Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outflows in the inner kiloparsec of NGC 1566 as revealed by molecular (ALMA) and ionized gas (Gemini-GMOS/IFU) kinematics

Context. Tracing nuclear inflows and outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), determining the mass of gas involved in them, and their impact on the host galaxy and nuclear black hole requires 3D imaging studies of both the ionized and molecular gas. Aims. We map the distribution and kinematics of molecular and ionized gas in a sample of active galaxies to quantify the nuclear inflows and outflows. Here, we analyze the nuclear kinematics of NGC 1566 via ALMA observations of the CO J:2-1 emission at 24 pc spatial and ∼2.6 km s−1 spectral resolution, and Gemini-GMOS/IFU observations of ionized gas emission lines and stellar absorption lines at similar spatial resolution, and 123 km s−1 of intrinsic spectral resolution. Methods. The morphology and kinematics of stellar, molecular (CO), and ionized ([N II]) emission lines are compared to the expectations from rotation, outflows, and streaming inflows. Results. While both ionized and molecular gas show rotation signatures, there are significant non-circular motions in the innermost 200 pc and along spiral arms in the central kpc (CO). The nucleus shows a double-peaked CO profile (full width at zero intensity of 200 km s−1), and prominent (∼80 km s−1) blue- and redshifted lobes are found along the minor axis in the inner arcseconds. Perturbations by the large-scale bar can qualitatively explain all features in the observed velocity field. We thus favor the presence of a molecular outflow in the disk with true velocities of ∼180 km s−1 in the nucleus and decelerating to 0 by ∼72 pc. The implied molecular outflow rate is 5.6 M⊙ yr−1, with this gas accumulating in the nuclear 2″ arms. The ionized gas kinematics support an interpretation of a similar but more spherical outflow in the inner 100 pc, with no signs of deceleration. There is some evidence of streaming inflows of ∼50 km s−1 along specific spiral arms, and the estimated molecular mass inflow rate, ∼0.1 M⊙ yr−1, is significantly higher than the SMBH accretion rate (ṁ = 4.8 × 10−5 M⊙ yr−1).
Study of genetic variability and heritability for various morphological and yield attributed traits in RIL population of basmati rice (Oryza sativa L.)

In the present study, during kharif 2017 and 2018, genetic variable, the genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation and heritability for fifteen characters in one hundred and thirty RIL populations derived from a cross between Basmati 370 and Pusa basmati 1121of rice was studied. All the characters taken under observations among the genotypes showed that there were highly significant differences for analysis of variance. Genotypic coefficients of variation were lower than the corresponding phenotypic coefficients in all the traits studied, indicating considerable influence of the environment on the expression of the traits. High heritability was estimated for panicle length (99%), grain length (75%), length breadth ratio (74%), plant height (67%), kernel elongation ratio (63%) and kernel elongation(60%) suggesting these traits are under high genetic control. High phenotypic variation was observed for yield per plant (65.73%), grain weight (40.24%), grains per panicle (20.20%) and plant height (18.39%) while number of effective tillers per panicle (11.02%) and remaining traits revealed low genotypic coefficient of variation (
Local stress sources in Western Europe lithosphere from geoid anomalies

We propose a method to evaluate the stress generated at the local scale by the spatial variations of the gravitational potential energy (GPE), which is related to inhomogeneous topography and mass distribution in the lithosphere. We show that it is possible to infer these local stress sources from the second spatial derivatives of a geoid height grid, used as a proxy of the GPE. The coherence of the method is validated on a passive margin, the Bay of Biscay. The result is that expected in such a geological configuration, with extensional local stress sources with the maximum horizontal principal stress parallel to the margin and compressive sources with the maximum horizontal principal stress perpendicular to the margin in the continental and oceanic lithosphere, respectively. We apply the method to Western Europe in order to provide a better understanding of the complex spatial variation of the present-day tectonic activity. Our results indicate a stress pattern from the local sources dominated by short-space-wavelength (of the order of a few tens of kilometers) variations in the tectonic style and in the direction of the maximal horizontal principal stress σ H . A comparison of the σ H orientations and tectonic style from the local sources with the ones of the World Stress Map (WSM) data set indicates that the local stress sources can be representative of the deviatoric stress state in some regions. Our results explain 71% of the faulting styles for the earthquake fault-plane solutions in the WSM, which is better than the classical compressive NW-SE stress field model. In the central part of the Pyrenees, the agreement between earthquake fault-slip directions and the direction of shear stress from the local sources acting on the associated fault planes is compatible with the extensional stress field evidenced by recent investigations.
Free Secondary Education and the Changing Roles of the Heads of Public Schools in Tanzania: Are They Ready for New Responsibilities?

This study investigated the management capacity of heads of public secondary schools in the implementation of Free Secondary Education (FSE) policy in Singida municipality. The study was descriptive research survey which employed both qualitative and quantitative research designs. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from 200 teachers, 10 school heads and 5 municipal secondary education officers. The findings indicated that heads of public secondary schools in Singida municipality possessed managerial skills to run their schools effectively despite of being faced by several challenges, like inadequate funds to cater for some of the school needs, misconception by parents that FSE policy catered for all the fees and rapid increase of student enrollment. The findings further revealed that school heads use informal and formal coping strategies like community participation and informal peer coaching to manage the challenges of FSE.
Indexing Out of Poverty? Fiscal Drag and Benefit Erosion in Cross‐National Perspective

We assess how tax-benefit policy developments in 2001-2011 affected the household income distribution in seven EU countries. We use the standard microsimulation-based decomposition method, separating further the effect of structural policy changes and the uprating of monetary parameters, which allows us to measure the extent of fiscal drag and benefit erosion in practice. The results show that despite different fiscal effects, policies overall mostly reduced poverty and inequality and both types of policy developments had sizeable effects on the income distribution. We also find that the uprating of monetary parameters not only had a positive effect on household incomes, meaning fiscal drag and benefit erosion were avoided, but generally also contributed more to poverty and inequality reduction than structural policy reforms. Â
The use of Delphi method in the process of building a tourism development strategy in the region

The aim of the article is to show the applicability of the Delphi method in the process of building a tourism development strategy in the region. The analysis of the regional tourism development strategies, as well as of the literature indicates that the Delphi method has not yet been used in research in the area of tourism in Poland. The foreign literature, however, contains the examples of its use, starting from the eighties of the twentieth century. The article presents the framework of the research process using the Delphi method. It also presents the theses and the research questionnaire developed by the experts from the tourism sector from the Podlaskie Voivodship within the framework of the research project "Foresight as a tool to improve tourism management in the region". Indication of the possibility of applying the Delphi method in the process of building a tourism development strategy in the region will be an opportunity to build a vision of the future, based on the experience and expertise of the stakeholders in the field of science, administration, business, non-governmental organizations, protected areas, cultural institutions and media. Supporting the strategic planning process through the substantial involvement of experts and stakeholders will enable the joint development of the social vision of the future of tourism development by the parties concerned and to uphold a sense of need for its implementation.
High bit depth infrared image compression via low bit depth codecs

Future infrared remote sensing systems, such as monitoring of the Earth’s environment by satellites, infrastructure inspection by unmanned airborne vehicles etc., will require 16 bit depth infrared images to be compressed and stored or transmitted for further analysis. Such systems are equipped with low power embedded platforms where image or video data is compressed by a hardware block called the video processing unit (VPU). However, in many cases using two 8-bit VPUs can provide advantages compared with using higher bit depth image compression directly. We propose to compress 16 bit depth images via 8 bit depth codecs in the following way. First, an input 16 bit depth image is mapped into 8 bit depth images, e.g., the first image contains only the most significant bytes (MSB image) and the second one contains only the least significant bytes (LSB image). Then each image is compressed by an image or video codec with 8 bits per pixel input format. We analyze how the compression parameters for both MSB and LSB images should be chosen to provide the maximum objective quality for a given compression ratio. Finally, we apply the proposed infrared image compression method utilizing JPEG and H.264/AVC codecs, which are usually available in efficient implementations, and compare their rate-distortion performance with JPEG2000, JPEG-XT and H.265/HEVC codecs supporting direct compression of infrared images in 16 bit depth format. A preliminary result shows that two 8 bit H.264/AVC codecs can achieve similar result as 16 bit HEVC codec.
Performance, Graduation, and Transfer of Immigrants and Natives in City University of New York Community Colleges

The City University of New York (CUNY) plays an essential role in educating the burgeoning immigrant population of New York City. During the 1990s, the foreign-born share of CUNY’s undergraduate population rose from one third to almost one half. Nevertheless, little research has been carried out on this population. Focusing on foreign-born and native minority community college entrants, we compare these groups in terms of the number of credits earned and the likelihood of transferring to a four-year program and of completing an associate degree and a bachelor’s degree. We find that nativity, race, and ethnicity are all related to these outcomes. Moreover, whether a foreign-born student attended high school in the United States or abroad is an important determinant of educational outcomes.
Specific ion effects directed noble metal aerogels: Versatile manipulation for electrocatalysis and beyond

Specific ion effects are demonstrated to create and flexibly manipulate noble metal aerogels for versatile applications. Noble metal foams (NMFs) are a new class of functional materials featuring properties of both noble metals and monolithic porous materials, providing impressive prospects in diverse fields. Among reported synthetic methods, the sol-gel approach manifests overwhelming advantages for versatile synthesis of nanostructured NMFs (i.e., noble metal aerogels) under mild conditions. However, limited gelation methods and elusive formation mechanisms retard structure/composition manipulation, hampering on-demand design for practical applications. Here, highly tunable NMFs are fabricated by activating specific ion effects, enabling various single/alloy aerogels with adjustable composition (Au, Ag, Pd, and Pt), ligament sizes (3.1 to 142.0 nm), and special morphologies. Their superior performance in programmable self-propulsion devices and electrocatalytic alcohol oxidation is also demonstrated. This study provides a conceptually new approach to fabricate and manipulate NMFs and an overall framework for understanding the gelation mechanism, paving the way for on-target design of NMFs and investigating structure-performance relationships for versatile applications.
Identification of conserved residue patterns in small β-barrel proteins

Our abilities to predict three-dimensional conformation of a polypeptide, given its amino acid sequence, remain limited despite advances in structure analysis. Analysis of structures and sequences of protein families with similar secondary structural elements, but varying topologies, might help in addressing this problem. We have studied the small β-barrel class of proteins characterized by four strands (n 4) and a shear number of 8 (S 8) to understand the principles of barrel formation. Multiple alignments of the various protein sequences were generated for the analysis. Positional entropy, as a measure of residue conservation, indicated conservation of non-polar residues at the core positions. The presence of a type II β-turn among the various barrel proteins considered was another strikingly invariant feature. A conserved glycyl-aspartyl dipeptide at the β-turn appeared to be important in guiding the protein sequence into the barrel fold. Molecular dynamics simulations of the type II β-turn peptide suggested that aspartate is a key residue in the folding of the protein sequence into the barrel. Our study suggests that the conserved type II β-turn and the non-polar residues in the barrel core are crucial for the folding of the protein’s primary sequence into the β-barrel conformation.
Impact of oral conditions on the quality of life of incarcerated women in Brazil

Abstract Imprisoned women represent a growing population worldwide with important health needs. In this study, we aimed to analyze the impact of oral health conditions on the quality of life of female inmates in a maximum security correctional facility. Participants were examined and answered the OHIP-14 questionnaire. A total of 305 inmates were included in the study. Prevalence of untreated caries was 84%. Worse quality of life was associated with dental caries, dental pain, deep periodontal pocket, prosthetic use, and age. Sociodental indicators should be incorporated into healthcare and health policies in order to promote wellbeing among this vulnerable population.
Astragaloside IV Protects Against Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-Induced Endothelial Cell Injury by Reducing Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Background Endothelial injury is the main mechanism of atherosclerosis, and is caused by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is the primary active ingredient of the Chinese herb Huangqi, and exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated the protective effect of AS-IV in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Material/Methods HUVEC cells were induced with ox-LDL to establish an in vitro atherosclerosis model. Then HUVECs were pretreated for 1 h with AS-IV at different concentrations (10, 20, and 50 μM) and then exposed to ox-LDL (100 μg/mL) for 48 h. The cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, apoptosis, migration, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and NADPH oxidase activity of HUVECs were measured. qRT-PCR was performed to measure the mRNA expressions of Nrf2, HO-1, TNFα, and IL-6. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to measure the supernatant contents of TNFα and IL-6. Results Exposure of HUVECs to ox-LDL reduced cell viability and migration, induced apoptosis, and increased intracellular ROS production and NADPH oxidase. Pretreatment with AS-IV (10, 20, and 50 μM) significantly enhanced the cell viability and migration, suppressed LDH release, apoptosis, ROS production, and NADPH oxidase in HUVECs, in a concentration-dependent manner. The AS-IV (50 μM) alone did not show significant differences from control. AS-IV increased mRNA expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 and decreased mRNA expressions of TNFα and IL-6 in the ox-LDL-HUEVC cells. Furthermore, AS-IV reduced supernatant contents of TNFα and IL-6. Conclusions Astragaloside IV prevents ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell injury by reducing apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response.
Genetic and Phenotypic Association between Productive and Reproductive Traits in Friesian Cows In Egypt

Genetic parameters for Friesian cows were estimated from 9155 lactation records for 3625 cows sired by 182 bulls covered 34 years (1982-2015) in two herds (Sakha and El-Karada), belongs to the Animal Production Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. Multi-trait repeated animal model was employed using the REML procedure to estimate (co)variance components of productive (305-day milk yield-M305 and lactation period-LP) and reproductive traits (number of services per conception-NSC, calving to first service interval-CFS and days open-DO), There is sufficient genetic variation in productive (from 9.5 to 17.1%) and reproductive traits (from 3.9 to 10.3 %). Heritability estimates for M305 and LP traits were 0.204 and 0.110, however, reproduction traits were ranged from 0.010 to 0.044. Genetic correlation between M305 and LP was high (>0.94). Among reproductive traits, absolute genetic correlations were also high (>0.85). Genetic correlations between reproductive and productive traits were high (>0.99). The annual genetic changes were positive for M305, LP, CFS and DO (9.07 kg/yr., 0.30, 0.07 and 0.24 d/yr., respectively), however it was -0.003 number/yr for NSC. The annual phenotypic changes were positive for M305, CFS and DO (12.4 kg/yr., 0.029 and 0.829d/yr., respectively), however it were negative for LP and NSC (-0.265 d/yr. and -0.002 number /yr.).
The Significance of Lactoperoxidase System in Oral Health: Application and Efficacy in Oral Hygiene Products

Lactoperoxidase (LPO) present in saliva are an important element of the nonspecific immune response involved in maintaining oral health. The main role of this enzyme is to oxidize salivary thiocyanate ions (SCN−) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to products that exhibit antimicrobial activity. LPO derived from bovine milk has found an application in food, cosmetics, and medical industries due to its structural and functional similarity to the human enzyme. Oral hygiene products enriched with the LPO system constitute an alternative to the classic fluoride caries prophylaxis. This review describes the physiological role of human salivary lactoperoxidase and compares the results of clinical trials and in vitro studies of LPO alone and complex dentifrices enriched with bovine LPO. The role of reactivators and inhibitors of LPO is discussed together with the possibility of using nanoparticles to increase the stabilization and activity of this enzyme.
The Origin of a Coastal Indigenous Horse Breed in China Revealed by Genome-Wide SNP Data

The Jinjiang horse is a unique Chinese indigenous horse breed distributed in the southern coastal areas, but the ancestry of Jinjiang horses is not well understood. Here, we used Equine SNP70 Bead Array technology to genotype 301 horses representing 10 Chinese indigenous horse breeds, and we integrated the published genotyped data of 352 individuals from 14 foreign horse breeds to study the relationships between Jinjiang horses and horse breeds from around the world. Principal component analysis (PCA), linkage disequilibrium (LD), runs of homozygosity (ROH) analysis, and ancestry estimating methods were conducted to study the population relationships and the ancestral sources and genetic structure of Jinjiang horses. The results showed that there is no close relationship between foreign horse breeds and Jinjiang horses, and Jinjiang horses shared a similar genetic background with Baise horses. TreeMix analysis revealed that there was gene flow from Chakouyi horses to Jinjiang horses. The ancestry analysis showed that Baise horses and Chakouyi horses are the most closely related ancestors of Jinjiang horses. In conclusion, our results showed that Jinjiang horses have a native origin and that Baise horses and Chakouyi horses were key ancestral sources of Jinjiang horses. The study also suggested that ancient trade activities and the migration of human beings had important effects on indigenous horse breeds in China.
3D printed graphene/polydimethylsiloxane composite for stretchable strain sensor with tunable sensitivity

Materials with tunable and high strain sensitivities have a great potential to be used in next generation flexible electronic devices. Conventional methods, which focus on tailoring the material composition to obtain controllable sensitivities, face the issues of complicated fabrication process and instability, restricting their use in real applications. In this work, we propose the idea of tuning the sensitivities through precisely controlled micro-structures. Based on 3D printing technique, we successfully fabricate graphene/polydimethylsiloxane composites with long range ordered porous structures. The resultant composites present tunable and high gauge factors, along with excellent durability. The tunable sensitivity comes from different strain distributions on the composites under stretching, arising from the different micro-structures constructed. Taking full advantage of the composites in terms of sensitivity and durability, we demonstrate the application of the 3D printed porous sensors as wearable human motion detectors.
Link-Level Functional Connectivity Neuroalterations in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Developmental Resting-State fMRI Study

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder whose late diagnosis is based on subjective tests. In seeking for earlier diagnosis, we aimed to find objective biomarkers via analysis of resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) images obtained from the Autism Brain Image Data Exchange (ABIDE) database. Thus, we estimated brain functional connectivity (FC) between pairs of regions as the statistical dependence between their neural-related blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals. We compared FC of individuals with ASD and healthy controls, matched by age and intelligence quotient (IQ), and split into three age groups (50 children, 98 adolescents, and 32 adults), from a developmental perspective. After estimating the correlation, we observed hypoconnectivities in children and adolescents with ASD between regions belonging to the default mode network (DMN). Concretely, in children, FC decreased between the left middle temporal gyrus and right frontal pole (p = 0.0080), and between the left orbitofrontal cortex and right superior frontal gyrus (p = 0.0144). In adolescents, this decrease was observed between bilateral postcentral gyri (p = 0.0012), and between the right precuneus and right middle temporal gyrus (p = 0.0236). These results help to gain a better understanding of the involved regions on autism and its connection with the affected superior cognitive brain functions.