Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-stakes writing in an active-learning classroom needs focus and feedback to be effective

Abstract Evidence suggests that active engagement with material as it is being taught improves learning. In-class multiple choice questions are a common way to introduce active learning. Low-stakes writing is another. The author of this article provides evidence that using a content-based low-stakes writing prompt with immediate group feedback during the lecture improves test performance relative to a multiple choice question covering the same content. Students with low CGPAs performed better on the midterm with the intervention, while higher-CGPA students performed better on writing assignments. Adding a traditional unfocused one-minute exit ticket to a class already using in-class problem-solving had a small but negative effect on student learning. This suggests that content-focused low-stakes writing with immediate feedback complements problem-solving in an active classroom.
The Association between Mercury and Lead Exposure and Liver and Kidney Function in Pregnant Surinamese Women Enrolled in the Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) Environmental Epidemiologic Cohort Study

Exposure to mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) may have an effect on pregnant women. We assessed the effect of exposure to mercury and lead on liver and kidney functions in a subcohort of pregnant women who participated in the Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH)—Meki Tamara, study. From 400 women aged 16–46 living in rural, urban, and interior regions of Suriname, we measured blood mercury and blood lead levels. Creatinine, urea, and cystatin C were measured to assess kidney function, and aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were measured to assess liver function. Education, region, and ethnicity showed significant differences for both blood mercury and lead levels, which all had p-values < 0.001. Creatinine and urea were elevated with higher mercury blood levels. Our findings also suggest a relationship between high mercury blood levels and potential harmful effects on liver and kidney function.
Likelihood‐based procedures for threshold diagnostics and uncertainty in extreme value modelling

Summary. For extreme value modelling based on threshold techniques, a well‐documented issue is the sensitivity of inference from the model to the choice of threshold. The threshold above which we assume a non‐homogeneous Poisson process, or equivalently generalized Pareto representation, to be a reasonable approximation to the distribution is traditionally selected before analysis and subsequently treated as fixed and known. In doing so, the analyst cannot account for the subjective judgement that has already taken place before formal inference begins. We propose an asymptotically motivated model to account for uncertainty in choice of threshold, under assumptions generated by a penultimate form of extreme value theory. To assess the sensitivity of the conclusions to these assumptions, we additionally present a purely likelihood‐based diagnostic for the choice of threshold, developing a non‐standard likelihood ratio test which supplements the current suite of tools. We show that the likelihood ratio procedure quantifies evidence derived from traditional threshold diagnostic plots, and that the full model for threshold uncertainty identifies the same features as the diagnostic. We apply our procedures to both simulated data, and a data set of flow rates from the River Nidd.
Load Effect of Automated Truck Platooning on Highway Bridges and Loading Strategy

Automated truck platooning (ATP) has gained growing attention due to its advantage in reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions. However, it poses serious challenges to highway bridges due to the load effect of multiple closely spaced heavy-duty trucks on the bridge. In China, ATP also has great application prospects in the massive and ever-increasing highway freight market. Therefore, the load effects of ATP on bridges need to be thoroughly investigated. In this study, typical Chinese highway bridges and trucks were adopted. ATP load models were designed according to the current Chinese road traffic regulations. The load effects of ATP on highway bridges were calculated using the influence line method and evaluated based on the Chinese bridge design specifications. Results show that the load effect of ATP on bridges increases with the increase in the gross vehicle mass and the truck platooning size but decreases with the increasing inter-truck spacing and the critical wheelbase. The Grade-I (best quality standard) highway bridges are generally capable of withstanding the ATP loads, while caution should be exercised for other bridges. Strategies for preventing serious adverse impacts of ATP load on highway bridges are proposed.
VARIATIONS OF MID- AND FAR-INFRARED LUMINOSITIES AMONG EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES: RELATION TO STELLAR METALLICITY AND COLD DUST

The Hubble morphological sequence from early to late galaxies corresponds to an increasing rate of specific star formation. The Hubble sequence also follows a banana-shaped correlation between 24 and 70 μm luminosities, both normalized with the K-band luminosity. We show that this correlation is significantly tightened if galaxies with central active galactic nucleus (AGN) emission are removed, but the cosmic scatter of elliptical galaxies in both 24 and 70 μm luminosities remains significant along the correlation. We find that the 24 μm variation among ellipticals correlates with stellar metallicity, reflecting emission from hot dust in winds from asymptotic giant branch stars of varying metallicity. Infrared surface brightness variations in elliptical galaxies indicate that the K − 24 color profile is U-shaped for reasons that are unclear. In some elliptical galaxies, cold interstellar dust emitting at 70 and 160 μm may arise from recent gas-rich mergers. However, we argue that most of the large range of 70 μm luminosity in elliptical galaxies is due to dust transported from galactic cores by feedback events in (currently IR-quiet) AGNs. Cooler dusty gas naturally accumulates in the cores of elliptical galaxies due to dust-cooled local stellar mass loss and may accrete onto the central black hole, releasing energy. AGN-heated gas can transport dust in cores 5–10 kpc out into the hot gas atmospheres where it radiates extended 70 μm emission but is eventually destroyed by sputtering. This, and some modest star formation, defines a cycle of dust creation and destruction. Elliptical galaxies evidently undergo large transient excursions in the banana plot in times comparable to the sputtering time or AGN duty cycle, 10 Myr. Normally regarded as passive, elliptical galaxies are the most active galaxies in the IR color–color correlation.
Multi-Similarity Loss With General Pair Weighting for Deep Metric Learning

A family of loss functions built on pair-based computation have been proposed in the literature which provide a myriad of solutions for deep metric learning. In this pa-per, we provide a general weighting framework for under-standing recent pair-based loss functions. Our contributions are three-fold: (1) we establish a General Pair Weighting (GPW) framework, which casts the sampling problem of deep metric learning into a unified view of pair weighting through gradient analysis, providing a powerful tool for understanding recent pair-based loss functions; (2) we show that with GPW, various existing pair-based methods can be compared and discussed comprehensively, with clear differences and key limitations identified; (3) we propose a new loss called multi-similarity loss (MS loss) under the GPW,which is implemented in two iterative steps (i.e., mining and weighting). This allows it to fully consider three similarities for pair weighting, providing a more principled approach for collecting and weighting informative pairs. Finally, the proposed MS loss obtains new state-of-the-art performance on four image retrieval benchmarks, where it outperforms the most recent approaches, such as ABE[14] and HTL[4], by a large margin, e.g.,60.6%→65.7%on CUB200,and 80.9%→88.0%on In-Shop Clothes Retrieval datasetat Recall@1.
A HIGH-RESOLUTION MULTIBAND SURVEY OF WESTERLUND 2 WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. II. MASS ACCRETION IN THE PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE POPULATION

We present a detailed analysis of the pre-main-sequence (PMS) population of the young star cluster Westerlund 2 (Wd2), the central ionizing cluster of the H ii region RCW 49, using data from a high-resolution multiband survey with the Hubble Space Telescope. The data were acquired with the Advanced Camera for Surveys in the F555W, F814W, and F658N filters and with the Wide Field Camera 3 in the F125W, F160W, and F128N filters. We find a mean age of the region of 1.04 ± 0.72 Myr. The combination of dereddened F555W and F814W photometry in combination with F658N photometry allows us to study and identify stars with Hα excess emission. With a careful selection of 240 bona-fide PMS Hα excess emitters we were able to determine their Hα luminosity, which has a mean value . Using the PARSEC 1.2S isochrones to obtain the stellar parameters of the PMS stars, we determined a mean mass accretion rate per star. A careful analysis of the spatial dependence of the mass accretion rate suggests that this rate is ∼25% lower in the center of the two density peaks of Wd2 in close proximity to the luminous OB stars, compared to the Wd2 average. This rate is higher with increasing distance from the OB stars, indicating that the PMS accretion disks are being rapidly destroyed by the far-ultraviolet radiation emitted by the OB population.
A hybrid model of GeV–TeV gamma ray emission from the Galactic center

The observations of high energy gamma-ray emission from the Galactic center (GC) by HESS, and recently by Fermi, suggest cosmic ray acceleration in the GC and possibly around the supermassive black hole. In this work we propose a lepton-hadron hybrid model to simultaneously explain the GeV-TeV gamma-ray emission. Both electrons and hadronic cosmic rays were accelerated during the previous activity of the GC. These particles would then diffuse outwards and interact with the interstellar gas and background radiation field. The collisions between hadronic cosmic rays with gas are responsible for the TeV gamma-ray emission detected by HESS. With fast cooling in the strong radiation field, the electrons would cool down and radiate GeV photons through inverse Compton scattering off the soft background photons. This scenario provides a natural explanation for the observed GeV-TeV spectral shape of gamma-ray.
Theoretical and experimental activities on opacities for a good interpretation of seismic stellar probes

Opacity calculations are basic ingredients of stellar modelling. They play a crucial role in the interpretation of acoustic modes detected by SoHO, COROT and KEPLER. In this review we present our activities on both theoretical and experimental sides. We show new calculations of opacity spectra and comparisons between eight groups who produce opacity spectra calculations in the domain where experiments are scheduled. Real differences are noticed with real astrophysical consequences when one extends helioseismology to cluster studies of different compositions. Two cases are considered presently: (1) the solar radiative zone and (2) the beta Cephei envelops. We describe how our experiments are performed and new preliminary results on nickel obtained in the campaign 2010 at LULI 2000 at Polytechnique.
A KINEMATIC DISTANCE STUDY OF THE PLANETARY NEBULAE–SUPERNOVA REMNANT–H ii REGION COMPLEX AT G35.6−0.5

Two possible planetary nebulae (PN G035.5−00.4 and IRAS 18551+0159), one newly re-identified supernova remnant (SNR G35.6−0.4), and one H ii region (G35.6−0.5) form a line-of-sight-overlapping complex known as G35.6−0.5. We analyze 21 cm H i absorption spectra toward the complex to constrain the kinematic distances of these objects. PN G035.5−00.4 has a distance from 3.8 ± 0.4 kpc to 5.4 ± 0.7 kpc. IRAS 18551+0159 is at 4.3 ± 0.5 kpc. We discuss the distance for SNR 35.6−0.4, for which the previous estimate was 10.5 kpc, and find a plausible distance of 3.6 ± 0.4 kpc. The new distance of SNR G35.6−0.4 and the derived mass for the ∼55 km s−1 CO molecular cloud can accommodate an association with HESS J1858+020. We also conclude that SNR G35.6−0.4 is unlikely to be associated with PSR J1857+0210 or PSR J1857+0212, which are projected onto the SNR area.
Behavior of N-doped TiO2 and N-doped ZnO in Photocatalytic Azo Dye Degradation under UV and Visible Light Irradiation: A Preliminary Investigation

N-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2) and N-doped ZnO (N-ZnO) were synthesized utilizing ammonia as a dopant source. The chemico-physical characteristics of synthesized samples were studied by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, SEM analysis, N2 adsorption–desorption at −196 °C, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Compared to undoped samples, the introduction of nitrogen in the semiconductor lattice resulted in a shift of band-gap energy to a lower value: 3.0 eV for N-ZnO and 2.35 eV for N-TiO2. The photocatalysts were tested for the degradation of Eriochrome Black T (EBT), which was selected as a model azo dye. Both N-doped semiconductors evidenced an improvement in photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation (62% and 20% EBT discoloration for N-TiO2 and N-ZnO, respectively) in comparison with the undoped samples, which were inactive in the presence of visible light. Different behavior was observed under UV irradiation. Whereas N-TiO2 was more photoactive than commercial undoped TiO2, the introduction of nitrogen in ZnO wurtzite resulted in a drastic reduction in photocatalytic activity, with only 45% EBT discoloration compared to total color removal obtained with the commercial ZnO sample, suggesting intrinsic limitations for doping of this class of semiconductors.
The Importance of Toll-like Receptor 9 Expression on Monocytes and Dendritic Cells in the Context of Epstein–Barr Virus Infection in the Immunopathogenesis of Primary Glomerulonephritis

Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is activated by unmethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanosine (CpG) dinucleotides found in the genomes of pathogens such as Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). The aim of this study was to determine the role of TLR9 in the immunopathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) in the context of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. For this purpose, the frequency of TLR9-positive monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs, i.e., BDCA-1; myeloid dendritic cells, and BDCA-2; plasmocytoid dendritic cells) was studied, and a quantitative analysis of the concentration of TLR9 in the serum of patients diagnosed with IgAN and MPGN was undertaken. Higher frequencies of TLR9-positive DCs and monocytes in IgAN and MPGN patients were observed as compared with the control group. Patients diagnosed with GN exhibited a higher percentage of BDCA-1+CD19− and BDCA-2+CD123+ DCs than patients in the control group. Moreover, serum TLR9 concentration was shown to be significantly correlated with EBV DNA copy number/µg DNA, IgG, IgM, serum albumin, total protein in 24-h urine collection test and the frequency of BDCA-2+CD123+ DCs in peripheral blood. Our findings confirm that TLR9 may be involved in the development of IgAN and MPGN.
The K-theory of abelian subalgebras of AF algebras.

The typical abelian, unital C*-algebra is C(JSQ, that is, the star-algebra of continuous, complex-valued functions on a compact Hausdorff space X, (with pointwise operations f*(x) = f(x\ fg(x) =f(x)g(x)9 etc.). Thus, when dealing with C*-algebras, one often turns for Inspiration to topology. For example, the -theory groups KQ(A) and Ki(A), defined for any C*-algebra A9 are designed so that Kt(C(X)) ^ K(X).
Dry-Season Soil and Co-Cultivated Host Plants Enhanced Propagation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Spores from Sand Dune Vegetation in Trap Culture

The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as biofertilizer in agriculture is a sustainable approach to fertilization. The first step in the production of AMF biofertilizer is inoculation of mycotrophic plants with a composite of soil and native plant roots, containing potentially viable AMF spores from natural habitats, to a trap culture. A single host plant or a consortium of host plants can be used to propagate AMF spores. However, the difference in the comparative efficiency of mono- and co-cultivated host plants used for the production of AMF spores and the maintenance of original AMF community composition has not been well elucidated. Here, we prepared trap culture with nutrient-poor soil from coastal sand dune vegetation collected during the dry season when the AMF spore density and relative abundance of Glomeromycota ITS2 sequences were significantly higher (p = <0.05) than in the wet season. The AMF communities in the soil were mainly composed of Glomus spp. Maize (Zea mays L.) and/or Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.). Moench) were grown in trap cultures in the greenhouse. Our results demonstrated that co-cultivation of the host plants increased the production of AMF spores but, compared to mono-cultivation of host plants, did not better sustain the native AMF community compositions in the coastal sand dune soil. We propose that the co-cultivation of host plants in a trap culture broadens AMF-host plant compatibilities and thus sustains the symbiotic association of the natively diverse AMF. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that further research is needed to confirm whether the co-culturing of more than one host plant is as efficient a strategy as using a monoculture of a single host plant.
Impact of Vitamin D Elements and Osteoporosis Factors in Postmenopausal Iraqi Women with T2DM

Osteoporosis is a systematic bone disorder characterized by bone mass loss and bone tissue architectural degeneration. The incidence of osteoporosis in women increases with age, reflecting the considerable increase in bone loss rate in postmenopausal women once estrogen loses its protective influence. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of Osteocalcin, Vitamin D, and other parameters that influence bone quality and increased bone fragility in postmenopausal Iraqi women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The levels of vitamin D receptor and vitamin D binding protein in serum are studied for the first time in our study. The present study included 89 postmenopausal women aged 50-70 years old, 62 T2DM patients, and 27 controls. Ten of the T2DM patients were considered osteoporotic, 28 were considered osteopenia, and 22 were normal; this classification is according to the WHO criterion. After matching for body mass index (BMI) and age for patients and controls, results show a significant difference in serum Osteocalcin, vitamin D, and vitamin D binding protein levels in patients compared to controls. In our study, diabetic patients appear with high levels of Osteocalcin, vit.D, and vitamin D binding protein compared with non-diabetic control. The processes underlying diabetes mellitus-induced skeletal problems are unknown. Anti-diabetic medications might have an adverse or favorable effect on bone metabolism. The study concludes that managing skeletal health in postmenopausal women entails screening fracture risk factors, lowering modifiable risk variables through dietary and lifestyle modifications, and using a pharmacologic treatment for individuals at high risk of osteoporosis or fracture. Women with osteoporosis must be managed for the rest of their lives.
THE CORES OF THE Fe Kα LINES IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: AN EXTENDED CHANDRA HIGH ENERGY GRATING SAMPLE

We extend the study of the core of the Fe Kα emission line at ∼6.4 keV in Seyfert galaxies reported by Yaqoob & Padmanabhan using a larger sample observed by the Chandra high-energy grating (HEG). The sample consists of 82 observations of 36 unique sources with z < 0.3. Whilst heavily obscured active galactic nuclei are excluded from the sample, these data offer some of the highest precision measurements of the peak energy of the Fe Kα line, and the highest spectral resolution measurements of the width of the core of the line in unobscured and moderately obscured (NH < 1023 cm−2) Seyfert galaxies to date. From an empirical and uniform analysis, we present measurements of the Fe Kα line centroid energy, flux, equivalent width (EW), and intrinsic width (FWHM). The Fe Kα line is detected in 33 sources, and its centroid energy is constrained in 32 sources. In 27 sources, the statistical quality of the data is good enough to yield measurements of the FWHM. We find that the distribution in the line centroid energy is strongly peaked around the value for neutral Fe, with over 80% of the observations giving values in the range 6.38–6.43 keV. Including statistical errors, 30 out of 32 sources (∼94%) have a line centroid energy in the range 6.35–6.47 keV. The mean EW, among the observations in which a non-zero lower limit could be measured, was 53 ± 3 eV. The mean FWHM from the subsample of 27 sources was 2060 ± 230 km s−1. The mean EW and FWHM are somewhat higher when multiple observations for a given source are averaged. From a comparison with the Hβ optical emission-line widths (or, for one source, Brα), we find that there is no universal location of the Fe Kα line-emitting region relative to the optical broad-line region (BLR). In general, a given source may have contributions to the Fe Kα line flux from parsec-scale distances from the putative black hole, down to matter a factor ∼2 closer to the black hole than the BLR. We confirm the presence of the X-ray Baldwin effect, an anti-correlation between the Fe Kα line EW and X-ray continuum luminosity. The HEG data have enabled isolation of this effect to the narrow core of the Fe Kα line.
An optimal survey geometry of weak lensing survey: minimizing supersample covariance

Upcoming wide-area weak lensing surveys are expensive both in time and cost and require an optimal survey design in order to attain maximum scientific returns from a fixed amount of available telescope time. The super-sample covariance (SSC), which arises from unobservable modes that are larger than the survey size, significantly degrades the statistical precision of weak lensing power spectrum measurement even for a wide-area survey. Using the 1000 mock realizations of the log-normal model, which approximates the weak lensing field for a $\Lambda$-dominated cold dark matter model, we study an optimal survey geometry to minimize the impact of SSC contamination. For a continuous survey geometry with a fixed survey area, a more elongated geometry such as a rectangular shape of 1:400 side-length ratio reduces the SSC effect and allows for a factor 2 improvement in the cumulative signal-to-noise ratio ($S/N$) of power spectrum measurement up to $\ell_{\rm max}\simeq $ a few $10^3$, compared to compact geometries such as squares or circles. When we allow the survey geometry to be disconnected but with a fixed total area, assuming $1\times 1$ sq. degrees patches as the fundamental building blocks of survey footprints, the best strategy is to locate the patches with $\sim 15$ degrees separation. This separation angle corresponds to the scale at which the two-point correlation function has a negative minimum. The best configuration allows for a factor 100 gain in the effective area coverage as well as a factor 2.5 improvement in the $S/N$ at high multipoles, yielding a much wider coverage of multipoles than in the compact geometry.