Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel Organotin(IV) Schiff Base Complexes with Histidine Derivatives: Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Activity

Five novel tin Schiff base complexes with histidine analogues (derived from the condensation reaction between L-histidine and 3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde) have been synthesized and characterized. Characterization has been completed by IR and high-resolution mass spectroscopy, 1D and 2D solution NMR (1H, 13C and 119Sn), as well as solid state 119Sn NMR. The spectroscopic evidence shows two types of structures: a trigonal bipyramidal stereochemistry with the tin atom coordinated to five donating atoms (two oxygen atoms, one nitrogen atom, and two carbon atoms belonging to the alkyl moieties), where one molecule of ligand is coordinated in a three dentate fashion. The second structure is spectroscopically described as a tetrahedral tin complex with four donating atoms (one oxygen atom coordinated to the metal and three carbon atoms belonging to the alkyl or aryl substituents), with one molecule of ligand attached. The antimicrobial activity of the tin compounds has been tested against the growth of bacteria in vitro to assess their bactericidal properties. While pentacoordinated compounds 1, 2, and 3 are described as moderate effective to noneffective drugs against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, tetracoordinated tin(IV) compounds 4 and 5 are considered as moderate effective and most effective compounds, respectively, against the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains (Gram-positive).
Extremely Latin, XOXO: Notes on LatinX

This special issue on Theorizing LatinX explores the cultural and political representations of the LatinX category and its widespread dissemination. The forum’s range of interlocutors—Russell Contreras, María DeGuzmán, Patricia Engel, R. Galvan, Nicole Guidotti-Hernández, Claudia Milian, Richard T. Rodríguez, and Antonio Viego—differently approach and account for the exteriority, variability, and visibility of the X. There is no consensus or general theory on this critical contemporary matter, but the contributors’ in-depth reflections and inquiries provide a provocative intellectual background for this term through conceptual exploration, fiction, the American headline, art, and the literary imagination.
Limit Theorems for Estimating the Parameters of Differentiated Product Demand Systems

We provide an asymptotic distribution theory for a class of Generalized Method of Moments estimators that arise in the study of differentiated product markets when the number of observations is associated with the number of products within a given market. We allow for three sources of error: the sampling error in estimating market shares, the simulation error in approximating the shares predicted by the model, and the underlying model error. The limiting distribution of the parameter estimator is normal provided the size of the consumer sample and the number of simulation draws grow at a large enough rate relative to the number of products. We specialise our distribution theory to the Berry, Levinsohn, and Pakes (1995) random coefficient logit model and a pure characteristic model. The required rates differ for these two frequently used demand models. A small Monte Carlo study shows that the difference in asymptotic properties of the two models are reflected in the models' small sample properties. These differences impact directly on the computational burden of the two models.
Galaxy Populations and Evolution in Clusters. II. Defining Cluster Populations

This paper presents quantitative techniques for studying, in an unbiased manner, the photometric and structural properties of galaxies in clusters, including a means to identify likely background objects in the absence of redshift information. We develop self-consistent and reproducible measurements of fundamental properties of galaxies such as radius, surface brightness, concentration of light, and structural asymmetry. We illustrate our techniques through an application to deep UBR images, taken with the WIYN 3.5 m telescope, of the central ∼173 arcmin2 (or 0.3 Mpc × 0.3 Mpc) of the cluster Abell 426 (Perseus). Our techniques allow us to study the properties of the galaxy population in the center of Perseus down to MB = -11. Using these methods, we describe and characterize a well-defined relation between absolute magnitude and surface brightness for galaxy cluster members across the entire wide range of galaxy luminosity from MB = -20 to -11 independent of galaxy type. The galaxies that are assigned by our techniques to the background show no such tight relationship between apparent magnitude and surface brightness, with the exception of those we identify as being members of a background cluster of galaxies at z ∼ 0.55. We, however, find that at the fainter magnitudes, MB > -16, there is a large scatter about the underlying color-magnitude relation defined by the brighter galaxies. Our analysis of galaxies at the center of the Perseus Cluster further indicates that the vast majority are "normal," with little evidence for structural or photometric properties associated with active evolution; we, however, discuss the detailed properties of a handful of unusual galaxies. Finally, the galaxy luminosity function of the Perseus Cluster center is computed, with a derived faint-end slope of α = -1.44 ± 0.04, a value similar to those previously obtained for other nearby rich galaxy clusters.
Multiple sexual signals: calls over colors for mate attraction in an aposematic, color-diverse poison frog

Sexual signals indicate species identity and mate quality, and their importance for mate attraction is largely recognized. Recently, research in animal communication has started to integrate multiple signal modalities and evaluate their interactions. However, mate choice experiments across animal taxa have been limited to laboratory conditions, and assessments of multiple sexual signals under field conditions are still lacking. We take advantage of the divergence in visual and acoustic signals among populations of the Neotropical poison frog Oophaga pumilio to evaluate the importance of male advertisement calls and color patterns in female mate selection. Previous mate choice experiments in this species suggested color-assortative female mate preferences across many populations. Nevertheless, acoustic signals are crucial for sexual selection in frogs, and males of O. pumilio use advertisement calls to attract females. We hypothesize that both advertisement calls and coloration affects female mate selection in O.pumilio. To test this hypothesis we tested 452 receptive females from six populations in Costa Rica and Panama in their natural home ranges for preferences regarding local vs. non-local advertisement calls and color patterns. Overall, the calls overrode the effect of coloration, whereby most females preferred local over non-local calls. We found a tendency to prefer brighter (but not necessarily local) males in two populations. Furthermore the strength of preferences varied geographically, and thus might be involved in prezygotic isolation among populations. The stronger effect of calls on mate attraction is associated with acoustic divergence between genetic groups in the species, while colour pattern diversity is mostly located within one genetic group, i.e. not linked to large-scale population structure. Finally our data highlights the importance to consider an array of signal modalities in multiple wild populations in studies of behavioral isolation.
Pre-Service Teachers' Performance in their University Coursework and Mathematical Self-Efficacy Beliefs: What is the Role of Gender and Year in Program?

This study investigates the effects of gender and year in program on the performance and mathematical selfefficacy beliefs of 145 pre-service mathematics teachers in Turkey. One of the main purposes of this study investigate how duration in a teacher education program influenced the performance and mathematical selfefficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers. In addition, gender differences between male and female pre-service mathematics teachers, depending upon year in program, are examined. Results revealed that there were significant statistical effects of gender and year in program on both pre-service teachers’ performance and selfefficacy scores. Female pre-service teachers scored significantly higher than males on performance, but significant difference was detected between female and male pre-service teachers with respect to mathematics self-efficacy scores. Senior pre-service teachers had the highest scores compared to other students in program on bother performance and mathematics self-efficacy scores. Although the present study is small, results tentatively suggest a further investigation of the relationship between performance and self-efficacy beliefs might be fruitful. Studying how mathematical self-efficacy develops across school years and what factors facilitate its development could yield valuable implications for the field of mathematic education.
Understanding Chinese entrepreneurship from a historical perspective: What can we Learn from our Entrepreneurship heritage and How? [Editorial]

In this special issue, we have gathered a collection of a rather diverse, some may also argue, “unconventional”, set of articles utilising both knowledge from disciplines as well as utilising very different methodological approaches. The idea of this special issue was initially discussed with Dr Victor Zheng from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Dr Caleb Kwong from the University of Essex, back in 2013. Two more colleagues, Professor Wong Siu-lun from the University of Hong Kong and Cherry Cheung from the London South Bank University, soon came on board. We took the idea to Dr Jun Li, then the General Editor of the Journal of Chinese Entrepreneurship, and were encouraged to submit a draft proposal. The guest co-editors of this issue drafted several versions of the call-for-papers in consultation with the editors and other entrepreneurship researchers. We decided to focus on the following themes: “stay within the family”, “Chinese aboard”, “entrepreneurship under special conditions”, “law and order”, “culture and Chinese entrepreneurialism” and “studying Chinese entrepreneurship in history”. As the proposal for the special issue developed, we submitted it to the renamed Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies. We announced the call-for-papers in Summer 2014 and attracted a good number of interests. All the articles in this issue have gone through rounds of revision and resubmission. Our reviewers have also played a major part in shaping the contribution and direction of the articles. All the reviews are blinded, and we would like to thank the reviewers for their constructive feedback. For quality control, the allocations of reviewers for each of the research papers were conducted by an editor, including the General Editor, who was not involved in the paper. We would also like to thank Dr Jun Li, the General Editor, for the opportunity and his guidance. Finally, we thank our authors for their stimulating and engaging manuscripts. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2016 Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Mg2+-Dependent Control of the Spatial Arrangement of Rhodococcus erythropolis PR4 Cells in Aqueous-Alkane Two Phase Culture Containing n-Dodecane

We recently reported that a close relationship exists between alkane carbon-chain length, cell growth, and translocation frequency in Rhodococcus. In the present study, we examined the regulation of the spatial arrangement of cells in aqueous-alkane two phase cultures. An analysis of the effects of minerals on cell localization revealed that changes in the concentration of MgSO4 in two phase cultures containing n-dodecane (C12) altered cell localization from translocation to adhesion and vice versa. Our results indicate that the spatial arrangement of cells in two phase culture systems is controlled through the regulation of MgSO4 concentrations.
Does sense of efficacy predict classroom management skills? An analysis of the pre-school teacher’s professional competency

ABSTRACT Professional competency of the pre-school teacher plays a quite determinant role in enhancing the quality of pre-school education. This determinant role of the professional competency of the pre-school teacher is of great importance in teacher’s planning and practice. The research aims to determine the extent to how teacher’s sense of efficacy accounts for their classroom management skills. Two hundred twenty-three pre-school teachers who work at pre-school institutions participated in the study. Embedded mixed design, where both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed, was used in this study. It has been found that the level of teacher’s sense of efficacy belief is a predictor of the classroom management skills of pre-school teachers. Quantitative analysis showed the relation between self-efficacy of pre-school teachers and their perceptions of classroom management skills in relational with the professional variables. It has also been noted that the findings of detailed interviews support the quantitative results.
Examining predictors of physical activity among inactive middle-aged women: An application of the health action process approach

This study tested several relationships predicted by the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) in a sample of 175 generally healthy, inactive, middle-aged women (40–65 yrs old) over a 12 week period. Participants’ physical activity, risk perceptions, outcome expectancies, action self-efficacy and intention were measured at baseline. Planning and maintenance self-efficacy were measured 4 weeks later. Physical activity behaviour was measured 12 weeks after baseline. The HAPA relationships were examined using a structural equation model. The data fit the model well and revealed several significant relationships. Action self-efficacy was the best predictor of intention. Maintenance self-efficacy was the best predictor of planning and behaviour. Contrary to the tenets of HAPA and to past research, planning did not predict behaviour. Overall, HAPA provides a useful framework for identifying determinants of physical activity intentions and behaviour within a group of inactive, middle-aged women.
GEOMETRY ON TREES AND BUILDINGS

The notion of a spectral triple, introduced by Connes (cf. [9], [7], [10]), provides a powerful generalization of Riemannian geometry to noncommutative spaces. It originates from the observation that, on a smooth compact spin manifold, the infinitesimal line element ds can be expressed in terms of the inverse of the classical Dirac operator D, so that the Riemannian geometry is entirely encoded by the data (A,H,D) of the algebra of smooth functions (a dense subalgebra of the C-algebra of continuous functions), the Hilbert space of square integrable spinor sections, and the Dirac operator. For a noncommutative space, the geometry is then defined in terms of a similar triple of data (A,H,D), where A is a C -algebra, H is a Hilbert space on which A acts by bounded operators, and D is an unbounded self adjoint operator on H with compact resolvent (D− z)−1 for z / ∈ R, and such that the commutators [D, a] are bounded operators for all a in a dense subalgebra of A.
Humanistic elements in the educational practice at a United States sub-baccalaureate technical college

Humanism has never been able to establish a firm place in technical education, which remains predominantly pragmatist in response to industry needs, certification requirements and educational standardisation. However, after a period of decline, humanism has made somewhat of a comeback as part of the movement toward student-centred education. Research conducted at a technical college showed that although . This research indicated that including humanistic elements in educational practice will enable instructors to be more effective in helping students to develop skills in relation to team work, problem-solving, systems improvement, lifelong learning and other areas that are becoming increasingly necessary for success in the workplace. The include a constructivist approach with a focus on contextual teaching and learning using situated cognition, cognitive apprenticeships, anchored instruction and authentic assessment. At the same time, some suggestions for improving professional development for teachers by using a Gestalt approach along with self-study in the context of learning communities have been discussed.
Surgical Options for Malignant Skin Tumors of the Hand

Background Primary malignant tumors of the hand, although unusual, may present varied and often complex clinical problems. The main treatment modality of skin cancer of the hand has changed. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 43 patients who underwent surgery for malignant skin tumors of the hand during an 18-year period, from September 1994 to February 2012. The characteristics of the tumor, methods of reconstruction, and long-term results were reviewed. Results We had 43 patients with 27 melanomas, 14 squamous cell carcinomas, and 2 sarcomas. Their ages ranged from 19 to 74 years (mean, 53.4±14.5 years), from 46 to 79 years (mean, 59.7±9.6 years), and from 15 to 43 years (mean, 29±19.8 years), respectively. Thirty-four cases occurred on the fingertip (16 of those cases on the thumb), 5 cases occurred on the palm, and 4 cases on the dorsum of the hand. Amputation was most frequently used in early cases, but recently, tissue-sparing excision has been performed frequently. The incidence of local recurrence was 3 cases and distant metastasis was 1 case, and the 5-year survival rate was 100%, except in 4 cases due to follow-up loss. Conclusions The principles of treatment-to be curative and to preserve function and appearance-are important points. "Preservative surgery" preserves function and cosmesis of the involved finger or hand dorsum or palm. Preservative surgery not only emphasizes less resection and surgery of a smaller scale, but also optimal reconstruction of the soft tissue defect of the digit.
Sodium and boron exclusion in two Brassica juncea cultivars exposed to the combined treatments of salinity and boron at moderate alkalinity

Salinity and high boron (B) concentrations are important co-limitations to crop production on naturally occurring alkaline soils in low rainfall regions of the world. Although the interactive effects of salinity and B toxicity on Brassica juncea growth have been reported in slightly acidic soils, very little is known about the interactive effects in alkaline soils. In the current study, a moderately tolerant (Vaibhav) and sensitive (Xinyou5) variety, were grown hydroponically for four weeks to assess mild salinity (50 mM NaCl) with or without high B (1 mM B) at moderate alkalinity (pH 8.5/5 mM NaHCO3). The growth of the two varieties was more affected under the combined treatment than either salinity or high B alone. Although growth rate reduction was similar among the varieties, Vaibhav maintained a lower sodium (Na) and B and a higher potassium (K) concentration in the leaves than Xinyou5. In response to salinity, Vaibhav demonstrated essential tolerance mechanisms of partial exclusion and presumably compartmentalization of Na, leading to greater biomass than Xinyou5. Despite being able to better exclude B, Xinyou5 suffered a greater growth penalty, indicating higher B sensitivity than Vaibhav. In conclusion, screening for individual stresses is not necessarily the best strategy because plant responses to a single stress either salinity or high B may not always be the same as observed when both stresses are present together. Therefore, Brassica germplasm screening is essential for stresses in combination but not separately.
Policies on Conflicts of Interest in Health Care Guideline Development: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Objective To assess whether organisations that develop health care guidelines have conflict of interest (COI) policies and to review the content of the available COI policies. Methods Survey and content analysis of COI policies available in English, French, Spanish, and Italian conducted between September 2014 and June 2015. A 24-item data abstraction instrument was created on the basis of guideline development standards. Results The survey identified 29 organisations from 19 countries that met the inclusion criteria. From these organisations, 19 policies were eligible for inclusion in the content analysis. Over one-third of the policies (7/19, 37%) did not report or did not clearly report whether disclosure was a prerequisite for membership of the guideline panel. Strategies for the prevention of COI such as divestment were mentioned by only two organisations. Only 21% of policies (4/19) used criteria to determine whether an interest constitutes a COI and to assess the severity of the risk imposed. Conclusions The finding that some organisations, in contradiction of widely available standards, still do not have COI policies publicly available is concerning. Also troubling were the findings that some policies did not clearly report critical steps in obtaining, managing and communicating disclosure of relationships of interest. This in addition to the variability encountered in content and accessibility of COI policies may cause confusion and distrust among guideline users. It is in the interest of guideline users and developers to design an agreed-upon, comprehensive, clear, and accessible COI policy.
Learning contention patterns and adapting to load/topology changes in a MAC scheduling algorithm

Aggregate traffic loads and topology in multi-hop wireless networks may vary slowly, permitting MAC protocols to 'learn' how to spatially coordinate and adapt contention patterns. Such an approach could reduce contention, leading to better throughput and energy consumption. To that end we propose a new family of distributed MAC scheduling algorithms combining synchronous two-level priority RTS/CTS handshaking with randomized time slot selection. We prove that for any fixed admissible load such algorithms converge to a feasible schedule (i.e., throughput-optimal). Furthermore, by adaptively biasing time-slot selection probabilities based on past history, one can develop variations that are also provably throughput-optimal and exhibit better convergence rates. Additionally under moderate loads local changes in load would lead to only local changes in contention patterns leading once again to fast convergence. This makes the case for adopting such protocols in wireless multi- hop networks, where aggregate loads and network topology are slowly varying.