Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring early childhood educators’ time at work using an electronic random time-sampling approach

ABSTRACT Despite the acknowledged complexity of early childhood educators’ work, little is documented about how early childhood educators actually spend their time at work. A typical way of studying time at work is through the use of time-use diaries. Recent developments have shown the benefits of using randomized sampling electronic time-use diaries. This paper reports on the development and useability testing of a random time sampling (RTS) time-use smart-phone application to capture the work of educators, the first time such a method has been used in early childhood settings. Descriptive analyses were conducted of time use data collected from 20 Australian early childhood educators. Seventeen went on to participate in follow-up focus groups / interviews, which were thematically analysed. The paper demonstrates the capacity of RTS apps to gather accurate and useful data about educators’ work, and points to the acceptability of this method to educators, and its manageability within early childhood settings. Limitations of the method, including, participant buy-in, design and technical requirements, and cost, are also highlighted.
A Molecular Electron Density Theory Study of the [3+2] Cycloaddition Reaction of an Azomethine Ylide with an Electrophilic Ethylene Linked to Triazole and Ferrocene Units

The [3+2] cycloaddition (32CA) reaction of an azomethine ylide (AY) with an electrophilic ethylene linked to triazole and ferrocene units has been studied within the Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT) at the ωB97X-D/6-311G(d,p) level. The topology of the electron localization function (ELF) of this AY allows classifying it as a pseudo(mono)radical species characterized by the presence of two monosynaptic basins, integrating a total of 0.76 e, at the C1 carbon. While the ferrocene ethylene has a strong electrophilic character, the AY is a supernucleophile, suggesting that the corresponding 32CA reaction has a high polar character and a low activation energy. The most favorable ortho/endo reaction path presents an activation enthalpy of 8.7 kcal·mol−1, with the 32CA reaction being exergonic by −42.1 kcal·mol−1. This reaction presents a total endo stereoselectivity and a total ortho regioselectivity. Analysis of the global electron density transfer (GEDT) at the most favorable TS-on (0.23 e) accounts for the high polar character of this 32CA reaction, classified as forward electron density flux (FEDF). The formation of two intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the two interacting frameworks at the most favorable TS-on accounts for the unexpected ortho regioselectivity experimentally observed.
Synthesis of Optically and Redox Active Polyenaminones from Diamines and α,α’-Bis[(dimethylamino)methylidene]cyclohexanediones

New oligo- and polyenaminones with Mw ~ 7–50 KDa were prepared in high yields by transaminative amino-enaminone polymerization of regioisomeric bis[(dimethylamino)methylidene]cyclohexanediones with alkylene and phenylenediamines. The polymers obtained are practically insoluble in aqueous and organic solvents and exhibit film-forming properties, UV light absorption at wavelengths below 500 nm, and redox activity. These properties indicate a promising application potential of these polymers, which could find use in optical and optoelectronic applications and in energy storage devices.
Paramutation-like Epigenetic Conversion by piRNA at the Telomere of Drosophila virilis

Simple Summary Paramutation is an epigenetic phenomenon in which one allele triggers an epigenetic conversion of another allele. How paramutation occurs is poorly understood, but it frequently involves small RNAs that can silence an alternate allele in trans. In one well-known case in Drosophila, small RNAs known as piRNAs mediate paramutation. In this paper, we describe a novel system of epigenetic conversion in Drosophila virilis that demonstrates paramutation-like behavior. This occurs at the telomere, where retrotransposon arrays are known to be regulated by piRNAs. This paramutation-like behavior demonstrates that the unique properties of the Drosophila telomere may play a role in triggering epigenetic conversion in trans. This system promises to reveal new mechanisms that underlie paramutation-like behavior. Abstract First discovered in maize, paramutation is a phenomenon in which one allele can trigger an epigenetic conversion of an alternate allele. This conversion causes a genetically heterozygous individual to transmit alleles that are functionally the same, in apparent violation of Mendelian segregation. Studies over the past several decades have revealed a strong connection between mechanisms of genome defense against transposable elements by small RNA and the phenomenon of paramutation. For example, a system of paramutation in Drosophila melanogaster has been shown to be mediated by piRNAs, whose primary function is to silence transposable elements in the germline. In this paper, we characterize a second system of piRNA-mediated paramutation-like behavior at the telomere of Drosophila virilis. In Drosophila, telomeres are maintained by arrays of retrotransposons that are regulated by piRNAs. As a result, the telomere and sub-telomeric regions of the chromosome have unique regulatory and chromatin properties. Previous studies have shown that maternally deposited piRNAs derived from a sub-telomeric piRNA cluster can silence the sub-telomeric center divider gene of Drosophila virilis in trans. In this paper, we show that this silencing can also be maintained in the absence of the original silencing allele in a subsequent generation. The precise mechanism of this paramutation-like behavior may be explained by either the production of retrotransposon piRNAs that differ across strains or structural differences in the telomere. Altogether, these results show that the capacity for piRNAs to mediate paramutation in trans may depend on the local chromatin environment and proximity to the uniquely structured telomere regulated by piRNAs. This system promises to provide significant insights into the mechanisms of paramutation.
On the absence of nova shells

ABSTRACT We present our wide ﬁeld Hα+N[II] observations of 15 cataclysmic variables to searchfor remnant nova shells. Such shells have been found around other cataclysmic vari-ables that were hitherto not known as novae. Our candidates were selected as objectsin the period regime of high-mass transfer systems that experience - at least occasion-ally - low mass transfer rates. The fact that we ﬁnd no indication of a nova shell inany of these systems allows us to set a lower limit of 13000 years to the recurrencetime of these objects.Key words: stars: novae, cataclysmic variables 1 INTRODUCTIONA nova eruption in a cataclysmic variable (CV) is a ther-monuclear explosion on the surface of the white-dwarf pri-mary once it has accreted a critical mass from its late-typecompanion. During the nova eruption, material is ejectedinto the interstellar medium, forming an expanding shellaround the CV which can be observed once its angular sizeis suﬃciently large to be resolvable from the inner binary(see e.g. Gill & O’Brien 1998). The total ejected mass is es-timated between 10
Functional Diversity and CO2 Emission Characteristics of Soil Bacteria during the Succession of Halophyte Vegetation in the Yellow River Delta

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, which is mainly derived from microbial respiration in soil. Soil bacteria are an important part of the soil ecosystem and play an important role in the process of plant growth, mineralization, and decomposition of organic matter. In this paper, we discuss a laboratory incubation experiment that we conducted to investigate the CO2 emissions and the underlying bacterial communities under the natural succession of halophyte vegetation in the Yellow River Delta by using high-throughput sequencing technology and PICRUSt functional prediction. The results showed that the bacterial abundance and diversity increased significantly along with the succession of halophyte vegetation. Metabolic function is the dominant function of soil bacteria in the study area. With the succession of halophyte vegetation, the rate of CO2 emissions gradually increased, and were significantly higher in soil covered with vegetation than that of the bare land without vegetation coverage. These results helped to better understand the relationships of soil bacterial communities under the background of halophyte vegetation succession, which can help to make efficient strategies to mitigate CO2 emissions and enhance carbon sequestration.
Developing Children’s Creativity and Social-Emotional Competencies through Play: Summary of Twenty Years of Findings of the Evidence-Based Interventions “Game Program”

This work presents the results of four cooperative-creative game programs (Game Programs). In all four studies, experimental designs with repeated pretest-posttest measures and control groups were used. Validation samples ranged from 86 to 178 participants, randomly assigning participants to the experimental and control conditions. Before and after each program, a battery of assessment instruments was applied to measure the variables under study. The intervention consists of conducting a weekly game session during the school year. The results of the posttest covariance analyses confirmed a significant impact: (1) in social development, by increasing various positive social behaviors and decreasing many negative social behaviors; by increasing assertive cognitive strategies and prosocial resolution of interpersonal problems; and by enhancing relationships and positive communication among group members; (2) in emotional development, by improving self-concept, peer image, and emotional stability; and (3) in cognitive development, by increasing verbal intelligence, verbal and graphic-figurative creativity, as well as creative personality behaviors and traits. This work provides empirical evidence of the relevance of cooperative-creative play in child development.
Thermal, Mechanical, and Morphological Characterisations of Graphene Nanoplatelet/Graphene Oxide/High-Hard-Segment Polyurethane Nanocomposite: A Comparative Study

The current work investigates the effect of the addition of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and graphene oxide (GO) to high hard-segment polyurethane (75% HS) on its thermal, morphological, and mechanical properties. Polyurethane (PU) and its nanocomposites were prepared with different ratios of GNP and GO (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 wt.%). A thermal stability analysis demonstrated an enhancement in the thermal stability of PU with GNP and GO incorporated compared to pure PU. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) showed that both GNP and GO act as heterogeneous nucleation agents within a PU matrix, leading to an increase in the crystallinity of PU. The uniform dispersion and distribution of GNP and GO flakes in the PU matrix were confirmed by SEM and TEM. In terms of the mechanical properties of the PU nanocomposites, it was found that the interaction between PU and GO was better than that of GNP due to the functional groups on the GO’s surface. This leads to a significant increase in tensile strength for 0.5 wt. % GNP and GO compared with pure PU. This can be attributed to interfacial interaction between the GO and PU chains, resulting in an improvement in stress transferring from the matrix to the filler and vice versa. This work sheds light on the understanding of the interactions between graphene-based fillers and their influence on the mechanical properties of PU nanocomposites.
Galaxy triplets in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 - III. Analysis of Configuration and Dynamics

We analyse the spatial configuration and the dynamical prope rties of a sample of 92 galaxy triplets obtained from the SDSS-DR7 (SDSS-triplets) restricted to have members with spectroscopic redshifts in the range 0.01 6 z 6 0.14 and absolute r-band luminosities brighter than Mr = 20.5. The configuration analysis was performed through Agekyan & Anosova map (AA-map). We estimated dynamical parameters, namely the radius of the system, the velocity dispersion, a dimensionless crossing-time and the virial mass. We compared our results with those obtained for a sample of triplets from the catalogue “Isolated Triplets of Galaxies” (K-triplets) and a sample of Compact Groups. We have also studied a mock catalogue in order to compare real and projected configurations, and to estimate the three dimensional dynamical parameters of the triple systems. We found that the SDSS-triplets prefer alignment configurations while K-triplets present an uniform distrib ution in the AA-map. From the dynamical analysis we conclude that the SDSS-triplets, K-triplets and Compact Groups present a similar behaviour comprising compact systems with low crossing-time values, with velocity dispersions and virial masses similar to those of low mass loose groups. Moreover, we found that observed and simulated triplets present similar dynamical parameters. We also performed an analysis of the dark matter content of galaxy triplets find ing that member galaxies of mock triplets belong to the same dark matter halo, showing a dynamical co-evolution of the system. These results suggest that the configuration and dynamics of triple systems favour galaxy interactions and mergers.
Convolution/deconvolution of generalized Gaussian kernels with applications to proton/photon physics and electron capture of charged particles

Scatter processes of photons lead to blurring of images produced by CT (computed tomography) or CBCT (cone beam computed tomography) in the KV domain or portal imaging in the MV domain (KV: kilovolt age, MV: megavoltage). Multiple scatter is described by, at least, one Gaussian kernel. In various situations, this approximation is crude, and we need two/three Gaussian kernels to account for the long-range tails (Landau tails), which appear in the Moli\`ere scatter of protons, energy straggling and electron capture of charged particles passing through matter and Compton scatter of photons. The ideal image (source function) is subjected to Gaussian convolutions to yield a blurred image recorded by a detector array. The inverse problem is to obtain the ideal source image from measured image. Deconvolution methods of linear combinations of two/three Gaussian kernels with different parameters s0, s1, s2 can be derived via an inhomogeneous Fredholm integral equation of second kind (IFIE2) and Liouville - Neumann series (LNS) to provide the source function {\rho}. The determination of scatter parameter functions s0, s1, s2 can be best determined by Monte-Carlo simulations. A particular advantage of this procedure is given, if the scatter functions s0, s1, s2 are not constant and depend on coordinates. This fact implies that the scatter functions can be calibrated according to the electron density {\rho}electron provided by image reconstructions. The convergence criterion of LNS can always be satisfied with regard to the above mentioned cases. A generalization of the present theory is given by an analysis of convolution problems based on the Dirac equation and Fermi-Dirac statistics leading to Landau tails. This generalization is applied to Bethe-Bloch equation (BBE) of charged particles to analyze electron capture. The methodology can readily be extended to other disciplines of physics.
A Frequency-Controlled Wide-Angle Scanning Antenna Based on Spoof Surface Plasmon Polariton

A frequency-controlled wide-angle scanning antenna based on spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) is proposed. The SSPP is constructed by an array of U-shaped metal blocks, and a periodic array of open-loops shorted to the ground is placed above the SSPP as the radiating elements. Because of the SSPP and the open-loop radiators, the antenna has superior radiation properties including wide-angle scanning range and low fluctuations of gain. The proposed antenna uses an all-metal structure, including the SSPP and the radiators. Measurement results show that the proposed antenna can achieve wide-angle scanning from −55° to 51° over a frequency range from 12.2 to 16.2 GHz with a gain fluctuation less than 2 dB. The average gain of the proposed antenna is 12.96 dBi and the total efficiency is more than 74.1% within the entire operating frequency band.
A PAndAS view of M31 dwarf elliptical satellites: NGC 147 and NGC 185

© 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. We exploit data from the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS) to study the extended structures of M31's dwarf elliptical companions, NGC 147 and NGC 185. Our wide-field, homogeneous photometry allows us to construct deep colour-magnitude diagrams which reach down to ~3 mag below the red giant branch (RGB) tip. We trace the stellar components of the galaxies to surface brightness of μg~ 32 mag arcsec-2and show that they have much larger extents (~5 kpc radii) than previously recognized. While NGC 185 retains a regular shape in its peripheral regions, NGC 147 exhibits pronounced isophotal twisting due to the emergence of symmetric tidal tails. We fit single Sersic models to composite surface brightness profiles constructed from diffuse light and star counts and find that NGC 147 has an effective radius almost three times that of NGC 185. In both cases, the effective radii that we calculate are larger by a factor of ~2 compared to most literature values.We also calculate revised total magnitudes of Mg= -15.36 ± 0.04 for NGC 185 and Mg= -16.36 ± 0.04 for NGC 147. Using photometric metallicities computed for RGB stars, we find NGC 185 to exhibit a metallicity gradient of [Fe/H]~-0.15 dex kpc-1over the radial range 0.125-0.5 deg. On the other hand, NGC 147 exhibits almost no metallicity gradient, ~-0.02 dex kpc-1from 0.2 to 0.6 deg. The differences in the structure and stellar populations in the outskirts of these systems suggest that tidal influences have played an important role in governing the evolution of NGC 147.
Analysis of the Possibility of Using Cenospheres in the Production of Cement Mortars for Use in an Elevated Temperature Environment

The topic of research included in this article was the evaluation of the influence of cenospheres on selected parameters of mortar cement. Samples were designed as CEM I 42.5 R Portland cement with the application of different additive amounts. In the experimental work, the consistency, compressive strength, and bending strength were tested after 28 and 56 days of maturation, and after heating temperatures of 20, 300, 500, and 700 °C. The compressive strength was tested on half beams (40 × 40 × 160 mm). Using the obtained results, the properties of the mortars were compared. The research confirmed the possibility of producing cenosphere-modified cement mortars. Cenospheres used in the preparation of cement mortar negatively affected the bending and compressive strength with increasing temperature (20, 300, 500, 700 °C) and increasing content of this additive (10, 20, 30%).
Next to leading order spin(1)spin(1) effects in the motion of inspiralling compact binaries

Using effective field theory techniques we compute the next to leading order Spin(1)Spin(1) terms in the potential of spinning compact objects at third post-Newtonian (PN) order, including subleading self-induced finite size effects. This result represents the last ingredient to complete the relevant spin potentials to 3PN order from which the equations of motion follow via a canonical formalism. As an example we include the precession equation.
The Geometrical Language of Continuum Mechanics

Part I. Motivation and Background: 1. The case for differential geometry 2. Vector and affine spaces 3. Tensor algebras and multivectors Part II. Differential Geometry: 4. Differentiable manifolds 5. Lie derivatives, lie groups, lie algebras 6. Integration and fluxes Part III. Further Topics: 7. Fibre bundles 8. Inhomogeneity theory 9. Connection, curvature, torsion Appendix A. A primer in continuum mechanics.
Logarithmic Forms and Diophantine Geometry

Preface. 1. Transcendence origins 2. Logarithmic forms 3. Diophantine problems 4. Commutative algebraic groups 5. Multiplicity estimates 6. The analytic subgroup theorem 7. The quantitative theory 8. Further aspects of Diophantine geometry Bibliography Index.
Viscous boundary layer properties in turbulent thermal convection in a cylindrical cell: the effect of cell tilting

Abstract We report an experimental study of the properties of the velocity boundary layer in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a cylindrical cell. The measurements were made at Rayleigh numbers $\mathit{Ra}$ in the range $2. 4\times 1{0}^{8} \lt \mathit{Ra}\lt 5. 6\times 1{0}^{9} $ and were conducted with the convection cell tilted with an angle $\theta $ relative to gravity, at $\theta = 0. 5, 1. 0, 2. 0$ and $3. {4}^{\circ } $ , respectively. The fluid was water with Prandtl number $\mathit{Pr}= 5. 3$ . It is found that at small tilt angles ( $\theta \leq {1}^{\circ } $ ), the measured viscous boundary layer thickness ${\delta }_{v} $ scales with the Reynolds number $\mathit{Re}$ with an exponent close to that for a Prandtl–Blasius (PB) laminar boundary layer, i.e. ${\delta }_{v} \sim {\mathit{Re}}^{- 0. 46\pm 0. 03} $ . For larger tilt angles, the scaling exponent of ${\delta }_{v} $ with $\mathit{Re}$ decreases with $\theta $ . The normalized mean horizontal velocity profiles measured at the same tilt angle but with different $\mathit{Ra}$ are found to have an invariant shape. However, for different tilt angles, the shape of the normalized profiles is different. It is also found that the Reynolds number $\mathit{Re}$ based on the maximum mean horizontal velocity scales with $\mathit{Ra}$ as $\mathit{Re}\sim {\mathit{Ra}}^{0. 43} $ and the Reynolds number ${\mathit{Re}}_{\sigma } $ based on the maximum root mean square velocity scales with $\mathit{Ra}$ as ${\mathit{Re}}_{\sigma } \sim {\mathit{Ra}}^{0. 55} $ . Within the measurement resolution neither exponent depends on the tilt angle $\theta $ . Several wall quantities are also measured directly and their dependencies on $\mathit{Re}$ are found to agree well with those predicted for a classical laminar boundary layer. These are the wall shear stress $\tau $ ( ${\sim }{\mathit{Re}}^{1. 46} $ ), the viscous sublayer ${\delta }_{w} $ ( ${\sim }{\mathit{Re}}^{0. 75} $ ), the friction velocity ${u}_{\tau } $ ( ${\sim }{\mathit{Re}}^{- 0. 86} $ ) and the skin friction coefficient ${c}_{f} $ ( ${\sim }{\mathit{Re}}^{- 0. 46} $ ). Again, all of these near-wall quantities do not exhibit a dependence on the tilt angle within the measurement resolution. We also examined the dynamical scaling method proposed by Zhou and Xia (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 104, 2010, p. 104301) and found that in both the laboratory and the dynamical frames the mean velocity profiles show deviations from the theoretical PB profile, with the deviations increasing with $\mathit{Ra}$ . However, profiles obtained from dynamical scaling in general have better agreement with the theoretical profile. It is also found that the effectiveness of this method appears to be independent of $\mathit{Ra}$ .