Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NONLINEAR GALACTIC DYNAMOS AND THE MAGNETIC PITCH ANGLE

Pitch angles p of the large-scale magnetic fields B ¯ ? > of spiral galaxies have previously been inferred from observations to be systematically larger in magnitude than predicted by standard mean-field dynamo theory. This discrepancy is more pronounced if dynamo growth has saturated, which is reasonable to assume given that such fields are generally inferred to be close to energy equipartition with the interstellar turbulence. This “pitch angle problem” is explored using local numerical mean-field dynamo solutions as well as asymptotic analytical solutions. It is first shown that solutions in the saturated or kinematic regimes depend on only five dynamo parameters, two of which are tightly constrained by observations of galaxy rotation curves. The remaining three-dimensional (dimensionless) parameter space can be constrained to some extent using theoretical arguments. Predicted values of ∣ p ∣ ? > can be as large as ∼ 40 ° ? > , which is similar to the largest values inferred from observations, but only for a small and non-standard region of parameter space. We argue, based on independent evidence, that such non-standard parameter values are plausible. However, these values are located toward the boundary of the allowed parameter space, suggesting that additional physical effects may need to be incorporated. We therefore suggest possible directions for extending the basic model considered.
Unexpected lessons from adopting scholarship of teaching and learning practices: collaboration, curriculum, and department culture

In an effort to implement scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) practices in our teaching, we identified several unexpected but important lessons that went beyond classroom instruction. First, we discuss SoTL within the context of higher education and how SoTL practices may respond to critiques of higher education. Next, we discuss our own experience with SoTL in terms that extend beyond classroom teaching and learning. The unexpected lessons pertain to collaboration, curriculum, and departmental culture. Collaboration can promote a response to the increasing isolation in higher education. Curriculum can be developed that responds to the fragmentation of the Kinesiology subdisciplines by promoting integration. Departmental culture can be enhanced when collaborative SoTL practices are supported. In conclusion, the SoTL makes evident the need for integration of the subdisciplines of kinesiology in order to promote the noble purposes of higher education.
Herschel views on ultra-luminous X-ray sources

The nature of ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), which are off-nuclear extragalactic X-ray sources that exceed the Eddington luminosity for a stellar-mass black hole, is still largely unknown. They might be black hole X-ray binaries in a super-Eddington accretion state, possibly with significant beaming of their emission, or they might harbor a black hole of intermediate mass (10^2 to 10^5 solar masses). Due to the enormous amount of energy radiated, ULXs can have strong interactions with their environment, particularly if the emission is not beamed and if they host a massive black hole. We present early results of a project that uses archival Herschel infrared observations of galaxies hosting bright ULXs in order to constrain the nature of the environment surrounding the ULXs and possible interactions. We already observe a spatial correlation between ULXs and dense clouds of cold material, that will be quantified in subsequent work. Those observations will allow us to test the similarities with the environment of Galactic high mass X-ray binaries. This project will also shed light on the nature of the host galaxies, and the possible factors that could favor the presence of a ULX in a galaxy.
Positive Splitting Method for the Hull & White 2D Black-Scholes Equation

In this paper we present a locally one-dimensional (LOD) splitting method to solve numerically the two-dimensional Black-Scholes equation, arising in the Hull & White model for pricing European options with stochastic volatility, characterized by the presence of a mixed derivative term. The parabolic equation degenerates on the boundary x = 0 and we apply a fitted finite-volume difference scheme, proposed in [23], in order to resolve the degeneration. Discrete maximum principle is proved and therefore our method preserves the non-negativity. Numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency of our difference scheme.
Molecular Dynamics Study on Crystallization Patterns in Tunnel Drainage Pipes in Alkaline Geological Environments

In the alkaline geological environment, crystallization blockage of tunnel drainage systems is a common engineering problem and it is difficult to treat. The microscopic mechanism of crystallization and the environmental influence factors are still unclear. Based on the molecular dynamics (MD) technique, this study establishes nanoscale models of CaCO3 and the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, which is commonly used in drainage systems, under different alkaline environments. The goal is to study the interfacial interaction between CaCO3 and PVC and to reveal the effect of the alkaline environment on the adsorption of CaCO3 by PVC at the atomic scale. Analysis of the adsorption properties predicted by the CaCO3-PVC MD model reveals that CaCO3 molecules attract each other and form many atomic clusters at approximately 0.11 nm from the PVC interface. The peak difference between the strongly alkaline solution and the pure water solution at this distance reaches 31.6%. An in-depth exploration of the differences in adsorption between CaCO3 and PVC under different alkaline environments indicates that the mobility of CaCO3 rises gradually as the alkalinity of the solution increases. In particular, the mobility of CaCO3 in strongly alkaline solutions is approximately 60% higher than that in pure water. Moreover, as the alkalinity of the solution increases, the binding energy of the interface increases, the affinity of the interface increases, and the CaCO3 adsorption capacity gradually increases. The results of laboratory experiments were consistent with the MD simulation results, which indicates that MD simulation can play an important role in the design and evaluation of engineering practice. The innovation of this paper is to try to use the molecular dynamic (MD) technique in the field of materials to explain the practical problems in the field of traditional civil engineering, and the feasibility of molecular dynamic simulation is verified by indoor simulation experiments. The findings of this study can help for a better understanding of crystallization patterns in tunnel drainage pipes in alkaline geological environments and attempt to provide a theoretical basis and new ideas for solving this problem.
TURBULENT AMPLIFICATION AND STRUCTURE OF THE INTRACLUSTER MAGNETIC FIELD

We compare DNS calculations of homogeneous isotropic turbulence with the statistical properties of intracluster turbulence from the Matryoshka Run and find remarkable similarities between their inertial ranges. This allowed us to use the time-dependent statistical properties of intracluster turbulence to evaluate dynamo action in the intracluster medium, based on earlier results from a numerically resolved nonlinear magneto-hydrodynamic turbulent dynamo. We argue that this approach is necessary (a) to properly normalize dynamo action to the available intracluster turbulent energy and (b) to overcome the limitations of low Re affecting current numerical models of the intracluster medium. We find that while the properties of intracluster magnetic field are largely insensitive to the value and origin of the seed field, the resulting values for the Alfvén speed and the outer scale of the magnetic field are consistent with current observational estimates, basically confirming the idea that the magnetic field in today’s galaxy clusters is a record of its past turbulent activity.
Phonon renormalization in doped bilayer graphene

We report phonon renormalization in bilayer graphene as a function of doping. The Raman G peak stiffens and sharpens for both electron and hole doping as a result of the nonadiabatic Kohn anomaly at the Gamma point. The bilayer has two conduction and valence subbands, with splitting dependent on the interlayer coupling. This gives a change of slope in the variation of G peak position with doping which allows a direct measurement of the interlayer coupling strength.
Evaluation-Relaxation Schemes for Genetic and Evolutionary Algorithms

Genetic and evolutionary algorithms have been increasingly applied to solve complex, large scale search problems with mixed success. Competent genetic algorithms have been proposed to solve hard problems quickly, reliably and accurately. They have rendered problems that were difficult to solve by the earlier GAs to be solvable, requiring only a subquadratic number of function evaluations. To facilitate solving large-scale complex problems, and to further enhance the performance of competent GAs, various efficiency-enhancement techniques have been developed. This study investigates one such class of efficiency-enhancement technique called evaluation relaxation. Evaluation-relaxation schemes replace a high-cost, low-error fitness function with a lowcost, high-error fitness function. The error in fitness functions comes in two flavors: Bias and variance. The presence of bias and variance in fitness functions is considered in isolation and strategies for increasing efficiency in both cases are developed. Specifically, approaches for choosing between two fitness functions with either differing variance or differing bias values have been developed. This thesis also investigates fitness inheritance as an evaluationrelaxation scheme. In fitness inheritance, the fitness values of some individuals are inherited from their parents rather than through a costly evaluation function, thereby reducing the total function-evaluation cost. Simple facetwise models have been derived to capture the dynamics in each case and have been verified with simple but illustrating empirical results. These models are also used to develop analytical framework to tune algorithm parameters to obtain maximum speed-up.
QUASINORMAL MODES AND STABILITY ANALYSIS FOR Z = 4 TOPOLOGICAL BLACK HOLE IN 4 + 1-DIMENSIONAL HORAVA–LIFSHITZ GRAVITY

We study the stability of z = 4 topological black hole in 4 + 1-dimensional Horava–Lifshitz gravity against scalar perturbations by analyzing the quasinormal modes (QNMs). It is possible to distinguish two cases for which the black hole is stable. The first one occurs when p + Q > 0 and QNMs are characterized by a real and imaginary part, meaning that the field has oscillatory modes but with Im(ω) < 0; therefore, it is stable. While in the second case p + Q < 0, QNMs are purely imaginary (Im(ω) < 0) and then absolutely damped.
Wavelets in signal and image analysis : from theory to practice

Preface. Part I: Wavelet Design. 1. Discrete-Time Wavelets M. Doroslovacki. 2. The Double Density DWT I.W. Selesnick. Part II: Multiscale Analysis, Estimation and Filtering. 3. Multiscale Bayesian Estimation and Data Rectification S. Ungarala, B.R. Bakshi. 4. Empirical Tests for Evaluation of Multirate Filter Bank Parameters C. Taswell. 5. Symmetry and Locality in Image Representation R. Wilson. 6. Towards Bridging Scale-Space and Multiscale Frame Analyses Y. Bao, H. Krim. 7. Wavelet Domain Features for Texture/Pattern Description, Classification and Replicability Analysis L. Balmelli, A. Mojsilovic. 8. Wavelets for Image Fusion S. Nikolov. Part III: Signal and Image Compression. 9. Transform Coding of Signals with Bounded Finite Differences: from Fourier to Walsh, to Wavelets A. Petrosian. 10. Multi-layered Image Representation F.G. Meyer, et al. 11. Image Compression Through Level Lines and Wavelet Packets J. Froment. 12. Image Compression Using Spline Based Wavelet Transforms A.Z. Averbuch, V.A. Zheludev. Part IV: Applications in Biomedicine and other Fields. 13. Spatio-Temporal Directional Analysis of Real-Time Three-Dimensional Cardiac Ultrasound E. Angelini, A. Laine. 14. Wavelets for Computer-Aided Diagnosis in Radiographic Images H. Yoshida. 15. Wavelet Analysis of Event Related Potentials for Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease R. Polikar, et al. 16. An Application of the DWT in Seismic Data Analysis P.J. Oonincx, et al. 17. Application of Wavelet Analysis to Condition Monitoring of Electromechanical Equipment P. Kang.
A single-arm feasibility phase II study of EMF (erlotinib + methotrexate + 5-fluorouracil) regimen in platinum-refractory recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC)

Background Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a huge burden in India with the majority of patients presenting in advanced unresectable stages. Innovative, low-cost but efficacious regimens that can be easily administered in the outpatient setting are the need of the hour. We envisaged assessing whether a readily available triplet therapy of erlotinib + methotrexate + 5-fluorouracil (EMF) is efficacious in terms of extending life and maintaining the quality of life in such patients. Patients and methods This was a single-arm, phase II, investigator-initiated interventional study. Thirty-five platinum-resistant/refractory patients of HNSCC were treated with a combination of erlotinib 150 mg, methotrexate 40 mg/m2 (d1, d8) and 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m2 (d1, d8) every 28 days till progression or unacceptable toxicities. The primary endpoint was overall response rates (ORRs) at 3 months; additional endpoints were disease control rate (DCR) at 3 months, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), safety and patient-reported quality of life. Results The ORR and DCR at 3 months were 45.7% and 68.5%, respectively. The PFS was 5 months (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 3.9–6 months) and the OS was 9 months (95% CI: 7.4–10.5 months). The 3- and 6-month PFS rates were 86% ± 6% and 45% ± 9%, respectively, while the OS rates at 3 and 6 months were 91% ± 5% and 68% ± 8%, respectively. Rash, mucositis and fatigue were common adverse events occurring in 23 (65%), 14 (40%) and 9 (25.7%), respectively. The most common grade 3 events seen were rash in 5 (14.2%) and diarrhoea in 2 (5.7%). Clinically significant improvement from baseline was seen in many domains of Quality of Life Core Questionnaire and Quality of Life Head and Neck Module. Conclusions The triplet regimen of EMF is a feasible and safe therapeutic option in patients with platinum-resistant/refractory HNSCC. It has demonstrated favourable response rates and improvement in quality of life; however, a randomised phase III study would add more robust value (NCT: CTRI/2020/02/023378).
The Antioxidant and Enzyme Inhibitory Potential of n-Hexane-Extracted Oils Obtained from Three Egyptian Cultivars of the Golden Dewdrop Duranta erecta Linn. Supported by Their GC-MS Metabolome Analysis and Docking Studies

Duranta erecta Linn. has a longstanding history for use in folk remedy for several disorders. Its hydroalcoholic extract has been investigated intensely in the treatment of many ailments, but to date very few data are presented to explain the pharmacological use of its oil. In this study, the chemical profiles of the leaf oils extracted from three Egyptian Duranta erecta cultivars, namely ‘Green’, ‘Golden edge’, and ‘Variegata’ are traced using GC-MS analysis. D. erecta ‘Green’ showed predominance of vitamin E (22.7%) and thunbergol (15%) whereas D. erecta ‘Golden edge’ and ‘Variegata’ contained tetratetracontane as a major component in their oils. The highest phenolic and flavonoid contents, displayed as gallic acid and rutin equivalents per gram oil, respectively, were observed in the ‘Golden edge’ and ‘Variegata’ cultivars, which was reflected by their strong DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities as well as the highest reducing power in both CUPRAC and FRAP assays. D. erecta ‘Green’ displayed better metal chelating potential, which may be attributed to its content of vitamin E. All cultivars showed similar enzyme inhibitory profiles. The best inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase was observed by D. erecta ‘Green’. In silico studies of the major constituents docked on the active sites of the target enzymes NADPH oxidase, amylase, glucosidase, butyrylcholinesterase, and tyrosinase revealed high binding scores, which justified the biological activities of the tested oils.
Augmented reality technology for day/night situational awareness for the dismounted Soldier

This paper describes Applied Research Associates’ (ARA) recent advances in Soldier augmented reality (AR) technology. Our AR technology, called ARC4, delivers heads-up situational awareness to the dismounted warfighter, enabling non-line-of-sight team coordination in distributed operations. ARC4 combines compact head tracking sensors with advanced pose estimation algorithms, network management software, and an intuitive AR visualization interface to overlay tactical iconic information accurately on the user’s real-world view. The technology supports heads-up navigation, blue-force tracking, target handoff, image sharing, and tagging of features in the environment. It integrates seamlessly with established network protocols (e.g., Cursor-on-Target) and Command and Control software tools (e.g., Nett Warrior, Android Tactical Assault Kit) and interfaces with a wide range of daytime see-through displays and night vision goggles to deliver real-time actionable intelligence, day or night. We describe our pose estimation framework, which fuses inertial data, magnetometer data, GPS, DTED, and digital imagery to provide measurements of the operator’s precise orientation. These measurements leverage mountainous terrain horizon geometry, known landmarks, and sun position, enabling ARC4 to achieve significant improvements in accuracy compared to conventional INS/GPS solutions of similar size, weight, and power. We detail current research and development efforts toward helmet-based and handheld AR systems for operational use cases and describe extensions to immersive training applications.
THE TRIPLY ECLIPSING HIERARCHICAL TRIPLE STAR KIC002856960

In a recent study, Armstrong et al. presented an eclipsing binary star of about 6.2 hr period with transit-like tertiary signals occurring every 204.2 days in the Kepler public data of KIC002856960 and proposed three possible hierarchical structures: (AB)b, (AB)C, and A(BC). We analyzed the Kepler light curve by including a third light source and one starspot on each binary component. The results represent that the close eclipsing pair is in a low-mass eccentric-orbit, detached configuration. Based on 123 eclipse timings calculated from the Wilson–Devinney binary model, a period study of the close binary reveals that the orbital period has experienced a sinusoidal variation with a period and a semi-amplitude of 205 ± 2 days and 0.0021 ± 0.0002 days, respectively. The period variation would be produced by the light-travel-time effect due to a gravitationally bound third body with a minimum mass of M3sin i3 = 0.76 M☉ in an eccentric orbit of e3 = 0.61. This is consistent with the presence of third light found in our light curve solution and the tertiary signal of 204.2 day period most likely arises from the K-type star crossed by the close eclipsing binary. Then, KIC002856960 is a triply eclipsing hierarchical system, A(BC), consisting of a close binary with two M-type dwarfs and a more massive K-type component. The presence of the third star may have played an important role in the formation and evolution of the close pair, which may ultimately evolve into a contact system by angular momentum loss.
Recruitment Biology of Cleavers (Galium spp.) Populations in Western Canada

Abstract Two species of cleavers, Galium aparine L. and Galium spurium L. , are known to inhabit croplands in western Canada. The latter is the more abundant of the two species. An increased abundance of these species over the most recent decades warrants a more comprehensive understanding of their developmental phenology and the cause of this increase. This study aimed to identify the base temperature and emergence characteristics of Galium spp. across different populations from western Canada. A thermal gradient plate experiment was conducted using five G. spurium populations collected from various Saskatchewan (SK) and Alberta (AB) locations. One known G. aparine reference sample was also included. A common garden experiment was conducted using the six Galium spp. populations to determine emergence characteristics. The base germination temperature identified was 2 C for all populations of G. spurium and 4 C for G. aparine. The median germination temperature for G. aparine was 8.34 C, whereas G. spurium had a similar median germination temperature of 6.5 C. Despite similar germination characteristics, the field emergence study revealed differences between populations' initiation of emergence (150 to 250 growing degree days [GDD]) and time to 50% emergence (275 to 470 GDD) in spring. Highly variable emergence among years and populations within the year (200 to 600 GDD in 2013 and 100 to 200 GDD in 2014) were observed during fall, probably due to differences in moisture availability. Cumulative emergence among populations in fall was very low (1% to 9%) compared with spring emergence (2% to 17%). Overall, this study provides evidence for a low base temperature and differences in emergence periodicity among populations, both of which may be significant factors contributing to the seasonal success of this species.
The Challenges of Irish Language Acquisition for Students with Special Educational Needs in Irish-medium Primary Schools.

This study investigated the challenges faced by students with special educational needs (SEN) when acquiring Irish as a second language (L2) in Irish-medium (IM) primary schools. Case studies were undertaken on four students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), three with a specific speech and language disorder (SSLD), and three with dyslexia enrolled in four IM primary schools. Three of these schools were situated in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and one was situated in Northern Ireland (NI). As part of the research, class teachers (N=10) and parents (N=9) undertook semi-structured interviews. These categories of SEN are listed within the five most frequently reported categories of SEN in IM schools. They were chosen as the focus of this study because students with these SEN often experience language and communication difficulties. Also, there is often a lot of debate as to whether bilingualism and/or learning through an L2 is appropriate for children with these categories of SEN. The research question addressed within this study was: what are the challenges faced by students with SEN learning through Irish as an L2? The findings of the present study suggest that some students with these categories of SEN can be slow at acquiring Irish as an L2 and that some do encounter challenges when learning through Irish. However, some of the challenges encountered by this group of students are also encountered by students learning through Irish without SEN. It was also reported by a number of parents and teachers, that the Irish language did not pose a challenge for some of the students.