Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch stars on hierarchical galaxy formation models

The spectro-photometric properties of galaxies in galaxy formation models are obtained by combining the predicted history of star formation and mass accretion with the physics of stellar evolution through stellar population models. In the recent literature, significant differences have emerged regarding the implementation of the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch phase of stellar evolution. The emission in the TP-AGB phase dominates the bolometric and near-IR spectrum of intermediate-age (∼1 Gyr) stellar populations, hence it is crucial for the correct modelling of the galaxy luminosities and colours. In this paper, for the first time, we incorporate a full prescription of the TP-AGB phase in a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation. We find that the inclusion of the TP-AGB in the model spectra dramatically alters the predicted colour–magnitude relation and its evolution with redshift. When the TP-AGB phase is active, the rest-frame V−K galaxy colours are redder by almost 2 mag in the redshift range z∼ 2–3 and by 1 mag at z∼ 1. Very red colours are produced in disc galaxies, so that the V−K colour distributions of disc and spheroids are virtually undistinguishable at low redshifts. We also find that the galaxy K-band emission is more than 1 mag higher in the range z∼ 1–3. This may alleviate the difficulties met by the hierarchical clustering scenario in predicting the red galaxy population at high redshifts. The comparison between simulations and observations has to be revisited in the light of our results.
Subjective and objective interpretation of tear film interferometry images

Background: Assessment of the tear film is necessary in routine clinical practice because an unstable tear film can hamper the quality of life by causing vision-related problems and compromising the ocular surface. One of the major concerns related to an unstable tear film is dry eye. Many of dry eye patients suffer from a lack of meibum which forms the lipid layer of the tear film. The lipid layer can be graded and interpreted by using interferometry. However, interpretation and grading of this dynamic layer may be inconsistent in terms of inter- and intra- observations. This study investigated the difficulty of consistent, subjective grading of clinical findings, in general.Methods: The interferometry images of 30 subjects captured from different equipment were analyzed subjectively. The agreement between intra-observer repeatability was also measured.Results: A positive Spearman’s correlation of 0.81 was found among different grading patterns observed using the Tearsope to compare right and left eyes. Similarly, a positive Spearman’s correlation of 0.63 was found among different grading patterns observed under interferometer in right and left eye. Correlations were statistically significant, p<0.001. The agreement between intra-observer repeatability calculated using Cohen’s kappa values were also statistically significant, p<0.001. Conclusions: A correlation between the findings of different equipment could not be made due to the differences in wavelengths of incident light and the image details. However, a new grading pattern has been proposed to describe the thickness of various lipid layer patterns observed under Doane’s interferometer.
Transformation Frequency of Escherichia coli HB101 under Low-Shear Modeled Microgravity

Viable microorganisms are frequently found in space stations. The unique adaptive ability of bacteria partly depends on horizontal gene transfer among the individual cells. Microgravity, defined as a local environment in a space habitat where gravity seems not to act, is an unexperienced condition for most of Earth’s organisms, and can therefore affect bacterial physiology, gene expression, and gene transfer. The present study evaluates the effect of microgravity on horizontal gene transfer in Escherichia coli. To this end, we compared the transformation frequencies of E. coli under normal gravity and under low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) generated by a highaspect rotating vessel (HARV). Our results demonstrated that bacterial transformation is not hampered by LSMMG, and the potential risk of bacterial gene transfer during space flight is comparable to that on Earth. Therefore, we should arrest the spread of harmful genes such as toxin-producing and antibiotic resistance genes in crewed space habitats, as well as on the Earth. ©2015 Jpn. Soc. Biol. Sci. Space; doi: 10.2187/bss.29. 19
Effect of Hypoxia on Transforming Growth Factor-beta Signaling Pathway in Osteoarthritic Human Cartilage

Objective: Due to avascularity, chondrocytes have poor ability to regenerate themselves which is challanging for tissue engineering to achieve full functioning cartilage. Culturing chondrocytes or cartilage tissue has been frequently perfomed by using atmospheric oxygen tensions which is hyperoxic compared to nature of healthy cartilage. Implementing hypoxia as culturing condition closely mimics the environment of native cartilage. Not only culturing conditions, but also the cellular mechanisms such as TGF-? signaling is essential to study the regulations of cellular activities of chondrocytes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of hypoxia on both chondrogenic markers and TGF-? signaling in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes. Methods: Osteoarthritic human articular chondrocytes were cultured in alginate beads in a microbioreactor for 48 hours. Hypoxic oxygen tension (1% pO2) and 20% pO2 (control) was used as experimental conditions. Gene expression levels of hypoxia targets, chondrogenic markers, and TGF-beta signaling were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Results: Chondrocytes cultured under hypoxic condition showed upregulation of both chondrogenic markers and hypoxia targets which is an indication for good adaptation of chondrocytes to hypoxia. Gene expressions of crucial molecules of TGF-beta signaling was enhanced by hypoxia. Conclusion: Hypoxia enhances chondrogenic markers and expression of major components of TGF-? signaling in 3D culture of osteoarthritic human chondrocytes. Targeting specific components of TGF-? signaling under hypoxic conditions may represent a suitable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Toxic Rain in Class

In this article we share exploratory findings from a study that captures microaggressions (MAs) in vivo to shed light on how they occur in classrooms. These brief and commonplace indignities communicate derogatory slights and insults toward individuals of underrepresented status contributing to invalidating and hostile learning experiences. Our aim is to expand the ways in which we research and think about MAs in educational settings. Our data are drawn from structured observations of 60 diverse classrooms on three community college campuses. Our findings provide evidence that classroom MAs occur frequently—in nearly 30% of the observed community college classrooms. Although cultural/racial as well as gendered MAs were observed, the most frequent types of MAs were those that undermined the intelligence and competence of students. MAs were more likely to be delivered on campuses with the highest concentration of minority students and were most frequently delivered by instructors. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of these events for classroom climate and make recommendations for both future research and practice.
Diet supplementation with phytase on performance of broiler chickens

The assay was carried out to determine the effect of phytase supplementation on performance of broilers from 1 to 21 and 1 to 40 days of age. Twelve hundred and fifty male broilers (Ross) were distributed in a randomized experimental design, with five treatments, 10 repetitions and 25 birds per experimental unit. The treatments consisted of evaluating the phytase supplementation in diets with reductions in nutritional levels, compared with the positive control. The nutrient contents in negative controls one and two were reduced progressively and these diets were supplemented with phytase levels of 250 and 500 ftu/kg of the diet, respectively. Two diets were formulated: pre-starter/starter, 1-21 days, and growth/finishing, from 21 to 40 days). In both phases, with the phytase supplementation in diets that had their nutritional levels reduced (negative control one + 250 ftu and negative control two + 500 ftu), feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion of the birds were similar to the positive control. In the period from 1 to 40 days of age, with the diets supplemented with phytase, the productive efficiency index of the birds was similar to that of the positive control group. Supplementation with 250 ftu/kg and 500 ftu/kg phytase in diets with reduced nutritional levels improved broiler performance, resulting in parameters similar to those shown by broilers fed with the diet with normal levels of nutrients.
Youth in Transition: Volume VI, Adolescence to Adulthood—Change and Stability in the Lives of Young Men

concentration on a single activity, and they are inap propriate settings for nearly all objectives involving responsibilities that affect others. Insofar as these other objectives are important for the transition to adulthood, and we believe they are, schools act to retard youth in this transition, by monopolizing their time for the narrow objectives that schools have (Coleman e t al, 1974, p. 146).
Onset of Linear Instability in a Complex Plasma with Cairns Distributed Electrons

A rigorous theoretical investigation of linear dust ion acoustic (DIA) solitary waves in an unmagnetized complex plasma consisting of ion and ion beam fluids, nonthermal electrons that are Cairns distributed and immobile dust particles were undertaken. It was found out that, for large beam speeds, three stable modes propagated as solitary waves in the beam plasma. These were the “Fast”, “Slow” and “Ion-acoustic” modes. For two stream instability to occur between ion and ion beam, it is shown that or when .
Outbound Open Innovation in the Public Sector: The Roles of Intermediaries

This paper examines how the public sector can use intermediaries to facilitate outbound open innovation (OI). Based on a qualitative analysis of three case studies in the public transport sector in Sweden, the paper describes how intermediaries can lower social and technical innovation barriers for both innovation seekers and external innovators. Drawing on this capability, four potential roles in outbound public sector OI are proposed: expanding the boundaries of innovation ecosystems; decreasing costs for distant search and data processing; fostering inter-organizational collaboration; and assisting innovation seekers in managing the innovation trajectory. The paper also discusses how these roles differ compared to those of intermediaries in private sector OI. In sum, the paper extends the knowledge of public sector OI practices, and increases the understanding of how intermediaries can be used to accelerate socially beneficial outbound OI.
Postemergence herbicides and application time affect wheat yields

Experiments conducted on wheat grown in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys found that two of the most critical factors in reducing plant injury are choice of postemergence herbicide and the growth stage at which the herbicide is applied. To minimize risk of wheat injury and to maximize yields, the optima! time to apply postemergence herbicides is at the tillering growth stage. The two-leaf stage is most sensitive to 2,4-D. Moderate or severe injury caused by 2,4-D and dicamba + MCPA on one-third to one-half of spikes can cause yield losses of up to 27%.
The Association of Night Shift Work with the Development of Breast Cancer in Women

Breast cancer is a serious public health concern in South Africa and globally. It is estimated that one in seven South Africans will develop cancer in their lifetime. According to a case-controlled study, 80% of cancer cases are thought to be due to external, non-inherited factors, which could potentially have been prevented. The objectives of the current case-control study were: 1) to determine the relationship between night shift work and the development of breast cancer; 2) to explore the relationship between night shift work and other types of cancer; 3) to explore any difference between night shift work and breast cancer, and night shift work and other types of cancer. A total of 106 research participants were selected using non-probability, convenience sampling methods and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Seventy-two (68%) of the women who were interviewed were black, while 32% (n = 35) were white. Of the 106 research participants, 82% (n = 87) had a history of being employed, while 18% (n = 19) had never been employed. Analysed data showed that 29% (n = 31) of the women had a history of working night shift. Of the 31 research participants who reported having worked night shift, 90% (n = 28) had actually done rotating shift work, rather than regular night shift work. The odds ratio of working night shift was found to be 1.24 (OR = 1.24, p = 0.615) higher in breast cancer research participants compared to research participants diagnosed with other types of cancer—odds ratio of 0.80 (p = 0.610). For rotational work, the OR was 1.445, indicating a higher risk than for shift work. It is recommended that the relationship between working night shift and breast cancer risk be explored further through cross-sectional and cohort studies.
The Effects of Self-esteem, Age and Gender on the Speaking Skills of Intermediate University EFL Learners

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between self-esteem, age and gender on the one hand and speaking skills on the other hand. For this purpose, based on an OPT test twenty intermediate Persian learners of English were selected from among undergraduate EFL students studying towards a B.A. in teaching English as a foreign language at Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan Branch. Using a modified version of Farhady, et. al.’s scale (1995), measuring the five subskills of vocabulary, structure, pronunciation, fluency and comprehensibility, two raters evaluated the speaking ability of the participants at the end of the required course (Oral Production of Short Stories). The Sorensen’s (2005) questionnaire for measuring self-esteem containing 50 items was also administered to the participants. The result showed a significant relationship between self-esteem and speaking skill with fluency exerting the most influence. There was also a reverse relationship between age and speaking skills. Concerning the relationship between gender and speaking skills, no statistically significant association was found. The study could have implications for English language teachers, learners and text book writers.
Aquatic food security: insights into challenges and solutions from an analysis of interactions between fisheries, aquaculture, food safety, human health, fish and human welfare, economy and environment

Fisheries and aquaculture production, imports, exports and equitability of distribution determine the supply of aquatic food to people. Aquatic food security is achieved when a food supply is sufficient, safe, sustainable, shockproof and sound: sufficient, to meet needs and preferences of people; safe, to provide nutritional benefit while posing minimal health risks; sustainable, to provide food now and for future generations; shock-proof, to provide resilience to shocks in production systems and supply chains; and sound, to meet legal and ethical standards for welfare of animals, people and environment. Here, we present an integrated assessment of these elements of the aquatic food system in the United Kingdom, a system linked to dynamic global networks of producers, processors and markets. Our assessment addresses sufficiency of supply from aquaculture, fisheries and trade; safety of supply given biological, chemical and radiation hazards; social, economic and environmental sustainability of production systems and supply chains; system resilience to social, economic and environmental shocks; welfare of fish, people and environment; and the authenticity of food. Conventionally, these aspects of the food system are not assessed collectively, so information supporting our assessment is widely dispersed. Our assessment reveals trade-offs and challenges in the food system that are easily overlooked in sectoral analyses of fisheries, aquaculture, health, medicine, human and fish welfare, safety and environment. We highlight potential benefits of an integrated, systematic and ongoing process to assess security of the aquatic food system and to predict impacts of social, economic and environmental change on food supply and demand.
Current temporal asymmetry and the role of tides: Nan-Wan Bay vs. the Gulf of Elat

Abstract. Nan-Wan Bay in Taiwan and the Gulf of Elat in Israel are two different coastal environments, and as such, their currents are expected to have different statistical properties. While Nan-Wan Bay is shallow, has three open boundaries, and is directly connected to the open ocean, the Gulf of Elat is deep, semi-enclosed, and connected to the Red Sea via the Straits of Tiran. Surface currents have been continuously measured with fine temporal (less than or equal to 1 h) and spatial resolution (less than or equal to 1 km) for more than a year in both environments using coastal radars (CODARs) that cover a domain of roughly 10 × 10 km. These measurements show that the currents in Nan-Wan Bay are much stronger than those in the Gulf of Elat and that the mean current field in Nan-Wan Bay exhibits cyclonic circulation, which is stronger in the summer; in the Gulf of Elat, the mean current field is directed southward and is also stronger during the summer. We have compared the statistical properties of the current speeds in both environments and found that both exhibit large spatial and seasonal variations in the shape parameter of the Weibull distribution. However, we have found fundamental and significant differences when comparing the temporal asymmetry of the current speed (i.e., the ratio between the time during which the current speed increases and the total time). While the Nan-Wan Bay currents are significantly asymmetric, those of the Gulf of Elat are not. We then extracted the tidal component of the Nan-Wan Bay currents and found that it is strongly asymmetric, while the asymmetry of tidally filtered currents is much weaker. We thus conclude that the temporal asymmetry of the Nan-Wan Bay currents reported here is due to the strong tides in the region. We show that the asymmetry ratio in Nan-Wan Bay varies spatially and seasonally: (i) the currents increase rapidly and decay slowly in the northern part of the domain and vice versa in the southern part, and (ii) the asymmetry is stronger during summer.
Competitiveness of rice processing and marketing in Ebonyi State: A policy analysis approach

Past government inconsistent policies were not successful in securing good market shares for domestic rice processors and marketers hence they suffered great losses. The study was therefore carried out to assess the competitiveness and impact of policies on domestic rice in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 60 processors and 60 marketers from the study area. Primary data were collected with structured questionnaire and analysed using policy analysis matrix. Results revealed that private profit was positive (N99, 063.11) for processors and negative for marketers (N9, 563.33) while social profit was negative (N4, 838.3) for processors and positive for marketers (N8, 473.22) for the output of a hectare of land. Nominal protection coefficient for output and input were 1.52 and 0.92 respectively for processors, 1.5 and 1.4 for marketers. Domestic resource cost coefficient was 1.41 and 0.53 respectively for processors and marketers. The EPC values of 10.33 and 0.17 respectively for processors and marketers showed that rice processors were protected while marketers were not protected in the area. The study recommends that the protection policy should be intensified since findings have shown that the enterprises were profitable.
Affect and Cognitive Interference: An Examination of Their Effect on Self-Regulated Learning

The present study examined the relationships among affect, self-regulated learning (SRL) strategy use, and course attainment in the didactics of mathematics (teaching mathematics) subject matter domain. The sample consisted of 180 undergraduate students attending a didactics of mathematics course (mean age = 21.1 years) at the School of Early Childhood Education. The participants were asked to respond to the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Cognitive Interference Questionnaire (CIQ). They also completed the Learning Strategies Scales of the MSLQ. Examination grades were used as the measure of course attainment. Pearson correlations and path analysis revealed that negative affect was positively related to cognitive interference, and positive affect influenced positively the use of almost all of the SRL strategies. Elaboration was the only SRL strategy found to predict the didactics of mathematics course attainment. Finally, cognitive interference was found to negatively predict course attainment.
Modeling and Hazard Analysis Using Stpa

A joint research project between MIT and JAXA/JAMSS is investigating the application of a new hazard analysis to the system and software in the HTV. Traditional hazard analysis focuses on component failures but software does not fail in this way. Software most often contributes to accidents by commanding the spacecraft into an unsafe state (e.g., turning off the descent engines prematurely) or by not issuing required commands. That makes the standard hazard analysis techniques of limited usefulness on software-intensive systems, which describes most spacecraft built today. STPA is a new hazard analysis technique based on systems theory rather than reliability theory. It treats safety as a control problem rather than a failure problem. The goal of STPA, which is to create a set of scenarios that can lead to a hazard, is the same as FTA but STPA includes a broader set of potential scenarios including those in which no failures occur but the problems arise due to unsafe and unintended interactions among the system components. STPA also provides more guidance to the analysts that traditional fault tree analysis. Functional control diagrams are used to guide the analysis. In addition, JAXA uses a model-based system engineering development environment (created originally by Leveson and called SpecTRM) which also assists in the hazard analysis. One of the advantages of STPA is that it can be applied early in the system engineering and development process in a safety-driven design process where hazard analysis drives the design decisions rather than waiting until reviews identify problems that are then costly or difficult to fix. It can also be applied in an after-the-fact analysis and hazard assessment, which is what we did in this case study. This paper describes the experimental application of STPA to the JAXA HTV in order to determine the feasibility and usefulness of the new hazard analysis technique. Because the HTV was originally developed using fault tree analysis and following the NASA standards for safety-critical systems, the results of our experimental application of STPA can be compared with these more traditional safety engineering approaches in terms of the problems identified and the resources required to use it.