Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research on object placement method based on trajectory recognition in Metaverse

Many studies focus on only one aspect while placing objects in virtual reality environment, such as efficiency, accuracy or interactivity. However, striking a balance between these aspects and taking into account multiple indicators is important as it is the key to improving user experience. Therefore, this paper proposes an efficient and interactive object placement method for recognizing controller trajectory in virtual reality environment. For creating user-friendly feedback, we visualize the intersection of the ray and the scene by linking the controller motion information and the ray. The trajectory is abstracted as point-clouds for matching, and the corresponding object is instantiated at the center of the trajectory. To verify the interactive performance and user satisfaction with this method, we carry out a study on user experience. The results show that both the efficiency and interaction interest are improved by applying our new method, which provides a good idea for the interactive design of virtual reality layout applications.
PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF OCIMUM GRATISSIMUM ON MERCURY INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN ADULT WISTAR RATS

Ocimum gratissimum is one of the essential medicinal plants whose leafs are used in folk medicine for treatment of different diseases. The present study is amid at studying the hepatoprotective effects of Ocimum-gratissimum on mercury induced wistar rats. Twenty adult wistar rats weighing 200-3200g were used for the study and were allocated into four (4) groups of five animals each. Group A served as the control and received 0.5ml of distilled water orally; the experimental groups B, C, D received different doses of drugs; group B received 0.3ml of mercury, group C received 0.5ml of Ocimum-gratissimum while group D received 0.3ml of mercury in the first two weeks and 0.5ml of aqueous leaf extract of Ocimum-gratissimum for the last two weeks. The administration was done orally for twenty eight days (28). Twenty four hours after the last administration, animals were weighed, sacrificed under the influence of chloroform vapour and dissected. Liver tissues were harvested, weighed and trimmed down to a size of 3mm 3mm thick and fixed in 10% formalin for histological studies. The final body weight result showed significantly decrease in group B when compared with the experimental control group A while groups C and D increased significantly relative to the control group A. The relative organ weight result showed that group B animals had elevated weight when compared with the control group. The present study therefore suggests that consumption of aqueous leaf extract of Ocimum-gratissimum could be protective to the liver cells against mercury induced toxicity.
Motivation to longevity of mid-career private school teachers amidst turnover

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the motivation to longevity of mid-career basic education teachers in the private school amidst turnover. This study employed qualitative-phenomenological approach. In order to gather information-rich cases, purposeful sampling rather than random sampling was used. Participants for this study are chosen by criterion sampling. The criteria are as follows: they should be teachers who have taught for 8-23 years or the middle career teachers; (2) they should have rendered at least eight consecutive years in their current private school; and (3) they should be licensed professional teachers. Within the ranges of Creswell’s recommendation, the researchers interviewed for IDI seven participants from a basic education school and another five participants for the FGD from another sectarian institution situated in Davao City, Philippines. Ethical considerations were observed and the data gathered were analyzed thematically. Results revealed that their challenges as mid-career basic education teachers in the private school include finding balance in workloads, pupils’ behaviors and class preparation adjustments. Their coping mechanism is both personal and professional. Moreover, their experiences taught them that teaching is a rewarding profession despite its many challenges.
Competition and banks' financial performance in dual banking: Evidence from efficiency-adjusted market power

Purpose ― This paper examines banking competition's effect on Malaysia's financial performance from 2008–2020. This study investigates the relationship between banks' market competition and financial performance by examining banks' profits and risks. Further, this current study examines whether the association differs for Islamic banks. Methods ― The research studies Malaysia as a sample country and employs a data span from 2008-2020. In order to address omitted variable bias, simultaneity and endogeneity are avoided using a two-step GMM model. Findings ― Our results recommend that more competition inspires the banking sector to invest in risky ventures to offset the losses in revenues. Moreover, banking today is still based on basic banking operations like granting loans (or financing in Islamic banks), collecting deposits, and managing payment systems. Implication ― Since our findings show a negative effect of competition on the bank's financial performance, we suggest that competition lowers banks' profits and results in greater risk. It is suggested that regulators and policymakers develop the financial infrastructure in terms of controlled competition in banking and encourage banks to diversify their operations efficiently. We find no significant difference in the association between conventional and Islamic banking. Originality ― This research is the first to examine the effect of bank competition on the financial performance of a developed dual banking system using the efficiency-adjusted Lerner index.
Simultaneous multifrequency radio observations of the Galactic Centre magnetar SGR J1745-2900

We report on simultaneous observations of the magnetar SGR J1745-2900 at frequencies $\nu = 2.54$ to $225\,\rm{GHz}$ using the Nancay 94-m equivalent, Effelsberg 100-m, and IRAM 30-m radio telescopes. We detect SGR J1745-2900 up to 225 GHz, the highest radio frequency detection of pulsed emission from a neutron star to date. Strong single pulses are also observed from 4.85 up to 154 GHz. At the millimetre band we see significant flux density and spectral index variabilities on time scales of tens of minutes, plus variability between days at all frequencies. Additionally, SGR J1745-2900 was observed at a different epoch at frequencies 296 to 472 GHz using the APEX 12-m radio telescope, with no detections. Over the period MJD 56859.83-56862.93 the fitted spectrum yields a spectral index of $\left = -0.4 \pm 0.1$ for a reference flux density $\left = 1.1 \pm 0.2\rm{\,mJy}$ (with $S_{\nu} \propto {\nu}^{\alpha})$, a flat spectrum alike those of the other radio-loud magnetars. These results show that strongly magnetized neutron stars can be effective radio emitters at frequencies notably higher to what was previously known and that pulsar searches in the Galactic Centre are possible in the millimetre band.
A Preliminary Study of Microbiota Diversity in Saliva and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid from Patients with Primary Bronchogenic Carcinoma

Background The present study aimed to evaluate the difference in microbiota diversity in the oral cavity and fluid bronchoalveolar lavage (BALF) of patients with lung cancer. Material/Methods Buccal (saliva) and lower respiratory tract BALF samples were collected from 51 patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma and 15 healthy controls, and bacterial genomic DNA was extracted. High-throughput 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was performed, and microbial diversity, composition, and functions of microbiota were analyzed by bioinformatics methods. Results Patients with lung cancer have lower microbial diversity than healthy controls in both saliva and BALF samples. Significant segregation was observed between the different pathological types of lung cancer groups and the control group regardless of the sampling site. Treponema and Filifactor were identified as potential bacterial biomarkers in BALF samples, while Filifactor was ideal to distinguish healthy controls from lung cancer patients. Moreover, the predictive variation analysis of the KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) metabolic pathway showed that the metabolic differences in microbiota varied by sampling site. Conclusions Lung cancer patients carry a different and less diverse microorganism community than healthy controls. Certain bacterial taxa might be associated with lung cancer, but the exact species depends on the sampling site and the pathological type. This study provides basic data on the microbiota diversity in BALF and saliva samples from lung cancer patients. Further investigation with a larger sample size should help validate the enriched species in different pathological types of lung cancers.
Noise bias in weak lensing shape measurements

Weak lensing experiments are a powerful probe into cosmology through their measurement of the mass distribution of the universe. A challenge for this technique is to control systematic errors that occur when measuring the shapes of distant galaxies. In this paper, we investigate noise bias, a systematic error that arises from second-order noise terms in the shape measurement process. We first derive analytical expressions for the bias of general maximum-likelihood estimators in the presence of additive noise. We then find analytical expressions for a simplified toy model in which galaxies are modelled and fitted with a Gaussian with its size as a single free parameter. Even for this very simple case we find a significant effect. We also extend our analysis to a more realistic six-parameter elliptical Gaussian model. We find that the noise bias is generically of the order of the inverse-squared signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the galaxies and is thus of the order of a percent for galaxies of SNR 10, i.e. comparable to the weak lensing shear signal. This is nearly two orders of magnitude greater than the systematic requirements for future all-sky weak lensing surveys. We discuss possible ways to circumvent this effect, including a calibration method using simulations discussed in an associated paper.
Fe ii EMISSION IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: THE ROLE OF TOTAL AND GAS-PHASE IRON ABUNDANCE

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have Fe ii emission from the broad-line region (BLR) that differs greatly in strength from object to object. We examine the role of the total and gas-phase iron abundance in determining Fe ii strength. Using AGN spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in the redshift range of 0.2 < z < 0.35, we measure the Fe/Ne abundance of the narrow-line region (NLR) using the [Fe vii]/[Ne v] line intensity ratio. We find no significant difference in the abundance of Fe relative to Ne in the NLR as a function of Fe ii/Hβ. However, the [N ii]/[S ii] ratio increases by a factor of 2 with increasing Fe ii strength. This indicates a trend in N/S abundance ratio, and by implication in the overall metallicity of the NLR gas, with increasing Fe ii strength. We propose that the wide range of Fe ii strength in AGN largely results from the selective depletion of Fe into grains in the low ionization portion of the BLR. Photoionization models show that the strength of the optical Fe ii lines varies almost linearly with gas-phase Fe abundance, while the ultraviolet Fe ii strength varies more weakly. Interstellar depletions of Fe can be as large as 2 orders of magnitude, sufficient to explain the wide range of optical Fe ii strength in AGNs. This picture is consistent with the similarity of the BLR radius to the dust sublimation radius and with indications of Fe ii emitting gas flowing inward from the dusty torus.
Transient horizontal magnetic fields in solar plage regions

Aims. We report the discovery of isolated, small-scale emerging magnetic fields in a plage region with the Solar Optical Telescope aboard Hinode. Methods. Spectro-polarimetric observations were carried out with a cadence of 34 s for the plage region located near disc center. The vector magnetic fields are inferred by Milne-Eddington inversion. Results. The observations reveal widespread occurrence of transient, spatially isolated horizontal magnetic fields. The lateral extent of the horizontal magnetic fields is comparable to the size of photospheric granules. These horizontal magnetic fields seem to be tossed about by upflows and downflows of the granular convection. We also report an event that appears to be driven by the magnetic buoyancy instability. We refer to buoyancy-driven emergence as type 1 and convection-driven emergence as type 2. Although both events have magnetic field strengths of about 600 G, the filling factor of type 1 is a factor of two larger than that of type 2. Conclusions. Our finding suggests that the granular convection in the plage regions is characterized by a high rate of occurrence of granular-sized transient horizontal fields.
THE NON-CAUSAL ORIGIN OF THE BLACK-HOLE–GALAXY SCALING RELATIONS

We show that the MBH–Mbulge scaling relations observed from the local to the high-z universe can be largely or even entirely explained by a non-causal origin, i.e., they do not imply the need for any physically coupled growth of black hole (BH) and bulge mass, for example, through feedback by active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Provided some physics for the absolute normalization, the creation of the scaling relations can be fully explained by the hierarchical assembly of BH and stellar mass through galaxy merging, from an initially uncorrelated distribution of BH and stellar masses in the early universe. We show this with a suite of dark matter halo merger trees for which we make assumptions about (uncorrelated) BH and stellar mass values at early cosmic times. We then follow the halos in the presence of global star formation and BH accretion recipes that (1) work without any coupling of the two properties per individual galaxy and (2) correctly reproduce the observed star formation and BH accretion rate density in the universe. With disk-to-bulge conversion in mergers included, our simulations even create the observed slope of ∼1.1 for the MBH–Mbulge relation at z = 0. This also implies that AGN feedback is not a required (though still a possible) ingredient in galaxy evolution. In light of this, other mechanisms that can be invoked to truncate star formation in massive galaxies are equally justified.
Physics with polarized protons at HERA

We discuss some topics on the physics case for using polarized protons and electrons at the ep collider HERA. We show that if a polarization of 70% can be achieved for the protons, important and partly unique measurements can be made at HERA. These include measurements of the polarized structure function g1(x) at low x, the polarized gluon distribution in the range 0.001<x<0.1, weak asymmetries from charged current events and possible access to polarized parton distributions in the photon. Thus HERA can make a significant contribution to the spin physics program.
FLUX EMERGENCE IN A MAGNETIZED CONVECTION ZONE

We study the influence of a dynamo magnetic field on the buoyant rise and emergence of twisted magnetic flux ropes and their influence on the global external magnetic field. We ran three-dimensional MHD numerical simulations using the ASH code (anelastic spherical harmonics) and analyzed the dynamical evolution of such buoyant flux ropes from the bottom of the convection zone until the post-emergence phases. The global nature of this model can only very crudely and inaccurately represent the local dynamics of the buoyant rise of the implanted magnetic structure, but nonetheless allows us to study the influence of global effects, such as self-consistently generated differential rotation and meridional circulation, and of Coriolis forces. Although motivated by the solar context, this model cannot be thought of as a realistic model of the rise of magnetic structures and their emergence in the Sun, where the local dynamics are completely different. The properties of initial phases of the buoyant rise are determined essentially by the flux-rope's properties and the convective flows and consequently are in good agreement with previous studies. However, the effects of the interaction of the background dynamo field become increasingly strong as the flux ropes evolve. During the buoyant rise across the convection zone, the flux-rope's magnetic field strength scales as B∝ρα, with α ≲ 1. An increase of radial velocity, density, and current density is observed to precede flux emergence at all longitudes. The geometry, latitude, and relative orientation of the flux ropes with respect to the background magnetic field influences the resulting rise speeds, zonal flow amplitudes (which develop within the flux ropes), and the corresponding surface signatures. This influences the morphology, duration and amplitude of the surface shearing, and the Poynting flux associated with magnetic flux-rope emergence. The emerged magnetic flux influences the system's global polarity, leading in some cases to a polarity reversal while inhibiting the background dynamo from doing so in others. The emerged magnetic flux is slowly advected poleward while being diffused and assimilated by the background dynamo field.
Visual-Inertial Mapping With Non-Linear Factor Recovery

Cameras and inertial measurement units are complementary sensors for ego-motion estimation and environment mapping. Their combination makes visual-inertial odometry (VIO) systems more accurate and robust. For globally consistent mapping, however, combining visual and inertial information is not straightforward. To estimate the motion and geometry with a set of images large baselines are required. Because of that, most systems operate on keyframes that have large time intervals between each other. Inertial data on the other hand quickly degrades with the duration of the intervals and after several seconds of integration, it typically contains only little useful information. In this letter, we propose to extract relevant information for visual-inertial mapping from visual-inertial odometry using non-linear factor recovery. We reconstruct a set of non-linear factors that make an optimal approximation of the information on the trajectory accumulated by VIO. To obtain a globally consistent map we combine these factors with loop-closing constraints using bundle adjustment. The VIO factors make the roll and pitch angles of the global map observable, and improve the robustness and the accuracy of the mapping. In experiments on a public benchmark, we demonstrate superior performance of our method over the state-of-the-art approaches.
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Seven Nova-Like Variables

We present the results of a multicomponent synthetic spectral analysis of the archival far ultraviolet spectra of several key nova-like variables including members of the SW Sex, RW Tri, UX UMa, and VY Scl subclasses: KR Aur, RW Tri, V825 Her, V795 Her, BP Lyn, V425 Cas, and HL Aqr. Accretion rates as well as the possible flux contribution of the accreting white dwarf are included in our analysis. Except for RW Tri, which has a reliable trigonometric parallax, we computed the distances to the nova-like systems using the method of Knigge. Our analysis of seven archival IUE spectra of RW Tri at its parallax distance of 341 pc consistently indicates a low mass (∼0.4 M⊙) white dwarf and an average accretion rate, M ˙ = 6.3 × 10 - 9 M ⊙ yr - 1 . For KR Aur, we estimate that the white dwarf has Teff = 29,000 ± 2000 K, log g = 8.4, and contributes 18% of the far-UV flux, while an accretion disk with accretion rate M ˙ = 3 × 10 - 10 M ⊙ yr - 1 at an inclination of 41° contributes the remainder. We find that an accretion disk dominates the far-UV spectrum of V425 Cas but a white dwarf contributes nonnegligibly with approximately 18% of the far-UV flux. For the two high state nova-likes, HL Aqr and V825 Her, their accretion disks totally dominate with M ˙ = 1 × 10 - 9 M ⊙ yr - 1 and 3 × 10-9 M⊙ yr-1, respectively. For BP Lyn we find M ˙ = 1 × 10 - 8 M ⊙ yr - 1 while for V795 Her, we find an accretion rate of M ˙ = 1 × 10 - 10 M ⊙ yr - 1 . We discuss the implications of our results for the evolutionary status of nova-like variables.
Gas-phase formation of the prebiotic molecule formamide: insights from new quantum computations

New insights into the formation of interstellar formamide, a species of great relevance in prebiotic chemistry, are provided by electronic structure and kinetic calculations for the reaction NH2 + H2CO -> NH2CHO + H. Contrarily to what previously suggested, this reaction is essentially barrierless and can, therefore, occur under the low temperature conditions of interstellar objects thus providing a facile formation route of formamide. The rate coefficient parameters for the reaction channel leading to NH2CHO + H have been calculated to be A = 2.6x10^{-12} cm^3 s^{-1}, beta = -2.1 and gamma = 26.9 K in the range of temperatures 10-300 K. Including these new kinetic data in a refined astrochemical model, we show that the proposed mechanism can well reproduce the abundances of formamide observed in two very different interstellar objects: the cold envelope of the Sun-like protostar IRAS16293-2422 and the molecular shock L1157-B2. Therefore, the major conclusion of this Letter is that there is no need to invoke grain-surface chemistry to explain the presence of formamide provided that its precursors, NH2 and H2CO, are available in the gas-phase.
ON THE STABILITY OF SUPER-EARTH ATMOSPHERES

We investigate the stability of super-Earth atmospheres around M stars using a seven-parameter, analytical framework. We construct stability diagrams in the parameter space of exoplanetary radius versus semimajor axis and elucidate the regions in which the atmospheres are stable against the condensation of their major constituents, out of the gas phase, on their permanent nightside hemispheres. We find that super-Earth atmospheres that are nitrogen-dominated (Earth-like) occupy a smaller region of allowed parameter space, compared to hydrogen-dominated atmospheres, because of the dual effects of diminished advection and enhanced radiative cooling. Furthermore, some super-Earths which reside within the habitable zones of M stars may not possess stable atmospheres, depending on the mean molecular weight and infrared photospheric pressure of their atmospheres. We apply our stability diagrams to GJ 436b and GJ 1214b, and demonstrate that atmospheric compositions with high mean molecular weights are disfavored if these exoplanets possess solid surfaces and shallow atmospheres. Finally, we construct stability diagrams tailored to the Kepler data set, for G and K stars, and predict that about half of the exoplanet candidates are expected to harbor stable atmospheres if Earth-like conditions are assumed. We include 55 Cancri e and CoRoT-7b in our stability diagram for G stars.