Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A SENSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF WARM DEBRIS DISKS IN THE SOLAR NEIGHBORHOOD THROUGH PRECISE CALIBRATION OF SATURATED WISE PHOTOMETRY

We present a sensitive search for WISE W3 (12 μm) and W4 (22 μm) excesses from warm optically thin dust around Hipparcos main sequence stars within 75 pc from the Sun. We use contemporaneously measured photometry from WISE, remove sources of contamination, and derive and apply corrections to saturated fluxes to attain optimal sensitivity to >10 μm excesses. We use data from the WISE All-Sky Survey Catalog rather than the AllWISE release because we find that its saturated photometry is better behaved, allowing us to detect small excesses even around saturated stars in WISE. Our new discoveries increase by 45% the number of stars with warm dusty excesses and expand the number of known debris disks (with excess at any wavelength) within 75 pc by 29%. We identify 220 Hipparcos debris disk host stars, 108 of which are new detections at any wavelength. We present the first measurement of a 12 μm and/or 22 μm excess for 10 stars with previously known cold (50–100 K) disks. We also find five new stars with small but significant W3 excesses, adding to the small population of known exozodi, and we detect evidence for a W2 excess around HIP 96562 (F2V), indicative of tenuous hot (780 K) dust. As a result of our WISE study, the number of debris disks with known 10–30 μm excesses within 75 pc (379) has now surpassed the number of disks with known >30 μm excesses (289, with 171 in common), even if the latter have been found to have a higher occurrence rate in unbiased samples.
SU(4) Kondo effect in double quantum dots with ferromagnetic leads

We investigate the spin-resolved transport properties, such as the linear conductance and the tunnel magnetoresistance, of a double quantum dot device attached to ferromagnetic leads and look for signatures of SU(4) symmetry in the Kondo regime. We show that the transport behavior greatly depends on the magnetic configuration of the device, and the spin-SU(2) as well as the orbital and spin-SU(4) Kondo effects become generally suppressed when the magnetic configuration of the leads varies from the antiparallel to the parallel one. Furthermore, a finite spin polarization of the leads lifts the spin degeneracy and drives the system from the SU(4) to an orbital-SU(2) Kondo state. We analyze in detail the crossover and show that the Kondo temperature between the two fixed points has a non-monotonic dependence on the degree of spin polarization of the leads. In terms of methods used, we characterize transport by using a combination of analytical and numerical renormalization group approaches.
Sustaining Learners’ Writing Development: Effects of Using Self-Assessment on Their Foreign Language Writing Performance and Rating Accuracy

Although the benefits of using self-assessment on student writing performance have received wide recognition over the past two decades, minimal research is available on the effects of using self-assessment of writing on English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ writing performance, especially in the tertiary context of China, where such research is still in its infancy. To fill the abovementioned lacuna, the present study adopted a quasi-experimental approach to implementing a self-assessment-based intervention in Chinese tertiary EFL writing classes. Specifically, students were randomly assigned into either an intervention class that implemented self-assessment or a comparison class that employed peer assessment as classroom practice to promote students’ sustainable development of writing skills. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected, and the research findings indicated that the intervention group experienced a larger increase in their holistic writing performance and rating accuracy when compared with the comparison group. Furthermore, the qualitative findings reveal students’ enhanced rating accuracy after the intervention. This study contributes to research on self-assessment in the EFL writing domain as a basis for further deliberation on self-assessment in higher education, and it also provides much needed empirical evidence for the potential value of student-centred sustainable assessment approaches such as self-assessment. Findings also provide teachers with pedagogical implications for developing sustainable and capable self-assessors of writing.
The distribution of galaxy morphological types and the morphology–mass relation in different environments at low redshift

We use ∼2000 galaxies from PM2GC (Calvi, Poggianti & Vulcani 2011a) belonging to different environments to show how the fractions of different galaxy morphological types vary with global environment and as function of galaxy stellar mass at low redshift. Considering mass-limited galaxy samples with log10M★/M⊙≥ 10.25, we find a smooth increase/decline in the fraction of Es–S0s/late-type galaxies going from single galaxies, to binaries, to groups. Considering all environments, the fractional variation is more conspicuous for S0s and late types than for ellipticals solely due to a sharp enhancement/dearth of S0s/late types in clusters compared to other environments. The morphological distribution of galaxies in the mass range 10.25 < log10M★/M⊙ < 11 is rather independent of both galaxy stellar mass and global environment, except in clusters. The morphologies of galaxies more massive than log10M★/M⊙= 11 are instead a function of both galaxy mass and global environment. The morphology–mass relation therefore changes with global environment, showing that galaxy stellar mass cannot be the only parameter driving the morphological distribution of galaxies. The morphology–mass relations for S0 and late-type galaxies in clusters are peculiar compared to other environments, and this strongly suggests that cluster-specific effects act on these two types of galaxies, and that a significant number of S0s in clusters has a different origin with respect to S0s in other environments.
MASS–RADIUS RELATIONSHIPS FOR EXOPLANETS

For planets other than Earth, particularly exoplanets, interpretation of the composition and structure depends largely on comparing the mass and radius with the composition expected given their distance from the parent star. The composition implies a mass–radius relation which relies heavily on equations of state calculated from electronic structure theory and measured experimentally on Earth. We lay out a method for deriving and testing equations of state, and deduce mass–radius and mass–pressure relations for key, relevant materials whose equation of state (EOS) is reasonably well established, and for differentiated Fe/rock. We find that variations in the EOS, such as may arise when extrapolating from low-pressure data, can have significant effects on predicted mass–radius relations and on planetary pressure profiles. The relations are compared with the observed masses and radii of planets and exoplanets, broadly supporting recent inferences about exoplanet structures. Kepler-10b is apparently “Earth-like,” likely with a proportionately larger core than Earth's, nominally 2/3 of the mass of the planet. CoRoT-7b is consistent with a rocky mantle over an Fe-based core which is likely to be proportionately smaller than Earth's. GJ 1214b lies between the mass–radius curves for H2O and CH4, suggesting an “icy” composition with a relatively large core or a relatively large proportion of H2O. CoRoT-2b is less dense than the hydrogen relation, which could be explained by an anomalously high degree of heating or by higher than assumed atmospheric opacity. HAT-P-2b is slightly denser than the mass–radius relation for hydrogen, suggesting the presence of a significant amount of matter of higher atomic number. CoRoT-3b lies close to the hydrogen relation. The pressure at the center of Kepler-10b is 1.5+1.2 − 1.0 TPa. The central pressure in CoRoT-7b is probably close to 0.8 TPa, though may be up to 2 TPa. These pressures are accessible by planar shock and ramp-loading experiments at large laser facilities. The center of HAT-P-2b is probably around 210 TPa, in the range of planned National Ignition Facility experiments, and that of CoRoT-3b around 1900 TPa.
Assessment of Cowling approximation in computing ellipticity of a magnetized non-barotropic star

A deformation of a neutron star due to its own magnetic field is an important issue in gravitational wave astronomy, since a misaligned rotator with small ellipticity may emit continuous gravitational wave that may be observed by ground-based detectors. Recently Mastrano et al. (2011,2013) evaluated deformations induced by both poloidal and toroidal magnetic field in non-barotropic model stars by neglecting the gravitational field perturbation (Cowling approximation). Following their treatment in non-barotropic fluid and magnetic configurations, we here assess the effect of gravitational perturbation that they neglected. We show that the ellipticity computed with gravitational perturbation is roughly twice as large as that obtained by Cowling approximation. We should allow this amount of error in using the neat analytic treatment proposed by them.
Domestic Violence, Family Structure and Women's Childbearing Preference: Evidence from Sri Lanka

Over the past decades, most of the countries in the world have undergone unprecedented demographic changes, such as childbearing preferences. This has been a basis for a large array of research; however, studies so far have focused a little on the impacts of domestic violence and family structure on childbearing preferences which is the overall aim of this study. A logistic regression model was developed using a large data set (8,776) that represents different residential sectors (urban, rural, and estate) in Sri Lanka. Results indicate that women in an extended family structure are more likely to prefer another child than women in a nuclear family. The disaggregated analysis indicates the heterogeneity in childbearing preferences. Precisely, the experience of domestic violence shows a negative impact in rural and urban sectors. The findings suggest providing appropriate programs on reducing family violence, alleviating poverty and encouraging women's education, to achieve healthy population growth and SDGs.
Anomalous phosphine sensitivity coefficients as probes for a possible variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio

A robust variational approach is used to investigate the sensitivity of the rotation–vibration spectrum of phosphine (PH3) to a possible cosmological variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio, μ. Whilst the majority of computed sensitivity coefficients, T, involving the low-lying vibrational states acquire the expected values of T ≈ −1 and T ≈ −1/2 for rotational and ro-vibrational transitions, respectively, anomalous sensitivities are uncovered for the A1 − A2 splittings in the ν2/ν4, ν1/ν3 and 2νl=04/2νl=24 2ν4l=0/2ν4l=2 manifolds of PH3. A pronounced Coriolis interaction between these states in conjunction with accidentally degenerate A1 and A2 energy levels produces a series of enhanced sensitivity coefficients. Phosphine is expected to occur in a number of different astrophysical environments and has potential for investigating a drifting constant. Furthermore, the displayed behaviour hints at a wider trend in molecules of C3v(M) C3v(M) symmetry, thus demonstrating that the splittings induced by higher-order ro-vibrational interactions are well suited for probing μ in other symmetric top molecules in space, since these low-frequency transitions can be straightforwardly detected by radio telescopes.
Standard Model and Graviweak Unification with (Super)Renormalizable Gravity. Part I: Visible and Invisible Sectors of the Universe

We develop a self-consistent $Spin(4,4)$-invariant model of the unification of gravity with weak $SU(2)$ gauge and Higgs fields in the visible and invisible sectors of our Universe. We consider a general case of the graviweak unification, including the higher-derivative super-renormalizable theory of gravity, which is a unitary, asymptotically-free and perturbatively consistent theory of the quantum gravity.
Experimental investigation of flow behind a cube for moderate Reynolds numbers

Abstract The wake behind a cube with a face normal to the flow was investigated experimentally in a water tunnel using laser induced fluorescence (LIF) visualisation and particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques. Measurements were carried out for moderate Reynolds numbers between 100 and 400 and in this range a sequence of two flow bifurcations was confirmed. Values for both onsets were determined in the framework of Landau’s instability model. The measured longitudinal vorticity was separated into three components corresponding to each of the identified regimes. It was shown that the vorticity associated with a basic flow regime originates from corners of the bluff body, in contrast to the two other contributions which are related to instability effects. The present experimental results are compared with numerical simulation carried out earlier by Saha (Phys. Fluids, vol. 16, 2004, pp. 1630–1646).
One-Step Synthesis of Aminobenzoic Acid Functionalized Graphene Oxide by Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite for Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide and Supercapacitors

Graphene-based materials have attracted considerable attention as promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and as electrode materials for supercapacitors. In this work, electrochemical exfoliation of graphite in the presence of 4-aminebenzoic acid (4-ABA) is used as a one-step method to prepare graphene oxide materials (EGO) functionalized with aminobenzoic acid (EGO-ABA). The EGO and EGO-ABAs materials were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the EGO-ABA materials have smaller flake size and higher density of oxygenated functional groups compared to bare EGO. The electrochemical studies showed that the EGO-ABA catalysts have higher activity for the ORR to H2O2 in alkaline medium compared to EGO due to their higher density of oxygenated functional groups. However, bare EGO has a higher selectivity for the 2-electron process (81%) compared to the EGO-ABA (between 64 and 72%) which was related to a lower content of carbonyl groups. The specific capacitance of the EGO-ABA materials was higher than that of EGO, with an increase by a factor of 3 for the materials prepared from exfoliation in 5 mM 4-ABA/0.1 M H2SO4. This electrode material also showed a remarkable cycling capability with a loss of only 19.4% after 5000 cycles at 50 mVs−1.
Disentangling the stellar populations in the counter-rotating disc galaxy NGC 4550

In order to try and understand its origins, we present high-quality long-slit spectral observations of the counter-rotating stellar discs in the strange S0 galaxy NGC 4550. We kinematically decompose the spectra into two counter-rotating stellar components (plus a gaseous component), in order to study both their kinematics and their populations. The derived kinematics largely confirm what was known previously about the stellar discs, but trace them to larger radii with smaller errors; the fitted gaseous component allows us to trace the hydrogen emission lines for the first time, which are found to follow the same rather strange kinematics previously seen in the [OIII] line. Analysis of the populations of the two separate stellar components shows that the secondary disc has a significantly younger mean age than the primary disc, consistent with later star formation from the associated gaseous material. In addition, the secondary disc is somewhat brighter, also consistent with such additional star formation. However, these measurements cannot be self-consistently modelled by a scenario in which extra stars have been added to initially-identical counter-rotating stellar discs, which rules out Evans & Collett's (1994) elegant "separatrix-crossing" model for the formation of such massive counter-rotating discs from a single galaxy, leaving some form of unusual gas accretion history as the most likely formation mechanism.
Structural, Electronic and Mechanical properties of all-sp$^2$ graphene allotropes: the specific strength of tilene parent is higher than that of graphene and flakene has the minimal density

In this work a systematic approach to the search for all-$sp^2$ bonded carbon allotropes with low density is presented. In particular, we obtain a number of novel energetically stable crystal structures, whose arrangement is closely related to the topology of graphene, by modifying the packing of congruent discs under the condition of local stability. Our procedure starts from an initial parent topology and proceeds to generate daughter architectures derived by lowering the packing factors. Furthermore, we assess both the electronic properties, such as the band structure and the density of states, and the mechanical properties, such as the elastic constants and the stress--strain characteristics, of parent's and daughter's geometries from first-principle simulations. We find, using geometrical packing arguments, that some arrangements lead to a density as low as half that of graphene, obtaining some of the least dense structures of all-$sp^2$ bonded carbon allotropes that could ever be synthesized. Nevertheless, a threshold value of the density exists below which the mechanical rigidity of graphene is irreparably lost, while keeping other mechanical characteristics, such as the specific toughness and strength, almost unchanged with lower weight.
Patient Satisfaction and Perceptions Regarding Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Services in Rural Southwestern Uganda

Background: Patient satisfaction and perception of the healthcare services received contribute to compliance with treatment guidelines, retention in care, and adherence to recommendations. This is especially so in the treatment of chronic medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS. The success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) plays a fundamental role in determining the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs). However, although the majority of global ART services are being offered in low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the available literature on satisfaction and perception on ART services is mainly from developed countries. This paper describes the perceived patient satisfaction and perceptions of ART services offered in rural southwestern Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study using qualitative and quantitative methods was conducted at Nsiika Health Centre (H.C.)-IV among 135 people living with the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV). A researcher administered a questionnaire and 13 in-depth interviews were used to collect the data. The 135 participants were randomly sampled and convenience sampling was used for the participants for the in-depth interviews. We used descriptive statistics for the characteristics of the participants and thematic analysis for the qualitative data to generate four themes and 27 subthemes. Results: Majority of the participants (51.9%) were female; 45.2% had no formal education and were subsistence farmers (81.4%). The patients perceived healthcare workers as having positive attitudes, quality services/skills, and involving them in decision-making for their care. The age range of respondents was 18-50 years, and 71.1% were married. Overall, the participants were satisfied with ART services and had positive perceptions towards ART services, especially privacy (54.8%), good clinical competencies (50.37%) and quality of healthcare (38.5%). More than half of the participants (56.3%) said they would recommend the health facility to their family and friends. Conclusion: Overall, the participants were satisfied and had positive perceptions about ART services. Continuous assessment of satisfaction and perceptions is recommended to ensure retention in the ART services.
Understanding inverse metallicity gradients in galactic discs as a consequence of inside-out formation

The early stages of a galaxy's evolution leave an imprint on its metallicity distribution. We discuss the origins and evolution of radial metallicity gradients in discs of spiral galaxies using an analytical chemical evolution model. We explain how radial metallicity gradients in stellar populations are determined by three factors: the radial metallicity profile of the star-forming interstellar medium (ISM), radial changes in the star formation history (in particular, inside-out formation) and radial mixing of stars. Under reasonable assumptions, inside-out formation steepens the negative ISM metallicity gradient, but contributes positively to the stellar metallicity gradient, up to inverting the metallicity profile to a positive d[Fe/H]/dR. This reconciles steep negative d[Fe/H]/dR in some high-redshift galaxies to generally flatter gradients in local observations. We discuss the evidence for inverse radial metallicity gradients (positive d[X/H]/dR) at high redshifts and the inverse relationship between azimuthal velocity and the metallicity (positive dVφ/d[Fe/H]) of stars for the Milky Way's thick disc. The former can be achieved by high central gas-loss rates and re-distribution processes, e.g. re-accretion of enriched material in conjunction with the inside-out formation and near-disc galactic fountaining. For the Milky Way-thick disc, we show that the positive dVφ/d[Fe/H] correlation points to comparable time-scales for inside-out formation, initial metal enrichment and SNIa enrichment. We argue that the original ISM metallicity gradient could be inferred with better data from the high-metallicity tail of the alpha-enhanced population. Including inside-out formation in our models changes the local vertical metallicity gradient by about −0.2 dex kpc−1, in line with local measurements.
DUST GRAIN EVOLUTION IN SPATIALLY RESOLVED T TAURI BINARIES

Core-accretion planet formation begins in protoplanetary disks with the growth of small, interstellar medium dust grains into larger particles. The progress of grain growth, which can be quantified using 10 μm silicate spectroscopy, has broad implications for the final products of planet formation. Previous studies have attempted to correlate stellar and disk properties with the 10 μm silicate feature in an effort to determine which stars are efficient at grain growth. Thus far there does not appear to be a dominant correlated parameter. In this paper, we use spatially resolved adaptive optics spectroscopy of nine T Tauri binaries as tight as 0. ″25 to determine if basic properties shared between binary stars, such as age, composition, and formation history, have an effect on dust grain evolution. We find with 90%–95% confidence that the silicate feature equivalent widths of binaries are more similar than those of randomly paired single stars, implying that shared properties do play an important role in dust grain evolution. At lower statistical significance, we find with 82% confidence that the secondary has a more prominent silicate emission feature (i.e., smaller grains) than the primary. If confirmed by larger surveys, this would imply that spectral type and/or binarity are important factors in dust grain evolution.