Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tutorials for Enhancing Skills Development in First Year Students Taking Biological Sciences

Abstract In order to increase engagement and to consolidate skills, a tutorial-based skills course (module) was introduced as a compulsory component of first-year in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen. We evaluated whether students had attained certain ‘graduate attributes’ during the course, comprising: transferable and generic skills and intellectual curiosity. Student feedback from course evaluation forms, student diaries and focus groups indicated that the course increased students’ confidence in questioning accepted wisdom and helped students to develop generic skills. Feedback forms generally indicated a strong appreciation of interactions with tutors, and also of learning in small groups, interacting with peers within degree programmes, personalised learning, and developing generic skills. The quality of students’ experience varied, probably due to differences among students themselves as well as with their tutors. Students’ use of the course website indicated strategic use of materials to enhance the development of transferable/generic skills. Activity on the course website tended to be greatest among those students who went on to achieve higher overall course marks. Tutors were more cautious than students in claiming that students were more ready to question information having done the tutorial course. Intellectual curiosity among students was more apparent later in the course, suggesting that students had been learning critical thinking skills.
Verification of modelled locations of coastal areas exposed to current-driven pollution in the Gulf of Finland by using surface drifters

Statistical properties of the drift of floating items from the major fairway to the coast and numerically simulated transport of pollution by surface currents to the nearshore are compared for the Gulf of Finland. The comparison is based on tracks of 23 surface drifters that crossed the fairway in the central part of the gulf in 2011–2014 and 17 280 simulated trajectories of passive virtual parcels with starting points in the same section of the fairway and evaluated using velocity fields from the Rossby Centre Ocean (RCO) model in 2000–2004. More than 25% of the drifters that crossed the major fairway in the area north and north-west of Tallinn reached either the southern (Estonian) or northern (Finnish) coast. This probability matches similar estimates for single water parcels that are locked in the surface layer and exclusively carried by simulated currents. The probability of reaching the Estonian and Finnish nearshore by simulated parcels or the coast by drifters is roughly equal. Both surface drifters and virtual parcels generally drifted to the west before they reached the coast or nearshore, except for surface drifters that arrived on the Estonian coast.
The Susceptibility of Southeastern Amazon Forests to Fire: Insights from a Large-Scale Burn Experiment

The interaction between droughts and land-use fires threaten the carbon stocks, climate regulatory functions, and biodiversity of Amazon forests, particularly in the southeast, where deforestation and land-use ignitions are high. Repeated, severe, or combined fires and droughts result in tropical forest degradation via nonlinear dynamics and may lead to an alternate vegetation state. Here, we discuss the major insights from the longest (more than 10 years) and largest (150-hectare) experimental burn in Amazon forests. Despite initial forest resistance to low-intensity fires, repeated fire during drought killed the majority of trees, reduced canopy cover by half, and favored invasive grasses—but the persistence of this novel vegetation state is unknown. Forest edges, where drying, fire intensity and grass invasion are greatest, were most vulnerable. Crucial to advancing fire ecology in tropical forests, we need to scale these results to understand how flammability and resilience postfire varies across Amazon forest types.
Giant Amplification in Degenerate Band Edge Slow-Wave Structures Interacting with an Electron Beam

We propose a new amplification regime based on synchronous operation of four degenerate electromagnetic (EM) modes in a slow-wave structure and the electron beam, referred to as super synchronization. These four EM modes arise in a Fabry-Perot cavity (FPC) when degenerate band edge (DBE) condition is satisfied. The modes interact constructively with the electron beam resulting in superior amplification. In particular, much larger gains are achieved for smaller beam currents compared to conventional structures based on synchronization with only a single EM mode. We demonstrate giant gain scaling with respect to the length of the slow-wave structure compared to conventional Pierce type single mode traveling wave tube amplifiers. We construct a coupled transmission line (CTL) model for a loaded waveguide slow-wave structure exhibiting a DBE, and investigate the phenomenon of giant gain via super synchronization using the Pierce model generalized to multimode interaction.
The Effect of Public Sector Employment on Women's Labour Market Outcomes

This paper addresses the role played by Public Sector (PS) employment across different OECD labour markets in explaining: (i) gender differences regarding occupational choices in either PS or private sector, and (ii) subsequent changes in female labour market outcomes. To do so, we provide some empirical evidence about cross-country gender differences in choice of employment in the PS vs. the private sector using the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), in the light of several theories about patterns of gender behaviour in the labour market. We also analyze the main determinants of the hourly wage gaps across these two sectors for males and females separately. Finally, we document the main stylized facts about gender differences in labour market transitions of workers among inactivity, unemployment, working in the PS and working in the private sector.
Interactional Patterns in Face-to-Face and Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication in Problem-Based Learning Contexts

This study seeks to unfold interactional patterns of Thai EFL learners performing the problem-solving tasks in face-to-face (FTF) and synchronous computer-mediated (SCMC) contexts and explain to what extents that characteristics of each context contribute to learners' interaction. Problem-based learning was implemented as a scenario of the tasks due to its potentiality in bringing nature of learners' interactions out into open. The participants in this study were divided into two groups. The first group discussed the problems in the FTF context where their verbal and non-verbal languages were videotaped while the second group performed similar tasks in the SCMC context through Skype. Their conversations were automatically recorded by the program and later retrieved. The interview was conducted a week after the last discussion. The results revealed that the learners communicated through interactional patterns particular to the learning context. Furthermore, the properties of each context had influences on interactional stages, language use, and social interactions.
Agronomic Performance of Kenyan Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Varieties

Sweet potato is one of the most important staple crops in Sub-Sahara Africa because of its supply of carbohydrates, vitamin A and C, fiber, iron, potassium and protein.The objective of this study was to determine phenotypic variation in diverse sweetpotato varieties for marketable roots, fresh root yield, fresh biomass weight, harvest index, beta carotene content and root dry matter content. Twenty five sweet potato genotypes were evaluated at two sites in two seasons in Kenya using a randomized complete block design of three replications. The results indicated that there were highly significantly variations for genotypes and sites for all the traits studied. There were no significant differences for genotype x site x season effects for the traits except for the number of marketable roots and fresh root yield. The mean fresh root was 32.19 t/ha,with the genotype Ininda expressing the highest fresh root yield of 54.79 t/ha. Genotypes, Naspot 13, Ejumula, Kabode, Vitaa and Tio-Joe gave the highest beta carotene content ranging between 11.830 and 10.040 mg/100g; with a mean of 5.384 mg/100g. The mean root dry matter content was 24.84 % with clones Amelia and Melinda showing the highest and lowest root dry matter content of 30.62 and 16.52 % respectively. Ten genotypes including Ininda, Erica, Jane, Naspot 13, Ejumula, Kabode, Vitaa, Tio-Joe, Amelia and Mayai were recommended as potential parents for sweet potato breeding program in Kenya.
Prevalence of Dementia and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms among Elderly Patients Attending Outpatient Departments of Psychiatric Hospitals in Southern Thailand

We sought to obtain information about the prevalence of dementia, neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) and the factors associated with dementia among elderly patients attending outpatient departments of psychiatric hospitals in Southern Thailand. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 elderly patients in outpatient departments. All participants were assessed with the Thai Mental State Examination and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire Thai version. The data were collected through interview questionnaires conducted from July to September, 2014. Chi-square test, Student’s t test and logistic regression models were used to identify statistically significant associations. The prevalence of dementia was found to be 52 %. The prevalence of NPSs was 52.9 % among individuals with dementia. Common NPSs included nighttime motor behavior (54.8 %), depression (51.9 %), and anxiety (48.1 %). Old age (OR 2.36; 95 % CI 1.18 4.71) was statistically significantly associated with dementia. Higher levels of education (OR 0.16; 95 % CI 0.05 0.49) and having social activity (OR 0.37; 95 % CI 0.15 0.86) also showed statistically significant association with a decreased risk for dementia. Dementia had a moderate prevalence (52 %) while the prevalence of NPSs was 52.9 % among individuals with dementia. The top 5 symptoms were nighttime motor behavior, depression, anxiety, irritability, and delusion. The factors associated with dementia were old age, lower levels of education and lack of social activity. Therefore, assessment and investigation of dementia, NPSs and the factors associated with dementia amongst these people should be recognized and appropriate activities focusing on the individual and their family context should be established.
Factors affecting willingness to communicate in a Spanish university context

The present study examines the relationships among the variables believed to affect Spanish undergraduates’ willingness to communicate in English. The participants were 195 students majoring in several degrees at the University of Oviedo. A questionnaire and a standardized English Test were administered to the students in February-March 2013. Regression analysis showed that the Spanish undergraduates’ motivation to learn English had a significant relationship with their willingness to communicate in English. Results also showed a significant positive relationship between self-perceived communication competence and willingness to communicate, and a significant negative relationship between anxiety and self-perceived communication competence. Finally, results show a significant relationship between self-perceived communication competence and L2 competence. A gender difference in the effect of self-perceived competence on actual L2 competence was another finding of the present study.
Prototype wireless sensors for monitoring subsurface processes in snow and firn

ABSTRACT The detection and monitoring of meltwater within firn presents a significant monitoring challenge. We explore the potential of small wireless sensors (ETracer+, ET+) to measure temperature, pressure, electrical conductivity and thus the presence or absence of meltwater within firn, through tests in the dry snow zone at the East Greenland Ice Core Project site. The tested sensor platforms are small, robust and low cost, and communicate data via a VHF radio link to surface receivers. The sensors were deployed in low-temperature firn at the centre and shear margins of an ice stream for 4 weeks, and a ‘bucket experiment’ was used to test the detection of water within otherwise dry firn. The tests showed the ET+ could log subsurface temperatures and transmit the recorded data through up to 150 m dry firn. Two VHF receivers were tested: an autonomous phase-sensitive radio-echo sounder (ApRES) and a WinRadio. The ApRES can combine high-resolution imaging of the firn layers (by radio-echo sounding) with in situ measurements from the sensors, to build up a high spatial and temporal resolution picture of the subsurface. These results indicate that wireless sensors have great potential for long-term monitoring of firn processes.
SCREENED AND UNSCREENED PHASES IN SEDIMENTING SUSPENSIONS

A coarse-grained stochastic hydrodynamical description of velocity and concentration fluctuations in steadily sedimenting suspensions is constructed and analyzed using self-consistent and renormalization-group methods. We find a nonequilibrium phase transition from an "unscreened" phase in which we recover the Caflisch-Luke [Phys. Fluids 28, 759 (1985)] divergence of the velocity variance to a "screened" phase where the fluctuations have a finite correlation length depending on the volume fraction phi as phi(-1/3), in agreement with Segre et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 2574 (1997)] (if their observation of a phi-independent diffusivity is used), and the velocity variance is independent of system size.
OPTIMAL COMBINATION OF CHEMICAL COMPOUND FERTILIZER AND HUMIC ACID TO IMPROVE SOIL AND LEAF PROPERTIES, YIELD AND QUALITY OF APPLE (MALUS DOMESTICA) IN THE LOESS PLATEAU OF CHINA

A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different application rates of chemical compound fertilizer (CF) (control, CF0; low, CF1; medium, CF1.5 and high, CF2 rates) without or with humic acid (no HA, HA0; with HA, HA) on soil chemical properties, growth of apple trees and their fruit yield and quality. With the increasing rates of CF, soil available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) contents increased regardless of HA treatment. The soil organic matter (OM) content increased with the addition of HA. Most of the tree response parameters i.e. leaf N, P, K concentration, one-year-old shoot length, thickness and weight of 100 leaves, leaf chlorophyll index, fruit firmness, soluble solid and sugar, titratable acidity, and vitamin C contents, increased with increasing CF rates. Generally, the values of all these parameters as well as fruit yield peaked at CF1.5 and CF2 rates without and with HA, respectively. Addition of HA to CF increased the fruit yield by 12-35%. The results of this study demonstrated beneficial effects of HA addition to CF to improve soil properties, growth of apple trees, and finally fruit yield and quality. The CF combined with HA may be considered as a moderate and economical model of fertilizer regime for apple orchard in the Loess Plateau of China.
Taking advantage of a historic opportunity? A critical review of the literature on TOD in China

Since the term was coined in the United States in the early 1990s, the concept of transit-oriented development (TOD) has enjoyed worldwide success. For emerging countries that are both experiencing fast urban growth and involved in the development of mass transit transportation networks, innovative planning practices are needed. Researchers have identified the recent development of subway networks in Chinese cities as an opportunity to implement TOD principles. Based on an extensive literature review, including Chinese sources, this paper aims to identify the way in which the concept of TOD has led to the emergence of a challenging research field dedicated to the integration of urban and transportation planning in China. Results from grounded studies have failed to prove that Chinese cities are "real" TOD cities in the formal sense; however, they are useful for identifying the key factors behind the lack of integration between transportation and urban development that are likely to influence planning, design, and research practice in China in the future.
Single-molecule measurements of importin α/cargo complex dissociation at the nuclear pore

Macromolecules are transported between the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm of eukaryotic cells through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Large (more than ≈40 kDa) transport cargoes imported into the nucleus typically form a complex with at least one soluble transport cofactor of the importin (Imp) β superfamily. Many cargoes require an accessory cofactor, Imp α, which binds to Imp β and to the nuclear localization sequence on the cargo. We previously reported the use of narrow-field epifluorescence microscopy to directly monitor cargoes in transit through NPCs in permeabilized cells. We now report an expanded approach in which single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is used to detect the disassembly of Imp α/cargo complexes as they transit through NPCs. We found that CAS, the recycling cofactor for Imp α, and RanGTP are essential for this dissociation process. After Imp α/cargo complex dissociation, most Imp α and cargo molecules entered the nucleoplasm. In contrast, the majority of Imp α/cargo complexes that did not dissociate at the NPC in the presence of CAS and RanGTP returned to the cytoplasm. These data are consistent with a model in which Imp α/cargo complexes are dissociated on the nucleoplasmic side of the NPC, and this dissociation requires both CAS and RanGTP.
The Minimum Wage and Productivity : A Case Study of California Strawberry Pickers

This paper studies how minimum wages and piece rate wages interact to affect worker productivity. In the United States, minimum wage laws set a lower bound on earnings of piece rate workers. In low-wage industries, piece rates and productivity levels often result in minimum wages acting as a binding earnings floor. Here, I develop a simple theoretical framework to demonstrate how an increase in this binding wage floor can cause workers to reduce effort and thus decrease productivity. I then give empirical evidence of this prediction using the payroll records of strawberry harvesters on one large farm in Northern California. Using a fixed effects model, I estimate the productivity change of the average worker in response to increases in an employerset minimum wage. Results support the theoretical predictions and indicate that a three percent increase in the minimum wage causes the average worker to decrease productivity by seven percent. For the most recent draft please visit: https://alexandraehill.github. io/research/jmp.pdf
The behavioural-driven response of the Drosophila imago transcriptome to different types of modified gravity

Genome-wide transcriptional profiling experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) have revealed important alterations in the gene expression of Drosophila. In contrast, simulated microgravity experiments in Earth-based laboratories, where the particular constraints and conditions in orbiting spacecraft are absent, show weaker changes in gene expression. Here we use the "gene expression dynamics inspector" (GEDI) self-organizing maps to investigate the effect of altered gravity on different populations of Drosophila. We employ diamagnetic levitation and different mechanical techniques to generate microgravity and hypergravity and compare the changes in gene expression in these modified environments. In addition to behavioural and reproductive responses detected at the gene expression level, our results also indicate a subtle response of the transcriptome that is finely-tuned to Earth´s gravity.
Chemically tagging the Hyades stream: does it partly originate from the Hyades cluster?

The Hyades stream has long been thought to be a dispersed vestige of the Hyades cluster. However, recent analyses of the parallax distribution, of the mass function, and of the actionspace distribution of stream stars have shown it to be rather composed of orbits trapped at a resonance of a density disturbance. This resonant scenario should leave a clearly different signature in the element abundances of stream stars than the dispersed cluster scenario, since the Hyades cluster is chemically homogeneous. Here, we study the metallicity as well as the element abundances of Li, Na, Mg, Fe, Zr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd and Eu for a random sample of stars belonging to the Hyades stream, and compare them with those of stars from the Hyades cluster. From this analysis: (i) we independently confirm that the Hyades stream cannot be solely composed of stars originating in the Hyades cluster; (ii) we show that some stars (namely 2/21) from the Hyades stream nevertheless have abundances compatible with an origin in the cluster; (iii) we emphasize that the use of Li as a chemical tag of the cluster origin of mainsequence stars is very efficient in the range 5500 K ≤ T eff ≤ 6200 K, since the Li sequence in the Hyades cluster is very tight, while at the same time spanning a large abundance range; (iv) we show that, while this evaporated population has a metallicity excess of ∼0.2 dex with respect to the local thin-disc population, identical to that of the Hyades cluster, the remainder of the Hyades stream population has still a metallicity excess of ∼0.06–0.15 dex, consistent with an origin in the inner Galaxy and (v) we show that the Hyades stream can be interpreted as an inner 4:1 resonance of the spiral pattern: this then also reproduces an orbital family compatible with the Sirius stream, and places the origin of the Hyades stream up to 1 kpc inwards from the solar radius, which might explain the observed metallicity excess of the stream population.
Practice of breast self-examination among rural women in Umuowa, Orlu government area, Imo state, Nigeria

Background: Regular practice of breast self- examination is the corner stone of the fight against breast cancer. Increasing breast health awareness would potentially allow for early detection of any anomalies and consequently result in early prognosis. This will in turn lead to increase in survival rate of breast cancer. This study was designed to assess practice of breast self- examination (BSE) among rural women. Methods: Descriptive survey design with the aid of a questionnaire which served as an interview schedule was conducted among 349 women in Umuowa Orlu L.G. A. The main outcome measures were the level of awareness and practice of BSE. Results: From a total of 349 women, a little above half (50%) of the respondents understood the meaning of BSE. Few of the respondents knew that BSE increases survival rate of breast cancer by early detection of abnormalities. Majority of the respondents did not know the abnormalities to check during BSE. Only a few of the respondents knew that BSE should be performed by every woman. Generally, the practice of BSE was inadequate for majority of the participants. There was a positive relationship between the respondents’ awareness of breast cancer and their practice of BSE (P-value = 0.000<0.05). Conclusions: The importance of BSE as a key factor in the early detection of breast cancer should be stressed with special emphasis on regular practice of BSE. The proper procedure of BSE should be taught to women in order to ensure accuracy of performance.