Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Latitude-dependent Effects in the Stellar Wind of η Carinae

The Homunculus reflection nebula around η Carinae provides a rare opportunity to observe the spectrum of a star from more than one direction. In the case of η Car, the nebula's geometry is known well enough to infer how line profiles vary with latitude. We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) spectra of several positions in the Homunculus, showing directly that η Car has an aspherical stellar wind. P Cygni absorption in Balmer lines depends on latitude, with relatively high velocities and strong absorption near the polar axis. Stronger absorption at high latitudes is surprising, and it suggests higher mass flux toward the poles, perhaps resulting from radiative driving with equatorial gravity darkening on a rotating star. Reflected profiles of He I lines are more puzzling, offering clues to the wind geometry and ionization structure. During η Car's high-excitation state in 2000 March, the wind was fast and dense at the poles, with higher ionization at low latitudes. Older STIS data obtained since 1998 reveal that this global stellar wind geometry changes during η Car's 5.5 yr cycle and may suggest that this star's spectroscopic events are shell ejections. Whether or not a companion star triggers these outbursts remains ambiguous. The most dramatic changes in the wind occur at low latitudes, while the dense polar wind remains relatively undisturbed during an event. The apparent stability of the polar wind also supports the inferred bipolar geometry. The wind geometry and its variability have critical implications for understanding the 5.5 yr cycle and long-term variability but do not provide a clear alternative to the binary hypothesis for generating η Car's X-rays.
Self-Plagiarism in Australian Academic Research—Bretag and Carapiet

Papers Volume 2 Number 5 Page 1 Abstract This paper reports on the preliminary findings from a pilot project which sought to identify self plagiarism in Australian academic publications. Ten Australian authors were selected at random from top published authors on the Web of Science (Social Science and Humanities) database. Evidence of textual re-use was collected from 269 electronically available published journal articles using the textmatching software program, Turnitin. Self-plagiarism was defined for this study as “10% or more textual re-use of any one previous publication by the author without attribution”. The preliminary findings suggest that textual re-use is widespread in academic research, with 60% of the authors in the sample having committed self-plagiarism in at least one of their published papers in the period 2003-2006.
The complete set of generalized symmetries for the Calogero-Degasperis-Ibragimov-Shabat equation

All known today integrable scalar (1+1)-dimensional evolution equations with time-independent coefficients possess infinite-dimensional Abelian algebras of time-independent higher order symmetries (see e.g. [1, 2]). However, the equations of this kind usually do not have local timedependent higher order symmetries. The only known exceptions from this rule seem to occur [3] for linearizable equations like e.g. the Burgers equation, for which the complete set of symmetries was found in [4]. In the present paper we confirm this for a third order linearizable equation (4), which is referred below as Calogero–Degasperis–Ibragimov–Shabat equation, and exhibit the complete set of its time-dependent local generalized symmetries. This equation was discovered by Calogero and Degasperis [5] and studied, among others, by Ibragimov and Shabat [6], Svinolupov and Sokolov [7], Sokolov and Shabat [8], Calogero [9], and by Sanders and Wang [10]. The paper is organized as follows. In Section 2 we recall some well known definitions and results on the symmetries of evolution equations. In Section 3 we present the main result – Theorem 1, giving the complete description of the set of all local generalized symmetries for CDIS equation.
Short-Term Plasticity of Unitary Inhibitory-to-Inhibitory Synapses Depends on the Presynaptic Interneuron Subtype

Excitatory-to-inhibitory cortical synapses exhibit either short-term facilitation or depression, depending on the subtype identity of the postsynaptic interneuron, while the short-term plasticity (STP) of inhibitory-to-excitatory synapses depends on the presynaptic interneuron. However, the rules governing STP of inhibitory-to-inhibitory synapses have not yet been determined. We recorded 109 unitary connections made by the two major inhibitory interneuron subtypes in layer 4 of mouse somatosensory cortex, fast-spiking (FS) and somatostatin-containing (SOM) interneurons, on each other and on excitatory, regular-spiking (RS) neurons. In all pairs, we measured dynamic changes in the postsynaptic response to a 20 Hz train of presynaptic action potentials. In half of our dataset, we also measured kinetic properties of the unitary IPSC: latency, rise time, and decay time constant. We found a pronounced dependency of STP on the presynaptic, but not the postsynaptic, identity: FS interneurons made strongly depressing connections on FS, SOM, and RS targets, while in synapses made by SOM interneurons on FS and RS targets, weak early depression was followed by weak late facilitation. IPSC latency and rise time were also strongly dependent on the presynaptic interneuron subtype, being 1.5–2× slower in output synapses of SOM compared with FS interneurons. In contrast, the IPSC decay time constant depended only on the postsynaptic class, with 1.5× slower decay on excitatory compared with inhibitory targets. The properties of the inhibitory outputs of FS and SOM interneurons reciprocate the properties of their excitatory inputs and imply a dynamic spatiotemporal division of labor between these two major inhibitory subsystems.
Trends and Issues in Tax Policy and Reform in India

The Indian tax reform experience can provide useful lessons for many countries due to the largeness of the country with multilevel fiscal framework, uniqueness of the reform experience and difficulties in calibrating reforms due to institutional constraints. This paper details the evolution of the tax system and its reform over the years and analyses its efficiency and equity implications. In section 2, alternative models of tax system reform are presented with a view to identifying the best practice approach followed in tax system reforms. Section 3 analyses the evolution of Indian tax system and the impact of historical and institutional factors in shaping Indian tax policy. The trends in tax revenue are presented in section 4 and these point towards a relative stagnation and deceleration in tax revenues at both central and state levels. Section 5 analyses the reasons for the stagnation in revenues at central and state levels. This is followed by an exploratory discussion on the possible efficiency and equity implications of tax system. The final section presents directions for further reforms.
What does the teaching and learning of sexuality education in South African schools reveal about counter-normative sexualities?

ABSTRACT Using the interlocking concepts of power, knowledge and discourse, this article focuses on how counter normative sexualities are discursively constructed in the sexuality education classroom and with what effects. Drawing on in-depth interviews with teachers and classroom observation, the evidence highlights the presence of specific discourses about the teaching and learning of sexuality diversity. First, while many teachers argued for the inclusion of counter-normative sexualities, in their teaching and responses they privileged heterosexuality as legitimate and natural and same-sex sexualities as deviant and Other. Second, teachers’ discourses construct queer youth not only as innocent and childlike but also as hypersexual and rebellious – requiring discipline and intervention. These constructions link closely to discourses of pity and tolerance, or blame when counter-normative sexualities were expressed. Finally, despite heterosexuality being privileged in the classroom, teachers’ and pupils’ questions about gender and sexuality diversity suggest the need for a more defined and inclusive curriculum sexuality education curriculum. Findings justify concern about how counter-normative sexualities are addressed in the sexuality education classroom and advocate for improvement in teaching and learning about counter-normative sexualities in South African secondary education.
Performance of Nursing Awassi Ewes Fed Different Levels of Bread By-product

Objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of partial substitution of barley grain with bread by-product (BB) on performance of Awassi ewes and their lambs. Forty Awassi ewes rearing single lambs were randomly allotted into four experimental diets containing various levels of BB. The experimental diets contained 0 (BB0), 10 (BB10), 15 (BB15), and 20% (BB20) of BB on dietary dry matter (DM). The study lasted for eight weeks, in which the first week was used as an adaptation period and seven weeks of data collection. Ewes and their lambs were penned individually where they were fed their lactating diets ad libitum. Ewes and lambs body weights were measured at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. However, milk production and composition were evaluated biweekly. Feeding BB had no effect (p>0.05) on dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and crude protein (CP) intakes. However, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intake was the lowest (p<0.05) for the BB20 and BB15 diets followed to BB10 diet (i.e., 640, 677, 772 g/d, respectively) while the highest NDF intake was for the BB0 diet (i.e., 825 g/d). Similarly, NDF intake decreased linearly (p<0.001) as the BB content increased. Acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake was highest (p<0.05) for the BB0 and BB10 diets (425 and 416 g/d, respectively) followed by the BB15 and BB20 diets (359 and 342 g/d, respectively). Moreover, a linear (p<0.001), quadratic (p = 0.04), and cubic (p = 0.04) effects were observed in ADF intake among diets. Nutrient digestibility was similar among different diets. Bread by-product had no effect (p>0.05) on ewes body weight change and on lamb performance (i.e., weaning body weight and average daily gain). Similarly, no differences (p>0.05) were observed either in milk production or composition by the BB substitution. Inclusion of BB reduced feed cost by 9, 14, and 18% for the BB10, BB15, and BB20 diets, respectively. No differences were observed in milk efficiency (DM intake: milk production; p>0.05) among diets. However, cost of milk production ($US/kg milk) was the lowest (p<0.05) in the diet containing BB20. Results of the present study indicate that feeding bread by-product up to 20% of the diet DM had no effect on performance of Awassi ewes and their lambs and reduced feed cost.
Designer disordered materials with large, complete photonic band gaps

We present designs of 2D, isotropic, disordered, photonic materials of arbitrary size with complete band gaps blocking all directions and polarizations. The designs with the largest band gaps are obtained by a constrained optimization method that starts from a hyperuniform disordered point pattern, an array of points whose number variance within a spherical sampling window grows more slowly than the volume. We argue that hyperuniformity, combined with uniform local topology and short-range geometric order, can explain how complete photonic band gaps are possible without long-range translational order. We note the ramifications for electronic and phononic band gaps in disordered materials.
Gender inequality and traditional social norms as predictors of risky sex among men in the north Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand: Quantitative and qualitative analyses

Quantitative data in this mixed-methods study from the north Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were used from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), to examine the relationship between gender equality attitudes and nonmarital sex among married (n=7,406) and unmarried (n=4,834) men. Gender equality predictors were developed based on men’s attitudes toward wife-beating, family violence history, and views on whether women had the right to refuse sex, make household decisions and have financial autonomy. Qualitative data among thirty-one men were analyzed to explore how men’s gender attitudes and expressed social norms were related to their non-marital sex. Quantitative methods included descriptive analyses and logistic regression modeling for married and unmarried men, to explore the effect of gender equality predictors on non-marital sex. Qualitative analyses included inductive coding of interviews to generate codes associated with themes describing non-marital sex. Themes were collapsed across interviews to observe theme density and to explore how men’s gender-related attitudes and expressed social norms were related to their non-marital sex. Quantitative results indicated that men who were more likely to report non-marital
Antioxidative defense enzymes in placenta protect placenta and fetus in inherited thrombophilia from hydrogen peroxide

Our aim was to investigate the activities of antioxidative defense enzymes in the placenta, fetal blood and amnion fluid in inherited thrombophilia. Thrombophilia was associated with nearly threefold increase of activity (p < 0.001) of the placental catalase (81.1 ± 20.6 U/mg of proteins in controls and 270.0 ± 69.9 U/mg in thrombophilic subjects), glutathione (GSH) peroxidase (C: 20.2 ± 10.1 U/mg; T: 60.0 ± 15.5 U/mg), and GSH reductase (C: 28.9 ± 5.6 U/mg; T: 72.7 ± 23.0 U/mg). The placental activities of superoxide dismutating enzymes—MnSOD and CuZnSOD, did not differ in controls and thrombophilia. Likewise, the activities of catalase and SOD in the fetal blood, and the level of ascorbyl radical which represents a marker of oxidative status of amniotic fluid, were similar in controls and thrombophilic subjects. From this we concluded that in thrombophilia, placental tissue is exposed to H2O2-mediated oxidative stress, which could be initiated by pro-thrombic conditions in maternal blood. Increased activity of placental H2O2-removing enzymes protects fetus and mother during pregnancy, but may increase the risk of postpartum thrombosis.
Mental Health Practitioners Perceptions’ of Presence in a Virtual Reality Therapy Environment for Use for Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself.
Intercultural Contact in Short-term Study Abroad Programs

Abstract:Traditionally in the United States, study abroad has been regarded as the primary source for meaningful interaction with members of the target language (TL) community, particularly at the post-secondary level. Today, more than 300,000 college students study abroad every year, and most of them do so in short-term island programs (defined as programs arranged by a sponsoring university, lasting less than eight weeks, aimed primarily at students from that institution, and often taught by faculty members of the home campus). This exploratory study analyzes the change in intercultural contact (i.e., frequency and quality of interaction with members of the second language community) as a result of participation in a short-term study abroad program. Furthermore, it investigates whether those changes are influenced by specific study abroad program features (such as homestays, cultural visits, and service learning), or by the student’s level of experience with the TL. Thirty-nine participants in five different short-term island programs (based in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama and Spain) were examined to determine the impact of foreign sojourns on the nature and extent of their intercultural contact with the host community, using an adapted version of the Intercultural Contact Questionnaire (ICQ) (Kormos, Csizér and Iwaniec 2014). The results of this investigation highlight the cultural limitations of short-term study programs abroad, as well as the challenges faced by second language learners when trying to engage members of the TL community. The pedagogical significance and curricular implications of the findings are discussed.
Gravitational Imaging of CDM Substructure

We propose the novel method of ``gravitational imaging'' to detect and quantify luminous and dark-matter substructure in gravitational-lens galaxies. The method utilizes highly-magnified Einstein rings and arcs as sensitive probes of small perturbations in the lens potential (due to the presence of mass substructure), reconstructing the gravitational lens potential non-parametrically. Numerical simulations show that the implemented algorithm can reconstruct the smooth mass distribution of a typical lens galaxy - exhibiting reasonable signal-to-noise Einstein rings - as well as compact substructure with masses as low as M_sub~10^-3 M_lens, if present. ``Gravitational imaging'' of pure dark-matter substructure around massive galaxies can provide a new window on the standard cold-dark-matter paradigm, using very different physics than ground-based direct-detection experiments, and probe the hierarchical structure-formation model which predicts this substructure to exist in great abundance.
Age at graduation and its reflections in early career prospects

ABSTRACT We analyse the association between age at tertiary graduation and outcomes of the first phase of the working career in Italy by using a rich longitudinal dataset built merging EU-SILC survey data with individual administrative records on working careers. Labour market outcomes is observed at the entry and along the 10-year period from graduation. No large differences in weekly and annual earnings and worked weeks emerge across individuals who attained the degree at different ages, thus showing a negligible direct penalisation related to graduating not at typical age in Italy. In particular, no statistically significant associations emerge as concerns the link between age at graduation and total earnings obtained during the 10 years from graduation.
Promoter Complexity and Tissue-Specific Expression of Stress Response Components in Mytilus galloprovincialis, a Sessile Marine Invertebrate Species

The mechanisms of stress tolerance in sessile animals, such as molluscs, can offer fundamental insights into the adaptation of organisms for a wide range of environmental challenges. One of the best studied processes at the molecular level relevant to stress tolerance is the heat shock response in the genus Mytilus. We focus on the upstream region of Mytilus galloprovincialis Hsp90 genes and their structural and functional associations, using comparative genomics and network inference. Sequence comparison of this region provides novel evidence that the transcription of Hsp90 is regulated via a dense region of transcription factor binding sites, also containing a region with similarity to the Gamera family of LINE-like repetitive sequences and a genus-specific element of unknown function. Furthermore, we infer a set of gene networks from tissue-specific expression data, and specifically extract an Hsp class-associated network, with 174 genes and 2,226 associations, exhibiting a complex pattern of expression across multiple tissue types. Our results (i) suggest that the heat shock response in the genus Mytilus is regulated by an unexpectedly complex upstream region, and (ii) provide new directions for the use of the heat shock process as a biosensor system for environmental monitoring.
Freud’s Rejection of Hypnosis: Perspectives Old and New:Part III of III—Toward Healing the Rift: Enriching Both Hypnosis and Psychoanalysis

As Freud developed his own ideas, he abandoned the use of hypnosis. This change led to more than a century of disengagement between hypnosis and psychoanalysis, characterized, with notable exceptions, by mutual avoidance, dismissiveness, and incomplete appreciation of each by the other. Earlier communications challenged the foundations of Freud’s rationales and their perpetuation. Here, contemporary instances in which hypnosis and psychoanalysis are used together are reviewed briefly before exploring possibilities/opportunities for their mutual enrichment and enhancement. The judicious incorporation of insights and assets from each into the other can be implemented without violating the standard approaches and practices of the modality into which they might be imported. Examples are offered as food for thought, stepping-stones toward a rapprochement long overdue.
Online Adaptable Learning Rates for the Game Connect-4

Learning board games by self-play has a long tradition in computational intelligence for games. Based on Tesauro's seminal success with TD-Gammon in 1994, many successful agents use temporal difference learning today. But in order to be successful with temporal difference learning on game tasks, often a careful selection of features and a large number of training games is necessary. Even for board games of moderate complexity like Connect-4, we found in previous work that a very rich initial feature set and several millions of game plays are required. In this work we investigate different approaches of online-adaptable learning rates like Incremental Delta Bar Delta (IDBD) or temporal coherence learning (TCL) whether they have the potential to speed up learning for such a complex task. We propose a new variant of TCL with geometric step size changes. We compare those algorithms with several other state-of-the-art learning rate adaptation algorithms and perform a case study on the sensitivity with respect to their meta parameters. We show that in this set of learning algorithms those with geometric step size changes outperform those other algorithms with constant step size changes. Algorithms with nonlinear output functions are slightly better than linear ones. Algorithms with geometric step size changes learn faster by a factor of 4 as compared to previously published results on the task Connect-4.
Growth Temperature Dependence of Sol-Gel Spin Coated Indium Nitride Thin Films

The study highlights the effects of growth temperatures ranging from 500 to 650 °C on the properties of indium nitride (InN) thin films prepared by sol-gel spin coating method followed by nitridation, also, the growth mechanism was studied in depth. The findings revealed that the InN crystal growth was promoted at the growth temperature of 600 °C, by which the crystalline quality of the deposited thin films was improved and the densely packed InN grains were formed. However, thermal decomposition of InN was observed at increasing temperature to 650 °C. Apart from that, the infrared (IR) reflectance measurement shows the presence of transverse and longitudinal-optical phonon modes of wurtzite structure InN. These vibrational modes were found to be slightly shifted from the theoretical values as a result of the incorporation of oxygen contamination in the deposited thin films.