Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrodynamics in early animal evolution

Choanoflagellates and sponges feed by filtering microscopic particles from water currents created by the flagella of microvillar collar complexes situated on the cell bodies of the solitary or colonial choanoflagellates and on the choanocytes in sponges. The filtering mechanism has been known for more than a century, but only recently has the filtering process been studied in detail and also modelled, so that a detailed picture of the water currents has been obtained. In the solitary and most of the colonial choanoflagellates, the water flows freely around the cells, but in some forms, the cells are arranged in an open meshwork through which the water can be pumped. In the sponges, the choanocytes are located in choanocyte chambers (or choanocyte areas) with separate incurrent and excurrent canals/pores located in a larger body, which enables a fixed pattern of water currents through the collar complexes. Previous theories for the origin of sponges show evolutionary stages with choanocyte chambers without any opening or with only one opening, which makes separation of incurrent and excurrent impossible, and such stages must have been unable to feed. Therefore a new theory is proposed, which shows a continuous evolutionary lineage in which all stages are able to feed by means of the collar complexes.
Oestradiol reduces female bill colour in a mutually ornamented bird

Carotenoid-based colour signals can be costly to produce and maintain, and trade-offs between signalling and other fitness traits are expected. In mutually ornamented species, trade-offs with reproduction may be stronger for females than males, because females often dedicate more resources to offspring production, which may lead to plastic investment in colour signals and plastic sexual dichromatism. Oestradiol is a candidate mediator of this trade-off because it regulates reproductive physiology and may also influence the expression of coloration. We tested this hypothesis by giving female common waxbills (Estrilda astrild) either oestradiol (17β-oestradiol) or empty implants during the early breeding season and measured spectral reflectance of carotenoid-based bill coloration weekly for two months. Using a model of avian vision, we found that bill colour in oestradiol-implanted females became less saturated, less red in hue and brighter, compared with control females and with unimplanted males. This resulted in a change in bill sexual dichromatism from imperceptible to perceptible. Results support the hypothesis that female reproductive physiology influences investment in coloration through changes in oestradiol and show a form of female-driven plastic sexual dichromatism. Greater sensitivity of female colour to physiological and/or environmental conditions helps explain why differences in sexual dichromatism among species differing in ecology often evolve owing to changes in female rather than male phenotype.
Symbiont specificity differs among green hydra strains

The symbiotic hydra Hydra viridissima has a stable symbiotic relationship with the green alga Chlorella. This hydra appears to cospeciate with the symbiotic alga, and some strains are known to have strain-specific host/symbiont combinations. To investigate the mechanism of the specificity between host and symbiont, we explored the effect of the removal or exchange of symbionts in two distantly related H. viridissima strains (K10 and M9). In the K10 strain, severe morphological and behavioural changes were found in symbiont-removed and symbiont-exchanged polyps. Interestingly, both polyps showed a similar gene expression pattern. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that the removal or exchange of symbionts caused the downregulation of genes involved in the electron transport chain and the upregulation of genes involved in translation in the K10 strain. On the other hand, symbiont-removed and symbiont-exchanged M9 polyps showed modest changes in their morphology and behaviour compared with the K10 strain. Furthermore, the patterns of the gene expression changes in the M9 strain were quite different between the symbiont-removed and symbiont-exchanged polyps. Our results suggested that the regulation of energy balance is one of the crucial mechanisms for maintaining symbiotic relationships in green hydra, and this mechanism differs between the strains.
Liquid–liquid phase reaction between crystal violet and sodium hydroxide: kinetic study and precipitate analysis

To investigate reaction order and kinetic parameters of the reaction between crystal violet (CV) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), various concentrations of the reactants were applied. The present work also verifies the unknown solid product produced under highly concentrated conditions. The reaction orders of CV and NaOH were determined to be 1 and 1.08 by pseudo rate method, respectively, with a rate constant, k, of 0.054 [(M−1.08) s−1]. In addition to pseudo rate method, the half-life approach was used to calculate the overall reaction order to verify the accuracy of pseudo rate method. The overall reaction order was determined to be 1.9 by the half-life method. The overall reaction order based on the two methods studied was approximately 2. The precipitate formation was observed when high concentrations of CV (0.01–0.1 M) and NaOH (1.0 M) were applied. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to compare the spectra of the precipitate generated and a commercial solvent violet 9 (SV9). Based on the FTIR spectra, it was confirmed that the molecular structure of the precipitate matched that of solvent violet 9.
Pairing, pair-breaking, and their roles in setting the Tc of cuprate high temperature superconductors

The key ingredients in any superconductor are the Cooper pairs, in which two electrons combine to form a composite boson. In all conventional superconductors the pairing strength alone sets the majority of the physical properties including the superconducting transition temperature T$_c$. In the cuprate high temperature superconductors, no such link has yet been found between the pairing interactions and T$_c$. Using a new variant of photoelectron spectroscopy we measure both the pair-forming ($\Delta$) and a self energy/pair-breaking term ($\Gamma_s$) as a function of sample type and sample temperature, and we make the measurements over a wide range of doping and temperatures within and outside of the pseudogap/competing order doping regimes. In all cases we find that T$_c$ is approximately set by a crossover between the pair-forming strength $\Delta$ and 3 times the self-energy term $\Gamma_s$ - a new paradigm for superconductivity. In addition to departing from conventional superconductivity in which the pairing alone sets T$_c$, these results indicate the zero-order importance of the near-nodal self-energy effects compared to competing order/pseudogap effects.
Turbulent transport in radiative zones of stars

Context. In stellar interiors, rotation is able to drive turbulent motions, and the related transport processes have a significant influence on the evolution of stars. Turbulent mixing in the radiative zones is currently taken into account in stellar evolution models through a set of diffusion coefficients that are generally poorly constrained. Aims. We want to constrain the form of one of them, the radial diffusion coefficient of chemical elements due to the turbulence driven by radial differential rotation, derived by Zahn (1974, IAU Symp., 59, 185 and 1992, A&A, 265, 115) on phenomenological grounds and largely used since. Methods. We performed local, direct numerical simulations of stably stratified homogeneous sheared turbulence using the Boussinesq approximation. The domain of low Peclet numbers found in stellar interiors is currently inaccessible to numerical simulations without approximation. It is explored here thanks to a suitable asymptotic form of the Boussinesq equations. The turbulent transport of a passive scalar is determined in statistical steady states. Results. We provide a first quantitative determination of the turbulent diffusion coefficient and find that the form proposed by Zahn is in good agreement with the results of the numerical simulations.
Demographic and Trophic Analysis of Adult Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) from Living Shoreline and Natural Tidal Marshes in the Chesapeake Bay

Abstract - With extensive and ongoing human development in coastal areas, effective shoreline-protection strategies against erosion and rising sea level that also provide natural ecosystem services will become increasingly important. Constructed living shoreline marshes can serve as successful management solutions when implemented correctly, but studies comparing these created estuarine habitats to their natural marsh counterparts are needed to assess their ecological functionality. We compared adult Palaemonetes pugio (Daggerblade Grass Shrimp) population demographics and diets from 13 pairs of living shoreline and natural marsh sites in the southwestern portion of the Chesapeake Bay. No significant differences were observed in demographics including abundance, weight, length, number of gravid females, and egg abundance and quality. Gut-content analysis detected significantly more terrestrial debris in shrimp from living shorelines, but the omnivorous dietary needs appeared met in all marsh sites. Overall, shrimp populations differed more among site pairs from different shorescape settings than between created and natural marshes from the same settings, suggesting that living shorelines are approaching ecosystem functionality similar to natural marsh habitats. However, the observed negative effect of agricultural land use on shrimp abundance and the discovery of microplastics in gut contents from all sites sampled indicate the need for further consideration of human impacts in both constructed and natural coastal habitats.
Fish diversity, community structure, and environmental variables of River Tamas, a tributary of River Ganga, India

The Tamas River is a right-bank tributary of the River Ganga, originating from Jhukehi village in Madhya Pradesh and meeting up with the Ganga at Sirsa, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. An investigation was carried out in six sites at (Itahara, S1), (Madhavgarh, S2), (Bakiya upstream, S3), (Bakiya downstream, S4), (Chakghat, S5) and (Panasaghat, S6) of the river to document the fish diversity, seasonal variability, and impact of environmental variables on fish species composition during the period 2017 to 2019. Altogether 75 fish species belonging to 54 genera, 23 families, and 10 orders were recorded. Fish species richness at (S1), (S2), (S3), (S4), (S5), and (S6) and was recorded as 9, 39, 38, 13, 61, and 49, respectively. Family Cyprinidae with 31 species contributing 41% was the most dominant family, followed by Bagridae (8%) and Schilbeidae (6.7%). Seasonal variation in fish species richness and diversity indices were observed in the river stretch. Maximum species richness (45) was observed at S5 during monsoon and a minimum (6) at S1 during post-monsoon. As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature categorization, 10 out of 75 fish species recorded from the river were considered to be threatened. Three exotic species, namely Cyprinus carpio, Oreochromis niloticus, and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, were recorded at some stretches, which may be a concern for native fish diversity. Environmental variables like water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, water velocity, and alkalinity influenced the fish community structure. The selected (S1–S6) stretch of the river falls under the category of Slightly Impacted River based on the Shannon Index (H'>3). The present investigation was the first assessment of rich fish diversity covering the maximum stretch of river, which supports many important and small indigenous fishes for conservation.
Intersexual differences in the monomorphic Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus saturatus)

ABSTRACT Sex determination of birds is essential for ecological studies, but visually distinguishing the sex of monomorphic birds in the field is challenging. We investigated intersexual morphological differences in the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus saturatus), which is known as a sexually monomorphic species. We caught 198 adult Eurasian Tree Sparrows (104 males and 94 females), collected data on their morphological characteristics, and determined their sex using polymerase chain reaction to amplify sex-chromosome-linked CHD gene introns. Wing length was longer in males than in females, and badge sizes were significantly larger in males. Discriminant function analysis using badge size and wing length classified sex with an accuracy of 86.9%. In accordance with a previous paper, our study considers that the sex of Eurasian Tree Sparrows can be distinguished with reasonable accuracy by the badge size and wing length in wild populations. RESUMEN (Spanish) La determinación del sexo de las aves es esencial en estudios ecológicos, pero la determinación visual del sexo en aves monomórficas en campo es un reto. Investigamos diferencias morfológicas intersexuales en el gorrión molinero eurasiático (Passer montanus saturatus), que es conocido como una especie sexualmente monomórfica. Capturamos 198 gorriones molineros eurasiáticos adultos (104 machos y 94 hembras), tomamos datos de sus características morfológicas y determinamos su sexo usando reacción en cadena de polimerasa para amplificar los intrones del gen CHD ligados al cromosoma sexual. La longitud del ala era mayor en machos que en hembras y los tamaños de las manchas eran significativamente mayores en machos que en hembras. Un análisis de función discriminante usando tamaño de las manchas y longitud del ala clasificó el sexo con una precisión de 86.9%. Tal y como se dijo en un artículo anterior, nuestro estudio considera que el sexo de los gorriones molineros eurasiáticos puede ser distinguido con una precisión razonable utilizando el tamaño de la mancha y la longitud del ala en poblaciones silvestres. Palabras clave: análisis de función discriminante, determinación de sexo, intrón del gen CHD, longitud de ala, monomorfismo, tamaño de mancha.
The evolution of the Milky Way: New insights from open clusters

We have collected high-dispersion echelle spectra of red giant members in the twelve open clusters (OCs) and derived stellar parameters and chemical abundances for 26 species by either line equivalent widths or synthetic spectrum analyses. We confirm the lack of an age-metallicity relation for OCs but argue that such a lack of trend for OCs arise from the limited coverage in metallicity compared to that of field stars which span a wide range in metallicity and age. We confirm that the radial metallicity gradient of OCs is steeper (flatter) for Rgc 12 kpc). We demonstrate that the sample of clusters constituting a steep radial metallicity gradient of slope $-$0.052$\pm$0.011 dex kpc$^{-1}$ at Rgc 12 kpc are relatively old, thick disc members with a striking spread in age and height above the midplane (0.5 < |z| < 2.5 kpc). Our investigation reveals that the OCs and field stars yield consistent radial metallicity gradients if the comparison is limited to samples drawn from the similar vertical heights. We argue via the computation of Galactic orbits that all the outer disc clusters were actually born inward of 12 kpc but the orbital eccentricity has taken them to present locations very far from their birthplaces.
Comorbidity in Reading Comprehension and Word-Problem Solving Difficulties: Exploring Shared Risk Factors and Their Impact on Language Minority Learners

The purpose of this study was threefold: to examine unique and shared risk factors of comorbidity for reading comprehension and word-problem solving difficulties, to explore whether language minority (LM) learners are at increased risk of what we refer to as higher order comorbidity (reading comprehension and word-problem solving difficulties), and to examine the profiles of at-risk LM learners compared with at-risk non-LM learners. At-risk (LM n = 70; non-LM n = 89) and not-at-risk (LM n = 44; non-LM n = 114) students were evaluated on foundational academic (word reading, calculation), behavioral (behavioral attention), cognitive (working memory, processing speed, nonverbal reasoning), and language (vocabulary, listening comprehension) measures in English. Results indicated listening comprehension was the only shared risk factor for higher order comorbidity. Furthermore, LM learners were 3 times more likely to be identified as at risk compared with non-LM learners. Finally, among at-risk learners, no differences were found on cognitive dimensions by language status, but LM learners had lower reading and listening comprehension skills than non-LM learners, with a relative advantage in behavioral attention. Results have implications for understanding higher order comorbidity and for developing methods to identify and intervene with higher order comorbidity among the growing population of LM learners.
THE DIVERSITY OF MASSIVE STAR OUTBURSTS. I. OBSERVATIONS OF SN2009ip, UGC 2773 OT2009-1, AND THEIR PROGENITORS

Despite both being outbursts of luminous blue variables (LBVs), SN 2009ip and UGC 2773 OT2009-1 have very different progenitors, spectra, circumstellar environments, and possibly physical mechanisms that generated the outbursts. From pre-eruption Hubble Space Telescope images, we determine that SN 2009ip and UGC 2773 OT2009-1 have initial masses of ≳ 60 and ≳ 25 M☉, respectively. Optical spectroscopy shows that at peak, SN 2009ip had a 10,000 K photosphere and its spectrum was dominated by narrow H Balmer emission, similar to classical LBV giant outbursts, also known as “supernova impostors. ” The spectra of UGC 2773 OT2009-1, which also have narrow Hα emission, are dominated by a forest of absorption lines, similar to an F-type supergiant. Blueshifted absorption lines corresponding to ejecta at a velocity of 2000–7000 km s−1 are present in later spectra of SN 2009ip—an unprecedented observation for LBV outbursts, indicating that the event was the result of a supersonic explosion rather than a subsonic outburst. The velocity of the absorption lines increases between two epochs, suggesting that there were two explosions in rapid succession. A rapid fading and rebrightening event concurrent with the onset of the high-velocity absorption lines is consistent with the double-explosion model. A near-infrared excess is present in the spectra and photometry of UGC 2773 OT2009-1 that is consistent with ∼2100 K dust emission. We compare the properties of these two events and place them in the context of other known massive star outbursts such as η Car, NGC 300 OT2008-1, and SN 2008S. This qualitative analysis suggests that massive star outbursts have many physical differences that can manifest as the different observables seen in these two interesting objects.
A Tool for Extracting 3D Avatar-Ready Gesture Animations from Monocular Videos

Modeling and generating realistic human gesture animations from speech audios has great impacts on creating a believable virtual human that can interact with human users and mimic real-world face-to-face communications. Large-scale datasets are essential in data-driven research, but creating multi-modal gesture datasets with 3D gesture motions and corresponding speech audios is either expensive to create via traditional workflow such as mocap, or producing subpar results via pose estimations from in-the-wild videos. As a result of such limitations, existing gesture datasets either suffer from shorter duration or lower animation quality, making them less ideal for training gesture synthesis models. Motivated by the key limitations from previous datasets and recent progress in human mesh recovery (HMR), we developed a tool for extracting avatar-ready gesture motions from monocular videos with improved animation quality. The tool utilizes a variational autoencoder (VAE) to refine raw gesture motions. The resulting gestures are in a unified pose representation that includes both body and finger motions and can be readily applied to a virtual avatar via online motion retargeting. We validated the proposed tool on existing datasets and created the refined dataset TED-SMPLX by re-processing videos from the original TED dataset. The new dataset is available at https://andrewfengusa.github. io/TED_SMPLX_Dataset.
Isolating relativistic effects in large-scale structure

We present a fully relativistic calculation of the observed galaxy number counts in the linear regime. We show that besides the density fluctuations and redshift-space distortions, various relativistic effects contribute to observations at large scales. These effects all have the same physical origin: they result from the fact that our coordinate system, namely the galaxy redshift and the incoming photons’ direction, is distorted by inhomogeneities in our Universe. We then discuss the impact of the relativistic effects on the angular power spectrum and on the two-point correlation function in configuration space. We show that the latter is very well adapted to isolate the relativistic effects since it naturally makes use of the symmetries of the different contributions. In particular, we discuss how the Doppler effect and the gravitational redshift distortions can be isolated by looking for a dipole in the cross-correlation function between a bright and a faint population of galaxies.
Reduction of magnetic perturbation for SR-POEM

SR-POEM is a Galilean test of the weak equivalence principle that aims to measure the fractional acceleration difference η with a mission uncertainty &sgr; ( &eegr; ) = 1 × 10 − 17 ? > for a pair of test substances. It is to be conducted during the low-drag free fall portion of a sounding rocket flight. The interaction of the magnetic field gradient with tiny remanent magnetic moments of the test masses will produce a spurious acceleration that is not sufficiently reduced by a single Mu-metal shield. In this paper, we study configurations with two and three shields. Approximate analytic formulae are used to study the shielding factor as a function of geometry. We use finite element analysis (FEA) to determine the magnetic field and gradient for certain cases that satisfy the mission requirements. FEA results are compared with analytic expressions wherever appropriate. Several configurations reduce both axial and transverse magnetic field within the shielding volume by at least the required factor of 4 × 10 5 ? > .
Light Dark Matter Anomalies After LUX

We examine the consistency of light dark matter (DM) elastic scattering in CoGeNT, DAMA, and CDMS-Silicon in light of constraints from XENON, CDMS, LUX, PICASSO and COUPP. We consider a variety of operators that have been employed to reconcile anomalies with constraints, including anapole, magnetic dipole, momentum-dependent, and isospin-violating DM. We find that elastic scattering through these alternative operators does not substantially reduce the tension between the signals and the null constraints for operators where at least two of the three purported signals map onto a common space in the DM mass--scattering cross-section plane. Taking a choice of the scintillation efficiency that lies at the $-1 \sigma$ region of the Manzur et al measurement relieves tension between signals and the LUX constraint---in particular for a magnetic dipole interaction and a xenophobic interaction (though for the latter the signal regions do not substantially overlap). We also find that modest changes in the halo model does not alter this result. We conclude that, even relaxing the assumption about the type of elastic scattering interaction and taking a conservative choice for the scintillation efficiency, LUX and the results from other null experiments remain in tension with a light DM elastic scattering explanation of direct detection anomalies.