Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Over the River and through the Woods: The Role of Distance in Participation in Rural School Choice

ABSTRACT Although there exists a large body of literature concerning the impacts of school choice policies, few studies focus on the choices of rural students. Using a unique dataset that includes administrative records, geocoded addresses, and commute times for Michigan public school students over 6 years, I describe who participates in interdistrict choice in rural Michigan, where 15% of rural students attend a nonresident district. In particular, I examine the roles of commute time and school closures in choice decisions – two factors that may be particularly salient in rural communities. I find that gaps in participation in interdistrict choice between rural and non-rural districts exist in kindergarten and persist across grades. Furthermore, I provide evidence that students who live farther away from their assigned school have lower opportunity costs to participate in interdistrict choice especially in rural districts. Also, school closures may induce students living farther away from their assigned school to attend a nonresident district in remote rural areas.
Bayesian Inference of Gene Expression

: Omics techniques have changed the way we depict the molecular features of a cell. The integrative and quantitative analysis of omics data raises unprecedented expectations for understanding biological systems on a global scale. However, its inherently noisy nature, together with limited knowledge of potential sources of variation impacting health and disease, require the use of proper mathematical and computational methods for its analysis and integration. Bayesian inference of probabilistic models allows propagation of the uncertainty from the experimental data to our beliefs of the model parameters, allowing us to appropriately answer complex biological questions. In this chapter, we build probabilistic models of gene expression from RNA-seq data and make inference about their parameters using Bayesian methods. We present models of increasing complexity, from the quantification of a single gene expression to differential gene expression for a whole transcriptome, comparing them to the available tools for analysis of gene expression data. We provide Stan scripts that introduce the reader into the implementation of Bayesian statistics for omics data. The rationale that
Three-Dimensional Printing of Hydroxyapatite Composites for Biomedical Application

Hydroxyapatite (HA) and HA-based nanocomposites have been recognized as ideal biomaterials in hard tissue engineering because of their compositional similarity to bioapatite. However, the traditional HA-based nanocomposites fabrication techniques still limit the utilization of HA in bone, cartilage, dental, applications, and other fields. In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has been shown to provide a fast, precise, controllable, and scalable fabrication approach for the synthesis of HA-based scaffolds. This review therefore explores available 3D printing technologies for the preparation of porous HA-based nanocomposites. In the present review, different 3D printed HA-based scaffolds composited with natural polymers and/or synthetic polymers are discussed. Furthermore, the desired properties of HA-based composites via 3D printing such as porosity, mechanical properties, biodegradability, and antibacterial properties are extensively explored. Lastly, the applications and the next generation of HA-based nanocomposites for tissue engineering are discussed.
Study on Bending Performance of Epoxy Adhesive Prefabricated UHPC-Steel Composite Bridge Deck

UHPC has high strength, high toughness, and excellent durability. For orthotropic steel bridge deck pavement, UHPC can significantly increase the bridge deck’s stiffness and then solve the problems of fatigue cracking and pavement damage of the bridge deck. However, if UHPC adopts cast-in-place construction, its self-shrinkage can easily cause shrinkage cracks, and it requires high maintenance conditions. Meanwhile, the traditional stud connection will bring a great deal of welding work and cause welding fatigue. In contrast, prefabricated UHPC pavement and orthotropic steel bridge deck can greatly reduce the amount of welding of studs on the bridge deck through epoxy bonding, thus speeding up the construction process and avoiding the risk of cracking caused by UHPC self-shrinkage. In order to consider the influence of the surface state of interface and ratio of shear span to depth on flexural behavior of epoxy adhesive prefabricated UHPC-steel composite bridge deck, positive bending moment loading test with different ratios of shear span to depth was carried out, and the failure mode, load-deflection curve, interface slip, and strain distribution of the specimens were obtained. Finally, based on the cohesive interface element, the prefabricated UHPC-steel epoxy bonding interface was successfully simulated. The test results show that each specimen’s loading stage can be divided into the elastic stage, crack initiation stage, interfacial crack propagation stage, interface failure stage, and yield stage. The specimen’s ultimate failure is that the interface failure is prior to the yield at the bottom of the steel plate. During the loading process, the bending performance shows that the ultimate load and growth deflection of CD-ERA-P-λ4. 44 are higher than those of other specimens in terms of the load-deflection curve. The ultimate load of CD-ERA-P-λ3. 33 is lower than that of CD-ERG-P-λ3. 33, which decreases by 4.6%, but the increasing deflection increases by 75%. Simultaneously, the interface slip of the specimen is similar, which further shows that the specimen has the best bending performance when the surface of the steel plate is rough (R) and the surface of the prefabricated UHPC plate is grooved (A). No matter what kind of surface is used at the interface, the reduction of the ratio of shear span to depth will aggravate the ultimate failure of the interface and the cracking of the precast UHPC slab. Finally, the bending performance of epoxy adhesive prefabricated UHPC-steel composite bridge deck is successfully simulated based on the cohesive interface element, which is verified by the test results.
Low loss single-mode polymer optical waveguide with circular cores

We experimentally demonstrate that the Mosquito method is capable of fabricating single-mode polymer optical waveguides with multiple cores while maintaining an identical mode-field diameter among them. The Mosquito method we developed is a technique to form circular cores in polymer waveguides using a commercially available microdispenser and multi-axis syringe scanning robot. However, the core shape tends to deteriorate from a circle because of the monomer flow due to the needle scan. We also demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally for the first time in this paper that the needles with a tapered outer form or just titled straight needles enable to form cores with a high circularity even if those cores are dispensed on any heights from the substrate surface.
Factors Affecting Job Stress Among Employees in Bin Chen Parts Private Limited Company

There is a high level of stress faced by employees of Bin Chen Parts Private Limited Company. The research was conducted to examine the factors causing job stress in workplace. There are 36 respondents from Bin Chen Parts Private Limited Company collected in the present research by using quantitative measurements. Google form was selected to use in this research. The collected data from the research were adopted to verify the hypotheses of the research. The results show that there is a significant positive relationship between job demands and job stress. Conversely, the relationship between job resources and job stress is relatively negative. The results of the research will be finalized precisely and sent to Bin Chen Parts Private Limited Company to enhance the work-life in the company. The employers of the company are able to aware of the factors affecting job stress among employees in their company.
Insulin-Degrading Enzyme Regulates the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Porcine Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells via Myostatin/MYOD Pathway

Identifying the genes relevant for muscle development is pivotal to improve meat production and quality in pigs. Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE), a thiol zinc-metalloendopeptidase, has been known to regulate the myogenic process of mouse and rat myoblast cell lines, while its myogenic role in pigs remained elusive. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify the effects of IDE on the proliferation and apoptosis of porcine skeletal muscle stem cells (PSMSCs) and underlying molecular mechanism. We found that IDE was widely expressed in porcine tissues, including kidney, lung, spleen, liver, heart, and skeletal muscle. Then, to explore the effects of IDE on the proliferation and apoptosis of PSMSCs, we subjected the cells to siRNA-mediated knockdown of IDE expression, which resulted in promoted cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis. As one of key transcription factors in myogenesis, MYOD, its expression was also decreased with IDE knockdown. To further elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism, RNA sequencing was performed. Among transcripts perturbed by the IDE knockdown after, a downregulated gene myostatin (MSTN) which is known as a negative regulator for muscle growth attracted our interest. Indeed, MSTN knockdown led to similar results as those of the IDE knockdown, with upregulation of cell cycle-related genes, downregulation of MYOD as well as apoptosis-related genes, and enhanced cell proliferation. Taken together, our findings suggest that IDE regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of PSMSCs via MSTN/MYOD pathway. Thus, we recruit IDE to the gene family of regulators for porcine skeletal muscle development and propose IDE as an example of gene to prioritize in order to improve pork production.
Numerical modelling of oxy-coal combustion to access the influence of swirl strength, combustion environment and gasification reactions on the flow and combustion behaviour

A simplified 2D axisymmetric computational fluid dynamics simulation of oxy-coal combustion is performed to address the influence of swirl strength and the combustion environment on the flow field and combustion characteristics. A quantitative analysis of the internal recirculation zone length and flame length under various operating conditions is studied by employing developed numerical models. The influence of char-CO2 and char-H2O gasification reactions on the species consumption and temperature profile is also studied through numerical modelling. The swirl strength considerably influences both the flow field and temperature profile inside the furnace. At higher swirl strength, radially dispersed shorter flames are obtained due to spreading of the secondary stream. Results showed that the flame shifted towards the burner at higher oxygen content due to rapid devolatilisation at higher flame temperature. The ignition of pulverised coal particles is enhanced at higher oxygen concentration due to increased stoichiometry near the burner. Oxy-35% O2 has 300 K higher flame temperature than oxy-21% O2. Endothermic gasification reactions significantly influence the temperature profile in the furnace. CO2-char gasification reaction has a more pronounced influence than the H2O-char gasification reaction. The consideration of gasification reactions has resulted in an approximately 5% reduction in peak temperature.
A framework for addressing construction labour turnover in New Zealand

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify critical factors that affect labour turnover in the New Zealand construction sector and develop a framework for addressing this issue.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach was adopted. A questionnaire survey combined with interviews was used to capture the personal experiences and views of 157 construction workers regarding labour turnover.FindingsThe statistical analysis revealed that level of pay, employment relationships, employee welfare, opportunities for career development, commuting distance to work and domestic relationships were the top five factors considered as primary determinants leading to the turnover decisions of most of those surveyed. Factor analysis further categorised the critical factors in three categories, namely, (1) nature of the job, (2) employee satisfaction and (3) employer commitment to staff retention and development.Practical implicationsWhile high labour turnover rates take a toll on many construction businesses, the findings from this research will hopefully provide guidance on areas of improvement to create a sustainable construction workforce at both organisational and sectoral levels.Originality/valueAlthough the study is New Zealand-focused, it increases understanding of the factors affecting labour turnover in the construction sector, and the framework developed will provide construction organisations with directions in workforce retention and development to reduce the effects of labour turnover on organisational performance.
Cool down emotion, don’t be fickle! The role of paradoxical leadership in the relationship between emotional stability and creativity

Abstract Research on the field of creativity currently lacks a cumulative investigation of how and why emotional stability affects individuals’ creative processes and performance in the workplace. The present study investigates the mediating and moderating processes through which emotional stability is linked with creativity. We examine the indirect effects of emotional stability on creativity through daily positive affect and daily work engagement, and further test whether paradoxical leadership moderates these relationships. Data were collected from 111 employees in Korea who took surveys in four different phases—Time 1, Time 2, Time 3 (i.e. daily surveys for 10 consecutive workdays), and Time 4. The results show that daily work engagement mediates the relationship between emotional stability and creativity, while the direct effect of emotional stability on creativity and the mediating role of daily positive affect in this relationship are not supported. Furthermore, paradoxical leadership was found to moderate the indirect effects of emotional stability on creativity via daily positive affect and daily work engagement, with significant indirect effects when paradoxical leadership was high but not when it was low. Important theoretical and practical implications to the extant literature on creativity and leadership are discussed.
Female-biased sex ratios in urban centers create a “fertility trap” in post-war Finland

Abstract Because sex ratios are a key factor regulating mating success and subsequent fitness both across and within species, there is widespread interest in how population-wide sex ratio imbalances affect marriage markets and the formation of families in human societies. Although most modern cities have more women than men and suffer from low fertility rates, the effects of female-biased sex ratios have garnered less attention than male-biased ratios. Here, we analyze how sex ratios are linked to marriages, reproductive histories, dispersal, and urbanization by taking advantage of a natural experiment in which an entire population was forcibly displaced during World War II to other local Finnish populations of varying sizes and sex ratios. Using a discrete time-event generalized linear mixed-effects model, and including factors that change across time, such as annual sex ratio, we show how sex ratios, reproduction, and migration are connected in a female-dominated environment. Young childless women migrated toward urban centers where work was available to women, and away from male-biased rural areas. In such areas where there were more females, women were less likely to start reproduction. Despite this constraint, women showed little flexibility in mate choice, with no evidence for an increase in partner age difference in female-biased areas. We propose that together these behaviors and conditions combine to generate an “urban fertility trap” which may have important consequences for our understanding of the fertility dynamics of today including the current fertility decline across the developed world.
Influence of Compost Tea and Potassium Humate on Soil Properties and Plant Growth

An experiment was conducted during two seasons 2018/2019 and 2019/2020, cultivated with soybean, at farm Ismailia Governorate, Egypt. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two treatments (potassium humate and compost tea) at different rates of (0, 2, 4 and 6 ml/L water) with two application methods (soaking and foliar application) on soil fertility and soybean productivity. In both seasons, each experiment was carried out in randomized complete blocks design with four replicates. Data showed that the lowest value of soil pH 7.87 was obtained in the soil treated with foliar application of compost tea at 6 ml/L compared with other treatments. Also, the used of potassium Humate and compost tea foliar application was significant decrease of soil salinity (EC dSm), while soaking method was no significant for decrease soil salinity. The different rates of all treatments soaking method to soil gave significant increase of N and P available contents in soil while the foliar application was no significant. As well as, the K available in soil treated with all rates of treatments led to significant increase for soaking. The highest mean values of Fe, Mn and Zn contents in soil treated were with foliar application of compost tea. Compost tea soaking and foliar application increased soybean productivity. The highest values of all growth parameters plants i.e. (plant height (cm), No. of leaves/plant, No. of pods/plant, pods weight (g)/plant, seeds yield (ton/ha) and weight of 100 seed (g) were treated with potassium humate foliar application than all treatments. Original Research Article Fouda and Niel; AJSSPN, 7(2): 29-40, 2021; Article no.AJSSPN. 66294 30
Immunity to stripe rust in wheat: A case study of a hypersensitive-response (HR)- independent resistance to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in Avocet-Yr15

Abstract Stripe (yellow) rust, caused by the biotrophic fungal pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is emerging as a serious threat to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in many regions of North America. Genetic resistance to stripe rust is typically conditioned by the products of resistance genes that detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns and initiate a cascade of signalling events, culminating in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a hypersensitive response (HR) that eventually suppress the pathogen. Complete resistance with no symptoms (immunity response) has also been observed, but less frequently, in certain Pst-wheat interactions. However, such HR-independent resistance responses to Pst have not been well studied. Here we report that the Pst-resistant near isogenic line Avocet-Yr15 (carrying the Yr15 resistance gene) exhibited an immunity response to an isolate of Pst collected in Elora, Ontario, while the Avocet-S line (lacking Yr15) was highly susceptible to the same isolate. In particular, histochemical assays of defence-associated ROS generation and HR were negative during the early stages of the interaction between Pst and the resistant Avocet-Yr15. Microscopic analysis indicated that the pathogen was not able to penetrate the stomata of Avocet-Yr15. Moreover, RNA-sequencing of the immunity response of Avocet-Yr15 to Pst highlighted the activation of a global anti-oxidative-stress response consisting of genes involved in the maintenance of cell viability, redox homoeostasis and photosynthesis. These results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling the immunity response to stripe rust of wheat.
What Drives Landowners to Resist Selling Their Land? Insights from Ethical Capitalism and Landowners’ Perceptions

Foreign land grabbing is acknowledged as a phenomenon that generates disempowerment and dispossession of local farmers, human rights violations. Previous studies have revealed the lack of ethical benchmarks in foreign large-scale land transactions that raise moral concerns. It is evident that when resources are scarce and people depend on them, the balance between values and interests transforms itself into a dilemma. Within this context, the aims of the paper were to bring to the fore critical reflection on a more ethical perspective of large-scale land acquisitions and to extend the scant information on what factors determine landowners not to sell their land to foreigners to limit land grabbing. This context justifies the need for a critical reflection on a more ethical perspective of large-scale land acquisitions. Therefore, two objectives were set. The first one is to document the role of ethics in large-scale land transactions. Based on the land grabbing literature, authors selected a set of eight land grabbing narratives, most often interrelated and overlapping, that pose ethical considerations. The second objective is to reveal how well a set of variables can predict the “Resistance to sell” the land to foreigners even when an attractive price is offered. As ethics is a social construct, the analysis captured the stakeholders’ perspective on land grabbing. Therefore, a questionnaire was applied to a sample of 332 Romanian landowners from twelve randomly selected counties to reveal their perceptions. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to observe how well a set of seven variables could predict landowners’ “Resistance to sell” their land to foreign buyers. The use of PLS-SEM was justified by the existence of single items and the need to examine many structural model relations. Results showed that the variables with the strongest contribution to the prediction of the dependent variable are the “Probability to join an association for farmers rights defense”, the “Importance of the land price offered by the potential foreign buyer”, and the “Perceived effect of agricultural land conversion to urban land”. Raising awareness on the importance of buyer attributes, increasing people’s perception of the negative effect of agricultural land conversion to urban land, or strengthening the state’s image as a necessary actor to limit land grabbing will increase landowners’ resistance to sell their land to foreigners. Finally, it can be inferred that, within this frame of discussion, ethics should be valued as a means to create economically viable and morally justifiable solutions for foreign large-scale land transactions.