Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE NUCLEI AND STAR-FORMING REGIONS IN LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES

We present a high spatial (diffraction-limited) resolution (∼0.″3) mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopic study of the nuclei and star-forming regions of four local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) using T-ReCS on the Gemini South telescope. We investigate the spatial variations of the features seen in the N-band spectra of LIRGs on scales of ∼100 pc, which allow us to resolve their nuclear regions and separate the active galactic nucleus (AGN) emission from that of the star formation (SF). We compare (qualitatively and quantitatively) our Gemini T-ReCS nuclear and integrated spectra of LIRGs with those obtained with Spitzer IRS. Star-forming regions and AGNs show distinct features in the MIR spectra, and we spatially separate these, which is not possible using the Spitzer data. The 9.7 μm silicate absorption feature is weaker in the nuclei of the LIRGs than in the surrounding regions. This is probably due to the either clumpy or compact environment of the central AGN or young, nuclear starburst. We find that the [Ne ii]12.81 μm luminosity surface density is tightly and directly correlated with that of Paα for the LIRG star-forming regions (slope of 1.00 ± 0.02). Although the 11.3 μm PAH feature shows also a trend with Paα, this is not common for all the regions and the slope is significantly lower. We also find that the [Ne ii]12.81 μm/Paα ratio does not depend on the Paα equivalent width (EW), i.e., on the age of the ionizing stellar populations, suggesting that, on the scales probed here, the [Ne ii]12.81 μm emission line is a good tracer of the SF activity in LIRGs. On the other hand, the 11.3 μm PAH/Paα ratio increases for smaller values of the Paα EW (increasing ages), indicating that the 11.3 μm PAH feature can also be excited by older stars than those responsible for the Paα emission. Finally, more data are needed in order to address the different physical processes (age of the stellar populations, hardness and intensity of the radiation field, mass of the star-forming regions) affecting the energetics of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon features in a statistical way. Additional high spatial resolution observations are essential to investigating the SF in local LIRGs at the smallest scales and determining ultimately whether they share the same physical properties as high-z LIRGs, ULIRGs, and submillimiter galaxies and therefore belong to the same galaxy population.
Large flux of iron from the Amery Ice Shelf marine ice to Prydz Bay, East Antarctica

The Antarctic continental shelf supports a high level of marine primary productivity and is a globally important carbon dioxide (CO2) sink through the photosynthetic fixation of CO2 via the biological pump. Sustaining such high productivity requires a large supply of the essential micronutrient iron (Fe); however, the pathways for Fe delivery to these zones vary spatially and temporally. Our study is the first to report a previously unquantified source of concentrated bioavailable Fe to Antarctic surface waters. We hypothesize that Fe derived from subglacial processes is delivered to euphotic waters through the accretion (Fe storage) and subsequent melting (Fe release) of a marine-accreted layer of ice at the base of the Amery Ice Shelf (AIS). Using satellite-derived Chlorophyll-a data, we show that the soluble Fe supplied by the melting of the marine ice layer is an order of magnitude larger than the required Fe necessary to sustain the large annual phytoplankton bloom in Prydz Bay. Our finding of high concentrations of Fe in AIS marine ice and recent data on increasing rates of ice shelf basal melt in many of Antarctica's ice shelves should encourage further research into glacial and marine sediment transport beneath ice shelves and their sensitivity to current changes in basal melt. Currently, the distribution, volume, and Fe concentration of Antarctic marine ice is poorly constrained. This uncertainty, combined with variable forecasts of increased rates of ice shelf basal melt, limits our ability to predict future Fe supply to Antarctic coastal waters.
InDel assembly: A novel framework for engineering protein loops through length and compositional variation

Insertions and deletions (indels) are known to affect function, biophysical properties and substrate specificity of enzymes, and they play a central role in evolution. Despite such clear significance, this class of mutation remains an underexploited tool in protein engineering with no available platforms capable of systematically generating or analysing libraries of varying sequence composition and length. We present a novel DNA assembly platform (InDel assembly), based on cycles of endonuclease restriction and ligation of standardised dsDNA building blocks, that can generate libraries exploring both composition and sequence length variation. In addition, we developed a framework to analyse the output of selection from InDel-generated libraries, combining next generation sequencing and alignment-free strategies for sequence analysis. We demonstrate the approach by engineering the well-characterized TEM-1 β-lactamase Ω-loop, involved in substrate specificity, identifying multiple novel extended spectrum β-lactamases with loops of modified length and composition areas of the sequence space not previously explored. Together, the InDel assembly and analysis platforms provide an efficient route to engineer protein loops or linkers where sequence length and composition are both essential functional parameters.
Photon polarization in B → Xγ in the standard model

The standard model prediction for the {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} X{sub s,d}{gamma} decay amplitude with a right-handed photon is believed to be tiny, suppressed by m{sub s,d}/m{sub b}, compared to the amplitude with a left-handed photon. We show that this suppression is fictitious: in inclusive decays, the ratio of these two amplitudes is only suppressed by g{sub s}/(4{pi}), and in exclusive decays by {Lambda}{sub QCD}/m{sub b}. The suppression is not stronger in {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} X{sub d}{gamma} decays than it is in {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} X{sub s}{gamma}. We estimate that the time dependent CP asymmetries in B {yields} K*{gamma}, {rho}{gamma}, K{sub S}{pi}{sup 0}{gamma}, and {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} {gamma} are of order 0.1 and that they have significant uncertainties.
How to keep your head above the clouds: Changing ICT worker skill sets in a cloud computing environment

Cloud computing represents a potential paradigm shift in how organisations access and use information, communication and technology (ICT) services. Such changes in how ICT services are sourced and delivered will impact on organisational structures and associated management practices. They further question the traditional role of ICT workers. This paper contends that while the technical and potential cost saving aspects of Cloud computing have attracted much attention, far less research has been conducted into the associated human resource management (HRM) impacts of Cloud computing on ICT workers. This paper attempts to fill this gap in the literature by examining HR issues related to managing ICT workers within organisations adopting Cloud computing strategies. It further suggests that the impacts of Cloud computing may differ from previous 'outsourcing' strategies that were often linked to large-scale job shedding (Ross, 2002, 2003; Ross and Bamber, 2009), at least in the short- to medium-term. The paper uses transaction costs economics theories and frameworks to support the analysis.
Metal-like single crystalline boron nanotubes: synthesis and in situ study on electric transport and field emission properties

Boron nanotubes (BNTs) have been theoretically proposed to have metallic properties whether they are in armchair or zigzag structure, so they have attracted much interest from researchers. However, their real properties have been not understood until now because they are hard to synthesize. In this paper, we have successfully fabricated a large quantity of boron nanotubes, which may provide a way to master their electric and field emission (FE) properties. Study on individual boron nanotubes shows that BNTs have metallic properties with an averaged conductivity of 40 Ω−1cm−1. Moreover, individual BNTs can sustain a high current of about 80 μA and their current density can reach 2.04 × 1011 A m−2, which is very close to those of CNTs. They are also incorporated into prototype luminescent tube devices for the first time and exhibit high luminescent efficiency and stability, which suggests that BNTs have a promising future in the FE area.
Temperature- and injection-dependent lifetime spectroscopy of copper-related defects in silicon

Temperature- and injection-dependent lifetime measurements have been made on single-crystal silicon wafers containing deliberately introduced Cu precipitates. Applying the Shockley-Read-Hall model to the data from p-type samples gives an accurate characterisation of these recombination centres in the form of two independent levels - one shallow centre near the conduction band, and one deep centre. These two levels provide a useful approximation to the distributed defect band that is known to exist in the upper band half by previous DLTS studies. In n-type silicon the situation is complicated by the Fermi-level shifting through the defect energy band with increasing temperature, altering the charge state of the precipitates, and therefore imparting a strong temperature dependence to the capture cross sections.
Multicomponent solute transport in soil lysimeters irrigated with waters of different quality

A variety of analytical and numerical models have been developed during the past several decades to predict water and solute transfer processes between the soil surface and the groundwater table. While many models quantifying solute transport in soils usually consider only one solute and severely simplify various chemical interactions, others such as the geochemical module of HYDRUS‐1D consider multiple solutes and their mutual interactions. In this study we use HYDRUS‐1D to analyze water flow and solute transport in three soil lysimeters (1.2 m2 × 1 m) irrigated during the summer months with waters of different quality that were used to evaluate salinization and alkalization hazards. The soil monoliths were constructed in a Eutric Fluvisol in Alentejo, Portugal. The electrical conductivity (EC) of irrigation water varied between 0.4 and 3.2 dS m−1, and the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) varied between 1 and 6 (mmol(c) L−1)0.5, while maintaining a ratio of Ca:Mg equal to 1:2. The soil monoliths were subjected to regular rainfall and leaching during the rest of the year. Water contents and fluxes, concentrations of individual ions (Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), electrical conductivity of the soil solution, SAR, and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) indices were monitored from May 2001 to September 2004 at four depths (10, 30, 50, and 70 cm) in all three soil monoliths. Irrigation water with EC up to 1.6 dS m−1 did not cause salinization or alkalization hazards. The rainfall water leached the salts accumulated during the irrigation period down to a depth of 100 cm. Rainfall, however, did not restore the salinity and sodicity of the soil to its original values below a depth of 60 cm for the lysimeter irrigated with water having an EC equal to 3.2 dS m−1. HYDRUS‐1D successfully described field measurements of the water content (R2 = 0.60), overall salinity (R2 = 0.65), and the concentration of individual soluble cations (R2 ranged between 0.62 and 0.78) as well as the sodium adsorption ratio (R2 = 0.87) and the exchangeable sodium percentage (R2 = 0.76).
Status, Incentives and Random Favouritism

The paper identifies a condition under which favouritism is beneficial to the principal even when the favoured agent is selected randomly. This paper also characterizes how the optimal incentive scheme changes in presence of random favouritism. Using a moral hazard framework with limited liability it is shown that in presence of favouritism principal can optimally decrease monetary incentive when the potentially favoured group size is small. Inspite of a fall in optimal effort the paper predicts that favouritism can emerge as an optimal outcome when return of the firm is low.
Behavioral and Physiological Effects of Mannan-oligosaccharide and β-glucan Prebiotic Combination on Heat Stressed Broiler Chickens

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) and β-glucan (BG) prebiotic (agrimos) on the behavioral and physiological parameters in heat stressed broiler chickens. One hundred sixty eight of one-day-old broiler chickens of Ross 308 strain were obtained from a local hatchery. The experiment was started at 28-day old; where birds were exposed to heat stress (HS) and were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments containing 0 (control), 0.5, 2, and 4 g/kg MOS and BG probiotic, respectively. Each treatment consisted of three replicates of 14 birds each. The results revealed that 0.5, 2 and 4 g/kg significantly increased walking, panting, wing elevation, and wing and leg but 4 g/kg agrimos only significantly increased drinking and preening, and decreased resting. Dietary inclusion of agrimos at a dose of 4 g/kg caused a significant increase in the percentage of lymphocyte, and decrease in phosphorus level. While at doses of 2 and 4 g/kg, treated chickens had a significant decrease in cortisol level together with a significant increase in hemoglobin level. Chickens fed with agrimos, regardless of dose, had significantly lower percentage of heterophils and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio. In conclusion, the current results support that MOS and BG prebiotic dietary supplementation may be considered as a protective management practice in the broiler chickens to control the negative effects of HS.
The Determinants of Bank Profitability Through The Global Financial Crisis: Evidence from Slovakia and Poland

Using Bankscope data, this thesis seeks to analyze the determinants of commercial bank profitability in Poland and Slovakia during 1999-2011 and shed light on whether profitability was impacted differently during the financial crisis period (20082011). This study will utilize both OLS and a Fixed Effects estimation technique. The goal of this paper is to expand on the analysis of Ommeren (2011), Dietrich and Wanzenried (2011) and other literature to more accurately draw some conclusions about the commercial banking sector as a whole. The explanatory variables include the traditional variables used in other studies to represent bank-specific and industry-specific factors and external macroeconomic factors.
Early life determinants of atopy : A 20-year prospective follow-up study on unselected, healthy newborns

The aim of the present study was to define early-life factors and markers associated with the subsequent development of allergic diseases in a cohort of 200 healthy, unselected Finnish newborns prospectively followed up from birth to 20 years of age. Their mothers were encouraged to start and maintain exclusive breastfeeding as long as it was nutritionally sufficient for the infant. Consequently, all the infants received some duration of exclusive breastfeeding, 58% of the infants were on exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, and 18% received this feeding for at least the first 9 months. Of the infants, 42% had a family history of allergy. After the first year of follow-up, the children were re-assessed at ages 5, 11 and 20 years with clinical examination, skin prick testing, and parental and personal interviews.
Peatland Hydrology of Discontinuous Permafrost in the Northwest Territories: Overview and Synthesis

Field studies were initiated in 1999 at Scotty Creek in the lower Liard River basin, NWT, Canada, to improve understanding of and ability to predict the major water fluxes and storage processes within a wetland-dominated zone of the discontinuous permafrost region. This paper synthesises a decade of published and unpublished research at Scotty Creek for the purpose of presenting the major factors that should be considered by water scientists and managers as a basis for modelling and management strategies. Five main topics are covered: (1) peatlands of lower Liard River valley; (2) hydrological characteristics of permafrost plateaus, flat bogs, and channel fens; (3) runoff generation on permafrost plateaus; (4) conceptual model of peatland hydrology; and (5) climate warming and implications for basin runoff. This synthesis offers a practical understanding of the hydrology of wetland-dominated basins with discontinuous permafrost. It also offers insight into how landscape changes resulting from climate or human disturbances may influence the basin hydrograph.
Promoting Computational Thinking in children Using Apps

ion Making sense of what Standard is. Simulation The girl shows the card to her friends, and illustrates how using this card and its two different sides gives them two different answer Reviewing this videos provided evidence that students in this age group are able to engage in different computational thinking competencies. Also, the examples provided us with enough insights to synthesize, develop and finalize our CT definitions (INSPIRE Definitions, 2017). To compare the definitions, Appendix 2 presents three sets of CT definitions including INSPIRE,
Impedance and Instabilities for the ALBA Storage Ring

The geometrical impedance in all 3 planes for most of the vacuum chamber elements of the ALBA storage ring was computed with the 3D-solver GdfidL[1]. Optimisation of some element geometries was carried out in order to reduce dissipative losses and in general, the impedance. Resistive wall impedance was calculated analytically. The thresholds of various instabilities were determined on the basis of analytically formulated threshold criteria. The most important are the transverse resistive wall instability and a HOM-driven longitudinal multibunch instability. It is proposed to combat the first one by a transverse feedback system and the second one by Landau damping.
Parents and school: agents of 'National' socialization?

Can school foster identification with the receiving country to the point that second generation immigrants abandon their parents� original national identification? To answer this question, this paper focuses on the case of Catalonia. Catalonia is an interesting case study because it has three key characteristics: first, a center-periphery cleavage; second, regional, rather than central, government is responsible for education; and third, the presence of a significant number of immigrants who moved there from other Spanish regions between the mid-fifties and mid-seventies. Building on recent empirical works, this paper examines the impact of the language policy that has been implemented in Catalan schools since 1983. The results of the analysis suggest that even if years of schooling can increase the chances that both the children of natives and the children of immigrants develop a bi-national identification, parents� feeling of �being Catalan� is the key element that fosters Catalan oriented identification among their children. The results also provide evidence in favor of the idea that both immigrant families� economic progress and immigrant families� self-selection into neighborhoods with a moderate presence of other immigrants are decisive elements in promoting identification with Catalonia.
Strain-specific responses of Emiliania huxleyi to changing seawater carbonate chemistry

Abstract. Four strains of the coccolithophore E. huxleyi (RCC1212, RCC1216, RCC1238, RCC1256) were grown in dilute batch culture at four CO2 levels ranging from ~200 μatm to ~1200 μatm. Growth rate, particulate organic carbon content, and particulate inorganic carbon content were measured, and organic and inorganic carbon production calculated. The four strains did not show a uniform response to carbonate chemistry changes in any of the analysed parameters and none of the four strains displayed a response pattern previously described for this species. We conclude that the sensitivity of different strains of E. huxleyi to acidification differs substantially and that this likely has a genetic basis. We propose that this can explain apparently contradictory results reported in the literature.
Fertility in cimetidine and bromocriptine treated rats

The present study was designed to see the role of drugs affecting serum prolactin upon the morphology of the gonad of male rat by giving bromocriptine to one group of animals concurrently with cimetidine. This study was conducted at the Department of Anatomy, Army Medical College (AMC), Rawalpindi in collaboration with National Veterinary Laboratories (NVL), Chak Shahzad, Islamabad. Ninety adult young male albino rats between the ages of 60 to 120 days were selected. They were bred in the animal house of the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad and were supplied with diet pellets supplemented with vitamins and water ad libitum. The animals were divided into three groups A, B and C. Each group consisted of thirty animals that were given intramuscular injection for two weeks and killed on the next day. Group A (Control), were given one millitre of normal saline. Group B, were given cimetidine in a dose of 200 mg/kg/bwt/day. Group C, were given cimetidine in a dose of 200 mg/kg/day and in addition, an injection of bromocriptine 2.5 mg/day was also given. The animals were sacrificed, the testis were removed, weighed, studied and then fixed. The spermatogenesis was normal in almost all of the tubules but a few of them were seen lined with only Sertoli cells and all the other germ cells like spermatogonia, primary spermatocyes, spermatids early and late, and spermatozoa were absent indicating total atrophy with both Sertoli cells and Leydig cells hyperplasia. It is concluded that the testicular atrophy as evidenced by decrease in diameter of tubules in case of group B and adverse effects on the qualitative changes such as cellular proliferation/spermatogenesis as well as quantitative morphometric parameters such as decrease in thickness of germinal epithelium in case of both group B as well as C could be due to the toxic effect of the drugs on the testes in general and seminiferous tubule in particular. Key words: Cimetidine, bromocriptine, fertility.
Transmission characteristics of finite-width conductor-backed coplanar waveguide

This paper presents theoretical and experimental results for a finite-width conductor-backed coplanar waveguide (FW-CBCPW). The guiding characteristics of FW-CBCPW are investigated first by the rigorous method of mode matching. An FW-CBCPW through line is then placed within a test fixture commonly used in laboratories, and the scattering parameters of the through line are obtained theoretically by approximating the FW-CBCPW as a simple system of coupled transmission lines. Experimental results are shown to agree very well with the theoretical ones. In particular, the anomalous behavior observed in the transmission characteristic of the through line is related to the resonant phenomenon of the terminated side planes which are short-circuited at both input and output ends due to the test fixture. Finally, a technique of mode suppression in the side-plane regions is suggested for the improvement of signal transmission over a broad band of frequency spectrum. The effects of extra higher order modes on the transmission characteristics at high frequencies are also discussed. >