Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE VALIDITY OF FLOWCHART-BASED MICROBIOLOGY PRACTICUM HANDBOOK FOR THE BIOLOGY STUDENTS OF FKIP ULM

Microbiology is a branch of biology which studies about small microorganisms. Its practicum aims to support the learning materials, give the experiences and the basic skills of the students in the field of microbiology, especially the practicum itself. Before doing the practicum, the students have to master the easily understood working procedure in doing the practicum which is the flowchart-based working procedure. Because the problems that acquired by the researcher in the field are based on the observations and interviews with the practitioners, the working procedures are still in form of the description (the explanations of the procedure are in form of words and points) which are not making practicum becomes easier. This development research aims to describe the validity of a flowchart-based microbiology practicum handbook (the handbook). The method used in this research is Tessmer Model, but only until the stage of one-to-one (individual test/legibility). The result shows that the flowchart-based microbiology practicum handbook achieves the criteria of very valid based on the three experts with the average percentage of 84,55%. Meanwhile, the individual test of this book achieves the good criteria with the average percentage of 70,31%, so this book for the students of biology education at the Faculty of Teacher and Training Education in Lambung Mangkurat University Banjarmasin is reasonable to be tested to the next stage so it can be used on the learning process on the microbiology practicum, and make the students become easier in doing biology practicum. Article visualizations:
Vortex Rossby waves in a numerically simulated tropical cyclone. Part I: Overall structure, potential vorticity, and kinetic energy budgets

Abstract The asymmetric structure in the inner core of a numerically simulated tropical cyclone is analyzed in this study. The simulated tropical cyclone is found to be highly asymmetric in the inner core. In the mid–lower troposphere, the asymmetry in the core is dominated by azimuthal wavenumber-1 and wavenumber-2 vortex Rossby waves. These waves propagate azimuthally upwind against the azimuthal mean cyclonic tangential flow around the eyewall, and thus have a much longer cyclonic rotation period (by a factor of 2) than the period of a parcel moving with the cyclonic mean tangential flow around the circumference. They also propagate outward against the boundary layer inflow of the azimuthal mean cyclone. The waves are only visible within a radius of about 60 km from the cyclone center. Beyond this distance, the radial gradient of potential vorticity (PV) of the azimuthal mean cyclone is too weak to support the vortex Rossby waves. Although the divergent motion remains strong, the geopotential height an.
How Taxes Transform Corporate Acquisitions into Asset Arbitrage

We argue that under the U.S. tax system, where individual investors are taxed separately from the corporations they own, cash-for-stock acquisition (CSA) is inter alia a profitable arbitrage. This argument is based on the idea that the burden of personal taxation creates a wedge between the price of the target's tangible and intangible net assets (i.e., assets less debt liabilities) in the market for corporate assets, and the lower price of those assets in the stock market. An acquiring corporation performs arbitrage by replicating the target's operating cash flows at a reduced investment cost. Cost reduction is achieved by purchasing the target's assets indirectly through the stock market. The gross arbitrage gain generated equals the target's pre-acquisition personal tax wedge removed by the CSA.
Life‐history tradeoffs revealed by seasonal declines in reproductive traits of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds

Seasonal declines in breeding performance are widespread in wild animals, resulting from temporal changes in environmental conditions or from individual variation. Seasonal declines might drive selection for early breeding, with implications for other stages of the annual cycle. Alternatively, selection on the phenology of nonbreeding stages could constrain timing of the breeding season and lead to seasonal changes in reproductive performance. We studied 25 taxa of migratory shorebirds (including five subspecies) at 16 arctic sites in Russia, Alaska, and Canada. We investigated seasonal changes in four reproductive traits, and developed a novel Bayesian risk-partitioning model of daily nest survival to examine seasonal trends in two causes of nest failure. We found strong seasonal declines in reproductive traits for a subset of species. The probability of laying a full four-egg clutch declined by 8–78% in 12 of 25 taxa tested, daily nest survival rates declined by 1–12% in eight of 22 taxa, incubation duration declined by 2.0–2.5% in two of seven taxa, and mean egg volume declined by 5% in one of 15 taxa. Temporal changes were not fully explained by individual variation. Across all species, the proportion of failed nests that were depredated declined over the season from 0.98 to 0.60, while the proportion abandoned increased from 0.01 to 0.35 and drove the seasonal declines in nest survival. An increase in abandonment of late nests is consistent with a life-history tradeoff whereby either adult mortality increased or adults deserted the breeding attempt to maximize adult survival. In turn, seasonal declines in clutch size and incubation duration might be adaptive to hasten hatching of later nests. In other species of shorebirds, we found no seasonal patterns in breeding performance, suggesting that some species are not subject to selective pressure for early breeding. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Passionate attention and the psychophysiology of entrepreneurial intuition: a quantum-holographic theory

Successful entrepreneurs are passionate, innovative risk assessors whose actions are informed by accurate intuitions about future business opportunities. Often this intuitive foreknowledge involves perception of implicit information about nonlocal objects and/or events by the body's psychophysiological systems. A large body of experimental evidence has documented intuitive foreknowledge as a scientific fact, and recent studies using electrophysiological measures of autonomic nervous system activity have shown that such nonlocal intuition is related to the degree of emotional significance of the future event. A recent pilot study has found compelling evidence of intuitive foreknowledge in repeat entrepreneurs. Drawing on these findings and the principles of quantum holography, I develop a theory of nonlocal intuition. The theory explains how passionate attention directed to the object of interest (such as a potential future business opportunity) attunes the body's psychophysiological systems to a domain of quantum-holographic information, which contains implicit information about the object's future. The body's perception of this information is experienced by the entrepreneur as an intuition.
Multiple Continuous Subgraph Query Optimization Using Delta Subgraph Queries

This thesis studies the problem of optimizing and evaluating multiple directed structural subgraph queries, i.e., those without highly selective predicates on the edges or vertices, continuously in a changing graph. Existing techniques focus on queries with highly selective predicates or are designed for evaluating a single query. As such, these techniques do not scale when evaluating multiple structural queries either because their computations become prohibitively inefficient or they use prohibitively large auxiliary data structures. We build upon the delta subgraph query (DSQ) framework that was introduced in prior work. This framework decomposes queries into multiple delta queries, which are then evaluated one query vertex at a time, without requiring any auxiliary data structures. We study the problem of picking good query vertex orderings for a set of DSQs cumulatively to share computation across different DSQs and achieve efficient runtimes in practice. We describe a greedy cost-based optimizer that takes as input a set of DSQs and a subgraph extension catalogue, and generates a single low cost combined plan that cumulatively evaluates all of the DSQs by sharing computation across them. Our combined plans consist of a Scan and multiple Extend/Intersect (E/I) operators. The E/I operator takes a set of partial matches and extends them by one query vertex. We adopt as our cost metric intersection cost (i-cost), which we show is a good estimate of the actual work performed during query evaluation. We further describe an optimization to the base optimizer that expands the DSQs algebraically to even more DSQs to allow more computation sharing between them. On small query sets we demonstrate that our cost-based greedy optimizer is able to find close to optimal combined plans in terms of run time. On larger query sets, we demonstrate that our optimizer and expanded DSQ optimization can yield significant performance improvements against several baselines.
Measuring Regional Innovativeness - A Methodological Discussion and an Application to One German Industry

The regional or national innovation performance has been repeatedly measured in the literature; but it has so far not been discussed what this means, especially in relation to a region. What is the contribution of a region to innovation output? The usual approaches implicitly assume that higher innovation outputs per inhabitant, employee, or R+D employee can be assigned to a region. We argue that more insights are gained if we distinguish between various mechanisms that influence the innovation activities in a region. Different analyses need to be conducted, using different variables and including different local factors. Furthermore, we see no justification for using a linear dependence of innovation activity on the number of inhabitants or employees as a benchmark for performance. We use a method that takes into account these arguments and apply it to the Electrics + Electronics industry in Germany.
Hypoxia inducible factor-1-alpha ( HIF-1 alpha ) is related to both angiogenesis and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives Despite the important role of the transcription factor HIF-1α in angiogenesis and inflammation, only a few studies on HIF-1α expression have been performed in RA patients. The aim of the present study was to identify the layer in synovial tissue of RA patients where HIF1a is expressed and to find out whether HIF-1α expression is related to both angiogenesis and inflammation in synovium from RA patients. Methods A reproducible staining method for HIF-1α was developed. HIF-1α -positive cells were quantified in synovial tissue from patients with RA. As control we used synovial tissue from patients with osteoarthritis (OA). The number of HIF-1αpositive cells was compared with the number of blood vessels present and was correlated with the amount of inflammation. The amount of inflammation was determined by counting inflammatory cells, by estimating the proliferation marker Ki67 in inflamed tissue, and by using a recently published synovitis score which gives an accurate estimate of the amount of inflammation present. Results HIF-1α was expressed weakly in the lining layer and strongly in the sublining layer in RA synovial tissue. In contrast, HIF-1α was only weakly expressed in OA synovial tissue. The number of HIF-1α -positive cells correlated strongly with the number of blood vessels in RA synovial tissue and with inflammatory endothelial cell infiltration (blood vessels), cell proliferation (Ki67) and the synovitis score.
Debris discs and comet populations around Sun-like stars: the Solar system in context

Numerous nearby FGK dwarfs possess discs of debris generated by collisions among comets. Here, we fit the levels of dusty excess observed by Spitzer at 70 μm and show that they form a rather smooth distribution. Taking into account the transition of the dust removal process from collisional to Poynting–Robertson drag, all the stars may be empirically fitted by a single population with many low-excess members. Within this ensemble, the Kuiper Belt is inferred to be such a low-dust example, among the last 10 per cent of stars, with a small cometary population. Analogue systems hosting gas giant planets and a modest comet belt should occur for only a few per cent of Sun-like stars, and so terrestrial planets with a comparable cometary impact rate to the Earth may be uncommon. The nearest such analogue system presently known is HD 154345 at 18 pc, but accounting for survey completeness, a closer example should lie at around 10 pc.
CHANGES IN SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERATELY ROUGHENED GRADE IV TITANIUM DISC FOLLOWING A STANDARDISED IMPLANTOPLASTY TECHNIQUE: AN IN-VITRO STUDY

Aim: To analyze the changes in surface characteristics of moderately roughened grade IV titanium discs following a standardized implantoplasty protocol. Materials and Method: Nine moderately roughened titanium discs (o9.0 mm; 2-mm thickness) with a comparable surface to commercially available oral implants (Southern Implants (Pty) Ltd, Irene, South Africa) were used. One disc was used as a control sample while the remaining 8 discs were modified using a standardized technique. Each disc was divided into 4 sections of which each quadrant was instrumented in the same manner. Regular grit and superfine grit diamond burs were used for 10s each, followed by brown and green silicone burs for 15s respectively. The surface characteristics of all samples were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Results: SEM analysis of the surfaces showed that as the instrumentation progressed from diamond burs to silicone burs, surface irregularities began to diminish. However, using silicone burs tended to increase the amount of surface debris and the roughness still remained significantly higher than the control sample. EDS identified some foreign elements originating from the silicone burs that were used. Conclusion: The proposed standardized implantoplasty protocol did not decrease the roughness of the surface below that of the control disc. The clinical implications of foreign elements remaining on the titanium surfaces need further investigation. DESCRIPTORS: Dental implants; Titanium; in vitro; peri-implantitis; microscopy; confocal; scanning; electron. RUNNING HEAD: Implantoplasty effect on titanium surfaces. R Periodontia 2015; 25: 22-33.
Past its expiry date? The SILL in modern mixed-methods strategy research

Has the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) passed its expiry date? The SILL (Oxford, 1990) was designed as a self-evaluation tool to measure the frequency of language learning strategies used by foreign and second language (L2) learners. With simple mathematics, learners can analyze their strategy preferences overall and in six categories (i.e., memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social strategies). Diverging from its original purpose, the SILL became the most popular instrument in LLS research, which brought widespread acclaim but also criticism. This article explains what makes the SILL an extraordinary tool for learners, teachers, and researchers and how it can be adapted to suit specific contexts and the demands of a modern world. An example of how the SILL can be integrated into mixed-methods research demonstrates how the instrument can fulfil additional purposes to those originally intended. Despite its naturally quantitative orientation, the SILL contributed to the acquisition of rich qualitative information, which enabled a holistic view of five individual L2 learners. In addition to new insights about strategic L2 learning, the study attests that the SILL has not expired yet, but perhaps needs a modern touch, for instance, in the form of adaptation or combination with other research methods and the inclusion of strategies for learning language with technology.
Guarantees in With-Profit and Unitized With-Profit Life Insurance Contracts: Fair Valuation Problem in Presence of the Default Option

The purpose of the article is to apply contingent claim theory to the valuation of the type of participating life insurance policies commonly sold in the UK. The article extends the techniques developed by Haberman, Ballotta, and Wang (2003) to allow for the default option. The default option is a feature of the design of these policies, which recognizes that the insurance company's liability is limited by the market value of the reference portfolio of assets underlying the policies that have been sold. The valuation approach is based on the classical contingent claim pricing "machinery," underpinned by Monte Carlo techniques for the computation of fair values. The article addresses in particular the issue of a fair contract design for a complex type of participating policy and analyzes in detail the feasible set of policy design parameters that would lead to a fair contract and the trade-offs between these parameters. Copyright The Journal of Risk and Insurance, 2006.
Initial experiments on the shock-ignition inertial confinement fusion concept

Shock ignition is a two-step inertial confinement fusion concept where a strong shock wave is launched at the end of the laser pulse to ignite the compressed core of a low-velocity implosion. Initial shock-ignition technique experiments were performed at the OMEGA Laser Facility [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] using 40-μm-thick, 0.9-mm-diam, warm surrogate plastic shells filled with deuterium gas. The experiments showed a significant improvement in the performance of low-adiabat, low-velocity implosions compared to conventional “hot-spot” implosions. High areal densities with average values exceeding ∼0.2g∕cm2 and peak areal densities above 0.3g∕cm2 were measured, which is in good agreement with one-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation predictions. Shock-ignition technique implosions with cryogenic deuterium and deuterium-tritium ice shells produced areal densities close to the 1D prediction and achieved up to 12% of the predicted 1D fusion yield.
Garden of the Gods at Colorado Springs: Paleozoic and Mesozoic Sedimentation and Tectonics

Exposed along the southeast fl ank of the Colorado Front Range are rocks that beautifully illustrate the interplay of sedimentation and tectonics. Two major rangebounding faults, the Ute Pass fault and the Rampart Range fault, converge on the Garden of the Gods region west of Colorado Springs. Cambrian through Cretaceous strata upturned by these faults reveal in their grain compositions, textures, and bedforms radically different styles of sedimentation. The Cambrian/Ordovician marine transgressive deposits appear to have come to rest on a passive and tectonically inactive craton. In contrast, coarse-grained Pennsylvanian/Permian marine deposits of the Fountain Formation and Lyons Sandstone reveal deposition by suspension and tractive currents in a very dynamic tectonic setting. These styles are contrasted with the alternating eustatics of the Western Interior Seaway which led to the local Cretaceous section. Finally, the powerful imprint of the Laramide orogeny is evident in the sandstone dikes of Sawatch Sandstone which are found within the hanging wall of the Ute Pass fault.
The Dynamics of Crowdfunding: Determinants of Success and Failure

: Crowdfunding allows founders of for-profit, artistic, and cultural ventures to fund their efforts by drawing on relatively small contributions from a relatively large number of individuals using the internet, without standard financial intermediaries. Crowdfunding has been drawing substantial attention from policy makers, managers, and entrepreneurs, but relatively little notice from academics, even though it touches on many topics of importance to scholars of entrepreneurship, including the determinants of venture success and the geography of entrepreneurship. Drawing on a dataset of nearly 47,000 projects with combined funding over $198M, this paper offers an initial description of the underlying dynamics of success and failure among crowdfunded ventures. It suggests that personal networks and underlying project quality help predict the success of crowdfunding efforts, and that geography plays a role in both the type of projects proposed and successful fundraising. Finally, I find that the vast majority of founders make serious efforts to fulfill their obligations to funders, but that over 75% deliver products later than expected, with the degree of delay predicted by the level and amount of funding a project receives.
South African Reserve Bank Working Paper Achieving higher growth and employment : Policy options for South Africa

Using a dynamic computable general equilibrium model, the paper provides some direction on the areas of policy reform that could generate strong growth, employment and poverty reduction in South Africa. The core requirements for more rapid and sustained growth are greater saving, investment, more productive use of capital by better skilled workers, reduction in the skill constraint and moderation in unit labour costs. Higher labour productivity growth will in its own right increase the labour intensity of the economy as a whole. We estimate that the combined impact of reducing transport and communication costs, reducing the skill constraint, and increasing foreign direct and domestic investment can increase potential growth to close to 8 per cent and create an additional 1.7 million jobs beyond the number that would be created without policy adjustments. The policy adjustments contemplated in this paper seek to enable greater diversification of production techniques and types of businesses thereby helping to achieve a full utilisation of labour across skills competencies. JEL classification: E24, C32, O40
Effects of different levels of vitamin C and prolonged nursing on growth and innate immunity of Nile tilapia , Oreochromis niloticus

The study investigated the effects of different levels of dietary vitamin C on growth and lysozyme activity of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in relation to nursing duration (short duration, new-season fingerlings (NF) and stunted overwintered fingerlings (OF)) and sexes difference. Semipurified diets (40% protein) supplemented with four different levels vitamin C (0, 420, 840 and 4,200 mg kg) were prepared and fed to triplicate groups of tilapias (mean weight: 7.37 g and 11.31 g for NF and OF, respectively) for four weeks. Kidneys from the sacrificed fishes were sampled to determine the lysozyme activity following turbidimetric assay system. On growth performances, vitamin C had a significant effect (p<0.05) and the highest growth had been achieved in fish fed 420 mg kg vitamin C, while prolonged nursing had no significant effect (p>0.05) and compensatory growth of OF was not achieved which might be due to energy loss associated with breeding activity of OF. Supplementation of vitamin C had no significant effect on kidney lysozyme activity of both NF and OF, although NF showed little increased lysozyme activity with increasing the dietary concentration of vitamin C. Nursing duration negatively affects kidney lysozyme activity (p<0.05) and the activity significantly differs with sexes, female individuals showed higher activity compared with male counterparts. Although prolonged nursing of carp fry is a common practice in sub-tropics to achieve faster growth in subsequent culture period but this study revealed that more research needed to make a conclusion on the benefits of overwintering process in terms of growth for O. niloticus and over dosages of vitamin C had no clear positive effects considering the growth and kidney lysozyme activity.