Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Binary progenitor models of type IIb supernovae

Massive stars that lose their hydrogen-rich envelope down to a few tenths of a solar mass explode as extended type IIb supernovae, an intriguing subtype that links the hydrogen-rich type II supernovae with the hydrogen-poor type Ib and Ic. The progenitors may be very massive single stars that lose their envelope due to their stellar wind, but mass stripping due to interaction with a companion star in a binary system is currently considered to be the dominant formation channel. Anticipating the upcoming automated transient surveys, we computed an extensive grid of binary models with the Eggleton binary evolution code. We identify the limited range of initial orbital periods and mass ratios required to produce type IIb binary progenitors. The rate we predict from our standard models, which assume conservative mass transfer, is about six times smaller than the current rate indicated by observations. It is larger but still comparable to the rate expected from massive single stars. We evaluate extensively the effect of various assumptions such as the adopted accretion efficiency, the binary fraction and distributions for the initial binary parameters. To recover the observed rate we must generously allow for uncertainties and consider low accretion efficiencies in combination with limited angular momentum loss from the system. Motivated by the claims of detection and non-detection of companions for a few IIb supernovae, we investigate the properties of the secondary star at the moment of explosion. We identify three cases: (1) the companion is predicted to appear as a hot O star in about 90% of the cases, as a result of mass accretion during its main sequence evolution, (2) the companion becomes an over-luminous B star in about 3% of the cases, if mass accretion occurred while crossing the Hertzsprung gap or (3) in systems with very similar initial masses the companion will appear as a K supergiant. The second case, which applies to the well-studied case of SN 1993J and possibly to SN 2001ig, is the least common case and requires that the companion very efficiently accretes the transferred material – in contrast to what is required to recover the overall IIb rate. We note that relative rates quoted above depend on the assumed efficiency of semi-convective mixing: for inefficient semi-convection the presence of blue supergiant companions is expected to be more common, occurring in up to about 40% of the cases. Our study demonstrates that type IIb supernovae have the potential to teach us about the physics of binary interaction and about stellar processes such as internal mixing and possibly stellar-wind mass loss. The fast increasing number of type IIb detections from automated surveys may lead to more solid constraints on these model uncertainties in the near future.
Body, thought, being-human and artificial intelligence: Merleau-Ponty and Lyotard

Abstract This article focuses in a comparative manner on the thought of Merleau-Ponty and Lyotard with a view to lending support to Busch’s claim, that ‘existentialism’ preceded poststructuralism and postmodernism as far as criticism of certain features of modem philosophy are concerned. Attention is first given to Lyotard’s critique of artificial intelligence, especially in so far as it displays a dependence on and development of insights on the part of Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological-existential understanding of human embodiment and the specificity of human perception. The focus then shifts to Merleau-Ponty in order to demonstrate the remarkable extent to which his understanding of human embodiment and related issues such as perception and creativity, paved the way for the work of, among others, Lyotard, and anticipated the critique of artificial intelligence on the part of the latter.
Black carbon and mineral dust in snow cover on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract. Snow cover plays a key role for sustaining ecology and society in mountainous regions. Light-absorbing particulates (including black carbon, organic carbon, and mineral dust) deposited on snow can reduce surface albedo and contribute to the near-worldwide melting of snow and ice. This study focused on understanding the role of black carbon and other water-insoluble light-absorbing particulates in the snow cover of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The results found that the black carbon, organic carbon, and dust concentrations in snow cover generally ranged from 202 to 17 468 ng g−1, 491 to 13 880 ng g−1, and 22 to 846 µg g−1, respectively, with higher concentrations in the central to northern areas of the TP. Back trajectory analysis suggested that the northern TP was influenced mainly by air masses from Central Asia with some Eurasian influence, and air masses in the central and Himalayan region originated mainly from Central and South Asia. The relative biomass-burning-sourced black carbon contributions decreased from ∼ 50 % in the southern TP to ∼ 30 % in the northern TP. The relative contribution of black carbon and dust to snow albedo reduction reached approximately 37 and 15 %, respectively. The effect of black carbon and dust reduced the snow cover duration by 3.1 ± 0.1 to 4.4 ± 0.2 days. Meanwhile, the black carbon and dust had important implications for snowmelt water loss over the TP. The findings indicate that the impacts of black carbon and mineral dust need to be properly accounted for in future regional climate projections, particularly in the high-altitude cryosphere.
Disease-threat model explains acceptance of genetically modified products

Natural selection favoured survival of individuals who were able to avoid disease. The behavioural immune system is activated especially when our sensory system comes into contact with disease-connoting cues and/or when these cues resemble disease threat. We investigated whether or not perception of modern risky technologies, risky behaviour, expected reproductive goals and food neophobia are associated with the behavioural immune system related to specific attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) products. We found that respondents who felt themselves more vulnerable to infectious diseases had significantly more negative attitudes toward GM products. Females had less positive attitudes toward GM products, but engaging in risky behaviours, the expected reproductive goals of females and food neophobia did not predict attitudes toward GM products. Our results suggest that evolved psychological mechanisms primarily designed to protect us against pathogen threat are activated by modern technologies possessing potential health risks.
Loo���ediated I�otherma� �m��i�cation ���ay for the �a�id Detection of Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is an important human pathogen that produces a variety of toxins and causes a wide range of infections, including so-tissue infections, bacteremia, and staphylococcal food poisoning. A loop-mediated isothermal ampli�cation (LAMP) assay targeting the arcC gene of S. aureuswas developed and evaluated with 119 S. aureus and 25 non-S. aureus strains. e usefulness of the assay was comparedwith the PCRmethod that targets spa and arcC genes. e optimal temperature for the LAMP assay was 58.5C with a detection limit of 2.5 ng/μμL and 10 CFU/mL when compared to 12.5 ng/μμL and 10 CFU/mL for PCR (spa and arcC). Both LAMP and PCR assays were 100% speci�c, 100% sensitive, 100% positive predictive value (PPV), and 100% negative predictive value (NPV). When tested on 30 spiked blood specimens (21 MRSA, eight non-S. aureus and one negative control), the performance of LAMP and PCR was comparable: 100% speci�c, 100% sensitive, 100% PPV, and 100% NPV. In conclusion, the LAMP assay was equally speci�c with a shorter detection time when compared to PCR in the identi�cation of S. aureus. e LAMP assay is a promising alternative method for the rapid identi�cation of S. aureus and could be used in resource-limited laboratories and �elds.
An Evaluation Of The Performance Of Moving Average And Trading Volume Technical Indicators In The U.S. Equity Market

An Evaluation of the Performance of Moving Average and Trading Volume Technical Indicators in the U.S. Equity Market. (May 2012) Bethany Krakosky Department of Economics Texas A&M University Research Advisor: Dr. Dennis Jansen Department of Economics This paper examines the profitability of several simple technical trading rules by using the S&P 500 index. The purpose of this research is to test the assumption that markets are efficient and therefore do not allow for the exploitation of predictable price patterns. Returns generated from using the trading rules in the market are compared to returns from a buy-and-hold investing strategy to determine the success of technical indicators. Further investigation into technical analysis is done through several regression models in an attempt to capture the “true” model of the market. The models give insight into why the trading rules may work. Results from the regression models are compared to the returns generated by the trading rules to examine whether the models chosen are a good representation of the dynamics that are happening in the market. The results present evidence that the trading rules do consistently generate excess returns over the buy-andhold method of investing. This suggests that the movements of the market may not be an unpredictable random walk, but rather can be captured by an autoregressive econometric model.
On the almost sure invariance principle for stationary sequences of Hilbert-valued random variables.

We prove an almost sure invariance principle for the partial sums of a strictly stationary sequence of Hilbert-valued random variables. As a consequence, we extend the almost sure invariance principle of Dehling and Philipp (1982) for strongly mixing sequences, by giving the balance between the strong mixing rate and the moment of the norm of the variables, for any moment greater than 2. We also show that our result holds for many non mixing sequences, including a class of Hilbert-valued Markov chain which appears when studying randomly forced partial dierential equations.
Stability of gapped ground state phases of spins and fermions in one dimension

We investigate the persistence of spectral gaps of one-dimensional frustration free quantum lattice systems under weak perturbations and with open boundary conditions. Assuming the interactions of the system satisfy a form of local topological quantum order, we prove explicit lower bounds on the ground state spectral gap and higher gaps for spin and fermion chains. By adapting previous methods using the spectral flow, we analyze the bulk and edge dependence of lower bounds on spectral gaps.
Differentiation of gene richness on duplicated chromosomes and survey of genes captured by ests in poplar genome.

In higher plant genomes, most sequences are unexpression sequence, the proportion of a genome that encodes for genes may be very small. Understanding gene distribution in the genome is a very important aspect for invastigating the genome structure. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, a clonal Populus trichocarpa genome sequencing has been completed and released to the public. The accomplishment of poplar genome offers us a unique opportunity to survey the gene distribution in the genome of a forest tree. In this paper, based on Poisson calculator, we investigated the gene density of various chromosomes in poplar genome. As a result, we found that gene density is significantly different among chromosomes in poplar genome. Modern poplar genome arose from an ancient whole genome duplication event, known as “salicoid duplication”. Thus poplar genome shared large duplication segments among different chromosome members. However, our results demonstrated that gene abundance pattern was different from the chromosomal duplication pattern of poplar genome. This implied the duplicated genes lost at different rates on the duplicated chromosomes following the salicoid duplication. Meanwhile, based on alignment with about 90 thousands ESTsi¼Œwe found that only 16.8% of the predicted gene models in poplar genome had EST proofs. Although, EST sequencing is an attractive alternative to whole genome sequencing for gene identification, the power of small scale EST sequencing study should be properly evaluated since with limited number of EST sequences, genes captured by ESTs are fairly limited.
The Impact of Soil and Water Conservation Program on the Income and Productivity of Farm Households in Adama District, Ethiopia

Land degradation due to soil erosion and nutrient depletion is one of the main problems constraining the development of the agricultural sector in Ethiopia. As part of intervention activities a number of soil and water conservation (SWC) practices have been promoted to smallholder farmers living in highly degraded and drought prone areas of the country. This study was conducted to assess the impact of SWC intervention on the livelihood of smallholder farm households in terms household income and productivity. To meet this objective primary data was gathered in 2012 from 101 SWC program participants and 115 non-participants that were randomly selected from 3 intervention area and 3 counterfactual villages respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics and propensity score matching (PSM) models were used to address the stated objectives. Results of the descriptive statistics showed that before matching there was statistically significant difference between program participants and their counterfactual households in terms of sex and age of household head, family size and farm size generally in favor of program participants. Results of the PSM model revealed that SWC intervention did not result in significant difference between program participant and nonparticipant households in terms of total crop and household income, and crop yield. However it was to be noted that there were positive trends which all together should guide SWC policy makers to identify important factors influencing the contribution of such a program and reconsider the design and implementation of the interventions Keywords : Soil and water, Conservation practices, Impact, Oromia region
Depletion of Non-Renewable Resources and Endogenous Technical Change

Non-renewable resources are an obstacle for positive long run growth if they are essential for production, households solve an intertemporal Ramsey problem and population is growing. Modern growth models predict that growth is positively related to growth in production factors. Hence, there are opposing forces at work if labor as one factor is growing and the use of the non-renewable resource as another factor is shrinking. The paper develops a semi-endogenous growth model with one labor and one resource using sector and derives conditions for stable positive long run growth in per capita production and consumption.
Irrigation Frequency Alters Nutrient Uptake in Container-grown Rhododendron Plants Grown with Different Rates of Nitrogen

The influence of irrigation frequency (same amount of water per day given at different times) on nutrient uptake of container-grown evergreen Rhododendron 'P.J.M. Compact' (PJM) and 'English Roseum' (ER) and deciduous Rhododendron 'Gibraltar' (AZ) grown with different rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizer was evaluated. Increased N application rate increased nutrient uptake and plant dry biomass. Irrigation frequency did not significantly influence total plant dry biomass; however, more frequent irrigation decreased net uptake of several nutrients including phosphorus (P), boron (B), and manganese (Mn) uptake in all cultivars; potassium (K), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) uptake in AZ and ER; sulfur (S) uptake in ER and PJM; and iron (Fe) uptake in AZ. Additionally, more frequent irrigation of evergreen cultivars increased calcium (Ca) uptake. Covariate analyses were used to compare nutrient uptake among cultivars and irrigation treatments after accounting for the variability in nutrient uptake attributable to differences in biomass and N uptake. For most nutrients, the influence of irrigation frequency on uptake was partially attributable to differences in biomass and N uptake. After accounting for the variability in nutrient uptake associated with biomass or N uptake, increased irrigation frequency decreased P, S, B, Cu, and Mn uptake only in ER and increased Ca uptake in the two evergreen cultivars. Differences in nutrient uptake among cultivars in response to irrigation treatments were related to water and N availability during production and their combined influence on water stress, nutrient uptake, and biomass partitioning. Estimates of nutrient demand and uptake efficiency using nutrient concentrations and ratios are discussed in relation to nutrient manage- ment differences for different cultivars and irrigation treatments.
An integrated online adaptive state of charge estimation approach of high-power lithium-ion battery packs

A novel online adaptive state of charge (SOC) estimation method is proposed, aiming to characterize the capacity state of all the connected cells in lithium-ion battery (LIB) packs. This method is realized using the extended Kalman filter (EKF) combined with Ampere-hour (Ah) integration and open circuit voltage (OCV) methods, in which the time-scale implementation is designed to reduce the computational cost and accommodate uncertain or time-varying parameters. The working principle of power LIBs and their basic characteristics are analysed by using the combined equivalent circuit model (ECM), which takes the discharging current rates and temperature as the core impacts, to realize the estimation. The original estimation value is initialized by using the Ah integral method, and then corrected by measuring the cell voltage to obtain the optimal estimation effect. Experiments under dynamic current conditions are performed to verify the accuracy and the real-time performance of this proposed method, the analysed result of which indicates that its good performance is in line with the estimation accuracy and real-time requirement of high-power LIB packs. The proposed multi-model SOC estimation method may be used in the real-time monitoring of the high-power LIB pack dynamic applications for working state measurement and control.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit : Social History, Politics and the Practice of Resistance

The creation of the Nunavut government has been accompanied by an emphasis on Inuit knowledge— Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ)—in the making of policy and in procedures affecting Nunavutmiut (Nunavummiut). Definitions of IQ parallel those of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), indigenous knowledge (IK), and traditional knowledge (TK). The extent to which cosmologies and belief systems are incorporated into definitions of these terms and the extent to which their use is narrowly focused on the management of biological resources are ongoing sources of concern. The language used to define and promote IQ often serves to move IQ away from its cosmological implications and define it as a tool useful for filling gaps in scientific knowledge. To appreciate a seamless definition of IQ, a better understanding of Inuit social and cultural history is necessary. An examination of this history depicts IQ as a form of resistant practice that can seriously challenge characteristic assumptions of Western science, such as the separation of humans from other forms of life. Inuit operating with a seamless definition of IQ are, however, confronted with contemporary social, economic, and political realities that challenge and may limit the use of IQ in the management and development of Nunavut.
Very High Resolution Optical Transition Radiation Beam Profile Monitor

We have constructed and tested a 2 um resolution beam profile monitor based on optical transition radiation (OTR). Theoretical studies of OTR [1] show that extremely high resolution, of the order of the wavelength of the light detected, is possible. Such high‐resolution single pulse profile monitors will be very useful for future free electron laser and linear collider projects. Using the very low emittance 1.3 GeV electron beam at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) [2] (1.4nm ex × 15pm ey), we have imaged transition radiation from 5 micron σ beam spots. Our test device consisted of a finely polished target, a thin fused silica window, a 35 mm working distance microscope objective (5x and 10x) and a triggered CCD camera. A wire scanner located near the target is used to verify the profile monitor performance. In this paper we report results of beam tests.
Energetics of Mg and B adsorption on polar zinc oxide surfaces from first principles

We have performed first-principles density-functional projector augmented-wave calculations to investigate the energetics of Mg and B adsorption on polar zinc oxide ZnO surfaces, thereby to understand the origin of the peculiar affinities between an epitaxial MgB2 film and the ZnO substrate. We found that the 0001 Zn surface is relatively inert, while the 0001̄ O surface is very reactive in the adsorption of atomic species, where a triplaner BO3 a hump of MgO3 binding unit is formed as a consequence of the B Mg atom adsorption on the surface. These binding units would be formed at an early stage in the epitaxial growth of MgB2 film on the ZnO substrate, and subsequently lead to the formation of the reaction products that were recently found in the interface between the MgB2 film and the ZnO substrate.
Green synthesis of magnesium oxide nanoparticles using Trigonella foenum-graecum leaf extract and its antibacterial activity

Synthesis of MgO Nanoparticles by Green synthesis using Trigonella foenum-graecum is a facile method which can be easily used for various biomedical application. Construction of nanoparticle by this method makes it compatible for Antibacterial studies. Trigonella foenum-graecum functions as a reducing and stabilizing agent and the precursor is Magnesium Nitrate. The synthesised MgO nanoparticles was characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy. FTIR technique which was used to confirm the presence of functional groups, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) study was used to confirm the crystalline nature of the biosynthesised nanoparticle and confirm the size of the nanoparticle as 13nm.GC-MS technique was used to confirm the presence of stabilizing and reducing functional groups present in the leaf extract. SEM with EDAX was used to confirm the size, shape and composition of green synthesized MgO nanoparticle. The effect of green synthesised MgO nanoparticle against gram positive and gram negative bacteria was also studied. And it was observed that MgO nanoparticle shows significant antibacterial activity towards both the stains.