Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The white dwarf binary pathways survey – II. Radial velocities of 1453 FGK stars with white dwarf companions from LAMOST DR 4

We present the second paper of a series of publications aiming at obtaining a better understanding regarding the nature of type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) progenitors by studying a large sample of detached F, G and K main-sequence stars in close orbits with white dwarf companions (i.e. WD+FGK binaries). We employ the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) data release 4 spectroscopic data base together with Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) ultraviolet fluxes to identify 1549 WD+FGK binary candidates (1057 of which are new), thus doubling the number of known sources. We measure the radial velocities of 1453 of these binaries from the available LAMOST spectra and/or from spectra obtained by us at a wide variety of different telescopes around the globe. The analysis of the radial velocity data allows us to identify 24 systems displaying more than 3σ radial velocity variation that we classify as close binaries. We also discuss the fraction of close binaries among WD+FGK systems, which we find to be ∼10 per cent, and demonstrate that high-resolution spectroscopy is required to efficiently identify double-degenerate SN Ia progenitor candidates.
The Importance of Admissions Scores and Attendance to First-Year Performance

The goal of this study was to determine how ACT Aptitude Ratings (AAR, a pre-admission criterion) of first-year students are associated with various aspects of their first-year experiences. AAR scores were only weakly correlated with students' first-semester grade point averages (GPA), as well as their second-semester grades and attendance rates in a large, in- troductory biology course. The strongest correlates of students' academic success during their first year of college were their first-semester GPAs and their rates of class attendance. These results (a) indicate that instructors, advisors, and other learn- ing assistance professionals should not rely heavily on AAR scores when making academic decisions regarding academic aspects of students' first-year experiences and (b) emphasize the importance of motivation-related behavior such as class at- tendance for the academic performances of first-year students. These findings are discussed relative to several recommenda- tions to improve students' academic performances during their first year of college.
Phylogenetic and Antimicrobial Characteristics of a Novel Streptomyces sp. Ru87 Isolated from Egyptian Soil

Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens have been recognized as a major worldwide public health threat, causing morbidity, mortality and increasing healthcare costs (Pfaller et al., 1997, Hilal et al., 1997). It is of interest to mention that the common medicine penicillin for Staphylococcus aureus infection is extremely pronounced resistant (Roller, 1999) and nearly 500,000 patients are admitted to American hospitals annually due to staphylococcal infection (Korzeniowski and Sande, 1982). In Egypt, only few records on antimicrobial resistance were reported (El Kholy et al., 2003). Multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has become overwhelming in Egyptian heath care sectors against oxacillin (Hassan et al., 2011), carbapenem (Falagas et al., 2013), methicillin (Laxminarayan et al., 2013) and erythromycin, co-trimoxazole, clindamycin and doxycycline (El-Kholy et al., 2003). S. aureus has been recognized as major foodborne pathogens, leading to a wide variety of illnesses, as well as life-threatening International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 8 (2017) pp. 2524-2541 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Effects of the essential oil of Lippia gracilis Schauer on caulinary shoots of heliconia cultivated in vitro

The effects of thymol and carvacrol and the essential oil of Lippia gracilis on caulinary shoots of heliconia were evaluated. After disinfection, the shoots were inoculated into MS medium and subjected to the treatments with 420 µL L-1 of essential oil (EO) of L. gracilis; 420 µL L-1 of thymol; 420 µL L-1 of carvacrol; 210 µL L-1 of thymol and 210 µL L-1 of carvacrol. The control treatment consisted of the MS medium without any phytoregulators. The main components of EO from L. gracilis are carvacrol, ρ-cimene, and thymol. Seven days after the initiation of the experiments, 36.3% of the control treatment shoots were necrotized, but 90% of the caulinary shoots exposed to EO, thymol, or carvacrol appeared necrotized. Transmission electron microscopy of the shoots revealed that the treatment with EO, thymol, or carvacrol caused the destruction of the plasma cell membranes, and the cell organelles and the nucleus were hardly evident. The EO and its main constituent were toxic to caulinary shoots of heliconia.
Smoking and Nicotine Dependence among Shelter-Using Homeless Men in Ohio : Implications for Cessation Intervention

Results: Seventy-three percent of adult homeless male respondents were current smokers, and 44% homeless male smokers smoked their first cigarette within five minutes of waking up. Smokers were significantly more likely to be African American than persons of white or other race. Analysis of the Fagerström Tests for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) revealed 41% homeless male smokers to be in the high nicotine dependence category. A majority of smokers displayed low motivation to quit and were either in the pre-contemplation (56.9%) or contemplation (16.3%) stage of change. Among homeless smokers, about 33% actively tried to limit smoking due to health concerns, and 16% were planning to quit in the next six months.
On the various time constants of wavelength changes of a DFB laser under direct modulation

The temporal behavior of the optical frequency emitted by several DFB lasers under direct square wave modulation was measured using an all-fiber implementation of a Mach-Zender interferometer with an imbalance of 30 ps. The impulse response of the optical frequency to injection current modulation was found to contain a time constant as short as 10-20 ns, together with a few longer ones. The existence of such a short time constant is consistent with a thermal analysis of a laser structure with finite thermal impedance of the active region and should be taken into consideration in various wide bandwidth applications of direct modulated semiconductor lasers.
FIR Filter Design Using Optimal Factoring: A Walkthrough and Summary of Benefits

Decomposing an FIR filter into a cascade of blocks, each representing an optimal factor of H(z), the filter? s transfer function, can start with the complex-conjugate pairs of zeros of H(z) and then creating optimal pairings of these zero-pairs. This leads to a general method for designing FIR filters having minimal hardware complexity. We illustrate this concept, further techniques, benefits, and performance improvements in this paper, highlighting the practical features of the design method. It is also shown that the resulting structure can achieve lower hardware complexity, when compared with the prior art.
Author ' s personal copy Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles in a biocompatible alginate matrix ☆

An intensive multi-disciplinary research effort is underway at Wayne State University to synthesize and characterize magnetic nanoparticles in a biocompatible matrix for biomedical applications. The particular system being studied consists of 3–10 nm γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in an alginate matrix, which is being studied for applications in targeted drug delivery, as a magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent, and for hyperthermic treatments of malignant tumors. In the present work we report on our efforts to determine if laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can offer a more accurate and substantially faster determination of iron content in such nanoparticle-containing materials than competing technologies such as inductively-coupled plasma (ICP). Standardized samples of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (5–25 nm diameter) and silver micropowder (2–3.5 μm diameter) were created with thirteen precisely known concentrations and pressed hydraulically to create solid “pellets” for LIBS analysis. The ratio of the intensity of an Fe(I) emission line at 371.994 nm to that of an Ag(I) line at 328.069 nm was used to create a calibration curve exhibiting an exponential dependence on Fe mass fraction. Using this curve, an “unknown” γ-Fe2O3/alginate/silver pellet was tested, leading to a measurement of the mass fraction of Fe in the nanoparticle/alginate matrix of 51±3 wt. %, which is in very good agreement with expectations and previous determinations of its iron concentration. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Qualitative Evaluation of a Mentoring Program for Health and Physical Education Teachers

This study examined the impact of a mentoring relationship on Quality of Work Life (QWL) and teaching self-efficacy for early career and experienced Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers, and the application of mentoring skills by experienced teachers. Experienced mentor teachers (n = 22) were paired with early career mentee teachers (n = 22) at the beginning of a year-long intervention. Semi-structured interviews provided unanimous support for the utility of the Physical Educators Mentoring Active Teachers through Experience and Support (PE M.A.T.E.S) program and the overall impact of mentoring on professional skills, teaching self-efficacy and outcomes. Quantitative journal entries reinforced enhanced applications of mentoring skills for mentors.
2 Does Self-Regulation Reduce Industrial Accidents ? Responsible Care in the Chemical Industry

This is the first study to evaluate the impact of self-regulation on industrial accidents. We examine Responsible Care in the US chemical manufacturing sector using our authorconstructed database of 1,867 firms that own 2,963 plants between 1988 and 2001. Firms’ selfselection into RC is instrumented using pollution-related regulatory pressure on firms that influences their probability of joining RC, but not plant-level accidents. The average treatment effect on the treated indicates that RC reduces the likelihood of accidents by 2.99 accidents per 100 plants in a given year. This 69.3% reduction in the likelihood of accidents, accounting for the plants that participate in RC, translates to back-of-the-envelope avoided losses of $0.8 billion to $3.8 billion per year. RC also reduces the likelihood of more narrowly-defined accidents, i.e., process safety accidents and accidents related to violations of RC codes, by 5.75 accidents per 100 plants in a given year or by 85.9%. 150 words
Stockholder Conflicts and Dividends

Conflicts of interest between majority and minority stockholders affect a large proportion of firms in any economy, but has received little attention in the empirical literature. We examine the link between the potential for such conflicts and the firm’s payout policy on a large sample of Norwegian private firms with controlling stockholders and detailed ownership data. Our evidence shows that the stronger the potential conflict between the stockholders, the higher the proportion of earnings paid out as dividends. This tendency to reduce stockholder conflicts by dividend payout is more pronounced when the minority is diffuse and when a family’s majority block is held by a single family member. We also find evidence that a minority-friendly payout policy is associated with higher future minority investment in the firm. These results are consistent with the notion that potential agency costs of ownership are mitigated by dividend policy when the majority stockholder benefits from not exploiting the minority.
A novel spherical wheel driven by Omni wheels

A novel combination of Omni wheel and spherical wheel unit (CWWU) is presented in this paper, and its operating principle is basically a spherical wheel driven by two perpendicular pairs of Omni wheels. Thus, a CWWU base robot can perform the static and dynamic balancing function that a single wheel with inverse mouse-ball drive developed by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) can achieve. The previous rolling/balancing machines cannot immediately drive in a given direction without first re-orienting the drive mechanism. The major feature of the presented CWWU base robot and the CMU robot is that both of them can move directly in any direction. As compared the Omni wheel base robot with the proposed one, the main drawback of the Omni wheel robot is the cancellation of opposite portion of the driving forces. Moreover, the CWWU base robot has several exclusive features which can resolve some problems inherited in the CMU robot. Especially, the simultaneous demand of both a high-friction and low-friction material for the spherical ball is a compromise needed to make for the CMU robot, but not for the proposed CWWU base robot.
Synthesis of PtNi Alloy Nanoparticles on Graphene-Based Polymer Nanohybrids for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol

We have successfully produced bimetallic PtNi alloy nanoparticles on poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)-modified graphene nanosheets (PtNi/PDDA-G) by the “one-pot” hydrothermal method. The size of PtNi alloy nanoparticles is approximately 2–5 nm. The PDDA-modified graphene nanosheets (PDDA-G) provides an anchored site for metal precursors; hence, the PtNi nanoparticles could be easily bond on the PDDA-G substrate. PtNi alloy nanoparticles (2–5 nm) display a homogenous alloy phase embedded on the PDDA-G substrate, evaluated by Raman, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), thermal gravity analysis (TGA), electron surface chemical analysis (ESCA), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The Pt/Ni ratio of PtNi alloy nanoparticles is ~1.7, examined by the energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) spectra of transmitting electron microscopy (EDS/TEM spectra) and mapping technique. The methanol electro-oxidation of PtNi/PDDA-G was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.5 M of H2SO4 and 0.5 M of CH3OH. Compared to Pt on carbon nanoparticles (Pt/C) and Pt on Graphene (Pt/G), the PtNi/PDDA-G exhibits the optimal electrochemical surface area (ECSA), methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) activity, and durability by chrono amperometry (CA) test, which can be a candidate for MOR in the electro-catalysis of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC).
A two-phase approach for inland container ship stowage on full route on Yangtze River

This work researches the problem of inland container ship stowage on the full route on Yangtze River which has its particularity. We tackle the stowage planning problem through a two-phase approach including two levels planning: Multi-Port Master Bay Plan Problem on the full route and Slot Plan Problem for each bay at each port on the route. The outputs of first planning level are the inputs of second planning level at each port. We present a Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure and Heuristic Evolutionary Strategy Algorithm to solve the stowage planning problem in each level respectively. The approaches are able to find high-quality solutions for both planning levels within 2 seconds.
Nurses' Use of Facilitating and Blocking Communication Behaviours in Cancer Care

This study investigated nurses' use of facilitating and blocking communication behaviours in cancer care and the associated personal and professional factors. Using cross-sectional quantitative descriptive design and researchers-developed observation guide and questionnaire, data were collected by non-participant observation of 47 nurses working as permanent staff in eight wards admitting predominantly cancer patients in four teaching hospitals in South-Eastern Nigeria. Researchers did non-participant, one-hour event observation and recording of nurses' use of facilitating and blocking behaviours in communicating with three categories of admitted cancer patients - newly diagnosed with early disease signs, patients admitted with recurrence, and those admitted for palliative care. Out of the 721 events of communication behaviours observed, 441(61.2%) were facilitating, 280(38.8%) were blocking. Nurses exhibited highest facilitating behaviours for patients with early disease (208) and blocking behaviours mostly for patients on palliative care (139). Statistically significant relationships were noted among length of stay in cancer unit (p=0.0444) and exposure to post-basic course in cancer care (p<0.0001). Nurses were not good in communicating pains to patients. All nurses caring for cancer patients will most likely benefit from special pre-requisite training in communication and cancer care.
Internationalization and Capital Structure of Taiwan Electronic Corporations

This paper analyzes capital structure between the internationalized and domestic electronic industries in Taiwan from 1999 to 2008 as the reference for financing strategies and decision. The evidence shows that the leverage and the payout cash dividend ratio in the internationalized electronic firms are lower than those in domestic electronic firms. Due to the uniqueness and the high profit ability of the internationalized electronic firms in the Taiwan, they have more earnings and inside capital so that the leverage is lower. On the contrary, the internationalization level is irrelevant with the payout cash dividend ratio due to the payout cash dividend depending on the dividend balance policy regulated by government in Taiwan.
Characterization of the Potato Late Blight Pathogen Phytophthora infestans in Tunisia

This mini-review focus on summarizing different phenotypic and genotypic analysis recorded on Phytophthora infestans population collected from the Northern area of Tunisia. Here, we demonstrated that mating type distribution plays a primordial role in genetic structure of the pathogen between sampling regions. Also, a probably strong correlation between mating type and metalaxyl resistance could be mentioned. Next to that, we found that the aggressiveness and the virulence patterns were highly effective parameters to outline phenotypic diversity in Tunisian population that showed specific characteristics comparing with Algeria and others countries in the world. Consistently, genotypic diversity based on SSR markers seems to be a very interesting key in the genetic understanding of the pathogen. In fact, we found that P. infestans populations in Tunisia were divided to two major phylogenic groups: a clonal lineage group shared between all sampling regions and a diverse group detected in potato population and specific to two sub-regions. Thus, we could conclude that genotypic diversity confirmed phenotypic diversity and both analysis leaded us to conclude that population structure of P. infestans in Tunisia is very specific either in North African area or all over the world. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The light chains of kinesin-1 are autoinhibited

Significance Despite its importance for a host of cellular processes and contribution to neurological, viral, and bacterial disease, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of the heterotetrameric motor kinesin-1 by its light chains and the binding of its cargo are not well understood. Here, we describe how a previously unnoticed intramolecular interaction between the light chain tetratricopeptide repeat domain (KLC2TPR) and a highly conserved peptide motif within an unstructured region of the molecule occludes a key cargo binding site on the light-chain TPR domain. Cargo binding displaces this intramolecular interaction, effecting a global overall conformational change in KLCs that results in a more extended conformation. We propose a model describing how, via this molecular switch, cargo binding regulates the activity of the holoenzyme. The light chains (KLCs) of the microtubule motor kinesin-1 bind cargoes and regulate its activity. Through their tetratricopeptide repeat domain (KLCTPR), they can recognize short linear peptide motifs found in many cargo proteins characterized by a central tryptophan flanked by aspartic/glutamic acid residues (W-acidic). Using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer biosensor in combination with X-ray crystallographic, biochemical, and biophysical approaches, we describe how an intramolecular interaction between the KLC2TPR domain and a conserved peptide motif within an unstructured region of the molecule, partly occludes the W-acidic binding site on the TPR domain. Cargo binding displaces this interaction, effecting a global conformational change in KLCs resulting in a more extended conformation. Thus, like the motor-bearing kinesin heavy chains, KLCs exist in a dynamic conformational state that is regulated by self-interaction and cargo binding. We propose a model by which, via this molecular switch, W-acidic cargo binding regulates the activity of the holoenzyme.
APPENDIX TO : ELASTIC-PLASTIC CONTACT OF A ROUGH SURFACE WITH WEIERSTRASS PROFILE

In this appendix, we list the expressions that characterize the response of an elastic-perfectly plastic solid with sinusoidal roughness to indentation by a rigid flat punch. The substrate is an elastic-perfectly plastic solid with Young’s modulus E, Poisson’s ratio ν and yield stress Y σ . The surface roughness has wavelength n λ and amplitude n g . In terms of these parameters, we define a material and geometrical parameter 2 /[(1 ) ] n n n Y g E ψ ν λ σ = − , which characterizes the resistance of the surface to plastic flow. The solid is indented by a flat, rigid surface, under the action of a nominal pressure n p . The loading induces a contact width 2 n a , pressure distribution ( ) n p x and mean pressure mean n p , given by functional relationships
Identification and Characterization of ADNT 1 , a Novel Mitochondrial Adenine Nucleotide Transporter from Arabidopsis 1 [ OA ]

Department of Pharmaco-Biology, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy (L.P., A.S., E.B., R.A., F.G., F.P.); Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Institute of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics, 70125 Bari, Italy (L.P., R.A., F.P.); and Department Willmitzer, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (F.C., A.N.-N., A.R.F.)
Developing idiotype vaccines for lymphoma: from preclinical studies to phase III clinical trials

Therapeutic vaccines for B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) using the clonal tumour immunoglobulin idiotype (Id) have been under development for more than three decades. A major obstacle for rapid progress in the field has been that the Id vaccine is patient‐specific and required the generation of a custom‐made product. The manufacturing issues were recently overcome by advances in hybridoma and recombinant DNA technology which facilitated the completion of several phase I and II clinical trials. The strong immunogenicity and apparent clinical benefit observed on the early phase studies led to the initiation of three randomized phase III clinical trials that are also nearing completion. This review will focus on the development of Id vaccines before and after the introduction of rituximab for the treatment of B‐cell NHL and also discuss potential strategies to enhance the efficacy of active immunotherapy in the future.