Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The gamma-ray source LSI +61°303 - I. RXTE/ASM observations

An analysis of RXTE/ASM observations of the unusual binary system LSI +61303 is presented. The X-ray light curve gives a binary period of 26:42 0:05 days, and an eccentricity of 0:30 0:04 (1). The eccentricity is determined by tting an inverse Compton model to the X-ray light curve. These are the best determinations to date, as the optical period and eccentricity have larger uncertainties and published values of the radio period are variable. The radio outburst peak is not phase locked to the binary period, so the radio period is not the same as the binary period.
Smallholder Technical Efficiency with Stochastic Exogenous Production Conditions

There is a large literature on the estimation of frontier production functions, much of it applied to low-income agriculture. However, much of this literature largely ignores nature's role in agricultural production. Because exogenous, natural production conditions (e.g., rainfall, soil quality, pest infestation, plant disease, weed growth) are rarely uniform or symmetrically distributed within a population or a sample thereof, this omission generally leads to downward bias in producers' estimated efficiency and to biased estimates of both the parameters of the production frontier and the correlates of true technical inefficiency. Using panel data from 464 traditional rice plots in Cote d'Ivoire, we show that controlling for stochastic, exogenous, natural production conditions in estimating the production frontier significantly increases smallholder rice farmers' estimated efficiency, whether estimated using parametric, stochastic or nonparametric, nonstochastic methods. The resulting frontier parameter estimates are also more consistent with theoretical predictions than are those of a frontier estimated without controlling for exogenous production conditions. Conventional estimates of technical efficiency may then mislead policymakers' perceptions of overall efficiency levels and of the sources of such inefficiency.
Narcissism and its measurement: A conditional reasoning measure for narcissism

Narcissism, which is broadly defined as a grandiose sense of self-importance (Judge, LePine, & Rich, 2006), is a construct that is associated with many potentially toxic traits and behaviors (Back, Schmukle, & Egloff, 2010; Hogan, Raskin, & Fazzini, 1990; Paulhus & Williams, 2002). Recently, interest in determining the effects of narcissism in organizations has increased (e.g. Blair, Hoffman, & Helland, 2008; Chatterjee & Hambrick, 2007; Judge et al., 2006; Penney & Spector, 2002). Psychometric issues with the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Hall 1979, 1981) and other measures of narcissism necessitate a more robust measure that can more accurately capture the facets of a complex construct. Conditional Reasoning Tests are designed to indirectly measure implicit cognitive processes (James & LeBreton, 2011), and are especially useful in measuring "socially unacceptable" traits such as narcissism. A 20-item Conditional Reasoning Test for Narcissism (CRT-NR) was created and underwent preliminary validation testing. Results support a 15-item measure to be used in continued validation of the instrument.
K in clinopyroxene at high pressure and temperature: An experimental study

Abstract Clinopyroxene (Cpx) is a principal upper-mantle phase for concentrating large cations but has not been viewed as a major crystal-chemical reservoir for K because K+ is considered too large to enter the largest site, M2, in the pyroxene structure. Accumulating data from high-pressure conditions indicate this inference is incorrect, so multianvil experiments have been performed to evaluate maximal K solubility in Cpx at high pressure. End members and mixtures of diopside, jadeite, and kosmochlor have been mixed with K2CO3, KHCO3 or both in welded platinum capsules and heated typically for 24 h in the range of 5 to 14 GPa and 1200 to 1700 °C. These experiments produced K-rich Cpx in solid solutions by means of a fictive Kcpx component (KCrSi2O6 or KAlSi2O6). The maximum K2O content obtained is 4.7 wt% in a Cpx (Di38Ko39Kcpx22En1) formed from a 50:50 Di 1 Ko mixture at 10 GPa, 1400 °C. K uptake and partitioning is dependent positively on P, complexly on Cpx composition but not demonstrably on T. Cpx/liqDK₂O is in the range of 0.03-0.1 and Cpx/liqDNa₂O varies from 0.5 to 5, although the variations for each with Cpx composition are different. In diopside, Kcpx increases are always accompanied by increases in Nacpx, and cooperative Nacpx solution is necessary for Kcpx solution in the compositional systems examined. K appears to be accommodated in the M2 site of the Cpx structure by two types of spatial averaging: a large average M2 site, as in the case of Di, ameliorates the fit, but local accommodation by size averaging with a smaller M2 occupant, presumably Na, appears necessary, suggesting that the polyhedral compressibility of Na and K are large in comparison with Ca. In application to Cpx inclusions in diamond, the data here imply that a chromium diopside with ∼1 wt% K2O forms in the presence of a C-rich melt with 15-28 wt% K2O.
ene and type 1 diabetes : e vaccine

Enteroviruses and humans have long co-existed. Although recognized in ancient times, poliomyelitis and type 1 diabetes (T1D) were exceptionally rare and not epidemic, due in large part to poor sanitation and personal hygiene which resulted in repeated exposure to fecal–oral transmitted viruses and other infectious agents and viruses and the generation of a broad protective immunity. As a function of a growing acceptance of the benefits of hygienic practices and microbiologically clean(er) water supplies, the likelihood of exposure to diverse infectious agents and viruses declined. The effort to vaccinate against poliomyelitis demonstrated that enteroviral diseases are preventable by vaccination and led to understanding how to successfully attenuate enteroviruses. Type 1 diabetes onset has been convincingly linked to infection by numerous enteroviruses including the group B coxsackieviruses (CVB), while studies of CVB infections in NOD mice have demonstrated not only a clear link between disease onset but an ability to reduce the incidence of T1D as well: CVB infections can suppress naturally occurring autoimmune T1D. We propose here that if we can harness and develop the capacity to use attenuated enteroviral strains to induce regulatory T cell populations in the host through vaccination, then a vaccine could be considered that should function to protect against both autoimmune as well as virus-triggered T1D. Such a vaccine would not only specifically protect from certain enterovirus types but more importantly, also reset the organism’s regulatory rheostat making the further development of pathogenic autoimmunity less likely. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Density, body condition, and movement of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki) in logged and forested headwater streams of southwestern British Columbia

Coastal cutthroat trout (O. clarki clarki) rear in small, headwater streams that may be particularly susceptible to impacts from land-use activities such as logging. Headwater populations of coastal cutthroat trout were trapped from 1997 to 2002 to investigate: (i) the effects of second-growth logging on trout densities and summer body condition over summer and winter months; (ii) the influence of physical habitat characteristics on summer trout densities; and (iii) the characteristics of winter trout movement within different habitat conditions. Trout mean summer densities in logged streams showed no decline following harvest, nor were there any large changes evident to physical habitat. However, among years, mean summer trout densities were higher in streams with deeper pools. Though summer trout densities remained unchanged in logged streams, trout densities in control streams declined. This suggests that trout may actually have benefited from logging, potentially due to enhanced levels of primary productivity arising from the removal of riparian canopy. Winter trout densities were similar to summer values, indicating that these headwater streams provided suitable conditions for trout populations year-round. Low flows during late summer, which reduce pool depth, may be more limiting to age 1 and older cutthroat trout found in coastal headwater streams than winter high-flow events. Increases in stream temperatures following logging activities were not associated with enhanced summer body conditions of trout, largely because minor temperature effects of logging (average increases of 1-2° C) were offset by a colder-than-average post-logging period. Winter movement (average 2-7 habitat units or 21-40 m) was found to be a common behaviour of coastal cutthroat trout in headwater streams and did not seem to be mediated by dominance hierarchies, influenced by riparian forest condition, or confer a growth advantage/ disadvantage for trout. Winter movement, however, was somewhat limited and may be a reflection of the need for trout to seek deeper pool habitats that provide cover and refuge from high-discharge events. Land-use management practices that protect existing pools and facilitate the processes that create pools may ensure the continued persistence of coastal cutthroat trout populations in headwater streams of southwestern British Columbia.
DISEASE SYMPTOMS AND MINERAL NUTRITION IN ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA IN RESPONSE TO VERTICILLIUM LONGISPORUM VL43 INFECTION

SUMMARY Verticillium longisporum is one of the most important pathogens of Brassicaceae. The goal of the present study was to characterize the development of V. longisporum (strain VL43) stress symptoms caused to Arabidopsis thaliana in relation to plant nutrition. Significant growth inhibition became apparent between 2 and 3 weeks after VL43 inoculation but was not accompanied by reduced leaf water content or wilting. The leaves of VL43-infected plants showed reduced chlorophyll content (-20%) but only marginal effects on photosynthetic electron transport of PS II (-2%) compared with controls. VL43-infection did not have negative effects on nutrient element concentration in leaf tissues during a five-week observation period. Measurements of fungal nutrient content in simulated xylem medium suggested that nutrient intake by VL43 was negligible compared to that of plant tissues. Therefore, growth retardation induced by VL43 infection is not a consequence of nutrient depletion.
Effects of free-range farming on carcass and meat qualities of black-feathered Taiwan native chicken

The effects of free-range farming, compared to a conventional production system, on carcass and meat qualities were studied using black-feathered Taiwan native chickens. Twenty 16-week old females were purchased separately from a free-range farm and a conventional production farm and used for this study. The results showed similarities in the live weight (roughly 2.1 kg), dressing percentage (69%) and meat percentage (19%) ofdeboned leg quarter. Significant differences (p<0.05) found for the free-range chickens included: a higher percentage of meat for the breast, an increased crude protein content and chewiness value for the breast, but decreased crude fat content and lower hardness and fracturablility values for the leg quarter. Significantly higher L* values were found for the breast and leg meat of conventionally produced chickens, whereas no significant differences were found for WHC and purge loss between the breast and the leg, and between the two production systems as well. Results of sensory evaluation showed a significant preference for leg over breast meat (p<0.05). The scores of all the attributes including aroma, flavor, firmness, tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability of leg meat from free-range chickens were slightly higher than for conventional chickens, while the reverse was true for breast meat, though no significant difference could be found. Free-range Taiwan native chicken appeared to yield the best of the results, with flavorful yet tender leg meat for higher sensory satisfaction, and high-protein but low-fat breast meat for healthier diet choice.
IFIC / 1103 Phenomenology of Dark Matter from A 4 Flavor Symmetry

We investigate a model in which Dark Matter is stabilized by means of a Z2 parity that results from the same non-abelian discrete flavor symmetry which accounts for the observed pattern of neutrino mixing. In our A4 example the standard model is extended by three extra Higgs doublets and the Z2 parity emerges as a remnant of the spontaneous breaking of A4 after electroweak symmetry breaking. We perform an analysis of the parameter space of the model consistent with electroweak precision tests, collider searches and perturbativity. We determine the regions compatible with the observed relic dark matter density and we present prospects for detection in direct as well as indirect Dark Matter search experiments.
Multi-robot coverage and path planning for the inspection of curved surfaces

This dissertation proposes different algorithms for multi-robot coverage and path planning in 3D environments of challenging geometry. The problem of deploying a group of mobile robots is studied for covering environments which present obstacles, nonconvexities and curved surfaces. The general motivation of this work is drawn from robotic inspection. The periodic inspection of industrial structures and infrastructure is crucial for their safe and efficient future operation. The inspection task can be understood as the complete coverage of a structure in order to detect developing defects and prevent more severe damages, destruction or supply shortfalls. In seeking to develop assistive inspection tools of increased autonomy, autonomous inspection robots, equipped with appropriate coverage and path planning algorithms, could lead to desired improvements in reliability, efficiency, accessibility and flexibility of today’s inspection and maintenance. This dissertation is structured in three parts, of which the first part embeds the latter two parts, which present the thesis’s main contributions of multi-robot coverage and path planning. The first part describes the motivating inspection scenario and derives the underlying problem formulation for our work. The hybrid coverage concept is introduced, which provides a basic formulation for multi-robot coverage: hybrid coverage combines deployment and sweeping motion by performing one after the other. Hybrid Voronoi coverage offers particularly interesting properties in the context of the inspection scenario. The hybrid Voronoi coverage solution deploys the robots by constructing a Voronoi tessellation of the environment, assigning each robot to a Voronoi region and steering the robots to the regions’ centroids in a first stage. In a second stage, each robot covers its assigned Voronoi region by moving along a sweeping pattern. The second part then develops the methods that allow for deploying a group of robots in nonconvex environments and on curved surfaces within the first stage of hybrid Voronoi coverage. To cope with nonconvex environments, a coverage solution is designed in continuous space, which combines
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Cell-Type and State-Dependent Synchronization among Rodent Somatosensory , Visual , Perirhinal Cortex , and Hippocampus CA 1

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FROM STORYTELLING TO STORY WRITING: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF READING TO LEARN (R2L) PEDAGOGY TO TEACH ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN INDONESIA

It is widely acknowledged that the use of stories supports the development of literacy in the context of learning English as a first language. However, it seems that there are a few studies investigating this issue in the context of teaching and learning English as a foreign language. This action-oriented case study aims to enhance students’ written narrative achievement through a pedagogical intervention that incorporates oral story sharing activities. In this paper, the intervention will be briefly described and the preliminary findings from the students’ written texts will be presented. This study which was conducted in a lower secondary school in Bandung Barat region, Indonesia implemented the intervention within eight learning periods. The intervention comprised the following stages: (1) preparing before reading (stories), (2) detailed reading, (3) joint rewriting, and (4) individual rewriting. Before and after the intervention, students’ narrative texts were collected and analysed in terms of how each text achieved its purpose, how it moved through stages and phases of meaning, the control of field, relationship with the reader and its coherence. The preliminary findings indicate that there is a shift in students’ ability from writing fragmented and spoken-like language to more literate written narratives. It is expected that this study which implemented R2L pedagogy in the Indonesian context will contribute to English language teaching in EFL contexts.
Telomere as an Important Player in Regulation of Microbial Pathogen Virulence

Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes located at the ends of linear chromosomes. In most eukaryotic cells, telomere DNA consists of simple repetitive TG-rich sequences, with the TG-rich strand running 5’ to 3’ towards the chromosome ends. Telomere DNA contains both the duplex region and a 3’ G-rich single-stranded overhang at the very end. In human, mouse, a hypotrichous ciliate, and trypanosomes, the single-stranded telomere G-overhang invades the double-stranded region and forms a T-loop structure (Griffith et al. 1999; Munoz-Jordan et al. 2001; Murti & Prescott 1999; Nikitina & Woodcock 2004), which has been proposed to play an important role in chromosome end protection (de Lange 2002).
Gd-doped GaN: A very dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor with a Curie temperature above 300 K

We present a systematic study of growth, structural, and magnetic characterization of $\mathrm{GaN}:\mathrm{Gd}$ layers grown directly on 6H-SiC(0001) substrates by reactive molecular-beam epitaxy with a Gd concentration ranging from $7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{15}$ to $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{19}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. The structural properties of these layers are found to be identical to those of undoped GaN layers. However, the magnetic characterization reveals an unprecedented effect. The average value of the magnetic moment per Gd atom is found to be as high as $4000\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{\mathrm{B}}$ as compared to its atomic moment of $8\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{\mathrm{B}}$. Such a colossal magnetic moment can be explained in terms of a long range spin polarization of the GaN matrix by the Gd atoms which is reflected by the circular polarization of magnetophotoluminescence measurements. Moreover, the material system is found to exhibit ferromagnetism well above room temperature in the entire concentration range under investigation. We propose a phenomenological model to understand the macroscopic behavior of the system. Our study reveals a close connection between the observed ferromagnetism and the colossal magnetic moment of Gd.
Aalborg Universitet Near-field Localization of Audio

Localization of audio sources using microphone arrays has been an important research problem for more than two decades. Many traditional methods for solving the problem are based on a two-stage procedure: first, information about the audio source, such as time differences-of-arrival (TDOAs) and gain ratios-of-arrival (GROAs) between microphones is estimated, and, second, this knowledge is used to localize the audio source. These methods often have a low computational complexity, but this comes at the cost of a limited estimation accuracy. Therefore, we propose a new localization approach, where the desired signal is modeled using TDOAs and GROAs, which are determined by the source location. This facilitates the derivation of onestage, maximum likelihood methods under a white Gaussian noise assumption that is applicable in both nearand far-field scenarios. Simulations show that the proposed method is statistically efficient and outperforms state-of-the-art estimators in most scenarios, involving both synthetic and real data.
A change in training environment alters sleep quality but not quantity in elite Australian Rules football players

Purpose: To assess the effects of a change in training environment on the sleep characteristics of elite Australian Rules football players. Methods: In an observational crossover trial, 19 elite Australian Rules football players had time in bed (TIB), total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE) and wake after sleep onset (WASO) assessed using wristwatch activity devices and subjective sleep diaries across 8-day Home and Camp periods. Repeated measures ANOVA determined mean differences in sleep, training load (s-RPE) and environment. Pearson’s product moment correlations, controlling for repeated observations on individuals, were used to assess the relationship between changes in sleep characteristics at Home and Camp. Cohen’s effect sizes (d) were calculated using individual means. Results: On Camp TIB (+34 min) and WASO (+26 min) increased compared to Home. However, TST was similar between Home and Camp, significantly reducing Camp SE (5.82%). Individually, there were strong negative correlations for TIB and WASO (r = -0.75 and r = -0.72, respectively) and a moderate negative correlation for SE (r = -0.46) between Home and relative changes on Camp. Camp increased the relationship between individual sRPE variation and TST variation compared to Home (Increased-load; r = -0.367 vs 0.051, Reduced-load; r = 0.319 vs -0.033, Camp vs Home respectively). Conclusions: Camp compromised sleep quality due to significantly increased TIB without increased TST. Individually, Australian Rules football players with higher Home SE experienced greater reductions in SE on Camp. Together, this emphasises the importance of individualised interventions for elite team-sport athletes when travelling and/or changing environments.