SMA Negeri di Kabupaten Bogor Timur. Sampel penelitiannya adalah siswa SMA Negeri kelas X MIPA yang berjumlah 116 siswa. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian quasi eksperimen dengan desain penelitian pretest-postest control group design. Instrumen yang digunakan berupa soal tes kemampuan berpikir kritis matematis dan lembar angket self-confidence . Analisis data dilakukan terhadap rataan gain ternormalisasi antara dua kelompok sampel. Hasil penelitian ini adalah (1) Peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kritis matematis siswa yang diberi perlakuan model discovery learning lebih tinggi daripada siswa yang mendapat pembelajaran konvensional; (2) Terdapat interaksi antara model pembelajaran dan kemampuan awal matematika (KAM) terhadap peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kritis matematis siswa; (3) Terdapat peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kritis matematis pada siswa dengan KAM tinggi; (4) Tidak terdapat peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kritis matematis pada siswa dengan KAM rendah; (5) Peningkatan self-confidence siswa yang diberi perlakuan model discovery learning lebih tinggi daripada siswa yang mendapat pembelajaran konvensional; (6) Terdapat interaksi antara model pembelajaran dan kemampuan awal matematika terhadap peningkatan self-confidence siswa, dan (7) Terdapat peningkatan self-confident pada siswa dengan KAM tinggi; (8) Tidak terdapat peningkatan self-confidence pada siswa dengan KAM rendah Kata kunci : Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis Matematis , Self Confidence, D iscovery learning, Kemampuan Awal Matematika .
Democratic assessment as scales of justice: the case of three Iranian high-stakes tests

ABSTRACT High-stakes tests are often used as instruments of agenda-setting and control in developing areas to enable policy-makers to establish and embed education policy agendas throughout the education system and society. As an alternative method, Critical Language Testing assumes that tests are value-laden instruments and products of political, social, cultural, and ideologically driven educational agendas. This article critically examines three Iranian high-stakes tests (the National University Entrance Exam, the MA/MS Exam, and PhD examinations) to evaluate whether covert policies and agendas are being deployed in the Iranian context. It applies qualitative methods and Strauss and Corbin’s [1998. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. London: Sage] constant comparative method to demonstrate the existence of clear patterns of domination. Democratic testing is therefore suggested as a way forward by which policy-makers can operationalize a just and fair exam whereby testing parties’ ideas, and intuitions are equally taken into account and their rights are protected.
Photoheating and supernova feedback amplify each other's effect on the cosmic star formation rate

Photoheating associated with reionization and kinetic feedback from core-collapse supernovae have previously been shown to suppress the high-redshift cosmic star formation rate. Here, we investigate the interplay between photoheating and supernova feedback using a set of cosmological, smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations. We show that photoheating and supernova feedback mutually amplify each other's ability to suppress the star formation rate. Our results demonstrate the importance of the simultaneous, non-independent inclusion of these two processes in models of galaxy formation to estimate the strength of the total negative feedback they exert. They may therefore be of particular relevance to semi-analytic models in which the effects of photoheating and supernova feedback are implicitly assumed to act independently of each other.