Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uses of Authentic Assessment Tools: Implications towards Competence Acquisition among Undergraduate Prospective Science Teachers in Tanzania

The study was concerned with the uses of authentic assessment tools in higher education institutions, particularly portfolios and practical work. The study employed the mixed method research approach with the explanatory sequential research design. The sample for the study involved 231 third year undergraduate prospective science teachers who were selected randomly and 6 instructors who were purposively selected from two higher learning institutions. Data was collected by using a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The findings indicated that authentic assessment tools namely portfolios and practical works were used both formatively and summatively though summative use was dominant. Portfolios were found to be minimally used both for formative and summative purpose. Findings from interview indicated that awareness on the formative uses of authentic assessment tools among instructors was minimal since summative use of such tools was observed to be dominant. It is concluded that the use of authentic assessment tools ranged from formative to summative, though summative was more dominant. Therefore it is recommended that there should be policy on the authentic assessment in higher education institutions to guide the effective use in both summative and summative aspects.
Influence of Different Diets on Growth and Nutritional Composition of Yellow Mealworm

Insects are a pathway through which agro-food waste can become a high-quality source of nutrients for both livestock and humans. Yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L., Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae are currently one of the insect species permitted for consumption, and they are reared on a large scale in Europe. This study evaluated the effect of seven diets containing byproducts such as wheat, rye bran, rapeseed meal, rapeseed cake, flax, and milk thistle cakes on the insect’s growth performance, feed conversion ratio (FCR), efficiency of conversion of ingested feed (ECI), nutritional quality of the larvae, and the composition of fats and fatty acids they contained. The lowest FCR based on the fresh and dry basis was 3.32 and 2.01, respectively. The ECI values were statistically different for larvae reared on different experimental diets (mean value 45.7%). As for the nutritional profile, protein and fats ranged from 43.6 to 53.4% d.m. and from 22.3 to 30.0% d.m. , respectively. The major fatty acids in all samples were oleic acid (32.97–46.74% of total fatty acids (TFA)), linoleic acid (22.79–38.98% of TFA), and palmitic acid (12.80–17.81% of TFA). This study offers a new opportunity to use and efficiently convert cheap industrial byproducts using yellow mealworms.
Association of lymph node metastases, grade and extent of mesenteric lymph node dissection in locoregional small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors with recurrence‐free survival

We aimed to assess the prognostic impact of tumor‐ and patient‐related parameters in patients with stage I–III small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI‐NETs), who underwent locoregional resective surgery (LRS) with curative intent. We included 229 patients with stage I–III SI‐NETs diagnosed from June 15, 1993, through March 8, 2021, identified using the SI‐NET databases from five European referral centers. Mean ± SD age at baseline was 62.5 ± 13.6 years; 111/229 patients were women (49.3%). All tumors were well‐differentiated; 160 were grade 1 (G1) tumors, 51 were G2, two were G3 and 18 tumors were of unspecified grade (median Ki‐67: 2%, range 1%–50%). One‐hundred and sixty‐three patients (71.2%) had lymph node (LN) involvement. The median number of retrieved lymph nodes was 10 (0–63), whereas the median number of positive LNs was 2 (0–43). After a mean ± SD follow‐up of 54.1 ± 64.1 months, 60 patients experienced disease recurrence at a median (range) of 36.2 (2.5–285.1) months. The 5‐ and 10‐year recurrence‐free survival (RFS) rates were 66.6% and 49.3% respectively. In univariable analysis, there was no difference in RFS and overall survival (OS) between LN‐positive and LN‐negative patients (log‐rank, p = .380 and .198, respectively). However, in stage IIIb patients who underwent mesenteric lymph node dissection (MLND) with a minimum of five retrieved LN (n = 125), five or more LN metastases were associated with shorter RFS (median RFS [95% CI] = 107.4 [0–229.6] vs. 73.7 [35.3–112.1] months; log‐rank, p = .048). In addition, patients with G2 tumors exhibited shorter RFS compared to patients with G1 tumors (median RFS [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 46.9 [36.4–57.3] vs. 120.7 [82.7–158.8] months; log‐rank, p = . 001). In multivariable Cox‐regression RFS analysis in stage IIIb patients, the Ki‐67 proliferation index (hazard ratio = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.035–1.131; p < .0001) and the number of LN metastases (hazard ratio = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.001–1.125; p = .047) were independent prognostic factors for RFS. In conclusion, LRS with a meticulous MLND and a minimum number of five harvested LNs appears to be critical in the surgical management of SI‐NET patients with locoregional disease. In patients who underwent LRS and MLND, the Ki‐67 proliferation index and the LN metastases count were independent predictors of RFS.
c-MYC Protein Stability Is Sustained by MAPKs in Colorectal Cancer

Simple Summary Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common gastrointestinal tract malignancy. Previous reports have shown that cancerous phenotypes in the intestine are dependent on c-MYC target gene expression. Unfortunately, finding c-MYC inhibitors has proven difficult because c-MYC does not have a deep surface-binding pocket. Considering that c-MYC is maintained upregulated through β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activation and ERK-mediated post-translational stabilization, and since we have previously demonstrated that c-MYC transcriptional activation is affected by p38α as a β-catenin chromatin-associated kinase, here, we investigated p38α’s involvement in c-MYC protein stabilization in CRC. Interestingly, we found that p38α sustains c-MYC’s stability by preventing its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Moreover, we showed that p38α inhibitors exhibit a synthetic lethality effect when used in combination with MEK inhibitors in CRC cells. Our findings identify p38α as a promising therapeutic target that acts on the pharmacologically “undruggable” c-MYC protein, with implications for countering c-MYC-mediated CRC proliferation, metastasization, and chemoresistance. Abstract c-MYC is one of the most important factors involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) initiation and progression; indeed, it is found to be upregulated in up to 80% of sporadic cases. During colorectal carcinogenesis, c-MYC is maintained upregulated through β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activation and ERK-mediated post-translational stabilization. Our data demonstrate that p38α, a kinase involved in CRC metabolism and survival, contributes to c-Myc protein stability. Moreover, we show that p38α, like ERK, stabilizes c-MYC protein levels by preventing its ubiquitination. Of note, we found that p38α phosphorylates c-MYC and interacts with it both in vitro and in cellulo. Extensive molecular analyses in the cellular and in vivo models revealed that the p38α kinase inhibitors, SB202190 and ralimetinib, affect c-MYC protein levels. Ralimetinib also exhibited a synthetic lethality effect when used in combination with the MEK1 inhibitor trametinib. Overall, our findings identify p38α as a promising therapeutic target, acting directly on c-MYC, with potential implications for countering c-MYC-mediated CRC proliferation, metastatic dissemination, and chemoresistance.
PERFECTING THE PHOTOMETRIC CALIBRATION OF THE ACS CCD CAMERAS

Newly acquired data and improved data reduction algorithms mandate a fresh look at the absolute flux calibration of the charge-coupled device cameras on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The goals are to achieve a 1% accuracy and to make this calibration more accessible to the HST guest investigator. Absolute fluxes from the CALSPEC database for three primary hot 30,000–60,000K WDs define the sensitivity calibrations for the Wide Field Channel (WFC) and High Resolution Channel (HRC) filters. The external uncertainty for the absolute flux is ∼1%, while the internal consistency of the sensitivities in the broadband ACS filters is ∼0.3% among the three primary WD flux standards. For stars as cool as K type, the agreement with the CALSPEC standards is within 1% at the WFC1-1K subarray position, which achieves the 1% precision goal for the first time. After making a small adjustment to the filter bandpass for F814W, the 1% precision goal is achieved over the full F814W WFC field of view for stars of K type and hotter. New encircled energies and absolute sensitivities replace the seminal results of Sirianni et al. that were published in 2005. After implementing the throughput updates, synthetic predictions of the WFC and HRC count rates for the average of the three primary WD standard stars agree with the observations to 0.1%.
THE LICK-CARNEGIE EXOPLANET SURVEY: HD 32963—A NEW JUPITER ANALOG ORBITING A SUN-LIKE STAR

We present a set of 109 new, high-precision Keck/HIRES radial velocity (RV) observations for the solar-type star HD 32963. Our data set reveals a candidate planetary signal with a period of 6.49 ± 0.07 years and a corresponding minimum mass of 0.7 ± 0.03 Jupiter masses. Given Jupiter's crucial role in shaping the evolution of the early Solar System, we emphasize the importance of long-term RV surveys. Finally, using our complete set of Keck radial velocities and correcting for the relative detectability of synthetic planetary candidates orbiting each of the 1122 stars in our sample, we estimate the frequency of Jupiter analogs across our survey at approximately 3%.
Magnetic fields in classical Be stars

Abstract We report the results of our study of magnetic fields in a sample of Be stars using spectropolarimetric data obtained at the European Southern Observatory with the multi-mode instrument FORS 1 installed at the 8m Kueyen telescope. The detected magnetic fields are rather weak, not stronger than ~150G. A few classical Be stars display cyclic variability of the magnetic field with periods of tens of minutes.
Resin cement around tissue and bone level dental implants after two cementation techniques (an in vitro study)

Purpose: To detect the retained excess resin cement around tissue and bone level dental implants following two different cementation techniques. Methods: Fourteen tissue level and fourteen bone level implants (OCO Biomedical, U.S.A.) were embedded in models (Salvin Dental Specialties, U.S.A.) having rubber surface simulating the gingiva. Twenty-eight metal copings were fabricated and cemented to the implant’s abutments by RelyX U200 resin cement (3M, U.S.A.). Each group was subdivided according to the cementation technique into two subgroups: A1 and B1: Tack cure of the excess cement for three seconds, the partially set resin cement was carefully removed before complete cure. A2 and B2: 1mm vent was performed on the occlusal surfaces. Excess cement was carefully removed followed by a final cure. Rubber coverage was removed, retained cement net weight was determined. All specimens were visually examined under 30x magnification using Stereomicroscope (SZ-11, Japan). Results: Tissue level implants following the tack cure protocol had less retained excess cement percentage than the occlusal vent protocol. Statistical comparison showed a significant difference in the excess cement percentage within the tissue level subgroups (p=0.018), No significant difference observed within the bone level subgroups (p=0.096).
Transverse seismic kinematics of single piles by a modified Vlasov model

Within the framework of soil–pile interaction, a novel displacement scheme for the transverse kinematic response of single piles to vertically propagating S waves is proposed on the basis of the modified Vlasov foundation model. The displacement model contains a displacement function along the pile axis and an attenuation function along the radial direction. The governing equations and boundary conditions of the two undetermined functions are obtained in a coupled form by using Hamilton's principle. An iterative algorithm is adopted to decouple and solve the two unknown functions. In light of the governing equation of the pile kinematics, a mechanical model is proposed to evaluate the present method on a physical basis considering material damping. The coefficient of the equivalent Winkler spring is derived explicitly as function of the displacement decay parameter γ and soil Poisson's ratio. A parametric study is performed to investigate the effects of the soil–pile system properties on the kinematic response of single piles. The results show that the dimensionless pile length controls the transverse kinematics of piles. In terms of the theory of beams on elastic foundation, the classification limits of the dimensionless pile length may be π ∕ 4 and π, respectively. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Apple juice evaluation: Qualitative analysis and microsatellite traceability

Qualitative and DNA analysis can be performed by taking a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate apple juices, the relevant values of which are a function of the origin, processing method and cultivar used. In detail, the aims of this study were to characterize apple juices through physiochemical analysis, sensory analysis and DNA analysis to evaluate the efficiency of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for cultivar identification. Six apple juices made with cv Golden Delicious, cv Granny Smith and a mix of these cultivars from an e-commerce platform (Samples A and B), DISAFA (Samples C and D) and a local farm (Piedmont, Italy) (Samples E and F) were considered. Apple juices A, B, E and F (clarified and pasteurized) can be considered as being of high quality, while Samples C and D were unclarified, unpasteurized and made with apples purchased from a local store. Considering the qualitative analysis, it was observed that the cultivar of apple affected the parameters assessed. In the case of total phenolic compounds, the highest values were observed for juices made only with cv Granny Smith, suggesting how this cultivar contributes to maintaining these nutraceutical compounds more than cv Golden Delicious. Regarding DNA analysis, a limited number of markers, i.e., 4 and 3, respectively, for the apple juices originating from e-commerce and a local farm could successfully produce reproducible amplified fragments. These results can be related to the different procedures used in processing apple juices of different origins.
The PD-1/PD-L1 Pathway: A Perspective on Comparative Immuno-Oncology

Simple Summary The programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway inhibits the function of activated immune cells. This mediates immune tolerance and prevents immune-mediated tissue destruction. The malfunction of this pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic infections, autoimmunity, and cancer. The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is an excellent example of the research benefits of comparative pathology and attests to the importance of the “one health one medicine” concept. Pioneering research was mainly focused on the examination of cells and tissues of human and mouse origin. It mainly revealed that PD-L1-positive tumor cells can paralyze PD-1-bearing immune cells, which prevents immunological destruction of cancer cells. This led to a major breakthrough in cancer treatment, i.e., the use of antibodies that block the interaction of these molecules and restore anti-cancer immune defense (immune checkpoint therapy). Further studies provided more detailed information on the tissue-specific context and fine-tuning of this pathway. The most recent research has extended the investigations to the examination of several animal species with the aim of improving disease diagnostics and treatment for certain animal diseases, in particular cancer, which is a major cause of disease and death in companion animals. Abstract The programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway mainly attracted attention in immuno-oncology, leading to the development of immune checkpoint therapy. It has, however, much broader importance for tissue physiology and pathology. It mediates basic processes of immune tolerance and tissue homeostasis. In addition, it is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic infectious diseases, autoimmunity, and cancer. It is also an important paradigm for comparative pathology as well as the “one health one medicine” concept. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of novel research into the diverse facets of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and to give insights into its fine-tuning homeostatic role in a tissue-specific context. This review details early translational research from the discovery phase based on mice as animal models for understanding pathophysiological aspects in human tissues to more recent research extending the investigations to several animal species. The latter has the twofold goal of comparing this pathway between humans and different animal species and translating diagnostic tools and treatment options established for the use in human beings to animals and vice versa.
Near-deterministic quantum teleportation and resource-efficient quantum computation using linear optics and hybrid qubits

We propose a scheme to realize deterministic quantum teleportation using linear optics and hybrid qubits. It enables one to efficiently perform teleportation and universal linear-optical gate operations in a simple and near-deterministic manner using all-optical hybrid entanglement as off-line resources. Our analysis shows that our approach outperforms previous ones when considering both the resource requirements and fault-tolerance limits.
Optimal order of $L_p$-discrepancy of digit shifted Hammersley point sets in dimension 2

It is well known that the two-dimensional Hammersley point set consisting of $N=2^n$ elements (also known as Roth net) does not have optimal order of $L_p$-discrepancy for $p \in (1,\infty)$ in the sense of the lower bounds according to Roth (for $p \in [2,\infty)$) and Schmidt (for $p \in (1,2)$). On the other hand, it is also known that slight modifications of the Hammersley point set can lead to the optimal order $\sqrt{\log N}/N$ of $L_2$-discrepancy, where $N$ is the number of points. Among these are for example digit shifts or the symmetrization. In this paper we show that these modified Hammersley point sets also achieve optimal order of $L_p$-discrepancy for all $p \in (1,\infty)$.
Tuning magnetism in FeAs-based materials via a tetrahedral structure

Resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, neutron scattering and x-ray crystallography measurements were used to study the evolution of magnetic order and crystallographic structure in single-crystal samples of the Ba1-xSrxFe2As2 and Sr1-yCayFe2As2 series. A non-monotonic dependence of the magnetic ordering temperature T0 on chemical pressure is compared to the progression of the antiferromagnetic staggered moment, characteristics of the ordering transition and structural parameters to reveal a distinct relationship between the magnetic energy scale and the tetrahedral bond angle, even far above T0. In Sr1-yCayFe2As2, an abrupt drop in T0 precisely at the Ca concentration where the tetrahedral structure approaches the ideal geometry indicates a strong coupling between the orbital bonding structure and the stabilization of magnetic order, providing strong constraints on the nature of magnetism in the iron-arsenide superconducting parent compounds.
Food Insecurity in the Informal Settlements of Inanda Households Living with Children under 60 Months in Ethekwini Municipality

Food insecurity is a continuing challenge for many households in South Africa. This challenge poses serious immediate and long-term health and development risks for children. Despite the intensive literature on household food insecurity, there is limited literature on the household food security status in South African informal settlements. Thus, the household food security status and dynamics in informal settlements are not clearly defined. Hence, this study assessed the food security status of households living with children under 60 months in the informal settlements of the Inanda area, eThekwini Municipality. This study employed a cross-sectional quantitative research approach. A non-probability sampling method was used, which used convenience sampling supplemented by a non-discriminative snowball sampling to obtain a sample size of 160 households with children under the age of five. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews, where questionnaires were administered to household child caregivers. Ethical considerations such as informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, permission from authorities, and cultural considerations were obeyed in this study. The HFIAS and HDDS tools were used to estimate the household food security status. Data were coded and analysed in SPSS version 25 software. This study revealed that higher proportions of the surveyed informal households living with children under 60 months were food insecure. The HFIAS analysis showed that approximately 34, 31, and 28% were severely, mildly, and moderately food insecure, respectively. In contrast, a small (approximately 8%) proportion of the surveyed informal households was estimated to be food secure. The HDDS analysis revealed that most (approximately 77%) of the surveyed informal households had low dietary diversity (deemed food insecure). Cereal, roots, and fatty foods were the main dietary components in the informal settlements of Inanda. It is paramount to improve the food security status of informal households living with children under 60 months through an integrated approach. This study suggests government and private stakeholders’ engagement in developing policies and programs directed at informal households living with children under 60 months to alleviate food insecurity.
Dark Subhaloes and Disturbances in Extended HI Discs

We develop a perturbative approach to study the excitation of disturbances in the extended atomic hydrogen (HI) discs of galaxies produced by passing dark matter subhaloes. The shallow gravitational potential of the dark matter subhaloes (compared to the primary halo) allows us to use the epicyclic approximation, the equations of which we solve by modal analysis, i.e., assuming a disc is composed of N radial rings with M modes. We show that properties of dark matter subhaloes can be inferred from the profile and amplitude of the modal energy of the disc. Namely, we find that the overall amplitude of the response gives the mass of the dark sub-halo. Motivated by this modal analysis, we then show that the density response shows similar features. Finally, we show that our results agree with those from full hydrodynamic simulation. We find a simple scaling relation between the satellite mass and Fourier amplitudes of the resultant surface density of the gas disc where the effective Fourier amplitude (essentially a sum over the low order modes) scales as $m_{s}^{1/2}$, where $m_{s}$ is the satellite mass. The utility of this relation is that it can be readily applied to an observed HI map to deduce the satellite mass without recourse to full numerical simulation. This will greatly aid us in analyzing large samples of spiral galaxies to constrain the population of dwarf satellites in the Local Volume.