Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Number Sense Test for Eighth-Grade Students: A Validity and Reliability Study

The aim of this study was to develop a test for determining the number sense performance of eighth-grade students. This study was conducted with 405 eighth-grade students. The SPSS 17.0 and LISREL 8.8 software were used for data analysis. Data were analyzed by using the item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and Cronbach’s alpha reliability tests. As a result of the analyzes, the number sense test was developed, which consists of 38 multiple-choice items and six number sense components and can explain 48.5% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients of the number sense test and its sub-components were found to be between 0.72 and 0.82, and the item-total correlations were between 0.30 and 0.47. The first and second-level confirmatory factor analysis results confirmed that the number sense test consisted of six components and that the established models fit well. As a result of this study, it was determined that the number sense test is a valid and reliable measurement tool in determining the number sense performance of eighth-grade students.
A Near-infrared Survey of the Rosette Complex: Clues of Early Cluster Evolution

Abstract The majority of stars in our galaxy are born in embedded clusters, which can be considered the fundamental units of star formation. We have recently surveyed the star forming content of the Rosette Complex using FLAMINGOS in order to investigate the properties of its embedded clusters. We discuss the results of our near-infrared imaging survey. In particular, we on the first evidence for the early evolution and expansion of the embedded clusters. In addition we present data suggesting a temporal sequence of cluster formation across the cloud and discuss the influence of the HII region on the star forming history of the Rosette.
Improving Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in Natural Rubber by Using Waterjet-Produced Rubber Powder as a Carrier

Carbon nanotube (CNT), as reinforcing agents in natural rubber (NR), has gained a large amount of consideration due to their excellent properties. Uniform dispersion of CNT is the key to obtaining high-performance NR nanocomposites. In this contribution, a novel ultrasonic grinding dispersion method of CNT with waterjet-produced rubber powder (WPRP) as a carrier is proposed. Microscopic morphologies show that a Xanthium-like structure with WPRP as the core and CNTs as the spikes is formed, which significantly improves the dispersion of CNT in the NR matrix and simultaneously strengthens the bonding of the WPRP and NR matrix. With the increase in the WPRP loading, the Payne effect of CNT/WPRP/NR composites decreases, indicating the effectiveness of the dispersion method. The vulcanization MH and ML value and crosslinking density increase with the increase in the WPRP loading, whereas the scorch time and cure time exhibit a decreasing trend when the WPRP loading is less than 15 phr. It is found that the CNT/WPRP/NR composites filled with 5 phr WPRP have a 4% increase in 300% modulus, a 3% increase in tensile strength, while a 5% decrease in Akron abrasion loss, compared to CNT/NR composites.
Compassionate Practices for Nurse Managers in Colombia

Objective: To recognize compassionate practices and the obstacles to their use by nurse managers in Colombia. Method: This is a mixed cross-sectional, descriptive, exploratory, international study with an online survey administered in 17 countries. Data were extracted from Colombia with a sample of 69 nurse managers. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were processed using the Nvivo software and thematic analysis. Results: 90 % women, mainly from a hospital setting (40 %). Compassionate practices in administrative nursing involve four categories: Listening; supporting and recognizing staff individuality; defining compassion practices, needs, and benefits; receiving compassion and complementary views of compassion and administration where the influence of cultural and organizational patterns become obstacles to compassion. Conclusion: For nursing, compassion demonstrates the intentional ability to recognize the singularity of someone else’s suffering, understand their needs, offer support, and find solutions based on an understanding of what being human means. These aspects require significant changes at the organizational and health legislation levels to mitigate the obstacles to compassion.
Evaluation of Wound Healing and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of 80% Methanol Crude Extract and Solvent Fractions of Trichilia dregeana Sond (Meliaceae) Leaves in Mice

Introduction The leaves of Trichilia dregeana Sond are traditionally used to treat wounds. Even though there have been in vitro studies and claims supporting wound healing, there are no scientific data on in vivo wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities of the leaves of T. dregeana. Objective This study aimed to evaluate wound healing and anti-inflammatory activity of 80% methanol crude extract and solvent fractions of T. dregeana in mice. Method The leaves of T. dregeana were dried, ground, and macerated with 80% methanol three times successively. The crude extract was fractioned by water, ethyl acetate, and hexane separately. The acute dermal and oral toxicity tests were done by applying 2000 mg/kg of 10% (w/w) crude extract ointment (CEO) topically and 2000 mg/kg of crude extract orally, respectively. The wound healing activity of the crude extract was evaluated on excision, incision, and burn wound models while the fractions were evaluated only on excision wound model. The anti-inflammatory activity of the crude extract was evaluated on xylene-induced ear edema and cotton pellet granuloma tests. Result Both acute dermal and oral toxicity tests were found to be safe after topical application of 2000 mg/kg of 10% (w/w) CEO and oral administration of 2000 mg/kg of crude extract suspension, respectively. Both 5% and 10% (w/w) CEO produced significant (p < 0.001) wound contraction and period of epithelialization from day 4 onwards as compared to simple ointment (SO) on both excision and burn wounds. The tensile strength was increased significantly (p < 0.001) for the CEO-treated mice as compared to both untreated and SO groups. The crude extract also showed anti-inflammatory activity at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg by inhibiting ear edema, exudate, and granuloma formation as compared to the SO group. Conclusion The increase in wound contraction, reduction in period of epithelialization, and increase in tensile strength support the traditional claims of T. dregeana for wound healing.
An experimental investigation of high Reynolds number steady streaming generated by oscillating cylinders

The steady streaming generated in the boundary layer on a cylinder performing simple harmonic motion in a viscous incompressible fluid which is otherwise at rest is investigated in the case where the Reynolds number Rs associated with this streaming is large. Comparison is made between experimental results obtained here and the theories of Riley (1965) and Stuart (1966). This comparison shows good agreement between the theories and the experiment close to the cylinder, but away from the cylinder significant discrepancies are observed. Possible reasons for these discrepancies are discussed.
Experimental Machine Learning Approach for Optical Turbulence and FSO Outage Performance Modeling

A laser beam propagating in the free space suffers numerous degradation effects. In the context of free space optical communications (FSOCs), this results in reduced availability of the link. This study provides a comprehensive comparison between six machine learning (ML) regression algorithms for modeling the refractive index structure parameter (Cn2). A single neural network (ANN), a random forest (RF), a decision tree (DT), a gradient boosting regressor (GBR), a k-nearest neighbors (KNN) and a deep neural network (DNN) model are applied to estimate Cn2 from experimentally measured macroscopic meteorological parameters obtained from several devices installed at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) campus over a period of 11 months. The data set was divided into four quarters and the performance of each algorithm in every quarter was determined based on the R2 and the RMSE metric. The corresponding RMSE were 0.091 for ANN, 0.064 for RF, 0.075 for GBR, 0.073 for KNN, 0.083 for DT and 0.085 for DNN. The second part of the study investigated the influence of atmospheric turbulence in the availability of a notional FSOC link, by calculating the outage probability (Pout) assuming a gamma gamma (GG) modeled turbulent channel. A threshold value of 99% availability was assumed for the link to be functional. A DNN classification algorithm was then developed to model the link status (On-Off) based on the previously mentioned meteorological parameters.
Behavior of a Liquid Jet near the Thermodynamic Critical Region

1 Kaufman, L. and Nesor, H. , "Stability Characterization of Refractory Materials Under High Velocity Atmospheric Flight Conditions," AFML-TR-69-84, Pt. I, Vol. I, March 1970, ManLabs Inc., Cambridge, Mass. 2 Bernstein, H. and Baron, J. R. , "Stability Characterization of Refractory Materials Under High Velocity Atmospheric Flight Conditions," AFML-TR-69-84, Pt. IV, Vol. II, Dec. 1969, ManLabs Inc., Cambridge, Mass. 3 Scala, S. M. , "The Ablation of Graphite in Dissociated Air," Paper 62-154,1962, IAS. 4 Gilbert, L. M. , "The Hypersonic Diffusion Controlled Oxidation of Tungsten," Rept. R67SD38, 1967, General Electric Co., King of Prussia, Pa. 5 Welsh, W. E. and Chung, P. M. , "A Modified Theory for the Effect of Surface Temperature on the Combustion Rate of Carbon Surfaces in Air," Proceedings of the Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics Institute, Stanford University Press, 1963, pp. 146-159. 6 Nachtsheim, P. R. , "Multicomponent Diffusion on Chemically Reacting Laminar Boundary Layers," Proceedings of the Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics Institute, Stanford University Press, 1967, pp. 58-87. 7 Bartlett, E. P., Kendall, R. M. , and Rindal, R. A. , "Unified Approximation for Mixture Transport Properties for Multicomponent Boundary Layer Applications," Rept. 66-7, Pt. IV, March 1967, Aerotherm Corp., Palo Alto, Calif. 8 JANAF Thermochemical Data, Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich. , 1960. 9 Hirchfelder, J. O. , Curtiss, C. F. , and Bird, R. B. , Molecular Theory of Gases and Liquids, Wiley, New York, 1966. 10 Kendall, R. M. and Bartlett, E. P., "Nonsimilar Solution of the Multicomponent Laminar Boundary Layer by an Integral Matrix Method," Rept. 66-7, Pt. Ill, March 1967, Aerotherm Corp., Palo Alto, Calif. 11 Fay, J. A. and Riddell, F. R. , "Theory of Stagnation Point Heat Transfer in Dissociated Air," Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, Vol. 25, No. 2, Feb. 1958, pp. 73-85. 12 Diaconis, N. S. , Gorsuch, P. D. , and Sheridan, R. A. , "The Ablation of Graphite in Dissociated Air, Part 2, Experiment," Paper 62-155, 1962, IAS. 13 Metzger, J. W. , Engel, M. J., and Diaconis, N. S. , "Oxidation and Sublimation of Graphite in Simulated Re-Entry Environments," AIAA Journal, Vol. 5, No. 3, March 1967, pp. 451-460.
Fractal probability distributions and transformations preserving the Hausdorff–Besicovitch dimension

This article is devoted to the development of a general theory of transformations of $\mathbb{R}^n$, called dimension-preserving (DP) transformations, which preserve the Hausdorff–Besicovitch dimension of arbitrary subsets. The main attention is given to continuous transformations of $\mathbb{R}$ and [0, 1]. A class of distribution functions of random variables with independent s-adic digits is studied in detail. It is proved that any absolutely continuous function from the previously mentioned class is a DP function, despite the fact that it may have a very complicated local structure. Necessary, respectively, sufficient conditions for dimension preservation are also given for singular functions. Relations between the entropy of transformations and their DP properties are investigated. Examples and counterexamples are provided,and some applications are discussed.
Possible wave modes of wideband nonthermal continuum radiation in its source region

[1] Nonthermal continuum (NTC) electromagnetic radiation is generated within the Earth's magnetosphere and radiated to the outer space. We present cases of a specific type of NTC, which appears as multiple wide bands on the spectrograms recorded by the Cluster spacecraft just outside the plasmapause. This NTC comes from several sources located in the plasmapause density gradient where the local upper hybrid frequency is close to the harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency. Analysis of one of these events at the eighth harmonic frequency indicates that, in the vicinity of the source, the electric field fluctuations are polarized in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field line. Hot-plasma dispersion relation based on the measured electron distribution shows that the observed polarization excludes the presence the Langmuir mode and the ordinary mode. This analysis suggests that the observed waves can propagate in the L mode or, for perpendicular wave vectors, in the extraordinary Z mode or on a complex structure of hot-plasma Bernstein modes coupled to the Z mode at the upper hybrid frequency.
On asymptotic properties of predictive distributions

SUMMARY Second-order asymptotic theory of predictive distributions is investigated. It is shown that estimative distributions with asymptotically efficient estimators can be improved to predictive distributions that do not belong to the model. The model is assumed to be a multidimensional curved exponential family. Predictive distributions can be constructed by shifting estimative distributions in a direction orthogonal to the model. The average Kullback-Leibler divergence from the true distribution to a predictive distribution is represented as the sum of two components. One of them depends on the choice of the estimative distribution and the other depends on the shift orthogonal to the model. The optimal shift orthogonal to the model is obtained. A quantity that can be regarded as the mixture mean curvature of the model in the space of all probability distributions is introduced. The difference in average Kullback-Leibler divergence between an estimative distribution and the optimal predictive distribution obtained by shifting it can be regarded as the mixture mean curvature of the model. An asymptotic expression for Bayesian predictive distributions is also obtained.
The Antibiotic Kitasamycin—A Potential Agent for Specific Fibrosis Preventing Therapy after Fistulating Glaucoma Surgery?

One major complication after fistulating glaucoma surgeries are fibroblast-mediated scarring processes and their specific prevention is key in the development of novel pharmaceutical concepts. Within this study a possible antifibrotic potential of kitasamycin (KM) in a transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-mediated fibroblast model was evaluated in vitro. Primary ocular fibroblasts were isolated, cultivated and a dose–response test including determination of the half maximal effective concentration (EC50) for KM was conducted. Transformation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts was induced by TGF-β1and immunofluorescence (IF), and Western blot (WB) analyses were performed with fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. IF analyses were carried out using antibodies against α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibronectin, and protein detection of intracellular and extracellular proteins was performed by WB. Using the dose–response test, the viability, cytotoxicity and EC50 of KM after 24 and 48 h were determined. Fibroblasts exposed to various KM concentrations showed no increase in α-SMA and extracellular matrix expression. In TGF-ß1-stimulated myofibroblasts, KM inhibited the expression of α-SMA and fibronectin in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate that KM could impair the transformation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts and the expression of proteins involved in fibrotic processes, representing a potential agent for specific fibrosis prevention in future therapeutic concepts.
Stable homotopy and generalised homology

Preface Pt. I: S.P. Novikov's Work on Operations on Complex Cobordism 2: Cobordism groups 3: Homology 4: The Conner-Floyd Chern classes 5: The Novikov operations 6: The algebra of all operations 7: Scholium on Novikov's exposition 8: Complex manifolds Pt. II: Quillen's Work on Formal Groups and Complex Cobordism 1: Formal groups 2: Examples from algebraic topology 3: Reformulation 4: Calculations in E-homology and cohomology 5: Lazard's universal ring 6: More calculations in E-homology 7: The structure of Lazard's universal ring L 8: Quillen's theorem 9: Corollaries 10: Various formulae in [pi][subscript *](MU) 11: MU[subscript *](MU) 12: Behaviour of the Bott map 13: K[subscript *](K) 14: The Hattori-Stong theorem 15: Quillen's idempotent cohomology operations 16: The Brown-Peterson spectrum 17: KO[subscript *](KO) Pt. III: Stable Homotopy and Generalised Homology 2: Spectra 3: Elementary properties of the category of CW-spectra 4: Smash products 5: Spanier-Whitehead duality 6: Homology and cohomology 7: The Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence 8: The inverse limit and its derived functors 9: Products 10: Duality in manifolds 11: Applications in K-theory 12: The Steenrod algebra and its dual 13: A universal coefficient theorem 14: A category of fractions 15: The Adams spectral sequence 16: Applications to [pi][subscript *](bu[actual symbol not reproducible]X): modules over K[x, y] 17: Structure of [pi][subscript *](bu[actual symbol not reproducible]bu)~
Analysis of thermal dissipation rates in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a wide cylindrical container (aspect ratio $\Gamma\,{=}\,10$) with a lateral wall have been performed for the first time for the Rayleigh numbers $10^5$, $10^6$ and $10^7$ and Prandtl number $Pr\,{=}\,0.7$. Evaluating the thermal dissipation rates from the generated DNS data, the formation and development of the thermal plumes and their interaction are highlighted. Two new functions $\sigma$ and $\tau$ are defined to determine quantitatively the role of the turbulent background. Evaluating these functions from the DNS data, it is shown that the turbulent background pushes the thermal plumes back and that its contribution to the volume-averaged thermal dissipation rate increases with the Rayleigh number. Further, it is proven analytically that the ratio of the area-averaged (over the top or the bottom plates) to the volume-averaged thermal dissipation rate is greater than or equal to the Nusselt number for all aspect ratios, and Prandtl and Rayleigh numbers.
On the normal behaviour of partially elliptic lower-dimensional tori of Hamiltonian systems

The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamics near a reducible lower dimensional invariant tori of a finite-dimensional autonomous Hamiltonian system with $\ell$ degrees of freedom. We will focus in the case in which the torus has (some) elliptic directions. First, let us assume that the torus is totally elliptic. In this case, it is shown that the diffusion time (the time to move away from the torus) is exponentially big with the initial distance to the torus. The result is valid, in particular, when the torus is of maximal dimension and when it is of dimension 0 (elliptic point). In the maximal dimension case, our results coincide with previous ones. In the zero dimension case, our results improve the existing bounds in the literature. Let us assume now that the torus (of dimension $r$, $0\le r<\ell$) is partially elliptic (let us call $m_e$ to the number of these directions). In this case we show that, given a fixed number of elliptic directions (let us call $m_1\le m_e$ to this number), there exist a Cantor family of invariant tori of dimension $r+m_1$, that generalize the linear oscillations corresponding to these elliptic directions. Moreover, the Lebesgue measure of the complementary of this Cantor set (in the frequency space $\RR^{r+m_1}$) is proven to be exponentially small with the distance to the initial torus. This is a sort of ``Cantorian central manifold'' theorem, in which the central manifold is completely filled up by invariant tori and it is uniquely defined. The proof of these results is based on the construction of suitable normal forms around the initial torus.
Derivation of the Immortalized Cell Line UM51-PrePodo-hTERT and Its Responsiveness to Angiotensin II and Activation of the RAAS Pathway

Recent demographic studies predict there will be a considerable increase in the number of elderly people within the next few decades. Aging has been recognized as one of the main risk factors for the world’s most prevalent diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic diseases. During the process of aging, a gradual loss of tissue volume and organ function is observed, which is partially caused by replicative senescence. The capacity of cellular proliferation and replicative senescence is tightly regulated by their telomere length. When telomere length is critically shortened with progressive cell division, cells become proliferatively arrested, and DNA damage response and cellular senescence are triggered, whereupon the “Hayflick limit” is attained at this stage. Podocytes are a cell type found in the kidney glomerulus where they have major roles in blood filtration. Mature podocytes are terminal differentiated cells that are unable to undergo cell division in vivo. For this reason, the establishment of primary podocyte cell cultures has been very challenging. In our present study, we present the successful immortalization of a human podocyte progenitor cell line, of which the primary cells were isolated directly from the urine of a 51-year-old male. The immortalized cell line was cultured over the course of one year (~100 passages) with high proliferation capacity, endowed with contact inhibition and P53 expression. Furthermore, by immunofluorescence-based expression and quantitative real-time PCR for the podocyte markers CD2AP, LMX1B, NPHS1, SYNPO and WT1, we confirmed the differentiation capacity of the immortalized cells. Finally, we evaluated and confirmed the responsiveness of the immortalized cells on the main mediator angiotensin II (ANGII) of the renin–angiotensin system (RAAS). In conclusion, we have shown that it is possible to bypass cellular replicative senescence (Hayflick limit) by TERT-driven immortalization of human urine-derived pre-podocyte cells from a 51-year-old African male.
Determination of second-order elastic constants of cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (β-HMX) using impulsive stimulated thermal scattering

The second-order elastic constants for cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (β-HMX) single crystals were determined using the impulsive stimulated thermal scattering (ISTS) method. Despite the low symmetry of these crystals, the complete set of 13 elastic constants were determined accurately from acoustic velocity measurements using samples cut parallel to three different crystal planes. Our acoustic velocities are consistent with the limited sound speed data available from ultrasonic measurements. However, significant differences are observed between the elastic constants determined from our experiments and those obtained previously using Brillouin scattering. Our results demonstrate the usefulness and efficiency of the ISTS method for determining the full set of elastic constants of low-symmetry molecular crystals, including energetic crystals.