Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integral field spectroscopy of the inner kpc of the elliptical galaxy NGC 5044

We used Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) in the Integral Field Unit mode to map the stellar population, emission line flux distributions and gas kinematics in the inner kpc of NGC 5044. From the stellar populations synthesis we found that the continuum emission is dominated by old high metallicity stars ($\sim$13 Gyr, 2.5Z$\odot$). Also, its nuclear emission is diluted by a non thermal emission, which we attribute to the presence of a weak active galactic nuclei (AGN). In addition, we report for the first time a broad component (FWHM$\sim$ 3000km$s^{-1}$) in the H$\alpha$ emission line in the nuclear region of NGC 5044. By using emission line ratio diagnostic diagrams we found that two dominant ionization processes coexist, while the nuclear region (inner 200 pc) is ionized by a low luminosity AGN, the filamentary structures are consistent with being excited by shocks. The H$\alpha$ velocity field shows evidence of a rotating disk, which has a velocity amplitude of $\sim$240kms$^{-1}$ at $\sim$ 136 pc from the nucleus. Assuming a Keplerian approach we estimated that the mass inside this radius is $1.9\times10^9$ $M_{\odot}$, which is in agreement with the value obtained through the M-$\sigma$ relation, $ M_{SMBH}=1.8\pm1.6\times10^{9}M_{\odot}$. Modelling the ionized gas velocity field by a rotating disk component plus inflows towards the nucleus along filamentary structures, we obtain a mass inflow rate of $\sim$0.4 M$_\odot$. This inflow rate is enough to power the central AGN in NGC 5044.
Effect of growing degree day on different growth processes of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.)

The sensitivity of wheat to the changes in temperature is well known but is not quantified properly in the Indo-Gangetic plain zone. Phenophases of wheat are altered due to temperature sensitivity. The GDD requirement for different phenophases may assess the impact of temperature sensitivity. With this background, a three year experiment (2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08) was conducted on five wheat varieties (V 1-PBW-343, V 2-HD-2733, V 3-HW-2045, V 4-PBW-533 and V 5 – K9107) sown on three different dates (18 th November, 3 rd December and 18 th December) to assess the impact of growing degree day (GDD) on different growth processes in wheat. Results showed that the GDD significantly predicted the stem weight during sowing to CRI, CRI to tillering and flowering to milking. Leaf weights during sowing to CRI and CRI to tillering were significantly affected by the GDD requirement. GDD requirement during sowing to CRI and flowering to milking acted as significant predictor of ear weight of wheat at flowering and milking. Number of tillers at tillering, flowering and milking was significantly affected by the GDD requirement at the different phenophases. About 44% variation in tiller number at tillering could be ascribed to the variation in GDD requirement at the different phenophases. The tiller number at flowering was highly significant when the variation in GDD requirement during tillering to flowering and CRI to tillering was considered.
Building irregularity issues and architectural design in seismic areas

When designing buildings in seismic areas, choices of the architectural designer heavily influences seismic structural performances. Namely, building morphology may lead to complex seismic responses as it occurs when building plan and elevation become irregular. Typical irregularities are due to architectural, functional and distribution constraints, thus leading to plan or vertical or combined plan/vertical irregularities. A frequent plan-wise irregularity arises when earthquake resistant structures, such as cores and shear walls, are concentrated on one side of the building plan, while vertical irregularity often arises from the presence of soft stories especially located at the ground level or, less frequently, at an intermediate level.In the last decades, some trends in architectural design, such as Deconstructivism and other contemporary theories, worked in pursuing architectural solutions based on the concept of “deconstruction” in place of “construction”, favoring non-rigid schemes, non-regular shapes and, more generally, avoiding geometric rules and classical canons of symmetry and regularity. In this paper the above issues are investigated with the goal of assessing effects of irregularity conditions, introduced by the architectural design, on the building seismic performances with the aim at not forbidding the designer ambitions but at making him aware of the effects of his architectural choices
Quantifying Intrinsic Variability of Sagittarius A Using Closure Phase Measurements of the Event Horizon Telescope

General relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of accretion disks and jets associated with supermassive black holes show variability on a wide range of timescales. On timescales comparable to or longer than the gravitational timescale , variation may be dominated by orbital dynamics of the inhomogeneous accretion flow. Turbulent evolution within the accretion disk is expected on timescales comparable to the orbital period, typically an order of magnitude larger than tG. For Sgr A*, tG is much shorter than the typical duration of a VLBI experiment, enabling us to study this variability within a single observation. Closure phases, the sum of interferometric visibility phases on a triangle of baselines, are particularly useful for studying this variability. In addition to a changing source structure, variations in observed closure phase can also be due to interstellar scattering, thermal noise, and the changing geometry of projected baselines over time due to Earth rotation. We present a metric that is able to distinguish the latter two from intrinsic or scattering variability. This metric is validated using synthetic observations of GRMHD simulations of Sgr A*. When applied to existing multi-epoch EHT data of Sgr A*, this metric shows that the data are most consistent with source models containing intrinsic variability from source dynamics, interstellar scattering, or a combination of those. The effects of black hole inclination, orientation, spin, and morphology (disk or jet) on the expected closure phase variability are also discussed.
USE OF VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: A THEORETICAL MODEL USING DECOMPOSED EXPECTANCY DISCONFIRMATION THEORY

The present study aims to investigate the determinants of satisfaction and the resulting continuance intention in the e-learning context. The constructs of decomposed expectancy disconfirmation theory (DEDT) are evaluated from the perspective of users of a virtual learning environment (VLE) in relation to expectations and perceived performance. An online survey collected responses from 197 students of a public management distance learning course. Structural equation modeling was operationalized by the method of partial least squares in Smart PLS software. The results showed that there is a relationship between quality, usability, value and value disconfirmation with satisfaction. Likewise, satisfaction proved to be decisive for continuance intention. However, there were no significant relationships between quality disconfirmation and usability disconfirmation with satisfaction. Based on the results, it is discussed the theoretical and practical implications of the structural model found by the research.
Donepezil, Therapeutic Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor, Prevents the Progression of Ventricular Dysfunction by Promoting Myocardial Glucose Utilization in Rat Model of Chronic Heart Failure Following Myocardial Infarction

Background: Donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, is reported to prevent cardiac pumping dysfunction in rats with chronic heart failure (CHF). Because energy substrate switching is a potential therapeutic target for the pharmacological treatment of CHF, we investigated the effect of donepezil on cardiac energy metabolism. Methods and Results: After induction of myocardial infarction (MI), rats were assigned to untreated and donepezil-treated (DPZ) groups. At the chronic phase of MI, resting heart rate was comparable between the untreated and DPZ groups. Nevertheless, left ventricular contractility evaluated in Langendorff-perfused hearts was significantly improved by donepezil treatment. At the same time point, the expression level of cardiac glucose transporter (GLUT) was significantly higher in the DPZ group than in the untreated group. In vitro studies showed that cultured cardiomyocytes treated with donepezil expressed high levels of GLUT and also exhibited accelerated cellular glucose uptake. Moreover, the beating rate of DPZ cardiomyocytes was approximately 2-fold higher than that of untreated control cells. Fasentin, a glucose transporter inhibitor, nullified the effects of donepezil, indicating that donepezil increases cellular activity by promoting glucose utilization in cardiomyocytes. Conclusion: The present study suggests that donepezil exhibits cardioprotective action by chronically modulating glucose metabolism in the failing heart.
Studies on AC Anodizing of Aluminum inSulfuric Acid Electrolyte Containing SodiumSulfate

Anodizing is an electrolytic oxidation process. Good amount of work has been carried out in various electrolytes using direct current (DC). Anodizing may be regarded as the artificial thickening of the thin (1–5 nm) native oxide film that is always present on aluminum exposed to the atmosphere. In this investigation, a porous oxide coating has been formed on aluminum by using alternating current (AC) anodizing under a current density range of 1–5 A/dm2 and temperature of 15–350C in sulfuric acid electrolyte containing sodium sulfate. There is an increasing trend on the coating ratio up to 3 A/dm2. Anodizing time has some effect both on coating ratio and on anodic film thickness. Similarly, temperature of the electrolyte greatly affects both thickness and coating ratio. Increasing electrolyte temperature decreases both thickness and coating ratio. Addition of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) to the AC anodizing electrolyte improves the coating ratio even up to the current density of 5 A/dm2. When compared with plain bath addition of gelatin along with SLS improves the finish of the anodic coating as well as coating ratio. In AC anodizing, gelatin slightly improves the finish of the anodic coating; moreover, due to its inhibiting action on the surface gelatin reduces the dissolution of anodic coating thereby slightly improves both thickness and coating ratio compared with plain bath.
Ergodic properties of countable extensions

Roth, Samuel Joshua PhD, Purdue University, May 2015. Ergodic Properties of Countable Extensions. Major Professor: Micha l Misiurewicz. First, we study countably piecewise continuous, piecewise monotone interval maps. We establish a necessary and sufficient criterion for the existence of a non-decreasing semiconjugacy to an interval map of constant slope in terms of the existence of an eigenvector of an operator acting on a space of measures. Then we give examples, both Markov and non-Markov, for which the criterion is violated. Next, we establish a criterion for the existence of a constant slope map on the extended real line conjugate to a given countably piecewise monotone interval map. We require the given interval map to be continuous, Markov, and topologically mixing, and show by example that the mixing hypothesis is essential. Next, we study a class of countable state subshifts of finite type which admit finite-state factors. Our systems carry a displacement function, analogous to that used in the rotation theory of circle maps. Among those invariant measures on the factor system for which the average displacement is zero, we identify a unique measure of maximal entropy. As a corollary we obtain an efficient computational tool for the Gurevich entropy of the countable state system. We also prove that the countable state systems in our class do not admit any measure of maximal entropy. Finally, we apply our findings to the study of degree one circle maps with Markov partitions and with transitive liftings to the real line. After compactifying by adjoining fixed points at plus and minus infinity, we show how to compute the topological entropy of the lifting and how to find all conjugate maps of constant slope. We prove that there are conjugate maps of constant slope for every slope greater than or equal to the exponential of the entropy.
Multimodal Imaging Trials with Zebrafish Specimens

Biomedical imaging is an important technique that can be used for several applications such as cancer research and cardiology. A range of imaging technology, such as PET, SPECT, micro-CT and optical X-ray, is available for imaging. However, many research institutes use rats and mice for preclinical experiments. The purpose of this study was to determine if Zebrafish are compatible for use in pre-clinical imaging, and which modalities and probes work best. Different Zebrafish specimens were tested using five different modalities and four probes. In order to assess with twodimensional modalities, both fluorescence and planar X-Ray were performed on the specimens. The fluorescence imaging was acquired using OsteoSense 750x and ProSense 750x as the probes. Through the results, we discovered that OsteoSense did not work as well as the ProSense. The next three modalities represented three-dimensional imaging. These modalities consist of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). The standard settings of high dosage and low voltage were used to assess with X-ray Computed Tomography. Sodium Fluoride (NaF) and Fludeoxyglucose (FDG) were the two probes tested with PET imaging, while MDP with technetium-99 was used for SPECT. The majority of the probes were detected in the specimens, but not at the correct target.
The Effectiveness of Specific Physiotherapy in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of individual specific physiotherapy in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders, its immediate effect and its effect after two months. The research sample was comprised of 23 subjects, 17 women and 6 men, with an average age of 36.5 years. They complained of pain, sound phenomena and restricted mandibular movements. The patients were first examined by a stomatologist who recommended physiotherapy. The effect of treatment was assessed according to the intensity of pain, the occurrence of reflex changes in soft tissues in the region of the masticatory muscles and digastricus muscle, the range of mouth opening and the intensity of sounds produced by mandibular movements. It was found that after treatment pain was significantly reduced (p＜0.001) at the temporomandibular joint (from 4.2 points to 0.7 point on the VAS). There were also fewer reflex changes in the muscles and fascias. The range of mouth opening increased significantly (from 37.3 mm to 41.3 mm, p＜0.001) and the intensity of sounds was reduced from 100% to 43% (p＜0.001). The finding shows that this state was maintained two months later: intensity of pain (p＜0.001), mouth opening (p＜0.003) and reduction of sound phenomena (p＜0.001). Pain was ameliorated, the intensity of sounds reduced, and the range of movement significantly improved after specific physiotherapy.
HDFx A Novel Immunomodulator for the Amelioration of Hypovolemic Shock in the OR, Cancer Patients and on the Battlefield

1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA 2Department of Medicine, The State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA 3Center for Cardiovascular and Muscle Research, The State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA 4The School of Graduate Studies in Molecular and Cellular Science, The State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA
EFFECTS OF EMPLOYMENT AND RESIDENTIAL LOCATION CHOICES ON URBAN STRUCTURE: A DYNAMIC STOCHASTIC SIMULATION

The pattern of home-to-work linkages in urban areas is affected by household mobility decisions. This paper describes a dynamic stochastic simulation model designed to illustrate the effects of mobility decisions on urban structure. The major feature of the model is the representation of household changes in employment or residential locations or both. The sequential process of the decision to move and the search for and selection of new location is specified. The role of accessibility in this process is an important consideration in the model, which allows quick execution of simulation experiments. Experiments consist of alternative input assumptions involving factors such as city size, numbers and locations of job centers and dwelling units, initial pattern of home-to-job linkages, moving rate, and importance of accessibility in selecting new locations. Two types of experiments are presented. The first examines the dynamic properties of the model by varying the initial pattern of home-to-job linkages and the mobility rate. The major conclusion is that there appears to be an equilibrium pattern of home-to-job linkages that is independent of the initial configuration and mobility rate. The second type of experiment involves the variation of the importance of accessibility in the mobility decision process. The results show that the pattern of home-to-job linkages varies in the expected way with changes in the decision process. /Authors/
Exploring the Relationship between Life Quality and Speaking Ability of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

Despite its direct relevance to second/foreign language learning, quality of life has been a neglected area within Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research. The present study sought to investigate the relationship between quality of life factors and speaking skill as one of the most challenging parts of L2 learning. To this end, an adapted version of life quality questionnaire originally devised by the World Health Organization (WHO) was administered to 100 female intermediate Iranian EFL learners. In addition, 30 of the participants were randomly selected to take part in follow-up semi-structured interviews which asked why the respondents felt the way they reported. The analysis of data obtained from questionnaire and interviews revealed that although all the four domains of life quality namely physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains had impact on the speaking ability of the participants, a number of facets in physical and psychological domains were more influential. Furthermore, the statistical Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between life quality factors dominating learner’s success in speaking tasks. The findings of this study have implications for teacher educators and educational decision makers in bringing about higher levels of speaking ability and Quality Of Life (QOL) among English language learners.
Effect of interaction between different plant growth regulators on in vitro shoot multiplication of Citrus latifolia Tan. (persian lime)

In this paper a shoot multiplication is described for Citrus latifolia Tan. (persian lime) using nodal segment explants of young one – old – year trees by two different pathways contain with and without callusing phase. The best result for multiple shoot formation and regenerated shoot formation was 3.2 and 2.6 shoots per explants with 4.44 µM BA plus 0.053 µM NAA and 4.44 µM BA plus 0.049 µM IBA respectively. Alike shoot regeneration, shoot elongation was occurred in medium with 4.44 µM BA and 0.049 µM IBA. Micropropagated and regenerated plants are under other experiments.
Interannual Variability of Caribbean Rainfall, ENSO, and the Atlantic Ocean*

Abstract The large-scale ocean–atmosphere patterns that influence the interannual variability of Caribbean–Central American rainfall are examined. The atmospheric circulation over this region is shaped by the competition between the North Atlantic subtropical high sea level pressure system and the eastern Pacific ITCZ, which influence the convergence patterns on seasonal and interannual timescales. The authors find the leading modes of interannual sea level pressure (SLP) and SST variability associated with Caribbean rainfall, as selected by canonical correlation analysis, to be an interbasin mode, linking the eastern Pacific with the tropical Atlantic, and an Atlantic mode. North Atlantic SLP affects Caribbean rainfall directly, by changing the patterns of surface flow over the region, and indirectly, through SST anomalies. Anomalously high SLP in the region of the North Atlantic high translates into stronger trade winds, hence cooler SSTs, and less Caribbean rainfall. The interbasin mode, which manifest.
Improving collisional growth in Lagrangian cloud models: development and verification of a new splitting algorithm

Abstract. Lagrangian cloud models (LCMs) are increasingly used in the cloud physics community. They not only enable a very detailed representation of cloud microphysics but also lack numerical errors typical for most other models. However, insufficient statistics, caused by an inadequate number of Lagrangian particles to represent cloud microphysical processes, can limit the applicability and validity of this approach. This study presents the first use of a splitting and merging algorithm designed to improve the warm cloud precipitation process by deliberately increasing or decreasing the number of Lagrangian particles under appropriate conditions. This new approach and the details of how splitting is executed are evaluated in box and single-cloud simulations, as well as a shallow cumulus test case. The results indicate that splitting is essential for a proper representation of the precipitation process. Moreover, the details of the splitting method (i.e., identifying the appropriate conditions) become insignificant for larger model domains as long as a sufficiently large number of Lagrangian particles is produced by the algorithm. The accompanying merging algorithm is essential to constrict the number of Lagrangian particles in order to maintain the computational performance of the model. Overall, splitting and merging do not affect the life cycle and domain-averaged macroscopic properties of the simulated clouds. This new approach is a useful addition to all LCMs since it is able to significantly increase the number of Lagrangian particles in appropriate regions of the clouds, while maintaining a computationally feasible total number of Lagrangian particles in the entire model domain.