Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indications for transit-timing variations in the exo-Neptune HAT-P-26b

Upon its discovery, the low-density transiting Neptune HAT-P-26b showed a 2. 1σ detection drift in its spectroscopic data, while photometric data showed a weak curvature in the timing residuals, the confirmation of which required further follow-up observations. To investigate this suspected variability, we observed 11 primary transits of HAT-P-26b between March, 2015, and July, 2018. For this, we used the 2.15 m Jorge Sahade Telescope placed in San Juan, Argentina, and the 1.2 m STELLA and the 2.5 m Nordic Optical Telescope, both located in the Canary Islands, Spain. To add to valuable information on the transmission spectrum of HAT-P-26b, we focused our observations in the R-band only. To contrast the observed timing variability with possible stellar activity, we carried out a photometric follow-up of the host star over three years. We carried out a global fit to the data and determined the individual mid-transit times focusing specifically on the light curves that showed complete transit coverage. Using bibliographic data corresponding to both ground and space-based facilities, plus our new characterized mid-transit times derived from parts-per-thousand precise photometry, we observed indications of transit timing variations in the system, with an amplitude of ~4 min and a periodicity of ~270 epochs. The photometric and spectroscopic follow-up observations of this system will be continued in order to rule out any aliasing effects caused by poor sampling and the long-term periodicity.
EXTRAGALACTIC MILLIMETER-WAVE SOURCES IN SOUTH POLE TELESCOPE SURVEY DATA: SOURCE COUNTS, CATALOG, AND STATISTICS FOR AN 87 SQUARE-DEGREE FIELD

We report the results of an 87 deg2 point-source survey centered at R.A. 5h30m, decl. −55° taken with the South Pole Telescope at 1.4 and 2.0 mm wavelengths with arcminute resolution and milli-Jansky depth. Based on the ratio of flux in the two bands, we separate the detected sources into two populations, one consistent with synchrotron emission from active galactic nuclei and the other consistent with thermal emission from dust. We present source counts for each population from 11 to 640 mJy at 1.4 mm and from 4.4 to 800 mJy at 2.0 mm. The 2.0 mm counts are dominated by synchrotron-dominated sources across our reported flux range; the 1.4 mm counts are dominated by synchrotron-dominated sources above ∼15 mJy and by dust-dominated sources below that flux level. We detect 141 synchrotron-dominated sources and 47 dust-dominated sources at signal-to-noise ratio S/N >4.5 in at least one band. All of the most significantly detected members of the synchrotron-dominated population are associated with sources in previously published radio catalogs. Some of the dust-dominated sources are associated with nearby (z ≪ 1) galaxies whose dust emission is also detected by the Infrared Astronomy Satellite. However, most of the bright, dust-dominated sources have no counterparts in any existing catalogs. We argue that these sources represent the rarest and brightest members of the population commonly referred to as submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). Because these sources are selected at longer wavelengths than in typical SMG surveys, they are expected to have a higher mean redshift distribution and may provide a new window on galaxy formation in the early universe.
Lipase Catalyzed Transesterification of Model Long-Chain Molecules in Double-Shell Cellulose-Coated Oil-in-Water Emulsion Particles as Microbioreactors

Lipase-catalyzed transesterification is prevalent in industrial production and is an effective alternative to chemical catalysis. However, due to lipases’ unique structure, the reaction requires a biphasic system, which suffers from a low reaction efficiency caused by a limited interfacial area. The use of emulsion particles was found to be an effective way to increase the surface area and activity. This research focuses on cellulose as a natural surfactant for oil-in-water emulsions and evaluates the ability of lipase, introduced into the emulsion’s aqueous phase, to integrate with the emulsion microparticles and catalyze the transesterification reaction of high molecular weight esters dissolved in the particles’ cores. Cellulose-coated emulsion particles’ morphology was investigated by light, fluorescence and cryogenic scanning electron microscopy, which reveal the complex emulsion structure. Lipase activity was evaluated by measuring the hydrolysis of emulsified p-nitrophenyl dodecanoate and by the transesterification of emulsified methyl laurate and oleyl alcohol dissolved in decane. Both experiments demonstrated that lipase introduced in the aqueous medium can penetrate the emulsion particles, localize at the inner oil core interface and perform effective catalysis. Furthermore, in this system, lipase successfully catalyzed a transesterification reaction rather than hydrolysis, despite the dominant presence of water.
Magnetic local time (MLT) dependence of auroral peak emission height and morphology

Abstract. We investigate the bulk behaviour of auroral structures and peak emission height as a function of magnetic local time (MLT). These data are collected from the Fennoscandian Lapland and Svalbard latitudes from seven identical auroral all-sky cameras (ASC) over about one solar cycle. The analysis focusses on green auroral emission, which is where the morphology is most clearly visible and the number of images is the highest. The typical peak emission height of the green and blue aurora varies from 110 km on the nightside to about 118 km in the morning MLT over the Lapland region. It stays systematically higher (at 118–120 km) at high latitudes (Svalbard) during the nighttime and reaches 140 km at around magnetic noon. During high solar wind speed (above 500 km s−1), nightside emission heights appear about 5 km lower than during slow solar wind speed (below 400 km s−1). The sign of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has nearly no effect on the emission heights in the night sector, but the northward IMF causes lower emission heights at dawn over Lapland and during the noon hours over Svalbard. While the former is interpreted as a change in the particle population within the field-of-view (FoV), the latter is rather due to the movement of the cusp location due to the IMF orientation. The morning sector heights also show a pronounced difference when previously detected pulsating aurora (PsA) events have been excluded/included in the dataset, suggesting that this type of aurora is a dominant phenomenon in the morning and an important dissipation mechanism. An increase of complex auroral structures in the midnight hours agrees with the average substorm occurrence. This increase is amplified during stronger solar wind driving and during higher geomagnetic activity (as measured by auroral electrojet index, AL). During high solar wind speed, the high latitude auroral evolution shows particularly complex morphology, which is not limited to the nightside but rather only excludes the magnetic noon hours. An increase in the geomagnetic activity further enhances the structural complexity of the aurora in the morning sector.
Origin of barite-fluorite-galena deposits in the southern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico

Rio Grande rift (RGR) deposits, formerly called sedimentary-hydrothermal barite-fluorite-galena deposits or Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits, are found within the RGR in central New Mexico. RGR deposits are characterized by a unique regional geologic setting, simple mineralogy dominated by fluorite and/or barite, low temperature of formation ( <200-250°C), deposition as open-space fillings with little or no replacement of host rocks, common paragenetic sequence, and no obvious direct association with any magmatic or volcanic activity. These deposits occur along faults, fractures, contact zones, unconformities, shear zones, bedding planes, and solution cavities in diverse Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Tertiary rocks. Age determinations and field relationships suggest that RGR deposits formed during the last 12 Ma coincident with the later stages of rifting in southern New Mexico. Low-temperature formation waters or basinal fluids that accumulated in sedimentary rift basins and were heated by high heat-flow or magmatic activity formed RGR deposits in New Mexico. The warm convecting waters leached barium, sulfate, lead, silver, and other ions from source rocks. Mixing of magmatic and meteoric fluids may have occurred locally, thereby providing fluorine and other constituents. The mineralized fluids were injected along open-spaces as a result of gravity-driven flow from topographic highs and/or compaction of basin sediments. Although density-driven flow produced by thermal contrasts along the basin flanks could also mobilize fluids, this process is not likely to occur in the RGR. Precipitation occurred as a result of cooling of the fluids, decrease in pressure, change in water chemistry, and/or mixing of the mineralized fluids with subsurface brines or meteoric water. Numerous factors, such as surface topography, development of rift structural architecture, erosion and tectonic elimination of aquitards, unroofing of carbonate aquifers by karsting, climate, rates of extension, basin sedimentation, subsidence, compaction, overpressuring, and crustal magmatism, may have played roles in the location, types, and intensity of RGR deposit evolution at any particular site. As a result, deposits of different ages, size, temperature of formation, and accessory mineralogy are a common feature of the RGR deposits.
Predictors of Student Satisfaction and Perceived Learning in Online Distance Learning: The Effects of Self-efficacy and Interaction

Vol. 12, No. 10, 2022, Pg. 785 – 803 Abstract The increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia forced the Ministry of Higher Education to postpone reopening the university in October 2020. To ensure continuity of learning, universities had no choice but to continue with online distance learning (ODL). Though ODL is not a new experience, the absence of first-time face-to-face meetings is challenging. Due to the importance of student satisfaction and perceived learning as outcomes of online learning, the factors affecting these variables should be considered extensively. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of online learning self-efficacy, learner-content interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and learner-learner interaction on student satisfaction and perceived learning. An online questionnaire survey method was used to collect data among diploma accounting students of University Teknologi Mara, Tapah. By deploying SPSS, 321 surveys were analyzed. The multiple regression results revealed that only self-efficacy, learner-content interaction, and learner-learner interaction were significantly predictive of student satisfaction and perceived learning. The results also found that learner-content interaction was the most contributed predictor of student satisfaction and perceived learning. However, learner-instructor interaction was not a significant predictor of both dependent variables. The findings of the study could be beneficial for educators in designing lesson content and planning for teaching methods and styles to improve the interaction with the students. This study also addressed how educators may practically prepare students for asynchronous online courses by teaching them to learn with a high level of self-efficacy and by encouraging student interaction.
Scale-invariant alternatives to general relativity. II. Dilaton properties

In the present paper, we revisit gravitational theories which are invariant under TDiffs-transverse (volume-preserving) diffeomorphisms and global scale transformations. It is known that these theories can be rewritten in an equivalent diffeomorphism-invariant form with an action including an integration constant (cosmological constant for the particular case of non-scale-invariant unimodular gravity). The presence of this integration constant, in general, breaks explicitly scale invariance and induces a runaway potential for the (otherwise massless) dilaton, associated with the determinant of the metric tensor. We show, however, that if the metric carries mass dimension [GeV](-2), the scale invariance of the system is preserved, unlike the situation in theories in which the metric has mass dimension different from -2. The dilaton remains massless and couples to other fields only through derivatives, without any conflict with observations. We observe that one can define a specific limit for fields and their derivatives (in particular, the dilaton goes to zero, potentially related to the small distance domain of the theory) in which the only singular terms in the action correspond to the Higgs mass and the cosmological constant. We speculate that the self-consistency of the theory may require the regularity of the action, leading to the absence of the bare Higgs mass and cosmological constant, whereas their small finite values may be generated by nonperturbative effects.
Hsp40/JDP Requirements for the Propagation of Synthetic Yeast Prions

Yeast prions are protein-based transmissible elements, most of which are amyloids. The chaperone protein network in yeast is inexorably linked to the spreading of prions during cell division by fragmentation of amyloid prion aggregates. Specifically, the core “prion fragmentation machinery” includes the proteins Hsp104, Hsp70 and the Hsp40/J-domain protein (JDP) Sis1. Numerous novel amyloid-forming proteins have been created and examined in the yeast system and occasionally these amyloids are also capable of continuous Hsp104-dependent propagation in cell populations, forming synthetic prions. However, additional chaperone requirements, if any, have not been determined. Here, we report the first instances of a JDP-Hsp70 system requirement for the propagation of synthetic prions. We utilized constructs from a system of engineered prions with prion-forming domains (PrDs) consisting of a polyQ stretch interrupted by a single heterologous amino acid interspersed every fifth residue. These “polyQX” PrDs are fused to the MC domains of Sup35, creating chimeric proteins of which a subset forms synthetic prions in yeast. For four of these prions, we show that SIS1 repression causes prion loss in a manner consistent with Sis1′s known role in prion fragmentation. PolyQX prions were sensitive to Sis1 expression levels to differing degrees, congruent with the variability observed among native prions. Our results expand the scope known Sis1 functionality, demonstrating that Sis1 acts on amyloids broadly, rather than through specific protein–protein interactions with individual yeast prion-forming proteins.
Gas flow in barred potentials - III. Effects of varying the quadrupole

We run hydrodynamical simulations of a 2D isothermal non self-gravitating inviscid gas flowing in a rigidly rotating externally imposed potential formed by only two components: a monopole and a quadrupole. We explore systematically the effects of varying the quadrupole while keeping fixed the monopole and discuss the consequences for the interpretation of longitude-velocity diagrams in the Milky Way. We find that the gas flow can constrain the quadrupole of the potential and the characteristics of the bar that generates it. The exponential scale length of the bar must be at least $1.5\rm\, kpc$. The strength of the bar is also constrained. Our global interpretation favours a pattern speed of $\Omega=40\,\rm km s^{-1} {kpc}^{-1}$. We find that for most observational features, there exist a value of the parameters that matches each individual feature well, but is difficult to reproduce all the important features at once. Due to the intractably high number of parameters involved in the general problem, quantitative fitting methods that can run automatic searches in parameter space are necessary.
Classification of well‐posed kinetic layer problems II: The index formula

In the kinetic theory of gases, half-space problems are important because they govern the behavior of correctors to the Hilbert expansion near the boundaries. This paper takes up the discussion in Coron et al., Comm. Pure Appl. Math.41 (1988) by a different method, based on the index formula for Wiener-Hopf operators on the half-line. This method leads naturally to a new result on analogues of Chandrasekhar's H function, which does not seem easy to obtain by the energy method of Coron et al. (1988). 1. Presentation of the classification problem The present paper is somehow a sequel to (9) and an amplification of (10), but can be read indepen- dently.
The impact of Covid-19 restrictions in Ireland on symptom severity in mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease

Introduction: The COVID pandemic and public health restrictions significantly impacted those living with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease due to the curtailment of therapies. Patients attending a single centre movement disorders clinic reported reduced physical activity and quality of life during the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the impact of pandemic restrictions on Parkinson’s Disease symptom severity in people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s Disease. Method: A cross-sectional study design with a convenience sample of 20 people living with mild to moderate Parkinson’s Disease was adopted. A telephone survey questionnaire was completed to measure changes in symptom severity on the 14 most common Parkinson’s Disease symptoms. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Nineteen participants completed the survey. Participants frequently reported a decline in nine symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease; bradykinesia, rigidity, walking, sleep, mood, memory, quality of life and fatigue. Nil changes in freezing were reported. No change was reported in the nonmotor symptoms of constipation, speech and pain in 75, 65 and 95% of participants, respectively. Conclusion: Findings of this study acknowledge the negative impact of restrictions on the motor and nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Flexibility to access and delivery of service should be considered to mitigate any future potential restrictions.
Optimal Stellar Photometry for Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics Systems Using Science-based Metrics

We present a detailed discussion of how to obtain precise stellar photometry in crowded fields using images from multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) systems, with the intent of informing the scientific development of this key technology for the Extremely Large Telescopes. We use deep J and Ks exposures of NGC 1851 taken with the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) on Gemini South to quantify the performance of the instrument and to develop an optimal strategy for stellar photometry using point-spread function (PSF)-fitting techniques. We judge the success of the various methods we employ by using science-based metrics, particularly the width of the main sequence turnoff region. We also compare the GeMS photometry with the exquisite HST data in the visible of the same target. We show that the PSF produced by GeMS possesses significant spatial and temporal variability that must be accounted for during the analysis. We show that the majority of the variation of the PSF occurs within the “control radius” of the MCAO system and that the best photometry is obtained when the PSF radius is chosen to closely match this spatial scale. We identify photometric calibration as a critical issue for next-generation MCAO systems such as those on the Thirty Meter Telescope and European Extremely Large Telescope. Our final CMDs reach Ks ∼ 22—below the main sequence knee—making it one of the deepest for a globular cluster available from the ground. Theoretical isochrones are in remarkable agreement with the stellar locus in our data from below the main sequence knee to the upper red giant branch.
Semi-Supervised Domain Adaptation via Minimax Entropy

Contemporary domain adaptation methods are very effective at aligning feature distributions of source and target domains without any target supervision. However, we show that these techniques perform poorly when even a few labeled examples are available in the target domain. To address this semi-supervised domain adaptation (SSDA) setting, we propose a novel Minimax Entropy (MME) approach that adversarially optimizes an adaptive few-shot model. Our base model consists of a feature encoding network, followed by a classification layer that computes the features' similarity to estimated prototypes (representatives of each class). Adaptation is achieved by alternately maximizing the conditional entropy of unlabeled target data with respect to the classifier and minimizing it with respect to the feature encoder. We empirically demonstrate the superiority of our method over many baselines, including conventional feature alignment and few-shot methods, setting a new state of the art for SSDA. Our code is available at \url{http://cs-people.bu. edu/keisaito/research/MME.html}.
A Generalized Method for the Synthesis of Carbon-Encapsulated Fe3O4 Composites and Its Application in Water Treatment

In this paper, a simple and environmentally friendly method was developed for the preparation of highly stable C@Fe3O4 composites with controllable morphologies using sodium alginate as the carbon source and the easily obtained α-Fe2O3 as the precursors. The morphologies of the as-prepared C@Fe3O4 composites, inherited from their corresponding precursors of α-Fe2O3, survived from the annealing treatments, were characterized by the field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The C@Fe3O4 composites resisted to oxidation, acidification and aggregation, exhibiting porous structures and ferromagnetic properties at room temperature. Moreover, the adsorption performance of the C@Fe3O4 composites was evaluated by absorbing MB (methylene blue) in liquid environment. Experiments indicated that the C@Fe3O4 composites exhibited highly enhanced adsorption capacities and efficiencies as compared with their corresponding precursors of α-Fe2O3. This generalized method for the synthesis of C@Fe3O4 composites provides promising applications for the highly efficient removal of MB from industrial effluents.
Likelihood Methods for the Detection and Characterization of Gamma-ray Pulsars with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

The sensitivity of the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope allows detection of thousands of new gamma-ray sources and detailed characterization of the spectra and variability of bright sources. Unsurprisingly, this increased capability leads to increased complexity in data analysis. Likelihood methods are ideal for connecting models with data, but the computational cost of folding the model input through the multi-scale instrument response function is appreciable. Both interactive analysis and large projects---such as analysis of the full gamma-ray sky---can be prohibitive or impossible, reducing the scope of the science possible with the LAT. To improve on this situation, we have developed pointlike, a software package for fast maximum likelihood analysis of LAT data. It is interactive by design and its rapid evaluation of the likelihood facilitates exploratory and large-scale, all-sky analysis. We detail its implementation and validate its performance on simulated data. We demonstrate its capability for interactive analysis and present several all-sky analyses. These include a search for new gamma-ray sources and the selection of LAT sources with pulsar-like characteristics for targeted radio pulsation searches. We conclude by developing sensitive periodicity tests incorporating spectral information obtained from pointlike.