Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Searching for scalar gravitational interactions in current and future cosmological data

Modified gravity theories often contain a scalar field of gravitational strength which interacts with matter. We examine constraints on the range and the coupling strength of a scalar gravitational degree of freedom using a subset of current data that can be safely analyzed within the linear perturbation theory. Using a model-independent implementation of scalar-tensor theories in mgcamb in terms of two functions of the scale factor describing the mass and the coupling of the scalar degree of freedom, we derive constraints on the $f(R)$, generalized chameleon, symmetron and dilaton models. Since most of the large scale structure data available today is from relatively low redshifts, only a limited range of observed scales is in the linear regime, leading to relatively weak constraints. We then perform a forecast for a future large scale structure survey, such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which will map a significant volume at higher redshifts, and show that it will produce much stronger constraints on scalar interactions in specific models. We also perform a principal component analysis and find that future surveys should be able to provide tight constraints on several eigenmodes of the scalar mass evolution.
ONE DIMENSIONAL GaN NANOWIRE FETS

We have studied the variations of the drain current (Id) with drain voltage (Vd) for one – dimensional 10nm GaN nanowire (NW) FET at different temperatures, namely, 20K, 50K and 77K respectively. The electron distribution function is assumed to be displaced Maxwellian in our model. Momentum and energy balance equations are solved to obtain the current – voltage characteristics. Interactions of the electrons with deformation potential acoustic and polar optic phonons are taken into account. It has been found that Id is higher at low temperature, compared to that at high temperatures which agrees with the experimental worker. We have also studied electron mobility variation with temperature. Mobility decreases with temperature as usual due to the dominance of the polar optic scattering at higher temperature.
Influence of Public Financial Management Reforms on Budget Implementation by Kenyan City Counties

The pursuit of Public Financial Management Reforms (PFMR) is centered on, among other functions, enhancing transparency in governance, increasing prudential allocation of financial capital, accountability in financial management, separating policy and management functions. The PFMRs seek to address gaps identified in the devolved systems of government and public organizations to remedy inadequate strategy orientation and lapsed strategy as well as to build on institutional transformation. In Kenya, the PFMRs seek to ensure fiscal efficiency and discipline in the use of public finances by enhancing public service efficiency and safeguarding available resources to be used in the best interest of the people. This study sought to examine the influence public financial management reforms on budget implementation by Kenyan city counties. The PFMRs studies included IFMIS Re-Engineering and fiscal decentralization. The study was based on modern portfolio theory, resource-based theory and stakeholder theory and relied on an expost-facto descriptive research design with a survey method to determine the relationships between the study variables. Structured questionnaires, data collection sheets and interview schedules were used to collect data which was then cleaned, coded and scrutinized thoroughly for completeness. The study relied on primary data collected from the treasuries, directorates of economic planning, budget offices, IFMIS departments and sectoral departments of Nairobi city county, Mombasa city county and Kisumu city county respectively. Secondary data was obtained from the annual county governmets’ budget implementation reports. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 24. Statistical measures such as means, percentages and standard deviation were used to interpret the data. The researcher also performed both a linear regression analysis and a Spearman correlation analysis to show the relationships between the study variables. The study revealed strong positive and statistically significant correlation between fiscal decentralization and budget implementation while IFMIS re-engineering had a negative and statistically insignificant correlation with budget execution. The results of the study were considered pivotal to the national government, the legislature, national treasury, county governments and respective sectoral departments, the Commission for Revenue Allocation, the office of the controller of budget, the public, budget implementation oversight agencies and county chiefs as it highlights important correlates of effective budget execution.
Non-native EFL teachers’ perception of English accent in teaching and learning: Any preference?

This study studied the accent perception of a group of non-native pre-service EFL teachers in Hong Kong in order to see whether native English norm is of their preference for teaching and learning. Results found that participants all preferred traditional native English as learning model and seemed to have overlooked the principle of intelligibility, even there had been calls for using lingua franca core as learning model. Results show that participants all preferred using native English to be the model of teaching and learning. Among all the native English varieties, participants preferred the accent from the United Kingdom though not all could identify the accent they preferred. The study showed there was a mismatch between what the participants preferred and their ability of identifying accents of different kinds.
The Behavior of Straight Open Channels With Movable Beds GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL

___------------_---_--__-----Introduction. ____________________________ Relation between sediment load and velocity Unigranular material _ _______________ Midvelocity range. _ ____________ Lowvelocity range. __ _ ___________ Highvelocity range, ______________ Mixtures of sediment sizes. ____________ Mid-velocity range _ _ ____________ Lowvelocity range __ _ ___________ High-velocity range. ______________ Extrapolation from flume studies ___ _ _ Two-dimensional flow_ ____________________ Independent versus dependent variables. ______ Constraints ________________________________ Discharge and sediment load as independent variables _ __________________________ Discharge and slope as independent variables __ _________________________ Variance of shear stress and friction factor. __________________________ Variance of velocity and friction factor. __________________________ Page Al 1 3 5 6 7 12 14 15 18 19 22 25 25 28 30
Polymorphism of mtDNA Cytochrome b Gene of Local Cattle in Indonesia

The aim of this study was to evaluate of genetic diversity of local cattle in Indonesia. We analyzed the polymorphism of mtDNA cytochrome b (cytb) gene using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR- RFLP) method. Seventy-three Indonesia local cattle were used in the study that consisted of Madura cattle from Madura island (n = 15), Madura cattle from Sapudi island (n = 23), Limousin x Madura from Madura island (n = 5), Bali cattle from Kupang (n = 12), Aceh cattle from Aceh (n = 5), Pesisir cattle (n = 4), Bali cattle from West Sumatera (n = 1), and Java cattle from Pacitan (n = 8). The 464-bp fragment of cytochrome b (cyt b) gene was amplified using primers: forward primer of L14735 and reverse primer of H15149. The PCR product was digested using HinfI and TaqI restriction enzyme to identify the polymorphism of mtDNA cytochrome b (cytb) gene. This result showed that there was two haplotypes (A and B). Aceh and Pesisir cattle have 100% haplotype B meanwhile Bali cattle (from Kupang and West Sumatera) and Limura cattle have 100% haplotype A. Whereas, Madura cattle from Madura and Sapudi island and Java cattle have two different haplotypes (A and B). There was mt- DNA cytochrome b polymorphism of local cattle in Indonesia based on PCR-RFLP analysis method. Since the genetic variation in local cattle showed the differences in the specific area, it is necessary to control the cattle population based on the species. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the SustaiN conference committee and supported by Kyoto University; (RISH), (OPIR), (GCOE-ARS) and (GSS) as co-hosts. Keywords: Polymorphism, genetic variation, cytochrome b gene, local cattle, Indonesia
Insemination and fertilization in the seed bug Lygaeus simulans (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae)

In the laboratory, not all females of the seed bug Lygaeus simulans Deckert, 1985, produced fertilized eggs after copulation: 26.7% of the females were not inseminated and 5% were inseminated but did not lay fertilized eggs; only in 40% of the couples did copulation result in fertile eggs. The remaining 28.3% of couples refrained from mating. Duration of copulation was associated with insemination and fertilization: (i) fertile eggs were produced by only one couple that copulated for less than 60 min and all those that copulated for more than 360 min, (ii) probability of fertilization increased steadily with duration of copulation between 60 and 360 min, and (iii) duration of copulation was significantly different for couples that showed different insemination status.A possible morphological explanation for this rime dependency was revealed by examining the genitalia of 69 couples freeze-fixed in copula after different periods in copulation. Because of the intricate structure of the genitalia in L. simulans, a male takes a long time to manoeuver its intromittent organ into the narrow insemination duct of the female. Only if completely inserted is the tip of the intromittent organ close enough for successful ejaculation of sperm into the spermatheca. The freeze-fixing experiment revealed that it usually took the male more than 30 min to locate the entrance to the insemination duct and another 30 min for full penetration. This explains why copulations that lasted less than 60 min failed, since insemination began only after intromission was complete.The experiments, therefore, indicated that there is a relationship between the complex morphology of the genitalia and the low rates of insemination and fertilization in L. simulans.
Regularizing Rioting: Permitting Public Protest in an Authoritarian Regime

Lacking the informative feedback provided by competitive elections, an unfettered press and an active civil society, authoritarian regimes can find it difficult to identify which social groups have become dangerously discontented and to monitor lower levels of government. While a rise in public protest is often seen as a harbinger of regime collapse in such states, this paper uses a formal model and a close examination of the Chinese case to show that the informal toleration and even encouragement of small-scale, narrowly economic protests can be an effective information gathering tool, mitigating these informational problems. The analysis demonstrates that protests should be observed most frequently where discontent is neither too high nor too low. This calls into question the common assumption in comparative politics that an increase in protests necessarily reflects an increase in discontent or the weakness of a regime.
Chapter 7 Future Prospects and Applications

The concept of free-space optical communications was conceived shortly after the invention of lasers. Strides have been made in developing and demonstrating the technology ever since. Early experiments that targeted terrestrial point-to-point, air-to-ground, and space-to-ground links were not fully successful because the technology was immature. Most of these demonstrations were government-funded, both for civilian and military applications. The promise of laser communication, high data-rate delivery with significantly reduced aperture size for the flight terminal, led to the continued funding for the successful experiments and provided the incentive for further demonstrations. Table 7-1 presents a chronological summary of major successful laser-communication technology demonstrations [1–5] to or from air or space. Plans for additional major experiments are discussed below.
50A PROTEASE GENE USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

Physical optimization is important for enzyme production by fermentation process. In general, fermentation process at optimal condition increases the expression and production level of enzyme to many times in comparison with their natural production. This study was focused on the optimization of the physical factors that influenced the thermostable alkaline protease production. The induction and incubation time were studied using conventional method while the other three factors which are incubation temperature, initial pH of medium and agitation speed were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The interaction effects among these factors were explained using response plot and the model adequacy was satisfactory as the coefficient of determination (R2) was 96.48%. The enhancement of thermostable protease from 197.83 U/ml to 325.89 U/ml was achieved using both conventional and statistical approach of response surface methodology (RSM). This present study proved that physical optimization significantly affects the protease production and the optimum physical condition obtained may applied in large scale process.
Mechanical behavior and localized failure modes in a porous basalt from the Azores

Basaltic rocks are the main component of the oceanic upper crust, thus of potential interest for water and geothermal resources, storage of CO2and volcanic edifice stability. In this work, we investigated experimentally the mechanical behavior and the failure modes of a porous basalt, with an initial connected porosity of 18%. Results were acquired under triaxial compression experiments at confining pressure in the range of 25–200 MPa on water saturated samples. In addition, a purely hydrostatic test was also performed to reach the pore collapse critical pressure P*. During hydrostatic loading, our results show that the permeability is highly pressure dependent, which suggests that the permeability is mainly controlled by pre‐existing cracks. When the sample is deformed at pressure higher than the pore collapse pressure P*, some very small dilatancy develops due to microcracking, and an increase in permeability is observed. Under triaxial loading, two modes of deformation can be highlighted. At low confining pressure (Pc < 50 MPa), the samples are brittle and shear localization occurs. For confining pressure > 50 MPa, the stress‐strain curves are characterized by strain hardening and volumetric compaction. Stress drops are also observed, suggesting that compaction may be localized. The presence of compaction bands is confirmed by our microstructure analysis. In addition, the mechanical data allows us to plot the full yield surface for this porous basalt, which follows an elliptic cap as previously observed in high porosity sandstones and limestones.
A Scientific Out-of-School Programme on Neurobiology Employing CLIL. Its Impact on the Cognitive Acquisition and Experimentation-Related Ability Self-Concepts

To date research on content and language integrated learning (CLIL) in scientific out-of-school programmes has been seldom been carried out (Rodenhauser & Preisfeld, 2015). The programme in question aims to provide learners with both, authentic scientific education and subject-related learning in the school language German and the first foreign language, English, to prepare for vocational and university training. With a longitudinal, quantitative, quasi-experimental design, the present study has explored to what extent teaching Biology in a CLIL intervention with English as the foreign language affects the acquisition of scientific knowledge and two experimentationrelated ability self-concepts. For the investigation of this question, a pre-post-follow-up-design has been conducted with 170 senior students being taught CLIL in English and a control group of 48 students being instructed in German. From the pre test, self-assessments of affective data were employed to subgroup as primarily interested in sciences (scientists), as primarily interested in foreign languages (language lovers) and as interested in both (all-rounders). Regarding the cognitive knowledge, both, significant short-term and long-term increases were measured. Furthermore, cognitive acquisition proved to be independent of the treatment as well as of preference subgroups. For the ability self-concepts, however, group-depending differences were identified. While in the ability self-concept on experimenting a homogeneous, both, treatmentand preference group-independent short-term rise was registered, for the ability self-concept on interpreting data a treatment-dependent, group-independent, short-term decrease was observed. As to the cognitive gain and the development of self-concepts observed in this study, practical experimentation combined to a CLIL format can be assumed to be beneficial to heterogeneous learner groups.
Bayesian inference for geometric distribution under a simple step-stress model

In some situations in reliability and survival analysis, the life times of the units in an experiment depend on the number of times the units are switched on and off or the number of shocks they receive. On the other hand, the experiment may not terminate on an adequate time under the normal conditions. This paper proposes a Bayesian inference model for a simple step-stress model with Type-I censored sample. Assuming a cumulative exposure model with lifetimes being geometric distributed, the problems of point and interval estimation of studied in the Bayesian approach. Finally, an example is presented to illustrate the proposed procedure in this paper.
Modular switched reluctance machines to be used in automotive applications

In the last decades industry, including also that of electrical machines and drives, was pushed near to its limits by the high market demands and fierce competition. As a response to the demanding challenges, improvements were made both in the design and manufacturing of electrical machines and drives. One of the introduced advanced technological solutions was the modular construction. This approach enables on a hand easier and higher productivity manufacturing, and on the other hand fast repairing in exploitation. Switched reluctance machines (SRMs) are very well fitted for modular construction, since the magnetic insulation of the phases is a basic design requirement. The paper is a survey of the main achievements in the field of modular electrical machines, (especially SRMs), setting the focus on the machines designed to be used in automotive applications.
The case for AGN feedback in galaxy groups

The relatively recent insight that energy input from supermassive black holes (BHs) can have a substantial effect on the star formation rates (SFRs) of galaxies motivates us to examine the effects of BH feedback on the scale of galaxy groups. At present, groups contain most of the galaxies and a significant fraction of the overall baryon content of the universe and, along with massive clusters, they represent the only systems for which it is possible to measure both the stellar and gaseous baryonic components directly. To explore the effects of BH feedback on groups, we analyse two high resolution cosmological hydrodynamic simulations from the OverWhelmingly Large Simulations (OWLS) project. While both include galactic winds driven by supernovae, only one of the models includes feedback from accreting BHs. We compare the properties of the simulated galaxy groups to a wide range of observational data, including the entropy and temperature profiles of the intragroup medium, hot gas mass fractions, the luminosity temperature and mass temperature scaling relations, the K-band luminosity of the group and its central brightest galaxy (CBG), star formation rates and ages of the CBG, and gas- and stellar-phase metallicities. Both runs yield entropy distributions similar to the data, while the run without AGN feedback yields highly peaked temperature profiles, in discord with the observations. Energy input from supermassive BHs significantly reduces the gas mass fractions of galaxy groups with masses less than a few times 10 14 M� , yielding a gas mass fraction and X-ray luminosity scaling with system temperature that is in excellent agreement with the data, although the detailed scatter in the L T relation is not quite correct. The run without AGN feedback suffers from the well known overcooling problem — the resulting stellar mass fractions are several times larger than observed and present-day cooling flows operate uninhibitedly. By contrast, the run that includes BH feedback yields stellar mass fractions, SFRs, and stellar age distributions in excellent agreement with current estimates, thus resolving the long standing ‘cooling crisis’ of simulations on the scale of groups. Both runs yield very similar gas-phase metal abundance profiles that match X-ray measurements, but they predict very different stellar metallicities. Based on the above, galaxy groups provide a compelling case that feedback from supermassive BHs is a crucial ingredient in the formation of massive galaxies.
In vitro Solubilization of Inorganic Phosphate by Phosphate Solubilizing Fungi Isolated from Tea Agroecosystem Soil of Barak Valley, Southern Assam

2 Abstract: Tea {Camellia sinensis (L.) O' Kuntze} is an economically important major plantation crop of India. Phosphate is an important nutrient for the establishment of young tea plants. The problem of phosphorus nutrition in tea plants is complex because only 15-25 % of added phosphorus is utilized by the plants and remaining of it gets fixed in the soil. There are a variety of microorganisms in soil which can solubilize insoluble phosphates and mineralize organic phosphorus. Among the microorganisms, the fungi are the most efficient phosphate solubilizing microorganisms. Microbial solubilization of fixed mineral phosphates in the soil is an important process in natural ecosystems and in agricultural soils. In the present work, seven most efficient phosphate solubilizing fungi were isolated from tea agroecosystem soil from Barak Valley, Southern Assam. In vitro, potential of the P-solubilizing activity by these PSMs were observed. These fungal strains developed halozones on PVK agar, which is an indicator of phosphate solubilization. The solubilizing efficiency of these fungal strains in liquid culture was also determined spectrophotometrically.
Biotechnology in the Production of Pharmaceutical Industry Ingredients: Amino Acids

ABSTRACT Amino acids play an important role in human nutrition and health maintenance. Nowadays amino acids are used as animal feed additives, flavor enhancers, ingredients in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products and as specialty nutrients in the medical field, and the production capacity requirements are constantly increasing. This paper reviews the manufacturing methods for the production of some amino acids used in the pharmaceutical industry and outlines the main achievements of biotechnology in this field. It also summarizes the weaknesses and strengths of the biotechnological methods used for the industrial production of the studied amino acids. Literature search was done through MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus Database, Web of Knowledge search as well as an Internet-based search with predefined keywords. The present mini review is based on a total of 66 publications. Out of 15 amino acids included in our study, 14 are routinely manufactured applying biotechnology methods mostly from specially developed mutants of C. glutamicum or E. coli. Apart from the fact that some of the amino acids cannot be produced cost efficiently via microbiological methods, biotechnology plays a significant role in the production of proteinogenic amino acids and research is being conducted to improve the applied methods by modification of culture conditions, mutation, recombinant DNA technology etc.