Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Complexity-Brightness Correlation in Gamma-Ray Bursts

We observe strong correlations between the temporal properties of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their apparent peak brightness. The strongest effect (with a significance level of ~10-6) is the difference between the brightness distributions of simple bursts (dominated by a single smooth pulse) and complex bursts (consisting of overlapping pulses). The latter has a break at a peak flux of ~1.5 photons cm-2 s-1, while the distribution of simple bursts is smooth down to the BATSE threshold. We also observe brightness-dependent variations in the shape of the average peak-aligned time profile (ATP) of GRBs. The decaying slope of the ATP shows time dilation when bright and dim bursts are compared, while the rising slope hardly changes. Both slopes of the ATP are deformed for weak bursts as compared to strong bursts. The interpretation of these effects is simple: a complex burst in which a number of independent pulses overlap in time appears to be intrinsically stronger than a simple burst. The BATSE sample of complex bursts then covers larger redshifts, where some cosmological factor causes the break in the peak brightness distribution. This break could correspond to the peak in the star formation rate that was recently shown to occur at a redshift of z~1.5.
History and Nature of Science enriched Problem-Based Learning on the origins of biodiversity and of continents and oceans

The episode of the History of Science (HOS) on the theory of continental drift proposed by Alfred Wegener has been considered an excellent example for teaching students aspects of Nature of Science (NOS) and the relation of Science with social and tecnological contexts. We implemented a NOS and HOS-enriched Problem-Based Learning environment at the middle (year 7 of the Portuguese National Curriculum) and secondary level (year 10) for teaching the origins of biodiversity and of continents and oceans (mobilism). The goal of providing detailed implementation practices is to adress the lack of how to in Problem-based learning (PBL) implementation in classrooms for 12 to 16 year old students and is the first practical example of implementation using this episode of HOS for teaching geological mobilism integrated with evolution. Therefore, in this study, we provide specific suggestions for supporting teachers’ classroom efforts in implementing PBL, such as scaffolding. The ill-problem presented to students, without a single correct answer, was based on the phylogeny of extant and extinct ratite birds, described by Charles Darwin and the present geographical distribution. The evaluation of the students was focused on the chain of reasoning employed, and we performed a comparisation analysis of the problem’s solution presented by the students of both classes regarding the explanation of the phylogeny of ratites based on geological mobilism. We observed an overall improvement (25-77%) of the percentages of students pre- and post-instruction adequate answers; therefore our PBL strategy was efficient.
Report on a new invasive species, Pseudococcus dendrobiorum Williams (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), in Taiwan.

A new invasive dendrobium mealybug, Pseudococcus dendrobiorum Williams (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), through imported orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.) from Vietnam was confirmed by Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) in 2013. In this study, morphological characteristics and ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 1 (rDNA-ITS1) sequence were used for the species identification and confirmation of the introduction source. A standard process for elimination and subsequent detection survey of this pest to prevent its spreading was executed by the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) based on the Plant Protection Act. No individual of this pest was found again during the later surveys. The slide-mounted voucher specimens were deposited in the Insect and Mite Museum, Division of Applied Zoology, TARI.
ICT Governance Drivers and Effective ICT Governance at the University of Rwanda

Investments in information and communication technology (ICT) based systems and processes are essential for business organizations. Yet many organizations have not been able to derive maximum benefit from their substantial spending on ICT. Some organizations have seen their systems end up as technical or organizational failures. This paper aims at examining the relationship between ICT governance drivers and ICT governance at the University of Rwanda. Adopting the actor network theory perspective to ICT in organizations, we developed a conceptual framework for a holistic approach to examine the ICT governance concept. Empirical data was collected via a survey questionnaire with the respondents being participants from the six colleges, representatives’ central administration consisting of top and senior authorities, middle managers as well as academic and ICT staff, thereby enabling an institutional level unit of analysis. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between ICT strategic alignment and ICT governance; a significant positive relationship between ICT performance management and ICT governance; a significant positive relationship between ICT resource management and ICT governance and a high and significant positive relationship between ICT strategic alignment together with ICT performance management and ICT resource management and ICT governance with ICT resource management being a better predictor of ICT governance than the ICT strategic alignment and ICT performance management. This research therefore recommends that while putting in place ICT governance structures it is important to get the support of top, senior and middle managers as well as involve all stakeholders in the development and implementation of ICT governance at the Institution.
Design and analysis of energy transfer system through Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) connected to a solar panel

In this article, Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) system fed by a suggested panel and its various stages of design and analysis are described. Typically, IPT with its separate control system, and solar panel with its separate Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) unit works together to achieve maximum efficiency. This use of two separate converters reduces the efficiency and reliability of the entire system. Therefore, a system is recommended so that while eliminating the MPPT unit and considering design considerations, we can make MPPT function occur in the IPT control circuit. Simulation of the conventional and the proposed system shows that with removal of MPPT, the system efficiency increases from 90% to 93%.
Investigating Cellulase Producing Potential of Two Iranian Thermoascus aurantiacus Isolates in Submerged Fermentation

Cellulose is the most plentiful renewable biopolymer in nature which could be utilized by cellulolytic enzymes. Cellulases are among the most important groups of industrial enzymes which are widely consumed in biofuel production, pulp and paper, textile, and detergent industries. These enzymes can support a cleaner environment through reducing chemical processes in mentioned industries and agro-industrial waste management. Thermophilic filamentous fungi produce thermostable types of the enzymes with the property of hydrolysis the cellulose in higher temperatures with higher rates of reaction, decreased amounts of enzyme quantities and reduced risk of contamination by the mesophilic microorganisms. The cellulolytic capacity of two Thermoascus aurantiacus isolates (from Mashhad, Iran) was examined in a simple liquid state fermentation in different carbon and nitrogen sources, in comparison to the Thermoascus aurantiacus DSM 1831 as a reference fungus. Among different the tested sources, wheat bran and peptone led to the highest level of endoglucanase production by the isolated thermophilic fungi. The isolates showed higher cellulase activities, including endoglucanase, avicelase, and FPase, of the crude enzymes from the isolates in comparison to the reference fungus. Gene expression profiling revealed that changes in the cellulase mRNA levels are not correlated with the changes in protein activities during a 12-day period. This observation might be due to a complex process of enzymatic regulation of cellulases in response to the environmental signals.
Development of Respiratory Mucosal Irritation and Toxicity Screening Methods: Comparison of MTT and Colorimetric Resazurin-Based Assay

There seems to be a conflict between the reported sensitivity of colorimetric resazurin-based assays (CRA) and the wide clinical use of Resazurin Microtiter Assay (REMA). REMA, a liquid culturebased CRA has been endorsed by the World Health Organization for drug susceptibility testing (DST) for Mycobacterium tuberculosis [1]. Though CRA is not popular in respiratory cell culture as fluorimetric resazurin-based assays (FRA) [2,3], its use in DST of M. tuberculosis has been compared with similar assay methods and reported to be accurate [4,5]. Furthermore, the method has been used as a reference method in the evaluation of other assay methods [5]. The inherent advantage of resazurinbased assay (RA) that cells may be re-used (since the dye is not lethal) makes the method more suitable in resource-poor settings where acquisition and sustenance of some cell types poses a challenge. There is need to assess the extent of deficiency of the method as well as determine its relative usefulness especially in resource-poor countries.
Development of an improved RNA interference vector system for Agrobacterium -mediated plant transformation

Plant-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) has shown a great potential in pest control and requires i) subcloning of sense/antisense regions in compatible vectors, ii) transfer of the silencing cassette into a binary vector, iii) transformation of Agrobacterium tumefaciens with desired binary plasmids, and iv) transformation of plants with Agrobacterium. The procedure is long and should ensure plasmid backbone stability; however, plasmid recombination due to antibiotic selection is a common problem. pGSA1252 is an RNAi silencing binary vector allowing direct cloning of hairpin structure; however, it possesses a chloramphenicol selection marker leading to plasmid recombination in various Agrobacterium strains. To solve this selection marker/Agrobacterium compatibility problem and to shorten the cloning process, we developed a new RNAi vector system containing the RNAi cassette of pGSA1252 in a plant expression vector, pMDC32, which has kanamycin as the selection marker. A T7 RNA polymerase promoter was also incorporated adjacent to the multiple cloning site, allowing for in vitro dsRNA synthesis. This vector was tested by transforming Arabidopsis thaliana with 4 different dsRNA constructs specific to insect midgut genes: insect intestinal mucin 1/4, peritrophic matrix protein 1, chitin deacetylase 1, and chitin synthase-B. This improved system shows no recombination and shortens the entire cloning procedure.
Molecular dynamics simulation of crystallization of amorphous aluminium modelled with EAM

The crystallization process of a aluminium (Al) amorphous mono-atomic with 2048 atoms is studied with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Amorphous and crystal structure of Al is reproduced by applying fast cooling treatment and crystal behaviour from amorphous phase by means of MD simulation. The local order of the system have been analysed by bond orientational order parameters, the radial distribution functions and atomic coordinates. The simulation results also show that there are transformations from a disordered structure to a stable crystal phase during the crystallization.
Changes in the Earth's magnetic field over the past century: Effects on the ionosphere‐thermosphere system and solar quiet (Sq) magnetic variation

We investigated the contribution of changes in the Earth's magnetic field to long‐term trends in the ionosphere, thermosphere, and solar quiet (Sq) magnetic variation using the Coupled Magnetosphere‐Ionosphere‐Thermosphere (CMIT) model. Simulations with the magnetic fields of 1908, 1958, and 2008 were done. The strongest differences occurred between ~40°S–40°N and ~100°W–50°E, which we refer to as the Atlantic region. The height and critical frequency of the F2 layer peak, hmF2 and foF2, changed due to changes in the vertical E × B drift and the vertical components of diffusion and transport by neutral winds along the magnetic field. Changes in electron density resulted in changes in electron temperature of the opposite sign, which in turn produced small corresponding changes in ion temperature. Changes in neutral temperature were not statistically significant. Strong changes in the daily amplitude of the Sq variation occurred at low magnetic latitudes due to the northward movement of the magnetic equator and the westward drift of the magnetic field. The simulated changes in hmF2, foF2, and Sq amplitude translate into typical trends of ±1 km/decade (night) to ±3 km/decade (day), −0.1 to +0.05 MHz/decade, and ±5 to ±10 nT/century, respectively. These are mostly comparable in magnitude to observed trends in the Atlantic region. The simulated Atlantic region trends in hmF2 and foF2 are ~2.5 times larger than the estimated effect of enhanced greenhouse gases on hmF2 and foF2. The secular variation of the Earth's magnetic field may therefore be the dominant cause of trends in the Atlantic region ionosphere.
THE ELECTROCHEMICAL BEHAVIOR OF AISI 321 STAINLESS STEEL IN ALKALINE MEDIA

In this paper, the electrochemical behaviour of passive films formed on AISI 321 stainless steel (AISI 321) immersed in 0.1 M NaOH + 0.1 M KOH solution was evaluated by different electrochemical techniques. For this purpose, passive films were formed at open circuit potential for 1 to 12 hours and then electrochemical measurements were done. The polarization curves suggested that AISI 321 showed excellent passive behaviour in 0.1 M NaOH + 0.1 M KOH solution. Mott–Schottky analysis indicated that the accepted densities were in the range of 1021 cm-3 and decreased with immersion time. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results showed that the best electrical equivalent circuit presented two time constants: The high-medium frequencies time constant could be correlated with the charge transfer process and the low frequencies time constant was associated with redox processes taking place in the surface film. Also, EIS results showed that polarization resistance was increased with formation time from 1 until 12 hours, due to the thickening of passive film.
PLASTICITY OF SKELETAL MUSCLE STUDIED BY STEREOLOGY

The present contribution provides an overview of stereological methods applied in the skeletal muscle research at the Institute of Anatomy of the Medical Faculty in Ljubljana. Interested in skeletal muscle plasticity we studied three different topics: (i) expression of myosin heavy chain isoforms in slow and fast muscles under experimental conditions, (ii) frequency of satellite cells in young and old human and rat muscles and (iii) capillary supply of rat fast and slow muscles. We analysed the expression of myosin heavy chain isoforms within slow rat soleus and fast extensor digitorum longus muscles after (i) homotopic and heterotopic transplantation of both muscles, (ii) low frequency electrical stimulation of the fast muscle and (iii) transposition of the fast nerve to the slow muscle. The models applied were able to turn the fast muscle into a completely slow muscle, but not vice versa. One of the indicators for the regenerative potential of skeletal muscles is its satellite cell pool. The estimated parameters, number of satellite cells per unit fibre length, corrected to the reference sarcomere length (Nsc/Lfib) and number of satellite cells per number of nuclei (myonuclei and satellite cell nuclei) (Nsc/Nnucl) indicated that the frequency of M-cadherin stained satellite cells declines in healthy old human and rat muscles compared to young muscles. To access differences in capillary densities among slow and fast muscles and slow and fast muscle fibres, we have introduced Slicer and Fakir methods, and tested them on predominantly slow and fast rat muscles. Discussing three different topics that require different approach, the present paper reflects the three decades of the development of stereological methods: 2D analysis by simple point counting in the 70's, the disector in the 80's and virtual spatial probes in the 90's. In all methods the interactive computer assisted approach was utilised.
The Productivity and Labour Market Effect of Trade in Services: Firm-Level Evidence 1

International trade in services although still limited is growing fast. In recent years th ere have growing concerns in developed economies about its e ffects on employment and wages. However; systematic empirical evidence on this issue is scarce. In thi s paper we present a portrait of trade in services using a new dataset for the United Kingdom, the Annual and Quarterly Inquiry into International Tra de in Services (ITIS). This dataset collects information on the imports an d exports of services at the firm-level. We identi fy the "causal" relationship from trade in services to pro ductivity, employment and wages. We find that: 1) Services trade appears to have a significant and positive impact on firms' productivity; 2) Imports of serv ices have no significant effect of employment; 3) Some of the productivity improvements are passed onto workers in the form of higher wages. Thus, fears over the effect of service "offshoring" do not appear to be support ed by these data.
The case of astroturfing

Scientific soundness is key in the development of research designs. Methodological choices bear the responsibility to demonstrate its obtainment. However, it is challenging to abide by these standards while dealing with hidden, masked or unethical objects. In this article, we share the various strategies employed to aim at a sound scientific process in spite of astroturfing’s characteristics and of the methodological orientations it dictates. Facing the dilemma between the importance of scientific value and the richness of inductive and exploratory approaches, we question the influence of positivist research standards in communication studies. We fear these requirements may limit their development.
Best practice regarding the three P's: profiling, portability andprovenance when running HPC geoscientific applications

Geoscientific modeling is constantly evolving, with next generation geoscientific models and applications placing high demands on high performance computing (HPC) resources. These demands are being met by new developments in HPC architectures, software libraries, and infrastructures. New HPC developments require new programming paradigms leading to substantial investment in model porting, tuning, and refactoring of complicated legacy code in order to use these resources effectively. In addition to the challenge of new massively parallel HPC systems, reproducibility of simulation and analysis results is of great concern, as the next generation geoscientific models are based on complex model implementations and profiling, modeling and data processing workflows. Thus, in order to reduce both the duration and the cost of code migration, aid in the development of new models or model components, while ensuring reproducibility and sustainability over the complete data life cycle, a streamlined approach to profiling, porting, and provenance tracking is necessary.We propose a run control framework (RCF) integrated with a workflow engine which encompasses all stages of the modeling chain: 1. preprocess input, 2. compilation of code (including code instrumentation with performance analysis tools), 3. simulation run, 4. postprocess and analysis, to address these issues.Within this RCF, the workflow engine is used to create and manage benchmark or simulation parameter combinations and performs the documentation and data organization for reproducibility. This approach automates the process of porting and tuning, profiling, testing, and running a geoscientific model. We show that in using our run control framework, testing, benchmarking, profiling, and running models is less time consuming and more robust, resulting in more efficient use of HPC resources, more strategic code development, and enhanced data integrity and reproducibility.
Interactive comment on “Molecular and physical characteristics of aerosol at a remote marine free troposphere site: Implications for atmospheric aging” by Simeon K. Schum et al

Schum et al. present a unique dataset collected on Pico Mountain Oberservatory to study the physiochemical properties of aerosol in the remote marine free troposphere. They analyzed three aerosol samples that had elevated organic carbon concentration, and attributed the differences in their molecular and physical characteristics to emission sources as well as their transport pathways. They observed a lower O/C ratio in two samples that they believed were likely from biomass burning plumes that were transported mostly in the free troposphere, and the aerosols were in a solid state that resisted oxidation. Before this work is published in ACP, the authors need to provide careful clarification and further discussion of several important aspects in this manuscript. Please find the comments below.
Construction of Panels of Real Incomes at current and Constant Prices - An Econometric Approach

The paper presents the general form and some analytical properties of a new method for the construction of a consistent panel of Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs), and real incomes. The econometric approach proposed here improves upon the current practice used in the construction of the Penn World Tables, PWT, and similar tables produced by the World Bank. A state-space formulation is used in combining PPPs for benchmark years constructed by the International Comparison Program (ICP) with PPP predictions from a model of the national price level (or exchange rate deviation index) for all countries and years. Data on price movements available from national sources are also incorporated. The smoothed PPP predictions (and standard errors) obtained through the state-space representation of the model are produced for both ICP- participating and non-participating countries and nonbenchmark years. A number of analytical results highlight the properties and flexibility of the method presented. The method is extended to construct panels of PPPs and real incomes at constant prices. The empirical illustration shows the general model can produce variants that: a) result in PPP predictions that accurately track the available ICP's PPPs (benchmarks); or b) preserve the growth rates in price levels implicit in individual countries' national accounts data. A data set for 141 countries for the period 1970 to 2005 is used to illustrate the flexibility of the method and to compare its performance to PWT6.3.
The Extent of Internet Auction Markets:An empirical study of the 2 log n rule on eBay

Internet auctions attract many potential buyers, but not many of them tend to become active bidders. In The Extent of Internet Auction Markets, de Haan, de Vries, and Zhou (2007) develop a model accounting for this fact, with the 2log n rule as its central prediction. The rule states that if the number n of potential bidders is large, the number of active bidders is approximately 2log n. Using a new dataset, this paper tests the rule’s applicability to hard-close eBay auctions, and examines a few of the underlying conditions and assumptions more closely. For eBay, the rule is rejected in its most simple form; however, some results suggest that the model may in fact hold as long as the number of active bidders is kept sufficiently high, or when only auctions with nonzero starting prices are considered.