Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The structure and early evolution of massive star forming regions - Substructure in the infrared dark cloud SDC13

Investigations into the substructure of massive star forming regions are essential for understanding the observed relationships between core mass distributions and mass distributions in stellar clusters, differentiating between proposed mechanisms of massive star formation. We study the substructure in the two largest fragments (i.e. cores) MM1 and MM2, in the infrared dark cloud complex SDC13. As MM1 appears to be in a later stage of evolution than MM2, comparing their substructure provides an insight in to the early evolution of massive clumps. We report the results of high resolution SMA dust continuum observations towards MM1 and MM2. Combining these data with Herschel observations, we carry out RADMC-3D radiative transfer modelling to characterise the observed substructure. SMA continuum data indicates 4 sub-fragments in the SDC13 region. The nature of the second brightest sub-fragment (B) is uncertain as it does not appear as prominent at the lower MAMBO resolution or at radio wavelengths. Statistical analysis indicates that it is unlikely to be a background source, an AGB star, or the free-free emission of a HII region. It is plausible that B is a runaway object ejected from MM1. MM1, which is actively forming stars, consists of two sub-fragments A and C. This is confirmed by 70 micron Herschel data. While MM1 and MM2 appear quite similar in previous low resolution observations, at high resolution, the sub-fragment at the centre of MM2 (D) is much fainter than sub-fragment at the centre of MM1 (A). RADMC-3D models of MM1 and MM2 are able to reproduce these results, modelling MM2 with a steeper density profile and higher mass than is required for MM1. The relatively steep density profile of MM2 depends on a significant temperature decrease in its centre, justified by the lack of star formation in MM2. A final stellar population for MM1 was extrapolated, indicating a .
Element Selection for Optimized Multiwide Nulls in Almost Uniformly Excited Arrays

In this letter, a novel multiwide null steering method for uniformly excited large arrays by only adjusting the amplitude and phase of a relatively small number of elements on the extremes of the array is presented. These adjustable elements are optimized by means of genetic algorithm (GA) to construct a specific cancellation pattern that can be used to produce multiple wide nulls in the radiation patterns of the uniformly excited linear arrays. To simplify the feeding network as well as to increase the convergence speed of the optimization algorithm, the excitations of the majority of the array elements are kept constant. Results of applying the GA to optimize 10 out of 100 elements are shown.
How Predation Risk Affects the Temporal Dynamics of Avian Leks: Greater Sage Grouse versus Golden Eagles

Leks often attract predators as well as mates, yet most evolutionary models have assumed that sexual selection, not predation, drives lekking behavior. We explored the influence of predation on lek dynamics using a stochastic dynamic game model based on the lek‐breeding greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and its principal avian predator, the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). The model predicts time‐dependent male lek attendance as a function of factors affecting both mating success (female arrival rate, male numbers, and social status) and predation risk (eagle arrival rate and group size). Dominant males are predicted to arrive sooner and leave later than subordinates, especially if mating skew is high, predation risk is low, or the relationship between lek size and female arrival rate is weak. Both high mean levels of predation risk and small lek size should reduce lek attendance, but the relative tendency of predators to attack large versus small leks has little influence on predicted lekking behavior. Field observations confirmed the predicted effects of female arrival rate, lek size, male dominance, and weather‐dependent predator arrival rates on lek departure times. Predicted effects of female arrival rates and male dominance on seasonal lek attendance were also supported. Our model provides an empirically supported adaptive explanation for short‐term lek dynamics. It also suggests alternative interpretations for phenomena previously invoked to support the hotshot and skew models of lek formation.
Review of Grit and Resilience Literature within Health Professions Education

Objective. To review literature pertaining to grit and resilience in health professions education. Findings. There is significant interest in grit and resilience throughout the health professions, but little has been published with regard to pharmacy. Although there are methodological issues with defining and measuring grit and resilience, several studies have shown relationships between the constructs and personal and academic well-being. Educational interventions aimed at increasing grit and resilience have produced mixed results. Developing protective factors appears to be the most common approach in helping students become more resilient. Summary. Literature pertaining to grit and resilience reveals that the terms are nuanced, complex, and difficult to measure and understand. Regardless, the general characteristics associated with grit and resilience are of interest to educators and warrant further study.
Antimitochondrial Antibodies and Reactivity to N. Aromaticivorans Proteins in Icelandic Patients with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis and Their Relatives

OBJECTIVES:Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic, progressive cholestatic disease of unknown etiology characterized by serum antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA) directed against a functionally related family of mitochondrial enzymes. We recently suggested that N. aromaticivorans might be the trigger of autoimmunity in PBC. No data are available on the specificity and crossreactivity of AMA in a genetically homogenous group of patients, such as the Icelandic population.METHODS:To address these issues and to confirm previous findings in a unique population, we obtained sera from 14 PBC patients and 85 first-degree relatives, all of Icelandic descent. We analyzed such sera for AMA specificity using recombinant mitochondrial antigens and for reactivity against N. aromaticivorans proteins.RESULTS:Thirteen of the 14 Icelandic patients with PBC (93%) were found AMA positive. We found that 5/13 AMA positive sera (38%) reacted against PDC-E2 only; 5/13 (or 38%) reacted against BCOADC-E2; and 2/13 (15%) reacted against all three antigens. There was no reactivity against OGDC-E2. Reactivities of patients' sera against N. aromaticivorans were consistent with the AMA status. One serum among the 85 first-degree relatives (1.2%) was found to be AMA-positive, as well as reactive against N. aromaticivorans.CONCLUSIONS:Interestingly, despite the homogenous genetic background, the group of Icelandic patients with PBC was heterogeneous in their AMA reactive patterns and also reacted with N. aromaticivorans proteins.
An Analysis of Anatomic Variations of the Sphenoid Sinus and Its Relationship to the Internal Carotid Artery

Abstract Introduction The sphenoid sinus (SS) has a high variability; its anatomical relations and variations must be well understood prior to the expanded endoscopic surgery (EES) at the skull base via the endonasal transsphenoidal approach. A feared complication is injury to the internal carotid artery (ICA). Objective To evaluate the anatomic variations of the SS and its relationship to the ICA using computed tomography (CT). Methods Cross-sectional retrospective study. Analysis of 90 patients' CT scans on axial, coronal and sagittal planes with 1 mm slices, evaluating lateral and posterior extensions of pneumatization of the SS, deviation of the sphenoid septum, presence of septations and their relationship to the parasellar and paraclival segments of the internal carotid artery (psICA and pcICA, respectively). Results The association between the protrusions of the psICA and the pcICA was statistically significant (p < 0.001), as was the association between the lateral extension of pneumatization of the SS and the protrusion of the psICA (p = 0.014). The presence of the posterior extension of pneumatization of the SS and protrusion of the pcICA occurred in 46% of the cases. Deviation of the sphenoid septum in the direction of the pcICA was present in 14% and dehiscence of the pcICA was seen in 3.6% of the cases. Conclusion Using the CT scan to recognize the type of extensions of pneumatization of the SS, the deviation of the sphenoid septum, and the presence of septations is beneficial to identify accurately the ICA and to reduce the risk of injury to it.
Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001: In vitro Assessment of Antioxidant Capacity and Effect on Growth Performance and Antioxidant Status in Weaning Piglets

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 and its effects on growth performance and antioxidant status in weaning piglets. The survival in hydrogen peroxide and free radical-scavenging activity of Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 were analysed in vitro. The Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 showed high viability in 1.0 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide and high scavenging ability against hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radicals which was dose dependent. Ninety-six weaning piglets were selected (7.45±0.79 kg) and divided into three groups comprising of negative control without any supplementation, treatment group with supplemented 6.8×107 Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 CFU/g of diet, and positive control with antibiotic treatment (chlorotetracycline, 80 mg/kg diet). The results showed that Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 supplementation enhanced feed conversion rates in piglets compared with control (p<0.05). Supplementation of Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 increased the concentration of superoxide dismutase (p<0.05), glutathione peroxidase (p<0.01) and catalase in serum (p<0.10), while decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (p<0.05). The present study implies that the strain Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 had high antioxidant ability and its supplementation improved the growth performance and antioxidant status of weaning piglets, so it can be considered useful to alleviate oxidative stress and increase productive performance of pigs. (Key Words: Probiotic, Antioxidant Capacity, Weaning Piglet)
Glucocorticoids and the Genesis of Depressive Illness a Psychobiological Model

Abnormalities in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) have been the most consistently demonstrated biological markers in depressive illness. Numerous other neuroendocrine disturbances have also been described, including blunted clonidine-induced growth hormone release and blunted fenfluramine-induced prolactin release. These disturbances are generally interpreted in terms of monoaminergic receptor dysfunction. The theory presented here suggests that chronic stress which activates the HPA will in certain susceptible people produce changes in central monoamines. The high level of glucocorticoid receptors on such central neurons is postulated as mediating the alterations. Thus monoamine abnormalities, rather than being a core aetiological feature of depression, are seen as secondary to HPA overdrive.
The Degree of Digitalization of the Information Over-Flow: A Case Study

The specification discloses a motor housing, with a handle of the circular saw type, and a cantilever saw bar carrying a saw chain is secured to the housing in a position extending downwardly from a guide foot of the housing. A retractable guard bar normally is held in a position holding a guard loop around the nose end of the saw bar, the guard bar being positioned at the rear of the saw bar. The guard bar is mounted slidably on the motor housing, and, when a latch is manually released, the guard loop may be pushed up along the saw during a boring (nose cutting) operation. In an alternate embodiment, a foot attachable to a foot of a circular saw motor carries a saw bar and a guard bar with a guard loop surrounding the nose end of the saw bar.
Plant Mating Systems Often Vary Widely Among Populations

Most flowering plants are hermaphroditic, yet the proportion of seeds fertilized by self and outcross pollen varies widely among species, ranging from predominant self-fertilization to exclusive outcrossing. A population’s rate of outcrossing has important evolutionary outcomes as it influences genetic structure, effective population size, and offspring fitness. Because most mating system studies have quantified outcrossing rates for just one or two populations, past reviews of mating system diversity have not been able to characterize the extent of variation among populations. Here we present a new database of more than 30 years of mating system studies that report outcrossing rates for three or more populations per species. This survey, which includes 741 populations from 105 species, illustrates substantial and prevalent among-population variation in the mating system. Intermediate outcrossing rates (mixed mating) are common; 63% of species had at least one mixed mating population. The variance among populations and within species was not significantly correlated with pollination mode or phylogeny. Our review underscores the need for studies exploring variation in the relative influence of ecological and genetic factors on the mating system, and how this varies among populations. We conclude that estimates of outcrossing rates from single populations are often highly unreliable indicators of the mating system of an entire species.
Rumen bacterial community structure impacts feed efficiency in beef cattle

Abstract The importance of the rumen microbiota on nutrient cycling to the animal is well recognized; however, our understanding of the influence of the rumen microbiome composition on feed efficiency is limited. The rumen microbiomes of two large animal cohorts (125 heifers and 122 steers) were characterized to identify specific bacterial members (operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) associated with feed efficiency traits (ADFI, ADG, and G:F) in beef cattle. The heifer and steer cohorts were fed a forage-based diet and a concentrate-based diet, respectively. A rumen sample was obtained from each animal via esophageal tubing and bacterial community composition was determined through 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the V4 region. Based on a regression approach that used individual performance measures, animals were classified into divergent feed efficiency groups. Within cohort, an extreme set of 16 animals from these divergent groups was selected as a discovery population to identify differentially abundant OTUs across the rumen bacterial communities. The remaining samples from each cohort were selected to perform forward stepwise regressions using the differentially abundant OTUs as explanatory variables to distinguish predictive OTUs for the feed efficiency traits and to quantify the OTUs collective impact on feed efficiency phenotypes. OTUs belonging to the families Prevotellaceae and Victivallaceae were present across models for heifers, whereas OTUs belonging to the families Prevotellaceae and Lachnospiraceae were present across models for steers. Within the heifer cohort, models explained 19.3%, 25.3%, and 19.8% of the variation for ADFI, ADG, and G:F, respectively. Within the steer cohort, models explained 27.7%, 32.5%, and 26.9% of the variation for ADFI, ADG, and G:F, respectively. Overall, this study suggests a substantial role of the rumen microbiome on feed efficiency responses.
A two stage, adaptive-optimized Li-ion battery parameters estimation strategy

This paper explores the effects of optimization following the adaptive parameters estimation (APE) on Li-ion battery parameter estimates. The universal adaptive stabilizer (UAS) based APE method has been proven to be less expensive both computationally and in terms of required experimental effort. However, the APE method requires the user to make an appropriate initial guess of upper, lower bounds and their respective confidence levels for each parameter. Making such initial guesses are not trivial, and the effects of bad initial guesses are proposed to be mitigated by adopting a well-known particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique to further optimize parameters estimates, after APE terminates. The estimates obtained from the APE method narrow the search interval and thus reduce the computational effort of the PSO technique to identify the optimum estimates of Li-ion battery parameters. In this work, the APE followed by PSO based scheme is developed and validated through simulation results on a well known, and experimentally validated Li-ion battery model.
Effect of electrical stimulation on neural regeneration via the p38-RhoA and ERK1/2-Bcl-2 pathways in spinal cord-injured rats

Although electrical stimulation is therapeutically applied for neural regeneration in patients, it remains unclear how electrical stimulation exerts its effects at the molecular level on spinal cord injury (SCI). To identify the signaling pathway involved in electrical stimulation improving the function of injured spinal cord, 21 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups: control (no surgical intervention, n = 6), SCI (SCI only, n = 5), and electrical simulation (ES; SCI induction followed by ES treatment, n = 10). A complete spinal cord transection was performed at the 10th thoracic level. Electrical stimulation of the injured spinal cord region was applied for 4 hours per day for 7 days. On days 2 and 7 post SCI, the Touch-Test Sensory Evaluators and the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotor scale were used to evaluate rat sensory and motor function. Somatosensory-evoked potentials of the tibial nerve of a hind paw of the rat were measured to evaluate the electrophysiological function of injured spinal cord. Western blot analysis was performed to measure p38-RhoA and ERK1/2-Bcl-2 pathways related protein levels in the injured spinal cord. Rat sensory and motor functions were similar between SCI and ES groups. Compared with the SCI group, in the ES group, the latencies of the somatosensory-evoked potential of the tibial nerve of rats were significantly shortened, the amplitudes were significantly increased, RhoA protein level was significantly decreased, protein gene product 9.5 expression, ERK1/2, p38, and Bcl-2 protein levels in the spinal cord were significantly increased. These data suggest that ES can promote the recovery of electrophysiological function of the injured spinal cord through regulating p38-RhoA and ERK1/2-Bcl-2 pathway-related protein levels in the injured spinal cord.
Characterization of hydrochars produced by hydrothermal carbonization of rice husk

Abstract. Biochar is the carbon-rich product obtained when biomass, such as wood, manure or leaves, is heated in a closed container with little or no available air. In more technical terms, biochar is produced by so-called thermal decomposition of organic material under limited supply of oxygen (O2), and at relatively low temperatures (
Developing Organizational Competences for Conflict Management: The Use of the Prisoner's Dilemma in Higher Education

Interpersonal relationship require sophisticated competences of cohabitation. However, the availability of training tools to develop conflict management skills is limited and problematic. The prisoner's dilemma game (PDG), the most widely known example of game theory, a nonzero-sum game, has been used, in higher education, to provide students with an opportunity of active learning and for understanding counterintuitive concepts. It creates a condition of emotive, moral and decisional conflict in and between agents. This paper presents a case-study in higher education in which PDG was proposed to enhance organizational competences for conflict management, according to the psychoanalytic approach to organizational studies. The study aims to explore: (1) the significant characteristics of PDG used in an affective-emotional key in higher education; (2) the learning outcomes that PDG enables to activate in the participants in relation to the development of organizational skills for conflict management. Twenty students' reflective journals were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings indicated that PDG is perceived as a useful device in students' learning experience, which is appreciated in relation to its concreteness, intensity and debriefing phase. Learning outcomes allow new meanings about conflict, by emphasizing its defensive, automatic and interpersonal dimension. This paper contributes to the understanding of PDG as a tool to develop competences in dealing with the challenges of conflict management, since it seems to favor the overcoming of the individualistic stereotype in conflict representation by highlighting the interdependence of social interaction.
The cognitive neuroscience of fear learning

Fear learning imbues organisms with the ability to use cues in the environment to predict potential dangers and aversive events. The fear acquisition system is rapid, efficient, and persistent, with a sole encounter of a dangerous event potentially being sufficient to form long-lasting fear memories. Using memories of fearful encounters and contexts, the fear system enables the accurate prediction of future danger and recruitment of defensive behaviors. These characteristics provide a strong evolutionary advantage by rendering the need for relearning in the presence of repeated danger unnecessary, thereby minimizing potential exposure to threat. Because environments are never constant, the fear learning system is flexible so that the learning and expression of fear can adapt to changes in environmental circumstance. The goal of this chapter is to provide a systematic overview of the fear learning literature, intertwining insights from psychological and neuroscientific research. Key findings from animal models and human studies that have advanced the scientific understanding of how fears are acquired and overcome are presented. Finally, we will discuss mechanisms that allow for the extension of simple forms of fear learning to more complex ones, including contextual conditioning, fear generalization to novel stimuli, and social transmission of fear learning.
Trade Liberalisation , Increased Competition and Skilled-Unskilled Wage Gap in China ’ s Manufacturing Sector

Economic reforms of the late 1980s have contributed to rapid economic growth in China. While the overall standard of living has improved, economic growth has also resulted in an increase in income inequality. Rising income inequality can increase social tensions that can impede further economic growth. By making use of firm level panel data, this paper focuses on the impact of increased market competition and trade liberalisation on skilled-unskilled wage gap in China. A theoretical model is used to argue that trade liberalisation and market competition can affect skilled-unskilled wage gap. Based on this result, an econometric model is specified. The empirical analysis presented in this paper shows that increased trade liberalisation has contributed to an increase in skilled-unskilled wage gap in China. However, increased market competition has the opposite effect.