Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adapting Structuration theory as a Comprehensive Theory for Distance Education: The ASTIDE Model

Abstract Distance Education (DE) theorists have argued about the requirement for a theory to be comprehensive in a way that can explicate many of the activities associated with DE. Currently, Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) (Moore, 1993) and the Theory of Instructional Dialogue (IDT) (Caspi & Gorsky, 2006) are the most prominent theories, yet they still do not represent a unified and comprehensive theory for DE. This paper provides a review of the existing literature on DE theories and identifies potential gaps in theorising distance education. Building on Giddens’ (1984) work, an innovative approach to theorising DE is proposed through the conceptualisation of the Adapting Structuration Theory In Distance Education (ASTIDE) model as a means to explicate DE operations and practices at the institutional and national/international level. It also presents evidence, from a larger study, of the necessity of a comprehensive model such as the ASTIDE constructed through an investigation into the DE systems of developing and developed countries.
Geothermobarometric history of subduction recorded by quartz inclusions in garnet

Burial histories of subduction zone rocks are often difficult to accurately constrain, owing to a lack of robust mineral geobarometers applicable to high pressure mineral assemblages. Knowledge of the depth‐histories of subduction is, however, required for our understanding of global geochemical cycles, subduction‐related seismicity, and the evolution of destructive tectonic boundaries. The high spatial resolution of quartz inclusion geobarometry can be used to determine pressure evolution during metamorphic growth of individual garnet crystals. Quartz inclusions in garnet from Sifnos, Greece, preserve such a record of the pressure of garnet growth, allowing detailed reconstruction of the metamorphic evolution of these rocks. Pressure‐dependent Raman spectra of quartz inclusions were combined with elastic modeling to infer the conditions at which they were trapped during garnet growth. All measured inclusions suggest that garnet growth occurred between 19 and 20.5 kbars, with little evidence for significant pressure variation during the garnet growth interval, which is interpreted to record ∼100°C of heating. Coupled with thermometry and geochronology, these results show that early, cold burial was followed by a phase of rapid heating, which immediately preceded exhumation. Garnet growth occurred primarily during this heating phase.
Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum to enhance L-leucine production

This work aimed to develop an efficient L-leucine industrial production strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum by using metabolic engineering. A recombinant C. glutamicum strain was constructed by expressing a feedback-resistant leuA-encoded 2-isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS) that carries three amino acid exchanges (R529H, G532D and L535V) from the mutant strain C. glutamicum ML1-9 which was obtained by screening for structural analogues. In order to improve the expression of IPMS, a strong promoter (tac promoter) was used to ensure efficient expression of the rate-limiting enzyme. In addition, reasonable metabolic modifications on the central carbon metabolic pathway and competitive metabolic pathways to optimize the L-leucine biosynthesis pathway by redistribution of various types of precursors and repression of negative regulation were used aimed for increased L-leucine production. The modifications involved (1) deletion of the gene encoding the repressor LtbR to increase expression of leuBCD, (2) deletion of the gene encoding the AlaT to decrease the concentration of extracellular L-alanine, and increased availability of pyruvate for L-leucine formation, (3) deletion of the gene encoding the threonine dehydratase to abolish L-isoleucine synthesis and to eliminate the intermediate precursor of L-isoleucine biosynthesis competing with L-leucine biosynthesis, (4) inactivation of the pantothenate synthetase to increase α- ketoisovalerate formation, and to enable its further conversion to L-leucine, and (5) inactivation of lactate dehydrogenase to decrease lactate production and its pyruvate consumption, concomitant to decreased glucose consumption rates and prevention of lactic acid to restrict cell growth. The production performance of the engineered strain MDLeu-19/pZ8-1leuAr was characterized with cultivations in a bioreactor. Under fed-batch conditions in a 50-L automated fermentor, the best producer strain accumulated 38.1 g L-1 of L-leucine; the molar product yield being 0.42 mol L-leucine per mole of glucose (glucose conversion rate attained 26.4%). Moreover, during large-scale fermentation using a 150-m3 fermentor, this strain produced more than 37.5 g L-1 L-leucine and the glucose conversion rate was 25.8%, making this process potentially viable for industrial production. Key words: Corynebacterium glutamicum, L-leucine, metabolic engineering, fermentation, industrial production.
‘I know how you feel’? A web-based investigation into global trait emotional intelligence and the Alternative Five factor model of personality

The research sought to investigate the relationship between global trait emotional intelligence (EI) and the Alternative Five dimensions of personality. Personality Traits found to have the strongest relations/associations with EI were Aggression-Hostility and Neuroticism-Anxiety, followed by Activity and Sociability. Impulsive Sensation-Seeking was not found to correlate significantly with global trait EI. Regression analyses showed that personality accounted for approximately half of global EI variance in the sample, however Activity did not independently contribute to the model. These results were consistent with previous research in that most aspects of personality were found to correlate with global trait EI. Since previous research into these measures’ long forms was supported, these results also support the use of shortened forms of assessment where full forms may be inconvenient. Analyses into sex differences in global trait EI proved insignificant for all personality variables except Impulsive Sensation-Seeking. This is in contrast to previous research, which has found significant sex differences for global trait EI. The findings further previous evidence that personality and trait EI are obliquely linked; extending this evidence to the Alternative Five has not been investigated previously.
RCW36 : characterizing the outcome of massive star formation

Context. Massive stars play a dominant role in the process of clustered star formation, with their feedback into the molecular cloud through ionizing radiation, stellar winds, and outflows. The formation process of massive stars is poorly constrained because of their scarcity, the short formation timescale, and obscuration. By obtaining a census of the newly formed stellar population, the star formation history of the young cluster and the role of the massive stars within it can be unraveled. Aims. We aim to reconstruct the formation history of the young stellar population of the massive star-forming region RCW 36. We study several dozen individual objects, both photometrically and spectroscopically, looking for signs of multiple generations of young stars and investigating the role of the massive stars in this process. Methods. We obtain a census of the physical parameters and evolutionary status of the young stellar population. Using a combination of near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy we estimate the ages and masses of individual objects. We identify the population of embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) by their infrared colors and emission line spectra. Results. RCW 36 harbors a stellar population of massive and intermediate-mass stars located around the center of the cluster. Class 0/I and II sources are found throughout the cluster. The central population has a median age of 1.1 ± 0.6 Myr. Of the stars that could be classified, the most massive ones are situated in the center of the cluster. The central cluster is surrounded by filamentary cloud structures; within these, some embedded and accreting YSOs are found. Conclusions. Our age determination is consistent with the filamentary structures having been shaped by the ionizing radiation and stellar winds of the central massive stars. The formation of a new generation of stars is ongoing, as demonstrated by the presence of embedded protostellar clumps and two exposed protostellar jets.
Detailed Inundation Modelling Using High Resolution DEMs

Abstract With the availability of high resolution DEMs, relevant and detailed inundation maps may now be routinely computed provided that suitable flow models are available. The full 2D flow model presented in this paper has been used to compute such maps on 800 km of the main rivers of the Walloon Region in Belgium. The use of grid spacing of 1 m, similar to the DEM resolution, enables the accurate prediction of the pattern of flood depth. This is confirmed by several application examples, which also demonstrate the ability of the model to reproduce depth measurements for a wide range of flood discharges without the need for recalibration of the roughness coefficient. The numerical model has been systematically validated by comparison with observations during recent real flood events. It shows a very good agreement with field data, in particular the free surface elevations and inundation extension.
11 Hydrodynamics and Mass Transfer in Heterogeneous Systems

Research of transport phenomena in liquid – particles systems, in past years, had a more theoretical then practical importance (Coudrec, 1985; Lee et al., 1997; Schmidt et al., 1999). For industrial use, especially with fast development of bio and water cleaning processes, better knowing of these systems become more important. An industrial application of these systems requires determination of transfer characteristics, especially mass transfer. Frequently mass transfer is the rate determining step in the whole process. However, in the real systems, it is not always easy to differentiate the limitation due to the mass transfers from that due to the hydrodynamic. Mass transfer in liquid-solid packed and fluidized beds has been widely investigated in terms of particle–fluid mass transfer by dissolution, by electrochemical and by ion-exchange methods (Damronglerd et al. 1975; Koloini et al. 1976; Dwivedi & Upadhyay, 1977; Chun & Couderc, 1980; Kumar & Upadhyay, 1981; Rahman & Streat, 1981; Yutani et al. 1987). Some of the results of mass transfer in packed and fluidized beds have been obtained as the transfer between an immersed surface and the liquid (Riba et al. 1979; Bošković et al. 1994; Bošković-Vragolović, et al., 1996&2005). Liquid fluidization of particulate solids has a history which predates the now more commonly applied gas fluidization. The broad range of operations to which liquid fluidization has found applications are: classification of particles by size and density, a special case being sink-and-float separation by density; backwashing of granular filters and washing of soils; crystal growth; leaching and washing; adsorption and ion exchange; electrolysis with both inert and electrically conducting fluidized particles; liquid-fluidized bed heat exchangers and thermal energy storage; and bioreactors. Fluidized-bed bioreactors, which have received much attention during the past thirty years, are usually characterized by the catalytic use of enzymes or microbial cells that are immobilized by attachment, entrapment, encapsulation or self-aggregation. The most common application of such bioreactors is probably in wastewater treatment and, as in the case of the other operations mentioned above, liquid fluidization must in each case be weighed against competing schemes for achieving the same objective before it is adopted commercially (Epstein, 2003). In contrast to fluidized beds data, there are no published data on mass transfer in vertical and horizontal hydrotransport of particles.
Spatial and temporal variability of a dinoflagellate-cyanobacterium community under a complex hydrodynamical influence: a case study at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland

Variability of nutrients and pelagic biological parameters (primary production and chlorophyll a [chl a] in flagellate and cyanobacterial size fractions, nitrogen fixation, phytoplankton species abundance) was followed for 12 d in July 1996 at an anchor station at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, Simultaneously, meso-scale physical fields and plankton distribution were mapped over the surrounding 15 x 30 km area. The study period coincided with the intense blooming of a dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra Ehrenberg and cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (Linne) Ralfs community. A complex background of hydrodynamical processes was observed in the study area, including downwelling, formation and development of an anticyclonic eddy and jet currents. Our hypothesis was that the horizontal scale of patches decreases and the variation of biological parameters increases when moving from the overall community level (chl a) to the size class level and further to the species level. The horizontal distribution of chl a was closely related to the different water masses, but the distribution of the 2 dominant species differed and showed high variability even within water masses. The temporal variability of the pelagic biological parameters at the anchor station (estimated by the coefficient of variation) was between 25 and 95 % and it may be explained by horizontal patchiness. The results confirmed our hypothesis by showing that the coefficient of variation of summational parameters (total chl a, total primary production) was always lower than that of parameters specific to plankton size (chl a and primary production in 20 pm size classes), functional group (diazotrophs) or species. Phytoplankton in the size range equal to or greater than 20 μm exhibited particularly pronounced variability, while the smaller size fractions were less affected.
2-ε Proximinality in Generalized 2-Normed Spaces

The notion of generalized 2-normed spaces introduced by Lewandowska in 1999 (17). One can obtain a generalized 2-normed space from a normed space. In (20), Rezapour has defined e-extensions such a e-quasi Chebyshev and e-weakly Chebyshev subspaces of a normed space and gave some results related to these extensions in this field. In this paper, we shall define a new notion, 2-e proximinal and give some results in the sense of these definitions inspired by Rezapour's studies in ((19)-(21)) and by author's studies from (1) to (3).
Species Assemblages within Forest Layers in Semi-Deciduous Forests from the Congo Basin: An Analysis of Species Phylogenetic Relationships

Understanding the phylogenetic structures of plant communities is being developed in community ecology. Based on the species coexistence, we analyzed phylogenetic signals within forest layers, using species abundance data as well as their occurrences (presence/absence) within plots. We found that plant communities in the different forest layers express various phylogenetic structures. While the pattern of abundance phylogenetic structure vary among forest layers, all forest layers showed a pattern of spatial phylogenetic clustering (meaning that species cohabiting within a same plot are much related), with some significant values driven by substrate differentiation.
Testing capital structure theories using error correction models: Evidence from China, India, and South Africa

Abstract The objective of this study is to empirically examine the capital structure theories that can explain the capital structure choice made by the firms that are operating in China, India, and South Africa. The study tests the capital structure theories as a stand-alone basis as well as an integrated framework of nested models using advanced dynamic panel data methods with a data-set of 1,183 firms with 12,187 firm-year observations spanning the period 1999–2016. Findings suggest that the firms adjust toward target leverage very quickly and trade-off theory explains the firms’ capital structure choice better than pecking order theory in the stand-alone model as well as the model nesting these two theories. This study contributes to the empirical literature of capital structure in the following way. First, this study uses error correction framework as a general specification of the widely used partial adjustment model. Second, the study uses advanced panel data estimators to estimate partial adjustment model and error correction model. Finally, the different specifications are tested using a large data-set of firms in China, India, and South Africa that has not been done so far.
SCIENTIFIC OPINION Scientific Opinion on Statistical considerations for the safety evaluation of GMOs EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)

This opinion proposes: 1) updated statistical guidelines and possible approaches for the analysis of compositional, agronomic and phenotypic data from field trials carried out for the risk assessment of GM plants and derived foods/feeds; 2) minimum requirements that should be met in the experimental design of field trials, such as the inclusion of commercial varieties, in order to ensure sufficient statistical power and reliable estimation of natural variability. A graphical representation is proposed to allow the comparison of the GMO, its comparator and the commercial varieties with respect to many variables, taking into account natural variability. It is recommended to quantify natural variability from data on non-GM commercial varieties treated in the same way and in the same experiments as the GM and non-GM comparator test materials. Only when such estimates are unavailable may they be estimated from databases or literature. Estimated natural variability should be used to specify equivalence limits to test the difference between the GMO and the commercial varieties. The graphical representation, together with specified equivalence limits, should be used to test for statistically significant differences and to judge equivalence. The possible types of outcome of this graphical representation are described and a proposal is made when further evaluation should be performed. In addition to providing specific recommendations for the interpretation of 1 On request of EFSA, Question No EFSA-Q-2006-080; adopted on 21 April 2009. 2 Panel Members: Hans Christer Andersson, Salvatore Arpaia, Detlef Bartsch, Josep Casacuberta, Howard Davies, Lieve Herman, Patrick Du Jardin, Niels Hendriksen, Sirpa Kärenlampi, Jozsef Kiss, Gijs Kleter, Ilona Kryspin-Sørensen, Harry Kuiper, Ingolf Nes, Nickolas Panopoulos, Joe Perry, Annette Pöting, Joachim Schiemann, Willem Seinen, Jeremy Sweet and Jean-Michel Wal. Correspondence: GMO@efsa.europa.eu 3 The Opinion is based on major contributions from: Marco Acutis, Ludwig Hothorn, Jim McNicol and Hilko van der Voet. 4 The GMO Panel acknowledges Claudia Paoletti and Billy Amzal for their contributions to this Opinion. For citation purposes: EFSA Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO); Scientific Opinion on Statistical considerations for the safety evaluation of GMOs, on request of EFSA. EFSA Journal 2009; 1250. [62 pp.]. Available online: www.efsa.europa.eu Statistical considerations for GMOs safety EFSA Journal 2009; 1250 2 compositional analysis, this opinion highlights some statistical issues of a more challenging nature, such as the simultaneous assessment of many characteristics (i.e. multivariate analysis), which will require further research. The principles proposed in this opinion may be used, in certain cases, for the evaluation of GMOs other than plants.
Application of a Hybrid WKB-Galerkin Method to a Nonlinear Plate Dynamic Problem with Time Dependent Damping Coefficient

The objective of the analysis is to obtain a closed form approximate analytical solution for the nonlinear differential equation of a loaded plate considering a time variant damping coefficient. The solution of the problem is obtained by using perturbation and a hybrid WKB-Galerkin method. Results are presented of comparison of the solutions based on different approaches.
The Role of Intra-Day and Inter-Day Data Effects in Determining Linear and Nonlinear Granger Causality Between Australian Futures and Cash Index Markets

In order to explain the incidence of Granger causality between indices from the futures and the underlying cash market, as reported by numerous empirical studies in the literature, it is important to account for mean and volatility (second-order) persistence effects in the data. Further, there is need to control for inter-day and intra-day effects by imposing an appropriate autocorrelation structure upon each of the index returns from both markets. Once all these effects are controlled for, then linear Granger causality ceases to be statistically significant and the associated lead-lag phenomenon is no longer observable when the information flow between the spot and futures markets is completed within a five-minute observation interval. Additionally, nonlinear Granger causality testing indicates no compelling need to account for nonlinear effects (beyond the second-order moment condition) in order to explain causality. This result supports the price discovery role of futures markets.
Effect of herbal liver stimulants on efficacy of feed utilization in commercial broiler chicken

Three research coded herbal liver stimulants were fed to Vencob broilers distributed randomly into four groups of 100 chicks each. T 1 was control group with basal diet while T 2, T 3 and T 4 treatments were supplemented with liver stimulants coded as B, C and D @ 500 gm, 500 gm and 250 gm/ton of feed respectively. The results revealed that in the groups supplemented with herbal liver stimulants, feed consumption was significantly more (P < 0.01) and had efficient feed conversion ratio (P 0.01) as compared to control group. However, group T 4, having Spirulina as one of the ingredients of diet, failed to exhibit better feed consumption and FCR.
Temperature and Trinexapac‐Ethyl Effects on Bermudagrass Growth, Dormancy, and Freezing Tolerance

Applications of the plant growth regulator (PGR) trinexapac-ethyl [4-(cyclopropyl-α-hydroxymethylene)-3,5-dioxocyclohexane carboxylic acid ethylester] (TE) can delay winter dormancy in Tifway' bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon), which suggests a response to TE when temperatures are suboptimum for bermudagrass growth. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interactive role of temperature and TE in bermudagrass growth responses, dormancy, and freezing tolerance. Trinexapac-ethyl (0.11 kg a.i. ha -1 ) was applied in two growth chamber experiments, and across a 2-yr period in the field. Results indicated that TE reduced vertical shoot growth and increased stolon production, turf density, and quality when applied at high temperatures (35-36°C). While TE effectively reduced vertical shoot growth at low (20-22°C) temperatures, little impact on stolon development was observed under these conditions. Autumn applications of TE when temperatures were cool (25°C) at the time of application led to decreased turfgrass density and quality. These responses may explain the effectiveness of using TE to aid in bermudagrass transition to overseeded cool-season grasses and were probably due to the limited ability of bermudagrass to recover from initial post-application growth reduction and observed leaf chlorosis. Observed delayed autumn dormancy due to summer applications of TE and accelerated dormancy due to late-season applications did not conclusively relate to the freezing tolerance of bermudagrass.